Sinful Obsession

11. 11 – Vienna

11 – Vienna

I ’m right where I’m supposed to be.

A few hours ago, I was cursing my parents and Michael and every other person that had a hand in sticking me in this place. They’re all on my shit list, although my mother is at the top with her dick sucking skills and Judge Jansen for agreeing to hand over my rights without so much as an investigation into why I was a danger to myself.

None of that matters now as I stare at the four men crowding around the door. They’re beautiful, each in their own dark, twisted way, with silver eyes that seem to see right through me. Their presence is like an electric charge in the air, familiar somehow, like the comforting, intoxicating darkness that comes with Asmodeus’ presence. They give off the same demonic air, a feeling of warmth and danger intertwined.

None of them speak but I can’t tell if it’s because they’re still assessing me or weirded out that they found me naked across the portal to hell. Either way, I’m now fully embarrassed and with Asmodeus gone from my side, I want to return to the cold room I was so graciously gifted with.

“Vienna,” I finally say, my voice wobbling, a strange thrill rushing through me as their eyes flick to my extended hand, each one tilting their head in slight surprise, curiosity glinting in their silver eyes.

“Rude,” I bite out when they don’t shake my hand as I cataloge each of them for myself. My gaze drifts over each of them, memorizing their features, their sharp, ethereal beauty. One of them—the thickest of the four—steps forward, his hand closing around my arm. His touch is firm but oddly gentle, and without a word, he pulls me out of the room, his grip guiding me down the hallway.

The others follow silently as I’m led back through the winding corridors I would never be able to find my way though. Asmodeus’ presence is stronger than ever, still wrapped around me like a war hug, his voice brushing past my ear as he fills me with reassurance.

“Don’t be afraid of them, love,” he murmurs. “They can help you. They’re more like me than they are like anyone else in this place.”

Which explains why I feel comfortable in their presence. The large hand around my arm becomes comfortable the longer it’s there until I’m pushed into a room filled with four beds, each one carefully made, the blankets tucked with an almost military precision.

He guides me to sit on the bed toward the far corner as they all surround me, obviously still wondering who I am, why I was in that room, and why I’m here in the first place. It’s a long story, I joke with myself but quickly clear my throat when none of them start smiling.

“Who are you?” one of them finally asks. This one is lean and sharp-featured, his gaze almost predatory as he studies me, as if trying to decide if I’m prey or something else entirely. He’s the one that first opened the door, long black hair framing his angular face. To anyone else, I’m sure they would be terrified but his gaze is just as captivating as it is intense.

A frown takes over my face as I replay Asmodeus’ words in my head and then make a connection that I’m sure wasn’t supposed to be this easy. The Four Horsemen? First my demon shows up in my room and now I’ve met the four men created to start the apocalypse? This feels like an impossible timeline and yet, here I am, staring at Death, himself.

Or at least who I think is Death.

“I’m just me, Vienna but I told my parents that a demon had been meeting me–Asmodeus and they all freaked out. My mother sucked dick to get a judge to sign off on reverting my adult rights to her and then one of the doctors—Michael—dragged me in here and told me that I’d never be leaving. But Asmodeus explained everything tonight, well a lot of things.” I suck my lips into my mouth, waiting for someone to break the silence that’s slowly growing awkward. My face flames at the memory of them finding me naked on the floor.

No doubt they all heard me giggling as Asmodeus slowly left my side, leaving little kisses in his wake.

The shortest one but still taller than me by a good few inches steps up. He’s nearly six feet tall, hair a bit shorter than Death’s, a cruel glint in his eyes as he crouches in front of me so that our faces are level. I swallow nervously and stuff my hands between my thighs to stave off the initial heated attraction I have to these men.

“Oh, did he now?” he asks, his tone mocking but laced with curiosity. “And just how much did this demon of yours tell you, little girl?”

There has to be something wrong with me that I find these men intriguing and alluring rather than evil. They should be the stuff of nightmares and yet I’m trying not to think about who’s hands I want on me first. It doesn’t help that it feels like Asmodeus is touching me, caressing me in front of them, putting on a live show that they don’t even know they’re watching.

They are my companions, not that they know yet, love. Conquest, War, Famine, Death.

As Asmodeus says their names, it’s almost as if I can tell who each of them are and so I repeat his words, the men crowding around me genuinely surprised.

At the mention of their names, their expressions shift, a mixture of pride and something more dangerous, more primal. They share a look, a silent exchange before the one who approached me first—the one Asmodeus called Death—reaches out, his hand brushing against my cheek. Famine, the one crouched in front of me, moves to the side, allowing for Death to come closer.

“How does a mere human girl know the name of Satan’s son?” His voice is soft but the hunger in his expression has me clamping my thighs tighter together. There’s a melodic edge to his words, dark and intriguing the way I would expect Death’s voice to be. “How did you even manage to open that door?”

“I just opened it,” I admit. “Asmodeus is always with me but his presence became stronger when I got here. I followed whatever that feeling was until I found the door and then him. He’s realer here than everywhere else. It just opened.” I stare down at my palms situated in my lap, wondering if there’s power in my touch that I don’t know.

Their silence speaks volumes. They don’t believe me but it’s not the same feeling as with my parents or when I spoke with Michael. They aren’t trying to gaslight me into believing Asmodeus isn't real. It’s something else entirely. Conquest, the one who seems more confident than the others as he rests against the other bed, his arms folded across his chest, speaks next.

“That door has been sealed since we got here,” he states, irritation lacing his words. “We’ve tried everything to open it, every trick, every bit of power we have, and it’s never budged. But you…” He trails off, his gaze darkening as he stares at me, as if trying to solve a puzzle that doesn’t make sense.

“If you’re thinking that I’m more than human, I don’t know what that would be. Asmodeus has never said anything and I feel human.” I raise my hands up, flipping them over as if that will tell us anything. Death smirks as he takes one of them in his hands, his touch just as electric as their stares.

He leans in closer, his other hand brushing against my cheek, his touch cold but strangely comforting. For a moment, there’s this strange bond as if he’s peeling back the layers of my soul, seeing me in a way that no one else ever has. There’s a dark, twisted excitement that comes with it, and then, suddenly, his lips are on mine, cold and soft, a kiss that feels like falling into the abyss.

Like Asmodeus… but different.

I lose myself in the sensation, in the strange, intoxicating darkness that seems to radiate from him. But just as quickly as it began, he pulls back, his eyes wide, his expression a mixture of shock and something I can’t quite place.

“You…” he whispers, his gaze filled with a mixture of awe and confusion. “You feel like a drug. Like… darkness itself. How can a human girl feel like that?”

I resist the urge to drag Death back into another kiss. “If I knew what I was, it might explain why they dragged me in here. I understand why you four are here but just because I see Asmodeus doesn’t make sense. Also, I need names because I’m 100% sure you don’t go by Death.”

Death snorts and stands up, shaking his head. “It’s Ewan. And then you have Nevan, Kaua, and Vito.” He points at each of them in turn, Famine, War, and Conquest each offering me a nod as they’re acknowledged. “As for why they brought you here, I would say it has something to do with your ability to open that door. I haven’t even seen one of the orderlies or the doctors open it.”

“All I know is that I have to set him free,” I say, the words spilling out before I can stop them, the urgency in my voice undeniable. “He’s the only one who’s ever truly loved me, who’s ever seen me for who I am. And I need him. I need to be with him.”

The four of them exchange another look, a silent conversation passing between them, and then Vito raises an eyebrow, his expression laced with amusement. “So, you’re saying you want to start the apocalypse? Because that’s what opening that portal means, sweetheart. If Asmodeus crosses over, everything changes. Our powers return. The world as you know it… ends.”

I shrug, the thought filling me with a strange, twisted excitement rather than fear. “I don’t care about the world. I only care about him. Everyone in my life has left me behind because I can’t stop talking about my “hallucinations”. Even with his fucking bond on in my neck, my mother sucked a judge’s dick to get me in here. Excuse me if I don’t really care about the state of the world right now.”

Nevan steps forward, trying to hide his amusement as he glares down at me again. “Your mother sounds like a bitch, Vienna. However, Asmodeus isn’t as pure as you think. He’s made you feel like he’s the only one you can trust. He’s isolated you, made you dependent on him, twisted your mind until he’s all you can think about.”

I frown, his words cutting deeper than I expect. They aren’t true but they don’t hurt any less. “You don’t understand. He loves me.”

“Does he?” Nevan murmurs, his tone filled with a quiet, unsettling understanding. “Or has he just made you believe that?”

There’s a flicker of uncertainty that runs through me, a moment where I’m not sure my actions are entirely my own. And yet, I don’t feel like Asmodeus has done anything I haven’t wanted him to. My parents being hypocrites and my friends talking behind my back wasn’t his doing. No, my feelings are real and as stupid as they might be, I’m still opening that goddamn portal. “I’m still doing it. As the four horsemen, it’s weird that you would try to talk me out of it.”

The four of them exchange a look, a mixture of resignation and curiosity in their expressions, and then Ewan sighs, moving to sit beside me. “If that’s what you want, we won’t stop you. But you need to understand something, Vienna. If you go down this path, if you set him free… there’s no going back. The world will burn, and we will be the ones to bring that destruction.”

I meet his gaze, my resolve unwavering. “Then let it burn,” I say, my voice steady, filled with a dark, twisted determination. “It might look like Asmodeus isolated me from the life I was living but before him I wasn’t really living. They weren’t really my friends and I couldn’t trust my own parents. Before Asmodeus, I just was and now, I feel more whole than I’ve ever been.

Vito leans forward from his perch on the bed, a faint smirk on his lips as he extends a hand. The room is small enough that I don’t even have to stand, his fingers brushing the edge of my knee. “If you’re sure about this, we’ll keep you out of trouble. Make sure the doctors and orderlies don’t interfere.”

“Why would you do that?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. My gaze darts to Kaua—War—who has been silent this entire time. He’s like an immovable force, a heavy presence that is both comforting and terrifying. With his silver eyes trained on me, I know he’s just observing and cataloging information until he’s ready to speak. “Why would you protect some random human?”

“Because,” Ewan begins, “At some point, you may revert to the humanity you’re so desperate to leave behind and we’ll be there to give you what little there is left.”

I nod and then take Vito’s hand, giving it a firm shake. A dark thrill races through me as he holds onto my hand a little longer than necessary. He pulls me to my feet, a silent promise now formed between the four of us, a dark alliance forged in shadows and secrets.

Vito leads me back to my room, my hand still comfortably in his. Maybe it’s wrong to think that I’ve finally found a purpose or a reason to exist in this small little world.