The Sacrifice: A Paranormal MC Romance

by Jessica Gadziala

  Much like Daemon, Bael was tall. But that was where the similarities ended.

  Bael was square-jawed with dark, deep green eyes, with their signature red flecks. He was built more solidly, strongly. And his hair was the deepest shade of red possible before it looked black.

  There were no smiles from this demon.

  Everything about him seemed serious, angry.

  "And he doesn't want to be here," Daemon said, shrugging.

  "Then why is he?" Ace asked.

  "Because my stupid fucking brother thought it would be smart to hijack a hell mouth to the human plane," Bael said, voice rough. "I tried to stop him. Only to get pulled up here too. How did you open a hell mouth?" he asked.

  Aram's gaze slid to me, making Bael's follow.

  "A witch," he snapped, eyes turning to dancing flames. "You know, the only witch I've had the pleasure of knowing was one sent to me for betraying her coven during the Trials. Oh, how she screams," he added, lips curving up into the most evil smile I'd ever seen, making my stomach twist.

  "Watch it," Ly demanded, body Changing.

  I remember Lycus telling me that when they first came to the human plane, they had very little control over the Change.

  As Bael's Change came over him in a blink, I guess it proved him right.

  "Enough," Ace growled, voice taking on a tone I hadn't heard before, one that seemed to echo, like it was hollow, making Bael's change disappear as quickly as it had appeared.

  "You're their leader?" Bael asked, looking at Ace.

  "And seeing as I pull rank, it looks like I am your leader now, too."

  "I don't want to be here," Bael insisted.

  "Join the fucking club," Ace said, turning to walk away, looking at Seven as he waved toward the new demons. "They're on you. I don't have the patience to raise more puppies."

  "Ace," Ly called, making him turn back. Lycus waved to me.

  "Yeah," Ace agreed, nodding. "A deal is a deal."

  With that, he was gone.

  "So... women? Sucking?" Daemon asked, practically bouncing with excitement. "Oh, give a man a break. It's been all doom and gloom and shoving hot pokers into people for the last couple hundred years. I need a vacation," he said when everyone stood there staring at him, not sure what to make of him.

  "We need to fill you in on how Earth is now," Seven reasoned.

  "Yeah yeah, boring school shit," Daemon agreed. "I get it. What's with the cute little matching uniforms?" he asked, gesturing toward the demons' MC cuts. "Hey, Bael, do you want a little matching uniform too? I rather like it."

  "Shut the fuck up," Bael responded, seething.

  "He's always like this," Daemon said, shaking his head.

  "Yes, Daemon. When you trap us on the human plane for all of motherfucking eternity, I do get like this."

  "He is desperately in need of the aforementioned sucking as well. Clearly," he added with a smirk, getting a rough smack to the back of the head from his brother.

  "Okay," Seven said, patience wearing thin. "Let's all get back to the house. We can talk about shit there," he went on. "Ly, Lenore... when you're done, I think Ace expects you back as well."

  The original plan was our freedom, since all the others save for Minos would be gone.

  But with the new developments, I understood the change to the plan.

  With that, they all trudged off, leaving us alone in the woods.

  "We can wait," I said, still feeling a tingle of power inside me, perhaps weaker than before, but still there, still usable.

  "We had a deal," Ly insisted.

  "But the other witches..." I said, thinking of my coven.

  "You won't even know the next one. It will be years before we find another hell mouth. And, besides, if you are around, you can oversee her treatment," he suggested, eyes understanding. "If we don't do the spell, you won't be here for that," he added.

  That was true.

  Taking a deep breath, I handed Ly the paper to hold out for me to read as I arranged the supplies Ace had given me.

  "It's all ready," I declared a few moments later.

  "It's going to be okay," Lycus assured me, even though we both knew he couldn't make me that promise. "Or you can wait," he added, and I swear his wings slumped at the very suggestion.

  "No. No. I don't want to wait. I'm sure about this," I told him, feeling that string in my chest pull tighter. "I've never been so sure of anything before."

  With that, I took a deep breath, lit the bundle of herbs, and started the chant, feeling the magic left in me stir. But this time, it didn't go toward my hands. No, it went to some place just below my ribcage.

  The chant was repeated four times, making the magic sing stronger inside me, and a chill move over my skin, like the good part in me was fighting against the heat I was inviting inside, the hellfire that went against my nature.

  With my free hand, I flicked off the top of the vial of Lycus's blood, my gaze finding his.

  "Forever," he told me, pulling that string tighter still.

  I gave him a nod, unable to speak outside of the spell, lifted the vial, and emptied it into my mouth before my stomach and taste buds could roil with the idea of drinking his blood.

  This time, when the chant came from me for the final time, my voice was louder, stronger, almost foreign to my own ears.

  The blood moved downward, seeking the magic, finding it, mingling together, then flowing through me.

  "This is it," I told him, done with the chant. "Forever," I added as the heat moved through me, spreading outward until it burned through every bone, organ, tissue, into my bloodstream, until it hummed and screamed into my now half-blackened soul.

  "Do you feel it?" Ly asked, moving closer, his wings lifting upward again, reaching out, stroking over my cheek. "Because I can feel it. You're warm."

  "I feel it," I agreed, nodding.

  A part of me had been afraid I would feel wicked, that I would suddenly want to maim and torture, and that there would be ugly thoughts inside me.

  So far, though, I didn't sense any of that.

  "There's something else, though," I told him, feeling it tingling within.

  "What's that?"

  "I don't think it's gone."

  "What isn't?"

  "My magic. I don't think it's gone. I actually think... I mean I can't be certain..."

  "You think what, babe?"

  "I think it might be stronger."

  "Yeah?" he asked, eyes burning a little red.

  "Yeah. That means I might be able to open up another hell mouth. For them in the future. So they can go home. And they wouldn't need to take another Sacrifice."

  "Good. But let's talk about that later," Ly suggested, moving closer, making me understand the heat in his eyes as his tongue moved out to lick the corner of his mouth, showing me the fork that told me all I needed to know.

  The heat bloomed through my core, spreading immediately, making the need course through my entire body.

  "What do you want to talk about now?" I asked, head tilting to the side, teasing, playing innocent.

  "I want to talk about my cock in your pussy," he said, moving closer, hand grabbing my skirt, yanking it upward, and exposing me to the cool air. "Then maybe your ass," he added, grabbing me, turning me, pushing me forward against a tree.

  One of his hands slapped my ass hard before I heard the zip of his pants.

  There was no preamble.

  He knew I was aching for him.

  There was no need.

  His cock slammed inside me—hard, deep—making me brace my arms on the tree trunk, shoving my ass back out toward him.

  He fucked me the way we both knew I wanted it right then.

  Hard.

  Fast.

  Driving me up and through an orgasm more quickly than ever before. Then giving me no rest as he drove me up again; this time, his thrusts slower, but powerful, my entire body jolting forward, my arms getting scraped up by the tree bark.

  Hi
s hand moved between my thighs, toying with my clit, then moved between us, pressing against, then in, my ass, creating an even more intoxicating friction as he continued to fuck me.

  "Tell me you want me to fuck your ass," he demanded.

  "I want you to fuck my ass."

  I hadn't had him that way yet.

  I didn't even question it.

  I just knew that every way I had him was amazing.

  And I wanted whatever else he could give to me.

  "Yeah, you do," he agreed, hand moving, cock slipping out of me, sliding it up and back, dripping with my wetness.

  He was as slow and careful as he had been with my first time, pushing patiently inward, creating a familiar aching, pinching, that eased once he was settled deep, and his hand slid between my thighs, teasing over my clit. "Always so hungry for my cock," he rumbled as I rocked my hips back against him. "Here," he demanded, releasing my clit to grab my arm, yanking it down, pushing it between my thighs to start working myself in circles.

  While his fingers thrust inside my pussy, turning, raking over the top wall while he began to fuck me, slow and easy at first, then building, going harder, faster, as we both got lost in the moment, as we drove upward together.

  "Harder," I demanded, feeling the need reach that critical apex. "Ly, harder," I demanded, moaning as his free hand slapped hard on my ass as he gave me what I wanted, what I needed.

  The orgasm crashed through me, making me cry out his name as he hissed out his release, leaning forward over me, his wrings wrapping me up, keeping me warm as he came back down.

  "Fuck," he hissed a long moment later, sliding out of me.

  "Yeah," I agreed, taking a deep breath as I straightened, pulling my skirt down again.

  "A lifetime of that?" he said, tucking himself away. "Sign me up," he said, giving me a wicked smirk.

  "Yeah, I think I brokered a good deal for myself," I agreed, smiling.

  "Though, now we do have two new-to-Earth demons to deal with for the rest of that eternity too," he said, grimacing.

  "Daemon seems like he is tolerable."

  "Bael is going to be trouble."

  "Well, luckily for us, you all love trouble," I said, shrugging.

  "It will be an interesting eternity, I'll give you that," he agreed, wrapping an arm around me, pulling me into his side as we made our way back toward the house. "There's no one I'd rather spend it with," he added, pressing a kiss to my temple. "My witch," he added.

  Yes, I'd gotten the best part of the deal.

  Eternity.

  With the man who my soul had decided was the one.

  Epilogue

  Lenore - 6 months

  Ace deemed the "puppies" trained enough to take out of the house.

  There was a biker meetup a couple of states over, something the men—and usually Red—went to every year, making new connections, selling product to continue to stock their coffers, inviting the next slew of humans to the house for a party. Where they would whisper in their ears, bring out their basest of instincts, slowly turn borderline souls evil, so their comrades in hell could have more souls to play around with.

  There were some changes in me.

  After all, that previous statement would have—before my deal—filled me with disgust and displeasure. Now, though, all I felt was an understanding.

  Evil souls had to be punished.

  Demons did that.

  There was always a natural order to the world.

  "When do I get my own motorcycle?" Daemon asked, hopping off the back of his brother's bike at the meet-up, seeing rows and rows of chrome and a sea of men and women to accompany them.

  "When you can drive one without crashing it," Ace told him, rolling his eyes.

  For all his teasing of Daemon, it was clear to me that Ace had a soft spot for him. Maybe he reminded him of a younger brother he'd left behind in hell.

  As for Daemon's actual brother, Bael's general ornery and withdrawn demeanor hadn't softened at all yet. He didn't want to be stuck here. He made it clear he was just biding his time to get back. And since most of the others were in the same boat, they didn't fault him for his attitude.

  That said, he had proven surprisingly adaptable, picking up on the human things like driving and use of electronics with relative ease.

  He struggled where Daemon excelled, namely in all things that involved people or societal norms. Which was why he was in stony silence the whole day as the men moved around, making new connections, checking on old ones.

  "Didn't realize your kind was recruiting," a familiar voice said as we passed.

  I turned to find Sully standing there, eyeing Bael and Daemon for a moment before his gaze fell on me.

  "What the fuck are you now?" he asked, body tensing.

  "Off-limits," Ly said, tone low, lethal, eyes burning bright.

  "Walk away," Ace demanded, gaze moving around, likely noting how many witnesses there would be to the event if Ly lost control of the Change, and his wings came flying out to protect me.

  "They're going to be a problem again eventually," Seven observed as we got to the other side of the rally.

  "Yeah, that's for another day," Ace agreed. "Shit. Here comes today's problem," he added, nodding his chin toward a woman who was making a beeline for our gathered group.

  A woman I personally recognized as well.

  From the party.

  After my little public tryst with Ly.

  When I was upset.

  Short, fit, strong, and curvy.

  Blonde-haired.

  Green-eyed.

  Dale.

  The woman who'd almost referred to the men as demons before she caught herself.

  "You!" she said, making a beeline for me, eyes enraged. "Oh," she said as she moved in front of me, shaking her head. "You stupid, stupid girl. What did you let them do to you?" she asked, voice seething. "Now I have to take you out too," she said, giving me one last hard look before marching away again, disappearing into the crowd in a blink.

  "Lenore," Ace called, voice questioning, yet firm. "You know Dale?"

  "I, ah, yeah. Who is she?" I asked, brows furrowing at her ominous message.

  "Dale," Ace started, tone low, "is this generation's demonslayer. She kills us, or we kill her. Just like every other demonslayer. Where did you meet her? When you were in the coven? Are they working together against us?" he asked, strategic mind working in circles.

  "I, ah, no. No. She was at your party," I told them, shrugging.

  "Wait... what?" Seven asked, tensing. "You're sure?"

  "I mean, yes. That's how she knows me. I was at the party."

  Ace shot Ly a lifted brow, both of them acknowledging that he'd broken the rules, but also that it was too late for that now.

  "How the fuck did she get in the house undetected?" Ace asked, waving out an arm.

  "That's a great question. A really great question," Daemon said, bouncing a bit on his heels. "But there are a lot of women here. With a lot of mouths. And I was promised to be allowed to, oh what was the word? Charm them. I need to charm them onto their knees," he said, eyes dancing, shooting a boyish smirk my way. "I think I can manage that, right, Lenore?"

  "I think you'll do fine, Daemon," I agreed. Ly grumbled.

  The rest of the day was similar to the beginning. A lot of connections, a lot of talking. And, for me, a lot of standing around, thinking. Mostly about Dale. About her disappointment in me. About her vow to take me out.

  "Ly, I thought you were immortal," I said later at the motel, pulling my clothes back on.

  "We are," he corrected.

  "Then why was Ace scared of Dale? Why did Dale say she could take me, and us, out?"

  "Because, she can. She's the only one who can. Much like we're infused with the blood of the devil, she is infused with the blood of the Almighty. We're pure evil. She's pure good. And she is the only one with the power to end us."

  "But... wouldn't you go back to hell?"

  "No. S
he erases us entirely. Relax," he told me, his wing moving out to embrace me. "We've known half a dozen demonslayers. We are all still standing. None of them are. It will be fine. We will be fine," he said, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "I am going to jump in the shower. Can you watch for the food?"

  "Yep," I agreed, giving him a smile as I dipped into his wallet, grabbing the cash, then moving out onto the covered porch that connected all the motel rooms.

  All the rooms on each side were occupied by the others. Ace, Drex, Seven, Bael, Daemon—who, from the sounds of things, had a whole harem of happy women in his room with him—and...

  Even as I was about to think his name, the door to Minos's room opened.

  But instead of Minos emerging, it was a woman.

  A very familiar woman.

  With sex-mussed hair and pink cheeks, still pulling her shirt down to cover her body.

  "Don't," Dale said, looking over at me, eyes going hard. "Don't you dare judge me after what you've done," she said.

  "Minos?" I asked, the pieces starting to fall together.

  "I break real, human men," she said, jaw tight. "And we all need release. That's all it is," she insisted before running off, jumping on her own bike, and peeling out.

  My head turned, finding Minos standing in his doorway, his gaze following the disappearing bike.

  His wings were out.

  "Oh, Minos," I said, my heart aching in my chest as he turned, letting me see his tortured gaze.

  That was why she'd been at the party.

  To sleep with Minos. Because he was the only man she could know on a carnal level without seriously hurting—or killing—him.

  That was why she rushed out without trying to kill any of the demons.

  Because that was not why she was there.

  "How?" I asked, as he tried to control the Change, the Claiming. But there was no use. He couldn't control it anymore than Lycus could. "How is that possible?"

  "It's not supposed to be," he said, shaking his head. "She hates me," he added. "She needs me, but she hates me. And I can't fucking help myself."

  "Oh, Minos. I'm so sorry."

  "One day, she is going to kill me."

  "Minos..."