by Janelle Peel
Her nose wrinkled, “He altered his appearance? Weird. Okay, but this is where I get hung up. He shot fire at you, right?”
Irritated about the direction we were headed, I grouched, “I was safe behind the ward, Nat.”
“Did he know that?”
Hmm… Probably not. Deciding to change the subject, I asked, “What happened with Kane?”
Spreading her arms wide, she muttered, “Nothing.”
Incredulous, I pressed, “What do you mean?”
“I was in the process of telling him I’d made a decision when the ward tore away a chunk of my magic.” Rubbing her chest for emphasis, she added, “That shit hurt.”
Fingering the cover, I nodded in sympathy, “When do you think you’ll let him know?”
She sighed, “Who knows. There’s always something getting in the way.”
I guffawed, “No. You got in your own way this past year, as I recall.” Her face fell and I instantly regretted my words, “I’m sorry, Nat. Really. That was mean.”
Tipping her head in acknowledgment, she tapped the table, “We’d better get started.”
Viv
Colima Volcano, Mexico
The ground bucked as I dropped to my knees. Gripping the rim, I shouted, “Damnit, guys! Get your asses out of there, now!”
My voice echoed from the cavern below; morphing the words into a twisted repeat.
“Jackson? Mel?”
Cracks formed along the interior walls. Surely, they would collapse at any moment. I shouldn’t have let them go! Stupid! Stupid!
Plucking a rope from my pack, I lassoed a nearby rock. Throwing a quick prayer to the Goddess, I tugged on the harness and repelled down after them.
Slate shone from the rocks, lit by the lone lamp wrapped around my skull. A blast of heat rushed past my dangling form; burning my nose as I inhaled for their scents.
Grasping Mel’s paracord, I gave it a quick jerk.
Slack, it slapped against the wall.
My thoughts spiraled. Had it broken? Where the hell was Jackson? Tightening the carabiner, I braced my legs and frantically reeled in the cord.
The moments seemed to stretch on for an eternity as I reached the end of his line. Completely straight, no frays marked its mesh edge.
It’d been cut.
Terror rooted me to the spot. No, no, no! An anguished whimper escaped my lips before it turned into a scream of despair, “JACKSON!”
“Vivian…” he called, bouncing from everywhere at once.
Hope unfroze my limbs, “I’m on my way! Hold on!”
A growl sounded, “No! Do not come any further. I’m coming up!”
Fuck that. Loosening the rope, I continued my descent.
Light shone below as it zigzagged across the uneven surfaces with dizzying speed.
I hesitated, “Jackson?”
“Back, Viv! Now! They’re coming!”
His tone raised goosebumps along my spine. He was afraid. What would a millennia old Vampire have to fear?
The sound of hissing met my ears followed by the scrabble of claws.
Between one blink and the next, Jackson arrived at my side. Taking my cord in one hand, he tossed me over his back, “Hold on! This is going to be tight!”
Slung over his shoulder, my lamp lit the scene below and I gasped.
Hundreds of shapes squealed; baring sharply pointed yellow teeth as the beam touched upon their leathery forms.
Jackson gripped the rim as one figure rose above the rest on the outcropping below. Its dark wings flared. Ruby colored eyes the size of golf balls met mine, “Ssssoooonnn.”
Pulling us over the edge, Jackson dropped us to the ground.
Deep grooves lacerated one side of his face from his temple to his neck. The black tee he wore had definitely seen better days as it hung in tatters from his large frame.
My mouth gaped in confusion at the amount of damage his body sustained. Reaching out, I touched his hand, “Are you all right?”
“Fine,” he bit out.
Slowly, the wounds began to close. A green substance dribbled from his chin as he sat up. Reaching for my pack, he began searching through its contents, “Where’s your phone?”
Thinning my lips, I shook my head, “No. Not until you tell me what the fuck happened. Where is Mel, and what the hell were those things?”
His face turned glacial, “Mel is gone. I need to call Blaze.”
He was pissed. Biting my tongue, I unzipped the thigh pocket of my fatigues and handed him the device in question.
Tearing off his shirt, he took my cell.
More gunk ran down the planes of his chest. As it hit the soot beside us, it sizzled.
“Don’t touch it,” he rumbled, following my gaze. “It’s acid. I don’t know what it will do to one so young.” Thumbing the screen to life, he called Blaze, “We have a problem.”
Lillin
Standing in the throne room, I perused the matted fur of the unconscious Wolf sprawled across the polished floor. Big as a horse, he wheezed a battered breath.
Flexing one fist, my father stood, “I have no time for excuses, Samnu.”
Samnu cowered on the floor in supplication, “Please, my Liege. It will not happen again. I swear it!”
His midnight eyes glowed with a scarlet hue, “Due to your negligence, the entire world will soon know of the Fracture. You have failed me for the last time.” He boomed, “Rimmon!”
Shaking my head at the groveling Demon, I watched Rimmon silently move forward.
Wearing a black robe with the hood up, nothing pierced the darkness within. Bowing low, he whispered, “Yes, my Lord.”
“Take him to the pit.”
Samnu wailed, “No, please. Mercy, Lucian! Please! Mercy!”
The ground shook as the ruler of Hell took a single step forward. The tips of his leathery wings brushed the ceiling above; scraping across the stalagmites with a loud screech. Lengthening his claws, he gripped Samnu in a move too quick to follow. Dragging his body from the floor, he hissed, “Such insolence.”
Samnu kicked his clawed feet from the thirty foot height. Dangling, he whimpered a cry of terror.
Like one would flick a fly, Lucian sent him tumbling across the room.
His wings crumpled on impact as he hit the wall with a wet crack.
No one moved, not even to breathe.
Pushing off the pillar, my hips swayed provocatively as I approached his knee, “Father? Might I have the Wolf? It’s been too long since I’ve had a pet.”
His deep chuckle rent the silence with the sound of cracking boulders. Roughly, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me to his level. The ruby haze coloring his iris retreated.
Wrapping one small hand around his knuckle, I purred, “Please, Father?”
The corner of his lip rose to reveal multiple rows of pointy teeth, “As you wish, Lillin.” Turning his head, he jerked the tip of one horn at Rimmon, “Dispose of Samnu, and take the Wolf to her room. Collar him. Stand guard until she arrives. I have unfinished business with my Daughter.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The room emptied as my stomach churned in horror. Quality time never ended without at least one broken bone.
Feigning happiness, I smiled in appreciation.
As the doors slammed closed, I retreated further inside my mind.
One day very soon, I would find a way to kill him.
Blaze
The phone creaked, “What do you mean he’s gone?”
Jackson answered, “Exactly as I said. We came to explore the source of the anomaly. Cooper gave the go ahead, so Mel and I repelled into the volcano while he was busy at the hotel researching the seismic activity. One second Mel was beside me, Blaze, the next he was gone. I heard his screams…” he paused. “I followed him down. The walls seemed to move…”
Not understanding his brother’s words, he rumbled, “What do you mean? You’re not making any sense, Jackson.”
“I know. There w
as this strange hissing. I can’t explain it, but I wasn’t alone down there. The deeper I went, the louder it became. Something sharp lashed out at me, and damned near took my eye. The wound fucking burned, Blaze. Like it was eating away at my face.” His voice moved away from the speaker, “Turn left here, Viv.”
Shitkickers thumping across the carpet, his thoughts spun. What had the balls to attack a Vampire?
“Anyway, the ground began shaking. Viv started screaming from the rim, and I couldn’t find Mel. Something tackled me from behind. I couldn’t see it, Blaze. The darkness down there was absolute. I only caught glimpses of whatever it was with my headlamp.”
Viv muttered in the background, “I saw them.”
Gritting his teeth, he braced his forearms on the bar, “Put her on, Jackson.”
A moment later, her voice sounded on the line, “Blaze?”
“I’m here,” he growled.
“Okay. Well, I went down after them. Mel’s paracord had been cut. Jackson’s right. There was this weird scrabbling. He shouted for me to go back up, but I waited. He flashed beside me and slung my body over his shoulder,” she sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s when I saw them.”
Irritated at the situation, he bit out, “What? Saw what?”
She hesitated, “This is going to sound crazy, Blaze. But… I think I saw, Demons.”
He laughed, “You’re joking, right? You and Jackson are pulling one over on me, aren’t you? Sora’s going to-”
She screamed into his ear, “I’m dead fucking serious! A massive wave of Demons! One stood out above the rest. Its skin was made of leather and it had wings. Wings! Like a giant goddammed bat! It looked right at me with its creepy red eyes and hissed the word, soon.”
Quietly, he digested her words. Demons? In Mexico? It couldn’t be.
She interrupted his thoughts, “We’re at the hotel. I’m going to talk to Cooper. We need a plan to get Mel back.”
He shook his head, “Do not go back there without speaking to me, first. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Dad,” she snarked, disconnecting the call.
Lillin
Holding my head high, I feigned confidence through the halls. Blood trailed in my wake; glistening on the floor in the shape of my footprints. A minimum of three cracked ribs and a multitude of contusions. It seemed my father had gone easy on me. His love of whips and chains would mar my body for weeks if I didn’t catch a meal soon.
A lesser Demon hungrily gawked as he took in my battered frame. His gaze lit with an orange hue. Tracking my progress, he jeered, “Princessss. Do you require assisssstanccce?”
Smirking at the fool, I allowed a bit of weakness to leak into my step.
Gleefully, he eyed the liquid dripping down my cheek.
Lifting a hand in invitation, I tilted my head to the side.
Eagerly obliging, his chest met my open palm.
Slowly, I slid my hand down his scaly skin and palmed his girth. Leaning closer, his fetid breath nearly initiated my gag reflex. Continuing the charade, I let his forked tongue lap at the ruby line trickling down my throat.
He groaned in delight while hardening to enormous proportions inside my grip. Engrossed in his task, he failed to notice the slow drain that begun the moment he touched my skin. As a half succubus, my power stemmed from stealing the energy of anyone I made contact with. His ingestion of my blood made the draw two fold. He couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.
Warmth radiated from my chest as the broken bones knit back together. The abrasion on my scalp closed; eliciting a disgruntled whine from my donor. Closing the connection to a trickle, his life force left a foul tang on my tongue.
Dizzy with the loss, he swayed.
A little bit more, I promised myself.
The last time I completely drained one of father’s pawns, he was furious. I was thirteen, and he was the only one immune to my draw. He’d nearly torn me in two as he raped me for days. Eventually, he grew bored and locked me inside my room. Bedridden, I couldn’t even wash his stench from my body.
It was the longest week of my life.
That was the first time I learned to control my hunger. Fear was a fabulous motivator.
Releasing my hold, the lesser slid to the floor with a satisfied smile.
Double checking the rise and fall of his chest, I continued down the dim corridor.
Chapter 4
Mel
He came to in a dark room on a plush bed.
The last thing he remembered was the volcano. Something grabbed him…
Reaching into the depths of his mind, he called, Wolf?
Nothing but silence answered him.
Panicked, he sat up with a jerk. Wolf?
No response.
Frantically, he delved deeper; searching for his other soul.
A soft scuff snapped him back to the present. He would have to find his other half later. Inhaling, he identified the scents of sulfur and something sweet.
Where the hell was he?
“Are you awake?” A feminine voice asked.
His eyes fruitlessly searched for her location.
“Do you require light?”
Never before had he seen such absolute darkness. Even Shifters required a small amount of illumination to see. Taking a calming breath, he grudgingly answered, “Yes.”
A candle lit; stinging his dilated pupils with its small flame. Blinking back tears, the first look of his captor was one of shock.
Stained brown with a spatter of dried blood, bruises littered the high planes of her cheekbones. Interspersed with scarlet highlights, jet black hair fell from her crown. Wearing a cloth of midnight, large rips revealed her abused skin.
Widening her aqua orbs in surprise, she questioned, “Does it hurt?”
His face scrunched in confusion.
Flaring her pert nose, she waved a delicate hand near the graceful line of her throat, “The collar.”
Hesitantly, he gripped his neck. Smooth metal met his seeking fingers. Warm to the touch, he sought the clasp.
Jerking her head in disapproval, she sighed, “Pawing at it will only cause the band to constrict.”
Hooking his fingers on the edge, he pulled. The surface softened. Yes! Near instantly, it heated. Liquid fire scorched his hide. He struggled for air as it reformed tighter than before.
“Shh,” she soothed. “Let it go. Relax.”
Left with no other choice, he removed his hands. Holding his breath, the metal slowly resettled. Gasping in relief, he met her gaze with a growl, “Who are you? Why have you taken me?”
“I am Lillin, Daughter of Lucian.” Moving from the stone wall, she glided toward him, “You stumbled upon the Fracture.” Perching on the edge of the mattress, one slim brow rose, “What’s the last thing you remember?”
His thoughts rolled as he examined their surroundings. Similar to a cave, slate rock covered every surface. Crude furniture filled out the small space, giving the room a cell like appearance. The only thing missing was a barred doorway.
Lillin? Lucian? Who the hell were these people? Ignoring her question, he rumbled, “What of my companions?”
She shrugged, “What’s your name?”
“Mel. Now tell me, where are Viv and Jackson?”
Without answering, she stood. Her steps made wet slaps on the ground as she made her way to a round table.
The damage to her back was far worse than her face. Raised angry marks marked her alabaster skin. Purple bumps shone along the ridges of her spine. As he watched, she pulled the cord holding up her tattered gown. It dropped to the floor with a whisper.
Stunned, he stared at her nude state. Blood pooled from the inside of her thighs and dripped down the length of her long legs.
Chest pinching in commiseration, he averted his gaze, “What happened to you?”
Barking a quick laugh, she grabbed a cloth, “My Father.” Dipping it into a basin, she methodically began wiping down her body.
Bewildered by her nonc
halance, he pressed, “What? Your Father beat you? What kind of Father is that?”
Turning, her irises darkened, “The Ruler of Hell.”
Viv
Pacing the short length of our Spanish style room, I shouted, “What are we supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for him to come back? Mel could be dead! We need to go back now!”
Sora’s voice held a tiny quality through the laptop’s speakers, “You wait. Cooper will arrive in Seattle in a few short hours. Give him time to fill Daisy in, and search the Archives.”
“Fucking DEMONS, Sora!”
She nodded, “I know.”
Tugging at the ends of my short pink hair in frustration, I sputtered, “You knew they existed, and you never told me?”
Her brow furrowed, “No. Well, kind of?” Rolling one shoulder, she continued, “I knew of them, but not whether they were still around. No one’s heard from them in ages. Shit, Viv. It’s the same with Vampires. They’ve always been there, but I’d never seen one until Von and Jake arrived on my porch.”
My breath caught at the mention of Jake. His death had taken a toll on all of us.
The fight drained from my body, “So, we wait. How are Sasha and Allie doing with Sweet Fangs? The beach bums aren’t giving them any trouble, are they?”
She laughed, “No. As a matter of fact, your business is booming. They’ve hired on two extra people to cashier while they work the froyo machines.”
Grinning, I imagined their skimpy little outfits. At least they were doing well. Sobering, I asked, “Are you coming down?”
“No. I’m staying here to maintain the ward. Bex and Blaze are heading your way. We’ve had a Fire Fae sniffing around, Viv. I can’t leave our home unprotected.”
Fear lit through me, “Lila? Is everyone okay? What happened?”
“We’re fine. Bex encountered him last night. She says he didn’t seem hostile, but we’re taking extra precautions. Kane and his Pack are also here.”
