Natalya fell away from her, breathing heavily. Only then did Evie notice her clothing was partially torn. Pieces of her dresswere clasped in the hand of the green-eyed monster that had broken into the apartment.
The strange fiend stared at Evie. She looked confused. And intrigued.
“How did you do that?”
Evie didn’t answer. Vex cocked her head. Her eyes glinted, and Evie’s vision blackened rapidly. She shook her head, removing the enforced blindness.
“Oh, that isfascinating.” Vex looked at Evie with frightening interest. Like she was something meant to be dissected. “I haven’t been stopped like that before.”
“Go,Evie. Get help.” Natalya got to her feet, facing Vex. “I’ll rip this one to pieces in the meantime.”
Vex ignored Natalya, keeping her eyes on Evie. Vex didn’t move. She just looked curious.
“You can try, Lust.” Vex shrugged. “You’ll fail.”
By the way Natalya was swaying, Evie suspected Vex was right.
The calm Natalya had instilled faded as soon as she let go of Evie, being replaced with the primal fear of facing an apex predator. This fight wasn’t one a mortal could hope to win.
Evie rushed towards the door. As she ran, the darkness thickened, curling around her like tendrils. It was like the heavy smoke Natalya could create, except this was pure inky black. It was shadows given form.
Glowing green eyes emerged from the darkness, advancing on her. Evie started to scream, the sound being cut off as Vex grabbed her by the throat and yanked her close.
“Whatareyou?” she said, voice low and vibrating. It sounded far away, like a whisper echoing in on itself.
Vex vanished in a blur as Natalya—her eyes bright and scarlet—clashed into her and wrenched her away. The apartment filled with smoke and shadows, blocking Evie’s vision in a way shecouldn’t combat. It blinded her as she staggered in the direction she hoped the apartment door was.
There were sounds of breaking furniture and shattering glass. Snarls, yells, and tearing fabric. In the dark, Evie caught streaks of green and scarlet moving rapidly around the living space as the two fiends tore at each other. By the smell of brimstone, Evie suspected the fighting was brutal. It was confirmed when she took another step, slipping in something warm, black, and smoky.
She finally made it to the apartment door, hearing a loud cry behind her and the sound of something snapping. It could have been a piece of furniture or a bone. Evie wasn’t sure.
Helping Natalya here was impossible. Other than being a distraction for both fiends, Evie was useless. But the high-rise was filled with creatures who knew how to kill. She just had to find them.
As Evie found the handle and started opening the door, something slammed it shut. The shadows dropped, lingering as a blanket of black smoke over the floor rather than filling the room completely. And in front of her, green-eyed and horrifying, was a demon of destruction.
Vex’s eyes were bright green with only traces of scarlet. Her clothes were torn, and her pale skin was covered in black blood. She moved unsteadily, the smell of brimstone wafting off her. But her gaze was still intent. She looked at Evie not in anger but with an extreme curiosity that was more frightening than if she’d been furious.
“You surprised me already,” Vex said. “With how disgustingly adorable you two are together. The little show on the couch you just gave me was especially revolting.” She grinned with cruel delight. “Not many can fuck a Lady of Lust and survive it. Lucky you.”
She grabbed Evie by the face, pulling her close. Though Vex was thin and slight, Evie couldn’t even struggle against the hold. Vex’s eyes glowed emerald.
“I thought the infernal bond of a Lust fiend was an impossibility. Seeing it in action was quite the tease. However, that bond doesnotprovide control over fiendish power, nor does it extend to another Sin. How did you resist me?”
Evie looked around desperately, spotting Natalya kneeling on the floor several feet away. She was trying to stand, her arm hanging awkwardly and twisted. When she got to her feet and tried to move toward Evie, she nearly collapsed.
“Answerme.” Frustration made Vex’s eyes flare scarlet. Only then did Evie recognize her. The lean woman with the dark hair and slitted, red eyes. They had never been green before.
“I know you,” Evie said. “I saw you. You were at Varro’s, months ago. With Dominic.”
The sentences came out short and broken as Vex still held onto her painfully. If she squeezed any harder, Evie’s jaw would be crushed.
The scarlet in her eyes faded slightly, returning to green. “I know you too. The once-redheaded slave. My Master coveting you kept me well satiated. He wanted you. And he resented the King for having you.”
She yanked Evie closer, moving a blackened claw to hover over her pupil. The green-red of her eyes extended to fill them completely.
“Nowtellme how you’re resisting me.”
Evie couldn’t give this monster a satisfying answer. She didn’t know how she could do what she did. She didn’t know how she could push back against Natalya, or against this fiend for that matter, or why she could withstand Natalya’s touch.
