Chained to the Devil’s Daughter (Mating the Elements #1)

48

Ash’ren

I struggled against two undead fuckers, panic swamping my lungs. Devil had known of our presence the whole time. By the time I broke free of the slimy fingers grasping for me, Searra was a crumpled heap on the ground.

“Searra!”

“Hello, puppy,” Devil laughed, but it turned into a cough. Searra’s dagger was buried to the hilt in his side. Devil gave a gargled cry as he yanked it out and tossed it to the floor. Goopy poisoned flesh bubbled from the gash. Annoyance flickered over Devil’s features as he pressed a hand to the mottled flesh.

Last time, I’d played with my food. Today I was ready to fucking feast.

First I commanded my fire to drag that damned book back to the void. Then I lunged, hands coated in black flames. The old man expertly parried, a molten flame erupting from his open palm, the other pressed to his rapidly festering wound. Dodging the attack, I dared not glance at my beloved.

“You managed to steal her away from me,” Devil snarled. “How fucking quaint that you could do so from so many miles away. It’s over now.”

The old demon slapped his hands together. When they parted, crackling strands of magic connected his palms. I tried to snuff it, but the book was still burning black, draining my power.

“Don’t credit me with your work. You gave her up the moment you locked me away. In fact,” I paused, jumping to avoid the tendrils of fire flung my way. They smacked the concrete and sizzled to an end. “You’re more of a professional con artist than a ruler, aren’t you?”

Devil laughed. His tone turned sour like he was speaking to a mangy dog on the street. “Poor thing, someone took his bone.”

Fuck it, even without my fancy fire-stealing trick, I conjured a whip and strung Devil up like a gryffion herder. He fell back with a yelp, stumbling into the book stand that burned and burned. I slapped a gag over his mouth. “Much better.”

I knew something was off the moment Devil’s gaze flicked over my shoulder. His brows gave away his smile. I turned. First I looked to Searra, but she lay unchanged.

Then I heard them. Aggressive moans. Ripping flesh. Cracking bone. Wet, squelching footsteps.

The bipedal monstrosities strung up by nails were ripping straight through the metal, rushing to Devil’s aid. They tore through ligaments, their feet and hands and legs gnarled and hanging off in odd angles, giant holes leaking blood of all colors.

It was fucking gross.

My distraction lasted long enough that Devil’s arms locked around my neck, squeezing, his body free of my black flames.

Devil may have years on me, but void flames were not the only advantage he’d gifted me by banishment. Devil sat in a chair all day, flexing his little dick at everyone in Hell, planning feasts and balls and shit. I’d spent the last nine years raising and lowering the heaviest chain fucking ever and battling heavyweights for sport.

I threw us both to the ground and rolled into a smooth backward somersault, heaving Devil over my shoulder with a firm kick to his ass on the way. Devil’s body mowed down two of the monstrosities. Already up and ready for more, I clasped the no-good asshole’s wrists together with a strand of flame and spun, taking down all the monsters in a circular radius. I was starting to feel cocky again when Devil, slumped over the damned book that wouldn’t fucking burn, mumbled something that had the eyes of the monsters rolling round and round like the slot machines where I used to swipe gold from drunk tourists in Kindra’s casinos.

Cursing, I abandoned the rope to fling my arms up, black flame blades licking out a cool six inches from my elbows. I parried and dodged, flinging punches like I was in those damned pits and my life depended on it. Luckily, I had even more motivation to stay alive now. Oh, and, void-fucking-touched magic.

Magic that sung with every move. It singed my opponent before my knuckles sank into their rapidly decaying flesh. The smell of hot, rotting meat, and burnt hair filled the dank room.

With two colossal dead fuckers rushing me, I looked for Devil. In the chaos, the damned asshole had made it back to the podium, the evil book open and burning before him while he chanted. He looked like shit, slung over the thing despite the void flames, clutching his rotten side wound. I grabbed the nearest fleshy monster by the neck and slammed him down on the floor, throwing the crumpled form at Devil. The dark magic spewing from his mouth stopped with a grunt.

“You and me, buddy,” I purred to the final minion. I let it get close, real close, and blew a kiss of my hottest fire yet.

With those things taken care of, I stalked to Devil with my hands in my pockets. I’d planned on killing the tyrant right away this time, no fooling around,but it seemed I couldn’t help playing with my food a little. Especially when it seemed ready to die on its own.

“Poor baby,” I cooed, pinching the side of Devil’s cheek. “Someone stole your sweeties?”

Devil said something, muffled by the fresh gag I placed in his mouth. I tilted my head and cupped my ear.

Devil’s eyes narrowed. They flicked over my shoulder, where the moans of the dead minions were a chorus of death. I feigned ignorance and let the stupid old git finish his little spell, discreetly watching the new welt on Devil’s cheek grow. A few moments later, the moans turned into creaking and popping as the bewitched corpses began anew.

I clucked my tongue and waggled a finger back and forth before Devil’s face. “Now, there’s no need for that, you mangy lil’ mutt.”

With a wink, I blasted the writhing corpses back in a burst of flames. They didn’t all fall, but I didn’t need them to.

I saw the moment the old man noticed the strange sensation of the Tooty Booty beetle. It burrowed into the first layer of skin on his cheek, then deeper, until its shiny green butt was just a lump the size of a fingertip, crawling toward his scalp.

“Never thought I’d say it, Devil, but I’m going to miss seeing you like this.”

The fucked-up monstrosities fell one by one, Devil’s power fading. Muffled screams replaced his chants. Slack and trembling, his pupils were full of fear by the time the lump was out of sight. The little bugger had chewed straight to his pea-sized brain. Clever, clever Hydran spy!

“Brace yourself,” I warned. I turned away and took one, two steps, three, to kneel at Searra’s side, holding her against my chest. I watched over my shoulder as the bug crawled out of Devil’s left eye and scampered away.

Three seconds later, Devil’s head exploded, wet chunks of tyrant flying through the room.

“Firefly.” I rocked her in my arms. She was the most important thing in my life, fuck, the most important person in Hell. I kissed her knuckles, placing my thumb over the slight pattering of her pulse. “It’s over, Firefly. He’s gone.”