Fear Episode Two Read online

  “About time you got here,” Oria said.

  I bowed. “My apologies, my Lord. I was taking care of all of my needs as you commanded.”

  “Did you fuck your mate well?” she asked.

  I raised my head, smiling. “Very, my Lord.”

  “Well then, I suppose I can forgive your tardiness since you pleasured your mate and yourself, breaking down those pesky walls you both had. I no longer sense that fear in you, good.” She hopped off the sofa, her little shoes click-clacking on the tile floor as she walked over to me. She was dressed in pink ruffles and lace with matching patent leather shoes with a little bit of ruffle for that special touch. “You should make yourself comfortable as we are waiting on confirmation from Rohan that he’s located all three Shakodi.”

  And I rushed for nothing, apparently. Wonder why she gave me sass when I arrived if we couldn’t even go anywhere in the first place? I didn’t bother to ask that question. Instead, I had another one on my mind. “Won’t removing Rohan weaken King Adriel’s spell, my Lord?”

  “It would if we didn’t have a replacement. Lord Silas is taking Lord Rohan’s place until we have tracked down each Shakodi,” Oria said.

  “Aren’t there other hell hounds we can use, my Lord?”

  “Lord Rohan has yet to procreate on this plane. There are two other Zortas, but they are in hell. With the gate closed, there is no way to summon them,” Oria said. “Besides, those two would prove ineffective as they are not as powerful as Rohan.”

  “Do you know how Lord Rohan is able to track them down unnoticed, my Lord?”

  “Vahiel, from what I was told, created a serum for him to drink that would conceal his presence. It isn’t permanent, so every minute counts, which is why none of us are traveling with Rohan so we do not slow him down,” Oria said.

  “And once we have all their locations, my Lord?”

  “Rohan will let us know and you and I will teleport to one location, while Dakkar and Brian will go to the other. Rohan will be at the final location with Ade.”

  “May I ask why each lord will be accompanied by an Agoto, my Lord?”

  “You may ask.”

  “Is it to eat the souls of these shamans, my Lord?” I pressed, since she was playing that evasive game again.

  “Eventually.”

  “So, back up, still, my Lord. Or cannon fodder?”

  “Whatever helps us take out our enemy. With Shakodi, they will attack with magic, but with their focus so divided, it is our hope that they will have great difficulty taking on two challengers. If your Agoto can feed on their souls, then you are the back up and the victor. If it can’t, then you will be the distraction needed, because in order to combat the power of your Agoto, the shaman will have to direct all their power to defend itself against your feeding. Do you see?” she asked.

  I had never gone up against a Shakodi, but I’d heard they were extremely powerful upper level demons. There were only five in existence. Two were in hell, so we knew that three are here to keep this spell going. Most demons avoid them because of their magical abilities. These demons have created spells out of nothing. They were not to be taken lightly. In fact, the only demon who probably could go up against them without batting an eye was Vahiel. But he couldn’t leave the king’s protection, so that was out of the question. I guessed I was going to have to do whatever it took to protect my king, who had spared my son.

  “I understand, my Lord,” I said, then took a seat. “About Brian and Dakkar, they are chasing down a lead. A demon knight who has been supplying one of the shamans with food and other items to keep the spell going. If Dakkar gets to him before Rohan finds all the Shakodi, what will we do then, my Lord?”

  “We will wait until we have the location of all three. Our attack must be simultaneous. We can’t allow one Shakodi to escape, and if one dies while the others are still alive, they will sense it, as their magic will falter. They may attempt to flee from their hiding spots, release their hold over the talismans and began anew. And we will be back to the beginning once again. We will not risk that.”

  “So, does that mean we have to kill them at the same time, my Lord?”

  She shook her head. “Once we are at their locations, we will have this.” She held up a little stone between her tiny fingers.

  “And that does what, my Lord?”

  “Prevents any demon from teleporting outside of its sphere. It will stop the Shakodi and us from using our teleporting powers when we’re close to it. This will guarantee they can’t flee. So, it’s only important that we attack at the same time. There is no way to guarantee that we can kill them at the same time. Each Shakodi is powerful in their own right and will prove difficult to kill.”

  I nodded. “I understand now, my Lord.”

  “Good. Let’s watch cartoons until we hear from Rohan.”

  She was as bad as Brian was with these cartoons and anime. I knew I had no choice, so I sat back on one of the seats that didn’t look like it was meant to cause great pain and sorrow. It was hard leather, so not much better, but at least I didn’t have a spike in my ass like the other chair. “Which one is this, my Lord?” I motioned to the television.

  “Attack on Titan. I love it,” she said, grinning widely.

  Ah, I had heard Brian talk about this particular anime before. It was one of his favorites. Supposed I’d see why for myself.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Andre

  I looked at the number Raphael had texted me and I hit “dial” on my cell. I didn’t know Isabella well and hoped she wouldn’t give me a lot of shit for calling her. This wasn’t even my idea, it was Raphael’s. She answered after the fourth ring.

  “Who is this?” she greeted.

  I cleared my throat. “Hello, my name is Andre Jackson, Raphael’s mate.”

  “Ahhhh, yes. I know who you are, but not why you’re calling me.”

  Her Italian accent was also very seductive. Made me want to hear her and Raphael in a conversation just to listen to the melodic sounds of their voices. I cleared my mind of those thoughts and got back on track.

  “Well, ma’am—”

  “Oh please, call me Isabella. For crying out loud, you suck the cock that cums in my pussy once a month. We needn’t be so formal,” she said.

  Well, that was putting things into perspective. And she was no lady my mom would have approved of. However, I respected her candor. It wasn’t like she was lying. “Very well, listen, I’m calling because Raphael wanted you to accompany me on my mission.”

  “Oh, did he? And what mission is this?”

  “I went into the Oasis pool—”

  “My, my, you are full of surprises. I knew our king was going to risk having you, Raphael, and if need be, Brian, go into the pool. Most demons wouldn’t dare, it’s that deadly. I did it only once many years ago, when I had to find Raphael after he’d been kidnapped by a demon. It was the most terrifying experience of my life, so I commend you for being so brave. Raphael as well,” she said.

  I remembered hearing about the time Raphael had been taken by a stronger demon, a collector of sorts. Brian had told me, as Raphael hadn’t parted with the story from his account. Maybe he would now that we’d made such strides in our relationship. Anyway, hearing Isabella say that made me even happier that I had survived the pool. My Agoto was more resilient than most demons, and that was great. I didn’t want to be a demon, but if I had to be one, this wasn’t a bad life.

  “I will admit, it was a unique experience, one that I don’t want to repeat. Anyway, as you know, it opened my mind to other aspects and I told Raphael that I should go to the locations of the talismans and feed on the souls trapped inside. That would bring in reinforcements, and I’ve been tasked with killing them,” I said.

  “As have I. They are well hidden, these disloyal rats. I am up to date with what is going on. Nasini is by our king’s side, but Rohan is on a mission to locate the three Shakodi. We will break open those talismans once we get word from them
to do so. The sooner we kill these demons, the better,” Isabella said. “Where are you now?”

  “Standing in the alley above the sewer where the first talisman was found,” I said.

  “Give me coordinates.”

  I looked up the info on my phone and sent it to her. I had to admit that it was weird. With Brian and Raphael, I could sense where they were. But apparently, Isabella couldn’t sense me. I decided to ask about that. “You can’t sense my location?”

  “We are linked, as Agotos, this is true. But within each triumvirate, our links work differently. I can find Raphael, because we are directly linked. That is, of course, barring a spell isn’t keeping him concealed from me. However, I can find Ade and Nasini even easier and faster, because of our relationship, just as I’m sure you can locate Raphael and Brian without trouble,” she stated.

  “I get it. I’ll be waiting for you,” I said. “Oh, before you hang up, you’re going to need a charm amulet to get in here undetected. Raphael gave me one and he said Lord Vahiel made it.”

  “I see. Give me about ten minutes.”

  “Sure.” I ended my call and leaned up against the wall. Before I slipped my phone back into my pocket, I texted Tyson.

  Change of plans. I let you know if things work out the way I hope. I will contact you later and we’ll stake out more places these demons might go.

  I looked at my screen, waiting for his reply.

  You don’t trust me?

  Why would you say that? I texted.

  You didn’t take me with you to that other place last night and now, you’re blowing me off.

  Tyson, you’re sounding like an insecure, scorned lover. It’s not like that. I just have another mission, one that may deal with fighting demons. Something I thought you wanted to avoid.

  Oh, yeah, I’m not the fighting kind. I guess I just wanted you to believe that I do want to help.

  I believe you, I texted.

  Good. Okay, I’ll wait to hear back from you.

  Have you seen or heard anything out of that bar from last night?

  Nothing incriminating. Mostly bragging about how they kicked a nig—umm, you—ummm, shit. Their words, not mine, I swear. He actually was stammering in the damn text messages. I laughed, then typed.

  I get it. Racist assholes being themselves. If anything worthwhile comes out of their mouths…

  You’ll be the second to know, as I’ll be the first.

  Good. Ttyl. I typed those last four letters, then slipped my phone back into my pocket. I didn’t have to wait much longer before Isabella popped up wearing a full catsuit that pushed her tits damn near up to her chin. And resting on those mounds was the same magical amulet I had. She was also wearing six-inch boots that some women would cringe at. The spiked heels looked deadly and I wondered how the hell she could stay balanced on the damn things. I decided to keep my opinion to myself. In any case, she looked sexy and badass. Brian and Raphael would probably love to have a threesome with her.

  “Mmmm, you are delicious,” she said, then ran a finger along the length of my jawline. “I can see why Raphael loves to have his cock inside of you.”

  “I was just going to say the same thing to you,” I shot back.

  She laughed. “You two must have settled your differences. I had expected that comment to ruffle your feathers.”

  I sucked some air through my teeth and shrugged. “A lot has changed for me since the pool dip. We’re both different and we did overcome our differences.”

  “So, you now realize that you need to be dominated as much as you love to dominate?” she asked, then looked at her cell phone.

  “It’s funny how everyone is so invested in our relationship,” I said. It seemed like everyone knew our fucking business.

  She looked back up at me. “Agotos are stronger when the union isn’t rife with tension, mistrust, and jealousy. We are combined with our demons, they feel what we feel and vice versa. Your riff was felt and that is why it has been a concern. In any case, I am happy to know that all seems well.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, we worked it out and I do like being dominated by him.” I decided to just be honest since everyone seemed to know about our private lives anyway.

  “It will make you more powerful, you’ll see. So, where is this talisman?”

  I had already ventured into the sewer where Raphael said the talisman was, so I just wrapped my arm around Isabella’s tiny waist and teleported us down to the location. It was still there, glowing bright green and purple with the souls of the demons trapped inside. The bodies of the five demons, two female and three males, who had sacrificed themselves were still laying like dolls, and for all intents and purposes, dead.

  “Interesting,” Isabella said after I let her go. “Perhaps they are being preserved so that their bodies will once again hold their souls once the spell is over.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. It’s a sacrifice, but not totally. If we break that talisman open, their souls might just return to their bodies.”

  “Oh, no doubt. I see now why Raphael wanted you to have back up. With me here, we will be able to suck down all the souls before they can reach their respective bodies. If you had only come on your own, you would be able to take two souls at a time, thus leaving you open to attack from the other three. And of course, whatever reinforcements that may come.”

  “Raphael thought of everything,” I said, realizing just how much he wanted to protect me that he paired me with Isabella. Someone he trusted one-hundred percent.

  “Very well, once I receive word… or maybe you’ll receive word first, we will attack then. For now, what shall we talk about to pass the time?” she winked at me.

  “Not my sex life,” I said.

  “Oh pooh, you’re no fun. That’s exactly what I want to talk about. It’s not like your job is interesting to me,” she said.

  “What about your sex life? How did you first get along with Nasini and Ade?” I asked, turning the tables.

  She smirked, then looked off to the side for a few seconds before returning her attention to me. “If we didn’t have to pounce on these foolish demons as soon as we got the word to do so, I’d much rather be up top where the fresh air is.”

  “Yeah, me too. Back to my questions,” I said, not letting her get away.

  She laughed. “Darling, I wasn’t trying to avoid answering. I don’t care. We’ve been together for so long; those stories are novelties to us now. We fuck constantly, the three of us, and in every position. Nasini, of course, runs our house. When I was first turned demon, I hated her. For one thing, I didn’t want to share Ade. Like you, he was absolutely stunning and his cock is… muah!” she said, doing the fingertips kissing motion to signify his cock was magnificent.

  “He is hot,” I admitted. I’d only seen the powerful Agoto a handful of times, and he was intimidating as hell. But I did notice how sexy he was, and how lucky he was to have two women desiring him.

  “He’s more than hot,” Isabella stated. “Anyway, he was our link, connecting Nasini and I together. Like Brian is for you and Raphael. The Agoto runs through his tongue and cock and when he fucks us, we feel every inch of those tentacles.”

  “I see. It runs through my cock when I fuck Brian, but not Raphael,” I said.

  “You’ve fucked Raphael?” she asked, one eyebrow cocked.

  “Yeah, this morning. But he was in control.”

  She giggled. “Yeah, he would be. Like Nasini. The Agoto wouldn’t bond with Raphael’s that way. I’m sure it doesn’t when Brian and Raphael fuck. But when you both fuck Brian—”

  “Oh, hell yeah, it comes out to party. Blows our fucking minds,” I said. I couldn’t help it. I was missing that boy’s ass so much right then.

  “It’s the natural selection. Your tongues will have the Agoto surface,” she said. “It is that way for us. Nasini and I, if I’m eating out her pussy or sucking Ade’s dick.”

  “It does make sex a hundred times better. Okay, on with the sto
ry,” I said, gently nudging her back on track.

  “Hey, you’re the one who asked me about my sex life,” she reminded me.

  “Well, I’m more interested in how your relationship grew.”

  She smirked. “Sure. I’m guessing it’s because hearing about two women fucking isn’t your thing?”

  “Not really, not that I’m hating. I’m all for everyone living their best life.”

  “If the next Agoto is a woman, you better get used to eating pussy.”

  I frowned. “I’d rather not.”

  “Oh, that poor woman. The king will not allow any infraction in his ranks.”

  Hearing about Adriel’s strict rule did give me something to think about. “I’ll cross that road if and when it comes.”

  “There will be another Agoto,” Isabella said.

  “And I will do my duties,” I said.

  “I’m not Raphael’s duty.”

  “So, did you and Nasini fight a lot?” I asked, redirecting the conversation away from me and topics I didn’t want to discuss once again.

  “Like cats and dogs, you could say. She beat my ass into submission. I had to accept my place and that I would never be top woman to Ade, but his equal mate. Nasini is our leader.”

  “Like Raphael,” I said.

  She nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Well, now what do we talk about?”

  “How about our plans for tonight, when this is all over?”

  “I just want to fuck.”

  She laughed. “We have that in common.”

  Isabella wasn’t as bad as I thought she was. Brian wasn’t so sure of her, I thought he may have been a little bit jealous of her. I wasn’t. I actually liked her a lot and it was easy to pass the time away when you had someone pleasant to spend it with. We were chatting it up about Raphael when both of our cellphones chirped. Immediately, I took my phone out, reading the newest text message. It was from Raphael.