The Road (The Road to Hell Series, Book 3)

by Brenda K. Davies

  She lowered her hand. “I am. I can handle what is here, Kobal. My connection to life has nothing to do with whatever I just did.”

  I nodded and kissed her forehead, inhaling her refreshing scent. I’d been so worried about what feeding from Hell would do to her, if she would be able to handle it, or if it would break her, but for now, she was doing well with it. “You’ll let me know if that changes.”

  “I will.” She squirmed in my arms and then froze. “I’m naked,” she muttered, her cheeks flushing at the realization.

  “You are,” I confirmed and hugged her closer.

  “Ah, can I get dressed?”

  “Come on,” Bale said and gestured for everyone to leave the room.

  I waited until the door was closed before setting her on her feet. “You really don’t remember anything?” I inquired as she gathered her clothes.

  “No.” She glanced at me over her shoulder, her raven-colored hair falling forward to shield one of her breasts. “I would tell you if I did, and I really feel no different.”

  Her arms fell to her sides as she turned to face me. I couldn’t stop my hungry gaze from running over her lithe body and the marks I’d left on her. On my neck, the bites she’d left on me heated in response to seeing mine. She may not have fangs like most demons, but she could mark me as her Chosen almost as well as I could mark her as mine.

  “If they were trying to let me know that they’re planning on trying to help, or that they are coming, then maybe we’ll have a new ally in all of this,” she said.

  “Perhaps,” I murmured.

  “You don’t trust them,” she stated as she bent to retrieve her bra.

  “I have no reason to, and they’ve yet to get involved.”

  “I know, but I don’t think they ever expected everything that has happened to occur when they threw Lucifer out of Heaven.”

  “You are defending them?”

  “No, they were wrong for placing their burden on the humans and later on the demons, but if they are willing to help put a stop to all of this, then I’m not about to turn them away. We could use all the help we can get. It may have been nothing too, you know. I do have dreams about things that mean nothing.”

  “I’ve never seen you stand up, have your power erupt from you before speaking, and then pass out. Even when you connected with Lucifer in your dream, you stayed conscious after waking and you remembered what had occurred.”

  “Maybe you wore me out so much earlier that I was too exhausted to stay awake,” she suggested with a playful smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “It was not normal, River.”

  “I know,” she admitted on a sigh. “But I have no memory of it, feel no different, and have no idea what it meant, so dwelling on it will get us nowhere.”

  What she’d just done had scared the shit out of me, but she was right. “Was I too rough with you last night?” I asked as she finished gathering her clothes.

  The glance she cast me over her shoulder caused my cock to swell. “Only in a very good way,” she replied.

  I stared after her as she sauntered over to the small pool of water at the back of the cavern. Her hips and breasts swayed enticingly with every step she took. She set her clothes next to the pool and dipped her toe in.

  “Perfect,” she said.

  I grew harder as she sank beneath the water and came back up to shake the water from her hair. Water trailed enticingly down her silken flesh and dripped off her taut nipples. I so badly wanted to be suckling that water from her flesh, but I held back. There were things we had to discuss first.

  “Did you hear all of what Magnus said?” I asked her.

  “I did.”

  “No matter what he said about you being our first new weapon in six thousand years, you do not have to continue.” My voice became hoarse as she ran her hands over her breasts with the water. “Lucifer has to be defeated, but I’ll abide by whatever you decide to do on this.”

  She stopped washing herself to focus on me. “This has to be done, Kobal.”

  I strode across the cavern toward her. Her head tipped back when I stopped at the edge of the pool. I didn’t miss the fact her gaze lingered on my stiff dick before sliding up to meet my eyes. “I will fight Lucifer until the day I die, but I will pull you from here and take you back to the wall if you ask me to.”

  “Kobal,” she breathed. “We can’t.”

  “I will keep you from this war if you choose.”

  “Are you saying this because I have no choice on if I want to be immortal or not?”

  I closed my eyes against the anger the reminder caused to spear through me. “No,” I grated from between my teeth as I opened my eyes to take her in. “This is because no one has ever given you a choice. Not your mother, not Mack, and not me. You will die one day, River. It is only fair you get to decide how you live until then.”

  Her mouth parted at my words. “But there are so many people, demons, and ghosts counting on me. I could never let them all down.”

  “I will get your brothers and take all of you somewhere safe for now. I don’t know where yet, but I will find a place for you.”

  “And you will continue the fight?”

  “I will.”

  “Has anyone ever given you a choice about that?”

  My head canted to the side at her question. “I was created to rule Hell, and it is what I will do.”

  “So no then.”

  “No,” I admitted.

  “Yet you would never walk away. Immortal does not equal un-killable. You also could die during this. Your ancestors have.”

  “Yes.”

  “Thank you for giving me the choice, but I have already made it. I will do what I can to help defeat him.” She lifted her index finger and pointed at the ceiling as she smiled at me. “Maybe we’ll even find some new allies along the way. Besides, I’m supposed to be the queen of Hell now, am I not?”

  “You are.”

  “Then I will not let our followers down.”

  She walked to the edge of the pool, rising out of the water as the rock level became higher near the edge. She looked far more alluring than any siren or canagh demon ever could. Her tongue slid over her lips as she held her hand out to me. I took it and stepped into the water with her.

  “We can’t turn back,” she said.

  I enclosed her securely within my embrace. “I mean it, River. Say the words, and we’ll go.”

  “I know you do,” she whispered against my neck. “And I love you for it.”

  I rested my head in the hollow of her neck, breathing in the scent of me on her.

  “Now,” she said, “is there anything else you’ve kept from me? I can’t and won’t forgive you if you don’t tell me now and it comes out later.” Her fingers bit into the flesh of my biceps as she leaned back to look at me. “I mean it, Kobal. I’m not happy you didn’t tell me about Hawk or that humans can possibly become immortal, and I’ll be angry over it for a while, but I can understand your reasons and my anger will fade over time. If I find out you’re hiding something more from me, I won’t understand it, and I’ll never forgive you.”

  “There is nothing else I’m keeping from you,” I vowed.

  “And you’ll tell me everything from now on, even if you think it’s better I don’t know.” Her hand dipped beneath the water to wrap around my swollen cock. “You’ll treat me as your equal, as your Chosen, and your queen from here on out.”

  “I will,” I bit out when her grip tightened and she worked her hand over my flesh.

  A seductive smile curved the edges of her full mouth. “Good.”

  I watched as she went to her knees before me in the water.

  CHAPTER 24

  River

  “We’ll wait for Shax, Verin, Morax, and the others to catch up with us before continuing on to the seals,” Kobal said from where he sat at the head of the table beside me.

  “Will they come?” I asked.

  “They’ll come fo
r their king,” Magnus replied.

  “And their queen,” Corson said.

  “And their queen,” Magnus agreed.

  “They are already on their way with more demons and supplies,” Kobal said.

  “How do you know that?” Hawk inquired.

  The demons exchanged a look before Kobal spoke again. “Morax has the ability to telecommunicate. They will be here by the end of the day.”

  I blinked at his response and recalled how he’d once told me I hadn’t begun to scratch the surface of what the demons could do.

  “And you’ve spoken with him?” I inquired.

  “Briefly, a little bit ago.”

  “Will I ever be able to learn all the things demons are capable of?”

  “Demons don’t even know all the things other demons are completely capable of. Some probably don’t know what they themselves are capable of,” Magnus replied. “We tend to try and keep our abilities toned down around others, unless it is absolutely necessary.”

  “I see,” I murmured, and Kobal rested his hand over mine.

  “Will I ever learn everything I may be capable of now?” Hawk asked and folded his arms over his chest as he stared at the back wall.

  “You will find your powers growing every day, especially once you are able to feed regularly,” Corson said.

  Hawk shuddered. “I’d really prefer a steak.”

  “Not going to happen, not anymore,” Magnus said, and Hawk glowered at him.

  Candlelight danced over the faces of those gathered around the table, making them appear almost mystical. I kept my hand within Kobal’s in an attempt to keep myself grounded when none of this seemed real.

  “We will go in with low numbers,” Kobal said, drawing everyone’s curious gazes to him. “We’ll have the others attack, drawing Lucifer’s attention to them, while we go for the seals.”

  “You intend to go for the seals before Lucifer?” Magnus inquired.

  “They need to be stopped from falling. Lucifer’s army will only continue to grow if whatever is happening to the seals isn’t stopped,” Kobal replied.

  “What were those things yesterday?” I asked. “Those flying, hideous women? I assume they came from a seal.”

  “You would know them as furies, and they were the seventy-eighth seal,” he said.

  “Seventy-eighth!” I blurted, my hand tightening in his.

  “Yes.”

  My head spun at the implication of his words and all the horrors that were now running free in Hell and on Earth. “Will they get over the wall?”

  “They might,” Kobal confirmed. “Morax reported that some of them did escape the skelleins and demons above, but there are still plenty of troops guarding the wall that they will have to get by.”

  My heart clenched as my thoughts turned to my brothers. They had no idea what was happening on this side of the wall. They were never supposed to have known, but now it may be inevitable. I had to stay here and see this through, but all I wanted was to run all the way back to the surface and return to my brothers.

  “They are now loose on Earth with the lanavours,” I murmured.

  “Many of the lanavours were destroyed yesterday,” Kobal said.

  Memories of holding Bailey’s broken body in my arms assailed me. For a minute, it was all I could see and feel once more.

  “River.” Kobal tugged on my hand. “What is it?” he demanded.

  I took a deep breath to steady myself as I pushed aside the nightmare. “When that one lanavour touched me…” I broke off and looked to the back wall again, unable to continue as the memory of that touch played on repeat in my mind’s eye.

  Amber flashed in his eyes. “One of them touched you?”

  “It didn’t last long,” I replied, far more flippantly than I felt.

  “They will all be destroyed,” Bale vowed.

  I could hear Kobal’s teeth grinding together as he sought to retain control over himself. “The ones who followed you in here are all dead. When we return to Earth, I will make sure every last one of them is struck down,” he grated.

  “We will go to the seals with just these numbers?” Magnus inquired, drawing Kobal’s gaze away from me.

  “We will take some more with us, but the smaller the better for going undetected,” Kobal replied.

  “I agree.”

  The look Kobal shot Magnus clearly said he didn’t care what he agreed with. Magnus smiled innocently back at him over the top of his goblet of mjéod. “Do you know what is bringing down the seals?” Kobal demanded of him.

  Magnus’s amusement vanished. “No. I’ve done some asking around, but no one knows how Lucifer is opening them.”

  Kobal drummed his fingers on the table as he deliberated Magnus’s words. “I will find out soon enough,” he muttered.

  “Do you think she can kill him?” Magnus asked and waved a hand at me.

  “I’m sitting right here,” I retorted.

  “I think she could kill him or at least wound him enough to weaken him,” Kobal answered.

  I was beginning to feel like one of those souls or demons trapped behind the glass in the freak show as they all stared at me.

  “We’ll do whatever is necessary for her to get the chance to make that happen then,” Magnus said. “Let’s hope you’re right about going for the seals, and that we’re not bringing some of the most powerful demons of Hell, the one ruler of Hell, and Lucifer’s daughter to their deaths.”

  The hounds on Kobal’s arms rippled as a vein in his forehead throbbed to life. I didn’t know if I liked or despised Magnus, but I did admire how he unflinchingly spoke his mind. My gaze went to Kobal, who studied me as if he’d been reading my mind.

  “Do you have a better plan, Magnus?” Corson demanded.

  “I do not, but I want to make sure my side wins.”

  “You’ve told us your reasons for retreating from the war, but how are we to know they’re the truthful ones?” I demanded.

  His silver eyes flashed the color of molten lead when they met mine. “Make no mistake, I retreated here because I felt it better for all involved, but I am loyal to the demon race and Kobal. My ancestors stood by every new varcolac who rose and fell to Lucifer. They were slaughtered to the point that I am the only one who remains. I realize my stunning good looks cause others to underestimate me, a bonus in my mind, but I’m not one to mess with. I won’t be as easily taken out as my ancestors were, and I will make Lucifer pay for what he has done to my kind.”

  “So much for modesty,” I muttered.

  “Fuck modesty. I believe in the truth, and there is never any reason to deny or avoid it.”

  His gaze flicked nervously to Kobal when he tensed beside me. “Be careful how you speak to her,” Kobal growled.

  Magnus held his hands up. “I meant no disrespect to my queen. You know I don’t hold my tongue and often say what comes to mind.”

  “I like hearing what you have to say.” For the most part, but I kept that to myself. My head tilted to the side as I studied Magnus, that like and dislike feeling warring inside of me once more. “Is that your real face or is it another illusion?”

  He grinned at me and leaned back in his seat. “This is my real face. I don’t hide myself when I’m not in an illusion. You must admit the barker was far more frightening than this perfection.”

  “I may kill you just to shut you up,” Bale muttered.

  “I agree,” Corson said, and Hawk nodded.

  “But we all must remember who we are, at heart,” Magnus continued as if they hadn’t spoken. “I acknowledge who I am every time I step out of an illusion and allow my true self to come through once more.” His gaze unflinchingly held mine. “What about you? Are you ready to acknowledge what you are, child?”

  I blinked at him and sat back. “I don’t understand.”

  “It must have come as a shock to learn you are part angel and demon as well as human, but which of those do you feel strongest in you?”

  “Human…
” My voice trailed off when I realized that answer felt wrong.

  I’d been raised human, it’s what I knew best, but it wasn’t the strongest part of me, not anymore. Fear fueled the fire within me and brought forth the demon part of me. Love, strong emotion, and a deeper connection to living things fueled my angelic ability to wield life.

  The visions I sometimes received could come from any part of my line as there were humans who had special abilities too. The visions were the same kind of power that had allowed me to share Kobal’s dreams and, at one time, to connect with Lucifer in a dream.

  I looked at Kobal, so proud and fierce as he gazed at me, awaiting my answer for a question he’d never asked me before. Because, I realized, to him the answer didn’t matter. I was who I was, and he loved me for it. Or maybe he hadn’t asked because he already knew the answer when I hadn’t, not when Corson had asked me when we had been traveling to the gateway, and not even when I’d asked it of myself. I knew the answer now though.

  I turned to face Magnus and the others again as I spoke. “Angel.”

  Surprise didn’t fill their eyes, but it kicked me in the chest. Out of the three options, it was the one that had always been straggling at the back of the race. It most certainly hadn’t been a front runner before, but now that I’d spoken the word aloud, I knew it was true.

  “What does that mean?” I whispered.

  Kobal lifted my hand to kiss the back of it. “It’s the inherent side of your abilities that you relate to the most.”

  “So there is absolutely no way I could ever turn like Hawk has.” I hadn’t realized I’d been holding onto some hope for that until the words left my mouth, but now I felt as deflated as a popped balloon.

  “There is a chance she could keep all of her abilities and gain more if she turned,” Magnus said. “She’d be a sight to behold if that happened.”

  “Not a chance worth taking,” Kobal replied flatly. “It’s not open for discussion.”

  “Fine then.” Magnus rested his hands on the table and leaned toward me. “If you’re to remain mortal, then it’s time for you to start digging deeper into those angelic powers of yours.”

  “How?” I asked.