“Where?”
Tristan rose behind them, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. “To a world outside of this one. Where I’m a gargoyle and you are a goddess.”
With his last spoken word, he shifted. His skin turned grey and wings grew from his back.
She shot away, her back hitting the fridge behind her. “You’re—you’re...”
The farmer spoke. “I just found out about all this nutty stuff too, but it’s true. You aren’t going crazy or anything like that, but we need to leave, and fast. The bad guys that came after me might be here too.”
She stared at all of them for a long moment. “So, you’re here to take me away from Richard, to a world with magic. Where I’m a goddess?”
They all nodded.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched her hands. “Okay, let’s go.”
Wow, that was easy.
Together they moved through the house and back toward the front door. Without Surcy to teleport them, it’d be difficult to get to where they needed to go. But Tristan could take them.
Then, the door opened.
They all froze.
A man stood in the door with short, white hair and pale silver eyes. From his back, red wings sprouted.
“Richard,” she said, her voice shaking. “You’re home early.”
His mouth curled into a sick smile. “And where do you think you’re going?”
For a minute he wondered, did the angel know what they were? Did he know why they were there? And then, he remembered that Tristan no longer wore his glamour.
This creature knew exactly what was going on.
Tristan moved so that he stood in front of them. “An arch-angel... I thought Caine did away with your kind. I thought he didn’t like any other beings to have that kind of power.”
The angel’s sickening smile widened. “Well, you were wrong.” He lifted his hand, pointed it at Tristan, and the gargoyle exploded raining down dust on all of them.
Coughing, Daniel’s heart racing. What the fuck just happened? Tristan? Tristan!
No, it couldn’t have happened. Tristan was a gargoyle! No one was powerful enough to destroy him so easily!
The dust settled, and there, inches from him, the arch-angel stood. And Tristan? He was gone, leaving behind nothing but a pile of dust and stone.
“What did you do to him?” Daniel’s voice shook with rage.
The creature smirked. “The same thing I’m going to do to you. But raining demon-flesh is a little messier.”
“Run!” he shouted to the Immortals.
The farmer didn’t need to be told twice. He grabbed the woman’s arm, and they raced for the back door.
“How... cute. You think they’ll escape me.”
Daniel moved backwards, one slow step at a time. His mind racing. How could he save the Immortals? How could he stop this being?
And then, the little flame beneath the kettle came into his view. And he knew.
Gesturing slightly with his hand, he called the flame. It jumped from the stove to the counters, cabinets and floor, it leapt to the little curtain on the window above the sink and began to devour it all. Energy coursed through Daniel, and power.
The angel saw none of it, his gaze focused on Daniel. “You’ve made such a terrible mistake, thinking you could overpower Caine. Instead, you brought another Immortal straight into our hands.”
Daniel swallowed hard, trying not to look back at the flames. “They were guarded this whole time. Nothing has changed.”
He drew back his lips, revealing sharp teeth. “Everything has changed. Caine has decreed that the last of the Immortals in our care will be brought to him. No more games. And... and this is the best part. He’s decided that your lives are forfeit. At last.”
“Nothing was stopping him from killing us before.”
The angel cocked its head. “Do you know why Caine doesn’t like arch-angels? Because to create us, he must link himself to us. That means we can read pieces of his thoughts. We can sense some of his emotions. And do you know what I’m sure of?”
Smoke was beginning to rise, and the kitchen was nearly consumed. How has the angel not sensed it?
“The Fate told him that upon your deaths, he would lose the war against the Immortals. But when your little friend, Mark, died, he realized something. You didn’t have to stay dead. And there’s a way to ensure your use to him.”
Sweat poured down Daniel’s face and his arms. The fire moved out of the kitchen and into the living room, smoke billowing, filling the room.
At last, the angel looked at it, then back at him. “Oh, how delightful. You thought to kill me with your fire.”
Suddenly, the angel disappeared.
Daniel looked around, heart racing, but the angel was nowhere to be seen.
Turning, he raced for the backdoor, but when he pulled on the handle, it wouldn’t open. On the other side of the door, the archangel smiled. His words came as clearly as if he was standing beside Daniel, whispering in his ear.
“You remember how painful it was to die by fire, fire-mage? How about angel-fire?”
Turning, he watched as the orange flames turned to blue. No! He had no control over that type of fire. It was too hot and too powerful.
The room grew painfully warm. The black smoke billowed, darker and heavier, consuming the oxygen.
Daniel turned back to the glass door and threw himself at it, but it held. Over and over again he tried to break the glass, but then he saw the glass, sparkling against the light of the angel-fire. And he knew. It had been enchanted.
The fire was everywhere now, sealing him into the living room.
There was nowhere to go.
Moving closer to the flames, he knelt down where the dust from Tristan lay. He picked it up in one of his hands, and sat, closing his eyes. This would not be a quick death. It would be slow and horrible.
But at least he still had Tristan.
And maybe the Immortals might even escape.
At the window, he sensed the archangel, drinking in the sight of what would soon happen.
But his enemies didn’t matter, only Surcy, Tristan, and Mark mattered. At least in death he would be reunited with them. Even if only for a short time before Caine destroyed their souls.
Chapter Ten
Surcy teleported to the other side of the world. It was night there, and the city below her was massive. The lights so bright in contrast with the darkness that it hurt her eyes. People were everywhere. Walking. Crammed onto the crowded streets in cars that barely moved in the traffic.
Somewhere in this chaos, the God of Sin hid.
If she could find him quickly enough, she could teleport back to her demons and the Immortals. They would all be safe, and they could hurry to save Mark in time, before Caine destroyed his soul. She’d known her demons would never let her pursue an Immortal alone. So, she’d done it without telling them.
They’d forgive her when they saw that it was the only way.
She teleported from the rooftop to the street. Walking slowly, she looked for the building Mark had described in his note. Neon signs flashed at her from every direction. Men and women made her offers, selling their bodies for a price.
Her skin crawled. This was a terrible place. Truly, a place not of sins, but of heartache. No one chose this life... it was thrust upon them.
Crossing the street, she froze as she spotted the little building wedged between two others. The neon sign said, “Sin,” in bold red letters. Of course it did.
A car honked at her. She stiffened, realizing that the light had changed. Sprinting across the road, she made it to the other crosswalk and to the side of the street with the building.
When she reached the door, painted the deepest shade of black, she knocked. A massive man opened the door and stared down at her frowning.
She hesitated. “I’d like to come in.”
He said nothing. Did he understand English?
Sighing, she
realized she didn’t have time for this. Glancing around his shoulder, she saw a room bathed in red lights. He shifted to block her view, but it was enough.
Closing her eyes, she teleported inside.
Standing in the center of the room, she saw that it was empty. A dark staircase led deeper beneath the ground. Hurrying from the room before she could be spotted by the guard, she rushed down the staircase and into another room bathed in red.
In the center of the back wall, a man lay on a massive bed tangled with women. And lining the sides of the room? Angels with glamours had sex with one, or more, partners in what she could only describe as a drug or alcohol induced frenzy. They lay in beds with transparent white curtains closing them in, but the curtains did nothing to hide their actions.
Or to hide me from their sight, if they can see me at all around all the naked humans...
Silently, she prayed they stayed distracted until she could spot the God of Sin and get him out of there.
Her gaze moved back to the man covered in a sea of naked female flesh on the back wall. He was the only person, who wasn’t an angel, having sex on one of the beds. Is he the Immortal I’m looking for? She moved closer to him. He was kissing a woman, even while he was buried inside another one. He lazily broke his kiss and turned to Surcy. His gaze racked her body, and he gestured for her to join him.
Immediately, she knew it was him. Something about him screamed of power and magic, but it was also something else. Unlike the angels, he didn’t seem to be enjoying what he was doing. It was as if he were simply going through the motions.
Which was strange for a man lying in a bed with six naked women.
I need to touch him, or I can’t teleport us out of here. She eyed the bed, not wanting to get anywhere near it, but knowing it was the only way.
Moving forward, she slid onto the only empty spot on the bed. He turned his head. His hand reached out and stroked down her back. She put her hand on his neck and tried to teleport them free.
But it didn’t work.
Oh, shit. Of course there’s a shield in place.
He leaned closer and nipped at her throat. “There are wards here. Once you get in, the only way out is to walk, and they’ll never let us leave.”
Her throat clenched. “You know who I am?”
“Yes, and I know who I am. But this place? It’s my prison. A prison of sins and delights.”
There has to be a way. “How can we get you free?”
He bit her lower earlobe, making her skin crawl. “You can’t.”
His hand moved to grab her ass.
She pushed it away. “I’m not here for that.”
His hand fixed more tightly onto her lower back. “And I can’t stop. What was once pleasure is now torture. I’m driven by a need for sex. I can’t stop. I can barely leave this bed. I've been here for what seems like lifetimes.”
“We only need you to stop for a minute... just long enough to climb those stairs and run for the exit.”
He groaned and the woman on top of him started rocking harder and harder. “Do you think I’d still be here if I could take those steps? No, the women they send in here take me over and over again in this bed, until they’re spent, and then new ones come to replace the old.”
“Pick one of them up,” she suggested. “Take her with us.”
“They’re bound to the bed,” he groaned and began to thrust. “And I can never stop. Never. No matter how much I want to.”
He has to keep having sex. All the time. We have to get him out of this room, to the next one, where we can teleport free. Just a few dozen steps, and I’ve rescued this Immortal, without any bloodshed.
She counted the angels in the room. There were eight of them, too many for her to handle. Too many.
So, how could she get him free?
And then, it hit her. I can’t.
But do I have a choice?
She swallowed down the bile rising in the back of her throat. “I can help you leave.”
“How?” His voice was filled with desperation.
“What if we left... while having sex?”
Her words were met with silence. “I’ve always needed more than one woman in this place. My incubus needs would drain a single human woman.”
“But what about an angel?” she said.
His entire body shuddered behind her. “And do you often give into the pleasures of the body?”
“Only with the men I love.”
“So pure,” he murmured into her ear.
She wanted to scream, to leap from the bed. Hadn’t they given enough to this cause? Would she really have to give this too?
You already betrayed your demons’ trust. She pushed the thought aside. Frink had to be lying. She would never let Caine pick her brain. She would never betray her demons. But I know I did.
Anger rose inside of her. Now she did have a choice. Leave and come back with her demons. See more blood-shed. Put their lives, and the other Immortal’s lives, at risk too.
Or let a incubus have sex with her.
Let someone other than her demons touch her.
Could they ever forgive me for this? She pushed the thought aside. If it kept them safe, she would do this. She would do anything for them.
“Would it work?” she pressed.
The incubus slowly turned her around, and then she was staring into his face. He had dark eyes and dark hair. He was handsome in a bad-boy kind of way. His face looked like it was constantly stuck in a state of mockery. His body was finely tuned, and his flesh was pale, like he hadn’t seen sunlight for a long time.
All of it gave the look of an ancient being, capable of powerful things.
“Do you want me inside of you, angel?”
She met his gaze. “No. But we are gathering all the Immortals together for a stand against Caine. We need you. Or we’ll fail.”
Something troubled flashed in his eyes. “How many of the others do you have?”
“By now?” she nibbled her lip. “We should have all of them.”
His brows rose. “I’ve never touched a woman who didn’t want me. But this must be done.”
Her stomach churned.
“Take off your clothes,” he said, his voice soft and seductive.
She felt his incubus powers wash over her. But still, her hands trembled as she pulled off her shirt. He unbuttoned her pants, and within moments, she was lying beside him naked.
Tears filled her eyes.
He pushed the other women away. They didn’t seem to notice. They simply carried on without him.
His lips slanted over Surcy’s, and she felt his power like something all-consuming. Her thoughts swam. His kiss was like a drug that sent her head spinning.
She felt him pull her on top of him, straddling his waist.
And tears slid down her cheeks.
He grabbed her ass, moved his hands to her thighs, and lifted her from the bed.
She felt him, hard and aroused beneath her. More tears ran down her cheeks. She thought of her demons, of Mark’s sweet face, of Tristan, of Daniel. They would never forgive her for this.
His kiss deepened, his tongue sweeping inside her mouth. His power seemed to pull from her, and with each second that passed, she felt more relaxed. Her thoughts swam as every inch of his naked flesh touched hers.
He carried them from the room. She felt them moving up the stairs.
His muscles were tense beneath her hands. She waited for him to plunge inside of her. To use her to get free of his prison.
But as she sagged against him, she realized she might not even notice. His touch drained her so powerfully.
“Teleport us,” he whispered into her ear.
She fought to make sense of his words.
“Now! Get us out of here!”
She heard shouts. Feet running.
Closing her eyes, and gritting her teeth, she willed them to teleport away.
And then, everything went black.
Chapter Eleven
>
Surcy startled awake. Tears were running down her face. She’d been caught in a nightmare. One in which an Immortal was fucking her over and over again, draining her of her strength.
And now? She was naked. In a hotel room. A white sheet over her body.
The God of Sin looked up from a table spread with more food than she’d ever imagined. The massive flat screen TV played a show she didn’t recognize.
He grinned, showing his dimples. “You’re awake.”
Her entire body felt tense. “We had sex. Oh god. Oh shit.”
To her surprise, his smile fell away. “We didn’t. It was hard as fuck, but I’ve never had sex with a woman who didn’t want me, and I never plan to.”
“Then, how did we escape?”
“I kissed you. I forced a lot of your energy out of you, in a way that wasn’t pleasant for either of us, not nearly as pleasant as just fucking. But,” he shrugged, “you were crying. You clearly love the men you have.”
She pressed her knuckles to her forehead and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. Nothing had happened between them. Not really. She hadn’t betrayed her demons, and she’d saved the Immortal.
It was almost too much to believe.
“You barely managed to teleport us onto the street before you passed out, but it was enough. I ran us down the street, naked as hell, to the nicest hotel I could find. I seduced a human, got us this room, and showered. Oh man, you can’t imagine how good that felt.” Then, he held up a steak. Literally, an entire steak speared by his fork and took a huge bite. “And real food? Fucking hell, it’s amazing. Not the shit they fed me in that sex dungeon.”
It was strange. This Immortal was cocky, inhumanely handsome, and a incubus. She knew she should dislike a creature like him, she really should, but she just couldn’t.
He’d been a slave to Caine just like all the others. Just like me.
She wiped her cheeks and drew her knees to her chest. “How long was I asleep?”
He stared. “All night... about eight hours, give or take.”
“Damn it.”
He raised a brow, studying her.
“We have to go. My demons need me. The Immortals need me. We have to find them all, make sure they’re safe, and get to the sanctuary.”
Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 60
