Gluttony, p.1
Gluttony, page 1
Gluttony
MARISSA HONEYCUTT
© 2022 Marissa Honeycutt
Gluttony: Book Four of The Seven Sins Series—Marissa Honeycutt
All Rights Reserved in accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher or author constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher. Thank you for your support of author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The author acknowledges all song titles, film titles, film characters and novels mentioned in this book are the property of, and belong to, their respective owners.
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Amazon ASIN B09PQF2NKK
Draft2Digital ISBN: 9798201446444
Paperback ISBN: 9798439823840
Editor: Monica Black, Word Nerd Editing
Developmental Editor: Kristi Cramer
Cover Designer: Merel Pierce
Printed and bound in USA
First Printing, 2022
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FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison along with a fine of $250,000.
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Published by Marissa Honeycutt
www.MarissaHoneycutt.com
Contents
Books in The Seven Sins Series
Acknowledgments
Trigger Warning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Afterword
Also by Marissa Honeycutt
Stalk Marissa
About the Author
Books in The Seven Sins Series
(Listed in Release Order)
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Greed by Brooklyn Cross
Lust by Drethi Anis
Envy by Dylan Page
Gluttony by Marissa Honeycutt
Wrath by Billie Blue
Sloth by Talli Wyndham
Pride by T.L. Hodel
Acknowledgments
I still suck at writing thank-yous at the beginning of my books, but publishing a book is a team effort and I must say a few things.
First of all, to The Seven Sins Authors: Your friendship and support over these last many months has been amazing. The idea of redeeming a demon appealed to me the instant Tara and Dylan told me about it. I wanted to write this story so badly, but I struggled! Boy, how I struggled! But with your love and support, I made it to the end and I think it turned out pretty good. I had such a good time getting to know you and I hope we can write together again sometime. (Still pulling for some Dark Hallmark stories!)
To my Alphas: You kept me writing when I thought I couldn’t keep going. Just knowing you were there, waiting for my next words kept me typing. I appreciate you being there for me the entire process. Your feedback is invaluable and I can’t wait to throw more neurotic words at you.
To my Betas: Thank you for your hard work and great feedback. And for your patience with the technical stuff. We’ll find a better way to do things next time!
To my readers: I hope you enjoy this foray into a world outside of The Brotherhood. I appreciate each and every one of you and am so grateful you haven’t lost faith in me after I disappeared for a couple years. There’s some great darkness in this story, along with a good dose of hope. For the newer readers: Welcome! Hang on and enjoy the ride deep into the darkness!
Trigger Warning
I am a dark author. I write graphic dark books. If you have triggers, please don’t read my books, as I will probably trigger you. This is probably the darkest book of The Seven Sins Series, so be warned.
The Mother of Harlots fed upon the desires of Babylon, condemning the city to God’s prejudice. From the rubble of the desecrated crawled the fifth sin, for Gluttony is never satisfied.
Triel Ekron closed his eyes, savoring the textures and flavors exploding in his mouth as he took a bite of steak. Pleasure rushed through his body, not only from the food, but also from the woman under the black-lacquered table he sat at.
“How is it, sir?”
A voice interrupted Triel’s elation. He growled and opened his eyes. “It’s good,” he snapped, glaring at the man hovering nearby in a chef’s uniform.
The man nervously rubbed his hands together and lifted his chin at the approval. “I’m so glad.” He gave a small bow before turning and hurrying away.
Triel watched as his head chef, Landen Glenn, disappeared through the heavy swinging doors leading to the kitchen, then turned to Eli Khosana, his friend and manager of his restaurant. “If there’s one thing I appreciate about humans, it’s their creativity with food.” The woman beneath the table moved lower to suck on his balls, and he let out a small groan. “And their sexual habits.”
Eli sat at the end of the half-circle leather booth, stroking his bushy red beard. “They do all right.”
“You disagree?”
“They’re human. To suggest they do something well implies—”
“Slaves have the ability to work well.” Triel took another bite of steak and gave a soft moan. “This is fucking delicious. It’s a shame I’m going to have to kill Landen for stealing from me.” He frowned at the thought, but it had to be done. Landen wasn’t the first he’d killed, and likely wouldn’t be the last, but he would be the first because of thievery. It really was too bad, though. He was an excellent chef.
But standards had to be kept.
The woman sucked his cock hard, and Triel paused, closing his eyes again. There was no better way to enjoy a delicious meal than with a perfectly paired glass of wine and a human between his legs.
“Where are you going to get another chef?” Eli asked. “We have reservations lined up all week.”
Triel shrugged and took a sip of his wine. “That’s your job.”
Eli glared. “You could have given me more notice.”
“You should have anticipated what I’d do when you came to me this morning and showed me the books.” Triel smirked. “At least he gets his last meal.”
Eli chuckled. “I thought the meal was supposed to be for the condemned.”
“Well, we do things different than humans, don’t we?” His Father’s displeasure knocked at his heart, but he shook it off. I don’t care what you think, Dad. You cast me out. I do what I want here, just like Your precious humans.
Zeke Muchinda, the manager of Triel’s second and third floor nightclub, Club Zebul, appeared in front of the table. “You have a meeting request, boss.”
“Now?”
Zeke nodded, his dark hair falling over his shoulder. “He says it’s important.”
Triel sighed. “What do you think?”
“I think he’s a fucking minion doing his boss’s bidding. Or he’s a complete moron.”
Eli snickered. “Probably both.”
Triel rolled his eyes. “Bring him here.” He kicked the woman beneath the table, and she moved her mouth more assertively. Triel closed his eyes once more, then let out a silent sigh as he came in the woman’s mouth.
When the pleasurable waves subsided, he kicked the woman again, then resumed eating as she carefully fastened his pants. A petite blonde in a slinky red dress crawled out from beneath the table and gave him a questioning look.
“Thank you. You may go.”
Her eyes widened, filled with tears, then she turned and fled, winding her way around the restaurant tables toward the exit at the far end of the room.
“Where’d you meet her?” Eli watched her flee, curiosity in his eyes.
“She was working in the shoe store yesterday afternoon. I was going to take her upstairs and fuck her, but since I have to deal with Landen . . .” He frowned at Eli. “She has a talented mouth.” He took another bite of steak and slowly chewed.
“Nice ass too.”
“Why don’t you go get her?”
Eli arched his brow. “I was going to get the playroom ready for Landen.”
“That would be a good idea. I’m in the mood for something long and drawn out, I think.”
Eli grinned as he stood. “I have the exact thing in mind. I’ll go get it ready.” He strode away, his head swiveling to check tables and servers as he walked across the huge dining room.
Triel paused, his hand on his wine glass, watching the humans eat and talk. Several smaller, more intimate areas branched off the main dining room, but this large room, with its tall ceilings, was Triel’s favorite. Walls lined with backlit shelves holding alcohol and books gave the restaurant an exclusive, seductive feel. Brass chandeliers bathed the room in a soft golden light, and each table had its own small lamp in the center. Humans occupied each table, enjoying themselves, none with the slightest clue they were in the presence of a powerful demon.
A demon Lucifer considered his chief advisor.
A demon who could destroy them with a mere snap of his fingers.
Not that he would do such a thing. That would put a damper on his enjoyment of human food, sex, and other luxurious experiences.
As he finished the last bites of his meal, Zeke arrived, followed by a tall, slender man in a cheap suit and red tie. His hair was combed to one side, and he wore glasses Triel wasn’t entirely convinced were necessary.
“Boss, this is Ruben Brewer. Mr. Brewer, this is Triel Ekron.” Zeke gave a nod, then turned and walked away.
Ruben slid into the leather booth and cleared his throat as a woman in a short skirt walked by.
Triel held back a sneer. Clearly, this human was a powerful man’s minion. There was no way he could have found out about Triel’s side occupation on his own, let alone make a job request.
A scantily clad cocktail waitress set a glass of Triel’s favorite scotch in front of him and took away his empty plate. He sipped at the amber liquid as he studied the new arrival. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on the man’s forehead as he fiddled with the small manila envelope in his hand.
“I can arrange some company for you if you’d like,” Triel said, setting his glass on the table.
“I—” The man’s eyes widened. He shook his head. “No. Thank you. I’m married.”
Triel laughed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
The man pressed his lips together and slid the envelope across the table. Triel picked it up and pulled out a photo of a young woman with long, dark-auburn hair pulled into a ponytail and sparkling green eyes. He didn’t like the leap his heart made inside his chest. What the fuck?
The man leaned forward. “We need her . . . gone within the week.”
“We?” Triel arched a brow. “You and your wife?”
“No, my boss.”
“I don’t deal with middlemen.” Triel shoved the photo back at the man. It fluttered off the table and onto the floor. “If your boss wants the job done, he needs to come see me himself.” He stared hard at the man, his blue eyes turning to fire. The man squealed and scrambled out of the booth, leaving the photo behind.
He chuckled and leaned back in his seat, sipping his scotch. When he finished, he slid across the sleek leather seat and stood in one smooth movement, purposely stepping on the photo. It would be picked up by the time he reached the exit.
Time to deal with Landen.
Ekron’s kitchen was noisy. Meat sizzled on the grill, spoons tapped against ceramic plates, and orders were shouted across the kitchen. The stainless-steel counters and appliances gleamed, even at the end of the dinner rush. The black and white tiled floors were as spotless as they had been at the beginning of the night.
The few conversations that had been going on evaporated as Triel stepped foot into the kitchen. The staff bowed their heads over their stations, working intently and murmuring respectful greetings as Triel passed.
Triel found the head chef in the center of the kitchen, squinting at the computer screen above his station. “Landen. Your office.”
Landen glanced at his sous-chef, Helen. “You got the kitchen?”
“Yep.” She glanced briefly at Triel, then nodded to Landen. “I’m good.”
Landen chewed his lip as he followed Triel into the corner office, wiping his hands on his apron. Triel sat down behind the desk.
Landen stood on the other side, rubbing his hands together. “H-How can I help you, sir?”
“Close the door.”
Landen did as ordered, and the noise from the kitchen vanished. He shifted from foot to foot as Triel stared at him.
“Eli came to see me this morning.” Triel tented his fingers in front of his mouth.
“Oh?” Landen wiped his hands on his apron again.
“He said you had made some unusual orders.”
“Oh, well. . .” Landen smiled, though his forehead beaded with sweat. He motioned toward the door. “I’ve been experimenting with some things and—”
Triel raised an eyebrow. “You’re really going to lie to me?”
“No, I swear, I’ve been—”
Triel stood slowly, allowing his anger to ooze through his veins. He stared hard at Landen, who whimpered and fell into the small chair across the desk from Triel.
“I didn’t—I mean, I couldn’t—”
Triel moved around the desk and stood over him, rage enveloping his body like a warm blanket. He had to be careful not to transform into his true form. Yet. “You didn’t steal?” He stared into the man’s eyes.
Landen stared back, hypnotized by Triel’s expression. Weak humans always were. His mouth gaped as Triel broke into his mind, forcing him to tell the truth. “I . . . My sister’s daughter needed surgery after her accident . . .” His body stiffened. “I had to . . .”
Triel arched a brow. “You had to steal from me?”
Landen’s jaw moved silently for a moment. “My niece . . . she wouldn’t have survived if she didn’t have the surgery . . .”
Triel grabbed his neck, squeezing. “Not a wise decision, Landen. I don’t allow thieves to go unpunished.”
Landen struggled against Triel’s grip and pulled at Triel’s hand. Triel released him and Landen folded over his lap, coughing.
“I have something special planned for you in exchange for what you took from me. Now, be a good human and come upstairs with me.” The chef’s eyes glazed over momentarily as his spell took hold. Yanking the man to his feet, he guided him through the noisy kitchen to the private door in the corner that led to Triel’s living quarters on the fourth floor.
The top of the stairs brought them to a long, perpendicular corridor paneled in ebony, with brass candle sconces lighting the way. He turned to the right, heading toward the plain black door to his “playroom.”
A whoosh made Triel growl as a large figure of a man appeared in front of him. A few inches taller than Triel, Michael was everything Triel tried not to be. His honey-colored hair glinted gold in the light. His blue eyes shone with love and mercy. “You don’t have to do this, my brother,” the being said, looking sympathetically at the man in Triel’s grasp. “Have mercy on him.”
Triel sneered. “Have mercy on someone who stole from me?”
Michael shook his head and held out his hands. “This isn’t who you really are, Triel. Why do you think it is? Why do you keep acting this way?”
“You obviously haven’t been paying attention the last few thousand years. This is exactly me. It gives me pleasure to punish those who steal from me. Now, get the hell out of my way.”
The man crossed his muscular arms over his chest, feet planted firmly on the polished wooden floor. “Come home. Leave this place and come home. Father misses you.”
