SEDUCED BY SIN

PROLOGUE

I had to run. Run as fast as I could and get away from this place. Everything in my body kept telling me not to stop. Don't look back. I left them screaming at me and telling me to get away before he arrived. I knew this day would come; I never expected it to arrive as soon as it did. Everything had gone wrong, and it was all his fault. We were happy before he came and made a mess out of everything. How could a human possess such power or access such a book? Those were forbidden, but I'm sure he didn't give a fuck.

Where was I going to go? I had been marked. The world was never the same when they first showed their existence: demons and all other supernatural beings. At the hierarchy, demons had taken their claim, occupying the largest part of the world. Humans had no option but to co-exist with these beings, and my brother had to make a deal with one. I don't think I will ever forget the smell of blood, the look of my family's dead bodies, and the look of my brother's face when he slaughtered them all without my mercy. He looked deranged as if he had completely lost his mind. His eyes were not the same.

"You can run, little brother, but you cannot hide. He will find you." I heard him screaming as I kept on running without stopping.

I couldn't wipe the tears from my face; the pain clenching in my heart would not stop. The marks on my abdomen and behind my neck burned my skin with every step. I may not hide forever, but I am sure as hell not going to let them find me that easily.

"I have given his mark to you. You belong to him now, and he will come to collect. Be ready, Avery; I will make sure he finds you." He shouted.

I chuckled bitterly as bile rose from my stomach, burning with each pant. How naive had he been? All the love that fool gave him was a ruse for this very day. To give me up like cattle for slaughter. But he was wrong; I was not going down. My heart clenched as I replayed every conversation, every moment shared, now tainted by the revelation. It was as if a knife had been driven into my back, sharp and cold, twisting with each passing thought. He may have marked me with that demon's mark, but he would pay the price first. They collect what they are owed. They always do. Goodbye, brother; God forbid our paths ever meet again. I wept for the family I just left behind. I just needed enough time—just a tiny bit of time. 

I ran through the forest, heart pounding like a drum in my chest, each frantic step fueled by sheer terror. Branches clawed at my skin, leaving stinging scratches as I pushed blindly forward, the underbrush snagging at my clothes and slowing my desperate flight. The darkness was closing in around me, the shadows seeming to come alive with every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs underfoot. I had no idea where I was going; I just knew I had to keep moving. My lungs burned with every ragged breath, my legs screaming in protest, but stopping wasn't an option. Fear surged through me, a cold, relentless force driving me on. The forest was a labyrinth of indistinguishable trees and tangled paths, and I was lost in its maze, my only goal was to escape from him.

The night air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, mingling with the metallic taste of fear in my mouth. My mind was a whirlwind of panic and confusion, each thought a fleeting, disjointed fragment. I stumbled over roots and rocks, my pace faltering but never stopping, adrenaline the only thing keeping me upright. Every sound was magnified in the oppressive silence of the woods, every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves a potential threat. My eyes darted wildly, trying to pierce the gloom, but the darkness was impenetrable. I was running blind, driven by instinct and the primal urge to survive, not knowing if I was heading towards safety or deeper into danger.

My thoughts were a chaotic jumble, the only coherent thread being the desperate plea to keep going, to not look back, to outrun whatever nightmare was on my heels. The forest seemed endless, a never-ending expanse of trees and shadows, and I felt a growing despair that I might never find my way out. But I couldn't stop. I couldn't let the fear paralyze me. So I ran, my steps fueled by the desperate hope that somewhere ahead, there was safety, there was light, and there was an end to the terror that had me in its grip. Fuck... someone... Please help me.