Before I could react, he snatched my suitcase. We wrestled for it—a pathetic, two-second tug-of-war—before he yanked it free with infuriating ease and tossed it into the boot.
“Happy?”
“No,” I snapped back.
Then he loomed over me, all grace and calculated menace, and swung the passenger door open. Rain dripped off his hair, black as the veins in my belly, and slid down his cheek like tears he’d never shed.
I stared into his eyes.
They were wrong. Too dark. His pupils swallowed the irises whole, bottomless as the pit he crawled from.
“You can’t stand here all day, sweet Lucia,” he murmured.
I glared past his smug face to the rear of that ridiculous red car, where my stolen suitcase sat imprisoned in the trunk. It held nearly everything I owned. The few possessions I'd managed to gather during my hasty escape, and more importantly, the life-saving cash Sister Margaret had pressed into my hands with such urgency. The money that was supposed to be my freedom now locked away by this...this demon wearing a human suit.
“What's the worst that can happen?” he asked, flashing those perfect white teeth in a smile that didn't reach his unnatural eyes.
Rainwater streamed down my face as I clenched my fists, the brand on my finger pulsing with heat.
“You piece of—” I caught myself, biting back the curse that wanted to spill forth. Old habits died hard, especially with the demon who enjoyed tormenting me.
The heavens seemed to weep harder at my predicament, the rain transforming from gentle patter to punishing deluge that soaked through my habit and plastered my veil to my skull. My swollen belly made every movement awkward, and standing here arguing was getting me nowhere. With a defeated sigh that tasted bitter in my mouth, I turned toward the open car door.
The leather seat groaned as I lowered myself in, my belly making the movement ungainly. The interior smelled faintly of sulphur and expensive cologne. An unsettling combination that made my nose wrinkle. Before I could reconsider, the door slammed shut with a finality that echoed in my bones, like a tomb sealing closed.
Through the rain-streaked window, I watched as he rounded the hood with predatory grace, his form blurring slightly in the downpour. The brand on my finger burned hotter still as if warning me.
Chapter 4
Lucia
The silence in the car grew thick and heavy, broken only by the rhythmic swish of windshield wipers battling the downpour. I stared at their hypnotic movement, counting each pass like a prisoner, marking time. The demon drove with unsettling precision, his hands relaxed on the wheel, his inhuman eyes fixed on the rain-slicked motorway stretching endlessly southward.
When the quiet became unbearable, I shifted in the leather seat, my swollen belly making the movement awkward.
“What did you mean that I signed for this?” My voice sounded too loud in the confined space. “And how did I get pregnant overnight?”
His fingers flexed slightly on the steering wheel. “Our contracts are written in blood. You died before fulfilling your end of the bargain.” He paused before continuing. “I didn't expect to find you in a convent this time.”
The careful phrasing made my skin prickle. He was omitting something important.
“It's a demon child, then,” I said flatly. “I suppose patience isn't one of your virtues.”
“Half-demon,” he corrected, his mouth quirking at some private joke. “And no, we're not known for our patience.”
I couldn't help but be sarcastic. “Will it be born with a tail and horns?”
His faint smile didn't reach those bottomless eyes as he glanced at me. The wipers thumped out several more cycles before I broke again.
“Say I believe you. I'm thirty-four years old. Why wait until I was locked away in a convent?”
“I found you by chance,” he said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
I studied his profile. The sharp jawline, raindrops still clinging to his too-perfect hair. A beautiful lie. All demons were monstrous.
“And what did my past life get in exchange for her soul and... this?” I gestured to my stomach.
“Eternal life.”
