Imp Forsaken (Imp Book 5) (38 page)

Blood ran down my neck from his sharp talons. His breath smelled like a rotted corpse as he pulled me close to bite down on my shoulder. My collarbone snapped, and he chewed, gnawing muscle and tendon and bone. I couldn’t feel that arm. I wanted to fight him off, to kick and punch him, but it was all I could do to fend off his assault upon my spirit being, trying to frantically to keep my secrets from him.

I can’t. I can’t do this.

I hadn’t realized I’d said the words out loud until I saw Ahriman raise his head from my shoulder, orange-red eyes inches from my own.

What can you not do, my darling?

I froze. Anything I said would just make it worse. As if sensing my indecision, the demon pushed himself slightly into my spirit being, joining in a line of white. I recoiled, feeling none of the ecstasy I’d felt when Gregory had done the same.

“Stop that.” I don’t know where I got the strength, but I pushed him back. “You can feel me up all you want, but that’s as far as it goes.”

How could my voice be so strong and steady when all I wanted to do was curl into a ball and disappear, to cry away every memory of this horror.

Ahriman chuckled, and pushed in again, holding me firmly in place. He was the stronger demon, and all my panicked attempts to expel him were ineffective.

But I want so much more than just to feel you up, more than to bring sweet torment to the flesh you wear. You are my consort, Az, and I find I must re-negotiate our contract
.

His spirit-self had pinned me, holding me immobile, so I did the only thing I could. I slugged him in the face with the one functioning arm. The demon wasn’t completely solid, and my knuckles sank slightly into the clingy smoke before crunching against something hard. My fist exploded in pain, and I knew I’d broken my hand as surely as I’d broke whatever passed for a face on this demon.

He laughed, diving deeper into my spirit-self before halting abruptly.

You’re broken.

His words were furious, and I felt an icy chill seep through me. We all had scars, and the fact that mine were extensive and recent shouldn’t normally give him any cause for concern, but he’d discovered the missing sections I’d tried so desperately to hide from him.

“I’m repairing myself. It won’t take long. I’ve already regained much of my skills.” I tried to steady my voice, realizing that my life was on the line.

His spirit-self was frigid as it dug through me, cataloging what I’d lost and regained while I desperately tried to hide the red-purple of Gregory’s energy from him.

You can barely hold any energy. Your storage has dwindled to almost nothing, and your ability to convert is severely compromised. It will take centuries for those skill to re-direct elsewhere. Centuries that I will be unable to recognize any gain from our contract.

Tearing my body to bits for the last few weeks wasn’t gain? Groping me beyond what any consort would expect wasn’t gain? I could understand being upset over the delay in breeding, but he’d entered into a thousand-year contract—he surely wouldn’t be expecting the offspring of his dreams right out of the gate.

“I still devour.” My voice was beginning to take on a desperate quality. “That’s what you really wanted, isn’t it? You can contribute storage capacity and conversion from your end in the first few attempts, and I’ll supply the devouring.”

I wouldn’t, but I’d say anything to delay my execution. I winced as he merged slightly with my spirit-self, tearing his claws into the abdomen I’d just repaired. The physical I could withstand, but this rape of my soul both terrified and infuriated me. I’d never survive this demon, no matter his decision. I needed to get out. I needed Gregory. If I could just get back to him somehow, I know he’d move heaven and earth to try to help me out of this mess.

I find myself enjoying you too much to kill you. I will wait until you repair before I make my decision, and in the meantime you will be my favorite toy in all ways—physically and otherwise.

My mind whirred with thoughts of how I might escape, might find a way to the safety of my angel. Even if I got a message to him, he’d not be able to save me from Hel. I’d need to cross the gates before I could rest easy in his protection. I’d need to do it in a way that didn’t set off Ahriman’s suspicions otherwise he’d kill Leethu, Dar, and the remnants of my household.

I took a deep breath and reciprocated Ahriman’s caress, cringing as I merged his sooty spirit with mine. He shuddered in delight, and I choked back the vomit that rose in my throat.

“I… I’d like a vacation with the humans, please,” I begged, my voice as seductive as I could make it given the circumstances.

No. You just got back, and with your inability to store energy, you’d surely die. I find I do not want you to die, Az. Not yet.

I clenched my jaw and stroked against him. “I can devour. Gain my energy reserves that way. It will help me recover faster.”

He paused, and I realized there was some truth to what I’d thought were lies.
An excellent idea, my imp. But you can devour here in Hel and be safe. No, you shall not go.

I pulled against his spirit-self, drawing him further in. I swear his orange eyes rolled slightly backward in his head. “I will give you a breeding occurrence now if you let me go. Just a brief vacation to spread an Ebola virus variant, grab my hellhound and hybrid horse, and I’ll be back.”

He panted, fetid breath against my cheek.
Ebola is a particular favorite of mine. I will grant you this trip in exchange for a breeding occurrence, but you must return in one week. If you do not, you’ll spend the rest of your contract chained to a wall. Do you understand, Az?

“Yes.” One week. Fuck. And how I’d manage to pull off this breeding occurrence was beyond me. There was no way I was giving him the devouring skills, but I had nothing else he wanted.

Ahriman continued to partially join with me, careful to mostly remain inside his corporeal form. Once again I felt my intestines spill from a searing tear in my belly. It seemed an eternity before he’d satisfied his needs and left me bleeding on the dungeon floor. Tears pricked the back of my eyes as I began the painful process of fixing my physical form, well aware that nothing would wash away the filth that coated my spirit-self.

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A
lthough I was unable to accurately track time, it seemed to be a few days before the demon returned. I tensed as I saw black smoke seeping through cracks in the walls, leaving a greasy stain behind.

Let us see what you can contribute to our offspring, my consort.

I took a deep breath, pulling together the courage for the ordeal ahead. “Can we do this in a more comfortable setting? I don’t mean to complain, but I’ve been down here for ages with no food or drink.”

He tilted his head and regarded me with those orange eyes.
You are broken, and the need to combat starvation and dehydration has taken a toll on your strength. How rude of me to have forgotten.

He wrapped me in darkness, transporting me with a disorienting jerk to another room. This one was warm, with a fire in a central hearth. A variety of plush seats were scattered about the room, designed to accommodate an assortment of demon forms. A tray of meats, vegetables, and breads stood by a sofa, and a glass decanter full of red liquid and two glasses sat nearby.

I dove at the tray, cramming food and drink into my mouth as fast as I could. The repast was in the elven style, and for once I didn’t bemoan the blandness. Giving up on the glass, I chugged the red liquid, which turned out to be wine. My head buzzed, and I hoped the alcohol would make what was to come less painful. Ahriman watched. I didn’t care. I was so relieved to be out of that horrible dungeon, even if only for a few moments.

Are you ready, Az?
I’d finished every bite of food on the platter and drained the decanter dry. My stomach bulged out uncomfortably, but I felt the happy sleepiness that came from a meal after so long without.

“Yes.” I approached the demon and stood before him, reaching into my spirit self to section off the portions I’d offer him. I’d thought long and hard about what to give, knowing I’d need to include some of my devouring skills to pull this whole thing off.

Ahriman reached inside me, extending only a small amount of himself to receive—so much for Plan A. I’d hoped he’d risk enough contact to attempt to seize and devour him, but even when he was joining his spirit-self with mine, he’d always been careful to hold the majority of himself a safe distance away. If he’d been weak, I could have spooled him in with a touch, but an ancient demon like Ahriman wouldn’t devour easily. I’d need to be able to grab and hold at least seventy percent of his spirit-self to have a chance at taking him in.

I held forth my contribution, and he took it, retracting fully into his corporeal form as I tried to appear relaxed and casual. I’d never procreated before, my one practice attempt resulting in the death of my tutor. What happened now?

“Can I go?”

His semi-solid shape pulsed, sending out a puff of gray.
Yes. One week, Az

I couldn’t help but bolt for the door, slowing to a more respectable pace as I reached a series of hallways leading out of the building. The sunshine blinded me, hitting eyes so used to the dark, and I realized that I was in Eresh, close to the angelic gate that linked Hel with Seattle.

I picked up my pace, panic creeping along the edge of my mind. How long would it take Ahriman to realize I’d given him crap, that his formation wouldn’t be able to devour so much as a bacterium? I saw the gate ahead and couldn’t stop myself from breaking into a run. Just a few more yards.

Shaking as I reached the passageway, I reached out a hand to activate the gate I’d used several times before. My hand hit the shimmering rift and passed right through. What the fuck? I tried my other hand, a foot. I threw myself through the gate, only to land flat on the gravel just beyond it. I couldn’t go through, couldn’t activate it. I’d been able to activate gates since I was a few centuries old—what had happened?

Frantic, I looked around, trying to find another demon to open it.

“You! Yeah, you with the slime-covered legs. Can you activate the gate?”

The demon slid over to me, leaving a trail of green behind him.

“Of course I can. Are you a Low or something?”

I winced. Imp wasn’t an especially high demon, and this wasn’t the first time I’d been mistaken for a Low, but it still stung. I clamped my arm to my side to hide Ahriman’s consort mark and nodded.

“You’re lucky.” The demon swiveled a many-eyed face toward the shimmer. “This is the only one still open. All the other gates are closed.”

No, it couldn’t be. For two and a half million years the gates had never been closed. Had Gregory gotten my message? What was going on in Aaru? I felt even more anxious to get back, especially since this gate might not remain open much longer.

“I can pay you. I’ll owe you a favor.”

The demon’s seeping eyes swept down my naked human form. “Okay. Who are you?”

“Zalanes.” He’d be pissed that I’d used his name, but since he was an imp too, it was somewhat believable. I’d have to remember to make it up to him sometime.

The round shape before me extended a damp protuberance toward the gate, and it glowed, opening to reveal the Seattle street. Relief flooded me, and my limbs felt weak. One step, and I’d be safe. Then I’d have one week to figure out what to do.

I walked forward and smashed against a hard surface, bouncing back to sprawl on the rock pathway. The slime demon burbled out what must have been laughter.

“You’ve been banished. Sucks to be you. And you still owe me a favor.”

He slid away, and I stared up at the sky in shock. Banished. I hadn’t realized the full implications of what I’d asked Gregory to do when he’d broken our binding and sent me to Hel. It wasn’t that I couldn’t activate the gates—I couldn’t use them at all. I was stuck here. Damned to Hel forever.

Numb, I stood and brushed the gravel dust from my skin. There was nowhere I could go that Ahriman wouldn’t find me. No elf would risk his kingdom to protect me, and other ancient demons wouldn’t care. I was his toy to do with whatever he wanted for a thousand years. And once he figured out I wasn’t going to give him the devouring skill he wanted, I’d be dead.

As if on cue, I smelled the thick, oily scent of burning flesh. I closed my eyes, unwilling to see what was about to form before me. Even if I did give in and let Ahriman have the devouring skills he wanted, he’d kill me. As soon as he achieved his desired offspring, and tired of playing with me, I’d be dead. And I was willing to bet it would be far sooner than in one thousand years.

I felt the air chill with a sharp bite of frost, the smell of burning flesh intensifying. I was dead either way. The best I could do at this point was ensure that Aaru was safe from his plans for the time being, and that my household was safely out of his grasp. The thick smoke choked me, burning through my lungs as I breathed. Wyatt. Amber. Nyalla. Candy. Michelle. Boomer, Diablo, Piper, and Vegas. Dar and Leethu. And Gregory.
I love you all.

Claws brushed against my arms and something sharp pierced my side. I bit my tongue, trying not to cry out in pain.
Az, you are an imp of disobedience and trickery. Shall we go home and try this again? Otherwise there will be no vacations for you.

I had no idea why he was so restrained. I’d expected violence, fury, my body a smear across the pavement of Eresh. Instead, he was giving me a chance to try again. I steeled my resolve. I’d give him nothing more.

“Yes. I will try again.” It would only delay the inevitable, but I found I really didn’t want to die, and another hour was better than nothing.

He gathered me in a suffocating embrace of black. I opened my eyes to the dark damp of the dungeon. This wasn’t my home. It would never be my home, although it was likely to be my grave.

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