Asmodeus choked on it and pushed himself up at the same time as he kicked out at the Hell’s angel who had grabbed him. His boot connected hard with the demonic angel’s face and he grinned as the male grunted in pain and released his other leg. Asmodeus leaped to his feet, called his second blade to him, and attacked, not giving the male a chance to shake off the blow.
Nevar shrieked, the sound born of fury, and a sharp snarl followed it together with the scent of blood. One of the Hell’s angels had come too close to Nevar’s claws. Asmodeus kicked off, the soft sand hindering his movements, and made a break for Nevar. The cage was in pieces behind Nevar, ripped apart from the outside. It was pandemonium as the male faced off against the three Hell’s angels, using his black claws against them, fighting like a mad fool even though he was outnumbered and outgunned. The three demonic angels had their red-bladed spears drawn and had already landed blows on Nevar, cutting across his thighs and upper arms.
They were pulling their punches though. Why?
Shouts came from the camp and then Veiron was in the thick of the fray in his true form, his meaty black fists smashing faces and cracking bones. He flashed twin rows of vicious red teeth at the other Hell’s angels.
“You seriously want to tangle with me?” Veiron growled, his voice rumbling and deeper than normal, and grabbed the Hell’s angel that had attacked Asmodeus. He launched the male into the three battling Nevar. The leader dodged him but he crashed into the other two, taking them down into a heap.
Asmodeus had made it halfway to Nevar when a portal opened right in front of him, exploding in white-hot flames, an arm shot out and dragged him inside. He hit the rough black ground on the other side and, the moment he stopped rolling, pushed onto his feet and called his blades and his limited armour.
The Devil stood before him, his towering black fortress as his backdrop and his eyes bright crimson. He folded his arms across his chest, the action causing his black tailored suit jacket to tighten around his muscles.
A wave of power washed over Asmodeus and drove him to his knees before he could even brace himself against it.
The Devil was what Liora had once termed ‘pissed’.
Another portal opened and Nevar fell through it, landing hard on his face and growling into the cracked pavement. He pressed his palms into the slabs and tried to push himself up. His arms strained, muscles bunching and tensing, but he didn’t manage to move an inch. It wasn’t his weakened state stopping him from righting himself. It was the force of the power pressing down on him. The Devil was extremely pissed at Nevar. Why?
Asmodeus felt a portal open a few metres behind him and then heard bickering.
Erin’s voice became clearer, ringing out around the courtyard.
“I don’t care, Veiron… he broke the rules and he’ll bloody well pay.” She stormed past Asmodeus and he raised an eyebrow at her.
She walked unhindered, as if the Devil wasn’t exerting all of his power and fury on the area.
Was he directing it only at him and Nevar?
Asmodeus inched his eyes left. He couldn’t see the others. He focused on his breathing and his power, willing his body to obey him and move. His head shifted a few inches. Veiron and the others were behind him, all of them on their knees, the rotting carcass of the dragon beyond them. Amelia and all of the males wore their armour and had their weapons drawn.
Liora.
Anger emanated from her in powerful waves.
She knelt beside Apollyon and Serenity, breathing hard and fast, stilted ribbons of magic encircling her hands. Her eyebrows knitted and her jaw tensed, her steely hazel gaze locked on him.
He hoped that the fury he could feel in her wasn’t directed at him and that she had moved past how she had felt on the beach, coming to terms with the things he had done and seeing that he truly did regret his actions now. At the same time, he felt he deserved her wrath for dragging her into this.
She had been through one ordeal after another since meeting him, and the worst of them were completely his fault, the result of what he had done to Nevar.
Asmodeus stared into her eyes and silently apologised to her, hoping she would see that he was sorry.
The hard lines of her face softened and relaxed, and then her gaze shifted and fixed on the Devil, gaining a dark edge again. It gave him the answer he needed and eased his troubled heart. She was angry with the Devil for taking him and wanted to make him pay.
Asmodeus could feel her desire to come to him and could sense her need to fight his master, and wished that she could move even as he was glad that she couldn’t.
Her magic was at the ready but she was still weak, recovering from the wound Nevar had dealt her and what the Devil had done to her.
She wasn’t strong enough to fight his master and he feared that if she somehow broke free of the Devil’s power, she would try to attack him and would get herself killed. He couldn’t go through that again. He had come close to losing her once and the pain of seeing her fade away, seeing her standing on the brink of death, had almost killed him. He couldn’t lose her. He would die without her.
Every fibre of his being cried out to have her close to him, tucked safely in his arms. He needed to feel her in his embrace and whisper to her that he would never let the Devil hurt her.
He would do better.
He would keep her safe and be a good man for her if she would have him.
Apollyon was beside her, glaring at the Devil with violence swirling in his blue eyes. The Devil’s power was holding him for now, but it wouldn’t for long. Asmodeus could feel Apollyon’s power rising, pushing against the force of the Devil’s and slowly shoving it back from his twin and those close to him.
Erin halted in front of the Devil, planted her hands on her hips, and huffed.
“You broke the pact!” Black flames licked up her arms and danced around her fingers, and shadows flickered above her shoulder blades.
She was the spitting image of her father. A mistress of darkness bent on bestowing a hard lesson upon the head of her enemy. Possibly by removing it. It was Asmodeus’s preferred method.
“I did no such thing.” The Devil calmly stood his ground, his red gaze dropping to her.
“You hurt my friends,” she said and he shook his head. Erin’s frown hardened. “You did. For starters, you took Liora from the island and you hurt her.”
“I did not take her from the island.”
“Fine. Semantics. Your minions took her from the island. It still counts as breaking the pact.”
The Devil picked his black claws and then lifted a bored gaze to her. “My minions did not break the covenant and I did not harm Liora.”
The shadows emanating from Erin’s back grew larger, flickering on an unknown breeze, and Asmodeus could feel her power rising with her anger. “Liar. If you didn’t take her and your men didn’t take her, then who did? There was evidence, you bastard. A bloody big fault line like Hell’s angels make.”
The Devil’s red eyes shifted down to Asmodeus. “I recall other beings having the ability to create such a rift.”
Asmodeus frowned. It was true that he had that ability, but he hadn’t taken Liora. The Devil had commanded him to bring her to him, but he had resisted. He hadn’t succumbed to his master’s order. He would remember if he had done such a thing against his will.
If he hadn’t taken her and Hell’s angels hadn’t taken her, then who else had the power to create a rift?
Apollyon did.
Asmodeus’s eyes narrowed and switched, burning crimson as it dawned on him. His fangs lengthened, pressing hard against his compressed lips.
“You,” Asmodeus ground out and stared at Nevar where he lay face down beside him, still struggling against the pressing weight of the Devil’s power. The abilities of the master were often passed to servants. “You took Liora.”
Guilt flickered in Nevar’s violet irises.
“You!” Asmodeus growled and jerked towards him, and roared when he cou
ldn’t break the hold of the Devil’s power. He wanted to rip into Nevar.
He had orchestrated the whole thing.
Nevar had taken his precious Liora from the island and delivered her to the Devil, knowing it would hurt him and make him desperate.
Nevar had then led Apollyon to him, giving him a chance to confront him with would-be allies around who could protect him. When that confrontation had failed to provide the result the angel wanted, he had taken drastic measures to hurt Asmodeus. He had crushed the one accessible thing he held dear.
Liora’s pentagram.
He had then tracked them to where Liora rested and had waited until Asmodeus was vulnerable and distracted before delivering the final blow. Only it had gone wrong. Liora had protected Asmodeus, wrecking Nevar’s chance to kill him.
All this to have revenge on him?
“Why?” Asmodeus croaked and his shoulders slumped. “You hurt me as I have hurt you… but you hurt others too. You hurt Liora. She was innocent in all this.”
“You love her,” Nevar growled into the basalt beneath him. “I wanted to hurt you. I still want to hurt you. I want to rip out your heart… she is your heart.”
“I will rip out your heart,” Asmodeus growled and tried to attack him again. The Devil’s power held him fast. He snarled and bared his fangs at the dark male on the steps above him, earning a glare and an increase in the power pressing down on him as his reward. Asmodeus fought it. “Release me.”
“I swear, Nevar… you lay a hand on Asmodeus and I will end you. Release me,” Liora barked from behind him and he sensed her power rising, her fury coming to the fore and bringing her magic with it. It pushed against the Devil’s power and his own, a powerful tempest that physically rocked him forwards. “Release me, you bastard!”
The Devil raised his hand and glared at Liora, his eyes burning crimson. The strength of her power instantly diminished.
“Damn you! I won’t let you lock down my magic again.” Her words were a black snarl and Asmodeus managed to look over his shoulder at her.
Purple and black magic crackled around her hands where they clutched her bare knees, intermittent and weak. Her arms trembled and her knuckles were white. The Devil was exerting incredible power on her and his little witch was fighting it, determined not to let his master force her to the ground. Beads of sweat dotted her brow and she struggled to breathe. Her hazel eyes turned wild, her pulse raced and her panic washed over him.
The Devil was choking her.
“Stop it. You are hurting her,” Asmodeus snapped and turned on his master. “Harm her and I swear I will make you pay for your mistake.”
The Devil sighed and lowered his hand, and Liora gasped at air. “Fine, but if she even thinks about raising a single finger against me, I will not hesitate to make an example out of her.”
Asmodeus growled and bared his fangs, and the Devil raised a single black eyebrow at him.
“Do not threaten me, Asmodeus. It is tiresome.”
“Then release me.” Because he still meant to break Nevar’s neck and send the twisted male back to Heaven and to a nightmare. Nevar didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to forget everything that Heaven had done to him and become an obedient sheep again.
Nevar snarled at him.
“No. It would not be wise. We need him alive.” The Devil turned away from him, focusing back on Erin.
We? Asmodeus frowned. He had never heard his master speak in such terms before. The Devil only ever cared about what he wanted. Why did he suddenly want to protect Nevar?
His master held Erin’s gaze. “So you see, Daughter, I did not break the pact. Nevar delivered Liora to me so I might protect her. She needed my protection.”
“You hurt her. You made her sleep.” Asmodeus struggled against his invisible bonds, every muscle tensing until he felt as if they would burst from the exertion.
Nothing happened.
He growled again and breathed hard, fighting to keep his frustration and fury in check so he could talk to his master without resorting to threatening him. Upsetting him further would only result in casualties. Asmodeus had no love for many of the people gathered around him, but Liora did, and he loved her, so he would protect them too.
“I warned you, Asmodeus. She is dangerous in the wrong hands. I sent her to sleep to protect her.” The Devil moved to the edge of the steps and stared down at him, his eyes swirling fire.
“Liar,” Erin muttered and squared her shoulders. Her black dress fluttered around her thighs and a breeze tousled her short black hair and the shadow wings growing from her back. “You forget I know when you’re lying, Pops. You might have sent her to sleep to protect her, but that isn’t the only reason you wanted her out of commission but in your hands.”
“True.” The Devil regally waved his hand and a tall-backed black stone throne appeared behind him.
“And, you did break the pact. You sent your thugs to take Asmodeus and Nevar from my island. Asmodeus is my friend. Nevar is sort of a work in progress. You can work your way out of what happened with Liora, but you cannot get out of that one.” Erin tipped her chin up and glared at her father.
Asmodeus stared at her. She thought of him as a friend?
Erin glanced his way and winked at him. “You look like you just got the shock of your eternal life.”
Asmodeus snapped his mouth shut and frowned. She sounded like Liora when she teased him.
“Also true, Daughter. I did take Asmodeus and Nevar, but they left me little choice.” The Devil seated himself and sighed as his gaze drifted from Erin to Asmodeus and then Liora, and finally settled on Nevar.
The angel grunted and flattened further against the broken pavement, his eyes watering as he gritted his teeth. The Devil was forcing more pressure onto him and less on Asmodeus. He tried to move but failed to make any significant progress.
The Devil shook his head. “Do behave, Asmodeus. I need you alive but if you do something foolish, I may forget that and kill you… and then your precious love.”
Asmodeus flashed his fangs and growled. He wouldn’t let this male near Liora. Never again.
The Devil’s eyes settled back on Nevar. “I thought you would be useful, but it turns out that you are yet another disappointment. Do you know what you have done?”
Nevar didn’t look as though he did and Asmodeus didn’t know either. The expression on Erin’s face warned that she was losing patience fast and that the Devil had better explain himself soon, or she was going to act out her retribution for him breaking the pact.
“I did not think so. Come and I will explain.” The Devil crossed his legs, leaned back into his chair and crooked his finger.
Someone shifted behind Asmodeus.
Liora stepped into view and slowly approached the Devil. Her lips compressed into a thin line and her eyebrows married, and her hazel gaze darkened. Magic flickered around her hands, coming in bursts that lasted barely a second before they disappeared again, subdued by his master. She was fighting but she wasn’t strong enough to break free of the Devil’s power.
She couldn’t protect herself.
Asmodeus would do it for her.
He growled and fought with every ounce of his strength. When that failed, he gritted his teeth and called on his darker nature, the side he had tried so hard to hide from her, the one she had asked to see. She hadn’t looked at him as if he was a monster. There had been only affection, curiosity, and a touch of desire colouring her hazel eyes. That knowledge gave him the strength to use that side of himself again now.
Shadows burst from beneath his knees, snapping at Nevar and striking at the ground around Asmodeus. Nevar growled at him, baring his fangs. Asmodeus stared him down and flashed his own canines, driving Nevar into submission as his power rose, battling against the Devil’s. The darkness curled over his hands, turning his nails to claws and cascading upwards until it had reached his shoulders. The shadows around his feet burrowed into his legs, swirled over his thighs and bande
d around his stomach, turning his skin black as night.
The weight of the Devil’s power lessened as his own power rose to the fore, pushing it back. He focused and growled, forcing the Devil’s power back, and stumbled to his feet.
The Devil shot him a black look and raised his hand. Liora stopped. The force of his power increased in strength again, shoving at Asmodeus, landing hard on his shoulders and driving him back down. He refused to kneel again, standing his ground on trembling legs, battling the immense force of the Devil’s power.
“You will not touch her. Never again,” he growled and rose to his full height against the overwhelming weight of the Devil’s power. “I will not let you!”
The shadows exploded over his chest, his wings shot from his back, and his horns curled from behind his ears. He launched forwards and was in front of the Devil before the male could move to defend himself, sweeping Liora behind him and shielding her within the cocoon of power around him.
Hot palms pressed against Asmodeus’s sides and then she rested her head between his wings. Her warm breath teased his flesh and he trembled as he clutched her close to him with one hand. In his other, his sword appeared, flashing violet and black.
“For once, you do not disappoint me, Asmodeus.” The Devil casually crossed his legs the other way and the corners of his wicked lips tilted into a half-smile. “You will need this ferocity to protect what you have awakened.”
“Awakened?” He faltered and frowned at the male before him. What was he talking about?
The Devil’s gaze slid down to Nevar again and narrowed on him, burning red with furious fire. “Or should I say… what he has awakened.”
“Asmodeus?” Liora whispered and he looked over his wing at her.
He pulled her around to his front and tucked her against his side, curling one wing around her to keep the Devil’s eyes off her bare legs. He had asked Erin to dress her after they had tended to her wounds and had bathed the blood from her skin, and the female had lent her the sexiest black shorts and top Asmodeus had ever seen. He wanted to growl at any male who dared look upon his female when she was dressed this way.
Her Angel: Eternal Warriors Complete Series Box Set Page 109
