Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Wars ❯ Chapter 5

Ice lifted her head, painfully. Ivy was on the floor, unconscious, chains holding her hands and feet to the ground. Mayhem, they apparently assumed was not as dangerous as the other two, because only one ankle was chained. Ice herself was hanging from the ceiling and could feel her shoulders grinding out of their joints. Both her arms were almost dislocated. "Ivy, wake up, now," she said, in a clear voice. Mayhem looked up at her and tried to reach Ivy. Her fingers brushed their friend's arm. Ivy slowly raised her head. "Mayhem. Ice. What happened? Where's Hunter?" she asked, hoarsely. "The stupid shits followed us. They got caught too. I don't know where they took them. Only Hera and Rayne got away, with Devin and Gunner," said Ice. "Damn," Ivy muttered. "How the hell do we get outta here?" was her next question. "I don't think we do, Ivy," said Mayhem. "We have to wait for them to unlock the chains," said Ice. "How do we know they will?" asked Gypsy. "They will. Arcaine was too pissed that Hera and the others escaped with Gunner and released half his prisoners. He won't let us go to waste," said Ice, wryly.

They didn't have to wait long. It was only a few hours after that when a large group of soldiers appeared. They moved into the dark room, spreading out along the walls, as Arcaine and more demons entered. "Place them on the boards and bring in the others." The regiment of soldiers moved forward as one and approached the three women like they were wild animals. They caught Mayhem around the throat and clamped an iron collar on her, dragging her across the room and chaining her, spread-eagled on a board. Ice they dropped from the ceiling unceremoniously and she let out a soft hiss of pain as her arms were wrenched in the fall to the ground. Before she could react, they had put her in a stretcher, her hands pulled as high above her head as her body could possibly stretch. Another group of soldiers appeared, dragging Connor, Hunter and Angelis behind them. They threw the three men against the wall, their hands bound behind their backs. The demons obviously thought the women more dangerous than their male counterparts. Hunter's eyes found Ivy's as the demons surrounded her. She was chained to the stone floor by all four limbs and was in an awkward sort of crouch, the chains pulled to their fullest extent. The demons were arguing about who would touch her. "I want that bitch laid out now!" Arcaine roared. Two of the demon soldiers got up the nerve to grab Ivy while a third unlocked the shackles. They carried her to a third torture board and chained her there, her hands out on either side and her legs apart. "Now, we can begin," said Arcaine, approaching Gypsy. Angelis began to struggle against his bonds as Arcaine's human arm began to ripple and his demon arm and hand came forth. Long, scaly fingers, tipped with wickedly sharp claws. Gypsy made no sound as he approached her, but her eyes widened and her face paled. Arcaine ran one claw over her body, from her throat to her belly, then slid his hand between her legs. "So soft and sweet," Arcaine whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. He slid one finger inside Gypsy and she screamed. Arcaine laughed as he pulled away from her and blood trickled down her leg. Connor's hands found Angelis' and he gave him a hard look. Angelis stilled, but his gaze was still on Gypsy. She looked to be half-conscious. Connor was mumbling to himself and Angelis felt the heat as Connor's magic disintegrated the ropes that bound his hands. Angelis immediately began working at Connor's binds, as Arcaine moved on to Ivy. She bared her teeth at him and a low growl came from somewhere inside her. Arcaine smiled. "So spirited. You're burning up, little girl, with white-hot rage, while your friend is full of cold fury. The little one, she is so tender. Yes, the three of you make a fine banquet." "Fuck you!" Ivy spat. "Your markings, girl, where did you get them? It is a strange human indeed that knows the demon language and even stranger still to know our superstitions so well," Arcaine mused, running his hand over her chest, lingering at her right nipple. He slid his finger through the ring and pulled at it. She made no sound, no indication of pain, until a drop of blood appeared and he licked it away. Then, she hissed in disgust, her body jerking against the chains.

"Like I said, spirited. After I'm through with this little demonstration, ladies, I shall turn you over to my men for sport. They want you, very much, but I have to warn you, most of them are not exactly- compatible- with your bodies, so I doubt you will survive their attentions. You, gentlemen, will watch, and then we'll see what to do with you," said Arcaine, as if he were speaking to friends over for afternoon tea. He reached for Ice and faltered at the coldness of her gaze. She made no expression what so ever as his hands slid up her legs, squeezing her thighs and parting her folds. Her eyes remained like chips of steel, full of frozen hatred. "You will fear me!" Arcaine roared, striking her face with the back of his hand. Her head snapped to one side with the force of the blow and Connor let out a cry, leaping forward, away from the wall, knocking the Demon Lord clear of Ivy.

Angelis and Hunter sprang from where they had been crouched and attacked those that stood between them and Gypsy and Ivy. With the magic they used, they managed to kill quite a few demons, but not nearly enough. Only after Connor had freed Ice did the tables begin to turn in their favor. Ice struck quickly and deadly, as Connor moved to free the others. Gypsy, unfortunately, collapsed to the ground as soon as she was released and Angelis pulled her up to her feet. Ivy, on the other hand, lashed out with renewed force the moment her hands were free, striking a killing blow to the nearest demon. She caught Arcaine by the hair and leapt onto his back, her arm around his throat and her teeth tearing into his throat from the side, piercing his jugular, even as Ice took up a sword from a fallen soldier and drove it into his heart. The moment the Demon Lord's heart ceased to beat, the other demons and the soldiers fled. Demons could not function without a leader and now, these ones would roam until they found a new master to obey. Ivy rolled the body of Arcaine off her and crawled out from beneath him. She was covered in blood and breathing hard, wearing only her short pants. Her breasts heaved and the dragon appeared to breathe bloody fire. Hunter reached out for her and pulled her against him. His shirt was gone and the leather pants were torn, but his body was whole. She leaned her head on his chest for a moment before pulling away and kneeling beside Gypsy and Angelis. "Is she all right?" "I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "She won't wake up." "She's in shock. We need to get her back to the inn and keep her warm until she snaps out of it," said Ice. She stood before them in complete indifference to the fact that she was naked. Ivy stood as well, also seemingly unaware of her exposed state. "We need to find our weapons first." "I think I know where they are," said Connor. "We passed them on the way in here," he said, leading the way out the door. Angelis lifted Gypsy and carried her after him, with Connor and Ice bringing up the rear.

They found the weapons on a rack in the great hall, on display, it appeared. Taking back what was theirs, they trooped out of the castle and back toward the village.

When they opened the door and walked inside the inn, Mrs. Carter dropped the plate she was carrying and let out a shriek, before realizing she wasn't staring at ghosts and rushing forward to help them. Rayne, Hera and Devin ran down the stairs, Gunner coming along behind them, a little more slowly. "Ice! Ivy, how the hell did you get out!?" Rayne cried, trying to pull Gypsy from Angelis' arms and onto the nearest chair. Angelis locked his arms and refused to let go. "It doesn't matter how. Just that we did and that Arcaine is dead," said Ice. The whole room went silent. "He's dead?" asked Mrs. Carter. Ivy nodded. "I don't believe it. It's finally over," she whispered. "No, it's not over. Not by a long shot. We still have six more Demon Lords to kill before it will be over. That means we need to leave here by tomorrow evening," said Rayne. Ivy looked down, but didn't argue. She knew that Rayne was only stating the way of their lives. They came, they killed, they left and they didn't look back. They couldn't afford to look back.

"We're coming with you," five voices chorused. The Order of Death looked around them at the five men that had spoken. "You don't know what you're talking about," said Hera, shaking her head. "We're talking about being with you, helping you fight this war," said Gunner, evenly, standing up straight. His eyes shone like emeralds as he regarded her face. Hera looked away. "But, Angelis, now that Arcaine is dead, aren't you a prince again?" asked Kirsten, quietly. They all looked at him. He was still holding Gypsy. He looked stricken. "No. I'm going. Let someone else lead. It's not for me. I'm going to help rid this world of the demons," he said.

"Where are we going, Angel?" Gypsy mumbled, holding onto his neck. "The hot springs," he said, his feet following the path blindly in the darkness. Gypsy was wrapped in a blanket and Angelis wore a pack full of clean clothing for both of them. The others were following similar paths to different pools at the base of this mountain, where the water was hot as a bath and smelled of the earth and the trees. Reaching the edge of the idyllic clearing where the pool lay hidden from the world, he gently laid her on the grass and stripped off his clothes. Gypsy sat up, letting the blanket fall away and he pulled her to her feet, leading her across the velvet soft grass and into the steaming water.

Ivy stood knee deep in the pool as Hunter removed her silver armor. "Tell me what it means, Ivy," said Hunter, running his hand down the tattoo, smearing away the blood and grime that clung to her skin. "It says `to touch me without my consent is to invite death'. The demons believe that you must invite death into your home before you can die, so they never invite anyone anywhere, they just let them in. It's one of their superstitions that can be used against them." "And the silver armor?" "Only emphasizes my point," she sighed. He lifted the last of the silver away and laid it on the grass at the edge of the pool. Ivy sank into the water, her toes digging into the smooth pebbles that lined the bottom of the pool. Hunter lowered himself in behind her, slipping his arms around her. His palms washed away the filth that covered her body. He unbraided the mass of braids that had held her hair in some semblance of order and washed it until it shone gold. She turned and looked at him and he saw something in her face that he would have sworn was vulnerability. Her eyes seemed strangely bright. "Ivy?" She shook her head. His hand slid around to the back of her neck and pulled her forehead to his chest. "It's okay, Ivy. You can cry now." She did.

Hera looked around the clearing before shedding her clothing. She stepped into the steaming water and her breath hissed in. She had only taken a few steps into the pool when she heard a footstep in the brush. She spun around to see Gunner stepping out of the trees. "What are you doing here!?" she demanded, forgetting, in her surprise, to cover herself. "The others told me of Ivy and Gypsy being captives of the demons, but they didn't say anything about you being captured," he said, not bothering to answer her question. "I wasn't," she said, remembering she was naked and sliding beneath the water's surface. Gunner caught her chin and gently lifted her back out of the water. She wasn't sure why she didn't resist, but she stood and let the silver light of the moon shine down on her body, fully bared to his view. The scars that crisscrossed over her torso and upper thighs looked bright against the natural tan of her skin. "Then when did they do this?" Gunner asked, softly. "The demons didn't do that," she whispered. "What did?" He was close now, closer than she'd ever allowed any male to get to her, and she could feel the heat from his body, warmer even than the steam from the pool. "My father," she said, almost inaudibly. Gunner nodded, then said nothing, just stroked one finger down the side of her face. Hera suddenly found it hard to breathe. "That's why you're afraid, then," he said, leaning close and kissing her, softly.

All of her hard earned values, her objections, her indignance, her fear, it all melted away with that one gentle kiss and she collapsed into his embrace. Her body was suddenly burning up with sensations that she had never felt, had never allowed herself to feel before. Suddenly she knew why Ice, Ivy and Gypsy came to breakfast with stupid grins on their faces and went to bed with eagerness in their eyes. She knew why Ivy had scorned her words of sacred virginity and why Ice had laughed at her for fearing her sexuality. She truly had been denying her body what it needed. There, in the arms of a man she had just met, Hera felt more alive than she ever had in her entire life. Gunner seemed to sense this and his motions were soft and intense as he stroked and woke every secret place on her body. She gasped and moaned under his touch, her head flung back and her hands grasping at his shoulders. He laid her back in the shallows of the pool and braced himself above her. Hera found herself wrapping her legs around his waist and arching her hips toward him. He made a soft sound, something between a groan and a laugh and grasped her hips in his hands. "I'll try to be gentle," he whispered. She grabbed at his hips and pulled him closer. He inched inside her and let her body adjust to his invasion. The small amount of pain went unnoticed among the wave of sensations that crashed over her. She cried out and, in the rush of wet heat, he sheathed himself completely. Hera clutched him to her, moaning anew when he pulled almost all the way out of her, then slid back inside. So, this was what Ivy had been talking about.

Ice looked up when she faintly heard Hera's cry. A moment later, a softer sound came across the air, a name and Ice smiled. "What?" asked Connor. "It appears that your Gunner is just what Hera needed to awaken to the real world," Ice said, grinning. Connor raised an eyebrow. "Gunner always has had a way with the ladies." "Well, this is one lady who desperately needed someone to have their way with her."

Rayne also looked up when Hera cried out, alarmed at first, but when she heard that second, softer, unmistakable cry of pleasure, she shook her head. Hera, it seemed had followed the path of Ivy, Ice and Gypsy. Rayne rinsed the soap off her skin and stepped out of the pool. She nearly screamed when someone spoke to her. "What makes you so afraid of yourself, Rayne?" asked Devin. He was sitting in the shadows of the forest, leaning against a tree trunk. "I- I'm not! What are you doing creeping around like that! Turn around!" she ordered, crossing her arms over her breasts. He ignored her and stood up, walking toward her. "You have nothing to be afraid of. You're beautiful, yet you cover yourself from head to toe, keeping anyone from seeing that beauty," he said, studying her like a painting. "Go away, Devin," she said, but her voice lacked authority and she didn't back away when he stepped right in front of her, his finger stroking a stray bit of auburn hair behind her ear. Her golden eyes were wide and frightened, like a startled catamount and Devin knew all about calming wild animals. He called up the magic inside him and let it flow from his fingertips. She felt the heat and gasped. "Why are you afraid?" he asked again. "What good can come of something the demons take so much pleasure in?" she asked, in a soft, shaky voice. His chuckle was soft and low in the darkness. "The demons make mockery of lovemaking, Rayne. The things they do are a cruel, twisted version of the truth," he said, his fingers unbuttoning his pants. They slid down his legs and he stepped out of them and then reached for her arms, pulling her stiff body against him. She felt his arousal pressing between her legs, hot and hard and gasped as her body responded. Her knees failed to support her and Devin caught her, holding her up. "Put your arms around my neck, Rayne," he whispered. Not quite sure why, she did and Devin laid her back in the grass, his body settled onto hers familiarly.

His fingertips skimmed down her shoulder and stroked her nipple into a hard point. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened, a soft sound escaping her, like purr. Her fingers dug into his shoulders when his mouth replaced his fingers. "Oh, god," she gasped, as his hand slipped between her thighs and he stroked the silky wetness of her center. One finger slid inside her and she arched against his palm. Her body was strung tightly now and she was moaning and writhing beneath him. "Devin, please, I need, I don't- I need- something," she gasped, unable to voice what her body was demanding. He kissed her and moved between her legs. She felt him pressing against her and her instincts took over. Rayne arched toward him and Devin slid into her passage, holding perfectly still while she grew accustomed to the feel of him. She gasped at the sharp pain that accompanied his entrance, but soon forgot it as her body began to clamor for something she couldn't name. She squirmed and he groaned. "Rayne, I wanted to go slowly for you," he whispered. "Don't please," she whimpered, raising her hips. With an animal growl in his throat, he pulled back and then thrust into her again, sliding in and out of her heat. She felt the pressure build and knew something was coming, something that her body was straining for. Devin cried out then and Rayne saw stars as her world exploded around her.

It was dawn when they made their way back to the inn. In that misty time before full light, as full as it ever got, anyway, they came out of the woods like spirits and gathered at the edge of the trees. Ivy took one look at Hera and Rayne, on the arms of Gunner and Devin and grinned, knowingly. Hera met her eyes and looked away, blushing and Ivy laughed out loud. "Don't tease them, Ivy," said Ice, with laughter shining in her silver eyes. Mayhem let out a little giggle before gaining control of her expression. Angelis clapped a hand over her mouth and led her along the path, fighting back a grin himself.

"Well," said Ivy, as they reached the inn. "After that bath, I think I need to go to bed. How bout you, Hera, Rayne?" Both of them looked away and Ivy laughed again. Ice elbowed her in the side and she only laughed harder. Gypsy gave in to a fit of giggles and soon the inn was full of laughter, including Hera and Rayne's. Mrs. Carter came out of the kitchen. "What is it? What's so funny?" she asked. The laughter began anew.