The Road (The Road to Hell Series, Book 3)

by Brenda K. Davies

  He tore his hands from the wall, causing more rocks and dust to fall around me. He seized my hands on his chest, causing the sparks to increase. “This, this right here is the main reason I didn’t tell you. In the beginning, I had plans to change you. I didn’t tell you them because you had enough to deal with, but I would have told you eventually. Then, you told me that you believe the reason why Lucifer and the other fallen angels became the way they are, is because their connection with all life was severed, and you worried it could happen to you too.

  “I don’t have to feel your bond to the earth, and all living things to believe you about that. What would turning you into a full-blown demon do to you? Do you think your connection to life would survive it? What if it didn’t? Do you think I could handle being the one who turned you into a monster?”

  “You still lied to me!”

  “Not a lie, an omission.” I turned my head away from the lips he brushed over my temple. “How do you think I felt knowing I could be selfish, damn the consequences, and keep you forever? How many days and nights do you think I dreamed of it?”

  “You lied about Hawk!” I cried. “You kept what you suspected about him, from the both of us!”

  “I did, but I did it to keep the both of you protected. I planned to tell Hawk soon.”

  “You should have told me! You’re supposed to be my Chosen—”

  “I am your Chosen.”

  I glowered at him. “Yet, you are once again treating me as if I am lesser than you, and can’t handle these things. I can.”

  “I know you can.”

  “Then why keep it from me?”

  “Because I know I can’t risk doing something that could destroy you! If I had told you about the possibility of transitioning into a demon and you said yes, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from changing you, no matter the consequences. I dream of our children, as beautiful and proud as their mother. I dream of an eternity with you by my side, and I know it cannot be.”

  My anger turned to dust at the anguish behind his admission. “I want those things so badly too,” I whispered.

  My hands fell away from his chest; the sparks faded away. He threaded his fingers through my hair and jerked me closer to him. Pulling my head back, he claimed possession of my mouth with a desperation that rocked me.

  His other hand wrapped around my waist, and he locked me against him. He lifted me up, sliding me over the hard length of his body. The driving, possessive thrusts of his tongue left me breathless and caused my head to spin. My fingers clutched his broad shoulders as I sought some stability in a world consumed by him and the passion he so easily stoked to life within me.

  I should be pushing him away so we could talk about this. Instead, I found myself drawing him closer. I had to feel him, to lose myself to him until I wasn’t sure where I ended and he began.

  Pressing me against the wall, he braced his thigh between my legs and released my waist. As his hands gripped the bottom of my shirt, I wanted to tell him not to rip it, I couldn’t walk around Hell naked, but he broke the kiss and pulled it over my head so fast I barely registered the movement.

  His gaze fell on the swell of my breasts, feasting on them like a starving man at a buffet. A single finger rose to trace over the edge of my simple white bra and the bite mark he’d left on me earlier today. Had that really been today? Or was it yesterday? I didn’t know anymore, and I didn’t care as I breathlessly watched the hunger and sadness playing over his striking features.

  “Never doubt my love, River. You started as the possible key to all of this, but you are my Chosen. I would choose you over all else, even my own life.”

  My breath hitched, and I bit my lower lip as his finger stilled on my skin. His head bent; his breath warmed my chest. I sighed when his tongue swirled over my flesh, lavishing me. His fangs scraped my skin, but he didn’t bite down. I rode his thigh, moaning at the blissful sensation caused by the friction of my body rubbing against his.

  His hands slid around to unclasp my bra and toss it away before he removed his leg from between mine. I bit back a groan at the loss of contact, but he grabbed my waist and spun me around. A shiver raced over my skin when he ran his finger down the length of my spine before trailing it with his tongue.

  “Kobal,” I panted when his palm slid between my thighs to cup me and his finger teased over my aching center through my pants.

  My hips thrust backward demandingly when he took his hand away from where I wanted it most. The rustling of his clothes falling to the floor caused me to try to turn around. I had to see him, to feel him, but before I could, he stepped against me and stopped me by pushing his chest against my back. He maneuvered me closer to the wall until my palms rested against the jagged rocks.

  One of his powerful hands slid up to cup my breasts while the other slipped unbuttoned my pants and pushed them down. He bent to untie my boots and pull them off before I stepped out of my pants and kicked them aside. His roughened palm ran over my stomach as he rose, causing goose bumps to break out across my skin. My legs spread further apart when his fingers slipped between my thighs to cup me again. His chest burned into my back when he molded himself around me. His ragged breath sounded in my ear as he ran his tongue leisurely over it before nipping at my earlobe.

  My hands flattened against the rock when his index finger dipped into me, and he stroked me leisurely back and forth, spreading my wetness with his hand. The hot length of his erection pressed against my lower back as he thrust his fingers within me and jerked me more firmly against him.

  “Kobal!” I gasped when he dipped another finger into me, stretching me in preparation for him.

  His hands were the only things keeping me standing as my entire world became focused on the delicious sensations evoked by his touch. I should still be mad at him, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember why, when right now he was the center of my entire world.

  His other hand continued to fondle my breast, his thumb and forefinger rubbing over my nipple as he rolled it between his fingers. His mouth left a trail of kisses across my shoulder and up to my other ear as he nudged my feet wider. His shaft slid between my legs, teasing as it slipped across my wet flesh.

  “Do you like that?” he inquired as he pulled his hips back and thrust forward again, but he didn’t enter me, didn’t end the torment. “Answer me, River.”

  “Yes!” I cried when he repeated the action.

  Wrapping a hand in my hair, he turned my head to the side until his lips were brushing against mine as he spoke. “Do you want me inside of you?”

  Right then, I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more as the fiery scent of him engulfed me and his powerful body enfolded mine. “Yes.”

  His mouth curved into a smile against my neck. He surged forward again before pulling away from me. “Beg me for it.” This time when he thrust forward, his thumb dipped down to rub against my clit. A firestorm of pleasure rocked me. I arched against him when his hand caressed my breasts. “River,” he growled, and I sensed his unraveling control as he thrust faster between my thighs.

  I could deny him this, and he would still give in to me, still give me what I so desperately craved, but I was helpless to deny him what he asked for. “Please, Kobal,” I begged when he stroked my clit again. “I need you inside of me, now.”

  His hand slid between my legs again, but this time he didn’t tease me as he took hold of his swollen shaft and guided it into me. I groaned at the sensation of his thick member slipping deep within me. He filled me so completely that I could feel him throbbing inside of me.

  He grabbed my waist and withdrew until only his head remained within me before sliding into me again. I pushed back against him hungrily, demanding more with my body as I bent lower to give him better access. His fingers dug into my skin as he pulled out of me before driving in again. There was a savagery about him right now seeking to be calmed, and I could do that for him.

  His sweat-slicked body encased me as he moved fast
er and deeper within me. My head spun as the pleasure only his body could give me, swamped me. Releasing me with one of his hands, he slid it between my thighs to fondle my clit again as he continued to drive fiercely into me.

  “Come for me, Mah Kush-la,” he commanded.

  Again, I was helpless to do anything but obey him as my body fractured apart beneath his expert fingers and pummeling hips. My legs gave out, but his hold on me he kept me standing. I felt no trepidation when his hand caged my throat, and he pulled my head back. His tongue swirled over my flesh before he sank his fangs into my shoulder.

  Another orgasm rocked me as he continued to drive relentlessly between my thighs while leaving his mark on my body. My muscles clenched around his swollen length, gripping him within me. He threw his head back and bellowed in ecstasy before abruptly pulling out of me.

  The heated pulse of his semen against my back branded me further when he found his release. His fangs retracted from my body, and his head fell into the hollow of my neck.

  I was still trying to catch my breath when he pulled me away from the wall and walked me over to a rock at the edge of the cavern. “Not done with you,” he grated against my shoulder.

  Spinning me around, he sat on the rock and stretched his legs out before him as he settled me on his lap. His golden eyes held mine while he slid me slowly onto the hard length of him once more.

  CHAPTER 23

  Kobal

  My gaze ran over River lying on top of me. Her hand was tucked beneath her head on my chest as she slept. I’d marked her hard and taken her repeatedly. My bites were unmistakable upon her neck, shoulders, breasts, and thighs.

  My hands rested on her back when she stirred but didn’t wake. I’d been too rough on her. She’d been exhausted when she’d fallen asleep, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself. She had to understand how vital she was to my existence. And I had caused her to doubt that knowledge. She’d given herself to me, she lay within my arms again, but I sensed the damage lingering within her.

  Her mother had betrayed her, and in her mind, so had I to some degree. It didn’t matter that her mother was a despicable bitch I’d gladly remove from the earth and that I’d been trying to protect her. It had been a betrayal.

  “Kobal,” River murmured. Her lashes fluttered against my skin and her eyes danced behind her closed lids as she dreamt. I rested my hands on the small of her back, pulling her closer. My touch didn’t settle her as it usually did; she whimpered in her sleep.

  “River,” I whispered, brushing the hair back from her delicate features. Her nails dug into my chest, tearing into my skin as she continued to whimper. “Wake up,” I coaxed while running my finger over her cheek.

  She settled for a minute; then her eyes flew open and she bolted upright so fast she tore free of my grasp. Too tired to have gotten dressed again, she was completely naked as she launched to her feet. Midnight blue sparks blazed to life so brightly on her fingertips that I blinked against their brilliance. Her head tipped back, and her mouth parted as she gazed at the ceiling.

  “The angels,” she murmured before collapsing.

  “River!” I bellowed. I leapt forward, catching her in my arms before she hit the ground. “River! Wake up, Mah Kush-la, you must wake now.”

  My heart hammered in my chest, and my throat went completely dry as I lightly slapped at her abnormally pale cheeks to get her to wake. She remained unmoving in my arms, her breath coming in shallow pants, and her pulse racing.

  The door at the other end of the room flung open. “What’s going on?” Corson demanded as he ran into the chamber with his talons extended and his head swinging back and forth as he searched for a threat.

  I snagged the fur we’d been lying on from the floor and threw it over River as I spun her away from the curious eyes of everyone who entered. I had no care for my nudity, but I would never allow them to see her.

  I backed away from them with her. “I don’t know.”

  Corson’s talons retracted when he realized there was no enemy within. The others stopped approaching when I bared my fangs at them.

  “Did you hurt her?” Hawk demanded.

  “Of course not,” I snarled at him.

  He stared doubtfully between the two of us before he took another cautious step forward. Corson’s hand shot out to hold him back. “What happened?” Corson inquired.

  I kept my body in between River and them as I told them what had occurred.

  “What does that mean?” Bale inquired.

  “I have no idea,” I admitted as I stroked River’s cheek again. Panic clawed at my insides as I willed her to open her eyes.

  She showed some reaction when she turned into my touch and murmured something unintelligible before settling down again. “Has anything like that ever happened before?” Magnus inquired, his silver eyes focused on her limp form.

  “No,” I replied, turning her further away from him. She may be fully covered, but I didn’t want anyone near her while she was in such a vulnerable state.

  He stepped away from the warning look I shot him and held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. I cradled River closer against me, bending to kiss her forehead as she remained unmoving. So frail in her mortality, yet so powerful and growing stronger every day.

  I gazed down at her, taking in the sweeping black lashes lying against her skin and the lovely features I knew so well. My finger traced the scar in her eyebrow. Her lashes fluttered open, her amethyst eyes burned into mine as she gazed at me.

  “You’re awake,” I murmured.

  She smiled at me, but when Corson and Hawk took a step forward, her eyes darted toward everyone else. “Why is everyone in here?” she whispered.

  “You don’t remember what happened?” She shook her head, and I proceeded to fill her in on the details of what she’d done.

  Her brow furrowed as she stared at the rocks overhead. “I don’t remember doing that. Why would I say that?”

  “Maybe the angels have finally decided to get in the game too and join our side,” Hawk suggested.

  “The only angels who have left heaven were the ones who were cast out. They definitely aren’t on our side,” Bale said.

  “Can’t the ones who are still up there cut off their wings and fall or something?” Hawk asked. “Isn’t that some kind of legend?”

  “Exactly, it’s a legend,” Bale replied. “They can remove their wings, but it’s excruciating for them to do so, and they grow back just as Lucifer’s and his brethren’s have. Except their wings grew back different and more malevolent looking than what they’d been before.”

  “I saw how hideous Azote’s were,” Hawk said.

  “Heaven is a closed portal, just like Hell was before the humans ripped it open. Kobal can open a gateway between Hell and Earth, and his ancestors used to do so for some demons, but whoever controls the gates for Heaven only opens them to toss out the trash.”

  “Is it God?” Hawk inquired.

  Bale shrugged. “If that’s what you prefer to call the controller, then yes, it’s God.”

  “Can the angels survive on Earth?” Hawk asked.

  “Before, they could survive, but they were no longer immortal. They were far easier to kill and would have eventually died, the same with demons who entered Earth and didn’t return to Hell,” Corson said. “Now, with the unnatural gateway to Hell opened, we are able to maintain our immortality while on Earth. The angels still floating above might be able to do the same, but we have no way of knowing for sure. The only angels we’ve ever met are the pricks in Hell with us. They’re so different than what they once were that they most likely can retain their immortality on Earth too.”

  “Maybe God or whoever has decided to step up to the plate and help end Lucifer,” Hawk suggested.

  “Don’t count on that, kid,” Magnus said. “You’re looking at Lucifer’s daughter. He started the rebellion in Heaven, and from what we’ve heard, many angels were slaughtered before they were able to toss him and their
other brothers and sisters out. They’re not exactly going to be falling over themselves to help his daughter, the king of Hell’s Chosen.”

  “So you’re saying we can expect no help from the angels and Lucifer is going to keep breaking seals until there is no shot of us defeating him. What can we possibly do to stop him that you demons haven’t tried in the past six thousand years?” Hawk demanded.

  “Ah, young sir, the answer is lying in his arms right now.” Magnus flicked his fingers at River, who scowled at him. “She’s the only thing we’ve never tried. The only hope we have against the fallen angels, because on a basic, cellular level, she is similar to them, and by drawing on life, she can wield the one weapon all the fallen angels have lost.”

  “Maybe, because of her, things are different with the angels now and they’re trying to help,” Hawk said.

  “I feel no different,” River said slowly. “I feel no stirring in the world or universe that means the angels have come forth, but perhaps I wouldn’t beneath all this stone. Or perhaps I simply can’t feel anything to do with them. Or maybe it was just a dream.”

  “Dreams are sometimes fickle things,” Magnus said.

  “Do you still feel a solid connection to life?” I demanded. No matter what, we could not risk that connection being broken.

  River lifted her hand and brushed her fingers over my jaw. “I do,” she replied. “It is different here, as it was by the gateway, and it takes me a little longer to draw on it, but I am already getting better at it. There is more life here than I would have thought, and it is similar to what is above.

  “I’m not sure if Earth’s flow of life is spreading down from above because the gateway is open, or if I am somehow able to latch onto that life and draw it down from above. Maybe because Heaven, Hell, and Earth were all once so closely connected, the life flow has always been here. Different, but here.”

  “That could be possible as we have always been able to look on your world, and humans were able to glimpse parts of ours,” I said and kissed the fingers she rested briefly against my lips. “Are you sure it is not affecting you badly?”