Raise Hell

by Briana Michaels

  “Open for me,” he demanded before sealing his mouth over hers again. When she obeyed, Lucifer slipped his tongue into her mouth and found it was even more intoxicating than her lips had been. He growled as something new stirred in his body.

  Later, it would be called Desire. Right now, he’d have called it Danger.

  There was nothing he wouldn’t do to have more of whatever this was. Surely sharing a pleasure so remarkable was bound to have consequences, but fuck if he cared what they were. And that’s why this was so dangerous right now. Lucifer would do anything to make it keep going. And if it ever ended, he’d crawl on his hands and knees and beg to do it again.

  Every inch of him hardened. Tensed. Swelled. His wings unfurled and he enclosed the two of them in a darkened cave of black feathers. Eve’s nails dug into his skin. He liked the sensation of her marking him.

  Next, she twirled her tongue against his and it made his fucking toes curl. This was the most intimate sensation of his entire existence. He pressed against her more and held her throat with one hand. Never once did he apply pressure, but he wanted her to stay just like this for him.

  Poised for ravishing.

  Chills swept down his body when Eve’s hands sailed up his shoulders and up his neck. Threading her fingers through his black hair, she moaned into his mouth and gave him a slight tug. He took that as a sign that she wanted him to back off, so he broke away from her. “Did I hurt you?”

  Eve’s cheeks were red, her eyes bright, her chest heaving as she sucked in ragged breaths. “Not at all,” she whispered.

  Lucifer rocked back on his haunches. If he hadn’t hurt her, then why would she want him to stop? Going by the look in her eyes and the smell of her skin, she liked what he’d done. And fuck it, Lucifer seriously wanted to keep doing that and so much more.

  If her mouth tastes so delicious, what does the rest of her taste like? The scent in the air was thick and heady. It smelled incredible. It wasn’t just Eve’s flowery perfume tickling his nose right now, there was an undercurrent of spice added to it. Lucifer’s mouth watered. His animal side wanted to scent every inch of her… bury his face where that fragrance was strongest. He bit down on his lower lip to keep from chuffing like the beast he was.

  Want. Lucifer’s wings flared.

  Need. He was already lowering back down to get closer to her. His gaze dropped to the joining of her thighs and saw it glistened there. His vision narrowed.

  Take. The instinct made Lucifer ashamed and he didn’t even know why. Shaking his head, he stood and immediately regretted it.

  His shaft was rock hard. It throbbed and ached. Normally, he never cared when it lengthened on its own, but he cared deeply right now. Lucifer backed up a few steps and slammed right into Gabriel.

  “Fuck!” He spun around and saw Gabe sporting a pissed off expression and the same infliction Lucifer was suffering from. Gabe’s shaft was pressed against his pants and very obviously bulging.

  “What just happened, you guys?” Uriel unlaced his pants and pulled out his shaft. It was the same as theirs. He stroked it with his hand, pumping it twice before dropping to his knees, “Holy… what the fuck…. This feels so fucking good.”

  “Stop!” Con hissed. “Stop! We don’t know what could happen if you do more of that.”

  “I don’t fucking care what happens. Anything that feels this good has to be okay.” Uriel started pumping his shaft faster.

  “No, he’s right,” Lucifer growled, “I don’t know what just happened but… we better not experiment. It could be damning.”

  “Damning,” Eve’s voice brought all the attention back to her. “Damning because of me?”

  “What? No!” Lucifer’s breath caught when he turned to look at her.

  Eve. Was. Stunning.

  She wasn’t built like them at all. She was curves and slopes. Softness and silk. Her breasts were full, hips round, and the patch of hair between her thighs was tight and flat. Her thighs were muscular, but… feminine.

  Lucifer blinked slowly, letting their differences sink in. Eve. Was. Nothing. Like. Them.

  All this time, Eve and Lucifer had been naked and it was no big deal. Suddenly, it was the only thing that mattered. Lucifer dropped his gaze away from her. If he continued to stare, he didn’t know what he’d do next. His body roared to touch her. Lick her. Smother her in his scent.

  I’m nothing more than an animal, he thought. Fuck. And when her feminine scent smashed into his face again, he damn near dropped to his knees. “Eve, back away from me.”

  It was hard to breathe. Hard to fucking think.

  To ground himself, he looked over at his brothers. And damn, but they were no better than he was by the looks on their faces. Gabriel stumbled back, Constantine and Lazarus, too.

  Uriel let out a roar that shook the ground. Pumping himself faster and faster, white jets of liquid began to spurt out of the tip of his shaft. The Angel’s head tipped back, his eyes squeezed shut, and his hips jerked with the last few strokes he made. “That was… that was the most pleasurable experience of my fucking life.” His head dropped down as he grunted and looked at the mess he’d made. “I do not regret this,” he said in awe. Then Uriel’s sharp eyes snapped to Lucifer, “Whatever just happened between you and her… Thank you.”

  Oh mercy, what have they done?

  Michael was still locked away in his private chamber with the four Angels he’d brought down to turn. Stripped bare, laying on their backs, arms down at their sides, eyes open and unseeing, the four sacrifices were stretched out on the floor since Michael wanted to work on all of them at the same time and only had one table. He moved around them cautiously. This magic wasn’t just risky, it was forbidden.

  Forbidden. What an interesting concept. Lazarus told him multiple times what was forbidden and what was acceptable. Having Lazarus drink from the Cup of Knowledge was the greatest decision Michael had ever made.

  But it wasn’t without a few drawbacks.

  For instance, that addle-minded Angel talked so much gibberish, it would take Michael a lot of time and effort to sift through the madness and pluck out the pearls of wisdom that slipped into conversations. At one point, Michael kept a list. Now he no longer cared. He’d charged Constantine with writing down the things Lazarus would spew out and then Michael would cherry pick what worked for his own motives and that of the brotherhood.

  The walls of this chamber were lined with those lists. Running his finger across the spines of tomes lining the walls was a comfort to Michael. Everything he’d ever need was here – locked up tight. Each spell, line of magic, drawing of artifacts that had yet to be created, were on the pages of these precious books.

  Constantine was a thorough and patient Angel. He never once complained about his duty to record the prophecies, spells, and life-altering events that would change the world, one page at a time. And Constantine never questioned where Michael kept the scrolls and notes he’d hand over. He trusted Michael implicitly to make sure that the knowledge stayed safe until it was needed.

  Good old Constantine, Michael mused. The fucking ignorant bastard. That Angel was one of the first to come to Michael with dark hair and black wings. He was also one of the first to undergo a series of tests as well as the purification process and take the oath.

  After Lazarus prophesized a Dark Angel would be Michael’s ultimate destruction, he made sure Constantine knew his fucking place. He made sure everyone in the brotherhood knew their motherfucking place. Their loyalties were wrenched from their bones and wrung out of their fucking marrow.

  It had killed Michael to do it. Truly, he was fond of all his warriors. Never think he wouldn’t lay his life down to protect his brothers.

  And never think he wouldn’t slit one of their throats if they ever betrayed him.

  As time passed, Michael wondered if maybe the Dark Angel Lazarus talked of was “dark” in some other way besides blatant appearance.

  That theory came when the souls appeared. Whoever
damned the worlds and gave humans souls needed to die a long and painful death. That those souls were not just tied to Divinity, but also had the ability to morph was one more example of how such vile darkness was dangerous. Ridding the universe of such toxicity was the only way to ensure Divinity’s survival.

  “Did you know that when an Angel dies,” Michael said to the four on the floor, “we go to a plane where there is no light or dark. No hunger or pain. No… nothing.”

  It sounded absolutely dreadful to him. Actually, he found it hard to believe. What happened to the energy there? Was a human’s energy the same? Could one come back from death? For now, Michael obsessed over transformations of another kind: The Scourge.

  Michael’s pride swelled as he stared down at his beloved warriors. The Scourge, according to Lazarus, would be legendary. Unbreakable. Undefeatable. Untouchable.

  Perfection.

  Should this work out, Michael planned to use some of this magic on himself. One could never be too careful.

  Just as he bent down to draw another layer of symbols across Raphael’s torso, the strangest feeling came over him. It was overwhelming. Chaotic. Burning in a deep, aching, hungry way. He exhaled slowly as his body tensed and hardened.

  “The fuck?” he looked down at his shaft jutting straight out and tenting his loose pants.

  What is this?

  Furious someone would once again fuck with their delicate divine balance, Michael stormed out of his lair and into the brightness of day. Off in a distance, he could hear moaning and grunting. Storming across the courtyard, each step pumped more fury into his veins and damn if his cock wasn’t growing a heartbeat of its own.

  “The fuck just happened here?” he roared.

  The brotherhood was in total chaos. Some Angels were entangled on the ground. Others were pumping their cocks in their hands, their gear on the ground by their feet, and their pants around their ankles.

  “Michael!” Someone yelled, “Sire, what have you done?” Rave charged over to him with his black wings fanned out and stiff as the rest of him.

  “This isn’t me,” he snarled. “I didn’t do this.”

  Rave’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, the other was gripping the bulge in his pants. “Is it a divine gift or a curse?”

  “I have no idea,” Michael grumbled.

  “Feels too good,” Rave grunted as he touched himself. “It feels better the more you give into it.”

  Michael’s hand thrust out and he grabbed Rave by the neck, “Then do not give into it, warrior. Nothing so good comes without a hefty price.”

  Another male roared from behind him. Michael turned to see another of his beloved brothers braced against a tree, feverishly pumping his shaft with his hand. White fluid jetted out of his cock and landed all over the grass.

  This wasn’t a divine gift; it was a fucking disaster. And Michael had a feeling he knew who was to blame.

  “Find Lucifer. Now.”

  Chapter 25

  Gritting his teeth, Gabriel lead the way out of the jungle and towards the next realm barrier. No one spoke about what happened.

  Uriel had a lazy, satisfied smile on his face, which Gabriel wanted to punch off. He couldn’t figure out if he was envious, or scared shitless of what Uriel had done. Touching himself that way, making the face of pure ecstasy in the end? Nothing so earth-shattering should be deemed divine.

  Damn Lucifer for this.

  The moment he pressed his mouth to Eve’s, something terrible and foreign erupted in Gabriel. A true jealousy so venomous, it was a wonder the toxins hadn’t turned his vision red. To be so close to another like that. The act so… tender. It was unheard of. Angels were never gentle with anything. And yet, Lucifer, the one deemed most dangerous of all, had been downright docile and sweet when he captured Eve’s mouth with his.

  Eve.

  Gabriel found her name rolling off his tongue like a sweet wine. That female single-handedly shook the very earth they walked upon. How was she able to do that? How could she have somehow slipped into their good graces and been able to get Lucifer to talk to her, Lazarus to be peaceful, and have himself, Constantine, and Uriel all ready to rebel against Michael and the brotherhood?

  It didn’t make sense. And things that don’t make sense, pissed Gabriel off.

  “We need to move faster,” he growled, “the sun will rise soon.”

  Under the cover of night, they set off on foot to find a new place to hide. Once he was able to ensure safety and food for them, Gabriel had every intention of heading back to the brotherhood. He couldn’t stay away much longer. The sooner he got back, the faster he could divert Michael’s attentions.

  “You have that look on you, brother,” Constantine’s face was hidden by shadows. “You’re already planning your return, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Gabe growled.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  Gabriel hated how his heart pounded hard in his chest. “You should stay here, Con.”

  “I’m not about to let you take this fallout on your own.”

  And I’d rather save you from suffering more of Michael’s wrath. He didn’t dare say that out loud. The last thing he needed to bring up was Michael’s punishment methods right now. Uriel was in such a content mood and Constantine, for once, was smiling. Why ruin the moment?

  Behind him, Eve and Lazarus whispered to each other and Lucifer stayed in the far back, being extremely quiet. After another three hours of walking, Gabriel halted the group in front of a small tunnel. “We need to be careful in here.”

  “Where does it lead?” Eve asked.

  “Someplace Michael will not think to look first,” Gabe turned and saw Eve had twisted her hair into a knot on her head. She looked so different. So… desirable. Male versus female bodies were never an issue before. They were different, yes, but forms never mattered. Your body was your body. So long as it was strong and your wings sturdy, there was no other cause to look. Suddenly, an Angel’s form felt like a big deal. Gabriel couldn’t tear his gaze away from her once he’d latched on.

  Were all females so shapely or was it just Eve? Did they all smell so divine, or was she an extra special breed? Had she been created to tempt them all with thoughts so carnal, they were all damned from this moment on?

  Eve was not to blame for his sudden shift in thoughts. Fuck no. That was Lucifer’s fault.

  What Eve had done was far more devastating. She’d given divine energy to a human babe and thus created souls – both good and evil. And those energies were taking over the lands and infringing on Angel territories. As a warrior, built and trained to protect, Gabriel couldn’t blame her one bit for trying to save that baby. Death, at any age, was hard to suffer and he was sure seeing a lifeless newborn would have been devastating. Breathing life and energy into the child was Eve’s purpose, so how could anyone call what she did wrong?

  But he knew damn well some would. Some… like Michael.

  Gabriel’s protective instincts roared. It was no secret Michael was after the one who’d created souls. Now, Michael had two targets to go after… and they were together now. Safety was not always in numbers. Sometimes, one was better off on their own.

  Fuck, Gabriel didn’t want to think about any of this right now. There was too much uncertainty. Too much that needed to be done. Too much. Too much. Too fucking much.

  “I’m going to get everyone set up here and then head back.” Damn, Gabe heard the tremor in his voice and fucking hated it. Warriors shouldn’t be so weak, but looking at Eve, Lazarus, and Lucifer right now? Shit, he felt damn near panicked and couldn’t understand why.

  Protecting them felt more important than anything else in the whole wide world.

  “What must we do?” Lucifer worked his way up the path and stopped just in front of Gabriel. “How do we cross safely?”

  Gabriel didn’t speak for a long moment. Stunned by Lucifer’s presence, he wasn’t sure if he was in awe or jealous again. Fuck, what’s happening to me?
Gabriel closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When he opened them again, he stared straight into a pair of vibrant blue eyes that matched his own. Lucifer was waiting for orders, so Gabriel gave him some. “This requires an energy bond,” he explained. “Constantine, Uriel, you ready for this?”

  “Is this going to hurt?” Lucifer’s gaze darted to Eve.

  “I’m not fragile,” Eve grumbled.

  “Never said you were,” Lucifer shook his head, “But I think you’ve been through enough. I only wish to spare you.”

  “Spare me your pity then,” she snipped. “I can handle it.”

  “Wouldn’t doubt if for a minute, Flower.” Lazarus pressed his lips to her cheek, and the act infuriated Gabriel. Was everyone going to do something to her with their mouths?

  Laz laughed, “I think you’ve just shaken the males of your species and their feathers are ruffled.”

  “My feathers aren’t fucking ruffled,” Gabriel grumbled.

  “Well, do whatever you want to my feathers,” Uriel practically purred, “I’m still flying high from earlier and my body still feels super sensitive.”

  Eve rolled her eyes and pushed past everyone. “I’d like to get there soon so I can finally sit down. My feet are killing me.”

  Gabriel looked down at the mud and scratches covering her from ankles to toes. Shit, Gabriel felt like an asshole for not having carried her. The night’s journey was long and strenuous, and she’d kept up with them without a single complaint. Either Purity Angels were made of iron, or this one had a seriously high pain tolerance.

  “Your feet,” Constantine knelt down and wrapped his hand around her ankle. Gently lifting her foot, they could all see her sole was a bloodied wreck and the males all hissed when they realized how shredded her feet were. While they were in boots, Eve was barefooted. Con looked up with a frown, “Eve, why didn’t you say anything to us?”

  Her shoulders stiffened, “One must be grateful for what they have and not look upon others to compare blessings and comforts.”

  It sounded like a recited lesson she’d been forced to memorize and repeat. Gabriel tore his eyes away from her while Constantine healed her.