Helfyre (Agía Sahnta #1)

by Mariel Pomeroy

“Violence from beautiful creatures,” he said, flourishing his hand and retrieving a needle and thread from somewhere inside his shadows. Then he leaned over, just as he dropped the two things in her small hands, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, “. . . is one of the things I like.”

“You can’t dangle me like this.” She grasped onto his leg, her own quivering. “I—”

“I’ll do what I please. I’ll dangle you, tie you up, show you off, and then break you, and you’ll thank me with those pretty lips of yours for anything and everything I give you.”

“Show me that helfyre tonight, little goddess. But more importantly, show them,” he said.

If she truly was his toy, his pet, his thing, she should have felt lesser. But when she looked up at him and those eyes burned, watching her and only her, she felt seen and fucking powerful instead.

Arioch had left her, so what did it matter? She wasn’t his property in earnest, so what did it matter? She needed this . . . So what did it matter?

“These lips are mine.” He curled his fingers into her windpipe and squeezed. “If you taste anyone else . . .” Tighter. Tighter. Too tight.

He twirled his fingers until she felt the shadows at her back spread around her ribcage, slipping through the gold strings of her dress, and across her skin. They rubbed across her breasts and wound around her nipples so hard that she flexed her fingers and yanked against her restraints.

“If you come before he chokes, he can live,” Arioch said without warning, soft splutters growing louder from the demon at her side. “If not, well . . .”

Her knees buckled, and she fell into the dark hold as the tendrils slipped past the satin between her legs, licking across her heated core. She cried out when she felt them inside of her, biting down on her lip, remembering the demons watching and the one choking at her side.

The creature bled from its shadows while a soft film of smoke clouded its features. Aheia could barely make out its dark yellow eyes, the long, wolf-like snout, and the teeth that dipped past its mouth. It was staring at her, its ears tall and sharp, fur matted with blood that was still dripping from its jowls.

Two of the Nephilim were unrecognizable, their black blood splattered across the wall, their organs smashed against the floor, while the third was still convulsing in a corner, sputtering his last breaths, and it sounded like his lungs were filling with blood. She knew the sound.

The Varcolac laid down at her feet, the large black mass blocking out half the room even in its position on the floor.

“It likes you,” Arioch said finally, breaking the soft silence between them. “It?”

“Glykó skýs,” she said absentmindedly, seeing little patterns form in the complete darkness against her eyes the longer she stared into nothing. “I don’t know if I would call it a sweet dog,” Arioch said, his chest shaking her as he chuckled.

“Does it have a name?” she asked, her brain feeling heavy. “The Varcolac? No.” His edge deepened, fringing on the softness of his words. “You should name your pets,” she said, searching for distractions around her. So, she thought about the creature and that if he hadn’t named it, she would. Maybe Koutávi. It was something like ‘small dog’ in her language, and the absurdity of a creature made of smoke and darkness being named something like that made her smile.

“Koutávi, she saved me.” Arioch stroked her skin. “She?” “Your shadow creature—that fire is female,” Aheia said. “She.” He hummed. “She.” It sounded like agreement. “What did you call her?” “Koutávi. She should have a name. Without her, they would’ve . . . ” She trailed off,

His shadows between her legs, so Gods damned public, had been a punishment, but if she was truthful she’d give anything for the same treatment in this moment.

“We’re all broken, Aheia. It’s what gives us strength. Only the broken can grow.”

“Is that what he would do? Stop, and apologize?”

She whimpered as he squeezed her clit between his fingers, her knees sliding against the blood and the rock when he sunk every inch of his cock into her.

Aheia cried out, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as his abdomen hit her ass. It was too much for her; he could feel it, knew it hurt. But he didn’t care. Anger pulsed through him in a hot wave, tingeing his intentions until all he could think about was how she had her little hands twisted into the fabric of his being.

She was fucking ruining him, and she didn’t even know it. So, he’d return the favor, even if it was just physical. He’d make sure that no matter what happened after she left his realm, she’d never be able to think of anyone but him ever again, not in ...

“I want your shadows,” she gasped, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. Those simple words fucking blinded him.

“Honey,” she whispered, the word feeling acidic on her tongue.