by Tara West
“What did he say?” I asked, though I suspected the answer.
“He didn’t exactly give me his blessing,” he said with a half-hearted chuckle.
“Go figure.” I rolled my eyes.
And then Aedan did something I hadn’t been expecting. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. This was no tender kiss, either, as his lips pressed forcefully upon mine and his hands roved my back. I sensed an urgency in his touch, and I couldn’t tell if he was really horny or terrified of what was to come. He abruptly pulled back, wordlessly leading me to bed.
We’d been assigned the same guest chamber we’d used the other day. The table was still propped up against the bed as a makeshift stair, because the bed was at least two feet taller than Aedan. I had to admit, all this worrying over our descent had left me feeling queasy and exhausted. Thankfully, Aedan helped me up and then crawled underneath the covers with me, holding me while I trembled, letting me bury my face in his warm chest. I felt so comforted and safe in his arms. I wished I could have bottled that feeling to take with me, but I knew once we reached our destination, I would feel nothing but shit-my-pants panic. Maybe I should have asked the Nephilim for a pair of extra absorbent undies.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, stroking my back.
I shook my head, tickling my face against his light patch of chest hair. I pulled back, looking into his concerned eyes as I itched my nose. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, I do.” He sat up, looking down at me as he stroked my jaw, causing my eyelids to flutter.
I heaved a shaky breath, trying hard not to let my fear turn my stomach upside-down. “I’m thinking I hope I don’t crap my pants tomorrow.”
His response wasn’t exactly comforting as he tilted back his head and laughed out loud. I was glad someone thought the notion of my soul burning for eternity in the pit of a dragon’s stomach sounded funny.
He cupped my chin in his hand, smiling as he traced my bottom lip with his thumb. “I thought you were still angry over Mar.”
Scowling, I pushed his hand away as I struggled to sit. “Did you have to bring her up?”
His eyes softened. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
I crossed my arms, pouting. “Then why did you bring her?” Though I’d been trying to bury my feelings all day, truthfully, when he allowed her to come with us, I’d not only felt betrayed, I’d felt unloved. I wondered if the real reason he’d let her tag along was because he still cared about her, maybe even more than he cared about me.
The lines around his mouth fell like elastic stretched too thin. “I couldn’t refuse her father. Not after all he’d done for me after my parents died.”
I threw up my hands. “I don’t understand. You don’t repay a man a favor by taking his daughter to Hell.”
“I know,” he said on a heavy sigh. “His request was rather bizarre. Maybe he truly believes Mar can save Katherine.”
I arched a brow as I studied his weary expression. “Do you believe it?”
“No.” His shoulders fell. “Her sister is beyond redemption.”
“Then Mar will risk her soul and ours for nothing.” I was unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice as I shot him a look that would have melted lead had my eyes been lasers. If only I could shoot lasers. No, I wouldn’t have used them on my boyfriend, but that would have been one hell of a superpower.
Aedan clutched my shoulders. “I swear on my soul I will not let her risk yours. Your safety is my primary concern on this mission. Mar and her father know this.” That little dimple beside his mouth twitched as I searched his face for any sign of deception. But what I saw nearly took my breath away. His blue eyes gleamed like gems, but I sensed the solid resolve of his vow. Did he truly care for me above all else? And what about his soul? Was he willing to risk it to help Mar save someone who was beyond help?
“And what about you, Aedan?” My voice cracked as moisture welled in my eyes. Losing Aedan to eternal damnation would be as bad as sacrificing my own soul. Didn’t he realize I couldn’t go on without him? What was he expecting me to do? Lock myself away in Heaven and gorge on cheesecake for the rest of eternity?
“I will be fine.” He squeezed my shoulders. “We will all be fine.” He looked away, but I saw his gaze waver. The resolve in his eyes flickered like candles in the breeze.
My heart felt heavy, and my limbs numbed over. “I don’t believe that, and neither do you.”
When he looked back at me, his features had softened, but he said nothing as he leaned into me.
“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” I asked right before his lips softly feathered against mine.
“This is our last night alone together for perhaps a very long time,” he breathed into my mouth.
I feebly pushed his shoulder as liquid heat pooled between my legs. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?” he asked, nibbling my lower lip.
That twisting in my gut started to unravel. When he slipped a hand beneath my toga, a spark lit between my thighs that combusted into a raging inferno. He stroked my heat, causing my legs to fall open in submission. I arched back, gasping as he trailed molten hot kisses down the column of my throat. “Yes.”
“Good,” he said on a low, throaty growl as he kneaded my breast. “Because I plan on distracting you all night long.”
“Oh, God, please,” I moaned, wondering if the prayer call center had heard my plea all the way from the pit of Hell and not caring one bit.
I clung to him as his lips found mine, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him after he’d removed our clothes, holding him tightly as he rocked into me, praying with all my might I’d never lose him. And when he held me in a sweet, passionate kiss, stroking my mouth with his tongue, as orgasm after orgasm crested over me, I cried into his mouth as he shuddered into me, wishing our lovemaking would never end. It wasn’t until our breathing slowed, and our heartbeats returned to near normal as I continued to cling to him while he whispered words of love into my ear, that the truth hit me. If he sacrificed his soul to the beast, then so would I. Whether we lived in Heaven, Hell, or in-between, I couldn’t survive an eternity without Aedan.
Callum O’Connor
“Damn. What the hell is he doing here?”
Finding refuge behind an abandoned cart, I stared at the lineup of slaves in the quarry, shocked to find Ash’s friend, Sarge among the captives. I wondered if he’d been banished to level four during the battle with Scorpius, and if so, did that mean Ash and the giants had lost the war? Had Scorpius made Ash his blood slave? Had he already begun the apocalypse? I couldn’t believe God would be cruel and indifferent enough to let that happen. Then a thought struck me, a bloom of hope within my chest. What if Aedan, Ash, and their friends had come to the fourth dimension to save me? But my hope quickly withered to dust. If they’d come down here, and their Sarge was captured, that meant Ash and Aedan had been taken prisoner as well. Besides, they wouldn’t come for me.
The only logical explanation was Sarge had somehow been cast down by Scorpius, which meant he’d very likely won the war. There was only one way to find out, and that was through the Sergeant. Now all I had to do was figure out how to free him.
Keeping my wings pinned against my back, I crawled backward in the direction of the tunnel, wincing every time my foot crunched gravel. When I ran into something solid, I turned my head to see a shark-like creature with a pointy head, gills, and fins for arms blocking my path.
His thin lips pulled back in a slow grin, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Caught ya.” His fleshy gills rattled as he laughed. His eyes widened when I flew to my feet. “A dragon demon? I was wondering who dusted those guards. Marshal is going to love meting out your punishment.” He lurched forward, fins flapping against his chest.
I sucked in a breath and released my fire without a second thought. I didn’t have time to scream when I was hit by a wave and thrown to the ground, gravel chafing my wings
and back. Spitting out salty water, I scrambled to my feet, wincing at the burning pain in my left wing which hung limply by my side.
I was thrown to the ground again, this time by the shark. His rough hide scraped my scales as he pressed down on top of me with his heavy weight. Water dripped off his rows of teeth when he spit into my face. “Thought you could burn me, did ya? I should bite your head off for that.”
I turned my head, breathing through a wheeze, not just because he was crushing my lungs, but because he stunk like week old fish guts. I struggled against him, but it was no use. This shark was as heavy as a ton of bricks.
When he rose above me, opening a mouth wide enough to bite me in half, I knew I was done for. I panted hard, steam pouring out of my snout as I tried to push him away, and then my world was engulfed in darkness as a shadow fell over us, so thick it snuffed not just my vision but all sense of reason. It was as if a twister was spinning inside my head, tossing my thoughts into the wind, leaving my mind a jumbled mess.
I swore as my leg was jerked and more pain lanced up my back. I thought someone was pulling me, but I wasn’t sure. Had the shark bitten me in two? Was I spiraling toward the fifth dimension? It felt as if my mind and soul had been tossed into a tempest. Whatever was happening was not good, but that’s all I knew, for my brain could hardly reason. I closed my eyes, succumbing to the void that swallowed me whole.
Ash MacLeod
Aedan and I didn’t speak a word as we dressed with somber clarity, but we did kiss quite a few times. Neither of us were hungry for breakfast. I managed to force down some juice, knowing my mouth would be drier than dust soon.
We found Mar, Boner, King Og, and three other Nephilim waiting for us at the huge wooden doors that led to their underground cavern where they practiced for war in their demon forms. I had purposely worn a loose-fitting tank top over my jeans so I had a wide opening across the back, knowing I’d soon sprout wings. I wondered if Boner would still be bony, but mostly I wondered what type of demon Mar would turn into. I sure hoped that whatever she was, she’d be ugly. Bitchy, I know, but unlike Mar, I’d never claimed to be perfect.
Aedan laced his fingers through mine, and we followed the Nephilim with Jack, Boner, and Mar behind us. I felt the change as soon as we hit the first stone stair. I still hadn’t conditioned myself to the pain. Crying out, I hunched over, my knees nearly buckling when my back ripped open and feathered wings shot out.
Aedan clutched my elbow. “Ash, are you all right?” Weird, how his already deep voice dropped to an even lower baritone.
Imagine my surprise when I looked up to see my boyfriend, or what had once been my boyfriend, replaced by a beautiful Adonis with flowing dark hair and eyes so blue they shone like diamonds. Though I’d always loved his toned physique, that was nothing compared to Aedan now. Shit. His arms were so thick, they were Herculean. He winced as two white-feathered wings sprouted from his back. And that’s when it hit me. He was an angel like Cam, only better.
“Holy crap!” I pointed at him. “You’re beautiful.”
He smiled as his cheeks flushed. He traced a finger down my wing, which sent a zing of lust straight to my magic spot. “So are you.”
I rolled my eyes, blowing an errant lock of frizz out of my face and cursing myself for forgetting to soak my head in holy water. “I’m a freaking giant canary, but thanks, anyway.”
King Og landed on the bottom step with a thud, waving us forward. “Come, friends. We must go.”
Jack bounded ahead, his two tongues lolling to the sides as his twin heads bobbled with each leap down the steps. My wings were too wet and sticky to be of use, so Aedan helped me down the stairs, which were way too tall for me to manage by myself. I scowled when Aedan turned and gave Mar a hand, not just because I didn’t like the idea of them touching, but because Mar didn’t look like a demon at all. In fact, if it was at all possible, she looked even more perfect, with curly auburn hair that flowed past her shoulders, green eyes that sparkled like amethysts, a perfect porcelain complexion, and white-feathered wings. What the hell? Why did Aedan and Mar get to be angels and I looked like my mom’s old feather duster?
My jaw dropped when I saw the thing clomping behind Mar with Boner’s face. I scrunched my features, trying to figure out what the heck he was supposed to be. Some sort of mythical creature from a fantasy movie? He looked like Boner from the waist up, but he had four animal legs, like a Centaur, only I didn’t think he was as tall as a horse. Omigod! My hands flew to my mouth when I realized Boner was part donkey! Made sense I guess, since he was hung like one.
Boner looked down at his animal legs and back up with wide eyes. “What happened to me?” he asked in his signature dazed and confused voice as if he’d smoked an entire bong and then gorged on a few too many magical brownies.
I scratched my head. “That’s what I’d like to know.” His demon form was a far cry from his skeletal ghosting apparition.
He shifted from hoof to hoof as his tail slapped the moss-covered wall behind him. “One second I’m me, and the next I’ve got hooves and a tail.”
I shrugged. “I guess your demon form is a Centaur.” Actually, he was more like a Centaur knockoff because he wasn’t much taller than me, and I was fairly certain Centaurs were supposed to be bigger.
“Totally cool!” Boner exclaimed. Well, at least he hadn’t freaked out. I guess he’d lived in Purgatory long enough to know to just roll with the weirdness. He trotted ahead of us, his tail swishing back and forth like a windshield wiper, or in his case, a wide ass wiper. And that’s when I got a good look at his holy-fucking-shit big ass balls. Dear, God, they were like watermelons. I was surprised he could walk without chafing them. I figured since he was hung like a horse in Purgatory, it was only fitting he’d be hung like an elephant in Hell. Trying to walk with those jugs between his legs had to have been torture.
The cavern was more like a sewer with a smelly river of sludge and a gravelly embankment. The walls were covered with black moss, and the ceiling seemed to stretch forever, disappearing into a dark void. The Nephilim army was waiting down below, lined up beside the river to say farewell to the three giants Og had chosen to accompany us.
I still didn’t understand why Og was only sending three. I would have felt better with at least a hundred, but Cam and Aedan had agreed a small reconnaissance unit would be best. Our plan was to have Jack sniff out our friends. Once we found them, if we decided it would be too difficult getting them out, then we’d send for reinforcements.
At least Og had chosen his best warriors: Goliath, who could turn demons to stone with one wave of his club; Anak, who had healing powers; and Boar, whose name fit his appearance. I wasn’t sure what his power was yet, but he looked pretty badass with steam pouring out of his wide snout and a massive underbite with two tusk-like fangs protruding from his mouth.
Cam stepped from behind one of the giants. A warm breeze blew through the cavern, ruffling his luxurious blond mane. He was cloaked in a long white robe with a gold belt, and he looked part wizard, part God as he clutched a long gleaming staff.
Aedan nodded to Cam and then turned to me. “Between me and these giants, I think we’re enough.”
I angled my head, not liking his resigned tone. “Enough for what?”
He nodded at our freaky companions. “The rest of you don’t need to go down.”
I ruffled my wet feathers while glaring up at him. “Like Hell you’re going without me.”
“I’ve come this far,” Boner whined as he kicked the dirt with his hoof. “I’m not leaving my Sarge.”
“I’m the only one able to talk Katherine into repenting. You promised my father,” Mar said in a tone dripping with guilt-inducing venom, yet laced with sweetness as she batted her lashes up at Aedan. As much as I couldn’t stand her, I sure envied the way she’d mastered that effect. She made my grandma look like an amateur, and that was saying something.
My heart cracked like an earthquake fault line buckling the grou
nd when I saw the warring emotions in Aedan’s eyes. Damn. If I’d ever doubted Aedan still cared for Mar, here was proof.
“I can bring her to you, Mar. I’ll use force if I have to.” Though his voice dropped to a near whisper, the strength behind it spoke volumes.
Her perfect ringlets swayed side to side as she shook her head. “I can’t take that risk.”
And I couldn’t take the risk of having Aedan fall deeper under Mar’s spell. “Aedan’s right,” I said, clenching my hands by my sides, suppressing the desire to sprout claws and tear her eyes out. “You’ve never fought demons before. You’ll get in the way and put us all in danger.”
Mar’s perfect porcelain complexion reddened, from the roots of her shiny auburn hair all the way to the V of her toga. “I love her! I love her more than anything!” she shrieked in a voice so shrill, it was like car tires screeching and rabid cats mating times infinity.
Before I had the chance to cover my ears, the ground shook with such ferocity, debris fell from the walls. Aedan flung himself on top of me, pinning me to the ground as everyone else ducked for cover. As soon as the quake stopped, Aedan helped me up, dusting dirt off my jeans. Well, at least he’d shielded me instead of Mar. I figured he’d earned boyfriend points for that act of chivalry.
Mar was wide-eyed and as pale as a sheet. “Did I do that?”
“I’m afraid so,” Aedan grumbled.
King Og pointed at Mar with his club. “Angel make earthquake. Angel good for fighting demons.” Then he motioned to me. “This angel blast demons with lightning. She good, too.” He eyed Boner’s balls. “What happen to twig and berries? They bit by spider?”
