by Eve Newton
“WHAT!” I roar at him, my heart now racing for a whole other reason. “Failed to mention that, didn’t you, you absolute fucker!” I am seething. How dare he leave out that important information.
He just shrugs as if he doesn’t really give a shit. Which he probably doesn’t. As long as I “expel” the child, that is all he cares about.
“I wasn’t worried. I am not worried. You came out of the trials with flying colors, and you are the picture of health, my love. Glowing, in fact. You couldn’t look more gorgeous if you tried.”
He is trying to placate me, but it isn’t working. I sniff delicately and let him take my hand to do more.
“I married you so that we could be together to raise this child. Children,” he amends quickly at my look. “I do care about what happens to you, Axelle, that is why I don’t want you at the mercy of him…” he gestures with his head to the depiction. I just can’t call it a painting. “…if something happens to me.”
“Wh-what will happen to you?” I ask, suddenly very nervous by his chilling tone.
Luc sighs. “If he wants his throne back, there is only one way to take it.”
I freeze, my blood is like ice. “He wouldn’t do that, you are his grandchild,” I scoff.
“And yet it is the son’s right to kill his father to take it,” he says so matter-of-factly, I shiver.
“Will our son…you know…do that to you?” I ask in a small voice.
He goes completely still, only his eyes moving slightly as he searches mine. “Probably,” he says. “But not for a long time. He is needed to start the Apocalypse on Earth as I cannot go without fucking the whole thing up.”
“No!” I say, squeezing his hand. “I won’t allow this. I won’t lose you!”
“You won’t. Yet,” he says.
I’m anything but reassured by his words.
“Point is, Grandfather wasn’t defeated in battle. Technically Hell is still his. If I want it, I will have to fight for it.”
I start to say that word again, but clamp my lips shut. “Then he stays where he is. In fact, burn it,” I growl.
“If that works, I doubt father would have left it lying around for so long,” he says dryly.
“Then it goes to the dungeon. I will get Stanford to take it down there,” I say boldly.
He nods in agreement and pulls me to him for a deep, lingering kiss that makes me forget about his grandfather.
However, it doesn’t make me forget about the reason I came to find him. Unfortunately, I came to the horrid realization a few days ago, that I need to come clean about Vazna. These secret rendezvous that he keeps pulling me into is weighing on me and I need to tell him.
“We need to talk,” I say and flame us out to the caverns.
He looks around and takes his hand out of mine. “Sounds serious,” he says, folding his arms, almost defensively.
“It is,” I say and hoist myself up onto the altar with a heavy sigh. “I have been keeping something from you, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I want you to know what’s been happening.”
He gives me a look that once again chills me, but I steel myself. I know that he is going to be beyond pissed, but rather now than when I scream out Vazna’s name in my sleep again after a kiss so passionate, I felt the loss of it when I woke up.
Luckily, Luc wasn’t there, but Dashel was, and after an interrogation where I came out the sore loser, I did find out why this is happening. Doesn’t change the fact that Luc needs to know and that he is going to be pissed beyond belief.
Luc says nothing, so I take a deep breath. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you about Vazna,” I start.
He growls at me as I say the Angel’s name.
“I have spoken to him several times since I returned to Hell,” I rush out and wait for him to kill me.
“Oh?” he asks and then waits again for me to continue.
Fuck’s sake. The suspense is killing me waiting for him to do something.
All this fucking waiting.
“He has been pulling me into a dream reality. He is, no was, adamant that he stops us from creating the child. Children,” I amend myself now. “He was prepared to do everything he could to stop it from happening.”
“Meaning?” Luc asks.
I huff at him. He is still being so calm about this, but I know it belies his real anger. He just wants to make me say it before he annihilates me.
“He tried to convince me to get rid of the babies,” I answer in a low tone, dropping my eyes as I’m still so disgusted that he could suggest that.
Luc growls and takes a menacing step closer to me, glaring down at me, scaring me with the anger that is etched on his face.
“I trust you told him to get fucked,” he snarls. “And not by you!” he roars the last two words in my face.
“Of course I did,” I say, trying to find the courage that has abandoned me under his rage. “I love these children. I didn’t think I was capable, but every day that they grow a little more, I become more attached to them. I would never do anything to hurt them. Or you,” I add, trying to take his hand, but he pulls it away.
“I am struggling to understand why you kept this from me,” he says quietly, deathly quietly, and it terrifies me more than his yelling.
“I was afraid what you would think,” I reply, again in a low tone, trying not to aggravate him further. “I was afraid that you would think it was what I wanted.”
“What? To have him visit you in your dreams, to fuck him, or to kill our children?” he grits out with so much force, I feel the backlash of power from him as it rocks me back on the altar.
I grip the stone tightly to stop myself from toppling over.
“All of the above,” I say, meekly.
“So, you do want to fuck him,” he spits out.
“Yes,” I say, needing to hurry up and tell him what Dashel told me. “He is Heaven’s Guardian now, Luc. In the grand scheme of things, fate and all that, I was destined to fall in love with Heaven’s Guardian make him fall and…”
“You did that!” he snarls. “Are you now telling me that you are supposed to do it again?”
“No, Dashel told me that when he chose me over Heaven, it wasn’t fate. At least not entirely. It was his but not mine. It’s complicated… My fate was to have Heaven’s Guardian pursue me to try and change me, change my mind about the trials and about you. When Dashel left Heaven and lost his title, that fell on Vazna along with that destiny.”
“Bullshit!” he spits out. “You are trying to justify this.”
I shake my head. “No! I believe him. I can’t help that Vazna became Heaven’s Guardian. I can’t help the pull he has on me. That’s all part of this fate.”
He glares down at me. “And I suppose the fact that he is mildly attractive doesn’t factor into this?”
I snort at him, unable to help myself. “Mildly attractive? Okay,” I say and run my hand up his chest, the seduction in it as clear as day. “If you want the whole truth, I want to climb that gorgeous mountain and ride him until he falls to his knees weeping for his lost soul. I want to rip that innocent soul from his body, so painfully slow, that he will scream for days with the agony of it. I want to be the one to see his destruction so badly, I can taste it.” I have tilted my head up, brought my lips as close to his as I can, but he is too tall for me to kiss him without his input, and I can hardly leap on him in my current condition.
He doesn’t oblige me. In fact, if anything, he grimaces at me and pulls away.
“And how exactly has he been pulling you into these dreams, Axelle?” he asks, his voice like steel.
I hesitate and he sees it. I was afraid of this question and I have no idea how to answer it without it sounding as bad as it is.
He grips my upper arms suddenly, crushing them in his strong grip as he yells into my face, “Tell me!”
I look down. “The elixir that he shot me with was made with his blood. He says it is still running through me and tha
t is why he can contact me,” I whisper, suddenly very afraid. “Dashel said he wasn’t sure that he could make it, being so new, but he agrees it is the only thing that makes him able to contact me.”
The look of utter disgust on his face, makes me rear back slightly. I didn’t want to see it, but I knew it would be there.
“You have his blood running through you?” he asks in such disbelief, I gain a small bit of hope that he just won’t believe me. “And Dashel knew about this? You told him all of this before me?”
“Not intentionally,” I plead with him. “He knew something was wrong. He asked about it.” Okay, so I’ve taken to lying now because the truth is going to make him even angrier.
“Have you fucked him?” he asks quietly.
“No!” I say adamantly. “I wouldn’t do that. I told you I wouldn’t.”
“And I’m expected to believe you?” he scoffs.
“Yes,” I say, lifting my chin higher. “I am committed to you, Evan and Dashel.”
He turns and walks away from me.
I gulp and wish that I’d kept all of this to myself.
~ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ~
Luc
I keep my back turned to her as I can’t look at her right now. A thought has occurred to me that makes a wave of nausea go over me, but I spin quickly back to face her, my rage boiling up and over.
I approach her, my hands bunched into tight fists and I have the momentary satisfaction of seeing her cower from me, before she finds her strength and lifts her chin, prepared for whatever I may do.
I take a deep breath before I shift into my true form in a quick burst that hurts like a motherfucker but has the desired effect on her. She whimpers in fear, scooting back as I lumber closer to her.
She chokes back the terrified sob, her hand around her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I didn’t know until recently…”
“Fuck!” I yell at her, taking a swipe at the air, not at her, she is carrying my children, for fuck’s sake. I would never hurt her right now. Not physically anyway. But she cringes anyway, so afraid of me, I can smell it. It pleases me, a lot, but it also disappoints me. I don’t want her to fear me. She is supposed to be strong, and right now she is acting anything but.
I flap my enormous wings. “The girl,” I croak out. “She is an anomaly. She wasn’t supposed to exist. She is here because of his blood in you.”
At her completely shocked look that quickly turns to devastation, I lose my rage at her and shift back to my human form. I feel defeated, utterly, and I loathe the feeling so much it makes me want to vomit.
“I fucked you while you have his blood in you. I put my dick in you to create a child, a son, and because of this, you have fucked everything up.”
“I’m sorry,” she whimpers. “It wasn’t me. He was the one who shot me.”
My fury lights up again. “And you were the one who kept it a secret, Axelle! If I had known this, I would have made sure to burn every last drop of it out of you before I went anywhere near you!”
I can’t help the disgust I feel. I might as well have screwed the Angel myself.
The fact that Dashel came inside her, that I’ve slid my dick into her with his cum filling her hole is something else. He has fallen. It’s different. Sort of. Ugh! This whole situation suddenly revolts me to the point where I have to turn from her again.
“Please,” she stammers. “Please, stop looking at me with such disgust. I can’t stand it.”
“I am disgusted,” I spit out, turning back to her. “I am disgusted with you; you have tainted me by association. You have come all over my cock while you were filled with,” I shudder at the word, “good!” I see her face crumple. “I have had my tongue inside your cunt, tasted that nectar and all the while it was fouled with light. How could you?” I can’t help the withering disappointment that rears its head, nor can I help making this her fault. She is carrying a girl because of this; I just know it. That abomination is taking sustenance from my son, making him weaker because of it.
Probably.
I can see that my words have destroyed her. She is trying to hold back the tears of shame she feels, but she is not able to stop them from seeping out of her eyes. The eyes that I gave her, that I find so captivating.
“Don’t sully it,” she whimpers. “Please, don’t make it sound so polluted. I love you,” she adds desperately.
“It is polluted,” I spit at her. “You are polluted. I can’t even look at you.”
“Luc, please…”
“DO NOT SAY MY NAME!” I roar, making her shrink back. “Not while you have that contamination inside you.”
I stride towards her and grab her arm tightly, dragging her back up onto the altar. She is petrified.
I bring forth an athame.
“Luc, please,” she whimpers.
I grab her wrist and slash it, a gush of her blood spurts out and I slash my own. I smash our wounds together and she screams in agony.
“Stop!” she cries, but I grit my teeth.
“I have to burn this out of you,” I spit out. “My blood will get rid of any light in you. Be still.” I soften as my anger abates. I gaze down into her constricted face and I feel guilty for everything that I said to her. I push it aside, closing my eyes and concentrate on the task. I need enough of my blood in her to get rid of Vazna’s. It will be like fire in her veins, but I have to do this. I have to destroy this link between the two of them. I will not tolerate a secret relationship. It is out of the question. Who knows what ideas he is putting in her head? Especially with the girl growing inside of her, that is definitely nothing to do with me. I am sure that Vazna’s blood has everything to do with it. And if he knows, he will use it.
Axelle’s screams cease.
I glance down at her and see that she has fainted. It’s no surprise. She will have been in more agony with this than with our consummation. I sigh and carry on staring at her as my blood works its way through her.
After about half an hour, I’m satisfied that Axelle is no longer tainted.
I pick her up and cradle her before I flame out. I place her gently on the bed as Dashel looks at me. I don’t think he has left this room for very long since he got here.
“What did you do to her?” he asks cautiously, going to her and taking her hand.
“Burned every last drop of that fucker’s blood out of her,” I snarl at him. “When did she tell you about all of this?”
I’m testing him to see if what he tells me matches up.
“Yesterday,” he replies. “I knew something was wrong with her.”
“Humph,” I mutter. He makes it sound like I wasn’t paying attention. Asshat. Although, clearly, I wasn’t. I’m a bigger asshat but will never admit that to anyone else. I let her down and that hurts me more than her betrayal, which still stings like acid on an open wound.
I’m still so angry with her and her deception, I need something to take the edge off before she wakes, and I have to face her again.
“Will she be okay?” Dashel asks quietly.
“Fine,” I snap. “She just fainted, that’s all.”
“And the children?” Dashel reaches out to stroke her bump and it incenses me.
I slap his hand away. “They are fine. Strong.”
I will not tell him that the girl is an atrocity that shouldn’t exist. No one will ever know. As far as Hell is concerned, Axelle and I created miracle twins. As long as I shove the girl away, keep her out of the spotlight, everyone will forget about her eventually and revere my son as it should be.
Dashel scowls at me but says nothing more. To my surprise, though, he gets up and leaves the room. I’m curious where he thinks he’s going, but there is only one thing for this feeling that is eating me up. I have to go to the dungeons and torture some poor soul until I feel calm enough that I won’t turn from my wife for good. It is all I want to do now, throw her out, banish her to the pits, but I know that is the Devil’s rage talking. I am at least reasonable en
ough to realize that. Once I’ve worked off this feeling, I can go back to her. Talk about how she has disappointed me and what she intends to do to make it up to me. A tiny fraction of my anger disappears, and I smile, thinking of all the ways she can make it up to me.
I realize as I leave the room that Dashel doesn’t seem the least bit concerned that she has been messing about with his successor. It makes me pause. Am I being ridiculous about this? She hasn’t fucked Vazna, I believe her when she says that. Who am I to castigate someone over lying? I feel that should be Dashel’s job. We have role reversed, and that displeases me. I do not want Axelle to perceive me as the bad guy here. Fuck knows what Evan thinks, or if he even knows about this. But I refuse to let Dashel be the better man. No way.
Axelle is my wife and is carrying my children.
I will not make her suffer anymore at my actions towards her. When she wakes, I will make sure she knows this.
Dashel
I find myself wandering the downstairs hallway for the first time since I arrived here. It is something that thrills a small, yet growing, piece inside me. There is debauchery stamped all over this place. I would’ve been horrified to see this in my prior life, but now I’m indulging this darkness. I meander past a fornicating couple and stop to observe. Her arms are chained to the wall and he is hammering into her as if his life depended on it. He pulls on a cord and the female makes a gagging noise. He is choking her, but it doesn’t appear that she minds.
I blink and remember Luc’s hands wrapped around Axelle’s slender white throat.
I feel myself go hard and shift uncomfortably. Should I be watching this and getting aroused when Axelle isn’t here?
“Care to join in?” the male says, pulling his dick out of the female so that he can turn to face me.
“Uhm…” I stammer. I have a raging erection, but I do not wish to engage in sexual activity with a female that isn’t Axelle.