A Glow of Stars & Dusk by Eve L. Mitchell

The Scavengers threw themselves forward,and my six—no, not mine—the six demons that I was used to, took up their defensive positions. Not around me, I noted. They were as wary of the circle as Asmodeous and the Scavengers seemed to be.

Could they get in? More importantly, could I get out?

I looked around me as fear and anger mixed within me, and a cry had me looking up. The battle was in full flow, I couldn’t comprehend how fast it had moved, and I stood transfixed as I watched the six demons fight as one. As they had before, they took my breath away in their beautiful savagery. Their clothing had changed, I hadn’t even seen it happen. All wore their black tunics, and as I had dressed Zel at my pool, they had armoured plates over their tunics. The leather trousers had many leg holsters housing weapons, and as they each fought with their weapons of fire, they were as spectacular as they were daunting. All six had their hoods up, and only from getting to know them over the last few days was I able to identify them as they fought.

Last few days? I blinked. Had it even been a week since my whole life was turned upside down? This time last week, I was happily working as a freelance accountant and doing simple readings for paying customers in the evening.

Now? Now, I was watching a battle of demon against demon while I stood helplessly in a protective circle. I still wasn’t sure if the protection was for me. Gran. I closed my eyes and pulled. Nothing. I felt tears of frustration well behind my closed lids.

“You can step out at any time, witch.” Asmodeous was beside me, carefully walking the circle as he watched me like a cat watches a mouse. “Come out and play with me, Star,” he taunted.

“I think I’m okay here,” I answered even as my throat dried with fear. Sam and the others were demons, and yes, they were scary when I met them, but this was a prince of hell, and he was more than scary. Even within the circle, I could feel the evil pulse within him. His amber eyes roamed over me, and as the wind moulded the stupid white dress to my body, Asmodeous’s eyes flared with appreciation.

“I can see why Samyaza was tempted,” he told me as his head canted to the side. “Yeqon tells me you taste like the nectar of heaven.” Asmodeous leaned forward slightly and inhaled deeply. “It’s been a long time since I tasted the heavenly honey, witch.” His amber eyes glowed brightly. “I hunger for it.”

“And it will be a long time to never before you taste me,” I told him firmly. There was something seriously wrong with these demons. “I’m not coming out.” I glanced to the six demons. “And they won’t let you in.”

Asmodeous scoffed. “The Watchers think they are immune to the hierarchy of hell.” His chestnut curls blew slightly in the breeze. “They are deluded. I will cut them all down before I am finished with them for this betrayal.”

“They are immortal,” I snapped. “You cannot beat them.”

“They cannot die, but oh, my little witch.” His breath whistled between his teeth as he folded his hands and rested them under his chin as he looked at me with a hooded look. “They bleed, they suffer, and their pain is intoxicating.”

Fear for them rose within me as I looked over, and I saw Ros in battle with one of the demons Yeqon had come with. Were they not the same? Weren’t they all Watchers? Ros took a heavy blow to his arm, and I heard him cry out. My worry grew for their well-being, but my anger at their trickery fought it.

“What was the trade?” I asked as my eyes followed Sam.

“The spell to break my curse for a brother.” Asmodeous tossed it out there as he continued to prowl outside my circle.

“Just a spell,” I asked quietly as Zel ducked and brought his short sword up into the gut of a Scavenger. I turned as the Scavenger’s insides splattered onto the grass.

“You want to know if it was the complete package deal?” Asmodeous asked me with a sly smile. “It was.”

My attention switched to him. No, they wouldn’t. Again my internal rage fought me, but I had to believe they wouldn’t hang me out to dry. I had had sex with him, my mind screamed. Image after image of Sam moving in me, over me, under me, flashed into my head. I remembered his moans, his whispered words, his complete possessiveness as we moved as one. That couldn’t be faked. Could it?

“You’re just a fuck, witch,” he said crudely. “Like all the many, many fucks he’s had before and the thousands that will come after you.” Asmodeous laughed into the darkening night. “He will have forgotten you before he’s even sinking his cock into the next willing slut.”

My jaw clenched as I felt his words like a punch in the gut. My look returned to Sam, and I watched him cut a path through the Scavengers to get to me. I saw his green eyes burning with fury as he caught my look, and even in the chaos that raged around us, I felt our connection. It gave me strength. He gave me strength. I turned back to Asmodeous.

“There have been many before me,” I acknowledged despite the surge of jealousy. “There will be more after me,” I said, feeling the pang of sadness as I glanced back at my demon. “But for now? For now, I am his and he is mine.”

Asmodeous threw his head back and laughed loudly into the night. I didn’t care about Asmodeous, I cared about Sam, and I saw the brief smile as he heard my words, it was all I needed.

“Fuck off back to hell, Prince, I won’t help you.” I met his angry stare with my own. “My ancestor cursed you for a reason, and I sure as hell won’t break it.” I looked him over with scorn. “You burn her every day in oil? And still she does not lift the curse?” I shook my head. “And neither will I.”

Asmodeous stepped closer to the circle. “You cannot stay in here, witch. You will come out, and there is nowhere on this earth that you can hide from me. I will find you, and I will cut you to pieces and feed you to your Watchers. I will make you suffer worse than any before you,” he promised me as his eyes burned with fury, and I realised his amber glow came from flames burning in his eyes.

His eyes burned with the flames of hell. Holy fuck, what was I doing refusing a prince of hell?

Obstinate and stubborn, they called me. Smiling widely at the demon whose hate for me was tangible, I turned my back on him. “Go away, little prince, there’s nothing for you here.”

His roar of fury echoed in the night air just as the wind picked up and the storm clouds raced across the empty sky. I called the wind and the rain, and as I did, I felt my power rush up to meet me. I closed my eyes in relief as I felt it coursing through my veins again. When I opened them, the threat was gone and I was staring at six bedraggled and slightly injured demons. Soldiers. Watchers.

Yeqon and the two Watchers with him stood to the side, and he watched me carefully. His dark blue eyes flicked over me as he looked between me and Sam. Sam held his stare for a long time before Yeqon nodded slightly. “You play a dangerous game,” he said softly.

“I do?” I questioned him.

Yeqon smiled briefly at me before he turned to the others. “This does not get us Araqiel back,” he snapped angrily at Sam.

“And siding with him does?” Zel snarled back. “We have to think smart, not act with stupidity.”

“Brother fighting brother is not the way,” Chaz spoke quietly as he looked to the sky, his gaze on the clouds. “There is still so much to be done,” he sighed as he looked back at his brothers. “Araqiel needs to be free, we need him, but we need to be careful about what we are willing to sacrifice.”

“Is that me?” I asked cautiously. Three threes looked at me as one. Holy shit, I was still in deep shit. “The sacrifice, I mean. I’m not on board with that.”

Der grunted out a laugh as he flexed his shoulder. “I could have done without the play-by-play porn show as I was fighting.” He grinned at me. “But appreciate you sharing.”

“What?” My eyes were as wide as saucers.

“We need to teach you to school your thoughts,” Pen told me in amusement as he unstrapped his shoulder plates. “What the fuck did you hit me with, Bara?” he asked one of the new ones.

“My mighty sword,” the new one answered. He hefted the biggest sword I had ever seen as he grinned. His shoulder-length brown hair styled in loose waves softened his square jaw. Deep brown eyes ran over me. “Thought you’d be prettier.”

“Thought you would fight with your brothers, not against them,” I snapped back. Dick.

Ros snorted in amusement even as Bara bristled. “She just says what we’re all thinking.” Ros stroked his short blond beard as he looked at me. “I think you’re plenty pretty,” he added with a wink.

“Are you coming out?” Sam asked me impatiently.

“Nope.”

“No?” His full attention was on me. “What do you mean no?”

“It’s the opposite of yes,” I told him with a scowl. “I’m not coming out until you all tell me what the fuck is going on.” I folded my arms across my chest.

“She swears a lot,” the last demon I didn’t know spoke. “It’s jarring.”

“They swear all the time,” I protested with an angry point at my demons.

“They are male,” he answered simply.

Oh hell he did not.“I beg your pardon?”

“Granted.” He beamed at me, and I had the feeling he would have patted my head in appreciation had he been able to reach me.

“Sam!” I demanded tersely. “Which idiot brother is this?”

Sam’s eyes had closed briefly when his brother had spoken. He looked at me now in resignation. “This is Suriel. He is fluent in the art, of course, of the moon.” Sam’s voice had a warning undertone.

I ignored it. “It seems he has the art of chauvinistic pig mastered.”

“She’s delightful.” Bara grinned at me. “Completely untaught and wild.” He turned to Yeqon. “She taste as good?”

Before I protested, Sam had punched his brother out. I felt a surge of appreciation for him. “All of you will stop talking about anyone tasting her,” he growled as he looked at them all. He looked towards me, and I saw amusement in his eyes as he caught me nodding emphatically at his words. “You,” he spoke to me. “Out.”

I stopped nodding, and I tilted my head to the side as I looked at Sam and then the rest of them. “No.”

“Star?” Pen caught my attention. “Why are you not coming out?”

“Why?” I looked at them all in disbelief. “Because about an hour ago, you tricked me into this damn circle, you were going to give me to a prince of hell, he”—I pointed at Sam—“tricked me into having sex with him, and you all betrayed me with your lies.”

“When did I trick you into having sex?” Sam demanded as he unbuckled his shoulder plate, rubbing his shoulder underneath. “You hardly tripped and fell on my dick, witch.”

I heard Chaz’s oh no, I heard Ros’s delighted here we go,and I heard Zel’s snort of derision. I heard them, but I couldn’t believe the audacity of this demon in front of me.

“Was that wise?” Pen murmured to Sam in rebuke.

I should’ve ignored him. “Tripped and fell on your dick!” Yeah, there was no way I was letting that pass. “You seduced me, you arrogant prick!”

“I did not seduce you,” Sam growled. “You threw yourself at me.”

My head reeled back in shock. “Threw myself at you? At you?” I looked around wildly, my gaze landing on Chaz, who had been pulling his hair into his manbun and looked at me startled when my eyes narrowed on him. “Him!” I pointed at Chaz as my glare returned to Sam. “If I was going to throw myself at anyone, it was him.” I carried on, recklessly ignoring Sam’s low growl. “But you, you stopped me. You kissed me.You threw yourself at me. You came into my bedroom, you made every single move on me.”

“You mean when I had you screaming on the end of my dick and begging for more?” Sam bit back crudely.

“I was begging for you to stop,” I lied as embarrassment and anger flooded my cheeks. I poked Sam in the chest as I stepped up to him. “You’re a complete wanker.”

“Got you.” His eyes glowed with triumph, and I realised I had stepped outside my circle. His strong arms caught me from behind as I turned and tried to run back inside the circle. He held me against his chest. “Now, now, little witch, you know you like it when I’m rough,” he whispered into my ear as he rumbled with laughter.

“She’s passionate at least,” Bara commented to the others as he watched me struggle futilely in Sam’s hold.

“Completely unaware of her surroundings,” Zel criticised as he gave me a dismissive glare. “Reacts before she thinks. She’s a danger to herself and everyone around her, stupidly reckless.”

“We can work on it,” Pen assured me with a comforting smile.

“We can?” I asked dubiously as I fell in defeat against Sam as his arm tightened across my waist.

“Absolutely.” Chaz nodded emphatically. “Anything can be taught,” he said with a warm smile.

Maybe Zel was right, this was the third time Sam had made me react to his taunting, and I fell for it every damn time. “What if Zel is right and I’m unteachable?” I asked self-consciously.

“Can’t teach stupid,” Zel muttered.

“I’m not stupid!” I snapped at the surly demon.

“Then you can be taught,” Bara said with an encouraging smile. “You’re lucky, we are very good teachers.”

“Aren’t you the enemy?” I asked cautiously. “I mean, you were just fighting each other.”

“Opposite sides of the same goal.” Yeqon spoke dismissively. “We want the same thing, our brother free of Asmodeous.”

“And I was merely what? A fun fuck you to Sam?”

“The swearing is excessive,” Suriel said sadly to Chaz.

“She grows on you, in a few days you won’t even notice it.” He clapped his brother on the shoulder as he walked over to join Pen and Der.

Yeqon watched their exchange before turning his attention back to Sam and me. He gave an unconcerned shrug. “I did not know it ran so deep,” he said to Sam with a slight bow of his head.

“Now you know,” Sam answered as his arm tightened around me.

“Now I know.”

“Know what?” I asked Sam in confusion as Yeqon too joined the others. Sam spun me in his arms, and I looked up at him warily, his green eyes glowing softly.

He dipped his head to mine, his lips brushing mine softly. “Knows you’re mine.”

“Am I?” My uncertainty must have been evident, and his eyes dimmed slightly as his finger traced across my lips.

“Most definitely.” He kissed me hard, and tentatively I returned his kiss before he became more demanding, obviously impatient with my hesitation.

The course of the evening flashed through my mind, and I remembered the strength I felt when I recognised our connection. The strength I got from Sam made me banish a prince of hell back to the underground. My arms wound around his neck as my mouth opened to return his kiss, and I heard his groan of approval as his arms tightened around me.

Yes, he was a complete overbearing dick, but for now, I was his and he was mine.