Dark Prince

When she looked up, a large planet was racing to meet the pod.

In a flash, Angel realized three things; they were coming into a strange planets' atmosphere at the wrong angel at a suicidal speed; Devon, who'd obviously been maneuvering the Viper with his telekinetic power, was now unconscious once again; and lastly, they were going to die.

Angel held him tight and screamed just seconds before the pod exploded in flames.

Chapter Four

Devon drifted in a sea of white mists; no pain, no suffering, no devils driving him mad, no angels demanding obedience. He was free... wasn't he?

Silence and nothingness wrapped around his soul. He didn't want to think, see, hear, or feel. After days and nights filled with the hellish torture of being alive, if you could call it that, he welcomed this brief reprieve of simulated death.

As he floated away in a sea of endless white, a dark shadow began forming within the swirling mist. No. Please, no. Leave me alone. Go away. His body tensed as power slammed into him. Another presence was there with him, its scent of vanilla and lavender wrapping around him—enticing, beckoning. His entire being resisted its seductive pull. No! Please, I don't want to go back yet!—He wanted to lash out and hurt whatever was trying to disturb his rest.

"Wake up." The voice of an angel made him pause... soft, melodic. He might be in an induced state of near death, but he was still a man, and the feminine voice definitely piqued his curiosity. Fingers wrapped around his wrists, trying to drag him back into reality.

Wait, no. I'm not that curious. Damn. The upper half of his body was pulled up. He felt as boneless as a ragdoll. The scent of female sweetness continued to assault his senses. Soft skin and feminine breasts pressed against him, warm arms embraced his cold body; touch... blissful, heavenly. He'd missed this simple pleasure. What did she look like? He tried to see into the dark shadow and caught a brief glimpse... baby-blue eyes, white-blonde hair, rosebud mouth.

Good God. A real angel?

His mind spun. Had the Divine One taken pity on him and finally sent for his decrepit soul? Am I really going home, Abba? Home. He would've smiled, but the sensation of falling in slow motion caused him to pause. Falling? Why am I falling? I've been an obedient, son. Are you sending me away, Father? Am I not worthy of your love?

His answer was a solid whack to his head. Bright light exploded before his eyes and a jolting pain reminded him he wasn't dead yet.

"What the hell are you?" The angel sounded terrified.

Her words slapped him with the reminder of how different he was. How did he never notice before? All he ever noticed while growing up on Alpha 7 was his lack of wings. He did ask the Seraphs about that once. Aria had picked up his four-year-old body with an indulgent smile, tossing him into the air a few times making him laugh. He remembered trying to grasp the tips of her open white wings.

"You don't have wings because you're just a precious little boy. But that doesn't mean you're not our angel, sweetheart."

The sensation of being yanked up again snapped him out of his reverie. He could feel himself waking a little more.

"Come-on, demon-boy. Up!"

Demon? Am I a demon?

Memories of his Dominatio and a devil came back to haunt him. The cherub-like entity that sometimes appeared to him, acknowledged that he was... half. Devon felt confused and frustrated. Fuck! Half what?

Her body pressed against his... or was he pressing against hers? His hair was in his face so he could barely see her at the moment. He did feel she was muscular, but not overly so. The feel of two feminine breasts had his knees buckling like an asinine adolescent boy. With her help, he regained his balance, heat rushing to his face. He kept his head ducked in embarrassment.

She practically carried him down a long corridor. Now that he was leaning against her, he saw that not only was she strong, she was also tall; so different from Lillique.

Lillique?

He was slammed against a wall as the memories flooded back. The fight with Lillique; she'd wanted him to renounce the Master Guardians and leave the Edenian solar system with her. The other Master Guardians; he'd gone out with Seth and Rowie to relieve Lucien and the others from their watch. They guarded the solar system in shifts. Devon remembered trying to link his mind to the others, but something had gone wrong. Remien. The pyrokenetic-shifter was blocking himself, interrupting the flow of power between the guardians. A war had started. One of his beloved angels was a wolf in sheep's clothing. But they're gone... oh, God... they're gone! I need them. I don't want to be alone!

The sound of her voice intruded his thoughts. Her arm pressed him against the wall as she looked into the hangar and fired a laser gun. Laser fire was going off everywhere, and then her words registered in his mind. "If they want me they'll have to kill me."

Devon looked through the fall of dark hair that partially obscured his vision. The situation was clear; she wasn't going to let them to capture her alive. She'd obviously risked herself to bust him out of there, even though her motives weren't as yet clear to him. He'd be damned if he let her die.

"No. Please... don't do it." Concentrating hard, he focused his power on the familiar feel of his viper, docked in the hangar a few paces away. The effort to draw it near was too draining and he struggled to stay conscious. "Get into the viper."

Those beautiful baby-blue orbs gazed at him as if he were the most magnificent thing she'd ever seen. Her plump lips opened showing a bit of her teeth and pink tongue within. He wanted to kiss her. Just a soft, sweet kiss, feel the warmth of her lips against his, take in her essence.

Laser fire showered around their heads, jolting him to the dilemma at hand. They needed to escape.

He'd barely gotten the Viper open with his telekinetic power, when she tugged him against her. His vision swam and for a moment, he thought he was going to pass out. She practically dragged him behind her. Devon struggled trying to get his limbs into the Viper, afraid that if he kept using his power, he'd faint. He didn't need to worry because the angel had no intention of leaving him behind. The feel of his pants invading the crack of his ass as they were tugged with brutality had him gasping. Thank God, one yank was all it took to haul him into the Viper. Her strength amazed him even as his violated rump hit the interior of the Viper with an uncomfortable thud. God, I hate wedgies!

The feel of her arms holding him was soothing enough to forget the uncomfortable linen abrading his ass. With the last pulses of power draining out of him, he sent out a bubble of his energy and locked on... Utuduo. If he'd been frozen into a suspended animation sphere, then the female populace of the matriarchal planet had some serious explaining to do. They were the only species known for this technology, and the nasty habit of abducting men for breeding because their race only produced females.

As he finally gave himself over to the effects of having depleted his energy, the angel's face came into view again. He felt her anxiety. He wanted to tell her not to worry, that he would protect her. After all, the Divine One sent her to rescue him. Right? What other explanation could there be for a big, blonde stranger to come and pull him out of a simulated death he was growing a little too content with? He accepted this new gift of companionship. It was all he had for now... at least until he found out what happened to the others.

As he pulled his power into himself to begin ridding his body of the foreign chemical causing his stupor, he heard her scream.

Devon dreamt as he self-healed. He his bare feet tread upon ash in a cavern that glowed red. Rivers of lava flowed beneath arched bridges of stone and blackened pathways curved around pools of fire. Above, sharp fingers of stone seemed to reach for him. Devils hung upside-down, clinging to the jagged stalactites dripping moisture. It spattered on his face, his mouth and body. Revulsion filled him when he realized it tasted like blood. He looked down at himself. He was naked with streams of dark, almost black, blood rolling down his white skin. Snickering drew his attention back to the roof of the cave. Hundreds, if not thousands, of glowing yellow eyes watched him. Their tails whipped around and their wings fluttered. The devils whispered to each other. He could hear snippets of their words. The master. He's returned. Our new dark prince is home. The words chilled his blood.

More blood dripped onto his face. He wiped at it in disgust. With an angry growl, Devon ran, wanting to find a way out of this... hell. The cavern grew darker, became more riddled with hundreds of tunnels. He didn't know which way to go and let out a stream of curses. Movement caught his eye and he walked toward it with measured steps. He could barely see, but the silhouette of a tall, muscular man walking toward him came into view. Was it a demon?

Devon hesitated, unsure. The being before him did the same. He tried to gage what or who was in front of him, but all he felt was an all encompassing feeling of evil that made his skin crawl.

"Who are you?"

There was no answer, only the echo of his voice mocking him in the dead silence. Devon narrowed his eyes and crept closer. Skin, white as driven snow, streaked with rivulets of blackened blood, a muscular body, long, jet-black hair, and glowing blue eyes. Devon gasped. Massive wings unfurled; pale-grey devil's wings, veined in a darker grey. Devon stared at his own reflection.

His evil self laughed, deep and rumbling, like thunder. "Surprise, asshole."

Devon summoned his divine sword, pouring out his anger and terror in a scream that threatened to bring the whole cavern down around his ears as he slashed at the nightmarish vision. Fire blazed, white, from his sword, and glass shattered; what little light was left vanished in the aftermath of his fury. He was left trembling in a black, cold void... lost... alone... painfully alive, with the echo of his roar reverberating through the darkness.

"Angel," he cried, "help me."

A soft hand touched his cheek, warm and vibrant. His entire being hummed at the contact. The familiar scent of vanilla and lavender wrapped around him, comforting.

Devon realized he'd had a nightmare, and was now waking, some parts more than others when he felt her touch his lips. Oh, yes. He kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep. The angelic girl, who'd rescued him, explored him like she'd never touched a man before. The thought had blood rushing to his southern regions. Her fingers traced around his pectorals, skimming over one of his nipples, then over the other that puckered just as tightly as its twin to her attentions. This is definitely nice.

Her innocent touch smoothed down his torso, giving him chills. The tip of her finger followed the grooves of his abdominal muscles and when she poked it into his belly button, he almost jumped. Devon was very ticklish there. Sweat broke out over his brow as she skimmed over his hipbone. He was very ticklish there too! God, she's killing... His thoughts screeched to a halt.

The unmistakable feel of the ties to his drawstring pants being undone, almost undid him. Relief flooded through Devon when the pants were gently tugged down, pulling out a tightly jammed wedgie. He'd forgotten about that... the way they'd escaped from the research station. A soft breeze caressed his rigid flesh and he wondered if she would dare touch him. He waited expectantly, imagining the sensation, picturing the scene; a blond angel caressing a raven-haired demon. A moan escaped him.

The distinct feel of a cold blade pressed against his throat. "I know you're awake." She sounded smug.

At what point had she realized that? He suddenly felt annoyed that she worked him up intentionally only to leave him high and dry.

He kept his eyes closed, not wanting her to see the extent of his desire there too. Her silence only irked him more. "Well? Do you plan on killing me or fucking me?"

The blade pressed tighter against his skin, drawing a little blood. Ironically, the fact that he was laying there, cock bared, with a beautiful woman holding a sharp blade to his neck, turned him on even more—sick puppy that I am.

He opened his eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and she wasn't exactly staring at his face... at least not right away. Almost as if sensing his eyes on her, she whipped her head around.

He could see it in her eyes, she wanted him... but she didn't like it. Not one bit. He hated to admit it, but her attitude hurt. Why was her desire for him so repulsive to her? He suddenly felt the perverse need to piss her off.

Devon raised a brow. "Looked your fill? Need a holographic imprint?"

Her blush deepened and her lip curled, baring white teeth. "Where the hell are we?"

"Now that's just rude... using cuss words before being properly introduced. Um... I'm Devon Angelos." He stuck his hand out and smiled at her glowering face. "And you are?"

She looked like she wanted to tear him a new asshole. "I asked you a question."

Testy female. Probably PMS. "Utuduo." He cleared his throat. "Mind if I pull my pants up?"

She looked at him as if he'd sprouted two more heads. "Why the hell did you bring us to Utuduo?"

"I would like very much to fix... "

"Answer me!" Her shrill voice reminded him of Lillique.

So much for trying to be polite. "I was weak." Very true. "I didn't know where the hell I was going." Big fat whopper. He'd had every intention of landing on Utuduo. He wouldn't rest until he found out why he'd been put into suspended animation three hundred years ago.

The knife was removed from his neck. He lifted his hips and pulled his pants back into place.

"Angel."

The sound of her voice had him snapping his eyes back to her face. Did she just call me an...?

"My name. It's Angel."

Of course. He kept his eyes on her face. She's pretty. The big eyes, plump, rose-kissed lips, heart-shaped face framed by long, platinum blond hair... it all combined to give her an innocent, virginal look. "It suits you."

She blushed, intensifying her virginal allure... at least until she opened her mouth. "If you think giving me flowery compliments will gain you access between my thighs... "

Fuck this. Devon opened the Viper and sat up, running his fingers in frustration through his tousled hair. He'd had enough for one day.

The bright Utuduodian sun blinded him momentarily, and the scents of fresh air and damp forest tickled his nose.

"What are you doing?"

"Bailing out." He turned to slip out of the Viper, but Angel's hand grabbed his arm, halting him.

"You aren't going anywhere." Her voice snapped like a whip, her eyes like ice. "You're taking us to Venushti." Her hand gripped his arm tighter, making her biceps swell.

His brows rose in amusement. "I am?"

Once again the blade rested against his throat. "Yes. You are."

She wasn't going to back down, and neither was he. He had a mission and she was being a nuisance. Of course, she might come in handy if I need a cooperative mistress later on to help me locate the others. I'll have to work on the cooperative thing though. Right now she's about as cooperative as a rattlesnake after it's been stepped on.

"But I'm still too weak." He bowed his head and closed his eyes, doing his best to look tired.

He heard her snort. "You don't look weak to me."

The female's opinion provoked his naughty side. He cocked his head to the side, peering at her through the strands of hair that always seemed to be in his face. "How do I look to you?"

He could tell his words caught her unprepared. Her blush deepened, and he was subject to her perusal once more.

Each word was pronounced slowly. "Like an unholy demon."

The effect was like a bucket of cold water.

"Give me a couple days... to regain my strength," he implored.

"No." She crawled over him and jumped out of the Viper.

Her dismounting disturbed a flock of colorful birds that had been roosting in a nearby bush. The feathery creatures took off to the cerulean skies squawking in protest. He just remained gaping at her even as she extended her hand to help him out, neither of them acknowledging the birds or sunny day. "Come-on," she demanded.

His eyes widened. "You're not thinking of going into the city with me, are you?"

One pale brow arched and her nostrils flared. "Out."

Devon scowled. "Do you know what they do to men on this planet?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her chin up. "You'll be with me."

Devon's eyebrows shot upwards. She had the bearing of a warrior. He liked that...a little too much. "But you're unarmed," he said, gesturing to her body and receiving a glower.

Angel straightened to her full height, which he guessed was about six foot one and lowered her arms. Her eyes narrowed. "I am a Venushtian warrior." She flexed her pectorals, making Devon's mouth drop open. "I don't need to be armed."

A warriors' arrogance too. He definitely liked her. A visual of what it would be like to spar with the blond beauty had him growing hard again; that lithe, lean body twisting and contorting, muscles rippling with unleashed power, her long hair plastered against her sweat drenched flesh. Afterwards, he'd lick the salty essence from every inch of female...

Her angry growl jolted him out of his kinky daydream. His face heated up several notches, realizing he'd been leering like a wolf. Shit!

"Angel, they'll challenge you for me. You can't fight off the entire planet."

She placed her hands on her hips, one corner of her lip curling up with derision as her eyes swept over him. "The entire planet? My-my... such humility."

He scoffed, amazed by her audacity when only moments before she'd been flexing her pecs at him. "A few days. That's all I'm asking. If I'm captured, they'll take me as a pleasure slave and... "

Her face paled and she walked away. Devon felt her anxiety, and wondered where it stemmed from. Something must have happened to her in the past. Pleasure slave?

He slipped out of the viper and was just about to put his hand on her shoulder. She spun, dagger in hand, ready to do damage.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He put his hands up. "I just... Are you okay?"

She backed away, her blade lowering only slightly. "Two days. After that, we go into the city and call upon the L-O-S council. We'll let our governments handle this."

With that, she spun on her heel and walked farther out into the open meadow where the Viper had settled itself.

Devon looked at her retreating form, confused. "League of Stars? Governments?" Why the hell would the governments be interested in this? And the God-damned L.O.S? "Why exactly did you take me out of the research station?"

She sighed, turning to face him rolling her eyes, as if what she were about to say had been said hundreds of times before. "The Edenian government defiled Venushtian sacred grounds. They destroyed the holy black stone."

Devon's eyes narrowed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You mean the suspended animation sphere I was frozen into?"

"Whatever was inside was of no importance." She tipped her nose up and crossed her arms over her chest in a challenging manner.

He blinked and looked her over once more. How could any human be so heartless? "I was inside that ball. Alive! For three hundred fucking years!" More birds flew as his deep voice boomed through the air.

Angel sneered, and clenched her fists at her sides. "Well too bad you didn't die like the rest of your demonic angels," she screamed back.

Something dark snapped inside Devon. Every molecule surrounding them was visible to his eyes. The sound of her beating heart pounded in his ears, the scent of her blood mocked him, and the desire to kill her made him salivate.