“No, it’s not selfish. You have worked hard for it. I promise you will get to finish. I mean you do have a certified ancient Greek willing to do your bidding. Plus you just happen to have an ‘in’ with Hades, the god of the underworld. And let’s not forget, Apollo seems rather taken with you, although I’m not sure I approve. But I imagine you will be able to wipe the floor with your classmates. Maybe even advance the true history of the gods a few steps in the right direction.”
“Ancient Greek willing to do my bidding, huh?” Isabelle laughed softly, placing her hands on his waist and tilting her head back so she could see his eyes.
“We could always christen the kitchen now.” Green fire ignited in his eyes. He picked her up easily, sliding her ass onto the counter, and stepping between her legs with a sly smile. Their lips met with equal passion, Isabelle tightening her legs around him, pulling him tight.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, matching his ardor. Mammon rocked back and forth, the hard ridge of his cock pressed hard between her legs causing her stomach to flutter and her body to ache. His soft growls filled the kiss, their bodies’ demands to be closer driving sanity from their minds. A loud crackle suddenly interrupted their interlude.
“Mammon get up here. Now!” Belor’s voice bellowed over the intercom. The sound of shouting and an agonized roar echoed in the background.
Leaping from the counter, Isabelle closed her eyes and reached for the brothers. Opening the barrier between her power and the outside world, Isabelle narrowed the focus so it was just a pinprick. The world around her lit up like the Fourth of July. Above her, she could see the swimming auras of the demons. Concentrating on each form, she could tell the auras were not quite human. Well, that was new! She could see each one pulsing different colors of unrest. One form was prone on the floor. Black and red marred his energy, then pain hit her like a fist to the stomach, almost doubling her over. Someone was hurt. Badly.
“What is it?” Mammon’s concern encroached on her awareness. Isabelle locked down her barriers again, the pain receding into the back of her mind.
“We need to go, now.” Was all she said before rushing towards the door, Mammon close on her heels.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
They entered the apartment to shouting from Lucifer and loud growls, mingled with roars that shook the walls. “Get the bandages! Abbadon, hold him down!” Mammon didn’t hesitate, he broke into a run. Isabelle followed behind, stopping at the door and gasping at the sight. The scene before her was chaos.
Blood covered the floor and the three brothers who held down a demon, an honest to god demon! The beast hissed and snapped his teeth, lost to his pain and desperately trying to escape the people causing it, even though they were attempting to help. The demon managed to get Ze’s forearm between his teeth, biting down.
“Sonofabitch! Cercyn!” Asmodeus grabbed the demon, sticking his finger between his brother’s arm and the death grip of the demon's teeth. Separating the two and not losing a finger was one hell of a feat. Asmodeus continued to hold the demon's head down as he roared in pain. Mammon joined the fray, protecting the wound in his side with his hands.
Isabelle couldn’t function. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The man on the floor was a fucking demon—as in wings, giant claws and fangs. His skin was the color of fire, deep writhing orange and red. The clothing he’d been wearing was in a bloody pile on the floor, blood seeping from the multiple wounds covering his body. Isabelle could hear her blood rushing through her veins so fast, she could feel her pulse in her head. She had accepted her fate, and she knew what her future now held, but seeing it in gory detail like this made it all hit home.
Her eyes turned to Abbadon who had returned with the first aid kit, ripping it open. Gauze and towels were being used to stanch the flow of blood, but the demon, Cercyn, refused to stop fighting. Ripping his arm from Belor’s grip, he punched Asmodeus in the face. Losing the restriction, he flailed all the more, breaking free from his captors. He surged to his feet, blood seeping from the wounds, dripping to the floor. His eyes like the color of sunrise locked on Isabelle.
His pain beat at her. She had connected with him downstairs moments earlier, but blocking him out now was harder. There were shouts as the brothers moved to intercept him, but he was too quick. It was amazing how fast he moved, considering he was bleeding like a stuck pig all over the apartment. His body collided with hers, shoving her against the wall.
The air left her lungs in a rush as the demon closed his clawed hand around her throat. A roar of pure fury rent the air, but Isabelle’s attention was locked only on the demon before her and the pain-filled eyes that screamed without words. Cercyn tightened his grip around her throat, and his emotions rushed over her, drowning her in raw madness. He didn’t know where he was. Where were his brothers? How had he gotten here? These people were hurting him. He needed to fight, escape, and find his brothers.
Isabelle peered over his shoulder. His torn wings hung limply at his side. Behind him, the six demons of sin were holding back an enraged Mammon. Flames of green burned and sparking over his flesh, and his hands had morphed into deadly talons as he fought to get to her side. She lifted her hand and gestured for him to stop. It did nothing, of course, to placate her male, who was descending into his own madness, but she could only deal with what was before her.
She turned her gaze back to Cercyn, who still held her throat in his dangerous grip. He was filled with panic, worry, anger. Reaching up, she delved into herself to find the pool of calm that had kept her sane all these years. Isabelle touched his fevered face, imagining the cooling pool spreading down her arm and through her hand. Cercyn visibly relaxed, his grip around her throat lessening. He blinked at her in confusion, as if just noticing she were there for the first time.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. Easy. You’re going to be just fine. Shhh, you're safe here. We just want to help.” Isabelle had never heard this voice coming from her lips before. It was a low almost hypnotic tone. She could feel the well of energy spreading through her limbs, removing any fear she had, sending the calming force into the demon.
He blinked again, swaying on his feet before slowly sinking to his knees. Isabelle followed him down. Though her throat was still in his clawed grip, he was no longer applying pressure. He frowned as they slid down the wall together, tilting his head to the side as if considering her for the first time. Sanity slowly awoke in his eyes just as his body gave out. His hand dropped from her neck, his head coming to rest on her lap. He was panting softly, his body wracked by powerful tremors. Isabelle lifted her hand and stroked his bloody hair gently.
“Lucifer is going to come and move you now, okay?” She kept her voice gentle and low as she spoke.
Cercyn tightened his arms around her, mistrust radiating from his bloody form. Isabelle locked eyes with Mammon, who was pacing back and forth his eyes never leaving her. At least he wasn’t on the verge of turning demon anymore. He seemed to have calmed a little, although his hands still sported wicked talons. She turned her gaze to Cercyn, leaning toward him as she murmured. “I’m going to stay right here, okay? They need to stop the bleeding.”
With a little work she managed to rearrange her legs so she wasn’t cramped. Cercyn moved to lie beside her. His eyes were alert, watching everyone, but he was, at least, relaxed now. Isabelle continued to stroke his hair as the brothers gathered around and quietly began to attend to his wounds.
“Cercyn, we need to move you. Your wings are torn. I can’t work on them like this.” Asmodeus kept his tone low, taking to Isabelle’s cue. Cercyn was silent for a long time, then slowly nodded.
Finally, the weight of the partially deranged demon was removed from her legs, allowing circulation and sensation to return. Letting out a rush of air, Isabelle hung her head, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. She felt strong arms encircling her, lifting her from the floor. Was someone shaking her? Everything seemed dulled and muted, energy humming in her ears. She
could feel herself retreating inside her own head. Damn she was tired, drained. She just wanted to sleep.
“Goddamn it, Isabelle! What the hell were you doing? He could have killed you!” The voice was rough, fraught with worry. She vaguely registered the hands on her cheeks, tilting her face up.
“Isabelle! Fuck, come on. Come back to me.”
The voice seemed muffled, like she was hearing it underwater. The hands on her face were trying to pull her back to reality, but she was falling. Her eyes slid shut as strong arms swung her into the air. She was floating in warmth. Muted voices rose around her, but she shut them out. It was so nice to just float here.
Belor exited the bedroom, covered in demon blood, and headed directly towards the Seer. Desperation and terror shone in Mammon’s green eyes, and his body trembled as he clutched Isabelle to him. He looked like a lost child. As the only one of his brothers with the ability to see energy levels and energy flow, he focused his burning orange eyes on Isabelle. He placed his hand on her forehead, opening himself to the flow of energy within her. He nodded and dropped his hand to Mammon’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong with her?” Abbadon returned from helping tend Cercyn in the bedroom, his concerned eyes on the limp Seer in his brother’s arms.
Belor turned his gaze to Abbadon, “She will be just fine. She used too much of her own energy to calm Cercyn. Take her downstairs. Keep her warm. I would suggest a bath. Make sure she does not wake up covered in blood. I will send Ze down with blankets and towels.”
“If he harmed her in any way, I will kill him.” The promise in Mammon’s tone was absolute. His eyes locked on the door to the room where the bleeding demon had finally settled down. Flames still flickered in the depths of his gaze.
“Isabelle saved his life today. I am sure you killing him will just upset her more. Now do as I say, little brother. Let us worry about Cercyn.” Belor turned Mammon around and pushed him towards the door.
Mammon reluctantly left the apartment, holding his female to him with pure reverence and no small amount of desperation. Belor watched him a surge of jealous hitting him, oh to love so deeply. He pushed the fanciful idea away, then directed his gaze to Abbadon.
“Will she be okay?” Abbadon’s voice was low, concern marring his dark features.
“She’s weak, took too much from her inner source, the power that sustains us. He needs to keep calling her back. There is nothing we can do for her. It is up to him now. I have no doubt he will succeed. With more practice, she will gain control over her power, preventing this occurrence from happening again.” Despite his assurances, Belor worried for the Seer. She had nearly killed herself helping one person. Granted, he was a battle crazed demon, but still. If she was to find the other Seers, she would need to focus so she used the energy around her, rather than the energy from within her.
“Leave Mammon to look after the Seer. We have to find out what happened to Cercyn. This is too important to delay,” Lucifer’s voice called to the pair of them from the doorway of Cercyn’s bedroom before he ducked back in to finish tending to the demon.
Belor and Abbadon returned to the bedroom, pausing at the threshold. Belor frowned as he took in the myriad wounds covering the demon's body. He couldn’t believe Cercyn had managed to transport himself to the mortal realm while injured this badly.
“Cercyn, I need you to focus on me, okay?” Asmodeus used the same low humming tone mimicking Isabelle. “Tell me what happened.”
“Malakhim came. Managed to fight them off. Hades, my brothers, still fighting in Tartarus. I…was sent, get help.” The demon was losing his battle with consciousness, blinking as Lucifer came into his vision.
“Where in Tartarus?” His tone was more than worried.
“Don’t know. Held them off so Hades could move the jar.” The injured demon shook his head and then promptly passed out, his breathing becoming shallow.
Asmodeus placed a hand on his forehead. “He is going to be out for a while, lost way too much blood. If not for Isabelle, he might have died. Our little Seer has some power in her.”
Lucifer swore and began to pace the room. Belor frowned. None of them had expected the Malakhim to move so quickly. It was clear their priorities had changed from obtaining a Seer to securing Pandora’s Box. If the battle still raged, they needed to join in. Fuck, he should have fed more. No, damn it! He wasn’t going back to that club. He didn’t need that shit to live. Lucifer stopped pacing, having clearly come to the same conclusion. He turned to his brothers.
“Tanus, Abbadon, Belor, Ze, and I are going to Tartarus. Asmodeus, you stay and tend to Cercyn. When Mammon is sane enough to be reasoned with, send him our way. I think we may need him.”
Belor knew what Lucifer was thinking, what they were all thinking. Hades and the remaining two brothers of Cerberus couldn’t hold out for long.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The apartment building might have been empty, but there was, running water, which right now was a blessing. Mammon refused to let Isabelle go, so he balanced on one foot, kicking on the faucets of the sunken tub. He knelt, laying her on the tile just long enough so he could strip off his blood-stained pants. Kneeling beside Isabelle once more, he gently pulled her sweater over her head. Her skin felt cold to his touch, and that alone worried him. His hands moved down her body, stripping the blood-soaked jeans from her legs.
The coppery scent of blood coated the back of his throat, forcing him to pause for a second. The vision of Cercyn, his clawed hand around Isabelle’s delicate throat hit him in the gut. He concentrated and breathed in and out in an effort to pull his rage under control. He didn’t want Isabelle to wake up covered in demon blood. He needed to remain in control.
Finally, all her clothes were off, leaving only her blood-stained bra and panties, and those he could remove in the water. She looked deathly cold lying on the tile, and his heart tightened at the sight. Gently gathering her small form into his arms, he carried her to the tub, carefully stepping down into it. The water was lukewarm, no doubt from pipes long unused. He could play with the temperature later, right now he wanted her clean and awake.
Mammon lowered her into the slowly filling tub, keeping her on his lap. Using his hands, he began washing the dried blood from her skin gently, tilting her head back so he could dip her hair into the swirling water. A soft pink tinted the liquid as he washed the blood from her body and then his own. He gently removed her blood-stained underwear, tossing it out of the tub. Her skin was so cold, even in the warm water. Agonized worry pulled at him.
Holding her close, he pulled the plug to allow the blood-stained water to drain from the tub, then adjusted the faucets to bring in fresh hot water. Gradually, clear water began to rise around them while he stroked her damp hair and pressed his lips to her temple.
“Come on, Isabelle. Come back to me, Minx. I am hollow without you.” He closed his eyes, fingers rubbing small circles on her lower back, while his other hand gently pressed her wet head against his throat. He had never experienced such fear in his life.
“Isabelle, open your eyes, dear one.” She knew this voice which floated to her like a soft wind through the trees. With a groan, she opened her eyes, the light stinging her vision for a second before the small form of Ilianna came into focus.
“There you are! Welcome back.” Ilianna helped Isabelle sit up. She was back in the clouded world from her dream. This time she was sure she wasn’t sleeping. What had she been doing before she ended up here? It seemed important.
“You can’t stay long. You have important things to do now. You have finally awoken. Your powers are under your control. Just try not to delve so deeply into your own well again. That is most dangerous. Your own internal source is finite. It will recharge given time, but using it as you did is dangerous.” Ilianna reached out to smooth Isabelle’s hair from her forehead.
“I remember a demon. He was angry, enraged. He wouldn’t let the others help him, so I tried to calm him down. He was bleeding
everywhere.” Isabelle looked down, expecting to see blood around her. But she was clean, dressed in that flowing white gown once again.
“Yes, your powers go so much deeper than just experiencing what another feels. You are able to influence the emotions of others, to calm or instill fear if need be. Empathy is so much more. You will discover in time. You must find the others, Isabelle. Michael will not stop, he will not waver. He believes, with every breath he takes, this is the right thing to do.” Ilianna stood and looked out over the bright grass, the wind sending her long hair flowing behind her.
“He was not always like this. Once, long ago he was hopeful for humanity. Loved humanity and their diversity. Loved me.” Isabelle watched as the small woman wrapped her arms around herself, head down. “He had such an amazing sense of humor, always laughing. Then I was taken from him. You would think he would come for me. But this place…” She looked up at the sky, and her golden eyes held so much pain it echoed through Isabelle like a chime.
“The Elysium Fields is between worlds. A place I cannot leave and a place he cannot enter. Long ago I could feel him reaching for me. But each time he did, he felt less and less…him.” Ilianna turned her golden eyes to Isabelle and gave her a sad smile.
“I could feel the flow of time, the future opening before me like a flower. Each petal a possible direction for the ebb of fate. Every turn he took, it led him to the man he has become. I did not wish to believe. I hoped he would take a different path. Finally he no longer felt like the man I had once loved.
“We have come to this. Only one path remains before us. But soon, many new petals will open. You and your sister Seers, you will change the flow. You will all visit me here. My blood flowing in your veins grants you passage.” Her words rang with power, her eyes swirling like small spiral galaxies of gold and silver. She seemed to be looking through Isabelle, not seeing her, but seeing into her. Then she blinked and the spiraling of her eyes stopped. She focused on Isabelle again.
Greed's Charity (Seven Deadly Sins Book 1) Page 20
