by Marcel, Zoey
“But he would not have been capable of doing so had I been where I was supposed to.”
“True.”
She wailed at this. Perhaps his choice of words had been poor. He laid the whip against the wall and dabbed up her wounds with a handkerchief. She winced and whimpered at the gentle contact.
“Hell will be insufferable enough. There is no need to punish yourself before your time.”
“I keep thinking to myself that it didn't have to be this way, but the damage is done. Sometimes I feel so bad for what I have done and sometimes I just don't care. I don't know who I am anymore,” she sobbed. “I could be in heaven right now, or even on earth protecting someone, but instead I'm being beaten by someone who hates me.”
How could she think that? Was he really so in control of his emotions that she couldn't even see the weakness that lay behind his olive-green eyes? Did the assertive master in him eclipse the desperate male inside of him who needed her more than he needed salvation, power, or sex? “I don't hate you, Sonya. I never did. I'm sorry your heart is broken. If I could give you back your place in heaven I would, but I can't. Who am I fooling? I should be the one to be tortured for your downfall, not because I deceived you, but because I don't care. If I could undo this and save you I would damn you all over again, because I want you too badly to think of letting you go.”
“I know,” she said quietly. There was a moment of silence before she started weeping again, “All I ever wanted was to be with you. I don't care if I have to be stripped, beaten, humiliated and violated, as long as I'm yours that is all that matters to me. I should have run when I realized I fell for a demon, but instead I ran into your damning arms. I should tremble in fear over the thought of spending eternity in the abyss, but the only thing that makes me tremble is the thought of an eternity without you. I know I will burn for saying this, but heaven isn't the same without you.”
Nimbus was speechless. Those were not words he ever expected to come out of her, certainly not directed at him.
“How do you live with yourself knowing what your final destination is? How can you ever find a moment's happiness?” Sonya asked.
“You learn to live in the present. The moments of happiness are a valid distraction and leading souls astray is a fulfilling form of vengeance.”
“Is that why you made me stumble?”
“No. I tricked you for personal reasons. It had nothing to do with the larger picture.” He walked around to the front of her and caught her tear, “I missed you. The separation was more than I could bear. My affection for you may be a selfish one, but it is unbreakable. I make no apologies for caring about an angel.”
Her lids veiled her eyes and milked the tears of remorse from them. “I'm not an angel.”
“You are my angel.” Nimbus kissed her slowly, deeply. Her thankful little whimper was pure and devoted as she gave him everything in that kiss. He could feel the magic in her kiss spreading through his body, touching every place inside of him. His cock stirred and his heart felt peace. He would take her, but first he must see to her wounds.
“Please take me away from here,” she implored. “We can leave behind this mad, senseless battle between good and evil and be together just the two of us.”
The fantasy was ideal, but unrealistic. There was no escaping light and darkness. One could stand in either one or the other, but one could not depart from both any more than one could embrace them at once. “Now you are talking like a human being. We can close our eyes to truth, but we cannot destroy it. The end will come whether we want it to or not.”
Her dark eyes bore the sorrow that rang in his tone. “But we can share a lifetime together and be happy. Isn't that what you want?”
Jude walked in. “For the love of death, man, have you gone soft? Since when does kissing and sweet talking equate to torturing prisoners?”
Nimbus gave a weak smile as he held Sonya's entrancing gaze. She was beautiful like a star in the heavens. The death of a single star out of countless others might go unnoticed to inhabitants of the earth, but he would cease to exist if this star ever burned into nothingness. “What do you want, Jude?”
“Besides the interbreeding of vampires, demons and humans to create one ridiculously powerful race?” Jude hinted. “Not a thing.”
Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes, the dream of your forefathers. If only they had contrived such a theory before the condemning flood.”
Jude snickered. “You know I have no forefathers, only peers. Punishment may be inevitable, but it is often delayed. Who knows how many unstoppable creatures we could create in the meantime?”
“Enough. Go damn yourself with Less and a demon of your choosing.”
“I thought perhaps the lineage would be that much stronger if the human female was once an angel,” Jude implied.
“And should God choose to thwart your plans Sonya's life may be at stake since you involved her.”
“Her life is already at stake. I overheard a conspiracy that she should be destroyed if not soon mated to you. It seems the council despises games even more than I do. They want her to join us or die.”
Nimbus sighed. His demeanor was one of composure, but inside he bellowed in aggravation. Why hadn't Sonya kept her mouth shut? If she hadn't prayed she wouldn't have condemned herself. What sort of singular character sought genuine fellowship with God while in the belly of hell? She was an odd one. “I'm taking her back.”
“To earth?” Jude concluded.
“Yes.” Nimbus unchained Sonya and cleaned up her torn flesh.
“I will see you out safely. There are a good deal of angry individuals down here right now. Perhaps you can get out before they realize you are gone.”
***
“Going somewhere?”
The trio turned to see several guards and the male who attacked Sonya earlier. Her heart pounded inside of her. The gate was so close, yet too far and guarded.
“I was. Is that an issue?” Nimbus barked.
“It is. We have strict orders to kill her. I believe you are proving yourself to be an obstacle.”
“She is my property and not yours to touch.” Nimbus stood in front of her. He was so tall and strong she couldn't help but feel protected despite the fact that they were currently outnumbered.
“Unless you are suggesting a mutiny against the evil one, you have no authority to protect a condemned human.”
“She is not dead, therefore has no place here,” Nimbus said.
“Then why did you bring her here?”
“To claim her.”
“Then why haven't you done so?”
“There is no rushing a bond of that magnitude.”
“There is no dawdling either. If you are not going to screw and bite the bitch then stand aside so we can kill her like we were commissioned to.”
Sonya became terrified. She hid behind Nimbus, but a part of her worried for him as well.
Jude stepped forward. “Now, Jessing, the reason he is taking his damned sweet time is because of the unusual nature of his intentions.”
Jessing looked baffled. “There is nothing unusual about the mating ritual.”
Jude smiled. “This is about more than uniting true mates together. This is about progress and war.”
“Come to the point already.”
“We are creating an army.”
The warrior-looking male stared at Jude as though he supposed him to be an imbecile. “An army of three?”
Jude snickered at this. “Jolly good fellow, isn't he, Nimbus? No, my good man, we are creating a powerful bloodline of warriors, the highly controversial theory of the vampire-demon-human hybrid.”
The guards groaned their annoyance and Jessing shook his head. “You confounded undead corpses are always babbling about that blasted theory. Did you learn nothing from the flood?”
Jude rolled his eyes. “I think I might singe the ass of the next person who tells me that in the River Phlegethon. Honestly, Jessing, if someone didn't know
you better they might assume you were afraid.”
Jessing glared at him. “I am cautious. There is a difference.”
Jude grinned. “Ah, is that what you call it.”
“Use a dead human if you are determined to do this. Angels and demons have never mated before. Remember what happened when that succubus tried to bring an angel here to make him hers?”
“She never even got the chance to claim him because he escaped thanks to your inebriated guards who were slightly hindered in the fight because of it.”
Jessing glowered at Jude. “There was an earthquake because an angel set foot in this kingdom. This woman's prayer caused the same reaction and you want to join the bodies and souls of an angel and two demons?”
“Not two, just one. Nimbus will claim her; I will merely plant my seed inside of her with his. You know a female's fertility is her most potent during that ritual. The odds of her conceiving from that much semen are pretty much guaranteed,” Jude explained.
Sonya squirmed. She didn't want to take Jude inside of her body again and she most definitely did not want to carry his baby. Nimbus on the other hand, would make a fine father. Their child was bound to be adorable.
Get a hold of yourself, woman! Do you really want a demon baby? Her mind rebuked her, What if he is chubby with little fangs and his father's eyes? Aw. Stop it!
“I do not believe you,” Jessing said, eying them suspiciously. “I think your story is a hoax to cover the fact that this woman has no intention of joining us and Nimbus is becoming too soft.”
Nimbus folded his arms, eyes narrowed. “Stop us if you like, but what will our leader say when he finds out you interfered with our plans to create a powerful army of immortal hybrids for the battle of Armageddon?”
Jessing looked panicked for a second before glowering coldly at him. “Fine, claim her now.”
“She needs time to be stretched and prepared for the incident. With her body weak and injured from the flogging earlier, we will have to let her heal and rest first,” Nimbus made an excuse.
Jessing studied him for a minute. “Stop protecting her and let me speak with her.”
He stepped aside, exposing Sonya.
“Come closer, child. Do not be coy,” Jessing coaxed.
Coy wasn't the right word. She was clothed and far from shy. The only thing she felt right now was raw, genuine fear.
“Are they telling the truth?” His black eyes prodded her like a hot poker, searching for any signs of falsehood. He had to know that demons would be far more skilled and convincing at lying than she would be.
“Yes.”
Jessing scrutinized her. “Do you know what the mating and claiming ceremony entails?”
Sonya shook her head.
He smiled. “The most overwhelming pain and pleasure one can ever experience, so they say. It is worse than being bitten by a vampire or a shape shifter. Think back. What was the most incredible sexual encounter you ever had?”
She blushed. “The first time.”
She felt the weight of Nimbus' gaze on her. She wondered if that would please him to know that she spoke the truth when she said losing her virginity to him was the most amazing intimacy she had ever known. Even more so than the euphoria of the group sex he had introduced her to.
Jessing chortled. “I wasn't expecting you to answer aloud, but it is good to see a female so accommodating. Do you recall how good that encounter felt? How intense it was?”
Her face burned. “Yes.”
“Now multiply that by one thousand. He will bite you and drink your blood. Then you must drink his while you have sex. Have you ever drunk someone's blood before?”
“No.” She was getting damp. Blood drinking didn't sound appealing, but combustive sex with Nimbus again made her clit pulse with hunger.
“I don't suppose he told you that once he comes inside of you in his human form, then he must finish inside of you in his demonic form.” Jessing smiled at the way she gaped in alarm, “There have been numerous successes of the ritual between immortals and a few successful attempts with our kind and humans. However, there was an incident where a woman did not survive her transformation from human to demon. She was healthy and strong when this ceremony was performed. She hadn't just been flogged. There was also an instance of a man who became delirious afterward and passed away a few days later.”
Her fright mounted. Neither Nimbus, nor Jude refuted the claim so it must be true.
“You may have slept with our kind, but the claiming is a world apart from that. It is dangerous. If there is too much light in you or you are too weak beforehand, or frightened by the sight of your lover in his true form, then you might not escape the ceremony with your sanity, or your life.” Jessing smiled darkly at the helpless look of terror written on her face, “Now, is this something you agreed to?”
“I told you it was.”
“Can you have their baby and start a new race, knowing that you were the mother of a line that will go into battle against the armies of the one you used to serve?”
Her heart fell. She would not utter those words; neither would she see Nimbus harmed when she might have saved him. She chose the safe route. “I like babies. I shall bear them and it is not on my head what they may or may not choose to become as adults.”
Jessing chuckled at this. “I see. Claim her now in the temple.”
“Why the temple?” Sonya practically shrieked.
Nimbus closed his eyes with a sigh and Jude shot her a warning glance.
Jessing faced her with an accusing smile, hoping to trap her in a lie. “Why not the temple?”
“My...bottom prefers cushioning beneath it when I...frolic,” she stammered.
Jessing laughed at this. “Frolic, eh? We can provide you blankets, but if such a groundbreaking union is to be commenced, should it not be celebrated in a temple? Or has your heart not turned over to the dark side? Is there a reason you shouldn't set foot in our shrine?”
She felt every present pair of eyes bearing down on her. “No.”
“Good. Then all three of you follow me.”
Chapter Nine
Blood Mate
Sonya trembled with fright as they ascended the steps of the temple. There were statues of ghastly beasts on either side of the steps and other such foreboding statues once inside the temple. She wasn't sure if they were random hideous idols, or actual replicas of the various demons. Regardless, the sight of them made her shudder.
The atmosphere inside the temple felt cold and dark which was likely psychological, but the presence of evil seemed even stronger in here. It hovered in the air like the distinct scent of burning incense.
Nimbus held her hand to comfort her and caressed the top of it with his thumb. The simple gesture was soothing and united them somehow in this intimidating moment.
“Please take me back after this,” she pleaded softly in his ear. She had to tug his arm down so he bent near her whisper since she was so short standing next to him.
“I will,” he reassured her with a kiss on top of her head.
A blanket was spread on the ground. Sonya cringed when she saw the altar a few feet away. This was too binding and spiritual. If she wasn't condemned before, she was damned beyond question now.
“You may commence.” Jessing stood with folded arms.
“I require privacy,” Nimbus demanded.
Jessing laughed at this. “A coy incubus – how extraordinary. I shall go, but you need a witness.”
“A witness is not mandatory,” Nimbus argued.
“I think in this case it is,” he countered.
“I will be the witness,” Jude offered.
Jessing shook his head. “Not you. You are too close with Nimbus. We need an unbiased party to view this ritual to make certain you follow through with it. A priest will suffice.”
Sonya grew curious. “A priest?”
Jessing grinned. “Not the kind you are thinking of, I'm sure. I will summon him.”
He left while the trio undressed. Nimbus turned to Jude quietly. “Thank you for your quick thinking back there.”
“Think nothing of it. My motives weren't entirely noble. You know I have my own agenda.” Jude winked at him.
Nimbus rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Regardless, I'm grateful. Are you all right, Sonya?”
She nodded, body trembling violently. He guided her to the blanket on the floor and instructed Jude to procure some lubricant. She sighed over the way he caressed her face and ran his other hand up and down her thighs soothing her. “I'm scared.”
“I won't hurt you anymore than I have to. Thank you for saying what you said out there.”
“Lying?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes stung. “I was damned either way. At least this way you may go on living. I'm going to miss you so badly, though.”
He looked perplexed by her tears. “Why? Where are you going?”
“I used to think people became vampires when bitten by one, but I heard in actuality the person dies and a demon inherits the body. I suppose it is the same if one sustains a bite from an incubus. It won't even be me by your side forever.”
Jude snickered as he returned with the lubricant. “Nimbus isn't a vampire. When he bites you -”
Nimbus silenced him and massaged the lubricant into the apex of her thighs. “So you are willing to sacrifice your life and soul so that I may live?”
She nodded.
“Thank you.” He looked truly moved by this. His fingers slipped inside her cunnie, relaxing the muscles and stretching her for whatever was coming while another finger teased her soft clitoris.
Sonya whimpered in pleasured agony over the stimulation as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her orgasm wrung a tormented cry from her throat.
“You are so beautiful. Give me another one,” he lulled.
“Oh, not yet, I'm too sensitive.” She moaned as Nimbus pushed her protesting hand away and Jude pinned her wrist down while Nimbus worked his magic on her clit. She came a few seconds later, soaking the blanket beneath her.
“I'm going to put my fist inside of you,” he told her.