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Could someone die from having a demonic key under their skin for too long? The thought made my eyes bulge out of my head. Like… metal poisoning or something? What the hell was a demonic key even made of? Could I be allergic to it?
Fuck.
My hands shook at my sides.
“Eden. I think you should sit for a bit,” Sarika tried to reason. Her voice was sticky like syrup I could get stuck in.
“Jesus, Rika. How strong were those edibles?” Alicia kept her voice low as she looked at me with a smile that was too wide.
I was already in the hall. I didn’t want to wait for her answer. I wanted to go to my room. In my room, everything would be perfect.
8
ASMODEUS
My wife left me standing in the kitchen with three of the mortal women as she ran toward the stairs. We all stood frozen, pretending we didn’t hear Eden stumble up several steps, curse and then run up the rest. The tension in the room was palpable as Imani slowly rose her cross and held it out.
My eyes rolled on their own, my annoyance with this one mounting.
Alicia cleared her throat, her lips pursed as her head bobbed. “So… a demon.”
Imani’s eyes squeezed closed, her hand shaking around her trinket.
Sarika let out a long breath before she sunk into a stool around the island, her long hair clasped in her hands at her temples as she looked out at nothing. “Imani was right. We never should have humoured Olivia.”
Alicia’s eyes moved around the room. “Where is Olivia?”
“Knowing her, probably hiding,” Sarika continued.
The legs of the chair scraped back against the floor as Imani stood. She held her cross out as she marched past me and into the hall. “Hell naw. Ain’t no way she’s going to be allowed to hide out when it’s her stupid ass that made all this happen. No.”
What they did to the missing woman was none of my business. Whether they dragged her out from where she hid or strung her up by her toes was no concern of mine. All my interest lay with the one upstairs.
I watched them all file out of the kitchen before I made my way upstairs.
The key in her chest was like a beacon that called to me. It was a haunting that reminded me of the things I had tried to lock away — things she alone could open now. I followed the pull up to a bedroom.
It was modernly decorated. The colours were deep blue, white and gold. The furthest wall was the deep blue, the bed set in the middle. The white frame was a startling contrast to the dark colour, as were the black and white photos in white frames above. I spared a single glance at the trapped moments that were of the group of women in the house now. Four photos evenly spaced of them at different milestones of their lives, ones I hadn’t the patience or need to decipher.
Two white tables with gold legs sat beside the bed with gold lamps set atop, the shades intricate white shapes I couldn’t make any sense of. In the middle of the bed sat Eden. Even though her heavy duvet tarped over her, I knew it was her. There was a throbbing in my chest that intensified with every step I took toward the shapeless mound.
I should leave her be. Mortal minds were such fragile things. Few beings in the whole of existence set eyes on me, knew what I was, and didn’t slowly begin to unravel.
The thought of an unravelled wife bounced around my head. I couldn’t decide whether or not that would be good for me. If she lost her grip on her sanity, she could become easier to control. Just as easily as it could make controlling her impossible.
Mortals were such unpredictable things. Why couldn’t I have been married off to something else against my will? A shadow being would have been nice. The trouble we could get up to would be legendary.
Making the best out of my current situation was all I could do. A long, resigned sigh left me as I stepped closer to her bed and pulled the blanket off. Her hair clung to the blankets before strands stood up around her head. Her eyes were closed as she sat there with her legs crossed.
“Eden,” I began, unsure of what to say.
Silence was my reply.
“I can understand the magnitude of this situation. I, personally, never would have dared to believe I would be forever bound to a mortal. You are all very annoying. Whiny things that think they’re owed everything by everyone and never dare think to plot out your actions against your consequences… if you did, we would not be in our current predicament. Unless you can somehow identify the author of the book, I think it would be best for us both to move forward as though this isn’t something we can merely undo.” I couldn’t help the low groan that left me then. “As much as I wish it were…”
A snore cut through the silence.
My brows dropped as I planted my fists on her bed and leaned toward her. There was no way she could be asleep. She was sitting up. Sure, her eyes were closed, but that alone couldn’t provide the conditions needed to—
