Allure of Sins

Chapter 5

***AN: I'm just getting back into writing, so this one is short, sorry. Hope you like it though!***

Eden

We rushed down elegantly tiled hallways. Paintings lined the walls, some I recognized from famous artists like Raphael or Bosch. All depicted some form of demon or hellfire. Leon's answer from earlier was seeming even more possible. I certainly didn't have an imagination like this. Everything here was too detailed. From the handwoven rugs under our feet to the pedestaled busts lining our walk. Everything about this place was straight out of a museum.

Leon tugged me along faster. The violet fabric of my dress tangled around my legs as we turned a corner into a room. I crashed to the floor still holding Leon's hand. Annoyed violet eyes met mine. I stood carefully making sure the fabric wouldn't get tangled again. Last thing I needed was to fall on my face in front of Leon. The man was perfection personified; the only bad thing was he knew it.

A humorless chuckle sounded across the room. Sunlight drifted into the room through an open curtain and bathed the new man in gold. A few others were seated around the room on various chairs. I flushed. Way to make a great first impression, Eden! I mentally face-palmed.

"This is the human you chose?" The gold man laughed again. "Honestly Leon, I expected better."

Leon's hand clenched around mine. "You won't be when I win."

"You think you're going to win with a child like that?" A woman smirked up at me from her chair. In her stare I found nothing, but bitterness; she gazed at me up and down. She stopped at my lips, and her own twitched. "She's not even pretty," she scoffed.

"Exc—" I started, but Leon gripped my hand enough to cut me off.

"That wasn't one of the requirements, and by human standards, she's above par," another woman spoke up from behind me. She circled Leon and me slowly; strawberry blond hair fell into her face as she walked. "How old are you?" long fingers tucked her hair out of her face to reveal rose-colored eyes. I gasped. The woman smiled at me noticing my reaction.

"I'm 25," I answered after an awkwardly long moment. Why does everyone here have such weird colored eyes and why am I even here?

"And still a virgin, hmm," the woman made her way to the window where the golden man was and put a hand on his shoulder. "He may have picked better than you thought."

"Enough, with the judging. I've picked well. I know," Leon boasted. "Everyone, this is Eden." Leon's grin stretched to reveal two dimples that made my heart stutter. What is wrong with me? "Eden, these are my siblings. Serena, Julius," he pointed at the two by the window, "Craig, Eli, Moira, and Lily." The woman on the couch from earlier rolled her eyes at him. I tried to put names to all the faces I had met so far, but Craig was passed out face down on the couch and Eli refused to look up from his book. However, Moira sent a soft smile my way, her eyes so orange they reminded me of marmalade on toast.

"You're forgetting someone," Lily huffed.

"Ah, Asher. Of course. Where is he?"

Serena moved toward us again swaying her hips with each step. "He's in the gardens. I can take Eden to meet him," she smiled but it didn't meet her eyes. Leon didn't seem to notice. The pressure eased from our joined hands.

"Thank you, Serena. I need to finalize some of the details with Julie anyway."

Serena linked her arm through mine and led me out of the room.

"This must all be so overwhelming for you," her eyebrows furrowed. "But don't worry. You'll be home before you know it. Two months is a rather short time, even for humans." I pulled us to a stop.

"Two months?" I stared up at her with wide eyes. "I can't be gone for two months!" She let me pull my arm free of hers. I took a few steps back until I hit a wall. My breaths were coming in ragged gasps. Missing two months of school would ruin my grades, let alone future employment prospects. I've worked too hard to give up on my dreams.

"Calm down, sweetheart. It will only be until the bet has ended then, you are free to return to your life without harm," Serena practically cooed at me as if I were some bird she'd scare away.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" I shoved her away from me and ran down the hall frantically looking for an exit. The hall stretched and turned for what felt like an eternity until I found an open window and jumped through.