Demon's Dream (4 page)

Xon laughed. “Then I choose death. Yours!”

Xon threw a fire ball at her which she dove to dodge, only to land near his tail. He slashed the barbed appendage at her and it sliced across her chest, her blouse shredded. The barbs were poisonous and she felt the toxin seep into her open wounds as it slowly paralyzed her. She struggled; her breathing became raspy as the demon slashed at her again. She deflected his tail the second time and stabbed his ribs with her weapon, giving him a deep cut. The first bout of venom oozed into her body, weakened her and Clarissa knew she would be unable to avoid his next attack until she was unexpectedly pulled back out of harm’s way.

Mel moved in front of Xon as he gave the demon a foul glare while fear for Clarissa ripped through him. “Stay away from her! What the fuck is it with you assholes? Do you have some book on demons which state you all have to be fuck ass ugly and stink to high heaven? No amount of bleach can get rid of that smell.”

Xon gaped at him. He would have been fearful of the judge if not for the partial power of the gem that was still within his clutches. “Fine then you can die first and she can watch as I take you out.”

“Close your mouth, your breath is even worse than your stench.”

The executioner lifted both hands and before the demon could move, he sent an energy blast that caused Xon to fly fifty feet away into a group of trees and shrubs. Mel didn’t stop to see where he ended up as he went to check on Clarissa worriedly. Waving his hand over her wounds, he healed her, pulling all of the toxin out of her body. She was still breathing heavily, trying to recuperate from the poison, yet grateful to him for his assistance. She scrambled unsteadily to her feet and stood beside him as Xon stormed back towards them. Both Mel and Clarissa prepared themselves for battle and her vision was dead on. Standing next to the handsome stranger fighting the demon to retrieve the stone as it had been foreseen.

Clarissa used her telekinesis and called to the portion of the gem that Xon had, watching as it came to her. Xon tried to grab it back into his possession but Mel tackled him to keep him away from the stone and the Guardian. Although immensely smaller than the demon, Mel was ancient power. He wasn’t called the executioner for nothing. In the blink of an eye, Xon was down on his knees as Mel grabbed his neck in a vice like grip, squeezing slowly. The voice that left Mel’s lips reverberated, a deep demonic sound echoing through the clearing, “You have been found guilty for several crimes, the least of which was attempted murder the Guardian. Your sentence is death.”

Before Clarissa could even take another breath, a bloodied head rolled at her feet as Xon’s body toppled over. She jumped back slightly, tucking the portion of the stone the demon had found away before Mel stalked slowly towards her. She watched the executioner, uncertain yet afraid he no longer had a reason to stay and would leave her or cast her out. Or would he try taking the stone from her now that he had no excuse to remain for Xon and protect her? Could she let him go without telling him how she felt about him? She was in love with him. She loved the way he growled, infuriated, cared and forced her to come to terms with what was inside her heart as well as what she wanted. She would die for the protection of the gem of power but she wanted a life not just an existence. Most of all she desired to spend her days and better yet, her nights with this demon she should detest and fear but instead loved with all her being. She was terrified that he would walk out of her world and she would never see him again without his ever knowing how much she cared for him.

Mel did not stop as he approached her. Instead, he pulled her to him, capturing her lips passionately with his. She held him close to her, returned his passion with a heat of her own. He pulled back momentarily, his voice husky and low, “You’re coming home with me. You still need to be trained and you need to be protected and I’ll do both. If you let me or tell me no now, I will leave you alone forever.”

Mel swallowed as apprehension of her answer enveloped his entire being.

It took her a moment to get her head wrapped around everything but the one thing she was sure of was she wanted to be with Azamel. She had nothing else to go back to, no one who wanted her, except him. And for once, she desired something for herself.

“Don’t leave me, Azamel. I need you.” She paused, unsure if she should continue and yet realizing she needed him to know. “I love you.”

Azamel released a breath he had not even realized he was holding until it expelled from his lungs He smiled as he bent down to scoop her into his arms.

“I love you as well Clarissa and I will be by your side for as long as you will have me. Longer even, for I don’t think I could ever let you go now. The thought of saying goodbye to you touched a part of me I have not felt in eons, nor did I not believe I could feel ever. You have awakened something inside of me and I cannot give you up.”

Cradled in his arms, she hugged him tightly as he flashed them both back to his place in the Nether Realm, where he could keep her and the stone safe, or so she thought. Now she wondered if it was just all a ruse to get her to come to this realm of his, isolate her and take the stone when no one else would know or even be aware of it until it was too late.

As she climbed in bed, she removed a sheathed dagger from her thigh, putting the whole holster tucked under her pillow then curled up on the bed. She wondered if this would be the first night in over a week she would sleep alone. The thought saddened her and yet, she realized she should not have been surprised. Closing her eyes, she drifted to sleep.

The entire time Mani had hovered within the shadows. In his ethereal form he remained with her, biding his time and his opportunity. Now it had finally arrived and he needed to get to work.

Chapter Four

The corridor was long, dark and dank. Piecing her skin with razors and slicing her open, the walls closed in on her. Even still, she had to keep moving. Clarissa had to get out of this hell she found herself in. Pain wracked her body, tearing itself from the inside out as much as from the outside in. She ran as fast her legs would carry her. It didn’t prevent the barbed whips that slashed across her face and form as she passed by, trying to escape the blades. As she got past them, she was immediately hit by lightning bolts. The pain seared through her, causing her to scream out. If Clarissa stopped, she would be dead. Despite the agony she endured, she continued to run as fast she was able, though really more or less stumbled. With her mind trapped in this place of tortures, she remembered Azamel’s words about sending her someplace worse than hell. Is this what he was talking about? Was she dead? Was this her eternal damnation and her punishment for not doing her duty, not fulfilling her destiny?

The last thing she remembered before finding herself lost in this world was curling up and getting ready to fall asleep in the opulent room Azamel had given her to stay when she first arrived. She had woken here, wherever here was, to feel barbed whips across her body. Men stood around her, covered in black clothes, sheathed in darkness. Flashes of metal shimmered as the whips with silver spiked tips slashed at her form. Startled into alertness, she scrambled to her feet and somehow managed to get past the creatures and their whips as she ran from them, fully aware they were hot on her heels, their wicked whips lashing in search of her already torn figure.

Finding an alcove, she dove into it. Huddled and shivering, curled into a fetal position, she felt like a frightened child. The lightning bolt of pain stopped and soon so did the pain from the razor blade whips. She refused to come out of the alcove, refused to venture into that corridor of pain again. Instead, Clarissa closed her eyes and wrapped her body into a small ball, hiding. Her strength diminished, her stubbornness gone, her fight no longer existent. Instead she thought of the one thing that brought her a semblance of peace, the feel of Mel’s kisses and how he held her. In this dream or venue of death was where she would stay safe.

It was so quiet she was scared to move. Hearing something, she held her breath afraid it would find her and drag her out. She might have dosed lightly once or twice. She didn’t know where she was or how to get out. For that matter, she wasn’t sure how she got there to being with. The last thing she remembered was climbing into bed, still angry over being pushed aside by Azamel. However, she was too scared to figure everything out. All she knew was she was somewhere she shouldn’t be. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes, exhaustion finally overtaking her. Images of Mel appeared and she tried to reach him. She wanted to ask his forgiveness for her rashness and accusations. She longed for his teachings so she could learn to do her job. More than anything, she mentally called to him to help her out of this dark place of horrors she had suddenly found herself in.

Mel knew it was late. He had gotten absolutely no work done after Clarissa left his office, not that he was getting much done before she came. As he retired to his own quarters to sleep, he found all he could do pace back and forth. He wanted to keep Clarissa with him, despite what was safer for the universe. Fuck the universe. Couldn’t he be happy just once in his entire existence? Without thinking, he found himself standing outside of her quarters. Opening the door gently, he peeked in. She was sleeping. He should shut the door and leave but he sadly realized she would soon be gone and he would have no way to continue to see her or have the opportunity to just gaze upon her beauty. Silently, he moved over to her and gazed down at her exquisite figure.

Tracing the back of his fingers over her soft cheek, a wistful expression lit on his face. With a last glance at her still form, he left the room and closed the door behind him. Retiring to his reception room, he stretched out on the couch in front of the fire. The flames captivated him and he felt his eyes droop. The day was long and much had
happened. Arguing with Clarissa over something he agreed with her on was exhausting to say the least. Within a few seconds, weariness took over and he allowed himself to sink into a deep slumber. It was as if the centuries of exhaustion hit him all at once. The sleep was dreamless, for even Archanidou and her servants were afraid to venture into the unconscious mind of Azamel.

However, his blissful repose was suddenly interrupted by Clarissa. She appeared in his mind, her image faint. It seemed as if she was reaching out to him, calling him. Using his powers he tried to go to her in the dream but every time he approached, she became more distant and out of his reach.

Images of her continued to flash in and out of his thoughts. It seemed far too real to be just a mirage. Looking around, Azamel found himself standing in the middle of a barren, desolate landscape. Grey tones of varying hues decorated the scene. Creatures from which horror movies were made roamed the area. They didn’t appear to see or sense him, yet Mel’s past experiences taught him that didn’t mean he was safe from whatever called this place home.

An image of Clarissa in a deep, dark hole flashed through his mind. Then the vision shimmered and changed, showing her on the run. Mel turned his head in the direction towards a row of mountains where caves and hollows marred the surface of the peak, housing who knew what. He opened his senses allowing his mind to reach for her. “Clarissa?”

Peacefulness and quiet lasted for a bit and Clarissa was sure she had dosed a tad longer this time. She saw Azamel as she slept and tried to reach for him, call to him but he kept eluding her every time she approached. Hearing something, she snapped awake. Peeking, she saw some of the Whippers passing by with their rawhides snapping in the air as their wrists flicked them back and forth. As the group approached, she ducked back into the hole for cover but she knew she couldn’t stay there forever. Once they moved past, she quickly and quietly snuck out and ran in the opposite direction from whence they came. Not sure where she was or how she got there or even how to get back, she instinctively knew she had to keep moving and dodging those creatures.