Frost (Queens of Hell Book 1)

by Liza James

  Like wind. Snow. Swirls of the storm clearly building inside her. I try to look elsewhere, and my stomach twists in an anxious need to disappear. I feel small in more ways than one. This is exactly what I wanted to fucking avoid, and somehow I’ve found myself here all over again.

  So, why am I still turned on? Why is my core pounding even harder than it was before, why are my fingers aching to touch her now? This energy, this person in front of me, she drowns out any thoughts I ever had of Aggie a few minutes ago. Hell, her sister doesn’t even exist to me now. And all I fucking want is this one’s approval.

  Her approval.

  Wow. That’s fucked.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmur quietly, my lips speaking the words before turning into a meek little beg.

  “Sorry for what?” she replies. Her voice is flat and strong as she shifts my hands with one of hers and pins them over my head. “Tell me what you’re apologizing for.”

  I hesitate, nervous and anxious to give the correct answer. The entire last thirty minutes of my existence is foggy, each memory a confusing and overwhelming replay in my head. “For…for—” I stutter, and squeeze my eyes shut briefly in frustration while I attempt producing the right words. My throat is dry, my tongue heavy in mouth while I speak.

  “Leave her alone.”

  Jesus fuck, another new voice? Each one more terrifying than the girl before it. For fuck’s sake, this one is thick with royalty and arrogance. I can already tell she doesn’t play games, and Na’amah is quick to turn her head and look back over her shoulder.

  “Lilith,” she speaks, her tone taking on a slight edge of what I believe is irritation. Her hold on me tightens ever so slightly, and her frame shifts subtly closer at the same moment. “I can break her.”

  What? Break me? Are you serious?

  I remain quiet, simply existing in the frigid atmosphere around us. Aggie is silent as well and I can hardly make out the edge of the figure behind Na’amah. All I can make out in this moment is she’s taller than both of these sisters, her skin creamy white, and she has long, straight black hair. She stands perfectly still; her mere presence holds a powerful tension I’m tangibly feeling within me.

  “She’s already broken.” Lilith speaks the words and for some reason, they sting. Instantly. It feels like a dagger, slicing straight through my heart and spilling out every insecurity, every weakness, every fear out on the ground in front of them. “She’s fragile. I have no need of her.”

  Why do I feel the need to defend myself? I do. I want to scream and kick and fight back, explaining every single reason why I am good enough for whatever most likely fucked up ritualistic bullshit they want to put me through. I should be happy they want nothing to do with me, this is my fucking moment to escape and never these freaks again.

  Never see them again

  And now my heart is pounding with a sudden strange ache at the thought.

  It’s then that Na’amah looks back at me, her distant eyes glazing in defeat and surrender. “She’s right,” she whispers, a certain disgust lacing her voice as she says it. “You’re worthless.” She shoves me back and steps away, shifting into line with the other two at her sides. I’m paralyzed in place, trying to focus on each of their faces before they disappear.

  I want to step forward, move nearer at the same time I realize this is my chance to run. But I can’t move, in either direction, closer or farther away.

  “Go home, sweet Kitten. This isn’t the place for you,” Aggie again reminds me, just before the three of them vanish at the exact same moment.

  “Wai—” I start, suddenly able to lunge forward the moment their gone. “Wait,” I find myself whispering, and the painful ache in my chest explodes full force.

  Goddamn it. What the hell just happened?

  “You both really kill the fuckin’ mood, you know that?” Aggie states, clear disappointment drowning her tone. “I was having such a fun time.”

  “You having fun fucks over the rest of us, you know that right?” I spit out, dragging the palms of my hands down the front of my thighs. I need that girl’s scent off my skin or it’ll linger there all night and I’m already losing my fucking mind being that close to her.

  She was different. And not in a good fucking way.

  My pants are a light khaki, cinched up around my lower legs and with enough pockets to hold each of my weapons. Satan knows I can’t count on my sisters to fucking protect us. I’ll have to toss these after I feed tonight; get every messy act out of the way before discarding them completely.

  “It’s not my fault you’re starving. I told you to eat before we left. Didn’t I, sister? You heard me.” Aggie turns to Lilith, who walks with obvious distaste in her stride. She’s irritated and I can’t blame her for it honestly.

  We’ve struggled in finding her final bride. The one she’s actually meant to spend the rest of eternity with. I have five of her harem trained and serving the kingdom, but the final seventh is what she needs to finally take her throne beside Lucifer.

  Fucking Luce. An absolute constant thorn in my goddamn side.

  “Another night wasted, darling?” Right on cue.

  “Please, for the love of all that is—” Aggie starts, but Lucifer is quick to interrupt her. Not surprising…he loves being the center of attention.

  “If you say holy, you’re going straight to Heaven and I will be entirely thrilled by it.” He saunters into the grand room of our separate castle here in the Underworld. Each level is sanctioned and ruled by the entities he places in order. Of course, he wants to handle everything himself, which is why he’s always kept us four queens under wraps as long as possible.

  But we don’t stay quiet for long, and we let him have his fun while we build our own kingdom before taking our rule. Lucifer has been strengthening the Underworld against its opposition for years now. But things have gotten a bit out of hand as of late, with the outside warriors of Sunan coming forth with recent attacks in the city. We know she’s kidnapped Amelia, a little half-blood who spent her life serving for her mother. And we haven’t been able to nail her location down after a small spat took place on the outskirts of New York City.

  Lucifer works with both the Fallen Angels and Demons to help dismantle her army and rescue Amelia, while myself and my sisters put forth our efforts in solidifying the Underworld’s population down here. He may make it seem like we’re all about parties and orgasms, but there is an entire system to this kingdom, and someone has to maintain the order and rule of this place as well.

  “Why are you here again? I know for a fact you haven’t broken that little witch enough to bore you, have you?” Lilith turns and takes a seat in one of the four grand thrones in our great hall. The floors are covered in black granite, the walls draped in the colors of each of us.

  Blue is the my representation of power in ice and wind. I maintain order, and am the warrior and strength for the four of us.

  Black is Lilith’s, her powers lie in vitality and corruption.

  Purple for Aggie, the little over dramatic divination queen.

  Then there is Eisheth, the perfect blend of all four of us. She tends to oversee everything, and while she may seem peaceful and calm, there’s a storm inside her unlike any of us hold. She’s the calm, right before she lays waste to everyone around her.

  “You could give her to me. I’d love a few hours in a dark room with that spiteful, naked little thing.” I smirk, stepping up the couple of stairs before turning and resting in my own ice covered throne.

  Lucifer lunges toward me in instant, moving quicker than lightning in a feeble attempt at an attack. As if he has any strength over me. I lift one leg and quickly jam it forward and into his ribs, bearing my fangs in an arrogant hiss.

  “Do not touch her,” he threatens, his eyes turning black and his own long fangs escaping his lips.

  “Wow, revealing the bite are you? Didn’t think you’d give that to anyone. I’m flattered.” I laugh as he uses his hands to shove my foot aw
ay from his torso. He stands up, intentionally straightening his now disheveled black button down and rolls his long sleeves tightly up his forearms. His tattoos span the length of every exposed portion of his skin.

  Just like us. We’ve all been marked in the name of our powers.

  “You know what I’m here for, Lilith.” He turns his attention to our sister, his gaze taking a stony turn and his shoulders setting back. I must say, as much as I enjoy giving him shit and threatening his little witch, I'm not naive enough to think he couldn’t put up a damn good fight against me if he had to.

  I don’t know who would win. But I’d go down with every bit of strength and power I had. He’s practically invincible, and the only one to ever take on a God on his own. But we don’t mention that; it’s the war that severed the Universe at the beginning of time.

  “I know, Luce. I know. I haven’t found her yet, but I will.” Lilith leans back and lets her eyes fall shut. I can feel the weight of anticipation filling this room. The tension of the unknown, and when I glance to Lilith’s side, I notice the way her skin pulls tighter and small veins of black pulse under her eyes.

  “You don’t have much time,” he whispers, and I hate to see the way his gaze falters in the moment.

  “I am well aware.”

  “We’ll complete the harem, Lucifer. You have our word. We won’t lose her.” This time, Eisheth’s voice breaks through the hall as she steps forward and strides toward us. Her long, emerald green gown trails at her back and the way her vibrant red hair falls over her shoulders has me pausing to stare. She’s stunning, the youngest one of us all, and still the one who holds the most hope.

  My sister, Lilith, is fading quickly. She must feed from eternal blood in order to live and previously, Lucifer was the only one who could sustain her. They have a troublesome past, and once he was cursed, Lilith lost her only life force. It’s been years now, centuries even, and we’ve sustained her only through spells by the most powerful covens and small traces of eternal blood from simple mortals.

  That’s why Skilla alerted Aggie’s radar tonight. We could smell the faintest amount of eternity in her flesh. It’s incredibly rare, and if we could add her to Lilith’s harem, she could be another force in offering us more time to find Lilith’s Fated. It only took a moment for Aggie’s mind to pick up on the distinction in her blood. The second she walked into the club, her energy and scent overtook every other immortal in the room given the fact that the kink portion of the club is primarily used by Fallen Angels and Demons. Every creature, in this realm and others, derives from the Fallen or Demonic races. This side of Pandora’s Box has been known to be a meeting ground–or play ground–for our kind to gather.

  Aggie has a knack for reading energy, and if she makes physical contact, she can easily slip into the recesses of their minds and hear their thoughts.

  So she knew, from the moment she pulled her down from the pole, that she was a fragile little thing. At first, I thought that would play well into my ability to break her. Train her into the submissive Lilith needs in the midst of her harem. She has to be able to take the bite in the first place. As a celestial being, feeding is a far stronger and more intense experience than the average vampire.

  Vampires. Such a mundane and smaller version of what we are. Few can actually sustain the overwhelm of sensations experienced while we feed. It’s comparable to an immediate overdose on drugs. Hard to survive once its already intoxicated your blood. This is why we feed from those carrying eternal blood, which often times are witches. Mortals who have trace amounts of celestial magic within them. Not enough to harbor an immortal being, but enough to maintain their own power and magic within the human world.

  We’re all motivated through our thirst for blood and our sexual energy. All four of us have roots within the succubus bloodlines. We feed and sustain ourselves through eternal blood, but also draw from the energy of sex and sexual tension. This is why Pandora’s Box is the ideal place for us to find our life forces. If you’re at that kink club, you generally have some sort of tie to the paranormal. Whether you are a witch, or a Demon—you’re there for a reason.

  “If we used Skilla, we’d be able to buy a bit more time in finding Lilith’s final bride.” Aggie offers the sentiment again, but we all know Skilla couldn’t survive it. We felt it the minute Aggie pulled her into the space with me. We evoked her sexual energy, felt her physical body, her strength. Looked for the ways she’d fight against the pull, if at all.

  But she didn’t, not nearly well enough. We need the ones who can push back, who have enough strength to ride out the euphoric high from the feed and survive it. She’d never be able to—it would kill her in an instant.

  “You know why we can’t,” I remind her, the exhaustion from hunger suddenly growing in my stomach. Now that I’m coming down from the high of the club, the effects of not feeding in several days is becoming far more apparent.

  “She’d never work,” Lilith states quietly as she leans her head back and her eyes slip shut. The obvious marks of hunger mar her skin, soft veins glistening through her flesh, dark marks like bruises over her forearms. Her blood is growing restless, fighting against her body to sustain itself.

  “Keeping you alive is worth the fucking risk,” Aggie bites out, her spiteful temper sparking in her words. “I’ve seen her past, she’s been through a lot. She may be broken now, but it took a lot to get her there. She may be able to handle the feed if she trains well with Naamie. Maybe we extend her sessions, go slower with her than the other girls.” She steps forward, coming to stand in front of both Lilith and I. I can see the pain her eyes, the desperation to fix things as much as she can.

  It’s difficult enough finding someone with eternal blood, so when we know they aren’t strong enough for the bite, it hurts far worse than not finding anyone at all. And it’s been six months since we found the last girl…and she didn’t make it.

  “We aren’t risking that again,” Lilith responds, intentionally taking slow and deep breaths while her fingers tighten around the arms of her throne.

  “Who can I bring you?” Eisheth asks in concern. We can all see, practically feel the starvation running through Lilith. The difference between her and us, is that Lilith can only survive on eternal blood. Both her and Lucifer were cursed in the Great War. While the rest of us thrive on eternal, we can at least quench the edge of hunger on mortal blood. It won’t make us stronger, it won’t completely fulfill us, but we can live on it if necessary.

  “No one, the girls need their rest. They’ve been feeding far too often as it is.” Lilith finally opens her eyes, her voice taking a sharp turn in demand as she responds. She’ll fight us on this, but none of us are willing to lose her for the life of a mortal girl.

  “You need some—” I begin, knowing I’m the only one who will oppose Lilith in this way. The other girls stay in their place once she demands it.

  I won’t though.

  “No,” she cuts me off, and at the same time, a dark wave of shimmering veins suddenly pulses under her skin. She arches her back in clear discomfort, a quiet muted groan only barely escaping her lips. Her mouth falls open, and her fangs reveal themselves uncontrollably.

  “Get Thalia,” I order as I look to Eisheth. She nods and immediately turns to rush out of the room.

  “No!” Lilith yells, her voice booming through the space while the walls shake at the minimal power she unleashes.

  I stand and move toward her, placing my hands over her forearms and biting my nails into her skin. It pierces easily and Lilith’s eyes glare into my own, hers turning black with the incredible power she has rolling through her flesh. “Do not test me, Na’amah. Do not fight me on this,” she whispers, her fangs still bared as she speaks.

  “You couldn’t fight me if you tried, sweet sister,” I snap, squeezing even tighter as crimson blood spills from her skin. “Try again,” I demand, forcing her arms still while she writhes in front of me.

  “Stop, Naamie,” Eisheth i
nterrupts. I can hear the slight edge of worry in her tone, but this is what I’m designed for.

  I push and push and push until you break.

  “Try again.” My words are an order and Lilith knows this. Her eyes don’t leave mine as veins of black spiral down her cheeks and her fangs flare with a need for hunger.

  She lunges again, this time using the entire force of her body to throw herself forward. I know what she’s trying to do; she assumes the momentum will work to give her an advantage in throwing me off. But it doesn’t, and I shove her back against her throne again while the cuts in her arms begin their slow process of healing. For us, it’s almost instantaneous, for her, it’s a much longer, much more painful journey.

  In the next few moments, while Lilith rests her eyes and focuses on steadying her breath, Thalia hurries in the room after Eisheth summons her. She’s beautiful, and her short, vibrant red hair hangs just across her shoulders. Her olive toned skin gives light to her Latin descent, and her sultry voice has been one of Lilith’s utmost favorite attributes. She is quick to arrive and offer her vein. Thalia has always been one of Lilith’s strongest brides, and easily survives the Bite every time she takes it.

  Because of this however, Thalia feeds us quite often, and helps manage the other girls as Lilith’s health fades. They all have an attachment to Lilith, a special, unique connection that binds them to her. They each had to give themselves willingly, and because of this, Lilith has fallen in love with each of them—both soul and heart.