by Alisha Basso
“Yeah, I guess.” I looked at the closed door behind me and sighed. “Are you sure you won’t be hurt. He just got through saying I was no longer a child of the sun and I had to pretty much deal with it. I would be disobeying him.”
“So, he didn’t actually say ‘no’?” He folded his arms, smiling.
“Wow, you guys and your loopholes.” I smiled. “No, he never actually said that word.”
“Then shall we?” He bent his elbow, offering his bicep.
I cautiously grasped his arm. When nothing happened I sighed, “Alright, let’s go.”
The feeling of being pulled through Jell-O surrounded me. It was as if hell and the mortal world were separated by nothing more than a thin membrane. We were outside, it had rained and I pulled the scent in through my nose. It was dark but the lights from the city illuminated the streets making it almost too bright for my eyes.
“I love this town,” Cain sighed.
“Where are we?” I didn’t recognize a single thing. “Is this New York?” I goggled as I spun in a slow circle. I had never seen such giant buildings in my entire life.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” he took my hand and I jumped and pulled my hand free. “I’m not flirting.” He laughed light heartily. “I just don’t want to lose you.” He frowned and I suddenly felt stupid.
“Right. Sorry.” I placed my hand back in his and he smiled.
“So, what now? I don’t see any trees or birds,” I said, marveling as I studied the skyscrapers in the distance. “Are you planning to stand around till the sun comes up?”
“No. Do you dance?” He pulled me to the end of the street and suddenly the city burst to life. Cars zoomed by and people flooded the streets.
“Holy shit!” I screamed. I hadn’t realized that the city had been frozen. As if it was stuck in suspended animation. I was too awed at the beauty of the lights and the smell of something other than Lu. I laughed. “Well I feel stupid.”
Cain chuckled. “Don’t feel stupid. You’ve been in Hell for months. I’m surprised you’re not completely mad to be honest.” He pulled me along and then he stopped and studied my face. I looked at him while people bumped past, knocking me from side to side. He leaned in close. Smelling along my shoulder and neck.
“Remarkable. You still possess your soul.” He smiled and then turned, pushing through the crowd again. “Perhaps there is hope?” He smiled at me over his shoulder.
“Hope?” I staggered out as my feet slapped the wet concrete. “What do you mean?” I struggled as he pulled me faster.
“Time jumps when you travel from realm to realm. It takes a few minutes to catch up.” He explained and I frowned at his deliberate dodge.
“Evade much?” I panted as we came to a stop.
“Yes.” He winked then looked away. I sighed, my shoulders slumping. The brick building loomed before us like some kind of living thing. Dark and wet from the rain, it felt off. Shadows swirled across the door as if the light were chased away.
“Time to party.” He rubbed his hands together and pulled me inside.
“What in Hell?” I gawked as we passed through the door. When we should have been inside, we were outside again. The moon rose above us, huge and perfectly round, almost too large to be real.
“Welcome to Eden,” he whispered in my ear, “wanna sin?”
I jerked away from him in surprise and turned, taking it all in. It was a den of sin that was for sure.
Everywhere I looked, naked people lounged together in groups, drinking and laughing. They gathered everywhere, playing games with long poles and balls and eating food from tiny plates with their fingers. Some people were making love in the grass, while others laughed and chatted companionably.
It was like a giant orgy, slash neighborhood block party, and I scowled at the absurdity.
“Is this even real?” I reached up and plucked a leaf from a low hanging branch. It was wide and flat. I scratched it with my nail and brought it to my nose. It smelled like the real thing.
“Of course it’s real,” he frowned. “My mother used to come here all the time. It’s a sacred place. The first place, so to speak. That is, it used to be until everything turned to shit. Until she decided to fuck that…” He shrugged and slapped his hands together. “Well, none of that matters anymore, does it?”
I let my eyes wander. “This is so messed up.” I whispered as a muscular man bumped into me. His skin was smooth and flawless, his penis erect. I skittered away from him and smacked into Cain.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
I spun and grabbed his arm in a panic. Then I thought better of it. My God, Lu would gut me like a trout if he saw where I was.
“Lu is going to gut you, you know.”
“Oh, he’ll do no such thing,” he placed his hand on my shoulder.
“How can you be so smug?” He was smiling at me as if he were utterly bulletproof. His cocky demeanor sent a ripple of unease through me.
“I happen to know that he won’t be laying a finger on either of us.”
I lifted a brow in question and he smirked.
“He can’t, because once a creature of man enters Eden, he can never leave,” he smiled as dread pooled at the base of my skull
“Wait, you can leave,” I eyed him closely.
“Yep. I’m the son of man only by half,” he stated vaguely, shrugging his shoulders.
“Why did you bring me here, Cain?” I felt ill all of a sudden.
“Simply put, I do not support your joining.”
I was not expecting that.
“Why the hell would you care?” I asked, shocked.
“He’s determined to get a son from you. This I cannot allow.” He met my eyes.
I scowled. “Okay, I repeat, why the hell would you care?” I was completely confused and shook my head. “How does Lu’s son have anything to do with you?”
His face darkened. “You will remain here, Grace. That is all you need to know.”
I watched him as he pulled his shirt up over his head. “I have a plan.” He smiled and tossed it onto the grass.
“And this plan involves what, exactly?” I eyed him.
“I will get you with child,” he smiled, working on the buttons of his jeans.
I snorted out a laugh and covered my mouth.
“You think I jest?” he frowned, “you’ve been neutered. Your magic doesn’t work, remember? The only way to beat him is to take away his future heir.”
I shook my head. “You act like I’m going to go along with this insanity. Honestly, Cain, getting me pregnant isn’t going to help either of us, believe me.”
His shoulders slumped. “He’ll ruin you, you know?” he said, looking down. “He poisons everything he touches. Kills it and makes it rot.”
“I have no intention of letting that happen.” I lifted my chin.
“Good, because once you’re bound to him, it can never be undone. If it happened in Hell, it’s eternal. Nothing in hell can be undone. Well, almost nothing. But if you make vows to him, they will be timeless and infinite.”
“Vows?” I snorted, incredulous. “I won’t be making any vows, I can promise you that!”
He frowned and shook his head. “You really know nothing. Come on, let’s see how bad it is.” He pointed to my arm. “Raise your sleeve.”
I frowned. “Why?” I pulled my sleeve up to my elbow, but clearly the ink reached way beyond that.
His face fell. “I had no idea.” He pursed his lips, his brows lowered. “You’re right about one thing,” he said as he fastened his pants, “you won’t be making any vows.”
I knew this was going to be bad.
“Why do you say that?” I asked, afraid of the answer.
He looked sick. “I really didn’t know. I’m sorry.” He picked up his shirt and pulled it back over his head. “I can’t help you.”
“Hey?” I held up my arm. The tattoos glittered in the moonlight. “Wait a minute. What are you saying?” I felt like barfing
.
“You are bound to him so tightly that nothing I could ever do will release you.” He looked angry. “Damn it!” he spun. “That son of a bitch always wins!” The wind kicked up, tossing leaves into the air. “I’m sorry.”
I was horror stricken. “Wait, what in hell are you saying?” I ran my hand frantically over the ink on my arm, the swirls and flowers tingled under my touch. “These are only contracts! I’m not bound to him. We haven’t been married. No ceremony, no rituals!” I threw my arms into the air. “I never said I do!” My heart hammered against my chest.
“You’re like the child who ate the stranger’s candy,” he frowned. “I’m almost sad for you.” He shook his head. His face filled with pity. “You need none of that artifice.” He let out a low chuckle. “He’s humoring you. The dress, the ‘wedding.’ It’s all a show, no doubt to convince your small mind that the deed has been done.”
“That’s not like him. He wouldn’t even bother.” I shook my head, knowing I was right. “He would have just told me we are already irrevocably tied.”
He looked at his hands. “I think you may be right, that means there must be something else. Maybe he’s run into a problem?”
“Okay? What is that?” The wind picked up strength, whipping the dainty tables about. The people that were once dancing and making love on the grass were nowhere to be seen. We were alone.
“I don’t know. But you can bet he’s already got a solution.”
I felt all the blood drain from my face as the wind around us picked up strength. Jamie said I was already bound to Lucian and Seth. Lu would need to sever that bond to make his stick. My head spun.
Madea mate for life.
“No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Grace!” Cain’s voice was small behind me and I turned. He was holding on to a branch, his legs were pulled out behind him as he kicked. “Turn it off! Call off the wind!” he screamed.
With a thought the wind died and he fell to the ground with a grunt. “Damn, woman!” He stood as I waited.
“Take me back,” I ground out from between my clenched teeth. “I have a few things I want to say to a certain Demon King!”
Cain dusted his jeans off, and ran his hands through his hair. Then with a small smile, he bowed. “At once, My Lady.”
My Lady. I thought. Not My Queen. I smiled. Maybe he was rethinking that whole “hope” thing after all. I had no intention of letting Lu spill any blood. And if that blood was from Lucian and Seth, well then, he was in for a surprise.
I still had an ace up my sleeve and I was afraid that I just might have to use it.
TWENTY FIVE
“So, it’s a pound of flesh, after all.” Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at the men hanging on jagged hooks from the ceiling.
“It’s never just a pound,” Lu smiled as he folded his wings against his back.
“Blood then?” I tried to move. The bonds were solid. “Theirs?”
“Mostly. I’ll need a little of yours as well.”
“Why even play at caring for me? Why the game?”
“I love games,” he leaned close, “and you just kept fucking me.” He laughed and rubbed his hard body against mine.
I clenched my teeth as he pulled hard on my arms, causing the manacles around my wrists to cut deep into my flesh. My blood ran in ribbons down my arms, soaking my skin. Lu moaned and ran his tongue along my stained flesh, lapping up the blood that flowed, only to yank on my arms and bleed me again. I cried out and he hissed, grinding his arousal against my stomach as he continued to feed from my skin like a parasite.
I was chained to a filthy wall in nothing but a bra and panties. My arms were drawn high above my head. I dangled, my toes barely reaching the filth covered ground.
I was no longer in the underground. I was in Hell. Once Cain and I had exited the city, Lu had swept me up and tossed me in chains. Somehow, he had discovered that I knew what he had done with Lucian and Seth. I knew he had reneged on our agreement. I was still no threat to him, but that didn’t stop him from showing his true colors.
He was truly in his element. He let me see what he had done to Lucian and Seth. They were alive. Barely.
Lu pinched my nipple and I jerked.
“I know your secret,” he whispered close. I cringed back at the sight of his blood covered face.
“I have no secrets.” I sniffed back my sob.
“Oh, but you do. You see, I know that you still do not love me.” He gripped my chin in his fist and I shrieked.
He was insane. “If I had ever felt love for you, I wouldn’t now.” I closed my eyes, struggling to fight back my tears. They flowed like water, it was no use.
“Pain is nothing, next to love.” Lu gripped my hips as his giant wings opened. “Tell me to take you, my darling,” he growled, digging his fingers into my hips as his wings folded in to caress us.
I kicked and twisted as he pulled the fabric of my bra down and took my tortured nipple into his mouth.
“I’ll never do anything for you again, Satan,” I sobbed and then screamed as he bit into my flesh.
He rolled his eyes up to look at me as I wept. “I could render you to nothing but a few pretty ribbons, my darling. You should watch what you say to me.” I met his eyes as he straightened, his lip curled up in a smirk. “Soon, you will beg me to fuck you.” He turned and walked away.
I watched him through the blur of my tears. He moved leisurely toward Seth and Lucian. I squeezed my eyes, ringing the tears out of my lashes. He wanted me to suffer, to hang here on this fucking wall like a slab of meat. He was his magnificent self again. Well, a muted version at least. His madness was frightening because he actually believed that tempting me with his beauty while he made me bleed and tortured my friends would endear me to him.
I was so screwed.
“I do love ceremony.” He gazed at Seth’s arm as it dangled limply. He reached up and gripped Seth’s wrist while he met my eyes, he spun the unconscious man in a macabre circle of dripping blood and matted hair. “You will wear white while I slit their throats.” His wings fluttered lightly, the tips dipping into the sludge that covered the ground. He sucked in a great gulp of air. “I will fuck you in a sea of your lovers’ blood, filling you with my seed.” He smiled and tugged on Lucian’s leg. I cringed as Lucian swung lifelessly, clearly out cold.
They looked dead. I could only hope that they were truly oblivious. If they weren’t, the pain they would be enduing would be worse than hellish.
“My bride,” Lu sighed absently as he played with the hanging bodies of my friends. He pushed Seth once more, causing him to sway from side to side. I closed my eyes as fresh tears flowed.
I could hear him moving in the muck. He was coming back to play with me and I clenched my jaw just as he laughed close to my face. I opened my eyes and he smiled, rubbing his hands together.
I moved my head back, letting it connect with the wall. Screams echoed throughout the cavernous room and the stench of rotting flesh and maggots had permeated my nose so deep I feared I’d never get the stink out again.
“I want you still. I’ll never change my mind about that, my darling.”
I shook my head. “I can tell.” I gave a derisive snort and closed my eyes again.
He gripped my chin. “Oh, I care little how you become mine or what you suffer to get there. Make no mistake,” he squeezed my face, forcing my eyes to meet his. “You will live with me here or in the underground. I care not which. I can fuck you in a bed of rotting flesh or on sheets of the finest silk, these things will matter to you not me.” He stepped back. Then, shaking his head, he bent forward, meeting my eyes. “You think dangling above a puddle of shit will make you noble?” He curled his lip and released me to sway backward against the stone. “I am going to leave you here, Grace. All alone in this fucking pit. Once you feel the cold tongues of the vermin that wallow in the dark, you will beg me to return.”
Closing my eyes, I turned my head to th
e side. I refused to give in to him. I couldn’t, not when I knew that Seth and Lucian were suffering so horrendously.
I could feel the heat burn off of him as he watched me refuse him.
“Are you so fucking stubborn you don’t know when you’ve been broken?” he roared and slashed a sharp claw across my cheek. I shrieked in shock as blood warmed my skin.
He glared at the wound and stepped close.
“My love, my sweet bride,” I sagged in defeat as he slowly licked the wound clean. He straightened, watching me, his brow creased in a deep frown. “So this is your choice?” he folded his arms.
I felt the sob escape as fear shot up my spine. I tried to muffle the sound but it didn’t matter.
He was finished with me for now. His turned his back to me and strode from the room. His wings opened wide and then he was gone.
TWENTY SIX
“Well, you really pissed him off, didn’t you?” Cain stood before me, his arms folded.
It took effort to look up, my head felt like it weighed a million pounds. “Yeah. I guess now I’ll be the Queen of Refuse.” I sobbed out a gurgle as I tried to laugh. I was soaked. Blood and tears painted my body a dark shining gray color. Silver Madea blood dried like dull concrete making me look like an abused construction worker.
It’s a stupid comparison, but I’d had a lot of time to think.
“Our King said you were too willful. He said he left you helpless.” He frowned. “I see he was pretty spot on. What have you suffered so far?”
“Nothing has touched me.” I smiled, this time for real. “I’m still supposed to marry him. Everything knows that. Nothing wants me more than death.”
“That’s strange.” He rubbed his chin. “I still think you look good enough to eat.”
“Cain, you must be crazy.” I said weakly. I tried to shift and ended up swaying erratically. “You wouldn’t mind getting me down, would you?”
He looked startled. “You want me to die?”
“Weren’t you the one who bragged that he would never hurt you? Please, Cain?” I knew I sounded pathetic, and probably looked worse, but he was my only hope. I had used my magic to ease the ache in my arms and hold me in a way so that my arms weren’t pulled from their sockets, but I couldn’t get free no matter how much magic I used.