9. Crossing the Line

ASHER

"Where did you find them?"

Archer winced as my icy tone slapped against him, as if I"d physically struck him. He kept his hands stashed away in his suit pockets while we walked straight into the hotel. Although eyes in the lobby quickly strayed in our direction, staff and customers alike, he managed to keep his from swinging their way in return. "In the basement."

I mused over his short response while we ventured toward the door tucked into the back corner. My steps faltered just enough to allow the demon lord to get ahead and use the master keycard to unlock it for us both. I didn't speak again until we'd both walked through and the door swung shut behind me. "What alerted them that something was amiss?"

Archer led the way down the metal stairway. "One of the staff was down here to fix a leaky pipe. He reported hearing screams. Ran upstairs to report it."

An amused snort escaped me. "He didn't think to use a radio to alert his superiors?"

The demon lord paused to throw a quick, hard look over his shoulder. "Not when he heard wings flap after the screams stopped."

Angels.

Considering that only a small group had recently checked in and only one was currently left in the hotel room, it wasn't difficult to see who the worker might have overheard. There was already one hell of a tight noose around Marcillo's neck, and it was only getting tighter now that the bastard knew I was onto his game.

The strong smell of blood reached me long before we turned the final corner and stepped into the small room. My eyes rose to all the thick pipes hugging the ceiling above my head, but they didn't hold my attention for long. The copper aroma was so strong that it quickly returned my focus. I surveyed the room until I spotted a few of Archer's men hovering near the far corner. What in the hell? I approached them with cautious steps.

Both men threw me a casual glance until it sank in at who had arrived. They immediately ducked their heads and murmured a soft greeting.

Shoving my hands into my suit pockets, I focused on the two bodies sprawled out across the ground at their feet. From the way the man's body was slumped over with his ass in the air, he gave me the impression that he'd been on his knees shortly before he died. The expression frozen on his face was more of pure hope versus the fear on his wife's. "Where is the staff member who overheard the screams?"

"In the hotel's break room." Archer's voice was soft.

My eyes drifted toward the brunette male closest to me. "Go retrieve him for me."

The demon lord didn't approach until the two men immediately headed off to bring back the witness. He threw a glance over his shoulder to send them into a more hurried pace. When their footsteps faded away, he came to stand by my side. "There's something you should see, boss. Both of the victims have the same tattoo on their right wrist." He knelt down to nudge the woman's arm and expose the white ink hugging her skin.

If I hadn't been looking for something there to begin with, I would have missed it. I cocked my head to the side as my eyes adjusted enough for me to make out a small white feather. "Now isn't that interesting? Marcillo sent his companion to fetch a pair of loyalists to drain their souls."

That would explain how he managed to teleport out of the hotel without attracting attention to himself. It also emphasized how greedy the feathery bastard could be when one soul would easily work for a paranormal being to regain enough magic to relocate. Marcillo had no intention of taking Azaiell with him.

She was the scapegoat left behind with the hopes of slowing me down.

Returning footsteps drew me out of my thoughts. I shifted slightly to watch the two men return with an elderly man struggling to walk with a large hump on his back. A slight raise of my jaw was all I needed to give Archer's men the dismissal they needed. The sudden burst of anxiety leaking into the air drew my attention back to the one they'd gone to fetch. "You were down here to do maintenance, is that correct?"

The elderly man immediately ducked his head. "Yes, sire. Several tenants were complaining of faulty water pressure. My boss sent me down here to check for any leaky pipes. They're due to be replaced, you see."

Archer released an agitated noise, which only caused the man to tremble.

I threw a warning glance in his direction. While the man was older, he was still a paranormal being. From the heavily wooded scent, he was a werewolf nearing the end of his lifespan. "Are the screams the only thing you heard?"

Clasping his hands together in front of him, the elderly man kept his brown eyes glued to the floor. "No, sir. I didn't realize someone else was down here at first, but then I heard someone talking. These walls echo so easily, so I couldn't get closer to see who was down here. I do remember a woman speaking. She was thanking someone for giving her son a chance at a new life. Thanking him for protecting him from your grace's family."

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I drifted toward him. "Did you hear a name?"

"Marcillo, sire."

Archer choked on an amused snicker.

I couldn't blame him for his amusement, not when this simply turned this more in my favor. Turning my head slightly, I peered back at the couple. It was interesting to see how vastly different they had reacted when someone they'd placed their unwavering faith in turned on them. Yet the more I studied them, I realized I had overlooked something completely. My head whipped back toward the man. "You said Marcillo was giving the boy a chance at a new life. Did he bring the boy here?"

He tensed under my gaze. "They didn't say, sire."

Irritation leaked into my veins. "Did they give you the impression that he is?"

"Y-Yes, sire."

The knot that had been tightening up in the pit of my stomach since my arrival merely spiraled out of control, leaving me with a horrifying wave of nausea. I snapped my eyes up toward the ceiling. All it took was tearing through five floors until I located the angel's fading energy before the room shimmered around me. The thick metal pipes were replaced by the fancy hotel decor.

Something had warned Nico not to take home his newest toy yet. The beast within me was thrilled.

Azaiell jumped as I rammed my foot into the door and tore it off the hinges. Her blue eyes honed in on me and she immediately recoiled into the couch. "I have nothing to say to you," she hissed.

The brute standing behind her responded with a low growl that essentially silenced her.

Curling my upper lip to expose my fangs at her, I ignored her comment and made a beeline for the only closet in the hotel room. There was a similar aroma lurking in the air. I knew what I would find long before I twisted the knob. When I yanked the door open, a small body tumbled out on my feet. I stared down at the boy's pale face.

The wound stretching out across his neck was the only ill sign that something had gone down. I was flustered to find the same peaceful expression on his face that his own father had died with. The rage that had lurked quietly beneath the surface quickly spiraled out of control. By the time Archer arrived, I had stormed across the room and seized the angel by the throat. I tightened my grip, raising her off the couch. "Who slit his throat?"

Azaiell clawed at my hand, trying to break free. "I-I won't—"

I brought her closer with a jerk, our faces only a matter of inches apart now. "Marcillo left you behind for me to recover. Your own prince has abandoned you after consuming the life essence of this entire family. He didn't save a single piece of it for you. Do you know what that means, little bird?"

Her nails dragged along my hand. I was cutting off most of her air to where panic was setting in. Even her lips were gaining a blue tint. The realization that I was slowly killing her wasn't enough to loosen my hold. Fear within her eyes revealed that she knew it.

"He left you for me to take my rage out on while he tucked tail like the coward he is," I snarled.

"W-Why…do you…care?" She forced out. "They're…all…just…food."

It was not a word choice Azaiell should've used if she was eager to keep her own ass alive long enough to find a way out of this situation. The rage tearing through my veins quickly spiraled out of control until I saw red. It hit me with so much strength that I didn't realize what my body was doing until it cleared.

Azaiell lay in a crumbled ball at my feet, those blue eyes no longer moving.

Fuck. I stiffened and shifted my gaze away. I hadn't meant to crush her windpipe. There was no telling how much valuable intel Nico could have tortured out of her. Still, nothing could be changed now. The events had probably unfolded exactly how she wanted once she realized she wasn't leaving the hotel alive.

"Boss?" Archer approached me cautiously while the brute on the other side of the couch watched me wearily.

Gritting my teeth until my jaw throbbed with agony, I turned away from the fallen angel and retreated near the window so that I could draw in fresh air. "Lock down the city. Nothing comes or goes without being brought to my attention. Three souls won't get Marcillo very far. I want him in my basement before he gets back to angel territory."

"And the shipment, boss?"

"Find it." I teleported out of the hotel room before the demon lord had a chance to counter with another question of his own. Part of my soul yearned to retreat home and seek the comfort of my pet. The powerful pull was certainly strong enough to startle me. I'd been content to walk the earth alone, fucking any pussy I needed to tame my cock so that I could focus on the family empire. Yet here I was, desperate for her warm touch to tame this wild rage.

It took everything I had not to direct myself back home. I managed to alter the course in time to where my magic landed me at Nico's personal humble abode. As the magic settled around me, humming underneath my skin with the eagerness to please, I studied the rough manor spread out before me. The outside certainly didn't look like anything special. If it wasn't for the magic pulsing in the walls, I would have dismissed it as an abandoned piece of property the first time I laid eyes on it.

That was how Nico managed to maintain his peace without being interrupted by prying eyes.

Pressing my lips together, I strolled up the front steps and marched across the porch. All it took was a wave of my hand for the front door to open wide. I could feel the kiss of his magic dragging over my skin as I stepped through the doorway.

The second my foot passed over to the other side, the world around me shimmered. Rotting walls broke away, exposing black stone columns towering above me and the vast dry wasteland around the demon's home. There was a stairway tucked ahead that led straight down into a deep pit with another nudged into the corner to spiral up to a more hardy floor level.

I scoffed softly and dismissed the upper level. There wouldn't be anything of interest beyond Nico's own personal kinks that I had no desire to uncover. I approached the large gap in the floor only covered by iron bars. The heat grew stronger against my skin as I hovered on the edge of the pit. My eyes surveyed all the burning flames dancing below, merging with the waves of screams.

"I expected you to be cock deep in that new pet of yours, boss." Nico's voice came from behind me, soft and weary. He approached the pit and allowed his eyes to drop to the scene spread out below. Although the edges of his lips twitched, the amusement didn't carry to his eyes.

I flexed my jaw in a desperate attempt to avoid gritting my teeth. "I had business to attend to."

He clicked his tongue. "It is good to know that you still have a clear enough head to tackle something should the need arise."

"Are you content to mock me?" I growled, sliding my eyes over to him.

Nico shifted, closing the distance between us. "You know where my loyalties lie, Asher. The same as they've always been. No matter what move you would make, I was always willing to back you up with everything I had."

I kept my eyes locked on his. "Has that changed?"

"Hell no." He exhaled sharply and threw a quick glance down at the pit. "My only concern is you getting tangled up in something you shouldn't when the angels are finally making the move that we've anticipated for centuries. If they can't get to your father, they'll use you to bring him down. There are no more heirs within the Aeternus family. They'll come at us with everything they have left to take you out. That's not something I wish to see."

Narrowing my eyes into thin slits, I tore my gaze away from him with a quiet scoff. "The girl is not the problem, Nico."

The demon lord mused over my words for a moment while he studied me sideways. "Then why have you come to my humble abode, carrying yourself like a tormented man?"

"I uncovered how Marcillo managed to skip town, even with Archer's men watching him like a hawk." I reached out to seize a chain that kept the bars hovering above the pit. My fingers curled around it, tightening until the metal started groaning. It appeased the inner beast in me, but it was nowhere near enough to sate that wild rage. My cock twitched, warning that it simply wasn't the right sound. "He slaughtered three mortals to consume their essence."

"The loss of three humans is not the cause for this."

"No, but there was a young boy among them. The parents gave Marcillo permission to take possession of the boy with the belief he would keep him safe." My jaw started to shake as the rage tore through my veins with so much strength that my vision started to go dark. I closed my eyes and struggled to get a hand on it before it spiraled out of control. "Marcillo slaughtered the boy, Nico."

His crimson eyes flickered back toward me. "An angel prince took an innocent life for his own means?"

My ragged breathing kept getting caught in my throat. I was grateful for all the screaming below to cover up the sound. "It appears so."

Nico blew out a breath, running his fingers through his hair. "It doesn't look like the angels are keen on playing by the rules anymore, boss. Marcillo is fed up with handing territory over to us just to remain in debt. He doesn't seem interested in keeping those feathers of his perfectly white. We'll be dealing with a fallen angel royal by the time this war is over."

The edges of my lips twitched. I wasn't even sure why in the hell his comment was so funny. Still, I found the laughter rumbling in my chest. It wasn't long until the noise escaped my lips and echoed off the columns, overpowering the agonized souls down below. The weary expression on the demon lord's face revealed he wasn't sure how he felt about the noise coming from me, not that I cared.

So that's how it's going to be, Marcillo. You're going to break all the rules and go against everything your people stand for just to win this war.

"Did you feed Gabriel to the hounds?"

He pressed his lips together, studying me for a moment before he answered softly, "Actually, I was more in the mood to…pry information from him before I cut him up for the pups. As long as you don't mind a few pieces missing… I still have him downstairs. You're lucky that I haven"t cut out his tongue yet."

"Good." I gestured at the empty chain swinging over the pit. "Bring him up. I think it's time we had another chat." Easing around him, I drifted toward the small throne the demon had built to oversee all the events unfolding in the pit. I eased down onto the chair, pleased that he had swapped out the rugged stone for one donned with gold and cushions.

Nico responded with a nod before he shifted his attention, and he boomed out a command in our native language.

It only took a moment before the chains started to move, prying the bars sealing the pit wide open. The chain swinging above me lowered down into the pit, the hook lost amongst the smoke within seconds. It continued to pierce the pit until a violent jolt from the gears brought the chain to a halt. Nothing more than a few minutes passed before everything got rolling again, except it moved in the opposite direction. As I drew in my next breath, the top of a cage rose out from the pit.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when the demon lord had insisted a few things would be missing. Yet I was floored to see the angel was literally missing the majority of his extra limbs. Both his arms and legs had already been ripped off, no doubt to appease the hounds. Chains had been installed in their place so that the angel could be hung from the top of his cage without much movement allowed.

There was so much blood coating his body that I wasn't sure what other extra limbs Nico had taken off.

Gabriel moaned softly as the chains came to a halt, rocking the cage violently. His head remained hung forward even when he rasped, "To what…do I owe…the pleasure?"

Nico came to stand behind the chair. His body had stiffened and he showed no outward signs of wanting to participate in the conversation. He was simply standing by to ensure the angel didn't manage to pull a miracle escape — if it was even possible, at this point.

"I want to know where your prince likes to hole up here in the States." I remained relaxed in the chair.

A noise escaped him, although the angel was far too weak to utter anything close to what he'd desired. It took him several attempts just to raise his head and peer at me with bloody eyes. "What makes…you think…that I know, demon…prince?"

It took me far too much time to realize that Gabriel wasn't looking at me. He couldn't. There was nothing within the eye sockets for him to even see me with, which meant he was having to depend on his other senses. Cocking my head to the side, I murmured, "Anything else that's missing?"

Nico snickered softly. "Why don't you do a closer inspection and find out for yourself, boss? Not going to give away all my tricks."

I think I'll pass.

The demon lord released another amused noise, but didn't push the matter. He simply returned his attention to the broken angel.

I wrinkled my nose. "You're an angel, Gabriel. One that your own prince trusted to steal from me. You honestly want me to believe that he didn't offer up a list of possible locations he'd hide if shit hit the fan?"

This time, when Gabriel released a laugh, it escaped his lips as a raspy noise that could only be compared to a dying animal. "Something…tells me…that Azaiell is…no longer around…to give you…that answer."

My fingers curled, digging into the material wrapped around the arm of the chair. I knew killing the angel would come back to bite me in the ass. I just didn't anticipate it would threaten to rip off my entire backside in the process. A guttural growl escaped me as I ripped my gaze from the stub hanging in the cage. "If our friend here has no use left for him, Nico, you might as well give him to the hounds. Quit robbing them of a decent meal."

The demon lord clicked his tongue. "As you wish, boss."

Gabriel jerked his head up slightly, almost as if he could sense that I was gearing up to leave. "It might…help…if you asked…the right questions."

I had slipped onto the edge of my seat, fully prepared to rise from the chair and give him my final dismissal. Those words managed to completely redirect me. I paused, narrowing my eyes. "Very well. What is the question I should be asking, then?"

His lips spread, exposing a mouth with several missing teeth already. "Rumor has it…that our prince…has recently formed…an alliance…with an angel…that fell…at birth. Critical numbers…with the promise…he would gain…a place…amongst the royal families."

Despite the overwhelming heat rising from the pits below, every ounce of the warmth leaked from my body until there was nothing but an icy husk left behind. I lifted my jaw slightly. "Marcillo would never lower himself to the same level as a bastard child."

Fallen angels were one thing, but a Nephilim was seen as the bottom of the barrel with absolutely nothing beneath. Even humanity stood one ring higher on the fucking ladder. Right now, there was only one walking the earth. It was probably the only thing demons agreed on with angels. The damn thing didn't deserve any standing within the paranormal world.

A ragged laugh escaped Gabriel. "Marcillo…is desperate…to remove you…from the throne…He's desperate…to eliminate…your father. The alliance…may be…temporary, but…he will stop…at nothing…to see your bloodline…wiped out. Just like…his."

"His?" It was the first time Nico had chosen to speak throughout the entire conversation. When I threw a quick glance in his direction, his crimson eyes were locked on the broken angel. "There are no more demonic bloodlines. Jerk the prince around and I'll cut out your tongue, here and now."

Although blood continued to drip from all his severed limbs, he managed to recover enough energy for his laughter to echo off the walls. "How curious…isn't it? The original…bloodline…completely erased…from history. Not that…it matters…You'll all fall…one by one…until Marcillo…will take back…what is rightfully…his."

A searing heat tore through my veins so fast that I was ready to draw blood. I jerked out of the chair with a wild snarl. "Give him to the hounds, Nico, before I toss him down there myself. His usefulness is at an end."

The demon lord responded with a question in our tongue, yet the words never reached my ears. His voice merely grew muffled with every step I took away from him, blending in with Gabriel's laughter and the screams from the pit down below. Eventually, it all faded into an agonizing silence.

This time, I didn't resist the pull back to my own home. I simply allowed my magic to take me. The prince within me was fully aware of how much I was risking my pet's life by being in her general vicinity while the beast was struggling to maintain control over our wild rage. So much of it haunted me that in the end, I couldn't resist the call.

I just hoped that my control over the beast inside didn't slip and take out the one thing that might actually hold me together.