AllFreeNovel
Share Us
TWO SWOLLEN EYES THATwere probably blackened, a busted lip, and (Tor winced as he touched his midsection) most likely a broken rib. The Lupescus had gone easy on him, but at least their mate had been safely returned to them. For that, Tor was grateful. He sent a prayer to the Ancients, especially their goddess, for seeing him safely back on the mortal plane.
His boots crunched snow and his breath fogged the cool air as he followed the road to the forest where they’d parked the rental car. The walk gave him time to contemplate the future of the Amaroki. After learning so much about their origins, he was convinced the tribes would benefit from an alliance with the demon wolves. Now all he had to do was convince them, though he suspected Eilea would have far more sway with the tribes.
His side throbbed and his face and fingers were frozen by the time he reached the car, which was buried beneath a blanket of snow. Heaving a frustrated groan, he threw off his clothes and shifted into a mammoth protector. Then he lifted the car out of the snow and rolled it onto the road. He heard the clank and winced when the djinn’s lamp rolled away from the tire. How had it gotten there? He turned it over in his meaty paws. It was useless now, just an empty shell without magic.
He shifted back, his balls practically climbing into his throat as he dug the key to his rental car out of his pocket with trembling hands. Damn, it was cold!
He tossed the lamp in the back seat—Phoenix might want it someday—and climbed into the compact car, wincing when his knee jammed the steering wheel. The fucking car wouldn’t turn over. No surprise the battery was completely dead. He needed to call someone to come get him.
He swore when he saw his cellphone had gone dead, then swore again when he couldn’t find the emergency compact charger in the glovebox. His family would be worried sick. He didn’t want to go back to the Lupescus and ask to use their phone. No doubt they wouldn’t let him in, anyway.
He dug through his bag for the charger, tossing the bag out the window in a fit of rage when he found only socks and underwear. Damn. Then he remembered Phoenix’s bag. If she didn’t have a phone, he’d walk back to the tribal meeting house and call from there, though he wasn’t looking forward to trudging through more snow. He turned to grab her backpack out of the back seat when he saw the lid to the lamp had fallen off, and the top of a scroll poked out of the spout.
He snatched the lamp off the seat and pulled out the scroll. He hastily unrolled it, squinting to read the swirls of black ink under the low light of the waning moon. Oblivious to the biting chill that had seeped into his bones, he read and then reread the letter several times, too numb from shock at first to understand what he was reading. A slow grin split his face in two after his brain had finally absorbed the words.
If you find this, I didn’t make it, and that’s okay, so long as my sacrifice saved my darling Phoenix.
Enclosed you will find directions for locating my mother’s lamp. Please find Abera and ask Hecate to free her, but not before she gives you the crystal in her possession, so that demonkind and Amaroki can strengthen their alliance. Mostly, so Tor can check on my daughter and make sure her demon wolves are worshipping her like a goddess.
Tell Abera that I love and forgive her. I understand now why she had to make such a difficult decision to save her daughter’s soul. I would do anything to save my own daughter. Anything.
Please tell my daughter how much I love her. And thank her for teaching me love and compassion. Because of her, I have become a better demon, and my soul will hopefully find peace in the next life. –Jezebeth
Epilogue
Hell, seven months later
“What are you doinghere? It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.” Phoenix clung to the banister, her hair hanging over her shoulder as she stared into Helius’s golden eyes. His silvery skin shone beneath the light of the moon.
Balancing himself on a tree branch in the garden with the dexterity of a cat, he laughed. “I think we’ve already used up all our bad luck, don’t you?”
Biting her lip, she crossed one leg over the other, repressing her desire. She wanted him so badly. They’d made love almost every night since they’d returned from their captivity, and yet she still couldn’t get enough of her mates. Helius wore an open tunic, exposing his deliciously hard chest rippling with muscles and swirling tattoos. She wanted to lick every inch of him, but she couldn’t. Not tonight.
Unlike the Amaroki’s bonding ceremony, demons had their own bonding traditions, much like human weddings. Tomorrow, Phoenix would be officially bonded to her four handsome mates in a ceremony that would be a blend of both Amaroki and demon. She couldn’t wait. But for now, as tradition dictated, they had to spend the night apart. She had initially wanted to adhere to the rules, but seeing her mate standing before her, all she could think about was riding him like a dragon.
A sharp whistle caught her attention. Cadmus floated up beside his brother, his wind rustling the leaves beneath him. “Come.” He waved her forward, a thick red scarf in his hand. “There’s something we want to show you.”
