Enamored | ✓

5. Ultimatum

"Do not be afraid; our fate
Cannot be taken from us; it is a gift."
― Dante Alighieri, Inferno

"No need to search for me, I'm here," A voice purred in my ear.

I turned, surprised, and faced empty space. The flowing crimson tapestries that hung down the walls seemed to glow from the flames of the fireplace. A purple loveseat and settee stood to my left. The place we were held captive reminded me of a Victorian parlor. All of it seemed normal except for the ivory arch above the fireplace which casted shadows of hissing serpents.

Daemon materialized before me. I took a step back, his predatory ambience sending warning signals to me in waves. I cursed myself for appearing weak and cowardly. He was wearing a suit the color of midnight that accentuated his sinful aura. His muscular body overpowered my petite frame with his hands clasped behind his back as he towered over me. The light from the fireplace casted a shadow on the right side of his angular cheekbones, its touch grazing his pointed chin. His cerulean eyes reflected the dancing flames.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was an angel sent from heaven. But the eyes are truly the windows to the soul, and I had just received a glimpse of the absence of Daemon's soul.

One name flashed in my mind; Angelo.

He always made me feel safe and right when I needed him the most, he wasn't here. I just wished he was here to tell me that everything will be alright and that he will get me out of here.

Summer's clammy fingers gripped my wrist as she hid herself behind me bringing me back from my thoughts. Ted stood to my left and clutched my left wrist as well as Brittany's forming some sort of barrier for him.

Brittany grunted in annoyance as she ripped her wrist from Ted's sausage fingers. "Man up, Ted." She flipped her disheveled honey colored hair behind her back as Daniel blinked a few times before standing up, his greasy black hair matting his forehead.

"Whoa, Celeste. I didn't know you remodeled your apartment," he said.

"It's because she didn't, you moron." Brittany snapped. Everyone fell silent. Not a word uttered among us when Daemon swept his gaze over us. Goosebumps paved its way into our skin causing us to huddle closer.

"Celeste," he crooned softly. My name rolled off his lips seductively. Each syllable smoothly spoken, laced with poison all too familiar. I should have known earlier it was he who had been haunting my dreams.

"Where are we?" I asked, my heart pumping fast. It was the oldest question in the book. The most cliché question I could ask. Yet, it was necessary in this situation. The last few words faltered and my voice didn't sound as if it belonged to me. It seemed that from our last encounter in my bedroom, I refused to be the docile and fearful girl he first met. The way he restrained my freedom to speak had left me scarred, causing me to talk more than I usually would. Daemon raised his brow in amusement from my change in demeanor.

"You're in Chinvat, the bridge between Earth and the Nether Realm." He replied smoothly. Daemon uttered each word with ease and clarity that the silvery voice that was meant to calm me only intensified my panic.

"Are we dead?" Summer choked out.

His lips curved into a smile. "No, the apples you and your friends consumed gave you a connection to me. I brought you here."

Ted began to laugh hysterically as he clutched his stomach. The volume of his laughter broke into a fit of coughs causing him to hunker forward.

"What the hell do you want with us?" Brittany asked angrily her voice reminding me of shattered glass.