Into Hell (The Road to Hell Series, Book 4)

by Brenda K. Davies

  Bending again, the corded muscles across Kobal’s back bulged as he gripped the bottom of the easily five-hundred-pound rock and lifted it out of the way. My fingers itched to trace every inch of his chiseled body while I watched him work.

  I bit my bottom lip and glanced away when he set the rock aside. Turning back, he held his hand out to me. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as his skin slid into contact with mine. With his heightened sense of smell, I knew he’d sensed the direction my mind had taken.

  I scowled at him, which only caused his smile to grow while he led me past the rock. My eyes widened on the austere space we entered. “What is this?” I asked.

  “My chambers,” Kobal said. Releasing me, he waited for everyone else, and the hounds, to enter the cavern before lifting the slab and settling it back into place.

  I’d suspected that we’d finally arrived at our destination when he’d used his marks to unlock the rock, but I hadn’t expected his chambers to be like this.

  When we’d been living by the wall on Earth, Kobal’s main tent had been simply decorated with its table, sideboard, lanterns, goblets, and drinks. Books had often been on the table, waiting for him or me to pick up. His separate room had held a large bed, nightstand, mirror, armoire, and other assorted things he’d taken from houses in the nearby town. The possessions hadn’t originally been his, but he’d picked them out and made them his.

  There was nothing but rocks here and a fire pit against the far wall. Even with the glow of the flames bouncing off the walls, this place was stark and lonely.

  Magnus had decorated his private space in Hell. Corson was different here than he’d been on Earth, but I believed there would still be signs of his personality in his chambers, and that Bale would have something of her own if we ever saw where she lived here.

  It was clear how much their time on Earth had changed Corson and the skelleins. Not so clear with Bale, but I had a feeling, if I had known her when she’d lived only in Hell, I would see changes in her now too. I doubted any of the demons saw how different they were on Earth compared to Hell. If they did, they would never admit it.

  Kobal had decided that when this was done with Lucifer, he would stay on Earth with me, but I wondered if he realized how much my world had become a part of him too. Living on our plane had changed him more than I’d realized before we ever even met. The Kobal I first encountered had possessed the warmth of an ice cube; the demon who had lived here was the entire iceberg.

  “How spartan,” Hawk murmured as his gaze ran over the gray rock walls and empty floor.

  “No one will be able to get passed Eiaz to enter here,” Kobal said.

  His footsteps rang off the black stone floor as he strode across the room. He walked behind a section of wall that blended in so seamlessly with the rocks, I hadn’t realized something lay beyond. Kobal reemerged with black and red furs tossed over his arm.

  “There is water behind there for all of you to clean up with. River and I will be going into my sleeping chambers. You are to remain here. We will rest before leaving to join Morax and the others,” Kobal stated.

  He handed the furs to Corson and turned to me. I didn’t have a chance to blink before he lifted me and carried me across the echoing chamber. Rounding the corner of a different set of rocks, he strode down a small hall. When none of the light from the main area pierced this hallway, I strained to see through the darkness while Kobal continued unerringly forward.

  My fingers dug into his shoulders as I thought of him sleeping in this place every night. I settled my head on his shoulder, holding him closer as I inwardly wept for the lonely demon who had resided here. The only one of his kind, the one with the weight of Hell, war, and the lives of his followers on his shoulders. He was still the only one of his kind, still had the weight of war on his shoulders, but now he knew he was not alone.

  He had not known that here.

  He stopped before another rock and set me on my feet before it. Placing his hands on either side of my head, he kept me pinned before him. My breath came faster as his chest brushed against mine while he worked to move the rock aside. My toes curled, and my gaze drifted over his broad chest as he pushed the rock out of the way.

  I didn’t turn to look at the room beyond as he lifted me and carried me across the threshold. Lowering me again, he turned to close the rock behind us. I gazed at the small room and the pile of furs tossed into the corner. Nearby was a small pool of water with a lava rock set out beside it. The fire in a pit cast shadows over the walls, but unlike the fire in the main room, I couldn’t see the flames within this pit.

  “How long did you live here?” I asked.

  “From my birth until I went to Earth,” he replied.

  For over fifteen hundred years he’d slept here, yet there was nothing here. “Where are all of your things?”

  “There’s a small room over there with some of my clothes in it.” He waved at an area across the way, and I saw that, like the larger chamber, the rocks hid what lay beyond.

  “What about personal items? Magnus had goblets and furs and a whole carnival to keep him entertained.”

  “I have nothing else here.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Why not?”

  Cupping my face in his hand, he drew my eyes to him. “Because I sought nothing but my throne while I was here. These rooms were never my home. My home was where my throne is.”

  “And now?”

  “Now my home is with you,” he said simply, yet the words robbed me of my breath. “Come.”

  He clasped my hand and led me across the chamber to the pool of water that was about three feet deep and five feet wide. My skin prickled with excitement over being able to scrub the sweat, stench, and dirt off me.

  I untied my boots and yanked them off while Kobal worked to remove his. I went to tug the dress off before recalling the intricate buttons going up the back of it. Mewling in frustration, I nearly burned the material off me.

  “Easy,” Kobal murmured as he stepped behind me.

  Gathering my hair, he draped it over my shoulder before bending to kiss my nape. His warm breath on my flesh caused my pulse to skyrocket as his fingers worked to slide the buttons free. I was caught between throwing myself into his arms or leaping into the water and scrubbing myself for the next hour.

  He ran a single knuckle up my spine in a massaging manner before replacing the knuckle with his thumbs. I moaned as his hands rubbed my cramped muscles. His fingers brushed the undersides of my breasts before he slid them away to push the sleeves of the dress down my shoulders.

  My nipples tightened in anticipation of his touch as the dress dipped down and air rushed over my flushed skin. My breasts ached to feel his hands kneading them until I could barely stand.

  “Exquisite,” he murmured in my ear.

  He stepped so close that the heat of his chest branded my back. Bending over me, his body nearly enveloped mine as his mouth pressed against the marks he’d left on my shoulder. His hands pushed the dress down until the sleeves fell completely away and the top of it hung about my hips.

  My body jerked and my head fell back to his shoulder when his hands settled on my stomach. They slid down, pushing the dress lower and forming a V beneath my belly button. I waited for him to slip his hands under the dress and between my thighs. Instead, his hands moved leisurely up my stomach. They brushed my breasts in a teasing manner that had my body begging for more. I couldn’t stop myself from arching toward his hands.

  He chuckled before nipping at my ear. “Did you miss me inside you?”

  “Yes,” I breathed.

  His hands fell away, and with a tug, he pulled the dress over my hips and down my legs.

  “You are mine,” he stated, and I could feel the ardor of his gaze on my back.

  “And you are mine,” I reminded him as I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder.

  “I’ve only ever been yours, Mah Kush-la,” he said and pulled off his pant
s.

  The thick length of his swollen shaft stood proudly out from his body when he tossed his pants aside. The bead of precum already forming on the head of it caused me to lick my lips. I clearly recalled the taste of him, of fire and male, on my tongue.

  When he stepped against me again, the heavy weight of his erection against my back caused liquid warmth to pool between my legs. My head tipped back as he lowered his mouth to kiss my forehead, nose, and briefly my lips.

  His arms swept around my waist, and he carried me to the pool where he descended into the red water. A blissful sigh escaped me when the warmth of the water encompassed my cramped muscles.

  CHAPTER 11

  River

  Kobal set me down before turning to grab the lava rock sitting at the side of the pool. “When was the last time you were in these chambers?” I asked.

  “Before the humans tore open the gateway.”

  Ever so carefully, Kobal ran the lava rock over my back. I would have scrubbed a layer of skin off in my impatience to get clean, but he wouldn’t leave a mark on my flesh. He set the rock down and dipped his cupped hands into the water. Lifting them, he poured water over my hair and down my back. I closed my eyes as it ran over me in red rivulets while his fingers tenderly massaged my scalp and washed my hair.

  When he was done, he reclaimed the lava rock and brought it back to my skin. I gasped when his hand dipped below the water and cupped my ass while his other hand worked to wash my thighs. The hand on my ass squeezed my flesh before sliding between my thighs. I pushed back against him, seeking more of his touch.

  Slowly, he slid his fingers back and forth across my aching center, spreading the wetness he had created. He kissed my shoulder as he dipped the tip of one finger inside me before pulling it out to run it over my clit in small circles. I pushed more demandingly against his hand as coiling tension began to build within me. He had only to touch me and my body became his to do whatever he asked of it.

  “Always so wet for me,” he murmured.

  His fangs grazed my shoulder. Reaching behind me, I wrapped my hand around the rigid length of him. I gave one long stroke before running my thumb over his head and the thick vein running up the side of his shaft. His obvious desire for me fueled my arousal to higher heights.

  “Always so hard for me,” I replied.

  His hips thrust into my palm before he grasped my hand and drew it away. I mewled my discontent when he brought my hand to my stomach. “Not yet,” he said.

  Keeping my hand in his, he slid it over my breasts. My heart hammered in my chest when he used my thumb and forefinger to pinch my nipple before rolling it over. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I felt his rapt gaze on our hands as his breath came faster against my shoulder. He released my hand, and when I went to let it drop again, he reclaimed it and placed it against my breast.

  “Keep touching yourself,” he commanded gruffly. “I want to watch you.”

  This time, when he released my hand, I kept it on my breast. Helpless to resist anything he asked of me, I melted against his chest as I ran my thumb over my nipple. I delighted in the sound of pleasure he released when I pinched my nipple before shifting my hand to my other breast.

  He cupped his hand and dipped it into the water before lifting it to my neck. My eyes became heavy-lidded when he let the water trickle down my back. With his lips and tongue, he followed the water to the small of my back, leaving a trail of heat over my flesh.

  Rising again, the supple skin and chiseled muscle of his chest slid over my back. His breath warmed my shoulder as he stood over me to watch me caressing myself once more. He wrapped his arm around my waist to pull me flat against him. My back bowed when his palms ran down my belly again and he slid a hand between my legs.

  I groaned when he slid only the tip of his finger into me again. Lifting my free arm, I draped it around his neck when he ran his fangs over my shoulder while he continued teasing me.

  “Mark me,” I whispered, needing his bite almost as badly as him.

  He thrust his finger into me at the same time his fangs clamped onto my shoulder. Stretching me further, he slipped another finger into me. A familiar tightening started between my thighs and spread into my belly.

  ***

  Kobal

  The muscles of River’s sheath clenched my fingers when she came in a heated rush. Her hand grasped her breast harder as she moaned, and her head fell against my shoulder. Her irresistible, fresh rain scent intensified as her hips continued to follow the demanding rhythm of my fingers within her.

  I bit deeper and her fingers dug into my nape as she came again. Legs weak, she slumped against me. I kept my arm locked around her waist while I carried her from the water. My fingers eased their stroking, but I kept them deep within her until my cock could replace them.

  Her enticing pants as she tried to catch her breath had my dick demanding release. I lowered her onto the furs and reluctantly removed my fingers from her. The whimper of disappointment she uttered almost caused me to grip her hips and drive myself into her from behind.

  I restrained myself as I placed my hand on her back and lowered her to the furs. This time, I would see her face when I made her body come apart. With gentle guidance, I rolled her over until she lay sprawled before me. Her wet hair created a cloud of black silk around her shoulders and flushed face. Her violet eyes shone in the light of the fire at the back of the room.

  I ran my knuckles over her cheeks, memorizing every detail of her, my Chosen. I wanted to possess her in every possible way, but I wanted to savor her more. If she touched me though, if she stroked me and guided me into her, I would lose control. Reaching over her head, I grabbed another fur and pulled it toward me. I ripped it into pieces before focusing on River again.

  “Do you trust me?” I inquired.

  The haze of passion slid away from her eyes as she frowned at me. “With everything I am.”

  I took one of her wrists and slid a piece of fur around it. She continued to frown at me as I took the other end of the fur and bound her free wrist. When I leaned over her again, I slid the looped piece of fur around a rock. She stiffened but didn’t fight the bond.

  “I’ll release you if you ask me to,” I promised. “And you can burn the ties away at any time.”

  She didn’t protest or try to break free as a small smile curved her enticing lips. Unable to resist, I bent my head to hers in a claiming kiss. Her mouth parted, her tongue eagerly entwining with mine. The head of my dick pushed against her inviting entrance, but I pulled back before I could enter her. I was determined to relish her for as long as possible.

  Breaking the kiss, I dropped my head to the hollow of her throat and ran my tongue over her damp skin, savoring the taste of her salty flesh as I moved lower over her body. I lowered my head to one of her breasts and drew her nipple into my mouth, sucking on it until it stood proudly into the air. Releasing it, I turned my attention to her other breast. When her nipple rose against my tongue, I sank my fangs into her breast, marking her further as mine.

  “Kobal!” she cried.

  Her body arched off the ground, and her head twisted to the side as she pulled on her bonds. She mewled in frustration, but she didn’t fight against her restraints and she didn’t burn them away. As the scent of her arousal filled my nose, every instinct I had told me to satisfy her. She was my Chosen, she needed release from me, yet I still managed to restrain myself from burying my cock into her inviting body and satisfying us both.

  If her hands had been free, if she’d been able to touch me, I never could have held back. Releasing my bite on her breast, I moved lower to run my tongue across her ribcage and flat stomach before tasting her belly button. Her legs fell further open as I maneuvered myself between her thighs.

  Sliding my hands under her ass, I lifted her hips to expose her sex to my mouth. The tantalizing sight of her wet curls caused my dick to jump in anticipation as I blew on her clit. River’s head thrashed and her ass tightened in my hands. When
I blew on her again, her eyes slid closed and her head fell back.

  My gaze latched onto her tantalizing nipples and the clear evidence of my bite on her golden skin as I bent my head to taste her. A bead of semen formed on the head of my cock while I delved my tongue into her hot recesses. The feel of the semen on my skin and the fullness of it building within me were things I’d never experienced before claiming River. Now, I couldn’t remember a time before her and the sensation of the growing pressure within me. I didn’t want to remember it either.

  Her hands grasped the furs, and her body moved greedily against my tongue until she was riding it like she did my dick. Throwing her head back, she cried out, and I lapped up her sweet release. Lowering her to the ground, I leveled myself over her. Her muscles were still contracting from her orgasm when I thrust into her.

  My body demanded its own release, but I remained unmoving within her, feeling the lingering contractions of her sheath gripping me. She searched my face as I memorized every one of the different flecks of purple within her amazing eyes. The love shining in her gaze was something I’d never considered having in my life before her. Now that I had it, I would never let it go.

  Leaning over her, I gripped the furs above her wrists and burned them away. Her arms fell to the ground before her hands lifted to cup my cheeks with her palms. “My heart,” she whispered.

  “My everything,” I told her as I slid out of her before surging forward once more.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck; her mouth turned into my shoulder, and she bit down hard enough to break my skin. I growled as she marked me. Her legs encircled my waist, and sparks of life flickered across her fingers as she lost complete control.

  From past experience, I knew she could use her ability to harness life to fling me across the room. Now it warmed my skin as power flowed between us and she met my increasing demands of her body.