Even the air seemed to settle differently around us. As though it understood instinctively that something of far greater importance had just entered the room. So, it was little wonder why my senses were on full alert, assessing for any potential dangers my world may present to my fragile mortal.
Needless to say, my gaze found her instantly, and for a moment,I forgot to breathe.The world around us seemed to evaporate, leaving nothing but the two of us. My goddess in a green dress, that I had chosen for her. Chosen, knowing it would draw out the moss green flecks hidden within her eyes. I had selected it with careful precision, even before picking her up this morning. I knew it would look perfect on her. Yet, as she stepped through the parted crowd, emerald silk catching thelight as it flowed around her legs, I felt it immediately. With unsettling clarity, I realized the dress had very little to do with the perfection before me.
As she was the one who made it beautiful.
The fabric clung gently at her waist before falling in soft lines over her hips. The teasing neckline revealed the delicate sweep of her collarbone in a way that felt almost indecent to witness from this distance. Especially as her hair had been gathered up rather than allowed to fall freely. The soft arrangement exposed the elegant line of her neck and shoulders, creating far too much temptation within me that was verging on dangerous.
I had to wonder if she could sense it too, as despite holding herself with careful composure, I could still see the tension she carried.
She was nervous.
Yet she had come anyway.
The realization stirred something deep within my chest, something dangerously close to admiration.
My sweet, brave Inanna.
The name surfaced in my thoughts again as she drew nearer, and I realized my restraint would be tested far more tonight than I had anticipated. But it wasn’t just her beauty alone that held my attention. It was the other presence that clung faintly to the edges of her. I felt it the moment she crossed the threshold of the room.
Something subtle.
Faint enough that anyone less attuned to the currents of Hell itself might have dismissed it entirely, yet it was unmistakable all the same.
A demonic signature.
A fresh demonic signature.
My jaw tightened as the realization settled into place. The trace was not strong enough to suggest the demon stood withinthe room itself. Yet the connection to her lingered like the fading echo of a voice long after it had been spoken. Which meant only one thing…recent contact.Close enough that the essence had not yet fully dissipated.
So, the creature had been near her again.
A slow flare of cold fury ignited deep in my chest, though none of it reached my expression as I watched her approach my throne. The runes I had concealed beneath the marble floor remained dormant for now. Their intricate design hidden within the natural veins of the stone, waiting patiently for the moment I chose to awaken them.
They would only function if the signature remained strong enough, and until this point, I hadn’t been certain it would. Because until now, the demon had been cautious in the past, keeping himself near the edges of my territory rather than stepping fully into it. If he had approached her earlier that day, even briefly, the resonance might still linger. And strongly enough for the circle to recognize it. If not, the spell would remain as nothing more than dormant ink beneath the marble.
Even now, I couldn’t be entirely certain.
But as she continued forward, unknowingly stepping toward the precise point where the summoning runes waited beneath the floor, something changed. The faint thread of demonic energy clinging to her grew more distinct. Hope stirred within me that perhaps my gamble would pay off after all.
She slowed as she neared the raised platform. Torin stood beside her like a silent sentinel, his posture respectful yet watchful. Although the moment my gaze met his, he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. I curled two fingers toward myself in a simple gesture, beckoning her forward.
The command was small, yet unmistakable.
“It’s not wise to keep my lord waiting.”Torin’s voice was low as he murmured this reminder beside her. I watched with quietinterest as she forced herself to continue walking, despite the hesitation that briefly disrupted her stride.The air grew heavier with every step she took toward the throne.
Then she faltered, and I wasn’t surprised. Not when the weight of my attention had always unsettled mortals. But she had shown far more courage than most since the moment we met. Yet the world she now walked into was not one she had ever meant to navigate alone.
So, for that reason, I rose from my throne, and the effect was immediate. Demons across the club straightened in quiet acknowledgement as I stepped down and closed the distance between us. With every inch I crossed, the faint demonic signature clinging to her became clearer.
So, I was right.
He had been near her recently.
Which meant that the spell beneath the floor would recognize it, and the trap would work. So, I stopped before her, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her body even without touching her. The scent of her rose around me, enveloping my senses and making it increasingly difficult to keep my restraint. It took effort not to pull her to me. Effort not to curl a fist in her hair and pull her neck taut before finally sinking my fangs into her delicate, pale flesh, tasting her at last. My gaze traveled slowly over her form, lingering deliberately where the emerald silk clung most intimately before returning to her face.
A deep-rooted hunger pulsed within me. A feeling I didn’t attempt to hide. Yet beneath the desire that coiled steadily through my chest lay something colder.
Calculation.
