Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(23)

There was nothing else to hold on to so I grabbed a handful of the horse’s mane, hoping it wouldn’t mind. It snorted and stamped its foot but showed no inclination to buck us off, which was good. Still, I didn’t like being so high up and feeling so completely out of control.

Laish seemed to have no such worries. He kicked the massive horse’s sides and made a clicking sound.

“Goodbye, Yerx,” he called as the horse began to move obediently forward. “I will send back your steed when I reach the river. Remember that no one is to know about this. If I find you have told anyone, I will have your flesh carved from your bones and tossed, chunk by bloody chunk, into the Lake of Fire.”

Looking back, I thought the immense demon looked pale.

“Yes, my Lord Laish,” he muttered, bowing so low that his twisting spiral horns scraped the ground. “I understand.”

“Very good.” Laish turned his attention forward and urged the horse to go a little faster.

“Take it easy with this thing!” I gripped his forearms, which were on either side of me. “Don’t make it go too fast, okay?”

“What is the point of riding a Demon-steed if you don’t make use of its tremendous speed?” Laish sounded amused but I noticed he didn’t urge the horse any faster—for which I was relieved.

“So, ‘Lord Laish’ huh?” I asked, trying to take my mind off my horsy predicament. “What’s that all about? I thought you were a minor demon?”

“It’s nothing. Yerx is an old friend—he served in one of the legions I commanded once during the Blood Wars.”

“Okay, first…” I twisted around carefully, so I could see his face. “Friends don’t threaten to have friends carved into ‘bloody chunks’ was how I believe you put it.”

Laish opened his mouth but I went on before he could speak.

“And second, minor demons don’t command whole legions. Do they? I mean, who are you, anyway?”

Laish shrugged. “No one of consequence. Don’t worry about it, Gwendolyn.”

“I do worry about it, Laish,” I snapped. “I called for a minor demon. In fact, I specifically tried to summon the weakest, least dominant demon I could find the first time I did that spell. And I got you.”

“You did indeed. And now you are stuck with me.” He gave me a charming grin. “Turn around, Gwendolyn. This is likely to be the most idyllic portion of our trip. Let’s not waste it bickering.”

“As if any part of a ride through Hell could be ‘idyllic,’” I muttered, turning around reluctantly. “This isn’t over with, Laish. I’m going to find out who—and what—you really are, eventually.”

“Perhaps,” he rumbled. “In the meantime, let us just enjoy each other’s company—shall we?”

I still felt irritated but the slight swaying motion of the horse was strangely soothing. I didn’t know much about horses—having avoided them completely ever since early childhood—but this one seemed to have an exceptionally smooth gait. The dark ground flowed beneath us like water. As for the landscape—there was nothing to see. The entire area seemed to be one flat plane shrouded in mist. From time to time I thought I heard voices but they were always far off and I couldn’t make out what they were saying. It was neither too hot nor too cold—in fact, the whole place was about as neutral and gray as anything I could imagine.

So much for fiery pits and vats of lava and brimstone with devils dancing around them—as far as I was concerned, Hell seemed positively mild. There was nothing to do but lean back and enjoy the ride—if I could enjoy balancing on the back of such a huge, frightening creature, that was. Still, Laish’s arms on either side of me and his broad, warm chest behind me made me feel secure, despite the great distance to the ground. His warm cinnamon and spice scent was soothing too—maybe too soothing. It was lulling me off guard, making me want to snuggle back against him and lose myself in the warmth of his big body.


Irritated with myself for my weakness, I made a point of sitting up, trying not to let my back touch his chest. But that put my crotch into much more direct contact with the hard leather saddle. My legs were already spread wide and when I leaned forward, the rocking motion of the horse and the saddle rubbing right between my legs was positively pornographic. I squirmed uncomfortably, wishing it didn’t feel so good.

I had a real dilemma. If I leaned back, I was too close to Laish but if I sat up straight, I was being stimulated in a way I definitely didn’t want when I was in such close proximity to the infuriating demon.

“Gwendolyn? Are you all right?” he murmured after a few minutes of me squirming all over the place.

“Fine, just fine,” I muttered, making an effort to sit still. “Tell me about Hell if you won’t tell me about yourself,” I said, trying to take my mind off my problem. “What is this area we’re riding through now—Purgatory?”

“There is no such thing,” Laish said. “That is yet another detail Dante got wrong. In fact, this is the first circle of Hell—Avernus. Also known as the Plane of Irresolution. It is reserved for those souls who wandered aimlessly through life, never accomplishing their goals or helping others to accomplish theirs.”

“That seems mild enough,” I remarked.