Wars of the Underworld

by Olivia Ash

  Kaiser and Steele stood at the door seemingly unhappy about them having to stay back and accept the allies that were set to arrive while they were gone topside. She shook her head and laughed.

  “Smile, or your face will crack.” She grinned at the both of them.

  They faked their best smile, which she decided to ignore and gave them each a hug and kiss.

  “Behave yourselves. No parties,” she said to Steele.

  “It wouldn’t be a party without you,” he said and winked.

  She giggled. “Wish us luck.”

  Damien opened the door to the fortress and waited for Sadie and Mordecai to walk through first.

  They made it about halfway through the gate when Damien paused and faced Sadie. He joined hands with her and Mordecai. And that awful sensation of being pulled came over her. Her feet left the ground, and the world around her blurred and faded to black.

  Her feet settled on the ground, and she was surprised that each time she traveled like that, the nausea decreased more and more. She barely had a hint of it now.

  She looked around her, instantly recognizing the heart of Seattle’s downtown district. They landed here as it was supposedly closest to the underground covens, where they hoped to find Astrid.

  “You ready?” Damien asked.

  Sadie smiled and nodded excitedly, she forced herself to not bounce in place like a kid on Christmas morning. “Yes.”

  Mordecai and Damien chuckled at her response and they headed southwest, toward the main business district, and then toward an alley between two tall buildings. Both of the princes walked closer to Sadie.

  As they entered, Sadie saw a shift in the image of the two buildings. On the outside, the alley was dark, abandoned, and void of any life. On the inside, there were stalls, shops, venders, and many, many people. Chatter filled the air and there were unique smells that Sadie couldn’t recognize. Some of them were sweet, while others were rotten and pungent. It was like walking through an oily substance.

  “This place is hidden?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Damien said. “We just walked through a ward, which is slightly different than the barrier surrounding your fortress. This is meant to glamour or hide the location from anyone not meant to see this place.”

  “Gotcha.” She took in the shops that lined both sides of the alley. Tables were set up with various items, and creatures she could only guess at sat in cages. The first one had jewelry made from teeth, bone, metal, and gems.

  Sadie reached out to touch one. Mordecai caught her hand and shook his head slowly. “That is a bad idea.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “They’re cursed,” he said plainly.

  She set her eyes on them again, drawn to touch them but resisting the urge. “Oh.”

  Witches and warlocks filtered from table to table and shop to shop. Luckily, Sadie hadn’t recognized anyone yet.

  “These are the witches that have devoted themselves to demons,” Damien whispered loud enough for Sadie to hear but not enough for his words to carry. “They are evildoers who thrive on the torture and punishment of others, particularly humans naive enough to believe magic will benefit them in some way.”

  A man rushed from a shop with a sign above it that said, “Darker Intentions.” His eyes were wild, but lifeless. He paused in the center of the alley just in front of them. He squeezed his eyes closed a few times and shook his head.

  Sadie wondered what had happened to him. If he was human.

  The man turned his attention to Sadie and a light of recognition flashed through him. He smiled, but then that slowly faded into a frown, and he seemed extremely disappointed and disoriented as he ambled aimlessly back and forth a few steps before finding his exit out of the alley.

  “What was wrong with him?” she asked.

  “He probably had a spell to forget placed on him.” Damien shook his head. “Witches can take parts of his soul during the time the spell is being placed on him. He may have only wanted one memory taken, but greed probably caused the spell to go too far.”

  Sadie frowned. This was not the idea she had in mind when she thought of witches being added to her army. Hobson’s words came to mind, and she vowed to keep her eyes wide opened as she learned about the witches.

  “In reality, the humans are sacrificing parts of their souls. It becomes like a drug addiction. Once that small part of their soul is missing, they crave more of the magic, sacrificing pieces of their soul until there is nothing left.”

  A gypsy-like woman watched them from a perch on the wall between table shops and smiled at Sadie when she looked at her. The woman was young and alluring. She beckoned to Sadie with the bend of her finger. She wanted to go over to her, but Mordecai stopped her.

  “What?” she asked. “I just wanna see something.”

  “Trust me,” he said, “you don’t want what she has to show you.”

  Sadie gave the gypsy woman another glance and the woman had the look of daggers in her eyes. Her form shifted, youthful skin peeling off and disappearing into the air and leaving older, scarred, ashen skin instead. She decided it was a good thing she had two of her men with her. Knowing too little about this world probably would’ve left her in a state similar to that man with the memory spell.

  She saw others giving their own blood, looking worse for the wear while the witch seemed to gain more youth and smoother appearance from the life they drew from the unfortunate souls.

  “That’s horrible,” Sadie said.

  Damien shrugged. “It’s how they give souls to their demon, gaining more power for him or her as well.”

  “Let’s keep moving,” Mordecai said under his breath, but she still heard him and looked back at him to make sure he was okay. His eyebrows were knitted together, and his lips formed a thin line as his eyes darted between clusters of people.

  “Are you lost? Do you need help?” one witch asked from the shadows. She approached them. Her eyes settled on Sadie, and she smiled as shadows shifted through her skin and her eyes darkened, the whites taking on a glow.

  Damien pulled Sadie closer to him and ignored her. Mordecai muttered under his breath something about hurrying up and finding this witch, so they could get the hell out of there.

  Farther down, chains rattled against the brick. Cries for help and pleas to be released echoed toward her. Her gaze swept the crowded area as she took in the world she never had the chance to see. The world of witches bound to demons. The uncomfortable balance she needed to walk to defeat Zagan. As she drew closer, the bare feet and legs of a woman came into view. She had a tattered dress that must have once been beautiful but was dingy, stained, and full of holes now.

  The woman settled her gaze on Sadie. “You can see me? Oh, thank God. Please, help. Before she returns. Please, release me.”

  Sadie stopped and stared at the woman. She wanted to go help her. But Damien’s voice said something about being unsafe. A trick. She couldn’t tell. The woman’s voice took over in her head, and she couldn’t focus on anything but trying to help the poor woman.

  “Sadie,” Damien said, stepping in front of her.

  She blinked away the trance she was under and searched his eyes, wondering what was going on. “I need to help her.”

  He shook his head. “It’s a trick meant to trap you. You are still human, and these tricks and games are aimed at fooling humans into slavery or worse.”

  “Please, don’t listen to him. I’m real!”

  Sadie tried to side-step Damien. He caught hold of her arm.

  “Trust me,” he said.

  She switched her gaze from him to Mordecai, who nodded, hands clenched into fists at his side. She risked a final glance at the woman. She was gone, but the witch that had conjured the spell stood to the side, glaring at her and the princes.

  Some of the witches Sadie had made eye contact with scowled at her, and she forced back a chill that crept up her spine. Another sensation tingled through her and she felt pulled to walk toward o
ne of the other witches.

  “Fight it, Sadie,” Mordecai said.

  She did. And as soon as they were past whoever tried to lure her, the feeling ebbed and she felt a rush of relief flow through her.

  That made her seriously question the use of witches in her forces and she hoped the good ones were a far cry from where she currently was. Else, she would decline allies. And she couldn’t afford to do that.

  “Geeze,” she said. “No wonder I got strange calls when I worked as a paramedic. I can see how some of these witches had caused them.”

  Mordecai snorted. “You haven’t seen it all yet. There are rituals that turn people inside out, spells to turn clay into flesh for the grieving mothers, blood-letting that becomes a euphoric experience for the human while they are bled out and turned into decaying soldiers for their demons.”

  “And it gets worse from there,” Damien said.

  Sadie couldn’t imagine the visuals that their words attempted to form in her mind. She would’ve emptied her stomach contents right there in the alley, which the witches probably would’ve used to manipulate or gain some sort of control over her. It made her queasy to think about the dark uses these witches had for naïve humans. Good thing Astrid wasn’t aligned with a demon. She had no evil whims or obligations to fulfill. And that made her even more likable.

  They made another series of turns, and the shops and tables ended. The number of witches tricking humans out of their souls grew less and less until they were alone, walking dark alleys toward wherever they were heading. Sadie hoped a place with a much better view. Damien and Mordecai gave her a little more breathing room as well, which she took as a good sign that the darker witches were behind them.

  She was glad Astrid wasn’t a part of the group they had come to first. She had seen and experienced enough evil that she was well aware that those witches would go to any lengths, including betraying their own masters, to gain whatever they desired. She couldn’t afford to have that on her side.

  From now on, she needed to be extremely careful of who she allowed in her fortress. Though she trusted her men and their choice of allies, she needed to be sure for herself that any ally would remain loyal and obey her and her princes, regardless of whatever prize they had their eyes set on.

  With that, she hoped that the good ones were better suited for her fight, and she knew her men would never do anything to put her in danger.

  “Please tell me the next area we go to is a lot better,” she said as she sighed and shook off the remaining chills that clutched her.

  “Yes,” Damien said while Mordecai said, “Finally.”

  She looked to him, he still had that determined, lost-in-thought expression.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Steele

  Steele stood outside the gates of the fortress and prepared for summoning his allies, the succubi. He hadn’t quite figured out how to break it to them that he wouldn’t have sex with them. He wasn’t sure any other payment would suit them, considering how much they enjoyed having sex with him. The power boost they gained from fucking him alone was worth more to them than treasures, though he has seen it happen before. Well, not firsthand.

  He sighed. Time to get this over with.

  He reached out with his mind and found the queen. He summoned her. She responded with excitement and eagerness.

  Already, this was going to be difficult. It had been too long since he had visited them last.

  The succubus queen, Deseree, appeared first, wearing her golden halter with the center cut out to expose her cleavage. Thin strips of fabric hung from her waist, covering only her butt and crotch, and she sauntered toward him, swaying her bare hips from side to side. Her long, blonde hair was pulled back to the center of her head. “Steele, how wonderful for you to stop by.” She stopped right in front of him and draped her arms around his shoulders. “It’s been too long. You left so quickly last time.” She added a pout.

  He gently removed her arms from his shoulders and said, “It has been a while. You look good.”

  About fifteen more succubi appeared next, and she shifted her attention to them and smiled as she rested a hand on his side. “You look as delicious as ever.” She glanced behind him. “Where are we? Acquired a new fortress, I see.”

  “It’s not mine,” he said and removed her hand. He took a step back to prove his point further.

  She shrugged. “We can still break in the rooms, can’t we?”

  A few more succubi joined Deseree on either side of him, they touched and rubbed him in all the right places. They nibbled at his ears and one sucked on his lower lip. His pants tightened, and he closed his eyes, conjuring an image of Sadie. He bit the inside of his cheek. Removing each of the succubi took time and care, and he managed to unravel himself from each of them.

  “Follow me,” he said and turned toward the gate.

  It opened and let them through. He ignored them as they spoke about how much they missed him and couldn’t wait to be with him again. It had been too long. He sighed. If he kept Sadie’s face in mind, maybe that would help him stay out of trouble.

  Once inside the foyer of the fortress, the succubi swarmed him again, touching, moaning, nibbling.

  “Stop,” he said and pulled away again.

  Deseree narrowed her green eyes on him. “Why won’t you have sex with us. This isn’t like you, Steele.” She closed the gap between them.

  He took another step back. “Because Sadie, the queen of demons, asked that I invite you here. And I’m in love with her.”

  She pouted as her eyes darkened. “But you love having sex with us.”

  “Yes, that is true, as is part of my nature. But I won’t be with anyone else but her now,” he said.

  Deseree didn’t accept that as she once again closed the gap between them and grabbed his crotch and kissed on his neck.

  Steele growled and pushed her away. “No.” His voice was strong, firm, and left little room for argument. He stepped back. “Follow me to your rooms.”

  He ignored the wounded expressions and pouts as he turned around.

  He headed down the hall and climbed the stairs that led to the west wing where the guest quarters were. He figured that would suit their tastes better than the barracks. Though, he considered placing them there anyway.

  He couldn’t really blame them though. It was in their nature just as much as it was in his.

  Once he arrived at the door, he opened it and stepped inside, keeping the door wide to allow the succubi in.

  “This room is connected with three separate bedrooms off to the right there,” he pointed. “You should be more than comfortable here.”

  Deseree sighed. “It will have to do.” She turned to face him. “How about you stay for just a while longer. Perhaps I can persuade you to change your mind.”

  “No. I appreciate the offer, but I will not sleep with any of you.”

  She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. But I know you, Steele. You will give in. I know you will. It’s only a matter of time.”

  He let out a frustrated sigh and said, “You are to stay here. If you need anything, Hobson will tend to your needs.”

  “Everyone has their limits, Steele,” she said, ignoring him. “We will find your limit, break through it, and make you see the error in denying your very nature and us.”

  “Be prepared for endless disappointment. I had you come here for a reason. I need you to fight alongside Sadie and me in the war against my father. For your services, I will give you the rarest of gems, jewels, and linens at my disposal.” He paused, pursed his eyebrows, and held up a finger. “Wasn’t it you that always complained about the south side of your castle lacking in the proper warding gems to keep it secure? You’ll have several. You also needed some for your crown, as I recall. You’ll have one that will allow you to cast scrying spells across great distances.”

  A greedy glint lit up their eyes, and he knew they were willing to forsake sex with him for the fight at
least. Forever was a different question.

  “You see? There is always a reason to stay loyal to me. But there is a catch.”

  They stood straighter, giving him their full attention.

  “You will obey me and Sadie no matter what.”

  Deseree shook her head with a sarcastic chuckle floating through her lips. “Anything else?”

  “You will not leave this room unless you are called upon by me.”

  “Absolutely,” she said.

  He leveled his gaze on her and shifted his sights to the other succubi. He knew what they were doing, and he wasn’t having it. “Do not get your hopes up on me giving in to your invitations to your beds. It will never happen.”

  She held her head higher, a cunning smile pulled on her lips. “Of course. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, we’ll do the same.”

  He wanted to dig deeper into those words. There was a deeper meaning in them, but he didn’t want to devote any more time in their company trying to figure it out. They were playing a game with him. Trying to strip away his will little by little. Instead, he shook his head and left them to their own devices. He needed a bit of fresh air. He could check the barrier as he did so. And that was what he headed out to do.

  STEELE

  His mind remained on Sadie. He was surprised in the changes he had undergone since she came into his life. Being able to deny the succubi hadn’t been a thing for him. Not until Sadie. Though he couldn’t sleep with anyone but Sadie, he still found the succubi incredibly hot. He needed—no, craved—his woman in a way he never felt before. If he didn’t have her soon, he just might lose his mind. Still, he was willing to wait as long as necessary. She was worth the wait.