by Brenda Trim
The wind slammed into her the moment they stepped outside, but for the first time in a century it didn’t chafe her skin. And, that was because these demons had taken the effort to give her not only clothing, but a bit of dignity, as well.
Going back to the previous conversation she’d had with Dante, she had a decision to make. Go with Rhys or try and make it on her own? She wasn’t able to get herself out of Hell on her own, as much as she wanted to.
“The exit to the Third Circle is to the left,” she informed them.
Rhys followed her directions and maneuvered them to the alley that led to the land of gluttony. It was difficult to keep up with him as focused as he was. He had yet to calm down and hadn’t said more than a few words to her. Would he hate her for what he’d been forced to do? No one had ever disliked her and the idea that this demon might didn’t sit well with her. She vowed to try and make it up to him, if at all possible.
They turned down a dark passage when shouts echoed from behind them. Turning her head, her heart plummeted when she saw Asmodeus and Lemuel chasing after them with at least six of their minions.
Asmodeus was a cruel, three-headed creature with a mishmash of body parts. One of his heads was human, another was a ram and the last was a bull. She never knew where to look when he was talking because even though he sounded human at times, all three mouths moved at once. It was very disconcerting. And then there was his body. He had a bit of each creature mixed together with flesh and fur. All she could recall was the feel of his hands, paws and claws all over her skin. He had been abhorrent in his treatment of her and the perpetrator of her worst moments.
Lemuel called out to Rhys who didn’t respond. Instead, Rhys picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, running full speed toward the portal.
Arrows flew past her head and bounced off the buildings. Rhys grunted and staggered, but kept going. The second they entered the veil, it felt as if everything slowed as she was being torn apart. Lifting her arms to shield her face that felt like it was on fire, she saw flames lick across her skin, but didn’t burn her clothing. Looking down, she noticed Rhys was covered in flames, as well. The fire disappeared as soon as they made it through the veil. She was relieved to see that her skin hadn’t burned like she’d feared.
“Pema gave us a blocking spell. Use it on the portal, now!” Rhys yelled over his shoulder. He set her down and she watched Kellen toss a small glass bottle at the veil. Upon impact, it exploded and bright white light flashed, momentarily blinding her.
When her vision cleared, she saw Lemuel pounding against an invisible barrier. “You will never get away with this Rhys. The angel is mine. I went to great lengths to take her from you, and you will not have her!!” Lemuel cursed, bloodying his hands as he continued battering at the obstruction.
Since meeting Rhys, she hadn’t considered how similar, or not, as she believed was the case, he was to his father. Lemuel had the same multicolored hair as his son, but that was where the similarities ended. Their personalities were night and day. She thought Rhys’ best features were his kaleidoscopic eyes, which she assumed came from his mother, and then there was his smile. His father had not smiled once in a hundred years and his eyes were black pits of evil.
Finally free of their clutches, she sagged with relief. They could no longer harm her or force her to act against her will. She was still trapped in the Underworld, but she had a new surge of hope with Rhys by her side. Lemuel’s parting words about taking her from Rhys played through her mind. What did he mean? Something told her that the answer to that question was going to alter the course of her life forever.
*****
Santiago Reyes glared at his friend and partner. Orlando was an obnoxious asshole sometimes. They had been partners for a long time, as Dark Warriors and detectives with the Seattle Police Department, but at the moment, the feline shifter wouldn’t get off his ass.
“Seriously, bro. You’ve been MIA a lot lately, and I know you haven’t been with me. And, before you say you’ve been at Kill’s place, think again. He said you haven’t been to Confetti Too for weeks. What the fuck is up with you?” Orlando challenged, anger sparking in his emerald green eyes as he ran his hand through his spiky, white-blonde hair.
“When did I have to start clocking in with you anyway? We all have our private lives. I’ve never asked you where you go when we aren’t working,” Santi snapped.
Orlando’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t the one being hounded by Zander, either. He’s on my ass about where you are when we can’t reach you. You know the rules. We have to be accessible, especially right now with Rhys gone. And, you know how the others are distracted by their mates,” Orlando pointed out.
“Fuck the mates and fuck Rhys. I will do what I want when I want. No one tells me what to do,” Santi countered, chest heaving with his emotions.
Santiago was tired of the same old bullshit. Everybody needing to know every single little thing about what happened in the compound. Not one of them thought for themselves and took their position of power to the level they needed to. It wasn’t only demons they needed to worry about.
Orlando reeled back, mouth agape. “Why are you so fucking defensive? Do you have something to hide?”
“What would I have to hide? It’s not like I’m the one pining after Elsie, or anything. Now, that would be something to hide. I mean what would Zander think if he knew his pet wanted to fuck his mate?” Santi countered, enjoying the hurt that crossed Orlando’s face.
Santiago knew it wasn’t what he’d said that bothered Orlando, but the deliberation behind the words. As an empath, Orlando was constantly bombarded by emotions, particularly negative ones, and Santi had some pretty negative fucking feeling towards his partner right now.
“That was a low blow, dickhead. I don’t know what’s crawled up your ass, but you’d better remove it before someone does it for you. You can finish this patrol on your own,” his friend warned before stalking off into the night.
Santiago cursed, turning in the opposite direction. Boots pounded the pavement, echoing his anger. He was glad to see him go. He didn’t need Orlando’s help on patrol. With Orlando there, he’d have to ignore half of what should be dealt with. The male could be such a kiss-ass, stickler for the rules.
Santiago cared for all of the Dark Warriors, and had a good relationship with Orlando, but he was tired of all the unnecessary laws and restrictions. There were more rules than there were supernaturals in the Tehrex Realm and he didn’t see the reason for half of them.
Zander and Hayden banned shit like the fight clubs, which was ridiculous. Fighting was an outlet for all who participated. For him, it allowed him to demonstrate how strong and powerful he was, and told others they had better toe the line or they’d have to answer to him. He took his vows to the Goddess seriously and didn’t believe it stopped at saving people from the demons. He believed people most often needed saving from themselves. It also gave him a place to gather information about the realm’s criminal element. Both needed to be stopped at any cost.
The scent of blood teased his nostrils. He paused and inhaled deeply, not recognizing who the blood belonged to. It wasn’t a lot and was clearly tainted by chemicals. The scent of the city overpowered the trail, forcing him to partially shift into his wolf. It was this form that fed the human myths about werewolves and what they looked like. In reality, this wasn’t one of his natural forms and took a lot of concentration to maintain a mid-shift.
Nose to the air, he picked up the trail again, following it to an alley near Pike Place market. He snarled when he saw a vampire selling drugs to a strung-out shifter. The bear shifter startled and spun when he heard Santiago approach. He growled low in his throat and took off running. Santiago considered chasing after him, but decided the vampire was more important. He was the one dealing drugs.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Santi asked, pacing a circle around the vampire.
“None of your business, wolf. Get the fuck
out of my territory or I’ll report you for walking around mid-shift. My offense is minor compared to yours. I believe Hayden deems that a death sentence,” the scumbag threatened.
Santi grabbed the male by the throat and shoved him against a brick wall and lowered his face. The male didn’t have the same chemical smell as the bear, so Santi assumed he wasn’t using the product he was pushing. “Do you know who you are threatening? This whole fucking realm is my territory and I protect what is mine. You like selling this shit to people and ruining their lives. Don’t think I don’t know this is Angel’s Kiss. What do you think Zander would say to hear you are selling this shit on his streets? Your accusation that I’m walking around partially shifted won’t mean shit in the face of that fact,” Santi barked.
Another stupid rule Santiago didn’t understand. The male was correct when he said Santi would be put to death if it was discovered he’d run around partially shifted. How was it right that this idiot could sell drugs but he couldn’t take action to protect the unsuspecting population from this poison?
A light rain began to fall, cleansing the streets. Rain was ever present in Seattle, especially in the middle of winter. This time it quickly turned into a harder rain and pelted Santi’s head. The vampire shivered in his grasp as the temperature dropped with the rain. He didn’t know if it was from fear or the lightweight clothing he wore. T-shirt and jeans, no jacket, no gloves, no hat. It was fair to say this male wasn’t the sharpest tack in the box.
“Who the fuck are you? You’re not realm police. Do you know who my boss is? Von’ll skewer your wolf and eat you for dinner,” the dealer countered with narrowed eyes.
Yeah, Santi knew the piece of shit and that was why this guy wasn’t easily intimidated. He wouldn’t stop selling just because Santiago threatened him. He faced far worse if he betrayed Von. Santi would have to do something more to ensure he stopped distributing.
Patting the guy down, Santi discovered his drugs in his front pocket. “I’m very familiar with Von and have plans to deal with him personally. But first, let’s give you a taste of your own medicine,” he said, twisting the top off two small vials. Angel’s Kiss mixed hallucinogens with angel’s blood and was said to give the user increased strength along with an incredible high that lasted days. It was fatal to humans who used it and instantly addicted supernaturals. It was incredibly difficult to make, and required the magic of a witch or sorcerer to bind the ingredients.
He lightened his hold around the male’s throat and used his hand to squeeze his cheeks, prying his mouth open. The dealer immediately began thrashing his head from side to side, fear permeating Santi’s nose. Yeah, he should be afraid, he knew what one dose of this meant for him. Lifelong addiction.
“Not so pleasant now, is it? Von would be nothing without scum like you selling his product,” Santi said, no remorse for what the male was now experiencing.
“Please, don’t. I only give people what they ask for. Without me they’d find someone else to buy from,” the vampire begged.
“So you think that makes it okay to ruin their lives. I don’t fucking think so. My punishment for you is to become reliant upon the very drug you sell. How quickly will you get into trouble with Von when you use the product he gives you instead of selling it?” Santi asked as he poured the liquid from both vials down his throat.
He clamped his hand over the male’s mouth and forced him to swallow the drug. Santiago stepped back when moments later the vampire began convulsing. He dropped to the ground and began flopping around like a fish out of water.
“Hey, what’s going on down there?” a stranger called from the mouth of the alley. Santiago ducked into the shadows and watched as the male, a human, crouched next to the dealer who was now foaming at the mouth. That wasn’t supposed to happen, Santi thought in a moment of panic, wondering if he had given him too much. Sweat darkened the dealer’s red t-shirt and his eyes rolled back in his head. With his sharp hearing, Santi heard the male’s heart slow and his breathing become labored.
When the human was distracted with calling 911, Santi slipped away. As much as he didn’t want the vampire to die, at least it was one more drug pusher off the streets. Santiago was saving countless from a life of addiction, or death in the case of humans. These dealers didn’t care who they sold to or who they harmed. As far as Santi was concerned, that was what the Goddess called on him to do.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Rhys was already over the Underworld. They were only in the Third Circle where the gluttonous were punished and he was tired of the doom and gloom and running. The one benefit was the angel at his side. She was pure goodness and light in this Goddess-forsaken place. She shuddered at that moment, bringing his attention to the freezing temperature. Pulling her close, he tucked her into his side as the icy rains and freezing temperatures beat against their bodies.
Thank the Goddess Dante and Kellen had stolen pants and shoes for Illianna or Rhys would be naked and barefoot. There was no way he was going to allow his angel to suffer any more if he could help it. He’d already done the unspeakable for her when he had sex with the voodoo priestess. He still didn’t feel clean even though he’d used a bottle of demon brew and scrubbed himself as much as possible.
It was in Rhys’ nature to feed his inner beast with any type of sexual encounter. That had been proven to him when he’d climaxed while raping males during his captivity in Hell. Rhys had been against forcing the males, but his inner beast had taken over and relished in the sport to the point that he had orgasmed against his will. This time, however, was vastly different. Not even his inner beast could conjure any amount of enjoyment in this act.
For the first time in his life he was unable to achieve orgasm while having sex. It wasn’t solely from worry of giving her the child she wanted. He had prayed to the Goddess asking intervention, but it was more than that. He kept thinking about Illianna, sitting in the other room, and the stricken look that had crossed her face. She hadn’t wanted him to be with the female and he didn’t want it, either.
He had been unable to tolerate any touching or kissing from the female and had to picture Illianna to get hard. The process was rote and the voodoo practitioner had been pissed he hadn’t had an orgasm. She had peaked early and tried everything she could to make him release his seed. It wasn’t going to happen. No way would he ever leave a child of his in that place.
“What do we know about this circle?” Kellen asked, breaking into the awful memories. The male was shielding his eyes from the icy drops as they walked along the muddy road.
Beside Rhys, Illianna sagged against him, shivering. He wrapped his arm around her tighter, wiling more of his body heat towards her. “The souls and demons here suffer from a life of overindulgence,’ she replied weakly.
He ran a hand over her cheek, worried how cold she was. Her full lips were tinged blue from the cold and she couldn’t seem to stop shaking. “You need to get warm, Luscious.”
“What I need is food…but, I don’t want to eat that stuff,” she said, pointing in the distance. Rhys followed her gesture and saw souls hunched over the ground, shoving handfuls of icy sludge into their mouths.
The sight was disgusting as countless human souls shoveled mouthful after mouthful of the smelly mud into their faces. It was obvious they were unable to stop as they continued eating in frenzy. They were incorporeal so the mixture went right through them and landed in a heap at their feet.
“I have a couple protein bars and a bottle of water. Let’s rest under that tree so you can eat,” he murmured, picking up his pace as much as possible. It was difficult to traverse the muck. His feet kept getting stuck in the mud and made a loud sucking sound each time he took a step to pull a boot free. As a group, they were making enough noise that he was afraid they’d alert Beelzebub to their presence.
The last thing he wanted was for the demonic-looking cow that ruled this circle to discover their presence and hunt them down. From what Rhys learned before leaving the Tehrex Realm,
Beelzebub was a ruthless being. He had been the highest-ranking angel to fall from heaven all those millennia ago. He wondered if Illianna was disturbed by the fact that Beelzebub and so many of the other leaders in Hell had once been brethren angels. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if any of his fellow Dark Warriors went to the dark side.
Scanning the horizon for danger, Rhys didn’t detect anything but the individuals hunched over the ground. The rain pelted the poor victims and was highlighted by the faint light in such a way that Rhys thought the drops were seeking the suffering.
He lengthened his stride, trying to ignore the way his leathers were frozen stiff and rubbing his inner thighs raw. At least his shit-kickers provided a measure of protection against the icy ground. He didn’t know which was worse, the winds of the last circle or this miserable shit.
When they finally reached a tree, he noted it was typical for that region. All black, everything from the limbs to the trunk and leaves. Limbo was the only level where anything green grew. Somehow, Rhys expected this tree to be sparse, if not completely bare from the icy conditions, but the dark canopy was thick enough to offer some shelter from the freezing rain.
“Are those claw marks?” Illianna asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He followed her gaze, leaning down to examine the marks in the bark. “Fuck, yes they are. Question is…what’s been using this as a scratching post?”
Kellen and Dante went on instant alert while Illianna remained close to his side. He could smell her fear, but he was happy to see that she was holding it together. He couldn’t handle an unknown danger and worry about her emotional state at the same time.
Pulling a protein bar from his backpack, he handed it to Illianna. “It’s not a hamburger, but it’ll fill your stomach.”