'Tween Heaven and Hell (27 page)

Prince Nille placed his hands on my shoulders and rested his
head on top of mine. My power waned as he held me and I had a sudden,
irrational fear that it would give way before Nille was done with it. But as my
magic leaked away, another power surged up to take its place and I sensed
Dialle’s presence again. Nille tensed as Dialle’s power joined us. He raised
his head and looked down at me, his eyes searching my face questioningly.

That was when it finally hit me. I knew what had been
bothering me about Prince Nille. It was something I’d read in those books I’d
gotten from the Angel Council. It had seemed an unimportant thing at the time. And
not entirely real. But now I realized that it was extremely important and I
suddenly knew what everything meant. It all made sense.

I tore my gaze away from Prince Nille’s and met his father’s
cold, midnight eyes. I was only a little startled to find the Evil Rayanne
smashed tightly against him, her arms and one leg twined possessively around
him. I didn’t care that she was there. Somehow it seemed fitting.

“He’s the long-awaited devil. That’s what this is all about
isn’t it?”

Nerul smiled and turned to Rayanne. “I told you she’s
smarter than she looks, my love.”

Rayanne’s smile was a tortured twisting of lips that were
compressed with distaste. “She’d have to be, my King, or she couldn’t manage
even the most mundane tasks.”

Nerul threw his dark head back and laughed. The sound was
rich and sexy and made me want to smash in his gorgeous face.

I took a step toward the malevolent duo but Nille stopped me
with a fully-regenerated hand, on my arm. “Do not force their hand, Astra. Though
you suit their purposes, they will not hesitate to kill you.”

“You speak wisely my son, as always.” Nerul gave Prince
Nille a tight smile and a nearly imperceptible bow. “Now we will leave you both
to your preparations. Tonight’s ceremonies will not be delayed. I feel the need
for urgency in this.”

Rayanne pushed her arm through Nerul’s and they left, taking
a good portion of the room’s chill with them. Before the door closed behind
them, I saw two guards step into place in front of it.

I looked at Nille and he smiled softly. “I am sorry you have
been dragged into this. I much preferred it when I was mourning only my fate.”

I turned to him and frowned. “What exactly do they have in
mind for tonight?”

He looked me straight in the eye and gave me the bad news. “You
will be sacrificed in a ceremony to transfer my power to my father.”

“Shit.”

One, dark eyebrow peaked. “Indeed. Unfortunately, I share
your fate. In order for the ceremony to work, we’ll both have to be killed as
we consummate our betrothal.”

It was my turn to look surprised. “Wait a minute. What if I’m
already betrothed to Dialle?”

Nille chuckled. “That was a brilliant stroke on Dialle’s
part. And such a sacrifice too.” His blue eyes sparkled at me and I couldn’t
help smiling as my face turned crimson.

“Well…anyway…what does that do to their plans?”

Nille moved toward me and reached a long, tapered finger to
touch the mark on my neck. At his touch the mark gave off sparks. I gasped and
jumped away. Nille just frowned slightly and dropped his hand back to his side.
“This mark cannot be broken. It is true and fixed.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I felt guilty anger bubbling
up. Somehow I didn’t like the sound of that.

Nille dragged his eyes away from my little tattoo and
smiled. “It means you are well and truly betrothed to Prince Dialle, lovely
Astra. And he is a very lucky devil.”

I turned away from him and started to pace the room angrily.
“This is no time for jokes, your Highness.”

“I’m not teasing you, Astra. Two hearts and two souls were
merged with that mark. It is binding in nearly every way.”

I stopped pacing and glared at him. “Nearly?”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “Do not trouble yourself with
thoughts of breaking it. It can’t be done.”

“But isn’t that exactly what your father has in mind?”

Nille smiled and, for once, he looked devilish as he did it.
“Yes. It is.”

“But you’re telling me it can’t be done?”

“Yes.”

“Then why does Nerul think he can do it?”

“Because if the mark were given under certain circumstances,
it would not be true and it could be broken.”

“Like if I were an unwilling participant?”

“That is one circumstance, yes.”

I thought about that for a while and paced some more. Then I
flopped on the bed and looked up at him. He stood silently, watching me, as if
he already knew what I was going to say. I’m sure he did. “I told him I was
raped.”

Again the devilish smile. “I know.”

“Man is he gonna be pissed.”

“Yes, my lovely Astra. He is.”

“Okay,” I said to the beautiful, blue-eyed devil before me, “So
what happens next? How are they going to attempt to break the mark?”

Nille pulled his gaze away from me and looked truly
uncomfortable for the first time since he’d entered my luxurious prison. He
cleared his throat and walked over to sit on the end of the bed. I did
not
like the way his eyes couldn’t meet mine.

“Nille? How awful could it be?”

Still staring everywhere but at me, his eyebrows peaked and
he shrugged, looking somehow…guilty.

“Shit, Nille, you’re scaring me.”

He sighed and stood up, meeting my eyes again heroically. “I’m
not sure really. They could try one of two things.”

I watched him expectantly. He seemed very reluctant to go
on. “And they are?”

“Neither one will be pleasant for you, Astra.”

“Oh, I’m sure of that. I’ve hung around your family and
friends long enough to know that very little having to do with them is
pleasant.”

He nodded, not even taking offense at my words. That
surprised me a little. I mean, if he really was the long-awaited good devil
that was destined to join the Angel Council with the Devil Court and ensure
peace between the dark and light worlds, you would think he would take
exception to being lumped in with Nerul and his gang of nightmares on cloven
hooves. Still, I guess the young Prince had more pressing matters on his mind
than being thin-skinned about some stupid Tweener and her big fat mouth. Like
his death perhaps. And mine.

“Okay, just tell me. I always feel better if I know what I’m
facing, even if it really sucks.”

He cocked his elegant head at me. “Sucks?”

“Yeah.”

“As far as I know there will be no sucking, though it is
possible there could be I guess.”

I could feel my face turn pale as the blood drained from it.
I bent my knees and let my butt hit the edge of the bed. I really just wanted
to sit down for a minute. I was tired. That was all, my knees hadn’t buckled or
anything. I managed to nod at him. “Okay, so sucking is probably out but not definitely.”
I thought about that for a minute. “Just for my clarification here, Nille. Are
we talking about blood sucking?”

He frowned. “Of course.”

How stupid of me to ask. I gulped and fought the urge to
clasp a hand protectively around my neck. “Okay. So…what? There are vampires in
this court?”

“Among other things.”

“Of course.” Once again, how stupid of me to ask. “Lovely.”

He sighed again and was suddenly lying across the bottom of
the bed. Stretched out full length onto his side, he crossed his long legs at
the ankles and propped his head up on one hand. The other hand he placed on
mine, the fingers of which were curled into tense claws in my lap.

“Here’s the worst of it, Astra. They can try to break the
mark in one of two ways. One, they can kill Dialle, but I’m not sure they are
strong enough to best him now that he shares your power…”

“What!”

He laughed at me. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that your
powers have been merged under the mark?”

I clamped my lips together and scowled at him. “It seems
there is a whole shit ship full of stuff I don’t know, your Highness.”

Nille sat up and was suddenly seated next to me. He put an
arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side. I felt immediate and
immense calm as we touched. Despite my natural aversion to unnecessary
touching, I leaned against him and put my head on his shoulder. He kissed my
forehead. “I am truly sorry you’ve been dragged into this, sweet Astra. Now we
must find a way out of it for you.”

I nodded and just let myself melt against him. I could have
stayed in that spot forever. Such a peace I’d never felt and it had completely
taken me over. It was truly intoxicating. Especially under the circumstances. It
occurred to me that the creature I’d been sent to locate and save, was now
trying to save me from the big nasties and was doing all in his power to calm
my fears. Life is just full to burstin’ with irony isn’t it?

Finally I roused myself enough to ask. “What’s the second
way?”

He kissed my forehead again and rubbed my arm. “Huh? Oh. They
will mate you with a gargoyle.”

I didn’t even twitch. “Of course they will,” I said and
sighed numbly.

Chapter Twenty-
Four

The Shit Deepens Thusly

Alas our maiden dodged the blaze, her safety to
acquire,

Only to find that she’d been thrown, from the flame
into the quagmire.

As with all good things, my period of tranquility didn’t
last nearly long enough. Only a moment into my restful respite with Prince
Nille, the door to my prison flew open and puked the two demon guards into the
room.

Nille jumped up and stood in front of me protectively. I
shook my head in an attempt to expel the last of my dazed pleasure and stood up
too, moving to stand beside him in a united show of strength.

“Leave us,” said Nille in a quiet but powerful voice.

For a brief moment the guards seemed confused. They shared a
soap opera look and almost seemed ready to turn around and leave. But then
Nerul sauntered into the room behind them and they stiffened their spines
visibly. “Nice try, my son, but your power cannot usurp my power here. Soon, in
fact you’ll have no power at all.” Nerul chuckled darkly and turned his velvet
black gaze to me. “Mx. Phelps, I see you haven’t yet dressed for our little
ceremony.”

My eyes dropped to my tattered and charred nightie and I
smiled sweetly at him. “I appreciate your offering of clothing, your Highness,
but I prefer my clothing to cover my entire body, otherwise, what’s the point?”

He laughed. “Indeed, what is the point.” Before my eyes even
registered movement, he was beside me. With one quick jerk he had ripped my
poor nightgown right down the middle so that it hung off my shoulders like a
dilapidated robe. I quickly pulled the two halves together and glared at him.

“Asshole.”

He nodded. “Yes. Thank you. You have two minutes to put that
on,” he gestured to the little nothing that the evil Rayanne had tossed onto
the bed, “or, if you’d prefer you could participate in the ceremony naked. I’m
sure no one would mind.”

After a final glance at his son, which was filled with such
distaste that it surprised even me, Nerul left the room, leaving the two surly
demons behind.

The two guards licked their thick lips and stared at me
until I wanted to climb into the bed and pull the covers over my head. Nille
stepped between them and me and motioned toward the gown on the bed. “I’d put
that on if I were you. It isn’t much but it’s better than nothing.”

I nodded, glancing at the slobbering pair at the door. Nille
looked at them too and spoke in the language I couldn’t understand. Reluctantly
they turned away so that they weren’t quite staring at me anymore, though their
beady little eyes kept dancing in my direction when they thought Nille wasn’t
looking.

I quickly pulled the remains of my tattered nightgown off my
shoulders and turned my back on Nille. I could feel his pale gaze on my
uncomfortably naked back as I reached for the shimmering gown on the bed and
dropped it over my head. The fabric felt cool and curiously liquid against my
skin. It clung to every swell and curve of my body, hiding nothing and revealing
almost more than nakedness would have. The plunging neckline dropped nearly to
the tops of my nipples and rose to slip across the tops of my shoulders before
skimming tightly down my arms and flowing over the backs of my hands. As I
tugged and pulled the gown away from my body, I began to feel surprisingly
drowsy and weak. As strange as it seemed, the gown appeared to be gaining
weight at an alarming rate. After a moment of trying to ignore the sensation, I
felt as if a two-hundred-pound anchor had been strapped to my back. As soon as
I realized what was happening to me, I started to tug on it, with the idea of
pulling it off over my head. But my fingers felt thick and numb and the fabric
was curiously elusive. It slipped through my clumsy fingers and stuck to my
flesh so that I couldn’t even pinch it away from my skin let alone pull it off.

In a panic, my eyes searched the room for Nille but my
vision had begun to blur and I couldn’t find him. I thought I heard him call
out to me as I started to go under, but my head felt like it was immersed in a
bottle at the bottom of the ocean and everything was wavy and muffled. Finally
my vision went black and my hearing thickened to the point that I could only
hear a thrumming sound in the room. Then it sounded like a door slammed
somewhere and a rhythmic thudding approached me. Looking back, I realize now
that I was probably hearing footsteps, because I soon felt hard, leathery hands
on my body and a sensation of being lifted from the ground. I think I called
out for Nille to help me, but he may have already been gone at that point. I’ll
probably never know for sure. All I know is that he didn’t come to me. Apparently
he had his own battles to fight. I was on my own. As usual.