“Come on,” Kobal said. “You must all be exhausted, and River is looking forward to seeing you. We’ve got showers, mjéod, and beds for you.”
“Those all sound fantastic,” Corson said as he wrapped his arm around Wren’s waist.
With the sun filtering over him, Corson’s black hair shone with blue, and his orange eyes sparkled with amusement. The silver bird he wore in the tip of his pointed right ear spun in the faint breeze. Wren gave him the bird earring when she became his Chosen.
Wren wore the matching earring in her left lobe. The bottom of the earring brushed the braid of pale blonde hair she’d draped over her shoulder. When Wren became Corson’s Chosen, he turned her into an adhene demon to save her life and grant her immortality. Like Corson, she now possessed talons that burst from the backs of her hands, but hers were shorter than Corson’s foot-long spikes.
“Let’s go,” Caim said and transformed into a three-foot-tall raven before taking flight.
His shadow passed over me as I trudged to the back of the pickup and climbed into the bed. I plopped down and draped my arms over the sides while I took in the warmth of the sun. I didn’t pay the others any attention as I savored this chance to relax.
It happened so rarely now, and it wouldn’t last long.
Chapter Two
Hawk
“Hawk!” River cried as soon as I stepped into the hall.
I grinned as she rushed toward me with a radiant smile on her pretty face. Her amethyst eyes sparkled when she threw her arms around me, and her black hair tickled my cheek as she hugged me.
“How’s it going, queen bee?” I asked.
She chuckled as she stepped away and brushed a strand of loose hair away from her face. “The little prince rules the roost now. Did you meet Braxas?”
“I did. Congratulations.”
She radiated happiness as she bounced on her toes. I’d seen her use her powers to destroy things, but she looked as threatening as a kitten now.
“Thank you. He’s amazing,” she breathed. “But enough of that.” She looped her arm through mine as she led me through the large hall. “How have you been?”
“I can’t complain.”
“Any sign of the horsemen and fallen angels?”
“There have been sightings, but we haven’t fought them since they broke Vargas’s leg.”
Almost three months ago, we encountered Envy and Famine; they fled the battle, but not before Envy broke Vargas’s leg. After the fight, we brought Vargas back to the wall to heal, and Erin decided to stay with him.
That was the last time we returned to the wall. Now we were supposed to pick up Erin and Vargas along with supplies for the humans, more vehicles, and fresh troops to join us in the search for our elusive enemies.
“I think they may have left the country,” I admitted.
“How?” River asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s like they’ve vanished.”
River’s fingers tapped my arm. “They’re up to something, and I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
When River grew quiet as she led me through the hall, I turned my attention to the building erected for the king and queen. The demon symbols covering every inch of the walls were stained with River and Kobal’s blood and thrummed with power.
At the far end of the hall, the king and queen’s thrones sat on a raised dais. River’s brothers, Gage and Bailey, sat on the steps of the dais watching the demons and humans in the room. When they spotted me, they smiled and waved; I returned the greeting.
“How are Erin and Vargas?” I asked.
River grinned at me. “They’re great. Vargas’s leg is healed.”
“Good.”
I’d missed them since they left the Wilds. Like myself, Erin and Vargas volunteered to leave their families and towns behind to journey to the wall when they were only sixteen. My human status may have changed while theirs remained the same, but we’d trained together, battled Hell creatures, and had each other’s backs through some horrible shit. They were more like family than friends.
The crowd in the hall parted to reveal Erin and Vargas strolling toward us.
“Hawk!” Erin cried as she ran at me and threw her arms around me. “You’re safe.”
“Of course,” I replied as I hugged her before setting her on her feet.
Her black hair, usually cut below her ears, hung to her shoulders. Her almond-shaped, dark blue eyes shone when she smiled at me, but there was something sad in her gaze.
“Is everything okay?” I demanded.
“It’s great.”
She said the words, but uneasiness lingered about her. Before I could question her further, Vargas approached and held out his hand. When I accepted his hand, he pulled me close, and we slapped each other’s backs before stepping back.
Vargas looked like he’d put on a few pounds, probably due to inactivity and not being able to train. His black hair, cropped close to his head, emphasized the broad cheeks and olive complexion of his Peruvian heritage. His eyes were so dark a brown they were nearly black, but they held flecks of a paler, golden brown in them.
“How’s the leg?” I asked him.
“Much better,” he said and emphasized this by stomping his foot. “How have you been?”
“I’d like to say busy hunting the horsemen, but things have been quiet.”
“That can’t be good.”
“No, it can’t,” I agreed. “But we have wiped out a fair amount of lower-levels demons and escapees from the seals since I last saw you. We’ve also cleared a large portion of the Wilds, and we’re holding that ground. By this time next year, we might have everything secured.”
“That would be amazing.”
“What about the horsemen and angels?” Erin asked.
“We don’t know where they’ve gone.”
She bit her bottom lip as she exchanged an uneasy glance with Vargas and River. Vargas took her hand in both of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Their entwined hands didn’t surprise me. I’d noticed them growing closer for a while now, and Erin had insisted on staying at the wall while Vargas recovered. What did surprise me was the pang of longing that accompanied the comforting gesture.
I’d never felt anything remotely romantic toward Erin. She was pretty, but we’d never been anything more than friends. However, this comforting gesture made me long for a family again.
I tore my eyes away from their hands and focused on the hall as Daisy, one of the ghosts who’d come to the wall after the gateway closed, floated up to hover near River’s shoulder. Daisy waved at me, and I waved back.
The first time I encountered ghosts, they irritated the shit out of me. Due to things they’d done while alive, or because they feared moving on to the afterlife, the ghosts were trapped in Purgatory on Earth. They couldn’t move on to Heaven until they served their time here.
They were pretty selfish beings, who were afraid of the dark, but Daisy was far less selfish than most of her ghostly counterparts. The ghosts were offered a home at the wall in exchange for their help in keeping things lit around here. They couldn’t do much, but they could produce small amounts of light, which became stronger when enough of them got together.
When Kobal arrived at River’s side, she beamed at him as he bent to kiss her head. Grasping a piece of the wrap Kobal wore, she pulled it back to reveal the peaceful, sleeping face of her son.
I focused on the wall as they shared a private moment. I tried not to think about the fact that if I did find my Chosen, I would never be able to kiss her, and I’d feed on her every time we had sex. I could only imagine how thrilled so many women would be to find themselves bound to someone like me.
The idea of feeding on anyone made my stomach twist, but at the same time, hunger churned through my veins. I dragged a hand through my hair and tugged at the ends of it as I tried to regain control of myself. I needed to feed, but even with the pleasure it gave me as it eased my hunger, I loathed doin
g it.
But I couldn’t stay here.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower,” I said abruptly.
“Oh, of course,” Erin said. “I put some clean clothes in your room and washed the blankets. We’ll walk home with you.”
“No, stay here,” I said. “Enjoy the party. I’ll be back.”
Before she could reply, I hugged her again and turned on my heel, leaving the hall.
Chapter Three
Hawk
I examined the buildings and homes in the town as I walked through it. Everything was much as I remembered it, if only a little more weather-worn, but then, so was I. Stopping outside of the house Vargas and I used to share with a couple of other male soldiers, I studied the chipping white paint and sagging shutters.
I tried to recall what it had been like to live here as a human; had I worried about death? I’d thought about women a lot and brought more than my fair share back here, but things were simpler then. That was before I was a demon, before I accidentally ruined Sarah’s life by kissing her, before I entered Hell, but mostly, it was before I lost my family.
When I volunteered to come to the wall, I knew there was a chance I’d never see my mother and sisters again, but there had always been the hope of one day. One day it would end, one day the wall would come down, and one day I could go home to them, but none of that hope remained.
I recalled the last time I’d seen them. It had never happened before, but Kobal ordered the families of those who would be traveling to the gateway with him and River to come to the wall. None of us had expected to discover our families waiting for us when we went to the school, but there they were in the cafeteria.
My mom refused to let go of me as she sobbed into my shirt. My sisters all talked eagerly over one another as they peppered me with questions while gushing about the details of their lives. I couldn’t tell them what was really going on here, but it hadn’t mattered. All that mattered was being with them again.
I’d been nervous about the journey, but seeing them solidified why I was making the mission. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep them safe, and I’d failed. We succeeded in closing the gateway, but not before Lucifer escaped and killed them and so many others.
Now, they were gone, and I remained. And I would do everything I could to see this through to the end. They’d deserved better, and so did so many others. I didn’t mind continuing the fight; it was all I had left besides my friends, but sometimes, even with all of those friends, it was so lonely.
I bent my head and trudged up the steps of the house. I didn’t know what happened to the other soldiers we’d lived with; they’d either moved on to another section of wall or died, but only Erin and Vargas resided here now.
There was enough daylight left that I didn’t bother with the lights as I climbed the stairs and strode down the hall to my room. I flicked on the switch to discover my room as I’d left it, but it didn’t smell stale from being closed; instead, the fresh scent of laundry from the line permeated the air.
I smiled when I spotted the framed picture on my nightstand. It hadn’t been there before, but as I approached it, I saw it was a polaroid of me, River, Erin, and Vargas taken the last time I returned to the wall. I didn’t know where River found the ancient camera or the film, but she’d given it to Kobal, told him to hit the button, and joined us for the photo.
Though Vargas was lying in bed due to his broken leg and we had to make room for River’s belly, we were all smiling as we huddled together. I thought Kobal was going to crush the camera as he fumbled with it, but he snapped the picture without destroying it.
I lifted the photo and smiled at the group of us. It had only been a few months ago, yet I felt so much older, or maybe just more exhausted. Setting the picture down, I removed my weapons and set them on the bed before turning away to gather clothes from my dresser.
I showered before dressing in a pair of brown pants and a black sweater. I sat on the bed, shoved my feet into my boots, and tied them before rising to put my gun holster back on. Lifting my rifle, I slid it onto my back, then placed my two handguns in the holsters.
The sun had set while I was in the shower, so I turned the lights on as I went downstairs where I spotted the homey touches Erin and Vargas had added to the house. Flowers sat in a vase on the dining room table, and there was another polaroid of the two of them standing by the wall on the table near the door. I suspected Erin knitted the colorful blanket draped over the back of the couch.
I recalled the sadness in her eyes in the hall and had the sinking suspicion they wouldn’t be returning to the Wilds. They’d made a home here, and they had each other, so I didn’t blame them if they decided to remain here. They could have sent word to us, but we would have returned anyway to gather supplies.
I glanced around the house again and realized it was the home of a family. That awful loneliness tugged at my heart as I smiled while resting my hand on the blanket. There was so little happiness in this world, and two of my best friends had managed to carve a piece of it out for themselves.
I made my way out the front door and jogged down the steps. Pausing at the bottom, I inspected the sleepy town before turning my attention to the immense wall looming over it. The blinking red lights on the wall cast an eerie glow over its concrete surface, the soldiers patrolling it, and the town.
In the Wilds, the screams or call of some animal or demon often drifted over the land, but here, the only noise was the low hum of the electricity powering the wall and the distant flow of music coming from the hill where the demons resided. I turned my attention to the hill and the tents there.
I’d never gone to the hill as a human. I knew others who had, but I was content with the women in town. As a demon, I’d been there once on one of my trips back to the wall. I usually avoided it, not because it was mostly demons there, but because it was my punishment.
I ruined Sarah’s life when I kissed her; I hadn’t known I was a canagh demon at the time or that my kiss could ensnare another, but I’d ruined her life. If Sarah hadn’t died, she’d still be a mindless creature, helplessly following me around. Because of that, I deserved to suffer. I also worried it might accidentally happen again.
I shuddered at the possibility as the material of the tents rippled in the gentle breeze. The flames of the bonfire located in the middle of the tents rose higher into the air. Sparks danced like fireflies as they floated on the currents before going out. If the wind picked up, they would put out the fire, but for now, the demons would be gathered around it as they played music, danced, and screwed.
My body tensed at the image, and my earlier hunger blazed back to life. I should return to the hall, but I couldn’t get my feet to move in that direction. The tents and fire called to me like a siren to a sailor, and I couldn’t resist the call.
I hated myself more with every step I took up the hill. I should be with my friends. I should be strong enough to resist my instincts, but my excitement grew as I walked.
I scented the enticing, musky aroma of sex on the air. My nostrils flared, and I gritted my teeth against my arousal; I could resist this. But why had I come here if it hadn’t been to satisfy the canagh demon clawing ravenously at my chest?
I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it when I started up the hill, but I’d known I couldn’t resist anymore. I was going to join those at the bonfire and lose myself to the pleasure they’d provide me.
I’d gone far longer than I should have without sex, and my body craved the release it would provide. However, I refused to be a slave to my impulses, and after what I’d done to Sarah, I deserved to suffer by depriving myself of the sex canaghs required to survive.
Since Sarah, I went for weeks without sex and only caved when I feared I might accidentally hurt someone. I’d also stuck mostly with nymphs who had experience handling canagh demons.
Arriving at the top of the hill, I passed Kobal’s old tent and continued toward the fire. With every step, I will
ed myself to turn away, but I stalked onward. The sounds of ecstasy drove me onward as my heart raced and my mouth watered.
It had been almost three weeks since I was last with a woman; it was such a short stretch to be proud of, but it was my longest one since becoming a demon. It may have been too long. I felt out of control in a way I never had before. I had to restrain myself from running toward the fire, but I could still control myself at least that much.
Most canagh demons had sex every day and often multiple times a day, but I hated that I’d become such a slave to a desire I controlled when I was a mortal. I despised that every time I slept with someone, I put them at risk and left them depleted. Even the nymphs with their canagh experience always stumbled from my bed after I absorbed some of their energy. It probably wouldn’t be as bad if I fed more often, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of feeding off someone daily.
I emerged from between the tents to stand at the edge of the circle surrounding the bonfire. In the center of the clearing, the fire crackled, and the scent of burning wood filled the air, but it was the demons and humans gathered there who held my attention.
Some of them wore skimpy clothes that left nothing to the imagination, but most were naked. A small, redheaded demon sat on a tree stump as she played the lute; the instrument’s haunting strains were out of place with the rough rutting of the three demons only five feet away from her.
More demons and humans were scattered around the edges of the clearing, while others were in the shadows of the trees. Two women were on their knees between the legs of a demon with two penises.
I could walk into the clearing and approach any of the female demons, and they would probably let me take them. Demons viewed sex as casual and fun until they bonded with their Chosen. They were with countless others before then, but once they met their Chosen, there was never another for them.
All demons sought was the pleasure sex offered; it was all I wanted too, but whereas I couldn’t get my feet to stop before, they wouldn’t move now that I was here. I wished I could be one of those demons who didn’t require sex to survive. I hated the helplessness that came with this compulsion the most; I lost control of my body when I became a demon.
Kiss of Death: Hell on Earth Series, Book 3 Page 2