by Brenda Trim
“Compared to what I’ve had this is a filet mignon. Thank you,” she murmured, tearing open the wrapper. He nearly lost his mind when she took a big bite and moaned her pleasure. The sound reverberated in his bones, barreling straight to the tip of his cock. That fast, he was hard as steel and ready to fuck her. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
“Oh. My. God,” she exclaimed around another mouthful. “This is beyond delicious and I want to savor it, but I can’t seem to shove it in my mouth fast enough. This is the first real food I’ve eaten since I was brought here.”
Anger at his father’s treatment of this delicate creature had Rhys clenching his teeth. She should never be treated in such a manner and it was incredibly satisfying to have given her sustenance. Especially watching her enjoy it so thoroughly.
He had to remind himself that they weren’t in a safe location and that he couldn’t afford the distraction of watching her eat. He forced his gaze away and looked at the tree they were sitting under. Whatever made those marks had huge claws and wasn’t something he wanted to face. Truth was, he’d rather spend some alone-time with Illianna.
He was making progress with her, but not where he wanted to be. It was obvious with the way she let her guard down and had leaned into him that she trusted he would keep her safe. That was something he never would have guessed after their first conversation. Despite the progress he’d made with her, she hated all demons and saw them as creatures bent on cruelty and destruction.
His incubus heritage had never been more to his detriment. More than one time he had opened his mouth to tell Illianna about his mother’s lineage, but had stopped, wanting to know that anything they shared was based on her acceptance of who he was, not what she hoped he could be. Most had expectations about him when they heard about where his mother came from. Expectation he never lived up to.
A loud screech caught his attention, setting his heart off like a racehorse from the starting gate. Removing his sgian dubh from the sheath at his belt, he gripped it tightly as his skin prickled and adrenaline dumped into his system.
Beside him, Illianna audibly swallowed and asked the question running through his mind, “You don’t think whatever just made that noise made these marks, do you?”
Rhys crossed to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Unfortunately, my best guess is yes, but don’t worry, we will protect you. Besides, I’m known as the best swordsman in the realm,” he boasted with a wink.
She looked at him then at Dante and Kellen. “That’s not all that comforting. Those aren’t swords. Are those three little knives the only weapons you have?” she asked, doubt in her tone.
He took offense at her lack of faith in his ability to keep her safe and it stung his pride, but he had to admit she wasn’t far off the mark. He had no idea what they were about to face. “These may be our only weapon, but I have other talents. Have faith, Angel. Surely, you’re familiar with the concept,” he teased, tweaking the end of her nose.
She graced him with a hint of a smile. “I’m familiar with the concept. I just don’t like feeling defenseless.”
“I have a feeling we will be facing a dagon so we will have an edge if that’s the case. Those one-eyed fuckers have limited visibility, so remember that and use their blinds spots,” Dante said, edging a few steps toward them, his eyes trained on their surroundings.
Rhys nodded and searched for sight of the creature. “What else can you tell us about them? Is there any other creature we may face?” he asked.
“I’m sure there are countless demons we could face here, but I read about the dagons being bound to these swamplands. And, watch out for their claws. They are venomous and I have no idea how it will affect any of us,” Dante replied, adjusting his grip on his blade.
The ground rumbled beneath them, and all of a sudden, a dozen of the oddest creatures Rhys had ever seen surged out of the muck. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. They had the torso and arms of a human, but its head reminded him of an octopus with one eye in the middle of the gray flesh. Hundreds of tentacles waved about on top of its head and its mouth was open in a call, displaying countless razor-sharp teeth.
“How the fuck did they pop out of that shit like daisies? Guess we need to watch where we step while fighting,” Kellen shouted as he carelessly jumped toward one of the creatures. So much for watching where they stepped, Rhys thought, shaking his head.
Rhys turned to Illianna and grasped her shoulders, “Stay in the tree while we take care of this.”
The frustration and fear warred on her lovely face. “I hate being a burden and I hate not having my wings. I could fly you out of here if I had them.”
“I understand how you feel, and, trust me, you will have your wings again, but right now I can’t fight unless I know you are safe,” he admitted. She was silent for several long seconds before she nodded. Sighing in relief, he lifted her until she grabbed a branch. With a hand to her ass, he shoved her as she heaved herself the rest of the way up.
Taking one last look at Illianna, Rhys joined the fray. He dodged the swing of a dagon and slid in the mud. When his feet began to lose purchase, Rhys went with the momentum and threw his arms out. His weapon found purchase in the grey flesh and he was rewarded by a loud cry then black blood spurting from its side.
He sprang upward and lunged at the creature’s back. Wrapping one of his arms around the neck area, he trapped its arms at its sides. Rhys ducked and dodged the thrashing tentacles, but one particularly long tentacle wrapped around Rhys’ neck and tightened, instantly choking him. Spots winked in his vision.
Shit, did that thing have eyes on its tentacles? Dizziness had Rhys blinking rapidly to clear his head. The creature was trying to choke the life out of him. Not that being choked would kill Rhys, but it would disable him long enough for the demon to separate his head from his body.
Rhys felt the suckers attaching to his skin and wondered if there were stingers in them since something was causing his skin to burn where they were attached. The creature thrashed and wiggled in his grip, trying to buck him off. It was at that moment that Rhys caught sight of the bottom half, which was the form of a mermaid. Odd fucking demon, he mused, as he lifted his arm and cut through the tentacle, slicing if from the creature’s head. The appendage flopped onto his chest and he ripped it from around his neck. There were definitely barbs in the suckers, and damn, it hurt to pull off.
“Watch the tentacles, they have barbs,” he called out as he plunged his blade into the demon’s chest.
It twitched for a couple seconds before it went lax in his grip, letting go. Grabbing a handful of tentacles, Rhys lifted its head then suddenly felt his body sail through the air. It had played dead, the sly fucker, and then used its fish tail to boot Rhys away. Hitting the ground, his back felt as if Bhric had kicked him. Bhric was the strongest Dark Warrior there was and used his strength to punish Rhys during workouts. They could use the Bhric House right about now.
Landing with a muddy splat, Rhys rolled over immediately, but didn’t manage to miss the tail coming at him. Fuck, his back and side hurt like a sonovabitch and then he was hit again. After probing his side, he felt something sharp under the skin. He didn’t have time to consider that he’d broken a rib because the dagon was pissed and hissing at him. Wet warmth trickled down his side and Rhys looked down to see that he’d been sliced by something and blood was pouring from the wound.
Taking a step toward the creature, Rhys stumbled and dizziness assailed him. What the fuck had sliced him? He watched the creature slither toward him and noticed the razors it had for scales. More than likely, those scales were poisonous like its claws. Claws that were heading right for his head.
Rhys ducked and had his weapon up and slicing before the thing knew what hit it. It backed off, screeching in anger. Rhys darted in and quickly removed its head. Hands on his knees and gasping for air, Rhys momentarily caught his breath. His side was on fire
and his body ached all over.
“Rhys, behind you!” Illianna called out in warning. Going on the offense, he struck out against the demon sneaking up behind him. Shutting out his pain and fatigue, Rhys punched the beast in the eye and it immediately fell to the ground. Rhys nudged the fat tail with his boot, noting it was out cold.
“Attack the eyes. That’s their weakness,” he yelled to Dante and Kellen who had been taken a beating, as well.
One benefit of the sludge was it gave some warning, Rhys thought as he spun in place, stabbing one in the eye. It withered into a dried husk before it hit the ground. That was new, he thought, looking back to the one he’d knocked out. Still passed out, but hadn’t died. Backpedaling, Rhys stabbed its eye and was satisfied when shriveled, reminding him of a snake shedding its skin.
“Stab it in the eye,” Rhys corrected as he charged the others.
Dante was panting as he made it to Rhys’ side. Rhys noted the Cambion Lord wasn’t faring any better than he was. “I lost my weapon over there. Can you get it for me?” Dante asked.
“Take mine,” Rhys said, handing over his weapon until he located Dante’s blade. He had to see the object he summoned. It didn’t work to think about it. He spotted it about thirty feet away, sinking in the sludge and felt power surge through his palms moments before the weapon was in his grasp.
Rhys continued to fight the creatures, suffering not only a massive wound and broken ribs, but dozens of cuts covered his arms and face. He had weakened each time he was sliced with the claws or barbs, but he didn’t pass out which told him the venom wouldn’t incapacitate him. It did, however, blur his vision and deplete his strength.
In a last ditch effort, Rhys stabbed the eye of a dagon stupid enough to get within arm’s reach. He glanced to the tree and saw Illianna nervously biting her fingernails as she watched the battle. Thank the Goddess for small favors, he thought, knowing his angel was out of harm’s way.
“Alright, motherfuckers, let’s end this,” Rhys taunted the last three dagons standing on the battle field. Dante and Kellen looked like hell. They both had numerous injuries and Kellen’s leg was bleeding profusely.
As a unit, the three of them charged, and within minutes, the last of the enemy was shriveling up in the muck. Panting and clutching his side, Rhys crossed to Illianna and lifted his hands to help her down.
“No way. I’m not letting you try to catch me with your injuries. Move out of the way,” she ordered, waiting until he had moved before she jumped down.
“I can’t believe you guys beat all those demons. I can see why they call you the best in the realm. Thank you for saving my life, again,” she said, looking around at the scene with a frown on her beautiful face.
Needing contact with her, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, The surge of energy that contact gave him had his skin tingling and his muscles twitching.
“I will always save you, Angel. There has to be more than this field of suffering in this circle, let’s go find it,” he murmured, changing the subject.
One of her eyebrows rose as she glared at him imperiously, “You want to go seek out the demons of this realm? And, risk running into Beelzebub?”
Dante chuckled then winced, clearly in pain, before joining the conversation, “Yes, we do. Unless you are going to feed the three of us?”
Rhys couldn’t help the growl that escaped at the thought of his angel having sex with Dante and Kellen. Her eyes went wide and a look of panic, then anger, crossed her face.
“I most definitely will not be having sex with you. I’ve been with enough demons to last the rest of my life,” Illianna huffed.
Rhys leaned to whisper in her ear and lost what little breath he had from the pain. “You’ve been with the wrong demons. No one will matter before me,” he murmured, inhaling her scent. It was impossible to ignore the hint of arousal along with the way she trembled against his side. He would have his angel and soon, he vowed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
It was impossible for Illianna to hide her response to Rhys. Like many incubi and cambions in hell, Rhys was very attractive, but it was only Rhys that had her heart racing, sweat dampening her palms and her core clenching in need. She only felt disgust and hatred for demons, she reminded her errant brain. This attraction and arousal wasn’t tolerable.
Nevertheless, it was there and she found herself in a quandary over her reactions to Rhys. She had come to trust him to keep her safe and not harm her. Her instinct and experience told her that she was a fool for having any faith in him, but he hadn’t done anything except protect and save her life, more than once.
Stepping over another carcass, she bit back the bile wanting to surge from her stomach. She wasn’t going to lose the first real food she’d eaten in a hundred years. Ugh, she shuddered, thinking the slimy creatures were a creepy combination of a sea creature and human. She wanted to close her eyes against the evidence of the violence she’d just witnessed, but she couldn’t shut them for fear of something happening to Rhys. He had been severely injured and she had no idea how he was still moving.
Besides, it wasn’t that she was a stranger to violence. Her father and brothers were warrior angels and killed demons daily, but she hadn’t witnessed any of it. In fact, she had not witnessed aggression of any kind before coming to the Underworld and now it seemed she couldn’t escape it.
Placing her hand over her mouth and nose to drown out the overwhelming smell of death and decay, she kept pace beside Rhys as best as she could. She hadn’t thought there was anything worse than the constant hurricane winds of the previous circle, but she had been wrong. The icy rain was so much harder to deal with and the cold went straight to her bones.
Thank God they had given her clothes and shoes. She would be a popsicle right now if they hadn’t given her protection from the elements. It also had the benefit of hiding her missing wings. If Beelzebub got wind of her being in his dimension he would send his legion to search for her.
Shivering, she pulled Rhys’ jacket closer around her body. She had to work twice as hard to lift her foot out of the mud and take the next step. The walk through the sludge was slow-going and miserable. Not only was it difficult to take the next step, it was weighing on her conscience to keep moving. The angelic part of her wanted to stop and bring happiness to these poor souls who were shoveling the gunk into their mouths. That was who she was, what she was all about, yet she didn’t stop. She kept going because all she could think about was not freezing to death. If she didn’t survive, she’d never bring happiness to anyone ever again and that’s what gave her the willpower to keep moving.
After what felt like an eternity they made it to a city of sorts. The rains hadn’t let up and the ground resembled a swamp. When they came upon houses on stilts, it reminded her of the bayou near New Orleans. She had worked with an orphaned child in the bayou and his house was very similar to the shack-like appearance she saw here.
They were made with planks of dark wood and had corrugated metal for roofs. Wooden shutters were closed over windows and it was hard to tell if there was glass behind the closures. She had not seen a single glass window during her time in Hell, but it may be different in the Third Circle. The porches were lacking the old rocking chairs she’d seen in New Orleans, but were just as rickety looking.
The houses weren’t built in any type of a discernable pattern and she didn’t see any streets. Just endless muddy ground and structures scattered throughout. It seemed as if they had been placed here or there with no rhyme or reason.
“Which house do we approach?” Kellen asked, peering around the large wooden posts that supported the houses. Kellen was big, muscular and menacing. If she’d seen him walking down a street she’d cross and walk on the other sidewalk, he was that intimidating. These men were so hyper vigilant she doubted anyone could get the drop on them.
“Let’s see if we can catch a glimpse in one of the windows and see what’s inside. I’m not in the mood to party with dagons. I forgot to br
ing a seafood dip to share and I’m off the menu unless you’re a sassy little angel,” Rhys murmured suggestively.
She patted his chest, ignoring the feel of his firm muscles. “So, are delusions a common thing when your inner demon needs to be fed?”
Rhys’s nostrils flared as he leaned closer. She heard him take in a deep breath. “No delusions here, Luscious. You can’t hide how much you want me,” he challenged.
Stiffening, she moved away and wondered what she smelled like, her irritation mounting. She hoped it was unpleasant because the man annoyed her. Problem was she wasn’t certain her irritation was directed at him. “Keep dreaming,” she huffed and climbed the makeshift ladder to the porch. The rope and wood swayed in the slight wind and was slick beneath her palms.
On the third rung, her hand slipped and she braced herself for impact with the hard ground. She yelped when large strong hands landed on her ass and held tight. Looking over her shoulder, she gazed down into Rhys’ electric eyes. It was like looking at illuminated rainbows and the heat in them scalded her. His eyes actually glowed as if lit and she wondered what it meant.
“Your eyes are glowing,” she blurted.
Unabashedly, Rhys squeezed her rear where it rested in his palms. She couldn’t protest because they stood between her and a sore backside. “That’s because I want to fuck you, Angel,” Rhys said heatedly.
She snorted to cover her discomfort. No man had ever talked to her like that. Sure, she had heard demons talk like that in the past hundred years, but it was never directed at her and no one had ever looked at her as if their very survival depended on immediately having her. The fact that Rhys did both made her highly uncomfortable, especially since she suspected he was going to ask her to have sex with him very soon.
Would she have sex with him to feed his inner demon? If she told him no then he would seek another companion, and, oddly enough, she didn’t like the idea of him having sex with another woman. She shook her head, thinking about what she was going to do, and latched onto the rung. She made it to the covered porch without further problems and sighed in relief. It felt beyond wonderful to be out of the icy rain. She leaned over and peered into one of the windows, noting there was no glass behind the shutters, while she waited for the other three to join her.