by Marie Harte
Around them, everyone stared in confusion and awe. “Such sacrifice” was muttered often, and Kihra glowed with happiness.
Her brother cleared his throat. “Kihra, I would have you know, your own sacrifice has been duly noted all these years. Your life is how you choose to live it, as Kingu demands.”
“Well, now that I own two such strong mates, I think my time would better be spent breeding and helping their kin protect themselves. They are sorely in need of training.”
Myfere nodded. “A good point.”
“Hey, wait a minute.” Teban frowned. “I can fight.”
“Me too.” James balled blue flame in his hand. “See?”
She exchanged a knowing look with her brother.
“Yes, best of luck,” Myfere said. “Make sure to bring your young to visit, often. Naya and I would help with their initiation.” He sneered at James and Teban. “I do not think they will be much help.” Then he grunted at them and departed, surrounded by his guards.
Once the havoc left, the dragons and a few demons remained.
“So you’re really not dead.” Ranton looked Teban up and down. “Good. Now that Jentaron’s king, we need you to be a prince again.” Then he smiled at Kihra, flashing pearly-white fangs, and completely ignored James. “We could use help training our young, I agree. You up for it, Kihra?”
“Yes,” she said with all seriousness. “Your kind is lacking. But not as soft as the demons are.”
“True,” Ranton agreed.
“Hey,” James growled. “I’m right here. I’m strong, mean, devious. I could kick all your asses if you… Wait. Why are you walking away? Ranton? Eve?” The pair hugged and moved a short distance away, talking and waiting for the dragon king.
“A good show, Teban.” Jentaron smiled. “Now I have kingly things to do, apparently.” He considered Teban. “It’s good Kingu brought you back. If it had been left to me, we might have crossed a few barriers I’m not supposed to cross yet. See you guys at breakfast.” He left with the others.
“Your brother is one scary guy,” James muttered.
“Yes, he is.” Interesting, though. His family would never bore him, for sure.
“See you at home,” Eve called over her shoulder, then leaped onto her mate as he flew them away, the new king right beside them.
Other dragons left with their king and the legion commander.
Several demons and devils must have finally realized they stood on havoc lands, because they scurried away in a flash.
Soon only one other demon remained.
James swallowed audibly. “Oh, ah, hey, Zelec.”
The demon was black as night, his eyes red. A fury of night settled over him like a black cloud. “James Sinclair. Asael is most displeased with you.” Zelec flapped huge wings, wings that impressed even Teban, considering the demon was not dragonborn.
Then again, from what Kingu had said, they had all shared a common ancestor long ago.
“Yeah? Well I’m most displeased with him,” James snapped. “I’m moving in with my mates, so you—and he—can find me at dragon central. And if you even think of trying to get even with me for what I had to do above, I’ll sic him on you.” He jerked a thumb at Teban. “His flame liquefies bone.”
Zelec turned a baleful eye on Teban.
“It really does.” Teban showed some teeth. “Would you like to see?”
Zelec spat a few demonic curses their way, then flew off instead of disappearing.
“I kind of drained his energy after tricking him and my father into sending me to the upper realm,” James explained. “It’s a long story.”
“With you, it’s always a long story.” Teban wanted to celebrate his newfound freedom. He had his mates, he had his life and he had a bed in need of warming. “Now, how about we go home—to our home—and swap stories?”
They walked together, arm in arm, with Kihra snug in the middle. “Did you really talk with Kingu?” she asked Teban.
“I really did. And he called you his favored daughter.”
She beamed. “I am. Did I not tell you he accepted my sacrifice?”
“What sacrifice was that, exactly?” James asked and stroked her cheek.
“I shared with him all the love I feel for you both. And you see? He rewarded me for it.”
Teban grinned. “Then we should definitely let him feel the love James and I have for you. In bed, I mean. Remember, James, I have a few more days of servitude you owe me.”
“Are you kidding me? After all I did for you?”
They bickered on the way home, until Teban had had enough and strapped his mouthy mates down in his bed. Tied up and his to possess. For an eternity.
“I would remind you that I own you, so go easy, pet,” Kihra said, completely serious.
James wouldn’t stop laughing, until Teban showed him what else a dragon tail was good for. Kihra, bless her, already knew. And she had one hell of a creative way of expressing her thanks. Even all tied up.
Chapter Eleven
Asael listened to Zelec’s report without responding. His vast hall seemed more empty than usual, but Asael suspected his people knew he didn’t like bad news, and rumors were out that James had left. Asael’s light swelled, a heavenly beacon of discontent, until Zelec was all but begging to be relieved of his duty.
“Yes, yes. Quit your whining and take a break. Go possess someone would you? You’re positively starving for power.”
Zelec glared.
“Something to say, demon?”
“Your son is a menace. All your children are horrible. A blight on the Ethereal.”
“Something I don’t already know, perhaps?”
Zelec swore and left. Then Asael let forth a blast of energy to clear anyone within a mile’s radius of his hall. The ancient fortress had been built to resemble a castle by the last demon lord in residence. After disemboweling the filthy beast and removing his lackeys, Asael had blasted a hole in the ceiling, refusing to be caged in by anything ever again. His time in the upper realm had been exhausting, but he’d persevered. And he’d been rewarded with a true love beyond compare.
“Ah, Bethany. I miss you.”
So human, so brief a spark in the grand vastness that was life. Yet always his.
A whisper, so low most demons would not be able to hear it, came to him. I would not intrude, but you asked me to come.
Asael answered, “Of course. You are most welcome.” He watched as his marble floor cracked and molten rock bubbled up from the depths below.
Kingu took form, dripping fire as it—not “he” as was commonly thought—walked before shaking free of the heat to take on the features of a normal demon. While in flame, its strange resemblance to Zelec did not go unnoticed. The creator seemed to favor that particular form.
Asael was startled that he hadn’t considered the implications before now. He’d always thought Kingu preferred Zelec’s appearance for no other reason than that Zelec was the most perfect shade of black. But now…
“Ah, so you finally figured it out.” Kingu laughed.
“I am not as sharp as I thought.” Taking too much for granted, getting bloated on my own power and position. Never again. It took but one small mistake to be gone from this world forever. And there were far worse existences than this.
“Not so, Asael.” Kingu clapped him on the back, brushing cold fingers—not hot—against the back of Asael’s wings. “You are like a sponge. You absorb everything. And speaking of sponges…?”
Asael sighed and spread wide his wings. Kingu stepped in close to hug him, and Asael wrapped his wings around the powerful being, enclosing it in light that was both bright and dark in spirit. He waited while the creator leached away his warmth, one heartbeat at a time, until Kingu had replenished itself fully.
“Ah, yes. Your dichotomy gives you a sweet
ness that’s all the more powerful for its surprise, eh?”
Asael let his wings fall away, and Kingu stepped back, fully recharged. “So glad I could help.”
Kingu chuckled. “Let’s be honest, shall we? This was no favor, but a repayment. Your debt is now partially settled.” The being paused. “The dragon and your progeny now carry my fire. This is what you wanted, yes?”
Asael nodded, seeing more than most would imagine. “It’s necessary if we’re to survive.”
Kingu snorted. “Survive? Always so dramatic, aren’t you? Why can’t you simply acknowledge your affection for the boy? James is a power unto himself, you know. They all are.”
Asael shrugged. Not in a million years would he admit aloud how much he adored his children. Such sentiment would make him seem weak, and the weak did not rule in a place where cruelty and pain were a way of life. Had he wanted an excess of feeling, he might as well have stayed up in heaven. Asael cringed at the thought.
“You could have forgone the dragon in favor of my perfect havoc,” Kingu continued. “They are much stronger than any dragon, though I confess to liking Teban, as much as I enjoy Jentaron.”
Asael felt his lips curl. “I too enjoy the blue hatchling. He’s a challenge. Unexpected and unpredictable. Just what the lower realm needs.” And Teban suited his son in ways Asael hadn’t expected. The dragon and the havoc made James much more powerful than even the boy knew. When chaos came to claim their realm, that power might just tip the scales in their favor. “I wonder what Jentaron brings to the playing field. Will he agree when we need him to? Or turn us away in favor of his own future?”
“A good question.” Kingu gave a sly smile, one that warned Asael to be wary.
“What did you do?”
“Such a broad question. What haven’t I done?” Kingu chuckled.
Asael laughed with it. “You have a sick sense of humor. Probably why we get along so well.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to see Uriel?”
“I might stop by, but not in this form. He’s not as enlightened as he thinks he is.” Kingu smiled sadly. “I shall miss Carmaron, you know. The dragon queen gave me much joy.”
“Me as well.” She’d done what she needed to do, played along and fought with passion. “She deserves to rest in peace.”
“As do you,” Kingu said quietly.
“I will, soon.”
They regarded each other in silence.
Kingu sighed. “Well, if there’s nothing else?”
“Zelec.” Asael hadn’t meant to say anything, but he needed to know. “Is he…?”
Kingu changed shape, taking on the one form Asael had never been able to stop loving. “Yes, Assie. He’s yours.” Bethany smiled at him, this incarnation of Kingu the Creator the one he hadn’t been able to resist.
“God in heaven, woman, you’re killing me. No more young, do you hear me? Not one more.” Hell. He’d known the last time he’d lain with a demon that she’d been much more than the succubus she pretended to be.
Bethany grinned, blew him a kiss, then morphed back into her aggregate form, that of a flaming mass of creation. “Yes, Asael, great Fallen and lover of his children.”
“Beast. Watch your tone,” he snapped.
Kingu laughed. “I will visit you later. After my time up there.” The creator pointed up.
As much as it pained him, Asael always hungered for his wife. The human part of Kingu he could not refuse. “Don’t let anyone see you,” he muttered. “I have a reputation to protect.”
“Yes, dear.”
“Damn you.”
Kingu left on a burst of laughter, sliding back into the primordial energy of life from whence it came.
And Asael counted the millions of sins of those who’d been swayed, making time until he saw his beloved again.
About the Author
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s always plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. You can contact her at [email protected].
To read more about Marie, visit www.marieharte.com.
Look for these titles by Marie Harte
Now Available:
A Scorching Seduction
Best Revenge
Served Cold
Served Hot
Served Sweet
Cougar Falls
Rachel’s Totem
In Plain Sight
Foxy Lady
Outfoxed
A Matter of Pride
Right Wolf, Right Time
By the Tail
Prey & Prejudice
Ethereal Foes
The Dragons’ Demon: A Dragon’s Dream
Duncan’s Descent: A Demon’s Desire
Westlake Enterprises
To Hunt a Sainte
Storming His Heart
Love In Electric Blue
Wicked Warrens
Enjoying the Show
Closing the Deal
Raising the Bar
Making the Grade
Bending the Rules
Don’t miss the other titles in Marie Harte’s Ethereal Foes Series!
In the ordinary world, forces are at work which keep the balance of the universe in order. Enter Eve Sinclair, a higher demon with a mission—to sway those souls on the brink of Decision, to push them toward hell, as they are meant to go.
After a prank played by her brothers, Eve finds herself holding the proverbial bag, accused of stealing a precious dragon egg. Worse, it’s a royal egg, as she learns from Ranton, the furious commander of the dragon legion.
Not a creature to have on one’s bad side, Ranton shifts between his human and dragon forms, keeping Eve off-balance and off her game. Normally a master at manipulating males, Eve finds that Ranton is more than a match for her…as is his brother, the new dragon king. In their arms, she’s mere putty.
And soon they’re not only molding her desires, but her heart.
Warning: This title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, ménage a trois, and steamy dragon love
As a demon of the Ethereal, it’s Duncan Sinclair’s job to sway humans toward the path to hell. Duncan is very good at his job—until a prank gone wrong lands him in the upper realm doing penance. Now he’s being bombarded with love, kindness, and affectionate sex…and it’s killing him. The only way out is to agree to sway souls for heaven, with an angel as his partner, by all that’s unholy!
Sapphira may be an angel of the upper realm, but she chafes in a bland existence where everything is so pure. It’s hard to hide her secret yearning for sin. Even harder with Duncan, who’s everything the dark core of her soul craves: handsome, sexy and refreshingly naughty.
Confronted with an angel who drinks, swears, and takes him to bliss with her sinfully delightful body, Duncan finds himself at risk of losing his heart to the enemy.
Loving this angel could land him right where he doesn’t want to be—heaven. But what’s a demon to do when he’s falling?
Warning: This title contains annoying angels, smart-assed demons, beer, hotter-than-hell sex, and justice for all.
And don’t miss this other title by Marie Harte, released March of 2015
Best Revenge, Book 3
As if buried in their respective DNA, Riley Hewitt and Anson Black have been rivals since grade school. Always trying to one-up the other…until Anson left town right after graduation.
Fast forward a few years. Just as Riley is thinking of expanding her profitable baking business, who should plant his new restaurant right
next door but smug, annoying—and, unfortunately, drop-dead-sexy—Anson. Spurred by a large bottle of wine and her two best friends, Riley sets out to get revenge.
Of all the women Anson has known, no one has stirred him—or made him work harder—than Riley. Moving in right under her nose, he’ll be a constant thorn in her side. After all, he’s smart, sexy and successful. What’s not to love?
Much to her chagrin, Riley finds more than her competitive edge coming back to life. So is her libido. But if she lets her heart fall into Anson’s win column, she could lose in more ways than one. And this time around, second place just isn’t going to cut it.
Warning: A smug man needing his comeuppance duels with a baking queen who stirs his passion like nobody’s business. No cupcakes were injured in the making of this romance, but the same can’t be said for the knitting needles.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Havoc & Hell
Copyright © 2015 by Marie Harte
ISBN: 978-1-61922-894-8
Edited by Noah Chinn
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: June 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com