Edge of the Darkness (Hell on Earth Book 4) Read online

  Edge of the Darkness

  Hell on Earth Series, Book 4

  Brenda K Davies

  Copyright © 2020 Brenda K. Davies

  All rights reserved.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover by: ebooklaunch.com

  Formatting: Jamie Davis

  Contents

  Glossary Of Terms

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  Find the Author

  Also from the Author

  About the Author

  Glossary Of Terms

  Adhene demon - Mischievous elf-like demon. Corson and Wren are the last adhenes.

  Absenthees – Center of the Abyss and its main focus of power.

  The Abyss – The Abyss is another plane. The jinn can open a doorway into the Abyss and enter it. Absenthees is at the center of the Abyss and main focus of power in the Abyss.

  Akalia Vine - Purple black flowers, orange berries. Draws in victims & drains their blood slowly. Red leaves. Sharp, needle-like suckers under leaves. Behind the 6th seal.

  Barta demons - They were locked behind the 55th seal. Animal of Hell. Now part of Lucifer’s guard.

  Calamut Trees - Live in the Forest of Prurience.

  Canagh demon - Male Incubus, Female Succubus. Power thrives on sex but feed on souls on a less regular basis than the other demons. Their kiss enslaves another.

  Ciguapa (see-GWAH-pah) – Female demon with backward feet.

  Craetons - Lucifer’s followers.

  Crantick demon – Crazy. Often run head first into walls and throw themselves off ledges for fun. Howl in a pack. Like to fight but mostly innocuous.

  Drakón – 101st seal. Skeletal, fire breathing dragons. They now protect the varcolac’s Chosen.

  Erinyes (furies) - demons of vengeance and justice. 78th Seal.

  Faerie/Fae – Empath demons who were slight in build, fast, and kinder than the other demons. The fae bloodline still exists in mixed demons but the purebred fae died out thousands of years ago.

  Fires of Creation - Where the varcolac is born.

  Forest of Prurience - Where the tree nymphs reside. Was also the original home of the canaghs and wood nymphs.

  The Gates - Varcolac demon has always been the ruler of the guardians of the gates that were used to travel to earth before Lucifer entered Hell.

  Ghosts - Souls can balk against entering Heaven, they have no choice when it comes to Hell.

  Gobalinus (goblins) - Lower level demons, feed on flesh as well as souls. 79th seal.

  Hellhounds - The first pair of Hellhounds also born of the Fires of Creation, with the first varcolac who rose. They share a kindred spirit and are controlled by the varcolac.

  Jinn (Singular form is jinni) – 90th seal. Beautiful creatures. They’ll grant a wish, make it more of a nightmare, and tear out their victim’s heart as payment. Feed on the life force of others as well as on wraiths.

  Lanavour demon -The 3rd seal. Can speak telepathically and know people’s inner most secrets and fears.

  Leporcháin - Leprechaun looking creatures. Half on Kobal’s side, the other half are on Lucifer’s. Only ten in existence.

  Macharah – 103rd seal. Creature with 30 plus tentacles at the bottom.

  Manticore – 46th seal. Body of a red lion, human/demon head.

  The Oracle – The oracle is a lake of fire, deep in the bowels of Hell, where earth could be looked on. Few made the journey as the lake was also the central focus of all the heat in Hell.

  Ouroboros - 82nd seal. Massive, green serpent.

  Palitons - Kobal’s followers.

  Púca - 80th seal. Shape changers which can take on animal or human form. Could also be the source of vampires as they drain their victim’s blood.

  Skelleins - Guardians of the Gates.

  Spiny Clackos – demon who is known to have spikes in every part of their anatomy.

  Tree Nymphs – Live in the Forest of Prurience. Men and women. Striking and very free sexually. Smaller than wood nymphs and live in the trees.

  The Wall - Blocks off all of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Blocks parts of Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Arkansas. Similar wall blocks off parts of Europe.

  Wraith - A twisted and malevolent spirit that the demons feed from. On earth they only come out at night.

  Varcolac demon - Born from the fires of Hell. Only one can exist at a time. When that one dies another rises from the Fires of Creation. Fastest and most brutal of all the demons. They are the only kind that can create and open natural gateways within Hell as well as close them. They control the hellhounds.

  Demon Words:

  Mah lahala ˈMɑ: - My Love.

  Mohara – Mother

  Paupi - Father.

  Unshi – Uncle

  Chapter One

  Bale

  I stood at the edge of the darkness and leaned forward to peer into the unknown. Though I’d been here countless times before, and the darkness had haunted me since I was a child, I had no idea what lay within or beyond the fathomless pit of night below me.

  Was it as endless as it appeared?

  After centuries of dreaming about this place, I should have learned what secrets the darkness concealed, but it was as much of a mystery to me now as when I was a child. There was a reason I had this recurring dream, a reason why the darkness haunted me so; I just didn’t know what it was.

  Was this place a premonition? I’d never had a premonition come
from a dream before. They usually came in small flashes until the pieces fell into place and I knew what they were telling me. And lately, they hadn’t told me anything.

  They’d also never told me anything about this place. This dream, and the darkness, had haunted me for most of my life. Like every other time I had the dream, I peered over the edge of the darkness into the nothingness below as a cold sweat coated my body, my heart hammered, and my mouth went dry.

  I had no idea what lay down there. I’d resigned myself to the fact I might never know, but every time I found myself here, unreasonable terror gripped me. Ever since my encounter with Wrath, I’d found myself here more often.

  Before our fight in the minotaur’s cave, the darkness only came to me a dozen times a year. Since realizing Wrath was my Chosen, I’d found myself standing at the edge of this great unknown nightly.

  Leaning forward, I strained to see through the darkness so I could learn what lay below, but, like always, I saw nothing. There was no parting of the way, no sudden awareness; there was absolutely nothing but the booming thunder of my heart.

  There had never been a reason to fear anything here; nothing more than this had ever happened in these dreams, but even after all these years, I still couldn’t control my visceral reaction to this place. The darkness was coming to me more and more often, and it was only a matter of time before it consumed me.

  “We’re back here again,” a voice drawled from behind me.

  I spun so fast my heel went over the edge of the pit and my weight shifted back. My arms wheeled as I tried to catch my balance and threw myself forward. I was desperate to learn the answer to what lay below, but I had a feeling that once I toppled over the edge, I would never return.

  When I caught my balance, I scowled at the arrogant prick standing across from me. A small, cruel smile curved the corner of Wrath’s alluring mouth as his black eyes shone with amusement.

  Hatred and desire burned through me in equal measure as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the rock wall behind him. That rock wall had never existed in my dream before. Usually, it was me, the darkness, and nothing but shadows encompassing us. Recently, Wrath had been showing up too. I hated that more than my recurring nightmare of this place.

  “Why does it hold such fascination for you?” he asked. “What’s down there?”

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded.

  “Are you ever going in there?”

  Yes. I did not doubt that. Even after all these centuries of never being able to climb down, of unknowing and uncertainty, one day, the time would come when I would go in there. I would learn the answer to what lay below. I both longed for and dreaded that day.

  Before I could reply, Wrath moved to stand in front of me. He was so fast and, even in a dream, so powerful that I felt it rippling across my skin as it caused goose bumps to break out on my arms. Whereas my mouth was dry before, it suddenly watered as he loomed over me and rested his hands on my hips.

  I suppressed a shiver of revulsion and lust when his fingers skimmed under my shirt to my flesh. I should hate this man; I did hate this man and everything he represented, but I was finding it increasingly difficult to resist him in these dreams.

  I’d spent my whole life fighting Lucifer, fallen angels, and traitorous demons like him. I loathed everything he represented, his selfishness, and the destruction he and his fellow horsemen left in their wake.

  Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from almost melting beneath his hands as they stroked the waistband of my pants. I should push him away, but I found myself unable to move.

  He lowered his head to whisper in my ear. “Are you ready for the answers to your questions?”

  He wasn’t talking about the darkness, but I couldn’t form a reply. As part fire demon, I couldn’t produce fire, but I could withstand its flames. I wished I could withstand him so easily too.

  It’s only a dream.

  But if I couldn’t push him away in a dream, how was I ever going to refuse him when I saw him again?

  I had no doubt I would see him again outside of my dreams. He would come for me. If not because I was his Chosen, but to make me pay for running him through with my sword. A sword he still possessed, and I would get it back.

  That reminder rankled me enough to brush away his hands and take a step back toward the darkness behind me. At five foot nine and a half, I was tall for a woman, but I had to tip my head back to look at him. This movement of my head was one more thing that annoyed me about him.

  Taller by a good six inches and broad through the shoulders, everything about him was so overwhelming. However, I was aware enough to acknowledge it wasn’t the size of him that was so overwhelming; it was the way he made me feel things no one had ever made me feel.

  His eyes were chips of black ice when they met mine. I’d seen them burn with fire when we battled each other in the minotaur’s cave, but there was no fire now. His stance remained casual, but I sensed the underlying tension in him.

  When he stalked toward me, I turned from the darkness and edged away from him. “Are you going to enter the darkness, Bale?”

  He grasped my wrist and pulled me closer to him. I twisted to break free of his grasp, but he refused to release me. When I took another step back, my foot connected with a wall that didn’t exist only seconds ago.

  Stupid dream.

  I attempted to slap him with my free hand, but he caught my wrist and smiled as he dragged me closer while leaning over me. His smile revealed all his perfect, white teeth and a dimple that should never exist on a man as wicked as this one. With his lethal good looks, chiseled body, and vast amount of power, it wasn’t fair he could be adorable while being an asshole.

  His black hair fell onto his forehead when he leaned closer to me. This close, I could see the straight blade of his nose, high cheekbones, and the pure black of his eyes.

  He released my wrist and rested his hand on my hip. When his fingers slid around the button of my pants, I placed my hand against his chest to shove him away, but it was like trying to move a mountain. He didn’t budge. However, even as I continued to push against him, I couldn’t help wondering if I really wanted him away from me.

  “What’s in the darkness, Bale?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Are you going to find out?”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  I was as tempted to punch the smile off his face as I was to kiss it away.

  “You’re right,” he murmured as he lowered his face closer to mine. “You’re not going anywhere right now. But soon”—he slid my button free—“you’re going to come for me, in more ways than one.”

  My breath sucked in, and my skin prickled as the image of spreading my legs and letting this man inside me burst inside my head like a bomb going off. My nipples hardened as the wants of my body and common sense tore me in two.

  “I’m going to hunt you down,” I vowed.

  “What will you do when you find me?”

  “Kill you.”

  His laughter irritated me. I tried to slug him, but he ducked the blow and caught my other wrist. He pushed me against the rough, cool surface of the wall behind me and pinned both of my wrists. For a dream, the imagery was extremely vivid as the rock bit into my flesh.

  Before I could react, he pressed his body against mine. The rigid evidence of his erection prodded my belly as his gaze fastened on my lips. The hunger he radiated only enflamed my own.

  It took everything I had not to melt, and somehow, I managed to keep glowering at him. I was aware I wasn’t putting up much of a fight, but it was so damn difficult when he was so close, and it wasn’t like any of this was real.

  When he released my wrists, my hands fell to his shoulders, but instead of pushing him away, my traitorous fingers dug into his bronzed skin, which was darker than my reddish-hued skin. The fire demon part of me had shown itself in this way, though I was nowhere near as red as a full-blooded fire demon. I was more like a hu
man who had spent too much time in the sun.

  I started to push him away again, but to my horror, my hands had a mind of their own and were drawing him closer. It’s only a dream, I reminded myself.

  But I had to resist.

  Why? In real life, nothing will ever happen between you, but this isn’t real life, and no one else will know.

  I’ll know!

  It’s only one tiny moment you’ll never have again.

  Then my traitorous fingers uncurled from his flesh to stroke his smooth-as-glass skin. And like glass, this man would cut me deep if I played with him for too long.

  He would probably cut me open and kill me the next time we met, but I couldn’t stop exploring the wall of muscle flexing beneath my touch. He was the most magnificent being I’d ever encountered, and some sick twist of fate had decided he was my Chosen.

  When next we met, we would probably kill each other. That was the only way our story could end. But for now, I allowed myself the simple pleasure of him.

  Chapter Two

  Bale

  I trailed my fingers down the center of his hairless chest as I explored him in a way I’d never explored any of my past lovers. I had no idea how many men I was with before him, but I hadn’t been with anyone since he kissed me.