Princess of Lust (For the Love of Evil) (14 page)

Princess, follow my lead
. Pyriel gave a nasty laugh that sent chills through Natalia. “Ohhh, naughty boys to play with. Princess, may I have the honor of helping you to punish them?”

Natalia tried to keep her tone cool. “Of course. You know how much I admire your skill in breaking a man.” She ran her fingertips down Gregor’s back, playing with the gold paint highlighting his heavy muscles. “On your feet, concubines. I’m eager to see what the Lady Pyriel has in mind for you and I want to get started before Raum joins us.”

They set a brisk pace through the halls of the castle with their guards. When they reached the portal, they found Galina waiting for them with a dark expression on her face.

“Princess, your father has sent me to take you to his personal torture rooms. He is most unhappy at the behavior of these two spoiled brats.”

Anger trickled through her bond with Gregor, and she was aware of the guards and staff watching them. He’d done well so far, but his damned pride might push him to do something they would all regret. She took her concubine’s leash from where it dangled against his chest and used the chain to bind his hands together. Dark storms of anger and lust came off him and her demonic essence took every ounce of energy he had to offer.

Her voice came out husky as she traced her fingers over the links of chain holding Gregor’s wrists together. “Please thank my father, Galina.” She hoped whatever this night brought it would end with Gregor tied up in her bed, spread out before her like a delicious feast of male flesh.

Gregor’s lips twitched in amusement and she realized her communication ring touched his hand and he had heard her thoughts. His voice rolled through her mind with all the sweetness of honey.

If that is your version of torture, I’d be more than happy to spend the rest of eternity being tormented
.

She removed her hand, breaking the link before she did anything foolish. “Galina, take us to the torture chamber. I would like to get back to the ball at some point.”

Her father’s concubine nodded and led them into the swirling green mist. As the energy flowed around her, Natalia couldn’t help but try and find something, anything, to orient herself, to give her some sense of time and space. Raum had told her the portals were the closest thing to Chaos anyone could experience and survive. A moment—or was it a hundred years—passed and they were out on the other side.

As Natalia took a deep breath, she realized with a start they were in a meadow somewhere on mortal Earth, with a full moon gleaming in the sky above them. Crickets chirped and she heard something scurry away through the high grass, no doubt startled by the appearance of two damned souls, a succubus, a mortal, and a half demoness. A cool breeze whispered across clearing, making the feather tips of the grass gleam as they bowed before the wind.

Both she and Gregor took a deep breath of the air and a tang of melancholy moved through her soul. She didn’t know exactly where they were, but she recognized the difference in the scent of mortal earth and Hell. Next to her, Gregor closed his eyes and took a deep breath as well, removing the chain from his wrists then holding his hands out as if he could catch the breeze. The melancholy deepened, and she realized it wasn’t coming from her, but from her concubine. Her heart ached for all she had taken away from him, but that did not change the present.

She turned to Galina, who watched the far side of the meadow, where it began to disappear into the tree line. “Where are we? What’s going on?”

Galina continued to scan their surroundings. “A damned soul came to your father’s portion of Hell with important information. We’re here to meet one of your father’s allies and share the news with them.”

Confused, she glanced over at Kirin and Gregor but they seemed as mystified as she. Lady Pyriel returned her puzzled look with one of her own and shrugged.

“Don’t ask me. One minute I was seducing a married baker in Florence and the next thing I know I’m being summoned by the high prince.”

A bright flash lit the sky and Natalia shielded her eyes against the glare, blinking away spots as her ruined night vision tried to readjust. An unfamiliar energy hummed over her skin and she stepped closer to Gregor, trying to protect him against something her demonic essence considered a great danger. “Galina, what is going on?”

An unfamiliar man’s voice, as sensuous as silk sheets sliding over bare limbs, answered her instead. “Relax, Princess. I mean you no harm.”

She found herself leaning into Gregor, her love for him wrapping around her like a cocoon of warmth and bliss. He made a low rumble of pleasure and kissed the top of her head. Kirin moved next to them and wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them into a hug that seemed to magnify her love until her soul struggled to contain it.

Lady Pyriel made a disgusted sound. “Stop showing off, Tanth.”

The overwhelming sense of love receded, and Natalia let out a small shriek of terror as she realized who had joined them. An angel stood behind Galina with an amused expression on his handsome face. His skin was a dark brown that reminded her of chocolate and his eyes were a solid blue glow. The tips of his wings had the same iridescent aqua blue color as his eyes and he radiated an ancient power.

Gregor and Kirin both lunged at the angel but Galina held up her hand and they bounced off an invisible wall of air and landed in a snarling heap. She frowned at them.

“Idiot men. Do you think Pyriel and I would endanger the princess? Tanth is a servant of the archangel Castitas, Keeper of the Blessed Virtue Love, and a staunch ally of Asmodeus from the beginning of time.”

Gregor glaring at the angel on the other side of the invisible wall, pushed himself up from the ground, and took a defensive stance in front of Natalia. “If he isn’t trying to harm her, then why did he use his magic on us?”

Pyriel crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Tanth has no respect for personal boundaries.”

Natalia noticed the angel’s attention lingered on the succubus’s chest before he turned away from Pyriel and faced them fully. For one long moment, he held her gaze and then nodded.

“My apologies, Succubus Queen. You can’t blame me for wanting to test the princess’s love for her men.”

Galina made a gesture and the wall between them fell. “We don’t have much time. While we stand here and chatter the hours are speeding away in Heaven and Hell.”

Tanth looked chagrined and he nodded. “I came as soon as my lady received your message. Did the soul we were looking for finally end up in Hell?”

Galina nodded. “Yes. His mistress and lab assistant died a few hours ago after being mugged. Our agents on earth disposed of her body so no one should notice she’s missing.”

Natalia took a step closer to the angel and then backed away as a prickling sensation like tiny needles raced over her skin. “Who and what are you talking about?”

Tanth rubbed the bridge of his nose. “A nun in Italy had a prophetic dream about a damned soul from London. The woman had been the mistress of a healer and easer of pain. It is a harbinger of the destruction of Heaven and Hell.”

Natalia tried to be patient, but her voice came out with a sharp edge. “What in the world does that mean?”

Galina brushed her hands over the tips of the waist-high grass. “It means, Princess, the mistress of a doctor in London arrived in Hell with tales of a miraculous drug that would free the world from the grips of opium addiction.” She gave Tanth a fleeting look and the muscles around her mouth tightened. “We’ve been on the lookout for her since Tanth first brought us news of the prophecy.”

Gregor stepped up next to Natalia. “Why would an angel help us? Last time I saw any of these winged freaks they were trying to kill us.”

“Listen, mortal,” the angel said with a hint of anger in his melodic voice, “just as there are different factions of power in Hell, there are different factions of power within Heaven. Belal’s unprecedented gain of power has upset the balance of the universe on all levels and he must be stopped.”

Pyriel tilted her head and considered the angel. “So what do you need us to do?”

“We need the princess to assume the image of the dead mistress and find out what that doctor is doing and assist him in any way she can. No doubt our enemies are also aware of the prophecy and their spies are everywhere. Having Natalia with him will help us keep him safe until he can perfect his remedy to opium addiction.”

“What?” Gregor snapped, cradling Natalia to his chest. “Why does she have to do it? Why not some other demon or damned soul or one of your angels?”

Galina narrowed her eyes at him and he shifted his stance but continued to hold Natalia. “Because we can’t have just any demon or devil protect him. Despite having an affair with his lab assistant, Christopher Wright is a spiritual man and a collector of religious icons. A damned soul or full demon would be unable to maintain the illusion of his mistress around him in his lab.”

Tanth nodded at Galina. “A blessed soul or angel would be unable to pose as his mistress because that would be a sin considering he is married.”

Natalia pushed at Gregor’s arms until he released her, but slipped her hand into his, gaining comfort from his touch. “So, my being a half demon will allow me to be around him in his lab. But what do you need me to do while I’m there?”

Galina and the angel exchanged a glance before she spoke. “You should be able to stand being around the religious objects, but you will be weakened. We need you to find out what he is doing, make sure he succeeds, and bring us word once he has the cure.”

Natalia took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to process this turn of events. “If I’m the only one going, how will I get word to you? I don’t have enough magical ability to open a portal or anything of that sort.”

Galina nodded to the succubus. “Pyriel will try to contact you through your dreams. If you are in desperate need to get a hold of us, try to find your way to the brothel district at night and pray for your father. He will hear you.”

The ground beneath their feet rumbled and they all turned as Raum strode through the portal opening in the earth. His arms were full of clothes, with a large silver flask nestled on top. He had a grim look on his face and dried blood splattered in his white hair. It gleamed like rubies in the moonlight.

As the portal closed behind him, Natalia went immediately to his side with Kirin not far behind, looking for the source of the blood. “Are you all right? What happened?”

“I’m fine, Princess. The blood is not mine.” He looked over her shoulder at Galina and Tanth. “The high prince is unable to come. After you left, someone or something killed Sert.”

Galina moaned and Natalia wavered as all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her feet. She remembered him, the demon prince of Greed, with his mint-green skin and lovely blue hair. “What happened?”

Kirin put his arm around her waist and braced her against his body as Raum tossed the pile of clothing to the ground. “Someone lured him away from the ball and to your father’s Tree of Knowledge. They killed him with a blessed object.” He looked at Tanth, cold fury transforming his handsome face into something terrifying. “His soul was sent back to the Chaos so we are unable to contact him to find out who killed him.”

Gregor ran his hands through his hair, his muscles bunching and flexing beneath the gold paint. “So someone killed the son, the heir, of one of the high princes, in the middle of the palace? Greed has publicly sided with Belal. If that doesn’t start a war I don’t know what will.”

Pyriel’s tail snapped in the air behind her with the crack of a whip. “It had to be someone Sert knew and trusted. But why would they take him to the Tree of Knowledge? What message were they trying to send?”

A bird sang sweetly in the distance and Galina looked toward the east where the faintest hint of light began to paint the horizon beyond the trees. “Time grows short. I cannot be here when the sun rises. Princess, put on the clothes Raum brought then drink from the flask. It contains the memories of Eliza, Mr. Wright’s lab assistant and mistress.”

Gregor stepped between Natalia and the pile of clothes on the ground. “You cannot mean to send her now, not with all that has happened.”

Kirin placed his hand on Gregor’s shoulder. “What if Sert’s death is just a distraction meant to stop whatever is going to happen in London? Just think what it could mean to us if a cure for opium addiction is found.”

Tanth clenched his hands into fists and nodded. “Though we don’t know who they are, there are factions in Heaven that are supporting Belal for their own reasons.”

Natalia turned to Pyriel. “Help me with the buttons on the back of my dress, please.”

Gregor grasped her hands in his. “Please, Natalia, think about what you’re doing. You could be walking into a trap.”

She dropped her gaze, focusing on removing the elaborate tiara from her hair without slicing off a finger. “Gregor, I have to do this.”

His voice took on a desperate edge. “No, no, you don’t. They can send someone else.”

She closed her eyes and fought the tremble in her voice. “They can’t send anyone else. I’m the only one that can do this.”

Raum stood in front of her so Tanth’s view was blocked as she removed the rest of the gown. “I don’t enjoy this any more than you do, Gregor, but I spoke with the damned soul, Eliza. She is convinced he’s found a way to cure opium addiction.” He looked up, hope shining in his eyes. “It could mean an end to the war before it even starts, and save millions of lives.”

Raum helped pull the gown off her shoulders, and Tanth made a pleased sound deep in his throat as her breasts were bared. Gregor snarled at him and the angel gave him an amused look. Pulling on the first layer of petticoats, she fumbled with the unfamiliar undergarments. “How will I get to London and what do I need to do once I’m there?”

Galina rubbed her temples, strain showing on her face as Pyriel cast her a worried look. “Drink the potion and you will assume the appearance of Eliza. You’ll gain some of her memories. Tanth will take you to London, and from there, you will find Wright and do what you can to help him in his quest and protect him.”