"Say I trust you. Say I think you might be trapped here just as much as anyone else in this horrible place. Would you leave with me? Perhaps I could save us both?"
"That, I'm afraid, can never be, love." The witch stepped out of the path to the door and patiently waited for Haven to walk out.
Unsure if she should pack the old woman up and take her with her, or leave without her, Haven hesitated. She took a few tentative steps toward the door, keeping her eyes on the woman. The witch wasn't going to stand in her way, so respecting her clear choice to stay here was probably the best way Haven could repay the favor. Haven didn't know what repercussions could come of such a thing, and magic, binding as it was even with demons, might be more so between a witch and a demon, and Haven was most sure Tyson was a nasty unnatural. Why else would he even allow magic within the compound? "You sure you don't want to come with me?" Haven tried one final time.
"Go on. I'll be fine."
Haven turned and walked two steps before she felt a sharp pain shoot through the back of her arm. A burn crept inside her veins. Her chest seized and she struggled to breathe. The bitch tricked her. If Haven survived, she would kill the witch. Haven fell to her knees and crawled as far as she could. The witch dropped with her.
"Breathe, love. The pain will pass and you will feel right as rain."
Haven inhaled. Right as rain. How could right and rain possibly coexist that way? Rain wasn't right. Natural, sure, but not right. The witch slapped Haven's back, and she coughed up air, inhaling deep gulps of it. Haven shook her head and scrambled out of the witch's vicinity. She'd made it past the cell door. Haven kicked the damn thing shut and bolted toward the stairs.
Colors came to her when she looked up the stairs. The firelight from torches danced like fairies, spinning, lifting, so beautiful in their red and yellow dresses. She wanted to sit and watch them dance, but something nagged at her. Why were they here? Perhaps they had been trapped, too? Which reminded her, there was a bird. A beautiful white bird Haven must see again.
"Haven..." a man said. His voice sounded familiar. She knew it from somewhere. Haven turned to look up the soft sandy stairs at him. A bright light shone behind him, like wonderfully feathery wings, fanning out of his shoulders, and she knew if she walked into his arms, she would be safe...forever.
***
After focusing most of his new energy on Haven, Desiderus breached the Celest compound. He'd managed to appear without anyone seeing him. Not that he really cared if anyone saw him; he could easily manipulate them into leaving, or something else. A grin spread across his lips at the idea of making a Celest do something dirty, something...sinful.
A bang rang up from somewhere behind him. Desiderus turned and he spotted a narrow walkway. Haven had to be close. His demon powers rarely led him astray. A perk of being a very old demon. Desiderus took step after step down deeper into the compound. As he rounded the last of the stairs, he found Haven staring at the torches on the wall, her eyes clouded over. She didn't look hurt, but had some strange T-shirt on. Desiderus sniffed the air. The shirt belonged to a man, and a voice inside him growled. Perhaps having her take off all her clothes in the forest was not the bright idea he'd thought it was. "Haven," he said, attempting to catch her attention.
Her eyes found him. Lust tore through him at the pure sight of her looking at him as if...as if she adored him, needed him, wanted to be beside him. Desiderus took another step toward her, unable to stop himself. She was bewitched somehow. The Celest had gotten to her. Why would they want her?
She rushed to his arms, snuggling into his chest. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. A possessiveness overcame him. He looked around the circular area. A picture of a man hung on the wall and then he felt it: witchcraft. A white eyed witch stared at him, her eyebrows drawn up and mouth hanging open as if she'd never seen a demon before. No one else was down there with them. So this hadn't been set as a trap. They wanted something from Haven. He needed to get her out of here and to someone who could take off whatever spell she'd been put under.
"White wings," Haven said looking up at him with a smile. He cocked his head to the side. What had white wings? The unnatural bird came to mind. It must still be in the compound somewhere.
"Your bird. Don't worry, I'll help you." He could exploit her later. For now, they were in a very real dangerous position. The witch behind the bars wasn't just any witch. Her eyes spoke volumes of who and what she truly was. She exceeded in both magics and could manipulate more than most covens all by herself. "Undine, glad to see you live."
"Demon. It's been a long while."
"I'm certain you are not imprisoned here. Who runs this camp?"
The witch considered him and then spoke, "Tyson."
"And the bird?"
"If I tell you, I will be stabbing my lord in the back. You can't have her, either. She will belong to Tyson, like all the others."
Desiderus didn't know who all the others were and he didn't care. Saving Haven came before anything in the situation. Haven had a contract with him, damnit, and it would be seen through. "She belongs to me. I've already contracted her."
Undine slipped up to him faster than his eyes could keep track. She hadn't been locked up—not that he really thought she was—but a confrontation with her while Haven was in his arms made him...uncomfortable. "Her soul will be his demon. You can't have her. I swear I'll mark her if you don't let go."
"Mark her at your own peril, witch." Desiderus dared her with his eyes to lay a single finger on Haven. Undine smiled and blew Haven a kiss. The very breath of the witch seared the female's flesh just behind her ear. Haven didn't cry out as the burned scar of Undine's lips marked her flesh. Desiderus roared.
"We'll talk again soon, demon," Undine said, and then vanished. No smoke, no steam, not even a hint of breeze from movement. The air was just empty where the witch had stood.
Knowing full well this Tyson leader would soon be down to check on the witch's progress, Desiderus encouraged Haven up the stairs. The slow process made for frustration, but each time he looked at the female beside him stars seemed to shine just for him, as if he were the only thing that mattered to her. He considered carrying her up the stairs, but he wasn't sure he could contain himself with her pressed up against him, in his arms, vulnerable. Whatever Undine had given Haven was powerful indeed and he needed to get it the hell out of her system. He enjoyed the look in her eyes, but the fawning and pulling at him while she sighed was a bit much. He preferred her fire. The witch had dulled Haven's flame and he couldn't stand for it. She needed that fiery passion. Hell, he needed her to have it, to keep him on his toes. He enjoyed it. The most fun he'd had in years.
Once they made it to the top of the spiraling stairway, Desiderus carefully peeked around the corner to make sure no one hung around. When he found the hall clear, he pulled Haven into his chest again where she nuzzled and Hell forbid, he thought it was cute. Shaking the odd thought from his head, he closed his eyes and inhaled, moving his sense of smell past Haven's strawberry spice that he enjoyed so much, past the showers and general population in the compound, until he caught the faint whiff of rain off to the right.
The bird was within the compound and leaving without it was not an option. He could easily just leave the creature, but then the trust he'd built so far would slip down the drain. While normally it wouldn't bother him, he found he wanted Haven to trust him on some level, even if it were related to her job. A job in which she handed over unnaturals: creature and demon alike. Somewhere along the way, he had to have lost his mind.
"Come on, pet. Let's get your bird." He encouraged her to go right with him, not that it took much coaxing as she was very willing to follow his lead. But she stumbled as if drunk, which meant they wouldn't be getting out of there easily.
The compound itself was five stories: two underground and three above. From what Desiderus could tell the entire community lived on the compound, and it seemed more like a castle-sized warehouse-type pl
ace. The amount of windows in the halls they passed were ridiculous. Who needed this much sunshine? It was nearly blinding, glaring across the halls. Desiderus squinted in the brilliant light and kept them both moving, trying to keep her from falling or bumping into side tables. They didn't need any unwanted attention. He slipped them in and out of corners when he noticed others coming, silently moving them deeper into the compound where the rain smell increased in odor. The creature was close.
Desiderus took in a long breath, letting it out slowly, zeroing in on the bird. He pinpointed it above them a bit more to the left. He took the sharp corner and opened the door. A wide area spanned out, all the walls covered in metal like some underground tunnel. The bird squawked when Desiderus took his first step over the threshold. The sound echoed off the walls. He looked up and found the creature stretching its wings out of bars in a hanging ceiling cage.
How the hell would he get up there? Nothing was stacked nearby, no ladders leading up…hell, he couldn't even climb the walls and propel himself toward the bird. Every wall was smooth silver, even the ceiling, except the one steel loop holding the cage up. He pushed her head down and crouched as well, inching them closer to a bundle of blankets on the floor. It wasn't enough to provide much cover, but it would do until he could figure something out.
"Soft!" Haven squealed like a small girl, excited about the blankets. Desiderus hushed her.
"Get under one of them and stay there until I come back for you."
"I want to go with you." She stood.
Desiderus yanked her back down to the ground with him. "Pet, listen carefully. We are in very real danger and I need you to stay here. You wanted your bird, right?"
She nodded and her eyes grew wide.
"It's above us." He pointed to the ceiling and Haven opened her mouth to squeal in delight again. Desiderus caught her and gently covered the sound coming from her mouth. "Hush now. We have to be quiet in order to get to the creature. Do you understand?"
Haven nodded again.
"Good. Now cover up and stay hidden until I come back, and then I will reward you."
Her eyes lit up and she snuggled down under the blankets. Desiderus let out a relieved huff and contemplated his position. Very few humans walked around in the area. He could count them all on his hands. A couple were moving crates onto a forklift with a bucket that held a person as it stretched upward, the same kind of thing they used to trim trees or repair street lights and such. A fat man with a dark beard sat inside shifting it into gear. It roared to life and he watched it maneuver its way through the big area, moving a pallet of stacked dried foods. But it didn't come close to getting in the vicinity of the bird.
The creature squawked again.
"Ey! Hush up there! We ain't in here to listen to the beast cry on like this." The man in the forklift spoke to the others carrying boxes.
"You just hush yourself. We all have a job to do and Tyson takes care of us. Least we can do is put up with this bird a while. He said he'd be back for it in a few hours. It's not like it will be there all day. Calm down," one of the men said.
"It's just irritatin'," the forklift driver replied.
"Come on, Frank, it's lunch time. We can spend a good hour away from the bird since it's bugging you so much. Anyone else hungry?" the other man called out. There were several ya's and a few nods then they all shuffled toward a door on the other side. Desiderus was mildly curious where it led, but that was for another day. Today he had to figure out how to get a bird down from a cage in the middle of a ceiling with no way up, a human female unspelled from having become a pile of fawning mush, and set her brother free as well, all to finally bind the female to him. Just another day in the life of a demon.
Desiderus looked back at the mound of blanket and whispered, "Don't ever say I didn't do anything for you, Haven." He knew one day she might, and she would never know what he'd done to help her. Part of him recoiled at the idea of not proving himself to her that way, and another part—a more human part—was proud that she would never know, but would be happy with the outcome, as long as he pulled it off.
He took a deep breath and focused his energy on bringing the birdcage down with his demon magic. The cage shook and the bird flopped around, seemingly irritated by the upset, but otherwise the cage did not come down. Had it been bespelled for protection? Perhaps a human device would be able to get to it. Desiderus used his demon magic to whisk him over to the forklift. It was too bad he couldn't use it and carry her at the same time, but all magic had its limitations, even Ba'al's. Once inside the contraption he snapped his fingers, willing the machine to life, moving at his command. He didn't need to know how to drive it; all he needed was willpower and dark magic. Slowly the forklift made its way over to where the bird hung. The little nest area for a person to stand in while it ascended rocked with his weight. Desiderus snapped his fingers and the nest moved up toward the bird.
"I see we have a thief in our midst." A deep voice said from below. "Tell me why you are using magic in a sanctuary of the Lord?"
Desiderus should not have been surprised, yet he was. His concentration had been focused so fully on the bird, he'd let down his focus on the rest of the area. Rookie mistake. He was Ba'al's right hand, how could he have let himself get caught so easily? In the end, it wouldn't matter. The man was a man after all, so all Desiderus needed to do was play into his weakness. He pulled his eyes off the bird and slowly moved his gaze to the man below him. It was the same human in the picture. The lust for power shone strong within him, so strong Desiderus could see the dark red tangling in his soul.
This was no man of God. There was a haze about his appearance, something normal humans might not see, as if he were cloaked by something or someone. Was this the leader, Tyson? Had Undine done something to him? She was a witch after all, out for her own interests only. This man must be a means to her end as much as she was a means to his.
"You are Tyson, I presume?" Desiderus said.
"Ah, you have my name, but I do not have the pleasure of yours."
"And you won't, Tyson." Desiderus straightened his shoulders.
"Why don't you leave the bird to me, come on down, and we'll forget the magic all together, friend."
Desiderus grinned. "I am no friend of yours, let me assure you."
Chapter Thirteen
After careful consideration, and for fear Haven would be discovered, Desiderus made his way down and off the forklift. Tyson eyed him as they came face to face, Desiderus standing a few inches taller than the man with the reddish soul. Power hungered inside this leader: dark, craving, seeking, in a never-ending circle. The man would never be sated. His soul screamed for more and eventually he would do whatever he could to get it. Tyson hadn't fallen to the dark, but his soul wanted to be a part of the dark and it encouraged him. This was not a soul of Ba'al or one Ba'al would be able to use. Chills creeped down Desiderus' spine but he didn't react. "I'll be taking the bird, eventually."
Tyson raised his eyebrow. "And why would you do that?"
"Let's just say I have people who want this particular creature. Tracking it here, Celest leader, was no small feat. You cloaked it. In fact I'm pretty sure you have the entire compound cloaked don't you?"
Tyson's eyes widened for mere seconds before he recovered. "Perhaps you are mistaken, friend, Celest do not use magic, as everyone knows."
"But I have already seen Undine, Tyson. I can assure you, everyone else here may not use magic, but you, friend, do. What would your followers say if I showed them the witch? Or perhaps I could make magic come from you, as your soul is so open to it. You crave power. I can see it within you. I can give you the kind of power that brings others to their knees by the mere sight." Desiderus played into Tyson's desires.
"You are a demon." Tyson took a step back.
"I am, but not just any demon. I'm Ba'al's right-hand demon. I'm one of the oldest to date. Do your books, your heavens, tell you that?"
Tyson's face paled.
"I'm no longer feeling generous." Not that he truly was before. "Get me the bird and I'll spare you. Don't get me the bird and I'll burn your compound to the ground, taking every soul I can with me to give as presents to my king." Desiderus looked at his fingernails as if this was the kind of ultimatum he'd done hundreds of times. In truth, he'd never given but one or two.
Men flocked to sin, wanted to sin, craved the abilities demons could provide for them, the gain they could get for their own selfish reasons. But Desiderus knew if Tyson gave in to Desiderus, he would lose more power than he'd gain. No matter how Tyson tried to get out of it, Desiderus would be sure it looked just as it was. Tyson manipulated the people and magic. Desiderus looked down to Tyson. "Well?"
Tyson swallowed and called out for his people. "Lunch is over. I need that bird down now." His gaze didn't move from Desiderus. In a lower voice, a voice that wouldn't carry over the empty air, he said, "You'll regret this demon. I'll hunt you down. I don't care how powerful you are. You do know Celest hunt unnaturals to eradicate them from existence, and we as a whole are good at what we do. Besides, I'll have a snare on my side soon." He smiled.
As if Haven had heard him call her, she crawled out from under the blankets. "Desiderus...I can't be away from you much longer. Please, can I come to you? I only wish to be near you."
Both men turned to look at the woman slowly sauntering over to them. Desire stirred inside Desiderus, reminding him of his own needs. There was so much purity in her…and a guilt he hadn't seen before. It weighed heavy, burdening.
"You! You should be in a cell."
"I know. Isn't he wonderful?" Haven said, bypassing the Celest leader and cuddling into Desiderus.
Tyson's hand twitched and Desiderus tucked Haven beneath his arm. If the Celest leader thought he'd be able to take her from him, he would be sorely mistaken. He pinned Tyson with a glare. "In the presence of demons mistakes can't be undone or forgiven. Think very carefully before you decide what to do next, Tyson."
Impure Bargains (Impure series Book 1) Page 10
