Dark Prince Ch. 04

"No!" Her eyes filled with tears, her lips pulled back in a sneer. "You won't leave me! Three hundred years have gone by. Everything and everyone I knew is dead, and it's all your fault!" Her voice grew more hysterical. She scrambled out of Lucien's lap to lean across the table and stab a finger in Devon's face. "You didn't listen to me. If we'd had gone away like I said none of this would have happened. They would have been captured, not us. We would have been free. Who the hell knows—you might have been able to prevent the whole god-damned war, but no... you had to stay... had to play at being god because the whole fucking Edenian solar system needed you... your god-damned angels needed you. Allot of good it did them. Even now, I'd be willing to bet you're still at the top of their list as the one who betrayed them."

"It had to be me," Devon choked, bowing his head.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." The evil female turned narrowed eyes to Remien. "You, Dragon-boy, your credit chip has suddenly gained a substantial amount of credits recently. Be interesting to find out how you can get so much money in just a few hours."

"That's none of your business," Rowie snapped.

"I'd have to disagree," Seth growled glaring at Remien, then cutting a narrowed glance at Lillique. "Exactly how much are we talking about?"

Lillique grinned with a sniffle, wiping angrily at her tears. "Enough to buy himself his own solar system." Her smile turned into a hateful sneer. "Or fund himself the biggest kickass army in history."

Rowie paled and turned to Remien. He looked around the table, all eyes on him. "So we're back to thinking it was me. Why not? I'm still the newbie. I'll admit, I've been dabbling in a few less than honorable deeds..." His angry gaze fell upon Seth again, "but at least I'm not associating with Greis."

Startled glances fell upon a red-faced Seth.

Before he could speak, Annie jumped in to defend him. "Just because a person talks to Grei's doesn't mean they're planning mass destruction."

"You've always been too overprotective of Seth," Lillique sniffed with disgust. "Sometimes I wonder if that fake mommy-love isn't some twisted, frustrated desire to fuck him. He has grown into a really hot man."

"Bitch," Annie snarled. "Seth is like my baby brother. We're all over-protective of him."

"Yeah. But you most of all," Lillique spat back. "Everybody thinks you're little miss goody-two-shoes, but you don't fool me. Your kid was treated with disgust on every planet in Edenia. Even the Seraph's rejected him. Poor little Gareth and his pathetic one wing."

Annie screamed and jumped, fingernails exposed, toward Lillique, but Seth and Zak restrained her. Devon had jumped to his feet also.

"Stop it already, Lilli," Devon demanded.

Angel frowned. Was it her imagination, or did Devon's eyes look brighter, his lips darker, almost plum.

Lillique continued to prod at his fury. "Why? She had motives to see a little destruction heaped on Edenia. Even Zak, if you ask me. His father hated him, wiped his mother's memories of his very existence. Creating that war was a damned good way to get back at his asshole father for what he did. Seth, the same. Abandoned. And Rowie?" She laughed scornfully, "Don't get me started there!"

"You seem to have all the dirt on all of us, Lilli," Zak snarled.

"Yes, I do!" Her eyes snapped to Lucien, "You're the best one of all. Did you ever tell anybody what your step-daddy did to you ever since you were little?"

Lucien's chair flew back when he jumped to his feet. Angel saw the beginning of fear creep into Lillique's eyes.

"I think we've heard enough," Lucien grated through clenched teeth. "You've made your point clear. Devon isn't the only who might have planned all of this."

"Great. So we have one nut job and six possible psychos," Seth mumbled.

Everyone jumped when Devon screamed and all the chairs flew against the walls. He was gone in an explosion of white fire.

Lucien had grasped Angel in time to avoid being knocked over by a chair and pulled her beneath him on the floor.

They weren't the only ones who'd taken refuge under the table.

"Shit! Did he just lose it completely?" Zak blurted, raking his golden blond hair from his face as he blinked at them. Remien was huddled over Rowie, covering her head even as she complained for him to get off her.

Angel scrambled to her feet and just as she was about to try to feel for Devon, Lucien gripped her arm.

"No, Angel. That would be too dangerous."

He closed his eyes and she felt his energy skim over her.

"He hasn't lost it totally yet, but he's close. His essence is changing."

"Oh, God, poor Dev," Annie whispered. "We've got to do something."

"This is all your fault," Lillique screamed at Angel.

'What," Angel gasped incredulously.

"I see the way you look at him. You want him, but he's mine." Her eyes narrowed, looking at Angel with disgust. "As if he'd ever be interested in something as pathetic as you."

"Well guess what, slut," Rowie stepped forward, hands on slim hips. "Devon's already had her, and he's in love with her, and we all approve of the match." Rowie looked around as the others nodded.

Lillique turned to Lucien, crossing her arms over her ample breasts. "Oh, I think Lucien wouldn't agree to that, would you, babe?"

Angel stiffened. She felt rage that Lillique would bring to light the uncomfortable situation with Lucien, and saddened she couldn't correspond the way he deserved.

"Luke?" Rowie blinked, her eyes and mouth wide. Her eyes darted to Angel, and then back to Lucien. Understanding dawned. "Oh, God, baby... I didn't realize... I'm sorry."

Angel's face heated up more. She slid her gaze to the side to peer at Lucien.

Lucien swallowed, his face blushing. Angel had never felt more uncomfortable. He cast her a longing glance before answering softly, "It's up to Angel. I've already told her how I feel. I know Devon has feelings for her, but in his present state..." He looked up at the others. "I'm not pressuring her. I'm only trying to be a friend." He lowered his head. "I know how to be a good second."

***

"You are a fool," the black devil admonished Devon. "You have the power to destroy all of them. Keep the blond female that entices you so, but the others are not necessary."

Devon gripped handfuls of his hair, trying to block out the screaming voices of the other devils.

"Leave me alone, please! I won't kill!"

"But you crave it, my prince," the black devil said in a soothing voice. "You are above these petty mortals. The Divine One has been distracted enough by these pathetic creations. They cause our creator great misery. We would be doing the Divine One a great service by ridding ourselves of these disgusting creatures. It's not like they would be completely destroyed. The Divine essence they're made of will be absorbed by us, making us stronger."

Devon closed his eyes, covering his face with his hands. In his mind, he saw Lucien, his aura brighter with the happiness he was feeling from being near Angel. When he'd fed Angel forbidden fruit, her reaction to the flavor of the fruit, the passion and ecstasy... he'd wanted her first taste of the fruit to be from him... from his hands. It had taken every ounce of his will not to jump across the table, take her in his arms and make love to her right there, claim her for himself. Damn Lucien for taking the woman he wanted... loved.

"Master, she can be yours," the devil insisted. He turned and waved a hand to his bed. Angel appeared, her body completely bare, her hair spread out around her like white satin. Devon's mouth watered when she inhaled, making her pert breasts rise, then fall softly as she slept. Her nipples were the palest pink and pebbled to perfection.

Transfixed, he stepped closer to her. Reaching the edge of the bed, he crawled on his hands and knees until his thighs straddled her hips. A movement in the mirror drew his attention. Devon stared at his reflection, crouched over Angel as she slept innocently, his evil self grinned, exposing sharp fangs. Dark grey devil's wings almost touched the ceiling. The evil creature licked his lips and bent his head to Angel's throat.

"No." Devon shook his head. "Don't touch her!"

He scooped Angel up into his arms, intent on teleporting out of the room with her and snarled "mine" into the mirror. His evil self snarled the same thing, then bent and bit Angel. She jolted in his arms and opened terrified eyes to him. Devon stared in horror at her as she cupped the side of her throat, her hand coming away full of blood.

"Angel?"

Blood. His mouth was filled with it... her blood.

"Devon? W-why?" She began to cry, breaking his heart.

He held her tight and cried with her. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." Her arms went around him. "I love you. Don't worry. I'll..." he pulled away from her, to tell he could heal her, but it wasn't Angel in his arms... it was Lucien, blood pouring out of a gaping hole in the middle of his chest.

Confusion made his mind reel.

No.

Lucien's body convulsed, dying, more blood spattered from his lips.

The screams of the devils continued, if anything even louder, combined with hysterical laughing.

Sweat broke out on Devon's flesh. He tried to ignore the cacophony of noise surrounding him and placed his hand over the wound. "Fuck, Luke! Don't die! I love you!"

Lucien coughed once, his eyes rolling back a bit, and then his lips curled into a sneer, his eyes staring at Devon with pure hatred. "I...I hate you," he hissed. Lucien began to laugh, a high-pitched hysterical laugh that turned into screaming, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Devon released him, looking about wildly. "This isn't real! This is all a lie." He saw the black devil sitting on the floor in his quarters, chin in hands as if enjoying a show. "Son-of-a-bitch," Devon growled, scrambling out of the bed. When he approached the devil, the other devil's attacked him.

Their claws and fangs tore at his flesh, his body whipped mercilessly by their tails. Still he fought, viciously. His fists flew as well as kicks to get the writhing melee of devils off him. They began to yell at him in the familiar voices of his angel's, but he wouldn't be fooled this time. It wasn't his beloved angels attacking him. Sharp teeth raked him, pronged tails stabbed at him, the pain so agonizing, he was forced to enclose himself in a protective bubble.

He was unable to fight anymore.

Panting, in pain, and furious, he glared at the chuckling black devil. The creature pointed one claw behind Devon. Knowing he would regret it, Devon peered behind himself.

Lucien lay red-faced on the ground, clutching his crotch, Seth looked unconscious, and was being roused by Zak, who had a black eye and a bloodied nose, and Remien was bent over, coughing up blood.

Confused, Devon turned back to the black devil to find Lillique cowering on the floor.

"Told you all we should've left him the fuck alone," Remien sputtered through bloody lips.