Read Online Darker Days by Jus Accardo - Free Book Online Page B

out loud ? Where was a large rock to hide under when you really needed it?
    “That’s not true,” he insisted, leaning forward a few inches. His voice was low and deep. It sent tiny tremors tickling up and down my spine, making my already thundering heart beat just a bit faster.
    I found myself leaning forward as well, drawn almost like a magnet to the sound of his voice. Every impulse I had was screaming for me to move away— look away—but there was something about him that held me there…something so enticing in his eyes. They were dangerous and addictive.
    We were less than six inches apart now, breath mingling. “At the risk of sounding inappropriate, I’d really like to do it again,” he murmured.
    The only sound I could hear was the hammering of my heart. Oh.My.God. He was going to kiss me? For real this time? Excitement erupted, sending a million tiny shockwaves through my body. “You—um—wow, I—”
    He pulled back and folded his hands neatly in his lap. “But I was raised a gentleman, so don’t worry.”
    All the air whooshed out of the room like someone had just jammed a pin in a Jessie-sized balloon. I’d never been bummed about the office not having AC. Right about now, though, I needed to cool down—and distract my mind from this madness. “So…um, what exactly happened? I mean, I know you lost control, but why? What was different from school?”
    He took another sip of water. When finished, he set the glass down and started again. “That place was full of black. Rage and death. There was so much of it…”
    It made sense, and really, it was stupid that I hadn’t figured it out earlier. The Pit was where most of our calls came from—both human and Otherworlder. We’d stumbled onto entire bars that catered to freaky demon fetishes. Naturally, things got out of hand on occasion. People went missing. Things were stolen. It was a total cash cow from a business perspective, but for someone like Lukas, it must have been hell.
    “What’s it like? When you lose control. It almost looked like you were in—”
    “Pain?”
    I nodded. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”
    “You and your questions. Your grandfather was like that. It must be a family trait.” He leaned back again and glanced up toward the ceiling. “Yes, it does hurt. I’m fighting to keep control—I’m always fighting… Random anger here and there is hard, but manageable. But earlier, in that place, I was surrounded by so much of it. It senses the nearness of the very thing it feeds on and struggles for control.”
    “It?”
    “Wrath.”
    “How—how painful is it?”
    He stared at me, and I found the whole roller coaster starting all over again. Butterflies in the stomach, heated cheeks, heart jumping like a thrasher in a mosh pit…
    I’d been boyfriendless for a reason. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone. I’d seen what it did to people—falling in love—and I wanted no part of it. Yet here I was, getting all hot under the collar for some guy. And not just any guy. One of the Seven Deadly Sins.
    Irony, thy name is Jessie.
    Mom would probably say it was hormones and walk away beaming with pride. She’d been pushing me to take an interest in something—someone—other than the agency. Somehow, though, I was pretty sure this wasn’t what she meant.
    “It’s like being ripped apart—over and over again. Like being set on fire, dipped in ice, and then lit up again.”
    “Jesus.” That cooled the mood quick. I was almost sorry I’d asked.
    “The harder I fight, the worse it hurts when I finally lose control—which will happen more and more as time goes on. From the moment we’re released, the box is calling us back. It’s faint at first. A whisper in the crowd. But as our time runs out, the call becomes stronger and more painful, making the Sin more frantic to feed.”
    “I’ll make sure Mom keeps her deal with you.” The passion in my voice surprised me. Mom was the good guy. The selfless one. I