Three Trials (The Dark Side Book 2)(52)

Rolling my eyes, I point out the obvious. “I spent all those years learning about a lovesick ghost, assuming that’s what I was. When really, I needed to be watching Keanu.”

They just look at me like I’m crazy, and I snatch a quarter from the table.

“Heads, we watch Constantine,” I say as I flip the quarter. It, of course, lands on tails.

“What’s tails?” Jude asks as he drops down to my other side.

I sigh as I lean into Kai’s side, feeling some of the inner chaos settle as I soak in his warmth. “Devil’s Advocate.”





Chapter 15


“We were horrible people,” I state quietly to myself.

Apparently not quietly enough, since it causes Jude to jerk awake beside me on the floor-pallet-bed the five of us fell asleep on in the living room last night.

He groans when he looks at the time, and his arm tightens around me as he pulls me away from Gage a little.

“What the hell are you doing up so early after drinking all night?” he grumbles around a yawn.

He dozes back off, saving me the trouble of confessing my new obsession.

I flip the page on the book I’m reading—the book I spilled my blood on to make words appear.

It’s a very dirty retelling of how we fell in love in the life I had as a Duchess, who didn’t know she was quite so into debauchery when she was an innocent virgin the Duke—also known as Nicholai/Gage—forced her to marry him.

My gaze flicks over to Gage, wondering if he’d have a memory echo or whatever if I made myself look like this little drawing. Maybe all of them would.

Count Lavelle, also known as War—aka Ezekiel—was the first one to come in and defile the Duchess after the Duke gave his blessing. She really liked the way he just took her without warning.

The Duke watched, made her think it was him fucking her so hard from behind, when it was really the Count. My legs press together, and Jude tenses from beside me.

“What are you reading?” he asks, rousing from his sleep a little more.

“Go back to sleep,” I say in deflection, reading on as two Earls, who I’m assuming must be Jude and Kai, come to take their turn with their friend’s new wife.

As mortals, they could have any woman any time, it seems. But even with no prior knowledge of who I was or who they were, we all ended up in our little circle. I say circle, because reading all these has led me to believe we’re an endless line that is seamlessly tied together and ever circulating.

The part where the Duke holds his wife down for the two Earls to take their turns is wrongly turning me on. I can get an image of how confused I’d be if I couldn’t remember them, yet feel like it was so wrong to easily give into this.

They’d make me take it, knowing I’d want it, even without knowing me. They did make me take it. Over and over, and apparently I secretly loved it, even as I fought them as hard as I could.

It’s disturbingly wrong, which makes sense. I’m the Devil’s daughter.

That thought has marinated during the entire time I’ve been reading, reevaluating every active thought I’ve had.

We all fell in love eventually in this story. I skipped to the end, just to make sure, then went back to the beginning.

Well, the guys just have a strong bond in friendship, and they love each other like brothers. Kind of disappointing. I was hoping for some guy-on-guy action, even though I’ve never seen them cross that line before.

But they all love me. And I love all of them.

Yet we always sort of hate each other to start out with. At least a little.

It’s pretty hot when you read about it instead of feeling the frustration when it’s actually going on. I really want to slap them while reading the story about the Duchess. At least in the beginning.

Gage mutters something beside me in his sleep, moving closer as I fan myself and continue reading.

I have to quit reading this. Right now, with all that’s going on, sex doesn’t need to be on my mind. They didn’t even kiss me after we returned from hell, so I’m assuming they’re prioritizing as well, even though they did give me the night off to watch movies and sink into a silent stupor.

When I woke up at three this morning, I started reading. And haven’t stopped.

Do you know who my mother is?

No? Well, that’s because the Devil is an overachiever and had me on his own, and not in the way one might think. I was never really a child nor was I born. I was created.

I’m a manifestation of impurities and purities, then given a drop of Lucifer’s blood so I could take form. I’m apparently the most successful blending of the children because of my incomparable balance. My presence doesn’t hinder the balance topside no matter what day it is.

I’m a neutral entity. A weapon. A being who isn’t really supposed to have any personality at all, according to the original plan. I’m supposed to be cold logic and firm dictation.

Epic. Fail.

Lust is one of those impurities of mine. Love is one of the purities. Envy, of course, is an impurity. Greed is unsurprisingly not one of my impurities. I knew I wasn’t greedy. I’ve been telling the guys this, but they never listen.

They still haven’t bought me the gifts they bought those other women. Being covetous is certainly one of my impurities.

My entire thought process is making more and more sense the more I learn about my genetic makeup. It’s logically sound to dissect myself more now.