The Triple Goddess

by Stephanie Hudson

  “Damn straight, Vixen!” He said before pulling me harder onto his arousal making me moan at the contact.

  “I would love nothing more than to take you right now and bury myself into your very core. If however, I wasn’t on a rooftop belonging to my enemy, one who kidnapped you, I might add.” He said as though it pained him to admit that our proper reunion would have to wait. He groaned when I shifted on top of him and I laughed as I got off, but I didn’t get far. He grasped my wrist and for a second looked brutally possessive.

  “You do not leave my side Keira, do you understand? You go nowhere without my touch.” Oh my god, he was being completely serious!

  “Draven you can’t be…”

  “No Keira! You will not fight me on this, end of conversation. Now come, it is time to take you home.” He tried to level his voice but the strain it took told me the idea of me leaving his side again was something he could never allow to happen again. I decided not to argue, there would be no point until he had calmed down and some time had passed. I couldn’t believe this was the end, all that time waiting for this moment and now it didn’t even seem real, more like a dream. So when that thought hit me I kind of panicked a little and quickly pinched him, extracting a moan from him.

  “Hey, what was that for?” He said with his lips quirking at the sides. I smiled as I knew it hadn’t hurt, I didn’t know what could hurt this man…oh wait, well maybe I do now… me leaving again.

  “I just wanted to check I wasn’t dreaming.”

  “You know you have the process of checking for dreaming all wrong, don’t you?” He said and I saw that mischievous glint in his eyes that had my heart hammering at the sight. I mean bloody hell, if he got any more handsome I think my heart would literally stop beating. I saw what was coming and tried to dodge his attack but of course against Draven I was too slow. He grabbed me and pinched lightly at my sides making me snort with laughter. I was laughing so hard I could barely take a breath and he laughed with me…or more like at me. I just couldn’t believe I was now crying with happiness and if someone had told me this would be in my future for tonight then I would never have believed them.

  Once I managed to get composed, Draven lifted me as though I weighed nothing at all and held me there to the right level while he kissed me softly but thoroughly. He left my lips but then by the time he got to my neck he seemed more desperate to have more of me. I felt him fist my dress at the back and I kept thinking any minute now I would hear the ripping of this beautiful fabric.

  “Draven, are you prepared to walk me back in there naked?” I quipped and he growled into the juncture where my neck met my shoulder. I felt him then shudder and he raised lust filled eyes to mine making me join him.

  “My beauty, I will carry you back there wrapped in my wings if I need to.” He said so softly it formed a lump in my throat. I placed my hand to his cheek and he turned his face into it.

  “Thank you.” I hummed in his ear and I felt him smile before I saw it.

  “You never need to thank me for that Keira…ever.” I closed my eyes as the love he projected hit me and the overwhelming feeling of being protected once again was so comforting it was beyond all words.

  I felt his hand finally relax and I was lowered to the ground slowly feeling the hard length of him all the way down. He then took my hand and pulled me gently to the door I came through. We were just there when I pulled back as I remembered what I wanted to ask him.

  “Did you give Lucius the spear tip?” He looked at me quizzically for a second before shaking his head.

  “No, the deal changed.”

  “Changed? But how…who said...?” I asked shocked that Lucius had let me go without gaining possession of what he so desperately needed for over two thousand years.

  “Keira, I will explain soon but later, when I have you safe and…” He stopped mid-sentence as absolute horror and sheer terror transformed his handsome face. He was looking at me as though I was a ghost, as though he had never seen me before.

  “Draven? Draven…what’s wrong?” I asked him not even trying to keep the panic from pitching my voice higher. I watched him raise our entwined hands and I finally saw what he was seeing.

  “No…this can’t be happening…this, it can’t…I am not asleep…I…” I stammered as I looked up at Draven and saw his own panic. I watched as his hand got tighter but my fingers didn’t feel it. How was this happening?

  “Draven...? Draven! NO!” I shouted as it travelled up my arm and soon more of me was invisible and fading away just like I always did before.

  “How is this happening?” I shouted and this was when Draven lost it and thundered in a demonic growl that ignited his whole body into his other self.

  But it was too late and the last thing I heard before my whole body faded away was my name being screamed by the man I loved…

  My dark Angel.

  Chapter 44

  Say Hello to my Little Friend

  I woke up with a start, mainly because I wanted to be sick and before I could look round for a suitable place, I vomited over the side of what I assumed to be a bed. For the moment nothing else mattered than the acid taste I needed to get out of my body and I heaved until nothing was left but burning nostrils and a raw throat.

  Where the hell I was I didn’t know but one thing became very apparent…I was in a cell. Unless it was the worst B&B in history, I didn’t think there was any other thing to call the small stone room that had bars on the door and window. So with that, one thing became clear, I doubted I would be checking out of here anytime soon.

  There was a small fold out cot bed pushed against the wall that I was sat up on and the other side had a little table with a bowl of water and a tin cup next to it. In the far corner was the only other item in the room and it made me say out loud, “Ahh, hell no!” There was absolutely no way I was using that dirty bucket to pee in!

  I tried not to panic as I knew in cases like this, unfortunately from past experiences, that panicking never helped. But it was taking all my strength not to. I wanted to scream out at how entirely unfair this was, for me to have finally got Draven back in my life to then be once again cruelly snatched away was enough to bring on watery eyes. I didn’t want to cry, not again, so I rubbed my eyes to try and stop myself from making a crappy situation worse.

  So, instead, I walked over to the small table and was at least thankful that the water in the bowl looked clear. I dipped my cup in it and took a long swig of water to try and eliminate the taste of bile in my mouth. I decided not to overdo it on the water as the very last thing I wanted to do was to try out my first class toilet facilities.

  After doing the obvious things like checking the door was actually locked and that the bars on the windows wouldn’t budge I did the only other thing I could do, I sat gingerly on the bed as I didn’t feel like making things worse, but becoming a bed burrito by having the sides snap up and swallow me…it happened once and now I hate the things.

  It felt like hours later and by the way the sunlight was shifting in my little window I knew it had been. I did the math in my head and knew it must be getting on for at least four o’clock as I had gathered that when I did my disappearing act, it was already getting late. I must have been drugged to have slept through the night, which would explain the throw up session this morning. I had tried to understand how this happened but even with hours to stew on it I was still coming up with nada!

  The list of suspects was at least narrowed down to two people and as time went by I knew more than likely my captor was going to be Malphas. If it had been Layla I doubted she would have let me sleep the night away before slitting my throat. So now I was left with my only other option, I was left to wait it out and hope like holy hell that someone would be coming to rescue me pretty soon.

  The very thought what Draven must be going through at losing me for the second time made me wonder how many rooms would be destroyed from his wrath this time. Well, I hoped when he found me then he could put that
wrath to good use and kick some demon butt! I think at this point I must have lost it slightly as I started laughing but then it turned to tears and it took me a while to get myself back in control. I would like to say that it was the lowest point of my lovely day out at this rustic, exclusive health spa but unfortunately I would be lying as I quickly found myself so desperate for the toilet, I had no other option than to use bloody bucket.

  Well at least there was toilet roll, even though I had to expel the outside layers until there was hardly anything left, as the disgusting filth of the room had seeped into the roll until it looked mouldy. I had to keep swallowing to hold down the last of my bile but I manage to until I had finished.

  When I finally heard footsteps for the first time I shot up and faced the door. I wanted to grab something as a weapon but I didn’t think a tin cup was going to cut it against a Demon so I decided to hold onto my dignity instead. I started trembling but not in fear more in anticipation of what was to come. Of course it didn’t help that I was still in my little dress and it was freezing in this damn stone cell.

  I looked through the little bars at the very top of the door but it was too high to see anything so when the door finally opened I didn’t know what to expect. There was only three things I could tell about the figure in front of me, one was he was definitely male, two that he was definitely a demon and the third…given the tray he was carrying…he was definitely a lackey minion. He was covered from head to toe in a black cloak and the hood covered every inch of his face.

  He was also huge, with a massive frame that barely fit through the door. His legs were encased in leather and strapped to them were numerous weapons in the form of curved blades, throwing stars and even some strange silver discs that looked to have razor sharp edging. It also looked like he was wearing some strange metal plating on his chest that was grooved to show the contours of his muscled frame. This was most definitely armour of some kind and it was engraved with symbols I had never seen before.

  Gloved hands held the tray as he entered the room and I stepped back enough to bump into the wall behind me. My palms found damp wall to grip onto and I felt my nails scratch at the stone blocks. One look at that tray had me close to hyperventilating and the syringe that lay next to a little medical vial didn’t take a genius to figure things out.

  “Oh no you don’t…you and your creepy ass are not drugging me again!” I said bravely, making him cock his head to one side as if he didn’t understand a word I was saying but then it didn’t matter too much, as in the next second the lackey made a strangled gargle and then dropped to the floor as if he’d been hit by an ‘acme’ anvil. He fell forward and the tray went smashing to the ground, happily breaking its contents. I watched with my mouth hanging open as I took in the cause.

  “PIP!” I shouted in disbelief at the sight of my favourite Imp stood in the doorway, looking like Rambo with a massive knife in hand. She gave me a beaming smile, which I promptly knocked off her when I launched myself at her.

  “Whoa! Nice to see ya too, Tooty cake.” She said as I gripped onto her for dear life, never being so happy to see my green haired friend here to rescue me. She had to drop the knife to pry my arms off her and when I let go and looked at her, she was grinning at me like a mad woman!

  “Happy to see me, I take it.” She said stating the obvious and it made me want to cry with happiness.

  “Oh God, yes!” I replied making her giggle.

  “Well I’m not a god yet darling but given the amount of times I end up saving your skinny butt then I might become one soon. So…this is a nice place you got here.”

  “Oh you like it? Good, ‘cause my rent’s up and it was a bargain but I really think we should leave before any more rats come to investigate.” I said giving a nod to the dead guy on the floor. She giggled again and then picked up her weapon before she wiped her blade along one of his trouser legs.

  “Mmm, yeah I see what you mean, but unfortunately there are also more big ass rats out there too…oh but don’t worry Toots, of course I have a plan.” She gave me a cute wink and with her army combat gear you would have thought the two would have been polar opposites but the combat print kind of defeated the object when it was black and pink camouflage with rhinestone edges. Where would she be camouflaged…a gay club on drag queen night?! It was funny but the only part of her that would have been camouflaged in the usual green surroundings would have been her hair, which was currently hidden under a military style floppy cap in the same crazy pattern.

  “So, what is this amazing plan?” I said without bothering to keep the hopefulness from my voice.

  “It’s a good one but we need to get to the roof, so it’s time to haul ass and jump ship.” She stepped over the big mass of body parts that was the dead man and motioned for me to do the same. We got out of the door and I flinched as I saw that there was also another dead guy thanks to my little friend. She continued to pull me down the stone corridor towards a door at the end and we had to step over another dead body. Jesus, just how many guys had Pip killed in her time here anyway?

  “Who are these guys?” I whispered but she gave me a toothy grin when she corrected me.

  “Don’t you mean who ‘were’ these guys? But in answer to your question, these square dudes are pretty much soldiers of Hell.”

  “What!” I yelled way too loudly for our situation but Pip didn’t look worried, which told me she had eliminated any chance of us coming across unwelcomed visitors.

  “Ok, here’s the skinny on our situation Toots, as you have no doubt gathered by now, the big cheese in this picture is our bad old boy Malphas and see, he is like a President of Hell. This comes with certain perks, those being like a whole heard of demon soldiers all ready and waiting for the whistle blower, which yesterday… he blew…hence demon square dudes that can’t dress for a shit date.” As I took all this in, Pip was leading us through the door which I noticed had the lock kicked in. I looked down at her booted feet and saw the heavy metal soles and steel tips…yep, that would do it.

  “Ok, I think I am pretty much getting a clear picture now thanks, but there is one more thing you could tell me.” I said as she held the door open for me.

  “Well I am on a roll here, so why the hell not. Fire the cannon.”

  “Err… what now?”

  “I mean ask your question.” She said translating herself.

  “Ok well… how did you even find me?”

  “Ah, now this is the good stuff and the real genius part. Luc was concerned something like this would happen so he took precautions in case. And well, I didn’t mind, you actually have a very aromatic flavour and also taste a little like Turkish Delight.” Ok, at this my mouth made that trade mark O shape when being around Pip.

  “Lucius made you bite me that night so that you could find me again?”

  “Yep…bit like a beacon to my homing pigeon self. Anyway, that neat little trick I do when I send you packing in your sleep, well it’s a bit like that, only instead of just my soul going on a trip, well with me, my body can tag along for the ride…so here I am.” She did a little twirl round when announcing the ‘here I am’ bit and I was stunned. She could actually do that?

  “So it’s a bit like ‘beam me up Scotty’ type thing?” At this she laughed so much, she had to stop and bend over to grasp her stomach, she found it that funny.

  “Kind of, only without the Scotty…Man you’re funny! Anyway what was I going to say…Ah yes, well I would have been here sooner but it takes so much juice out of me I have to wait for the sun to rise. I am a bit like a solar panel in that way. Plus we needed to make a plan of action and pull forces, gather the troops, that type of thing.” This I was happy to hear about and it instantly made me wonder if Draven and Lucius were finally working together again.

  I didn’t have much chance to give it more thought as we made our way up a spiral staircase, which I gathered led to the roof.

  “So how is this going to work, how do we get in contact with them an
d why do we need to be on the roof?” I knew this must have been really annoying as it was an irritating trait of mine but I couldn’t help all the questions. But one of the best things about Pip, was that it never seemed to bother her and she rooted into one of the pockets on her combat trousers, lifting up a glittery flap before digging in deep. She then pulled out her blackberry phone and said,

  “I need a signal.” I couldn’t believe this was part of our mission. I mean she beamed in here like something out of nearly every sci fi movie I have ever seen and then used a simple mobile phone to call the cavalry. She then held it up to wait for the bars to flash and indicate she could call as we walked the rest of the way up. I finally saw a door and wondered how high up we had come as it felt like I had climbed for a small eternity and my legs felt like lumpy custard had been injected to replace my bones.

  I was just about to ask what would happen once she rang as she opened the door but her gasp stopped me. I ran up the last few steps, feeling even more wobbly doing so but when I got next to her and the blinding sun allowed my eyes to see things properly we both said the same thing at the same time, although as usual Pip embellished her version.

  “Oh Shit!”

  “Oh Shitio!”

  “Tell me your plan involves them?” I asked at the sight of an army of ‘big square dudes’ as Pip called them, all stood there waiting for us. We both looked at each other and Pip did something that I would normally be doing right about now, she bit into her bottom lip before answering me.

  “Umm, that would be a no.” She answered what I was expecting her to say and turned back to the twenty cloaked bodies all of which were holding blades of some kind. Pip moved me behind her slightly and then reached her back to the handle of the blade she had strapped there.

  “Pip.” I whispered praying she wasn’t going to do what I thought she was going to do.