Pawns Daughters of The Underworld Book 1

by Leighelle Stone

  Bingo.

  “Shut up, you fool.” I knew that voice wasn’t Coal’s, but those were his words. I laughed a little, knowing exactly how the scratchy guy felt. He was me, in demon form, not knowing when to keep his mouth shut.

  “And who is he?” I asked, a little later than I wanted to, but I was getting distracted by being in two places at once, and the thought of food was almost more than I could handle with such a foggy brain and weakened body. I urged more shadows to make their way, quietly and swiftly to the legs I had found. They nearly jumped with excitement.

  Once the new flow made it, they wound themselves around the unknowing legs, moving at a snail’s pace to keep from being noticed.

  “Is he Lucifer?” A slew of chuckles left me feeling a little uneasy, but I didn’t so much as move. I couldn’t show them that I was a bit scared at the prospect of being Lucifer’s play toy.

  Well, maybe if he was hot, I might like it. If he was some goat looking thing, like some of the myths said, that might be a little odd. I’m not really into bestiality.

  Either way, I didn’t intend to find out just what he wanted to do with me. “So, I’ll take that as a yes?” I added.

  Getting them to talk was hard work. At least it provided a good distraction and kept the demons from continuing to feed as they fought amongst themselves to keep quiet.

  “She’s the key,” the scratchy guy slipped up again. He just couldn’t help himself, could he?

  The key? The key to what? Oh man, I needed to get the hell out of here. I urged the shadows up and up, smelling for fear. It was well masked, but not well enough. The demons must know a little more about me and upped their magic this time to unlock the fear, unlike last time when the sight of the demon had the man that summoned it scared to death and his fear poured into the room along with the fear of the women. This time, however, they took a bit more care into concealing it.

  I took a second of their arguing to dive into the mind of the human I had found. A multitude of fears rose to the surface, including a big one, a fear of death. I rolled my eyes. What the hell was he doing summoning demons if he was that scared to die? Dumb much?

  I blocked out everything in his mind and sent visions of the demons in the room turning on him. I felt his legs start to quake, and his breathing became ragged. His chanting turned into a jumbled mess of misspoken Latin.

  I breathed deeply as the familiar candied smell filled the air, and I couldn’t help the smile that I knew was plastered on my face. I threw another vision at him, then another and another. He started skipping words altogether. The leather-bound book he held slipped from his grip and slammed shut flat on the floor. As he jerked back from the sound, his foot sent a candle flying into another. They toppled over like a Rube Goldberg machine, promptly lighting the hay on fire.

  Fear of burning to death oozed from the nearly dozen humans in the barn as they dropped their books and started shrieking. They scattered, kicking up dust and hay into the dry air around them. Bits and pieces caught fire as the blaze spread higher and higher. I snickered, feeling on top of the world. My power surged as I stopped them all in their tracks. Maybe they didn’t deserve to die, but I was pissed. I was here because of them.

  Survival always.

  How dare they summon a room full of demons. Petty ass humans playing with darkness, sending me to my death. Luckily, it didn’t seem that any of them knew quite enough about me just yet. They may know of me, but this was the second time they had tried and failed.

  I sucked the life from the humans. One by one, they dropped like little flies. The demons screeched, hissing and spitting. They jumped back, jerking the mist they used to feed on me as if a burst of electricity had jolted them.

  Quickly, I stood. I threw my head back, letting out a maniacal chuckle that had even me a little scared—these damn fools. Pride blossomed in my chest. I had taken on at least ten demons and won, with only a little advice from Coal. Less is more.

  Fury twisted my lips into an evil grin. I had no idea what I was going to do with a room full of demons now, but I was high on the fear of a dozen or so humans. I hadn’t consumed that much in a very, very long time. I was ready to take on the world. Give me Hades, give me Lucifer. Hell, give me both at the same time. I was ready. They wouldn’t know what hit them.

  The last human had made it through the flames and outside of the barn when she finally dropped. With her death, the demons sadly started glitching in and out of existence. And much to my chagrin, in a matter of seconds, they had all slipped from the realm.

  Jerks. I didn’t even get to play with them.

  I stood in the middle of the barricade, deflated and annoyed that I didn’t get to show them just what I could do to them. But then, I thought it was probably a good thing because I still had no clue what I could do to them, even though I was victorious. If anything at all.

  I had just gotten lucky that my plan managed to work, and the one guy had a bad case of foot-in-mouth syndrome that kept them distracted.

  It was all pure luck on my part.

  That's okay, I looked badass doing it and had them all scared.

  Maybe, I should let them decide. But they weren’t here, were they?

  I glanced around, taking count of all the dead people around me. Some guilt kicked in and a little fear. Hopefully, Chronos wouldn’t pay us a visit. If he even cared.

  18

  “Oh man, do we have trouble brewing,” I yelled as I almost crash-landed in the apartment. I was so eager to get back.

  To see Coal. My eye twitched. That was not why I was rushing at all. I needed to tell him that I was okay and fill him in on what happened. However, I wasn’t quite sure what had happened other than the fact that I was a demon snack on the way to becoming Lucifer’s new pet.

  “Did you hear me?” I reached for the doorknob, but my hand went right through it. A prickle of dread sent my nerves on fire. I hadn’t even noticed that I wasn’t exactly there. I mean, I was, clearly, but I also wasn’t. The bathroom mirror did little more than freak me out because I could see right through myself as if I was just a shadow.

  Did I die, and my escape plan wasn’t as badass as I thought it was? Damn.

  Okay, I had to think. One, this sucked. I didn’t want to die. Two, what the hell went wrong? And three, was this my own personal afterlife? Was this torture for me? Just more of my actual life only people couldn’t see me now? If so, well played, gods. As if my life wasn’t torture enough, let’s make it so that I can no longer share my sarcasm with the rest of the world.

  I felt sorry for the sap that got my apartment after me. I would most definitely be staying here, and I wasn’t going to be friendly. Though, going through walls would come in handy.

  Oh, wait! Maybe I can go through the door. I snickered. If this worked, maybe being dead wouldn’t be so bad after all. Imagine all the sex I could watch. I smiled to myself. Pervy-perv.

  I whipped my hand out and shrieked when it went right through the door. My entire life consisted of traveling by shadows and drifting through shit, but somehow the fact that I could now make it through the door in my body instead of shadow was amazing. I was so mature … not. I really needed to grow up.

  Never.

  Trying not to act like a total child, I slid through the door, but I just couldn’t help myself when I danced down the hallway like a full-blown youngin’. After all, I didn’t get to do much dirty dancing with Coal before I went all weird.

  Mmm … He was a hell of a good dancer for a chivalrous old man.

  Speaking of, I spotted Coal leaning against the bar top, and I’m pretty sure it was bowing from the strain he put on it. His head hung low. He had his arms across his chest, but lazily like he was too tired to hold them there, and he was staring absently at the floor.

  “Hey, big guy, I’m right here,” I tried, hoping that by some chance, I would be granted a confidant in my dead state.

  Nothing.

  I frowned. Maybe I wasn’t loud enough. �
�Hey, Jabba!” I hollered, right in front of his face. Or well, as close to his face as my short self would allow.

  Not even a flinch.

  I took a second to look at him. I knew he was old, but this was the only time I had ever seen an inkling of any amount of time over thirty. He was handsome, even if he was a little gray. I had grown used to the odd color. He wouldn’t be him without it at this point. He just looked like a sick person, but instead of pale or green, he was gloomy. His hair was thick and luscious and so dark that it was stark against his rainy-day skin.

  Shifting his weight, he lifted his gaze. For a second, I thought he saw me, but instead, dull orange orbs peered through me as if I weren’t standing right before him. My stomach squeezed painfully as if something punched me in the gut. All life, all of the flames that generally reside there had been watered down, washed out. Only ash remained.

  I stared, wishing I understood what was happening. Was Coal mourning me? Did he feel my loss? I backed away, more like I stumbled, unable to catch my breath. My mind struggled to comprehend what I was feeling. Was it guilt? Did I feel guilty that my death caused him pain?

  It couldn’t have been that. He wasn’t mourning me, he was mourning Onyx, probably thinking back to when she burned on the pyre in his attempt at mercy for her soul. He probably felt he had failed me. He vowed to make it up to me, to help me take out Hades, and to protect me. In his eyes, he had done none of that.

  Which wasn’t true. Sure, we hadn’t killed Hades. As much as I was risking my reputation to admit it, and as funny a way as I had in showing it, he had started to heal the loneliness within me. Slowly but surely, his vows to protect me and following through with that had shown me what it was like to have someone in my life, someone who had my back no matter what. He showed me, even if just an ounce, what it felt like to have someone.

  I had to admit, it felt good. Only now, I was feeling like shit. I couldn’t stand to see the look on Coal’s face. It was physically painful, making my chest hurt, my heart ache.

  Shit, I was going soft. Gross.

  But still, as cold as I may have been, I couldn’t deny the sadness in him. It was utterly depressing.

  Because you love him.

  Now, wait, hold up. No, no. Just no.

  Did I? Was that what this feeling was? Not guilt but perhaps love? Bile burned the back of my throat. The L word did not sit well with me. Nope. No way.

  But when I looked at him again, I had never been more confused. Seeing him like that tore me apart. Before I knew what was happening, I reached my hand out to cup his cheek but never came into contact with it. I had never wanted to touch another person that didn’t involve grabbing boobs or a penis. It was all so foreign, but I just wanted to make him better. This was the first time I could ever remember feeling like this––wanting to take away his pain.

  I was helpless to do anything for him. I had to do something. Leaving him like this was not an option.

  “Coal,” I tried again, staring him straight in the eyes to no avail. He just continued to gaze mournfully past me. I glanced over my shoulder to see just what he was looking at. I gasped, slapping my hand to my lips.

  Holy shit. My body was lying there, still in the smoking hot dress he chose for me––or us––for the club. I looked me over, I was actually a beautiful woman, and the way he chose to dress me only added to it. No wonder I got so much attention when I went out. And no wonder he had such a hard time staying away from me. Hell, if I were him, I wouldn’t be able to help myself either. I looked damn good.

  But I also looked peaceful. Death had calmed me, and my body finally looked rested. Maybe it was a good thing that I was dead. I wouldn’t have to worry any longer, other than getting myself to whatever afterlife I would have.

  No, we have to kill Hades. If not for us, then at least for Coal and Onyx.

  Right. There was that.

  But how?

  I scrunched my nose and tapped my foot, my hands on my hips. How did one come back to life? Was that even a thing? Talking didn’t work. I couldn’t touch anything without going through it.

  I hadn’t noticed Coal move until he walked right through me to my side on the couch. My breath caught, and I leaped back, tripping again. I fell ass first onto the couch, onto my body. A tingling sensation traveled over every nerve, and suddenly, I jerked upright in a coughing fit. I gasped for breath. My lungs burned from the sharp intake of oxygen as if they had already started to atrophy. The tearing stretch of every muscle had me twitching uncontrollably as they realized they could work again. Blood rushed to fill each crack and crevice it could find. It felt like pins and needles were stabbing me all over.

  Finally catching my breath, I lifted my hand in front of my face. It was solid again, as was the rest of my body. Who knew I would just have to sit on myself to come back?

  So, was I really dead?

  “We’ve got a huge problem,” I said again.

  “What the hell happened? I thought you were dead.” My heart leaped at the sound of his voice, but I told it to shut up. I was alive, and that's all that mattered. He probably wouldn’t want me knowing that my death caused him to grieve anyhow. Regardless of my feelings for him, which were now clearly confirmed, I wouldn’t act on them. I had never acted on any feelings because, well, quite frankly, they just never really ever happened, especially if they were good feelings and involved someone other than myself.

  “I don’t know, and you and me both,” I answered, staring off into the living room, not sure what to even do with myself. It wasn’t that I had almost died, again, or that I managed to get myself out of harm's way that had made me speechless. It was the fact that I was way too much like those demons for my own comfort. I didn’t know much about my life, but what I did know didn’t involve demons. That was a fact.

  “Well, are you alright?” he turned to face me, trying to move slowly like he wasn’t too concerned, but I could see the torches lighting in his eyes. A faint smile toyed with my lips as I caught sight of his beautiful face. The stress that was there just minutes ago had lightened to a subtle relief. I resisted the urge to touch his face again. That shit wasn’t going to happen. He’d probably slap my hand away, and I couldn’t take that big of a hit to my ego. It wasn’t worth it. What would that signify anyway? That I wanted him, or I was just excited that I didn’t die? I didn’t know.

  I’d never wanted to hold someone’s face before.

  There were way too many never situations happening lately.

  You’re just afraid he won’t feel the same way.

  Maybe I was.

  “Well, that depends.”

  “On what?” his voice was smooth like satin.

  “If you’re okay with living with a demon.” He rolled his eyes, but I was dead ass serious. I didn’t smile or make a sarcastic remark. For once in my life, I was serious.

  He deadpanned, stunned. Some sort of emotion was working in his eyes. Was he hiding something? “What are you talking about?”

  “What happens when you summon a demon?” I turned to swing my legs over the edge of the couch. My foot landed on his thigh, and instead of him taking it off or pushing it off, it stayed there.

  “A number of things,” he started. His arm came to rest next to my leg, brushing my thigh. “There are too many scenarios to get into. Why?”

  “I’m ninety percent”—I gestured give or take with my hand— “sure that I’m not the only one of my kind. That I am for sure just a demon.” Typical Coal, he looked at me like I had lost my mind, but there was no surprise. Interesting. I tucked that morsel of information away for later. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then he repeated the action.

  “You’re a demon.”

  “Well, maybe. I don’t know much about them other than I have officially met about a dozen or so, including the guy in the underground dwelling that night.”

  “What are you saying? You were here the entire time. You had no pulse.” I blanched. So, I was dead. Not cool. A feelin
g of dread pummeled me like snow in an avalanche invaded a mountainside.

  “Did I die immediately, or was it like a slow take my time thing?” Coal went distant, expressionless. He didn’t want to remember what happened. My heart lurched for him.

  “Well, at the club you were still alive, stumbling around, not responsive to anything I was saying. It was like your body was there, but you weren’t. Then, you passed out, and until ten minutes ago, you had a pulse.” Somber eyes met mine, and I resisted the urge to touch him again. Goddamn hand was going to get cut off if it didn’t quit. I shoved it between my thighs, which in turn wasn’t the brightest idea because, despite what had transpired, it wanted to touch me now. I plopped it on the arm of the couch and relaxed back. I was home now, so far everything was fine.

  I could still see, hear, and smell. Maybe the demons wouldn’t try again once they had seen that I could get out. Or perhaps they wanted me more now that they’d had a taste.

  “So, when a demon is summoned, their body dies?”

  He nodded. “That's one option.” I groaned, not liking where the conversation was heading. “But typically, if the vessel dies, that means the demon died. They usually keep some kind of hold on the vessel so they can return. Are you saying you died where you went?”

  “Too damn close to it.” His jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. I suppressed the feelings that were rising to the surface at the thought that he was upset that I had almost died. It was all too much. I had to focus on the more essential things, like what the hell I was.

  I filled him in on everything that happened. A series of grunts, nods, and distant stares made up his responses. I expected nothing more from him. That’s just how he was when he wasn’t trying to be all protective. Towards the end, he almost seemed proud of how I handled things, then relieved when the story was over and I ended up here, talking to him. Alive. He didn’t even yell at me for killing so many people.