Demonic Passions

by Marks, Rena

  “It’s too late,” Keara said calmly. “Fretting is pointless. His soul is gone. There’s nothing you can do. It’s mine.”

  “Then yours will belong to me, half-breed. Along with your powers.”

  With that, the world as Keara knew it went black.

  Chapter Twelve

  The Failure

  She was groggy when she woke up. She tried to raise a hand to rub at her eyes, but it wouldn’t lift. She opened her lids to see both tied at the wrists to the headboard.

  Enishka sat patiently on the edge of the bed.

  “While you slept so peacefully, I arranged the ceremony. It doesn’t matter to me who becomes my queen, you or Natalya. But be prepared to know that before you serve your time in Arashnoks, I will have you watch your human lover’s torturous death. You see while you slept, I tapped into your psychic link to see how to draw him here. I may not get his soul, but you will miss out on your happy little human lives with his death.”

  Her barely coherent brain was too exhausted to try to figure whether or not he lied. “You lie.”

  “Willing to take that chance? Get him here or I will. Of course, if you willingly marry me, I can agree to leave him alone.”

  “I refuse to summon Caleb here.”

  “Then you have exactly one day to decide to marry me, or I’ll get your human here myself.”

  “I will not.”

  “I’ll just tap into your link with him while you sleep again, then.” A red beam of light shot from his eyes and hit her painfully in the chest.

  Keara awoke more slowly this time. She was half sitting and half lying on a bed, fully dressed in a black lace gown. A wedding gown.

  Hers.

  “Welcome to Judgment Day, my bride.”

  Once again, the swamp creatures giggled hysterically and remembrance snapped into Keara like a rubber band.

  Desperately, she struggled against the ropes that bound her to the bedpost. Who’d ever heard of a bed in the middle of a swamp? It would be just like Enishka to take her on it in front of everyone. She’d obviously struggled while unconscious, the blood that marked her wrists proved it. Of course the cuts and bruises that covered her skin looked incongruous with the wedding gown.

  “As you can see,” he hissed, “you’ve been proven more demon than human. You’re mine, Jenesi,” he said, reverting to her original name.

  The swamp was loud with the racket the demons made as they cheered for their master.

  “You can’t do that,” she shouted over the din.

  The demon lord ignored her, choosing instead to accept congratulations from the new underlings which surrounded him.

  She knew what would get his attention. “Enishka!”

  It earned her a slap from the slimy, rotted demon who guarded her. The force of it whipped her hair about her face and reddened her cheek. But it served its purpose, for there was silence in the swamp.

  “You wish to speak, wife? What gives you the right?”

  “You are wrong. I am human.”

  “Prove your humanity, Keara. What good have you done in the midst of all this rage-filled man-punishing?”

  “Goudy and Malet.”

  “You choose to use the humiliation of two macho men in order to prove humanity?” the demon lord snickered before bursting into full blown laughter.

  She waited until the laughter died down before saying, “They have never felt humiliation.”

  “Funny. We all winced in shame while we watched.” Several of the swamp creatures tsked.

  “I gave true love to Goudy and Malet. A happy-ever-after. Human love.” Her voice rang.

  Silence met her statement. “What is true love?”

  “Complete unwavering happiness. Total fulfillment for both parties. Male or female, it doesn’t matter.”

  There was a lengthy pause of silence in which he stared at her incredulously. “Tobias!” Enishka barked. “Show me the damn humans.”

  Tobias inclined his head, his twin tongues snaking out nervously from his lips like an overgrown serpent. Raising his arms toward one of the moons, he closed his eyes and whispered.

  Energy hissed, like an electrical current being released.

  Slowly, the overgrown moon was pulled toward to the swamp. As it maneuvered, the shapes and shadows began to shift. A pattern was formed and Keara realized it was like watching a movie on a big screen TV.

  The movie was of Goudy and Malet.

  They sat on the front balcony of Malet’s apartment, watching the human moon and stars. Goudy’s head rested on Malet’s shoulder.

  “I’m glad Keara got us together,” he whispered.

  “We owe her,” Malet responded, pressing a kiss to the top of Mike’s thinning hair which he wore sticking straight up in what used to be a crew cut when it was thicker.

  “Enough!” boomed the voice of Enishka.

  His demon servant pushed outward with his scrawny arms and the moon shifted back into place, the feature film in the center returning to the shapes of craters and shadows, becoming still once more.

  The swamp was thick with sudden silence.

  “You tricked us?” Enishka spoke slowly. Succinctly. “Clever girl. Clever, clever…clever girl.”

  He strummed his thick fingernails on the arm of his chair, making a horrible clicking noise like some kind of exotic insect. His face was tight with frustration as he thought of a way to keep her anyway. Or at least her power.

  Then his face cleared as his awareness caught at the realization of what she had done.

  “Yes… Clever girl. You turned revenge into true love. You caused true love. Then you must have inherited your father’s gift?” His interest was piqued, at full attention. The last of the Horntreau line inherited the most prized power, and prophecy had foretold it would be at full strength. This was proof. Keara was the prophecy. Just like he’d suspected.

  Keara took a deep breath. This was it. Her confession. While it proved her humanity, it was very possible that upon hearing her answer the evil bastard would insist that she stay to be his bride anyway. He’d want to own her power and if she was his wife, he’d take it. Yet it was the only way to save Caleb. She’d have to extract the promise from Enishka after the admission if he wanted her power. She’d even be willing to bear his cannibalistic brats, as long as Caleb was safe. She opened her mouth to admit to the truth and sacrifice herself.

  Because he couldn’t have Caleb. She’d die before allowing him to have his soul.

  “No.” A voice rang out.

  Every head in the swamp turned toward the sound and watched as a male materialized among them. A powerful being obviously, if he had the ability to listen and speak in their dimension without yet physically being there.

  Caleb. Where had he come from?

  “Who are you?” the demon lord hissed.

  “Caleb Van Trump.”

  Satisfaction waved over the features of the demon lord. “You are what, since you materialized in my world?”

  “Demi-god. Descended from Eros.”

  Aggravation laced the demon’s voice. “Eros? The patron of male love?”

  Caleb smiled though there was no joy in the smile. “You got it.”

  “An old enemy. And why have you invaded my home, Son of Eros?”

  “You summoned, did you not? And I’m following Keara. She’s mine.”

  “On the contrary, Van Trump, she is my bride.”

  “She’s human.”

  “She’s demon.”

  “Will that be your decision?” Caleb’s voice rang out, the phrase oddly formal.

  The demon lord paused. If he wrongfully chose her to be demon and a pack of gods, that damnable Eros included, decided she was not to support his precious offspring, it was an offense punishable by demotion. He would lose his crown, his dimension, his everything. For good this time, after his twenty-five year suspension. Was one little half demon worth it?

  He turned to assess Keara. Absolutely. If she was the one, she had untap
ped power waiting for him. Caleb Van Trump looked at her also. The demon lord watched as Caleb stared at the half-breed. Dammit, he hadn’t counted on that. Caleb was obviously in love with Keara and would fight for her humanity.

  But the ability to drive others insane. Especially those of his own kind. To own that one little power nearly made him drool with lust. And the right to fuck the offspring of his enemy Demitris and his lost love, Elizabeth.

  The fact that he never loved Elizabeth didn’t matter. She had been his, dammit.

  “She’s owed to me,” he hissed. “She is to mate in the underworld. She can’t reproduce otherwise, I have decreed it. She is the last of her race.”

  “You don’t want to fight me over this.”

  “I’ll cause your death, little demi-god.”

  “Not before the son of Eros gives you your own true love, Enishka. Eternal love. With anyone I desire. Think about the consequences. I’m sure Natalya has.”

  For the first time in his rotten life, Enishka felt true fear. It froze his thinking. It was a horrible feeling, a helpless feeling so unlike the power rush he obtained when he caused others terror.

  He took a deep breath. He’d have to bind Van Trump’s power before the bastard pierced him with his arrows. Tied him forever to the ruthless demon bitch, Natalya, who would slit his throat before he even slept. Where could his power originate?

  Cupid. God of Love. Descendent of Aphrodite. Perhaps the mouth? Kisses? A gag should do it. It should render him useless. It was a good a shot as any.

  “You cannot use your power in my underworld, boy. Just as I am not allowed to use my original powers in the human dimension.”

  The cackling and twittering erupted. How had the stupid son of Eros forgotten that? Enishka allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction before striking out and binding a tie around Caleb’s mouth while he was distracted.

  It was amazing how the gag worked. Caleb was immediately weakened as sure as Samson was by Delilah. He sank to his knees, although his eyes blazed with fury.

  “Well, look at that,” Enishka cackled. “It appears I found your Achilles’ tendon. Tobias,” he barked and waited until the demon aid scuttled forward. “Toss him into the cage. Is Natalya preparing as my bride also?” Enishka asked his demon underling.

  “Yes, m-master.”

  “Then bring Jenesi.”

  She was grabbed by her arms and half carried into the ring of fire. Left standing in the center, she couldn’t speak as she’d been gagged when Caleb morphed in. Instead, she returned the curiosity of all the eyes all focused upon her.

  “We have two choices, my sweet bride. You can willingly marry me or you can watch your helpless lover’s death. What will you do to save his life?”

  An underling stepped forward to rip the tie from her face so she could speak.

  “How dare you touch a human?”

  “Who’s gonna know? You feel the need to tattle to someone? Little winged creatures, perhaps?”

  “Laws are in place for a reason, Enishka.”

  The rotting demon stepped forward in reference to his name, but the instantaneous blue glow of Keara’s eyes forced him to take a step back without the usual slap. Everyone was quiet as they witnessed the exchange and an undercurrent of excitement ran through the swamp creatures.

  Enishka watched all as he strummed his fingers on the wooden cane he carried. Today his form was the legs of a goat with the snout of a pig. He wiped his hand across his snout, draping a wet streak of mucus across it.

  “I guess I won’t break any laws by touching a human. Instead I can banish him to the Insanity Dimension.”

  The Insanity Dimension. Where no one knew what would happen once you entered, for no one who entered ever returned without the madness of dementia.

  “You wouldn’t,” she whispered, ignoring the banging on the cage by Caleb.

  “I would. How long he stays depends on how long it takes you to say I do. And to prove I mean business…”

  Enishka turned his glowing gaze to the cage where Caleb was held and the man inside shimmered into another dimension.

  “No!” Keara screamed, running to the cage as he vanished.

  “Relax,” Enishka said calmly. “I just sent him to the border of Insanity. He’s hanging on by the strength of his hands. When he gets tired, he’ll drop in. Unless you say I do before then. What’s it going to be, Jenesi?”

  “Send for the damn minister.”

  Demons scuttled back and forth in preparation for the upcoming ceremony. The swamp thickened with the usual fog, adding an eerie quality that equaled her mood. What better place for a marriage from hell, than hell?

  Keara waited to see who the minister would be. None ever stepped up. Then, the Rot Demon retrieved a small book and took the round stage before them.

  Enishka stood before him and turned to raise an eyebrow at Keara. Two demons scuttled forth to guide her to stand beside her bridegroom. They left her to take her vows with hands still tied at the wrists.

  “Dearest Loved Ones…” began the Rot Demon.

  Keara tried to ignore the plop, plop, plop as he read the vows to them, much as she tried to ignore the drips from his nose that landed into the book he read from.

  “A demon king shall take his queen, and combine her powers with his for the benefit of our kingdom…” he continued. His voice droned on and Keara barely heard the words, she was so enraptured with watching the slime slough off him. Pieces of tongue slipped off and stained the pages before him as he spoke, like drops of spittle flying through the air.

  And when he turned a page, a finger plopped onto the ground below. Another dropped, striking directly on top of the first finger and breaking it in half. As she watched, the broken pieces of fingers slithered as though they wanted to run away, only to curl up and shrivel suddenly, like slugs opposed to sunlight.

  She felt sick.

  And then there was a pause in the service as everyone turned and looked expectantly at her.

  “I do,” she said automatically.

  Enishka clapped his hands in glee.

  In the far off distance, a slight howl was heard in the whistling wind. It grew louder and louder, a tortured, gut-wrenching sound.

  “What’ssss that?” asked Tobias.

  “Sounds like pain,” Enishka said slyly. “An inhuman scream that pierces dimensional walls. Could it be the lover?”

  Using a long finger, Enishka reached out and sliced a wavering wall near them. He gave a look to his underlings who stepped into the other reality without question and brought a weakened Caleb back with them.

  They’d been gone just a second or two, but when they stepped back over, Caleb was severely bruised and bloodied.

  “Leave him be,” yelled Keara, lifting her full, lacy skirts to run to him.

  “Or you’ll what?”

  Enishka grabbed her slender arm, yanking her roughly, and Caleb charged him.

  It took four demons to subdue the man she loved. Four to one…until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Stop. This solves nothing, you must leave him alone.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s mine.”

  “But you’re mine, wife.”

  “You got what you wanted, now honor your agreement.”

  “But there’s more I want. Children.”

  “Are you insane? I won’t bear brats of yours! You promised you wouldn’t kill him if I married you.”

  “I will have your powers, Keara. You will be my cooperative bride and breed with me or the human loses his soul.”

  “You can’t have his soul,” she whispered. “It belongs to me.”

  Enishka clapped his hands. “Thank you once again for that admittance. I have you! After all these years, you’re mine. You stole a soul, for that I can declare you demon to the heavens above!” He screamed the word “decree” to the skies and the clouds darkened in threat before they parted to a bright, glowing light.

  The swamp chattering halted for o
nce as another dimension merged into Luciefyiore. A dimension that was glittering and golden, with men and women dressed as ancient Greek gods. For all she knew, they may have been.

  And the glittering little protection fairies, fluttering about like busy hummingbirds.