14. Level Two-Lust
CHAPTER 14
Level Two-Lust
Ryker
W e continue to follow the embedded jewels until we reach some stairs. Ominous stairs, I might add, that I can’t see the bottom of but can see they have flowing lava dripping down the sides. But we continue down anyway. Goosebumps pebble along my skin as we descend, my stomach churning because I know the reason. Lust.
We’re not even on Asmosdeus’ level, but his power is already seeping into this one. How has someone not felt his power already? I have no doubt in my mind that he was solely behind shutting down the portals, or if he did have help, it was only a little that he required to accomplish it.
Knowing a little bit more about how the princes work and how they operate the Trail of Worth, I bet this is where the Prince of Lust has been keeping all of his excess power. No wonder L.A.M.B. and Mom haven’t felt him getting stronger if this is where he’s been keeping it hidden.
“Does anyone else feel…weird?” Moni asks, rubbing her arms.
“Yeah, it’s like my skin is itching,” Goddess agrees, and I’m surprised she hasn’t put two and two together and accused me of throwing off lust yet.
“It’s lust,” Knots says and glares at me.
‘ Thanks, asshole, ’ I send his way, and he just tips his imaginary hat at me.
“Mind knocking it off, Ryker?” Chester asks nicely, even though I can hear the undertone in his voice.
“Sure. I would be glad to…if it was my lust that you were feeling. But sorry, bub, that ain’t me.” I give him a salacious smile, and he blanches.
“What do you mean?” Rez asks, pausing on the steps until I reach her before walking again.
“I mean, Princess, that’s not me you’re feeling. That’s the Prince of Lust, Asmodeus.”
“Fuck,” JP says, finally getting the importance of what I’m getting at.
“What? Why is that a bad thing?” Zeke asks, looking over at JP.
“It means he’s been storing up power that my father has no idea about and has been hiding it here along the Trail of Worth.”
“Oh! That’s bad,” Moni agrees.
The further along the stairs we go, the fuller I become on the lust that’s soaking into my skin. I’m not finding it uncomfortable like the rest of the group, but it doesn’t mean I’m immune to it. Further down the stairs, built into the cliff, is a simple two-story area with a door straight off the stairs.
“Do you think that’s our rest area?” Rez asks, already making a beeline to it.
“Here, let me,” Knots says, cutting off Rez and reaching the door first. I roll my eyes so hard that I get a shooting pain behind them. Fuck me, Knots is the dumbest person I know right now, and that’s saying something.
He knocks on the door and slowly opens it up with his sword by his side. “Stay here while I check to make sure it’s clear.” Then he vanishes inside the building.
Rez scoffs and follows, which triggers all of us to do the same.
“What did I tell you?” Knots says in a hushed tone.
“I said you can be my protector, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to change,” Rez fires back with that fire in her gray eyes.
And that’s why I fell hard for my Goddess. There’s nothing she won’t do if she sets her mind to it.
“Besides, does it feel different to you? Lennox said the rest areas are like Purgatory. You shouldn’t feel any effects if it is. So, you should be able to tell quickly if this is the right spot,” she says, cocking her head and crossing her arms under her chest, causing her cleavage to rise.
His eyes dip down to where mine have been most of the day, no matter who occupied Rez’s body, and he scoffs, putting his sword away. “It’s the right house. We need to rest while we can,” he states.
“Hey, thanks for nothing, Doorknob. But look! I found something,” Lynx calls out from the small kitchen. As we gather around, he reads out the message by the clock.
“Welcome gathered guests to your first safe house. You will have six hours to rest before you will be required to leave the premises. Supplies are in the basement, and bedrooms are upstairs. Please use your time wisely. You will need it.”
“Sweet! Chester and I are taking a bedroom…goodnight!” Moni calls and grabs his hand as they run to the stairs.
I can only imagine what they will be up to tonight. I turn and find Rez pulling food from her bag and Reaper chewing on a table leg. We really need to stop him from doing that shit.
“Here, let me help,” I offer, and begin setting up Reaper’s stuff while JP gets busy in the kitchen.
“I wonder if they have showers here,” Levi says, heading upstairs with Zeke on his heels.
“I don’t know, but I want to check out the sleeping arrangements,” he comments and winks down at us.
JP whips up a simple dinner. In other words, he pulls out the meals Sierra made for us, which I’m not complaining about at all. The roast chicken is pre-packaged into servings along with veggies and mashed potatoes, and it’s so fresh it’s as if she’s sitting right here with us.
“So, how many hours did we waste to get here?” Zeke asks as he finishes his smoothie.
Levi pulls out his notepad from the inside of his duster and frowns. “Well, even though Balam said we set a new record, we spent about eight hours traveling to his platform. That’s not including playing his game. I didn’t count the time it took for that, but guessing a couple of hours, I would say, a total of ten hours, give or take.”
“Okay,” Lynx says, nodding his head. “So, you don’t mind being the official timekeeper, right?”
“Would you expect anyone else to do it?” Levi says with a bored tone, giving Lynx a perplexed look while tucking the notepad away.
After, we all take showers and clean up the best we can. Thankfully, most of us packed extra clothes, so no putting on dirty clothes for this Incubus. The sleeping arrangements aren’t bad, given some of us were having a harder time overcoming Asmodeus’ influence than the rest. For example, my little sister and her mate immediately running off as soon as they got here. I’m feeling the influence, but I’m able to shake it off for now.
There are four bedrooms, one of which Moni and Chester have already claimed. Knots takes the room with the single bed, and JP and Zeke take the other one, leaving the largest bed for me with Goddess and the rest of the gang. Sadly, we don’t have a gangbang going on. As soon as Rez’s head hits the pillow, she’s out like a light. And even though I’m normally down to try anything once, I’m not up for trying anything without my mate.
I wake with a start and find the room shaking.
“It’s an earthquake!” Moni screams, flying into our room and yelling for us to get up. It doesn’t take us long to get our belongings and head outside since we slept in our clothes sans boots. Outside the rest area, I notice that only the house is shaking, and nothing around it is being affected. Once we are all out and have our stuff, including a growling Reaper, the house suddenly stops shaking, and the door slams shut. The lock is thrown, and a parchment paper appears on the front door.
I approach and take it off carefully, turning to read it for the group.
“Good Morning, and welcome to Level Two – Lust. The trial here is simple. Make it to your next safe house in time to keep your souls. You have six hours.”
My stomach bottoms out, and I swallow down the bile threatening to come up as I look at my family. I don’t think they know what we’re about to get ourselves into.
“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Lynx chuckles, shoulder-bumping Chester, who smiles in return.
We get a decent look at the level below us from up here on the stairs. It looks like Asmodeus has a thing for Arabian architecture. The level is filled with gardens, palm trees, buildings lined with golden trim, and silks billowing in the wind. I can even make out the stairs leading to the next safe house. To anyone else, it looks like an easy trek, just a simple path around a few buildings and maybe cutting through a few gardens and a temple, but I know better. I know what most can’t see in the illusion that is painted before us. What they all see is the beautiful landscape of fountains, blooming gardens, and life full of seduction. I, on the other hand, see what’s flowing on the invisible wind down there… lust, destruction, and death.
“I think the best way to handle this is straight on. Avoid any buildings and keep together,” Knots advises and looks over the group before nodding his pleasure. Turning, he begins walking down the rest of the stairs.
“Wait. That’s not going to work,” I call out, but Knots gives me an annoyed look and continues.
Fuck, he’s going to get us killed.
I grab his arm to get in front of him, getting in his face. “I know you feel like you have something to prove here,” I tell him, keeping my voice down. “But this is my realm of expertise,” I growl. “You’re going to get all of us killed, and where is your pride going to be then?” Knots blinks as if I’ve slapped him, and his shoulders slightly sag. “I’m not your enemy here. We all heard your argument. We’re supes; it’s not like we could turn it off. So, we’ll support your decision even though we might not agree with you, but that doesn’t mean you’re the complete and absolute leader here. That’s never been the case.”
I squeeze his shoulder and step around him to address my family that’s waiting.
“I obviously don’t know the end game here, but I have a good idea. Just like most of you, I can feel the lust already, and we’re not even officially down on the level,” I tell them as I point down the stairs. “The sacrifices that Balam mentioned are the downsides of Lust.”
“What could be the downside of lust besides being horny all the time?” Rez asks before she begins playing with her bottom lip.
“That’s the point exactly. Here, you could die because of lust.” Moni’s bark bursts into glitter bomb, giving away her shock, but I don’t stop there. “Imagine being out of your mind with lust. Your entire purpose is thinking about, craving, and finding a way to relieve that itch. But it will be more than an itch. It will be an immediate need. You’ll forget to eat, drink, bathe, or sleep. Your body will go into a catatonic state, and then you’ll be lost soon after we miss our deadline to get out of here.”
“Fuck me,” Rez says under her breath, but we all hear it.
“I think that’s the point he was getting at,” Knox says, looking grim.
“Okay, so what’s the game plan?” Rez asks, looking straight at me.
Fuck. I was supposed to have a game plan too?
She purses her lips and works her bottom lips as silence greets the group. “Well, since we don’t have a game plan, let me ask this. How is this going to affect Reaper?”
“Was he humping your leg last night?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow. I really don’t know how the lust in this place could mess with him. I’ve never thought about the animal aspect of all of this. Wait a minute . Turning to Knox, “Can you ask your animals if they feel the pull?”
Understanding reaches Knox’s eyes as he nods, and a smile appears. “Good thinking,” he says before his attention is elsewhere. Before I can even turn to ask, Lynx is back into his namesake, shaking his ass.
Rez gives me a thumbs-up as she smiles down at Lynx. Without thinking, I grin widely and grab her face, planting a hard kiss on her lips. Her selfless thinking is what’s going to make this easier for at least our shifters. As soon as her sweet lips connect with mine, I slip. My lust immediately seeps and seeks her out, making her sag against me. Her small hands claw at my back as she pulls me closer and moans against my lips. It’s like giving my dick the green light to start swelling because my girl is up for a ride.
I’m barely aware of the clearing of throats, but they don’t deter me from pulling her closer to me; her scent, sounds, and the way she feels is like a natural aphrodisiac that I can’t get enough of.
If I was Superman, Rez would be my kryptonite as she grinds against my dick, begging me to put out her fire.
“Fuck me, Ry. I need you,” she whispers against my ear before nipping it.
Whatever Princess wants, I’m obligated to give her. Besides, I can’t seem to stop myself as I nip and suck along her neck and pull at her leathers. I need her. I ache to be closer, to feel her skin against mine. We both need this ache to disappear, and this is the only way to do it.
Hands grab at me and try to pull me away, but Rez wraps her thighs around me to keep us together.
“Shield, Nerezza. Use your shield!” an annoying voice screams, and it’s close enough to us that it knocks down some of my lust enough that I lazily crack my eyes open. Rez is panting before me, her eyes cracked as well, but they are clouded with a red haze over them as a red mist surrounds us.
Is that me doing this or Asmodeus?
An inner voice I’ve never heard before whispers four words, and my instincts tell me I can trust it.
‘Show me the truth.’
The red fades from us, and in its place is a tarnished yellow and black sigil. Asmodeus . Quickly looking at Rez, I see his sigil clouding her eyes, and even though I know what’s happening, I still can’t stop.
Fuck. We need help. Right as I think it, heat flares at my leg, making Rez and I cry out in pain. Even through the pain, I’m reaching back for Rez to pull her toward me to ease this new pain. But before I can feel her body, I slam into a wall hard enough that white explodes behind my eyes, and finally…relief.