Hellbound Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Five) (29 page)

“No!” Rhys roared, playing his hand and showing his weakness.

Tears brimmed and the reality of the situation suffocated Illianna. She couldn’t see a way out for any of them. They were surrounded and couldn’t run away. She was being held captive and if she tried to escape, Kadir would no doubt slice her head from her shoulders.

She met Rhys’ tormented gaze and shook her head. “Don’t. I’m not worth it. You must save earth,” she instructed him.

Rhys thinned his lips and closed his eyes for a split second while he grappled with what to do. She felt his turmoil and anger between the fate of the world and that of his mate. She felt his love for her and wished in that moment she had allowed him to tell her how he felt. She wanted to hear those three little words more than she wanted to live.

When he opened his eyes, she saw the resolve there. Holding her breath, she watched as he lifted his hand and the amulet flew from Lucifer’s hand to Rhys’ where it promptly disappeared the moment it touched his skin. For a moment she thought that was what he had intended to do until she saw his eyes fly open in shock.

At the same moment, Lucifer’s power exploded like a bomb, sending shock waves rippling through the air. The Lord of the Underworld grabbed a sword from a nearby demon and swung it in a wide arch. She saw the blade coming toward her and prepared for her life to end. She said a silent prayer asking God to get Rhys and his friends out of the Underworld and to look after her mother and brothers.

Eyes shut against the on-coming blade, she prepared for impact, not surprised when Kadir let her go. When a hoarse shout echoed she opened her eyes to see Rhys’ gaze dim as his head lolled on his shoulders, a gaping wound across his throat.

She lunged forward and grabbed him before he hit the ground, Dante and Kellen rushing to her side. Her heart broke in two as she realized Rhys had had paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Suddenly, white light exploded through the Ninth Circle and the Behemoth demons fell to their knees as she was enveloped in the familiar warmth and love of Heaven. She clung to Rhys, not wanting to return to her brethren without him. He shouldn’t be left in Hell to perish alone. Before she disappeared, she called out to Dante and Kellen, “Grab onto me and don’t let go.”

The wind swirled around Illianna like a maelstrom as Dante and Kellen were ripped from her side. She couldn’t worry about them because she had to hold onto Rhys. She refused to let go for fear of where he’d end up. He wouldn’t want to be left in Hell to die alone. He hated everything about the Underworld and had dedicated his life to being the opposite of everything his father represented.

Eyes shut against the whipping wind, something wet hit her face and arms. Fear of what she’d see kept them closed. She couldn’t handle seeing his blood splattered across on her body. Her heart constricted with the thought, causing tears to build behind her lids. Her arms tightened, keeping Rhys close to her heart, where he belonged.

As suddenly as the tempest started, it ended. Without opening her eyes, she took stock of her surroundings as best as she could. The constant flapping of Lucifer’s wings, as well as, the din of the countless demons was absent. Not only was the noise gone, their malicious aura was missing. In fact, she sensed something far closer to home. Every angelic fiber told her that they were no longer in Hell, but was she correct about the presence she felt? Were they in heaven?

Unable to stand it a minute longer, she cracked open her eyes and nearly shouted with joy at what she saw. It had been so long since she had seen the white, marble building and tears she’d been holding back flowed freely down her cheeks. She was crouched on a white, marble dais in the archangel’s temple holding Rhys close to her. With vision blurred, she tried focusing on the large room where angels went for an audience with the archangels. She looked at the familiar paintings and sculptures, anywhere but down. She didn’t want to see Rhys’ lifeless body. Didn’t know if her heart could take it.

Sobs escaped her throat and she was unable to keep thoughts of Rhys at bay. He had claimed her and paid the ultimate sacrifice, dying in Hell which meant an eternity of torture. He did it to save her from the same fate. She had been fighting her feelings for this amazing man in her arms from day one. She hadn’t wanted a mate that was part-demon, but now all she wanted was for him to open his eyes and crack a joke.

“Illianna,” came a familiar voice. She turned her head and saw her brothers entering with the Archangel, Raphael. Abraxos had called out to her and the three of them were rushing to her side.

“Are you hurt?” asked Ayil, his concern warring with his joy.

“No, it’s not my blood,” she choked out. “It’s Rhys’.” She finally looked down and a sob wrenched from her gut.

Her beautiful cambion’s throat was split open and blood was pouring from the wound. His hair had come loose from its tie, matted and bloody. His vibrant, kaleidoscopic eyes were dull and lifeless. She clutched his shirt as her hands slipped in his blood.

“No!” she cried, burying her face in his hair. “He can’t be dead. You have to save him!”

Her three brothers crouched next to her on the floor and it was Abraxos who responded. “Illianna, you know we don’t save demons.”

She lifted her head and glared through blurred eyes. “He isn’t a demon. He’s a cambion and he’s mine! Save him,” she begged. Raphael had come to a halt and was standing above them.

Raphael was as powerful as she remembered, and, agitated at the moment, if she wasn’t mistaken. Although, he appeared calm and serene on the outside. His black hair was cut short and stood out against his massive white wings arching behind his back. But, it was his green eyes that captivated her.

“You don’t know what you are asking, Illianna,” the archangel warned.

“So, it’s possible to save him,” she ejected, hope flickering to life. “I know he’s an honorable man who deserves to be saved. Without him, I wouldn’t be here right now. None of you saved me, he did!” she spat, glancing around frantically, searching for Dante and Kellen.

“Where are they? What did you do to Dante and Kellen? Don’t kill them,” she implored.

“What have they done to you? Why are you protecting demons?” her brother Araton blurted, confusion clear as he studied her.

“They saved me, no thanks to you,” she growled, angry that they were being prejudiced, unable to see these men for who they really were. Their attitude shouldn’t be a surprise, she thought. She had been the exact same way when she met Rhys and his friends.

Raphael flared his wings, placing his hands on his hips. “We didn’t know where to find you, Illianna. We searched and have continued to search for a hundred years, none harder than your brothers. We had no idea you were in Hell until Rath told us. I wasn’t able to reach you until your cambion gave the ultimate sacrifice to save your life,” Raphael explained.

“He saved me more times than I can count, and how did I repay him? I denied his claim on me. I should have told him he was a good and worthy man, that I wanted him, too. Please save him,” she begged Raphael.

“You know the rules. I cannot save him without sacrifice,” Raphael replied grimly. From the very beginning, somehow she had known she would be asked to forfeit her life in exchange for Rhys’.

Was she prepared to give up her life in exchange for his? Her answer was immediate and implacable. Yes, she would give up anything to save Rhys. He fought for the Goddess, protecting the innocent and fighting for the side of good, just like her brothers. The world needed Rhys in it and she needed to know Rhys was alive and well.

Looking back to Raphael, resolve set, she nodded her head. “I understand and am prepared to be sacrificed to save him. He is needed by so many.”

Her brothers jumped to their feet, cursing and objecting. Raphael waved a hand, silencing them.

“It is not your life that is required, Illianna, but your wings. You need to give up your angel status,” the Archangel informed her. “You will be cast to earth to live a mortal life. You can choose to mate with this cambion and share his lifespan, but you will lose all your angelic abilities and privileges.”

She glanced back at Rhys. He had become her world in a matter of days. She couldn’t imagine a life without him. That had become evident when she dove off a cliff in the Underworld to save him.

“I choose him,” she replied, cupping Rhys’ cheek and placing a gentle kiss to his lifeless lips.

“It is done. For what it’s worth, Illianna, I am truly sorry we weren’t able to find you sooner,” Raphael murmured, ignoring her brother’s objections.

“It’s alright, Raphael. You can’t know everything, and besides, you weren’t meant to find me. Rhys was,” she replied, feeling the truth of that detail sink in.

“I will miss you, little one,” Raphael murmured before he laid his hand on her head. For the second time in a matter of minutes, she was caught up in a windstorm of epic proportions.

When the gusts settled, she found herself in a strange room. The wood floors gleamed and the bed beneath her was firm and covered by silk sheets. There were strange fixtures on the ceiling that emitted a soft light. Some of the room’s furnishings were familiar, while others, like the black rectangle hanging on the wall, were not. Instinct told her they were on earth. Trusting that they were safe, she laid down next to Rhys.

Inhaling, she tried to access her angelic powers and nearly crumpled when she didn’t find it. Joy, happiness and the power they provided had always been at her core. It was those powers that had kept her going during her imprisonment, yet now it was a gaping void. The sacrifice was worth the loss because the demon next to her was her other half, and, without him, no life, even an angelic one, would have been worth living.

Glancing down, she saw him smiling up at her, his wounds gone, not even a scratch marred his neck. “Oh my God, you’re alive,” she squealed, crawling across and pulling him to her chest. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing so tight, she was sure she’d leave bruises.

“Much to my surprise, I seem to be alive and well. And, back in my rooms at Zeum. How did that happen?” he asked, kissing her cheek in a path across her jaw and down her neck.

It was then she realized she hadn’t hugged her brothers or said goodbye. She tried to reach out to them, but felt nothing. She tried again, but the telepathic channel they used was not just blocked like it had been when she was in Hell, but gone altogether. It was the price paid for saving Rhys. She was no longer an angel. She missed her brothers and mother and wished she could see them one last time, but didn’t regret saving her mate.

“Raphael saved you,” she replied and then explained everything that had happened, leaving out the part where she gave up her status as an angel.

His large hands slipped under her top and ran up her wingless back. “I can’t believe an Archangel would save a demon like me…wait. What happened to your wings?”

“They’re gone,” she told him, not wanting to talk about it. She was certain he would be mad, and, right now, she needed him more than ever. She was vulnerable in a way she never had been.

“What does that mean? What did you do?” he asked, forcing her to look at him.

“I’m no longer an angel. That was the price for saving you,” she revealed, watching anger, fear and confusion cross his face.

“You did that for me?” he asked, incredulous. “Why? No one has ever sacrificed so much, not even my own mother. I love you, Illianna, and I will make sure you never regret giving up Heaven for me,” he murmured, claiming her lips in a searing kiss.

Her mouth welcomed him, marveling at his soft, sweet lips. His eager tongue stroked against hers, inviting her to a sensual encounter…one she accepted wholeheartedly.

By the time he broke the kiss and began nuzzling her ear, she was panting and ready for more. “I know how you can thank me,” she husked. Rhys was the only person with whom she could explore her dark side. With him, she could let go and fulfill her deepest, darkest desires. He satisfied every sexual fantasy and sparked others she wasn’t aware of.

“Over and over again,” he promised, laying her on the soft sheets. He sat back on his knees and tugged his blood-soaked shirt over his head, tossing it aside and hers quickly followed.

She didn’t think he could get any sexier, but the lights in the room worshipped his muscled body. He was spectacular, the quintessential representation of power and strength and her mouth watered, craving more.

It didn’t matter that his skin was covered in dried blood. She needed him now in the worst way. Reaching up to rid him of the remaining clothing, he batted her hands away.

“Not yet, Luscious,” he murmured. It never failed every time he called her Luscious, she was instantly wet. “I am getting you naked first and paying homage to your perfection. If my pants come off that won’t happen.”

She smiled up at him, blossoming with her newfound freedom to let go and enjoy the wicked things he wanted to do to her. Shedding her reservations was invigorating and she swore she purred as his hands expertly removed her shoes, pants and panties before sitting back and looking his fill. Wanting to incite him, she trailed her hand everywhere his eyes roamed.