Demonic and Deserted (Eternally Yours Book 4)

by Tara West

  I knelt beside Aedan. His purple eyelids were swollen shut, his face was a bloody mess, and his left shoulder drooped. I feared his ribs were also broken by the way he clutched his side and the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he breathed through a wheeze. He literally got the shit kicked out of him by a half ton bull just to get me the poker. Talk about devotion. He might have been a man, but he had the heart of a loyal canine.

  “Aedan,” I rasped, finding it hard to speak through a throat that was raw with emotion. “Can you hear me?”

  One eye slowly opened as he reached for me, cupping the cheek that still burned from the sting of the cat bitch’s blade. “Asssh, you ‘k?” He sounded like his mouth was stuffed with wads of cotton, but at least his shaking limbs had relaxed.

  I cringed when blood pooled around his lips and dripped down his chin, and I wondered how many teeth the beast had broken.

  My eyes filled with moisture. “I’m okay,” I lied. Truthfully, I wasn’t okay, not on the inside. “The fight is over. We need to get you to your room. Can you walk?”

  He grimaced, then slowly nodded.

  I turned off the poker, tucking it inside my belt. Then I helped Aedan up, grateful for my canine strength. The crowd parted as Aedan leaned against me and we made the long trek back up the foyer stairs. I stopped at the edge of the room, just long enough to growl and glare at the Devil.

  He had this calculating look in his eyes as he tapped his pointed chin. That’s when I knew he wasn’t through fucking with us. Bastard.

  Chapter Eight

  Melanie

  We huddled in the corner of our dark, dank prison cell like frightened mice. I clutched the broken end of a broom handle, waving it at rabid rats with red, glowing eyes as they scurried past us. The priestesses and I took turns with the stick, having learned our lesson after a rat had bitten off Katherine’s toe. We circled Katherine, who was rolled up in a ball, her foot matted in dried blood while she wept for her mother.

  I knew it would be a long while before, or if, she ever saw her mother again. Even if the Archangel Cam came back, he would most likely save Santiago and leave the rest of us. I couldn’t see him risking his eternal soul to save a few damned priestesses. Maybe Katherine’s angel mother would try to save us, but our situation was far worse than when we’d lived on sub-level four. Back then, our rescuers only had to free us from the spider who’d poisoned our minds. This time we were held captive by the very Devil himself, and I didn’t see any possibility of escape. I decided not to voice my fears aloud, though I suspected by the haunting looks in my sisters’ eyes, they knew our situation was hopeless.

  Still, I did my best to keep up the morale of the group, engaging them in songs and the happy stories of my youth. It seemed so long ago, almost as if my mortal life had been nothing but a dream. I’d been a country girl, raised on a farm. My days had been filled with either school or chores, many times both. I vaguely remembered my dad taking me fishing on Sundays after church, or our blind horse who still knew her way around the farm thanks to our retriever, Scout, who followed her everywhere, working as her guide. What a loyal dog he’d been. I sometimes wondered whatever happened to him. I had heard that Ash’s dog Jack was really just a guardian angel in disguise. How lucky she’d been to have had a guardian. What I wouldn’t have given for a loyal protector. An image of Santiago’s large, mocha eyes flashed in my mind, and I did my best to suppress thoughts of him. It did no good hoping for something that could never be. Santiago knew I’d killed my baby. He wouldn’t want to be with me now.

  Although Matthew’s death hadn’t been intentional, I’d put my child’s life at risk with my drug addiction. I squeezed my eyes shut, crying out as the memories of that fateful night assailed me. I’d laid Mathew to bed in his crib, then went to my bedroom to light up. I vaguely remembered an explosion and a fire, but I’d been too high to think straight. My baby and I both burned that night, and the next morning I’d woken up in Hell, never to see Matthew again.

  What I wouldn’t do to turn back time and change that fateful night I’d met the city boy at my best friend Becky’s graduation party. Rick was Becky’s cousin. He was tall, handsome, and said all the right things. That should have been my first indication something was wrong. No guy was that perfect. After a few dates, he’d introduced me to meth. I didn’t want to try it, but he kept pressuring me. I finally gave in, thinking I would only do it once. I’d been a fool.

  A few weeks later Rick had gone back to the city, leaving me with not just a drug addiction, but with a baby on the way. Matthew was surprisingly healthy. The midwife who’d birthed him didn’t suspect my addiction. I’d kept it hidden well, until one day I’d accidentally set the barn on fire. My parents threw me out the next day and kept Matthew from me until I agreed to seek help. I went to drug counseling and got a job waitressing in the city. I rented a small apartment and convinced my parents to let me have Matthew on weekends. I thought I had my addiction under control, and then one day Rick showed up. It didn’t take me long to fall back into my old habit, but I was afraid if I sought help, I’d lose Matthew for good.

  I should have never let Rick into my apartment. I should have left Matthew with my parents and sought help. But none of that mattered now. Matthew was with the angels, and I was serving an eternity in hell, a just punishment for someone who’d killed her child. I had so much to atone for, I didn’t think an eternity would ever be enough. I often wondered how my parents dealt with Matthew’s death. He was like a son to them. My dad had a weak heart and my mom had been going through chemo. The grief probably killed them. I wondered if they were looking down at me from heaven, shaking their heads while crying tears of regret.

  If I could have one chance to escape my fiery prison, I’d use it to apologize to my parents for robbing them of joy and to say sorry to Matthew for stealing his young life from him. I would not waste my freedom falling in love with a man like Santiago, though I couldn’t deny some foolish part of me longed to be held in his arms. Santiago had died a war hero. He deserved better than me.

  I jerked when a loud boom sounded in the distance, followed by the thudding of heavy feet on the cobblestones.

  A big, ugly Taurus poked his snout through the metal bars, steam pouring out of his flared nostrils. “Which one of you whores is Melanie?”

  His deep rumble shook me to my core. I handed the broomstick to a sister and slowly stood on shaky legs, my soul filling with dread. “I-I am.”

  “Let’s go,” he said as steam continued to pour from his wide nostrils, filling our dark chamber with a rancid fog. “You’re needed.” Keys rattled in his hands as he unlatched the lock on the heavy iron door.

  After the door swung open, I numbly followed my captor. He’d motioned me to follow in the opposite direction from where we’d come yesterday. Where were we going? Deeper into the cellar where I’d been hearing a woman’s low, dark moaning? This poor soul had wept all through the night, a wail so sorrowful, I felt as if her tormenter had driven a stake into my heart. I knew whatever they’d been doing to her, it had to have been horrific. Had they prepared some sort of torture device for me as well?

  As I passed into the cave hall, I cast one last glance at my sisters. Their eyes were foggy with a sheen of tears as they watched me go. They feared for me, and so did I. Whatever punishment the Devil had decided for me, I knew I had it coming. Still, terror struck my chest like a mallet, and I wondered how I’d have the strength to endure an eternity of torture.

  I tried to keep my chin up as I walked behind my jailer, ignoring cries from the strange creatures in the other cells. Then I abruptly stopped, my heart slamming against my chest, when I saw the prisoner in the cell at the end of the hall. All eight legs were shackled in iron chains as she hung suspended from the ceiling. Below her round abdomen was a vat, and I could see the movement of thousands of demonling spiders within.

  Oh, Dear God in heaven! Mother is here, and she is Satan’s prisoner.

  We locked g
azes for one eternal heartbeat, and her human eyes looked imploringly at me. My breath hitched when her lips parted. The pinchers which had protruded from her mouth had been severed, leaving behind bloody stumps that looked like shriveled fangs.

  “Help me,” she whispered.

  My hand flew to my throat as I stumbled into the dank stone wall behind me.

  My jailer grabbed my wrist, jerking me forward. “Move, whore!” he commanded.

  I tossed one final glance over my shoulder. Tears were streaming down Mother’s face as she stared into the vat of spiders. Now I knew why the demonlings had overrun the pyramid and the elevator. They were being controlled by Satan.

  * * *

  Ash

  I shouldered most of Aedan’s weight during the long trek up the stairs. There were times when I’d had to carry all his weight, as he kept blacking out. I feared the giant bull had given him a concussion. Horny Hitler caught up to us, making monkey noises while pushing himself forward with his knuckles. He reminded me of a creepy Nazi Curious George. A bull creature followed us, too. I was pretty sure he wasn’t the same bull who’d given Aedan the black eyes, but I kept throwing him evil glances, just in case he tried anything. I didn’t give a damn if he was nine feet tall. If he tried to hurt Aedan, I was going to go attack dog on his ass. I was prepared to rip out his tendons if needed. There was no way I was letting the man I loved get hurt again.

  Once we reached Aedan’s door, I leaned us both against the wall, exhaling a breath of relief. Just a few more steps, and I could lay Aedan down and start treating his wounds.

  Monkey Hitler pulled out a big, circular keychain and inserted a rusty key into the doorknob. The door opened with a creak, and the monkey leaned back on his palms, kicking it with both feet. Then he turned to me with a snarl, pointing at the door diagonal from us. “Dog go to soldier’s room.”

  I held Aedan tighter, straining as he leaned away from the wall and put his weight on my shoulder. “Like hell I’m leaving my fiancé. He’s injured.”

  Hitler frowned. “Nein. We send healer to help him.”

  I vehemently shook my head. “I’ve already seen what your ‘healers’ do to people.” The last thing Aedan needed when he was in so much pain was another flea-bag slut whose vagina had been so thoroughly used by every diseased demon dick in hell, it probably shot fire. No. Fucking. Way. I was staying with him, and no demon in hell was going to tear us apart.

  The monkey flashed a fanged grin. “Okay, dog bitch. You win.” Then he swept his arm toward the open doorway.

  So he was just going to give up that easily? I warily eyed him while dragging Aedan through the doorway. Aedan moaned once I laid him on the bed, but said not a word as he draped an arm across his brow. I felt his forehead. He was especially warm. I hoped he wasn’t coming down with a fever. A cool, wet cloth draped across his bruises could help, and maybe one for the eyes to bring down the swelling. Even though I didn’t want to treat him with horny water, I couldn’t stand to see him in pain. I turned away from Aedan, heading for the bathroom, when I ran smack into a brick wall. Or in this case, a big, hairy bull creature whose only resemblance to a brick wall was his hard chest. Speaking of brick walls, I wished I had one to shield me from the steam pouring out of his snout. It was more rancid than week-old road-kill on a hot summer day.

  I fanned my face, scowling up at him. “Back up, manure breath.”

  The creature gripped my shoulders with meaty hands, squeezing so hard, I felt like he was going to snap me in two. I howled, trying to shake out of his grip, but he spun me around and put me in a headlock. I scratched and kicked and bit his hide, but he just grunted and squeezed my throat until I couldn’t breathe.

  Tears pricked my eyes as he dragged me out of Aedan’s room and then tossed me into Sarge’s room. I landed on all fours, sprinting back toward the door, but the beast slammed it in my snout. My face exploded with pain as I clutched my bloody nose and wailed.

  Aedan needed me. Who was going to take care of him?

  I hated hell. Hated, hated, hated it! Where the heck was Cam, anyway, or God for that matter? Were they really just going to abandon us to an unjust fate? I might not have been the model believer growing up, but from what I remember from church, God was supposed to be benevolent and fair. There was nothing fair about this place, and I swore with every fiber in my being, no matter the risk, I’d find a way to get us out of here.

  * * *

  Santiago had been nice enough to bandage up my wounds and treat them with antiseptic. At least I’d hoped it was antiseptic and not cat piss. Everything down here smelled disgusting, so it was hard to tell. Thelix had risen from the bathtub water and given it to him, which made me trust it even less. It was the strangest thing. One minute the water in the pool-sized tub was as smooth as glass, and the next Thelix emerged from a ripple that had formed at the surface. I thought it was kind of creepy that she could come to us through the water. Was there some sort of secret drain at the bottom I didn’t know about?

  After the burning subsided, my face did feel better, all thanks to Santiago’s care and Thelix’s potion. I made a mental note to thank her next time she showed up uninvited, and then I’d kick her ass out of our room.

  I made the mistake of stealing a glance in the mirror while Santiago patched me up. Ugh. If I escaped my hellish prison and returned to my normal self, I swore I’d never complain about period pimples or the stretch marks on my thighs ever again. As if it wasn’t bad enough that my face resembled some weird dog/human hybrid, then add the stench that emanated from my mouth. I breathed into my furry palm and grimaced. What was up with the dog breath, anyway? I’d have to ask Thelix for some mints next time she appeared in our room.

  I spent the night alternating between trying to rest on the uncomfortable lounge, scratching an itch behind my ear, moaning on the toilet, and worrying over Aedan. Was he okay? Who was healing him? A siren? Had she given him a ‘happy ending’ after treating his wounds? The thought of his dick in her scaly hands made my blood boil. Literally. My skin was flushed with rage.

  A cramping in my stomach forced me to tuck my tail between my legs and run to the bathroom. This had been my sixth stomach revolt. The first time I wasn’t given any warning, which was why I had to throw out my skirt. Not that I needed it. I had more fur coverage down there than a 1970s porn star.

  I fell onto the seat, cursing hell’s cuisine, yet grateful sub-level thirteen had flushable toilets. I shouldn’t have looked at the stuff swimming in the bowl, but curiosity got the best of me. Those crawly things had survived my stomach acid and were still crawling! Ugh.

  Why did I eat that crap? Why?! But that wasn’t the worst of it. My explosive wormy diarrhea had left a nuclear red ring of fire around my butthole. Too upset to sleep, I paced the Egyptian rug that circled the sofa, and by paced, I meant I dragged my butt around the carpet, groaning at the welcome relief of worn carpet fibers scratching my itchy anus. Sure, I realized scratching made it worse, but I just couldn’t help myself.

  “Ash! What the hell?”

  I paused, looking up at Santiago, who was sitting up in bed, scowling down at me as if I’d just taken a dump on the carpet. “It itches,” I growled. “I’m not about to lick it. I have to scratch it somehow.” I returned his scowl before dragging my butt again. Ahhhh. It felt so good.

  Santiago fell back against the pillows, draping an arm across his head. “Damn, that’s nasty.”

  “Fuck you, Santiago!” Who was he to judge my itchy anus? A dog had a right to scratch.

  I let out a low groan as I changed course, dragging my anus in the opposite direction. That’s when I noticed the brown ring marring the carpet’s delicate floral pattern. Wait a minute? Was that my brown ring of shame? Ewww. Whimpering, I crawled to the tub and sank up to my neck. The warm water was soothing, and I didn’t need to leave a brown trail to itch my butt. A tingling between my thighs reminding me I was soaking in horny water. Just as my libido kicked in, my stomach twisted and
buckled again. Damn! Talk about bad timing. When would the torture end? I crawled out of the tub, drying off my fur before hurrying toward the bathroom.

  Note to self: Don’t eat the food in hell, because hell’s cuisine did far more damage to my colon than a plate-full of gluten-filled brownies. I shouldn’t have drank the toilet water, either, but I was damn thirsty. It’s not like I drank dirty toilet water. I’d flushed the bowl a few times first. But maybe, just maybe, the toilet water disagreed with me, because after the second bowlful, my stomach had swollen like a balloon. And, of course, I was even more horny. I thought about alternating between moaning on the toilet and humping the stuffing out of the sofa pillows, but even my sex-drive had its limits.

  Being a dog sucked. I missed the old Ash. I was pretty sure the old Ash would have turned down the squirmy maggot dinner and toilet water. Somehow, I got the feeling tonight was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Nine

  Aedan O’Connor

  “Callum?”

  My eyes slowly opened at the sound of her lilting voice. I was transfixed for a moment by her halo of red hair that shone like fire beside the flickering candle light. I recognized her. She was Melanie, the priestess, and the primary reason the Sergeant refused to leave the pyramid.

  Though her skin shone like porcelain and her amber eyes like twin gems, she wasn’t my type. I liked girls with dark hair and green eyes. Girls like Ash. I grimaced when I recalled that my Ash didn’t look like herself anymore, though I knew the same girl I fell in love with was still inside that dog’s body.

  “Callum, is that you?” Melanie repeated.

  I ran my swollen tongue over the roof of my mouth before trying to wet parched lips, though it did little good. “No,” I rasped. “Aedan.”

  “What happened to you?” Her eyes widened as she ran a hand over my brow.