Embrace the Desire (27 page)

“Regardless of how you may or may not feel, if you want to live you will listen. Regardless of the emotions running amuck through what's left of your heart, you will take heed to this warning.” She turned on her heel, her own anger rising up her throat. “Payne will kill you, Chanta will die, and your unborn fetus will never know his first breath. Change the game, Damon, Lord of the Underworld, or watch as everything burns down around you.”

Before he could reach her, she vanished, but not before he spoke.

“My son will stand before the rivers of blood he creates and it will all be in my name.”

• • •

Payne's insides quivered, his spine tingling.

“Give me the damn power back so I can save her!” Payne gripped his swords until his knuckles turned blue. “I need to save her.”

Payne's spine tingled, alerting his honed senses to the impending danger that had grown closer. Without a word spoken, they both nodded as Damon's presence on earth sent their spidey senses into overdrive. He and Varick both dematerialized and reappeared in front of Tortured Souls.

Crouching, Payne drew in a long breath and let his feral instincts override his emotions. The proverbial line had been drawn and Damon would pay. He would pay a thousand times over if he so much as harmed a single hair on Chanta's head.

Payne grimaced as he looked down the street and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Varick take his defensive stance. Eighty Destroyers were taking the same stance as he pulled himself together for the fight that lay ahead. With the sanctuary they had all come to know as home behind him, he withdrew his scimitars. Mentally, he was tense and his thoughts were preoccupied with Chanta—the woman he had fallen for.

Hell, fallen for was not even close to describing what he felt. He was head over heels in love with her. Love! Did he dare to love anyone? Could he? Regardless of the conflict his emotions were going through, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would die for her a thousand times over if need be.

As he stood with the other Destroyers, Payne looked at their faces, knew them, fought with them, and would die for any of them in heartbeat. He had always saw being a Destroyer as a job, nothing more. But now, he realized that this was his family. This was what he should have been fighting for, not the revenge that had always laid upon his soul.

The years behind him flashed through his mind. The fights, the uncountable confrontations with the vermin that spewed out of the Underworld were necessary to keep them spreading their disease and chaos. But this night was different.

A war was coming and this night was the first of many to come, of that, he was sure. The stakes were high, not only the lives of his family, but of everyone on Earth, in the Heavens, and in the Underworld. Gyth may not be the best choice of Lord of the Heavens, but he sure was a better one than Damon would ever be.

And then there was Charon, Isten, and the missing Jaiden. He wasn't sure where they bled into all this, but he was damn sure it couldn't mean anything good.

As the street lights faded and the sinister darkness emerged from the shadows, Payne as well as Varick started counting. Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty . . . .and even more vermin poured from the blackness. Deep rooted growls and hisses split into the night air as ominous clouds covered the moon. From a distance, a resonating howl splintered through the streets.

“What in the nine hells is going on?” Payne turned to Varick. “They never gather like this.” He watched as werewolves, vampires, and witches slithered out of the darkness.

Six of Payne's brother Destroyers appeared alongside Varick. Dressed to kill, they nodded at each other and readied themselves for the battle. Grim faces and weapons in hand, they waited for the enemies to make the first move.

On the ledge of Tortured Souls, three gods appeared and simultaneously four appeared on the building across the street. The Destroyers felt the powerful forces appear and their growls deepened. So, the bastards had come to watch! Well, far be it from the Destroyers to deprive the gods from their entertainment.

Payne and Varick shared an odd look. Seemed the ruling powers of the Heavens and the Underworld all had a stake in this battle.

“Where the hell is Gyth?” Payne muttered flexing his wrists.

The wind gushed angrily over the scene rattling the loose signs and banging the doors on the sanctuary behind them. Thunder crashed overhead as the doors of Tortured Souls flung open and a leather clad woman glided out to take her position amongst the warriors.

“Gyth? It's untelling. You have me and be thankful that I am on your side.” Varick winked at Payne as Angelica, his mate, took her place at his side.

Payne chuckled, winked at Angelica. “I'm glad Angelica is on our side. She looks more dangerous than you ever have.”

Angelica bowed and grinned as she stretched the black wings that unfurled from her back. “Well boys, better call some reinforcements, looks like we're going to have our hands full.”

Above, thunder boomed and lightning flashed as dark clouds dumped rain on the scene below.

Above the rain, above the growls, and above the adrenaline that was pumping like mad, Angelica's voice boomed as her body levitated, “Victory will be ours!”

As if on cue, the two armies crashed together like a hundred car pileup, the noise as deafening as if a flaming meteor had landed around them. Hard core military style jack hammering fists and swords danced in time to the now down pouring rain. Left and right, bodies were flung from the fight, but as quickly as they were flung away, they got up and returned to battle.

Angelica, jacked up on some major adrenaline, swore under her breath as a vampire latched onto her arm, “Why don't you . . . just die all frigging ready?”

Varick pulled back from the werewolves that kept stalking around him and grinned at Angelica. “Try sticking that sai of yours through his chest. You got to get that little black ball out of his ribcage before he'll kill over and turn to ash.”

Angelica flipped backwards and landed on her hands as the vampire tried to grab her forearm. On the return to her feet, she pulled out her sais and swung first to the left getting the vampires attention so that he would draw to the right. She smiled and winked at him as her other hand came around and stabbed him in the middle of his pasty back. Grinding through bone, the orb was forced out as the sai penetrated his spongy body.

Ashes filtered to the ground around her feet as she took a slight bow to Varick. “Thank you my darling Stud Muffin.”

Varick grinned as the werewolves attacked in three different directions. “We seriously have . . . ” Stepping to the right avoiding a clawed paw and a pair of especially nasty fangs, he frowned as he continued, “to discuss these pet names you insist on using.”

Angelica rolled her eyes and aimed and threw one of her chakrams to the third of the werewolves attacking Varick. “Okay, Mr. Sexy in Leather, but I'm warning you that I'm not easily persuaded.”

Varick laughed as his boot contacted an unsuspecting werewolf jaw. “That I am all too well aware of.”

Payne shook his head as his scimitars sliced his way through the mass of witches that seemed to keep coming non-stop. His attention however was on Varick and Angelica. Who the hell would have ever thought that Varick, yeah, Varick Ta Farg, man of no emotion, would be consumed with a female?

“Payne!” The sound of his name swung his body around.

“What the fuck?”

Payne looked up to the ledge, saw Damon dressed in black leather. Isten's eerie presence in Payne's mind was a cold jerk on his nerves. The god had delivered his promise it seemed.

“Payne . . . son of mine.”

A smug smile tugged at the corners of Payne's mouth. “Fuck you daddy!”

“Join me and I shall let your friends live . . . for now.”

“Why don't you bring your sorry ass down here and face me?”

“I have a much better idea.” Chanta appeared at Damon's side. “Why don't I just kill her instead?”

Without thinking, Payne spun and hurled his left scimitar at the rooftop towards Damon's head. The blade sung through the air like a true instrument of death. Damon hissed and tried to sidestep the blade. He hissed louder realizing he was immobile and his true form writhed from his human body. Straining to move, Damon met Chanta's eyes.

She was protecting Payne. Her emotions were lit up like fireflies dancing in the night. Payne held his breath, she was protecting him.

“You're in my domain now you lecherous black hearted bastard and I say you can fuck yourself!”

“Release me or I will kill them all.” Damon grinned and Payne knew Damon could break free from her hold. “Release me.”

“You're in no position to make demands.” Chanta crossed her arms over her chest. Defiant and beautiful. “Leave Payne alone, you've done enough to him already.”

Damon threw his arms back and black serpents slithered from his mouth as Chanta's hold was broken and Payne's scimitar sliced through the tendons of his neck. Damon grabbed at the hideous wound, several snakes pulling back to his body and wrapping around his neck covering the wound. Blood spurted as his skin healed instantly, the snakes disappearing under the new flesh.

The earth trembled as his voice screamed out across the universe, “I am the god of the Underworld! You pathetic creatures cannot kill me. Enough of these games! I will kill you all and devour your souls!”

The demons, werewolves, witches, and vampires alike, pulled back from the fight cowering under the voice of their master. Slinking back into the shadows, they watched warily as Damon levitated to the street before the Destroyers. His horns glistened as the moon peeped out from the dark clouds.

Writhing, his body twisted and the serpents uncurled from his arms and waist as his eyes fired and blazed. The Destroyers looked upon him as if he were scum of the earth and a few laughed as Payne stepped forward with a grin that told of his eagerness.

“Well, Dad isn't this what you really wanted? Here I am. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

Damon held out one long pointed skeletal finger and said, “This.”

White-hot lightning poured into Payne's chest taking him to his knees in an agonizing scream. The next few seconds blurred together. Payne tried to stand, his knees defying his orders. His heart stopped as Chanta dematerialized and rushed forward to be knocked into a parked car by a blast of energy from her left. From the corner of his eye, he saw Bastilla in the shadows.

Varick attacked Damon grazing his left arm with his sword as Angelica stabbed her sai into Damon's side. Damon's snakes struck, biting into their flesh. Payne could only watch.

Damon roared and stomped his foot, the blast sending Varick and Angelica flying backwards. Two more Destroyers leapt forward howling viciously as he turned to face them. With a wave of his hand, the two warriors were taken to their knees and pinned down by an unseen force.

Deep sinister laughter echoed down the street as the other warriors were all flung backwards away from Payne's body. Stepping in front of his son, Damon went to one knee and grabbed Payne's chin. A snake slithered out of Damon's mouth and attached itself to Payne's chest. Instantly, Payne felt his powers draining, slipping away from him.

Was this what it had come down to? Dying in his father's grasp again? With the last of his strength, he forced his head to turn and looked at Chanta's still body. He would have done anything to keep her from harm. He hated that he had fallen for her, hated that she had that something that he couldn't resist nor did he want to.

His vision blurred, his life teetering on the edge. At this moment, he would have traded his entire existence to have saved Chanta. He would have suffered a thousand lifetimes over just to get to tell her one time he loved her.

Varick whistled grabbing Payne's attention. “I have a gift for you. The power that Gyth took from you, I now return.”

Slumping forward into his father's arms, Payne's scream reached beyond the heavens, beyond the universe's unfathomable distance. He felt the powers that he had once hidden flow into his very being. His insides churned and twisted under his skin as the power spread to every fiber of his body. Every feral instinct fired, every hate and longing surfaced, and worst of all, his heart blackened almost to the point of no return.

He was his father's son! Nothing short of being a devil, he rose to his full height pulling away from the cold embrace of the bastard that dared to sire him, he embraced the power he had been born with. Purple and blue flames danced up his arms and engulfed his shoulders as horns split through the skin on his forehead.

This was who he was, who he had been born to be. And he accepted it. Embraced it.

Rearing his head back and staring at the moon, he released his inner demons, every single last one of the freaking bastards. He felt the power inside of him gush out, felt the snakes he had been born with slither over his skin. Grinning, he watched his body transform as his black hair fanned out from his shoulders and trailed down his back to the ground at his feet. His already huge muscles bunched and pumped higher as his blood veins popped up. The poisonous asps wrapped around him creating a layer of impenetrable armor, as horns spiked from his elbows and shoulders.

He had been conceived in the Underworld, the flames of the abyss melding with his very soul. The Underworld wanted him, longed for him to return to that domain and rule. After all, the Underworld had longed for a true master and with Payne's unique power, he alone could control the flames and conquer the world. The limitless demons and evil that had been captured and imprisoned within the Underworld's confines would be at his command.

His. Payne's command. Rearing his head back, he opened his mouth and roared, his arms swinging back, his chest expanding with the awesome power. Damon slid back, his claws grasping into the pavement to stop his slide.