Untamed: Demon Soul

by Julie Anne Addicott

  An evil grin flashes across his eyes as he licks his lips and adjusts himself. His long fingers touch my cheek, and follow the curve of my neck down to my collarbone. I shake my head, choking and gasping as his face comes closer to mine. This is it, if I don’t get out of here I’m as good as dead.

  Dead. Pretend I’m dead. That will work, right?

  I close my eyes and let my body go limp, hoping he’ll release his grip. It works. His hand comes off my neck and I shove him back with all the strength I have, but he’s up in an instant. He comes at me again, a deep growl coming from his throat.

  I raise my hands in defence and brace myself for another assault. There’s silence, followed by a flash of light, and shrill cry of defeat. The bright flashes startle me and leave behind a myriad of white and grey orbs that spread out, blurring my vision and making me nauseous. I close my eyes and rub them hard, then blink as I try to regain my sight.

  Something hot and sticky clings to my feet, it’s blood. It’s all over me, on my hands, my chest and my face. The demon is on the ground, dead. His body smouldering as if it’s been burning for days. The acrid scent leeching from his corpse is overwhelming. I cover my nose and mouth and start to gag. My stomach is in knots.

  A few feet away I see someone. It’s another guy, this one has blond hair and pale, almost luminous skin. I lean against the brick wall with my arms wrapped tightly around myself. Adrenaline surges through me, I’m losing focus, and terrified I may lose consciousness.

  I break out in a cold sweat, disoriented and shaking with fear. The thick blood clings to my tank top and pyjama shorts, and drips down my neck and between my breasts. I take a deep breath and hold it, then count to ten before I exhale.

  “Come with me,” the guy calls. “You can trust me.” He extends his hand.

  I take a step forward and almost fall. My legs won’t obey my brain, and there’s no way I’m being touched by another demon.

  I raise my hand and shake my head. “Don’t touch me.”

  “I won’t. Follow me, quickly before that rotting corpse brings the others.” I want to trust him, but my mind takes me back to my dreams and I can’t decide. My damn head is going to be the death of me.

  He encourages me, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. Hurry, they’re coming.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat. Hearing the voices of more demons approaching, I forget everything I know. This is no time to be indecisive. I take his hand, he picks me up, and effortlessly ascends. His white wings glisten in the moonlight. He is an angel. Exactly like the ones in my dreams. I’m not crazy.

  NINE

  Lola

  Nevermore

  §§§

  As the ground disappears beneath my feet, I ask the angel, “Where are you taking me?”

  He tightens his arms around me. “Somewhere safe. Do you have a name?”

  “Lola.”

  The angel flies higher into the now gloomy, starless sky. My arms are wrapped tight around his waist and my hands are clasped together behind his back. He has one hand on my lower back, the other on my head, holding it against his chest. There’s a comforting warmth that radiates from his body and sends a wave of calm over me. I press my cheek to his chest, and listen to the quiet, steady beat of his heart and focus only on that. It feels like an hour has passed before he descends toward the earth.

  “I’m Ryder, by the way,” he says, flying down lower.

  My heart has finally slowed, making it easier to breathe. Now that I can focus, I open my eyes and as he lands, and sets me down in a clearing surrounded by tall bushy trees.

  Confused, I ask him, “You guys all live in the forest?”

  He laughs. He doesn’t have the rough exterior like Belial. He seems kind and I want to use the word, pure, but I’m still wary.

  He extends his hand. “This way,” he says leading me further into the trees.

  I’m about to stop when I see a door appear, hazy at first. I follow Ryder through into another bedroom. It’s identical to Belial’s, except for the colour which is a beautiful shade of jade green.

  He closes the door and runs a hand through his hair. “Do you want to have a shower?” Ryder asks.

  I look down at myself. I’m covered in thick, black clots of demon blood. “Um, no. Yes, I… um, I don’t have any clothes. Who are you?” I want a shower, but I'm concerned about getting naked here, wherever here is.

  His eyes meet mine, and I stare at him intently. I’m not surprised, Ryder is like everyone else here, flawless.

  He goes to the refrigerator and takes out a bottle of water. “You’re different, Lola,” he says. “You’re not scared, are you?” He hands me the water and goes to the closet where he pulls out a fluffy white towel.

  I put the water on the small kitchen table and shake my head. Shivering, I wrap my arms around myself. Ryder comes to me with the towel and cautiously puts it over my shoulders, warming me to the core. I pull it close to my chest and thank him.

  He steps back and focuses on my feet. Filthy, sticky demon blood and guts drip down my legs, and are stuck between my toes. Gross.

  Ryder says, “Okay, I think you should have a shower. First though tell me, Lola, why are you here?”

  “Belial brought me here. Well, to his house, or room.” I shrug. “He said I could leave, and then… the club, the demon… then you.” I tell him.

  Ryder steps back again, his expression changes instantly. There’s no mistaking he’s afraid of Belial. “What?” I ask.

  He rubs his head and sounds worried. “I should take you back to the club,” he says, heading toward the door.

  I run to the door and put my hand on it. “What? No, no, why? Not the club, please.”

  He rests his hand on the door knob. “If you belong to Lord Belial, looking at you will get me killed.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t belong to Belial. He kidnapped me from my bed in the middle of the night. He threatened to kill me. Can you take me home?” I step forward, still pleading, but he steps back again. I take another step. “Please, Ryder?”

  He points to the bathroom. “Get in the shower. I’ll try to figure something out.”

  I nod. I’m not arguing if he’s letting me stay, and truth be known I’m in desperate need of a wash. Standing in the shower it hits me, what the hell have I got myself in to? My heart races again as I think back to the demon who murdered my parents. His cruel ebony eyes were filled with nothing but hate. Maybe he was in that club, or maybe I’ll find him in the darkness of Nevermore.

  I’m stuck, balancing somewhere between Heaven and Hell, still wondering if I’m in a bizarre dream, or an extraordinary nightmare. What if I’m just a mindless, sleeping mortal soul who doesn’t belong anywhere in this world? I put my head back and let the warm water wash my tears away as I focus on what I do know. Angels and demons are real. Of that much, I am certain.

  The blood washes off my body in clumps. Dark clots stop at the drain then ooze out of view. I can't escape, I won't get past the demons. Even if I somehow did, I would never find my way out of Nevermore. The darkness here is all consuming. The only option I have now is to stay alive, and keep my fingers crossed that Ryder will continue to stay on my side and help me.

  I wrap a clean towel around myself, and walk out into the kitchen where Ryder sits at the table drinking a bottle of beer. His wings are gone, and he leans back with his heels on the table looking relaxed and pleased with himself.

  Maybe I do belong to Belial, and now I’m going to be used as a pawn in some sick death match between demons and angels.

  I stand beside his bed that's covered in a beautiful embroidered silk blanket. “Where are your wings?” I ask.

  His eyes stay focused on mine. “We can make them disappear, it’s an illusion. Lord Belial didn’t tell you?”

  I shake my head. Damn you, Belial. “So, you’re a demon, like Belial?”

  He drops his feet from the table and leans forward twisting the bottle in his hands as he speaks.
“No one is like Belial, or the brothers, Lola. I’m a half-blood. My father was an angel and my mother was a faerie. Because I’m not half mortal, Hades let me live. Those guys at the club, most of them are full-blooded demons. I’m surprised you got out actually, mortals rarely come out of Stygian the same way they went in.”

  I tap my foot on the floor wanting to sit, but not game enough to move in case my towel reveals too much. “Well, I didn’t exactly leave. I was dragged out more like it. Is that what Belial is, a half-blood? Is that why he has wings?”

  “You can sit,” Ryder says, pointing to the bed. I sit carefully holding the towel at my thighs. Ryder lowers his voice. “Beli—Lord Belial, is the favourite son of Hades. He is and always will be a demon. The demon. Some of them have wings, some don’t. I don’t know why. What I do know is, no one messes with Lord Belial or anything he has claimed as his own.”

  “So, you’re not friends?”

  He leans back on the chair. “There are no friends in Nevermore. The strong survive here, the brothers first, the demons, then the rest of us, if we’re lucky.”

  I pull my hair to the side and start braiding it. “And that club, Stygian, it’s not a normal club, right?” I ask.

  He laughs a little, then leans forward and rests his chin in his hands. “Stygian is not a nightclub, Lola. In the mortal world you’d call it a brothel, or a whorehouse. It’s different here in Nevermore, we’re bound by the rules of the Underworld and we—I mean the demons, they don’t usually associate with mortals unless—”

  I cut him off, “Sex?”

  He nods. “Sometimes. Although human females are rarely strong enough to satisfy the needs of demons. I know you were afraid he was going to rape you, but as filthy and violent as they are, they’ve got more than enough females willing and ready to fuck them at any time. Humans, like you, are used for souls.”

  Maybe Ryder is trying to placate me. I suppose I should be thankful the demons have standards, at the same time, I’m aware that taking my soul would surely equate to my untimely death.

  I run my hand over the silk blanket as I stare down at the embroidered patterns that swirl into tiny leaves of ivy. I look up at Ryder again. “Souls? That guy, the demon, he said he’d get one hundred tokens for my soul. How the hell can you take someone’s soul and sell it?”

  “It’s easy for a demon. You would of course, have to be dead. Believe me, if that demon wanted your soul, or anything else from you, he’d take it and you wouldn’t be able to stop him. They’re skilled seducers, Lola, they can get into your head and make you think, say and do anything at all, and it’s always for their own benefit.”

  I wrap my arms around myself. “Well thank you for saving me. But, Ryder, why don’t you leave Nevermore if it’s so horrible?”

  “There’s nowhere to go. I’m bound to the Underworld. This world, your world, even Heaven—it’s all about balance. Sometimes you choose which side to play until you get what you want, or need. Nevermore is my home, until I—”

  He’s cut off by a loud knock on the door, and a deep rough voice, “Ryder, open the door.”

  “Shit, they must know you’re here,” Ryder says. He stands and points to the bathroom. “Get in there, and don’t come out until I call you.”

  I race back to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I lean against it and cover my mouth with my hands.

  The male lowers his voice. “Where is she?”

  “Who?” Ryder asks.

  “Don’t fuck with me, Ryder. Where is the female from the club?”

  “Dunno,” he says. A smack, then a thud, and another. A second later, I hear Belial’s voice followed by loud footsteps. He is furious.

  “Where is she?” he bellows.

  There’s another thud. Ryder doesn’t say a word. I take a deep breath, hold the towel tight around myself and open the door. Ryder’s on the floor, his flawless face now bruised and bloody. Belial is kneeling over him with his hand around Ryder’s throat. He throws a punch that lands with a crack against Ryder’s jaw.

  “Belial no!” I scream. “Please don’t hurt him.” Belial turns his head, but doesn’t release his grip from Ryder. The third guy, a demon, stares at me.

  I can tell he doesn’t like me at all. The rage on his face is obvious. The demon’s eyes are completely black, and the heat in the room is almost unbearable. “Nik, go,” Belial says. Nik, the demon, disappears into a cloud of grey smoke.

  I beg Belial, “Let him go, Belial, please.” He stands and lifts Ryder off the ground, holding him by his neck, his feet are barely touching the floor. Ryder shakes his head and struggles to breathe, but he doesn’t fight back.

  “Where are your clothes?” Belial asks. I hold the towel with clenched fists, fighting to stay calm.

  I cross my arms around myself. “Let him go, Belial.” I refuse to engage in any conversation with him as long as he has Ryder. Outside Stygian, Ryder saved me. Now it’s my turn to return the favour, or at least try.

  He lifts Ryder higher, looks right into my eyes, then slams him down to the floor. I rush to Ryder’s side and kneel to place my hand on his forehead.

  His cheek is swollen and his nose is bloody. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

  He pushes my hand away. “Don’t touch me,” he says through gritted teeth.

  I glare at Belial while still kneeling beside Ryder. “Why did you hurt him, Belial? You’re an asshole.”

  He glares back at me. “Where the hell are your clothes, Lola?”

  I stand. “I was attacked by a demon at that stupid club. Ryder saved me and I had a shower to wash the blood off! Is that okay with you?” I scream in frustration.

  Belial cocks his head. “We’re leaving,” he says.

  §§§

  Minutes later we reappear in Belial’s bedroom where he slams the door shut and glares at me. “Drop the towel.”

  What? “No!” I say indignantly.

  He goes to the drawer and gets a black t-shirt. “Put this on,” he orders. I drop the towel and pull the t-shirt over my head then sit on the small sofa, pulling at the hem, trying to cover whatever dignity I have left.

  He leans against the bed post. “Now. Are you going to listen?” he asks.

  I cross my arms. “Yes.” Clearly, he’s not in any mood to argue, and I’d rather be here than stuck outside in the emptiness that is Nevermore, or worse, inside club whorehouse.

  Belial crosses his arms now. “You belong to me. You will not speak to, or see, Ryder again. If I find out you have, I will kill him and then I’ll kill you. Understand?” I nod. “Get up,” he commands.

  I swallow the lump in my throat and stand. I uncross my arms and drop them by my sides. Belial steps forward. A thick blanket of tension hovers in the air. He leans down to my cheek, his breath warm on my face. My stomach is doing somersaults and my stupid heart is racing like crazy. Ignore him. Yes, I can ignore him.

  His voice though, causes my stomach coil in knots. “You are mine,” he whispers.

  I can barely breathe, my knees are weak and I feel as though I’m about to faint when he grabs my wrists and pins me against the wall. He pauses, and his eyes ignite. He parts my legs with his knee and rubs his thigh against me.

  My body does everything I don’t want it to do. It’s aching for his touch, yearning for him, yet my head is protesting, knowing this is all wrong. He lets go of one wrist and cups my chin to tilt my head back. His touch is gentle, but there’s something possessive and impassioned about it. His lips are so close I can almost taste him.

  My lips part in anticipation. My heart skips a beat, and my lungs are crushed beneath the weight of Belial’s chest on mine. My breathless sigh is all he needs in the way of an invitation. His lips clash with mine, strong and forceful as his tongue parts my lips and thrusts into my mouth. I’m aching for his kiss and can’t stop myself. He moves his thigh against me again, and my legs spread further. I’m warm, I’m wet, and I’m suddenly willing to give Belial anything he desires. Never want
to stop. Whatever dignity I thought I had, is well and truly gone. My breathing is out of control and I can barely focus. When he drops my other hand, I grip his shoulders and arch my back. My nipples are hard and sensitive, and when his hand cups my breast and his thumb rubs across my nipple, I moan in pleasure.

  Belial groans against my mouth. “Mmm,” he murmurs. He swipes his tongue across my lips once more, before he stops almost as suddenly he started. He steps back and stares at me. His soft lips, glistening wet. His chest rises and falls rapidly with each breath he takes. I press my palms to the wall and inhale slow and deep. When I open my mouth to speak, Belial presses his finger to my lips and shakes his head.

  The anger that was in his eyes just minutes ago, has been replaced with something I have no words for, maybe lust, maybe desire. It could be confusion. But, oh, my god, I want his lips on mine again. He adjusts his huge cock that I unashamedly want to feel more of, and moves back yet another step. I get the impression that he now considers me—dangerous?

  He scratches at the stubble on his chin. “Ah . . .” He rubs his hands over his face. “Get into bed, I’m going out. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He vanishes. It’s almost as though he’s fleeing, more than just leaving.

  I’m a total mess. Disarray and confusion run the gamut in my head. Between the overwhelming, intoxicating scent of Club Stygian, and the desire I suddenly feel for Belial, my body is a simmering, unappeased mess of need I have no reference for.

  TEN

  Belial

  The Underworld

  §§§

  I enter my father’s chamber in the centre of Hell. The Core has belonged to my father for six centuries. It sits in the centre of the seventh circle of Hell where the most violent killers reside. This is where you'll find murderers, assassins, hunters, and trained killers. Those who follow Hades’ orders are given a plethora of riches and will obey his every command, until he tires of them, and has them thrown into the pits of the Underworld where winged dragons with human-like faces claw at their bodies and tear them to shreds before they're consumed by hellfire.