14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Celeste

" I 'm sorry!" Cyrus said for the fourth time. The stark difference between him and Beleth was so baffling, I couldn't even find the words to tell him to stop apologizing. "For letting you die that first time and… well, for what came after!" He winced, then tried to smile again. "I really am, I promise! I had no idea what I was doing back then, and you were… well, you were my first deal and I was…" He ran a hand through his hair, his shoulders caving in as he peeked at me. "I was… so scared and confused when you summoned me! And there was so much blood…"

"Cyrus, it's alright," I smiled even though deep down I wasn't sure that would ever be alright. If I had gotten my wish that night, if I had stayed alive just long enough to kill Medina and punish her and Noah for their betrayal, I wouldn't have had to suffer for two thousand years. But on the other hand… if I had died back then, I wouldn't have met Roman, Isaac, Malakai, the Martens, and Cyrus would have been… hurting, alone.

"I know you're just saying that, but I want you to know I mean it!" he continued as he poured the tea he had made into two glasses. "And I'm sorry about Beleth. He might be a little rough around the edges, but he truly is trying to do what is best for all of us, you included. "

"I'm sure he is," I said indulgently, hiding my grimace behind the cup. I didn't want to tell Cyrus that his other half was probably just a deranged, blood-thirsty psychopath with no moral compass. If he hadn't figured that out in two thousand years, I doubted he'd take my word for it.

"No, really! He was the one who came up with the plan to protect you! And he even saved your life a few times! Although, you couldn't have known since… we never showed ourselves." I raised an eyebrow, and Cyrus grinned. "We've been watching over you the best we could. Once we figured out we get weaker when you die, he wanted to grab you and lock you down here, but I wouldn't let him." Cyrus' cheeks flushed, and he stared down at his tea like he was trying to read his fortune in the muddy water. I just watched him, wondering how much of this act was real. He seemed so genuine in all his reactions, painfully so, that I felt a pang of guilt at what I was planning to do to him. "I convinced him that you deserved the right to live as you wished until your deal was complete, so he made Nym."

Cyrus reached across the table and scratched him between the ears while my familiar purred in approval. I hadn't seen him do that with anyone other than Roman and the way he looked at Cyrus explained why he was so adamant that Beleth wasn't all bad.

"I'm glad Nym had someone to take care of him while I was dead," I said with a smile and both of them looked at me like I was crazy. My familiar let out a sound of indignation while Cyrus chuckled.

"It was mostly him taking care of us," he said, leaning in as the cat moved closer, rubbing against his arm. "When you die, it's up to Nym to protect us from… the others."

I caught Nym's gaze over Cyrus' arm, only to find him watching me with pleading eyes. I had shared my plan with him and while he didn't approve, he had promised not to interfere. His proof of loyalty, he had called it, and so far, he hadn't said a word. So as crappy as I felt about what I intended to do to Cyrus, there was no going back now.

"Still, I'm glad you had each other," I said, turning my attention back to Cyrus. "Being in Hell must not have been easy for you." His shoulders sank, and so did his smile. "Why don't you just live in the human world?"

Cyrus scratched the back of his head. "We do. We spend most of our time there, but demons must return to Hell often or risk punishment. Or worse. "

"Worse?"

"Soul shattering," he said with a shudder. "It's the ultimate punishment around here since when your soul is shattered, you're in pain every second of every day until you collect yourself. And it can take years, decades even." He caught my eye, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal, but I could tell from his haunted expression that he was terrified of the very idea. "Hell needs souls to keep its power, and if we don't do our part in delivering them, we suffer. That's the nature of things." He winced, rubbing his chest as if he could feel some phantom pain there. It occurred to me that I had no idea how hard life must have been for him in Hell, how scary and painful that he would manifest something like Beleth. I wanted to ask about it, but I wasn't sure knowing wouldn't stop me from taking my shot. I already felt bad enough for him.

"I see." I cleared my throat. The conversation was getting too heavy, and I needed it to be the opposite of that. When Cyrus said nothing, I forced the smile back onto my face. "By the way, what's up with this vessel? It doesn't suit you at all."

At that, Cyrus seemed to perk up, his eyes lighting up with amusement. "It was time for Beleth to choose, so he wanted this one. It belonged to some crime lord in Los Angeles who sold his soul for more power." I studied once again the broad shoulders and muscled torso, the menacing tattoos, and the face carved as if from the sharpest of stones. It made so much more sense now. "Once his time was up, we sent him down here and Beleth claimed the body. He said he liked how the man acted because it stopped others from approaching us too much. And he liked the tattoos." Cyrus ran his fingers over his chest, tracing the seemingly meaningless twists and sharp edges. "I like them too. They are a bit scary, but kind of cool."

"Pretty sexy too," I chimed and when he glanced at me, his face turned red. "I bet you have plenty of ladies fawning over you in the mortal world. Or does he get to have all the fun?"

His face grew even redder, and it took some effort to keep my smile up. This was going to be like stealing candy from a baby—extremely easy, and an entirely shitty thing to do.

I caught Nym's eyes again, giving him a subtle nod. He jumped off the table, heading toward the door on silent feet. Cyrus was too focused on me to even notice.

"I'm not really into such…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking at a loss for words. "...meaningless encounters." He peeked at me as if to check my reaction, then dropped his hand with a sigh. "I think love between people should mean something and then they will…" I leaned toward him and he instinctively sank back into his chair, staring at me with wide eyes. "...get to know each other, grow close over time, and eventually…" His eyes lowered to my mouth, and the blush crept to his ears. "...consummate that love after…" I rose from my chair and strode his legs, smirking when his throat bobbed and he made a small, surprised noise. He stood so still, I was afraid he might turn into a statue. "W-W-What are you doing?"

"We've known each other for two thousand years," I said, pressing myself against him and bringing my lips to his neck. I kissed him gently, and he shuddered, but I continued to add peck after peck until I could feel him shifting beneath me. "It was mostly one-sided because you wouldn't show yourself, but it still counts, right? This means we are already close."

"Whaaaa…" he started, but when I nibbled at his earlobe, his words turned into a breathy moan.

"I'm already feeling closer to you than most of my current friends. And on top of that, I'm a witch. You know what that means, don't you?"

"N-n-no?" he said hesitantly. As I rolled my hips against his, he moaned again. He was already hard, his cock struggling against the confines of his briefs and pulsating between my legs in a way that was mildly distracting.

"Witches need sex to keep their magic stable and you had me locked up here for days," I murmured, leaving another trail of feathery kisses along his jaw. When my mouth brushed against his, I held his gaze, sliding my hands down his chest until they reached his bulge.

"You… shouldn't be doing this," Cyrus whispered in a ragged breath. "H-h-he is getting… mad. Really mad."

"He is not in control now, is he?" I purred, getting off his lap so I could kneel between his legs. A strange sense of trepidation fluttered in my stomach, moving lower and lower even though I was in full control of my faculties. This wasn't about lust, not mine anyway, this was about misdirection.

I dragged my nails over his naked tights, pushing them apart just as he covered his crotch with his hands. It took a great effort not to laugh, especially when his face had turned so red, I wouldn't have been surprised if steam poured out of his ears. "This has nothing to do with him. He clearly said he wasn't interested in me." I gave him my most seductive smile, pressing my lips against his knee as I added, "This is between me and you. "

Cyrus gasped when I glided my hands to cover his, gently unclasping his stiff fingers. His toned chest and bulging pecs looked even more enticing from this angle and, for a moment, I forgot that I wasn't doing this just for the pleasure of it.

Freeing his erection, I smiled as his cock pointed at the ceiling, so impressively hard that with the first swipe of my tongue over its length, it wasn't just Cyrus moaning. He tasted of fire and ash, but the deeper I took him into my mouth, the tastier it got. I wasn't lying when I said that the side of me that craved pleasure was getting louder, but it had been vastly exaggerated… until now. I had to remind myself to focus several times or I would have just let myself go and enjoyed the body in front of me, regardless of who held its leash.

"This feels so good…" Cyrus rasped, his hand sliding into my hair. I expected him to push me down so I would take him deeper, but he gently pulled me back until his cock popped out of my mouth. "But we… shouldn't be doing this." His expression looked downright tortured, but when I tried to lean closer, his hold on my hair tightened. "Not like this. You deserve more, Celeste. You… deserve better."

"What if I don't want more? What if I want this?" I said, sharper than I intended. This was the first time a man resisted me for such a stupid reason and it had the worst possible timing. I needed him enthralled with me, his full attention on my pleasure—or his, it didn't matter—not thinking about consequences and morality.

Cyrus tugged me up until we were both standing. Trapped between him and the table, I expected him to toss me on top of it and act like the menacing thug he stole the body from, but he just cupped my face gently.

"I… this… if we keep going…" he whispered, staring at my mouth like he had a hard time focusing. "I'm not…"

My arms tightened around his neck and I dragged him down until his lips were on mine. Sliding onto the table, I wrapped myself around him. Every ragged breath he took had his hard muscles brushing against my breasts, every wild beat of his heart sending jolts of desire down to my aching core.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn't return the kiss, but then his tongue slipped hesitantly into my mouth, tasting and exploring with maddening slowness. His kiss was sloppy, but his hands moved with clear intention when one of them sneaked between my legs and rubbed against my aching clit. I hemmed in encouragement, angling my hips until I felt his gentle prodding at my entrance. We both moaned when he slid inside two fingers, his breath coming out in rasps as he drove them deeper.

"Ngh," he groaned against my mouth and my eyes snapped open, making me realize I had allowed my mind to wander again. His breathing had turned ragged, his hand squeezing my waist almost painfully as his cock rubbed against the inside of my thigh. The wet sounds his fingers made as he fucked me with them made me desperate for something more, something bigger and harder. Before I knew it, I was wrapping my hand around his cock. Cyrus froze and shuddered. "He really doesn't want me to do this."

His eyes fluttered open, and I watched as the gray in them darkened, the demon inside pushing for control. I stared back, willing him to go away, but that only seemed to draw him closer.

"He's… fighting me and I… he…" Cyrus tried to step back, but I tightened my hold on him. I wasn't letting this chance go. I doubted Beleth would allow me to get this close again, so it was now or never. "He is…"

I slid one hand to the back of his head while he gave me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," he said when his smile started to fade.

"I'm sorry too," I whispered right before I caught his jaw with my other hand and snapped his neck.

His eyes cleared, frozen in shock and rage, and then he crumpled to the floor. I jumped off the table, wobbling on my weak knees, and ran toward the door. My insides throbbed painfully, but I ignored the uncomfortable guilt that made me feel dirty and nauseous. I was leaving that for later when I was out of this godforsaken place.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the handle and twisted. To my surprise, there was no resistance—the damn thing wasn't even locked!—so as I stepped outside, all I felt was the touch of a ward. No alarms, no traps, nothing.

The heat hit me first, making me hiss in pain as the scorching, humid air burned my lungs. The smell came next—a mix of blood, rotting flesh, and sulfur tinted with something I couldn't place. The hair on my neck rose and my insides churned with disgust. Then there were the noises, the lights, and the darkness, the distinctive vibrations that seemed to be coming from the ground itself, and the crimson sky that swayed and bent with some invisible wind.

I stumbled, catching myself on the doorframe .

"Mistress," Nym's voice startled me, and I whipped around to find him standing by the gaping door. "We should hurry."

The air was so heavy and sticky, it felt like my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth. Once I nodded, he shifted to his hulking infernal form, towering above me as his shadow darkened the ground.

I used to imagine what Hell would look like, back in the days when I still feared spending an eternity here once my deal was complete, but my speculations paled in comparison with the sight in front of me. There was fire everywhere but not the chaotic blaze that had people melting in endless suffering. This one was quiet, intent, almost like it was moving with purpose.

The ground we stepped on was mostly made of stone, and there was even grass sprawling here and there, black and wilted yet oddly alive. The sky was an eerie shade of red, with dark clouds rolling in and out, their movements hectic and entirely unnatural. There was no sun or moon or stars and looking at it, I had a feeling there was no day or night to show the passing of time.

What I first thought were mountains turned out to be towers—or rather the remnants of ones—rising so high that I had to crane my neck back to see the top of them. Birds circled the peaks and judging by how big they looked from this distance, I most definitely didn't want to see them up close.

"Watch your step," Nym warned when my foot slipped on what I thought was solid stone, but turned out to be a bubbling, dark liquid. A drop of it landed on my bare leg and I yelped as the skin sizzled and festered. My healing ability immediately kicked in, but the more we ran, the more puddles we encountered, so I had to focus all of my attention on following the path Nym chose for us.

"Not to sound… entitled, but can't you… carry me?" I asked through labored breaths when he had to stop again so I could catch up. My chest was burning painfully and my legs stung from the splashing acid.

"I can't fight with you on my back," Nym replied in a serious tone, his red eyes darting around us like he was expecting an attack.

"Fight?" I repeated, leaning my hand on his side to steady myself. It felt like we had been running for hours, but I was pretty sure I could almost see the ruins where Beleth's safe house was.

"The demons are not the only denizens of Hell," he explained in an ominous tone. "Let's hurry. You'll rest when you're dead. "

He moved without warning and I almost fell to the ground, glaring as I muttered ‘Ha-ha, funny!' and dashed after him. There had been no sign of Beleth or his damn shadows, which was a huge relief, but with my magic screaming in warning at every step, I had the nagging suspicion we might have bigger problems than a pissed-off demon asshole.

Through my peripheral vision, I spotted something dark moving among the piles of dirt and stones, so I glanced back to make sure nothing was preparing to jump us from behind. A moment later, I collided with Nym's massive form, staggering back and dropping heavily on my ass. A grumble was just rising to my lips when a low growl reverberated through his chest, the fur on his back bristling like it did when he was trying to intimidate a dangerous enemy.

Another movement caught my attention and this time, a giant form stepped through what appeared to have been a gate once but now looked like the decaying remnants of a monster's maw. The beast was so huge that it barely fit through the wide space, towering over Nym with at least three steps. A few smaller creatures scurried after it, their oddly shaped bodies sprawling more limbs than any being I had ever seen. Some of them had human forms, but their faces had melted or had holes or teeth in places they shouldn't have.

"Run or fight?" I whispered, pressing a hand to Nym's back, so he knew exactly where I was standing. His heart was racing, heat radiating from his body while he pulled his shoulders back in an attempt to make himself look bigger. That didn't scare the big bastard, but the smaller ones stopped their advances and stared.

"You can't outrun them in Hell. I'll take the big one, you take the rest." Nym started forward, but then stopped, twisting his body so he could look at me from the corner of his eyes. "Your fire is useless here, but they are… not alive anymore."

Without waiting for my reply, he charged and so did the giant bull-like atrocity. Nym rammed into its body, sinking his teeth into the creature's shoulder while I held my breath in anticipation. The other demons were already surrounding me by the time I realized I had wasted precious time.

I let my magic flow out, its tendrils sliding toward each of them. They either didn't feel it or didn't care what I was doing because, as one, they attacked. When the first was almost on top of me, I snapped the snare around its dead body, wrapping my power around all that rotting flesh and commanding it to obey me. The beauty of necromancy, as my mother used to say, was that it was everywhere. Every creature that was once alive was helpless to its call. And Nym… he remembered because I taught him that.

More and more of my nooses snapped around their minds, making them stop even as they fought against the compulsion. Tugging at the magic that now tied them to me, I commanded, "Kill each other."

And so they did, with a ferocity that made me shudder. My tethers disintegrated one by one when beast after beast was torn to shreds before my eyes. The stone path where they had cornered us turned as red as the sky, with flesh and entrails scattered everywhere.

I released a sigh of relief when the last of them fell, turning in search of Nym when a shadow fell over me. I looked up just in time to see a giant form with massive wings diving down, its taloned feet opening as if to snatch me up.

Avoiding it was pure luck, and as I crashed into the carnage and rolled around, its frustrated shriek made my bones rattle. By the time I got up, my magic was wrapping around its mind. The creature flapped its wings several times before diving again, but this time toward what looked like a giant wolf with fur sleek like scales. Warm blood sprayed into the air when talons as big as my palm sunk into the wolf's body. The flying monster picked the other up and threw it against the nearest stone wall. The whole thing crumbled as the canine demon crashed through it, sending rocks into the puddles of burning liquid.

I raised my hands to cover my head, hissing when a few drops landed on my skin and burned through the thin fabric of my tattered shirt. By the time I lowered them, two more wolves were running in my direction, teeth bared and saliva dribbling from their mouths. I yanked the chain on my monster's mind and it veered toward the ground again. They seemed taken aback by the attack, but only for a second before they lunged at the demon, tearing and biting at its wings until they all crashed into one of the boiling puddles.

A howl of pain rose above their screeching, and I spun in search of Nym again. Fire and dust had filled the space where I last saw him, the sounds of fighting and roaring making my blood turn cold.

"Nym!" I screamed, taking a step toward the dust cloud when a figure appeared at the edge of it. I sighed with relief at the familiar form, but once the creature emerged into the clear, I faltered. A scream rose in my throat, but I was too stunned to make a sound .

It looked just like Nym, its skin midnight black with patches of fur here and there, however, it walked on all fours and those crimson eyes held no intelligence, no understanding, no mercy. The only thing I could see in them was a thirst for pain and blood. And that gaze was solely locked on me.

"Shit!" I cursed, sending my magic to trap it. The spell coiled around its massive body, but instead of tightening its hold, it fell off it like there was nothing to grab onto. The demon continued toward me like it hadn't even noticed my attack, and as I tried to snare it a second time and failed, its lips curled, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

Sweat beating on my brow, I took a hesitant step back. I needed to run. I needed to… I needed…

The hellhound charged. My magic reacted faster than my brain could, grabbing onto the fallen bodies and debris and hauling them in its path, but the monster dodged, moving with speed and dexterity that no living being could possess.

I tapped into the dark, dead power, trying to seize control over its body one more time since I had no idea what else to do, when the hellhound slammed into me, tackling me to the ground. I couldn't even scream as I landed painfully, its long nails digging into my side before it bared its teeth in my face.

My magic wrapped around me, but the horror had spread to my fingers, making them too stiff to do anything. Fear like I had never felt before, fear that this was it, the end for me, alone and in Hell, squeezed my heart as drool dripped on my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to feel its fangs tear my skin, when something yanked the demon back.

No, not back. Up.

The hound kicked and howled while it floated above me, its limbs spreading apart as if some invisible hands were pulling on them. At first, I thought I was doing that, prompting my magic with my fear, but then I noticed… them .

Shadows.

I pushed myself to my elbows, trying to catch my breath when I realized that there were even more hellhounds around me. My eyes widened while I watched them hover ten feet into the air, trashing against their constraints. Nym was standing on all fours not too far away, pressing a hand to his bleeding side. I opened my mouth to shout his name, relieved he wasn't one of them, when I noticed he was staring at something behind me .

Slowly, I turned my head, and in my little, galloping heart, I already knew what I'd see. I knew and yet… a gasp still escaped my lips when I saw Cyrus standing a few feet behind me. More shadows than I'd ever seen him conjure before floated out of his back, looking like giant, semi-transparent wings that pulsed and twisted with power. He was pale, cheeks sunken like he had been sick for weeks, but his posture was rigid. The runes beneath his skin glowed, making his tattoos even more menacing, but it was his eyes that triggered my fight-or-flight response.

Black. His eyes were black.

That wasn't Cyrus. And I… I was done running.

"Nobody touches what is mine," he sneered as he held my gaze. He squeezed his hands into fists and howls of agony filled the air as the hellhounds exploded into pieces. I instinctively covered my head when a big chunk of black flesh landed beside me. There was no way to avoid all the blood and gore that rained on us, but I still tried, shrinking into myself while I trembled from the sickening feel of it sliding over my skin.

By the time I lifted my head again, Beleth was standing above me and the look on his face made me wish that hellhound had finished what it started.