Somehow. Someway—I absorbed it and made myself stronger.
The same as I had done with Sin’s blood magic.
I inhaled deeply, preparing myself for the line I did not want to cross when—
“Please.”
I stilled. His grip dropped away.
Then he said the only thing that could make the power leave me cold.
“I’m sorry, but please don’t walk away.” His eyes still burned, and his breath tasted of winter. His emotions were an ice storm: turbulent and brutal.
But he was trying.
“Tonight, we camp here and tomorrow, we ride. Those are my conditions.” I kept it simple. I wasn’t in the business of playing games. We were mates, for fuck’s sake. He wore my brand and I wore his. If he couldn’t run decisions by me before taking it upon himself—if none of them could—I would find a way to rule Hell on my own.
He didn’t have to be perfect. He had to realize who he fucking branded.
“Ruby...” He gritted his teeth.
“No, Julian. I’m not mad that you’re concerned. I pushed it too hard today, I get that, and I’ll work on it—but you don’t get to make decisions for me.” I turned to look at the rest of them pointedly. “None of you do. How can you expect anyone to take me seriously as a queen when the four of you can’t even seem to do it?”
To that, they said nothing.
But that’s okay. I didn’t want pretty words. I wanted actions.
“Take it or I walk, Julian. Trust me or let me walk away now.” His jaw ticked and I was completely aware of just how much this took from him, but I was going to win this particular battle before it started. All of them needed to nip this shit in the bud, especially him.
In the end, he did. “Tonight, we camp. Tomorrow, we ride,” he agreed. “But that isn’t the last of this conversation. Understood?”
I bit back the grin that wanted to break through. “Understood.”
“Good,” he growled. “Tonight, you’re sleeping with me.”
My toes curled in my boots with anticipation. This was a compromise I was more than willing to make.
Chapter 5
Bleary-eyed and in desperate need of a shower, I climbed onto Rysten’s familiar, Arion, and settled in for the journey. After riding a horse all day and Julian all night, it was only my immortality that kept me from not crying like a wimp every time my mount shifted impatiently.
He smacked my ass raw more times than I could count. I loved every second of it at the time. Now? Not so much.
“Can we get moving already?” I grumbled, only barely covering my wince as Rysten climbed up behind me. His large thighs pressed into mine as he settled his arms loosely around me, one hand resting on my stomach.
“Just waiting on your familiar and her genie, love,” he rumbled in my ear, drawing a screeching from Moira in return.
“He is not my genie!” she yelled.
“I’m no one’s genie, thank you very much,” Jax muttered. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“Get in the fucking bottle,” she seethed.
“Not if you’re keeping it between your tits again,” he replied, standing firm.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I groaned. “You’re the one who’s been complaining about us not getting a move on, enigma. Get in the devil-damned bottle.” Moira lifted her chin to smirk at him. “He’s not going between your tits. Put him in the fucking saddle bag. I have a headache and Bandit’s being an asshole because I’m out of sardines.”
We all turned and looked over at the raccoon-turned-hellcoon sitting proudly on Laran’s shoulder. He looked more than a little hellish with the branded eyes and blue fur. He lifted his head and let out a loud chittering while grabbing at Laran’s hair. The demon had to be a fucking saint because I would have walloped him for that shit, but War took it in stride.
“She has a point. The trash panda is being a little shit this morning. But I don’t have to deal with it anymore. So, in the bottle you go.” Moira uncapped the bottle, extending it to Jax.
“In the saddle bag?” he asked, waiting for her to say it. Moira rolled her eyes, but obliged.
“You’ll go in my saddle bag, right next to the condo—” Before she could finish, he evaporated in a cloud of smoke that was instantly sucked into the bottle. When not a trace of his essence was left, Moira capped it and looked at me with a smirk.
“Saddle bag.” I pointed to the one hanging off of Rhiannon. After my little fainting fiasco the day before, I would now be riding with Rysten and she’d be with Julian.
“Do I have to?” she groaned. I gave her the don’t fuck with me look. I was without coffee and bacon. She sighed and slipped the bottle in the bag without any more shenanigans. I had to look away when Julian grasped her by the waist, albeit clinically, and helped her onto the saddle.
She’s your familiar. Get it together! I chided myself. It was only because of that she could even be that close to him without me losing my shit. I knew that after Julian and I had fully mated, it would never be the same again. Being a shade, Rysten’s magic was able to sense if I would faint again, so I had to ride with him. Which left Julian as the only other fully branded mate Moira could ride with, despite the beast’s mild annoyance that a female—even our familiar—was riding with any of them. He was the only one she would allow as neither of the other two had given her their brands yet. As far as she was concerned, it was still an uneasy time until we were fully branded.
Which meant I was even bitchier.
Sore thighs...and other bits. No coffee. No bacon. My best friend was riding all pressed up against my mate and to make matter’s even worse, I needed a shower.
Turning forward I forced myself to relax into the saddle as we started out for Greed’s province.
We only made it twenty minutes before Moira started her own version of are we there yet?
“So...” she started. “We’re still in Lust’s province, yes?”
“Yes,” Rysten answered behind me.
“That’s ruled by the Deadly Sin of Lust?”
“Yes,” he repeated, his lips brushing against my temple, drawing a small grin out of me despite my dour mood.
“That used to be Ruby’s mom?”
“Yes...” Rysten was slower to answer her this time.
“Shouldn’t that mean Ruby’s the new Sin of Lust and this is her province now?” Moira asked, like it made perfect sense.
“No.” Rysten shook his head and pulled on the reins making Arion sidle up to Rhiannon’s side. “The Six Sins, while also Lucifer’s harem, were chosen to rule within Hell. In the event that one of them were to fall, it was that Sin’s duty to appoint someone beforehand. If she couldn’t, the remaining Sins or the ruler of Hell would, but Lola chose someone,” he explained.
“Alright,” Moira said. “So, this new chick, did she just join the harem after the original Lust died?” If I had anything other than curiosity about my mom, this conversation might have hurt, but after thinking my egg donor gave me up because she didn’t care only to find out she died hiding me was quite a change. I no longer hated the idea of her, but I also didn’t know how to love someone I didn’t know.
“Doubtful,” Julian said. “Lucifer and the Sins formed their relationship at the dawn of Hell. By the time Ruby was born he was very committed to them, especially Lola. Even as her province had gone to another, I would have trouble believing he would mate with any other after her loss.”
“You make it sound like he loved her,” I found myself saying.
“He did,” Julian answered in earnest. I glanced sideways at him, biting the inside of my cheek. “He had a child with her knowing it would mark the end of him. For him, I think there was no greater love than Lola.” His eyes focused on me with such a deep connection that I blushed. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who he related to in this story.
“What about Lola?” Moira asked.
“What about her?” I replied, somewh
at defensively. Moira shrugged.
“Don’t you want to know more about her? I mean, your dad may have been Satan, but your mom was a Deadly Sin—the only other Sin to have kids was Lilith, and she’s not even a real demon,” Moira said, almost a little envious.
“I mean, I don’t know,” I said, struggling with words. “She’s a succubus and I’m a succubus. I don’t know what else there is to really get to know there.”
“She was more than just a succubus,” Laran said, coming up closer.
“What do you mean?” I asked, more than a little skeptical.
“In many ways she was the strongest Sin. Certainly, the most compassionate. While her abilities weren’t as flashy as Hela—or as terrifying as Saraphine—she held her own among them with her mind. Your mother was a brilliant woman.” Laran paused before adding, “Just like you.”
“What about the other Sins?” I asked, fully aware I was turning the conversation away from Lola. It was early in the morning and I didn’t sign up for a conversation this deep.
“What about them?” Rysten asked.
“Who are they? What are they? Aren’t these things I should know about them?” Until coming here it never occurred to me how little I truly knew about Hell, even when jumping through a portal.
“Well,” Rysten started, rubbing his lips across my cheekbone. His stubble scraped my skin, making me shiver. “After Lola comes Saraphine, the Sin of Greed. She’s a nightmare.”
“As a demon or a person?” I asked.
“Both,” Laran chuckled.
“It was part of why I was hoping to avoid Greed’s province so early,” Julian murmured. “She’s not likely to be forgiving if her realm has burned as much as Lust’s.”
“Who’s after Greed?” I continued without commenting on his assessment. I already had enough to worry about. No point in stressing over a she-demon I didn’t know.
“Depends on how you look at it,” Allistair answered. “Sloth’s province runs under the whole of Hell. She’d be contesting with Saraphine over it if it weren’t for the fact that it’s underground and no one wants it.”
“Why does no one want it?”
“Because it’s underground,” he replied like that made sense. I frowned, but didn’t ask again. I figured I’d find out soon enough.
“If it’s not Ahnika’s province, it would be Gluttony. You’ll like her,” Allistair grinned. “It’s nothing but booze, bacon, and blood with Lamia.” I wasn’t sure whether I should be smiling or grimacing.
“I want to go to her province,” Moira muttered.
“Don’t we all,” Rysten replied, his hand on my stomach sliding lower. I turned to stare at him over my shoulder, calling him out on his brazenness when he started toying idly with the button on my jeans. My face flamed as I spun forward in my seat like nothing was going on. He certainly wasn’t—
“Inferna is divided down the middle. Half of it is in Gluttony and half in Wrath—Hela’s province,” Allistair continued. “Don’t let the name fool you, though. She’s not as bad as she sounds.”
If only I was paying attention to them and not the button that just slipped free and the finger that was slowly teasing at the edge of my panties—
Flickers of blue caught my attention up ahead as we approached the first fire we’d seen today. It wasn’t quite as dense or as tall as yesterday’s flames, which suited me just fine, but it did put a damper on whatever ideas Rysten had.
“Just when things were getting interesting, eh, love?” He grinned against my temple and I smirked to myself when Moira turned and shouted, “Aye, Ruby, you’re up!”
I resisted the urge to groan when Rysten chuckled. “You’re the one that asked for this.”
“Don’t remind me.”
By the time Arion pulled to a stop, the sun had dipped to the jewel-toned horizon just above the mountains in the distance. I’d spent the better part of the last eight hours putting out fires, and while it was thinning more and more, the flames of Hell seemed to never end. At least I didn’t pass out this time. Small blessings, I supposed; although, who in this world would grant them was beyond me. It’s not like God gave a damn.
“How far to Greed’s province?” I asked, trying to keep the strain out of my voice. Between the day of riding and impending exhaustion, I could have stripped right there and slept on a rock. Unfortunately, my Horsemen had other plans.
“We’re right on the border, but the capitol of Greed is half a day’s ride and we do not want to enter the City of Hoarders at night. If Saraphine has left for Inferna, the city will have descended into chaos by now,” Julian said, by way of answer. There was a terseness to him that I really wasn’t liking, especially with Moira’s mood souring the longer they were in close proximity of each other.
“City of Hoarders?” Moira asked.
“The demons that thrive in Greed are collectors of sorts,” Julian answered with a harsh twist of his lips.
“What do they collect?” Moira continued.
“Everything.”
“What’s that mean for us tonight?” I said, changing topic before a fight broke out. We were all running low on fucks to give at the moment.
“We camp,” he replied with a grunt.
“Seriously?” Moira snapped. “After all the bitching and whining about being out in the open at night, we’re stopping in the middle of the damn forest?” Julian grit his teeth, pulling Rhiannon to a sudden stop just ahead of us and slipped from the saddle, leaving Moira to figure out her own way down from the unnaturally tall horse.
“Do you see a cave?” He motioned around him. “How about a tunnel—or better yet, an actual building?” Moira pressed her lips together, glaring at him. “No?” If looks could kill, he’d be dead, but neither of those things were possible. “I guess we’ll just have to fucking make do.”
“Who shit in your coco puffs—” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before I hopped off Arion, hitting the ground hard on the balls of my feet and stumbling when my legs locked painfully.
“Guys. Both of you take a damn chill pill.” To my utter surprise and satisfaction, they both shut their mouths and went separate ways.
“I’m going to scout the area,” Julian said without looking at me. A sliver of hurt cut at my heart, but I turned the other way and brushed it off.
“Don’t let his piss poor attitude get to you,” Rysten said from behind me. That was easier said than done when it came to Julian, but I knew better than to force the topic until he was ready to talk.
“I’m going to deal with Jax,” Moira said from across the clearing. She gripped a small glass vial with swirling smoke containing the enigma’s essence. She thumbed the lid awkwardly for a moment before a large pop filled the clearing. Smoke drifted lazily out of the vial, reforming as a shadow that came to life as a demon. Violet eyes settled on Moira and a blush crept along her cheeks.
Laran was just slipping from his saddle when Bandit let out a chitter now that dinner was in sight. He rolled around on Epona’s back, falling sideways and into the saddle bag when Laran opened it.
“You going for a walk soon?” I asked, wanting to focus on anything other than the headache forming at the base of my neck, the aching in my thighs, and the heated looks Moira and her new stud were giving each other. Tensions were running high.
“I was,” Laran paused. “But you look like you could use more than a walk.” I blinked, mostly out of surprise. He was always blunt with words, and while I appreciated it, the blush on my cheeks betrayed me. My Horseman of War let out a deep chuckle. “Not what I had in mind.” Laran flashed me a wicked grin and pulled something from his saddle bag. I saw the sleek grey instrument with yellow speckles and realized what he was holding.
“Wait—you’re going to let me practice?” I rubbed my hands together, shifting side to side so my stiff legs wouldn’t go numb.
Laran nodded. I couldn’t help bouncing a little as I followed him deeper into the woods and away from camp. “After the
Kraken, I got to thinking that you may need more ways to protect yourself—beside the flames.” At my frown, he explained, “The flames are very effective at killing, but sometimes you don’t want to risk the collateral damage using them would cause. While a great last effort weapon, I want you to have other methods at your disposal.”
“Starting with the crossbow?”
He nodded. “Need help strapping it on?”
“Please,” I said, my cheeks aching with how wide my smile was. Laran quickly went through what each strap was for and how to put it on by myself.
“Make sure you curl your fingers over this one—there you go—just like that.” I smiled faintly as he assessed my grip. His brows puckered slightly inward as his full lips pressed together while he turned my hand every which way to assess. “I think you have it,” he finally said.
I lifted my arm slowly, twisting it both ways.
“How do I fire it?” I asked, careful of the bolt sitting cocked within the bow.
“You see that fig tree?” He motioned with a tilt of his chin. I nodded. “Point your arm towards a piece of fruit. Make sure the bolt is pointed directly at it—” He slapped my arm when I squinted and lost concentration. “Tighten your muscles. You don’t need to squeeze so hard you cramp, but another demon shouldn’t be able to slap your arm away without trying.” At his instruction, I lifted my arm again and held steady. “That’s it.” He grinned when I grit my teeth, waiting to be told how to fire. “To shoot, all you have to do is flick your wrist.”
“Well, why didn’t you just say that?”
His only answer was a devilish smile as the last of the sunlight peeked through the branches, highlighting the red streaks in his hair. I blew out a breath and looked at the fig high up in the trees.
“Breath in and hold. As you release your breath, do it slowly, and try not to move your arm too much.” I sucked in a quick breath and held it for three seconds before slowly letting it loose. Snapping my wrist down, the arrow went flying and…dropped.
Brimstone Nightmares (Queen of the Damned Book 4) Page 5