Imp Forsaken (Imp Book 5) (25 page)

21

A
door opened, and I halted my nervous pacing to watch Leethu cautiously peek around the door. “Is he gone? Did the meeting go well, Ni-ni?”

“Yeah. I gave him a shopping list. He’s supposed to get back to me in a few days.”

I motioned her in, admiring the way light reflected off her tiny golden scales, the smooth and sensuous way she moved across the floor. I searched her features, her mannerisms, trying to see some hint of Amber in her, but there was none. Beyond the pheromones, and Amber’s explosive temper, she seemed far removed from her daughter.

“Have you heard from Irix at all? Was he able to help Amber?” I had a vision of her booting him out the door within an hour of our last conversation. Amber had the Lowry stubborn streak, even without the genetic link.

The succubus laughed. “He’s still there. Which amazes me given the amount of complaining he’s done. My daughter is not an ideal pupil. She’s obstinate, willful, foul-mouthed, and argues constantly. I have no idea why he’s remained.”

Leethu sounded rather proud of her progeny, which surprised me. None of those were traits valued by succubi or incubi. They weren’t elven traits either. What exactly had Leethu planned when she’d formed Amber?

“How… how well do you know this Irix? Do you trust him?” I was worried for both my girls. Nyalla was learning to navigate the human world, and she had Wyatt there to help her, but Amber was a young woman on the edge. She was afraid she’d be discovered for what she was; she feared her powers; she feared not having her powers. She was volatile and impulsive. It wasn’t that I thought Irix would betray her—I just needed her to be in good hands. I needed her to be with someone who would care enough about her to guide her through this tough period, not an incubus who thought she was a spoiled pain in the ass.

Leethu’s shrewd eyes dissected my thoughts. “Irix only complains like this when he likes someone,” she reassured me. “He’ll stay and watch out for her. You can be assured that he’ll care for her.”

I felt weak with relief. I’d been in Hel for months, having no contact with my humans beyond my daily calls with Wyatt. I worried about them.

"Thanks, Leethu." I hugged her, and she took the opportunity to squeeze my rear end. "I owe you."

"No, Ni-ni, I owe you." Her hand caressed its way up my back. "I know it is strange for me to care for my offspring, but I am so proud of this child of mine. I want to ensure she is safe, that she lives to grow strong and powerful, that she sets the world on fire."

I thought of Amber with her elven looks and cool reserve, all hiding a volcano of demon emotion. So young. Who knows what she'd be in a few centuries?

Leethu dipped her head down to kiss me, and I lost myself in the softness of her lips, the smooth feel of her scaled skin against mine. She wasn't Wyatt, wasn't Gregory, but I loved my succubus foster sister, and this affection, so rare from another demon, filled an emptiness inside me.

"Can I join in?"

I tilted my head to better see, although I recognized Dar's voice. He was peering in around the door in a re-run of Leethu's entrance, his furred snout twitching, eyes glowing in the dim, indoor light. I closed my eyes, immersing myself in Leethu's embrace for a few precious moments. My hand was warm against the cool scales of her arm. They were jagged as I rubbed them the wrong way, moving my palm up to rest on her shoulder. The succubus shuddered, enjoying the discomfort, and clasped me close, rubbing her naked, scaled front along my equally naked body.

"Please, Ni-ni?" Her voice was soft against my lips. "Let me show you my loyalty, my devotion. I will not tie you to me, I promise."

"Another time." I spoke louder than her, to include Dar in my answer. Dar and Leethu had frolicked together many times, but I needed to restrain myself. I loved Leethu, but she lied. The succubus would never be able to resist the opportunity to tie me to her, and I didn't want to spend all eternity pining for her touch. She was hard enough to deny as it was.

In consolation, I caressed her face with my hand, pinching hard at an earlobe as she closed her eyes in ecstasy. "I need to speak to both of you about our upcoming battle strategy. Dar, will you join us?"

I heard a spray of air and spit that could only be Dar's amusement. He strode through the door, his body rounded and full, covered in sparse gray hair, his long, naked, pink tail twitching behind him.

"Strategy? We’re demons, Mal. Any strategy you're thinking better not be longer than three seconds."

I pulled away from Leethu, immediately missing her coolness, and picked up an iron poker from the fireplace.

"Here's Wythyn," I drew in the dusty floor with the poker. I really needed to get someone to clean this fucking place. Who the hell was in charge of housekeeping, anyway? “Four main cities—the capital, Chime, then Rush, and Sweep. I haven't heard from Taullian, and he's probably not going to reveal his exact plans, but I'm assuming he'll use the relays to transport troops within the capital. It will cause a huge disruption, and the element of surprise will be on his side."

Dar pointed a clawed digit toward the dots on the dusty map. "If he's got a brain in his head, he'll gate some troops into these cities too. It will cause a distraction, and he'll quickly take the small number of fighters there in a show of power across a broad geography."

I nodded. "How can we best support his efforts, then? I've requested a wide variety of magical weaponry from Gareth for our household. Where should I place them?"

Dar locked his little red eyes onto mine. "Magical weaponry? Mal, what exactly did you buy?"

I squirmed. Dar might be under my household, but I always considered him a peer—more, actually, since he was a few decades older than me and was the only demon who had ever been able to sway my decisions on a regular basis.

"Just a few things. Some non-detection spells, snare nets, paralyzation potions, slippery skin amulets, a phantom-hands garrote scroll. Oh, and a chicken wand. I couldn’t resist that one."

Dar's eyes glowed, his whiskers vibrating at the speed of light. "Mal. You. Are. Fucking. Joking. Me. Where? How? Money?" he sputtered.

I shrugged with a deceptively casual mien. "Don't worry about that. We need to make forty demons seem like an army, and I don't want to risk my household against skilled elves without some kind of advantage on our side. I want to try to get everyone out of this alive. They’re my household, my responsibility."

Dar blew out a huge breath and clasped his furred cheeks with clawed hands. "Mal, they’re demons. They'll risk themselves because it's fun and exciting, and probably half of them will die. That's the way things are here in Hel. Have you forgotten? There's no need to bankrupt yourself to save a bunch of Lows and demons that you've adopted from dead masters."

I pulled myself up to full height, staring him down. I hadn't forgotten, but that didn't mean I had to play by the old rules. I wasn't that demon anymore, and I refused to backslide just because I was in Hel again.

"This is my money, Dar. My trust fund, my spoils from Haagenti's blood feud. If I choose to use it to protect Lows and my adoptive households, as well as your and Leethu's households that I folded in under my own, that is my decision."

His eyes wavered, and he finally dropped his gaze, covering the submission by pretending he was looking at the map in front of him.

"What shall I do, Ni-ni?" Leethu moved to stand beside me in support. Dar glared at her under bushy eyebrows.

"Each member of my household should have a slippery skin amulet, to protect against both the elven nets and the restraint collars. Your household is the most sneaky, and I'd like to use all five of them for one specific purpose."

Leethu glowed at the compliment. Sneaky was a trait all demons aspired to, and she was proud of her small, handpicked household. "We will give our lives in your service, Ni-ni"

I hoped not. "Your five will have the non-detection spells. I need them to enter the capital and disburse the vials of paralyzation potion in the food, wine, water supply—whatever would be best. Timing is critical. The effects last for a month and wear off very slowly, but a sudden onset would tip off the elves and they'd be on the alert for the attack. I need them to time their poisoning so the maximum amount of debilitation takes place as close to Taullian's arrival as possible."

She nodded. Of all the demons, Leethu's household was the one most likely to follow direction to the letter.

"Here," Dar said, his voice grumpy as he pointed toward an area to the east of the capital city. "Here, and here. These areas are just outside the major barracks. We can create a diversion in the woods, lure the elven soldiers in then snare them in the nets. I hope you asked for the bladed ones. It would simplify the whole affair."

I knelt, looking at my makeshift map. Dar's plan would split the troop numbers, greatly lessening what Taullian would be facing.

"Timing would be critical here, too," I said. "If you wait until Taullian is in, none of the elves will be fooled. If you go too early…."

"There is no 'too early'," Dar contradicted. "We're just demons. Pesky demons who have caused a riot in the woods. The elves will come out to deal with the minor inconvenience, and no one will come back. By the time they figure out something is wrong, Taullian is in and their attention is on him. We can jump the gun by twelve hours and still be effective."

I looked up at him, noting the eager bead of sweat along the fur of his upper lip. Dar always loved a good fight, but he especially loved the planning. "As long as no one gets away. That's critical, Dar."

He shrugged and licked his lower lip with a long pink tongue. "Not really. Feille might suspect you're behind it, but he'd never believe Taullian was coordinating an attack with demons, or that demons would ever work with elves in organized warfare."

He was right. Dar was so fucking smart. I had no idea why he'd put up with me all these centuries. "You stupid fucking dick-for-brains. This better work, or I'll rip the fur from your balls with duct tape."

He grinned, his teeth sharp as knives. "Promises, promises."

I grinned back. "Okay. Everyone gets a slippery skin amulet. Dar gets the snare nets. Leethu gets the non-detection spells and the paralyzation potions. I want Leethu to have the phantom hands garrote, also."

Her dark, chocolate-colored eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth opened in a lovely 'O'. It was a lavish gift, but of all my household, she was the least skilled in combat. She was a diplomat, a manipulator of great skill, but I was worried that even her expertise wouldn't keep her safe in a violent encounter against elves. They'd always seemed immune to her charms, and I didn't want to find her dead in the forest. Dar was brutal, a fierce fighter, a survivor, but Leethu… . I feared for her, and I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her. Amber would never forgive me either. An orphan. I couldn't do that to her.

"What about the chicken wand?" Dar asked, his chest quivering with amusement. He didn't seem envious of my extravagant gift to Leethu, in fact, he seemed to approve.

"That's mine." I was defensive. It was a stupid waste of money. A chicken wand. What the fuck good would that do me? Still, it was one of the coolest things a sorcerer could create, and demons loved a good chicken wand. I'd never been able to justify the cost, and still couldn't, but if I didn't get one now, I'd probably never have the chance. Between this insane battle and my thousand years with Ahriman, I'd most likely not live to get another chance. Might as well seize the moment.

I took the poker and drew five squiggly shapes extending out either side from my map of Wythyn. “Okay. Post battle. How should we stabilize this mess?”

And a mess it was. The southern elven kingdoms were basically in a line, east to west, separating the stretch of demon lands from the mountains to the north. Li was the furthest to the west and the most diverse in terms of topography—rivers, marshlands, peaks that divided them from the northern elven kingdoms, along with the dwarven lands on their western border. Cyelle nestled against them to the east and slightly south, a forest of autumn color no matter the season. Tonlielle was along their northeast edge, miles of grassy plains broken by ancient foothills. Wythyn the next, a floral forest in palest green, then Allwin, the most eclectic with its mix of mountains, forests, and plains. At the east end, Kllee stood, the northernmost elven kingdom. Kllee was smack in the middle of steep mountains with dangerous precipices, unstable outcroppings, and towns perched on cliff edges.

We stared down at my makeshift map, each of our faces registering despair.

“There aren’t enough of us,” Dar said mournfully. “Unless Taullian has a few key people, we’ve got six kingdoms and three to act as diplomats. And with Cyelle and Wythyn right in the middle, it will be a logistical nightmare to handle two kingdoms. They’ll go through a truck-load of elf buttons just getting us around in time.”

“Well, Cyelle should run just fine with a proxy.” I checked that squiggle off with a sweep of my poker. “Which one of these is going to be the biggest pain-in-the-ass? What kind of approach would work best with each kingdom?”

Leethu stepped forward, gently pulling the poker from my hand. “Let me, Ni-ni. I am familiar with all of the northern and southern elven kingdoms.”

She flipped the poker, tapping the sharp edge against her lips. We all watched as she contemplated the crude map. Leethu got around, and not just in the carnal sense either. Unlike most demons, succubi and incubi were skilled at following social conventions. They could make small talk, entertain listeners with lively, audience-appropriate, stories. They knew which fork to use, and actually used it. As long as one could resist the overwhelming sexual lure, they were the ideal party guests. Leethu made the rounds. Demons, elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, trolls, it didn’t matter. She always received a second invitation, and she often got lucky. Of all the beings in Hel, Leethu was the most able to negotiate the convoluted culture and conventions of elven society.