Demon's Rage

by Janelle Peel

  She was fast.

  The crowd around us exchanged awed expressions.

  Padding back to my original position, my thoughts rolled. If I couldn’t see her move, how would I beat her?

  Grinning, Gazardiel swaggered onto the mat.

  The answer was literally right in front of me. Curling my fingers, I gestured for her to come to me. Then, I closed my eyes.

  The onlookers gasped.

  Without sight, I could focus on my surroundings. It’d initially started as a game between Jackson and me. Unfortunately for him, I quickly mastered it.

  A slight vibration trickled through my heels.

  She was coming.

  Softly, a current of compressed air whispered against my cheek. Snapping out my hand, I latched onto her forearm. Dropping low, I swept her leg out from under her. A dull thud followed as my lids popped open.

  Shock opened her pink lips.

  Giving her my back, I addressed the crowd. “Even a wingless Angel has a weakness you can exploit.”

  Rowe chuckled from the opposite end of the mat. “Nice. My turn.”

  A disturbance near the side door drew our attention as Bex walked in.

  Reading the situation, her nostrils flared. “Break it up. Viv, Sora needs you. Everyone else get back to your training.”

  Wondering what was going on, I offered Gazardiel my hand.

  Snapping her mouth closed, her palm met mine with a warm smile. “Thank you.”

  My fangs dropped down with a snick. “Don’t think we’re friends. We might need you now, but that won’t always be the case. The sooner we get this shit sorted, the sooner you can get the fuck out of our lives.”

  Briefly, hurt tightened the corners of her eyes.

  Bex

  Walking toward the boardroom, I bumped Viv’s shoulder. “What was that all about?”

  She grumbled, “Why is she here, Bex? Does Lila have a reason for bringing her home?”

  “Actually, it was my decision. She needs to find redemption for what she did to Lila. Plus, we can use all the help we can get.”

  Her fingers dug into my arm as she pulled us to a stop. “You! That’s insane! We don’t need her!”

  I knew there would be tension with Gazardiel’s presence, but I hadn’t expected outright hostility. Pulling out of her grasp, I sighed. “Do you trust me, Viv?”

  Hesitantly, she gave a slow nod. “Yes, but I still don’t understand.”

  I shrugged. “I just have this… feeling. Like there’s something bigger and she is a part of it.”

  Shaking her head, she snickered, “You sound like Sora.”

  Lifting two fingers, I chuckled. “Truth.”

  As we continued down the hall, she spoke again, “Well, can we at least give her a different name? I can barely pronounce that jumble of bullshit.”

  I grinned. “Like what?”

  Wrinkling her nose, she grunted. “I’d like to call her Satan’s whore, but I’m guessing it won’t go over very well.”

  Biting my lip, I struggled not to laugh.

  “She’s flightless and tall as fuck, so I vote on Ostrich. No, Emu. Get it? Like um, ew.”

  The laugh slipped past my lips. “That is not how you say that word.”

  Crossing her arms, she pouted. “Fine. We’ll call her Gaz. At least it rhymes with spaz.”

  Reaching for the door handle, I snorted. “Whatever you want, Viv.”

  Eyes wide, she sucked in a breath. “Wait.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You didn’t.”

  My cheeks pinked. I wondered when she would notice.

  “You little hooker! Was it good? At least tell me whether gingers are better than blonds.” Fanning herself, she added, “He smells divine. Like a dangerous explosion of sweet and sexy.”

  Her description immediately halted my possessive instincts. He really did smell like that.

  Smirking at my expression, she gestured to the door. “After you.”

  Blaze’s deep bass met my ears as we stepped into the room. “We need to be smart. This is only a blip on the horizon. The War is yet to come.”

  Viv settled beside Jackson. Drumming her fingers on the oak table, she quipped, “What the fuck did we miss?”

  Lila’s bell like voice rolled through the room. “The retrieval of Skye. We need him.”

  Jackson rumbled, “How are we supposed to get to him? Surely by now Lucian’s hordes have been called to his side. This very well might be the War and we just don’t know it.”

  Lifting a platinum brow, Lila’s hands lit in a silver light. “This is taking too long. My apologies.”

  Between one blink and the next, everyone froze except me.

  Holy shit. Sora told me of her ability to stop time, but I’d never seen it firsthand.

  Tipping her chin, her swirling eyes met mine. “Bex, I need your help.”

  Dumbfounded, I stuttered, “W-what?”

  Nat and Kai took deep breaths in tandem.

  Roving Kane’s statue beside her, Nat bared her teeth. “Release them, Lila.”

  Confused, Kai moved to my side. “What’s going on?”

  I barked a humorless laugh. What could three Elementals do?

  Rising from her chair, Lila nodded behind me. “Gazardiel, come in. We’ve much to discuss.”

  Skye

  After the last round of torture, he awoke to a strange tingling deep inside his chest.

  Embedded beneath the skin above his heart was a small disc. Hesitantly, he explored its edges. The quarter size shape immediately shied away from his touch. A minor discomfort in his naked, bound and bloody state, but disconcerting nonetheless.

  Something was inside him.

  The thought sent his pulse skyrocketing. Reaching for his magic, terror flipped through him.

  Nothing.

  Anxiously, he closed his eyes and searched for the familiar spark. Relief came as he finally located it, but something was very wrong. Spiraling under an oil like sheen, the once vibrant colors seemed dull and sluggish.

  Before he could fully panic, Lucian arrived. Striding across the chipped wooden floor, the soles of his dress shoes tapped a rhythmic beat.

  Apparently, he’d assumed his human skin for the next round of torment. It was all the same to Skye no matter what version he chose. Hulking horned Demon or handsome Devil in a pin striped suit, both were equally abhorrent.

  Stopping beside a makeshift throne, his voice shook dust from the tall ceiling. “Bring me the Mage.”

  Three lessers scrambled away to do his bidding.

  For what seemed to be the millionth time Skye wondered if he was finally going to be allowed to die.

  Excited chittering disrupted his thoughts as a robed figure moved on stage. Bowing low, he rasped, “Master, what is your will?”

  Settling in his chair, Lucian’s gaze skipped over the faded velvet seats of the once grand theater.

  Decorated in a Chinese motif, the tall ceiling boasted an aged, eight-point star. Shredded burgundy curtains with golden tassels set the scene for a dramatic cinema of death and decay. Skye repeatedly imagined it in its former glory to occupy his mind.

  Lucian frowned. “Bring the girl as well. Perhaps he needs more incentive to find a way through the barrier.”

  Straightening, the hooded Demon backed away. “As you wish.”

  Swallowing a mouthful of bile, Skye squeezed his lids closed. He was intimately acquainted with Lucian’s incentives.

  A thud snapped them open.

  Standing over him, Lucian’s horizontal pupils twinkled. “Have you decided to give me what I seek?”

  If he had the energy, he would have startled. Now all he could do was blink.

  Lucian showcased the points of his teeth. “I thought not.” Shrugging, his blazer shifted with the movement. “You know all of this can go away. Your pain, theirs. It makes little difference to me. But one way or another, I will get what I want.”

  Even if Skye knew of a way through the sphe
re, he’d die before he betrayed his family.

  Reading his silent answer, Lucian lowered to a squat. “You disappoint me.”

  The slap came out of nowhere, ringing his skull as fresh blood poured across his tongue from the newest laceration splitting his lips.

  Lucian licked the remnants from his gloved palm. Freezing in place, a delighted shudder shook his body. Grinning, he drawled, “You’ve been holding out on me, Skye.”

  As he tugged off the material covering his hand, Skye’s brain froze.

  Dull grey, his skin had taken on a wrinkled appearance. Frantically, he tried to connect the dots. Had Bex done that?

  Sharpening his nail into claws, Lucian raked them across his exposed ribs before he could complete the thought.

  Breathing through the pain, Skye could only watch as Lucian closed his mouth on the wound. Disgusted, he tried again for his magic to no avail.

  Finished, Lucian sighed with a dreamy expression. “Absolutely divine. Pity I’ve let so much go to waste, though.” Glistening horns sprouted from his forehead. “This might sting a bit.”

  Both hands lit in a healthy hue before fire encased them from the depths of Hell.

  Faster than he could track, Lucian slammed them to his chest.

  Skye finally found his voice with an anguished scream.

  Darkness came as his battered body knit back together.

  Sound slowly brought him back to his waking nightmare. Blinking in the low light, he forced his eyes to adjust.

  Healed skin greeted his gaze. Taking a deep breath, he marveled at his painless state for a moment before Lucian’s irritated rumble drew his attention.

  “If you don’t find a way, I will kill your apprentice. Your Coven will pay for your failure.”

  Groveling on his knees, the stranger’s jade eyes lit with fear. “Please! If I knew how to break through I would have done it by now!”

  Lucian strolled to his side with a confident swagger. Gripping the man’s short raven hair, he snapped up his face. “I’ve no shortage of Mages. My creations grow hungrier with each passing day. Perhaps you would like to see a demonstration?”

  A set of doors boomed open at the back of the theater.

  Undulating over the threshold, the lessers’ green scales rippled with every step. Nudging a small female forward with his giant maw, his sharp claws ripped up the remains of the tattered carpet.

  Lucian chuckled. “Easy, Pytho. That one is more important than the others.”

  Flicking its black snake like tongue, Pytho bobbed his head. “Yesss, my Liege.”

  The prostrating Mage gasped. “Don’t hurt her! She doesn’t know anything!”

  Tutting, Lucian released his grip. “Nathan, Nathan, Nathan. This can all end when you give me what I want.”

  Nathan trembled. “I don’t have the magic to get through their sphere. I’m not strong enough!”

  Lucian sneered. “Lies! I can smell Fae on you, Nathan. You’re not what you seem to be.” Turning away, he offered his palm to the young girl as Pytho nosed her closer.

  Skye’s thoughts raced. A completely normal hand. Had his blood healed Lucian? What was happening?

  Hesitantly, she placed her fingers inside his.

  Grinning, Lucian pulled her onstage. Inhaling near her blond crown, he snorted. “Your daughter? Interesting, but she doesn’t possess the same taint as you.”

  The teen cringed. Her wide eyes met his own before skipping to Nathan. “Dad?”

  Biting his lip, Nathan rose with a heavy sigh. “Anna, come here.”

  Confusion shot through Skye. What did these people have to do with his kind? He personally knew the only others in existence and had never seen this man before.

  Lifting a black brow, Lucian nodded. “Go to him.”

  Timidly, she stepped forward.

  Before her other foot could follow, Lucian’s power lashed out at her exposed back. Ruby flames licked across her skin as she tumbled to the floor. Whimpering in agony, she rolled in an attempt to put out the fire.

  Nathan screamed, “No!”

  Unimpressed, Lucian spat, “Stop!”

  Sweat broke out along Nathan’s brow as he stilled.

  Lucian snapped his fingers and the bonfire instantly extinguished. Perusing his handiwork, he lowered to her side. “If you wish to heal her, you will tell me what you know.”

  The scent of cooked meat littered the air. Skye’s heart broke as he desperately tried to loosen the chains tethering him to the floor.

  Jerking a nod, Nathan dropped to his knees in defeat. “My other child is half Fae, half Mage.”

  Lucian practically bounced with excitement. “Which Fae, and what is her name?”

  Nathan glared. “Let me heal her first, then you will have your answers.”

  Thinning his lips, Lucian gestured impatiently. “Get on with it. We will do this again should you not keep your word.”

  Scrambling to Anna’s side, his palms lit in a silver light.

  Lucian snapped his gaze to Skye. “You’re lucky your blood is so precious to me or you would have taken her place.”

  Skye barked a humorless laugh. “There’s nothing special about me. Let them go.”

  Lucian smirked. “Didn’t you ever wonder who killed Alizeh?”

  Dread slithered down through his gut at the sound of his mother’s name. Refusing to answer, he gritted his teeth.

  Nudging Anna with the tip of his dress shoe, Lucian growled, “Enough. She’ll live. Move.”

  Broken, Nathan scrambled backward as Anna’s head hit the wooden planks with a thunk. The pain had rendered her unconscious. Yellow, angry blisters lined her spine, but the worst of the damage had been repaired.

  Lucian brought his dress shoe down on her shoulder. Clear liquid oozed down her side with a wet pop.

  Nathan clenched his fists but wisely remained silent. Keeping his bargain, he croaked, “Please, stop. My other child’s name is Natalie. Her mother was an Earth Fae.”

  This was Nat’s father?

  Furrowing his brow at the skin hanging from his sole, Lucian scuffed it against the floor. “Natalie. Very good. Pytho, restrain our guest.”

  Pytho scrambled to across the stage. Using his tail, the beast lashed Nathan’s wrists together behind his back.

  Satisfied, Lucian continued, “Similar to a flock of sheep, humans are weak and easily manipulated. There are a few however, who dabble in the dark arts. Possession isn’t the easiest thing but it can be done. I have searched for my Son for centuries. Your Mother’s gift drew the attention of one of my followers. Unfortunately, she refused to help.” Pausing, a sadistic smile lit his face. “Tell me, Skye. After I took her life, what was it like to murder your entire family?”

  The Devil killed his mother. Hot rage lit his veins. Flexing his torso, the manacles screeched as he ripped them from their anchor. He needed time to figure out what was causing the block on his magic. Shifting to sit on his knees, he decided to play along. “It was devastating.”

  Lucian clapped his hands gleefully. “Of course it was.” Jerking a nod to the chains, he scoffed. “Your power won’t save you. Although it is rather amusing to see you struggle for it. The first stop I made when we gained a foothold on this world was to another plane. Serefina might have taken my Son, but not before I was able to find out about her precious onyx stone. The holy grail of the Fae. Its destruction was unfortunate, but easily remedied. No less than 20 Mages died piecing together the disc embedded inside your chest. I have identical devices for your friends. If I can’t have Kai at my side willingly, I’ll take him by force.” Sighing wistfully, pleasure coated his voice, “Imagine it. Four Elementals under my control. The Angels won’t stand a chance for the final battle and Heaven will fall.”

  Shelving the information, Skye chuckled. “You’re delusional. Too much time in Hell has made you insane. Nothing can control us.”

  Lucian’s iris pulsed with a scarlet ring. “Flay the skin from her body with your Air.”

>   A gale spilled from Skye’s hands before he’d even processed the command.

  Anna awoke as her pale flesh rippled, then tore off her body in large chunks. Squealing in terror, she desperately tried to stand, but without her skin she floundered on the stage in her own fluids. Her innards flew from her chest as her cries ceased.

  Shrieking, Nathan desperately tried to get to her, but he was powerless against the Demon holding him.

  Horrified, Skye tried to call his magic back.

  Nothing.

  Lucian cackled. “Enough.”

  The wind instantly died.

  Nathan wailed as he looked upon the skeletal remains of his child.

  Anna was dead.

  And he’d killed her.

  Chapter 18

  Bex

  This was the worst plan ever. We needed to go in as one, not split from the Clutch. Unfortunately, I wasn’t eager to see another demonstration of Lila’s power. She sounded like herself, but it was quite possible she was following His orders.

  Sora was going to lose her shit when Lila released her. It was a damned good thing she’d given us a head start.

  Asena’s voice rolled through my mind. ‘How much further, Kai? Gazardiel is heavier than she looks.’

  Glancing to the side, I took in Gazardiel’s terrified face as she held Nat’s sharp spines in a death grip. Noticing my gaze, she threw me a glare.

  Snorting in the wind, I chuffed. I’d take my kicks where I could. The image was priceless. A wingless Angel riding a Dragon. Oh how I wished cell phones still worked so I could snap a picture.

  Kai chuckled. “We should touch down soon. Skye is being held slightly northwest of LA.”

  Tipping my muzzle, I took in the darkness below my paws. Skye’s location was a relief, but also nerve-wracking. Why would Lucian choose to hold him so close to us? It made no sense. Unless…

  The realization dropped me a good 200 feet before I remembered to flap my wings. He wanted us to come get him. Did Lila know? What were we walking into?

  Gently, Kai floated down to my side. Swiveling his pointed ears for any signs of danger and finding none, his aqua eyes lit with concern. “What is it?