Between the Devil and the Sea (The Devil and the Sea #1)

by Chani Lynn Feener

Like everyone else, initially when he looked at someone he saw their outward face, but if the emotion didn’t line up with what they felt inside, the image would alter. It was almost like seeing the screen of a computer glitch, pixels and lines flickering over their features a split second before a new image took the place of the old.

There were a few different empathic species in the universe, but Shade was known as a Chitta. They were the only ones who experienced the glitch.

The I.P.F had been called in to take over this case after a slew of terrible murders had terrorized the streets of Ux. The police had done their best but had hit dead end after dead end and had eventually asked for help.

More often than not, he joked about retiring early and finding a water planet to spend the rest of his days fishing and purging his mind of all the shit he’d seen. They both knew that was never going to happen though. Gael liked helping people too much.

It was impossible to recognize a devil in the dark if you weren’t willing to become a little monstrous yourself.

Shade had been like this since his parent’s abandonment, the type of person who would rather risk running in the near darkness than have to make eye contact with someone else. He wished he liked solitude more, but the truth was he didn’t.

“I just fucked you on a roof, Detective,” he stated bluntly, causing a shiver to race up Shade’s spine. “And you loved every second of it. Clearly modesty is overrated.”

Was this just how people hit on one another now? Messy and intense and all over the place?

Something told him the detective wouldn’t like hearing about how he’d been stalking him that entire week after their coupling on the rooftop.

Shade claimed he could accept him? Heavens help him if he was lying too, because he might not yet be aware of it, but he wasn’t up against your average run-of-the-mill demon. Apollo was the Devil. And the Devil took no prisoners.

He had just enough time to think about how he was about to die before all the strength left him and the darkness took control. Shade had wanted to get close to someone. Careful what you wish for.

He didn’t like the idea of not having Shade’s full, undivided attention. Sharing? Wasn’t in his vocabulary.

He’d fix Shadow Yor, take him apart, figure out how the pieces went back together properly, and make him whole again. And then he’d slice that beautiful neck and watch as the life drained from those pretty hazel-colored eyes and get back to his regularly scheduled program.

If you need someone to aim all that hate toward, I’m more than happy to fill the role for you, baby.”

“I don’t have a preference myself, so we’ll avoid the degradation kink and focus on praise, sound good?”

Nothing that he’d believed to be true actually was and, the worst part? He was more disappointed that Apollo had used him than he was by the fact he was a serial killer.

This morning Shade had still been stupidly in the crush stage of things and now he was chained to a wall being threatened with gardening tools by the guy he’d thought was a sweet and friendly boy-next-door type.

He couldn’t allow himself to get lustful for his kidnapper and potential future murderer just because they’d had one amazing sex encounter on a rooftop. He wasn’t that pathetic.

“Then I’ll be the Devil,” he whispered harshly, “and this will be your own personal hell.”

He was hardly ever jealous, but the emotion ripped through him now. He wanted to be the one biting him, not the damn air.

What do you say? Want to start finding out where your limit is? Where that line starts to veer from pleasurable pain to just plain suffering?”

Breaking someone physically was the easy part. Breaking someone mentally? Now, that required finesse.

Shade hid behind his tough exterior and flippant words. But really, he was a little bit twisted on the inside, same as Apollo. He liked being pinned down and roughly taken, because it meant he didn’t have to get stuck in his own head.

“I want to take care of you. It’s not a chore.” Shade eyed him for a moment before gathering enough courage to say, “You also want to hurt me.” That smile turned wolfish. “I do.”

“I’m not a vigilante,” Apollo said. “I’ve realized.”

If that isn’t it, and you’re seriously trying to convince me you have a magic, healing dick or some such bullshit, you really are a psycho.”

If they were all monsters, he was the devil who lorded over them, and a part of him had to get off knowing that as well.

When Apollo took care of him afterward, when he stroked those fingers down Shade’s spine and whispered how good he’d been for him and how pleased that’d made him…Shade felt safe. Safe. In the arms of a serial murderer.

I intend to own you, body, mind, and soul. I’m well on the way to the first and the second. The third is a little harder to achieve but I’ll get there, I promise you, I will. And when I do, when I have you lapping at the palm of my hand, attached to my heels like my true little shadow, it’ll be all the sweeter knowing you knew what I was doing the whole time and yet it happened anyway.”

“The only way to salvation is through me. Shadows can’t survive in the darkness, baby. You’ve tried your best. You’ve been trying. You know better than most that shadows are nothing in the pitch black. But in the light, they come alive.”

“Let’s be insane together then. You can be right or you can be happy. You’ve tried the first, is that really the life you want?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” “Because I’m trying to keep you at ease,” he admitted, “and I’m not sure responding will be conducive to that goal.”

Shade couldn’t leave him no matter what he thought of him as a person—Apollo wouldn’t allow it, period—but it would be ideal if he stopped wanting to.

“This is conditioning,” Shade told him. “I know that. I’ve known it from the start. Logically, I can still see all the reasons this is fucked up and I should push you away. But just because I knew it doesn’t mean I could fight against it. Just because there’s no way for this to actually work doesn’t mean I don’t want to give in and see how long we can make it. I already tried running.”

He was falling for Apollo, not lightly or gently, but the way someone tripped and stumbled down a flight of stairs.

Be it Stockholm Syndrome or grooming or whatever, the fact of the matter was Shade had feelings for Apollo. Was it all kinds of fucked up? Yes. But he had them and that was that.

Apollo was a criminal and this thing between them was toxic and twisted, but damn if Shade’s insides didn’t ignite just thinking about his handsome face or the way he whispered to him in the dark.

“The ocean at my back, the devil at my front,” Shade murmured to himself, shaking his head slightly when the corner of Apollo’s mouth finally tipped down.

“Guess what? Ran a few tests while you were away. Gunther wasn’t a fluke after all. Doctors think you miraculously fixed me.” “Please tell me you told them it was my magic dick.”

“Who do you belong to, baby?” “Myself. I belong to myself,” Shade said without skipping a beat.

“But,” he drawled, low and husky, “I’m not above making a deal with the devil.”