Hellbound Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book Five) Read online

  She wanted to be able to forgive what had been done to her and the ones responsible so that she could earn her proper place back in heaven, but she didn’t sense one ounce of that angel inside. All that was left was anger, bitterness, hatred and vengeance.

  The couple she had been torturing for the past hour was done. The female hung limply, causing a lump to form in Illianna’s throat. She wished she could give this female a semblance of peace because when she woke, her pain was only going to be magnified. Illianna ought to know, she’d been there numerous times herself. Knowing better than to intervene, she watched as the male carried the female off the stage and she focused on the next pair to take their place. Her shift was far from over and she had to please the crowd or she would be punished later for a disappointing show.

  *****

  Rhys couldn’t stand watching the angel any longer. He had to do something to help her. His body took over and his feet were moving towards the stage before he realized where he was going.

  Dante grabbed Rhys arm, stopping him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

  Rhys jerked his arm from his Lord’s grasp. Down here they were equals, and he wasn’t about to be told what to do, especially, where the angel was concerned. “I will not allow them to do this to her any longer. I’m grabbing her and getting out of here.”

  Kellen gaped at him while Dante glowered. “And then what? How far do you think you will get before those goons stop you? You know what will happen then, don’t you?” Dante spat, his words barely audible. The reminder of their precarious situation brought a sliver of clarity to the fore.

  Cursing, Rhys rubbed his chin. Everything in him was itching to sweep her up and take her out of there. The sight of the silver collar and chains were so wrong on that delicate creature. She wasn’t the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. In fact, she was the opposite of his type with few curves and her slim build. He preferred a voluptuous female with big breasts and long, silky hair. Yet, he was drawn to her like no other and wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything.

  “I can’t leave her here. Nothing you can say or do will convince me that I need to turn around and walk out of this club without her,” Rhys replied honestly.

  Dante’s mouth tightened and he pulled Rhys to a table off to the side and shoved him into a chair. Dante kept close-lipped while a waitress took their order, but the moment the waitress scurried to fill their order, Dante was leaning over and snarling, “Is this about your beast? If you need sex there are plenty of females to choose from all around us.”

  On cue, a female djinn approached their table. Her green skin glowed in the low lighting of the club. The sway of her hips and curl to her lips told Rhys what she had in mind.

  Stopping next to Dante, the djinn ran her hand across his shoulder and purred, “I haven’t seen you before. I would never forget such delicious males. I live upstairs, let’s go have a good time.” Batting long lashes, her tongue snaked out, licking full red lips.

  Dante captured her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it. Rhys’ inner beast had been restless since entering Hell, and, at the female’s invitation, clamored for action. He wanted to accept the offer, but the urgency to help the angel was too great.

  Dante’s deep voice caught Rhys’ attention. “Rain check, pet. If we go upstairs with you now, we will never leave this place.”

  “Who says you have to? I can keep you entertained and fed for as long as you’d like,” she countered and unzipped her top, revealing large, lush breasts. Rhys noticed Dante and Kellen immediately respond to the sight. Rhys had to admit that her breasts were tempting. Dark green nipples hardened under the scrutiny and she ran slender fingers over them, pinching and tugging the turgid peaks. She was his exact type, yet his gaze traveled back to the naked angel on the stage.

  Right now, all he wanted was the fragile, broken angel. Dante and Kellen could go with the djinn, Rhys was taking the angel. He’d love to get lost in her for decade or two. His sexual need had him shaking. Being back in his father’s realm was affecting him more than he anticipated. Or, perhaps this was part of the test for this circle. Nothing else made sense as to why he was so drawn to her.

  Clearly lost to the seduction, Dante smiled and reached over, latching onto her breast while Kellen leaned forward and licked the other one. The female threw her head back and moaned, wrapped her arms around the males’ shoulders and tugged them closer to her body. It took every ounce of Rhys’ control not to join in. He couldn’t go much longer without sex, but now wasn’t the time, and this wasn’t the female he craved.

  “Sorry, sweetcakes, but if we don’t deliver a package to Lemuel within the hour, we won’t be able to come back and spend time with you,” Rhys interjected, shoving Dante and Kellen away from the djinn.

  She quickly paled. “Lemuel?” her voice croaked as she zipped her vest. “Find me when you get back, handsome?” she murmured, hurrying off. Apparently, she was familiar with what happened when his father was disappointed.

  “Fuck, that was close. Thanks,” Dante exclaimed, running his hand through his hair and lowering his head. “We will need to get laid soon.”

  Rhys nodded and accepted his demon brew from the waitress delivering their drinks, taking a sip of the caustic drink. It burned all the way down his throat and reminded him, yet again, of his time in Hell. It hadn’t been all bad. There had been many nights with his friend and fellow cambion, Brodie, where it had been all about partying, drinking and enjoying females. Those had been the best times, at least until his father had killed Brodie to punish Rhys.

  “We need to be on guard. We can’t forget about the tests in each circle and I have no doubt that the test for this circle will come in the form of losing ourselves in pleasure. Now, back to your question before we were interrupted. This thing with the angel isn’t about my beast at all. It’s about avoiding a war with angels,” Rhys explained, unable to shake the feeling that this was connected to three irate brothers.

  “What the hell does that mean? We’re not at war with the angels,” Dante pointed out, sipping his own drink.

  “Don’t drink that shit,” Kellen warned. “You have no idea what they’ve put in it, and, like Rhys said, we need to be on our game. Goddess, you’d think you two would know better,” Kellen finished, shaking his head at them, making Rhys curse.

  “Fuck,” Dante echoed, setting his drink down. “You need to explain a bit more about what you mean by a war with the angels, Rhys.”

  Rhys pushed his drink away and folded his hands on the top of the table to hide his nerves. “About a month ago, three angels visited me and accused me of kidnapping their beloved little sister. They explained a seer had told them Illianna’s disappearance was connected to me. They threatened to tear the Tehrex Realm apart to find her and didn’t care who they killed in the process. Trust me, they were pissed and out for fucking blood. And, before you ask, I have no fucking idea why this prophet connected me to the missing female. I’ve never even had sex with an angel. Anyway, these males visited me again when Gerrick’s mate was killed…holy shit…that’s it,” he muttered, the obvious suddenly dawning on him.

  Watching the angel pace the stage as they set up the next act, he noted how nervous she was, yet somehow managed to keep her composure.

  Rhys continued as pieces fell into place, “We lost the amulet during that fight because Gerrick used his time-tracing to save Shae’s life and that event forced us to come here where this angel is being held hostage. That’s how she’s connected to me. The brothers appeared in the middle of the battle, saying something about their sister’s death. It didn’t make sense at the time. But now it does. I’m supposed to save her.”

  “I think you’re reaching there, Rhys. We aren’t taking the chance. If they are her brothers, we can tell them where she is when we get back,” Dante countered with a raised eyebrow.

  Rhys glared at the Cambion Lord. The male was being unreasonable. Or, maybe Rhys was. Either way, it d
idn’t matter because he wasn’t leaving the club without this angel. “Let me be very clear. I am not leaving without her. You can help me devise a plan or you two can go ahead without me.”

  “Have you considered that this is your test for this circle? This could be a trap,” Kellen added, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Rhys hadn’t considered the idea. He paused and examined his urges, but after several minutes didn’t detect any sort of malice or trickery. Evzen had warned them to watch out for negative energy or malevolence when they encountered roadblocks.

  “That is a valid point, Kellen, but I don’t believe this has anything to do with testing me. I think that djinn was part of our test, bro, not the angel. I can’t explain it, but she must go with us. You haven’t considered that the Goddess placed us in her path to save her so she can aid us. It’s not a coincidence that we happened to enter this bar of all places in this circle,” Rhys asserted.

  “Dammit, Rhys,” Dante growled and Rhys sensed his capitulation. “I don’t like this one bit. We haven’t even begun our fucking mission and already you are throwing a huge curveball into the mix. Alright, genius, how do you propose we sneak her out of here?”

  Rhys watched the angel as she gave the new male instructions. Apparently, he didn’t care for what she’d said because he grabbed hold of one of the chains running from her neck to her wrists, jerking her forward. The angel was no wilting willow as she scowled and yanked her chain from his hand, shoving him away. Rhys liked her spunk, and was glad to see her fight back.

  “The only place we are going to be able to get to her will be in the private chambers,” Rhys offered, lowering his voice so they weren’t overheard.

  “And, where would those be?” Kellen asked, turning his untouched drink in his hands.

  “I have no idea,” Rhys murmured.

  The three of them fell silent as they watched the stage. Rhys sat up straight when he watched the couple head backstage before another couple entered the stage from the same direction. “Backstage. They will take her there after she’s done. It’s our best bet.”

  “And then what? Walk out the front door with her?” Dante countered.

  Rhys smiled at Dante, “No, we’re going to sneak her out the back.”

  “We aren’t going to be able to sneak her through the barrier to the Third Circle, you do realize that, right?” Kellen said suddenly, his face etched with concern.

  “Shit,” Rhys cursed. “We have to find the demon who encrypts the slave bands here. We find them and convince them to remove Illianna’s collar.”

  “We have nothing to barter for what you’re suggesting. Besides, you have no idea if this is even Illianna, Rhys,” Dante replied, questions clear in his direct blue gaze. Rhys understood why the Cambion Lord was questioning him. He was acting way out of character and what they were about to attempt could get them killed. Outside fighting for the realm, Rhys didn’t put his ass on the line like this.

  “We have backpacks full of shit to barter with. And, if they don’t want what we’ve got, then I’ll trade you, Dante. Your cock is legendary, after all,” Rhys chuckled, slapping his friend on the shoulder.

  “You’re the one with Fabio hair. I say we trade you,” Dante laughed, shaking his head in defeat.

  Rhys tensed as he watched the bouncers lead the angel from the stage. “Lock-n-load, boys. It’s show time.” All he needed now was a white horse and a suit of armor.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Illianna wiped off the wood stool and sank down. Crossing her ankle over her knee, she rubbed her sore, swollen foot. She would have thought that after a hundred years of doing shows nearly every night, her feet wouldn’t ache so much. She knew didn’t have long before Lemuel’s men came to get her so she took the time to enjoy the quiet. It was in moments like these that she was able to recharge her inner strength so she didn’t devolve to the broken spirit they wanted.

  She wasn’t given much freedom, but she used what little time she was given to stay tethered to heaven as much as possible. She needed that connection to her home now more than ever. That brief second when her eyes had connected with an impossibly gorgeous demon had shaken her.

  She wished she was in her field. Early on during her captivity, she had found a meadow where souls were sent to suffer for a hundred years. She went there as often as possible to try and bring those beings a small measure of peace. True happiness wasn’t possible in Hell, but she did what she could.

  She knew from experience joy was unattainable in the Underworld. Even the demons that inhabited the realm were miserable, whether they admitted it or not. She could sense the self-hatred and loathing deep down inside which was why they turned to violence. This place was probably where the term misery loves company was formed.

  One might think forcing another person to have sex against their will would be the ultimate torture, but that wasn’t what got to her. It was the way they treated her like an animal. She was never more humiliated than when they fed her. She was lower than a dog as they chained her nude body at Lemuel’s feet, throwing food to her on the floor. And, to call what they gave her food was a misnomer. Most days she couldn’t identify what she was eating, only that it tasted like century old, rotten meat and looked even worse.

  Initially, she hadn’t been able to keep the food down and had vomited constantly, but survival instinct eventually took over and her stomach adjusted. One day when she had gotten lost in Lemuel’s home she’d stumbled across the kitchen and wished she hadn’t. They’d been cutting up a pus demon and making a stew from it. Pus demons were the worst of the demons she’d encountered. They were slimy, smelly and very aggressive, always pawing at her when she was tasked with entertaining them.

  She closed her eyes and shut out the noise beyond the room, focusing on her cloud in heaven. It centered her to recall what her life had been like before. She had a small three-bedroom home not far from where she grew up. It was decorated in shades of blue and tan.

  Her brother’s had a habit of stopping by for dinner unannounced because they loved her cooking, especially her lasagna. A small smile crept over her lips as she thought of her brother’s sitting at the bar in her kitchen teasing her, their huge red wings taking up all the space in the room.

  It was dangerous for her to toil too long on the past, because her anger over being taken from everyone she loved crept in and got the better of her. She hated her temper more than anything. It was a symptom of the poison on her soul. She couldn’t recall ever being so angry. Her biggest issues before the Underworld had been silly and mundane, like wishing for larger breasts. Now, she prayed to banish the hatred and rage that consumed her.

  Perhaps she’d sneak out later and visit the field. It would help if she could do her work. Thoughts of sneaking out had her mind going back to the alluring demon in the bar. She had never once been attracted to the demons, no matter how physically appealing they might be. The fact that she couldn’t stop thinking of this one made her heart race and her head spin.

  Surely, she wasn’t that low now. There was no way she would allow Lemuel to win. She ignored his daily taunts about taking her destiny and destroying it along with his ungrateful son. She hadn’t been able to learn more than this son had royally pissed off Lemuel when he escaped Hell, eschewing everything he stood for. She was glad the son had gotten away, and only wished she could do the same.

  A soft noise had her snapping her eyes open and jumping off the stool, sending it clattering to the ground. Speak of the devil. The demon that had been in her thoughts was suddenly standing in front of her, and, damn if wasn’t more gorgeous up close.

  He was a few inches taller than her five-ten frame and had a square masculine jaw with a five o’clock shadow that was sexier than it should be. Reaching out, he smiled at her and it sent a shiver all the way to her toes. That smile was dangerous and if she had panties on, they’d have fallen down around her ankles. No one had ever elicited such a response from something so simple. Silently chastising
herself for such naughty thoughts, she lowered her gaze.

  Her eyes didn’t stray far as they kept going back to examine his muscular body. His leather jacket and soft black t-shirt couldn’t hide the ridges of his abdomen. And, his pants couldn’t hide his obvious arousal, she thought, gaping at the bulge straining against the zipper.

  Sharply looking away, she noted that the two demons she’d seen him with in the bar had come into the room with him. Squaring her shoulders, she crossed her arms over her chest, hiding as much as she could from their gaze. It had been decades since she had been embarrassed about her nudity.

  “Can I help you?” she asked defiantly.

  “No, I’m here to help you, Luscious,” he murmured with another smile.

  “Are you with Lemuel?” she asked warily. Who were these guys and what did they really want? Perhaps, they hoped to take an angel for themselves and use her blood and wings to their advantage.

  She didn’t miss the way he stiffened at the mention of Lemuel. There was something there, but she wasn’t certain what it was. “No, we aren’t with Lemuel. I would never help that male!” he snapped. “We are pledged to the Goddess Morrigan.”

  Illianna tilted her head to the side and considered his words and the vehemence with which he pledged to be one of the Goddess’ men. It was obvious he held no love for her captor, but she couldn’t believe he was pledged to a Goddess. She had never met a demon on the side of Light. “You, with a Goddess, yeah right. Try again, demon. I’m not stupid.”

  He rubbed his chin and considered her. A jolt of fear coursed through her veins. What if she’d pushed him too far with her derogatory attitude? Quickly stifling the emotion, she reminded herself that he wasn’t in charge and would face punishment if he harmed her. Lemuel considered her his personal token, and, while it was perfectly fine for him to abuse and torture her at will, he didn’t take kindly to others doing it.

  “I’m a cambion, not a full demon and I am pledged to the Goddess. I’m a Dark Warrior of the Tehrex Realm,” the demon countered.