by Maggie Walsh
“Wow, can you do that, too?” Crew’s voice came from the crowd.
Laylen wrapped an arm around Crew’s waist and pulled him against his side. At the same time, he pulled Haven against his other side. He held them both tight and smiled mischievously, taking off and disappearing as fast as Phenex had.
“Fucking show-off.” Nuriel chuckled.
“So that’s it? It’s over?” Lexi asked.
“Well that was anticlimactic,” Xavier chimed in. “Don’t get me wrong―that was wicked cool when you reached in and pulled Malachi’s heart out through his back, but I thought we were going to have a big battle on our hands.”
“It’s far from over, X. The prophecy stated there would be a massive battle to end it. Malachi has had someone more powerful working with him. Someone who was able to release him from Tartarus and resurrect Thomas from the dead. Someone whose identity has been kept guarded. Jesse knows what he looks like, but Envy knows who he is. We need to find Envy again and find out who our new enemy is. Somehow I have the feeling that now that we have defeated Malachi and he has no way of escaping his final hell this time that, whoever his partner is, this will only make him fight harder,” Micah said as he wrapped an arm around Jesse’s shoulders.
“I fear for Aaron and Rory,” Jesse added.
Raith’s eyes widened. “Why, Jess?”
“Because Malachi was the scientist behind their potions and serums. He was also the one behind their black magic. Now, whoever his partner is, he will need others to take over what Malachi was doing. And who does he already know that can do that? Aaron. And Aaron just so happens to have a witch as a mate. A mate he can use against Aaron to get what he wants.”
“Shit! Will this never end?” Raith yelled in frustration as he ran his hands through his hair.
“That leads to one more problem for you as well, Raith,” Micah said.
“What is that?”
“Your son. If this other demigod finds out about your son, he can use him to weaken you. Make it easier for him to take your mates.”
“We keep Aaron, Rory, and Raith guarded at all times. We post guards outside their bedroom,” Dante offered.
“But what about Matthew? We haven’t found him yet,” Raith asked in a panic.
“You and your mates must stay to the pack house for now, Raith. You can’t go after Matthew right now. It would be too dangerous for all of you.”
“I can’t just leave him out there on his own, hurting and thinking no one wants him.”
“We’ll take care of it, brother. I promise,” Micah said. “But first let’s get the hell out of here and go home. We’ll get some rest and then we’ll all sit down together and come up with a plan.”
Nuriel and the other Legion Warriors raised their hands and began to chant. Everyone disappeared, except for the seven rogues who piggybacked a ride with Micah and Cass. They stood there stunned and speechless, not knowing where they were or how to get out.
Chapter 12
“Wow,” Crew said in excitement. “The last time I was here I never got to look around. We were too busy battling it out with demons.”
“It still blows my mind that the Underworld has cities just like on Earth. What blows my mind more is that I’m standing in the Underworld, and with my mates,” Haven said and gave them each a smile.
The trio walked down the street of Geryon City holding hands. Laylen stood between them as they looked in the windows of the shops as they passed. They stopped in front of a café and peered through the window. “I love this place. They make the best coffee,” Laylen informed them.
“I could go for a coffee right now. Can we go in?” Crew asked excitedly.
“Sure. How about we take it to go and I show you my home in the Legion compound?”
“That sounds good to me,” Haven answered.
They went inside and Laylen ordered three coffees for them. The barista handed them their order and Laylen paid. As they turned to leave, Laylen began to growl deep in his throat. Crew and Haven looked at him in concern and noticed his eyes were glowing red as they were fixed on a point just outside the window.
They both looked to where Laylen was staring and saw two men standing outside talking. “Who is it, mate?” Haven asked.
“A piece of shit demon who should not be in Geryon City. I’m sorry, mates, but I have to catch him before―” Laylen cut himself off and took off out the door. “Stay here!” he yelled back over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door. One of the two men who were standing outside saw Laylen coming his way and took off, away from the warrior.
“What should we do?” Crew asked.
“Maybe we should just stay here like Laylen said? We don’t know anything about this place.”
“But what if he needs our help?”
“We’re not powerful like he is, baby. What could we do against a demon?” Haven asked.
“I don’t think we should let him go after that guy on his own. We’re both warriors. Maybe we can help him.”
A loud screeching came from outside, then a series of crashes. They looked at each other and bolted for the door. Heading in the direction they saw Laylen go, they came upon overturned food carts, twisted motorcycles, and a few holes in the side of buildings. They stopped at one particularly large hole in a candy shop and stared at all the candy melting into a big pile of goo. It was running down the walls from the shelves and making a puddle on the floor.
“What the hell?” Haven asked.
“It was warrior Laylen,” a voice came from inside the shop. They looked to where it was coming from and spotted an older woman standing on the counter, shaking her head as she looked around at all the destruction.
“Are you all right?” Crew asked.
She looked up and met their gazes. Crew drew back slightly as the old woman’s eyes met his. They were pitch black, but it looked like orange flames danced inside them. “I’m fine, dear. It’s not the first time that Laylen caused all my candy to melt and I doubt it will be the last.”
“How?” Haven asked in shock.
“He can move so fast it leaves fire trails behind sometimes. But this―” she opened her arms wide and motioned around her―”is from the hole. My store is specially insulated to keep the heat of the Underworld out. Once Laylen used the outside wall to bounce off of, it caused that.”
“He used the wall to bounce off of?” Crew asked in astonishment.
“He is a daredevil, that’s for sure. So much energy and not a whole lot of fear. Makes for some squirrely actions, ya know?”
“He does things like this often?” Haven asked.
The old woman chuckled. “Quite often, yes. It’s what he’s known for.”
“Is there anything we can do to help you?” Crew asked.
“Thank you, dear, but no. I’ll be fine. Laylen will most likely come back later to help me clean up and fix the place. He always does. Go on, go find your mate,” she said, and suddenly she was gone.
“I guess we should go,” Haven said and grabbed Crew’s hand, pulling him away. They continued down the street for a few blocks until they heard another crash and ran in that direction. They turned a corner and spotted Laylen. He was fighting hand to hand with a man his size, while three others stood close by. They looked like they were waiting for something. Laylen punched the guy square in the jaw and the guy fell back on his ass and his head hit the ground. He lay unmoving, but one of the other men stepped forward, facing off against Laylen.
“No fucking way,” Haven growled.
“They want a fight, we can give them a fight and not this four-on-one bullshit,” Crew said angrily.
“Do we shift or stay in our human form?”
“Seeing as neither of us have any weapons on us, I say we shift.”
“Let’s do this,” Haven agreed and they shifted.
Laylen felt them before he saw them. He smiled thinking about his mates coming for him, but he was angry that they hadn’t listened to him and stayed in t
he coffee shop where it was safe. A flash of brown fur crossed in front of him and the guy he had been fighting with was no longer there. Laylen turned his head just in time to see golden fur fly past and a very large mountain lion latching his deadly jaws around the leg of one of the other idiots he had been fighting.
The guy started to scream as he hit the pavement and tried to crawl away from his mate. Haven clamped down harder on the guy’s leg and he screamed again. The demon kicked Haven in the face with his other foot, trying to get the vicious animal to let go, but Haven swiped a clawed paw at him and ripped into the guy’s other leg.
He looked over to where Crew was and had to laugh at the sight. The demon Argon, who he had been chasing down, now lay on his back, looking up at the very big snarling wolf that sat on his chest. Argon looked like he didn’t know what to do and he was afraid if he made one move, the wolf would eat him.
“Aww, what’s the matter, Argon, afraid of a little puppy?” Laylen teased. Crew turned his head to look over at Laylen. His eyes were feral and he huffed his displeasure at Laylen before turning back and focusing on his prey.
“This is no puppy, man,” Argon said in a shaky voice. “Get him off me.”
“Hell no. Besides I think he likes you. See the way he’s licking his lips. I don’t think he wants to fuck you though, you ugly bastard. I think he’s looking for a snack.” As the last word came from Laylen’s lips, he threw out a punch sideways and struck the man who was coming at him from his right. Laylen never took his eyes off Argon as he hit the guy. The attacking man hit the ground, unconscious.
“Get this fucking cat off me!” the other guy screamed.
“No to you, too, asshole. Now who’s gonna start talking first or do I let these magnificent creatures eat you?” Haven rolled his eyes as if to say “As if.”
“I don’t know nothing, man.”
“How about you, Argon? What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I don’t have to tell you nothing, Legion scum,” he said in disgust and spat toward Laylen. Crew swiped his claws out across Argon’s face, causing four deep slashes. Argon screamed and Crew wrapped his powerful jaws around Argon’s throat and clamped down enough to break skin. Argon screamed again.
“I think you better answer me before my mates here rip the two of you apart. They appear to be very protective of me,” Laylen said with a smile.
“You got mates, man?” the one under Haven asked.
“Yup. Stunningly beautiful, too, aren’t they?” Both men nodded frantically. “Damn, I am a lucky fuck, boys. Look at the muscle definition on these two beasts, and those claws are very impressive. But if I were you, I would be more worried about those teeth.”
“Come on, Legion, help us out,” Argon pleaded.
“Why should I? You’re not supposed to be here, Argon. You were banished from Geryon City a year ago. My calculations tell me you’re back four years too soon. Which makes me believe you are here for a reason. So tell me the truth now or I walk away and let my mates rip you both apart.”
“Fine. I was hired to keep an eye on the Legion.”
“Why?”
“The Heart was spotted in the Underworld twice now and there is a rumor he was here again today. My master told me to keep a watch in case he comes back. I saw you with the two cuties and thought one of them might be the Heart.”
“Why are you watching for the Heart? How did you get here? And who are you working for?”
“He’ll kill me if I tell you,” Argon screeched out.
“And we’ll kill you if you don’t.”
“I don’t know his name but he’s really powerful, man. He got me here. He said that if I watched the Legion and told him everything that you all were up to, that he would get me out of the Underworld and send me to the Earth’s surface.”
“What does he look like?” Laylen said as he squatted down next to Argo’s head.
“Big dude, long white beard. Radiates power like I have never felt before,” Argon answered.
Laylen placed a hand on Argon’s forehead and the man instantly went limp. His eyes closed and his breath evened out.
“He’s out. You can get off him now, mate,” Laylen said to Crew as he ran a hand down Crew’s furry side. Crew stepped off Argon’s chest and sauntered over to where Haven still held the other man captive with his strong jaw. Crew sat next to the man’s face and licked his lips.
“Get them away from me, Legion. I didn’t do nothing.” The man shook in fear.
“If you had nothing to do with this, then why were you fighting me?” Laylen asked as he moved closer.
“Argon paid me to help keep him hidden while he was here. When I saw you chasing him, I jumped in to help him get away.”
“Wow, quick honesty coming from a low-life demon. So who are you working for?”
“I already told you.”
“No, you gave me an obviously bullshit story. It was so obvious that people on Jupiter could see it.”
Crew and Haven both looked at Laylen as if to say “Really?” He smiled at his mates, then turned back to the demon. “How about you and I take a nice walk and discuss all of this? What do you say?” The demon nodded enthusiastically. “Mates, you can release him now. Dipshit and I are just going to take a nice, friendly stroll for a few minutes. Would you mind keeping an eye on the other three in case they wake up?” Haven and Crew both nodded as they reluctantly released the demon and moved away.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Laylen said and kissed Crew’s head. “Thank you, babe,” he said to Haven and kissed his head, too. He grabbed the demon and pulled him to his feet. The demon looked at him in shock. “What? Never saw a man kiss his mates before?”
“No.”
Laylen shrugged and then gave the demon an evil smile. He muttered under his breath and the two disappeared. Crew and Haven looked at each other. A loud scream rang out through the night, and the two looked up in the direction it had come from. There, walking on the edge of the ten-story building in front of them, was their mate and the demon. Laylen had his arms wrapped around the torso of the demon and he was dangling him over the edge, his feet swishing back and forth through the air. Crew looked back to Haven, and the two shook their heads.
“So numb nuts, who are you working for?” Laylen asked.
“I already told you,” the guy squeaked out, his voice laced with terror.
“No, let’s try this again,” Laylen said as he turned the guy to face him, then tossed him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and began pacing across the ledge they were on. Every time Laylen turned to head back in the other direction, he swung the man out over the edge so he could look down at the ground far below. “So as far as I can see, you work for the same guy that Argon worked for, but you’re too fucking scared to tell me who he is. So that tells me that he is someone powerful. But he is not as powerful as the people I know. So he is running scared and grabbing at straws. Considering he has put you asswipes to work for him. Maybe we need to go pay a visit to Lord Lucifer and see if he can loosen your lips.”
“No, man, please. He’s really fucking powerful down here. He can cause all kinds of havoc if we fuck him over. Please, that’s all I know,” the demon pleaded.
Laylen quickly put the guy on his feet on the very edge and looked him in the eyes. “He’s very powerful down here? But I know it’s not Lord Lucifer, and I know it’s not my commander. Thanks for narrowing the field for me, dead meat.” Laylen patted him on the back really hard, and the demon went sailing over the edge. His screams rang out as he flailed his arms and legs as his body rushed toward the ground.
Crew and Haven shifted back to their human forms and stood watching as the guy dropped toward them. “So, do you think it will hurt when he hits?” Laylen said from next to them. They both flinched and looked up at him. He gave them a smirk and held out his arms, catching the demon before he met with the hard unyielding ground.
The demon looked at him in wide-eyed terror. “Did you hav
e a nice trip?” Laylen smiled innocently at him. “See you next fall.” Laylen bent with the demon still in his arms. He touched the ground with one hand and a black opening appeared. He released the demon and his screams rang out again, but then went quiet as Laylen removed his hand from the ground and straightened. “Yo, Ryx, Nuriel!” Laylen called out and suddenly the two Legion warriors appeared.
“You rang, fuckface,” Ryx said with mirth.
Laylen smiled at his best friend. The warrior was just as big as he was and just as crazy. The only difference between them was that Ryx had the most amazing chocolate skin Laylen had ever seen. And his pale-blue eyes were mesmerizing against his skin.
“I just sent a level one down to Hades for Lord Lucifer to have a talk with. Can you take these three maggots to the gallows? I want to spend time with my mates and I need to talk to the Commander.”
“Sure, Lay. Phen is at the Prime’s house. Go on,” Nuriel answered.
“Thanks.” Laylen looked to his mates. “So off to our new home, I guess. Maybe we should find you two some clothes first, then go tell the council what I found out. Then the three of us can go to our room and fuck each other for days.” He wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled.
* * * *
“Micah, may I come in?” Zane asked as he poked his head in Micah’s office.
Micah was sitting on the couch with Jesse as they talked to Dante and Storm. “Of course, Zane. What can we do for you?” Zane looked to his left and motioned for someone to come. Zane stepped into the room and was followed by an adorable small man. He couldn’t be more than five feet tall and a hundred pounds. He had pale skin, gorgeous purple eyes, and long flowing jet-black hair that reached his knees. His face was angelic and he looked like he was so nervous he was about to jump right out of his skin. Micah was pretty sure if he was wearing regular clothes instead of the white toga he had on, they would probably see every muscle of his body shaking.
“Alpha Prime, Heart…um, Jesse. May I introduce Demetrius. He’s the friend I told you about,” Zane explained.
