by Maya Daniels
“That’s all I’m asking, and it’s more than I deserve.” His eyes soften, the emerald green bleeding through the amber. “Thank you.” His lips press to mine, halting any thought that would’ve pushed its way up.
Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, spearing my fingers through his hair, I hold him close while his tongue twines with mine. Butterflies erupt in my lower belly when Eric yanks me flush to his body, his hand grabbing a handful of my ass. His hardness presses on my stomach, and my fingers claw his skin to bring him even closer to me. A tortured groan rips from his throat, spurring me on. His touch, his taste, is all I know, and it makes me forget where we are and what waits for us here. Feeling like somebody is watching clears the fog in my head enough for me to pull my mouth away from Eric’s. He continues to place open-mouthed kisses and nips on my jaw and neck while my unfocused eyes look around us. When my gaze lands on a wrinkled face with blackened eye sockets too close to us for comfort, a scream is torn from my lips. Eric flips me behind his back, searching for the threat.
“Your father will be pleased, mistress.” The Trowe watches us with a too-broad smile, splitting his ugly face within arm’s reach.
“He scared the shit out of me.” Panting, I gasp for air with my forehead to Eric’s back, doing my best to keep my heart within my ribcage with my hands on my chest. “I forgot he was there.”
“Go keep watch.” Growling, Eric kicks the creature, lifting him a few inches off the ground, sending him flying in the hedge on the side of the path. A yelp is all that’s heard from the Trowe before he dives headfirst in the bushes.
“Don’t hurt him.” I have no idea why I’m worried about the stupid thing, but he is growing on me for some reason.
“He’ll be fine.” Scolding when the Trowe pops his head up, Eric pulls me back in his arms. “He is lucky I didn’t rip his head off.”
“The mistress won’t like that, Shadow.” Crawling out like vermin, the creature gloats but stays out of reach. Maybe he is not as stupid as I thought. A snort makes me slap a hand over my mouth at the expression on Eric’s face.
To defuse the tension, I pull Eric’s attention to me. “Yes, Shadow, the mistress won’t like that one bit.” His eyebrow lifts up, making me laugh. “I think I’ll get you to start calling me mistress too.” My belly clenches at the hunger in his eyes. “It might give a new perspective on things.”
He opens his mouth, anticipation making me giddy to hear what he will say, but the Trowe kills my joy. I need to get used to that with the creature around.
“We have company,” he hisses, diving for the bushes again.
Eric pulls me in the cover of the trees before the hissing echo of the Trowe’s words has finished drifting in the air.
I guess Eric doesn’t want to leave things to chance after my display of obedience, or lack thereof, the last time we were in this situation. Instead of taking the tree next to me for cover, he has me sandwiched between his body and the wide tree trunk. My girly bits didn’t get the memo about the danger lurking, so they get excited by his nearness. Reigning in my hormones, I almost swallow my tongue when the Trowe squeezes his tiny ass between us.
“What the hell are you doing?” whisper-yelling, I nudge him away from me with my hipbone.
The lines pull down around his mouth when he turns his face up to look at me. Can he look at me if he has holes where his eyes should be? Shaking my head to clear it and disperse the silly thoughts that I use to keep myself from freaking out at moments like this, I strain my ears to hear what got the creature worked up. I wish I had as good of hearing as Eric. Although I’m much better than an average human, his is still superior to mine.
The anger that’s been quiet giving me the reprieve I needed pushes to the surface. Mentally sinking claws in it, I push it down where it belongs. Like he can read my mind, the concern is all over Eric’s face when he looks down at me. With a slight jerk of my head, I tell him that he shouldn’t be worried, at least not yet.
Deep, gravelly voices float up to where we are standing motionless in the cover of the surrounding forest. The shuffling of feet and thumps of many boots on the ground become louder the closer they are to us. Eric’s chest vibrates under my palm when the Trowe wraps an arm around me and hangs sideways to watch the path like a monkey. This whole thing is so messed up that my body shakes with the laughter I’m suppressing so I don’t give our location away.
“We will stay here to see if they show up on this side.” The first words, clear enough to be heard, sound like they are coming from two rocks grinding together.
“It will help to climb the ranks if it’s us bringing the heir to Mammon.” Chuckling that almost makes my ears bleed is followed by a grunt. “Keep your hands to yourself before I rip your arm and beat you with it.” I guess he got punched for his chuckling.
Glancing up at Eric, I see him watching me closely. His head is tilted slightly to the side and uneasiness crawls up my spine. The expression on his face is one he gets when he is considering something he never thought of before. If he is worried that they are looking for him, considering their mention of an heir, he doesn’t show it. The group of demons is passing us now, so I ignore the icy fingers inching up my vertebrae. By the sound of it, there are at least a dozen of them walking in a group. They must be headed to the clearing of the portal to wait for us to fall into their hands. Too bad for them enough time has passed, my poor tailbone even stopped throbbing from lending there hours ago. They can sit and wait as long as they like. Relaxing my stiff body, I lean back and let the tree carry my weight.
The Trowe turns his head to check on me before continuing his watch over the progression. I can still feel Eric’s intent focus on me, but I ignore him. Closing my eyes, only the sound of feet getting further away from us has my attention. I didn’t need to see the demons to know they looked exactly like the two ogre dudes that were manhandling my creature. What the hell? Since when did I start calling the Trowe my anything?
Snapping my eyes open, I get snarled in Eric’s gaze like a fly in a spiderweb.
Thankfully no sound can be heard for a few long moments. I push him away from me, and he takes a step back without arguing about it. Narrowing my eyes suspiciously at him for complying, I watch him for a second before untangling the Trowe from my waist and shoving him away, as well.
“Whatever you are thinking, keep it to yourself.” Pitching my voice as low as possible, I glare at him. “I have enough shit to sort through at the moment. I don’t need more of it.”
His lips twitch, but he gives me a sharp nod. That makes me warier of whatever it is that’s going through his head. The Trowe decides to jump on the path, saving me from overthinking everything. Pushing my way behind him, I look both ways before stepping out in the open. Not waiting on us, the creature starts walking fast in the direction we are headed like his ass is on fire. Unwilling to lose sight of him, I hurry down the path. A yelp I’m familiar with by now thanks to Eric playing soccer with the creature earlier is the only warning I get before I turn the bend in the path. I almost slam my face to Eric’s chest.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Taking a deep breath to stop the galloping happening in my chest, I slam my fists on my hips. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Did I now?” Tilting his head to the side, a smile stretches his lips.
“Let him go.” Pointing my chin towards the dangling Trowe he holds off the ground by the neck, my anger bubbles up so fast I have no time to push it down. “I told you not to hurt him. Don’t be an asshole!” The ground under my feet starts trembling slightly, making me sway.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Eric drawls, his grin stretching his lips wide while he is looking at me like a teenage boy that discovered Playboy magazine for the first time.
“There is something seriously wrong with you, monster boy!” Watching him warily, I take a step away from him. Something is not right. Alarms start blaring in my head while the Trowe flails, doing his best to free
himself from Eric’s grip.
My breathing speeds up the longer I watch the man in front of me. All sorts of wrong vibes crawl over my skin while he looks me up and down. Even when I first saw Eric, I’ve never felt disgusted or dirty when those green eyes mapped every curve or dip on my body. I feel all of that this very moment as I take another step back and I bounce off a firm chest behind me. Arms wrap protectively around me, one over my chest and other circling my waist. With dread filling every inch of me, I slowly turn my head and look over my shoulder.
Eric has me in the safety of his arms, glaring daggers at whoever it is that I just met. My trembling hand slides between us, grabbing the hilt of the blade I keep in the small of my back. When I look in front of me, I blink a few times in hopes I’ll see something different. Nothing changes, and Eric is standing in front of me as well. Only he is wearing a shirt I didn’t notice the first time.
“Release the Haltija,” Eric, from behind me, says without inflection in his voice.
“As you wish.” Eric in front of me smirks, dropping the Trowe like a rock not taking his eyes off me. “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.” He finally lifts his gaze and looks at the man behind me. “To what do we owe this pleasure?” Glancing at me, his smirk grows “Don’t answer that. I can see the appeal.”
“I’m not in the mood for playing games, Colt. What the fuck is going on here?” Eric growls, tightening his arms around me. My mind short-circuits when he gives the other Eric a name.
“Very well, have it your way. You were never a fun person to have around, anyway.” Chuckling, he looks at me again. “The name is Colt, as you already know now, sweetheart. We can discuss things when we get out of the open.” Turning around, he starts walking away from us. I just stand there, leaning back against Eric, who is gaping like a carp left too long out of water.
“Eric?” Sounding breathless, I do my best to swallow through a dry throat.
It’s not Eric that answers me. Colt looks over his shoulder, first winking at me, then grinning at Eric. “Good to see you back home, brother.”
Damn it! There are two of them! Like one was not hard enough to deal with.
Eric
“What are you doing here?” Tucking a still stunned Helena under my arm, I put myself between her and my brother.
“Father sent me to check in case you decided to come to your senses.” Subtle Colt is not. He keeps glancing at my mate, making my fist itch to meet his face. “I thought he was getting desperate and grasping at straws. The joke is on me.”
“I have no intention of staying.” Making it clear there is no more discussion on the matter, I switch gears. “He sent you alone to check a portal gate? He knows what’s going on in the human realm, does he not? Michael is going out of his mind to be able to get his hands on any of us.” The smile on his face slips for a split second, but he recovers quickly. Too bad I know him as well as I know myself. “Don’t tell me. He got tired of your bullshit and figured it’s the best way to get rid of you.”
“Or I decided it’s better to call it quits than clean up the shit storm you left behind.” Nonchalantly, he throws the jab. “What’s with the Haltija?” Pointing his chin at the creature skipping alongside us, Colt cuts off my retort.
“It attached itself to Helena.” I feel her stiffen next to me, so I rub my hand up and down her arm. “It’s proving useful, for now.”
“I should’ve guessed.” Musing, my brother turns to Helena. “The entire realm is looking for you, sweetheart. Lucky for you, I found you first.”
“Holy shit, there are two of you.” Helena turns her wide green eyes on me, stopping me from removing Colt’s head off his shoulders. I guess the shock wore off.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” At her narrowed gaze, I pull her closer to me. “I never thought I'd see him again. And you,”—Turning to my brother, I pronounce every word clearly, so there is no mistake—“found nothing first. We were coming to see father.”
“You mean you hoped you’d never see me again,” Colt points out. “And if you are letting her walk around wherever she wants on her own, I don’t think you are fit to keep an eye on her.”
“Letting me?” the way Helena says that, with the sweetest tone I’ve heard, makes me grin at Colt. He walked into this one all on his own, and I’ll enjoy every second of it. “Letting me? I heard you correctly, right?”
“He should’ve brought you to father the moment you stepped foot here. I’m sure he will find better protection for you.” My brother lodges the foot he put in his mouth firmly with each word. My grin grows.
“Because I need to be told what I can and cannot do. And where I can or cannot go, right?” The innocence on her face contradicts the fury burning in her gaze.
Oblivious to my mates temper, Colt keeps digging his grave. “Of course. You shouldn’t be running around unchecked here. Anyone can snatch you, and we are all screwed if that happens. If it was up to me, I’d lock you up where no one could find you. You’d, be safe, then.” Nodding at her encouragingly, he even smiles.
Removing my arm from around her, Helena stops me with a hand on my chest. I let her walk up to my brother, who gloats, probably thinking she is going to him to keep her safe. Lifting an arm when she is close enough to tuck her under it, as I had done before, is the only thing she gives him time for.
Fast as lightning, Helena’s fist connects first with his ribs, the crunching sound like music to my ears, before it flies up, catching him under his jaw. The force of the punch flings his head back, taking his body with him. Colt’s body hits the ground, dust puffing up around him like a cloud. My mate walks up above him, pressing her boot on his throat. His eyes bulge, and his stunned face is something I’ll never forget as long as I live.
“How about now, jerk?” She grinds the heel of her boot, making him choke and grab her ankle to release the pressure. “You wanna lock me up now?”
Unable to stop myself, I start laughing. The Trowe circles Colt, giggling like a deranged child. It makes me laugh harder. Pushing him away with her foot, she turns to look at me.
“Can we get this over with and get out of here? I’m pretty sure that it’s frowned upon if I start killing your family members this early in our relationship.”
“Relationship?” Colt chokes, lifting on his elbows. My laughter dies a sudden death, dread replacing it.
“Let’s get out of here; we can talk later.” Striding forward, I grab Helena’s hand and pull her along with me. “You said yourself it’s not safe to linger here, no matter how entertaining it is to see her beat your ass.”
Both my mate and my brother watch me with suspicion, but luckily none of them say anything as we move at a fast pace towards my father’s palace. The tops of the towers can finally be seen through the trees. That’s enough to take Helena’s attention, allowing me to glance at my brother. Colt hasn’t taken his eyes off me, so I make sure he sees on my face that he better keeps his mouth shut. Especially about things that don’t concern him.
The Trowe looks between us, his wrinkled face flicking left and right while he mumbles something intangible under his breath. If I’m not mistaken, he says something along the line of eating the face of whoever causes his mistress grief, but I can’t be sure.
“Is that where we are going?” I can hear her swallow thickly before she turns to me.
“Yes, we should be there within the hour.” I can’t blame her for feeling anxious about meeting my father. He is an imposing presence, even to his own children, at least if Colt and I are anything to go by.
As luck will have it, no more words are spoken, and no one crosses our path all the way to the gates. Helena doesn’t let go of my hand, even when she knows I can feel her cold, sweaty palm and the twitching of her fingers. The fates help us all in the next few hours. We will either find the answers we need, or this will break me, releasing the beast I’ve kept in check for so long. If that happens, Mammon will not be the biggest threat the realms have seen.
Helena
I hesitate at the open gates, halting Eric’s movement. He looks back at me but doesn’t push me one way or another. I’ll almost believe that he has learned his lesson about not making decisions on my behalf. Maybe putting Colt on his ass was motivation enough to get him started. I guess a girl needs to throw a few punches around to be taken seriously. Shooting him a couple of times didn’t do the trick so well.
Something is bothering him, as well, to the point that he is willing to control himself. If I start thinking about what that may be, I’ll go insane, so I just go with the flow. Whatever it is, it’s not like I can change it. When the time comes, I’ll deal with it, or not. It depends on how bad it is.
“Why are we standing here?” Colt comes to situate himself next my shoulder, looking from Eric to me and back.
I keep my gaze locked on Eric’s. When I cross this threshold, I understand the little grasp of normality I’ve held onto will be lost to me forever. With certainty I haven’t felt about anything else before now, I know that my world is about to shift on its axes. Am I ready for it?
Hell no, I’m not ready.
Do I have a choice in the matter? If I want to stop being the blind sheep among the pack of hungry wolves, the answer is simple. No, I don’t have a choice. Anchoring myself in Eric’s calm and resigned gaze, I slowly walk through the threshold.
It’s…uneventful.
Disappointment hits me when nothing happens now that I’m standing inside Lucifer’s home. Not that I was expecting him to jump from the shadows and try to bite my head off or anything. I just thought it'd make me feel different.
“You okay?” Eric comes closer, and as always, his main concern is that I’m okay before anything else. I miss the asshole he used to be sometimes.