Demons End (Tremble Island) (11 page)

His fate, and that of the tarnished soul of the first mate’s who was now cowering in the corner behind a trunk, was not hers to choose. She wanted to go home. She turned to look for the demon and his nemesis, but they must have left the room while she was busy stripping the freewill from her victim.

She found the demon busy wrapping his new toy from shoulders to knees in a thick rope. He kept asking the man if the bindings were too tight, and when Flitch gasped for breath, Leroi would laugh. He left a huge curl of the rope in a long coil next to the railing, and as the evil bastard tried to bribe him, Leroi slapped him hard, secured the rope, and tossed him overboard. They heard a thunk and a curse as they bent over the rail to see the body hit the water headfirst. Every few minutes, Leroi would pull Flitch up from the water and allow the man to breathe before dropping him back down.

Twice Leroi revived the man, not wishing to allow him such an easy death, and Wensel became disgusted with his actions. “You have had your fun, either kill him or allow him to die. You are no better than he is if this is your idea of punishment for his wrongs. You will have his black soul. Who will be gifted with yours?”

Her words infuriated him. How dare she question his ethics in dealing with this evil bastard that had caused such pain to innocents. She had no idea of the numbers of beings that were sent to his door after this creature finished plying his cruelties upon them. They deserved vengeance, they deserved to have his skin removed from his living carcass, and the only way for them to get any type of revenge was for him to…
curses, the creature is correct
. The black soul would be tortured in the pit for as long as he wished, he would absorb the energy from the black orb he would become, or toss it into the bubbling firepit at Demons End. He hated that she was right. He opened his hand and willed the claws to appear, before slicing Flitch’s throat, and tossing him into the sea without a safety rope to haul his body back aboard the ship. What bothered him the most was the knowledge that he was turning into the monster that he was on Echo to protect others from becoming.

A young boy sat on a step talking to Wensel. They were laughing together and he found that he wanted to be a part of their merriment. She looked beautiful in the early morning light. He wanted to embrace her and have her tell him that everything would be all right. That his soul would not become black and greasy like the others. He wanted something he never considered to have before. Could she be the female that could withstand mating with a demon? Actually two demons? She had met Koler, in fact, her voice seemed to soften when she said his name. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.

*****

Nord was tired of trying to appease the small tyrant. Aria refused to settle down to sleep no matter how many miles he walked with her or how many times he took her to the water to swim. She wanted Wensel and nothing would make her happy as a substitute. Rane had fallen asleep and he and Lion took turns watching the little one. She was a handful and amusing at first. Now he was rethinking his wish to become a father. Where all the energy packed in her tiny body was, he could not say, but he wished she would share it with him. She was running ahead of him when they came upon Trundle, who was ready to rest for the night. The mammoth being curled his trunk around the little female and swung her back and forth while she laughed.

He deposited her onto his back and she climbed the huge beast by pulling herself up with small hands tangled in the long black hair, then ran to and fro across the expanse of his large body. After sliding down his side for the fifth time, she began to tire and climbed under the fall of hair behind his front legs. Within minutes the little girl was asleep, and Trundle gave Nord a gentle nudge to leave them, he would guard the child until morning light.

He left the pair and hurried to where his mate and brother were bedded down. He could see that Rane had woken and most likely pounced on Lion’s body, considering she had been deprived of her routine of being sexually gratified every few hours at the castle. She was straddling Lion’s head and sucking his cock. He sat beside the duo and ran his hand from her neck to her flanks. “I planned to sleep when I came back from babysitting duties, and find a sight so arousing that thoughts of sleep have fled my brain. You are about to be breached in this pretty hole, my love. Will you like that?” His finger played with the tiny puckered entrance and kept sliding down into the wetness that coated the lips of her heated pink flesh, where his brother had just abandoned for her clit. He pulled the wetness up, painting the place his prick would soon be buried.

Rane had other ideas and sat up, causing Lion to make an odd noise as she cut his air supply off with her soaked slit, before she reversed her position over his prone body and slid her grasping channel over his standing prick. She shouted as her body sank over his and the thickness of his cock widened her, causing a short orgasm for her pleasure. Nord spat into his hand and coated his fingers before sending first one and another deep into her tight dark hole. His fingers moved around, pumping in and out of her heated tunnel and he felt the contractions of her muscles enjoying the pleasure she enjoyed so very much. Using more of his own saliva to coat his prick, he slid the thick head into the tight ring guarding the little used entrance. He rested for a moment allowing her to adjust to his invasion until she moved backwards on him with small strokes. He let her set that pace for this play. There were times that she demanded his entire prick, and times she wanted only half or so. Either way, he was rewarded by her enthusiasm, and the way her tunnel clamped down on his prick, taking him to that mindless place where there was just feeling, nothing else, only pure blinding white feeling. He bent at the waist and reached for her breasts. One was already being used by Lion so he let his hand run up and down her back, while pulling at the other nipple and giving it the occasional twist. He let it go and straightened his back. His thumbs slid between her cheeks and he pulled them open wide, so he could see his prick sliding back and forth into her ass.

He could feel the ripples beginning inside of her and increased his own speed rather than letting her set the pace. She tended to become erratic in her movements when she was in the throes of her passion, and he loved to see her during that time, but nothing felt better than having her body squeeze the seed from his balls and prick. Nothing. He willingly gave himself to her needs and bit down on her neck as soon as his seed filled her rear hole. His spikes gently pulled a small amount of her blood into his body and he stopped siphoning after mere seconds. The flavor of her pussy tasted different, and now the essence of her blood had an unusual flavor too. He was too tired to think about it tonight. Rane fell asleep on top of Lion’s weary body yet again and the brothers shared a smile as he rolled over to his side and they settled her between them for the night’s rest.

They knew she would argue with them about rushing into the fray with the rest of the Trembles forces, but the brothers had already made up their minds. She was staying in camp. She would be ready to heal those that were brought back to camp that needed her medical attention, but if there was the slightest chance she might be carrying a child, she would stay behind the lines of the fight. One of the Amazon warriors and one of Tremble’s finest would watch over her and Aria.

It was Nord who woke Rane in the early morning hours with his head between her thighs, and his tongue doing magical things to her woman’s flesh. She screamed her pleasure into Lion’s mouth as his lips covered hers just before she came. She smiled contentedly and rolled over, going back to sleep. The brothers quickly dressed and directed the Amazon they had selected to guard Rane and Aria. According to Hawk, the female was skilled and loyal. Wolf stayed with them much to his disappointment, since he sported three broken ribs from being crushed during a fight with a large boulder. He hung his head and agreed to stay. The little one was brought and laid next to Rane still asleep.

Morlien Hall was less than three hours from their camping spot. Chaos met them at the village perimeter. People were stumbling around, with patches of hair missing, faces that sported deep scratch marks, clothing that was shredded, yet no one appeared surprised to see the force of soldiers enter the village and continue to the Hall.

Chapter Ten

Koler waited to enter the Hall until Lion and Nord were ready to step inside. He placed his hand on the heavy wooden door to prevent them from opening it. “Hold for a moment if you will. The bastard, Flitch, who you might recall is Borland’s right hand, took Prince Leroi, and it appears they left on a ship that the furriers came on. I have reason to believe that Wensel was on that ship too. She has disappeared. We all know that she would never willingly leave the little one alone and unprotected, yet she is gone. The ship is gone, along with Leroi and Flitch.” He looked down for a moment and turned his head to watch a soldier stumble over a rock that he could not see in his path, because his eyes were swollen shut. Koler’s minions had done their work well last evening. “I was enraged at the loss of not only my best friend, but of that of my intended mate. I might have overreacted a bit.”

Nord walked around Koler and opened the tall door. “It appears to me that you might have, Sir Demon, let us see what havoc you have caused, and what have you left for us to deal with. I would hate to think you allowed us to come all this way so we would turn back without seeing action of some kind.”

The door swung back, and several beings fell from the crush attempting to leave through the exit. Nord was shoved back and Lion barely stepped aside as the beings rushed from the doorway. Once they saw Koler standing in their path, they stood still. On one side of that door was Lord Borland, on the other side, was the Demon Prince that Borland had promised their souls to if they chose to leave him in his hour of need. When Koler stepped aside and waved his hand toward the village, the people and beings were hesitant at first, but became emboldened when he smiled at them as they rushed past. He laughed aloud as the last few ran toward the safety of their hovels in the village.

There was a stench of fear and rotted food once the males stepped over the threshold. The place reeked, and the few soldiers that stood in front of the steps leading to the Lord of the Hall’s quarters, were barely standing. Lion stepped forward and addressed the soldiers.

“I wish to speak to Lord Borland. I have traveled a great distance and expect him to make time to see me this morning. Tell him he has a few moments to ready himself for our meeting, or we can come get him, the choice is his.” He walked over to the Lord’s chair at the head of the table and sat down to wait.

Nord went to the door and saw that the Amazons and Tremble’s forces were rounding up the pitiful excuses for soldiers that were Borland’s fighters. Morlien Hall was sadly in need of defenders. He liked the way the Amazons went about the job of setting up questioning groups by order of rank. Several Amazon Warriors would be a great addition to the Castle Guard. When they returned to Tremble Castle, he would personally see to it the ranks were increased and filled by trained females too.

The soldier that Lion sent to roust Borland from his rooms was back, and the man was almost in tears as he stood before the legendary giant, Lord Lion of Tremble Castle. The man still towered over him seated while he stood on shaking legs. Hopefully he would not kill the bringer of the craven message from Lord Borland.

“Beg pardon, Lord Tremble, Lord Borland refuses to come down unless you,” he looked at his own feet wanting the floor to swallow him whole, it was embarrassing to be in service to a cowardly man. “He says he will not come out of his rooms, unless you swear that he will retain his position and holdings. He asks that you leave this place in peace.”

Lion said nothing as the demon began to laugh, and Nord climbed the stairs. He finally looked at the young soldier, “Tell me, should Lord Borland order you to defend his honor, will you take up arms against me for his cause?” Lion liked this young fellow.

When he answered with a reluctant nod and grudging admission, “I am sworn to protect Morlien Hall and her Overlord. My oath has been sworn so.” Lion nodded his head in approval. The boy had integrity. He had to yell over the noise from above the stairs and the demon’s laughter to gain the male demon’s attention.

“Koler, would you be kind enough to step outside and ask the Amazon, Swift, to join us? I have a prisoner for her to take charge of.” Lion stood, placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder, and took the sword from his scabbard. “You now have nothing with which to fight, I have disarmed you and you are now a prisoner until I say otherwise. Do you understand?” A small smile appeared on the prisoner’s lips, but quickly smoothed out. Lion could tell the soldier would fight without a weapon, if he was truly honorable and he didn’t wish to waste the blood of a man such as this. He did the next best thing to appease the man’s ego and his own conscience, he raised his fist and tapped him on the jaw. When Swift appeared in the doorway, Lion ordered her to remove the man to where the prisoners were being held.

Nord was expending some pent up energy on the solid wooden door of the Lord’s quarters. He became tired of his game of frightening the whining man inside of the room who kept screaming for him to “go away and leave us in peace.” He gave the barred door a good kick and turned the thing into splinters, before striding inside and stopping in his tracks at the sight of Lord Borland. He recalled the message the Demon Leroi sent via the nightwing. During the telling of the message, the name “Old Pudding Bottom” had been used and Nord thought nothing of it at the time. Now he could see where the name came from. The man was built very small on his top half and wide and fluffy appearing on the bottom half. His thick lips pouted and his head sported strands of wispy grey hair. The male reminded Nord of the swamp rats that inhabited the coastal swamps to the southern coasts of the island.