by Cara Wylde
The hellhound threw Sophie a confused look, then answered her with another bark. Sophie thought Irvene would launch herself at her again, but the hound turned to the right side of the chalet and started walking in that direction. She stopped after a few steps and looked back to see if Sophie was following or not. Seeing her new mistress hadn’t budged, Irvene barked again.
“Are you trying to show me something?” Another impatient bark, and Sophie knew she had to do whatever the hound wanted before the barking alerted anyone. She was pretty sure no one could hear Irvene from the mansion, but Casimir’s guests did go out for long strolls in the woods. “All right, all right, I’m coming. Just keep it down.”
Irvene led her to the back of the chalet, where Casimir had never took her before. The hound stopped in front of the wooden door of a cellar which seemed to had been built deep inside the mountain. Sophie had read about such cellars, but had never seen one. They were used to deposit wine and other strong beverages in bottles and barrels, at a certain humidity and temperature carefully controlled by the way the cellar rooms were carved in stone. For some reason, Sophie doubted what Casimir had stored there were bottles of wine. She reached for the door and was surprised to see it wasn’t locked.
“Well, this is unexpected,” she told Irvene. “He really trusts you, doesn’t he?” The hound growled and Sophie chuckled at the idea that she was talking to a dog. A big, ugly, dangerous dog with two faces, silver fur, and red eyes. She pulled the door open and stepped inside. Irvene followed her, and Sophie had to admit she felt safer this way. The shaman had bonded the hellhound to her, so she knew Irvene would do anything to keep her safe now. The thought warmed her heart and helped her breathe easier even in the darkness of the cellar.
She studied the stone steps that led deep underground and noticed there was some light coming out of a long tunnel whose entrance she could barely guess from where she was standing. “Irvene, come here.” She placed one hand on the hound’s back, then closed the door behind her. She was glad to see it wasn’t so dark that she would risk stumbling down the stairs, but the feel of Irvene’s soft fur and taut muscles underneath her palm reassured her. As if the hound had read her thoughts, it proceeded to guide her down the steps. When they reached the tunnel, Sophie grabbed one of the torches on the wall and motioned for Irvene to lead the way deeper into the mountain.
Soon, Sophie found herself walking between two rows of small, dark cells. She wasn’t surprised in the least when young men and women started calling for her from behind the bars, their hands reaching in an attempt to grab at her dress.
“Miss, please… Have mercy…”
“Don’t leave us here.”
“Miss, I’m begging you…”
“I didn’t do anything…”
“I don’t deserve this, miss. Please…”
Irvene bared her fangs at them, and they pulled back one by one.
“Oh. My. God.” It wasn’t as if she hadn’t expected this, but the display still shook her to the core. “So many…” She made a point not to answer their pleas. It was better to let them believe she was just another demon, than risk one of them outing her to Casimir, Berith, or whomever came to bring their meals. Even though they were poorly dressed and dirty, Sophie could see they were being well fed, and they all had thick blankets to keep them warm in their cold, damp cells. Of course Casimir would make sure they were strong and healthy. Nothing could compare to the energy and aura of a young, healthy human who still had hope of getting out of there alive. And the Count had at least two dozen of them, ripe for his demon guests to feast on when the time came. “Four days… We have four more days to free all these people,” Sophie whispered under her breath.
Just as she reached the end of the tunnel and was getting ready to turn around and leave the horrible cellar, a young man threw himself against the bars of his cell and startled her. Her heart jumped in her chest, but she was present enough to stop Irvene when her fangs flew to the man’s extended arm.
“Down, girl. Down.”
“Miss, please… I’ll give you this if you get me out of here. Take it. Please, take it.”
He was pushing something in her face, but she couldn’t tell what the thing was. It looked like a small bottle. It glowed white and blue in the eerie light of her torch, and without thinking twice, Sophie grabbed the man’s wrist to keep it steady.
“What do you have here?”
At a closer inspection, it seemed that the bottle held two types of liquids inside, one white and one blue, which never merged. They were like water and oil, except way prettier.
“I don’t know, but I swear it’s something antique and precious. It has to be. Look at how nice it glows in the light, miss. It must be something expensive. You could get a fortune for it. That’s what I wanted to do once the Count sent me to a big city after the Spring Celebration: sell it. Please take it. It’s all I have.”
Sophie let go of his wrist and moved the torch in front of the cell to get a better look at the prisoner. She already knew what the small, sparkly bottle was: the shaman’s lost phial of dead water and living water. The man couldn’t have been older than 19. He was tall and well-built, with shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was rather handsome, even in the dirty rags he was wearing.
“What’s your name?”
“Petro, Miss.”
“And where did you get this, Petro?”
“I… I didn’t steal it, I swear.” He pulled back, squeezing the phial in his trembling fist. “It was there.”
“Where?”
“A cave near my village. I like to go exploring, and this cave is really deep. One day, I came across a new gallery and there was this statue of an old man. The bottle was around the statue’s neck. It looked old and valuable, so I took it.”
“A statue?” Sophie couldn’t believe her ears. “A statue of an old man… That’s odd. What did he look like?”
“I… I don’t know what you mean. It was just a statue. White, probably made of stone. It was very realistic, though. Incredible craftsmanship. The man was sitting with his back straight and his legs crossed like… like this.” Petro sat down on the cold floor to show her the exact position of the statue he claimed to have found.
“In the lotus position,” said Sophie.
“I don’t know what it’s called, Miss. I just know what I saw.”
Sophie studied the man on the floor, with his legs clumsily tucked underneath him, and she knew he wasn’t lying. Tengu had said the shaman was in a deep trance when the phial was stolen for him. Maybe that was what a wizard who had been meditating for 100 years ended up like: a statue.
“All right, Petro. Have you showed that to anyone else besides me?”
“No, Miss, just you. I can tell the other… creatures… that come down here don’t want to release us.” He spat the word “creatures” as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. “But you are different, Miss, I can tell. You have a kind heart.”
Sophie closed her eyes for a second and contemplated her options. She knew all the other prisoners had heard their conversation because the cellar had grown awfully quiet the moment they had heard her voice. She would have loved to tell all of them she was here to help, and all they had to do was keep their mouths shut and hang in there for four more days, but it would have been too risky. She couldn’t tell that to Petro either.
“I’m sorry, Petro, I don’t need that. And even if I did, I would simply take it from you.”
“No.” The man shook his head. “No! I don’t believe you! You’re not like the others. You’re kind and caring, I can feel it. Please help me, Miss. Help us.”
Sophie forced herself to laugh in his face, but it came out strained and fake. “I don’t know what makes you think that.”
Petro stood up and pressed his whole body against the bars. “All right, all right. Maybe you’re afraid, just like me. You know what? I don’t care what happens to me anymore. I’m a dead man, I know that. But tell me one thi
ng. Just one thing. Is Leila at the Count’s mansion? She’s not here, in these dungeons, but I know she wanted to apply for a job. Is she there?”
“Leila…?” A chill ran up her spine, and it wasn’t because of the cold and humidity down there.
“She’s the priest’s daughter. Tall, long brown hair, lovely green eyes… we were supposed to get married. If you know her, if you’ve seen her around… Please make sure she’s okay. Please help her escape. Please…”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Petro didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t insist. Instead, he pushed harder against the iron bars. His face looked so squished that Sophie was afraid he might slip his whole head between two bars if he pushed hard enough.
“The Count will be here any minute now. He always visits us after lunch. I don’t know why… Maybe he simply takes pleasure in seeing us all trapped in here, helpless. I don’t know who you are, Miss, but you’re not one of those creatures. You’re not like him. You have to go now.”
Blood rose to Sophie’s head, and her heart started beating faster. She couldn’t understand how Petro could tell she was not a demon. She did have her shield down and her demon sigil hidden deep underneath her skin, but still. A human should have never been able to tell the difference. She threw one last glance at the phial in his hand, then turned around and motioned for Irvene to lead the way.
“Don’t worry, Miss! I’ll keep it for you!”
The echo of Petro’s voice followed her down the tunnel and up the stone stairs of the cellar.
♥
Leila showed her to Alexi’s room and made sure the corridor was empty. No one saw Sophie enter the guest house, and she hoped with all her heart it would be just as easy for her to sneak out unseen. Indeed, the Count had gone to the chalet and taken his assistant with him. She didn’t have much time, but it was enough. She needed to see Alexi and Kain, she needed to recharge her energy and regain some control over her senses, otherwise she might give herself away before they even had a chance to save all those people. She knocked on the door and fell into Kain’s arms the moment the blond opened it.
“Sophie, what are you doing here?”
“You’re asking me? I thought you two had separate rooms.”
The blond smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Alexi came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his hips. “Are you insane? Why didn’t you send Leila with a message?”
Sophie’s eyes gleamed with desire when she saw Alexi’s luscious skin and tight muscles. She pulled out of Kain’s arms and went straight to the Russian, her hands immediately reaching for his strong chest and shoulders. She moaned at how good his body felt under her fingertips.
“I had to see you. Both of you. Why do you think I asked you to meet me in the greenhouse the other night? I could have sent Leila with the stuff for the shaman.”
Alexi looked deep into her eyes and saw how tired and sad she was. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “Sophie, are you okay?” He had been so absorbed by his own problems that he had completely ignored her that night. A pang of guilt stabbed at his heart, and he hid his face in her hair, inhaling the fresh scent of her shampoo, and kissed her ear tenderly.
“No, I’m not okay. I’m so drained that every time Casimir is around I just black out. I can’t remember half of what we talk about, and I often come back to my senses and realize I’m either at his chalet or in the garden, but I have no idea how I ended up there. He’s feeding off my energy, Alexi. He’s constantly saying how he’s saving me for the Spring Celebration, but then he can’t help it and promises he’ll take just a little bit. Just a taste. Every time he does that, I pass out for hours.”
Kain strolled towards them, anger shining in his pale blue eyes. “That bastard!” He stopped behind Sophie, his arms resting on her ample hips while his lips sought her other ear. “He’ll pay for this. They all will.”
Sophie leaned back into the blond’s embrace, sighing at the intoxicating sensation of finally being held by the two men she loved so much. “Yes, yes they will,” she said between moans. Alexi had started kissing down her neck, and Kain’s fingers were fumbling with her corset. “It’s almost over, but I’m so weak… I need you. If I want to remember what the Count tells me when he’s with me, then I need more energy. Who knows? Maybe we can use that information.”
“Shh… we’re here for you,” whispered Alexi.
“We don’t have much time.” Sophie undid his towel and threw it on the bed. She fell to her knees and took his hard cock into her mouth. She would have loved to tease him and stroke him slowly, but she couldn’t afford that luxury now. She started sucking him hard and fast, eager to have him in her pussy rather than in her mouth.
Kain got rid of his own clothes before sinking to his knees behind Sophie. They couldn’t risk getting caught, so there was no time for foreplay. He knew that what she needed right now was to be taken firmly and quickly. The moment she pulled up her shield and let her cambion aura fill the air, he and Alexi did the same. They weren’t two demons and one human anymore, they were three cambions whose energies danced together, mingled, and enveloped them into a sweet bubble of lust and love.
When the blond pulled at the last string of her corset, Sophie’s breasts popped out and she released a sigh of relief. It was so nice to feel so free again. He pushed her long skirt over her hips and his hand found her wet cleft. His cock twitched when he realized she wasn’t wearing panties. He would have loved to sink his face between her thighs, but the position didn’t allow it. Instead, her pushed his index finger inside her hot cavern and felt her walls clench around it.
Sophie pulled away to take a break and admire her handy work. Alexi’s cock was nice and thick, the head pink and engorged. She looked up into his eyes. “I want you to fuck me first.”
“As you wish, sweetie.”
“On the table.”
She stood up and Kain followed her lead. He wouldn’t have a taste of her delicious pussy today, but he would definitely take advantage of those big, heavy breasts which bounced so sinfully out of her undone corset. Sophie went to the table and hopped up on it, completely ignoring the cup which rolled down to the floor and broke into pieces. She spread her legs wide and motioned for Alexi to step closer. She couldn’t take her eyes off his gorgeous cock, and her walls throbbed at the thought that it would soon be buried deep inside her. Kain stepped behind her, his hands immediately grabbing her breasts. His wicked fingers pinched her nipples, making Sophie squirm and moan.
“Oh yes… please…”
“You’re so wet…” Alexi positioned his cock at her entrance, fascinated at how quickly her juices flowed all over the head. He pushed all the way in, knowing Sophie didn’t need time to adjust.
“Move. Give it to me hard and fast. I need this.”
Alexi didn’t wait to be told twice. He pulled out and slammed back in, grunting at how hot and tight her pussy was. The table started squeaking under their lovemaking, but none of them cared. Kain kneaded her breasts while kissing and biting up and down her neck. He needed to keep his hands busy, otherwise he was in great danger of grabbing his own cock and rubbing himself to completion.
Sophie moaned and struggled to keep her balance while her two lovers worshiped her body. She could already feel her muscles relax, her head becoming clearer and her thoughts sharper as her energy was cleansed. She would have loved to scream Alexi’s name, but they all had to be as quiet as possible.
“Yes, right there,” she whispered. “Rub my clit.”
Alexi’s thumb went to her clit and started drawing small, jerky circles around it. Her pussy clenched so hard around his cock that he almost lost control, but he knew he needed to keep it together a while longer. He fucked her harder while massaging her throbbing nub, and soon he felt her tense under him.
“I’m coming…” she moaned. Her toes curled and her head wen
t to rest against Kain’s shoulder. The blond’s fingers seized both her nipples and squeezed them while she came on Alexi’s cock.
“Oh, baby… how do you do this to me?” Alexi’s thrusts became erratic, and then he was coming long and hard, coating her needy pussy.
“Yes, fill me…” Sophie felt so deliciously full. His cock was stretching her passage to the limit and his hands were keeping her hips in place while he pumped his seed deep within her. She clenched her walls around him, wanting to keep him inside for as long as she could, and making sure she didn’t lose one drop of what he had to give. Eventually, he pulled out with a heavy sigh, and she felt empty again. “More…” she begged. One of her hands went to her entrance and her fingers started massaging her folds and clit, spreading the sticky juices that were flowing out of her passage, making everything nice and wet for Kain.
The blond stepped in front of her. A low growl rumbled in his chest when he saw her nimble fingers push inside her pussy, then pull back out with more of Alexi’s seed, massage the small nub peeking from between her lips… One of his hands went to squeeze her thigh, while the other wrapped around his own cock.
“I want you…” Sophie whispered, a lazy smile on her lips.
Alexi leaned over the left side of the table and took hold of her chin, claiming her mouth with his. Sophie moaned into the kiss and rubbed her clit faster. She was ready for a second mind-blowing orgasm.
“You’re so hot,” said Kain.
Because her mouth was busy, Sophie answered him by spreading her pussy lips with her fingers. The view almost threw the blond over the edge, and he squeezed the base of his cock to keep himself from coming all over her body. When he was sure he had things under control, he positioned the head at her wet, sticky entrance and buried himself inside her in one swift motion. Her passage was warm and slick with Alexi’s seed, but still so tight that Kain knew he wouldn’t last long. He took hold of her thighs and started moving, slowly at first, then faster and harder.
Sophie’s fingers were replaced by Alexi’s. She needed both her hands to keep herself steady on the table anyway, so she didn’t mind the Russian’s expert hand on her sensitive nub. This was heaven: Kain pounded her pussy while Alexi trailed kisses down her neck and massaged her clit. She couldn’t believe she was such a lucky woman. Having two hot men ready to pleasure her and take her in any way she wanted was out of this world. They had to solve this case and get out of here alive, because Sophie was determined to enjoy her lovers for the rest of their long lives.
