Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(76)

“Oh-ho—the little human wants to play rough!” The yellow eyes glowed with cruel delight. “We can do that, so we can. Old Gorlock likes it rough…although if you’d just hold still and let me have a taste of that sweet soul it might not hurt quite so much.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped. “You can’t get at my soul—you don’t even have a soul hook.”

“A soul-hook, is it?” He bellowed that hoarse, croaking laughter again. “Why, who needs a soul hook when I’ve got this?” He stroked his shaft some more. “This is all the hook I need to taste your soul, girlie. After all, why reach down your throat to get it when it’s so much more fun to go up through your cunt?”


“You…you can’t!” Could he? For a moment my courage wavered. I remembered what Laish had said about the taking and tasting of a soul being a sexual thing—was this what he had meant? Surely not! And yet the demon was still advancing, backing me into a corner with only the clunky piece of firewood for a weapon.

“I can and I will!” he declared, leering at me as he loomed over me. “Why should I hook out that sweet little soul when I can f*ck it out instead? Cause that’s what I’m going to do to you, girlie. Going to—”

“All you’re going to do is die,” a deep, cold voice behind him said.

Suddenly, as I looked up at him, it appeared that the demon had grown a third horn—this one right in the center of his forehead. The demon—Gorlock—seemed just as surprised as I was. He raised red, clawed hands to scrabble at the new horn that had somehow sprouted from his head. Then his yellow eyes rolled up and he collapsed heavily, falling first to his knees and then to his side.

Laish stood just behind him, naked and holding a huge, curving black blade which was plunged into the back of the demon’s thick skull. He yanked it out and threw it aside, just in time to catch me as I fell into his arms.





* * * * *

Laish

“Laish, Laish—I thought you were dead! He said—that awful demon—he said he saw the Skitterlings pick…picking your b-bones…”

Gwendolyn’s voice cracked and turned into a sob. I held her to me, stroking her smooth brown skin as she trembled in my arms. I didn’t try to explain—only held her tight. So many males don’t understand that this is what a woman needs sometimes—just to be held.

I stroked her back and murmured soothing words into her ear as she pressed herself against me. I don’t think she even noticed we were both naked. Though I had waited months to hold her to me this way with nothing between us, I was, for once, too weary to be terribly excited myself. The battle with the Skitterlings had taken all of my reserves and most of my power. I would need time to recuperate before we could begin our journey again. But now that the occupant of the small wooden hut was dead, at least we had a safe place to rest.

I eyed the prone form of the lesser demon with disgust. Kurex had brought me back just in time. In another moment, Gwendolyn would have lost her innocence, her powers as a witch, and her soul all at once. I only wished I could bring the bastard back to life and kill him again for scaring her so badly and threatening to do such unspeakable things to her.

Yes, this was Hell and such things were to be expected but still, I could not bear the thought of them happening to Gwendolyn. More than ever I wanted to hold and protect her, to never let her go.

At last her trembling stopped and she pulled away from me a little.

“I’m sorry.” She rubbed her eyes. “I…uh, didn’t mean to get all girly on you.”

“You had a shock and a very close call. More than one, in fact, in the very recent past,” I pointed out, sweeping a strand of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. “No one could fault you for needing an emotional release.”

“A release. Right.” She tried to laugh but the sound that came out was wavering and uncertain. “But how…how did you…?”

“I will tell you everything,” I promised. “But first let us see to tidying the place up a bit.” I gripped the lesser demon by one beefy forearm and dragged him out of the hut. I tossed him around the side where he wasn’t immediately visible. Hopefully the snow would come and bury his body until it decomposed—or at least until we left the hut. I didn’t want Gwendolyn to have to look at her would-be rapist ever again.

Next I saw to Kurex. Being a Demon-steed, he had no need of protection from the elements. Still, I reached into the last dregs of my reserves and managed to conjure a bucket of warm mash for him. I also made sure he was safe around the other side of the hut, sheltered from the constantly whipping wind. He had done a good day’s work and I promised myself he would be rewarded when we got back to my own estate in Hades…whenever that might be.

When I got back into the hut, Gwendolyn was tending to the fire which was already roaring in the hearth. When she heard me come in, she jumped up and turned to face me. She had stopped trembling but now she seemed self-conscious and kept crossing her arms over her bare breasts and crossing her thighs, as though to hide her sex.

“Um…hi.” Her eyes kept wandering to my shaft and I realized the fact that we were both naked was making her nervous.

“Forgive me,” I said wearily. “I will conjure some apparel for both of us presently. But for now, I am at the very limits of my power.”