by Julia Mills
“Thoughts like that will get us both in trouble.” He winked, pulling back but still holding her hand.
“You can hear my thoughts, too?”
Nodding, Rian responded, “Yes. It is a product of our growing bond and the years we have spent together. It usually happens after the official mating but in our case, it has simply grown over time.”
“Guess I better be more careful with what I think.” Audrey chuckled.
Rian’s face grew serious. “You never have to hide anything from me. I want us to always be open and honest no matter what.” He paused and grinned, “But I will need to teach you to block your thoughts from everyone else.”
Certain she would die from embarrassment, Audrey asked, “They can hear me, too?” She knew her voice was rising in not only volume but tone as well, but she couldn’t help how mortified she was going to be if anyone had heard what she thought of Rian’s butt.
Laughing, he answered aloud, “Not until we are officially mated. After that, you will share the unique and private bonds I have with each of my brethren. You’ll be able to speak to them mind-to-mind and they you. That is when they will be able to hear your thoughts if you’re not shielded. But don’t worry, we’ll work on it...together.”
Listening to Rian speak of their future as a forgone conclusion made Audrey feel both overjoyed and overwhelmed. So many times over the last century, she’d dreamed of being free, of a life with Rian topside where they would never have to be apart.
The opposite had also been true. She’d also feared spending eternity as Adramelech’s plaything and often times had prayed for death. The princess had tried with all her heart to believe she would one day escape, but after so many years, had begun to doubt her dreams.
“What’s wrong, mo ghra’? You suddenly look so sad.”
He cupped her cheek so tenderly and looked into her eyes with such love and devotion, Audrey broke down and cried. In a flash, Rian picked her up, sat down, and was cradling her safely in his arms. It was the best feeling in the world but made the tears fall all the faster.
She could count on one hand the number of times she’d let herself actually cry. Being raised for the better part of her life by her father, a strong but loving king who couldn’t stand to see his little girl cry, the princess had learned to push her sadness aside, hide the tears and press on. It was the least she could do for not only had she lost a mother, but he’d lost the love of his life.
Then, finding herself in hell, Audrey knew from day one weakness could and would get her killed, or worse yet, the plaything to more nasties than she could imagine, so she’d gotten tough and ignored her pain and sorrow. Now all of that had changed. He had changed it. The amazing man holding her so tenderly and telling her everything would be okay had changed everything, and there was no going back. He was fighting hell to save her. What man does that? What person does that for another...ever? It was unfathomable yet it was happening, and it was the most amazing, most frightening thing she’d ever had to deal with.
Taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself enough to speak, Audrey lifter her head and looked at her mate. Her well-prepared speech flew out the window and her heart took over. It took two tries, but the words finally began to flow.
“I am so very sorry for all the things you’ve gone through because of me. All the pain and frustration I’ve caused because my uncle doomed me to this.” She motioned at the pit of hell they were presently sitting in while his brethren were coming up with a way to locate their friend.
“Everything you’ve done, the lies you’ve told, the secrets you’ve kept, the things you had to do that went against everything in you, all because of your feelings for me. And now here you are, and not just you but your brothers and your kin, coming to the actual pits of hell to save me. It breaks my heart. You have done so much for me and I continue to be nothing but a burden.”
Rian’s brows furrowed. He leaned farther back from her and just stared for several heartbeats. The look on his face was unreadable but definitely not what she’d expected after her heartfelt apology. The scrutiny of his gaze became too much. Looking at the dirty abrasions on her hands and her torn fingernails, she waited for him to speak...to say anything.
“Audrey,” he finally spoke. His voice was soft and low but with just a touch of harshness she didn’t remember ever hearing. Taking another deep breath, she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. There was still endless love overflowing from their dark depths, but now it was mixed with resolve and a need she’d never seen before.
“I want to make one thing abundantly clear,” he paused, the authority and command of his voice resonating within her. “You will never again apologize for anything I’ve done. Anything and everything I did was for us, for our future and most importantly, because I love you more than I ever thought I could love another.”
His hand returned to her cheek and he leaned forward until they were almost nose-to-nose. “Don’t you see? It’s your feelings for me that have kept me going, that fuel my every thought, color my every thought, and have kept me alive when I would’ve otherwise just given up.”
He kissed the tip of her nose then smiled. “Without you, my sweet, sweet Audrey, I would’ve simply withered and died. You are quite literally the single most important person in my life. You make every day worth waking up to and I plan to spend eternity showing you exactly how much I love you.”
Overcome by his words, Audrey closed the distance between them, laid her lips to his, and where words failed, showed him how very much he meant to her. Their kiss was slow, soft, and beautiful. It was like never before. She could feel everything Rian was feeling and knew from his reaction he also shared her emotions.
Deepening their kiss, her mate took control. He turned until she was straddling his lap. The change in position let her feel how very much Rian wanted to be with her. Rolling her hips, Audrey tingled when Rian groaned low in his throat. Needing to feel more of him, she slid her hands under his torn and dirty T-shirt. The tips of her fingers had just touched his skin when the howl of hellhounds tore through the cavern.
All amorous thoughts fled as faster than her eyes could follow, Rian had them both standing and was tucking her safely behind a large boulder on the far side of the hole that had once held the Guardsman they all called Kayne. She heard the scratch of nails against the stone as the Chancellor’s pack ran towards them. Knew the hounds would only be this far away from the castle if Adramelech were using them for protection. Since punishment and torture were part of his every day job, the Demon Lord was not well liked by hell’s constituents. In fact, it was safe to say he was one of its most hated among everyone but the aristocracy.
“Rian, those howls mean...” Audrey never got to finish her warning as not only all seven of the Chancellor’s hounds came charging at the Guardsmen, but countless others as well.
With swords drawn, the dragon warriors advanced toward the snarling red-eyed monsters. Audrey could feel their confidence and determination but wondered if they knew the sheer number of hounds that Adramelech had at his command.
No sooner had she thought of the despicable Demon Lord than he appeared, followed by his undead army and a few other creatures she still, after all these years, had no idea what to call. Standing tall, wearing the deep purple robe Audrey knew the Chancellor only wore on special occasions, the bastard smiled his twisted smile and tapped his tall, brass walking stick on the ground as if announcing his arrival.
The battle raged on. Blood, gore, and chunks of flesh covered in black fur flew through the air. Any other time, Audrey would’ve laughed aloud as Adramelech’s grin turned to a frown when no one paid attention to him.
Watching Rian take down a particularly large hound she was sure belonged to the only female Demon Lord on the Council, Audrey saw Balor—the Beta of the Chancellor’s pack—skulking around outside the combat zone. She’d never known him to allow Bás to fight alone. Lately, it had been obvious the relationship between Alpha and Beta had
changed, but it still seemed strange for Balor not to have his leader’s back in a fight.
A man’s shout of pain had Audrey searching for Rian. She only breathed when she found him several yards away, stabbing a hound through the back and throwing his body to the side to help his youngest brother to his feet. Blood poured from the wound on Rory’s arm. Rian immediately pulled off his T-shirt and wrapped it around his brother’s arm like a tourniquet.
Without another word, both men turned in opposite directions, swung their swords, and took down the snarling hellhounds in synchronized fashion that could’ve only come from years of fighting together. Audrey sat amazed as Rian cut a path through the rabid horde of hell’s beasts. All the Guardsmen fought with intensity and purpose but her mate stood out among the crowd.
Every swipe of his sword eliminated another foe. Every step he took brought him closer to his objective. Losing was not an option for the Dragon Leader the Universe had so benevolently graced her with as a mate. He was a force all his own and he was all hers.
A cackle Audrey had prayed she would never hear again rang out above the roar of the battle. Even through the noise, she could tell he was much closer than he had been mere seconds before.
Spinning on her toes, Audrey’s eyes locked with Adramelech’s. All the hate, pain, and animosity of a hundred years of torture bubbled up out of her. Screaming, ‘No!” at the top of her lungs, she turned to run, only to be jerked back by her ponytail.
“You’re going nowhere, princess, but back to your cage.”
Momentary panic caused Audrey to stop, but the sight of Rian racing toward the Demon Lord at her back with his sword drawn spurred her into action. Grabbing the athame from the waistband of the tiny shorts she’d been given to wear as underwear when her clothes were taken away, Audrey tried to turn towards her captor. Unfortunately, he held on too tight.
Turning the other way as much as the hold Adramelech’s had on her hair would allow, Audrey gasped as she saw Balor leap into the air, teeth bared, red eyes glowing. He headed right for her. Now, she knew why he was staying to the outside. The hellhound was the Chancellor’s back up plan to kill her.
Closing her eyes, Audrey braced for the inevitable, but nothing happened. Her eyes flew open. Disbelief mixed with fear caused her to shout, “Rian!” as she watched her mate and Balor in a fight to the death.
Adramelech laughed and commanded, “Kill, my puppies! Kill!”
Blind rage took over. No amount of pain could stop her actions. Pulling against the hold the Demon Lord had on her, Audrey twisted from the neck down and stabbed the athame all the way through the taloned paw that held her hair.
“You Bitch!” The Chancellor screamed while holding his bleeding appendage to his chest. “Now, you die!”
Leaping on top of the boulder she’d been hiding behind, Adramelech aimed the pointed tip of his walking stick right at her heart. The rage driving her actions doubled. Her world became a haze of red. If the bastard wanted to kill her then he would have to come and get her.
Ducking out from behind the rock and running a few yards away, the breeze of the Chancellor’s walking-stick-turned-spear blew over her shoulder. Spinning on her feet, she saw the Demon Lord jump off the boulder and fly toward her with murder in his eyes. Running toward him, Audrey lifted the athame. Sliding under him, she stabbed straight into the air. Black blood rained down on her, scorching her with the acid and toxins only a Demon Lord’s blood contained. With her blade stuck in Adramelech’s ribs after ripping open his chest, the momentum of his enormous body drug her across the rocks and soot for a few feet before falling from its flight and crushing her to the floor.
The air was forced from her lungs. Warm, wet, demon blood pooled between their bodies. The sting had stopped and now it was only the stench she was left with. Audrey struggled to free herself from the deadweight holding her hostage but only managed to embed more rocks into her back.
Getting lightheaded from lack of oxygen, the princess tried to scream for help but only managed to squeeze out a squeak. Her vision blurred. Her body ached. She prayed for more time with Rian but also thanked the God she had to believe had never left her for giving her the strength to kill Adramelech.
“Audrey!” Rian shouted a second before heaving the Chancellor’s body off her.
“You did it! You killed the bastard!” was all he could say. Before Audrey could take her first deep breath, she was in his arms. His lips were on hers and he was flooding her mind with not only words, but also images of all the ways they were going to love one another as soon as they were topside.
They broke apart at the sound of gravelly Scottish brogue. “All right you lovebirds. We’re not outta here yet.”
“Shut the hell up, Maddox,” Rian teased while still holding her close.
Audrey was immediately embarrassed. Not only had she just been called out for kissing in public, but Rian was covered in Adramelech’s blood from their embrace. Looking away, she was shocked to see only one live hellhound remaining and not a one of Adramelech’s undead army to be seen.
Turning back to Rian she asked, “What happened? Did you kill them all?”
“No, mo chroi’, you released them.”
“I what?”
Maddox answered, “When you killed the big ugly over there,” he pointed at Adramelech’s body, “you broke his hold on them. They all hauled ass. Well, except this one and I have no clue why he’s still here. Your mate was about to skewer the mangy mutt when you stabbed the Chancellor and then the hound just sat down and looked around.”
Looking closer, Audrey said, “That’s Balor. He was the Beta of Adramelech’s pack. He never seemed as mean or deranged as the others. I mean, he’s a hellhound, but there was always something different about him.”
She shrugged as the hellhound stood and walked to the dead Demon Lord. Sniffing the body, Balor growled low in his throat. The fur around his neck and down his spine stood on end. His red eyes glowed. Snarling and baring his teeth, he looked at Audrey just as Adramelech’s hand shot out and grabbed the hound by the throat.
Rian moved with incredible speed, raised his broadsword above his head, and with one well-placed forceful strike, removed the Demon Lord’s head from his body. There were no words. The cavern was completely silent. Audrey could feel everyone’s relief but also hear the questions running through their minds.
“What the hell? Doesn’t anyone down here stay dead?” Rory’s questions echoed through the chamber.
“Well, it’ll be hard for the bastard to come back now. One of your brothers took his head and the other is dropping it in the fiery pit,” the scarred dragon said.
Everyone spun around just in time to see Royce dropping Adramelech’s ugly mug into the fire. Balor dropped his head as if to nod his thanks to Rian before walking toward Audrey. The hound made it about halfway before her mate had the tip of his sword against Balor’s neck.
“Watch it there, buddy, or you’ll go the way of your master,” Rian warned.
At the mention of Adramelech, Balor growled and fire jumped in his eyes. Audrey knelt. “Rian, let him come closer, please?”
Her mate looked at her as if she’d lost her mind but withdrew his sword. One slow step at a time, Balor walked toward, her stopping just out of reach and laying down. Rian still stood with his sword at the ready, protecting her as she tried to figure out why this hound was still with them.
Fire continued to burn in the hellhound’s eyes. Footsteps to Audrey’s left alerted her to the approach of Maddox and Drago.
I am so glad I had years to learn all these people’s names and faces.
The two older men stopped beside Rian. “Here’s your stuff. We still need to find Kayne. I’m not leaving without him. Even if I have to do it myself.” Drago’s tone was unyielding. It was obvious there was no way he was leaving without the dragon that’d been lost for so long.
Handing Rian his backpack, the same large pendant she’d seen her mate pull from his pants when
the witches freed them, and a large silver box covered in bronze mesh, Drago returned to stand by the hole in the ground.
Rian went to move the amulet from one hand to the other but fumbled it. Audrey watched it tumble through the air and then land on the mesh-covered box. Balor’s head snapped to the side. His eyes locked on the chest. Markings she hadn’t known were there suddenly glowed.
“What the...?” Rian yelped.
“Drop that shit, boy,” Maddox ordered.
Doing what he was told, Rian let everything in his hand hit the ground and rushed to Audrey. He held her close as Balor stood and stalked directly to the glowing box. Sniffing it, then moving it with his paw, the hellhound pushed the box over to Drago and head-butted the back of the man’s leg.
“What do you want?” Shaking his head, the man they all called Assassin knelt down and looked into Balor’s eyes as he asked, “Do you know where my brethren, Kayne, is? Nobody else had a clue.”
The hellhound moved his snout toward Drago’s face and whined. The Assassin’s eyes grew large. He turned his head a little bit to one side and then the other. Audrey remembered Rian telling her Drago’s eyes were still not healed from his many years in captivity and knew immediately the Assassin was trying to focus. He squinted. Time seemed to slow to a stop as everyone in the cavern watched the dragon and the hellhound staring at one another.
“Well, I never saw that coming,” was all they heard as both Drago and Balor burst into flames.
Chapter Thirteen
Rian watched the man who just a few months prior had been saved from a century of captivity in a silver box go up in flames. The Guardsmen all rushed to the aid of their kinsman but with no idea of what to do. Grabbing his backpack as he ran by, the Dragon Leader pulled the two remaining bottles of Dousing Serum out, uncapped them, and threw them onto the fire that was now as large as a funeral pyre.
The fire spit and sputtered as the Dousing Serum danced on the flames, but after all the liquid had evaporated, resumed its regular burn. Turning to Maddox, Rian was shocked to see the crazy dragon using the Rose Quartz to speak to Calysta. He could hear Alicia barking orders in the background. It was abundantly clear that the young witch was barely keeping her fear in check while watching her mate go up in flames on Kyra’s Looking Glass.