Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Charisma Knight
ISBN: 978-1-77233-205-6
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Jessica Ruth
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HELENA’S DEMON
Charisma Knight
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
Silas Taylor held back his emotions and his fear as he closed the circle. “I’m going straight to hell,” he blurted as he stared into the flames of the pillar candles.
He barely paid attention to the she-thing rustling in the woods as she tried striking a bargain with him in addition to the bargain he sought with Barius. In return, the she-demon lurking in the woods would assist him in gaining power over Barius one day.
He’d knowingly let darkness into his life. It stalked him. Called out his name, making him seek things no righteous human man should ever want to lay claim to.
His visions of the future haunted him. A young witch of twenty-eight, he was gifted with the power of sight. His vision had always extended far into the future. The faces of his future family members were as clear as if they stood right in front of him.
Over the years, his visions of the vile, cruel things he’d do in order to gain the power he sought had increased. The face of an innocent young woman from a distant future loomed within his mind. Oh what he’d do to his entire line. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but if Barius insisted, he’d have no other choice.
Just in case, he’d set into motion a plan for his future generation as he mentally communicated with the she-demon in the woods. His future family would literally walk through hell on earth as they paid the price for his actions. He knew from this night on, his deeds would cause a disturbing ripple effect over those he’d never meet. That was the best part of it all, he kept telling himself. He’d never meet them. Death would claim him and he’d be free. Well, as free as a man turning his soul over to darkness could be.
To Silas, his soul was already lost and this last feat would only reinforce that. With every thought and emotion over the years, he’d let the darkness slip in, first a little at a time. Eventually, it increased, until it became a vital point in his life. His soul was now poisoned, filled with a vile, inky-black mark.
Almost hypnotized by the pull of the full, blood-red moon, he reflected upon his life. Voices from a black abyss called to him. Night after night, he wrestled with the whispering in his head. They’d insisted he take matters into his own hands. But they also warned him there would be a hefty penalty to pay.
Soon he’d be in control of his life. Not his overseer, or the Caucasian woman who now refused to have anything to do with him. He loved her dearly, but to her, he was a simple slave with no power. To make matters worse, he’d been cast out among his people. To them, he was nothing more than a traitor and a witch. Silas’s fists tightened and his pulse raced. He’d change it all.
It was a shame things had to come to this. Telling himself he no longer cared of the consequences, he opened the black leather book and chanted a summoning spell. As Silas chanted, a death chill slid up his spine, to the base of his skull. Something, perhaps some inkling of good that lingered within him, warned him to cease this madness. Perhaps he could take another path instead of the coward’s way out?
No, he wouldn’t hear of it. The black shadow within overpowered the good, demanding that he carry on. In his head danced visions of a life filled with love and respect. Not fear and shame.
He caught a whiff of fire and brimstone, and as soon as he completed the spell, a dark shadow rose outside the circle, looming over him. Yellowish eyes peered into his soul, and the entity smiled, flashing jagged white teeth. “I see your desires lurking in your soul.” The demon, Barius, spoke in a deep, raspy tone.
The beast exhaled, and the atmosphere around Silas became dense. He inhaled but was unable to breathe comfortably. He tried to stand, but an unseen force pushed him to his knees. Claws tightened around the back of his neck as he was forced to bow to the demon.
“Surely you didn’t think this simple circle would deliver you from my powers?” Demonic laughter rolled through the depths of the forest, making the trees sway. Inhuman cries filtered out of the woods, and out of the corner of his eyes he could have sworn he saw a pair of glowing eyes staring back at them. Even so, Silas was determined to carry through with his dark deed.
“I want it all,” Silas grunted out. His chest became heavy, and he feared his lungs would collapse. But he couldn’t go back to life as a simple slave. “I’ll make an even trade with you!”
“Hmm. I like the sound of that. Say out loud your words.”
“For all that my heart desires, I will give my soul to you.” Suddenly, the pressure on the back of his neck eased and Silas rose.
“Is that all?”
“Isn’t it enough?” Silas challenged.
A tremble shook the earth, making Silas’s heart lurch. Sweat beaded his forehead, and he swallowed hard as he watched the ground in front of him split apart slightly. The sound of souls in despair emanated from the plane below. The plane that Silas knew would one day become his permanent home.
“Just your soul won’t do,” Barius scoffed. “I want more.” His words ended in a snarl, making the hair on Silas’s neck stand on end. “Make it quick, or you’ll join those souls earlier than you would like!” he warned.
“I have nothing else to offer.” Silas held his head down with regret. “My soul is all I have.”
“No…” the creature breathed. “There’s so much more. I can see it in your mind. You care for them, but not enough to give up the earthly desires you hold close to your wicked heart. Wouldn’t you like to see your family pay for the pain and misery they inflicted upon you in the here and now? Surely they envy your power.”
“Yes. I do want them to pay.” He bit his lip, and his body trembled with rage. He’d love to inflict pain upon those who’d cared nothing of him and cast him out. “Yes, they will be the first to suffer.”
“And…your future relatives,” Barius insisted.
Now he’d have to betray his future family members, the innocent ones he saw in his head day after day. Silas sought to back out. He closed his eyes and tried to pray, but it was already too late. Something in his mind clicked and any prayer he may have held in his head dissipated.
“It’s too late, Silas. You’ve already summoned me, now give me what I want!”
“Okay!” Silas belted out. “It starts with me and will continue down my line. Greed, selfishness, let it flourish. I don’t care, just give me all I desire!” Tears streamed down his face.
“And…the girl,” Barius sneered. “There is a girl in the future.”
“She means nothing to me,” he lied. He hung his head as the woman’s face snapped him back into reality.
“Very well. By this simple act, you’ve delivered your entire line of young women to my soldiers. By your hand, they will never know happiness, or true love, for that matter. They will wield power, but will never learn the proper way to use it. ” Barius grinned. “When in need, they will always call upon and rely on the powers of demons. My demons.” He held up a glowing, red pendant and placed it upon the ground. “Take it.”
“What is that?”
> “Your life,” Barius sneered. “Never take it off, but keep it hidden. It is the source of your power. Should you be separated from it, you’ll become powerless. Remember our bargain when your time of death approaches.” With that, the demon disappeared.
With haste, Silas opened the circle and stepped out. He bent down to pick up the strange, glowing pendant. Immediately a power he’d never known before slipped over him, and he felt like he could conquer the world. With new self-confidence, he put the pendant around his neck.
As he prepared to leave, Sorscha, the thing lurking in the woods, approached him. “So, we have a deal?”
Silas nodded. “We do.”
“Are you certain, mortal? That beautiful young woman you see in the future must be promised to my son Cyn.” She ran her tongue over sharp teeth. “If not, there will be consequences, especially after putting my ass on the line. Barius can be such a bastard, especially when he discovers he’s been betrayed.”
“You have my word.”
Chapter One
Cyn’s Realm
Helena Pearsall shifted in her chair as her buff, dark-haired personal demon studied her intently. His intense, golden eyes promised hours of dark, forbidden pleasures she could only dream of.
Lord, he looked good enough to eat. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-to-late forties, but she knew better. Cyn was as old as time itself. For some insane, ungodly reason, she felt compelled to jump his bones. But she put a harness on her dark passions. He was a demon she’d struck a bargain with, nothing more. She was just here to seal the deal by warming the demon’s bed. In turn, all her earthly worries would cease. At least she hoped they would. Which is why you came close to letting him screw you in the circle last year.
She watched as he reached for the leather thong before freeing his hair. Helena bit her lip and clamped her thighs together. It was exciting, but she wondered if she’d bitten off more than she could chew with the arrangement.
His gaze intensified as he clasped his hands together. “It is now time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain and move in with me.” A year ago, she’d known this day would come, but she was still unprepared.
“Like how soon?” She swallowed hard as her heartbeat sped up.
Finally, she’d caught up on her aunt Mimi’s doctor bills, but the price she had to pay would be a hefty one. The catatonic woman was the only family she had left, with the exception of her good-for-nothing cousins. If it wasn’t for Helena, Aunt Mimi would have been put into a home a long time ago.
It was a year and a half ago today when her company had laid her off. The severance package had run out, and she couldn’t afford to let their bills lay by the wayside. The wolves had been upon her, and in between threatening calls from collection agencies and nastygrams, she thought she’d lose her mind. She had been forced to take other measures back then—she’d called upon Cyn to bail her out.
“Like…now!”
The demon’s baritone ended on a demanding hiss, snapping her back into reality. A shiver ran up her spine as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Once again, when can you move in?”
“Move in?” Helena asked, feigning surprise. Truthfully, the thought of living under a demon’s roof made her stomach clench. What the hell had she been thinking when she signed her soul away last year?
He impatiently strummed his long fingers against the lacquer desk. “Well…yes. I mentioned that the day you summoned me, or have you forgotten my terms of the bargain?” He winked at her, causing a bolt of desire to ripple through her tummy and straight to her clit. The man had skills. She could tell. One round in the sack with him, and something told her she’d never want to leave.
When her brain finally overpowered her body, Helena’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. This wasn’t going to be on her terms, she knew. How could she think to outsmart a demon? She had hoped she would be able to avoid all of this. After all, living under the same roof with a sexy demon of lust that possessed the talent to set one’s panties on fire surely would pose a problem in the future. She wasn’t sure she’d leave the bargain unscathed. Those in her family who sought assistance from their personal demons never did. They always lost in one way or another.
“Well.” She chose her words wisely. “I was thinking of reporting to you for eight hours a day. You know, like a regular job.” Her palms grew sweaty, and she wiped them on her black wool dress. Hopefully he’d agree to this, but deep down she knew he wouldn’t. If looks could kill, she’d be dead by now. Cyn’s hardened gaze seemed to snatch the breath from her, and not in a good way.
“Do you think you can just slip in and out of my realm? What do you take me for?”
Damn it! He was bound and determined to be as stubborn as she was! Okay, maybe she could make it happen. Cyn certainly wasn’t taking no for an answer, and she was determined to look after her aunt, at all costs. “Well, I was just thinking…”
Cyn growled. “I’m not paying you to think! Eight hours a day will never be enough to sate my appetite for you.” His eyes grew dark as an impending storm as he sniffed the air. “You…smell so good. I’ve never known the essence of a human to be so pure, yet so…” He inhaled deeply as his claws lengthened from his fingertips. “So dark…enticing…sexy. I could devour you right now.”
She shivered as Cyn’s demonic form wavered before her eyes. A fascinating pull and a strong aura of electricity sizzled and snapped in the atmosphere. Something stirred deep within her mind and body.
“Dark and enticing?” She forced a laugh. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Do not make light of our situation!” He slammed his fist down on the desk. “Helena, I’ve waited for you for well over a year.” His voice was a low snarl. “I need to have you by my side. I don’t like delays. When I’m in need of…certain services, I’d prefer you not keep me waiting.” He studied her intensely before cocking a brow. “Do you wish to back out? Remember the consequences of not fulfilling your end of the bargain. I can take everything away from you, and your aunt will be put away in that home. Perhaps you’ll be forced to give up the home you’ve come to love.”
Helena squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of putting her aunt into a nursing home. That was just unacceptable. Losing her three-bedroom, single-family home would also be heart wrenching. She’d put her blood, sweat, and tears into everything she owned. Well, with the demon’s assistance, of course.
“Um. Yes, I’ll do whatever is necessary.” Her mind raced as she concocted a plan to rearrange her schedule. Aunt Mimi would be okay; she promised herself she’d check in on the woman twice a day when she wasn’t servicing Cyn. She wrung her hands nervously in her lap, not wanting to show him that she was afraid, but it was too late. By the look in his eyes, he’d already scented her fears.
As if reading her mind, the demon spoke. “I will allow your aunt to move in, too. She’ll be placed in the west wing and will be looked after very well, I assure you.” He leaned back into the black leather chair and folded his arms against his massive chest. “Surely you don’t think me to be so cruel as to leave her behind with no one to depend on? You can see her whenever you’re not servicing me, of course.”
A brief moment of relief swept through her. Her aunt needed her, and she had no intention of deserting the woman. They’d come too far.
“Thank you.” The breath was pushed from her lungs as the demon’s gaze hardened again. She’d caught him looking at her cleavage. He smiled, baring razor sharp teeth. Did he just lick his lips? Suddenly she felt like she’d become a mouthwatering buffet, the way he was eyeing her up.
“Very good. I’ll make the necessary arrangements to bring her here. In the meantime, I’ll give you a tour of the mansion and show you where you’ll be sleeping.”
“Oh! My things. I’ll need my clothes and—”
He cut her off abruptly. “You’ll have everything you need here with me. Clothes, toiletries, anything you want. Now…to complete this bargain.�
� Cyn opened one of the drawers and pulled out an old scroll. With a dark smile, he unrolled it and glanced at her. “I suggest you reread the terms of our bargain. I advise you to read over everything carefully, just as you did a year ago.” He motioned for her to take the fragile-looking material. When she did, her hand shook.
Helena put on her glasses and began to read. As she did, something tightened around her chest. Another panic attack struck her. Her nerves were shot with all she and her aunt had been through. She knew how long she’d be indebted to the demon, but she totally regretted it. At least he was easy on the eyes, she thought hysterically.
“No, simple ink will not do.” His voice was a rough bark. “You must re-sign in blood, or we have no bargain. Last year was just a trial run and to be honest, I’d like to pick up where we left off in the circle.” He grinned evilly.
“B-blood, again?” She had ignored all her aunt’s warnings. This was the real deal now. He was making her sign her soul away. She was just as squeamish now as she had been a year ago. Blood was needed to summon him, and it was also needed to seal the deal.
Their family line had been cursed since the beginning of time. Throughout the ages, many had signed their souls over to their demons in hopes of making their lives easier, or so they had thought. For the most part, things almost never went the way they had planned. For others in the family, they had been blessed with more money than they could handle, but they weren’t happy. They’d never be happy. The demons had always seen to it. The lust for money only intensified through every waking day of their miserable lives.
“Yes,” he said with a hiss again. “Blood. Or…you know the consequences. It’s your decision.” Cyn stroked his smooth-shaven chin. “What will it be, Helena? I haven’t got all day.” He pulled an oddly shaped dagger from his pencil drawer. “Give me your hand. I promise it won’t hurt…much.”
Helena's Demon Page 1
