by Dakota Brown
At least I wasn't cold. I grumbled as I trudged toward the pull Sabian had on me.
I might have walked for about an hour, hand on Mayhem's back for comfort, when my skin started crawling. Every sense I had that let me sense demons pinged hard, and I clenched the ruff that ran along my hellhound's back. I'd certainly caught something's attention.
Mayhem growled a warning and stopped. His eyes took on a brighter glow than normal and we waited.
The sound of sand slithering across the barren stone sent chills down my spine. I twisted around, looking for the source, but Mayhem's attention remained focused in front of us.
Moments later I saw what looked to be a pile of sand rolling toward me. Then another, and another, until we were surrounded by hundreds of sand demons.
Not going to lie, I was terrified, and I used Mayhem to steady the shake in my hands while I waited.
The piles of sand rose around me until they solidified into creatures. The one in front of me was vaguely human shaped, with hundreds of empty eye sockets on what would have been a face for a human.
The others didn't even bother to try and emulate human shapes. Tentacles, claws, everything out of every monster movie everywhere. Fuck.
They stayed back, but the sorta human shaped one flowed forward. A mouth, of sorts, opened on the chest area, razor sharp teeth lining the void.
"What are you doing in our master's domain," it hissed.
"He's got something of mine," I replied. My voice didn't even shake that much.
All of the demons hissed at this, the sound reminding me of hundreds of rattle snakes. That, by itself, was terrifying enough to turn my legs to jelly, but I got the idea they were laughing at me, and that was even worse.
My anger sparked, helping to shove some of the fear away.
"Lott cares not for what you consider yours," the chatty demon answered after a moment.
"Don't give a flying fuck what Lott thinks about it. He's my damn incubus and I'm getting him back."
The laughter returned, sending chills down my back.
"You can either take me to him or get the fuck out of my way." I gathered my power, hoping I wouldn't need it just yet. Ezra was probably on to something with his element of surprise idea.
"Yes, I will take you to him." Before I could do anything, the demon exploded into individual grains of sand and swarmed toward me.
I yelped as it swirled around me in some sort of sand tornado and swept me away.
Mayhem barked in alarm and I grabbed onto him through the power of our bond, dragging him along with us.
The ride took forever yet was over in an instant. The sandstorm dumped me out on hard ground in a cave. Even with Ezra's power keeping me warm, the cold from the stone I lay on seemed to suck all the energy out of me. I scrambled to my feet just as Mayhem appeared next to me.
The sand demon swirled away, leaving us alone in the gloom.
Chapter 15
Price
Where the hell were we?
The tug toward Sabian pulled harder and I could tell he was close. At least the sand demon had done that much. When we weren't immediately accosted by other demons, I set out toward Sabian, moving deeper into the cave. Wasn't going to wait around, no matter whose house, or whatever this was, I was in. Not when they were treating me like this, anyway.
Not that I'd expected anything better from Lott. Anger curled through me, replacing some of the resignation I'd felt when I'd found out who we faced. He'd killed my family. I would be killing his ass one of these days, hopefully sooner rather than later. I kept that rage bottled up for later use. If I let it leak out too quickly, I might regret it. But soon, Lott was going to regret everything he'd done to me.
I wondered where the light was coming from. There was no obvious source, but there was enough that I could see.
After a short walk, in which I felt all sorts of demonic attention but didn't encounter anyone, I came up against the wall of the cave. I frowned, then had a sneaking suspicion I'd gotten dropped in some sort of cage. Wasn't sure if they meant to let me rot in here, or if they wanted to study me, let me stew a bit, or whatever. Just to make sure, before I tipped my hand at all my extra power, I made a circuit of the entire cavern. Yep, same unrelieved, suspiciously smooth gray rock, and soul stealing chill, with no way in or out, at least that I could see.
"Mayhem, can you do your fancy wall trick here?"
He tilted his head as if thinking about my request and I hoped he understood. After a moment, the hellhound stared at the wall, rumbling in displeasure.
"No?"
He huffed in annoyance.
"Okay. My turn." I was nearly a hundred percent certain I could summon Sabian now. Whatever prevented me from reaching him encompassed the whole area, not just his cell or whatever he was in. I was getting my incubus back, now.
Gathering my energy and adding a bit of Ezra's in just for good measure, I latched onto Sabian's presence and pulled, hesitantly at first, then harder, yanking, kind of like I'd done with Mayhem when I'd dragged him into this cell with me.
"Sabianamon, come to me, now!" I commanded.
I got a sense of alarm from the demonic energy watching me and then suddenly Sabian was at my feet, naked and not quite conscious.
Sabian groaned. He was in sorry shape, ribs showing where once he'd had significant muscle, sores on his skin.
"Fuck me, mate." I fell to his side, feeling even worse about the delays that had kept me from coming for him right away.
The incubus groaned again, rolling over and looking at me. His amber eyes were dulled, and he looked at me without apparent recognition.
"Oh, no you don't," I muttered though I wasn't sure who I was admonishing.
I grabbed Ezra's power. If the demon prince could recharge me, he could recharge his demons. I hoped.
The demonic presence watching was even more alarmed and I felt it try to block me, but this connection was deeper than what he could prevent, and I shoved energy into Sabian.
His back arched and he cried out in pain, but it was working, and before long the incubus looked much closer to normal. He was still thin, and hungry, and staring at me like he might eat me, but I could tell he recognized me now.
"Sabian…"
"Chris!" He launched himself into my arms, tackling me to the floor and pressing his lips to mine.
I relished the feel of my incubus devouring my lips, letting him feed off of my lust, groaning as he pressed into me, hard and ready to go.
While I didn't normally mind an audience, I wasn't about to perform for this one. Once Sabian felt a little less fragile, I pulled back. "Gotta breathe, mate."
"Right. How are you here? Why are you here? You need to leave, you're not safe." As Sabian babbled, he looked around frantically as he became fully aware of the situation we were in.
"Yeah, that's the plan. I'm leaving with you."
Mayhem growled a warning, and I scrambled off the floor, Sabian standing next to me.
"My, my, you are full of surprises, Chris Price," a voice hissed before a figure stepped out of the shadows.
A chillingly familiar figure.
This demon actually looked like a demon, not just a human with horns, though he was still humanoid in shape. Flames burned like lit coals in the pits of his eye sockets, and thick, snake-like ropy strands writhed where a human would have a head of hair. Ram's horns curled out of his skull. His skin was a sickly puce color, and scales covered sensitive areas for protection down his spine, across his shoulders, and back. He had powerful shoulders, and more muscles than a human could even possess.
That thick ropy hair covered his lower half and both his hands and feet ended in vicious claws.
They scraped the stone as he stepped closer, and I placed myself in front of Sabian. Lott would not have my incubus again. Sabian let me protect him, though his hands settled on my shoulders, tightening possessively.
"It would seem Ezra has been a bit naughty," Lott hissed. "Sharing his
powers with you. I wonder what it will do to him when I kill you, anyway." His laughter felt like razorblades on my eardrums, and I shuddered.
Lott stalked closer and I stood my ground. He sniffed the air around me, wrinkling his nose. "You reek of him. Maybe I'll have you myself before I kill you."
I pulled the collar of my T-shirt down, exposing the mark Lucifer had left on my skin.
Lott tilted his head as if thinking, before he laughed. "I serve a different master now," he hissed.
"I'll kill you first, mate," I snarled in reply. Ezra had told me to summon him, but I wasn't entirely certain he'd let me get away with killing Lott if he were here.
"Mmm, but I know your weakness."
"Say what?" I didn't like the sound of that. Sure, I had them, but what could he possibly exploit here?
"You gave me his name, and with that, you gave me yourself." Lott, certain he was on to something, chuckled.
"Hah! Now you're really dead." Fuck, I had forgotten the whole name bullshit. I slipped the holy water out of my pocket while Lott laughed his sorry ass off and squirted him in the mouth.
It hit him like acid, especially potent in the depths of hell. His laughter turned to a gurgling scream.
"Chris!" Sabian shouted, but I needed him gone.
"Sabian, go to Ezra!" I shouted the last words of the exorcism rite, fairly certain I didn't need the rest, and used my power to shove at Sabian.
He shouted as he vanished, and I'd just exorcised him twice now. I hoped he forgave me later.
You'd better catch him, asshole, I sent to Ezra, unreasonably annoyed with the prince.
I sensed his assent along with his frantic desire to be at my side.
Tuning Ezra out, I pulled out my ritual knife. I might have to get Mal to make me another one. Technically, you weren't supposed to use ritual tools to fight.
Lott, full of his own power and in his own domain, recovered from my first attack, just as I launched my next one. Knife, straight into the heart. Were he human, anyway. He dodged at the last minute, and I grazed his ribs instead. As the knife met demon flesh, I poured my magic into it. The demon screamed, swinging and catching me with a backhand.
I flew across the cavern, not looking forward to the concussion I was going to receive in mere seconds. Fortunately, my hellhound let me crash into him instead.
Mayhem rolled out from under me and threw himself in front of the blast of sand that swarmed toward us. The hellhound's chest expanded as he sucked in the likely extremely unpleasant spell. Fire flared in his eyes and he started to glow.
Damn, I loved that dog.
"Abyss take all of Ezra's hellhounds," Lott snarled and lobbed another spell, but I was ready for a magical battle now.
Mayhem sensed it and stepped aside, letting me take the hit on my hastily erected shields while I centered myself for my next attack. Exorcising Lott here wasn't going to do me a whole lot of good, but if I could tie him up long enough, I could stab him again.
I held the knife in front of me, drawing a binding sigil in the air with the tip.
Lott either didn't recognize it or didn't think I could use it against him. He charged forward, abandoning magic in favor of brute strength. A better plan on his part.
I shouted the words to the spell, the demonic language tearing at my vocal cords as I forced them to speak words not meant for humans to utter.
Energy poured through my hands and into the sigil just as Lott crashed into me.
I went down under his assault, though my wards kept him from touching me.
He screamed in rage as the sigil burned into his chest, binding his arms to his sides and snaping his legs together.
I scrambled out from under the demon prince, and he crashed to the ground. Not wasting time to gloat, I sank my knife into his back. Lott's scream turned to one of agony. The knife superheated and I jerked my hand away, burned, but nothing like the blackness that spread from the blade through Lott's body.
The demon struggled, pulling on his power, trying to combat what I'd done to him. There was a very real chance he was going to win, and I backed away, wracking my brain for what else I could do. At the very least I could banish him which would probably give me about five minutes since I was in his realm, and then I was likely very dead.
Mayhem, fully charged, roared out hellfire onto the fallen prince.
I clapped my hands over my ears, certain they were bleeding, as Lott screamed out his last agonized screams and fell silent.
Hands grabbed me. "I told you to summon me, abyss take you," Ezra snarled. "I would have helped." I felt him jerk me away from that cave.
I couldn't control my trembling and curled into Ezra's arms. "I wasn't sure you would let me kill him."
"Of course, I would have let you kill him, you fool." He kissed my cheek and held me while I regained control of myself.
Mayhem nuzzled my hand and I pet him.
"You're a good boy, Mayhem. A very good boy," I managed to get out.
He made that weird almost purr sound I'd heard him make before and leaned into my touch.
"Wait, how are you here now? I didn't call you."
"You killed Lott. It's not his domain anymore so I can get in. I've currently got my demons taking over so we can claim his territory. All together a good thing, though I'm sure it will make some of the others uneasy."
"Fuck them."
Ezra didn't reply but he didn't feel overly concerned. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know." I couldn't even process what had just happened yet. It was going to take some time. I'd done something I'd never thought I'd get a chance to accomplish, gotten revenge for my family. That felt good.
"How did he manage to kill your parents?"
"I believe he's the demon Nicki and them managed to summon. He got away." A thought occurred to me. "Or he was sent after me. Guess he killed Tif in the process, or maybe they sacrificed her, I don't actually know. I wouldn't put it past them at this point. I'd managed to get him trapped in the basement after he came after me and had gone to get Darius for backup. My parents stumbled, literally, across my circle. I got back just in time to hear them scream." I shuddered at the memories. "Darius and I managed to banish him, but it was a close thing. That's when I quit."
Ezra kissed me again and I leaned into his warmth.
I finally managed to stop shaking and looked around. "Uh, Ezra, where are we?"
"I don't know," he answered. "I got pulled off course when I tried to take us home."
"You didn't think to mention this sooner? Seems kind of important." I scrambled to my feet.
"You needed a minute."
"Yeah, but I can have a breakdown later if we're about to get our asses handed to us again."
"We're alone, or I would have said something." Ezra stood next to me and we looked around. There was nothing here. It wasn't quite like the weird blank space that Ezra occasionally took me to. This was more like an endless plain of grasses, a gray sky, and not much else. No wind moved. No sounds other than the ones we made reached my ears. So very alone.
"This isn't like purgatory, is it?"
"No. Though it's similar from all accounts. We're still in Hell, I'm just not familiar with this portion of it."
I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. "Care to get us out of here?"
"Working on it." Now Ezra sounded concerned.
"I think you'll find that most impossible, Prince Ezra." A man walked toward us out of the nothing. He was an overall average looking person, olive toned skin, brown hair, average features, nothing demonic about him, at all. He wore a tweed suit and carried a cane. I had no idea where he'd come from, but he was most assuredly there, now.
Mayhem growled and Ezra cursed softly as he stepped in front of me.
Know who that is, mate?
"Of course, he knows who I am, exorcist. I am Mammon, a rival, if you will, to the one who's mark you bear. You killed my prince. Both of these is what makes us enemies." He grinned, as if this were t
he happiest day in the world.
He certainly didn't look like a terrible demon...whatever was higher than a prince here, but he scared the crap out of me far more than Lucifer had.
"It is remotely possible that you will walk away from this confrontation today," he continued. "If such a thing occurs, remember, I am coming for you. If you let me kill you now then I'll let Ezra go."
I stared at him from behind Ezra, not quite sure what to say to that. As I'd said before, when in duress, resort to sarcasm.
"Shit deal, mate. Think I'll pass."
"Very well." He swiped his arm, as if swatting at a gnat. Ezra yelped and flew through the air, landing hard. He rolled, got to his feet, and flung black, crackling energy at Mammon. The demon caught the energy on a shield, staggering back before flinging it toward me. I dove out of the way, certain I did not want anything to do with that spell. It charred the ground where I'd stood.
Before Ezra could attack again, the ground around Ezra erupted with a shower of dirt, tentacles waving around and reaching for my prince.
Ezra scrambled out of the way, blasting the tentacles and destroying them. Mammon sent another spell toward Ezra, and my demon managed to block it. I could feel how heavily he drew on his own powers. Shit. Ezra was good, but Mammon was leagues above my demon. I needed to help.
It was abundantly clear Ezra wasn't going to be able to fight Mammon for me and I really didn't want to get him killed. Despite what I'd said, I'd give my life for his. I just wasn't going to roll over for it. I needed to keep him safe and get him out of here. The thought of losing him was making it hard to breathe.
Ezra couldn't do his teleporting trick, but I bet I could banish him.
Mammon watched me curiously, as if he had all the time in the world, though he took a moment to deflect another attack from Ezra, before smacking him hard with another spell. Ezra hit the ground and this time he didn't move right away.
Shit.
Ignoring Mammon for a moment, I gathered my powers and focused on Ezra. After a moment he stirred. Thank the fuck my prince was climbing to his feet, eyes slightly unfocused, though they settled on me as soon as he realized what I was doing.
