Dark Angel Ch. 07

The Lizdrac hissed and growled at the screen.

The Merulian sneered. "You have five minutes to get them to the palace. A royal escort is already waiting at the border of the black market."

Mambri cursed soundly when the screen went black.

Seth looked at Ashriel. "This is our chance, Ash. An audience with the king."

Ashriel nodded.

The Lizdrac approached them, wringing his tail between his claws. "You've been summoned to the palace."

Seth let one side of his lip lift in a bored smile. "Cool."

"No," Mambri snapped. "Not cool. You have no idea the danger you're in. The king..."

The overhead lights flickered, drawing everyone's attention.

When Ashriel directed his gaze back to the Lizdrac, he could have sworn the lizard man looked a bit paler.

"Why are we in danger?" Seth pressed.

Ashriel felt his stomach tighten. His Anniel was at the palace.

"Err—did I say danger?"

Ashriel jumped to his feet and stalked forward. Seth and Natanael gripped his arms.

"Talk," Ashriel snapped.

The Lizdrac frowned. "It's nothing. The king is a big pervert. He'll probably proposition all of you."

Ashriel did not believe him. The creature was hiding something. He didn't know what the flashing lights had to do with his reluctance to finish telling them what he had been about to, but the sooner they went to the palace, the better Ashriel would feel. He needed to see and hold Anniel. To hell with this mission. He wouldn't put her life in danger.

"Follow me," Mambri said walking toward the doors at the far end of the room they were in.

The double metal doors slid open and Ashriel's steps faltered when he saw that it opened up to an arena.

The entire interior of the black orb was a hollow arena with hundreds if not thousands of metal tiers. There was an enormous stage floating in the center and 4D screens everywhere showing the different occupants strutting across the metal and glass disk-shaped stage. One humanoid, a silver-haired Merulian, threw off a glittering robe exposing a pale body. The creature had small pert breasts sitting high and tipped with pale pink nipples, and down between it's legs was a stiff thick cock.

"Merulians are hermaphroditic," Eriel whispered into Ashriel's ear. "The first time I was fucked it was with a fine shemale specimen."

Ashriel glared at Eriel. "I don't want to know the details, thank-you."

Eriel snorted. "You're in love. Otherwise you'd see how good being on the receiving end is too."

"Hurry," Mambri hissed looking about as if he were afraid. "If they see you we'll be mobbed. There's no time to detour through the secret passages. Fucking palace officials."

They scuttled faster, the fierce gargoyles crowding them from view.

A few paces forward, they turned and entered another set of metal doors, traversed a room that looked as made of pure gold and into a very wide metal tunnel.

Mambri signaled them to the ramp, his face dark with anger. "I hope you come back. I'm going to announce your arrival and state that you're a guest of the king. He wouldn't dare try anything stupid then."

Ashriel gripped the Lizdrac's throat and lifted him easily off his paws. "What danger is there at the palace?"

Everyone froze and Seth hissed "Ash, let him go."

"Talk," Ashriel shouted into the Lizdrac's rapidly darkening snout. He eased the hold he had on the lizard man's neck so he could speak.

"King Dred likes to fuck his guests... and then eat them."

Ashriel dropped Mambri and stared at Seth in horror.

Seth frowned. "She's with Angel. She'll be fine. They're Alpha Angels."

Ashriel shook his head. "We get them back and leave. I've had enough of this."

Seth looked at him silently before nodding slowly. "Okay."

***

Angel wiped Anniel's brow with a cool wet cloth. The bed felt soft and the whole room scented of vanilla and lavender.

She'd stripped off all her clothing and wore nothing but a filmy white sheath.

"I can't be pregnant, Angel. It's too soon."

"It only takes one drop of semen. I heard you howl all night long. It's reasonable to assume the possibility of conception after fucking all night long."

Anniel's eyes snapped open, looking at Angel's face in chagrin.

Angel smirked. "You and the reaper are louder than Devon and me."

Anniel covered her face and groaned. "Oh, Angel. What am I going to do?"

"It seems you will be bearing a new baby in three months."

Anniel gaped at Angel.

Angel's eyes widened warily. "Ashriel is a reaper. His Seraphian blood is purer than a white-winged Seraph. His offspring will be Seraph. They take only three months of gestation before they are ready to be born."

The memories of Gareth's birth surfaced—her poor baby with one wing. He'd been so sick and weak at first.

Tears flowed down her cheek as her heart broke all over again over her lost child.

Angel snuggled up next to her and wiped the tears away.

"Please don't cry, Anniel," she said even as her own eyes shimmered.

"I won't be able to bear losing another baby. I can't go through that again."

"We'll protect the babies, Anniel. Devon will make sure no harm comes to them."

"It's my fault I lost Gareth. I should have stayed with him."

"You didn't know, Anniel," Angel sniffled.

Princess Glory walked in from the bathing chamber. "What happened?"

Anniel rolled off the bed and walked to the edge of the glass dome of their chamber.

"She's having a moment," Angel sobbed.

"And why are you crying?"

Angel hiccupped. "I miss my Devon and Jazriel. And Annie lost her baby and she thinks she's going to lose this one too."

Anniel wiped her eyes and looked down. Over the edge of the metal plate they floated on, she could see the cityscape below. It looked silvery and shimmery and beautiful—everything she knew it was not.

A man clad in black from head to toe suddenly zipped in front of her on the other side of the glass. He had two wings made of metal and a large sledgehammer in his hand.

Anniel stared in shock at the face of the person covered with goggles and a full respirator gas mask. Her eyes widened in terror when he lifted his sledgehammer and swung. With a scream, she jumped back when the enormous sledgehammer struck the glass. The entire glass dome shook with the intensity of the blow.

It did not shatter, but she heard a sound similar to crackling electricity. The view of the sky distorted and became a glowing green again. Anniel saw the true view of Rhylos before her.

The metallic winged angel lifted his sledgehammer again.

Anniel ran back to Angel and Glory, huddling with them in terror.

Before the winged man could strike the glass again, a bright green beam engulfed him and he just vaporized before their horrified eyes.

More crackling filled the air and the glowing green sky turned a brilliant blue again.

"What the hell just happened?" Glory whispered.

"That must've been one of those freedom fighters you mentioned," Anniel answered, still bewildered.

"Was he trying to break the glass?" Angel wondered aloud. "The contamination out there would have killed us."

Anniel shook her head. "I think he just wanted to mess with the holographic imaging. If they really wanted to break the glass, they would have used something a bit more powerful than a sledgehammer...I think."

A soft knock at the door had them turning. Angel rushed and opened the door. They had searched them to make sure no one had weapons, but Angel had a divine sword she could summon at will.

A young, timid girl stood on the other side of the door with a tray of food and drinks.

"I was bid to provide you with nourishment, since you were unable to finish your meal when the pretty dark girl became ill."

Angel let her in. Anniel's eyes narrowed, looking at the raven-haired girl. She looked awfully familiar—big doll-like blue eyes and long silky jet-black hair to her gently rounded hips.

"Alluna's doll," she whispered.

The girl looked up at Anniel blankly. It was her. The one Alluna called Rayne.

Anniel rushed to her and gripped her arm. "Oh-my-god, how did you get here?"

The girl panicked and fell to the floor screaming and crying. Thankfully, the tray laden with food and pitchers of drink remained floating.

"Hey, it's okay," Anniel said brushing back the long black tresses that covered her doll-like face. She wasn't a doll. She was a real girl. A terrified one at the moment.

Glory and Angel helped Anniel lift the girl to her feet. Her entire body shivered.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. Why are you so hysterical?"

"He'll kill boy-Rayne and then he'll eat me." The girl ranted hysterically.

"What? Who's boy Rayne?"

"He bid me to make sure you ate and took refreshment. He will know if I failed," she wailed disconsolately. "Oh, my poor boy-Rayne."

"Okay-okay," Angel huffed reaching to grab a couple of white puffs. She shoved one into her mouth and gave the other one to Glory who did the same. "There. You see? We are eating."

The girl sniffled, her lip still trembling. "And the drink—"

She stopped talking when Angel grabbed a pitcher and took a few gulps. She shoved the pitcher at Glory and glared down at the shivering girl. "Now speak. Who has threatened you and this boy of yours?"

"You're Rayne," Anniel said before she could say anything else. I remember you from Arboria. How did you get here? We looked all over for you, but you just disappeared."

Rayne shook her head. "The monsters. They took me. They wanted to hurt me, but...master...he set me free." Again, her tears flowed as she hung her head and wept silently now. "My beautiful master."

Anniel's eyes widened. "Master? Who's your master?"

Rayne looked up, her shimmering blue eyes sad. "My master Lucien."

Anniel's jaw dropped.

To her horror, Angel crumpled to the floor, followed by Glory.

Screaming out in fear, she bent and tried to rouse them, but they were out cold.

"What did you give them?" she snarled, turning back to glare at the girl.

Rayne floated about two feet off the ground, her fingers scrabbling at a black collar around her neck that was clearly choking the life out of her.

"Rayne," Anniel cried out, jumping up to grip the poor girl around the waist since she was so tiny.

Rayne's face turned blue and her eyes rolled up in agony.

"Help," Anniel screamed not knowing what else to do.

Her personal transport chair floated closer to her and a disembodied voice echoed throughout the room.

"My dear sweet Anniel. I would very much like to see you in my personal chambers. Please sit in your safety coach so that you may be transported to my rooms."

"What did you do to my friends?" Anniel shouted, her eyes darting around the room frantically to see who was speaking while she tried to loosen Rayne's collar.

"They only sleep, as would have you if you'd only listened to that foolish girl."

Rayne made a gurgling sound and Anniel knew she was dying. "Stop, you're killing her."

The voice chortled. "She's nothing but worthless trash. You should not worry yourself so about a whore."

"I said let her go," Anniel's voice had gone deep, gruff with the onset of a shift. Her canines elongated and her flesh twitched.

The voice snickered malevolently. "If you shift, you will destroy the life growing inside you. Such a shame since it was put there by a very beautiful reaper."

Anniel gasped and felt ready to be sick again. She panted through the nausea and the effort to keep her shift at bay.

She backed away horrified. Anniel's eyes remained on the girl floating before her, as she pressed her hands protectively over her stomach. Her poor baby would not survive a shift.

Rayne reached out a hand to Anniel in supplication, her face dark blue.

"Please don't kill her. I'll do what you want."

The voice laughed. "You'll do what I ask regardless. But since you asked so nicely, I'll spare the whore's miserable life."

Rayne was flung into Anniel's chair. She coughed and gagged, now able to breathe again.

Anniel climbed in next to her and pulled the girl into her arms.

A glowing green bubble formed over the shell, sealing them in.

Anniel stared in horror as the shell zipped out of the room. She rocked Rayne in her arms, not knowing what else to do.

They flew through metal-ringed clear tubes before the shell dipped down into a tunnel. It was dark, but Anniel made out the metallic walls of the corridor. Soon they were rising at a fast rate until they surfaced in an enormous chamber at the very top of the palace.

The glowing green barrier disappeared and Anniel tried not to scream.

Before her was a mountain of green slime. It moved and rolled in a disgusting display. Tentacles slithered out of it and neared her.

"Stop. Get away from me," she finally shrieked.

A head appeared in all that slime, with big black eye balls rolling around as if seeking purchase in all that snot.

"I just want to feel your soft flesh," it said with a sticky mouth that dripped slime.

"Keep away from me," Anniel cried out, curling her legs closer to her body when a few tentacles slithered up around the border of the shell. They were green but translucent and within their slimy depths, she saw a finger, part of a nose, a few loose teeth, and an eyeball.

Rayne tried to scream, but her voice was nothing but a hoarse croak. Still, Anniel did not miss "he's going to eat us."

They both shrieked when the slimy tentacles wrapped around Anniel's ankles and slithered up her legs.

"I will share fluids with you, Anniel. I will taste the fruit of your womb."

"No," she screamed kicking her legs. The tentacles yanked her down until her ass hit the bottom of the transport and then spread her legs. When Rayne tried to beat the things off Anniel's legs, one tentacle wrapped around the girl's throat and began choking her again.

The blob of slime began to laugh.

"Don't be afraid. Look how good it is."

The thing lifted poor Rayne right out of the transport and more tentacles wrapped around her slim ankles and wrists. The hideous creature pulled her limbs out until Rayne shrieked in agony and then a fifth tentacle slithered up one of her legs. The poor girl had no panties and, to Anniel's horror, the tentacle slithered up and into the girl's pussy and began to fuck her. Another tentacle shot up and impaled her ass and still another wrapped around her body to stuff the girl's screaming mouth, effectively gagging her.

Rayne wriggled and fought, her eyes tearing as her face turned blue again from lack of air.

"No," Anniel cried out. "Let her go, you bastard."

"Now it's your turn. I won't kill you...yet. I will wait until you're heavy with child. I've always wondered what the suffering of a fetus would taste like as I fuck it within a pregnant female's womb. I can stuff your pussy with my tentacle and slither it into the unborn babe too...fucking you both." The hideous creature laughed.

"You sick bastard. Devon will kill you."

"Who?"

An explosion of glass over Anniel's head had her looking up.

He descended from the sky like an avenging angel.

But it wasn't Ashriel.

One wing was as white as snow, the other made of glowing silver as if lit by white fire. His dark skin was wrapped with coils of metal and long dirty-blond dreads covered his head down to his waist. His eyes were covered by goggles and the bottom half of his face sported a respirator. He aimed his fists at the blob of slime and fired blasts of green fire.

The creature shrieked in pain, but Anniel's face was spattered with what she assumed was its blood.

Her eyes felt as if they were on fire and she screamed in agony as she struggled to sit in the transport now that her legs were free..

"He escapes." A feminine voice exclaimed. "Neo."

"She's been contaminated," a deep demonic-sounding voice snarled.

Anniel began to gag as soon as she inhaled. Oh-god, her baby!

A big hand gripped the back of her neck and a respirator sealed over her face. Anniel clutched at the wrist of the person holding the respirator over her nose and mouth. She tried to take gulp-fulls of filtered air, but her lungs continued to burn. Anniel opened her tearing eyes, and saw only grey and black shadows that grew ever dimmer.

a heavy lethargy came over her, leaving her weak. She didn't need to hear the rebel leader's next words to know exactly what was wrong.

"She's blind... and she's been poisoned. She dies as I speak."

Anniel let the dark swallow her, hoping that if there was an afterlife, little Gareth would be waiting for her on the other side. She had no idea what would become of her unborn child. He or she had barely existed for a day.

The last thing she was conscious of was strong arms cradling her and a gruff voice saying, "I will not let you die."

***

They arrived at the palace, but right away, Ashriel could tell something was wrong. Alarms were blaring and red lights flashed everywhere. His anxiety over Anniel's safety went up ten more notches.

Eriel got up in his face, as if he could see Ashriel's eyes through the black goggles they wore.

"Are you in kill mode? You're in kill mode, aren't you?"

Ashriel clenched his fists and fought the urge to slap Eriel's face. "Get away from me," he snapped instead.

Eriel winced. Natanael pulled him away and said to Eriel in a rush, "Leave him alone. Do you have a death wish, idiot?"

Ashriel stalked ahead with Seth trying to keep up. The weretigri's black gloved fist were clenched, as if fighting to keep himself in control.

They exited the royal shuttle and made their way to the end of the corridor, but four guards stopped them.

The guards were covered head to toe in black, even their faces. One of them chuckled.

"Look what we have here, boys...some fresh ass for King Dred."

The other guards snickered along with the insolent fool who'd spoken.

The guard was tall and muscled beneath his clinging garb, and his metal-soled boots thumped the floor loudly when he circled Ashriel once before stopping in front of him again.

He slid his hand over the growing bulge between his legs and looked Ashriel up and down. "Alright, pretty boy—strip."

Ashriel had the man's throat in his fist in the blink of an eye. The sound of charging laser weapons sounded loud amidst the shouting.

"Don't shoot him, you imbeciles," one of the guards that had escorted them from the black market exclaimed, pushing his way through the reapers to stand between Ashriel and the armed guards blocking their way.

"Ash, let him go," Seth commanded in an even tone.

Ashriel needed to kill something...but that couldn't happen now. He needed to find Anniel.

"Drop him, Ash," Seth repeated in a soothing voice.

Ashriel tossed the tall guard into the wall next to them. The metal dented and the guard slid to the floor unconscious.

"If you're going to take us to the king, do so now. Otherwise, we leave," Seth stated.

Ashriel looked at Seth, about to tell him he was not leaving until he found the girls, but Seth lifted his hand to signal him not to speak.

Ashriel knew the young weretigri would not leave either of his Alpha Angel sisters stranded, nor the Utuduodian princess.

"We're on high alert," one of the guards blocking the doors snapped. "You know the protocols."

The guard that had escorted them from the black market went toe to toe with the other guard. "King Dred wants these reapers. You explain to him why his new toys were detained."

Ashriel did not like being referred to as a toy, but held his tongue. The important thing was to locate the girls.

The guard relented and let them through.

As Ashriel passed the furious guard, the foolish man uttered. "You'll get what's coming soon enough, and if not, I'll be waiting here for you."

As soon as he passed the guard, Ashriel flicked out his left wing and struck the man, sending him flying twenty feet away to slam into the wall at the end of the corridor. His body hit with a sickening crunch.