She snatched up his phone from the floor and typed on it. “I’ll let Cassidy know to come over. I’m sure she’ll love tending to you like she always has.”
With her task done, Serenity looked at me. Peace settled over her features as she slid her hand into mine to leave. But before we did, she stopped in the doorway, looked back at Bradley, and said, “By the way. I hope watching that hurt as much as you hurt me.”
He hiccuped pitifully as more tears rolled down his splotchy face. I liked to think it did hurt him. His pride, his feelings, his expectations all went up in smoke tonight. All he’d ever cared about was himself, and a large part of that had to do with his sexual gratification. Serenity had gotten her revenge, and I’d destroyed his hands, the things he needed for his precious career. But those things weren’t what meant the most to him. We all knew that.
So when we got into Serenity’s car, she nodded at me. It was time for the final piece of our plan.
Disappearing into shadows, I reappeared in Bradley’s bedroom at the foot of his bed. He didn’t struggle against the ropes still tying him to the bed, most likely having been too worn down to try. He sniffled and shook his head, none the wiser to the Incubus standing at his feet.
Sex was the world I lived in and controlled. I gave immense pleasure, but … I could also take that away. I only reserved such a punishment for those who abused the beauty of sex, and Bradley had found himself on that list.
Sneering, I honed in on the sexual essence swirling at his center. It lit up for my Incubus sight like a glowing ball of yarn in the middle of his gut. Holding out my clawed hand, I called that swirling mass of essence to me.
Bradley tensed like he felt something important getting ripped out of him, which wasexactlywhat I did. His sexualenergy landed in my upturned hand, and with a growl, I dug my claws into it and smashed the essence into oblivion. Bradley’s face paled, and his body began to quake. The emptiness he now felt probably had alarm bells going off in his head, but it was too late. I wished I could be a fly on the wall when he realized he could never again get an erection or ejaculate. Pleasure, the only thing he cared about, would be unattainable for him forevermore, and to me,thatwas the best revenge of all.
Chapter 40
Dante
I STARED AT THE COMPUTER screen over Serenity’s shoulder as we stood at my kitchen island. She had both hands over her mouth, and her body trembled slightly against mine. I never doubted her. I knew her books were amazing, and it was only a matter of time before people found them through the social media marketing we’d been doing.
That time had finally come.
After brainstorming marketing ideas, we realized an obvious answer was right in front of us—me. I was a celebrity withbillionsof fans. I posed for some shirtless photos in bed with the first book of her trilogy hiding my smirk and the other two stacked beside me. I posted it with a call to all of my fans who loved reading to check out my new favorite series and author. Overnight, Serenity’s—or rather, SC Draven’s—social media had gone from 1200 followers to 120,000. But that wasn’t all, as shown by the numbers staring back at us from her computer screen.
10,000 copies.
She’d sold 10,000 books in one fucking night, and every time we refreshed, the number kept climbing.
I couldn’t hold back my elated smile. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and squeezed her tightly. “I am so fucking proud of you, Star.Finally, people are going to see what I’veknown all along. You’re amazing! Look at those numbers, baby. You did it!”
Happy tears dripped down her cheeks, and she shook her head. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe how many people want to give my words a chance.”
“Believe it,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “You deserve this. You deserve to have your dream come true.”
She turned in my arms to hug me tightly. “It’s because of you. You made this happen.”
I cupped her cheeks and tilted her head back so that she had to look at me. “All I did was post a photo.Youdid this. You wrote those books. You poured your soul out for those people. Judging by the reviews already coming in from people who read it in one sitting, theylovewhat you made for them. They might’ve come because of me, but they’re staying because of you.”
Her lip quivered, even as she beamed at me with glistening eyes. “I love you so much. Thank you for being by my side.”
I kissed her. “Thank you for letting mebeat your side.”
I hadn’t thought I’d get the chance to be by her side again. I was sure I’d messed up and hurt her too deeply with my early lies and misuse of her. I had been certain that the beliefs stemming from my past would prevent me from ever truly letting anyone close enough to break down my barriers. Yet somehow, we’d gotten here—staring at each other while lost in this moment of perfect happiness. I let myself feel everything I’d thought impossible.
Peace with my decisions that brought me to her.
Unbelievable pride in this human girl, who was stronger than I’d ever been.
Unwavering love for Serenity.
I peered around her and nodded at the laptop screen. “I think you’re going to have a lot of fans lining up for you from now on.”
She laughed softly and turned back to the device. With another refresh, a hundred new sales filed in with the rest. “They’re already showing a lot of excitement for the demon romance I’ve been teasing on my profile. Now I just need to finish writing it.”
“I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I think you should get to that now.”
She patted her wet cheeks and gave me an incredulous chuckle. “Except I have to get to work.”
