Sins of the Innocent: A Novella Read Online Free PDF

face.
    “Back off,” I said. “I’ve got this.” I ground Levi’s face against the sharp wall, pushing him further to put action behind my words.
    Levi grunted. He held his hands out to each side, already surrendering, but he wore a victorious grin.
    “Why are you here?” I asked, feeling the blood erupt from where the brick had scraped off the top layer of his skin.
    Levi flipped around, throwing a punch and then another. I evaded both with little effort, but then he knelt and swiped with his legs, catching my legs.
    Flipping and then landing on my feet, I connected the heel of my hand to his jaw, sending him to the ground again. He stood, shaking off the blow, positioning himself to strike.
    I waited, wondering what he was trying to accomplish.
    “Answer me,” I demanded.
    He lunged for me, and I dodged, barely moving to the side. He stood upright, brushing a thick dark section of hair from his eyes. “Curiosity, I suppose.”
    “Cambion,” I scoffed. “You’re falling all over the place like a rookie.”
    He rolled his shoulders back and stretched his neck. “I was just warming up.”
    He tackled me to the ground, and this time, he moved faster, his blows stronger. After wrestling and a flurry of punches, I tossed him down the alley, and he crashed into a group of dumpsters.
    “It’s the middle of the day!” Bex scolded. “Wrap it up!”
    Levi was already running full speed at me. Leaping in the air, he targeted his foot at my chest. I grabbed it, but somehow, I ended up on my back.
    He smiled, his blue eyes bright, as he heaved above me. “You’re not even trying. I’m disappointed, to say the least.”
    “I know what you’re trying to do,” I said. “If you wanted to know what I was capable of, all you had to do was ask.”
    He scanned my face. “I have a confession to make.”
    “Oh?”
    “I haven’t been trying either.” Being so close to me seemed to be confusing for him. He stood up, bringing me with him, and then dusted himself off, flicking off glass and dirt.
    I yanked out of his grip. “I’m not interested in starting a war.”
    “Cambion,” he said. “That’s an awfully offensive term. Why so angry?” he asked, picking dirt off the tip of his tongue.
    I’d half-expected it to be forked, but it wasn’t.
    “You’re breaking the rules,” I warned. “The Cimmerians could show up at any moment.”
    “They won’t,” he said, sure.
    Bex took a step, seeming uneasy. “Eden, we should go.”
    I tried not to show my surprise at Levi’s audacity. Even though he was the Prince of Hell, disturbing the Balance came with a death sentence that I would be well within my station to carry out—without inciting a war … unless that was the plan.
    “What’s he going to do?” Levi asked. “Send me to Hell?”
    “He could kill you,” I said quietly.
    “Huh,” he said, backing away. “I thought that was your job.”
    In a blink, all trace of him was gone.
    I looked to Bex. “What the hell was that?”
    He sighed, gesturing for me to walk with him to the car. “I don’t know, but he’ll be back.”
    Bex drove me home, probably best since I was so preoccupied with thoughts of Levi. I barely noticed when the Audi came to a stop in the drive.
    Knowing that Levi would be back didn’t worry me. In fact, it made me a bit giddy, and that thought made me angry. So, I did what any teenage girl would do. I took it out on my family. “You just … you just stood there and watched him toss me around?” I asked, scratching my hair like a dog before shaking out some of the filth and grime.
    “You let him,” he said, shameless accusation in his voice.
    He opened the door and stood on the lawn, and I did the same.
    I pointed at him. “I’m your responsibility. If I’m attacked, you protect me. That’s the deal.”
    “You weren’t attacked. He was toying with you.”
    “ Why? ”
    Bex shrugged, his patience wearing thin. “I don’t know, Eden. I just work here.”
    “You