Page 137 of A Deal in Darkness
Eva smirks as she closes the distance between us, her fingers reaching for my face.
I whip my hand through the air and the slap as it collides with her face rings out through the car. She shrieks, caughtby surprise for a second time, and I hear the fucking driver’s eyebrow shoot up and his mouth fall open.
If I was sensible, I wouldn’t have done that.
But I’m not sensible, not anymore. I lost any sense I ever possessed when I fell for Enzo and I’ve descended into a deep enough madness that I stopped giving a shit about what makes sense a while ago.
“That was a mistake, darling,” Eva hisses, closing the door behind her. “A fucking huge one.”
It’s my turn to smirk, and the demon sitting next to me doesn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.
“I know,” I reply, letting my grin stretch from one ear to the other. “You’ve made more than one today and Amaymon will make you pay for all of them before he’s finished with you.”
Her face twists in anger and my vision fades as pain sweeps through me. I cling to consciousness, but the agony is unbearable and I slip into darkness, still trying to find my way back to the light.
40
A FAIR ARRANGEMENT
ENZO
My girl hasn’t made it home yet and she isn’t answering her phone. She should have been back a while ago and the unsettled feeling in my gut screams something’s wrong. My bones know there’s a fucking problem and my blood knows it’s a terrible one.
The only reason she isn’t back is because there’s a massive fucking problem. I knew Eva was up to something when I tried to summon Adriana home. I should have been firmer. I should have insisted. Instead, I let Adriana disobey me and it’s landed her in trouble.
I’m going to punish her so fucking badly whenever I get my hands on her. Adriana won’t know what hit her by the time I’m through with her. Quite fucking literally.
I told her it was a fucking stupid idea to go to work, but she insisted. I’m more than capable of smoothing any absence over and making things work out for her—and there was fuck all reason for her to go. I shouldn’t have indulged her and it’s a sign of how fucking weak I’ve become. My girl has me wrapped around her little fucking finger, and all it took to break my resolve was those beautiful blue eyes and a pout.
Fuck me, she’s got me under her fucking thumb.
I’m supposed to be the fucking dominant and she’s got me dancing to her fucking tune. We’re sorting this shit out just as soon as I get her home, and I don’t care if she likes it or not.
This is precisely why she needs to obey me.
Damn it.
Adriana’s too fucking delicate for this world. For my world. She’s too vulnerable and now something’s happened to her. I fucking know it’s happened to her and the dread that floods through me is a fucking nightmare.
I pace around the fucking loft, waiting for the call from Byron. We’ve sent every fucking demon we know is loyal and half of London’s dark creatures out to find her.
There’s been no news and that’s fucking bad.
I’ve poured magic into the world, and I cannot find her. I can’t sense her. Even with my collar on, I can’t fucking feel her. The Collar of Ichor should bind her to me and that tie has been severed.
She’s in deep fucking shit and I never should have let her go.
I’m going to fucking kill her when she gets back.
After I’ve finished punishing myself for being such a fucking idiot.
Elgios knocks and doesn’t wait for me to reply before entering. His pale features seem even paler now and he’s not bearing good news. I know the fucking expression that’s written all over his face, and he’s expecting an outburst of epic proportions.
“Tell me,” I growl.
“Eva turned your driver against you. She promised he’d be a Duke of Hell when she and Mordecai claimed the throne.”
I roar and the threat of violence burst into the world. Chandeliers shake and crystals sing out notes of fear as my anger rages through the air, decimating anything that stands in its way.
