by Brenda Trim
She flinched as he crouched over her and kept still. In, out. It was easier to focus on slowing her breaths than anything else. The sharp tip ran across her cheek. Don’t move. There was already a shallow slice along her jawline. It would scar thanks to the dark blade.
Orange flickered in her vision. Lifting her good leg, she moved fast. When her foot connected with the demon’s chest and he flew backwards, she relished the pain her movements caused her battered body. “Fuck you.”
The Daeva started laughing and rolled to his knees. She was glad to see he wasn’t moving like silk anymore. She’d hurt him. That didn’t mean she was going to be able to escape.
Taking a minute to scope her surroundings, she wanted to curse when she noted the only exit was the stairs she fell down. It wasn’t surprising to see at least two dozen body parts scattered around.
From her position on the floor, she couldn’t see if there were any symbols written on the floor, but her skin prickled in a familiar way. Demonic energy had been expended here. Not that it was all that surprising, but she wanted to know if this one opened a portal from the Underworld.
Some training had been impossible to ignore. Even on that fateful day when she chose to disobey the covenants and remained with her mortal lover. That decision had bitten her in the ass in the worst way. If only she’d fought beside Michael and returned to Heaven with the others, she wouldn’t be lying on the floor in a grimy basement abattoir in the hands of a demon.
She wasn’t going to give up so easily, but she had to admit she didn’t see a way out of this predicament. She lost her line to the archangels and had no friends that would be willing to risk everything to find her.
What was the point of even trying to find a way out? What did she have to look forward to? Centuries more of the same bullshit, that’s all. Death suddenly didn’t seem so awful.
But she wasn’t going to go alone. This piece of shit was going with her if it was the last thing she ever did. Having a new purpose renewed her energy and gave her reason to continue her fight. It was going to feel good to take this fucker down.
Chapter 2
“Where the fuck are all the demons?” Dante’s growl filled the silence surrounding he and Lucas, one of his cambions and a Dark Warrior stationed in New York.
Dante was close to losing his shit. He needed to kill something and fast. That wasn’t all that was going on though. What he really needed was to find a female and fuck her. His inner demon clawed its way just below the surface of his skin.
Problem was, he hadn’t been able to have sex with anyone for months. Ever since Nikko was killed shit had gone sideways for him. It’s really been since he ventured into Hell with Rhys, if he was being honest. Where he once filled in for the others in the Alliance, now he had an integral role in planning placements while overseeing the training of new Dark Warriors.
And there was no one to blame but himself. There was no replacing Nikko, so he suggested restructuring the program. Everyone agreed and Zander appointed him over that entire arm with placements being under his purview.
Having a bigger role gave him reason to get up in the morning. In the past, Dante was a cocky bastard that bedded everyone willing. There was a time he fucked people willing or not, but that had been a brief horrific period of his life he’d locked away the moment he’d escaped the second circle of the Underworld all those centuries ago.
It wasn’t until his little sojourn into the Underworld a few years ago that he realized those memories haunted him behind the scenes. What baffled him was why the death of one of his best friends tipped him over the edge. Before Nikko was killed, he’d hung onto life by his fingertips. Now, the freefall had no end.
Lucas twirled his sgian dubh between his fingers. “You okay, Chief? I can handle this if you need to go find a female to fuck.”
Dante stooped and picked up a paper cup that’d been discarded on the street. Scanning the area, he located a trashcan in front of a deli and tossed the trash. “I’m good. Besides, you know no one should be hunting alone right now. Not until we have a better handle on demonic activity.”
An archdemon nearly discovered a way to break Lucifer’s bonds to the Underworld and bring him through to Earth. That had been a nightmare Dante doubted the Dark Warriors would have been able to handle without the help of Illianna’s brothers. These Warrior Angels helped curtail the situation that arose in New Orleans.
Of course, Araton had fallen in love with the human woman that was possessed by Lucifer, making it far more difficult to deal with than it needed to be. It would have been far simpler if they could have killed Natalia when she told them she was losing time and waking up surrounded by death and destruction.
Lucas lifted one eyebrow as he kept his gaze on Dante. “Aside from an increase in skirm activity, there haven’t been any changes in our city. Let’s head to the subway. Close to sunrise they tend to retreat underground.”
Dante tucked one hand under his jacket and he ran his fingers along the blades he had stashed in a holster. “Last time I was in New York we scoured an archdemon out of the City Hall station. Has there been any new activity there?”
Lucas laughed and tossed his knife in the air then caught it. “That might have happened a century ago, but archdemons have long memories. No one dares go near that place. It helps that it’s haunted. Apparently, demons don’t care for souls they can’t torture.”
A brisk wind kicked up, blowing Dante’s dark blond hair into his eyes. It was getting far too long lately. He added a haircut to his ever-growing list. “Here’s a clue for you. Demons are nothing but bullies. They’re cruel and vicious yet easily frightened. Their actions hide their vulnerabilities. Reveal those and take advantage and you’ll have them at your mercy.”
“You say that like it’s easy to overcome an archdemon. I don’t see how exposing them will give me an edge.”
“It’s all about getting them off guard. The more you reveal, the more distracted they become. And if you have a real juicy tidbit, you’ll have them wondering what else you know. All of that equals to a demon with his focus split. That fact alone is a weakness. If your attention is on my words, you won’t see me do this.” Dante jumped into action and swept his feet out, making Lucas fall to his ass.
Lucas landed on the sidewalk and the air whooshed out of him. Dante went to his knees, pressing one to his chest. One hand flew beneath the light jacket he wore and grabbed a blade.
Lucas’s eyes flared wide when the cold titanium pressed into his jugular. “You’re a better fighter than I am, yet I was able to knock you on your ass without much effort.”
“I should have known better.” Lucas lifted one corner of his mouth in a snarl as he accepted the hand Dante offered.
Pulling him to his feet, Dante resumed their trek. “I considered shifting warriors around and assigning more to each of the bigger cities. Now I’m not so sure. You mentioned there hasn’t been an increase here.”
Lucas took a deep breath and let it out then cocked his head to the side. “Aside from encountering more skirm, we haven’t faced more demons. But…there’s this sense of foreboding in the air. It started not long after Zander and Elsie returned from Khoth with Izzy.”
That was news to Dante. “What do you mean?” He’d felt something similar from the second he set foot in New Orleans months ago. It hadn’t lessened despite his travels across the country.
Lucas shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. For me, my inner demon is agitated and unsettled. There’s a heavy pressure in my chest. And I always feel as if there’s something I’m missing. It makes relaxing impossible.”
That’s precisely how he’d been feeling. Only far worse. Dante had a theory about it. “If I’m not mistaken demons all across the globe are performing dark rituals, flooding the planet with demonic energy. It suffocates anything that poses a threat to its expanding and infecting the populations.”
“Makes sense. So, what do we do about it?”
Dante pinch
ed the bridge of his nose. “All we can do is remove as many from our realm as possible. We discovered that locations steeped in dark energy are prime locations for rituals to bring Lucifer through a portal.”
“We have our work cut out for us. And, you look like you need a female or ten. Shall we go to the Fiery Phoenix?” Lucas practically bounced on his toes as he mentioned the realm bar near Times Square.
Dante needed to say yes. He’d been living on snippets of sexual energy that did little to actually feed his beast. When he was in Seattle, he got a constant stream from the mated couples that surrounded him. Zeum was filled with passion, so walking in the door fed a cambion.
Normally, absorbing the cast-offs of others happened constantly, but Dante had resorted to prowling the halls to soak up as much as he could. Not much leaked through the doors, but it was enough for him to keep a handle on his inner demon.
If his friends knew they’d conduct an intervention. Dante knew he was playing with fire, but he hadn’t been able to do anything different yet. As the Cambion Lord, he held a position of power over the others of his kind in the Tehrex Realm. They looked to him for advice and control.
He prayed to the Goddess that he didn’t suddenly get a call to intervene with one of his that had lost all reason. When that happened, the cambion became worse than an incubus. Their inner demon took complete control and they took sex in any and every manner possible.
They didn’t stop to consider if the other person was willing, or if they were hurting their partner. They fucked using any force necessary. It was something he became when his mortal mother sent him to live with his father in Hell. Never again!
Dante considered Lucas. The male looked tired, but not exhausted. “We can if you need to feed.”
Lucas looked at Dante far too closely for his liking. “You need to feed, Chief. You’re on the edge. You’ve clearly been working too damn hard.”
Dante snapped. With a snarl, he shoved Lucas against the brick of a building to the left. He had his hand wrapped around his throat and was in his face. “Watch yourself, Lucas. You’re overstepping. I am your superior. And, I know when I need to feed. I don’t need you telling me. Now, let’s go. I need a drink.” Dante released the Dark Warrior and took several deep breaths.
Lucas lowered his head and altered course to the nearest subway station. “Sorry, Chief. I’m worried about you. I meant no disrespect. I want to make sure you aren’t putting us before what you need.”
“As the strongest of our kind, I can tolerate more than you. I know how to take care of myself.” Dante stepped in front of Lucas and descended the stairs.
The air became stale the further he went. Damp mold, rodents and decay replaced the somewhat fresher air. Not only were there animals rotting nearby, the brick walls were, as well. It created a unique scent that was overwhelming for sensitive noses.
The lights flickered above their heads, illuminating the concrete platform. The tracks were empty, but Dante heard the rumble of a train in the distance. He took a second to take of their surroundings.
“Line one should be here soon.” Lucas’s voice echoed in the cavernous space.
Dante’s skin prickled and his head snapped around. There was nothing there except the narrow tunnel and train tracks. “Do you feel that?”
Lucas cocked his head. “I don’t feel anything unusual. What is it?”
Dante tried to decipher what was setting him on edge. “It’s not demonic.” Demons and their skirm made his skin feel as if needles pricked him. “But something is down there. Let’s go.”
Dante jumped from the platform, just missing the third rail of the lines beneath them. If he’d hit that he’d be stuck there while his muscles spasmed and his flesh sizzled. He was jogging down the middle by the time he heard Lucas curse behind him.
“Chief, wait up.”
Dante slowed and glanced over his shoulder. “There’s blood.”
The lighting this far down the tunnel was far less than on the platform. Lucas’s eyes glowed brightly in the dim lighting. “It might be the result of humans. I don’t sense dark energy.”
“I don’t give a fuck what happened. Only that someone is injured and possibly dead.” Dante increased his pace and paused when the scent dissipated.
Backtracking several feet, he stopped when the trail intensified. He’d missed the narrow opening on the right side. Lucas was by his side when he maneuvered his way onto another path.
It was a tight squeeze for about fifteen feet before the tunnel opened up to a larger area. It was another track, not connected to the one they’d been on. And, there was a female lying naked across one of the metal tracks with her hand precariously close to the third rail.
Dante rushed to her side and crouched by her side. Her brown hair was matted with blood. Her torso had numerous cuts and abrasions, as did her legs. A bone broke through the skin on her left thigh.
Lying his hand on her shoulder, he jumped when she growled weekly and her hand swung in his direction. He landed on his back as her knife sailed over his head. The energy coming off the bright silver, told him this was no ordinary weapon. Given the color, he knew it wasn’t forged in the Underworld.
He had to assume it wasn’t on fire because she was close to death. Well, as close to death as a supernatural could get. She rolled and he got a glimpse of the scars on her back. They didn’t look fresh, but he wondered if it was part of her healing.
Dante gently brushed hair from her forehead. “It’s ok. I’m a member of the Dark Warrior Alliance. We’re here to get you help.”
Lucas hovered at Dante’s back. “Is she a fallen…”
“It doesn’t matter. Just because she sided with Lucifer at one point doesn’t mean she still is. Zakara is proof enough of that.” Dante would have walked away before meeting Ramiel’s mate Zakara. The female proved that not all fallen angels were evil beings, that deserved to be slaughtered. Some saw their mistakes and wanted to make amends for being on the wrong side.
“Can you hear me?” Dante grimaced as he scanned her body and took stock of all her injuries. There wasn’t one entire inch free of injury on her body. Bile did pushups in the back of his throat.
Not only because of what had been done to her, either. His body surged to life on a rush that made him dizzy. For so long he had to work harder to arouse himself than he gained from engaging in sex and here he had a female beaten to a pulp and his cock wanted some action.
He hated himself at that moment. He shouldn’t be turned on and aching for this female. His mind objected and was repulsed, but his body wasn’t listening. It seemed as if he waited too fucking long if his inner demon could take pleasure at a moment like this.
Putting up steel barriers around that part of his mind, he took a deep breath and willed his erection away before he slid his arms under her body and stood with her in his hands.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take you some place safe.”
Lucas gasped and stopped Dante with a hand on his shoulder. “Where are we taking her?”
Dante narrowed his eyes at the male. “Where the fuck do you think? Back to Jessup House.”
Dante took off without waiting for a reply from Lucas. He didn’t give a shit if this was a mistake. He refused to leave this female bloody and broken on the train tracks. Yes, she was a fallen angel and was likely aligned with the local archdemon, but that didn’t mean she deserved to be treated like this.
Dante knew what it was like to make mistakes in life. Who’s to say she didn’t realize the one she made thousands of years ago? Dante wouldn’t hold the position of power he did if he hadn’t been given a second chance.
Besides, if she woke up and tried to attack them, he’d have Ty, Axel, Jett and Lucas to help him fight her. Every cell in his body roared to painful life. This might be the last mistake he ever made, but he’d jumped on the runaway train and there was no getting off now.
Chapter 3
Jett’s stormy grey eyes bored into Dante. “What t
he fuck are you thinking?” As the defacto leader of Jessup House, he’d expected Jett to be pissed.
Energy crackled around the sorcerer, making Dante arch a brow at Jett. “I know you aren’t challenging me. We need information about what the archdemons are up to. And this one might be a fallen Angel, but she isn’t one of Lucifer’s elite.”
Ty, the resident vampire, stepped closer and leaned over to look at the scars marring the female’s back. Unlike others of her kind, this fallen didn’t have thick raised ridges with numerous branches shooting from the main line along her shoulder blades.
Hers were a single crescent on each shoulder. Pale pink and raised less than half an inch from her skin. When she fell, she was protected from the worst of the ravenous demons. If Dante wasn’t mistaken, her appendages weren’t torn from her body.
Ty straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. “How do you know she isn’t here to try again? They almost managed to get Lucifer to this realm in New Orleans.”
Dante rubbed the back of his neck. His body ached and his shaft jerked in his pants, reminding him he needed to feed. Whoever this fallen Angel was, she’d woken his libido and it refused to go dormant again. Perhaps he could follow through this time and fuck a willing female or two. It had been so long he’d forgotten what it felt like to operate with peak energy.
Dante looked from one Dark Warrior to the other. “She doesn’t have enough power. Put aside your preconceptions and let your senses fill in the blanks. You’ll know precisely why I say she isn’t an archdemon.”
All four of the warriors lowered their heads. Axel, the feline shifter, flared his nostrils and his head tilted to one side. Ty’s eyes closed and Dante noticed the fang showed through his parted lips.
Jett was first to lift his head and rubbed the tips of his fingers together. “I don’t feel a million ants biting their way through my veins. She doesn’t have dark energy.”
Axel pointed at her back. “But I smell demon on her.”