"Get down!" Bones barks as he phases back into a h.e.l.lhound. I crouch on the stone floor, shocked and silent, shivering in agony. One last lashing sears across my scalp before Bones manages to cover me completely with his ma.s.sive frame. I'm hardly able to breathe beneath the bulk of fur and muscle, but at least the vicious tongue can't get me anymore. I don't know if it's attacking Bones now, if he's taking the brunt of the slicing whips for me. I can't think about anything but the searing pain screaming from every inch of my skin, and growing worse by the second...as if all the excruciating agony and unbearable suffering in the world has been released inside my body. I know that soon my racing heart will no longer be able to handle the torture and will stop beating all together. I almost welcome it.

"Now, Mr. Zoran. What did I tell you about eating our guests?" Xandria's musical voice rings out. "I want them in good condition. Come now. Leave them be."

My body quivers uncontrollably from the stinging welts, and blood rushes freely from the many deep gashes. Even the putrid air feels like burning acid on my skin. My labored breathing turns shallow; my heart pounds erratically. I feel Bones' ma.s.sive frame moving off me, followed immediately by the soothing sensation of his wide tongue lapping my wounds again and easing the pain.

He licks the top of my head and my face, and then my arms. Without hesitation I take off my corset so he can heal the gashes on my back and abdomen. I lie flat on my back as he leans over me, licking my broken skin clean and whole. The pain gradually subsides to a near tolerable level, and I lower my pants so he can soothe the burning on my thighs.

When he finishes, I silently dress and collapse in the corner. Nothing can stop the tears now. Curled up in a ball, I let them flow down my cheeks and onto the crunch of the straw floor. Bones comes over, wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.

"C'mon, Lucky Love. Stay strong. You're tougher than this. I know you are."

I turn my tearstained face to him. My throat is tight, my voice soft. "This has nothing to do with being tough, Bones. This has to do with the fact that I am so cursed and so d.a.m.ned that everyone who even gets close to me suffers and dies and it's all my fault. Don't you see?"

Bones wipes away a tear and brushes my hair away from my eyes. "No, actually, I don't see. The only thing I see is you feeling sorry for yourself because your simple little plan didn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped."

"We're going to die here," I choke out. "You know that, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Since when did you give up so easy? What's gotten into you? Where's that p.i.s.s and vinegar and firespitting att.i.tude I love about you?"

I say nothing, as I have no answer for this. Was it seeing Aria's head flying past me and Gyan's mocking smile? Or was it seeing Kieron, one of the strongest and most resourceful demons I've even known, hanging like a helpless, petrified rag doll? Or, locked here in this invisible cage, is it the fact that I am totally and utterly at the mercy of my s.a.d.i.s.tic captors...that I can't fight back against them, but only hide under Bones like a weak, scared kitten?

I let out a long, whimpering sigh and press myself against Bones' warm body, resting my chin on the arm he has wrapped around my shoulders. We're quiet for a long while, and I stare over at Kieron...still hanging limply...not moving.

"Bones, I have a question for you," I say quietly.

"Shoot," he whispers in my ear.

"What do you think happens to us when we die? Do you know? Where do we go? What becomes of us?"

He pauses before answering. "Well...it's different for me than it is for you..."

"Really? How so?"

"Well, as a pure demon, by design I am immortal. I will never cease to be. I am as forever as the universe-"

"But other demons die all the time! They turn to dust and-"

"Only the sh.e.l.ls die...the containers of our spirits. Never the being inside. That goes somewhere else..."

"Where?"

Bones shrugs. "It depends. Demons were designed to be immortal. But if they are weaker than an enemy they can be eliminated...removed from the scene. Natural selection, you might say. But the spirit remains intact...it's eternal. When a demon dies, then the manner of death is taken into account. Sometimes they go to another dimension, recycled for other purposes. Maybe they stay in the underworld with other spirits and souls, maybe they come back here..."

"Wait...a demon can die but come back to life?" I ask, flabbergasted. How come I've never heard of this?

"Well, no, not come back to life as they were before they were killed. They might come back in a different form and live in Thiberoux, but usually they'd be unable to access the Portals to mortal worlds...only other demon dimensions. The mortal Earth is one of the most desirous places to be. If a demon is eliminated, for whatever reason, he is usually deemed unworthy of inhabiting the Sapies' plane of existence and is sent elsewhere for punishment. But on occasion, I've heard of a few coming back as Jumpers."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "What's a Jumper?"

"It's when a demon becomes human...sort of. They jump from human body to human body. They have limited powers and can't stay in the same host for very long, as they wear them out. Sounds like a horrible way to live if you ask me..."

"Well, what do you think will happen to me when I die?" I ask, more subdued this time. But I'd better prepare myself for my inevitable fate. I've heard the humans tell their stories of heaven for the good people and h.e.l.l for the bad. Of course, I know it's not quite that simple, and their version of 'heaven' would be my version of 'h.e.l.l'...having to spend eternity with those nightmarish Light-angels.

"You, my dear, are a bit different."

"So what happens?"

"I wish I could say for certain, but I can't. A part of you will never die...you'll live for eternity just as I will..."

"But?"

"But a part of you will be lost forever. You will forget who you were. When you leave this world, you'll have no memory when you re-enter the next. You'll be like a blank slate at every turn."

"You say it as if you're different-"

"I am. Unlike you, I do remember every life, every world I've lived in."

"Wait, are you telling me you've died before?"

Bones chuckles. "Yeah. Many times, actually."

My jaw is practically on the floor. "Really? That is sooo cool! Tell me everything you remember..."

"It'd just be easier if you could remember," he says with a small grin. I'm confused, and he gently strokes my hair. "Lucky, this isn't the first time you've led me to my death. Actually...it's at least the sixth or seventh time."

"Say what?"

"Yup." He shrugs and brushes his bronze locks from his face.

"I've killed you before?"

"Yup. Many times. Well, not you personally, but yes...you always seemed to be involved somehow." His sensuous mouth turns into a grimace.

"This means...you and I...we've known each other for other lifetimes?"

Bones nods. "Well, yeah...sure." He gives me a funny look before continuing. "For some reason, I thought you already knew all this...that deep inside, you knew. The way we manage to find each other, time and time again."

"No, I didn't know," I whisper, my head spinning. How is it possible that I've known Bones for many lifetimes but was never aware? Is that why I've always felt such a strong connection to him? Why he seems more a part of me than a separate being?

"If I've killed you before, or you've died-I'm really sorry about that, by the way-how have you managed to come back? How'd I find you again?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, the bonds of my servitude are pretty strict," he says with a wry smile. "I'm an original hound, so I'll always come back as one. For eternity. In that regard I'll never die, and I'll always be bound to Thiberoux. But this time they needed me for... ahem, other duties. The number of demons is fixed and finite. But we can make as many demions as we like. And because our Light counterparts have been giving us so much trouble over the past century, allowances were made so I could help build up our numbers. Level the playing field some."

"So you haven't always been an incubus?" I ask with wonder. Why am I learning all of this now, when it's too late?

"No. Actually, this is my first stint as one. And I must say, as difficult a job as it is, it's worth it to be able to attain my human form again. A few lifetimes ago, when I was only a hound unable to phase into human form, I really missed talking to you. Sure, you talked to me, but I couldn't talk to you, other than to bark or growl. It was horrible. I like being able to talk to you."

"Me, too," I whisper. I lean my head back against his chest and feel his hot breath on my cheeks. I angle my face back just enough to meet his soft lips.

His kisses, gentle and caring, lack the unbridled urgency of last night. These kisses are sweet, comforting. He gently strokes my hair while his tongue dances across my lips, his body pressing against mine as I pull him closer.

I fall back into his arms and rest my head against his strong frame, blissful despite the dire circ.u.mstances. If Bones and I have died together before, what's one more time? At least we're together.

From the corner of a half-opened eye I catch a slow movement. I turn my head to see Kieron, standing on the ground, upright and fully alert, staring at us. He's badly bruised and the vicious wounds covering his face appear quite painful. But that doesn't come close to the pain in his eyes as he watches me disentangle my body from Bones' pa.s.sionate embrace.

Chapter 17. Lucky.

I gasp and jump to my feet. "Kieron! You're alive!" I take three long strides in his direction before the electrifying shocks send me staggering back.

I stand up and try again, this time taking more cautious steps forward until I feel the familiar burn. This is as close to him as I can get. Kieron brushes his hair from his bruised face, and his deep blue eyes lock with mine-and I remember why I came here. Why I risked everything. Why this is all worth it...to be here with him, to be able to see him again. To be in that secret place we go to when our eyes meet...to look at him, and know with absolute certainty he is the one I have waited my entire life to see...

"Lucky." His husky voice is strained with sad surprise. "What are you doing here?" The corners of his lips curl in a grimace, his eyes giving away a deeper concern.

"We're here to rescue you." If it wasn't for the d.a.m.ned invisible forces waiting to electrocute me, I'd be rushing into his arms right now. I crave his touch in a way that's almost unbearable. More even than with Bones. Much more.

Kieron glances around his quarters and raises an eyebrow at Bones, crouched on the floor behind me. "Bang up job you're doing."

"We were tricked," I say, ashamed at my incompetence. Here I was ready to rush in and save the day, and now I just look like a foolish idiot.

"By Gyan, right?"

"How did you know?"

A pained smirk crosses his handsome face. "I found out not too long after they captured me that he was working for them. Guess he's a rogue for hire. And with a vendetta against you. Who knew?"

"Not us," I mutter. Bones still hasn't risen or acknowledged Kieron's presence in any way, but I don't care. I've waited so long to see Kieron, to touch him...

But I can't. Not yet, anyway. Not with the electric fence of death between us. But I can talk to him. I just hope the horrid guard with the tongue doesn't return. "Why did you look so weird when we got here? You looked like a dead puppet," I whisper loudly. Please don't hate me for kissing Bones...

Kieron's mouth twitches. "That's right; you've never seen me sleep, huh?"

I shake my head. Was that a smile?

"I don't do it often, but when I do I'm out for a few days. Part of being a Latros demon."

"Kieron, how the h.e.l.l are we going to get out of here?" I ask desperately.

"Don't you have a plan?" he asks with a wry grin, brushing his ebony locks away from his face.

"Does it look like I have a plan?"

"Well, it's a good thing I do. Guard!" he shouts. I scrunch my forehead and glance back at Bones, who is watching us intently. "Guard!"

A moment later, Snake-Tongue appears and smiles wickedly. "So, Sleeping Beauty is awake. I suppose you think it's time for you to go, huh?"

Kieron locks eyes with me before turning back to the guard. "You got what you wanted. I played my part. A deal's a deal."

"What's this?" I ask quietly. Behind me, Bones lets out a low chuckle. "What is this? What's going on?" I ask louder.

Kieron flashes me a devilish grin. "You'll see, sweetheart."

A few moments later the guard returns with the demonic wizard. The old man closes his eyes, mutters a few words, and waves his hands. Then he turns and leaves. Kieron looks at me with a delicious smile.

"See ya later, sweetheart. Wish I could stay and catch up more but I have places to be. Thanks for coming for me. Otherwise, who knows how long I'd have been stuck in this awful pit? I'm just happy you have someone to keep you company, unlike me. I was stuck here all by my lonesome waiting for you to come 'save' me. Took you long enough, but thanks for finally coming through for me."

With that, he winks, blows me a kiss, and dashes out of sight.

My jaw drops. "Did that really just happen?" I whisper a moment later, stunned.

"'Fraid so," Bones replies softly.

A primal rage boils deep within me, fighting to be let free. Unable to contain it anymore, I scream from the top of my lungs and the depths of my fiery soul. Before I can stop myself, fireb.a.l.l.s erupt from my palms "NO!" Bones yells, but it's too late. The deadly b.a.l.l.s of electric fire spin and fly at the barriers, only to bounce back...straight at me. Bones quickly phases back as I duck and dodge, trying to avoid the double b.a.l.l.s of electric flames ricocheting off the walls, threatening to extinguish me here and now. It's impossible to keep my eyes on both of them as they bounce off invisible barriers, flying at almost the speed of light. Once again I'm saved as Bones pounces on top of me. The fireb.a.l.l.s will badly hurt him, but they'll easily kill me.

I wait beneath the ma.s.s of hot fur and cringe when I feel the impact of a fireball against Bones' body. He cries out with a ferocious shudder. A few moments later the room is still again, and the suffocating weight releases as Bones phases back. He slumps against the wall, the whole left side of his body singed and red.

"Oh, no, I am so sorry!" I cry, rushing to him.

He shakes his head and leans away. His skin is blistered raw and oozing blood in several places. "Just leave me alone for a minute. Can you do that please? Can you stay out of trouble for one lousy minute?"

I sit back, stung by his rebuke. I know I deserve it, but still...Nothing hurts worse than knowing Bones is disappointed with me, and right now I can see he's reached the end of his rope. As have I.

"There's got to be a way out of here," I mutter a minute later, mostly to see if he'll respond. I don't like it when he gets so quiet. The silence is insufferable. And right now I desperately need something to distract me...anything to take my mind off the fact that I was just betrayed in the worst way imaginable, again, by someone I had just risked my life for. Someone I loved, and who I thought loved me. Well, I'll certainly never make that same mistake again. But right now I need to get out of here so I can kill something with my bare hands. Kieron preferably, but anything will do.

Bones suddenly speaks up. "They're coming."

Before I can ask who, an eerie glow illuminates the gloomy corridor. A moment later about a dozen demons appear led by the beautiful, blonde Xandria.

They stop about ten feet in front of us. "You," she says, her callous eyes fixed on Bones. "You are the hound responsible for killing our sentries, no?"

"It wasn't his fault-"

Bones pushes me back. "Yes, and I am very sorry, but the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. We never meant to provoke an attack, but were forced to defend ourselves-"

"Enough. And this demion, she was there, too?"

"Yeah, I was the one holding the Otium Peace Torch that your hounds ignored-"

"Silence! The other two hounds we have, were they there as well?"

"No, they are completely innocent-"