A fairy, the embodiment of light itself, is ensnared by the clutches of HELL and dragged down by a ravaging and relentless HELLHOUND in this dark erotic shifter. As the shadows unfurl and long-buried truths come to light, her life spirals into a cap...
As we fly over the river, I look past it toward the gates. I don't want to see it. I believe him when he says there is nothing we can do to help them but it still seems like we should try.
The gate is beautiful and frightening. Black wrought iron, ornately decorated with filigree, shoots into the sky. On either side, a stone wall stretches as far as the eye can see. He lands on the wall, his wings kicking up ash and dust as he puts us down right in the middle. Several guards are stationed throughout the fortress. Everyone bows their heads, watching our feet as we walk by.
"This is it," he leads me into a tower. "There are one hundred manned guard posts along the wall but this is the only gate."
I follow him down the stairs to the ground. Everyone we pass seems shocked, then afraid. When they realize he's here, any conversation stops, and they look absolutely terrified. I grew up in a castle, where customary bowing and respect are normal, but this goes beyond. They fear him. They respect him too, it's evident in their obvious reverence.
The gate is his. He knows it, and so do they.
Peeking through the bars, I look out at the vast emptiness in front of us. I'm not sure what I expected on the other side of the gates, but I wasn't expecting there to be absolutely nothing there.
"Does the wall go on forever?"
"No, the Moving Forest and the River Styx border on the west and east. The wall stops there."
"Can't someone cross in or out?"
"Planning your escape again?" He leads me down toward the gate. When he pushes, it opens with ease, as if it weighs nothing at all. He steps out, waiting for me to follow.
I notice the shift in temperature right away. The balmy warmth has softened to a gentle warmth with a cool breeze.
"Why is the underworld so hot, but where your house is, it's snowy and cold?"
"I asked for it. I wanted to come home to a change of scenery." He shrugs.
"I suppose that makes sense. It's preferable to the constant blazing heat."
We walk in silence, staying parallel to the wall. It feels so normal. Just two people out for a stroll.
"Is this what you do every day?" I look out over the vast nothing.
"No," he chuckles. "I don't just walk around the wall. I usually only come here. I can sense when I'm needed; when someone tries to leave who shouldn't, I'm drawn to the gates. Recently, I've been going to drag people back. While I was away many escaped, it's time to bring them home."
"Is that what happens when you just vanish in a puff of smoke?"
"I don't vanish in a puff of smoke, but yes." He turns, leading me back.
"Can anyone come in? Simply knock on the gate and walk in?"
"Basically. It's a gamble that I wouldn't suggest risking, though. The Fates may decide to keep you here, and if you try to flee, I'll be there."
"Why would anyone come here?"
"There are a lot of reasons, most of them nefarious. This is the place to come for backdoor dealings and dirty deeds." He lifts his brows and shrugs.
Humming, I follow him into the gate just as sand rises into the air in the distance. More and more until I can finally see what's causing it. A motorcycle is roaring toward us through the open desert. Tilting my head to the side, I watch it approach.
It's a woman.
Long hair blows in the wind after her as she gets closer and closer.
It's two women.
It's Orenlea with Lilinaya riding behind her. I'm instantly irritated. If she so much as blinks in this direction, I'm going to pluck her eyes from her skull.
"Robin," his hand gently squeezes my shoulder, but I swat it away. He feels it—the rising fury that feels suddenly more powerful than ever before.
Of course, she doesn't just drive through. She stops the bike just inside the gate, and they both hop off.
"Cerb!" She walks toward him with too much excitement. "What are you doing here? Did we just miss an escape attempt?"
"No," he gestures to me. "I'm showing Robin around."
It looks like she's only just realized that I'm here, but she doesn't look disappointed. Lilinaya, on the other hand, appears to be clenching her jaw so tightly that it is about to crack.
"How are you liking the tour?" Orenlea smiles.
She seems genuine but I'm having trouble swallowing down the rage bubbling up in my throat. She calls him 'Cerb' which is fucking stupid. And she is so pretty. Why? Why can't she look like a drowned rat?
I open my mouth to respond, but I'm cut off.
"You should come up with us next time," Lilinaya bats her lashes, ignoring me completely. "We used to have so much fun. Twenty-five years is a long time to have no fun!"
I'm so fucking hot. It's like I'm burning from the inside out.
He's responding, but I'm not hearing him. I can't hear anything past the thumping of my heart in my ears.
Before I realize it, I'm ripping the slivers of fabric I'm using to tie the shirt together off of my body. Charging forward, I fling them around her neck and roll my wrists so that they wrap tightly.
I force her to the ground, pinning my knee between her shoulder blades, and she makes a startled, gurgling sound.
"I think we need to have a little chat about manners, Lilinaya. Don't flirt with him in front of me. Don't invite him out for 'fun times.' Don't send back scraps when he has you get clothing for me." I whisper in her ear as his hands come down, pulling me away.
The red in my eyes only clears when he comes up from behind me to gently grab my neck. When his fingers touch the bite mark, I'm able to take a breath.
Gasping, I pull away from him and step toward her, holding out my hand to help her up. She looks up at me with terror in her bloodshot eyes as she shuffles back on the ground.
"Go!" Cerberus commands from behind me, and both of them scramble toward the bike.
"I'm so sorry-" my attempted apology is cut off by his lips on mine. Snatching me up into his arms, he lifts us up into the sky, never breaking the kiss.
It feels like mere seconds when we're landing with a thud against the snowy ground outside of the house.
"Why aren't you angry?" I whimper into his mouth. "That was a horrible thing I just did."
"No, it wasn't." He pulls back to look into my eyes. "She was disrespecting you. This is not a soft place, a succubus can be a great ally but they can also be a very real enemy. She would have continued if you hadn't put her in her place, and others would have joined her. Don't be ashamed of your darkness, embrace it."
"Can I call my sister?" The words just fly out of my mouth. It's not what I meant to say but I think it's what I need.
"In my office," he nods, setting me on my feet.
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