Page 25 of Hell-Bound (Pacts of the Infernal #1)

The truth feels like a pathetic excuse. I am responsible. My Wrath, Lust, and Gluttony are all real. They feed my power, and I revel in them.

“You’re enslaved here? Then…all of this isn’t your fault?”

“It is my fault. I signed a contract, and I take full responsibility for that.”

“But how?”

she pleaded.

Azur ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

“My family has always existed.

We were happy once—together in the heavens.

But we were lonely.

One day, my sister Ziemia suggested that we all impart our essence in the cosmos and create living beings.

We knew it would drain the majority of our power, but we all agreed.

We wanted to do something important—fulfilling.

We wanted to share our lives.

Wanted children. We hadn’t realized at the time how selfish our decision was.

“We created them in our likeness.

My brother Faydir created The Planes of Fae, creatures blessed with mischief and whimsy.

I created The Hells, a plane glittering with riches to delight.

The Devils with their vibrant skin the colors of my beautiful vurmite.

Ziemia created yours—The Mortal Plane and the luscious nature within.”

He smiled.

“My other siblings could never compete with her imagination and ingenuity—the reason your plane has the most variety of life.

Finally our eldest brother, Nainaur, crafted The Plane of Heavens, only imbibing it with a small number of ethereal creatures.

“One of the few traits we all agreed on was that we wanted to give our children the ability to reproduce, a capacity that had become one of our greatest joys.

But these gifts had unforeseeable consequences.

It was becoming evident that our creations were populating at an alarming rate.

We could not expand our created planes, for we had expended the majority of our Immortal power in their creation.

Nainaur, the wisest of us all, suggested limiting their lifespans.

He promised that after their deaths, he would take them into The Heavens, blessing them on his plane and allowing them to live with the ethereal beings.

“Ziemia, as is her way, was creative.

Humans and Orcs always lusted for each other, reproducing the fastest, so they were given the shortest lifespans.

While Elves and Gnomes tend to mate less, and thus, she gave them more years.

Faydir followed her lead, allowing his passive children to age slowly but ultimately pass on.

“But in my greed, I couldn’t let go.

I couldn’t stand the idea of my children dying and something taking them from me.

Death meant pain and abandonment, and the thought of their lives living elsewhere made me envious.

Therefore, I allowed my creatures to remain Immortal, living long lives full of adventures and experiences.”

He paused, eyes darkening.

“This gluttony to see them thrive pushed me to start offering them small doses of my power.

Signing contracts that I naively believed would help them.

I allowed them to surrender their Immortality in exchange for magical prowess.

After all, not everyone wanted to live forever, and it felt like a fair compromise.

But understand, I also received power from these exchanges.

More power to create and control—I loved it.

“But something went wrong.

For millennia there were no sleepers, only Devils with their small gifts.

Then, one day, when Adhan tried to pass over to The Heavens…he didn’t.

He stayed and turned into what we now know as a sleeper.

“I was devastated.

The only creature I had ever given myself to fully was gone.

A shell.

I tried all the magic at my disposal to help him, to bring him back, but it was no use.

“I couldn’t fathom why this had happened.

The only consequences for Devils in the past were their lifespans.

It was the only way for me to give power and, while harsh, only meant they would eventually go live with my brother.

I hadn’t realized my brother Nainaur’s growing ambition for power.

“It started small.

He began visiting the Mortals on my sister’s plane, evangelizing.

Ziemia was the shyest of our siblings and preferred to show her love through plants and nature.

Blessing her children with the light from her sun and the blooms of her flowers.

She didn’t mind Nainaur receiving the worship and the power that came along with it.

“Then our planes began to change.

Ziemia’s nature began to betray her as natural disasters destroyed her beautiful creations.

Faydir’s plane was blighted.

The fragile ecosystem he’d created began to die, and so did its occupants.

On my plane, the people started to change.

More sleepers appeared each day, many of whom I had signed contracts with.

Others from my High Devils, a creation I also gifted with the ability to offer contracts.

Then suddenly, there were too many sleepers to count.

“All the gods gathered together to find a solution to the suffering of our people.

Nainaur blamed us for refusing to create the proper balance.

He said balance was the only way to true happiness and for our children to reach their full potential.

Nainaur swore to us that day that he would help us maintain that balance, gifting us some of the power he’d collected from the Mortals to aid us protect our planes.

He pointed out that the transfer of power could only occur via contract.

I, having invented the process, believed him and was the first to sign.

I trusted my brother, the self-proclaimed god of truth, to keep to his word.

“One of the exchanges was that he would intervene on behalf of the sleepers if I remained their constant custodian in The Hells.

The contract, worded strategically, trapped me here, in The Hells, in exchange for his help.

I had no desire to leave, so the sacrifice felt minimal at first.

But to my horror, his intervention amounted to forcing the sleepers to work in the mines, extracting my precious vurmite.

It took me several centuries to realize why he was doing this.

These stones, magic in their own way, have been fueling my brother’s power.

It was the vurmite, along with the mass worship from followers of The Mortal Plane, that allowed him to lord over us, all the creatures and my siblings included.

Since this realization, I have tried to stop it, but…”

He stopped, eyes distant.

“He punished me.

Captured me and unleashed an Immortal god’s level of agony and torture upon my person.

He didn’t scar my body, but—but my people.

Diseases and destruction erupted across the lands.

Devils were dying by the millions.

One for each piece of vurmite I had stolen from him before finally releasing me.

“It went on like this, the suffering, the death until Faydir suggested we write Vutar’ka Zhartun.

He wanted our children to know the truth.

He believed they were intelligent enough, wise enough, to see past Nainaur machinations.

They would turn from him if they realized his depravity, weakening his power enough for us to intervene.

But Faydir had also signed a contract, and he knew the consequences of sharing his knowledge.

He was a god, so he could not become a sleeper.

He simply died—vanished rather.

He and the power he provided to The Fae Plane. It is because of The Ultimate Truth that I can speak to you now without vanishing myself. It protects us from certain consequences of our contracts.

Since our brother’s death we’ve kept the tome secret, my sister and I, believing that one day we would find a way to stop Nainaur and bring peace to the planes.

But somehow, my brother discovered its existence and will stop at nothing to destroy it and silence us again—prevent us from sharing The Ultimate Truth.

“It wasn’t long before Nainaur began the rumors of my malevolence.

I didn’t deny them because they were true.

I had created the sleepers.

I had already signed innumerable contracts before I realized what I had done, and I couldn’t stop.

At first, I felt like I was helping, allowing my children to choose.

Then it just…spiraled.

I forgot why I was doing it, and, in my grief, it didn’t seem to matter.

Once you’ve caused so much pain, you become numb. I was numb, have been numb for a long time. I have become what my brother always said I was. The embodiment of evil.

“I know now that no matter what I do, there is no going back for me.

I am too far gone.

My sins, the souls I have taken, and the agony I have caused outweigh any good I can do.

I am lost to evil.

It is my only companion.

My lust, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony—it feeds my broken soul.

It is the only way I feel anything besides the overwhelming numbness.”

He paused, pain carving deep lines in his face.

Azur closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree.

Ren noticed his pulse throbbing in his long neck.

Ren didn’t say anything at first.

She simply reached out and touched his leg.

His head jerked as if he’d forgotten she was there.

“I’m so sorry, Azur,”

she whispered.

“Don’t be,”

he said, perhaps harsher than he’d intended.

“I am what I am. I could have let him take me the way he took Faydir, but I didn’t—I continued.”

His eyes looked shiny, glistening with emotion.

“I could have found a way to use The Ultimate Truth before now—but I didn’t—I haven’t.”

Ren hugged her knees to her chest. This revelation would indeed turn The Mortal Plane on its head. Societies were built on their belief in Nainaur. Even with the tome, with The Ultimate Truth, it seemed impossible that people would turn their back on their god. The one they credited for creating and maintaining their life by blessing their crops and keeping them safe.

But Nainaur was not the benevolent almighty that they believed him to be. He was using their worship to fuel his power by manipulating their love. Faydir had believed Mortals wise enough to make the right decision, but Ren wasn’t so sure. After all, ideological differences were the catalyst for starting the Fae wars. There was a price to this truth.

She understood why Azur and his sister hadn’t yet moved against their brother.

She ventured one more question.

“But why me? Why did Nainaur send me to get the tome?”

He smiled sadly to himself.

“He knew what you meant to me—what your request meant to me—your contract. I can’t reveal much else, but I can say that you were the first being to come to my doorstep that reminded me of myself. You desired the same things I did, and I craved to give them to you. You stood before me, the embodiment of wrath, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, and yes, even sloth in some ways. I wanted to see you—and selfishly, as I am selfish—see if you succeeded.

“You did it because you saw the sinner in me. I’ve done evil on a grand scale, and I wanted to forget,”

she spoke softly.

He did not answer.

“He sent you back here as another torturous reminder that he has control. He wanted me to know that any good I tried to do would always fail—to remember that sharing the secrets of The Ultimate Truth would only bring more pain and despair to my people.

“Yet at that moment, in the palace, I couldn’t let him win. I was so exhausted from fighting his way. He never would have truly let me abdicate. He could never control Xarek as he controls me with the bond we share. He likely thought I would kill you, destroy you, my project of hope. In the unlikely scenario that I didn’t kill you, he knew what stripping my powers would do to me. How it would wound my pride. Indeed, I am more vulnerable than I have ever been,”

he said, his face twisting in contempt.

“How do we get your powers back?”

“They will return on their own, but likely not in enough time to rescue your parents.”

He massaged his temples.

“The only choice we have is to retrieve the tome. It still contains my brother’s magic. We should be able to siphon just enough to send you home without breaking any important enchantments.”

She inhaled, giving him a determined look.

“Then I guess we are getting that tome after all.”

“I guess so, Elfy,”

he said, finally smiling.

Suddenly, they heard a low rumble.

“Fuuuuck, really?”

Azur grumbled.

Ren leaped to her feet, drawing her dagger.

“Relax, Ren, it just means it’s going to rain,”

Azur said, crossing his arms.

As soon as he said it, a small blue droplet hit her nose, causing her to blink rapidly. The drops weren’t like The Mortal Planes.

They glowed neon in the blackness and shimmered as if they were filled with diamonds. She watched in awe as her clothes began to glow, collecting the shining beads. She lifted her hands to the sky and caught several droplets. They splashed off her hand, sprinkling neon sparkles into the ash.

“You…made this?”

Azur blushed, actually blushed, and cleared his throat.

“Yes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we share an affinity for the beauty of all that glitters.”

She smiled and watched the droplets soak his hair and drip down his cheeks. The shimmers eventually dissolved like snow, but the rain kept falling, and the black ash began to glimmer. It looked like she was standing in starlight.

The snow and starlight, unfortunately, also felt like snow. She bit down on her teeth, trying to control their chattering. She was proud, had to admit it now and didn’t want to show frailty. Hoping he wouldn’t notice, Ren casually walked next to Azur and sat down. His body was radiating warmth.

“You’re like an oven!”

she sputtered, pushing wet hair out of her face.

He rolled his eyes and put one large wing around her.

Burnt roses.

She couldn’t stop herself from closing her eyes and breathing deeply. She listened to the pitter-patter of rain hit the leafless trees.

“I believe you,”

she said, looking up at him.

His eyes were the only other color besides the glowing blue and she shivered from the effect of the contrast. His face looked confused. As if he couldn’t understand the language she was speaking.

“It’s just that,”

she babbled, suddenly feeling awkward.

“you said no one believed you, god of lies and all that, and I just wanted you—”

He kissed her.

Cupping her head with his hands. It was soft but passionate, sending words he couldn’t say. He suddenly pulled away. His eyes looked tormented, the glow like fire reflecting from within.

Ren’s mouth was parted with shock.

Pick yourself.

She leaned in, kissing him back—an acceptance of him and herself.

It might have been their vulnerable state, it might have been the culmination of longing, but as she pulled him down to the ground, deepening the kiss, there was no doubt about what she wanted. Azur allowed himself to be led to the ashy forest floor, circling her with two muscular arms.

She wrapped both legs around his waist, pulling closer by grabbing onto his horns, knowing it would drive him wild.

In response, Azur groaned with delight, his lust awakening.

Kisses became harder, needy, tongues and teeth colliding in desperation. He gripped the back of her head, his other hand tracing down her neck possessively.

Don’t stop. I need to feel you.

A low noise emanated from the back of his throat. Ren could feel his hardness through his trousers, straining.

She was done waiting.

She lifted herself up, momentarily breaking the kiss, and pulled her tunic over her head.

Her skin shimmered and glowed, slick with water. Her breasts pebbled from the exposure and the tickles of rainfall. Azur stared at her body, first with what looked like awe, followed quickly by uncontrollable want.

“Show me what a god can do,”

she demanded, voice husky.

He cocked his eyebrow.

“Oh, I certainly will, but I’m thousands of years old, darling. I like to take my time.”

He lingered there for a moment, warm breath tenderly brushing her skin, causing each hair to stand on end.

He lowered his head gently to her breast, taking her hard pink nipple into his mouth. Ren inhaled sharply as he teasingly grazed her sensitivity with his fang while looking up to her with hooded, almost menacing eyes. A threat that he would devour her. She panted in pleasure as the sensation made its way through her and settled between her legs.

She was hungry, impatient. She pushed her hips up to his hardness and ground there, taking what she wanted.

“Naughty girl.”

He sniggered, continuing to work her breast, placing the other nipple between two fingers and kneading the tender skin. She mewled with delight as the same hand then drew lightly down her breast and to her stomach, stopping to caress the skin above her trousers. He let his hand linger there, teasing as he dragged a slow finger slightly under the line of her waistband.

The implication was enough to drive her to madness.

“May I?”

he said, face still partially buried in her chest, cheeks rough against her soft Elven skin.

Ren gave a breathless nod, and he trailed his tongue down to her waist and undid the ties with his sharp teeth.

“Show off,”

she murmured, suppressing a gasp.

He winked before jerking off her trousers, exposing her to the crisp night air, goose skin appearing. Her gasp broke free as the chilly wind brushed against her exposed wetness.

“Oh, you poor thing,”

he said, looking at her devilishly.

“I’ll just have to warm you up, won’t I?”

Ren could not respond. She could only sigh contentedly as waves of pleasure continued to build.

Azur lowered his hand and traced a slow finger down her opening, testing the wetness before sucking it off his finger.

Her entire body convulsed.

“What a good girl,”

he purred.

He returned a gentle finger to her, tracing the seam of her wetness.

“Such a pretty little pussy.”

He kissed her opening reverently before, without warning, he took her fully in his mouth. Ren lost control of herself and grabbed Azur’s thick horns to push him deeper between her legs. Azur breathed a pleased sound into her and grabbed her hips roughly, lifting her up for easier access. He flicked his tongue over the small bundle of nerves at her apex before sucking tenderly.

“Gorgeous girl, you were positively alluring the other night, but let me show you what it feels like when the god of lust makes you come.”

The tightness in her center was unbearable. She shifted her hips expectantly, begging for release. He sneered and placed two long fingers at her entrance.

“Ren. I want you to listen,”

he said commandingly.

Her bleary eyes opened, searching his face.

“You will not come before I tell you to.”

Then he slid his fingers in with excruciating slowness.

She flung her head back in ecstasy and moaned loudly, every inch of her body quaking with rapture. It was perfect. He was perfect. He pressed his free hand lightly on her abdomen while he curved his fingers, stroking and beckoning her, daring her to break his rule.

Ren was actively writhing, hips bucking and moans echoing through the rain. She was ruined. There was no one or nothing that could ever compete with this mind-shattering bliss. She felt the build, grabbing her own breasts and fondling them.

“Oh no, my darling. Not yet,”

he teased before taking her clit into his mouth once more and sucking.

He released a heavy growl as he devoured her.

She’d lost all sense of time and space, not knowing where he started, and she ended. He raised his head, leaning forward to grab hers forcefully, and turned her to look at him. He had momentarily paused the strokes of his fingers within her.

“You may come now,”

he said with one long pump of his hand in and out.

She exploded. Arching her back in release. Everything in her life felt like it made sense at that moment. Everything seemed to be leading up to this single release of ecstasy. Of pure pleasure.

Surely, this was why she was still alive—to experience this feeling.

Her head felt light, and she could feel her insides contract with reverberations from her climax. She blinked several times, trying to ensure that she hadn’t lost consciousness.

Azur met her eyes and stuck his two fingers in his mouth, sucking off her wetness. Ren closed her eyes and reveled in the moment, knowing the next day would bring more challenges. But right now—right now, she’d chosen her pleasure, and she was content and spent.

She felt Azur shift to lay beside her prone body, wrapping his two wings around her tightly.

“Don’t get any ideas, efly. This is not cuddling.”

The side of Ren’s mouth cocked up.

“This is purely practical. As pretty as this rain is, you’ll freeze if you stay soaked, though I have a feeling that soaked is exactly how you want to stay.”

She would have guffawed at him, but she was too drained and simultaneously too relaxed.

She didn’t remember the last thing Azur said before she lost consciousness, sleeping dreamlessly.