Poisonous Pleasure (28 page)

Weight pulled her back within a second. A hiss broke through her mouth while she struggled against whoever was standing behind her, holding her immobile. The voice in her head screamed in anger making her own emotions flare. The door, which she still stared at, burst into eerie blue flames.

“Don’t get in her path!”

Samael, he was the one behind her. She twisted, but didn’t budge as another pair of large hands wrapped around her shoulders. Pieces of the flaming wood exploded from the door the moment she thought it.

“Let me go! I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking kill you!” The person who spoke the words sounded nothing like her. The tone sounded hoarse, scratchy, yet very powerful.

“What in the hell is she?” Jason yelled.

“Ask Dominic. He knows better than anyone.”

Marcella heard her mate take a ragged breath. “She’s a demon, a newborn one at that.”

“Fuck…me, that shit is scary,” Ambrose whispered.

An agonizing screaming echoed in her head while all she wanted to do was emulate the sound to make the noise stop. A string of words had her hands flying to her ears.
Run. Run away. Blood. Blood!
Marcella bared down against the irresistible urge to cause chaos. She would not jeopardize anyone’s life.

“How long do I have to do this? I can’t take much more. She’s driving me crazy.” The words were almost impossible for Marcella to get out.

“Whenever you can turn, you’re done.” Samael and Dom eased their grip letting her go completely. Big mistake. She spun around taking in the four men who stood before her. The demon inside of her laughed evilly, fueling her to step toward them.

“I’m thinking you guys just fucked up royally.” Jason’s voice had her looking in his direction.

“You might be right, there, loverboy. I keep forgetting Marcella isn’t exactly herself.” She turned to Dom and hissed in his direction. Fire circled around everyone as she took a step forward, laughing. The flames shot up on her silent commands, reaching over all of their heads.

“You neglected to let me leave when I wished. Now you will all pay the consequences.”

Dominic stepped forward giving her a bored look. Marcella fought to make the demon inside of her stop, but she couldn’t call to her collector. Unable to control her body, she walked to meet him.

“It’s time to go. You have to give me back my mate. You’ll have ample opportunities to grace us with your presence in the future.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

A pained expression passed over Dominic’s face. “Don’t make me use my authority. It won’t be pretty.” His eyes began to glow a bright red tinged with orange. The actual flames she could see in the color made fear shoot through her demon. Grasping, Marcella jerked her connection to the collector inside.

Cobwebs progressed with every step she took away from her mate. “Marcy, is that you?” Nodding, she made the fire disappear.

“I need some time. My collector is having trouble coming. Something else is getting in the way.” Like lightning, a force rushed through her and she fell to the ground crippled in pain.

As the demon was pushed from her body, she could feel the instinct of a predator take over. Taking deep breaths, she tried to work her way through the aching.

Samael laughed as he looked around. “You feel that, boys? That tingling at the back of your neck is not something to ignore. You all be prepared. We’re about to be visited by a shifter, and I’m not sure which one is her animal to call.

“She’s going to go through the transitions of turning into a couple of different things, but ultimately she’ll turn into the one who’s chosen her. When she does, we make her change fast, or else someone might get their throat ripped out.”

Marcella watched the dark angel smile at her guys. Yes, she wouldn’t stay in the form for long at all. Not if it meant she’d end up really hurting someone. The demon turned out to be bad enough. That was too close of a call.

Marcella slammed her fist against the concrete at the amount of pain shooting along her contorting insides. Dominic instantly lowered himself and grabbed her hand.

“You’re either very supportive or very stupid. Get the hell away from her.”

“Shut the fuck up, Samael. I’m not going anywhere. When she begins to shift I’ll back away, until then, kiss my ass.”

“Suit yourself. It’s your body.”

The feeling of bugs crawling along her skin made her want to tear herself to pieces. She slapped at her arms frantic to make the pain overpower the uncomfortable sensation. Dom caught her arm. A roar poured out of her mouth before she could stop it. He looked at her, frozen.

“Don’t,” Marcella whispered. “Just don’t touch me, please, lover.”

“I’m sorry. I just hate seeing you go through this.”

Biting her lips against the twist in her upper stomach, warmth poured into her mouth. As if the blood were the missing ingredient in some type of supernatural alchemy, her ribs began to snap with loud cracks. The pain caused Marcella to jolt, leaving her unable to scream. All she could do was try her best to suck in air as she tried not to move.

“Son of a bitch,” Jason whispered. “How often does she have to go through this?”

“Depends, really,” Samael said. “But I’m thinking about once a year. Her other forms are going to be triggered a lot easier and sometimes need attention at least once every few days. What’s the one that comes to her the most?”

“Succubus,” Jason answered. “She hates it. Sometimes all she has to do is kiss us and she’s taken over and can’t stop the thing from coming.”

“That’s what I thought. Well, other than that, is there anything else?”

Jason’s head tilted as he looked at her. “She’s turned into a vampire quite a bit. And a Wiccan, once, when she tapped into her powers of the elements, but nothing else that I’m aware of.”

“Well it seems like she’s not going wolf like I thought she would. With that roar, I’m thinking lioness. How much do you want bet?”

“No way, I heard her. I’m going to have to be with you on this one. Dom, dude, get your ass back. How do you think she’s going to feel when she accidentally bites your head off?”

“Jason, shut up. She’s not going to do that. She may be a newborn in everything she does, but Marcella is still there, somewhere.”

“Enough,” she panted. “I can still fucking hear all of you.”

The distortion of her insides grew worse and she suddenly felt like her body shattered. The agony of the process ended just as quickly as it began. The world blurred only to come in crystal clear and so different than what she was used to. The moment she thought she’d bypassed the multiple shifts and remain in lioness form, she began to morph all over again. Colors distorted and cravings for meat overpowered every thought.

Over and over she could feel her body flex, and push, and strain until she was sure there would be nothing left of her by the end of the process. She hated it. Never again would she go this long without taking care of her inner creatures. At least, if she shifted on occasion, she wouldn’t have to go through multiple transitions.

Nausea threatened while everything continued moving. Her equilibrium was in desperate need for absolute stillness. A last ripple rolled through her body and finally the cold floor became evident under her nude body. She pushed her fingertips into the hard ground praying to never move again.

Arms picked her up and carried her to the bed. She looked up into Dom’s pained eyes and prayed she’d stop feeling motion. Exhaustion beckoned her to the peacefulness of sleep, but she fought the feeling, knowing the night wasn’t over. With her eyes closed, a tickling began to etch against the sounds of whispering. Listening carefully, her eyes flew open. Heartbeats, she could hear every single beating heart in the room.

“Holy shit. I want her eyes. How awesome is that?” Jason tilted his head moving a little closer to her.

“What color?” The thickness in her throat made it difficult to talk. She tried clearing it, but the feeling didn’t go away.

“They’re green, but with yellow shooting through them. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I can’t wait until I can turn shifter. I wonder what my animal will be.”

Jason’s voice began to fade in and out until all she heard was his heart. Somehow, she managed to focus on his individual beat instead of hearing the others’.
Thud-thud, thud-thud.
The noise, so sweet, so…alive, drew her to stand and move closer to him. The scent of his skin hit her in a wave of mouth watering sensations.

Did he know his complexion couldn’t be more flawless or perfect? The temperature of his skin caressed hers the faster she neared, and she wanted to bask in his warmth. Did he know he ranged in the high ninety-nine degree mark? She wasn’t even sure how she knew. But she did discern that she felt warmer than he would, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how much she wanted to test the theory. Her teeth would be perfect. She could bite against his skin and run her tongue over the flesh. What would he taste like while she compared their heat?

She looked up at Samael, annoyed. “What?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Confused, she raised her hands. “Nothing. What do you think I’m doing?”

“Continue then, by all means. Jason, don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re about to become lunch.”

Alarmed, he looked at the foot of distance separating them. “Um, Marcella, do you think maybe you could just, well, take a step back? As much as I love you being close to me, I’m not sure I want to get mauled by a lioness at the moment.”

“I beg your pardon, but to think I would do something like that is…” Realizing exactly what she’d been doing and how she felt, she took a stepped away. “Yeah…I think it’s time to see if I can find my collector. Hopefully this is over with.”

Walking back toward the bed, she made a space for herself away from everyone. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but fear made her cautious of whom she stood by. She braced herself and grasped the link to her true self. Opening her eyes, she saw the tattoos and sighed in relief.

“So, I guess that was it.”

Samael came closer to her. “The demon is probably the reason for the rapid thoughts and aggravation. We’ll let it out again in about a week so it doesn’t become too much. Afterward, every other month or so should be fine. But next time we chain you in the dungeon. If you escape, there’s no telling what you’d do.”

“I think that’s best. Fuck, my muscles ache. Shifting is intense.”

“The more you do it the easier it will become,” Samael said, crossing his arms. “Now, it’s time for the collecting. After what you just went through it might take you more than one try to accomplish, but you’ll be able to pull it off. I have complete faith in your abilities.”

At least someone did. She wasn’t so sure, herself. The first attempts failed. True, Ambrose hadn’t submitted, but still, what if taking his soul didn’t work this time either?

“I’m ready.” Marcella materialized a pair of white lace panties and a bra to cover herself, and still bare the tattoos. Clearing her head, she concentrated and imagined the bed in the room gone, and candles lighting almost every surface. The smell of lavender hung heavily in the air by the time she reopened her eyes.

“Very good. Your instincts are superb.”

“Ambrose, please kneel before me.”

Marcy didn’t even wait for Samael to tell her what to do. The lavender helped calm and clear her head. She let her own soul lead her in the progression. If she wanted to be truthful to herself, this last transformation was her turning back to her old self. Marcianna lingered in the background just out of touch, but close enough to control Marcy’s actions. The only thing that wasn’t taken over was a piece of her mind. How big that piece was, she wasn’t sure.

The clear symbol on her chest began to glow as he kneeled on one knee and stared up at her. Golden letters lit up across the flesh-toned cross and she immediately projected them out as if she were looking at a see-through movie screen.

Glancing over the chant she looked away. She already knew what to say, and it wouldn’t even matter if she read it word for word. The power belonged to her. As long as she followed the general outline, she would be fine.

“You pledge to love me, protect me, and become my follower. Is this true?”

“Vampire, creature of darkness, from this moment forth you shall become my follower and I, your queen. Through me, you will no longer be damned.” Marcella manifested her dagger and sliced her forearm. “I bleed for you. I’ll honor you. You and I will become one, from now until your time comes for us to say goodbye. I pray that time won’t be anywhere in the near future. I’ve missed you more than you’ll ever know, my knight. I plan to keep you safe for as long as you’ll love me.”

Ambrose took her knife and cut his arm. “And I bleed for you, my queen. Everything from this moment forth will be for you. I’ll serve you for the rest of my days. Nothing, and no one, will ever separate us. You are now my life.”

Marcella smiled and sunk to her knees. Their lips connected and the pull she felt to his soul came easily. No pain, no shortness of breath, just as easy and sweet as their vow for each other. Light lit up the room and his soul entered her body. A love and bond so overpowering consumed her soul, making her want to wrap her arms around him forever and never let go.

“Thank you for trusting and loving me, Ambrose. I promise not to fail you.”

“You could never fail me. I’ll love you always, my queen.”

Marcella stood while Ambrose walked to stand by Jason. A thought made her turn to Samael. “Dominic’s soul. Do you have it?”

“Yes, my dear. But I’m afraid I can’t give it to you.”

Raising her eyebrow, Marcianna took a step forward. “And why is that?”

“Because then if someone ever came looking for it, they’d know it was gone. He’s a demon. To the big man himself, he owns Dominic.”

“Not anymore. Give it to me.”

“Marcella, you know I can’t do that.”

“Well, you will. Right now. If they find it missing, he can come to me. He eventually will anyway and I want Dom’s soul in my possession.”

Pulling him forward by his energy, she gripped his shirt in her fist and glared at him. “You’re going to give me his soul right this minute. And if you think I need a chant to get it, you’re sadly mistaken. You see, he’s pledged to me already. He’s mine.” Blood dripped down her elbow while she smiled at him.