by Brenda Trim
She was familiar with the Tehrex Realm, but hadn’t heard of Dark Warriors. She didn’t know exactly how long she’d been in the Underworld, but after eavesdropping on a conversation between Lemuel and Shax, knew it had been at least a hundred years. This one could be telling the truth. Either way, she couldn’t take that chance.
“Semantics, a cambion is still a ruled by his sex demon,” she bristled.
His brows drew down before smoothing out. “I know it seems foreign, Luscious, but I’m harmless...mostly. Come with me and I’ll show you the pleasures that can be found with one of my kind,” he said with a smile. That smile was just as potent the second time and need shot through her system.
Before she could respond, his bald companion jumped in, “Rhys, you said this wasn’t about sex. You want to save her, grab her and let’s go. We don’t have time for this shit.”
She immediately stepped back and felt her backside bump into a table. Slowly, she reached back, feeling around on the table for a weapon. “Demons,” she hissed, “You’re all the same, although, I have to admit you are by far the most creative in your attempts to manipulate me. You do realize that Lemuel will find you and punish you if you try to take me. My blood and wings won’t give you enough power to beat him.”
That made the smile slide off his handsome face. “Illianna, I’m not here to harm you. I promised your brothers I would help find and rescue you. I will not leave you here.”
Her eyebrows rose as she gaped at him. “How do you know my name? No one here knows my name.” She had not once uttered her name to any soul or demon during her time in Hell. It was the only piece left of her former self. Maybe they were telling the truth. There was no other way for them to learn her name. “My brothers?”
He reached out and placed a warm palm on her shoulder, electricity zapping where their skin met. The sensation elicited reactions she struggled to ignore and the way his eyes widened told her he’d felt it, too.
“Yes, your brothers. They told me your name and all about you when they ordered me to find you. Well, truth be told, Abraxos threatened me first, but I promised I’d help. I had no idea you were here, we are actually on another mission, but I refuse to leave without you,” Rhys relayed with a slight squeeze.
“They’re looking for me?” she asked as hope flared anew in her chest and brought tears to her eyes. She’d held onto the belief they wouldn’t abandon her.
“Yes. And, I have to say that they are a pain in the ass about it. Willing to raze the entire realm searching for you.”
“Of course they are,” she smiled, “I’m their baby sister.”
“Let’s fucking go already!” the bald companion snarled.
“Enough, Kellen,” Rhys snapped before turning back to her, his tone softening. “Come with us, Illianna. You can’t possibly want to stay here,” Rhys practically pleaded.
She shook her head in response. “I don’t even know you.”
“I’m Rhys and that is Dante and Kellen,” he said, pointing to his companions in turn. The bald one was Kellen and the stony one must be Dante.
“You won’t regret coming with us,” Rhys continued, looking around the room. “Do you have any clothes? Not that I don’t love looking at your body, but it’s a bit distracting and I need to be able to focus.” Tossing the contents of the room, Rhys searched for something for her to wear.
“There’s nothing here but implements for the show,” she blurted, stopping him. “Can you get the collar off me?” she asked, reaching to touch the object binding her to Lemeul.
He walked over, running a finger around the edge of the collar. She was shocked when it felt as if he were stroking her intimately. Her nipples hardened, her core clenched and exposed flesh shivered. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her reaction to his touch. At the same moment, a connection to this demon took up residence in her mind.
That was it, she had to be losing her mind. Where had this connection come from, and, why now with this demon? So far he had done nothing to give her the impression he was like any of the demons she’d encountered thus far. Could he be trusted? More important, did it matter? She needed to get out of Lemuel’s grasp. The way she saw it, they were the lesser of two evils
“We will find someone who can. Let’s go,” he assured her, grabbing her hand and leading her from the room.
*****
Rhys tried to ignore the way his blood simmered at the touch of the angel’s silky skin. He marveled at how soft and supple she was despite living in the harsh conditions of the Second Circle without anything to protect her. He ran his thumb along the side of her hand, wanting to trail it up her arm. From the corner of his eye he noted her reaction to his touch. She may act cold and distant, but he didn’t miss how her skin heated and her nipples pebbled just the slightest bit.
Out in the corridor, three hulking males suddenly rounded the corner, drawing his attention. He recognized them as a few of his father’s lieutenants. Shit, they were fucked now, he thought, as he pushed Illianna behind his body.
“Ah, Rhys, so good to see you. Your father will be happy that you’re back. I hope you enjoyed your vacation because he has plans for you. He’s been building a special room just for his little boy,” Tony chuckled. Rhys had never liked the male. He was a fucking idiot who couldn’t think for himself.
“Ah, Tony, I can see by the brown stains on your face that your head is still halfway up my dad’s ass. I’d tell you to get your own life, but your mother likes you jumping in her bed,” Rhys countered, laughing as the male roared in anger and charged. Good, he wanted him angry and out of control.
Rhys ducked and turned as Tony sailed past him. He ran into the wall, his palms smacking the stone. He quickly spun around, running back towards Rhys. In his peripheral vision, he saw Amado and Hector attack Dante and Kellen.
Trusting they could handle themselves, Rhys retrieved his sgian dubh from its sheath and gripped it in his right hand. A second later, Tony slammed into Rhys’ middle. The male lowered his shoulder and rammed into Rhys’ abdomen at the last minute, taking him by surprise.
Landing on his ass, Rhys clutched his side as breath left his lungs. A cracked rib would serve him right for being caught off guard like that. What Tony didn’t know was Rhys had spent the last century fighting and dealing with more painful injuries.
Illianna shrieked and Rhys looked her way. She jumped out of the way as Amado flew by her head. Kellen had tossed Amado and was fighting with Tony. Kellen had several punches in and blood was pouring from Tony’s nose before the dumbass knew what had hit him.
Watching as Illianna shoved Amado away snapped Rhys into gear. Ignoring the pain in his side, he jumped up and ran toward Illianna and Amado. Rhys slashed out, but Amado was fast enough to evade the blade. Illianna grabbed hold of Amado’s long hair and yanked. Amado swung his fist and hit Illianna in the side of her head, making her scream and crumple to the ground.
“You like hitting females, dickhead,” Rhys snarled, using his telekinetic power to remove Amado’s weapon from his hand. The male’s eye widened in shock when the mace left his grip and flew to Rhys. He hadn’t honed his ability the last time he had faced the male and it was satisfying to dominate the male.
Swinging the mace, Rhys landed a blow on Amado’s back. This time the weapon connected, making him stumble. It gave Rhys the upper hand he needed and Rhys grabbed him around the throat. Completely focused on the enemy he held against the wall, Rhys nearly jumped out of his skin when soft fingers touched his arm. Glancing over, he saw Illianna’s frightened gaze looking back at him.
The female was terrified, but keeping her shit together. “I just want a weapon to defend myself,” she explained as she pried the mace from his grip.
A silent moment stretched between them amidst the fight and it was then that her lemon powder scent washed over him, making his cock hard as stone. Her freshness even overpowered the rotten brimstone of the underworld for several blessed seconds. She reminded
him of sunshine and happiness, and he’d never smelt anything so wonderful.
He kept his grip on Amado and leaned down, kissing her forehead. “Aim for their head and swing as hard as you can. Crack that skull like an overripe melon,” he instructed, smiling. Her mouth twitched as she held back her grin and nodded before retreating to the doorway.
Rhys called his blade to his hand and brought it up as he prepared to sever Amado’s head from his shoulders, but paused before he followed through. He didn’t want to have Illianna see him kill this male, even one of her captors. He didn’t want her frightened of him, let alone thinking of him as a demon like the one he held. He didn’t know why he cared though, because clearly the female already saw him as one of the enemy.
Shaking it off, he smirked at Amado. “Imagine that I’m going to be the one to end you. Bet that pisses you off, having the one you always referred to as weak be the one to kill you. Don’t worry, I don’t have the amulet so you’ll be back to kiss my dad’s ass as soon as you’re reborn,” Rhys taunted.
If only he had the Triskele Amulet that held the power to eliminate every last demon he encountered. The talisman had a bloodstone center the Goddess had imbued with the ability to end a demon’s existence forever. Retrieving it was the reason he was here.
“I’m not going to bother returning to your dad’s side. I’m going to hunt you down and make you pay for this,” Amado promised.
Rhys chuckled, tapping the male’s cheek with the tip of his sgian dubh drawing blood, “Look who finally grew some balls? Too bad it’s not going to save you.”
Rhys brought the blade down and sliced through his neck. Black blood splattered Rhys’ chest and face, burning the skin it touched. Two more swipes and Amado’s head rolled from his body. A blood-curdling scream brought Rhys’ head around to see Illianna, palms across her face staring at the scene.
Hands out in front of him in a gesture of peace, he walked towards her. “It’s okay, Angel,” he soothed, doing a quick check to see that Dante and Kellen had taken care of Tony and Hector. “It’s over. They won’t hurt you ever again. C’mon, we need to get out of here.”
Wide-eyed, she swung the mace as he approached. She was surprisingly efficient with the weapon and would be lethal with some training. One thing was certain, she wasn’t anything like her aggressive brothers. “You’re the one I’m worried about,” she muttered shaking her head.
He could smell her fear and confusion and he wanted to reach out to ease her mind, but held back, knowing she wouldn’t welcome physical contact. “I know it looks bad, but we had no other choice. I wasn’t about to stand by and allow them to take you away. We mean you no harm,” Rhys assured her. “You have to believe that we would never lay a hand on you.”
She straightened and gripped the mace, but let it hang loose at her side. “Until your demon gets hungry. Then all bets are off, right?” she countered and started walking toward the exit.
Rhys sighed and kicked Amado’s head out of his way as he followed her down the hall. “I will never force you to do something you don’t want to do. My beast can feed from any number of other creatures, so rest assured, you will never be forced by any of us. And, truth be told, you’re not my type.”
Turning her head, she glared at him, making him want to kiss her. She was hot when she was annoyed. And, even hotter as she huffed off. When the time came, she would be the one begging him for sex.
Cambions were sensitive to the sexual energy, and this angel was giving off loads of heat each time she looked at him. Whether she liked it, or not, this little angel wanted him.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Damn, it’s rank down here,” Kellen complained, waving his hand in front of his face.
Illianna watched the trio of demons as they hid in the alley behind another of Shax’s clubs. The world hadn’t stopped spinning since their arrival in the dressing room claiming they were there to rescue her. She didn’t know what to think. So far, not one of them had made a move toward her and hadn’t done anything to harm her, at least, not directly.
She had no doubt that if Lemuel ever caught her again, her punishment would be creative and excruciating. When they had run into Lemuel’s men in the hall, Illianna had nearly run to their sides and asked to be taken back. It would have been better than what she faced if caught now. She asked herself why she was still with these demons. In the end, it was the promise of freedom that kept her by Rhys’ side.
“It doesn’t matter what realm you’re in, all alleys smell like piss and puke. In the Underworld you add sulfur to the mix and the potpourri is guaranteed to singe your nose hairs,” Rhys teased, wiping the black blood from his neck with the bottom of his shirt.
Illianna flushed and her mouth went dry when the action revealed the taut planes of his muscular abdomen. The man was gorgeous and made her want things she hadn’t felt in forever. Stopping that train before it left the station, Illianna focused on the conversation.
Leaning against the rough, stone wall behind her, she winced as a sharp rock dug into her back. She hadn’t thought about what her surroundings smelled like for many decades, but had to acknowledge it was putrid. “What do you think makes them all smell the same?” she asked, immediately wishing she hadn’t as their collective attention turned to her. Uncomfortable with their perusal, she wrapped her arms around her chest.
“It’s in the DNA of all males to piss in every alley we can while intoxicated. We can whip it out and go anywhere we want, we’re assholes like that,” Rhys explained with a wink.
Rolling her eyes, she had to look away from the devastating effect of his smile. “I’m surprised men bother wearing pants. They never keep their dicks in them.”
All three men burst out laughing. “She got you there, buddy. I like you, Angel, you don’t hold back,” Dante said, patting Rhys on the shoulder and giving her a warm smile.
“I’m touched by your affections. But, what about this magical collar around my neck? It will kill me if we try to cross the barrier into limbo,” she prompted, meeting Dante’s gaze.
Rhys approached her and paused a few steps away, shuffling his feet, obviously uncomfortable. Finally, he reached out and ran his finger over the silver. It took every ounce of concentration to hold back her reaction to his touch. She wanted to melt into his arms and find delight. Any kind of pleasure had been entirely absent from her life, and so damned elusive that she feared its permanent loss. Unable to curb the craving completely, she leaned slightly into his body, soaking up his heat.
“Do you know how we get this removed?” he murmured softly, glancing into her eyes. His expression was sad, angry and determined all at the same time.
“We need to find a voodoo practitioner. They’re reclusive creatures and don’t like to leave their homes much. It keeps them safer,” she explained.
“That’s not much to go on. That’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. Fuck,” Rhys cursed, dropping his hand and turning away from her. She immediately missed his warmth and her body trembled from the loss.
A black t-shirt hit her in the face and fell to the ground. She saw that Rhys had stopped pacing and taken his shirt off and given it to her, well, had tossed it her way. With his entire torso on display she found herself dumbstruck for several seconds. His caramel skin was rippled with muscles and was much sexier than it should be. In fact, he was the best looking man she’d ever come across.
Silver glinted, catching her eye. He wore a necklace with a small disc attached to it. She peered closer and saw an image of a raven etched onto the surface. She wondered why a raven? What did it mean? Was it a gift from a girlfriend? The thought had something twisting in the vicinity of her chest.
Shaking off the disturbing emotion, she retrieved the fabric and pulled it over her head. It was still warm his body and smelled divine, like he did. Masculine and woodsy, not at all like the demons she was accustomed to. She watched as he pulled his leather jacket back on.
“Sorry, Luscious, but you’r
e just going to have to cover up that gorgeous body. I can’t think straight around you,” Rhys admitted, making her blush. No one had ever told her she had a gorgeous body. She’d always been a bit too tall and skinny. Her best assets had been her wings and hair, and she didn’t have either one right now.
“Of course, you can’t. You’re a sex-demon,” she informed him, unsure if the reminder was for her or him. “Before you begin snarling that you are of the Light and work for a Goddess, perhaps we can find that voodoo practitioner. I think I recall hearing something about one living on the thirteenth floor of Lemuel’s main club.”
“You can’t go there, Rhys. If he sees you he will capture us all and Kellen and I will be killed while you two are tortured. Kellen and I will find this practitioner while you guys stay here, out of sight,” Dante ordered. She would guess that he held a position of power in their realm with his commanding presence.
“I don’t like it, but I understand the reason. We’ll wait at the back of the alley out of the way, but if anyone comes scouting the area, we will have to leave. If that happens, I’ll head east,” Rhys responded.
*****
Rhys grabbed Illianna’s hand and tugged her to the back of the alley. He glanced around for danger, knowing demons lurked in every corner. It was always dark in Hell with very little lighting so he was thankful for his preternatural vision. He’d often wondered where the soft glow of the Underworld came from, because even though Hell had a sky, there was no moon or stars.
He ran his thumb over the back of Illianna’s hand, not wanting to let go. Every time their skin met, it was electric and made his blood boil with arousal. He wondered how much of it was due to the fact he was back in the Underworld. His beast was rising to the surface with the angel beside him. He would have to remain cautious and not lose control.
As they reached the end of the narrow road, the noise from the heavy winds died down, and the temperature warmed slightly which was a good thing because his angel was shivering from the cold. He wanted to wrap her in his arms but knew she wouldn’t welcome the contact. She’d made her disdain for his kind crystal clear, not that he blamed her. Instead, he dug through his pack and retrieved another shirt and gave her his jacket.