by Minx Malone
“So she’s here. Excellent work, Commander. I knew you could do it.” He watched through narrowed eyes as Destroyer looked everywhere but at him. “I trust you’ll bring her to me as we’ve agreed. I’ve taken the liberty of inviting a few guests, to celebrate her homecoming.”
Destroyer looked up at him, the pupils of his eyes flashing red. Orion chuckled. His entire regiment despised him, and he expected nothing less. After years of training at his knee, they had all been initiated to the kind of pain and suffering most beings could only imagine. Trained to hold up under various methods of torture, they were excellent assassins and cunning liars. But for a member of his elite force to betray his emotions this way was inexcusable. A weakness he could not tolerate.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Sir. I wasn’t aware you had arranged a gathering. I need more time to screen the guests, to ensure her safety. Your safety.” Abaddon leaned back, his lids lowered, his expression neutral.
“Not necessary. Your assignment wasn’t to guard her, Lord Destroyer. Your assignment was to bring her to me. Which you will do at two o’clock this afternoon. Are we clear?”
“Yes sir.” Abaddon shot out of the chair and bowed. He pulled the door partially shut behind him as he left.
Orion exhaled heavily. He rapidly keyed a set of numbers into the phone on his desk. The phone rang three times before a scratchy voice picked up.
“I understand you had a private session with Lord Destroyer today.”
Orion rolled his eyes at the spineless, weak voice at the other end. Does this idiot really think I care about his spinal dislocation?
“Well, I have an assignment that you’ll be interested in. How would you like to escort my daughter to a small gathering this afternoon?” He rolled his eyes as the voice on the other end blabbered on about some nonsense. “Leave Lord Destroyer to me. I assure you he will be…otherwise occupied at that time.”
As the voice continued to chatter, Orion sighed. The tinny sound echoed in his head until he dropped the receiver back into its cradle abruptly. The door to the office was still open a crack, so he stood and walked over to close it. He noticed the food cart was sitting abandoned directly in front of his office door. He lifted the dome on one of the trays and smiled. Mary’s potatoes were to die for.
Chapter Six
Helena woke suddenly. She couldn’t figure out what had woken her until the door vibrated again. Someone was knocking.
“Just a second.” She dragged her arm against the side of her mouth, hoping she hadn’t drooled too much. She threw open the closet doors and smiled when she saw the neatly lined row of dresses, skirts and silk blouses. She pulled out a long white dress with a flirty hem and pulled it on along with her shoes. It probably looked a little strange with her white sneakers, but it was long enough that you could barely tell. As she passed the large mirror on the way to the door, she wet her fingertips and smoothed down her eyebrows and the top of her hair. When she looked decent, she pulled open the heavy door a crack.
“You must be Helena. Your father is ready for you now.” The man at the door had the heavy musculature of a soldier and stood a few inches short of six feet. His skin was very pale, like snow, and his dark shock of hair was a startling contrast to his coloring. When she met his eyes, he smiled.
“Abaddon’s going to take me. He’ll be here any minute.” She pushed the door closed another inch. He hadn’t moved any closer or done anything threatening, but she found herself uneasy.
“Actually, Lord Destroyer sent me to come get you. He’s in a meeting with your father now and didn’t have time to come back for you.” When she made no move to open the door further, he shifted impatiently from foot to foot.
“He sent you? He told me he was going to set up a meeting for us at another time.” She eyed him suspiciously.
“He wanted more time to conduct a full security sweep to ensure your safety. But that’s all taken care of now. He’s actually in your father’s room finishing up now, that’s why he sent me.” He chuckled, and the sound was strange coming from his lips. “He said you’d be difficult.”
“He said that?” Helena opened the door. “That bastard.” She didn’t realize she spoke aloud until he laughed again.
“Come on. We don’t want to keep your father waiting.” When he licked his lips, she saw that his tongue was black. Something flickered at the edge of her memory, but just that quickly it was gone. She shuddered and for a moment considered slamming the door and refusing to come out. But if Abaddon had sent him…
“There are security cameras in the entire compound. If you feel unsafe at any time, just scream. You don’t think your father would take any chances with his only child, do you? He’s missed you all these years.”
Helena followed him into the hall. They turned left and right and left again until she gave up trying to keep track. She hoped he hadn’t been lying about the security cameras. They finally stopped before a large oak door.
“What’s your name?” If she was going to trust him, she should at least know something about him.
“Payne. I’m a soldier in your father’s regiment.” He glanced behind them before he opened the door for her, his eyes shifting left and right.
Maybe I’m reading way too much into this. Obviously he’ll be on guard. He is a soldier after all.
Once the heavy door slammed shut behind them, he breathed a visible sigh of relief. He smiled at her, and when the tip of his black tongue poked out, she choked back the bile that rose in her throat.
Something is very wrong here.
* * * * *
“Abaddon! Slow down.” Mary raced around the corner.
“I can’t stop now, Mary. I just got word of a security breach on the east wing that I have to investigate. Then I have to get back to Helena.”
“They’re going after her. Your woman. I heard the Regent making a call.” She stopped in the middle of the hall and bent over, hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. She collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving.
Abaddon rubbed her back in slow circles. “Easy. Take your time. You heard the Regent making a call about a woman. What exactly did he say?”
After a few gasping breaths, she managed to speak. “I was delivering his lunch tray and I overheard him making a call. He’s sent someone to bring Helena to him and he said he would make sure you were ‘otherwise occupied’. It didn’t sound right to me, so I thought you’d want to know. Is Helena in danger?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to go get her.” Abaddon lifted her by her plump arms and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “You know, if I wasn’t already in love, you’d have my heart.”
Mary blushed prettily and waved a hand in his direction. “Get on with you, you devil. Go get your woman. Keep her safe.”
His communicator beeped at his side. “Security breach…I can’t believe I almost fell for that.” He ripped his walkie talkie from his belt and used his pen knife to pry open the top panel. He adjusted a few wires so it was stuck in call mode. Like most walkie talkies, only one unit could send communication at a time. As long as his unit was ‘on’ and keeping the line open, no one else could send messages through. If it came down to a fight, he didn’t want The Regent to be able to radio for backup. He was going to need all the help he could get as it was.
* * * * *
The grandeur of the room was overwhelming. Helena gaped at the twenty foot ceilings, silk draperies, Aubusson carpets and priceless antiques all arranged in that carelessly elegant fashion that was a sign of true wealth. The walls were a high gloss cream, and the gold of the fixtures had the subtle sheen of the real thing. Even the people in attendance wore glittering shades of gray and cream. The women were ethereal in their floor length sheaths, and the men wore crisp suits in a dark gray. The only vibrant color in the room was the red walkway across the room leading up to the throne. Her father’s throne.
“Who are all these people? I thought I’d be meeting
with my father in private. If he doesn’t like me, I’d rather not have an audience for it.” She looked at Payne and smiled nervously before standing on tiptoe to see over the throng. Most of the people were tall, lithe and beautiful. Or at least they appeared to be beautiful. You could never tell with demons, if all these people were demons. Surely some of them were of other species as well. She smoothed down the front of her dress, glad she’d opted for the longer, more formal gown. Hopefully no one would look down past her ankles.
“You’re nothing like what I expected.” Payne’s voice over her shoulder was amused.
“What do you mean?” He ran a finger lightly over her arm, and she shuddered and stepped to the right slightly.
“I thought you’d be an ice queen, but you’ve spread those pretty thighs easily enough for our commander, it seems.” When she recoiled, he jerked her back against him by the arm. “Did you think no one would know? I can smell him all over you.”
“You speak of things you know nothing about.” She scanned the room frantically, her eyes running over every man in the room. Where is Abaddon?
“I know enough. I know you shudder in revulsion at my touch, so it must be power that turns you on. It doesn’t matter anyway. Once he tires of you, he’ll just give you to us as a plaything anyway.”
“You are sick. Abaddon would never give me to anyone, and I won’t be here long enough for you to try anything. He’ll be taking me back to the surface after this. After I meet my father.”
They stopped before the crimson carpet that led up to her father’s throne. Her father wore a blood red robe, the hood pulled up to conceal his face. When he looked up at her, all she could see were a pair of burning amber eyes. Eyes like hers. She didn’t realize she was grabbing Payne’s arm until he pried her nails out of his skin. He brushed the blood off his arm like it was no more than lint. His red eyes fixed on her with a mixture of lust and hatred.
“Would you think so highly of him if you knew how he’s maneuvered you tonight, I wonder? I have to salute him. Our commander is known for his cunning, but getting you here is beyond what anyone thought even the Destroyer could do.”
She stiffened but kept her eyes trained ahead of her. “What are you talking about?”
“Your father has been searching for you the past three years, but we couldn’t locate you because you’d been shielded somehow. That’s why I was so excited when I found you. I thought I’d be rewarded. But of course, somehow the Destroyer ends up with all the credit. As usual.”
Helena couldn’t hear him anymore, could barely see the colors of the brightly lit room or smell the scent of the food lining the long banquet tables. “That was you. You drugged me.” She struggled in his hold, the chill of panic like ice water on her skin.
Her mind flashed with images of her mother on her knees praying to the Mother Goddess. Praying for Helena’s safety. Never her own. She gasped as he roughly jerked her arm behind her back, pain lancing up her arm and exploding through her back. He muscled her up the runner and shoved her down in a chair next to her father’s. A flurry of hands held her as he strapped her down. She felt a sharp sting in her arm and looked down to see an IV being inserted into her skin. When he pulled out another set of needles, she screamed.
“Daddy!” She turned to the silent figure on her right. He had pulled up his sleeve to reveal a sickly white arm. Payne inserted an IV in his inner elbow before turning back to her.
“I’m sorry.” The voice coming from the hood was scratchy like he’d been chewing on sandpaper. He turned to her, and when their eyes met, she was captivated by the color, so similar to her own. She jumped when something touched her face, only to realize it was his hand. He smoothed back her hair gently before his face seemed to harden. He turned to Payne and nodded. “Do it.”
“What? No, please.” She pulled at the needle in her arm savagely.
“Shit, she’s yanking it out. Stop that.”
She cried out when Payne backhanded her across the face. Her mouth filled with the metallic taste of copper, and her breath sounded like a hurricane to her own ears. She was on the verge of hysteria; she could feel it rising, threatening to choke her. “Abaddon.” His name was a desperate plea.
“Abaddon. Abaddon.” Payne mocked her. “You still want him?” He laughed cruelly. “I have to give it to him. He really is brilliant. When the Regent put out the call for his daughter’s capture, it was assumed she would be brought against her will. The commander actually got you to walk in here willingly with no idea what’s really in store. Genius.” Helena latched on to the tail end of what Payne was saying, the words ricocheting inside her mind like bullets. The world stood still for a moment, yet everything was the same…the room was just as breathtaking, and the crowd sashayed around them, their glittering costumes a haze of sparkling light.
Payne looked down at the needle in her arm. She winced when he pressed a small vial in place and angled it. A few drops of blood came out and then…nothing.
“Sire, the blood isn’t flowing.” He withdrew the needle and inserted it into another vein. The same thing happened, a few drops of blood and then the flow stopped.
“At this rate, boy, I’ll die before you get the blood out. Figure it out!” The scratchy voice emerged from the hood again, enraging Helena.
“The wounds are healing, you idiots. I thought all demons healed quickly.” She cut off mid sentence when Payne withdrew a long knife. “What are you doing?”
“It seems your daughter has inherited more of you than we realized. I’ll have to cut her deep.”
“Wait,” the scratchy voice ordered. A flash of motion across the room caught their attention. “Commander, how nice of you to join us.”
Abaddon skidded to a halt in the doorway across the room, his chest heaving like he’d been running.
She looked up and blinked back tears. Her gaze settled on the chandelier above her, its crystalline leaves sparkling like dew. She imagined her heart was just like the shimmering glass, the delicate shards so easily shattered. She could feel the pieces poking around in her chest, the pain of betrayal so much worse than the pain she’d experienced when she’d lost Donny eight years ago. She’d been devastated, a young girl scarred by her first love affair. It hadn’t occurred to her then to fight back. She wouldn’t have even known how.
But eight years was a long time.
A towering, mountainous wave of rage rose from her gut like a tornado. She was powerless to stop it, and in her mind’s eye she could see everything that was about to happen, unlike any of the attacks she’d had before.
She was pure fury.
The beautiful assemblage hovered around them, their faces eager, their lust for violence palpable. They were all waiting to see what her father would do to her. “What the hell are they all looking at?”
“They’re here to witness our Regent’s return to power. He’s been sick for so long, and now your blood is going to give him new life. At least you can die knowing you were useful.”
“Well, by all means let’s give them something worth watching.” Her voice deepened, the texture as raw as the hurt boiling inside her.
Time seemed to slow as she turned to look over the crowd. The heat from her skin floated around her in a thin mist, a chill cloak obscuring her vision. Abaddon moved strangely, and she noticed, as if from a distance, that he was being held back by three guards. His mouth formed words she couldn’t comprehend and didn’t care to. He’d touched her, brought her pleasure and made her love him again. But he’d done it all to curry favor with her father. She’d hoped her love could bring back the boy she’d known, the boy who’d loved her, but he was gone. Years of working for her father had changed him. The only thing that had ever been constant in her life was the rage.
It’s time to embrace it.
She closed her eyes briefly and placed her free hand palm down over her heart in an unspoken farewell. His eyes tracked the movement of her hand and his eyes widened.
“Lena, no!�
� Abaddon broke free from the men struggling to hold him back and jumped the banquet table, dishes shattering on the floor, food flying.
For the first time, Helena gave her rage free rein, the power sprinting through her veins electrifying, frightening. The hairs on her arms singed and fell out and the smell of smoke was a tang in the air. The pop, pop, pop of tendon and bone as her body stretched to accommodate the flames was both pain and release from the incredible storm building inside her. The bindings on her arm and legs fell away easily as she stood. She threw back her head and roared as the first explosion hit her like an orgasm, every nerve in her body singing in response.
“It’s so good. I never knew, the power…” She gasped as the fire seeped through her pores, catching on the edge of the curtains behind her, the entire wall of drapery going up in flames, a glorious conflagration. She was pushed to the left and turned to see Payne’s fist plow past her face so closely she could feel the breeze from his swing.
“Lena, watch out!” Abaddon shoved her again, putting her behind him, facing Payne with a sneer. “Run. They’ll kill you if you don’t.” When she didn’t move, he turned to her, gritted his teeth and growled. “I said move!”
As angry as she was, Helena hesitated. Why would he help her if it was his intention to bring her here all along? She looked behind her frantically, but her father was gone, his throne empty. “Why should I trust you? How do I know there isn’t another group of soldiers waiting outside to kill me?” She looked around frantically and roared out a hiss of flame in frustration. Even if she burnt the place to the ground, she’d never be safe with her father on the loose.
Abaddon turned and struck a soldier in the face who’d come up behind her. She winced and turned away as the body crashed at her feet. “You don’t know that. I don’t know that either. But once I realized what your father had planned, I took out the communicators. We’re close to an exit. If you go now, you have a chance to make it to the surface before anyone has time to run for help. But I can only hold these guys off for so long.”