The Devil's Soldier: A Paranormal Vampire Romance Novel (Devil Series Book 3)

by Raven Steele

  “I wasn’t with Boaz,” she spat. “He kidnapped me and has kept me in a prison so he could drain my magic.” Tears filled her eyes, and she lowered her head. “I’ve been his bloody battery charger for months. He nearly killed me.”

  Eve’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, Liane. I had no idea!”

  Liane’s head snapped up, and she glared at Eve. “And where were you the whole time? Living a life of luxury free from Boaz? You left me!”

  The hair on Lucien’s arms rose as the room crackled with electricity. This witch was ready to blow. He straightened tall and stepped out from behind the bookshelf to draw closer to Eve.

  Liane’s eyes flashed to him. “Who are you?”

  “Don’t worry about him,” Eve said. “He’s afraid you’re going to hurt me. But you wouldn’t do that, would you?”

  Liane bit her lip. “I don’t want to. I’m so tired.”

  “Then come with me. I’ll take care of you.” Eve crept forward. “I’ll explain everything.”

  A book dropped near Charlie. Everyone jumped. Rick’s mouth fell open, and his face turned a deep scarlet.

  “Sorry,” he whispered.

  Liane narrowed her eyes. “If you are my friend, then why did you bring all these men with you? You came to capture me, didn’t you?”

  “No, I wouldn’t—”

  Liane raised her hand, her fingers twitching. Lucien didn’t wait to see what she might do next. With a mere thought, he attempted to pin Liane’s body to the wall where she would be contained, but a powerful force blocked him.

  Liane’s cold gaze locked with his. “No one will force me to do anything ever again.”

  She jerked her head forward. It looked like a simple nod, but it brought a sharp blast of energy that knocked everyone to the ground. A freezing wind came behind it, whipping and stirring papers and books all around the room. Frost crystalized in the corners of the window; one of them cracked.

  Charlie was yelling orders to his men, but Lucien barely heard him over the roaring wind. He crawled toward Eve, who had crashed into a table, flipping both herself and the table over. He smoothed her swirling hair away from her face.

  “Are you okay?” he yelled.

  Her eyes met his. The deep sea green held roots of hurt and pain. He glanced over her head toward Liane. She was standing tall, her hands down, palms outward and fingers spread. Her eyes shone milky white while her lips moved, chanting words he couldn’t hear.

  This had to end, but he didn’t dare hurt Liane for fear of causing Eve further pain. It was evident Liane meant a great deal to her, no matter what Liane had done in the past.

  Lucien lifted his head and searched for Charlie. Charlie had managed to right himself after flying several feet back. He shouldered a gun and pointed it at Liane. Liane noticed and turned his way, and by her expression, she meant to do a lot more than blast him with air.

  Lucien eyed the scattered debris on the floor. He spotted a tranquilizer near one of the men, who still hadn’t recovered from being blasted. He scrambled over and scooped it up just as Charlie pulled the trigger. The tranquilizer from Charlie’s gun had barely left the barrel, before Liane exploded it in midair, flames shooting in every direction. Charlie cried out and reached for his face with both hands.

  Lucien took advantage of the distraction. He rushed Liane from the opposite side and plunged the dart deep into her neck. Her eyes widened and her lips moved as if muttering a curse, but before she could finish it she slumped to the floor.

  Books and papers crashed to the ground. Charlie was moaning and writhing on the floor, his face covered. Lucien hurried over to him.

  “Let me see,” he said.

  Charlie grimaced and lowered his hands. “It feels like my face has been eaten off! How bad is it?”

  Lucien turned Charlie’s chin to get a better look. The left half of his face had tiny metal shards embedded into much of his skin. The tip of the gun must have exploded too, but at least he would live.

  “A definite improvement,” Lucien answered.

  “Shut up and get me some help,” Charlie said and moaned again.

  Lucien motioned Rick over. “Take him back to the Deific and call Dr. Skinner. He’ll know what to do.”

  “But isn’t he a shrink?” Rick asked.

  “Just do it!” Charlie said. “I’m dying here.”

  Lucien helped Charlie to stand. “Skinner knows a medical doctor that’s helped us before.”

  “Got it, Boss,” Rick said and guided Charlie away.

  Lucien straightened and addressed the other men, many of whom had their own injuries, but none of them looked serious. “Let’s get this place cleaned up as best we can, then return to the Deific.”

  He glanced back to Eve. She had moved from her spot on the floor and over to Dmitri.

  “Wake up,” she said and shook his shoulder gently.

  Lucien joined her. “Is he hurt somewhere?”

  “I don’t think so. It feels like some sort of spell.”

  Lucien lowered to his knees and placed a hand on Dimitri’s back, concentrating hard. It took a few seconds for him to sense it, the foreign magical invader pulsing through the monk’s body.

  “We could break it,” he said and glanced at Eve.

  She nodded once and slid her free hand into his. Their magic connected at once, and an intense heat surged through him. He focused on purging the dark magic from Dimitri’s body by doing what Henry had taught him. With Eve’s fingers entwined into his, it was a simple task. Together, he felt they could accomplish anything.

  He opened his eyes and caught Eve staring at him. She quickly lowered her eyes as if she were doing something wrong. Lucien squeezed her hand in reassurance, but she didn’t squeeze back. Something was going on with her, and he had a feeling it had to do with her mother and Henry.

  Dmitri coughed and opened his eyes.

  “Dmitri!” Eve said. “Are you okay?”

  He pulled himself into a sitting a position and lightly touched his head, just beneath his brown curly hair. “I feel drunk. Am I drunk?”

  Eve smiled. “Not you. It was magic.”

  Dmitri tightened his lips as if trying to clear his mind, but then he saw Liane. “She did this to me.”

  Eve glanced at Liane and then Dmitri. “What are you doing here? And how did you find Liane?”

  Dmitri, his eyes full of innocence, said to Eve, “Why, she’s come for you of course.”

  Chapter 16

  Eve’s pulse raced, an erratic painful beat. Did Liane mean to take her back to Boaz? Lucien tightened his grip on her hand, a move probably meant to steady her, but the fear and dread rumbling in her stomach couldn’t be tamed.

  “Why do you look so frightened?” Dmitri asked. “Liane needs your help.”

  “My help?”

  “She came to the monastery after escaping from Boaz. I overheard her speaking with one of the other guests about her past and a woman named Eve, a sister of hers, who died in a fire.” He moved his neck back and forth as if it was sore. “I remember her words exactly. Liane said, ‘If Boaz wouldn’t have killed Eve, I know my life would’ve turned out differently. She would’ve helped me.’ When I heard those words, I knew whom she was speaking about.”

  “But why bring her here?” Lucien asked. “Why not call?”

  “Because of Boaz. Liane said he was in Europe and probably looking for her, so I thought it best to sneak her out. I was going to call you,” he looked at Eve, “the moment we landed, but Liane had some sort of panic attack and ran. I didn’t tell her about you, maybe I should have, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see her. I wanted to talk to you about it in person.” He sucked in a tired breath. “Anyway, I followed her trail, since her magic was easy to track, to the library. That’s when she rendered me unconscious.”

  The fear in Eve’s gut turned sour. Had she been wrong about Liane this whole time? Eve had always assumed it was Liane who had told Erik and Sable that Eve had faked her death, which l
ed to Boaz capturing her, but maybe Boaz had tracked her on his own.

  Eve let go of Lucien’s hand and walked to Liane, who was lying still on the floor. She smoothed the hair away from Liane’s face. The hair fell from Liane’s neck, revealing two angry-looking puncture wounds. Eve bit the inside of her lip as she remembered the girls that had been trapped in Boaz’s basement.

  “Was I right to bring her here?” Dmitri asked.

  “Yes.” Eve tightened her hands into fists. Boaz would pay for this.

  “The timing of her arrival is suspicious,” Lucien said. “What if this is part of Boaz’s plan?”

  “Boaz kidnapping Liane was part of his plan,” Eve said, her tone bitter. “Her escaping wasn’t.”

  “But how do we know she escaped?” Lucien asked again, his voice gentle.

  “Because she said so. Plus, she’s got bite marks on her neck.” Eve straightened, her heart clenching. Boaz had hurt so many people. “Let’s get her back to the Deific. I assume there’s an empty apartment we can stay in?”

  “You can stay with me,” Lucien said, moving closer to her. “But we should probably keep Liane detained until we know more.”

  Eve should’ve looked at Lucien when she said her next words, but she couldn’t. “I’ll stay in my own place, and Liane can stay with me. She won’t be a threat to anyone. I’ll see to it.”

  “Did you not just see what she did to Charlie? You haven’t even asked about him.”

  Eve cringed at the hurt in his voice. “You’re right. I’m sorry. How is he?”

  “He’ll live but with some new fancy scars.”

  Eve touched a growing pain in the middle of her forehead. Too much was happening too fast. She wanted to be alone with Lucien, tell him how she had thought of him every night, how she had longed to be with him. But with Liane’s surprise return, and the threat of Eve possibly having to return to Boaz, it was too much. She needed time. Even a day to think through things.

  “I’ll check on him as soon as I can,” she promised, “but I need to get Liane back to a place for just her and me. I know you disagree, Lucien, but I promise she’s not a threat. Boaz used her just like he did me.”

  Lucien glanced over at Dmitri, clenching his jaw.

  “She seemed perfectly harmless up until tonight,” Dmitri said, shrugging a little.

  “Fine,” Lucien said and easily scooped Liane into his arms. “But I’m staying close by.”

  Eve helped Dmitri to his feet. “And there’s plenty of room for you too, Dmitri. You’ll be safe there.”

  Dmitri smoothed his robe. “Actually, I’m going to leave in the morning. The city makes me feel claustrophobic.”

  “Must you?” she asked, her heart sinking. She would’ve loved to talk to him more like they used to. Many late night hours had been spent with him walking the gardens of the monastery, talking about everything and nothing. He’d healed her in so many ways.

  “I wish I could stay longer, but this place isn’t for me.” He gave her a tight hug. “Come visit me soon?”

  “Of course.” She smiled and breathed him in. He smelled like Frankincense and honey, just as she remembered.

  He released her and stepped back, eyeing the exit anxiously. It had probably been a huge sacrifice for him to come as he hadn’t left France in years, but she would be forever grateful to him for bringing Liane.

  “This place is a disaster,” Eve said, looking around. Shelves had been tipped over and books were scattered everywhere. Charlie’s men were picking up and fixing what they could. “How long do you think Liane will be out?”

  “A couple of hours, at least,” Lucien said.

  Eve avoided his gaze. The way he was looking at her… confused, hurt. She couldn’t think about it right now. “Would you mind taking Liane back? I want to help the others clean up.”

  “This isn’t your fault,” Dmitri said. “It’s mine. I should have told you we were coming.”

  “I’ll take Dmitri and Liane, but then I’m coming back for you,” Lucien said, his voice firm.

  Eve bent over and picked up a book. To Kill a Mockingbird.

  “That’s okay. I’ll return with the others.” She kissed him on the cheek to keep him from arguing. “I’ll see you soon.”

  He remained tense, but after a few seconds he walked away, glancing back once. Dmitri hurried after him, his hands twisting together.

  Eve gathered the books quickly and placed them back on the shelves as best she could. Sorting the books relaxed her and gave her some time to think through her dilemma. Could Lucien be right about Liane? But if he was, then wouldn’t Boaz have just sent Liane to the Deific? Boaz didn’t know Eve had been staying at the monastery. She didn’t think so, anyway.

  “Eve?” a tall Deific man said. “We’re all finished.”

  Eve placed the book in her hands onto the shelf and turned around. The library looked the same as when they arrived except for a boarded up window and a few broken tables and chairs. The remains had been carried off, leaving a big empty space. Eve related to that space.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  It was still dark outside, but dawn hovered on the eastern sky. Eve rested her head on the glass of the passenger door window, breathing slowly in and out. Most likely Lucien would be waiting for her. She still didn’t know what to tell him, but she had to keep him at an arm’s length, at least until she knew whether Henry was speaking the truth. If there was any chance she had to leave Lucien again, she wouldn’t make it harder on him by rushing back into his arms only to be ripped from them again.

  The moment she walked through the doors of the Deific, Lucien was there.

  “Everything go okay?”

  She nodded. “How’s Charlie?”

  “They took him offsite for emergency care.” A shadow passed over him face. “We need to talk.”

  “I know, but I can’t. Not right now.”

  “Not about us.”

  Eve looked up at him, surprised. Was she that easy to read?

  “As much as I want to,” he said, “there are bigger things going on.”

  “What?”

  “Walk with me.” Lucien headed for the elevator. Once they were inside, he turned to her. “Alana found out that the Vice President is some kind of supernatural. We are afraid something big and bad is about to happen.”

  Eve leaned back against the wall. “Boaz is moving fast.”

  “He supported my brother’s plan to kill millions with a virus. Since that’s no longer happening, he’s found another way. I’m afraid the Vice President is part of his plan.”

  “Boaz has to be stopped.” She said it more to herself than him.

  The elevator doors opened. Lucien waited for her to go into the hallway first before following her out.

  “So what’s stopping us now?” Lucien asked. “We have the blood of all four original witch families. We need to do this right away, but for some reason Henry’s stalling, and I can’t fathom why.”

  He stopped at a door and tilted his head towards it. “Dmitri’s in here. Sounds like he’s asleep. Liane’s next door. Rick was with her up until ten minutes ago.”

  “Thank you for all of your help,” she said. “Soon this will all be over.”

  He stepped so close she backed up against the wall. He stopped when there was only an inch between them and stared down at her with intense, almost hungry, eyes. She could feel his body heat, or maybe it was his magic reacting to hers, burning through her skin into her veins and bones, and to her sex. Whatever it was, it was explosive. Her chest heaved.

  Lucien glanced down at her breasts, then back up at her, his eyes focusing on her lips. “We have unresolved business.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve waited a long time to be with you.”

  “Yes.” With him so close, his eyes boring into hers, she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  He reached forward and gripped her hips, making her gasp. “I want you to stay with me tonight.”


  He reached up and ran his fingers along her jaw line and to the back of her head, leaving a trail of fire across her skin. He fisted her hair and brought her face so close their breaths mingled.

  “I want you, Eve. Every part of you. I want to be inside you, under you. I want to taste every part of you.”

  Her whole body trembled with want. “Lucien … ”

  His lips crashed into hers, and he kissed her savagely. She parted her mouth, and Lucien’s tongue swept inside, claiming her. He jerked her hips to his, and she could feel his hard erection.

  Moaning, Eve wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more deeply. Her pulse raced, and every nerve ending demanded to feel his touch. He lifted her up, his hands sliding to her ass, and pressed her back to the wall. She thrusted her hips into him, wanting to feel him press against that one spot that would finally give her some much needed release.

  Lucien froze, his mouth on hers. He cocked his head to the side.

  “What is it?” she breathed, her hips still grinding into his.

  “Liane’s waking up.”

  Her mind cleared instantly, and she wriggled out of his grip until he dropped her. “I have to go.”

  “Eve—”

  “Everything’s okay, Lucien,” she said, breathless. “I’ll be careful, I promise, but Liane needs a friend right now.”

  He growled, but he didn't’ stop her as she walked toward her apartment. “I’ll be close by if you need me.”

  “Thank you.” Eve stopped at the door and glanced back at him. “I love you so much. Please be patient with me.”

  “I will always wait for you, Eve, but don’t expect me not to grab your ass in passing or sneak a kiss whenever I can.” He winked at her, making her smile. “Take care of your friend. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Her heart melted as she opened the door and snuck inside. She couldn’t wait for this to all be over.

  “It really is you.”

  Eve spun around, closing the door as she went. Liane was sitting up on a couch in the apartment’s small living room, a blanket at her feet.

  “How are you feeling?” Eve asked, her voice steady.

  Liane moaned and touched her forehead lightly. “Like I’ve been hit by a semi. The world has turned upside down, and I don’t know how to make sense of it.”