Deadly Desires (26 page)

“Not impressive enough.” Samael rubbed his hand over the growth on his face. Without Marcella, he’d let himself go. The clean-shaven, sharp look he’d sported for her had only lasted the short time she’d been here. When his father had taken her, Samael was ready to march into the gates of hell to get her back. Unfortunately for him and Zepar, the connection to the portal was closed off. No one could get inside. They were in limbo. Without the opportunity to save her, they were stuck waiting for their father to come to them. Which was pointless. He’d apparently washed his hands of him and his brother, and the probability of him coming almost two months later was farfetched, even for him to believe.

Jason walked outside, looking just as much like shit as the other ones. A beard had grown over his handsome face. The dark hair on his head stuck out everywhere. Bruises scattered across his arms and face. All six of the men lived to prepare for a future battle. None of them were able to face the fact that there might not be one. They had to get Marcella and Micah back. That was just the facts. There was no getting just one of them. It was both or nothing.

As one of the last conversations he and Marcella had together filtered through his head, Samael recalled her wanting to go to the doctor. From his calculations, he knew she had to be somewhere in the middle of her seventh month. Too many questions filled his mind. What if there were complications? What if Micah wasn’t all right? He tried not to think of the negative possibilities, but as time agonizingly stretched out before him he knew he had to take in everything. Hell held no powers for her. If it did, she’d be back right now. Without her powers she’d never be able to heal herself, after or during the birth. If he didn’t get to her before the time ran out, he might lose her for good.

Jason grabbed his arm and Samael jerked out of his grasp. It took him a minute to realize that his friend was trying to tell him something.

“Dude, chill. Nemmy’s here. He’s waiting inside for you.” Jason materialized his sword and pointed it in Ambrose’s direction. They’d be going at it, too, for hours. Once he was done with Nemmy, he’d come out and watch them. He needed to live this life of fighting. To prepare for what he knew would come. If he couldn’t go to his father, he’d have to make his father come to him.

Hundreds of people crowded in the great hall and he could see them working on their own gifts. After they’d witnessed their queen taken from them, right before their eyes, they’d become just as determined as her men to get her back. An empty sadness hovered through the air, but it was disguised with the sound of metal, gunfire, and the grunts of hand-to-hand combat.

Samael couldn’t stand to walk through the large great hall. The twisting in his stomach was crippling as he remembered their wedding. So many questions plagued him. How did his father know? How had he breached the multiple layers of security they had set around their perimeter? He hated not having the answers.

The door hit the wall as Samael pushed it open. Nemmy and Caspius were sitting on the center couch. The scotch was on the table, and he didn’t even look at them before walking over to grab the bottle. Only after taking a long drink did he make his way to the other sofa.

“Where have you been,” Samael snapped at the blond-haired angel. “You’ve been gone for months.”

A confused look passed between the pair. “We had orders that called us out of town. Marcella never called so I assumed she didn’t need me. How is she?” He looked toward the door, nervously. Samael knew he could sense something was wrong.

The tattoos began to race down his arms and Nemmy’s eyes widened until he was sure they couldn’t get any bigger. “God be praised.” He looked into Samael’s face. “You’ve disconnected from your father. You’re making the steps to join us. Samael, this is such wonderful news.”

Samael didn’t say anything as Zepar walked in. Nemmy and Caspius pulled out their guns and jumped to their feet. “Calm. Zepar, show them.” The tattoos appeared on him, too, and Nemmy collapsed to the couch while Zepar joined him.

“You’re both collectors.” The fear that covered Nemmy’s face was well deserved. He should be scared. “Does your father know?” Before they could answer, Nemmy held out his hand. “Wait. Where is Marcella? Why am I speaking to you without her?”

“My father knows. He took her.”

“Does she live?” Nemmy’s face angered as he leaned toward them. His eyes scanned their appearance. “Tell me she lives!”

“She does.” Samael took another drink until the scotch burned his throat. “She’s seven and a half months pregnant with my child. My father won’t kill her until he gets his hands on my son, Micah. That’s all he wants. All he’s ever wanted.”

“Micah.” Tears came to Nemmy’s eyes. He stood and took the bottle of scotch from Samael’s hand and took a drink. His head jerked and he handed it back over to him. “I wish you would have called me sooner.” He sat back down. “You obviously can’t go in and get her back or else you wouldn’t be here right now. What do you plan to do?”

For the first time in months, Samael felt his heart beat with excitement. “I plan to make him come to me, of course.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Caspius tapped the butt of his gun against his chin. “It’d have to be drastic to make the Devil himself come out from the confines of hell to take care of something.”

An evil smile came to Samael’s face. “We’re going to fuck shit up for him here. Royally. Until he
has
to come. That’s where we need both of you, and of course more angels if you can manage to get them to come.”

The men looked at each other and Nemmy smiled. “You might be on to something here. Why don’t we discuss this more over lunch? I’m starving, and I have a feeling this is going to be a long conversation.”

Samael looked at his brother. Zepar didn’t appear one bit phased by the two men he’d hated for centuries. He actually seemed to be enjoying their company. “I should probably eat. It’s been awhile.” Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d actually eaten a good meal. Scotch wasn’t food. And the things he made appear here and there weren’t doing anything to build his health or energy. Sure, he didn’t need to eat as a soul collector, but if he wanted to keep going at the rate he’d been, it would be for the best.

They broke into the great hall and Nemmy and Caspius paused as they looked around. The blond angel looked at Samael amazed. “Jason made us appear into the room. It’s amazingly soundproof because I never heard a single shot or anything. You’re really preparing for a war, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Come to the bailey. We’ll sit up a table out there. I want to watch Jason and Ambrose fight.”

They broke into the courtyard and the men didn’t even break their concentration on each other. Their blades threw off sparks and Samael watched as Ambrose disappeared and materialized directly behind Jason. Jason immediately dropped low and swung his sword with all of his strength at Ambrose’s shins. The former vampire jumped over the blade with perfect timing.

“Those two are magnificent.” Nemmy’s face was in a constant state of shock and happiness as things kept surprising him. Samael couldn’t help but feel a stirring of hope that maybe they were better than he’d thought. Still, it wouldn’t be enough unless they got Marcella back. He knew the power of his father. The fact that the man had gotten in and taken her right out of his arms was a clear indication that none of them had been as prepared as they should have been.

Samael made a table appear and looked over the angels. He didn’t have to ask what they’d like to eat. He already knew. A variety of things filled the table. In the middle sat a big bowl with a mixture of lettuce. Surrounding that were different things they could put into it. Everything from chopped up ham to sunflower seeds and croutons. They didn’t hesitate to start digging in. Samael looked at Zepar and made two steaks appear before them. He’d always been a meat eater, and that’s what he loved about Marcella. She’d been so much like him, even down to what she liked to eat.

“So…” Nemmy swallowed and looked over at him. “What’s your plan? How can we help to get Marcella back?”

The steak was so juicy and tender in his mouth he nearly sighed in bliss. He hadn’t eaten since the day he’d married Marcella. Was she eating okay? He thought about his father. If he knew Marcella was carrying his grandson, she was probably being fed like the queen she was.

Samael glanced up at Nemmy. “We’re going to start taking out demons. Every single fucking one for as far and as long as it takes. We’re going to hunt them down and wipe them off the face of the map. The masters will come first, but when there’s none left, we all know who will make an appearance to put a stop to the madness.

A laugh came from Caspius. “Do you know how hard it is to catch a demon? This is what we do, Samael. If it was that easy it would have been done a long time ago. What makes you think you can do it any better?”

All the evil he held inside poured through Samael as he let his demon master form take over. The angel’s eyes got big. “Because they’ll come to a master. I bet you anything they know nothing about what’s happened. My father would be humiliated. Only the masters will know, but I guarantee you by the time they come here and find their demons missing it’ll be too late.”

Crunching came from Nemmy as he pushed a large bite of salad into his mouth. “Right on. You set them up and bam, me and Caspius take them out.”

“Exactly.” Samael looked over at Zepar and smiled. This was only the beginning of his payback to his father. Soon, the man would be scrambling to find out what was happening, and by the time he came, he’d never see the trap they’d have waiting for him. It would work. It had to.

* * * *

Tingling covered every inch of Marcella’s skin. The tiny prickling sensations increased and decreased on command. The fact that she could feel something at all was downright amazing. A miracle really. For the last two months she’d focused all of her attention on opening her mind. Her ability to control things on thought was key to growing her collector. For hours throughout the day she’d put herself into a meditative state. She knew she was pushing herself hard. The headaches were downright nauseating at times, but if she was going to live, it was imperative that she increase her collector into the leader of all masters.

The sound of the door opened and she pretended to be asleep. Slowly, she brought herself back to the plane of her human consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and Samael’s father stood looking at her cautiously. “Dinner is ready. Let’s go.”

The black silk from the dress he’d had her wear hit the floor as she swung her legs over. The baby had grown a lot in the last almost three months. She felt absolutely gigantic. The round belly was huge on her tiny frame. As she came to stand in front of him he stared down.

“Your grace?”

“What, you’ve decided not to call me Lucifer or Satan this time? How did I manage to get a ‘your grace,’ from you?”

Marcella looked up at him. “Have it your way,
Lucifer
. Shall we go eat? I’m starving. You really took your sweet time tonight. Poor Micah’s been kicking up a storm. Is your intention to make my son weak? I thought you wanted a warrior.”

She knew she had him at the mention of her son. It was horrible to do, but she needed him to let her out of the room more than just once a day. The only time she got to see anything other than that awful room was at dinner. Breakfast and lunch was brought to her. If she could get Samael’s father to bond with her just a little, then maybe she could escape. To bond though, they needed to spend more time together.

“Why didn’t you yell to the guards to bring you food?”

She looked up at him. “I did. They didn’t do anything about it.” Well, that lie had come naturally. Now, at least she knew there were guards outside of her room. She didn’t like that she was getting someone in trouble by doing so.

“Well, you shall never want for food. At least not until my grandson is born. Come,” he held his arm out to hers and she locked herself to him, accidentally pressing her breast against his arm. She froze up in horror.

“I’m sorry.” Her face was on fire from embarrassment. Then reality hit. This man wouldn’t touch her. It didn’t matter what she did to try to tempt him. He was the master at the game. But innocence she could use. If he thought her nothing like the harlot she knew he believed her to be, then maybe she had something to gain from this. Like her freedom. She’d have to be sweet. Childlike, even. Not seductive at all. And he needed to know her and make a connection. The first step was actually trying to bond with him.

“Did you get them to make my favorite?” Her tone was soft as she looked up at him.

“Yes.” He paused outside of the dining room and turned her. “You’re up to something.”

Tears came to her eyes. “I’m just so hungry.” She let them fall down to her cheeks as she stared up at him. “I feel so weak. Micah is draining me of my energy. You have to remember, I’m not the woman you think I am.” A sob exploded from her. “I just want to go home. I want my mom.”

Uncertainty filled his face as he looked unsure what to do. She threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around his thin waist. Even with the suit on she could feel his muscle. God, he was so much like Samael. If she closed her eyes she could imagine it was him. As she did, it only made her cry harder.

Arms slowly wrapped around her. “Shh. No more crying. You’re going to upset the baby.”