Sinful Obsession

17. 17 – Vienna

17 – Vienna

I ’m still reeling from the kiss when Ewan offers to walk me back to my room. The silence is just short of uncomfortable as I hold my hands in front of me, sifting through the chaotic thoughts from a full day’s worth of nothing. Finding out that all the players of the apocalypse or at least most of them are here, in this building is strange. The fact that the doctors have had their hand in rounding them up is even more strange. Are they fanatics or something else?

It makes more sense now why Michael would think my folder of ‘sins’ was important. Unfortunately, I’m still lost on what I’m truly supposed to be doing here. All I ever wanted was for Asmodeus and I to be together, as impossible of a dream as that was. Now, it feels like I’m part of something bigger, like this is my calling. I just don’t know where I fit in.

Because in all the stories that I’ve ever read, there isn’t a human that starts the apocalypse. There’s been a demon, Cyclops, even a fucking unicorn shifter but never a human. Never a woman. Never someone like me.

We reach my room before I even realize, Ewan chuckling as I trip over the small lip of the threshold. “Stay here, princess, ” he says, using the pet name mockingly. “There’s a lot of dark forces in this place and few of them are friendly.”

He’s going to give me whiplash with the way he’s soft one minute and hard the next. Shifting in front of me like that was absolutely terrifying but breaking at that moment would have ruined everything I wanted to do. Ripping his cloak from his head might not have been the smartest move, though.

“You’re friendly. Enough, I guess.”

“That depends on who you ask, princess.”

My nose scrunches up at the name but I don’t hate it, not the way it flows from his lips in this silky smooth tone daring me to come closer. And then his next question ruins the moment. “What happens if you find out you’re just a pawn in his plan?” Ewan asks, one of his brows raising as he leans against the doorway. “What if all of this is just part of his scheme to get what he wants?”

I’m not sure why Ewan has asked more questions than even the doctors or my parents. No one has really probed or tried to understand why I’ll follow Asmodeus so blindly. I pull down the collar of my scrubs, showing off Asmodeus’ bond mark. “If that were the case, he wouldn’t have marked me. And yes, it still very well could be a trap but there have been times where he has showed up in my room asking for me in a way that doesn’t make sense. He’s told me that he loved me before he even met me. Those aren’t words said lightly and if they are, I’m going to continue living in my fantasy world.”

He's fighting some invisible force, some emotion but I can’t figure it out.

“Why fight me so hard when this would fulfill your purpose? Why do you keep questioning me?”

“Because we’re cursed with a bit of humanity,” Ewan replies. “We may be the embodiment of the horsemen, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

He steps closer again, his hand brushing against my cheek, his touch unexpectedly gentle. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll only ask this one last time. Are you absolutely sure?”

My heart races, my mind spinning with uncertainty. But I force myself to nod, even as the weight of my decision presses down on me. “Yes,” I say firmly, though my voice wobbles. “I want this.”

Ewan watches me for a moment longer, then leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead. It’s soft, almost tender, a shiver running down my spine. “Then I hope you’re ready for what comes next,” he murmurs, stepping back. “Because there’s no going back.”

He leaves, the darkness swallowing him whole before I close the door and turn around to see Asmodeus standing there. He’s more human than he was at the portal and I almost miss feeling that form against my skin. I feel like I’ve been caught doing something I shouldn’t even though he encouraged this madness with four other men. His dark eyes flash red as he looks at me, his mouth curving into a familiar, knowing smile. “You’re making friends,” he says, amused.

“Is that what we’re calling them? Friends?” My cheeks heat as I walk into his open arms, burying my face into his chest so he can’t see how embarrassed I am. Was he watching when Vito fucked me last night? Or when the others kissed me? When Death himself tried to terrify me and then made sure I was safe?

“Yes, I was there, watching you, love. I saw everything, heard every little cry, moan, and whine for more. You’re so beautiful when I take you apart but I think I enjoy watching just as much.” He wraps a firm hand around the back of my neck and tugs so that he can lean down to kiss me. “You don’t have to be ashamed of what you want—”

I cut him off, pushing away from him. “That’s just it. It feels more like a craving, a need. Like I went from not even knowing they exist to wanting to stay in that room with them. It feels like…”

“Me,” Asmodeus finishes. A warm smile plays on his lips as his shoulders fall. “It should feel that way, love. They are born of the same darkness that I am, the darkness that calls to you. I may have found you first but that never meant I would be the last to have you. I will always love you, Vienna. Always. That will never change.”

His words feel different than usual. The comfort I depend on isn’t there. It’s something else. “What aren’t you telling me? There’s something you’re keeping from me, aren’t you?”

Asmodeus holds out his hand and then guides me to the mattress to sit beside him. “There are many things I can tell you, love. About the world, about how it came to be. I can tell you histories that you would never find in a book but I can’t tell you the answers for questions you currently have. The delicate balance of the world depends on you choosing this path on your own.”

Every time Ewan yelled at me, demanding to know that I loved Asmodeus because of my own choice makes sense now. “You can’t just tell me?”

His gaze softens, and I see something in his expression that I’ve never seen before: vulnerability. “Because some things can’t be told,” he says quietly. “Some things have to unfold on their own. If I tell you now, it won’t happen. Or worse, it’ll go wrong.”

I stare at him, the weight of his words settling over me. He’s not holding back because he doesn’t want to. He’s holding back because he has to. Because the delicate balance of the world depends on it.

Before I can say anything else, he drags me onto his lap, smothering my lips with his. He consumes me entirely, growling into my mouth as he pulls me down to grind against his cock. It’s so easy to lose myself in him, to give myself over to this demon in a way I never had with anyone else.

When he finally pulls away, his forehead rests against mine, his breath mingling with mine. “Trust me,” he whispers. “Please.”

The world may be falling apart around me, but in his arms, I feel whole. Even if it’s only for a little while.