Chapter Thirteen

One moment, her lovers were in front of her, and the next, she blinked to find herself standing before a portal. She experienced a hint of trepidation as Orias nudged her forward less than gently, forcing her to step into it. That same familiar falling sensation crashed over her, but at least there was no burning or pain this time. Her patched-together sol was holding up to protect her.

When she stepped out, it was on an alien landscape, the likes of which she’d never seen. The stink of brimstone tainted the air, along with a smoky tinge obscuring everything that made seeing difficult. The ground beneath her feet felt hard and rough, as though nothing would ever grow there. It was hot too, and she realized they were near a natural vent releasing steam from glowing lava hundreds of feet below.

She stumbled back in shock as Orias appeared behind her, steadying her. He chuckled as he did so. “You’re so eager to throw yourself at demons. It makes me wonder what kind of angel you really are?” He cupped her buttocks and squeezed.

She jerked away, glaring at him. “Don’t touch me.”

He raised his hand, looking like he wanted to slap her, but after a moment, he must’ve thought better of it. “When Zephael’s finished with you, it’s going to be my turn, angel.” He flashed an evil grin, making no attempt to hide any malice.

Her insides turned to a quivering mass, but she struggled to keep her expression unaffected as she stared at him. “I can hardly wait,” she said with a heavy hint of sarcasm.

“Of course, there might not be anything left of you by the time Zephael’s done.” His laugh indicated he didn’t mind that outcome either as he prodded her forward a few steps, freeing the entrance of the portal so others could appear.

As he put his arm around her again, she got a flash of Dante’s face peering out of the portal before he disappeared from view, and she hoped the others arrived safely, and that they had the sense to turn around and escape in the same fashion. Hopefully, they wouldn’t wait for or come after her. She doubted they would be that sensible though, because she knew in their place, she wouldn’t have been able to walk away or leave one of them behind.

They materialized in a building this time, and the air was relatively clear. There were stone walls, and light filled the room, though she couldn’t determine the obvious source. It was luxurious compared to the surrounding environment, but it still had a touch of medieval dungeon in her mind.

It wasn’t a dungeon though, because there was a handsome man sitting on a big chair. She hesitated to call it a throne, but that was the appearance it gave, particularly with his regal posture. If he wasn’t a king, he was certainly playing King. At first glance, he was simply a handsome man, but when she looked closer, she saw the red in his eyes, and she could feel the power emanating from him. It was a dark, dangerous feeling that made her stomach twist with nausea.

“Go on,” urged Orias, shoving her forward.

Abby stumbled, but she didn’t fall as she walked toward Zephael, who stood up from his seat and stepped down from the dais to join her. He looked at her for a moment before turning his attention to Orias. “Leave us.”

Abby glanced back in time to see Orias’s look of shock. “But—”

“Now.” Zephael waved his hand, and Orias disappeared. Abby couldn’t tell if it had been under Orias’s own power, or if Zephael had disappeared him. She tried to hide any fear she felt as she faced Infernum’s king, but she doubted she was successful by the way his lips curved into a pleased smile.

“I knew you were a rogue angel, but I didn’t expect one so young or pretty. Usually, the subjects of prophecy aren’t nearly so easy on the eyes.”

She frowned at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He grinned, looking like a sly kid keeping a juicy secret. “No, I imagine you don’t. If the angelic morons even know what I’m talking about, they would’ve taken great pains to hide it from the pedestrian angels. It’s what I would do.” He tipped his head slightly. “They probably had no idea you would start the Great Fall.”

She shook her head as she frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The only fall I know of is when your kind was expelled from Caelum.”

“Yes, that.” His face tightened, and his anger was obvious for a second before his feigned pleasant expression returned. “Let’s not talk about that. I tend to get enraged when the subject arises.”

Abby shrugged a shoulder, trying to sound equally careless as he had. “You’re the one who introduced the topic.”

“Not entirely. I’m talking about a second Great Fall. This one is to balance the equation.”

Abby frowned as she looked at him, trying to read his expression. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer her, and his gaze moved away as he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

She stared at him for a long moment, evaluating his posture and the way he didn’t look at her. “You don’t really know, do you?”

His gaze snapped back to her as he growled in his throat. “Shut up.”

Abby couldn’t help a small laugh. “I don’t know what prophecy you’re talking about, but I’m sure you don’t know what it means either. If you don’t even know what it is, how can you be sure I’m the subject of it?”

“Because you’ve fallen to live among the humans, and you’ve been embraced by demons. I know Brax, Mal, and Dante are protecting you, so you must have some kind of power over them. For whatever reason, they’re happy to do your bidding. You might have them in your thrall, but I won’t make that mistake.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What exactly do you want from me?”

“I want to initiate the beginning of the prophecy. That requires an angel and a demon. And will you look at that? What do we have here? An angel and a demon. I just need one thing from you, Abby.”

She scowled. “What’s that?” She had no intention of giving him anything willingly.

“Compliance.”

She snorted. “Not likely.”

“You’d be surprised how motivating I can be.” As he spoke, he reached into his pocket to remove a vial. “A few sips of this, and you’ll be the most obedient thing there ever was.”

“I have to make sure I don’t take any sips then.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt as he stopped toward her. Abby wanted to hold her ground, but she found herself backing away again instead, giving in to the urge to flee that was likely prompted by self-preservation. Whatever was in that vial, she was certain she wanted no part of it.

He held it in a steady hand, matching her pace as he stalked after her. “It’s supposed to taste nice, maybe like bubblegum. I asked the witch who brewed it for me to make it a pleasant experience all around. I didn’t have to do that for you, Abby. I could’ve had her trap nightmares inside instead of euphoria.”

She glared. “Pardon my lack of gratitude. I don’t know what your intentions are for me, but I’m sure they aren’t good.”

He smirked again. “So perceptive.” He lunged forward, and Abby increased her pace, backing up until she hit the stone wall. He grinned as he had her pinned against it a moment later. “It doesn’t have to be that bad though. I’d much rather have a compliant little pet angel than one who’s continuously rebellious.”

“You should have gotten a different angel then, because I’ll never cooperate with you.” Abby clamped her lips shut then as he pressed his hand to her forehead, pushing her head firmly against the wall. She had nowhere to go, but she wasn’t going to easily swallow whatever was in that vial.

“You will.” He sounded confident as he flipped the cork stopper off the vial with his thumb and brought it to her lips, pushing hard against them. “Open your mouth.”

Abby refused, trying to turn her head, though his palm on her forehead limited her mobility. A trickle of the liquid hit her lips, but she kept them tightly closed. He continued to grind it against her, and she whimpered when the edge cut her lip, making blood flow down her face.

“Enough.” He’d sounded almost indulgent before, but now he seemed enraged. His hand moved from her forehead to encompass the top half of her face, pressing hard against her nose and cutting off her oxygen. “If you want to breathe, you need to open your mouth.”

Abby wanted to be stubborn, and she wanted to keep fighting. She would’ve given anything not to need oxygen, and she held out as long as she could, but her mouth opened of its own accord almost a minute later as weakness swept over her, and she sagged against the wall.

Even as she drew in a deep lungful of oxygen, the fruity taste of whatever was in the vial splashed on her tongue and filled her mouth. Abby did her best not to swallow, but his hand moved again, this time clapping over her mouth to keep her from spitting it out. He pressed her against the wall with his knee while his other hand massaged her throat. She tried with every drop of strength she had, but she was already depleted from lack of oxygen, and the liquid slipped on her throat despite her best efforts a few seconds later.

He stepped back then, no longer holding her, and he looked pleased with himself. Abby glared at him with lightheadedness sweeping over her. She slumped against the wall, trying to keep her gaze on him despite the sudden blurriness of the world around her. She tried to brace herself, but her knees felt weak, and she sank to the floor as he loomed over her. “What have you done to me?” She sounded more coherent than she’d expected, judging from how she felt.

“It’s just a little something to make you happy to please me and increase my chances of getting what I want.”

Abby tried to focus on his words, but she couldn’t. Her world had distilled down to an array of colors dancing behind her eyes and sensations she could practically feel with her fingertips if she reached ahead of her. The synesthesia was like nothing she’d ever experienced, and it felt entirely pleasant.

She hadn’t expected that, and she recalled his words about how he could’ve had it reflect nightmares instead. As horrible as it was to be caught in this state at his mercy, she was certain it would’ve been far worse if she had been experiencing sensations associated with nightmare situations instead. That didn’t mean she had any gratitude for him, and she certainly had no intention of cooperating.

“Stand up, Abby.”

She tried to resist. Every fiber of her being rejected his commands, and her brain was telling her not to, but somehow, she found herself on her feet a moment later, though she was still leaning heavily against the wall.

“Lift your arm. Your left arm,” he added with a chuckle.

Against her will, her left arm lifted even as she tried to glare at him through her blurred vision. “Did you bring me here for Simon Says?” Her voice sounded slurred.

He laughed then, a hearty chuckle full of genuine amusement. “You’re much more fun than most angels. I didn’t say Simon Says though. I don’t care if you do what Simon says. I just want you to do what I say.”

She opened her mouth to inquire with that might be, but there was a disturbance then as Orias burst in, looking like he was being chased by hellhounds. “They broke loose.”

Abby was certain he referred to Mal, Brax, and Dante, and she grinned even as Zephael cursed, and Orias turned to face the door as it crashed inward, revealing her demon lovers.

“What has she done to you?” Zephael tilted his head as he stared at the three of them, as though dissecting them. “You’re clearly under her thrall, but how? Angels can’t usually control demons.”

“She’s not controlling us, you jackass,” said Dante.

Zephael clearly didn’t like the tone or the disrespect, and he squeezed his hand together in a motion that had Dante bending forward at the waist and gagging.

“Stop. Don’t hurt him.” Abby managed to take a step forward, though her knees were still wobbly. “Just leave them alone. You have what you want.”

“They do present a problem, dear Abby.” He laughed again, though she failed to see why that was funny. “Two of them were among my best warriors, and I have a feeling their former squad won’t want to go up against them. I have Marael’s loyalty, but only to an extent. I need to figure out what hold you have on them. If you relinquish it, we can end this peacefully.”

She shook her head. “I have no hold on them.”

“She’s our mate,” said Brax as he stepped forward with a scowl. “We were planning to claim her before your demons invited us all here to Infernum.”

Abby’s eyes widened at that, since it was the first she was hearing of it, but she didn’t dare contradict him in Zephael’s presence.

Zephael froze for a long moment, eyeing them and then her with a speculative gleam in his eyes. “Interesting. So, she’s not using any magic or power to influence you? You were foolish enough to fall in love with an angel.” He howled with laughter, as though it was the most delightful thing he’d ever heard. “Congratulations, boys. I don’t think anyone’s been dumb enough to do that before.”

“Leave them alone,” said Abby fiercely, trying to summon her death song. Only the realization it would probably injure or maybe even kill her lovers too had her rethinking the idea, and she strove for calmness instead. “I love them too.”

That really seemed to get Zephael’s attention, and he stared at her for another long moment before he slowly nodded. “Orias, leave us.”

Orias opened his mouth, clearly wanting to protest, but after a moment, he hurried away. He closed the door behind him, slamming it as though to let off a little steam or reveal how irritated he was by being banished once again.

To Abby’s surprise, Zephael walked away from them, taking a seat at his throne. He looked at the other demons and nodded. “Get on with it then.”

“On with what?” asked Mal.

“Claiming her. As soon as it’s done, you can leave and take her with you.” He must have sensed their shock, because he laughed again. “I have no objection to you claiming her. I wanted her for a specific purpose, and you can fulfill it just as well as I could. I suspect you’d enjoy it a whole lot more for that matter. Angels and women are certainly not my type.” He laughed again as he crossed his legs on the throne, looking like he was settling in. “Of course, you’ll understand why I can’t just take your word for it.”

“You’re expecting us to do it here with you watching?” asked Dante, his voice full of disgust.

“I have to make sure it’s done.”

“You could look us over for mating marks afterward,” said Brax through gritted teeth.

Abby’s gaze was on Mal, who was vibrating with rage. She sensed he was on the verge of something rash, and she wasn’t certain what kind of match he would be for Zephael. She cleared her throat and said, “Whatever he wants, let’s just do it.”

“Yes, why don’t you, and in return, I’ll make a concession. I’ll wait outside until it’s over, but don’t put on your clothes afterward. I’ll be checking for mating marks.” He said that with a note of warning and got a nod of acquiescence from each of her lovers before he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

“Showoff,” muttered Dante.

“How so?” asked Abby as she swayed, which prompted the three of them to rush to her and hold her up.

“He doesn’t have to do the finger snap and all the production. He could quietly come and go as he pleases.” Dante sounded annoyed, and she wondered if he was truly disgusted by Zephael’s unrequired actions or by what he was wanting from them.

Abby was a little fuzzy, and she licked her lips as she asked, “Does he want us to do what I think he does?”

“We can’t leave until we claim you.” Mal sounded almost apologetic. “We’re sorry to spring this on you, Abby. We’d planned to talk about it with you tomorrow, and it was always going to be your choice. Now, you’ve had that choice taken from you, and so have we.”

The thought cut through her, and she blinked back tears, hating to think how reluctant Mal must be in the situation. She would’ve enthusiastically given her consent to be their mate, but she doubted Mal had been part of the plan, and now he was dragged into it, forced to claim an angel he didn’t want if he wanted to escape with them all unharmed.

She put out a hand, meaning to comfort him, but instead, she started stroking him. As soon as they were close, their pheromones washed over her, and she was suddenly more alive and aware of them than she’d ever been before. Even when they had helped heal her sol, she hadn’t been so focused on the physical response.

She was hot and aching, and Abby started to undress without thought. She saw their confusion and alarm as she stalked toward Dante, who was the closest, and started tearing at his T-shirt, wanting him naked.

“Abby, are you all right?” He sounded uncertain even as he helped her shrug off the rest of the remnants of the T-shirt.

“He gave me something. I feel…” She trailed off as she tried to identify it. “Nothing like I’ve ever felt before. It’s euphoric, and I need you.” Apparently, he recognized her urgency, because he turned his attention to divesting himself, so she moved to Brax, finding he was already undressing as well.

They all seemed faintly bewildered, but it was obvious they planned to please her. She paused before Mal, touching his cheek. She wanted to apologize for him being in the situation, to assure him she wouldn’t hold him to any promises he had to give while they were like this, but no words would come. Instead, she leaned forward and lifted on her tiptoes as he bent down to kiss her.

After that, time slowed to a crawl while simultaneously flying faster than it ever had. Everything was a sensation and a color, with textures and moans and cries, but nothing concrete. She couldn’t remember much of their joining clearly, save for the moment when they were all inside her, taking turns claiming her as their mate. There were flashes of clarity as she welcomed each of them in succession into her core, and then their teeth moments later, carving into her shoulder with an accompanying flash of red light and brief, but searing, pain. Mal was the last one to claim her, and she cried out as she finally climaxed when he claimed her.

She must’ve passed out, because when she woke up and was more alert, she found herself fully dressed, though her shirt was unbuttoned enough to display her shoulder. She realized she was being supported between Mal and Dante as Brax stood behind her to pull her shirt open enough for Zephael to examine her claiming mark. He looked at her shoulder and seemed pleased as he nodded in satisfaction.

“You’ve all done well.” He beamed.

“We don’t even know what you want from her or us,” said Brax, sounding angry. “We won’t do anything to hurt her.”

Zephael scowled. “Indeed, you’d better not, for I’m tasking you with keeping her alive. Tonight is the advent of the prophecy, and if you fail, I’ll string your entrails up across the entrance of the palace as a warning for every other demon. If anything happens to her, consider your lives forfeit as well.”

“Why do you care about her or us?” Dante sounded deeply suspicious.

“I just told you, boy. It has to do with the prophecy.”

“What prophecy?” asked Mal.

“I’m afraid that’s above your paygrade, son,” and Zephael with a touch of condescension. “Even if you were still part of Marael’s squad, I wouldn’t take you into my confidence. You’ll just have to listen and trust me.”

“I don’t trust a thing about you,” said Mal.

Zephael clearly didn’t like that, and he stepped forward. Abby was alert enough to realize Mal was courting trouble, so she swayed deliberately to block Mal from surging forward to meet Zephael. “Can we go now?” She sounded hoarse and felt even worse.

“Of course.” Without another word, Zephael snapped his fingers, and they soon found themselves standing back at the portal that would take them to Earth. Abby’s head was still fuzzy, and she had a difficult time standing up, but she was starting to recover.

By the time she’d stepped through the portal and experienced the falling sensation, it helped clear her head. They found themselves back at an Earth portal, one of the few available on Earth. They were several hundred miles from their campsite, at least according to Brax, who used his phone to identify their location, but they were on Earth and seemingly safe.

“I just want to sleep,” said Abby as exhaustion started to overtake her.

“It’s probably a good idea. Let’s just get a hotel for tonight, and we’ll worry about retrieving our things tomorrow.” Dante put his arm around her as he said that, clearly intent on keeping her from falling.

She was thankful for their ability to teleport away from the portal into the nearest town. It was a skill she might have, but if so, she couldn’t remember. She had no idea how to use it, making her uncertain if the power had ever been honed, or if it was simply a piece of knowledge that had been completely lost when her sol was injured. There were probably blank spots that would never heal despite their sol infusions, because there were little cracks that were irreparable.

Mal disappeared inside and returned with two keys, and they walked around the back of the hotel, claiming the rooms. Abby collapsed onto the nearest bed, but she wasn’t tired enough yet that curiosity couldn’t prompt her to push aside the shirt and look at the marks on her shoulder.

She was startled to see the marks matched up with the marks on each of her lover’s shoulders, which showed their name symbols. Each of their marks had formed a neat little circle around her own name symbol. Mal was the closest, so she lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Show me your mark.”

He obliged by bending down, pushing aside his shirt to reveal his shoulder. Her mark rested neatly beside his, though there was no indication Dante or Brax had left a mark on him. She supposed that made sense, since they’d claimed her as their mate and not each other. She looked at Dante. “Is it just your mark and my mark on your shoulder?” At his nod, she looked at Brax and arching her brow, not repeating the question.

He understood anyway. “Yeah, just that. It means we’re mated now, but the question is, why did Zephael care?”

Abby closed her eyes, content to listen to the conversation flowing around her as the men speculated what Zephael gained by their union. “Yeah?” she said when Mal called her name several minutes later.

“What did he say to you before we arrived?”

“It was all kind of confusing.” She recapped as much as she could remember before saying, “I don’t know what he wanted from me, but he seemed content to let you do it instead.”

They were equally as bewildered as she was. It was clear from their expressions.

“I’m sure whatever he wanted will be revealed in time,” said Brax, looking uneasy. “In the meantime, at least we don’t have to worry about demons being after us. We just have to protect her from the angels.”

“Maybe they’ll forget all about me,” said Abby with a hint of hopefulness. She doubted she was that lucky though.

Brax seemed equally skeptical, but he didn’t blatantly argue. Instead he said, “Let’s just get some rest.”

Abby nodded, surprised when the bed dipped, and she turned over to see Mal climbing in behind her. She snuggled closer, laying her head on his arm as she stared up at him. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

He frowned. “For what?”

She put a hand on his chest just above his sol, which emanated a faint red glow in the darkness. “I know this wasn’t what you wanted. You didn’t want to love again, and you wouldn’t have chosen me as your mate. I don’t hold you to anything you promised when you had no choice.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “It doesn’t work that way. We’re bonded now, and there’s no walking away from that. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t without going insane or risking your sanity.”

His tone gentled as he put his fingers under her chin, tipping it up to make sure she was looking into his eyes. “You have it all wrong. It wasn’t anything I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to under those circumstances, with Zephael demanding proof it had been done, but I was ready to claim you as my mate. You can ask Brax and Dante if you don’t believe me. We were going to talk about it with you tomorrow morning to see if you were agreeable, but I was fully on board…am fully on board.”

She stared at him for half a second, evaluating his expression. He revealed no misgiving or trace of artifice, and she had no doubt he was telling her the truth. She gasped softly as her lips curved into a shaky smile. “You really mean that.” She stated that as fact, not asking him. “I’m relieved to hear that. I don’t want to force you into anything.”

“You aren’t. Zephael’s the only one who interfered with the natural course of events, and we’ll get to him soon enough.” Mal’s gaze reflected rage for a second.

She frowned while she patted his chest. “Let’s worry about survival, not revenge.”

“I keep forgetting how much of an angel you are sometimes,” said Mal with a hint of criticism, but mostly amusement. “All you featherbrains like to pretend you’re above such things.”

She’d been on the verge of falling asleep, but his teasing tone prompted one of her eyelids to open as she glowered at him with halfhearted effort. “It’s all a façade. It’s probably because we’ve made such a concentrated effort to distance ourselves from our emotions, but let me tell you, angels can feel just as deeply as demons or anyone else. I didn’t realize it until my sol was damaged, and I lost connection with that part of me. When I lived like a human, I learned to love and feel like one too. Angels have missed out by doing what they’re doing.”

“Emotions are messy.” That came from Brax, who sounded relatively unconcerned by that fact. “From what I recall of angels, they’re all kind of regimented assholes big on obedience and order.”

Abby grinned at the definition. “I can’t exactly argue with that. We have our good parts too though. We believe in compassion and kindness, though I suppose that’s been lacking ever since angels in the past expelled you all from Caelum.”

“Not us personally,” said Dante. “Even Mal, the old man, isn’t that old.”

When Mal chuckled, she smiled as she snuggled closer, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against his chest. She swore she could feel the soft hum of his energy frequency and the warmth of his sol where her skin touched his. It was a comforting, soothing feeling, and she allowed it to lull her into sleep.