Page 77 of Fear the Fall
Chop Suey!
The music startsand my eyes pop to the stage, where Luke stands at the microphone. I know exactly what to expect. He’s sung to me before, on our first full night together. His voice is sultry and masculine. Every girl is about to lose her mind in a minute.
He croons into the microphone, and just as expected, there’s a collective sigh from every female in the room. It doesn’t help that he plays right into it, making each of them feel as though he’s singing directly to them. The devil has skills, and one of his best is the way he can make you feel like you’re the only person in the room.
The very reason I fell for him.
A dark part of me is eating up the way that everyone, even many of the men, are falling all over themselves to get closer to him, yet it’s me he’s here with. I don’t deny that makes me one very disturbed girl. I’d love to say it’s an aftereffect still plaguing me from our time together before, but a voice deep within chastises me for pushing the blame all on him. Some inner part of me knows that not every feeling I’ve felt for Luke was contrived by him. None of them were, if he’s to be believed.
His soulful green eyes find mine. He smiles, never again removing his gaze from me, singing every word straight to my heart. I feel dizzy at the proclamations, even if they’re someone else’s creation. I can’t help but wish that each lyric sung was chosen by him for me. That he truly means every word. Foolish girl.
I internally berate myself for allowing such thoughts to infiltrate my mind, yet no matter how much I try in this moment to change my feelings, they can’t be helped. Simply listening to his voice has my knees quaking, threatening to buckle underneath me. My body feels electrified, a feeling similar to when I recharge. Every synapse is firing on all cylinders, and it feels euphoric.
For the first time in a very long time, I’m content. I don’t want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. All thoughts of my past and Zeke float away, until my head is clear and Luke is all I see.
When the song ends, people cheer and call for him to sing another. He lifts his hands, trying to decline, but the crowd won’t allow it.
I smother my smirk with my hand at the look of distress plastered on his handsome face. He wants to be with me. I know it, and I love the feelings that simple truth sparks in me.
“All right,” he says, laughing. “What’ll it be?” he calls out for requests.
I don’t know what the hell possesses me, but I yell out, “Broken.”He doesn’t need me to elaborate; he smiles a smile just for me and nods his head. The DJ gets it ready and before long, the music starts back up. Everyone around me gets into it, and before long, women are high-fiving me for my choice. He sang this song to me the last time we were together. The words spoke to my heart then, just as they do now. The memories make me smile.
My body sways on its own to the beat of the music. I soak in every sound. Every word he sings. Every. Single. Moment. As though this will be the last time. The thought is an effective dose of cold water, waking me from my fantasy and bringing me back to my sad reality. One in which I’m a fallen angel and the man I’m in love with is the devil himself.
My thoughts continue to wander down a dead-end path that only leads to devastation and betrayal. I recall the end of the last night we were together. All the unspoken truths and lies coming to a head. The crushing of my soul when he left me alone in that alley.
My face falls at the reminder of that night, the heat I felt moments ago being drowned out by bitter cold. My stomach turns and the need to flee overwhelms me. My eyes never waver from the stage. From him.
He doesn’t miss the change, a deep frown marring his beautiful face. I take a few steps backward, bumping into people as I go.
“Hey!” a woman yells. I turn, wide-eyed, to apologize, but her scowl tells me she’ll have none of it. Her purple hair is teased to create a dome on top of her head, and the white tank top she wears is two sizes too small for her busty chest. It’s only amplified when she crosses her arms over her breasts, lifting the globes to peak out the top, showing far too much.
Words never come, as someone’s shoulder smacks into mine, knocking me back a step.
My body spins, eyes connecting with Luke, who notices my obvious distress. He attempts to leave the stage, but a muscular bouncer blocks the way. He turns, leaping from the front of the platform, dropping the mic in the process. My hands fly to my ears to drown out the piercing screech it causes as I make a run for the door.
I don’t want him to catch me. I need space, which is something he won’t give. He’s all-consuming. Smothering. And right now, it’ll only lead to a fight. One in which the possibility of outing myself to humans is high, because my emotions are all over the place.
I rush from the bar, not looking back for fear he’d somehow convince me to forget my feelings and bend to his will. He wouldn’t need persuasion or any other tactic. Luke is my kryptonite all on his own. I cave with a simple glance from him. He’s my undoing. Has been for years.
As I’m pushing my way out the door, it hits me. This place feels familiar because it’s the exact bar we’d been in that night. He was recreating our whole first date. It worked to remind me of how incredible he makes me feel, just like the last time. But everything good from that night will always be overshadowed by the way it ended. The way it’s falling apart now.
Here in this place, where I’m currently ducking into safety. It’s the one spot that holds the worst memories of my entire existence. The alley from the night I realized that Luke and Satan were one and the same. That what I wanted, could never be.
Why was he trying to recreate that night? To hurt me all over again? To break me once and for all? Well, it’s working. Nothing about this is all right. It’s cruel.
A group of demons already haunt the shadows of this place, likely summoned to this location by the proximity of their master. They move into the moonlit alley, sizing me up, as I do the same. I don’t have Solis, but my anger fuels my every move. I raise my hand to create a barrier, so no human walks into this fight.
One decides to approach, and I don’t waste time getting this slaughter started. Taking several steps forward, I leap into the air, spinning and kicking my leg out to send the nearest demon hurling into the stone wall. It doesn’t faze him as he shakes it off and limps my way. I stalk toward him, reaching out and grabbing his head in my hands, twisting it from his shoulders, and dropping it to the ground. I continue my savage assault of the evil creatures, showing no mercy. It’s not like I ever do, but my savagery is fueled by something otherworldly tonight. Something I can’t control. Rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt consumes me.
More demons crawl out of the shadows, but none move toward me. I survey the area and find a broken pallet with jagged wood, making a perfect stake. Without taking my eyes off the creatures, I back up, bending down and breaking off the pointy piece, curling it into my palm. It’s not Solis, but it’ll have to do.
Coming to a stand, I size up my opponents. They’re not Hell’s finest, that’s for sure. One step up from barnyard pigs, they’re all snort and no bite. They don’t even have the size advantage. These scrawny bottom feeders will be easy to take out.
“You’re first,” I say, pointing the wood at the nearest snout-nosed swine.
He grunts, nodding his head in my direction to his two companions. All three rush me and I nearly roll my eyes at their slow advance. When the first makes it to me, I lift onto my toes, swinging my leg around to kick him in the head and throw him back into the second demon. To finish off the last of them, I spin, sending my elbow flying back into his face.