CHAPTER 0014

Underworld 

"Please, spare my life! I'll do anything! Anything!" The man whimpered before me, his voice trembling as he crawled on his knees, tears streaming down his face. 

How many times had I heard this same desperate plea? It was almost amusing how predictable they all were. 

If I wanted to, I could mimic his voice perfectly, speaking the very words he was too cowardly to choke out. 

But I had no patience for his sniveling or for any kind of chit-chat.

I snapped my fingers, and in an instant, a massive ring of crimson fire sprang up around him, encircling his trembling form. 

The flames roared to life, licking at his skin, their hunger insatiable. His cries of terror rose in pitch as the fire consumed him, the heat so intense that his hair ignited like dry kindling. 

Flesh blistered and peeled away, revealing raw, charred muscle beneath, and soon even that was eaten by the fire. 

The stench of burning flesh filled the air, thick and nauseating, but I remained unaffected. His agony meant nothing to me—just another soul reduced to ash, another life extinguished in the blink of an eye. 

His screams grew hoarse, and as the flames burned hotter, his body began to curl in on itself, the bones cracking and splitting under the heat.

I watched as his eyes, wide with horror, melted away, leaving empty, hollow sockets. 

The fire consumed everything, leaving behind nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes and a faint red glow on the floor.

A part of me—a dark, twisted part—could only think about how much more I'd enjoy hearing Venneca beg. 

Begging me to fucking destroy her until she couldn't walk for weeks—that thought alone could get me harder than a goddamn rock. 

But instead, I was left with this unworthy distraction, this constant fucking headache from the problems my father's family had created. 

Ace and that wretched old woman had somehow survived the bomb, the fire, and everything else I'd thrown at them. 

They were out there, hiding, and I had to find them before they had the chance to hurt Venneca. 

I couldn't let that happen.

For the past two days, I'd been chained to this computer, my eyes burning from staring at the screen for so long. 

I'd tried every method to track them down, from hacking into surveillance networks to planting viruses that would cripple their systems, but it was all for nothing. 

They were ghosts—no trail, no leads, just a frustrating emptiness that only fueled my anger. The frustration was eating at me, but I had to stay focused. 

Her safety depended on it.

Finally, I managed to infect one of their systems with a particularly nasty virus. It would destroy their network from the inside, leaving them blind, cut off from their precious information. 

Without it, they'd be stranded in the dark, and that would give me the advantage I needed. At least that was fucking done. 

I sighed, pushing back from my desk, my legs protesting from being still for so long. 

The thought of seeing Venneca, of making sure she was safe, pulled me away from the mess I was dealing with. 

But just as I reached for the door, my phone rang, its shrill tone grating on my already frayed nerves.

I snatched the phone off the desk, ready to fling it out the window to interrupt my moment of peace. But then I saw the name on the screen.

Andrew.

With a sigh, I answered the call. "What do you want, Andrew?"

"Hey, my brotherrr! Did you call because you miss me, or did you miss me because you called?" His voice was dripping with that usual, annoying cheerfulness.

"Cut the crap, Andrew. I don't have time for your nonsense. What do you have for me?" I was in no mood for his jokes, not today.

Andrew let out a dramatic sigh, as if I'd just wounded his pride. "Oh, so you don't love me anymore? That hurts, Luci, it really does. But fine, I'll get to the point—business as usual with you."

His laughter echoed through the phone, but I stayed silent, waiting. Andrew knew better than to push his luck with me. 

"Alright, alright. Here's what I got. Their last known location was in a remote area, but I've got nothing on their plans. Seems like they're laying low, probably waiting until they're ready to strike. And when they do, boom! They'll catch you off guard if you're not careful."

As I processed what he said, the door to my office creaked open. Venneca stepped inside, her presence like a breath of fresh air in the suffocating atmosphere of the room. 

She smiled and spoke in that cheerful tone I knew was a mask. "Good morningg~"

I muted the call and turned to face her, my tone cold and distant. "Do you need anything, Venneca?"

"No, I just wanted to see how you're doing, and I got bored," she mumbled, her eyes searching mine as she approached the desk, ignoring the chair nearby and sitting on the desk instead.

"I'm doing fine, just some business," I replied, trying to maintain my composure. "Why don't you look around the castle?"

"Already did," she answered simply, her tone flat.

I sighed, rubbing my temples as a headache began to form. I really wasn't in the mood for this, but she didn't seem to care. 

She was getting on my nerves, pushing me in ways no one else dared to. My tail, which had been flicking in irritation, suddenly went rigid as she stood up and moved behind me. 

I felt her hand wrap around it, squeezing it hard, refusing to let go.

"Venneca, let go of my tail," I demanded, my voice low and threatening.

"No," she said defiantly, her hand stroking the length of my tail. A shiver ran down my spine as she continued, her touch sending unwanted jolts of pleasure through me. 

I tried to ignore it, but when her fingers grazed the sharp tip, I couldn't hold back the groan that escaped my lips.

"Venneca, I'm telling you again, leave my tail alone. Let it go before I get turne—" Before I could finish, she touched the tip, and I lost it. My control snapped. 

I turned, pinning her to the desk, forcing her legs around my waist as I loomed over her, my breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps.

She stared up at me, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and something else—something that only fueled the fire inside me. 

I was so close, too close to losing all control. "Venneca, don't get on my nerves, or I swear I will—"

But before I could finish, the voice on the phone broke through the haze, pulling me back to reality. 

I tore myself away from her, putting distance between us as I answered the call again, my mind still reeling from how close I'd come to… no, I couldn't let that happen.. not noe

Venneca's voice cut through the air, filled with frustration and hurt. "Lucifer, what the fuck was that—"

"Can't you just leave this office for once and go touch some grass?!" she shouted, her voice high-pitched and angry.

I covered the phone, my voice cold as ice as I responded, "Venneca, please leave."

"No!"

"Leave!" I said, my patience wearing thin.

"Make me!" she shot back, her stubbornness only fueling my anger.

"Venneca, this is the last warning: leave," I commanded, my tone laced with authority.

"Nope!" she pouted, pushing me further.

I snapped. "VENNECA, FUCKING LEAVE THIS OFFICE BEFORE I HURT YOU!" The words echoed through the room, louder than I'd intended. 

She flinched, her expression shifting from defiance to fear. That look—the same look she'd given me when I'd kept her in that basement, terrified and vulnerable—it cut deeper than I expected.

She stormed out, and the moment she was gone, I felt the weight of what I'd done. 

I hung up on Andrew, not in the mood to continue the conversation, and for once, I felt something I rarely allowed myself to feel. Regret.

I tried to focus on my work, but after a minute, I couldn't take it anymore. I needed a break. 

I approached the window, scanning the grounds for any sign of Ace or that damned woman. But instead of them, I saw Venneca outside, talking to Asmodeus. 

They were laughing, her face bright and carefree in a way she never was with me. Jealousy flared hot and wild inside me, a possessive rage that made my blood boil. 

How could she smile like that with him? How could she give him the attention that I so desperately craved?

I'm more fun to talk to than Asmodeus! 

. . .