Maybe one night with him wouldn’t hurt.
I reached for the dagger earring dangling from my earlobe, thoughts full of all the things I needed right now. Thoughts of Belial bringing them to me, making me pay again. Then a branch crunched behind me, the sound of a very large branch cracking under averyheavy boot.
My eyes shot upward and my stomach dropped when I registered the hue of the sky. Crimson red. It was nightfall. Meaning it was the end of the second day.
I lifted my wrist to see the mark the Lord of Bones had carved into my skin at the end of day one.
“You look so beautiful, drenched in blood.” That deep, gravelly voice rumbled, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand. “Are you ready for my second mark?”
Chapter24
RAYVEN
I slowly pivotedon my feet to see the Lord of Bones standing at the end of the path, his worn cloak swaying gently around his ankles in the breeze.
I should have been cold, standing there in nothing but rags, but the blue flames in the monster’s eyes burned me up from the outside, while molten anger consumed me from within.
The last time I’d seen him, I’d been scared shitless. Now, after everything I’d been through, I’d had enough of being scared. Now, fury ran hot inside me, burning away everything else.
My fists clenched at my sides, and my upper lip peeled in a snarl. “Oh, good. It’s the Lord of Assholes.”
The King of Limbo looked particularly terrifying today. He was so tall, his animal skull head rising over the hedges. He wore no shirt, exposing the same black and white necros pattern on his torso I’d seen in my dream. A single pauldron—which looked to be an entire silver ribcage—sat on his shoulder, held in place by a leather belt strapped across his chest.
The moon was starting to come out, at least I thought it was the moon—it was a bright red crescent, perfectly framed in the cradle of his curved horns.
A crimson halo for the angel of death.
“It’s good to hear you mouthing off, little thief. It means you have more fight in you.”
“Don’t you want me to give up? Isn’t that what you’re doing?” My jaw hardened and I perched my hands on my hips. “Trying to wear me down so I give in?”
“No.” His tone came out hard and so deep it was almost a perpetual growl. “I’m enjoying watching you try your very hardest.”
I swallowed thickly, hating how that voice so easily worked its way inside me. “Because you get off on my suffering.”
“Because I get off on making youfeel, Rayven.”
My name in his mouth took me by surprise. It was the first time I’d heard him say it. I didn’t remember actually telling him my name. Maybe Holga told him, or even Belial. Even though the masked demon was helping me, I couldn’t let myself forget that he still worked for the Lord.
“What do you mean, make me feel? All I’ve felt is pain and suffering in your stupid labyrinth.”
He took a step forward, his demeanor radiating power and violence. “But that isn’t true, is it? You’ve felt so much more than pain.”
Another step. The closer he came, the more palpable his aura was. It slid over my skin, making me hot and cold all at once.
A fist-sized lump swelled in my throat as I gaped at the monster with a confusing maelstrom of emotions whirling inside me.
He knew I was messing around with Belial.Had more than just his likeness watched us in the graveyard? Had he really been there, hiding amongst the shadows?
My stomach churned. “So youhavebeen spying on me.”
“Spying? No. The king doesn’t spy on his own property.” The Lord of Bones’ voice was sharp, but it softened as he continued. “I’ve been admiring you. Studying you, so closely that I’ve seen every shiver that’s rattled down your spine. Every hair on your nape that’s raised in fear. Every cut. Every bruise.”
One last stride and he closed all the distance between us. I held my ground, glaring up at him as his fingers ghosted down my sternum.
“Every bead of blood that’s oozed down your flesh,” he continued, his deep timbre turning dark and primal. “Every pearl of cum.”
The blood drained from my face all at once, leaving me a little light-headed. He definitely knew about Belial.
