Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) - Kerri Maniscalco Page 0,76
whoever or whatever took her heart, did so while she was very much alive and very conscious. I promise you, there is no strategic value in getting lost in emotional entanglements. Hone your anger and sorrow into weapons of use, or go back home and cry until the monsters come for you. Because come for you they will.”
“I’m not afraid of monsters.”
“You may think so now, but my brothers delight in bending creatures like you to their will. They’ll feed you their emotions and siphon yours until you don’t know where you end and they begin. There are many forms of Hell. Pray to your goddesses you never have to experience them firsthand. You need to be sharp and focused, or you’ll end up just as dead as the others.”
Tears pricked my eyes. Not from sadness, but pent-up rage. “I am focused, you steaming sack of horse manure. All I dream about is avenging my sister. Don’t you dare accuse me of being too emotional. I will destroy anything that gets in the way of achieving my ends. Even you. And I’m not scared, or else I never would’ve summoned you to begin with!”
“You should be terrified.” His gaze practically pinned me in place. “Vengeance is a potent emotion. It makes you easy prey to both humans and demons alike. Never let someone know what your true motivations are. If they know what you want more than anything, they’ll craft all sorts of sweet lies and half-truths to manipulate you. They’ll know exactly how far they can push, what to offer, and what you would never refuse, giving them the upper hand. Your first goal should be to remain alive. Figure out everything else as you go.”
“You know my true goals.”
“Yes. I do. And it was an extremely foolish mistake on your part to tell me. Make no bones about it. All it takes is a bit of prodding, a tiny push to annoy you and you immediately fall into the trap of lashing out in fury. And in that burning rage you told me everything I need to know about what you want.” He shook his head. “What will you promise me, Emilia, in exchange for your deepest desire? What wouldn’t you do to achieve justice for the sister you love? Now I know there’s no price too high to demand. I can ask anything, and you’d give it.”
We were standing very close now, each of us breathing very hard. I hated that he was right. He didn’t even manipulate my emotions like Envy had; he didn’t have to. He’d simply goaded me into telling him my deepest desires out of anger. And he only had to push a little bit to get me to snap. Furious with myself for being outmaneuvered by a demon, I did the best thing I knew how—I lied like the devil.
I stuck my finger in Wrath’s chest and poked him hard. “If you think that’s everything that motivates me, you’re sadly mistaken, demon. And why do you care anyway?”
He slowly wrapped his fingers around mine, halting my assault on him. He didn’t let go and I wondered if he realized I’d stopped poking him the second his blazing skin touched mine. Now he was just holding my hand against his chest, his heart hammering beneath my touch.
And I was allowing it.
I regained my senses and stepped away.
“That’s the fourth time you’ve lied to me, witch.”
It really stoked his anger, too. I smiled demurely. “Maybe you should tell me more about the curse. I’d like to know more about that part.”
“Fine. You want to know the bloody details? The curse—”
“Signore, is . . . should I return in a little while?” A man somewhere between thirty and forty stood a few feet away, wringing a letter in his hands. “Your brother said—”
From one breath to the next Wrath had the messenger up against the wall, his forearm pressed hard against the man’s windpipe. Blood dripped from the messenger’s nose onto his tunic and the demon closed his eyes as if in utter rapture.
“Hello, Francesco. Pardon my rudeness, but I hear you’ve been selling my secrets. If we were in the Walled City, you’d already be dead. Consider this a favor.”
I stood there, frozen. Half in shock, half in horror. Wrath had exploded in violence faster than it took me to suck in a startled breath.
“Did I ever tell you the scent of blood drives me into a near frenzy, witch? Your kind believes we