by Eve Newton
“But I’m bored,” he whines. “You have no fear, not even of the original Lucifer. I thought you did, I thought the seed of doubt was something that could feed me, but you don’t care. You don’t care about him. You care about nothing, so you fear nothing.”
“Uhm,” I object indignantly. “I care about stuff.”
“Like him?” A wispy stream of mist floats over to Gregory. “He can feed me. Make me whole. He is afraid of everything.”
“Err,” Gregory stammers. “That’s not true…”
“Shh,” I murmur to him, trying to keep the smile from my face.
“Let him go, he is a human, he won’t sustain you for very long.”
“Annabelle,” Gregory mutters upset with me.
“Neither will you.”
“I want to help you, Sid. Let me help you.”
“Why? Why do you want to help me?”
“I am your Queen. It is my responsibility to help you.”
“Your father imprisoned me. Why should I trust you?”
“Show me your face,” I change tactics. “I can’t speak to a wisp.”
“No!” he shouts at me.
“Show me, Sid. I am the Demon Queen.”
“I will revolt you,” he insists, making a keening noise.
I hear Gregory gulp behind me.
“Show me, Sid.”
The wisp twists around like a whirlwind and then I see a presence as the darkness lifts slightly.
I throw up an orb of fire to shed some proper light on us, glad that my powers work.
“Come closer.”
He stays where he is.
So, I move forward.
“No!” he shouts.
“I want to see you. Show me yourself.”
Hesitantly, he steps into the light.
I keep my face completely neutral and hope that Gregory has the tact to do the same.
“May I?” I ask, holding out my hand.
He blinks his pale blue eyes at me, so light they are almost white. He shakes his head.
He is built like a male but one so hideous, it’s no wonder he floats around as a misty Mare. His skin is marred, scarred as if he has been burned.
“Let Gregory go, and you can take what you need from me,” I whisper to him, inching closer.
“You have no fear. Not even of me,” he whispers back.
I slowly raise my hand higher and cup his cheek. I rub my thumb over his cheekbone and give him a soft smile. “Let him go and you can take whatever you need from me.”
“Why?”
“I am the Demon Queen. I care about you.”
“How can I trust you?”
“I won’t hurt you, Sid. Let Gregory go and never hurt him, and I will give you what you want.”
“You can’t,” he complains.
“I can. Take my essence directly.”
“How?” He gives me a confused look.
I step even closer to him and look up into his grotesquely beautiful face. “With a kiss,” I murmur.
“Annabelle,” Gregory hisses me.
“Let him go,” I repeat.
Sid waves his hand and Gregory disappears, leaving me alone with the Night Mare.
“Why would you do this for me?”
“I know you don’t want to hurt me, Sid. Am I right?”
He nods.
“You feel like you owed Razor for freeing you. But you don’t need to repay him. He wants to hurt me, Sid. He wants to use you to hurt me. You don’t want that, do you?”
“No,” he whimpers. “I hate this. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Let me make you whole and you can rejoin the Demons in Hell.”
He looks back at me, unsure. “I don’t know why you want to help me.”
I can’t tell him it’s because I’m trying to protect Gregory. I brought him into this by being with him when Sid pulled me into this nightmare. Well, what is supposed to be a nightmare. It hasn’t exactly gone the way I thought it would.
“I’m your Queen,” I say again. “I want to help you regain the life you had before. I don’t want you to be used by snake Demons who think they can push you around.”
“I know your secrets,” he says harshly.
I feel that I’m losing him, so I scramble. “I trust you,” I croon, stepping even closer. “I feel close to you, Sid. You know me like no other being has ever known me. You’re special to me.”
“I do know you, Annabelle,” he rasps.
“Then let me make you whole.” I tilt my head back and move my hand to the back of his neck. I put pressure on his nape to bring him closer to me. He isn’t that much taller than me in my heels, so his mouth reaches mine easily as he doesn’t resist but doesn’t assist either.
“Take what you need, Sid,” I murmur and press my lips to his.
I sweep my tongue over his scarred lips, making him whimper with need.
I push my tongue gently into his mouth and find his.
I feel the tug on my essence, and I stifle my grunt as he pulls it out of me and into him.
Feeling a rush of air, I open my eyes and find myself back in Gregory’s room, underneath him as we share a passionate kiss that has fired up my lust in a massive way after the tense dream state.
I close my eyes again and cling to him, clawing at his back as our tongues duel fiercely. We devour each other’s mouths. I wrap my legs around him, pushing my hips up against the huge bulge in his pants. His hands tangle in my hair as he presses me into the bed.
I go lightheaded and my eyes fly open.
Gregory looks back at me, but it isn’t him. His eyes aren’t the kind, shy ones that I’ve grown accustomed to but instead, wary eyes filled with untold horrors.
“Sid,” I breathe. “You said you’d leave him alone.”
“I promised no such thing,” he replies. “But I’m not hurting him. I’m just using his body so that you have a pretty face to look at.”
“I’m giving you what you want,” I say, unwrapping my legs and pushing on him to get him off me.
“Yes, you are. You are strong, my Queen. It is a rush to draw on your raw essence. I crave more.”
“Leave his body and I’ll give it to you.”
He shakes his head. “You desire this male. You want him in your bed. You look at him and he makes your heart beat faster. What do you see when you look at me, Annabelle? Pity? Sorrow? Horror?”
“None of those things. You are beautiful the way you are,” I say forcefully.
“You’re just saying that so I will leave your human plaything alone.”
“That’s not true, Sid,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t say things that I don’t mean. I have no need to.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “All the same. I think I’ll stick around until I know you’re being truthful about helping me.”
“You’d be better served doing that in your own form,” I tell him. “That way you will know that when I kiss you, I’m thinking only of you.”
He searches my eyes, his breathing going slightly heavier. “I’m not strong enough to leave him yet and be whole.”
“You will be soon. Leave him now and I will give you more than a kiss next time.”
A soft moan escapes his lips and then there is a slight shimmer and Gregory flops to the bed, unconscious.
“Fuck,” I mutter and climb off the bed to rearrange him more comfortably. He is breathing steady and his heartbeat is strong. I let out a sigh of relief and stroke his face. “I’m sorry that you got caught up in my fucked-up mess. I will keep you from harm, Gregory, I promise you that. I c-care about you.”
I breathe out having uttered the words that there is no way in Hell, I would ever say to his conscious face. He is a human. At the start, I would’ve used him as a fuck toy and then sucked him dry when he no longer became useful to me. Now, the thought of him being in pain hurts me. This is becoming a recurring problem. First Aleister and now Gregory.
“What am I going to do with you all?” I mur
mur and bend down to kiss him softly.
He stirs in his unconscious state and then rests more easily.
Kissing him had been an experience I won’t forget in a hurry, in spite of the unwanted outcome.
Now, I have a Night Mare Demon that knows way too much about me and my secrets on the loose in Hell and who the fuck knows who he will blab to. I’m going to have to shut that down in any way that I can because as sure as I stand here, hovering over this human male that has bewitched me, no one – and I mean no one – can ever find out that Lucifer is still alive and set him free. Hell, and everything in it is mine and I will not let the original ruler take it from me. It’s time to find that depiction of him and burn it so that it can never be used against me.
“Shax,” I state, straightening up and remembering that my twin has blatantly fucked me over. “You are in for a world of trouble when I find you.”
20
Shax
I watch as Elijah kicks Razor across the arena. He goes sailing through the air to land at my feet. He grunts as he hits the ground but has no time to catch his breath as Elijah is already there, slamming his head into the ground. Razor shifts to his Serpent form and bites Elijah, but it doesn’t make him let go. If anything, it only angers him further.
“What’s this all about?” Annabelle asks as she flames in next to me.
I shrug. The dark side of me is enjoying this, but the side that wants to squash the darkness is disinterested in this Demonic brawl. “Who knows? Who cares?” I respond.
She narrows her eyes and peers closer. The two Demons are now on the other side of the arena, both shifted to their natural states and its Hellhound versus Serpent.
“Elijah?” she exclaims.
“Yep. He called out Razor for some reason. Don’t know the details. I came along because I was bored.”
“Oh,” she mouths.
I face her. “Is this something to do with you?” I ask suspiciously.
She turns to me, her face innocent, but I know her too well. “Of course not,” she scoffs. “Whatever makes you think that?”
“Oh, just that I know you screwed Elijah and that something went on with Razor the other night…call it a fucking hunch, Belle.”
“Humph,” she mutters, but then her eyes go hard. “We need to talk.”
“Sure, let’s go.” I turn to leave but find that I am walking alone. I pause and look back to see what’s happened to Annabelle. She is gaping open-mouthed at the enormous red horse with a gigantic rider atop, as he gallops into the arena, his sword held high. The rider leaps off the horse and shifts to his human male form. He knocks Razor off Elijah with one sweep of his gigantic fist. He places his hand on Elijah’s middle head, murmuring something to him. Elijah shifts back to his male form and they start arguing about something, gesturing wildly.
“Whhhooo is that?” Annabelle breathes, her eyes shining.
I roll mine at her. “Fuck’s sake, Belle,” I complain. “That is Killian. War Horseman. Just back from duty on Earth.”
“Oh, my,” she murmurs, fanning herself with her hand. “He is to die for. What’s his interest in Elijah?”
I grab her arm to divert her attention back to me. “Didn’t you want to talk?”
“Oh, yes,” she sneers and flames us out, back to my bedroom, which makes me very suspicious. I realize with a sinking heart that she knows about the box.
“Where is it?” she demands, folding her arms over her chest.
“Where is what?” I ask, feigning innocence, but there’s no fooling her.
“Whatever it was that you took from Elijah,” she spits out. “I know, so don’t bother lying to me.”
I sigh and rub my hand over my face. “I’m not giving it to you. Not yet.”
I know I’ve pissed her off and will face her wrath as she sprouts her flaming wings and launches herself at me, knocking me clean off my feet. She lands on me, hands on my chest, her She-Devil claws digging into me. She winces but digs in harder as I grunt.
“You can’t hurt me without hurting yourself,” I point out.
“I know that, asshole. But I’m willing to take the pain so you know exactly how pissed off I am at you, you traitorous cunt.”
“Not a traitor,” I spit out at her, grabbing her wrists. “I’m keeping it from you for you.” I flip us over so that she is flat on her back and I’m pinning her down. Her wings singe my carpet, but they dissipate, leaving scorch marks behind.
“I don’t need you to protect me, Shax,” she grits out, struggling in my grasp and getting free obviously because she is more powerful than me. Even before she became the Devil, she was. She sits up and slams her hands on my chest, shoving me off her and then crawling over to me to grip my shirt in her hands.
“Yeah, you do actually,” I drawl and receive a fist to the face for it. I laugh as she curses and rubs her hand over her own face.
“I hate this,” she snarls.
“Well, it’s no picnic for me either,” I snarl back. If she only knew how much heavy magick I have to draw on and what went into making that blade that hurts me but not her at the same time. It cannot be replicated on us. It works on inanimate objects only. Our twin bond is too strong, too cellular.
“Why, Shax? You know how much I want to find my dad. Why keep me from him?”
“Several reasons. For starters, you don’t know what’s behind the lock that the key opens…”
“Key?” she asks with a frown.
“Yes, a key in a box.”
“Well, obviously it opens the door that my father is locked behind.”
“Not necessarily. Luc might have given that box to Elijah for any number of reasons.”
“How did you know Elijah had it?” she asks, shaking her head at herself, knowing it’s a diversion off topic, but her curiosity always did get the better of her.
“I didn’t. I arrived shortly after you’d left him, after you’d shifted and screwed him. Which, by the way, Belle. You can do way better than that dickhead.”
“You know about that?” she squeaks. “I tried not to shift. But it came over me. He is such an arrogant fuck.” She holds up her hands. “Besides the damn point. Go on.” She sits back on her heels and folds her arms again.
I sit up and take a breath. “He had the box in his hand. I recognized it. It was my dad’s. I knew it had to be something important, I’m just not sure what, yet.”
“Give it to me and I’ll fucking show you,” she growls.
“Wait,” I say, holding my hand up. “I’ll grant you that it probably does open the door to which your father is behind. However, it may also be the door which the original Lucifer is locked behind. If you go in there and discover that depiction and accidentally touch it, or if he senses your power and can take it from you…I dunno, Annabelle, a thousand other possibilities. Maybe he is already out of the painting and lying in wait for you to open the door. Or maybe Luc isn’t even behind the door. Maybe it’s some ancient family heirloom that holds immense power, or maybe, it’s nothing.”
“Give it to me so that I can find out,” she implores me.
“Can’t do that, Sis. You don’t even know what it opens, and you know you won’t take precautions when you do find out. Lest I remind you that if you get hurt or killed, so will I. I may want out of this world on occasion, but I’ll be damned – again – if I let it happen on someone else’s schedule.”
Her face goes hard as she ignores my suicidal comment. Not out of selfishness, but because it hurts her. “Oh, so your traitorous ass is only worried about you,” she snaps.
“You know that isn’t true,” I say, sad that she would think that about me. “I will do anything to protect you, Belle. I’m the only one who has your back to protect you from yourself. Let me find the door and open it. If your dad is in there, great, but if the other Lucifer is with him…then we need to act carefully and with planning. Once that door opens, we may not be able to close it again. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,”
she says sulkily, dropping her arms from their defensive stance. “I hear everything you’re saying. But you should have come to me. Discussed all of this with me the minute you got your hands on that box.”
“I wanted to see if I could find the door first. I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”
She flings herself into my arms and I hold her close. “I just want him back, Shax,” she whispers.
“I know and we will get him, without releasing the original Lucifer.”
“Keep me informed of your every move,” she orders, pulling away from me.
I nod and she vanishes.
I flop back to the floor and sigh. My sister doesn’t roll for anyone. This isn’t over, not by a long shot. I need to find that door before she does or there might be Hell to pay for all of us.
I get to my feet and vanish as well, needing the space that the cliff tops offer. Shadow comes here to be with the other Griffins and the other varieties of winged creatures.
I know that she won’t come to me, but if she sees me, she will know that I need to see her and find me later when she is ready.
21
Annabelle
I’m livid. I’m shaking, I’m that angry. Shax had no right to keep this from me. I knew there was no point in ransacking his room for this box and key. He would have hidden it too well. I do get everything that he said about Lucifer, but he just doesn’t seem to get that I want my dad back, that our mother needs him back.
“Rah!” I roar and throw a fireball at the top of the stairs as I stalk towards them. A little imp servant shrieks and bounds off, his little wings flapping behind him.
I sigh. There is too much raging inside me now. I’m going to shift if I don’t do something about it.
I take in a deep breath, count to three and smile.
It doesn’t help but it does keep the smile on my face as I think about Gregory. That kiss. I know that it was Sid behind it, but it was Gregory’s body, his mouth ravaging mine, his cock pressing against me.
On top of the rage, I’m now getting hot and bothered.
I turn on my heel and head back to the bedroom to change into something a little sexier before I head down to the sin bin. I need entertainment and I need pain. I strip off my denim skirt and white shirt as I look through my closet. I pull out a black satin and lace bustier that barely contains my huge tits and a black leather skirt that skims my ass. I carefully get dressed and then sit to drag on my thigh-high black boots. I fluff out my hair and add a bit more red to my lips. I feel a slight pang in my chest, which catches me off guard.