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I stood with my back to the wall, forcing my breathing back to normal. The sprint across the open front yard left me exposed, but there was no indication that anyone saw my approach. Perhaps they believed a mere human no longer provided a threat to them or their diabolical plans. I smiled at the thought and glanced toward the woods, wondering if Michael’s body would stay hidden until I could release him. I did my best to hide the body in the dense foliage surrounding the pristine house. Twenty five acres of forest swallowed the white waterfront monstrosity, enough to provide the right amount of solitude needed for torturing Damian until the sun rose.
The angelic power pressed against my skin and I closed my eyes, reining it in. I still had to be careful. If Lucifer got whiff of what I had done, he would never let me near Damian and all three of us would be as good as dead.
I checked the guns on my belt, making sure the safety was set on each pistol before I slid through the open window. I had a moment of déjà vu, my mind reeling back to the warehouse five years ago and I squatted, closing my eyes and getting my bearings. I wasn’t sure where I was in relation to where Lucifer had Damian, but I’d bet my life that he was on the far side of the house. The back faced due east with a magnificent view of Candlewood Lake’s western shoreline and the full force of the sunrise.
I slid the safety off each gun and scanned the small room. Another office, and I inhaled, blinking my eyes against the change in lighting. Shadows startled me and I had to keep a check on my reflexes. If I let a round go before I had the demons in sight, I’d be overwhelmed and that would be the end of my little rebellion. God, how I wished for the clarity of my vampire eyes right now, and I bit back on the uncertainty flooding through my veins. I had Michael with me along with all the knowledge of shooting that my father armed me with, never mind the silent stalk of the Mohegan tribe in my feet. My heritage was built for this and I clung to that thought as I made my way through the open space of the office. The door wasn’t closed, but cracked just enough for the sounds of torture to reach my ears.
I considered trying to transition, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to. I still don’t know what triggered it, whether it was seeing Damian get blindsided by the second demon or if it was my overwhelming fury. Even in tiger form, I had a bear of a time with those lowly demons without the vampire strength, and Damian had been beyond frantic when he finally got a clean shot.
Michael said if I transitioned into the tiger and Lucifer got the upper hand, this rescue mission would fail. I needed my human cunning more than sharp claws and the thirty two bullets I had would eviscerate at least thirty two demons. I just hoped like hell there weren’t more than that; otherwise this rescue mission would indeed be an epic failure.
The moment I slid into the hall, I knew something wasn’t right. No demons were within sight, but the cold chill in the air told me they couldn’t be far. I closed my eyes and tried to tap into my tiger psyche, to sense where the bastards were, but a frigid hand clamped down on my wrist before I had the chance and I knew I was just as doomed as Damian, even with Michael riding my bloodstream.
I got off three shots before my guns were stripped from my hands and none of the self defense moves Damian taught me over the last five years worked against the superhuman strength of the dozen demons now surrounding me.
Still, I fought, scratching and thrashing in their grasp until I was thrown to the floor in the middle of a semi-circular row of windows. I didn’t dare move, or take my gaze off the formidable man standing with his back to me. Lucifer looked so much more deadly than he had before and when he sent a raised eyebrow over his shoulder at me, fear struck my breath in place.
He flicked his index finger to the side and it took a moment for me to understand the sharp instrument fitted over his finger tip. A platinum blade formed a single deadly claw and when he flicked it to the side again, Damian’s curses filled the room.
Five years had made Lucifer a much deadlier foe. Instead of relying on the personal touch or a loaded gun, or even his demon horde, he was using every ounce of his power to inflict pain without touching Damian and his glare promised I was next.
Even Damian’s pained cry didn’t unlock my muscles. It wasn’t until Lucifer fully turned that I found the strength to stand and adopt a glare, forcing my quaking muscles to still. No matter what happened, I couldn’t act until the sun hit the horizon and even then, Michael wasn’t sure it would be enough to save Damian.
Lucifer’s features filled with fury and he swatted his hand to the side like he was flicking an annoying fly out of his way.
An invisible hand hit my cheek, rocking my head to the side and spinning me with the force of a power punch. In the time I took to sprawl on my hands and knees, the pain flared, locking the air in my lungs. I felt like a hot iron branded my cheek and when the burn abated, I raised my hand to the spot, wincing at my own touch. When my vision cleared, I blinked at the image of Damian’s bare feet.
My heart jumped into my throat at the odd streaks of color running down his jeans and the pool of deep crimson liquid at his feet. I forced my gaze up and a pain deeper than that branding my cheek shot through me at the full view of my broken husband. Deep, angry welts covered his torso and arms in patterns that set my blood boiling. The bastard played with him, carving crude tic-tac-toe games across his torso, drenching him in blood. The waistband of his jeans soaked the trails, turning the blue into a saturated purple that matched the patterns on his face where he had been beaten. Only his bright-blue eyes and the dark curls of his hair told me it was Damian suffering before me.
A wordless scream of fury erupted and I stood, spinning in Lucifer’s direction. The scream cut off along with the flow of air and my glare dropped from the sadistic smile on his face to his hand, curling like the invisible fingers crushing my windpipe. The tear of fabric accompanied the slow and deliberate progress of his clawed finger through the air.
Dark spots flared in front of my eyes and I blinked at the sound of Damian’s growling roar. The grip on my throat ceased and I crumpled to the floor wondering how the hell I was going to beat this asshat.
I looked down and understood Damian’s growl. My clothing was now hanging by shreds, exposing my flesh to the roomful of demons and Lucifer alike. I glanced at Damian and if pain racked his beaten form, I couldn’t tell. He was straining against the platinum chains, his face a mask of fury that went beyond anything I had ever seen and I understood what Lucifer had in mind, or at least I thought I did, until he spoke.
“I am not going to kill you,” Lucifer said and curled his finger, willing me to crawl to him. I tried to resist the hands dragging me forward, but it was as futile as wishing the sunrise away.
“Instead, you will be my slave. My concubine.” He sent a wicked grin as I knelt at his feet, my gaze locked on the crotch of his pants and the bulge that appeared like a poisonous snake curled and ready to strike. “My whore.”
I shivered as his fingers touched my face and tilted it so I looked up at him. “Until you’ve delivered an army of children and your womb can no longer conceive.” He glanced up at Damian. “Then I’ll let all the demons in hell have a turn at her.”
“You fucker,” Damian whispered.
“Once they’ve used her to within a breath of death, that’s when I’ll tear out her heart and drink the last drops of her precious trinity blood.”
“Fuck you,” I growled but his laugh sent me into a fit of shivers.
Lucifer’s hand clamped under my chin, his clawed finger piercing my cheek as he squeezed and pulled me to my feet. “If you insist,” he said and slammed me against the wall, his body pressing against me in an all too suggestive manner.
“But, before I take what is rightfully mine, I want you to indulge me and give your husband a blow job before the sun cooks him alive.” The smile that accompanied the request sent terror through me.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“Oh, come now. Mark told me that you had a mouth that won’t quit. I’d like to see you in action,” he sneered and glanced at Damian. “I’ll give you a dying wish. Would you like a blow job...or would you prefer to watch?”
Damian blinked at the question and I had a moment of clarity when his eyes met mine. He pressed his lips together and they quivered and then his eyes met Lucifer’s gaze.
“I think I’ll watch,” he whispered and a tear slid out of the corner of his eye.
Lucifer’s eyebrow rose and he threw me toward Damian. I landed on my hands and knees at his feet and a quick glance over my shoulder into Lucifer’s malignant glare told me I didn’t have enough stall left. It was now or never and there was no way I would be reduced to Lucifer’s whore for the foreseeable future.
Before the command left Lucifer’s lips, I shot to my feet, throwing myself toward Damian. I had a second where Damian’s gaze met mine and I knew he would do anything to avoid Lucifer’s plans, even if it screwed both of us. The minute my skin came in contact with his, I heard his sharp inhale and I flipped my hair out of the way, giving him full access to my throat.
“Bite me,” I whispered and I saw the brief passage of lust overcome the pain just before he sank his teeth into my throat. Raw agony flared and I tightened my grip on him, knowing each pull of blood brought us closer to death.
Death on our terms. Not Lucifer’s.
With a yank, I found myself on the floor, dizzy and disoriented and Damian stood, defiant despite his blistered skin and the raw guttural groan of pain coming from his chest. His knees gave out and he collapsed, trying to draw his arms in as his body spasmed, his groan turning to a scream as my blood ate him from the inside out.
I blinked at the ray of light filtering in the window, illuminating the wall behind Damian.
“Please Michael,” I whispered, too softly for anyone to hear but Lucifer turned toward me anyway and the glare in his gaze froze my blood in place. I pushed with my legs, putting more distance between us and prayed that I could set Michael free before Lucifer reached me.
Something to my right caught my attention and I nearly gasped when a demon tossed Michael’s unconscious body onto the floor, his face was the pale pallor of death and his chest lay still. I couldn’t even detect a pulse in his neck and despair wrapped around my heart.
“You really think he can help you now?” Lucifer asked with a grin as wicked as my husband’s dying screams.
My gaze darted from Michael’s prone body to Lucifer. Movement in the corner pulled my attention and Eve’s wide eyes met mine before falling on Michael. A wealth of emotion crossed her pale features and when her gaze transitions from me to Lucifer, her face scrunched into a feral snarl, making my focus snap in the same direction.
Lucifer stood over Michael with a dagger clasped in his hands. He raised it over his head and closed his eyes, reciting an ancient alchemy.
The stench of burning flesh filled the room and my gaze landed on Damian. Rays of sunshine encompassed his black curls, but he wasn’t burning.
It was Eve and I swore my heart stopped. Her dark eyes held knowledge and love when they passed over me and the moment they took in Lucifer, her gaze altered, becoming silent and fierce. She streaked across the room with deadly intent written across her fiery features.
Lucifer didn’t have a chance to react before Eve hit him full force, knocking him through the plate glass window but not before she ripped a mighty gash in his throat.
I didn’t wait for him to return or for the shell shocked demons to react. I crawled to Michael’s body and grasped his head in my hands, praying his heart still carried a beat. The incantation tumbled from my lips and the flow of power drained me. Within a blink, Michael was on his feet in full angel form and every demon in the room fell under the heavenly burst of white light.
The last thing that registered in my shell-shocked brain was Damian framed in sunshine, but before I could move, my vision flashed white and then faded.