Touched by Darkness: (Sins of The Fallen Book 2)

When I return to Amenadiel’s mansion, it’s drizzling outside, and my hair is now a frizzy mess. Not that it matters. I’m not leaving Amenadiel’s mansion for the foreseeable future. I might just as well move in.

Wait…

Do I live here now?

“You’re back early,” Amenadiel points out, flashing me a smile that says he knew this would happen.

He’s where I left him, seated on the couch with a tumbler in hand and his feet crossed on the coffee table.

“You knew.”

He takes a sip, then winks at me. “Didn’t I say you’d be back?”

“But how is this part of your plan?” I throw my hands out and then let them fall helplessly by my sides. “I don’t get it, Amenadiel.”

“Why don’t you take a seat?”

I reluctantly walk up to the nearest armchair and slowly lower myself down.

“What did you think was part of my elaborate plan?”

My mouth opens and closes before I admit, “For Daemon to see me and be angry.”

“Ah, you thought he’d march over here and tear me to pieces, and that would somehow solve my situation. I like how you think, but alas, nothing is ever that straightforward. Especially not when you travel through doorways.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He’s just about to answer when the door opens, and his son, Dmitriy, calls out, “Dad?”

Amenadiel’s smile broadens even more, if that’s even possible, and I narrow my eyes. “In the living room.” Then he leans in conspiratorially, and whispers, “You’ll love this.”

Footsteps draw closer, and then Dmitriy walks in, dripping rainwater on the wooden floor. He looks at me and frowns. “Who are you?”

“Don’t be rude, son.” The amusement in Amenadiel’s voice is impossible to miss as he rises to his feet and gestures to me. “This is the daughter of a close friend of mine. She’ll be staying with us for a while.” To me, he says, “Aurelia, meet my son, Dmitriy.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” The words flow from my lips seamlessly, but I don’t hear them. It’s all white noise now.

What does this mean? Dmitriy doesn’t recognize me. It’s clear as day when he looks at me with no small amount of suspicion, as if he believes I’m after his family fortune.

“What friend?” he asks.

His father waves him away, making his way to the minibar. “An old friend from before your time. Why are you home early?”

Dmitriy walks deeper into the room, keeping his eyes glued to me the entire time. “Boredom, Dad.”

“Right… I’m enrolling Aurelia in classes tomorrow. I expect you to ensure she settles in okay.”

“My pleasure.” The tone in his voice tells me he thinks it’s anything but.

I narrow my eyes, and he narrows his back.

We’ve fucked. How is it that he doesn’t recognize me?

While we’re locked in the stare-down of a century, Amenadiel looks like he’s more amused than he has been in years. His eyes sparkle with humor when he refills his whisky glass. “I sense the tension.”

Dmitriy finally looks away, and I inhale a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Forgive me for being skeptical of newcomers, Dad.” Then he looks back at me. “Didn’t I see you at the academy today?”

His father replies for me, “I sent her to have a look around and familiarize herself with the building before she starts classes tomorrow.”

My smile is saccharine, causing Dmitriy to narrow his eyes again. What I really want to do is to shake some fucking sense into him. Can you really not recognize me?

With one last warning glare in my direction, he says to his dad, “I have to be somewhere. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

He leaves, and as soon as the front door slams shut, I whirl on Amenadiel. “Explain!”

He chokes on his whisky. I never thought I would see a man like Amenadiel, evil incarnate, laugh like he is now. It’s a carefree sound I haven’t heard anywhere outside of Eden, and it allows me to see a flash of who he was before the fall.

“I think I would quite like to hear your theory first.”

“I don’t fucking know. Maybe everyone has lost their goddamn minds? Maybe you’re all playing a prank on me?”

“A prank…” He chuckles before tipping back the last of his drink and slamming the glass back down on the windowsill behind him. Then he walks up to me and taps my temple. “I’ve been stuck in here, remember?”

The sound of rain pattering on the windows mixes with the sparks in the fireplace as I try to think of a logical reason. “When I found myself back in Eden, I…” My eyes widen.

“She finally gets it,” Amenadiel teases.

“But it’s impossible. Besides, I thought time worked differently inside Eden. I didn’t actually think I traveled back in time.”

“Well, you did, and you took me back with you.”

“You knew…” I glare at him. “You knew and you still let me go to the academy and make a fucking fool out of myself.”

A simple shrug, accompanied by the quirking of his lips. “It was too funny not to.”

“You asshat!”

He shrugs again. “I’ve been called worse.”

I start to pace. “So this means what? They haven’t met me yet?”

“Don’t worry. Your true angel self won’t come tumbling through the doors. You erased that reality.”

I draw to a halt and blink, my lips pursed. “Erased?”

“Reset time… whatever. Don’t worry yourself with the ins and outs. It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”

“Okay,” I reply, as if it makes sense.

It doesn’t.

Not even a little.

“So they don’t know who I am?”

“Nope,” he confirms, popping the P.

“They’ve never met me?”

“Also true.”

“Fuck…”

He tries so fucking hard not to laugh. Even his face is blotchy and red from his attempt to school his features.

“Am I a virgin again?”

Now it’s his turn to blink, then he laughs. “What?”

“You said I erased the past.”

“The past timeline, yes. You didn’t magically grow back your hymen.”

“I can’t exactly go up to Daemon and say, ‘Hey, you’ve never met me, but you took my virginity a while back.’”

“This is why I always say not to mess with timelines,” he teases, walking past me.

“So what do I do?” I call out, and he stops in the doorway.

“You made him fall in love with you once. You can do it again.”

“I didn’t make him fall in love with me. He kidnapped me, remember?”

“Yeah, that’s not going to work now that you’re an ordinary fallen angel like everyone else.”

“Exactly. So what do I do?”

“Not my problem, Angel. You’ll think of something. Your room is the one I showed you earlier. Help yourself to the clothes in the walk-in closet. If you get hungry, let me know, and I’ll arrange to have a human sent to your room.” Then he disappears and I stand there, confused as fuck by the day’s events.

I sit back down in the armchair and bury my face in my hands. What the hell am I going to do? I can’t even fathom what this all means, never mind try to think of a plan moving forward. I’m stuck here now. Oliver is dead, I’m a fallen angel, and Daemon and the others don’t know who I am. As if that’s not bad enough, I’m living with Amenadiel and his son.

I let out a frustrated screech, then rub my eyes vigorously.

Everything is a fucking mess.

I wake with a startled, muffled scream when a warm hand presses over my mouth. Dmitriy’s hard eyes glare down at me, and he snarls, “I don’t buy my dad’s story. Why are you really here?”

I try to speak, but it’s muffled beneath his palm.

“I’ll remove my hand if you promise not to scream and alert my father.”

I quickly nod my head, and he carefully lifts his hand but keeps it hovering, as if he doesn’t trust me not to scream. His dark eyes burn with such distrust that I wouldn’t be surprised if he kills me on the spot.

“Hear me out, okay?” I scoot back on the bed and pull the blanket with me. “You’ve met me before.”

“Don’t you think I would remember you?” His deep voice rumbles like thunder.

“I’m gonna try to explain, and you won’t believe me, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

“Then what the fuck are you waiting for?” He grabs me by my throat, and I yelp.

“Okay, okay… I’ll talk. Listen”—I bat his hand away—“I’m from Eden.”

Dmitriy frowns and starts to withdraw, so I rush out, “I snuck out of Eden and was kidnapped by Daemon and his friends. They took me to Hell. One thing led to another. Your father tried to kill me, and I locked him in my mind and escaped back into Eden. Then I committed the ultimate sin to be let back out and it created another tear in the fabric that allowed your father to escape, but his reality is now linked to mine. And so—well, we’re back in time to before they kidnapped me.”

His mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. He simply stares at me. Then he shakes his head as if to clear it and gets out of bed, but stops short when he comes face-to-face with his father in the doorway.

“It’s true,” Amenadiel says, and there’s such dominance in his voice that the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Every single word.”

Dmitriy rears back. “She’s crazy, Dad.”

“Is she?”

“Yes,” Dmitriy breathes in frustration. “She’s manipulating you.”

“To what end?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she wants to get close to the throne.”

Amenadiel pushes off the doorway. “Enough!”

Every muscle in Dmitriy’s body stiffens, and he snaps his mouth shut.

“What our little angel told you is correct. Every single word. You’re going to treat her with respect. I won’t have you sneak into her bedroom and wake her up like this again. Am I making myself clear?”

When Dmitriy stays quiet, his father roars, “Am I clear?”

“Yes.”

I swallow thickly, hiding behind a curtain of hair. Amenadiel is scary when he shows his darker nature like this and the sheer violence in his voice clashes against every bone in my body.

“Good. I expect you to treat her well at school and help her settle in.”

“Why are you helping her, Dad?”

It’s an excellent question. And not one I expect to get an honest answer to anytime soon. Amenadiel has his own agenda, I’m sure of it.

“I made a promise.” He walks out, and we both stare after him, equally dumbfounded.

“That was weird,” Dmitriy mutters before gesturing in my general direction. “Get dressed. We’re setting off in five.”

Slipping out of bed, I rummage through the drawers for clean clothes as he disappears through the door. I put on a dress, longer than the one Amenadiel picked out for me yesterday, and a pair of heels. I miss walking barefoot, but I’m not in Eden anymore, so I’ll have to get used to it.

Dmitriy waits for me outside, looking bored and busy at the same time. It’s a specialty amongst the men here. His dark eyes scan over me with disinterest, unlike how he watched me the first time I ran into him. I was a weapon to be used back then to piss off Daemon. Now that he doesn’t know who I am, I’m of no use to Dmitriy. He can’t use me to get beneath Daemon’s skin.

That knowledge hurts. I’m no one to Daemon, Alaric, and Ronan. I’m just another fallen angel in a sea of other girls.

Not even an innocent one he can ruin.

I blink back tears as Dmitriy unfolds his wings.

“Ready to fly, new girl?”

My wings erupt in response, and Dmitriy’s eyes widen with surprise.

“They’re big,” he chokes out.

I shoot up into the sky, fed up with him and his shocked expression and piqued interest. If it were up to me, I would go back to bed and not move for the next ten years. Now I have to start over again.

We circle the academy once before landing on the soft, freshly cut grass outside the front steps. Lanterns line the path, and the trees are decorated with fairy lights. It’s effortlessly pretty. I love that about the night. It has an ethereal, haunting beauty that can’t be felt in the daytime. Not to mention the fresh scent of late night.

I inhale it deep into my lungs, and when I finally open my eyes, I feel more centered.

More like myself.

“So, what’s your plan?” Dmitriy asks as we enter the building. The hallway is crowded with students on their way to class, but since Dmitriy is Lucifer’s nephew, the crowd parts for him like he’s royalty. I guess he is.

It feels weird to walk to reception with Dmitriy close on my heels. He’s the enemy in this fairytale. Not my friend.

It feels even weirder to enroll for a second time. The lady behind the reception doesn’t recognize me either. She simply staples my paperwork together, slams it on the counter, and says, “You’ll find your class schedule and locker number in there. Any other relevant information is in there, too.” Then she shoos me away as though I’m an annoying mosquito.

I blink at her once, twice, and then Dmitriy guides me forward with his hand on my lower back.

“Walk, new girl. At least try to blend in and not look so weird.”

“I don’t feel like I blend in,” I counter.

“You do. As long as you keep your wings shut, you’ll be fine. Did I mention they’re huge?”

“Once or twice.”

We turn a corner, and Dmitriy slaps his hand on a locker. “This one is yours.”

I’m not even surprised it’s not right next to Daemon’s again. Why would it be? I’m a stranger now. It still makes my chest throb with an unrelenting ache. I peer to my left. At least I can see their lockers from here. It could be worse.

“Why are you looking so doom and gloom?”

After inputting my combination code, I yank the locker open with too much force. It’s empty of books and devoid of my past. I shut it again and lean back against it. “You don’t believe me anyway.”

“Of course I don’t. But try me anyway.”

I look away from his dark eyes that remind me so much of Daemon’s, but also not. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I came back for Daemon, Alaric, and Ronan… even Dariana.”

“Dariana?” Now he sounds even more intrigued. Perhaps a little amused, too.

“It doesn’t matter,” I whisper regretfully, “since none of them know me anymore.”

“Surely you can joggle their memory or something?”

“I don’t seem to be able to joggle yours, and we f—” I slap a hand over my mouth. Shit, I don’t want to tell him that part. Let’s leave the past behind.

He looks confused. “We what?”

“Nothing.” I straighten up, craning my neck. Daemon and Alaric are over by the lockers across the hall. They’re impossible to miss with their intimidating builds and booming voices. Ronan joins them too, and grabs Alaric in a headlock.

I watch them tussle, with my heart in my throat. The sheer longing I feel hurts. Before I can stop myself or think it through, I push off the locker and walk up to them.

Ronan lets go of Alaric when he spots me, then nudges Daemon with his elbow, who looks at him questioningly before following his line of sight.

He dismisses me just as fast.

And to think that, for one brief second, I thought he might just recognize me.

I stop in front of them and nervously clear my throat. Now that I’m here, I don’t know what to say.

“Are you lost, new girl?” Ronan asks with a flirty smile. But it’s the kind of smile that tells me he would fuck me in the bathroom and then never talk to me again.

I refuse to be invisible to these guys. I’m not a fucking booty call.

“Daemon?” My voice shakes, and he slowly turns, then frowns. Without another word, he shoulders past me, causing me to stumble back.

Alaric smirks, and then he’s gone, too. Ronan lingers for a beat, watching me. “My advice, new girl. Do yourself a favor and look for someone in your own league.”

I rear back, but before I can reply, he’s gone.

Someone in my own league? What the fuck does that mean? I’m not stupid; I know Daemon is royalty in these woods. But to call me out of his league…

My blood boils.

“Not gonna lie. That was painful to watch,” Dmitriy says, shattering my thoughts.

My teeth grind until I’m convinced they’re about to pulverize.

“Let’s entertain the idea that you spoke the truth earlier. How did you capture his interest the first time around?”

“I didn’t. He kidnapped me.”

“Be that so…” He steps closer—so close that I can feel his burning heat at my back. “But you still held his interest somehow. White wings get old real fast. What did you do to keep him interested?”

“I was a virgin.”

“I see the appeal—an innocent angel ripe for the picking. I bet he had fun corrupting you, but that still doesn’t warrant his continued interest. So I’ll ask again.” His lips brush my ear as he shifts even closer. “What did you do?”

Shivers run down my spine, like a thousand tiny little spiders spreading out. “I fought him every step of the way.”

I feel him smile before he whispers, “So fight him.”