“You have won this battle, sister.” He shoved his hands in front of him, waiting to be cuffed. “But do not think for one minute this is over. You’ll grow complacent, as will your angels, and it will be then that I will strike a deathblow.”
Ambriel’s nostrils flared. “I know where your son Fredrick is, and don’t think for one hot second I won’t use him to contain you.”
Lucifer paled for a brief moment before a pair of silver cuffs appeared around his wrists, and then he disappeared along with Ambriel. Ashley turned to Eli.
“That can’t be it. I mean I expected a fight, or something, anything but that,” she stated.
Eli simply lifted a shoulder. “I suspect he’s saving that for another day. However, he’ll be in solitary confinement I’m sure for a very long time.”
Ashley threw her arms around her mate and squeezed him tight. “It’s over. I can’t believe it’s over.” She pushed back and gasped. “Shit! I have to go release the souls.” Before anyone could say anything, she teleported herself straight to Lucifer’s special little room. The one that held the hundreds of brilliant glass globes hanging from the ceiling. She’d made a promise, and now she could finally keep it.
“It’s time for you all to be free,” she whispered. With a wave of her hand, and a burst of power, the glass balls shattered. Hundreds of souls hung in the air confused, but she knew they would soon know where to go. Some would be reunited with their bodies, while others who no longer had a living body would move on, finally free to be at peace.
Strong arms slipped around her waist and pulled her to a hard body. She smiled, loving the warm embrace of her mate. Finally, the two of them could begin a life together.
“You do realize, that you are now the lady in charge down here?” He whispered in her ear then gave a gentle nip.
“You just had to spoil the moment didn’t you.” Yeah, she knew once Lucifer was out of the picture there would be a new job waiting for her. First things first, though. She needed to see her aunt Viv, and then she was determined to keep her mate in bed for a week straight.
“Oh, I do love that idea.” He rubbed his stiff cock in the crack of her ass. “Can we start now?”
She spun to face him, laced her arms around his neck, and played with the back of his hair. “I’d like that. The rest can wait. It’ll still be here in a week.” She’d send a message to her aunt that all was well and she’d visit soon. In the meantime, she summoned her power, pushed a do not disturb command to Drakkar, and stole Eli away. Back to the tiny cabin in the outback of Alaska where they’d first met.
Epilogue
The stench of burning flesh cut off his air. Biting pain sliced across his torso, and he quickly realized he was the one on fire. Even with his eyes swelled shut, he knew his skin blistered. Turned to charcoal and peeled away exposing bone.
His body convulsed.
Muscles tightened and released, sending him crashing against a cold hard surface. What the hell was happening to him?
Laughter tinged with evil rang in his ears. He tried to speak, but something was wrong. Tongue. Wasn’t he supposed to have one?
“What’s the matter, angel? Demons got your tongue?” More snickering, and then a piercing pain, as if a red-hot poker had been shoved into the bottom of his foot.
He screamed.
His throat raw, he was positive he’d been screaming for hours. Where the hell was he?
“Pry his eyes open. Let him see his captors,” someone yelled.
Hands grabbed his hair and placed some kind of strap across his forehead. Next thing he knew, his eyes were forced open. The burning he experienced matched that of his skin. Water filled his eyes and made it hard to focus, not that he was sure he wanted to. A dark figure bent over him, and finally, he was able to make out a female figure through the fog.
“Well hello, Lyzander. Do you remember me?” She touched her finger to her cheek. “Oh, my bad. I forgot we cut out your tongue. No worries. You’ll heal in a few days, and then we can start over again.” Her red lips curved upward, revealing a set of pearly fangs. “I can hardly wait.” Her tongue darted out and ran across a point. “I’m feeling hungry, but I’ll wait until you’re more awake. In the meantime, please enjoy your stay.” She disappeared, and thankfully, the device that had been holding his eyes open was removed. Once again, he was in the darkness, and this time the pain pushed him into unconsciousness.
Lyzander snuggled into the softness that blanketed him. The scent of fresh linens, hung out on a sunny day, tickled his nose. It was his favorite smell.
He blinked then opened his eyes. White walls were basked in the sun shining through the picture window. He pushed himself to sitting and noticed he was naked. He rubbed his eyes and wondered why in the hell he was suddenly having nightmares. The pain was vivid, but when he looked himself over there was no indication it had been real. Scraping his fingers along his jaw, he scratched at the scruff as he threw the covers the rest of the way off and crawled out of bed. Halfway across the room he stopped.
“Wait.”
He turned, doing a one-eighty. It looked like his bedroom, but he suddenly realized his home above had been destroyed. Hadn’t it?
He scratched his head and squinted. What was the last thing he remembered?
Fighting. First, the Sitori then his own brethren who had turned into fallen zombies. After that? Things were a bit fuzzy. Maybe a shower would help clear his mind. He flung open the bedroom door and stepped into…
“What the fuck?”
“Good morning, warrior,” the silky voice purred.
“Aezyla.” He couldn’t choke out any more than that. The demon stared at him, her black eyes full of hatred. The feeling was fucking mutual.
“You do remember me. I’m glad to see you healed. It pleases me that you’re quick to recover.” The smile she presented was so evil he shivered.
“Healed?” Memories rushed him. “It was you who stood over me. That wasn’t a fucking nightmare.”
“Oh it was very real, and I enjoyed every second of it. From cutting out your tongue, to watching your flesh blister and pop open from the burns. I think your screams of agony were my favorite though.” She slinked forward; her leathery wings twitched as she laughed. “And I look forward to inventing new ways to torture you.”
Panic filled him as his gaze darted from her to the two large demons who had slid in next to her. He tried to summon his own wings, but they refused to obey.
He stepped back.
The room he had exited had been replaced by a dungeon. The two males ascended, each grabbed an arm and shoved him backward. Shackling his wrists over his head, they pulled the chains until his feet were off the ground.
The weight of his entire body caused the cuffs to slice into his skin, and blood trickled down his arms. He was helpless. His power gone.
“Am I dead?”
Aezyla laughed. “No my pet, but you’ll beg me to kill you over and over. You could have shown mercy to my family. Instead, you slaughtered them. Now you will pay with an eternity of suffering.” She grazed a red nail down his cheek, slicing him open. “The first angel to actually be dragged into Lulerain in centuries. The fortune demons are offering me to have a go at you is astounding. I stand to become quite wealthy.”
Acid curdled in his gut and raced up his esophagus. How had he ended up here? Lulerain, the pit of hell where even demons feared to tread. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed this was only a nightmare, but it wasn’t. His prayers would go unheard. No angel had ever returned from Hell, and no one had ever heard of one surviving the wolves of Lulerain. Lyzander was about to become Hell’s plaything. He was beyond screwed.
About the Author
Award winning and bestselling author Valerie Twombly grew up watching Dark Shadows over her mother’s shoulder, and from there her love of the fanged creatures blossomed. Today, Valerie has decided to take her darker, sensual side and put it to paper. When she is not busy creating a world full of ste
amy, hot men and strong, seductive women, she juggles her time between a full-time job, hubby and her two German shepherd dogs, in Northern IL. Valerie is a member of Romance Writers of America and Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Romance Writers. She is also the founder of the Sexy Scribblers. A group of romance writers who get together and write free stories for their fans.
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Also by Valerie Twombly
An Angel’s Torment (Eternally Mated prequel)
Fall Into Darkness (Eternally Mated #1)
Eternal Flame (Guardians #1)
Fatal Desire (Guardians #2)
Primal Hunger (Guardians #3)
Divine Passion (Guardians #3.5)
Amazon Heat (Demon Heat #1)
Emerald Fire (Demon Heat #2)
Spanish Nights, A Jinn’s Seduction
Sultry Nights, A Jinn’s Seduction
Taken By Desire (Demonic Desires #1)
Veiled In Darkness Page 13