Page 55 of Sweet Violence
I made a throaty sound, crossing my arms over my chest. "Don't make a big deal of it."
"Have you been feeling guilty this whole time?" he asked, his voice thawing from its usual icy chill.
"Don't get soft on me. I've beenfine. I've had orgasms, and amazing food, and a room full of weapons. I haven't been agonising."
"If you say so," he replied, smirk deepening. "Try all you might to convince me otherwise, I know you're sweet, princess."
I gagged.
"On that note, I'm leaving. Enjoy your Hell law book."
"I will."
He meant that. Weirdo.
I shook my head and wound my way back through the dim library and across the fortress towards my room. I didn't know how, but somehow I could sense Dev waiting for me there.
This mate bond shit was getting out of hand.
17
The closer I got to my suite, the stronger the tug in my chest became. Like the devil snared me in rope and gave it a firm yank every minute. It was annoying. And unsettling.
"Knock it off," I yelled, kicking open the door to my suite—and blinking at the sight of Dev in his giant form.
Clearly, I'd gotten a little too comfortable around his eight-foot form because looking at him standing at full height, in all his demonic glory in the middle of my living room … I gulped. I forgot the sheersizeof him.
"I called you minutes ago," he said in a low rumble. I wasn't sure if he was mad or if his voice was naturally that deep.
"Yeah, well, I was saying bye to my mates before I go off to the training hall. Is this the part where you tell me what these special requirements of my trip are? You were mysterious about those earlier."
He told me about the demons' habits and abilities—in between drills and training, they stole humans, brought them to their building, and had fun playing with, torturing, and fucking them until they broke1—but he'd been vague about this part.
"Climb up, babygirl," he said, kneeling in the middle of my living room, taking up all the available space.
I pressed my lips into a line, but hauled myself over his giant fingers and into his hand, yelping when he lifted me dangerously high.
"I won't drop you," he said with a hint of teasing that made me scowl. "And yes, this is where I tell you how to infiltrate their ranks."
"And you didn't tell mebeforebecause…"
"I didn't want to spook you," he replied, which spooked me.
I narrowed my eyes with a dangerous look, but I felt like a kitten trying to threaten a fully grown human. Feeling tiny was not conducive to being scary, dammit. "Spill."
"To move among them, you'll have to register as a demon to their senses."
I shrugged, frowning up at his harsh face. "I'm half-demon, so no problem."
"You're part demon thanks to the demon blood and essence you've consumed."
"I don't even want to know what demon essence means," I muttered, wrinkling my nose.
"But the human parts of you still stand out. It's easy to sense and smell that part of you. To blend in and join their ranks, you'll need to be fully demon."
"So…"
"There's a way to alter your signature temporarily. It'll only last a few days, five days max, but it'll be enough for you to get in and fly under their radar." He gave me a hard look. "As long as you don't start trouble."
