Was it mine? I swept a hand through my hair, gathered it back in a lose bunch, trying to cool my skin. Behind the glass, Adam and half a dozen armed guards waited. Sabine was there too. We had an audience, but I only had eyes for Akil.
They’d at least given him sweats to wear, although in a way, it only further humanized him. When, as Mammon, he’d first revealed his human vessel to me, Akil had emerged naked and all the more bedazzling for the swathe of bronze skin. Demons didn’t care for clothing. He’d rather be strung up naked.
Damn, what was he doing here? How had this happened?
A snarl quivered his top lip, followed by a growl bubbling up his throat. “Do not pity me.” His voice, always so smooth, had gained a saw-toothed edge. He’d been quite vocal, or so I’d been told, especially when my name was mentioned.
I dipped my chin and lifted my gaze through my lashes. “I don’t. I see the Prince of Lies at work.”
He breathed in, for the first time it seemed. His chest expanded, and his body came alive, rippling with human twitches and nonsensical micro-movements. As a demon, he’d had perfect control over his flesh and never wasted a gesture or a glance. His every breath, every touch, had held purpose. Now, he was animated in that complex and intricately human way.
“You must stop this now, before it goes too far.”
A chuckle tumbled from his lips and quickly swelled to lascivious laughter. “You think I’m here by choice?” The laughter cut off, and the quiet rushed back in, but his eyes spoke volumes.
“You allowed Levi to torture you…” I didn’t want to say too much, knowing who our audience consisted off.
Akil shifted on his bare feet and rattled the chains. “Indeed, I did. But Leviathan had limitations, rules. He did not dare attempt to sunder my two physical states. No prince—no demon would do such a thing.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder and back to me, a cursory glance in which he no doubt saw them all. “Only the Institute believe themselves above the natural order of things.” He ground his teeth, jaw clenching, so that the muscles in his face twitched. The jugular vein in his neck pulsed. “They will get nothing from me.” He pulled again on the chains, clinking the links together. “And you, my dear Muse…” His tongue flicked across cracked lips, before he peered at me through half-shuttered lashes. “For you, I reserve a special place in this weak, wretched mind. I find my thirst for revenge quite maddening. Human emotions really are delightfully arousing.”
I opened my mouth to deny what he believed, but he lunged and spat a string of ancient words at me. I flinched, not needing to understand them to feel their sting. He snarled and snapped, straining against his bonds, every inch of muscle quivering with his desire to be free. I weathered the storm, standing stock-still and numb from head to toe as he raged mere feet from my face.
“Treat me like an animal,” he growled, his knees almost buckling before he caught himself and staggered back, “and I will behave like one.” His body heaved with each labored breath.
Light-headed, I blinked back at him while mentally clinging to my reserves of calm. Without my demon, I didn’t have her internal conflict to contend with, but I had fear in swaths. “What do you want?”
“Unchain me. I will not hurt you. But for them, I make no such guarantees.” A glance at the glass again, this time with a corner-snarl to drive home his point. “I will talk with you, and only you. If another of their technicians enters my personal space, I will kill him. I killed the last quickly. I will not be so merciful again.” He turned his hands, showing me his palms. “I do not need my hands freed to kill.” His smile was pure predator. Seeing him like that, all man, primal and wild, I wondered how much of the Akil I knew I’d attributed to his true demon form. Too much, perhaps. Human men and women could be just as
They’d at least given him sweats to wear, although in a way, it only further humanized him. When, as Mammon, he’d first revealed his human vessel to me, Akil had emerged naked and all the more bedazzling for the swathe of bronze skin. Demons didn’t care for clothing. He’d rather be strung up naked.
Damn, what was he doing here? How had this happened?
A snarl quivered his top lip, followed by a growl bubbling up his throat. “Do not pity me.” His voice, always so smooth, had gained a saw-toothed edge. He’d been quite vocal, or so I’d been told, especially when my name was mentioned.
I dipped my chin and lifted my gaze through my lashes. “I don’t. I see the Prince of Lies at work.”
He breathed in, for the first time it seemed. His chest expanded, and his body came alive, rippling with human twitches and nonsensical micro-movements. As a demon, he’d had perfect control over his flesh and never wasted a gesture or a glance. His every breath, every touch, had held purpose. Now, he was animated in that complex and intricately human way.
“You must stop this now, before it goes too far.”
A chuckle tumbled from his lips and quickly swelled to lascivious laughter. “You think I’m here by choice?” The laughter cut off, and the quiet rushed back in, but his eyes spoke volumes.
“You allowed Levi to torture you…” I didn’t want to say too much, knowing who our audience consisted off.
Akil shifted on his bare feet and rattled the chains. “Indeed, I did. But Leviathan had limitations, rules. He did not dare attempt to sunder my two physical states. No prince—no demon would do such a thing.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder and back to me, a cursory glance in which he no doubt saw them all. “Only the Institute believe themselves above the natural order of things.” He ground his teeth, jaw clenching, so that the muscles in his face twitched. The jugular vein in his neck pulsed. “They will get nothing from me.” He pulled again on the chains, clinking the links together. “And you, my dear Muse…” His tongue flicked across cracked lips, before he peered at me through half-shuttered lashes. “For you, I reserve a special place in this weak, wretched mind. I find my thirst for revenge quite maddening. Human emotions really are delightfully arousing.”
I opened my mouth to deny what he believed, but he lunged and spat a string of ancient words at me. I flinched, not needing to understand them to feel their sting. He snarled and snapped, straining against his bonds, every inch of muscle quivering with his desire to be free. I weathered the storm, standing stock-still and numb from head to toe as he raged mere feet from my face.
“Treat me like an animal,” he growled, his knees almost buckling before he caught himself and staggered back, “and I will behave like one.” His body heaved with each labored breath.
Light-headed, I blinked back at him while mentally clinging to my reserves of calm. Without my demon, I didn’t have her internal conflict to contend with, but I had fear in swaths. “What do you want?”
“Unchain me. I will not hurt you. But for them, I make no such guarantees.” A glance at the glass again, this time with a corner-snarl to drive home his point. “I will talk with you, and only you. If another of their technicians enters my personal space, I will kill him. I killed the last quickly. I will not be so merciful again.” He turned his hands, showing me his palms. “I do not need my hands freed to kill.” His smile was pure predator. Seeing him like that, all man, primal and wild, I wondered how much of the Akil I knew I’d attributed to his true demon form. Too much, perhaps. Human men and women could be just as
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