Wrong thing to say.
His hand tightened on my own. “Yes,” he agreed. “In the most archaic of terms, you are not. I am willing to rectify that, immediately.”
I swallowed.
“Or—” he said, “you can agree with me and save the rectifying for a time you truly want it.”
That would be never.
The devil suddenly looked beyond me, towards the door out of the dining room. “I need to go. Explore on your own. I’ll be back later.” And then he winked out of existence.
I spent the next several hours—at least what felt like hours—wandering through the castle. It had great halls, cavernous rooms, and staggering towers, each area more oddly beautiful than the last, and each barren of life. From what I could tell, the palace was sprawling. It would take me weeks to learn this place.
The floors, walls and vaulted ceilings all appeared to be made out of obsidian—volcanic glass. The faces of gargoyles, screaming souls, and horned, snarling beasts all twisted their way up the walls, their faces pressed against the stone’s surface as though they were trying to break free. I’d glance away for a moment, but when I’d look back at the wall, I’d swear those faces changed shape. The place seemed alive, and I got the distinct impression that these walls did in fact talk.
Now I stood halfway down a long hallway fitted with narrow windows that looked out over the kingdom of fire. I stepped up to one.
The flames began just beyond the wrought iron gate that circled the palace grounds. They stretched as far as the eye could see, popping and hissing as they burned through their human fuel.
My eyes darted up to avoid catching a glimpse of all those agonized souls. Thick, filmy smoke hung high in the air, hell’s version of clouds. The firelight danced upon it. Beyond the smoke, all I saw was inky darkness.
While on earth, I’d never actually believed hell was below us. But right now it felt like I stood at the core of the earth, and the only thing that kept this place from being consumed entirely was the devil’s magic.
Despite my best efforts, my eyes moved back to the flames. I caught glimpses of souls here and there, and then the fire would roar up and swallow their image once more. And all those screams, they came together like a symphony, something haunted and hypnotic.
Somewhere out there the devil stood among them, or maybe he’d gone to the land of the living to make deals with the desperate.
Either way, he’d left me here to molder, and I had no doubt it was intentional. After all, I couldn’t spend an eternity cooped up in this building; I was barely managing a single day. Eventually, I’d seek him out.
Another frightening thought had me backing away from the window. I didn’t feel hollow. I didn’t feel like the wickedness of this place was trying to burrow under my skin. I could only guess that it had already claimed me.
My back bumped into the wall. The cold stone vibrated against my skin.
I was so fucked. So, so fucked.
My heart seized, as though it too realized the mess we were now in. I wheezed in a breath.
Not again. I thought I was done dying.
But it wasn’t my body giving out. Power washed over me, and then the cord that connected me to the devil flared to life.
Hello, little bird.
I sagged against the wall. “What are you doing?”
Strengthening our bond.
That was what caused the pain in my heart?
“I thought I was dying.” I rubbed the material covering my chest.
Not until all memory of our existence is wiped from the world and all traces of us have been destroyed will you face annihilation. Only then should you worry.
How reassuring.
“Where are you?” I asked.
Everywhere there is sin. Are you speaking out loud to an empty room?
My cheeks pinkened ever so briefly at the realization that I was, in fact, doing just that. I touched my cheek. I could blush again.
I wish to see this.
In the next instant, the devil stood in front of me.
I startled.
He tilted his head as he studied my face, and I had to look away because he was too much. Even though I’d shed my mortal life—along with the last of my humanity—the perfection of his features still felt almost painful to gaze at.
“I don’t like you inside my head,” I said.
“You also don’t like me inside your heart. Too bad for you, neither is going to change any time soon.”
The connection between us felt like a livewire. I could sense him on the other end, his glee and his anger and, beneath it all, his contentment. I hadn’t expected him to have human emotions, and I definitely hadn’t expected them to be so … normal.
“You make me feel human.” He said this with a frown. Someone didn’t like that fact.
Before I could react, he was gone again.
I breathed in and out through my nose, trying to control the cocktail of emotions welling up in me.
Hot damn, that man was unsettling.
Chapter 2
Gabrielle