Her Deadly Angels by Ginna Moran
Chapter 11
Punishment
RAVEN
“DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING. If you smear your polish, I will punish you.” Dante twists the cap back on the glittery purple nail polish. Usually I’d deny him the chance to doll me up the way he wants, but I know he needs a little extra agreement and submission from me to help ease his wild emotions. “Your hand will look so fucking sexy around my cock. I can’t wait.”
I smirk and carefully grab his wrist, lacing my fingers around his arm. “I never knew how much I wanted a manicure from a devil. You’re so talented.”
He chuckles and guides my hand to stroke his arm. His cock hardens under me as I sit on his lap with him gazing at my slow movements from over my shoulder. “Not so much talented as I have quirofilia. Your hands are especially sexy and so fuckable.”
“You’re such a kinky ass,” I tease, wiggling my ass. “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me in your new room.”
“Our new room,” he corrects, shifting my hair to kiss my shoulder. “I’ve demanded our own bathroom, balcony, and a kitchenette. I want to ensure we never have to leave if we don’t want to, my pretty soul.”
“You sound like you plan to keep me all to yourself.” I continue to grind on him, turning myself on so much that my nipples ache, their tightness grazing against the thin fabric of my lace bra.
He hums. “After seeing you with Andre and Elias a few days ago, I need to make the most of my time alone with you.”
I tip my head back, exposing my throat to him. “You’re worried.”
“Not worried. I just want to keep my envy in check. It’s why I don’t push you more. I know you think I might let it get the best of me, which is why you don’t let me have my way.” Dante snuggles close, sliding his hand over my thighs and up the bare skin of my stomach, leaving a blazing trail of warmth in his wake. “But trust me, Raven. I won’t do anything to jeopardize our growing relationship, even if I have to suck it up and share you beyond how I do with Kase. Don’t forget where I come from. I was created to love a single power who loved many. You are far more worthy of my worship.”
I shift in Dante’s arms, yearning to face him. “Please don’t place me on a pedestal. I don’t want to be a god. I just want to be an equal. We can worship each other.”
Turning me around completely, Dante meets me for a kiss, filling me up with warmth and affection. I devour his attention, combing my fingers through his hair as I straddle him, rocking my body on the length of his shaft over the towel. It would be so easy to sink on top of him. I almost do.
If a knock didn’t thud on the bathroom door, I’d give into my sinfully hot desire to test his resolve as the embodiment of envy and build new boundaries to test.
“You said to give you an hour,” Kase says, cracking the bathroom door open. “I’ve given you two, and Elias is getting on my nerves.”
I expect Dante to hiss and complain, but all he does is lean in and whisper, “The wait will be worth it. The power of my desperation to claim you as mine will leave you creaming for years.”
I shiver and rest my head on his shoulder, letting him stand with me in his arms. Kase grabs my dress from the hanger on the door and motions for me to spin around. Digging his fingers into my hip, he slowly uses his other hand to zip up the body-forming number, short enough that my vagina will show if I bend over. Hell, my devils better be careful. If they mess with me too much while I sit on one of their laps, they’ll end up with a puddle on their pants because lace does nothing to prevent such occurrences.
“She’s so fucking enchanting. I can’t get over how we can have her whenever we want for the rest of time,” Kase murmurs to Dante. “Why don’t we have Elias drive and we can have some fun in the backseat?”
I release a breath of desire and push my way out from between them. “He doesn’t deserve that kind of show yet.”
Kase smirks. “You’re right, angel-girl. The bastard has far from earned anything. He’s lucky he didn’t fuck up his deal with us or he’d be staying in a closet.”
Swatting my ass with his tail, Kase herds me from the bathroom and into the living room. Several quiet men work at packing up the place, and I can’t help but think good riddance to this whole apartment complex. My devils promise that the summoning circle will no longer bring Hell into the house we move in to tonight. I can’t wait. Like, I really fucking wish we could just go there now.
But alas, we have a demon to hunt and angels to tease.
Elias stares at me in silence as he stands by the door, dressed in a button-down shirt and dark jeans Kase probably forced him to borrow. I give him a long once-over, drinking in how much better he looks now than what he looked like this morning. Dante’s venom definitely helps him some. If I didn’t know any better, I’d never guess he was terminally ill.
Elias opens the door for me and murmurs that I look good under his breath. I can’t blame him for being nervous about complimenting me in front of Kase and Dante. I almost wish he hadn’t. A part of me wants to keep my distance. I can’t trust him, not like I can trust Dante and Kase.
Kase grabs Elias and drapes his arm over his shoulders, making him stiffen. “Raven looks far better than good. If you can’t think of a compliment worthy of her, then keep your mouth shut.”
I can’t stop the laughter bubbling from my throat as I climb into a car I’ve never seen before. The black Maserati looks fitting for Dante, and I wonder if he’d ever let me drive. Surprisingly, Kase and Dante take the front, leaving Elias in the back with me. I wonder if it has to do with keeping their desire in check...maybe mine. I wasn’t kidding about not allowing Elias to watch and judge my intimacy with my soul keepers, but shit happens. Sometimes I can get on board with dropping my inhibitions and letting loose my filthy, naughty side.
Elias watches me the entire ride to the Demon’s Den, one of the many establishments owned by the demonic legion under Kase and Dante. A man in an all-black suit opens my door for me, but Dante hisses and towers behind him faster than my mind can even grasp that he abandoned the passenger’s seat. I realize how I must be cautious, even with my devils protecting me, and I inwardly kick myself for almost letting the man take my hand.
“These two mortals are off limits,” Dante snaps, flashing his fangs. “Make it be known. I will gut anyone who dares even glance at them. Understand?”
Dante helps me from the car and touches his hand to my lower back. I can’t tell if he’s being protective or possessive, but either way, I love having my psycho devil on my arm. Knowing that he saves his soft side for me makes me weak in the knees.
“There will always be one to disobey,” Kase says, coming up on my other side. He keeps his hand locked on Elias’s shoulder, forcing him to walk in front of him instead of behind. “I call dibs on gutting them.”
I widen my eyes. “Seriously? You’re going to gut someone for looking at me?”
“Or him. But mostly for you.” Kase gives Elias a shake.
“Always you.” Dante pulls me closer until I practically melt into his side. Bowing down, he presses a kiss to the top of my head and waits for me to tip my face up so he can meet my mouth.
Scooping me up, he hums, teasing me with his tongue the entire way inside. Music blares through the bar, but Dante doesn’t let me look around. His mouth doesn’t leave mine until my heart raps against my ribcage, and I’m breathless.
A deep, familiar roar echoes over the pulsing music, and a woman laughs, her melodious voice like a sultry singer. Dante slides into a booth and finally lets me pull away. I gawk at Kase tossing the head of a man into the air with his tail. Spinning, a gorgeous woman in a sparkly silver dress catches the demon’s head and plants her burgundy lips to the man’s.
I cover my mouth, trying not to gag. Elias stands rigid at the edge of the booth, his face losing color by the second.
“Three o’clock, my king,” the woman calls, throwing the head toward another male demon.
The demon unleashes his Hell façade in an attempt to fight, but Kase towers over the demon and sends a breath of red fire over his beastly form. With a slash of his claws, Kase rips the demon’s middle open, spilling its innards across the shiny black floor.
“Yeah, babes! You see that? Look what happens when you disobedient pricks try to test our kings!” The woman picks up the decapitated head from the gut pile and swings it as she saunters behind Kase in our direction. She drops the head on the table in front of me. “A gift, my liege. For your queen and her...jester. It’s a displeasure to see you again, Elias. You look like shit.”
I continue to gape at the severed head on the middle of the table. Who the fuck is this demon and how is it possible she might be more psychotic than my devils?
“Uh-oh. You haven’t spoiled her with presents yet, have you?” the demonic woman asks, leaning closer. She doesn’t look at me, keeping her gaze down as Kase had instructed the man outside to tell everyone. “The poor doll is in awe. She doesn’t even know how to react.”
“Uh, thanks?” My voice rises in question. The demon is right. I have no fucking clue how to react.
Dante shifts me onto the booth seat beside him and bumps his shoulder to mine. “Now what do you expect, Gia? Raven has no use for a severed head.”
Gia laughs and shakes her head. “Of course she does. She can use it for entertainment. Come on, my gorgeous queen. Pick it up by the hair and give it a good throw. Hit any bastard here you please, and they will bow before you.” Gia taps her coffin-shaped nail to the tabletop. “You can pierce the eyes, if you prefer. Give it a good toss.”
I glance from Dante and then to Kase, sliding into the booth across from me. The two of them shrug at the same time, leaving the decision up to me. A part of me wants to throw up at the idea of touching such a repulsive thing, but damn it. I don’t want to seem weak. Mortal. I love the fuck out of being called the queen to my devils, and if this is how I should accept a gift, I guess the heads will roll—or fly. I’m not messing up the manicure Dante spent time giving me.
Sucking in a breath, I reach for the severed head and lock my fingers through the demon’s oily hair. It’s heavier than I expect it to be, and I ignore the black liquid dripping onto the table. Kase and Dante grin with so much pride I expect them to pat their own backs or at least each other’s that I don’t back down. Elias, on the other hand, grimaces at me like I’m about to catch the plague.
“That’s it, my queen. Look at the bastards and pick which one you want to bow at your feet,” Gia encourages, standing beside me. Heat radiates from her body, her brunette hair shining in the dim light. Her light brown complexion complements her dark eyes, sparkling with a red glow similar to Kase’s. Even though I study her face, she still takes care not to look at me. It’s a bit uncomfortable, because I’m used to eye contact, but I’m not pressing anyone’s buttons. She seems loyal enough to gut herself if she fails to comply with my devils’ demands.
I dangle the head in front of me, trailing my eyes across the crowded bar. None of the demons look in our direction, and I kind of feel like I used to as a teen in school, silently praying that if I don’t look that the teacher won’t call my name. The demons act exactly like that, which makes me only want to pick the one sweating the most.
“Any suggestions? Who pissed you off today?” I ask, deciding to use this chance to discover a bit more about the demonic lifestyle. “I’d like to see them bow before us.”
Gia claps her hands and bolts forward, running so effortlessly in her tall stilettos I consider asking her for pointers.
“Now you’ve done it, angel-girl,” Kase mutters from behind me. “Gia takes her commands very seriously.”
I swivel my torso to look at him. His smile never fades. In fact, it widens at the grunts and growls rumbling behind me. Scrunching my nose, I slowly spin back around to face Gia. She shoves two demons on the floor and grabs a third one from a table by the bar and drags him closer, her strength freaky as fuck with her petite frame.
“Meet the fuckers who think they can swoop in on my territory and steal souls out from under me.” Gia kicks the middle demon and steps on his back, impaling him with her high heel between the shoulder blades. “Fuckers, this is your queen.”
The two demons kneeling growl and threaten me. My body screams to run but my head reminds me that these predators love a game of chase. So I do the only thing I can think of. Swinging the severed head, I clock the two demons across their faces.
Gia pumps her fist and shakes her ass in a happy dance. “It looks like the queen has chosen. Bow to your superior.”
Dante hisses from the table, his threat getting the two demons to join the third one bowing on the floor. I drop the severed head in front of them and step back, my adrenaline pumping like crazy. This feels like a freaky-ass nightmare, or a twisted fantasy, but I can’t wake up. If I could, I wouldn’t even want to. Gia’s excitement is contagious, and I laugh and kick the head at the guy on the right.
“Look at her and swear your loyalty,” Gia adds, straightening her back.
The three demons all tilt their heads up.
Unsheathing a long sword from nowhere, Gia brings it up only to swing it with enough force to cut off the three demons’ heads at once before they can utter a word. I gasp and hop back, covering my mouth in surprise.
“Disobedient fuckers. I’m not their ruler. They shouldn’t have obeyed me.”
I blink a few times.
This. Bitch. She’s awesome.
“You’re evil,” I say, laughter lightening my voice. “I love it.”
Gia’s features light up with a wicked grin. “I’ve been at it for over a century. Being female means you gotta really cement your place. Be ruthless. Don’t let any asshole push you around. And if he tries, take their heads.” Peering over her shoulder, she glances at Dante and Kase. “May I have permission to look at the queen?”
Before either of them responds, I say, “Of course you can. You don’t have to ask them. You’ve proved yourself fucking badass, and I think I want you to teach me more.”
Gia still looks in their direction, waiting for them to respond. It annoys me more than it should, and I strut between her and the booth and meet her face straight on. Fire lights her eyes, and we stare at each other in silence for a moment.
“I want you to tell me more about what it’s like for you,” I add, nudging her back. “All I’ve been currently taught is things about breaking angels.”
“That sounds more entertaining than dealing with desperate mortals.” Gia click-clacks a few feet away from me and stops next to a man hunched over a glass of whiskey at the bar. “I mean, look at Mr. Douchebag. He just wears away at this bar because when he made a deal to have a demon kill his boss so he could get a promotion, he didn’t think to include the part about being able to succeed at the new position. Isn’t that right, little dick? No soul and now no job.”
The man doesn’t look up or respond, continuing to stare at his glass of whiskey.
“And he’s not even the most pathetic.” Gia slaps the man on his shoulder and turns back to me. Her dark eyes flicker with red light, and she draws her gaze over my face, taking advantage of the ability to look at me. “If you speak with the kings, I’ll gladly arrange for some one-on-one training with you, my queen. We would have a blast putting all of these bottom feeders in place. Under one of his majesties supervision, of course.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Dante’s voice drifts from behind me before the heat of his body blazes at my back. “Raven’s time is better served—”
I spin around to face him. “I’m sure it won’t be that time consuming. It could be helpful—”
Dante’s second lids blink with the release of his devil form. It’s been a while since I noticed them. “There is no need for you to get involved in demonic affairs more than you already are.”
I place my hands on my hips. “But—”
Flicking out his forked tongue, Dante hisses. “The answer is no. We already split your time enough as it is. Gia serves us well, and I’d like it to stay that way. She—”
“You don’t need to be jealous.” I grab the front of his shirt, cutting him off.
Dante locks his fingers around my wrist. “It’s not that.”
“It is and you know it.” Yanking my hand away from him, I spin on my heels and storm toward the booth Kase and Elias sit at, silently watching us.
“Raven,” Dante calls, striding behind me. “Get back here. We’re not done talking.”
“Oh, yes we are—” The breath knocks from my lungs as something smashes into my back, knocking me forward.
Kase roars, jumping from the booth. Red fire explodes from him, devouring his human form, leaving his feline beast in its wake. The building shakes as he launches in my direction, and I expect him to crash into Dante to shove him off me. Kase flies over us, and Dante drags me from the floor and into his arms.
“Don’t let him escape!” Dante shouts, closing the space to Elias. Ushering me into the booth, Dante stands protectively in front of us, unfurling his wings.
I climb up on the seat and peer over his make-shift barrier. “What’s going on?”
Kase blasts fire at a man near the door. Without having to ask who he is, I know the man is the demon with a contract on Elias’s soul.
In a tornado of fire, the man splits the floor open and dives into a pit of Hell
Kase dives in after him.
The two of them disappear.
