Her Darkest Devils by Ginna Moran
Chapter 10
RAVEN
Bastard Savior
“RAVEN ROSE! YOU are an abomination to Heaven’s order. You must accept your eternal damnation.” Expanding his wings, he pushes off the ground and flies at me, aiming his sword.
I jump out of the way. The fucker stumbles and stabs his blade into the ornate frame around the glass door. If the devils don’t know he’s here, they do now. An earsplitting pop sends bursts of fire and electricity through the air as the unfamiliar savior sets off the protective barrier created by Hell power.
“You better fucking get out of here or the devils themselves will pluck every weird-ass feather from your wings.” I dodge out of his line of sight, running behind one of the wide pillars, holding up the balcony overhead. Heavenly light illuminates the porch, and I squint at its intensity.
“I will not fail the task given to me. It is my duty and honor to exterminate the forsaken soul from the Mortal Realm.” The angel launches toward me again, flapping his wings to increase his speed.
And fuck.
I screech at the sight of his blade impaling through the pillar, cracking it enough to shake the balcony overhead. Swinging his free hand at me, he grabs onto my arm and yanks me closer. It takes a burst of Hell strength to brace against the pillar, stopping him from pulling me into his still flaming blade.
“Let me go!” I yell, ripping myself away. I flail my arms, trying to catch myself, but fall hard on my ass.
“Never. It is my duty, and with its completion, I can ascend to fill one of the positions among the arch angels. I will not fail.” The angel plants his boots at the sides of my hips and towers over me.
His golden wings glow with enough intensity that they could very well embody the sun, bringing the morning early. I refuse to cower beneath this bastard, begging for mercy, so I jerk my leg up and kick him between his legs. He reacts by jabbing his sword at me, and I scream, unable to move. This is it. Out of everyone in the universe, it’s going to be some stranger trying to gain power in Heaven to end my mortal life.
Damn it.
A roar explodes through the night at the same time fire engulfs the angel, knocking him away from me. I dig my fingers into the grass and crabwalk backwards until my back hits against one of the patio chairs around a seating area near the flower garden.
My body aches as my mind reels, and I crawl around the loveseat and peek my head over the cushion. I stare in surprise at Lucian whipping his fire chain at the angelic warrior, knocking his legs out from under him. His golden wings prevent his back from hitting the ground, and he uses them to propel forward. Jabbing his sword, he stabs Lucian in his side. Glowing blood pours like molten lava from his wound, but it doesn’t stop him from charging. I don’t know who this angel thinks he is, but he’s obviously no match for Lucian, especially in his towering true body.
A warm hand grabs my shoulder, startling me, and I nearly punch Micah in the balls. He catches my fist and drags me into his arms, searching my face for signs of injury.
“You need to go back inside and stay there. Looks like the warriors are ready to rise in rank and fill the spots Andre and I left behind. There are at least six guardians circling. Dante’s taken flight with Kase. I need to fight them as they fall from the sky, but I can’t focus worrying about you.” Micah jogs his way toward the back door, ducking and spinning with me, taking a burst of heavenly light to his back as a righteous guardian swoops down.
“What the fuck. Don’t they know who you are?” I ask, gripping Micah, stopping him from tossing me inside and bolting.
“They’re willing to sacrifice themselves to try for the Higher Power,” Micah replies, forcing me to let him go. “Now stay inside, heathen. I’ll gladly punish you if you don’t.”
Micah slams the door in my face, and I stare in shock, watching him transform into his giant boar-like body with his massive tusks, ready to gut any angel within reach. The ground quakes as he charges away on all fours. Clutching the doorframe, I remain plastered to the glass, practically pressing my nose against it. From the safety of our mansion, no angel can hurt me. Hell will blow them away. But damn it, if I’m not still a bit scared. It’s worse than my fear with Cassius. At least he changed his tactic and stopped treating me like a worthless piece of shit for not wanting to sacrifice myself for the greater good. These guardians or whatever seem to have the sole purpose of destroying me.
Which makes me wonder. Why did Lucian rescue my ass? Things could’ve been easy for him had he let the angel take my life.
Why the sudden change from being a difficult twit to this?
Fire explodes in front of me, billowing toward the sky. I watch in fearful awe as Lucian stomps his giant hoof into the concrete where the devils do their usual summoning circle to bring Andre here. But this is different. Andre doesn’t appear within it—no, someone is already in the center of the fire ring.
It’s the angel.
I gasp a breath, wide eyed and shocked, as I watch the portal open with a rumble. The putrid scent of Hell sneaks in through the seal of the door, but I’m no longer fazed by it. But what jabs at my soul is watching the angel’s golden wings smolder and burn within the summoning circle. Lucian roars and snarls, whipping his chain again, and the angel hollers and disappears, the fiery ground swallowing him whole and taking him to Hell.
Oh-fucking-shit.
The pure shock of watching Hell consume an angel rattles me to my core. I warned the bastard. He didn’t listen. So many of these fuckers don’t listen.
Lucian stomps his hoof into the ground, shaking the world around me. The fire vanishes in a cloud of smoke, and he slowly twists, clutching his side. Stumbling toward the door, he transforms back into his human façade and hits his hands to the glass before dropping to his knees.
“Fuck, Lucian.” Without thinking, I shove the door open, getting him to move a bit, and stretch out my hand.
Locking my fingers around his thick wrist, I use my Hell strength to drag him inside. He groans, his naked body bruised and bleeding, scratches and cut, and he trembles on the floor, just lying there. Oh how sweet should it be that Lucian himself seems to have fallen. How he seems to have weakened coming to the Mortal Realm. I should laugh and gloat. I should be thrilled.
But un-fucking-fortunately, all I feel is pity.
I might be a bit twisted and can have a psychotic streak with my devils, but I’m still human. I still have angelic light glowing within my soul and a heart that aches the longer I look at the pathetic sight before me.
I squat beside him and touch his shoulder. “Lucian—”
“Leave me,” he snaps, pressing his hands into his side, his strange blood thick and glowing across the surfaces it touches. “I don’t need your pity.”
I sigh and shove him over, shrugging out of my shirt. Pressing the fabric to the wound on his side from the angel blade, I try to staunch the bleeding. “Too bad. It is in my very being to see that you never get anything you want from me and everything you don’t. So suck it up, Satan. You’re going to drown in the pity I have for you.”
Surprising me, he chuckles and glances up, meeting my gaze. “Careful, Raven. I like when you call me that.”
The fucker proves as much, motioning toward his hardening cock. Heat flushes through me, and I avert my eyes. He does not need to watch me appreciate his devilish dick. Why I always fall for such a sight on every devil is beyond me. Kase was right about me. Satanic cocks do in fact compel me into thinking things I shouldn’t. Lucian might be on the verge of drowning in my pity, but I’m about to drown in his sin.
I must resist.
“All right, Lucifer. Calm your cock or I’m not going to help you.” I scoot closer and kneel beside his head. His eyes follow my every move and light up under the use of his angelic name. I press my hand over his lips, shutting him up before he can even think to speak. “Let’s get one thing straight. This is not an invitation to try to force your affection on me. This is a thank you for protecting me outside instead of letting the savior send me to Hell.”
“I couldn’t give the fucker the satisfaction. Your contract belongs to Hell. I’m having too much fun on this plane to give it up to torture you in my kingdom.” Lucian’s words vibrate against my palm. He licks my hand, shocking me, and I jerk it away and plant it on his chest. His heart thrums in quick beats, set off by my sudden touch.
I try not to react, tightening my mouth. “Okay, whatever. Maybe I should’ve let him send me to Hell to get a break from you. You’re welcome to stay here when I go.”
Lucian laughs again, the sound so fucking weird but nice. I might prefer it over his rumbly growls. “You’d miss me. I promise.”
Narrowing my eyes, I decide against giving in and denying his comment. He’s gone from asshole to cocky to charming seemingly overnight, and I won’t let myself get distracted by it. It changes nothing. He’s still one of my worst enemies until he returns Elias to me.
“All right, asshole. Do your thing quickly, so I can wait by the door for my favorite devils to return. They’re going to need a reward for everything they’re putting up with because of you.” I hover over Lucian, letting my hair spill around my face, blocking the world with its veil of midnight color.
“Quick isn’t something I do, Raven. Not with you.” Rolling over, Lucian lands on top of me and grins, loving the shocked state his sudden gesture leaves me in. “Never with you.”
Our eyes meet and I stare up at him like the wide-eyed prey his predatory side sees me as. Regret blooms inside me the closer he leans until the world fades away and a strange warmth washes it away. I gasp against his mouth only an inch from mine and tip my head slightly so our lips aren’t aligned. The room shifts into a brilliant nothingness of pure white as Lucian now stands before me, naked and rippling, his body free of injury.
He truly is achingly beautiful bathed in the light of my soul, his velvety skin radiating with a new kind of glow. His hard features soften, and a smile curls the corners of his lips. He graces me with a bright smile, his whole face lighting up. I can’t stop my feet from taking me closer until I’m only a foot away.
“You enjoy seeing this side of me,” he murmurs, gently reaching up to caress my cheek and push my hair behind my ear. “This is what your soul does to me, you know. I no longer have the capability to shine with angelic glory. But you make it so.”
“Don’t get too comfortable, Satan,” I tease, my worry, fear, and pain melting away in this world of light. “This is a one-time thing.”
He lifts an eyebrow and rubs his hand over his dark beard. “I love when you lie to yourself.”
I glower, pressing my hand to his chest. “I’m not lying. You stole Elias from me and won’t return him. I will make sure I’m never in the position of needing your help again. Now hurry up.”
“A kiss is in order if that’s what you truly want. You have to accept my darkness into your light, and with how hard you resist, that’s the second best way.” His eyes sparkle with the light of the world around us.
“What’s the best way?” I ask, regretting my question immediately. His expression says it all before he even says anything. “Never mind. Fucking my soul isn’t happening.”
“What if I make you a deal? You seem to have caught me in a rather giving mood, Raven, and feeling your soul like this...it’s hard resisting doing what I want.” Lucian steps so close that his cock grazes my stomach with still an intimidating amount of space between us. “What if I manage to get Vincent to change the terms of our contract to bring you Elias?”
My heart skips a beat at his words. “You’ll bring him back if I let you fuck my soul? Seriously?”
He glides his fingers along my shoulder, pushing my hair to my back. “I said I’d get Vincent to change the terms. Right now, he will not comply to any of my requests. I can’t break our agreement without...giving a throne away. Unless that’s something you’re okay with.”
Fuck no. The thought of Vincent taking a throne in Hell skeeves me out more than anything in the universe. He threatened to yank out my teeth for biting him. The fear of that moment still lingers with me.
“How do I know you’ll actually follow through? What if he doesn’t agree?” I tighten my lips, twisting them to the side with my questions.
Lucian bows closer, his mouth so close that his lips brush mine when he says, “Our contract will be binding. If I fail, your soul will be free.”
What? He can’t be serious. “You’re lying. You wouldn’t do that.”
“I would, but I won’t have to. I will uphold my end.” Lucian’s hand slides down my arm and travels to my back as he pulls me flush against him. My soul explodes with tingles, the electric sensation traveling through me and landing right between my legs. “Do we have a deal? Let me fuck your soul and you’ll get your soulmate back. If I fail, your soul is free.”
My thoughts whirl with his words. Can I do this? Fuck yeah. I’ve done worse with Joel. It’s probably one of the better deals a mortal has gotten. Either way, I win. I’ll get Elias back or my soul will be free and I will still have a chance to find him. Who cares if I have to give into Lucian? I’m nearly certain my devils would agree with me. They’ve already come to accept sharing me, and if this cements our eternity ruling Hell? I’ll take this for the team.
I slowly nod my head. “Deal.”
Lucian’s lips crash into mine with my words, and I groan against his mouth, tasting the spicy cinnamon of his kiss deep in my soul. I don’t even have a chance to react before my clothes vanish, and Lucian’s warm hand drags across my stomach, traveling to touch between my legs. And damn. I love and hate how good it feels, giving in to his dark temptation.
If only something didn’t snap through me, stealing my breath. The light blinks out, leaving my vision dark, and Lucian snarls above me.
“Micah! Raven and I made a deal. Stay the fuck back,” Lucian yells, his devil voice vibrating across my skin, pulling me from my haze. His monstrous devil form hovers above me, his horns jutting from his forehead.
Micah responds with a roar, shaking the ground. He rams his big head into Lucian, knocking him off me. One second I’m on the floor, and in the next, I’m cradled in Micah’s arms. “You cannot bully her into deals like that. I won’t allow it.”
I open my mouth to argue with Micah, but his face contorts into his hellish façade, stealing my words. He carries me away.
***
“Micah, come on. Lucian and I made a deal where I win either way. What’s a little soul fucking? It’s my soul, my soulmate, and my decision. I’m trying to not only do my job but also ensure an amazing future for us.” I sit beside him on the edge of the bed, unable to stop my frown. “Please, I need you to be okay with this.”
Sighing, Micah laces his fingers through mine and pulls my hand to his chest. “It’s not that I’m not okay with you being with someone else. I’ve accepted that to enjoy you, I must share you. What bothers me is that I know you wouldn’t do this if Elias were here. You’d never resort to such intimacy with Lucian. He’s no different than before, but he’s adapting. He’s studying you and trying to use his new awareness to get to you.”
I huff a breath. “Micah, that’s nothing new. You were the one to suggest that I give Lucian a chance. You told me that he was acting like this because he was lonely. Now what? I finally found a reason to play nice and you don’t want me to? Is this about you? Are you annoyed I haven’t fucked you yet?”
Orange fire heats up his wicked gaze, and he flares his nostrils. “I’ve told you it was never about sex with me. This is about Elias. He wouldn’t want you to resort to bartering your body for his life.”
I shake my head and tug my hand away from him. “Yeah-fucking-right. I know Elias—”
Growling, he says, “I know him too, Raven. I’ve known him all my existence. Please, give me a chance to figure this out. I have an idea that might work to bring him back and keep your soul away from Lucian.”
I close my eyes for a moment, settling my nerves. If Micah has come up with another way, I will let it play out despite how scared I am of failure. Failing doesn’t just mean Elias dies alone. It means so much more, and I’ve been so used to fighting for my own soul that it’s hard even now to let someone else handle it.
“I can’t allow you more than a day, Micah,” I say, my voice growing soft. “He’s running out of time. This can be easy. And if you’re worried about me falling for Lucian’s manipulation, don’t be. He hasn’t earned his right to be with me. Not like Dante and Kase. Not like Andre and Elias. And especially not like you. You’ve done everything in your power to try to help me, Micah. You care about my soul in a way no one else does, and I know this. I appreciate it.”
Holding up my hand, I show off the glittering ring with the soul he trapped within just for me, still the only jewelry I wear from my devils, though Kase is wearing me down with his desire to bling my body with a hood piercing. “This ring proves it. I wear this in your honor.”
His sharp features soften and he pulls my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. I get caught in his fiery gaze, my body still buzzing from my strange-ass moment with Lucian. Micah studies me as if he peers right at my soul and plans to touch it how Lucian had. It’s like he wants to make me forget that it ever happened. And suddenly, I want that too.
“Your thoughts, Raven,” Micah murmurs. His eyes break from mine, and he drinks in the rest of me. “You want me. You crave me. I can sense it in your being.”
Heat warms my face as our minds open completely to each other and a wave of Micah’s lust crashes over me, and I let it wash away the craziness of the night. It leaves me wanting to bare more than my soul to him. He’s been far more patient with me than the others, and while he claims our relationship isn’t about sex, I know he desires to experience it. He wants to know me on every level. And I plan to give him what he wants. Take what I desire. Corrupting devils is far more fun than corrupting angels. All it takes is a small stroke of my hand to unleash Micah’s wild side.
I link my fingers to his shirt and tug it over his head the same moment I slide onto his lap and straddle him on the edge of the bed. He moans and braces his body with one hand to stop me from pushing him back. With his other hand, he ignites orange Hell power in his palm and smolders the front of my shirt, the flames leaving me topless for him. He lifts me higher, using only his leg, the pressure of his knee between my legs feeling intense and incredible. He bounces me slightly, sucking my nipple into his mouth. I clutch his hair, grinding against the pressure of his body. Fuck, it feels good.
Giving in to lying on his back, Micah drags me up his chest until my knees hit the bed above his shoulders. He spreads my legs wider and singes the seam of my pants, burning right through them. And then he half transforms, his long tusks caging me in place and holding me still as he drags his tongue across my body, the sensation hot and tingling and so fucking amazing that my whole body trembles.
I stiffen and brace myself, clutching his tusks as an orgasm rips a scream of pleasure from me. Micah falls to his gluttony, only stopping long enough to smile and lick his lips. His tusks vanish as he shifts completely back into his human form only to get me to turn around. And then he starts all over again, eating me out even more desperately. I groan as he slides his tongue from my clit and back and pays extra attention to my ass. I gasp and bow forward, enjoying his gluttonous need for my body.
I can’t reach his cock with my mouth from this position, so I pop the button of his pants open and spit in my hand for extra slipperiness. My touch sets off his devil side, and I’m so fucking glad he can’t see me because damn. His devil cock curves in a way that fascinates me. I want to know what it feels like, the sensations it’ll create, how the curve gives it a grooved texture.
“You want me in my devil form, heathen?” Micah asks, hearing my thoughts. “Are you sure?”
“I love you in every form you take, Micah. You’re my perfect gluttonous sinner. Fuck me however you desire—except my ass. That’s been claimed.” I laugh breathlessly with my words, letting Micah shift me onto the bed.
I expect him to flip me around, but he comes up behind me and flogs me with his long, tough tail, letting me feel the sensation of his Hell form without seeing him. He’s nervous yet excited. I can feel it deep in my being.
“We’ll see about that,” he murmurs, shifting my legs together a bit more as he rests his hulking legs on the outside, though his hands remain the same as he grabs my hair and arches my back to kiss me. “Unlike the other devils, I stretch to fit however you please.”
I don’t get a chance to satiate my curiosity, because Micah thrusts into me, unable to control his wild beast side, dying to claim me. The sensation arouses my very soul, the sensation of his curved, ribbed cock stroking against my G-spot.
“Oh, fuck!” I scream out, the pleasure so intense that I feel myself squirt with my orgasm, his quick, rhythmic thrusts hitting me perfectly in all the right spots. “Micah, your cock. It’s indescribable. I—” Holy shit. I scream out again, my body tensing with another orgasm. I didn’t think this was possible, but Micah’s passion does something crazy good to my body.
“You’re like Heaven and Hell combined in an unfathomable wave of ecstasy,” Micah murmurs, hitting his rock-hard body to my ass, ravishing me with his gluttonous need for our passion.
My arms give out on me, and I bow forward, moaning and gasping, losing myself to the intense waterfall of bliss. I savor every second of getting fucked in such a way that I feel deep in my being with every damn quaking orgasm.
“My beautiful heathen. This will be our eternity regardless of whether you succeed in fulfilling your contract. I’ve ensured it. I never want you to worry. Your soul is mine.” With his words, he moans shockingly loud, almost roaring, and I clutch the blankets as he thrusts a few more times. He digs his fingers into my hips with his orgasm, the sensation strangely exciting like a small explosion that shocks every one of my nerve endings in a good way.
Micah slumps onto me only to roll me over and into his chest. “I want more of you. I can’t seem to get enough. Why don’t you forget about everything and let me take care of things? You will never have to worry about being mistreated by Lucian. Not with my name on your contract too.”
“Wait, what? How could you even suggest a thing, Micah?” I can’t stop my mind from whirling.
I had been worried about Dante’s envy and possessiveness, but maybe it should’ve been Micah I needed to keep cautious with. He is a glutton after all. He will never feel like he gets enough of me, my soul, or whatever else he sets his sights on. And bringing up the fact that his name is on my contract? I didn’t realize how serious he was when he’d make promises about our future. I had assumed he just felt entitled and thought since Kase and Dante weren’t exactly getting along with Lucian that he was going to be there if things fall apart. Now it sounds like he wants them to.
Micah props himself up on his elbow. “How can I not? I know you worry about everything. I don’t want you to always wonder about what will happen. This way we can ensure it.”
I gather the blanket and scoot to the edge of the bed. “That’s very thoughtful, but you know I’m set on getting this shit done.”
He sighs and arches forward, his body still hard and flexing in all the right places. “Raven, come on. Don’t run. I can hear your thoughts racing. Your fears are unwarranted. I won’t be overly possessive. I’m sure I can work things out with the others. Contracts can be re-negotiated once you’re mine. We—”
“Micah, I think this was a mistake. I thought it would help you, showing you that I care about you, but you’re speaking as if you’re my soul keeper and not a man who wants me as his queen.” I tighten the blanket around me. “I’m sorry.”
“I am your soul keeper. You’re my purpose,” Micah argues, standing up.
I wave my hand getting him to stop. “I think you need some space to get your shit together. You’re letting your gluttony consume your rationale. Please, just stay here and try to find your good sense. I’m going to take a bath in Dante’s room and wait for them to return.”
Micah throws his arms out, his features sharpening in annoyance. “I have a shower we can wash in together.”
Fucking Hell. And I really mean it. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen when you let it inside of you.
“Next time, okay? Just...I have to go. I’m sorry.” I rush from the room and bolt down the hallway to Dante’s room. I never expected to be a hit it and quit it type of person, especially after taking the virginity of the ruler of Gluttony, but damn it. I wasn’t prepared for him to start planning an eternity for if I fail.
Or asking me to purposely do so.
I don’t spend long cleaning up in the bathroom I share with Dante. After a quick shower and using the damn cum sponges I never knew existed until Dante set a box in full view on the counter, I throw on some panties and one of his shirts, just wanting to hide in the massive closet until he returns.
But ethereal light on the balcony catches my attention. My heart slides into my stomach, and I grab onto his biggest dildo on the shelf, getting ready to clobber a guardian savior with it if I have to. I will show no mercy after their bullshit.
Zade stands frozen on the other side of the door, his eyes darting from mine and to the heavy silicone monstrosity resting on my shoulder.
I automatically drop it to the floor with a thud and stride to the glass. “You’re here. I thought you sent an army to murder me because of what you saw earlier.”
His brows pucker and he shakes his head. “I’d never. I know how much you mean to Andre.”
“Then what are you doing here?” I ask, hugging my arms across my chest.
“Can we talk? Somewhere I don’t have to worry about getting attacked by one of your devils?” He peers past me. “I won’t take you far. Across the yard.”
I open the door completely and step out into the cool night. “I’d like that. I wanted to explain myself. What you saw—”
Shaking his head, he covers my mouth and hooks his arm around my waist, lifting me off my feet. “Not here. Come on. Don’t worry about the guardians or anyone else. I promise to keep you safe.”
I stare into his vivid blue eyes. For once, I might actually believe him.
