Envy (Dark Waters Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-four 🔥:

The sun poured through the front windows. I'd taken a nap, resting my eyes and my soul. After the last forty-eight hours, I needed it.

Sitting on the couch that'd been my bed, I pressed my head into my hands and replayed everything that had happened. And none of it made sense. To me, at least. Yes, I broke a rule and disregarded an assignment—again—but the amount of violence was uncalled for. Did they want Priscilla's soul that bad the fact that I wouldn't kill her was disrupting the realm? And if I hadn't shown my face at the temple, wouldn't they have tried to kill her anyway? Why did it feel that my return to the Seven was the perfect piece to an onslaught Pride wanted to happen anyway? Throw whatever it was that Gabriel and Gluttony wanted to happen a hundred years ago into the mix. This was a nightmare brewing.

Sliding my hands away from my face, I stared at my fingertips. When Gluttony was better, he'd tell me everything; the other night, he promised to answer my questions if I ran. Well, I did. I was alive, waiting for him to recover. I needed him to live, too, not just for answers but because I'd never forgive myself if he died for my actions.

"Octavio?" Quiet footsteps sounded on the stairs. Looking back, I saw Priscilla come down. She'd changed her clothes and looked fresh and bathed. I hadn't heard the water run, but I also wasn't paying attention to the house. I should've been; Gabriel left an hour ago to "handle things," and wouldn't return for a while. Whatever that meant, I hadn't asked. I figured he wouldn't have told me anyway.

"You're up." Stopping at the final step, Priscilla smiled. She crossed her hands over her clean white t-shirt, slightly damp around the shoulders because of her hair. Her cheeks were flushed, and I knew she smelled lovely from where I sat. The scent traveled in the air over to my direction.

"Yeah." I chuckled, then rubbed my neck. "I needed that. A little rest."

"Do you want the bathroom?" She pointed up the stairs. "I finished. Don't need if you need to wash up or—"

"I cleaned off the blood last night." I pushed myself up from the couch, then pointed at the new shirt I'd worn. A black tee without Priscilla's logo; also, clean and neat, without the old stains from my wounds. "So, I'm good. Thank you, though."

"Teeth?" She cocked a brow. "Breath? If you were sleeping, then—"

I chuckled, crossing the living room space to stand in front of her. The flower scent hit me again, and my heart raced with her right in front of me. "Don't need to." I looked into her eyes. "I look like a man, but those inconveniences don't affect demons. Bad breaths, orders, etcetera."

Priscilla's brow lifted as she moved around me, heading to the couch. "Must be nice," she muttered, then turned. "Wait. That demon last night smelled pretty bad. It wasn't because he just... didn't bathe?"

Sloth? She had to mean Sloth. "If you smell a demon, that's the aura, not their body," I smirked, tongue between my teeth to keep from laughing. "That can either be a blessing or a curse."

"Mm." Priscilla sucked her teeth as she leaned against the couch. "I guess," she said. "Because you don't smell or anything."

"I'll take that as a compliment?" I said.

And when I said it, she smiled, pushing off the couch to come close to me. Her eyes passed over my body before she sighed and shook her head. A nervous chuckle followed as she lifted her gaze again. "The past two days have been wild," she said.

Wild wasn't the word I'd use, but I also couldn't think of him. So, I nodded and agreed. "It has been." Then I bit my lip and looked into her eyes, gently stroking her cheeks. "Are you okay? You were pretty upset yesterday."