Mystic Realms: A Limited Edition Collection

by Nicole Morgan

  “Lilith, they’re in the inner court, waiting to perform the mating ceremony.” Excitement darkened Suriel’s voice, a sinister volcano waiting to erupt. Her right-hand advisor stood beside her, just outside the entrance, his monstrous form covered in a cloud of darkness.

  “My Queen, I have alerted the others. They await your command.” Spoken with surety, Suriel’s voice sang of the upcoming victory that Lilith herself anticipated.

  “Thank you, Suriel,” Lilith drew the words out on a long whisper. Like an elusive oasis in the desert, her voice could draw a man to his death. Midnight tresses bounced along her gown, puppetry in motion when she canted her head to stare at her commander. “First, I want to go to the ceremony, take in the festivities.”

  The serpent whispered evil musings in her ear during her walk through the Portal of Nectandebo. She halted at the Inner Court of the Temple Philae and watched.

  “Kill them we must, bathe in their blood.” Ophidian dangled the words, conjuring images pleasing to her eyes.

  Thick drapes of white linen swayed, bringing a fragrant breeze of Egyptian lilies floating through the Temple, a sign of purity and light.

  Lilith’s mouth tilted at the corners. Her eyes glowed with vengeance, while death burned a promise on her lips. They assumed the ceremony would be completed. They will feel my pain ten times over and more. The color from the gems danced across the walls and bathed Lilith in spectrums of reds and blues. Things could have been different. Life did not mean much to her anymore. Anger and hate fueled her body. Lilith only wanted one outcome, one solution to the problem. It would put her mind at ease. Death to everyone who waited inside the room.

  A pregnant hush settled in the room as she entered. The women rose to their feet, their faces tensed, bodies readied for battle. Even in their most delicate of garments, the women were lethal. Nubi, strong and fierce women, the ultimate female assassins, they were injurious to those they called enemy. Lilith bowed, lifting her head slightly in disregard to the goddess, Isis, and her chosen daughters. Sitting on her throne, holding her infant was Heka, goddess of magic and guardian of the sun god, Ra.

  “I mean no disrespect, Heka,” absolute disdain poured off her in waves, “but you’re providing Raphael with a mate?”

  “That’s none of your concern, Lilith.” Heka’s face smooth and free of blemishes sneered, “Why are you here?” Heka placed her small daughter in the arms of an adolescent. Heka’s face was a mask of fury.

  “You’re making a huge mistake by being here.” Heka warned.

  Never a mistake, only intended errors.

  Had she made a mistake in walking in completely unmasked? Possibly. Did she care? It was of no substance to her, the difference between them absolute. Lilith didn’t care if she died. Death to anyone in her path before her time came was considered a win. A smile spread across her face as millions of scenarios played through her head. Each one, she the victor, they the spoils. Yes, they would all see the error of their ways soon enough.

  Heka descended her throne to face Lilith. Her long, white linen skirt flowed around her ankles, her breasts covered only by gold chest plates. Her eyes glowed bright white as she spoke, “You’re angry about Asmodeus. I witnessed what happened, justice was rightly served.”

  “You LIE!” Lilith screamed.

  She took a step toward the couple in the center, directing her anger where it would do the most damage. Raphael, first lieutenant of The Order, wore a white linen cloth nestled between his legs, his chest bare, showcasing hard, lean abs. A black metal collar still locked in place until the ceremony concluded. He would never witness the day he was free.

  “You will die. You have stolen from me, and now I will steal from you, Raphael.” A long elegant arm, stiff with anger, pointed in his direction. She thought to inject him with her poison but that would be child’s play.

  Raphael regarded her with eyes bleeding fury. “Woman, you will bring a war upon us if you choose such a path. I will not allow you to come here and disgrace my mating ceremony.”

  Let war come as long as retribution was served. She’d laugh in their faces if the gods dared try to wage war against her now. She was wronged. This was a sanctioned battle. She had seen to it. The Alliance would not step forth. Certainly not the Justice Demon League, they would agree she’d been wronged.

  Wearing a deadly smile, Lilith walked toward Raphael with outstretched arms and nails steeped with poison. “There will be no mating ceremony, and as far as the Alliance and the JDL are concerned, I don’t imagine they will argue with me in this case.” She took another step.

  “Stop this instant. You have no right to come here.” Seraphina removed her staff from her back, to ward off Lilith and defend her mate. Typical. The other women would not interfere it was Raphael’s mate’s job to stand beside him. The women kept a strict code of honor and would only step in at their sister’s request. Too bad they would never have the opportunity to defend her, or her mate.

  Lilith smelled the fear on Seraphina, energy laced with sweat and hate. It did nothing but feed her fury, moving her closer to her goal. Destroy the Nubi.

  The moment Raphael’s mate cast her staff forward, Lilith’s poison sprayed out. it made a hissing sound, burning its way up her staff, morphing the entire staff into a snake, which twisted its head to face Seraphina. There was no time to react. The moment the staff changed the snake had already sunk its fangs deep into its handler’s hand, releasing the paralytic venom, along with the agonizing pain. Unnatural pain, Lilith tested her own creation out on herself, and understood firsthand what Seraphina experienced. Fire, so hot it boiled the blood from the inside out, slowing the beating of its victim’s heart. It had been worth the pain and paralysis to make sure her poison worked. Suriel watched her for days, and she’d allowed him to torture her endlessly to make sure the effects were painful. Its incapacitated victim felt, every touch, every sensation that could be wrung from a tortured body. Seraphina would experience it all. Raphael stepped forward to aid his mate, but she looked at him with assurance in her eyes. A silent request, telling him she would be all right, even the other woman thought she would fight the poison off.

  Seraphina tried to drop the snake, instead. it wound tighter around her hand until veins bulged and began to restrict the blood flow even further. Her honey-colored eyes morphed into silver, sugary-brown skin changed instantly to onyx black, a stark contrast to her blue and pink gown. Seraphina’s brown curls turned straight and platinum white.

  Lilith was aware she was trying to hold her warrior form, but the bite from the snake was too strong. It had done its job in paralyzing her. Lilith regarded Seraphina’s eyes, perceiving death not far from taking her. A slow smile spread across Lilith’s face. This one would die when the time was right, while her mate watched her being tortured endlessly. Must take years, Lilith thought to herself. Eternity even better for the suffering she’d endured.

  “You murderous bitch! What have you done?” raged Raphael. He reached for his mate to comfort her. His glare venomous, his intent not mistaken, he would try and kill her. The trying part Lilith looked forward to the most.

  “Only a taste, Raphael, she will...feel everything, and bear witness to the destruction of her sisters. Right before I remove their heads from their necks.”

  Seraphina, paralyzed from the snake’s bite, fell lifelessly to the floor as Raphael dropped to his knees, cushioning her. A motion that seemed to take forever. Lilith watched the entire time fascinated. Raphael gently rested his mate’s head in his lap. Agony tangled by hatred poured from his soul, bathing Lilith with a rush of energy so enormously dark she laughed. Seraphina’s mate was still only for a heartbeat before he acted, rising to his feet headed toward Lilith.

  Heka halted him in his tracks. “No, Rafe wait.”

  Heka and the others drew closer, precise movements as the women moved as one. Taking their time to approach in a calculated motion, Lilith threw her head back and cackled harder. Heka and the Nubi form
ed a tight circle around Raphael and Seraphina, as snakes slithered from under Lilith’s flowing gown.

  “You will pay for this, Lilith. For thousands of years we have been at peace, now you would bring war, a war you will not win. You spiteful bitch, your king never loved you. You’re a fool to show yourself here. If she dies, you will suffer beyond your worst possible nightmares. You conceive to disrespect me in my house,” spat Heka.

  Lilith felt the eyes of the Nubi stab her with murderous glares. It was too late for them. She would have her vengeance, and the Nubi would fall to their deaths.

  Heka’s eyes flashed a stunning bright white before she took on the Nubi’s warrior form. Lilith had already sent a mental call to her demons. They came in swarms, filling the inner court. Two massive demons with smoke-black wings and twisted horns swooped in the center of the mating circle.

  Raphael himself changed into his true warrior form. His wings, blacker than the deepest chasm, extended from his back, arched high above his head. Raphael’s canines and nails elongated as his body showed the physical strain of his pain as he let out a horrible battle cry. Massive, lethal, and ready to fight, Raphael attacked two demons. two demons were headed toward a changed Raphael. But before he was able to strike killing blows he and his mate, were swept up into large pus-filled claws. The sound of ripping flesh echoed through the halls as Lilith’s demons carried off their limp bodies. Lilith observed as her two soldiers carried Raphael and Seraphina in their claws away from the ensuing battle.

  Ω Ω Ω

  Bodies of Nubi women lay scattered across the floor. Demons tore and ate at their flesh. Some of the women hung from the claws of flying demons, screaming and pleading for release. They were prodigious beasts with dark red skin and black wings. The sound of their wings alone made the walls shake.

  Lyric’s gaze searched the chaos for her mother and aunt. She found them in the center of the room, ankle deep in the demon parts.

  Lyric saw the hatred etched on Lilith’s face when she’d entered the chamber. It had made her heart beat fiercely in her chest. She’d never seen her up close and in person, always hearing stories of the feared demon queen, who was the mother of all things evil.

  Raphael and Seraphina hung lifelessly by their limbs, strung up by an unseen force as Lyric could not see their bindings. Their heads were bent back, supported by their necks. They were motionless, their breaths shallow. Lyric’s entire body broke out in a cold sweat. Her hands burned like they were on fire. She looked down and noticed her fingers now had claws. Panic-stricken, she’d almost let go of her cousin’s hand. Instead, she clutched the baby closer. She shouldn’t be changing—she hadn’t matured yet. A mature Nubi didn’t have claws either, and why was her body shaking violently? She almost clawed her little cousin out of fear. Lyric’s body hummed with power before she leapt herself and her cousin into the heat of battle. What in the goddess?

  How was she able to leap? Lyric saw her mother’s eyes and heard her intake of breath, amazed—just as Lyric was—that she could even leap. Only fully blooded demons could leap. That was how they showed up and confused their opponents, leaping in and out at supernatural speed. Nubi could never leap. Their only mode of transportation was by normal means or the gates when in the presence of the warriors. Yet somehow, she’d leapt right into the carnage taking place. She looked at her mother and knew something was horribly wrong with her.

  “You whoring bitches. How have you come to have a demon in your midst? Which one of you has stolen a child from me?”

  “She is no child of yours, Lilith!” Lyric watched as her mother stepped over bodies of slain demons, desperately trying to reach her and the baby she held.

  Demons gathered close to Lyric. Saliva dripped from their incisors. Their claws were stained with the blood of her kin. The demons that surrounded Lyric seemed hesitant to touch her. Hate flashed in her eyes, and she stood perfectly still, daring them to come closer.

  “Bring the child to me,” Lilith ordered.

  Her aunt Heka grabbed her by the arm, her heart stumbled.

  “No! Let me help her, please,” Lyric wailed. She struggled frantically against Heka, but her aunt was too strong for her. She cried out in anger, desperately trying to reach her mother. Lyric watched in horror as her mother’s eyes shone bright, seconds before Lilith leapt behind her and removed her head, the only sure way to kill the Nubi. Lyric’s shattering scream echoed through the air, burning fire in her lungs. She suffocated on her own screams as she felt the pull of her aunt. Lyric’s skin changed from beautiful brown to black-red, as her entire body quaked in terror.

  Heka held her steady. “Leap us now, child, leap us into the desert.”

  Chapter One

  Present Day: 21st Century

  Isaiah rammed his shoulder into Azazel’s stomach with a grunt as they collided midair. He tried to bring the bastard down, again, a fight that seemed never-ending and exhausting. Frustration and anger ran vein-deep. Always in pursuit, always one step behind Azazel, barely grazing skin. How many more souls would be taken at the hand of this warrior-turned-Demon? At the sound of a loud crack, pain radiated through every bone in his body. He used the weight of his body and his wings to propel himself forward into a large tree that greeted Azazel’s back. More bones cracked, but it didn’t seem to faze the Demon.

  “Give it up, Isaiah,” the Demon laughed. “You and I both know your efforts are futile; why bother? Come, brother, it was not that long ago we once sat at the same table.”

  “You’re no longer my brother!” The words ripped from his mouth and constricted his heart. This man was his brother; it hurt profoundly that Azazel fell the moment Metatron had decided to take his leave. The Order had then been placed into his keeping. Isaiah was the third to take over; before him was Metatron, and before that, his fallen comrade and brother, Raphael. At one time, they’d fought side by side for the greater good. The Burning Ones, they were called, due to the immense blue flame of energy they used while in the heat of battle. They were of the Warrior class of Angels. It was an honor to be brought into their fold. No longer were his wings white, but black, and at times encased in flames in the heat of battle. Isaiah was no longer just a rage Demon turned Angel, but a warrior Angel of the highest caliber. The pride that had filled him when such an honor was bestowed upon him still had the power to humble him. The Burning Ones were the judge, jury, and executioner throughout the realms. Every faction came to them when wrong had been done. Metatron had taken his leave centuries ago. No one knew of his location or the reasons why he left; only that he said his time had come.

  Azazel’s claws dug into his arms and he bared his fangs, the smell of sulfur strong in Isaiah’s nostrils. He hated the smell of hell and everything it represented. There was a reason his brethren traveled using gates. Travel was faster and because they were of Demon blood, they could leap at any time without consequence. And to travel by gate was more often the safest way to travel, but only on the first two levels. The other ten levels acted as a sort of prison for the worst of Demonkind. The Book of Gates was the reason he was here now. Ultimately, if the Book was not recovered, the gates of hell would break loose. Literally. Red haze blurred his vision and in a powerful burst of strength, he took Azazel down with a battle cry as they plummeted toward the ground. Azazel waited until the last possible moment before they made contact and leaped, leaving Isaiah to hit an object with a gale-wind force. He barely had time to collapse his wings and tuck himself into a tight ball as he connected with a metal object. With a loud crunch, he hit and rolled to come face-to-face with hard, warm earth.

  Isaiah’s body absorbed what the ground had to offer, and at the moment, the only thing he understood was the burning his limbs felt in fucked-up-ville. He’d visited many times before and knew the town well.

  Ω Ω Ω

  I need to get my shit together. I can handle being alone. I’ve always been isolated. What makes this time any different from any other time?

  Da
lila looked up and realized she’d driven to the state park. She’d been driving for hours, reminiscing. How did she not realize coming events? How did she miss the signs? She put the car in park and turned off the ignition. She had always loved to come here and read, but at night, the park had an ominous tickle, like the trees were watching, waiting to reach out and envelop you into their keeping.

  Turning off the lights to her Bug, she rolled the window down to capture the summer breeze. Fireflies flickered yellow, dancing in blackness. The trees stretched over the park, shrouding it from the outside world. The sounds of the bugs and animals almost made her relax. Dalila moved her seat back into a lounging position, the day’s events taxing what little nerve she had left. A roar echoed into the night, causing her to jump into an upright position. The wind in the trees had picked up, causing a whistling sound as it traveled through the branches. What in the world? A loud crash shook the roof of her car, the sound vibrating through her bones. Metal crunched, and her heart pumped furiously in her chest. Dalila looked up at the roof. Thank the Lord she hadn’t been crushed. Something massive dented the ceiling of her car, rolling from the roof to the hood shaking the car on its tires. Dalila froze.

  “What the hell?”

  She’d watched plenty of scary movies, and extras died first. They either ran up the stairs or hid in a closet, rather than head for their only means of escape, which would be the front or back door, providing you perceived where the murderer was. Dalila was unmistakably an extra; no one would ever miss her. She slowed her breathing and made a conscious decision. She was not going to be ‘that person.’ She reached up and turned on the interior car lights to get a better glimpse.

  Dalila sat up cautiously and looked out the window. There was an enormous body lying face down in the dirt. Wasn’t there a second ago. Hesitating for a moment, she reached for the door handle. Should she get out of the car? Of course not, who gets out of the car in the movies? A dead person, that’s who. She already starred in her own horror movie. She didn’t have time to deal with this shit surrounding her now, especially when it involved a body. Dalila barely had time to suppress the event which had led her here to the park. Jared had left her for another woman. Hell, it was high time she started defending herself, starting with the fool who hit the roof of her car.