Chapter 5
Cain
Phoebe haunted my dreams, and, in retrospect, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t just killed her then and there and solved the problem. Stealing her soul would’ve been a bonus for the rude arrival to my sanctuary.
I sat on my bed, not bothering to light a candle in the darkness. My eyes needed no light to see, and sitting in the black comforted my anxious heart.
In the distance, water dripped with a steady beat. Normally, I didn’t mind its reassuring sound, but since yesterday, a sliver of annoyance fed an inner need to do something before my careful control slipped.
What is wrong with me?I’d never been so rattled. First, my mark had no effect on Phoebe, then I’d spied the mocking symbol hanging beneath her throat, almost as if it were a bitter joke.
I’ll have the last laugh, though.
The anger and careful control I clutched with a desperate grip slipped, and this momentary lapse—more than anything—made me want to blink to where she sat in her boring classroom and squeeze her neck until her scream fed my soul with pleasure.
Earlier, with a light caress, I’d slipped into her mind, careful to not delve too deeply. It wouldn’t do to harm her before I could have fun.
What if Malachihadsent the wisp of a girl as a trap? He’d always been jealous of my position with Lucian, but why send a human without power? Might as well send a child into the den of a bear.
Because he enjoys the game. Because he’s as corrupt as I am. Because he’d love nothing more than to see me fail.
I gritted my teeth. Failure wasn’t something I enjoyed, and Malachi had been at the heart of my early mishaps, back when it had been difficult to take the souls of those who didn’t deserve it.
But I overcame the weakness.Yes—despite his incessant goading and threats. I would never be weak again. Weakness hurt. Weakness killed.
A memory flashed in my head. My father’s cold, hard eyes, angry at first, then becoming anguished as his gaze drifted to my brother’s lifeless form in my arms, his crimson blood covering his throat and my hands.
Sweat broke out over my body. I willed my mind to the present.
Why is that scene coming back to haunt me?The darkness, instead of wrapping my heart in bliss, devoured my mind, and I burst through my living quarters, dashed up the steps, and fled into the bright daylight. Grabbing my thighs, I leaned forward, squeezing my eyes shut and breathing through the pain.
It had been years since I’d thought about that fateful day. What had changed to make the hateful memory surface?
Phoebe Blutengel.
Clearly, she was a danger and needed to be gone so I could concentrate on my real goal. Attaining wings.
Drawing in a cleansing breath, I steadied my shaky hands and let out a quiet chuckle, scaring a nearby squirrel. Only one university sat in a one-hundred-mile radius, and I’d already established the tether to her mind. Immune to my curse or not, Iwouldsteal her soul and offer it to Lucian. Afterwards, I’d stalk a random person and kill them for fun.
You thought I was a beast before, Father? You should see me now.
I smiled. Delicious wickedness coursed through my veins and sent faint wisps of black power to curl around my wrists and slither up my forearms. A new soul would charge my ether reserves, too.
Phoebe, my dear, tonight will be your last. It’s a shame, too, because you won’t even know it.Perhaps I’d remove the memory wipe right beforehand, so she’d remember the last hateful words she’d spoken about me.
“I’ll show you ugly, precious one.”
