Her Demonic Angel (Her Angel Romance Series Book 5) (50 page)

“I don’t want anyone to come to harm,” Erin said to no one in particular and looked back at Veiron. He shook his head and she glanced down at her feet. She couldn’t make a decision while everyone was looking at her, waiting to hear what she would do. She needed time to think about it but the Devil wasn’t going to give it to her. He had been pressuring her to agree to a deal since she had appeared before him and she had a feeling that this would be the last time he changed the one he was offering.

She frowned.

He did keep changing it.

Whenever she looked as though she would bolt and leave, or fight him, he sweetened the deal. He wanted her to agree to it. He needed her child.

Did that mean that if she chose to leave right now, he wouldn’t harm her?

Her gaze shifted to Veiron again. He wouldn’t harm her but he would hurt Veiron and those she cared about in order to force her to agree.

“Erin,” Amelia said and she closed her eyes. “I swear I will keep us safe. I will protect us all. We can do it together. You can learn about your power and discover everything there is to know about it and we can do this together. Please, Erin.”

“Do not listen to your sister or the Devil, Erin.” Veiron’s deep voice forced her eyes open and she looked into his. They pleaded with her, their dark depths full of affection and despair. “I know what happened to me now. I have seen everything. I saw what happened that night between us. I remember it. You must too. You promised me forever.”

A chill slid down her spine and arms.

“Silence!” the Devil shouted and Veiron’s mouth moved but no sound came out. He glared at the Devil.

“Erin, that’s the—” Amelia’s voice cut off and Erin looked over her shoulder. Her sister and Marcus were gone. She faced the Devil.

“I am growing bored of these interferences. It’s all so touching, so sweet, so sickening. Make your decision. The fate of this disgusting creature is in your hands.”

Erin glared at her father, searching his eyes. They showed no hint of fear but she could feel it in him. He had silenced Veiron, and had sent Amelia and Marcus away because they had tried to tell her something vital.

“Decide, Erin.” The Devil disappeared and reappeared right in front of her.

She stared at him, letting the jumbled panicked thoughts flooding her mind unravel and sort themselves out into order.

Her DNA was a perfect match for the man’s in front of her.

Meaning, she had all the same powers that he possessed.

She had the Devil’s dark power in her veins. His blood flowing through her.

In the eyes of God, was she the same as the Devil?

If an angel fell and pledged himself to her, would it be the same as pledging himself to the Devil?

Her heart accelerated.

Could she accept Veiron as her servant?

Her eyes widened.

That was what he had been telling her. She had promised him forever.

Erin kept her eyes locked with her father’s.

“I want that forever that I promised you,” she said and saw Veiron smile out of the corner of her eye. “And I will do anything to achieve it.”

The Devil’s eyes narrowed. “Have you made your decision?”

Erin nodded. She focused and recalled everything she had seen the Devil do. He stepped towards her and Erin threw her hands forwards, unleashing a blast of fire. He blocked it as he had before and she willed herself to disappear. Fiery darkness engulfed her and when it disappeared, she was standing next to Veiron. He jumped and opened his mouth, but still no words came out. She grabbed his hand and focused on making them both disappear.

The darkness swept over her once more and receded to reveal the plateau they had landed on when Apollyon had helped them come to Hell to save Veiron, Marcus and Einar.

Apollyon was sitting on a rock a few metres away, bloodied and beaten.

He raised a hand in greeting and sighed. “Not my finest hour. I had hoped no one would see this.”

Veiron mouthed something.

Erin frowned and hoped it would work. “Speak.”

“He got away?” Veiron said, his voice hoarse, and then rubbed his throat.

“Who got away?” Erin frowned at both of them and a black voice boomed out of the glowing landscape hundreds of feet below. “It’ll have to wait.”

She turned to Veiron. “I can contract with you, can’t I?”

“Not contract, no. Your power is that of the Devil. We formed a bond because I chose to pledge myself to you and you accepted it. It is the reason I was not reborn as I should have been. This appearance is false. Heaven killed me five times over in an attempt to undo what you had done, but it did not work. They couldn’t break the bond between us. It is waiting to be sealed. You are powerful enough now.” He caught her hands and held them together in both of his.

A shiver raced over her. “How do I seal it?”

“We exchanged a vow, Erin.” He squeezed her hands and stared down into her eyes, threads of crimson and gold shining in his. “We must exchange it again.”

She nodded and then froze. “Wait... you mean you’re going to fall?”

“I already am fallen. I was never reborn as an angel of Heaven. I remained as I was, your servant in part.” Veiron released her hands, drew his spear and knelt before her. He rested his spear across both of his upturned palms and bowed his head, and raised the weapon towards her. “I swear fealty to you, Erin. I am yours and only yours to command until the end of time.”

Erin hesitated, unsure what to do. She glanced across the bumpy black ground to Apollyon. He motioned for her to touch the spear. She smiled her thanks and laid her hands on the black rod.

“I accept you as my knight and as mine, and I swear to you that I am yours and only yours, now and forever, until the end of time.” Erin almost laughed at how silly she sounded, and then shrugged and decided to go all the way. “I accept you as my servant, Veiron. Do you accept me as your master?”

“I do.”

Red light blazed from the engravings along the black rod of the spear and shone across the twin crimson blades. It swept down Veiron’s arms and the colour of his armour changed as it passed over it, darkening to black with metallic red edging. The light raced up his arms and his tattoos appeared, curling around his biceps. His chest armour switched colour and she gasped as the light shot over his wings and the feathers bled from pale silvery-blue and lilac to darkest crimson.

She wrinkled her nose up when the magic light failed to change one aspect of him.

Veiron rose to his feet, immense and imposing, a grin tugging at his sexy mouth. He rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers and then lunged for her. She shrieked as he swept her up into his arms and he silenced her with a deep kiss that melted her right down to her core and brought out her own smile.

The black voice curled from the pit again and the ground shook.

Veiron released her mouth and drew back, still grinning.

“Remember me now?” she said with a smile of her own.

“You bet your arse, Sweetheart.” He wrapped his wings around her and kissed her breathless again. Erin melted into him, moaning as she returned his kiss, battling his tongue with her own and losing herself in him. She had missed this so much.

There was one thing she still missed though.

She braced her hands against his black armour and broke free of his kiss.

Her nose wrinkled again. “Your hair is still short.”

Veiron scrubbed a hand over the longer lengths on top, easily holding her up with just one thick muscular arm. “It’ll grow back. You can’t have everything, you know.”

The ground trembled again.

“I think you pissed dear old daddy off.” Veiron set her down on the ground and she wanted to burrow back into his arms and order him not to say what she could feel coming.

Instead, she tipped her chin up and faced the edge of the plateau, waiting.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Veiron moved in front of her, shielding her with his glossy red wings.

“Getting ready to fight.” Admittedly, she had never fought a battle before. She didn’t count the last time they were in Hell because no one had wanted to fight her then. She didn’t think the Devil would be so kind this time.

“I don’t bloody think so.”

“You’re my servant. Do as you’re ordered.” Erin grinned when he cast a dirty look over his shoulder at her. Yes, she was going to play that card often so he might as well get used to hearing it. “We’re in this together, Veiron.”

“You need to take care of yourself,” he whispered and looked so beautifully concerned that she wanted to kiss him.

“This is me taking care of myself. You can’t fight him alone. If we’re going to stand a chance of getting out of here, we need to work together. Besides... I’m the Devil’s daughter and you’re the father.”

His look softened and then he shrugged his broad shoulders. “I guess you’re right. It’s going to take more than a scrap with his granddaddy to hurt him... but I want you to fall back if you’re in any danger. Understood?”

Erin nodded, stepped up beside him and slipped her hand into his.

The Devil appeared in a flash of black smoke.

He ran his gaze over Veiron and curled his lip, and then looked beyond them.

His eyes narrowed. “Great Destroyer.”

“Pain in my backside,” Apollyon said, so close to Erin that she jumped. She hadn’t noticed him move.

He stopped beside her and stared at the Devil.

“It is still many years until our next battle.” The Devil dismissed him with a regal wave of his hand. “Do not interfere.”

“You left the pit.”

The Devil glared at him.

“Hardly.” He swept his hand out, motioning to the edge of the plateau directly behind him. “Mere inches. I have obeyed the rules of my confinement.”

“I was not talking about now. You have left it in the past. I have it on good authority that you visited Erin in the prison. That is not mere inches from your fortress.” Apollyon held his hands out in front of him and called his twin golden blades. “You know I cannot let that pass unpunished.”

The Devil laughed, his amber eyes flashing gold. “You are in no condition to fight me. If you battle me now, you will lose and I will be free.”

“Is that true?” Erin looked across at Apollyon. He frowned, his rich blue eyes darkening with it, and then slowly nodded. Erin laid her hand on his bloodied shoulder. “Then I cannot let you fight. This is not your battle.”

He turned his frown on her and disappeared. Erin lowered her hand and hoped that the dark angel wouldn’t be angry with her for sending him away to Earth. He was too weak to fight her father right now and she couldn’t let him escape his prison.

Erin glanced at Veiron.

“Don’t even think about it, Erin.” He didn’t take his eyes off the Devil. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for centuries.”

She knew that and it was the only reason she wasn’t giving in to her desire to transport both of them out of Hell. They had to do this or her father would never leave them alone. He needed to see that together they were undefeatable and that they wouldn’t give in to his demands or let him control their lives, and that they would easily destroy any army that he sent after them in the mortal world.

This fight wouldn’t just be a warning to the Devil though.

It was a warning to Heaven too.

“I do not wish to fight you, Daughter.” The Devil held his hand out to her.

“Too bad, because I really want to fight you, and Veiron has been itching to kick your arse for a long time.” Erin focused on her hands and her power, channelling it towards her palms. “Personally, I think I like the look of your throne. I made you bleed earlier. Veiron doesn’t think you can be killed... something about balance between the realms... but your blood flows in my veins, doesn’t it. Does that mean I can kill you and take your place as ruler of this realm?”

Veiron flicked his right hand out, extending his spear. “I think you might be right.”

Erin grinned at her father, revelling in the flicker of fear in his amber eyes.

“Let’s see if I can kill you, Daddy dearest.”

She threw her hands forwards and unleashed twin orbs of fire.

CHAPTER 38

T
he Devil held his hand up and the orbs of energy hit an invisible shield, exploding on impact and blinding Erin. She hurled another two and hoped for the best. Her vision came back and her fireballs were hurtling into the distance. The Devil was gone.

A grunt drew her attention to her right. Veiron slashed at the Devil with his spear, sweeping it in a wide arc that forced the Devil to withdraw and arch backwards to avoid the red blade. Veiron swept it back again, jabbing it forwards at the same time, and the Devil disappeared as the blade was about to stab him. Erin considered that cheating, and two could play at that game.

She waited for him to reappear and then teleported to the spot directly behind him, pressed her hands against his back and growled as she released another blast of power. At this distance, he couldn’t shield himself. The fiery bolt propelled him forwards, back towards a waiting Veiron. Veiron roared and swung his spear, slamming the thick black rod of it into the Devil’s side.

The Devil doubled over from the impact, grabbed the rod, and pulled Veiron towards him. He shoved his hand against Veiron’s chest, sending him flying through the air. Erin flinched as he landed hard, sending a plume of black dust and rubble up into the air, and didn’t wait to see if he was all right. She teleported again and appeared between him and the Devil. She yelled and threw her left hand forwards, unleashing another blast of her power, and then her right. The first orb shot towards his head and the second towards his shins. He deflected the one aimed at his head and chest and leapt over the second. It hit the ground and exploded, showering the whole area with shards of basalt and leaving a crater behind.

Veiron shot past her, nothing but a blur, his spear held in both hands at his side. He beat his crimson wings and jabbed his spear towards the Devil, who instantly blocked it. Veiron pulled the spear back, flapped his wings, flipped over his enemy and roared as he brought the blade down hard towards his head from behind. The Devil turned and held his hand up, freezing Veiron in midair.