Chapter 9
“She fucking passed out?” Orion’s low, dangerous tones suggested that someone was going to answer for my unconscious state, or suffer the might of a pissed-off demigod.
I knew I should have opened my eyes, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I couldn’t move.
Everything ached.
But in the best way ever.
“Why didn’t you stop them?” Orion demanded, likely talking to Kaito.
Logan would have bit him by now. “I agreed to help Logan track the stag only because you were keeping watch at the cave’s entrance.
That included keeping her safe from a fucked up Dark Mage and Hunter who don’t know how to keep it in their pants! ”
Kaito’s soft voice tried to rationalize with Orion, tell him that he’d heard everything, just as he’d also heard how much we’d needed this. I would recover, and because of me, Hendrik’s magic had been capped off, too.
“She’s not a fucking battery!” Orion roared.
I don’t think your demigod approves of the show, a familiar dark and sensual voice mused, but I certainly did.
Cole.
My spirit slipped away from Orion’s rage just as Logan returned with the heavy stag, his gaze falling on me.
My mates had felt my ecstasy through the bonds, of course, but they’d also felt me break.
I wanted to console them, tell them that this was something that needed to happen. It only made all of us stronger.
Except I hadn’t considered the side effect. By connecting with Hendrik and Dante, I’d grown one step closer to unlocking my angelic potential. It wasn’t enough to completely awaken my heavenly powers, but they were part of a memory linked to my alter ego.
Which opened me up to the rage demon bound in a dream world.
“What do you want, Cole?” I asked, too tired to fight him off right now.
He tugged me to him, my world evaporating all around me into the familiar fog that he preferred. It slipped around my naked body, infused with my feathers and claimed me in a way none of my mates ever could.
I breathed in Cole’s essence, sensing all of his ancient power and rage.
And yet, a sweet tinge of ambrosia mixed with the concoction, reminding me that a part of me belonged here, too.
I want you, little angel.
His voice carried through the mist, his presence waiting for me where I’d left him trapped. The pillars towered in the distance, marking my destination.
I drifted through the fog, silent as I hugged my naked body and tested my wings. They felt lighter, but not completely functional.
Not yet.
Cole waited for me right where I left him, chained to the pillars like a sacrifice for my pleasure. Bloody handprints glowed across each column. I kept my focus on the demon beneath them.
“Free me,” he said in a husky rasp that sent shivers down my spine. “It’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” He held up his bound wrists.
“No.” I was surprised that he could reach me when I was in another realm. Based on my information from Logan, he hadn’t been able to penetrate the Moon Goddess pocket realm that Logan had solidified on Academy grounds, a safe haven for his shifters and for his own fractured heart.
Yet, Cole had still found me there, hadn’t he? Perhaps there was nowhere I could hide from him.
Which meant there was nowhere he could hide from me.
His eyes searched my face, only stopping to dip lower as his hands fell.
He’d witnessed what Hendrik and Dante had done to me for the second time, and it stoked his rage like nothing else because he had yet to taste me for himself.
The heat in his eyes had me wrapping my wings around my body instinctively, a gesture that came so easily, so naturally, as if I’d been doing it my whole life.
“You can’t leave me here, little angel. You need me.”
“Nice try,” I told him. “I think you’re the one who needs me.
” He was beautiful, making it difficult to concentrate.
His hard, powerful body stretched out seductively across the stone, the heavy length of his erection glistening welcome moisture at the tip.
I couldn’t resist flashing my tongue out to lick my lips.
His lids drooped in response. His heavy chest expanded on a sigh as he strained against unseen bindings. The chains were only a manifestation of what I’d really done to him. I’d wrapped him in his own trap, one designed to make the victim relive the worst day of their lives.
I knew which day that would be for Cole, and it made him mad with hunger to relive it over and over again.
“I do need you,” he admitted, the pain evident in his tone. “Yet you’re in the Enchanted Forest. With your mates.”
He spat the final two words out as if they tasted foul.
I wanted to focus on that, on his anger, but I couldn’t.
Instead I only felt his need. Our connection urged me to free him, to ease his suffering.
But I couldn’t yet.
“How do you know that?” I asked, desperately trying to clear my mind of Cole’s intoxicating fog.
His eyes slid down, lingering on the barrier of my wings. Unable to help myself, I spread them a fraction, revealing skin.
Instead of answering, he said, “You let them touch you today. Haven’t you? You whimpered and moaned for their attention while leaving me here going mad with need.”
How did he know this? Our mating bond hadn’t yet fallen into place—mostly because he was an asshole I couldn’t accept into my heart or into the mating circle quite yet. But that only meant he shouldn’t be able to feel what was happening between me and my other mates, not to this degree.
Sensing he wanted a response—any response—I managed a smile. “The Forest gets chilly at night. My mates keep me warm.”
He snarled. But, then, the angry expression fading, he let his gaze roam over me, heat coming into his eyes. “If you want to get warm, better to let a demon do that for you.”
I ventured a few feet closer, out of both curiosity and an irresistible urge to be closer to this infuriating mate. But as his tail lashed the air between us, seeking me, I went still. “I think this is close enough for now.”
It surprised me when he didn’t argue.
“Why are you in the Forest?” he asked, the intensity in his eyes telling me it wasn’t just a casual question. While he could sense my comings and goings, perhaps they were only limited to ones of sensual nature.
Maybe he didn’t even know his brother had arrived five days early.
Which meant… he hadn’t known about the premature visit and hadn’t been lying at all.
I narrowed my eyes, hesitant to believe it.
“We’re hunting Lucifer,” I said after a moment, deciding that was enough information. “We think he came through the Enchanted Forest.”
“He did.” Cole’s gaze darkened. “And you’re not as smart as I thought you were if you risk your lives in that damned place rather than just taking me up on my offer.
” He leaned forward, his chains scraping against stone.
“None of your mates can protect you from what you’ll face.
” He tilted his head, his horns glimmering in the low light. “I could, though, if you freed me.”
Ignoring those latter words, I focused on the answer he’d given me. “Why did your brother come here? Is it because there’s an opening into Hell?”
“An opening…?” He studied me, a line forming between his brows.
But then he laughed, lashes lowering as the full-bodied, rich sound of his amusement rang out.
“There is no opening into Hell from the Enchanted Forest, little angel. There’s an opening into the Enchanted Forest. One Lucifer likely needed somebody from the Academy to make. ”
I stared at him.
He sighed, the sound coming out weary. Shifting his arms and legs against the unseen bindings, he kept his dark gaze locked on the endless expanse overhead that passed for a sky.
“My brother likely had enough power to send his energy into the realm, but he couldn’t actually enter it himself.
He planned all of this for you to do his bidding and pave the way for him.
” He tilted his head, faint light glimmering over his horns.
“The Enchanted Forest is a complex realm, my beautiful angel. It’s ancient—older than any of us.
It predates most of the realms and its secrets are many. ”
“And you know its secrets?” I ventured, my tone coming out harsh.
He shrugged. “I know that it has been a realm off-limits for my kind, at least until recently. For eons, Lucifer has been kept out of the Forest by an impenetrable barrier. If he found a way to get inside…” He trailed off, considering it for a long moment before finally shifting his gaze to me.
“There’s power in the Enchanted Forest, Lilith. ”
“What sort of power?” I demanded, the cold, metallic bite of fear lingering on my tongue.
“Honestly? Even I don’t know.” His gaze bore into mine. “I’m ancient, little angel. But the Forest predates even me, my brother, even time itself.”
Frustrated, I spun away and began to pace. His gaze followed me, the heat of his stare an ever watchful presence. I could feel him, the power of who he was reaching out to me and that power spoke to me on a level so deep, I was left shaken.
When I whirled back to him, the expression in his eyes froze me in place. Everything in him called to me—the darkness, the pain, the feelings of being trapped in a place with no escape.
The beautiful torment of him echoed inside me. I knew him better than anyone else did.
And I knew there were things he wasn’t telling me.
Easing closer, I let the wings that concealed me from him relax a bit more—only enough to hint at what might lay under their protective cover. Cole’s throat worked over a swallow as his dark wings flexed behind him.
Unable to stay away from him any longer, I trusted the binds to keep me safe. I slipped closer, the fog rolling up my calves as I knelt and spread my wings.
He remained still as I slid one leg between his, then rested a hand on his chest.
Leaning into him, I pressed my lips to his, indulging in a forbidden moment to taste that fruit that promised sweet seduction and sin.
The darkness in me reached for him, my succubus powers stretching to full wakefulness as that part of me sensed sanctuary—a banquet where I could feast without end.
My mouth parted as he deepened the kiss, his dark essence mingling with mine.
His tail curled around my thigh, then slid upward. I shoved my fingers into his hair and yanked his head back, feasting on the delicious, male taste of him.
Tail still gripping my thigh, the end trailed higher before dipping between my folds, forcing a gasp from my throat.
The pleasure felt reminiscent… like we’d done this before.
Breaking the kiss, I stared into his eyes.
“Cole.”
His mouth, swollen and wet from my attention, parted on a sigh as he slipped his tail away from my sensitive skin. “Little angel.”
Now that I’d softened him up, maybe I could get him to tell me the truth.
“Why did you fuck around with my mates? Why did you hurt them the way you did?”
A dark expression fell across his features. I grabbed his face between my hands and dragged his gaze back to mine. “Tell me,” I whispered.
“They don’t deserve you,” he said, his voice flat. All the while his eyes burned with need. “I put them through simple tests, tests that would tell me if they deserved you and they failed. I’m the only one strong enough… strong enough to keep…”
The words trailed away. I wrenched his gaze back to mine. “Strong enough for what?” I demanded.
His gaze met mine, revealing an expression I never thought I’d see in a demon’s eyes.
Cole was haunted.
And just like that, the final puzzle piece fell into place.
The past night he’d somehow manipulated my senses so I could see what was going on between Hendrik and Dante. If he’d expected me to be appalled, he’d underestimated me.
“I remember.” Something inside me sparked, then flared to life. For a moment, I couldn’t even place it. It was so bright and true. Cole’s eyes widened and I knew whatever it was, he’d sensed it, too.
A haunting, beautiful scent began to fill the air.
Cole closed his eyes, nostrils flaring as he dragged in a breath. “Ambrosia.”
Memories from the past night tumbled into my mind. There was a piece of me, something large and important, that lingered just out of reach, but I could feel it now. It flooded me with warmth and power, from the center of my chest and outward, until it charged my very being.
My wings stretched out. They greedily drank in the new resource, growing lighter and stronger with every breath.
“Cole.” I traced a finger down his cheek, his neck, his chest. His eyes widened, then narrowed as I grabbed his cock. The tail wrapped around my thigh tightened.
My claws slid free and I trailed them over his vulnerable flesh. “Don’t,” I warned him.
Cole just stared at me, heat and anger vying for control.
“What’s Lucifer up to?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, all but spitting the words out.
“But knowing my brother, this was the plan all along. Too many are still loyal to Sonya. He can’t rely on them for numbers.
So he had to look elsewhere. Where but the Enchanted Forest, where wild magic can kill or destroy all but the very gifted… or the most deranged?”
“But he didn’t go into the Forest.” I tightened my fist. He shuddered and I was instantly wet, so ready for him, I hurt. “He came to the Academy.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes, then he relaxed.
“My brother is clever.”
He closed his eyes then, head turning from me.
He had known that Olivia was part of Lucifer’s plan, I realized. Had known, but wanted to spare me from this pain. Easing the grip on his cock, I stroked him, then bent down to kiss him. But when he tried to capture my mouth, I broke away.
“He had to know we’d follow, though.” In my gut, I knew I was right. “Why bring us here?”
Cole’s eyes darkened and his mouth went tight.
“He wants to control Calamity,” he explained. And in his gaze, I saw how much that worried him. “I disagreed with him on that matter.”
My chest tightened. Shaking my head, I let him go and started to back away.
“Lilith,” he demanded.
A mix of anger and satisfaction burned inside me as I paused to meet his gaze. “You’ll stay here until I return.”
I couldn’t set Cole free, not when I couldn’t fully trust him.
We would fight this battle without my rage demon.
I backed away. “Maybe use this time to think about your actions, Cole. We’ve got some growing to do here, you and me. And you need to consider the actions you took against my mates.”
Turning, I rushed into the growing expanse of lingering mist that gave way to clouds and rainbows, knowing soon, they’d devour me and I’d be lost to him.
At least until the next time I slept.