“You've seen the warrior side of me. The cool, focused commander. But I love all of you humans. Every last one. I don't want to control anyone. I only create those bonds to give my soldiers a little of my strength.”
“You won’t use them like slaves?”
“If they're in a dangerous situation and I can save them by taking control, I will. But otherwise, soldiers are more effective when they think for themselves.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because my bond with them is similar to the one the demons make with their mates.”
I swayed back against the wall. “Are you saying they're going to kill me?”
“No, of course not. They'd bond with you in another way, probably through some kind of disgusting sexual ceremony.”
I made a strangled sound.
“Ask them if you don't believe me. They will bond with you, and they'll say it's to protect you. They'll say it will make you immortal. But what they won't tell you is that they'll be able to control you through that bond. Mate with them, and you will lose your free will, Indigo. You'll be their whore, nothing more.”
My stomach turned.
“I'm sorry for my harsh language, but it's the truth.” Silas peered at me. “Ah, I see that they've already spoken to you about the mating. Let's put that aside for now. Have they shown youwhat they can do? I know they won't tell you the truth about why they're here, but they might want to show off. Lure you in.”
“Show off?” I frowned.
“It's still early,” Silas said. “Give it time. You'll see what I mean. They'll reveal their true forms to you eventually.”
“Shapeshifters,” I whispered.
“Yes, they can change their appearance. But you must remember that these handsome men you see are not their real selves. These are masks. Their true forms are that of animals. That's what they are, Indigo—beasts collared by the Devil himself. They do his bidding alone, and their reward is you—a plaything to satisfy all their sexual needs. Someone to submit to every desire they have. A toy that they can rut upon at will.Theirwill. You will lose yourself and become focused on satisfying them alone. The Devil has many chains in his arsenal.”
A toy. Chains. Oh, fuck. Fear lanced through me. Every time I glimpsed happiness, the rug got pulled out from beneath me. There was always a catch. With Jake, it was cancer. With the hounds, it was even worse. Of course, it was worse—I wanted them more. It made sense that the price would be higher. Complete submission. Loss of free will. A sex toy for the Devil's dogs.
No. I didn't want to believe it. The hounds acted with courtesy and consideration. Everything they said, though unusual, made sense.
“I imagine they've told you they're here for some kind of altruistic reason,” Silas went on. “I assure you that whatever they've said is a lie. They're not here to help people, Indigo. Their demon forms—their true forms—allow them to go spectral.”
“Spectral?” I shivered. “You mean, like ghosts?”
“Yes, precisely. Incorporeal, like my angels. They're cousins to angels, after all.”
Oh, fuck. Silas was making sense.
“But they have advantages over my angels. Hellhounds can be solid—corporeal—and take any form they wish. Their actual forms are those of demon dogs. When they are their true selves, they can go spectral and dive into humans.”
“Like Michael is in Jake?”
“Yes, but they don't need a host to be solid. Possession isn't the purpose of what they do.”
“Then what?”
“They influence humans, as I've said. While inside someone, they can whisper into their mind and seduce them into committing evil acts. The human must choose to do that deed themselves. If a hound controls a human and makes them do something terrible, it doesn't count.”
“Count?”
“It's all about the souls, Indigo. The Devil wants his playthings as much as his hounds do. But a soul won't go to Hell unless it chooses the path of evil.”
“I see,” I murmured.
“And I see that you're wavering,” Silas said. “It's all right. Question everything and everyone, even me. The truth will come out and then, Indigo, I hope you'll do the right thing.”
