Well, that was some damned good news. “Does it matter that they die at the same time?”
Dakkar shook his head. “There is no way we can guarantee that our simultaneous attacks will end with their timed deaths. There is a chance that once attacked, back-up for the Shakodi may come and we need to be ready for that. Already, knights are at the locations of the talismans and are ready to take out those demons once the magic is broken.”
I knew Andre was one of those knights and I was worried for him. “Do they have back up?” I asked.
Dakkar nodded. “They do.”
“Andre, who’s backing him up?”
“Isabella had been tasked at first, but then she was reassigned. He now has Nakai at his side. He’s in good hands,” Dakkar said.
“Nakai, she’s the newest lord, right? A demonic general?”
Dakkar nodded. “Another way of saying warmonger. A berserker, if you will.”
“In other words, a one-woman army?”
“In other words, yes.”
“So, how do we do this, just teleport there and I suck down the soul?”
“Not that easy. We have to wait now, for Vahiel to give us protective talismans so we can break through their wards without being killed or severely injured. Rohan, Oria, and I are powerful enough to maybe survive breaching a demonic ward, but we’ll be vulnerable while we recuperate. That would leave us open to their attacks and that isn’t anything we can risk.”
I nodded and shrugged. “So how long will that take… the protection stuff?”
“Not long now that Vahiel has the stone. It was the demon knight’s talisman he had under his flesh so he could breach the ward without being harmed. With that to go from, Vahiel doesn’t have to make something from scratch,” Dakkar said.
“Okay, once we get these talismans, what do we do?”
“A battle plan?” Dakkar asked.
“Would be nice, yeah,” I said. Last thing I wanted to do was bust in the place with no damn plan.
“Hard to say, really. These are Shakodi, which means they will be using magic. They’ll be trying to protect themselves from our combined attacks. To be honest, you Agotos are our biggest weapon. At this point, I become your back-up. I need you to suck their soul, but as you’re trying to do that, you will be incapacitated. It’s my job to pile on the attacks, take the blows until I weaken this demon enough for your Agoto to take its grip.”
“Ahh shit, this is so fucked up,” I groaned.
“It is, but it is what it is, which is why every lord has been paired with an Agoto.”
“Why not pick Isabella to be with you?”
“Because our king trusts that you can handle yourself, Brian. Now, you need to trust in yourself. I didn’t question King Adriel’s decision to pair who he paired. We are pieces in the game he is a master at. Already, he has managed to solve the problem between your other mates.”
I frowned at that. “Problem?”
Dakkar nodded. “According to Oria, Raphael and Andre have overcome their dominance issue. I’m sure you felt something ripple inside you earlier today.”
That was true, I did feel something spark inside of me, made me horny as fuck, but I ignored it. Just thought it was me getting into one of my moods and being around Dakkar’s sexy ass didn’t help, even though at that moment, I only wanted to be sandwiched in between my two lovers with their cocks buried deep inside my ass, pounding away. Hell, it’d been over forty-eight hours since I’d felt such pleasure. I hoped we all survived this ordeal so we could celebrate with hours of fucking.
“I did feel something, you’re right. So, you’re telling me that was our three Agotos finally settling?”
Dakkar nodded. “No more tension in your link. Your Agotos feel what you do and vice versa, as you know. Adriel figured out what needed to happen and that is why he is king. So, you’ve got this, Brian, and I’ve got your back.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I wonder if Raphael will have a hard time.”
“Oh, now, he’s in a different boat. He has Oria with him, I honestly don’t think he will have as much trouble as we will.”
“Why is that?” I asked, feeling a bit jealous that Raphael, who was way more powerful than I was, had the easy fight ahead.
Dakkar chuckled. “Because he is with the demon of all fear. Adriel’s Lord Regent. Oria’s strategy will be to trap the demon in a web of his greatest fears. Leaving him blind to what is real and what is not. This isn’t to say it’ll be easy. He’ll try to counter her magic with his own, but Raphael will have to pick the right moment to release his Agoto.”
“Oria is more powerful than you are? Is that what makes her Lord Regent? And by the way, what is that?” I asked.
Dakkar nodded. “Very. She is one of the oldest demons alive. She is as old as the eight levels of hell. She is embodiment of fear itself, Brian. If King Adriel were to fall, she would be the next in line, if she wasn’t challenged.”
“Why isn’t she queen of Eighth-hell already?”
“Because the king of hell, Adriel’s father, was older and stronger. Adriel challenged him and killed him; thus he became king as he was unchallenged. Honestly, I don’t think Oria wants the position, as she enjoys torturing souls rather than leading armies. She will if she must, but if she doesn’t have to…”
“I get it. Thanks for breaking it down for me,” I said. Damn, now I was curious as to what kind of demon Adriel’s dad was and just how Adriel killed him. I bet he had to be clever to the tenth degree. And Oria… I couldn’t imagine just how powerful that lord was, or how sadistic if she was the embodiment of fear itself. Raphael may have it easier than me, but I’d rather be with Dakkar than Oria. No telling how hard it’s been for my boyfriend in her presence.
I was just about to ask another question about the lords to help past the time and to gain more knowledge when Dakkar’s phone chimed. He read the message, then vanished only to return a few minutes later with two amulets.
“Here, wear this.” He handed me one and the other, he slipped over his head. I put the amulet around my neck, then stilled my shoulders, because this was it. This was the moment we’d been working toward for months. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I will ever be.”
“Then, let’s do this.” He wrapped me up in his arms and held his cell phone out, watching the screen intently.
My heart was pounding in my excitement and the sound was deafening in my ears. My palms were a little bit sweaty, so I shook my hands to cool them off some. For all the fights I’d been in since becoming a demon, and even before when I was human, I had never felt this level of nervousness or anxiousness. Maybe because the stakes were really high right now. The fate of the world depended on us, and to say I didn’t feel the weight of that would be a lie.
My eyes were watching the screen of Dakkar’s phone so intensely, I didn’t even blink. I wanted to see the exact moment when we’d finally get the message to attack and after three more minutes, the word, “Go,” popped up on the screen. Dakkar wasted no time teleporting us to what looked like a log cabin. I felt heat flow through my body as we breached past the ward protecting the Shakodi. Dakkar released me, and I had to quickly gather my senses to take in my surroundings. There wasn’t much furnishings; a chair, table, and two lamps in the living room.
“Brian, duck!” I heard Dakkar cry out, but not before a strong blast struck me in the back. The force of the magical energy sent me flying into the fireplace. My forehead collided against the mantle, shattering it. Indescribable pain shot through my head, and I fell to the floor, my mind reeling as the room spun around me. I felt blood trickle from my wound into my eyes and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. A wave of nausea washed over me while I struggled to fight the dizziness that had rendered me useless.
My vision was clearing enough for me to see Dakkar using his shadows to push against the white light the Shakodi was aiming at him. I finally saw the demon we’d come to kill. It look
ed like a little, old man complete with winkles and a bald head. Only difference was, this demon’s skin was gray, his claws long, sharp, and curving as he stretched each finger out to control his power.
“Koda-ki losha dorel!” the Shakodi yelled, and the light beam turned into a blast of white-hot fire. It was so intense that it broke through Dakkar’s shadows, striking him directly in the chest and sending him flying through the glass bay window.
Oh shit, this was my moment and I was blowing it. I didn’t open my Agoto yet, not until I knew Dakkar had recovered. Instead, I pulled out my gun and started firing my demon-killing bullets at his ass. He turned toward me now, its red eyes glowing in his fury.
“Hodash!” the demon said as he held his hand, palm up, before him.
I watched in awe as my bullets stopped in midair as if hitting the brakes.
The demon smiled. “Kilick.”
With that, the bullets flipped backwards, aimed toward me, and before I knew it, I had to jump behind the one chair in the room to dodge the pieces of metal that might be able to kill me, or at least hurt the shit out of me. The bullets shattered windows, splintered wood, and one shot through the chair, an inch from my head to end up embedded in one of the bricks of the fireplace. My heart was racing inside my chest. I could hear it thundering in my ears as I struggled to remain calm. I’d never faced off with a demon like this before, one who could kick a lord’s ass. Well, at least now I knew that shooting the son of a bitch was a dumb idea. If it was going to be that easy, I wouldn’t need Dakkar and vice versa.
I peeked around the chair to see the Dakkar was back in the fight, but not in the way he wanted to be. The Shakodi had him floating several feet off the floor, his limbs spread out, and by the look of anguish on Dakkar’s face, it would seem like the demon was trying to rip him apart. Fuck! It was now or never. I opened my Agoto up to feed. The demon must have sensed it, because he dropped Dakkar and put up both hands against me. His mouth was open, but nothing was coming out. I could still feel his power trying to block my feeding. God, it hurt like hell, like dozens of daggers piercing my flesh all at once and over and over.
I was helpless to do anything to defend myself, not while my Agoto was trying to feed. I was stuck on my knees in a whirlpool of pain, just swirling around me. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Dakkar toss a vial at the Shakodi, he held his hand up before the vial could strike him, stopping it like he did my bullets. It was sheer will power that this demon was using to protect himself.
“Not this time!” Dakkar roared, then teleported behind the demon, sinking his fangs into it.
With the demon’s magic being divided, Dakkar was able to get in his attack. I could feel the severity of the invisible daggers piercing me slacken. Just when I thought it was over, Dakkar pulled away, gasping and clawing at his throat. Black blood began to bubble up from his mouth, spilling all over him. The Shakodi collapsed to all fours, but he wasn’t out of the fight yet. I still had my grip on his soul, trying my damnedest to yank it out of his body. Whatever magics he was using to keep it in tact were no fucking joke.
I knew I couldn’t let go, not for a nanosecond. As long as I had his soul in my clutches, he was weakened. Dakkar would just have to recover and get back into the fight. I was doing my part. Both Dakkar and the Shakodi were down and it was just a matter of luck as to which one would recover first. Dakkar teleported to where I was, practically falling on top of me, he was that weak. He yanked my head back, fangs bared, and struck.
I gasped in pain as his fangs pierced my flesh. I was helpless against his feeding. I could feel myself getting a little weak, but at the same time, my Agoto was healing itself, replenishing the blood I was losing to Dakkar’s need. It was pleasurable, not on the verge of orgasm pleasure, but still nice. Gave me tingles in all the right places, which seemed very inappropriate, considering our situation. He released me and I let go of a shuddering breath, because, damn… that felt good.
Dakkar rose now and teleported back to the shaman demon, picking up the vial that had fallen to the floor. He cracked the glass vial over the shaman’s back and there was a flash of magic that blasted Dakkar back several feet. He crashed into the dining room table, knocking over chairs. He managed to catch himself on the edge of the table, keeping his footing as he watched the Shakodi.
Whatever was in that vial did its job, because I was finally able to feel the pull of the demon’s soul coming to me. Yeah, that’s it, come to papa. The demon thrashed on the ground, his clawed hand gripping its throat, but to no avail. My Agoto would have its meal. I watched, relieved, as the green soul flowed from his mouth. I was pulling it as hard as I could, but it seemed to be stalling.
“Fuck!” Dakkar cursed, then ran back over toward the demon and struck again, biting with the only powerful weapon he had.
After a few seconds, I was able to wrench the soul from the Shakodi’s body and suck it into my own. I collapsed on the floor, quaking as my cock unloaded a full load in my pants. I was still able to see Dakkar, and he was still feeding on the demon, his body trembling in pleasure. He finally pulled away and tossed the body to the floor. He walked over to me, giving me a bloody smile as he knelt down at my face.
“You did well, Brian. Mission accomplished,” Dakkar said.
I was so out of it, still trying to recover from one hell of an orgasm. I gave a weak “thumbs up” and then let my hand fall back to the floor.
“Yeah, I get it.” With that, he sat down beside me and kept his eye on the corpse of the demon, as if worried the fucker would come back to life.
All I wanted to do was sleep for like a century. That one soul left me knocked on my ass with a one-punch power move. In the end, I couldn’t keep my eyes open and before I knew it, there was just darkness.
CHAPTER NINE
Raphael
I held Oria in my arms as she stared at the cell phone in her tiny fingers. We had our protective amulets thanks to Vahiel now, as did all the other teams. Dakkar and Brian had been successful in discovering the location of one of the shamans. In addition to that, thanks to them, we could now enter those locations without having to worry about getting killed or injured trying to breach their demonic wards.
“Should I open my Agoto as soon as we enter, my Lord?” I asked.
“Yes, and if the demon fights you, I will make it sorry for daring to defy our king,” Oria said. “We go now!”
With that command, I teleported us to the location we’d been told about. I could feel the power of the ward as soon as I broke through it. Its heat was intense and I broke out in a sweat immediately. Had we not been wearing the amulets, we both might have been ashed upon any attempt. Maybe, I would have survived, maybe Oria would have too, but it was hard to say. Still, I was left disoriented, and I stumbled and fell to the floor, dropping Oria as well. The room was spinning, I felt dizzy, and the scent of sulfur assailed my nostrils, burning my nasal passages. I struggled to focus past the effects and in a haze, saw the demon Shakodi rising to its feet. He was chanting something as both hands were outstretched before him. It was the first good look I had of him, and he looked like a normal young man in his early twenties. Of course, I knew he was anything but that. Not even the white t-shirt and blue jeans could fool me to what this demon truly was.
Whatever he was chanting was affecting Oria. I saw her cover her ears and shut her eyes as she began to scream. Seeping beneath her little palms, I saw drops of blood, which meant the demon had cast some spell that was doing a number on her eardrums. I wasn’t a hundred percent back in shape, but I didn’t need to be in order to open up my Agoto. I released my hunger, aiming it at the demon. I was vulnerable now, and I could feel the demon fighting my force.
Oria stood up, her eyes glaring red. “You’ll pay for that, wretch!” she roared in a voice that sounded more demonic than any I’d ever heard before. It sent chills down my spine and I trembled even though I couldn’t move a muscle. She started to walk closer to the demon, taunting it. The demon was try
ing desperately to keep its soul in his body, but at the same time, he collapsed to the floor. He scooted away from Oria with each step she took closer to him. He shook his head and closed his eyes. I couldn’t see what Oria was making him see, but whatever it was, it sure as fuck trumped whatever he had done to her.
He was cowering in the corner in a fetal position and still unable to scream because of what I was doing to him. I could feel his hold over his soul slacking, but he wasn’t giving up yet.
“Do you like my toys, demon?” Oria asked with a wicked giggle. She had returned to her childlike voice now, and even that was creepy.
The demon began to cry and I saw a puddle of piss spill out from beneath him as he lay in the corner of the room. The smell of shit was also indistinguishable, and I knew he must have been terrified by whatever Oria was showing him. She didn’t let up as she reached down to dig her tiny fingers into the demon’s eyes. Blood poured out of the sockets as she plucked his blue eyes free.
“I’ll feed these to you in hell,” Oria said, then licked one of the bloody eyeballs.
Again, I felt the magic the shaman was using to hold his soul in place falter. It wouldn’t be too much longer now, as long as Oria continued to torture the son of a bitch.
She squatted down beside the demon. “Do you see your future, Mortimer? Do you see how much fun we will have?” she asked, using the demon’s name.
I didn’t know the demon’s name, didn’t really give a shit. All we needed were their locations. But Oria was a different type of demon. She knew shit others didn’t know and used that to inflict the worse kind of harm. Whatever she was showing him did the trick. He released his magic to redirect it at her and that was when my Agoto drew his soul from his body. He only managed to push Oria on her ass with a magical blow before I began to feed. And I did so greedily and felt my body electrify with the power of the Shakodi. He might have not been the strongest of the three, but none of that mattered right now. His soul felt almost as satisfying as a lord’s, and left me a quaking pile of flesh on the floor. My pants were filled with my load as my orgasm rendered me just as vulnerable as my Agoto had.
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