by Izzy Shows
A hungry growl rose in my throat. “Yes, there will.”
I was never going to get enough of her. I could barely stand the thought of waiting so long to have her again.
I would handle it, though. I was a grown ass woman. I could wait a few days for sex. Right?
Hopefully.
Although there was no saying I wouldn’t torture her a little bit. I grinned.
We tore down camp and headed out, holding hands as we walked.
When we arrived at a city, I hesitated. Emily looked concerned.
“Maybe we can go around it,” I said.
Gods, I hoped so. We couldn’t risk going through the city; it was too dangerous. I pulled out the map and took a look. My heart sunk. The town stretched seemingly endlessness, curving around the realms’ circle. It would take weeks to walk around if we even could. It might be just one huge city that went all the way around and connected back to itself.
Pursing my lips, I looked at Emily. “We’re going to have to go through.”
She sighed. “I thought that might be the case.”
“Are you ready? We can stick to the shadows and alleys, and hopefully, no one will spot us.”
She nodded, and I clasped her hand as we entered the city.
At first, there didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. The entrance was dark and empty, more of an alley that led deeper into the city. Maybe it extended all the way through. We could just keep moving forward through the shadows and get out in one piece.
But eventually, it ended at a broad, busy street.
I hesitated at the mouth of the alley, looking left and right to see if there was another we could make it to without being seen.
Judging by the map, it had taken us almost halfway through the city. But if we were forced to fight our way through all the demons here, we might not be able to leave without trouble.
Emily squeezed my hand, reassuring me that everything would be okay.
And maybe it would.
Taking a deep breath and holding her hand tightly, we plunged into the depths of the crowd. I tried to avoid bumping into any of the demons, but it was impossible to walk between all of them altogether. They milled about. Were they fighting each other?
It was only after being in the thick of it that I saw what was happening. The demons attacked one another, trying to grab other demons’ possessions.
Envy.
This was the realm of Envy if the trial we’d gone through was any indication. Of course, all of its residents would fill with the desire to claim what others had.
Hope filled me. Maybe they would be so caught up with one another they wouldn’t even notice us.
Hey, a girl could hope.
I spied another dark alley up ahead. We were almost there when someone noticed us.
“Look at that sword,” a voice shouted.
Screams erupted. Emily and I locked eyes. She drew her sword and held it tight with both hands. I pulled my wands from their holsters and prepared for the fight.
“Corrupt it,” another voice cried.
They swarmed us as one, but we fell into formation, back to back, quickly. Emily carved through the swath of demons while I directed a constant flow of fire to hold them at bay. I sent shards of ice flying to pierce their souls. The screams of agony sickened, but the alternative was allowing them to take the sword and probably kill us.
Emily would die before she gave it up. And I wasn’t about to let that happen.
A demon broke through the line of fire and tackled me. I fell against Emily, but she didn’t falter.
“Air!” I snarled, shoving the hand with the wind chain into the face of the demon. The torrent unleashed. He flew through the air.
I didn’t pause to see where he landed.
“Run, Emily!”
She bolted for the alley, carving a path for us.
We didn’t stop even after we made it out of the alley. We just kept running, because hell was on our heels.
Chapter 27
It felt like we’d been running for ages, but at long last, we slowed to a stop. We took a minute to catch our breath, knowing full well we couldn’t just continue straight away.
Emily holstered her sword, and I did the same with my wands after checking over my shoulder to make sure the demons weren’t behind us. They’d followed for a decent distance out of the city, but apparently, they hadn’t wanted to go too far from home.
“Are you all right?” I asked, gasping a little bit as I clutched my ribs, still aching from the beating we’d given one another the day before.
“I’m in one piece. That’s all that matters.”
“That’s good. Got a little hairy, but we’re out.”
“Yeah.” She grinned. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I didn’t expect them to try to corrupt your sword.”
Her smile fell. “The sword of the Seven is a powerful thing. Corrupting it is far more devastating than just taking one of us down. It couldn’t be passed to another after my time is done. It would permanently cripple us.”
“Makes sense they would go after it. Are all demons aware of that weakness?”
She shrugged. “I have no way of knowing, but I assume so.”
Damn. That meant any other demons we ran into were going to try, too. Well, we’d made it out of that fight mostly okay, so we should be able to again.
My side burned. My ribs were in so much pain from all the running. I honestly thought I might kick it before we could even get to Malphas.
Emily frowned. “You don’t look so good, Blair. You’ve gone pale.”
“Paler than normal, you mean?” I tried to joke, but I couldn’t even laugh. It hurt too much. “Doesn’t matter. We’re almost there. This is the final border before Dersious.”
“We should heal ourselves, then.”
I shook my head. “Trial first. I worry it’ll expire in the middle of fighting the angel.”
She bit her lip. “All right. I won’t force it on you.”
She couldn’t, not really. It was holy magic, which meant that unless she was killing a demon, the magic had to be accepted by the recipient. If she tried to heal me without permission, it just flat out wouldn’t work.
I didn’t like denying her, especially with the look of concern on her face, but I knew it was for the best. I didn’t want to end up being crippled by my pain being multiplied in the middle of the fight. The angel was going to be challenging enough. I didn’t need a handicap.
“Let me check how far away we are from the border.” I pulled out the map.
“You have no way of knowing where we are right now.”
“We’re a good distance from the city.”
I looked at the map and hope fluttered in my heart. This ring wasn’t particularly wide, thank the gods, and it seemed like we were pretty close to Dersious. I estimated it would only take a few hours before we reached it. Then it was just a matter of finding Malphas.
Surely, it couldn’t be so difficult. He was the head honcho. If he were in trouble, his realm would be in an uproar. We just needed to follow the panic to find him, then take down the angel, completing the mission. Easy as one, two, three.
Yeah, right. When is anything ever easy for you?
The time flew by. Before I knew it, we were at the final border.
It was translucent like all the others, but it had a scarlet hue to it.
“Do you remember what trial is left?” Emily asked.
“I haven’t been keeping track.”
“The only sin left is lust.”
That surprised me. I had assumed with the domains being ruled by a Fallen that the sin had to be indicative of the one who ruled it. Was Malphas a demon of lust? He didn’t seem like the type. Then again, he was a very physical man. He’d made no attempt to hide how he felt about me or my body.
Yeah, okay. I could believe he was a demon of lust.
“Well, no other option than to go through it. We’ll have to see what the
trial is.”
She grinned. “I think I’ll be all right on this one. I’m tuckered out.”
I had to laugh at that. “Glad I did my job properly.”
Her cheeks flushed. That was apparently the end of how forward she could be. I gave her a smile I hoped was encouraging, and then took her hand as we stepped across.
No matter what waited on the other side, lust was going to be the easiest to deny. Our love superseded everything else in the world.
There was no dreamscape this time, and I couldn’t help the anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Emily seemed to share my concerns. She squeezed my hand. I gave her a wobbly smile in return, wishing I felt more confident. Her eyes conveyed that she was plenty confident for the both of us.
We’d get through this. Nothing could make us waver, not after all we’d already been through.
Two swirls of vibrant red and pink appeared in front of us, a whirlwind of energy. It dissipated, and in its place, stood two women.
Two scantily clad women.
They were practically identical with warm, tan skin and dark black hair that hung straight down their backs all the way down to their hips. Their eyes were a gentle violet color, framed by long lashes. They had full, red lips. The clothes they wore—if they could even be called clothes—clung to every curve. They had scraps of lace that came up from the underside of their breasts, barely covering their nipples. A small swatch of fabric shrouded their pubic mounds.
Succubi.
They weren’t at all like Lilith, though, the original succubus. She had an elegant beauty about her with a strong allure. The kind that pulled you in and made it difficult to look away. These women reeked sex appeal, but it was too direct.
“Hello,” one of them said, her voice practically a purr. “It is such a pleasure to meet the two of you. I’m Rina, and this is my sister, Jovi. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Waiting?” I quirked a brow. “How did you know we were coming?”
“The others.” Jovi smiled. “They said you were the strongest mortals to ever pass through hell. You should be rewarded for your efforts.”
“We’re not interested in your type of reward,” Emily said, her voice firm. “We only desire one another.”
“We would never attempt to separate the two of you.” Rina took a step forward, her hips swaying suggestively with the movement. “There is no reason why you cannot enjoy us together, as one.”
“No,” I said, at the same time Emily spoke, “Never.”
The two succubi narrowed their eyes at the same time, as if they were one creature, then quickly shook their heads.
“We shall see.” Rina extended her hand, pointing an exquisitely manicured finger at me.
I felt the brush of her mind against mine. I frantically checked my wards to make sure they remained in place. Her presence prowling amongst my barriers, looking for a way in.
If we did not give them what they wanted, they would take it.
Stay strong. Your wards are well built. Diego’s been training you for years on this.
I glanced over at Emily to see how she was doing. She didn’t have the training I did in this, at least I didn’t think so. It stood to reason the Seven would have trained to keep demons out of their minds. Maybe she’d hold up better than I could at this.
Her brow furrowed, and her hands clenched into fists.She was struggling.
Oh no.
My heart squeezed. Emily wouldn’t intentionally betray me, but it wouldn’t be her choice at the end of it. I couldn’t let that happen.
But if I extended my protection to her mind, I risked allowing a weakness in my wards. The farther they stretched, the weaker they became.
There was no question in my mind. I would do anything for Emily, even risk letting the demon take control.
I reached for her with my mind and enveloped her with my energy, providing an extra layer of protection for her mind. The demon scraped at her walls. I pushed it back, flinging my full weight into the attack.
The demon snarled. They grew angrier the longer we resisted. They could turn violent at any moment. I remembered all too well how powerful Lilith had been, and how impossible it had been to take her down. Only Emily had been able to do it, and she had refrained from giving the killing blow.
Lilith is much more than just a succubus. She is the original. She’s not the spawn of any Fallen, but the first woman to have been created. Made from the dirt of the Garden, the equal of Adam. She is so much more than these succubi could ever hope to be.
I felt a weakness in my border.
The succubus seized it immediately and infiltrated my mind. Everything felt foggy. It was difficult to focus. She roamed inside my mind. I panicked, frozen and unable to defend myself. But it was a dim sort of panic, one I couldn’t keep hold of. I began to feel a semblance of warmth and relaxation instead.
“Let go, little mage. Let me make you feel good. You can stay here, with us, forever. Your days will be lined with immeasurable pleasure.”
Her words brushed against my mind like a silken caress. I wanted to give in, accept the promises of flesh she whispered.
No!
I wouldn’t betray Emily. With a roar, I ejected her from my mind and redoubled my mental wards. My eyes snapped open and saw the look of shock and horror in her eyes when she realized what I’d done.
Emily was still battling the assault. She trembled but hadn’t surrendered yet.
Without hesitation, I ran to her and cupped her face with my hands.
“I love you, Emily.” I brushed my lips against hers.
She cried out, and her arms wrapped around me. She buried her face in the crook of my neck.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, nothing happened,” I said.
“You will not stop us!” Rina screamed, her face twisted with rage and disgust. As one, they launched at us. Their nails contorted into sharpened claws, and their lips stretched back to reveal fangs.
I whirled entirely around, bringing up my wand in the same motion.
“Glacio!” I sent a bolt of pure ice into the heart of one of the succubi.
She let out a soft, astonished cry, clutching her heart, before crumpling to the ground.
“You killed my sister, you bitch!” The other succubi snarled. Her eyes were clouded with pain and rage. How long had they been together? I felt a pang of sympathy for her. She had lost her sister. That was no doubt a horrible thing to endure.
But she gave me no more time to lament her loss. She raked her claws along my already battered and bruised cheek, eliciting a howl of pain from me.
I punched her so hard, I felt and heard the sound of bones cracking.
Behind me, Emily whirled into action. The sharp ringing sound of her sword leaving its scabbard breached my ears. The next thing I knew, she was standing in front of me. How had she moved so fast?
“Your last chance for mercy, succubus,” Emily said, anger in her voice. “Take it or die.”
“Never!,” the succubus spat, practically venomous.
Without further ado, Emily brought her sword down faster than I could even track with my eyes, and the succubus’ head rolled to the ground.
I gaped at it for a long moment.
“Holy shit.”
Chapter 28
I still couldn’t get over how quickly Emily had killed the other demon. She wiped the sword clean on her leg before stowing it back on her back where it belonged, a business-as-usual look on her face.
Fuck.
“And it is done.” She turned to look at me. “We have finished the trials. Only the angel stands between us and the mission.”
“Yeah…shit, Emily that was…”
She quirked a brow. “Efficient? I don’t believe in dragging out the deaths of the damned if it can be helped. She was suffering from the loss of her sister. I put her out of her misery.”
I snorted. “You could say that.”
The sky darkened. Thunder cracked over our heads, and lightning danced between the clouds.
My eyes widened. “What the fuck is that?”
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
Someone approached in the distance, but I couldn’t make out who, or what, it was. They moved fast, vanishing and reappearing closer each time they winked out of view.
They appeared, suddenly, in front of me. I braced for battle, and—Malphas.
My stomach tightened, my heart pounded in my chest, and for a moment, I couldn’t even breathe.
Malphas.
He was here, alive and in one piece, no sign of an angel anywhere. His brow furrowed, and his lips slightly parted. He looked confused.
Gods, he looked so much better than the last time I’d seen him. His black hair—at times shaggy and loose—was slicked back with just a small lock having broken free to curl at his forehead. His naturally tanned, olive skin gleamed in the light from the lightning storming above. His fiery red eyes danced as he gazed at me. He wore the same style I’d always seen him in: dress pants, a white shirt, and a red tie.
“Blair?” he whispered as if he didn’t entirely trust himself to speak.
His voice broke the spell holding me in place. I lunged forward, throwing my arms around him and holding tight. Tears spilled over my cheeks.
“You’re alive! Oh, gods, I thought you were going to die, but you’re alive,” I said with little sobs of happiness. I feared if I let him go, he would disappear. He stiffened at my embrace, a moment later, his arms wrapped around me, holding just as tight as I was. His hand smoothed over my back, rubbing in small circles. He rested his chin on the top of my head.
He was the only person I’d ever met taller than me.
Then my happiness fell away as the implications of him standing here struck me. I jerked from of his arms, glaring at him. He squinted his eyes, confused by my reaction. How he was oblivious as to why I was suddenly upset, I didn’t know.
“You scared the shit out of me!” I yelled, hands on my hips. “What the fuck was all of that? Just some stupid fucking ploy to get me to forgive you? I can’t believe you would pull something so dirty.”