Her Wicked Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 6) (41 page)

Each time, Asmodeus would hone his senses, searching for the Hell’s angels he had felt.

Each time, he had the feeling that they were drawing closer to them.

He started counting the stairs to keep his nerves in check and give himself something to focus part of his mind on while the rest of him focused on sensing whether any dangers lurked in the darkness around them.

The battle above grew distant and then slipped beyond his senses.

Erin muttered something to Veiron, who stroked her hair.

“Your sister is still fighting and still safe. The Devil won’t hurt her… he would break the pact if he did,” Veiron whispered and she paused and looked up at him, her eyes bright gold in the low light.

“He wouldn’t care… as far as we know, he’s already broken the pact. He took Liora.” Erin closed her eyes and hung her head. Her voice hitched. “If he resets the game, I’ll be too weak to fight him and make him pay for everything he’s done to me… for what he would have done to you… and to Amelia… and Marcus.”

Veiron wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head, closing his eyes at the same time.

“It’ll be okay, Sweetheart. I swear it. No bad shit is going down on my watch. You’ll see. We’ll get Liora back and get the fuck out of this place, and I’ll pick up Amelia and Marcus, and it’ll all be good.” Veiron sighed when her shoulders shook and a sob broke past her lips, and Asmodeus felt he was intruding on something very private.

He would give them a moment alone, but they were blocking the corridor.

Veiron rubbed her bare arms. “How about when we’re all back together, we come back down and give your old man hell?”

Erin sniffed, lifted her head and brushed the backs of her hands across her cheeks. She gave Veiron a wobbly smile and nodded.

“You missed a tear.” Veiron swept it away with his thumb. “Cry baby.”

Erin shoved him in the chest. “It’s these stupid hormones. I’m pissed as hell one minute and want to collapse in a puddle of tears the next. It’s not easy being pregnant, you know? Especially with your kid. He’s as temperamental as his father.”

She rubbed her belly and Veiron placed his hand over hers, smiling down at the bump beneath her black dress.

“Hell boy junior likes it when you do that,” she whispered and Veiron placed his arm around her shoulders, tucking her against his side, and began walking again.

“I’ll just keep this hand here then,” he said and she leaned her head on his chest as they walked. Veiron squeezed her shoulders and his voice dropped to an earnest whisper. “I swear, Erin, your sister and Marcus will be fine.”

Asmodeus could understand her fear. While on the island, he had come to discover that Amelia was the original angel and the subject of a game between Heaven and Hell that Asmodeus had watched with curiosity since his creation.

Angels were eternal, and upon their death, they were reborn into their original forms but without their memories. In Amelia’s case, she re-entered the world as a mortal baby and grew up hidden among the massive human population and the hunt for her began. One of Apollyon’s duties was to kill her mortal form when the time was right and awaken her as an angel. Then, it was a race between Heaven, represented by Marcus, and Hell, represented by Veiron, to get their hands on her first and spill her blood on a sacred altar. Whoever spilled her blood sealed the other realm for centuries.

Amelia would then die.

So would Veiron and Marcus.

Erin had good reason to be concerned. If Amelia faltered, the Devil’s men could kill her. The game would be reset. Even with the contract between Veiron and Erin, there was a chance she would lose her husband and he would be reborn as an angel of Heaven, unable to remember her and destined to fall and pledge himself to the Devil.

She would definitely lose her sister and Marcus.

Asmodeus found it hard to believe the lengths these people were going to in order to help Liora, risking their lives for her. Not just Liora though.

As much as he wanted to pretend they were doing it just for her, because she had gained their friendship and their trust, he knew deep inside that wasn’t the whole truth.

They were doing this for him too.

Serenity wanted to reunite him with Liora as much as she wanted to save her cousin. He had caught the looks that Erin and Amelia had given him too, sympathetic glances that spoke of their desire to help him. Marcus seemed reluctant to get close to him, but was helping anyway. Veiron had clearly wanted to help him save Liora.

Apollyon.

The man who had sworn to kill him a thousand times over, who had battled him and come close to doing just that almost as many times, and who had always looked upon him with scorn and disgust, had looked upon him with concern and had chosen to assist him in his mission to save Liora.

Asmodeus still found that hard to digest.

They reached a level where there were no more steps or doors. Just endless maze-like corridors of black. The sensation of danger grew stronger. The Devil’s men were waiting in the maze.

Asmodeus went against his better judgement. “We are not alone.”

“You’re telling me,” Veiron whispered and stroked Erin’s arm.

“How long have you known?” Asmodeus frowned and Erin looked over her shoulder at him.

“Since opening the main door of the fortress.” She shrugged when his frown hardened, a ripple of shock racing through his blood, and then smiled. “You didn’t expect me to run away from a couple of Hell’s angels, did you?”

“No, I did not.”

Her smile broadened, reaching her amber eyes. “Ah, you expected Hell boy to whisk me away. I know my husband. He’s itching for a fight as much as I am. A few demonic angels? He won’t even break a sweat.”

“If he gets to fight one at all,” Apollyon growled from ahead of them, his rich blue eyes burning in the darkness.

Veiron wasn’t the only one itching for a fight.

Asmodeus called his curved golden blades to him. The weight of them in his palms felt good, reassuring. Whatever waited for them at the end of the maze, or even in the maze, was going to discover that he would allow nothing to stand between him and Liora.

Serenity took several wrong turns in the narrow alleyways, causing them to have to back up and try a different route. Each wrong turn and dead end worsened Asmodeus’s temper and he was close to snapping by the time they finally reached a tall black room lit by torches cradled in the gilded bones of dragons’ feet. The warm amber glow barely reached halfway up the towering height of the vaulted ceiling.

Asmodeus had the feeling they had found Liora.

Five Hell’s angels in their demonic forms blocked the way to a single black stone door, their thickly muscled arms folded over their red-edged black breastplates and their crimson eyes glowing like hellfire against their black skin.

The one in the middle of the loose semicircle was far larger than the others, but all of them were bigger than normal Hell’s angels, each standing over ten feet tall.

Veiron growled and shifted, rolling his shoulders. Black flowed over his skin and his muscles expanded, his limbs growing as he changed into his own demonic form. He pushed Erin behind him and Asmodeus did the same, forcing her behind him as he stepped forwards to form an offensive line with Veiron and Apollyon.

Erin huffed and Serenity muttered something about men.

His twin furled his large black-feathered wings against his back and tipped his chin up, his swirling blue gaze locked on the Hell’s angel at the front of the group.

Asmodeus wouldn’t grant him his wish. The biggest male was his.

He tightened his grip on his curved golden blades and launched himself with a roar at the male.

The large male sprang forwards and met him halfway, his red blade clashing with Asmodeus’s golden one. Asmodeus surged onwards, driving the demonic angel backwards. Veiron and Apollyon joined the fight, tackling two of the angels each. Veiron’s double-ended short spear was a blur as he dealt with his two foes, blocking and countering every attack they made. The vaulted room echoed with each clash of weapons, the strikes ringing out until it was a cacophony.

Asmodeus twirled beneath the path of one of this enemy’s blades as the male struck at him and slashed at his shins with his own sword. The male beat his leathery wings, taking himself above the arc of Asmodeus’s blow, and brought his other sword down.

A golden blade blocked the strike, causing sparks to shower over Asmodeus’s bare back and wings, and Asmodeus rolled forwards and onto his feet. He flicked Apollyon a grateful glance and then growled as he attacked the large demonic angel from behind. The male whirled to face him and managed to block one of Asmodeus’s blades. He surged upwards with the other one and grinned as it cut across the male’s thick black biceps. Crimson spilled from the deep laceration, shining in the low light.

The demonic angel grunted, baring his sharp red teeth, and his eyes flashed.

He lunged for Asmodeus, claws swiping towards his wings.

The male meant to disable him.

Asmodeus dodged and ducked, and at the same time sent a mental command to his wings, forcing them to shrink into his back, removing a potential weakness. He rolled under the angel’s outstretched arms, came to his knees, and brought his left blade around in a fast arc behind him. The male shrieked as the sword sliced into his right calf and Asmodeus shoved to his feet and twisted at the waist, lodging his other blade deep into the male’s side.

He yanked it out. Blood sprayed from the wound, saturating the black tiled floor.

The demonic angel roared and turned on him, bringing twin blades down in a blur. Asmodeus sent one of his swords away and brought the other one up, and quickly shoved his palm against the flat edge of it, bracing himself for the blow. The male’s twin blades struck his single one hard, the force of the strike almost driving Asmodeus to his knees.

He growled with effort and shoved upwards, knocking the angel’s blades off his sword and sending the male stumbling backwards.

Bright light flashed off to his left.

Veiron had dispatched one of the five.

A second later, light burst closer to Apollyon.

Two down. Three to go.

The demonic angel before him grunted and bared his sharp teeth again, and Asmodeus swore he grew larger, his muscles expanding beneath his black skin. He had seen Hell’s angels go into a rage, a fury so deep it made them crazed and increased their strength tenfold. If that happened, this male would prove himself a dangerous foe, one liable to break through Asmodeus and harm the females.

Asmodeus couldn’t allow that.

He focused and began to circle the male, keeping the angel’s attention rooted on him.

Shadows flickered around Asmodeus’s feet and it took all of his effort to keep them there and stop them from covering him as he desired them to do. He didn’t want the others to see his true form. They wouldn’t understand. He needed the strength of his true form to give him the power to quickly defeat the angel though. Hopefully, the low level of light in the room would conceal his shadows from Apollyon and the others.

The demonic angel pushed off, coming straight at him.

Asmodeus flung his hand forwards and his shadows streamed towards the male, snapping at the black floor as they grew like an unstoppable wave. The male’s crimson eyes widened as the first shadow reached him, curling around his shin and stopping him in his tracks, and then he unleashed an unholy scream as the rest lashed at him and burrowed into his flesh. The shadows dragged him down to his knees, the impact shaking the ground.

Asmodeus struck.

He clutched his sword in both hands and brought it down hard, cleaving the male’s head from his shoulders.

It toppled and rolled across the tiles, coming to a halt by booted feet.

Asmodeus slid his golden gaze across to Erin. Serenity stood beside her, her focus on Apollyon. She hadn’t seen his true power.

Erin stared down at the severed head by her feet and then raised her eyes to meet his. Unlike her friend, she had been watching him fight. She had seen that he too could command shadows, just as she could.

Light flashed, taking the body to Heaven.

Asmodeus pressed one finger against his lips.

Erin smiled, raised her hand, and pretended to zip her lips and lock them.

Asmodeus turned to assist Veiron with one of the remaining angels. Veiron skewered the male on the glowing red blade of his double-ended spear. Light burst across Asmodeus’s eyes, temporarily blinding him. When his vision came back, the dead angel was gone.

A hand caught Asmodeus’s bare shoulder.

He growled, grabbed the male by his wrist, and twisted downwards, using the sudden momentum to throw the male over his shoulder.

Apollyon landed on the ground with a grunt and a grimace.

Asmodeus quickly released him and Serenity rushed forwards, scowling at him as she passed.

When she looked at him like that, as if she wanted to fight him for some reason, she reminded him of Liora. They shared the same hazel eyes and the same slender build.

But Serenity couldn’t come close to his female.

She was too wholesome and good. Too sweet.

Asmodeus sighed and looked off to his right, towards the door. His heart ached and he rubbed his chest. He hoped Liora was in there, only seconds away from him now. He needed her back in his arms where she belonged. He needed his wicked little witch with her mischievous smiles, playful teasing, and naughty streak.

He missed her.

Asmodeus turned away from the others and walked to the black stone door. His gaze took in every inch of the carved surface. It depicted dragons and a monster far larger than they were ravaging lands and devouring mortal, demon and angel alike.

Erin moved past Serenity, slowly lifting her hand as she approached the door. It didn’t open. Asmodeus growled and Erin cast him an apologetic look, and then looked at the carving on the door. She ran her gaze over it and lingered in one spot. Her gaze brightened, glowing gold, and lost its focus, as if she was slipping into a daze, the sort he fell into when the Devil was commanding him.