Chapter Eight

Uriel

By the time we sifted out onto an empty street in the Shoreditch neighborhood in London, she was trembling in my arms. What possessed me to tell her she was right in quashing any hopes Skaal might have in regard to her, I had no idea.

That’s a lie.

I saw his hands on her face, holding her close like a lover would, and something primal flared in my chest. Where it came from, I wasn’t sure. I’d never had to restrain myself from punching another man—angel or demon—out of sheer jealousy. It was a foreign and unwelcome feeling.

Me. Jealous. Utterly laughable. I didn’t get attached to women. There was no such thing in my life. The closest thing I’d ever had to a relationship was that horror show with Lisabette, a twisted, fucked-up version of domina and slave where I longed to disembowel her every moment of every day.

“Are you cold?” I asked her.

“No.”

She edged out of my grasp, and I let her go. I felt the loss as acutely as I did a knife in the chest, which I’d experienced on more than one occasion in my immortal life.

I couldn’t get over it. When I’d first seen this witch in Estonia, I’d hated her. Then she’d shown me kindness. Then she’d fled, taking with her the only compassion I felt in that waking nightmare. When Dommiel insisted she was the one to get me what I wanted, I agreed out of desperation. A means to an end. Then I saw her, standing on that doorstep in her white gown, a kitten snuggled to her breast, innocence softening her lovely face, and a layer of ice calved off the glacier surrounding my heart.

Now, knowing we’d walked parallel paths through hell and had come out alive, stronger than before, I wanted something other than revenge and blood. Something softer…sweeter.

Perilous. This wanting was dangerous.

Swallowing my sudden, urgent revelation, I gestured for her to follow, waiting for her to fall into step. I led her past the club Axel ran, toward the luxurious apartment building at the end of the street.

“Where does he live?”

“On the corner.” I pointed back over my shoulder. “That’s his club, back there, where he plays in that band with his friends Wolfrick and Gustav.”

She nodded and walked swiftly at my side, the sidewalks patchy with snow and ice. No one to clear off the walkways. But I guessed not when there were so few who used them anymore. Seeing a thick patch of black ice across the pavement up ahead, I swiftly gripped her around the waist and flew over the slippery surface. Again, she made that surprised gasp, clutching my arms.

“Careful,” I said, setting her down and taking her hand to keep her upright.

She held my hand tightly and eased close to me on the walkway. I stopped at the stoop where the steps were obviously thick with ice. Turning to her, I held out my arms.

“One more time.”

Her soft expression held nothing but trust as she eased into the circle of my arms, lacing her fingers at the nape of my neck. She’d never pressed herself this close before, the heady sensation nearly knocking me on my ass. Wrapping her waist again, I beat my wings to get us on the landing safely.

Then I froze. So did she. Both of us, standing on a freezing stoop in the middle of a high-traffic demon section of London, just staring at each other. I couldn’t believe I’d once thought she was a witch like Lisabette or anything close to her. Nadya was entirely different. Rather than ensnaring me with wicked, black magic, she beguiled me with pure, white kindness. She didn’t have to risk herself by helping me, or anyone else, but she did. She didn’t have to leave the warmth of her home in the middle of the night to help birth a baby, but she did.

Why?

Because she was good. Beautiful in her pristine purity and compassionate heart.

“That night,” I began, my voice low as I whispered close, “when you helped me from the feast hall when there was a fire in the palace, you were the one who set that fire, weren’t you?”

Her eyes wide, her breath making white puffs in the air, she said, “I did.” After squeezing her eyes closed for a second, she opened them again and said, “I couldn’t watch her have you beaten anymore.”

I couldn’t help the bitterness that lifted one side of my mouth. “She had me beaten almost daily, Nadya.”

“I know.” There was pain in her voice. “But that night, she made that guard just keep going and going and—I thought I’d lose my mind watching it all.” Her fingers unlaced but cupped the side of my neck, her warm palms pressed to my skin. I stiffened at the surprising pleasure of her intimate touch. “I couldn’t bear it, Uriel.”

How could she still be so kindhearted in that evil place? She was a shocking, magnificent wonder.

“Thank you, Nadya.”

Still, pain pinched her expression. I wanted to press my lips to the divot between her brows and smooth it over with a kiss. But that would be a mistake.

“I wanted to help you somehow…that last night, when Lisabette asked me into her chambers…with you.”

Ah, yes. That was a nightmare I remembered well. Lisabette had me chained to her bed, per usual, and Nadya had knocked on the door to say goodbye. That she was leaving for the feast at Ivangorod. Lisabette often invited others to join her sinister, sexual games. I’d become numb to it all by then. But I remembered the sweet witch who’d helped me escape being whipped into unconsciousness standing at the bedchamber door, staring at me, nude and helpless, then leaving me behind after a sorrowful glance.

“There was nothing you could’ve done,” I assured her.

“I could have,” she said urgently, the pitch of her voice rising. “I could’ve distracted her with something. Gotten you free from her for a night. Just one night.” She glanced away, swallowing hard. “But if I delayed or got into trouble with Lisabette, I’d not have my chance to escape with Axel at the feast. I was being selfish, I—”

I lifted a hand to cup her nape, to get her attention. “Enough, Nadya. There was nothing you could do to get me out of there. I’m glad you took your chance. I’m happy you got away.”

Daylight was slipping by, the gray pall darkening by slow degrees. Demons and the humans who partied with them would be creeping out into the night soon.

“Come. Let’s get inside.”

Opening the door, I let her in, sweeping the street to be sure no one was lurking or watching. Moving ahead of her, I marched to the door on the right. His apartment covered the entire right half of the building.

“How do you know where Axel lives?” she asked, her voice still soft, lingering with the emotions of a few moments before.

“Axel has been working with us on a few recent missions.”

“Really?”

I smiled. “You sound so surprised. He helped you.”

“Yeah. But that was all the influence of high demons like Skaal. Axel just doesn’t seem the let-me-help-angelkind sort of guy.”

I chuckled. She whipped her head up to me and smiled.

“What?”

“That was the first time I heard you laugh.” She smiled, and another layer of ice chipped away. “It was nice.”

I frowned, then cleared my throat uncomfortably.

“If I have to admit it, Axel isn’t all that bad. There are actually some of my own kind who get on my nerves more than him.”

I rapped on the door. Nothing. I rapped again. Louder. After a few minutes and shuffling on the other side, Axel opened the door. Wearing a white T-shirt and ragged jeans, his dark hair loose around his shoulders, tattoos winding out of the sleeves and down his arms, he wore a confused expression before smiling.

“Now this is a surprise. Come in,” he beckoned in his thick German accent, then backed away to let us in and gave Nadya a brief hug. “Good to see you, schön.”

“Thanks, Axel. You too,” she replied softly.

“Axel, why don’t you have wards, or at the very least, locks on your doors?”

“Bro, I’m now the high demon of London, remember?”

Of course I remembered. Since he’d gone on the mission to save the enslaved humans from the demon princes Rook and Simian—who were now both rotting in hell, literally—he’d taken over as high demon of the London territory.

It had become a tricky situation. Angels and demons were battling for territory on earth, the wickedest of demonkind enslaving humans for their own depraved needs. But Axel was a party demon, wanting nothing to do with the darkest of his kind. He just wanted to live a demon rock-star lifestyle. I had no problem with that. So we agreed that he was now the high demon of London should any of his kind get out of hand. And I was the archangel in charge to enforce the laws. Only, I had other plans at the moment, so the demon hunter Xander was keeping watch for me.

“I recall we have mutual rule over London, Axel.”

“Ja, bruder. I know, I know.”

Nadya covered a laugh with her hand.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s just funny, him calling you brother with that accent. You don’t seem like his regular brothers.”

“Thank you,” I said, remembering the hulking but loyal man-whores, Wolfrick and Gustav, who occupied their own apartment across the hall.

Axel walked into his kitchen, the apartment all sleek whites and grays in a modern, open layout. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, popped the top, then took a swig. “But now that those assholes Rook and Simian are gone, we don’t have to worry about all the bad shit. I don’t need wards.”

“Not yet. But you never know when the next upstart will want to challenge you. Put them in place, Axel.”

He waved me off. I’d have to tell Xander, because apparently Axel wasn’t prepared for the fact that there would be some other high demon coming in to challenge him at some point. Best not make it so easy to waltz in and slit his throat in the night.

“So. Was geht? What time is it anyway?” He glanced out the window. “I just woke up.”

“It’s nearly six,” said Nadya, pointing to the digital clock on the microwave.

We stood at the white granite island that ran the full length of the kitchen.

“Cool. The club won’t open for a few hours. You want a drink?”

I shook my head.

“A water, if you have it,” said Nadya.

He pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator and slid it across the island. “So who’s in trouble now?”

“No one.” I leaned one hip against the counter, arms crossed. “I’m going into the demon fighting circuit, starting with Yorik’s pit in Prague. Skaal has arranged it.”

Axel drained half the beer, his Adam’s apple bobbing, a frown pursing his brow. “And what madness has brought this on?”

“I plan to meet Vladek on his court.”

Axel laugh-grunted, tilting his head in confusion. “Come again, bruder.”

Exhaling an exasperated sigh, I explained with impatience. “I’m going to fight my way to Vladek’s arena. I’ll kill his champion, and for my reward, he’ll grant me a boon.”

“Ah.” Axel nodded, taking another swig. “A suicide mission then.”

I arched a brow. “You don’t think I can defeat his champion.”

The high demon examined me for a few seconds. “I’m sure you can. Even so, he won’t grant you that boon. Whatever it is.”

I didn’t elaborate and tell him what it was I wanted from Vladek. Nadya’s expression tightened into a frown, though I wasn’t sure at what part.

“We’ll see,” I said. “Regardless, that’s not your concern.”

“And what is my concern?”

“We were hoping,” Nadya cut in gently, injecting some calm into the discussion, “that you could serve as Uriel’s sponsor, his…master that he will need in order to enter the rings.”

Axel raised his brow, then downed the rest of his bottle and meandered to drop it in the trash at the end of the island. Shaking his head, he replied with regret marking his face. “Even if I didn’t think this a suicide mission—and for the record, I do—I can’t help you.”

“Why not?” asked Uriel.

Heaving a sigh, he replied, “Reports have reached Vladek that I’ve been seen with Dommiel on more than one occasion. Vladek knows Dom has been working with your hunters. Yorik and every high demon in central and eastern Europe are now owned by Vladek. Yorik wouldn’t allow me in the door even if I tried.”

The three of us fell into a thoughtful silence. He was right. Vladek would have warned his people to bar all enemies or even potential enemies of his growing empire in Europe. Axel slid both hands onto the granite top, tapping a forefinger with a silver skull ring, eyeing Nadya curiously.

“What?” she asked.

My body tightened.

“Why don’t you be his domina?”

Her pulse beat fast at the base of her throat. “What?” she whispered. “I couldn’t.”

I froze, unable to move. Or protest. The mere thought of her serving as my domina, my mistress, even if it was all pretense, shackled my vocal cords and clamped down hard. A dirty, dark image of her wielding power over me licked along my senses…not with foul revulsion as it did with Lisabette, but with…longing.

“Why not?” asked Axel with a shrug.

She glanced at me helplessly. I wasn’t sure what had put the fear into her—stepping into the dens or being my domina.

“She’ll be recognized,” I growled. “It would put her in danger.”

Axel tossed up a short laugh. “I doubt it.” His gaze swept her face and clothes. “You’ll have to change your appearance a little, yes, but no one will recognize you.” He tapped his skull ring, tinging against the stone. “Vladek only allowed certain eyes to even look on you in his castle. And Lisabette’s followers are scattered to the winds since the fire that took her palace. I mean, I’d never even seen you until that night I packed you out in a bag.”

Burning, lacerating fire exploded in my chest. He kept her hidden? For his own motherfucking nefarious desires. Pain shot up my spine at the thought of Nadya in his clutches. The only thing that kept me from completely losing my mind was the hope that he’d been gentle with her. I’d heard about his beloved concubine before I’d even been taken into Lisabette’s lair. Allegedly, she was his weakness. He doted on her. Surely he’d not have been as vile to her as Lisabette had been to me. The idea of him—

“That’s true,” she said, bringing me back from the brink of madness. Glancing up at me, she offered with a smile, “No one in the places we’re going would know who I was.”

“Exactly,” said Axel. “No hippie clothes and fairy hair, though.” He waved to her white-blonde hair with braids at the temples. “Though it is so lovely and a shame to dye it. Good thing is, I can sense your magic and his essence, so you’re still registering as one of us,” he noted.

I cringed at the thought of Vladek’s essence still radiating inside her, putting her on the radar as demonic in origin. He must’ve fed her, forced her to inhale his essence every night for it to still be lingering after all this time. I could obliterate every trace of his essence inside her. Suddenly, that became my primary longing. But she needed to keep that bloody darkness just to convince the demon lords in the fighting pits that she was one of them.

Holding my gaze, she said with a bit more bravado that she seemed to feel, “I could do that. I could be your domina.”

A wave of heat flushed her face, prettying her cheeks with a pink wash. Axel chuckled, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, want a clawing beast behind my sternum.

“What I meant w-was—” she stammered.

Axel patted her hand where she gripped the edge of the countertop. “We know what you meant.”

My response was directed at Axel. “It’s too dangerous,” I said evenly, surprising the hell out of me since my insides were a blazing inferno.

“It’s less dangerous than recruiting some demon you don’t know. Trust me,” he snorted, “the arschlochs in these dens won’t look at her twice or figure out she’s the long-lost concubine of Vladek.”

She winced, seemingly in pain.

“Scheiße. Sorry, Nadya.” Axel’s voice dropped. “I’m an insensitive bastard sometimes.” He rapped his knuckles softly on the granite, drawing her averted gaze back to him. With compassion, he said, “They won’t recognize you. No one would suspect that you’d go back into their world after escaping.”

She laughed, her bitterness evident. “That’s true. Because what fool would do that?”

I couldn’t stop myself from edging close, placing a palm to the center of her back. “You don’t have to do this.”

Unable to look at me, she replied softly but firmly, “I want to.”

“Aye, then,” said Axel, grinning wide. “Nadya will have to become…hmmm.” He tapped his chin. “Svetlana, the demoness.”

“Svetlana,” she murmured. “I suppose that’ll do.” She finally glanced up at me, having to crane her neck since there was only a mere inch separating us. “What do you think?”

“I think—” I blinked once with slow deliberation, trying to corral my wild thoughts and feelings back into a bottle where they belonged. “I think you’ll fool them all.” Caressing my gaze down over her cheeks to her lips, over the lovely curve of her throat, then lifting away to skate over her hair before finally meeting her eyes, I said low, more for her ears than the damn demon listening to every word, “And I think Svetlana fits you well.” I couldn’t help but linger over the fall of silken, platinum blonde hair streaming past her shoulders. “I hate to dim your light at all, but it must be done.”

She was indeed luminescent. And changing her hair color wouldn’t make that untrue.

“Should I leave you two—?”

The door burst open. In a millisecond, I had an arm around her waist, banding her close to my body, the blade I kept in a sheath on my thigh poised in my hand and zipping through the air to embed on the wall of the foyer as two intruders barreled in. Except they weren’t intruders, which was why I threw the knife as a warning. I had a second in my boot for real damage should I need it.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Wolfrick, shirtless in leather pants, held up both hands, one gripping the neck of a whiskey bottle.

Gustav in nothing but underwear stood slightly behind him, a brimstone cigarette dangling from his lips, his hands also up in surrender.

“Verdammte Scheiße, Uriel!” Wolfrick growled, then leaned over to brace his hands on his knees and suck in a breath.

Gustav chuckled and took a deep drag of his cigarette before blowing it out. “That was trippy.”

My forearm was pressed across Nadya’s rib cage just under her breasts, her heart hammering. And while there was obviously no danger, I couldn’t make myself release her. Not entirely. I loosened my hold, keeping a proprietary hand across her abdomen, splaying my fingers wide.

Wolfrick stood, flipping his golden locks back like the diva he was. Both Wolfrick and Gustav wore the looks of barbarians—all dense bones packed with muscle and too-sharp cheeks, chins, and brows. That was because Axel had met them as humans centuries ago when they were actual barbarians. Visigoths, to be precise. The high demon made friends, then breathed his essence into them to make them his immortal playmates. As much as I hated the idea of high demons playing God and making humans immortal, it seemed this trio needed one another. And considering they’d helped us on more than one occasion, I had to admit—at least to myself because I’d never say it aloud—that they actually could do some good in this world. Fallen from grace or not.

Wolfrick’s gaze landed on Nadya, his smile turning wolfish to match his name. “Nadya,” he breathed on a sigh, spreading his hand across his naked chest over his heart. “Du bist wunderschön.”

Yes, she was beautiful. I tensed, keeping her body pressed to mine. The thrilling fact that she didn’t try to pull away had my mind reeling. And wondering. Hoping.

“Danke, Wolfrick. Hallo, Gustav. Do you boys have clothes?”

“Ya, bezaubernd,” said Gustav with a wink, exhaling a stream of smoke. “But we thought you might enjoy a show.” He actually swiveled his hips in a pathetic imitation of a stripper.

I grunted in disgust, but Nadya only laughed. They were harmless pups—to her anyway—but it still annoyed me.

“What’s going on?” asked Wolfrick, leaning on the island next to Axel, swigging his whiskey from the bottle.

Axel, who’d been watching the entire scene with a stupid grin, finally chimed in. “Oh, nothing much. Uriel is going into the fighting circuit. He’s going to battle his way to Vladek’s arena and confront the demon king himself.”

I winced. It was true that his new title elevating him from prince to king was making its rounds. Considering he controlled more territory than any demon overlord, including his one brother still alive somewhere in America, the title suited. Still, I could kill a king as easily as a prince. I would kill him. Or die trying.

“And what is sweet Nadya doing in the fray?” asked Gustav.

Axel crossed his arms, his all-seeing eyes on me, not Nadya. “Sweet Nadya is going to dirty her looks and become his commanding domina for the ring.”

“Oh, mist.” Wolfrick hissed in a breath, rubbing his palm across the chiseled plane of his stomach. “Where’s the first fight? I want to see this.”

Axel backhanded his chest roughly. “We can’t go there, idiot.”

Wolfrick actually whined like a baby. “Nadya, will you come and show us your outfit before? I can help you with the clothes.” He waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve got a fuckbuddy who wears—”

“No,” I cut him off, sliding my hand to Nadya’s back and urging her toward the door.

“Mmhmm,” Axel hummed sensually, measuring the two of us with a lopsided grin. “You better go. You’ve got much to do.”

“We do,” I agreed. “I need to get armor and weapons.”

“Auf Wiedersehen, boys.”

“Bye, sweet Nadya,” Gustav and Wolfrick crooned almost simultaneously.

Axel laughed. “Tell Bone I said hello and she’s welcome to switch sides, give up that hunter, and ride dirty for a while.”

I glared at him near the entrance. “I think I’ll tell Xander instead so he can come punch that look off your face.”

He belted out a laugh, calling out, “You do that. A good fight with that hunter would be fun.”

Nadya rolled her eyes. “Why do men always want to fight?”

“There are two things that get a man’s blood up, Nadya,” I said, holding the door open for her to walk under my arm. She sucked in a breath, then gulped hard at my response, pausing beneath the arch of my body. My voice dropped to that husky register, my skin drawing tight, my blood heating. I couldn’t keep the words from spilling out of my mouth, watching her reaction with predatory eyes. “If we can’t have one, love, we want the other.”