Deadly Sins (a Damnation Trilogy Prequel)

Chapter 13

Jade's head was throbbing as she slowly woke up, her eyelids trying to stay closed in an attempt to shield her from the bright light in the room. When she finally got them open she was blinded momentarily and attempted to shield her eyes with her hands but as she moved she heard chains and her hands never made it to her face. She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She tried to move her hands again, realizing for the first time that they weren't at her sides but above her. Again she heard the rattling of chains and slowly looked up as the dark spots disappeared from her vision. As her eyes rested on her hands, chained above her head, her breathing became ragged with panic and she pulled as hard as she could to release herself, only succeeding in making the metal cut into her skin. It wasn't the first time she'd been chained up during a case, and she doubted it would be the last, but it was the meaning of it that made her so anxious. Because if she was chained up to the wall then she knew where she was without looking around and her vision was halfway to being complete.

            Despite the pain she was causing herself, Jade continued to tug on the chains anxiously until a voice caught her attention. “You shouldn't keep doing that,” they said flatly. “You're only hurting yourself.”

            Jade stopped, her eyes immediately landing on Christian standing as still as a statue across the room from her. The sight of him reminded her of being knocked unconscious and anger immediately sprang up in her. “You,” she said harshly. “You really were the one behind all of this. I defended you to Justin for nothing!”

            “Justin doesn't seem too upset,” Christian said, his eyes slowly moving across the room. Following his gaze, Jade's eyes landed on a bed on the other side of the room with an unmoving body on it; Justin. Immediately, her thrashing started.

            “No!” she yelled, unable to take her eyes off of Justin. “What did you do to him?!”

            “He did nothing, actually,” a new voice said and Jade snapped her to the side to find Avery smiling. “Christian there is just another one of my pawns who will be useless soon.”

            “You?” Jade said darkly, the realization slapping into her harshly. “I knew it.”

            “And yet not even two minutes ago you were blaming Christian,” Avery said, obviously amused.

            “I'm going to kill you,” Jade replied. “And I swear to God if you hurt Justin I'm going to take my time enjoying torturing you first.”

            “Sounds like fun,” Avery smirked, walking up to stop in front of Jade. “Too bad you'll never get the chance since you'll be dead soon.”

            Jade opened her mouth to respond as she glared at her, but she was distracted by the sudden flash on Avery's face. One second she was looking at the pretty girl who hit on Justin endlessly, and the next she sees a bare skull where her face should've been. Jade winced in surprise as the flashing continued and said, “You should really see your plastic surgeon about a refund.”

            “What?” Avery asked and Jade just nodded in her direction. She looked down at her hands, breathing in sharply as she saw the rapid transition between skin and bones. “Dammit, I've burned through too much already,” she mumbled, looking around the room, eyes scanning past Justin and landing on Christian. “Come here.”

            “What are you going to do to him?” Jade asked warily. “And what do you mean you burned through-” She cut herself off as all of the pieces fit themselves together in her mind. “You're a succubus.”