Chapter Eight

Mayhem

It turns out I might be more of a monster than I realized. As I stay close to Cari during her Halloween party, I get a sense none of the people in her life approve of me. Well, her sister Bessi seems to accept me, as well as her boyfriend Edon.

Edon and I have a lot in common, it turns out. We bonded to our women during mating, we can heal our mates if they're hurt, and we both seem a little weary of Gareth.

"He is good to my sister," Cari whispers between sips of punch. "What he thinks of you or me does not matter to me."

"It matters to me, my love," I tell her, tipping her head back. "They do not want me here with you. At least that witch does not. He remembers me from another life. He might have a better idea of who I was than anyone else."

"No one has a better idea of you than I do," she exclaims, cradling my face in her little hands. "You said it yourself. We're bonded to one another now. Nothing man or monster can change that. Remember?"

"I could never forget. I will be bonded to you until the end of times."

What I said before is true. I cannot hurt her, not the way her sister Luci fears I might. Cari is a powerful Nymph and they're cunning, clever, and dangerous creatures. Seeing a glimpse of someone's future or past is merely a parlor trick.

In a fight, a Nymph would lay ruin to some of the monsters in attendance at this party tonight. Me included. Gareth might be a powerful witch and his wife a skilled mystic, but Cari would see their attacks coming. Even Edon and Bessi, powerful wolf shifters, would not be much of a match for her if she was determined to win.

While that soothes the protective beast inside of me a little, it also worries me. I would never want her to be forced to go against anyone for my sake. Much less consider her two sisters, the two people she is the closest to in this world, her enemies because I am in her life.

"Come, dance with me," Cari pleads, pulling me from my thoughts.

"As you wish, my love," I tell her, bending a little to take her hand, drawing it to my lips for a kiss.

We move towards the fireplace, were other couples dance to the soft music playing. The fire is going, filling the room with amber warmth. Twinkling lights and flickering candles are the only other light in the room. In the almost darkness, I blend in with the costumed partygoers, even in my current form. It has made tonight possible, but it too makes me worry.

What will she have to give up to be with me? I can become anything I want, anything she chooses, with the wave of a hand. I can put on a skin suit to look like her favorite actor from the monster movies we watch together. Or I could look like the football quarterback she admitted she finds attractive.

That sort of magic is fleeting I would be able to pull it off for a very short time. I will always revert to this form, to my ugly, twisted, battered Demon form. I cannot shed my horns or my tail, or bring human color to my skin or my eyes.

I will always be a monster on the outside.

"Stop thinking about something that does not matter," Cari commands, one hand cradling the back of my head, the other toying with my horns.

It drives me crazy when she plays with my horns. Turns out they have a direct path to my cock. I growl at her, nipping at her lips in warning. I have barely been able to keep my hands off her since I first claimed her. I rather be buried inside her, watching her come, instead of dancing with strangers.

"It does matter. You accept me as I am. No one else will."

"Please, stop it. It sounds to me as if you're making plans to leave me. You swore you would never leave me again."

Stopping our slow swaying, I stare down at her. "No, my love. I will never leave you. It would be impossible."

"Don't be so sure about that, handsome," an all-too-familiar voice cackles beside me.

Stepping back, I shove Cari behind me, my tail wrapping around her body. Azazel blends in with the others in a stupid costume that makes him look like a twisted clown. I should have known he would come looking for me. I am his favorite little pet, after all. And this monster loves a good party.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Came to have a good time, just the same as you. It looks as if you've had a very, very good time up top, pet."

His dark, red eyes flick over Cari, and I feel her start to tremble. I did not strike fear in her in my Demon form, but it is no surprise he would even in this stupid costume. Azazel is the truest definition of a Demon. He takes great joy in the torture and taunting of souls in Hades.

It looks as if he came to deliver some torture up top.

"You were not invited, Demon," I growl. "I am going to ask just once for you to leave. You do not belong here."

"But somehow you believe you belong here, pet? Tsk, tsk, no, I am afraid not. You belong in Hades, with me, doing the bidding of our master. He has missed you and requested your return. Remember time is different there, he has given you plenty of time to...play with your little toy up here."

Behind me, Cari stiffens. I cannot let her hear more of his poisoned words. He has sharpened his wicked tongue for a thousand years, he can make even the cleverest soul believe the awful things he spouts.

"Get. Out. I am not coming back to Hades with you. Tell your master," I grit the words out. "That he will be fine one Demon short. My place is here, with my mate."

Azazel laughs before he moves faster than the breeze, circling us to drag his hand down her face. I spin, moving her behind me again, rage unfurling inside of me. If he wants a fight, he will get it. He is no match for me, so I assume he did not come looking for a fight. He just wants to humiliate me and plant seeds of doubt in my mate's head.

"Mate? Oh, please, pet, this creature is no mate of yours. Although I do smell her magic and it smells diving," he hums in an improper tone, inhaling a deep breath of Cari.

"He is my mate, and I am his," Cari barks at him, showing no fear or shame.

"Oh, you precious thing," he taunts her, reaching out to touch her again. My fist flies out and I smack his hand away, gripping it in my clutches until it snaps.

"Never touch her again. You do not deserve to breathe the same air, let alone touch a soul so precious. Leave."

"I am afraid I have to agree with the man," Gareth is there beside me, to my complete shock. "You were not on the guest list, Azazel , for good reason. Your kind is not welcome."

"Too true, Gareth. Which means this one does not belong."

"He was invited by our host. They say they are mates. You know as well as the rest of us, that bond cannot be unbroken. You cannot force him back to Hades, can you, pet?"

Turning my head, I shoot a look of gratitude at him. Gareth gives the slightest nod before he turns his attention back on Azazel. I am glad he sees the true threat is not me.

"No, I suppose I cannot do that. He is a bit," Azazel cocks his head as he trails off. "Meatier than I am, after all. One thing I am sure his new mate has seen firsthand. What I can do, witch, is make it very clear we're both wanted back in Hades. I do not come here by choice. Even if it seems you fleshier types throw one heck of a party."

"I am not going back. I belong here," I repeat, almost as if I am pleading a case with a judge who has made up his mind.

"I will go, pet. But I will be back. I do as I am told. You ought to learn to do the same, Mayhem."

Doing a low bow, he winks up at me before he vanishes with a shimmer of putrid smelling air. I let out a breath, turning to Cari, my thoughts all over the place. She stares up at me, trying to discern the mess going on in my head.

"Calm down. He is gone, he does not matter."

Cari speaks right to me, though she never utters a word. Over the past few weeks, she has perfected this skill. Even if we're miles apart, I can hear the voice in her head calling to me. It has convinced me that the voice I heard in Hades, telling me to come find her, was her own voice. A subconscious one that spoke for her, seeking out her needs because she was unaware she had the power she does.

"Will he be back?" Edon asks as he joins us, having heard the threat Azazel made.

"Yes, he will be back. Azazel is not known for giving up on what he desires. It is what landed him in Hades, after all."

"Yes, he will come back for me. I am one of his favorites down in Hades. I was prideful when I got there, something he had fun with. He has made my time there especially painful."

"He won't take you back," Cari speaks at last. "I won't let him. We're mates. That means something, doesn't it? It matters doesn't it?"

"Yes, of course it does, my love," I whisper gently, cradling her face. "I will not let him take me from you."

"You may not have a choice. This is why Luci reacted the way she did earlier, Mayhem. You cannot keep the promises you made to Cari. He will come for you and if she is a Nymph, as you say, it might just make him more interested."

"But you all said...I mean, you said if I wanted to fight, I could take a Demon. If I have to fight then so be it."

"It would be very hard for you to take on a Demon such as Azazel, Cari. He has led Demon armies a thousand times in a thousand battles. He does not lose. He was an Angel, he has powers far beyond other Demons. It would be a losing battle."

"Not if we prepare her," Edon cuts in. "A Nymph is a powerful warrior if given the tools. We can train her."

"No. Not happening. I do not want her to face him."

"Cari may have no choice," Gareth joins the conversation, the rest of the party going on all around us, making this whole thing seem so surreal. "Azazel knows she is important to you. That makes her a target whether you like it or not. Either train her with us or go back to hell without her."

Turning on him, I let out a roar, backing him against the fireplace. "Cari is my mate. I cannot be without her."

"Then train me," Cari pleads, her hands pressing to my chest where my heart would beat for her and her alone, if it still worked at all. "I want to know how to fight not just that monster, but any others who might come for one of us. Bessi can fight, Luci and I do not have their magic. We have to learn how to protect ourselves if we want you in our lives."

"That is not a bad idea. Luci should be trained as well. We cannot be with them every single moment, even if we want to. We would be doing them a disservice if we do not prepare them."

Sighing as I start to see the point he is making, I nod. It is the last thing I want to do. To even consider her facing Azazel or any other monster down makes my guts twist in horror. I wonder if it would be better if I just went back to Hades.

" You swore to me. You said I would never have to be alone again. Will you break that promise ?"

Cari stares up at me with shimmering eyes dark with sadness as she asks this. Again, she never speaks a word, but I can hear it all clear in my head. I shake my head because no, I will not break that promise.

"We will train you, my love. You will become a fierce fighter. No one will ever be able to hurt you."

I will keep every promise I make her, no matter what it costs.