by Maya Nicole
But there was something about Samara. Something that told me I needed to be with her. To protect her. Not that I was good at protecting; I was a chicken shit.
I arrived at the gates of Val's estate and a guard stepped in front of me. He glanced over my shoulder and frowned. "Who's that on the end of the rope and why is he on the end of a rope?"
I turned my body so I could keep an eye on Nico, who was just standing there staring at the fence in front of him. He had a blank expression on his face and his eyes had lost their brown color, turning dark. They weren't red yet and his skin wasn't rotting. I wondered how long that would take.
"He had a b-b-bit too much to d-drink. The others should be b-back soon." I chuckled. "They're having f-f-fun if you know what I m-mean."
"If you say so." The guard stepped out of the way and I pulled on the rope, leading Nico through the gates and up to the door. I sighed in relief that Val had told his guards we weren't a threat.
Nico didn't look at the guard or snap at him, which concerned me. He was acting odd for a vacant. He was docile besides the occasional snap of his jaw in my direction.
I led him in the house and wondered where I should put him. I either needed to keep him tied up or locked in a room that he couldn't escape from. It wasn’t like I had experience housing a vacant.
I opened a few of the closed doors, being careful to watch his every move. He bumped into walls, but I wasn't about to reel the rope in. Him getting a bloody nose from slamming his face into a wall was the least of my worries.
Most of the rooms on the lower level of the house had too much in them that could be destroyed, but then I came to a door with a staircase leading down. I squared my shoulders and then took off down the stairs, pulling the rope behind me.
I didn't know if I wanted to know what was in a vampire's basement. My imagination took me there though as I descended the steps. He probably had bodies hung upside down and dripping into buckets filled with blood. Maybe a torture table.
It was just a basement, though, with a wash area for laundry and several doors. One had a staircase that led down to another door. That had to be where he kept the hanging bodies.
There was another unlocked door that was a bedroom, but it had no windows. It had sparse furniture and would be perfect to keep Nico confined. I led him inside and tied the rope to one of the four posters on the bed. Even though I was going to lock him in the room, I wanted an extra precaution.
I skirted around the edge of the room, out of reach until I was back at the door. He didn't sit down on the bed, but stood there staring blankly at the wall.
"Maybe you can sleep this off. Everything will be fine." My words fell on deaf ears. "We'll have a good laugh about this over a drink one day."
I shut the door and went to find something to tie it shut. The best I could do was a bedsheet. After ripping it down the center, I tied the ends around the door handle and the door handle of the room next to it. If he tried to open the door it would take a lot of strength to rip the sheet free.
I wasn't sure that vacants were smart enough to turn a door handle since, clearly, they weren't smart enough to get a rope free from around them.
As I walked back through the open area of the basement, my eyes fell on the door that led down another set of stairs. I was horribly nosy by nature and itched to explore, even if that meant subjecting myself to something I might not want to see.
It was a curse in a way, the curiosity and need to know. It did not go well with my ever-present anxiety.
I grumbled to myself as I made my way down the staircase, unable to resist. The magic in me urged me forward, even if it was toward danger or mentally damaging sights. What if something needed cleaning?
There was a locked metal door at the bottom of the staircase. I simply walked through it and was in a library of sorts. I looked around at the shelves lining the walls filled with books. I'd never seen so many books in one place. Even the library at the castle was only a couple bookshelves full. Most of those books were the common ones found in Inferna. They were full of history and information about different demon races.
These books looked completely different. Some were bound with cloth or animal hide, which was typical. Then there was an entire bookcase that seemed to have a glossy sheen. My inner clean freak loved that.
I pulled a few books off the shelf. Dark Lover. Twilight. The Vampire Diaries. All the covers were colored in some way and had creased spines.
They had to be from Earth. There was no other explanation for them. How had Val gotten an entire case filled with Earth books?
I opened the book, which had hands holding a red object on the cover. It was confusing as hell since I didn't know about any of the things or places they were talking about. Forks? They couldn't be talking about dinner utensils, could they? Was there a land filled with them on Earth?
I shut it and slid it back on the shelf. Skimming the spines, a lot were about vampires. Another shelf had books that had the word 'history' in the title.
Anger flared in me. I didn't know why, but it seemed wrong that he should have access to them. How had he even gotten all of them? They didn't appear that old.
I left the room, and when I was out of the basement, I locked the door. Hopefully it would be enough to keep Nico from escaping.
I cleaned Val's entire estate. His staff didn't do a good job cleaning the crevices and hard to reach places. Did no one take pride in their work anymore?
It was tragic that brownies were hidden so far from where the bulk of magic was. Villages such as the one Val lived had it in abundance, but villages like Val's also hated brownies.
Maybe now that the princess had returned, she would support and help my kind. We had much to offer if we would just be given a fighting chance.
Cleaning his home made me realize Val was an interesting man. He had books hidden in almost every room, as well as lube. Flipping through the books, the lube made sense. I guess he always wanted to be prepared when reading such erotic material.
I sat down in the living room and put my feet up on the coffee table. The house was quiet and just how I liked it. The night before, one of the servants had told me that when Val was away they weren't allowed in the house.
The man wanted his privacy, did he? He probably didn't want anyone finding his book collection or finding out he was a horny bastard.
I shut my eyes, trying to relax. Cleaning had helped, but my shoulders were still tight. Every so often, my thoughts would replay through leaving the castle or running for my life and my heart would seize up.
Maybe I should grab one of the Earth books to take my mind off things.
The front door slammed open and I nearly shot out of my skin. I let out a less than manly shriek, went invisible, and practically flew over the back of the couch to hide.
"Nico? Kage?" Sammy's voice was frantic as she came in the house like an out of control storm.
She was a storm in a way.
I couldn't speak with the gasps of breath my body had decided it needed. I sat against the back of the couch and brought my knees to my chest.
Get it together, man.
Footsteps approached and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. My brain knew it was them, but my body was still reacting to the door.
"Kage?" The feet stopped in front of me. "Kage?" The voice was closer now, squatting in front of me. I guessed it would be fairly easy to find me with the wheezing sounds I was making.
Hands fell on my shoulders and I jolted, my eyes flying open. Raphael was in front of me, a look of concern on his face. I sat frozen under his touch and inhaled so sharply I started coughing.
"You're okay." His voice was lighter than usual. A wave of warmth spread from his hands and my heart slowed down. "There we go. Calm breaths."
I dropped my disappearing act and a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Maybe Raphael wasn't such an asshole after all.
Chapter 3
Raphael
Kage's anxiety
was palpable, even from across the room. I didn't know much about brownies, but I could only imagine those that remained were skittish. Kage was incredibly harmless, but maybe that was where they got you, from the false sense of security. Then, just when you trusted them, they'd strangle you with their rags.
I shook my head at my wandering mind. No. Brownies were definitely harmless. I mean, a delicious dessert was named after them. Or were they named after the dessert?
If brownies existed on Earth, they would be held on a pedestal. A magical race of demon that cleaned? Sign me up for that, along with the rest of the human population that hated cleaning.
Once Kage calmed down enough to breathe normally, I took my hands off his shoulders and stood. "Kage is over here."
The guards on the grounds said that Kage and Nico had come back in the early morning hours. I wondered where Nico was. Probably off somewhere polishing his nuts.
Samara, Val, and Amari rushed from all directions and into the living room.
"Where's Nico?" Samara put her arms out to stop Val and Amari from rushing around the couch. She was observant, I'd give her that.
Kage peered up at me with wide eyes. He had the whole deer-in-the-headlights expression down solid. It wasn't a good look. He might even be a heartbreaker if he didn't look to be in constant panic.
"B-b-basement." He got to his feet and wiped his hands down the front of his pants. "Wait!" His voice rose in warning as we followed Val. "St-stop."
He passed us and stood in front of the door. Samara narrowed her eyes at him and sucked in a breath of air. "What is it? Is he hurt?"
Kage clenched his fists and then shook his hands out. "Your brother turned him into a vacant." His voice was steady, but sad. "I'm sorry."
Samara backed up a step, bumping into me. I put my hand on the curve of her waist to steady her. Her head shook back and forth, her body trembling under my fingertips.
"How?" Amari moved around Kage and opened the basement door. A light scratching sound came from below. He cocked his head to the side and turned his ear toward the sound before sniffing the air.
I would never get used to human-looking men acting like animals. It was unnerving.
"It j-just happened. H-h-he is docile. Not feral." Kage's brows furrowed together. "I t-tied him to a bed, just in c-case."
Amari flew down the stairs with Val. Sammy took several deep breaths before squaring her shoulders and walking down the stairs with purpose. Kage was staring at the ground.
Before I followed the others, I put my hand on his shoulder again. This time, he didn't flinch away. I gave it a squeeze of reassurance.
When I made it downstairs, Amari and Val were talking in hushed tones outside the door with scratching coming from the other side.
"Maybe I can try to heal him." Both men glanced at me and then at each other. "I am the supreme being of healing. Not to sound cocky or anything."
Amari rolled his eyes. "No. You don't sound cocky about that at all."
"It's worth a try." Val looked at Samara who was working her bottom lip between her teeth. This would break her if I couldn't fix him.
I reached for the door and untied the sheet that was around the handle. I didn't exactly know what I was walking into, but from what I'd seen of the vacants the night before, he'd be fast. But so was I.
"If he attacks me, you'll need to knock him out." I heard Sammy whimper but didn't turn to look at her. Seeing the look in her eyes, the look of hope, was too much for me.
I'd seen that look before. When my assignments led me to someone's death bed. The hopeful look that patients’ families gave me was a lot of pressure. Sometimes I was the miracle worker. But more often than not, I wasn't. My healing ability could only do so much.
I turned the door handle and cracked open the door an inch, trying to see inside. I couldn't see much, but the scratching sound continued. I opened the door a little farther and peeked my head in.
I flinched as Nico tried to scratch through the column on the bed. His fingers were bloodied and he wasn't making that much progress on getting through the wood.
He stopped, his body going still. I opened the door a little farther and slid in. I could feel Amari and Val right behind me. They had my back on this.
Nico's head turned around slowly, and he sniffed the air. His eyes were dark and had an emptiness to them that made my skin crawl. The only thing missing was the complete spinning of the head and the projectile vomiting. I shuddered at the thought.
"Nico." I took a step forward, and he growled. It didn't sound like a normal growl, it sounded feral, like he was about to rip my head off.
The rope he was tethered to wasn't long enough to reach the door. That gave me some comfort. Would it really stop him if he tried to get to me?
"How do we want to do this?" Amari kept his voice at a lower level. "Do you want Val and me to hold him down?"
I looked around the room, considering our options. There was no other way to go about it. The second I stepped within range, he was going to try to grab me. We would need to grab him first.
I met their eyes, and Val and Amari spread out. They seem to know what each other were thinking because they both lunged for Nico at the same time and tackled him to the ground. They pinned him there, careful to stay out of range of his snapping teeth.
"Nico?" Samara was right behind me, her voice shaking.
"You shouldn't be in here." I glanced over my shoulder at her before moving toward Nico.
My focus had to be on him and not on the distraught woman that made me want to wrap her in my arms.
I sat down on top of Nico, hoping that would help stop the movements he was making. It was a struggle for Val and Amari to hold him still.
I scanned his body, discovering he had no light inside him. I shook my head. I didn't know if I was going to be able to help him. Being devoid of light was impossible to come back from. If there was a little then I might be able to do something.
I ripped his shirt down the middle and put my hands flat on his chest. He roared unlike a man or a squirrel. A choked sob escaped Samara, but she didn't move closer.
"Get out of here, Samara." I didn't want her to see the outcome if this didn't work. She probably wouldn't listen, but I had to try.
I released my energy into him. It made its way into his body and surrounded his soul, which was completely black. It tried to wiggle its way inside, but the blackness surrounding it wouldn't allow anything in. It was almost as if it had a shell on the outside.
It felt like the shell of a nut.
I removed my hands from his chest and shook them out. I tried again, with the same result.
Dammit, why isn't it working?
"There's a layer around his soul. I can't get through." I looked between Val and Amari, who were frowning.
Val's eyes darted to where I knew Samara was standing. "On the count of three. Let's let him go." Val cleared his throat. "One… Two… Three."
We all moved as quickly as possible back toward the door, grabbing Samara as we went. She tried to push past us to get into the room.
"You have to try again! Please!" She was full-out sobbing now, and Amari moved her farther away from the door. She punched him several times in the chest and then winced in pain, shaking out her hands.
Val and I secured the door, both breathing sighs of relief when the growling inside stopped and the room went silent.
We had a decision to make, and I wasn't sure it was one I wanted to be part of.
I turned off the shower, leaving the warm water I had been standing under for far too long. Inferna seemed to have no cold water, which was both amazing and unnerving. Sometimes a cold shower did some good.
None of us spoke after the basement. We all had a lot of thinking to do. Especially Samara. Ultimately, it was her decision on how to proceed with Nico.
I grabbed a white towel off the towel bar and wrapped it around my hips. I still marveled at the fact that the water was tainted red, but when it touched
anything, it didn't leave red stains. From what they'd told me, it was from a red-tinted algae.
Whatever it was, the water was amazing and I was half tempted to take some back to Earth and have it examined in a laboratory. Cleaner water would help make my job a hell of a lot easier.
There was a lot about Inferna that I was realizing was kept from angels. Granted, we had left Lucifer to take care of Hell for a fairly long time. He owed us no explanation of what went on. I didn't think he fully understood everything himself.
I brushed my teeth and looked up at myself in the mirror. I looked like shit, with my typical scruff being a little too scruffy. I desperately needed a shave.
The last thing I wanted was to look weak, especially here in Inferna. I wasn't feeling completely like myself after my healing sessions up in Heaven, and with the recent drama added to my life.
It was a weakness I didn't want exposed.
I should have called Reve and had him get his ass back to Inferna. This was partly his mess that he had left. And for what? A woman?
She must be some woman to warrant him giving up the crown and leaving all his people behind, his sister included.
I ran my fingers through my hair, some water dripping onto my skin. I walked out of the bathroom and stopped short. Samara was standing outside my door, staring at it. She was dressed in a large short sleeved shirt and I couldn't tell if she was wearing shorts or anything underneath. Her purple hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.
She was breathtaking with it loose. My dick twitched under the towel and I resisted the urge to palm it to get it to calm down.
Fuck. Was she thinking of knocking on my door looking like that?
I whistled in appreciation and her head snapped in my direction, a blush creeping up on her cheeks as she looked up and down my body. I made my way toward her and pushed open the door.
She stepped out of the way and I walked past her, careful not to brush against her. God forbid I touch her creamy skin. I would be a goner.
