One far more monstrous than Andre, and that was saying something. The delicate skin he now stroked—would the devil touch it with the same reverence Andre did? The situation might be more bearable if the dark god were capable of kindness.
In all his seven hundred years, he’d never heard stories of the devil’s compassion.
He rubbed his mouth. What would the lord of the Underworld do to Gabrielle once he found out Andre had been with her?
He’d been a selfish bastard, not considering this until the deed was done and it was too late. She might have to suffer the consequences alone. And there were bound to be consequences.
He dragged Gabrielle closer and pressed a rough kiss to her mouth.
Her brows furrowed. “What are you thinking about?” she asked after the kiss ended.
“What am I ever thinking about, soulmate? You.” And he smiled at her because she was his sun.
As if to prove his point, her skin brightened. She stretched out along him, and he all but groaned. Yes, if he were a better person, he’d keep some distance between them for her sake. But he wasn’t a decent person. Gabrielle had given him his humanity only to take it with her to hell.
And he wouldn’t apologize to anyone about it—not even the devil himself.
Gabrielle
I threaded my fingers in Andre’s hair as he rained kisses down my neck. We’d been in his bed for well over an hour and it felt … ephemeral, this happiness. Which made me more hesitant to leave. Because as soon as I did, I’d have to stop pretending my life was normal.
“Andre.”
He must’ve heard something in my voice because he raised his head.
Now that I was coming back down from my earlier high, I’d begun to shake. “Something’s wrong with me.”
He cupped my face, brushing away several stray strands of hair. “Nothing’s wrong with you.”
He noticed my body trembling. “You’re working yourself up for no reason.”
“My blood gives life to demons—just like that necromancer.”
Andre didn’t so much as bat an eyelash, which probably meant that he’d already learned about this ability or figured it out on his own.
“That doesn’t mean anything’s wrong with you.”
“It’s unnatural.”
“That’s a word the Politia uses to damn anything they deem evil,” he said.
“But Andre, I am evil. I’m the queen of the Underworld.”
He pulled back. “That does not make you evil.”
“Then what does?”
“Your heart, your actions.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. Instead I chewed on the inside of my cheek.
“I hurt Caleb,” I admitted. “After what he did last night, I wanted to destroy him.”
“What happened last night … ?” Andre repeated. His face darkened as he put the pieces together. “He was the one that shot you.” A muscle in Andre’s cheek feathered. “And you returned to Castle Rushen to punish him.”
I nodded.
“Good.” His voice roughened with renewed anger. “The boy should be thankful I haven’t had the chance to punish him myself. I doubt he’d survive it.”
Last night felt like an eon ago. I closed my eyes and remembered Caleb’s expression, his shaking hand. He’d gone through with it—fired the bullet that nearly killed me. It might’ve too, had the devil not claimed me before my life could expire on its own.
I sat up and brought the sheets along with me. “I wanted to hurt him,” I said. “That was my first thought. It should’ve been you. When Oliver led me back to the Isle of Man, I should’ve pulled him into a hug and then insisted we find you.”
Finally I found the courage to meet Andre’s eyes.
He was frowning.
“I’m … not quite myself,” I continued, “and I’m worried that the Politia’s right to try to get rid of me.”
“Soulmate,” he slid a hand along my jaw and cupped my face, “I understand. I do. You’ve seen me destroy an entire branch of my coven when my anger took me. Men and women whose company I’d cherished for hundreds of years. All gone in an instant because the need for vengeance rode me too hard.
“So you were angry, and you hunted down Caleb. What happened once you found him?”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I threw him into a cell to rot.”
“You threw him into a cell.” Andre’s lips twitched.
I gave his shoulder a light shove. “It’s not funny.”
Andre’s expression sobered. “No, it’s not. A boy tried to destroy my queen, and he still breathes.”
Er, … not the direction I was hoping to take this conversation.
“You will not feel bad about what happened,” Andre said, bossy as ever.
When I didn’t nod, he gave me a slight shake. “You will not. The world thinks badly of you. The world is wrong. Don’t let their misconceptions cloud your judgment.”
“But—”
“You can keep your guilt, but you cannot let it consume you,” he said. “Now, you still look far too thin. Hungry?”
I knew what he was doing. Trying to distract me from my thoughts. It was such a little thing, this kindness, but it made me smile.
“Famished.”