Wicked Road to Hel (League of Guardians 1)

“His blood flows inside you and that is not something you can deny.”

Declan watched as the shifter moved toward him. He waited, held his power tight. He needed the right moment.

The fog continued to swirl, faster and thicker. Declan heard a groan behind him, followed by a bellow of pain. He knew he had to act quickly.

“You think to steal the two marks from the queen?” The skin shifter’s voice was low, neutral, yet Declan sensed the anger that simmered below the surface.

He shrugged. “They don’t belong to her.”

“You arrogant piece of shit,” he spat, and then lunged.

Declan was ready. He blasted an energy shot into the floor, using the force of it to propel himself up and over the shifter. He landed behind him, hard, and grunted from the force of it as he rolled to the side and was on his feet in a second.

With his right hand he drew a charm in the air and with his left he shot another energy bolt directly at the shifter’s chest. The eyes, so like his father’s, blazed with a blackness that glittered like diamonds.

It did nothing more than slow the skin shifter down, and the creature bellowed in rage. Declan watched as his fingers elongated, the tips lengthening into razor-sharp claws. He waved his hands in the air.

“I’m sure you remember the pain these bring.”

Declan’s chest began to burn and the scars that had been embedded deep within his skin tingled painfully. Hell yeah, he remembered. After the bitch with the dagger was done with him and had torn his skin to shit, the skin shifter loved to run his long claws along Declan’s raw flesh. Sometimes he’d poke around inside, twisting and turning, while Lilith watched with her entourage.

The pain had been incredible and Declan was ashamed to admit that after months of abuse, he’d been broken. The darkness—Lilith—had been much too strong.

That was when he’d truly danced with the devil and it was only because of Bill that he’d not surrendered wholly. He was man enough to admit that if the little bastard hadn’t yanked his ass out of Hell, he’d still be Lilith’s bitch, tied up to the wall in the outer sanctum.

Engaging in all sorts of unspeakable acts.

He snarled and faced the skin shifter. “I remember everything, asshole.” A harsh smile swept over his face. “Like how pathetic you are. Always under Lilith’s skirts, begging for a piece of ass you’ll never get.”

“You will not speak of her in such a manner.” The shifter was livid and his words echoed into the air, falling like stones in the quiet. “She is our queen and respect is called for.”

Declan was nearly finished with his charm. “Respect is earned. You should know that. You’ve been groveling for, what, ten thousand years? And you’re still the douche who hides in the corner. Playing dress-up for Lilith when she commands,” he snarled, “wearing whatever face she desires, and watching her fuck anything and everything while your lust is never satiated.”

The skin shifter’s eyes bulged and for a moment the air around him shimmered. Declan chanted ancient words in his head but he stopped as the face and form in front of him changed. His father’s countenance disappeared and it was now Ana who stood before him, her tight, lithe form clad in sheer wisps of gauze.

“I watched you have sex with Lilith,” she purred, her legs moving slowly as she moved toward him. “I watched her feed from you as you screwed her in every way possible.”

Declan tried to ignore the words, tried to maintain his composure and work his charm, but it was difficult.

“I watched your face as you spread her legs and inhaled the darkness that clings to her like candy.” Laughter fell from the shifter’s lips and Declan gritted his teeth. “It’s like a drug, no?”

Don’t let him fuck with your mind.

Ana’s visage wavered and then she was gone. Nothing but silence and cool air filled the space where she’d been.

Declan exhaled a long, torturous breath and as quick as he blinked, Lilith stood before him. She was naked, her long blond hair falling about her perfect, alabaster skin in silken waves. Her blue eyes were iridescent. They shone like beacons, little pieces of the artificial sky from outside.

She opened her mouth and smiled widely, her teeth even and pearly white. Alarm rifled through Declan.

Her hands tweaked the tips of her rose-colored nipples and as they moved lower, down to the golden thatch between her legs, he noticed the necklace that swung between her breasts.

Bingo. Nefertari’s stone.

Small giggles fell from her lips. “Declan, I knew you’d come back to me.” Her face darkened, and for a second, her true self was revealed. It was ugly, vengeful, petulant. He knew this was no longer the skin shifter, but the real deal.

His eyes narrowed. The game had just changed.

She licked her lips as a slow grin crept over her features.