by Eve Newton
“Ugh, what are you doing here?” I ask with another sigh as I stare at my father lounging around on my bed.
“Here to ensure my grandson gets conceived,” Gravla says with a shrug. He makes a show of looking around. “And where is the lovely bitch?”
“Don’t call her that,” I reprimand him immediately.
Gravla’s eyebrows skyrocket. “Oh, like that, is it?” he scoffs. “You have gone soft.”
I gnash my teeth at my father and bring a fireball to my hand. I launch it at him, knowing it won’t do anything to him. Unfortunately.
“Ouch,” Gravla comments dryly, as the fire hits him in the chest, but it burns away, not doing anything effective. “Hit a nerve?” He pats the fire out with a grimace.
“Why don’t you just piss off?” I say, turning my back so that I can find my robe. I see it thrown over the back of a chair and I slip it on quickly.
“No can do, my boy,” Gravla says jovially. “Not until your son is born. So, get to it, hmm?”
“Eager to leave again?” I snark at him.
Gravla sits up and narrows his eyes. “No, not at all. But this is important.”
“I know,” I say through gritted teeth. “I am perfectly aware of how important this is. It is my destiny, you old fool.”
Gravla laughs at me, knowing he has gotten under my skin. He reclines again and examines his fingernails. “So where is that delight, Jezebelle? She seemed up for it earlier, but now I can’t find her anywhere.”
I shudder as I think about my ex cavorting with my father. “Pouting does not suit you,” I say instead of answering the question. I banished that whore to the pits and I sincerely hopes she stays down this time.
“Jealous?” Gravla asks with a flash in his fiery eyes.
“Pah, hardly. You are welcome to that slut. If you can find her,” I say. “You will probably find her in the pits,” I add in delight as he turns up his nose and shudders.
“The pits?” he exclaims. “That place is disgusting!”
“Exactly where sluts should be,” I comment with a vicious smile.
“Humph,” Gravla grumbles. “I’ll take one of the servants then. That leggy brunette will do.”
“I will not play pimp for you. Go and find your own lay, for fuck’s sake,” I say, exasperated with this beast.
I have things to do. Mainly, worry about Axelle out there in the wilderness, with only Darius to look after her. Not that I think Darius would harm her in any way. No, he knows that I would peel his skin off inch by inch and then burn him alive if he laid a finger on her. But it should be me out there with her, or better yet, her in here with me. Definitely not me here by myself making sure there are no coups. It’s fucking ridiculous. The Hell-throne belongs to me. Not only is my bloodline from the original Lucifer, I am the most powerful Demon to exist. Anyone would be a fool to try and overthrow me.
But I know enough fools to make it a valid concern, and one that Axelle was all too aware of. Astute? Or just plain obvious? Who knows? All I do know is that I need her safe and with me.
“GO!” I roar at my father as Gravla continues to linger.
“All right, all right,” Gravla says, holding up his hands. “Do let me know if Jezebelle returns, hmm?”
I just glare at him, refusing to dignify that with an answer. “Fucker,” I mutter under my breath once he has gone.
I close my eyes and in an instant, I’m clothed in a black suit and white shirt, open at the collar. I’ve made my presence known for a while. I can spare a couple of hours down at the gates with my Demon Bound, making sure her precious body isn’t being mauled, or worse, defiled by some Wasteland beast.
~ CHAPTER TWENTY ~
Axelle
“Do we have to keep walking?” I complain as I shuffle along in front of Darius, who insists on walking behind me. How that is meant to protect me, I have no idea. I can’t see a foot in front of me with all of this mystical fog. Anything could be waiting to jump on me for all I know.
“Move,” Darius growls at me, shoving his knuckles painfully into my back.
I stumble and send him a death stare over my shoulder. I think he is grinning at me. It’s hard to tell with that wide mouth.
“Look, Luc told me to stay put.” So, that’s not entirely true, but I’m sure he wouldn’t be happy to know that I’m wandering around the Wastelands with a Demonic monstrosity that seems to have a bit of a thing for me.
“He sent me here to protect you. We stay still, you die. Simple,” Darius grits out.
“Great,” I grumble and then trip on a stone that appeared out of the fog. “Fuck! This is ridiculous. I can’t see!” I stamp my foot and put my hands on my hips.
“Shut-up!” he hisses suddenly and shoves me into the shelter of a large rock. “Sit!”
I glare at him, but when he glares back, I back down.
I might be Axelle, fierce Demon, Seducer of Men, but there is no way I can take on this beast.
“Fine,” I mutter and sit down. Actually, now that my ass is planted, I sigh in relief. All of the blood loss has made me feel all weird. Weak and a little bit light-headed. I draw my knees up and rest my forehead on them.
I hear Darius thump off – like he is so damn quiet – and then I wait. What for? Who knows?
After about five minutes have passed, I stand up ready to head back to the gates, when Darius reappears with a creature about the size of a cat, with a lion’s head and the body of a pixie, dangling from his large fist.
“What’s that?” I ask curiously.
Darius holds up the squirming creature and wiggles it about, making it squeal in anger. “An Araxi,” he replies, giving it another vicious shake.
“An Araxi?” I ask. I’ve never heard of them.
“They are creatures of the Wastelands. Carnivorous beasties that prey on the weak.”
I snort. “You don’t have to worry, I’m sure I can handle myself against that tiny thing,” I boast.
“They travel in packs,” Darius informs me with a smirk. Is that a smirk? Again, hard to tell on his hideously, ugly face. “This is the Scout. All your yelling and complaining attracted his attention. Luckily, he didn’t make it back or you would be Araxi-food by now.”
“You wouldn’t protect me?” I ask him with a huff.
“Oh, now she wants my protection,” he says and laughs, shoving the Araxi into the backpack that I only just notice that he has. “Move.” He gestures with the squirming backpack and I sigh.
“Fine,” I mutter again and take a step forward.
As we carry on in silence, my head starts to become clearer. The elixir must finally be wearing off. That means I’ll be able to join Luc back in Hell soon.
Thank fuck.
This trek is getting old. Fast.
I can’t see, my leg hurts from where the dart went in and I’m thirsty. Stupid human forms and their weaknesses. And stupid Vazna for shooting me up in the first place. What an asshole.
I feel my cheeks go red with anger. What is his deal? Why can’t he just leave me alone to get on with my life? I bite the inside of my lip when I remember why I’m on his radar in the first place. Luc and his damned prophecy or whatever it is.
I swallow as the implications of that finally, truly sink in now that I’m away from him and his intoxicating eyes and luscious smile.
A baby.
He wants me to have his baby and raise it with him.
I gulp. Am I really prepared for this?
I want to be with Luc, of that I have no doubt, but everything else that comes with it, is a little bit more than I want. I just want to have fun with my Reaper and my Angel and be free to carry on my debauched Demonic ways. I push it aside to deal with later. I can’t seem to think about it for too long without breaking out into a cold sweat.
Instead, I focus on Vazna. The new Heaven’s Guardian because the old one defected to be with me. He’s a dish if I ever saw one, and such an innocent soul. Oh, what I would give to seduce him as wel
l and make him fall from grace. I would go down in the history books as getting not one, but two Angels to fall. That is reason enough, but more than that. I can’t help but be wildly attracted to him. Angel or not, asshole or not, I want to climb that tall mountain of a creature and ride him until he weeps.
I love Luc, Dashel and Evan, but that doesn’t mean I have to dampen down the Demon in me.
All of my attention is so focused on all of these gorgeous men that suddenly fell into my lap, that I fail to see the pillar right in front of me and I walk into it, banging my head hard.
“Fuck!” I curse loudly. “Where did that come from?”
Darius snorts with laughter.
“Thanks for warning me,” I growl at him.
“Not my problem you can’t see properly,” he says and waits for me to get moving again.
I decide to take the high road and lift my chin defiantly. I spin on my heel to stalk off again, only to stop dead as a dark figure materializes in front me suddenly.
“Aacckkk!” I scream like a girl, placing my hand over my heart, and stumbling back a few paces to stand on Darius’s toe.
He grunts in annoyance and shoves me forward.
I topple over from the force of his push and strong arms reach out to catch me.
“Get off me!” I screech in a genuine panic now.
I had no idea that this place was so damn creepy, and I’m wishing with everything that I have that Luc was here to protect me. I crumple my nose up as that unwanted thought drifts around my head.
I don’t need protection. I’m a Demon. Feared. Fearless.
“Axelle? Thank fuck!” a familiar voice bellows at me and crushes me to him, his arms going around me and squeezing me half to death,
“Evan!” I cry, squeezing him back with just as much force. “You’re okay.”
“Always,” he says to me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me. “I will never leave you. I promised. What are you doing here anyway?” he asks.
“Ugh!” I wail in his face. “Don’t ask!” I go back to hugging him, needing to feel the comfort of his arms around me.
“It’s not safe here,” he says quietly.
“No kidding.”
“Tell me, are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine, but if you really want to know…” I start to count off on my fingers, “Luc and I declared our love for each other, and I agreed to his request should I survive these damn trials. I was shot by a dart-gun-wielding Angelic hitman, rendered comatose, locked out of Hell, bled out, abandoned, and left to rot in this dump with this jerk!” I jut my thumb over my shoulder at Darius.
Evan glances over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow.
I turn to look, but Darius remains stoic in the face of my insult.
“Huh,” Evan says. “Is he coming back for you?”
“Who, Luc? Yes, I fucking hope so.”
“Why did he leave you here?”
“He had to go, Ev,” I say with a sigh. “He was gone for too long as it was.”
“Defending him now,” he mutters. “Ev?”
I shrug.
“What can I call you?” he asks earnestly. “Dashel has a name for you.” The jealousy flashes in his eyes.
“He does?” I ask innocently to placate him.
He gives me a scathing look.
“So, Luc sent you here?” I inquire to change the subject.
“Yes,” he drawls. “Without my damned powers. I can’t leave.”
“Oh,” I say surprised. “That’s…rude.”
“No kidding,” he drawls back at me with an eyeroll.
I snort into my hand, trying desperately to stave off the attack of laughter about to erupt. “Sorry,” I choke out, not succeeding.
“Hilarious,” Evan snarls. “Now, shall we get you out of this dump before someone discovers you are here?” he asks with a pointed look.
It has the desired effect and I sober up instantly. “Like who?” I ask suspiciously. He makes it sound like someone in particular.
Evan just shrugs, which infuriates me. “I dunno. Anybody. Everybody.” He slides his glance towards Darius, who just stares blandly back at him.
“Well,” I huff. “Fine by me. I had no idea why we were traipsing all over the place anyway.”
“To keep you safe,” Darius grits out. “Never stay in one place too long.”
“In that case, let’s move. We have been standing here for far too long as it is,” I say with a slight bit of triumph. That’ll show him.
“Indeed,” he says mildly, and just to show me he remains in charge, gives me a solid push in the opposite direction to where we were headed.
“Oof!” I exclaim, as I once again, stumble. “Stop, the fuck, pushing me!”
Evan snorts with mirth. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
I growl at him, baring my teeth, but he just shrugs again. Fuck’s sake. Where is the fear? No one seems to give a damn that I can, and would rather enjoy, tearing strips off them. I lift my chin up and stalk off, leaving them both behind.
Evan picks up the pace to fall into step next to me and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. “Seriously, though. You okay?” he asks.
“I’ll live,” I mutter. “Have you seen Dashel?” I ask hopefully. If Luc sent Evan here, then he also probably sent Dashel.
He shakes his head. “He’s gone too?”
“Yeah, Luc said I could have you back once I pass the trials.”
“Oh, how good of him,” he sneers.
I bite my lip. “He’s only protecting his legacy,” I say, realizing now what a huge thing this really is. I mean, I know it’s a massive deal, but I never really thought about it far past my own insecurities over it and what it means to the world. I didn’t stop to think about what this means to Luc as a male. This baby will be his heir, the son to pass everything down to when the time comes. Of course, he wants that.
“Are you sure you want to go back?” Evan whispers.
I look at him sharply. “Of course,” I shout at him. “I love Luc. We were meant to be.” I hold up my arm and jiggle my bangle at him. “I thought you understood that.”
“Fate?” Evan looks doubtful. “Didn’t think you were a believer.”
“Me either, until Dashel said he was accepting his. I guess it hit home that all of this, all of us, are intermingled with each other and we have to see this through now.”
He stays silent.
“Are you backing out on me?” I bark at him, only to receive a rough shove from Darius to keep quiet.
“No, of course not,” Evan replies. “I love you. I only want what is best for you and if you think this is it, then I’m all in.”
“Good,” I say with a smile, happy to have gotten my way.
I draw in a deep breath, catching the scent of blood. I realize that it is my own. We are back at the gates.
I rush forward to see if Luc is there to greet me. But instead of the King of Hell, there is someone else waiting for me, staring up at the gates with a cautious look on his face.
Dashel
“Dashel,” Axelle cries.
I turn around and she slams into me, throwing her arms around me. I scoop her up, wrapping my arms tightly around her.
“You’re safe,” I murmur into her hair.
“So are you. I was so worried,” she whispers to me and kisses me quickly before letting me go.
“Where am I?” I ask.
“The Demonic Wastelands,” Evan informs me. “Presumably without your powers.”
“No, I have my powers. I can’t leave here, though,” I say with a frown.
“Oh, nice,” Evan mutters. “Why do you get to keep your powers?”
I shrug. If Luc tried to take them off me, then he will be disappointed. He doesn’t rule over me, so I am quite certain he doesn’t have the ability to remove my powers. However, I am unable to leave this plane. Probably because Angels are not supposed to be here. There is no way for us to enter this place,
so there is no way for me to leave it either.
“Why are you here?” I ask Axelle.
She sighs. “It’s a long story. Suffice it to say, your Angel buddy thought shooting me might stop this from happening, but he was dead wrong. As soon as this elixir wears off, I’m going back to Hell and to Luc to finish this damned trial and finally get this body screwed every which way to Sunday. Mark my words. I will not be refused. Not by you, and not by him either!”
I blink at her and her outburst. “Vazna shot you with a celestial elixir?”
“Yes,” she growls at me.
I bite my lip. That elixir is made with my blood. I doubt very much that Vazna has the knowledge or wherewithal to create a new batch of his own yet. That means that my blood is running through her.
That thought makes me smile.
“What?” she asks.
I don’t answer her, I just take her hand and kiss it. I can feel the spark between us. I wonder if she can.
“Hmm. You haven’t seen Luc, have you?”
“No,” I say. “Are these the gates to Hell?”
She nods. “He’s supposed to be coming back for me. I’d hoped he would be here.”
“He will come,” I reassure her, knowing it’s what she wants to hear.
She grins at me.
I look over her shoulder then and give the enormous Demon behind her a vicious smirk. “You live?”
“If you think you have the ability to end me, think again,” Darius drawls. “I was made by the ruler of Hell to defeat your kind.”
“And I was made by the ruler of Heaven to defeat yours,” I counter.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Enough with the pissing contest,” Axelle snaps at us. “So, you’re both high up on the fucking food chain. Good for you. However, neither of you can get me the fuck in there without Luc, so… you know…Shut it!” She gestures madly at the gates and I look back over at them.
“You need him to enter?”
She gives me a scathing look that then turns puzzled. “Oh, I just assumed. Maybe not!” She stalks over to the iron bars and then slams straight into them, banging her head, which looked to be quite painful.