Hellbound Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Five) (6 page)

“We have nothing to barter for what you’re suggesting. Besides, you have no idea if this is even Illianna, Rhys,” Dante replied, questions clear in his direct blue gaze. Rhys understood why the Cambion Lord was questioning him. He was acting way out of character and what they were about to attempt could get them killed. Outside fighting for the realm, Rhys didn’t put his ass on the line like this.

“We have backpacks full of shit to barter with. And, if they don’t want what we’ve got, then I’ll trade you, Dante. Your cock
is
legendary, after all,” Rhys chuckled, slapping his friend on the shoulder.

“You’re the one with Fabio hair. I say we trade you,” Dante laughed, shaking his head in defeat.

Rhys tensed as he watched the bouncers lead the angel from the stage. “Lock-n-load, boys. It’s show time.” All he needed now was a white horse and a suit of armor.

Illianna wiped off the wood stool and sank down. Crossing her ankle over her knee, she rubbed her sore, swollen foot. She would have thought that after a hundred years of doing shows nearly every night, her feet wouldn’t ache so much. She knew didn’t have long before Lemuel’s men came to get her so she took the time to enjoy the quiet. It was in moments like these that she was able to recharge her inner strength so she didn’t devolve to the broken spirit they wanted.

She wasn’t given much freedom, but she used what little time she was given to stay tethered to heaven as much as possible. She needed that connection to her home now more than ever. That brief second when her eyes had connected with an impossibly gorgeous demon had shaken her.

She wished she was in her field. Early on during her captivity, she had found a meadow where souls were sent to suffer for a hundred years. She went there as often as possible to try and bring those beings a small measure of peace. True happiness wasn’t possible in Hell, but she did what she could.

She knew from experience joy was unattainable in the Underworld. Even the demons that inhabited the realm were miserable, whether they admitted it or not. She could sense the self-hatred and loathing deep down inside which was why they turned to violence. This place was probably where the term misery loves company was formed.

One might think forcing another person to have sex against their will would be the ultimate torture, but that wasn’t what got to her. It was the way they treated her like an animal. She was never more humiliated than when they fed her. She was lower than a dog as they chained her nude body at Lemuel’s feet, throwing food to her on the floor. And, to call what they gave her food was a misnomer. Most days she couldn’t identify what she was eating, only that it tasted like century old, rotten meat and looked even worse.

Initially, she hadn’t been able to keep the food down and had vomited constantly, but survival instinct eventually took over and her stomach adjusted. One day when she had gotten lost in Lemuel’s home she’d stumbled across the kitchen and wished she hadn’t. They’d been cutting up a pus demon and making a stew from it. Pus demons were the worst of the demons she’d encountered. They were slimy, smelly and very aggressive, always pawing at her when she was tasked with entertaining them.

She closed her eyes and shut out the noise beyond the room, focusing on her cloud in heaven. It centered her to recall what her life had been like before. She had a small three-bedroom home not far from where she grew up. It was decorated in shades of blue and tan.

Her brother’s had a habit of stopping by for dinner unannounced because they loved her cooking, especially her lasagna. A small smile crept over her lips as she thought of her brother’s sitting at the bar in her kitchen teasing her, their huge red wings taking up all the space in the room.

It was dangerous for her to toil too long on the past, because her anger over being taken from everyone she loved crept in and got the better of her. She hated her temper more than anything. It was a symptom of the poison on her soul. She couldn’t recall ever being so angry. Her biggest issues before the Underworld had been silly and mundane, like wishing for larger breasts. Now, she prayed to banish the hatred and rage that consumed her.

Perhaps she’d sneak out later and visit the field. It would help if she could do her work. Thoughts of sneaking out had her mind going back to the alluring demon in the bar. She had never once been attracted to the demons, no matter how physically appealing they might be. The fact that she couldn’t stop thinking of this one made her heart race and her head spin.

Surely, she wasn’t that low now. There was no way she would allow Lemuel to win. She ignored his daily taunts about taking her destiny and destroying it along with his ungrateful son. She hadn’t been able to learn more than this son had royally pissed off Lemuel when he escaped Hell, eschewing everything he stood for. She was glad the son had gotten away, and only wished she could do the same.

A soft noise had her snapping her eyes open and jumping off the stool, sending it clattering to the ground. Speak of the devil. The demon that had been in her thoughts was suddenly standing in front of her, and, damn if wasn’t more gorgeous up close.

He was a few inches taller than her five-ten frame and had a square masculine jaw with a five o’clock shadow that was sexier than it should be. Reaching out, he smiled at her and it sent a shiver all the way to her toes. That smile was dangerous and if she had panties on, they’d have fallen down around her ankles. No one had ever elicited such a response from something so simple. Silently chastising herself for such naughty thoughts, she lowered her gaze.

Her eyes didn’t stray far as they kept going back to examine his muscular body. His leather jacket and soft black t-shirt couldn’t hide the ridges of his abdomen. And, his pants couldn’t hide his obvious arousal, she thought, gaping at the bulge straining against the zipper.

Sharply looking away, she noted that the two demons she’d seen him with in the bar had come into the room with him. Squaring her shoulders, she crossed her arms over her chest, hiding as much as she could from their gaze. It had been decades since she had been embarrassed about her nudity.

“Can I help you?” she asked defiantly.

“No, I’m here to help you, Luscious,” he murmured with another smile.

“Are you with Lemuel?” she asked warily. Who were these guys and what did they really want? Perhaps, they hoped to take an angel for themselves and use her blood and wings to their advantage.

She didn’t miss the way he stiffened at the mention of Lemuel. There was something there, but she wasn’t certain what it was. “No, we aren’t with Lemuel. I would never help that male!” he snapped. “We are pledged to the Goddess Morrigan.”

Illianna tilted her head to the side and considered his words and the vehemence with which he pledged to be one of the Goddess’ men. It was obvious he held no love for her captor, but she couldn’t believe he was pledged to a Goddess. She had never met a demon on the side of Light. “You, with a Goddess, yeah right. Try again, demon. I’m not stupid.”

He rubbed his chin and considered her. A jolt of fear coursed through her veins. What if she’d pushed him too far with her derogatory attitude? Quickly stifling the emotion, she reminded herself that he wasn’t in charge and would face punishment if he harmed her. Lemuel considered her his personal token, and, while it was perfectly fine for him to abuse and torture her at will, he didn’t take kindly to others doing it.

“I’m a cambion, not a full demon and I
am
pledged to the Goddess. I’m a Dark Warrior of the Tehrex Realm,” the demon countered.

She was familiar with the Tehrex Realm, but hadn’t heard of Dark Warriors. She didn’t know exactly how long she’d been in the Underworld, but after eavesdropping on a conversation between Lemuel and Shax, knew it had been at least a hundred years. This one could be telling the truth. Either way, she couldn’t take that chance.

“Semantics, a cambion is still a ruled by his sex demon,” she bristled.

His brows drew down before smoothing out. “I know it seems foreign, Luscious, but I’m harmless...mostly. Come with me and I’ll show you the pleasures that can be found with one of my kind,” he said with a smile. That smile was just as potent the second time and need shot through her system.

Before she could respond, his bald companion jumped in, “Rhys, you said this wasn’t about sex. You want to save her, grab her and let’s go. We don’t have time for this shit.”

She immediately stepped back and felt her backside bump into a table. Slowly, she reached back, feeling around on the table for a weapon. “Demons,” she hissed, “You’re all the same, although, I have to admit you are by far the most creative in your attempts to manipulate me. You do realize that Lemuel will find you and punish you if you try to take me. My blood and wings won’t give you enough power to beat him.”

That made the smile slide off his handsome face. “Illianna, I’m not here to harm you. I promised your brothers I would help find and rescue you. I will not leave you here.”

Her eyebrows rose as she gaped at him. “How do you know my name? No one here knows my name.” She had not once uttered her name to any soul or demon during her time in Hell. It was the only piece left of her former self. Maybe they were telling the truth. There was no other way for them to learn her name. “My brothers?”

He reached out and placed a warm palm on her shoulder, electricity zapping where their skin met. The sensation elicited reactions she struggled to ignore and the way his eyes widened told her he’d felt it, too.

“Yes, your brothers. They told me your name and all about you when they ordered me to find you. Well, truth be told, Abraxos threatened me first, but I promised I’d help. I had no idea you were here, we are actually on another mission, but I refuse to leave without you,” Rhys relayed with a slight squeeze.

“They’re looking for me?” she asked as hope flared anew in her chest and brought tears to her eyes. She’d held onto the belief they wouldn’t abandon her.

“Yes. And, I have to say that they are a pain in the ass about it. Willing to raze the entire realm searching for you.”

“Of course they are,” she smiled, “I’m their baby sister.”

“Let’s fucking go already!” the bald companion snarled.

“Enough, Kellen,” Rhys snapped before turning back to her, his tone softening. “Come with us, Illianna. You can’t possibly want to stay here,” Rhys practically pleaded.

She shook her head in response. “I don’t even know you.”

“I’m Rhys and that is Dante and Kellen,” he said, pointing to his companions in turn. The bald one was Kellen and the stony one must be Dante.

“You won’t regret coming with us,” Rhys continued, looking around the room. “Do you have any clothes? Not that I don’t love looking at your body, but it’s a bit distracting and I need to be able to focus.” Tossing the contents of the room, Rhys searched for something for her to wear.

“There’s nothing here but implements for the show,” she blurted, stopping him. “Can you get the collar off me?” she asked, reaching to touch the object binding her to Lemeul.

He walked over, running a finger around the edge of the collar. She was shocked when it felt as if he were stroking her intimately. Her nipples hardened, her core clenched and exposed flesh shivered. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her reaction to his touch. At the same moment, a connection to this demon took up residence in her mind.

That was it, she had to be losing her mind. Where had this connection come from, and, why now with this demon? So far he had done nothing to give her the impression he was like any of the demons she’d encountered thus far. Could he be trusted? More important, did it matter? She needed to get out of Lemuel’s grasp. The way she saw it, they were the lesser of two evils

“We will find someone who can. Let’s go,” he assured her, grabbing her hand and leading her from the room.

*****

Rhys tried to ignore the way his blood simmered at the touch of the angel’s silky skin. He marveled at how soft and supple she was despite living in the harsh conditions of the Second Circle without anything to protect her. He ran his thumb along the side of her hand, wanting to trail it up her arm. From the corner of his eye he noted her reaction to his touch. She may act cold and distant, but he didn’t miss how her skin heated and her nipples pebbled just the slightest bit.

Out in the corridor, three hulking males suddenly rounded the corner, drawing his attention. He recognized them as a few of his father’s lieutenants. Shit, they were fucked now, he thought, as he pushed Illianna behind his body.

“Ah, Rhys, so good to see you. Your father will be happy that you’re back. I hope you enjoyed your vacation because he has plans for you. He’s been building a special room just for his little boy,” Tony chuckled. Rhys had never liked the male. He was a fucking idiot who couldn’t think for himself.

“Ah, Tony, I can see by the brown stains on your face that your head is still halfway up my dad’s ass. I’d tell you to get your own life, but your mother likes you jumping in her bed,” Rhys countered, laughing as the male roared in anger and charged. Good, he wanted him angry and out of control.