Welcome To Hell

EP 6: Taste My Wrath

Episode 6

Vassago's POV

"How did a snake even get in here?" My little human's eyes remained glued to my captive.

"I have an idea." The slimy reptile slithered around my hand, wrist, and arm, then constricted. "Izuc," I shouted her name.

The jealous basilisk, a casual f**k of mine, slinked up to the doorway wearing a garment that showed more skin than covered it.

"You called." Her voice wrapped around me like a warm caress, one that contained a touch of danger and pure, unadulterated s*x.

Camilla's eyes widened.

“Is this little creature your doing?" I waved the snake in her direction.

Izuc grinned, her gaze lingering on my guest before she answered me. "Maybe." She shrugged and winked at Camilla, who now seemed too scared to move.

My grip on the snake tightened. "You can't just sneak into contestants' rooms or, in this case, send snakes to scare them."

Izuc scowled. "It was just a harmless joke, Vassago." She crossed her arms over her chest, an action that only served to accentuate her curves.

"Nice try, Izuc," I said. "But no dice."

I held the snake out to her and stepped aside, my gaze locked on hers. "You can take your pet back now."

She accepted it with a smirk. Her lips twisted in amusement.

"See you around," she said before turning around and sashaying out of the room.

When she was gone, I sighed and looked at Camilla. Her eyes were wide with fear, but slowly they softened.

"Thank you," she said.

I nodded in response, then offered her a small smile. "Let's get you out of here. We'll find someone to take care of snake-proofing your quarters. Maybe even a spellcaster to keep unwanted visitors out."

"Okay." Camilla nodded and took a couple of steps toward me. "Wait. People can do that? The spellcasting thing?"

"Me, not so much." I laughed and ushered her out of the room. "Let's just say I know a few demons and fae who can do it."

"Like real spells or runes that imbue for protection?"

"Something like that." Her response took me by surprise. "How do you know about such things?"

"Reading," she replied. "Lots and lots of reading. Mainly about folklore." Her nose scrunched slightly, a quirk most becoming of her when thinking. "Guess what the museum curator said had some truth to it."

"Which was?"

"Wrapped tightly within the pages and words of myth and lore lies a sliver of truth waiting for someone to discover it."

"Sounds like a smart man." A surge of jealousy tightened around my heart. "Is this human curator your lover?"

"Ha." Light-hearted laughter escaped from between her lips. "Lord, no." She laughed once more. "The man's old enough to be my grandfather."

"So, then, you feel a familial connection with him?"

"Sure." She shrugged. "I guess you could say that. He's one of the few people who encouraged my love for books and knowledge during my early years and on into adulthood. So, I cherish the friendship."

The urge to sweep her off her feet in a non-demonic way and plunder the fruits her body had to offer overcame me. Instead of acting upon them, I gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

"Come on," I said softly, then stepped out into the hallway. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

Camilla nodded with an air of gratitude and followed me to safety—all thanks to my dark powers over Hell's demons, the area remained silent. Despite our differences, she now seemed to trust me with her life, especially after the snake incident. The newfound connection left me feeling more powerful than anything else in this world. And that was something I would never take lightly again.

Once we were halfway down the hallway, I looked down at Camilla and smiled.

"So, this is it? In all its glory?"

"Yep. Welcome to Hell," I said. "It's dark down here, but you'll get used to it."

Dark creatures lurked in every corner, waiting for a chance to consume my little mate, only held at bay by my status in the underworld as a high demon.

I led her away from the room as quickly as possible. Although I had tempered my reaction to Izuc's defiant act, deep down inside, anger boiled in my veins.

That woman was always trying to worm her way into my life. Sure, she was good for a f**k now and again, but she'd never be anything more, not to me, anyway. And now that Camilla had arrived, I would need to keep an even closer eye on her to ensure she remained in this competition instead of joining the lost souls floating in the deep ethers of Osiris' realm.

The "Unseen One," the Greek god, Hades, would latch onto her life essence if given half a chance.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"But of course." I held her gaze. "Always. But it doesn't mean I'll answer."

"Okay, then."

As soon as we were back in the main chamber, I let go of Camilla's hand, then motioned for her to enter a side hallway that led to the more intimate location. The gardens of hell, where one always found the most beautiful plants and flowers in all of the real that could cure or kill with a single touch.

I ushered her down a non-poisonous row to humans that held vibrant colors.

"Wow. Such such beauty." Her eyes widened. "I've never seen anything like it." She touched the petals of a blooming hell flower. "Have you?"

"Yes. I have." I nodded, taking in the curves of her lithe frame that held pose and grace. "What's your question, little human?"

"My room." She cleared her throat. "What's to keep that woman—"

"Izuc," I corrected. "And she's not a true woman. She's a basilisk."

"Okay, then." She chewed on her lip, making me wish I could do the same. "So, what's to keep Izuc from trying to scare me again or, worse, hurt me? She seemed rather enraptured by you."

"Because if she does, she'll taste my wrath." My voice reverberated through the entire space and sent goose bumps to pepper the skin of her exposed flesh, which didn't go unnoticed by my keen eyes, along with the stirrings of faint arousal that swirled around her.

"No one messes with what's mine."

My dark power, combined with my will and strength, would protect her from harm. I could never let anything happen to her, to my sweet mate.

Not on my watch. Never again.

Near millennia had passed since I'd set eyes on my beloved, and like my brothers, we would protect her until she came unto her own—at least, until she remembered.

"I, uhm . . ." She looked at me through long lashes. "Is there somewhere I can, you know, relieve myself?"

"Relieve?" My brow raised, and a lustful heat warmed my body from the inside out. "If you desire s****l relief, I'll be the one to grant that wish."

"Uhm, no." She shook her head, and her eyes widened in surprise. "That's not what I meant."

A pink blush covered her cheeks, bringing color to her lovely face.

"Then explain," I commanded. "Tell me what you need."

"A bathroom." From between her pink, kissable lips, a nervous giggle escaped, making me wonder if she now thought or entertained the notion of me making her come. "So that I can, you know, relieve my bladder."

"Come," I commanded softly, offering my arm once more for support, as well as to let others know I had claimed her and that she now resided under my protection.

Slowly, we made our way out of the garden and into the hallway, where we'd started outside her bedroom. "Would you like for me to wait?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Please. If you don't mind?"

"Not at all."

The look of gratitude in her eyes was all too easy to read, along with her newly formed inkling of trust that provided a reminder of why she had been chosen for this fated journey.

She is mine; heart, body, and soul.

My mate is brave and strong, a rare find indeed. Now, I must wait for her to remember—for her to find herself.