Dark Prince

"Devon, did you hear me? I said I'm taking you with me to my home."

"So why aren't you afraid of the demon?" As soon as the hissed words left his mouth, Devon gasped. Where the hell had that come from? Holy hell, he was unstable. Maybe these people are telling the truth after all. I must've flipped out and started a war. "I'm sorry. Dr. Quinn." He swallowed, not bearing to look at the only Edenian that had treated him well. "I don't feel like myself. I should probably stay here."

"Nonsense. You were trapped in a suspended animation ball and improperly re-animated."

"Tell him the truth, Quinn," a council member snorted. "We were trying to destroy the unholy son-of-a-bitch."

Dr. Quinn tipped Devon's face up, ignoring the man's outburst. "Look, you shouldn't have even survived what they did to you, but you did. You could be feeling any number of secondary effects to the improper re-animation. I need you at the research lab if I'm going to help stabilize you. Once you're better we can all hash out this unsavory episode of the war with a better perspective."

Devon nodded, doing his best to ignore the wavering images of devils snickering in the dark reflection of the table.

Angel clenched her teeth in fury. She'd arrived at the Edenian council headquarters station to demand Devon be handed over to the Venushtian people, only to discover there were beings from hundreds of other planets demanding the same thing. Most of them only wanted him killed, fearing he was the successor of the dark prince, Davariel.

There were guardian soldiers everywhere, guarding every door and passageway. Finding him was going to be next to impossible.

Chewing the edge of her lip, she searched her brain for a solution. The incessant clamor in the large gathering hall of the council station was driving her insane, so she stalked back to the transport hangar.

With a loud sigh, she let her head drop back to relieve the tension in her neck. A flurry of movement caught her eye. The transport hanger was made up of various levels, with the larger ships docking on the lower decks and the smaller transports directed to the upper levels. Three levels over where she stood was a large procession of guardian soldiers almost running with their weapons drawn. Angel's eyes narrowed trying to see what or whom they were obviously guarding. A chill swept up her spine when they gathered around the opening of a midsized cruiser. A ship of that size should have been on the level where she stood.

Her heart began to race. She'd always been blessed with a sixth sense of just knowing things, and her heart told her Devon Angelos was aboard that cruiser preparing to take off.

Angel turned and walked quickly toward her cruiser. A few guardian soldiers leered at her, but she ignored them. She felt the braids she'd had woven into her hair brushing against her rump as her warrior boots thudded upon the metal plank leading into the interior of her ship. Strapping herself into the pilot's seat, she pressed her hand to the control pad to activate the transport-cruiser. The hatch closed and locked, and the ship's docking supports retracted. They weren't going to allow her to leave until the other cruiser was well on its way to whatever destination it had.

Angel smiled. There wasn't a vessel she couldn't track. The question was what to do once she caught up with it.

Dr. Quinn pressed a bio-moleculizer against his arm. "This will help you sleep. It's been a long week for you."

Devon felt a cool sensation penetrating his skin. The doctor had provided him with a change of clothing and allotted him comfortable sleeping quarters.

Devon felt grateful. "Why are you being so good to me, when everyone else hates me?"

Dr. Quinn stopped gathering his medical tools and gave Devon a long stare. "People don't hate you. They're just afraid of what they don't understand."

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Devon knew he sounded like a sullen child, but was past the point of caring.

Dr. Quinn smiled. "I know you're good. I can feel it in here." He patted his chest. "Now, if you need anything, just ask the Madoc and he'll be more than happy to help you."

"Madoc?" Devon frowned.

Dr. Quinn laughed, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling. "The main dwelling computer. I named it Madoc."

Devon watched as the doctor finished collecting his things into a black case and then bid him a good night cycle.

Alone again, Devon thought about the accusations hurled at him and his missing angels. None of them would have been capable of plotting the invasion of the solar system under his nose. Annie had a three-year-old son living with her mother on Mars. Her thing had been making homemade brownies. Lucien... all he cared about was getting drunk, going to brothels, and kicking ass during training sessions. Seth had been raised by all of them and he took protecting Edenia with the utmost seriousness. Besides, Seth had only just turned nineteen. He spent most of his free time arguing with Annie and Rowie because they wouldn't let him join in on Lucien's trips to the brothels. Zak? Devon shook his head with a smile. Zak had the capability of shifting into a golden dragon, unfortunately, his beastly side terrified him and he refused to do it. The first time he faced Devon with a sword during training session, the boy's hands shook so badly, he was barely able to hold his blade straight. It couldn't have been Zak. Row? Even more ludicrous. She was a little spitfire, but somehow he couldn't envision her plotting a mass take-over of Edenia. She hated injustice and cruelty. Remi? Devon closed his eyes with a groan. Remien Fyre was full of much resentment and anger. He'd been accosted by the authorities most of his life and had associated with unsavory types on Earth. Had his mother not broken down in tears in his arms and begged him to go with Devon for his own good, he was sure Remi would have become a mercenary. But still... to have a hand in planning an invasion? Revenge? The memory of his scent brought a lump to Devon's throat. Cinnamon and fire. The few months Remi had been with them, Devon had grown to a love the rascally dragon.

His eyes grew scratchy and a yawn made his jaw crack. He rubbed his eyes and rose from the chair he'd been occupying. The bed was smaller than the one he'd had on Alpha 7, but looked comfortable. He crawled up on the firm mattress and stopped to gaze at his face in the mirror by the bed. His black hair was so straight it was almost impossible to keep it out of his face. Sitting up, he raked his fingers through it. His eyes were very different from other humanoids. They glowed bright and blue, as if lit from within. Just like the demons I keep seeing. A shiver of apprehension went through him. His eyes lowered taking in the color of his skin. Why was he so white? He was paler than a vampire. Only his lips had a slight blush to them and whenever he felt embarrassed his face would turn a bright pink.

Devon felt his lids grow heavier. Rubbing his face, he yawned again. He peeled back the covers and snuggled up underneath. The lights in the room dimmed and soothing silence welcomed him. Just as he felt himself drifting off, he had the sense of being watched. He jolted awake and turned his head. Sitting casually at the foot of his bed was a dark figure. Devon blinked, trying to focus his eyes properly, then realized he was seeing correctly. The man had spirals of bouncy curls barely brushing his shoulders. His face was soft, angelic, with a pert nose and plump lips. That's where any resemblance to an angel stopped. The eyes that burned with intensity into Devon's were a glowing gold with slit pupils. Two little horns peeked out naughtily from within the babyish curls that adorned his head. His skin, which had a satiny sheen, was blacker than the void of space. Bat-like wings fluttered once, then settled neatly against his back and a tail, similar to a whip, found a comfortable spot draped over Devon's feet.

Devon sat up slowly, gathering his power within him in preparation for battle. The energy of his sword tingled behind his back and his hand itched to wrap around its golden hilt. His eyes remained on the unholy being before him, a being that now looked upon him with blatant lust.

The creature's eyes followed the descent of the sheet that covered Devon as it fell to his waist. The devil smiled. "You're almost as splendorous as your father." He licked his lips as his clawed hand pulled the sheet the rest of the way down. The creature pouted when he saw the soft, white, drawstring pants that Devon wore.

The summoning spell Devon was just about to utter froze on his lips. The beast's mention of his father had him forgetting all about his sword. "What do you know of my father?"

"He could never get enough fucking and being fucked."

A strange sensation filled Devon as well as growling in his ears. When his sword appeared in his hand, he realized the animalistic growling was coming from his own throat.

The devil smiled broader, his eyes flashing with joy. "Yesss, my master! Let the rage fill you! Does it anger you to know your father was repeatedly raped by demons? They fucked him to the brink of death."

"Stop."

Devon turned to the sound of the new voice. He rarely ever saw his Dominatio, a cherub-like entity that sometimes guided him. The blond baby floated a few feet opposite the devil.

The devil scrambled to his feet and hissed at the Dominatio. "He's one of us. You have no right to interfere."

Devon's heart accelerated at the devil's words. What the hell did he mean by he's one of us?

The baby smiled. "Divine Son has free will. His is not one of the fallen."

"His blood is demon." The devil's tail whacked the floor and his wings shuddered in anger.

Devon's anger gave way to confusion as he watched the interchange between the two immortals over him. He looked at his Dominatio. "What am I? Who's my father? Why am I being accused of having started a war and what happened to the others that were with me?"

"You're a demon," the devil snarled.

"Half," the Dominatio corrected.

At that, the devil growled, baring his white fangs. His head whipped around to look directly at Devon. "Your father... "

His words died at the sound of a roar that should have exploded the thick glass wall at the end of the sleeping chamber. Devon fell back, clapping his hands over his ears in pain. His head made a cracking noise as it struck the back wall. For a moment, he felt disorientated, his vision swimming with bright colors.

He heard laughing. "Go on. Speak now. Let your divine voice disassemble the vessel that holds his tainted soul. Let's see if it's light enough to rise to the heights of Ainrodonel... or if he'll sink into the abyss where my lord awaits him eagerly."

Devon blinked, and focused on the vision before him. The Dominatio had transformed. Terror gripped him as he took in the enormous beast, covered with thousands of eyes over its strange body, snarling with deadly intent at the smirking devil. A mane, similar to an Edenian lion covered its head along with bull-like horns. The creatures face seemed human and feline at the same time. Its body was enormous and heavily muscled, shaped like the body of a bull with great wings partially opened upon its back. Instead of hooves, the creature had giant, sharp-clawed talons like an eagle, one of which looked ready to tear the bed to pieces under its massive weight. The creature took up most of the space in the room, one wing almost over Devon's head, the other pressed up against the glass wall twenty feet away. The entire body, wings and all, looked as if it were made of gold and fire, except for the eyes that resembled jewels of different colors.

Some of the eyes covering the beast looked at Devon, terrifying him even more. Devon closed his eyes when a massive tail, similar to a lion's, swept over him. The touch was gentle despite the size. The throbbing in his head eased and a sense of serenity filled him.

All will be well, little one—his Dominatio's child-like voice whispered in his mind—do not despair.

Devon opened his eyes again and found his room empty. His sword still lay across the bed, the sheets rumpled and torn. Confused, he looked around and for a moment he could have sworn he saw the surface of the mirror by the bed rippling like water.

Chapter Three

After a whole week, Angel's efforts would pay off. She'd trailed and watched various staff members of the research station, finally picking out the perfect victim to help her gain access into the restricted vessel.

Sitting in the passengers' cabin of a small transport cruiser, she watched her quarry, a Chidadent alien scientist, as he rambled on about the various findings and experiments at the research station. The dim lights in the stern of the cruiser made his deep red hair look brown and his bright orange skin darker. Every once in a while Bumaan tried putting one of his hands on Angel's thigh, and she had to resist the urge to break off his fingers. The orange-skinned aliens were known for their lusty natures; the reason she chose the geeky male in the first place. In the second place, he barely reached her shoulder and was rail thin, making him no problem to handle should things get physical. One slap is all it'll take to squash this little turd. Her eyes narrowed, and she couldn't help the wicked smile she knew graced her lips. The orange man stopped talking and stared at her in adoration. Poor bastard won't know what hit him. Feelings of guilt tugged at the edges of her conscience. Oh, hell. I'm not going to kill the little creep... just knock him out once I find Devon.

"You're so... " He wiped his hand on his black pants and reached for her thigh again."So lovely."

Angel lowered her lashes, trying to act coy. "Bu, be nice." She pushed his hand away with a giggle.

"I'm trying to be." He smiled, showing perfectly white teeth as his hand reached for her and was slapped away yet again. Bumaan pouted. "But you won't let me."

"I'm not that kind of girl." She bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders, knowing that it would make her small breasts look plump in the tight silver bustier she wore. "Well, at least I try not to be."

The alien's eyes had fallen to ogle her twin treats, but flashed back up to her face. "Oh?"

Angel closed her eyes and put her hands behind her neck. She let out a long sigh, letting her hands slide down over her chest very slowly. "It's just that talking about new discoveries... I get so... sooo... " She licked her lips, letting her words trail off with a breathy moan.

She looked at Bumaan from beneath her lashes and squeezed her pert breasts. He stared, golden eyes wide and mouth drooling.

"Dis-disc... c-c-coveries?" The alien's voice came out as a squeak.

Angel smiled, letting her hands trail down the rest of her torso as his eyes followed unblinking. "Smart boys are my weakness." Her legs widened, and her fingers slid down the glossy material of her white pants. "I become aroused when I'm around knowledgeable men."

Bumaan swallowed. She couldn't believe he was actually falling for all the ridiculous things she said. Just proves which head is more dominant in males. He shifted in the plush grey seat they occupied, making her look down at his lap.

Someone get me a pair of tweezers and a microviewer. Angel tried not to let her amusement show. She'd never seen an actual man's penis, but poor Bu's bump barely registered in the loose black pants he wore. She felt certain she could do more damage to herself with her own fingers. "Oh, Bubu," she said batting her lashes with a pout, "have I gotten you all worked up with my silly ramblings?"

"Miss Angel, I've dedicated myself to the study of life and the cosmos since I had the use of my reason. I-I... " He mopped his brow with the sleeve of his white coat, licking his lips as his eyes swept over her again. "Would it seem forward of me if I told you... " Bumaan inched closer, his eyes predatory. "I would like very much to... " Angel inched away. "Would you let me f... "

Angel gasped and put her finger over his mouth before he uttered the crude word. Eck! "Now-now, Bu. Don't ruin things." She jerked her finger away when he would have licked it. She frowned at him, her hand itching to slap his face. "You're going way too fast, and you've hardly stimulated my... mind." Angel lifted one brow.

He blinked for a moment, then, obviously realizing he wasn't going to get anything unless he stimulated her mind, began blabbering about the new cloning technology he was working on. She pretended to be interested when he activated his portable computer module from the crystal pendant he wore around his neck. Immediately the image of a large black feather appeared as a holographic image before them, but Angel was too busy plotting her next move to pay attention. She was sorry she had to abandon her own cruiser back at Mars. Unfortunately, it was the only way to gain access into the research station. She would just have to steal another one to make her escape with Devon. The one they were in now wouldn't be a good choice, though. Before boarding, she knew this little model was for traveling within the solar system only. It had two compartments, one for the pilot and co-pilot, and a passengers' area big enough for maybe eight people. It wouldn't have hyper-jump boosters or even defense shields were she to come across hostile forces.

"Bumaan, what about new modes of transportation? Surely by now someone must have developed something faster." Something I can use to make a quick getaway after conking you over the head.

"I really don't have any acquaintances in the engineering sector... " He frowned, scratching his chin for a moment, then smiled. "I guess one can always solicit a Master Guardian escort."

She drew her brows together and pursed her lips, doing her best to look confused. "Master Guardians are no longer allowed within the Edenian solar system... ever since the war." Angel gave a slight shudder to make her little performance look convincing. "They say the last Edenian leader made a pack with Lucifer."

Bumaan's expression turned wary. He looked at her for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth. At that very moment, the pilot of the cruiser called over the com unit to announce their arrival at the research station, interrupting whatever Bumaan was about to say. He rose from the seat and excused himself. Once he left, Angel turned to look out the glass windows in the cabin.

The research station stretched out about twenty-five miles. It was shaped like a giant wheel, which she knew was a common shape for most oversized stations in that sector. The dull grey color of the hull would have been barely perceptible in the darkness of space were it not for hundreds of thousands of blinking lights in a vast array of colors peppering the entire station. A few pods and cruisers of varying sizes circled around the bottom of the station, awaiting permission to enter the docking station. Angel felt the cruiser dip and approach the opening of the docking hangar rather than fall into formation with the other transports awaiting permission to dock.

Settling back into the long couch, she grinned. Bumaan obviously pulled some very important strings in order to get himself in ahead of the others waiting to enter the research station. She'd done a good job of getting him worked up. Sooner or later he was going to tire of all the teasing and demand some action. Angel hoped he wouldn't insist on sampling her before locating Devon. She grimaced, offering a prayer to the goddess to protect her from having to let the disgusting male touch her.

They passed through a series of airlocks before rising up into the typical multi layered docking station common in most large space stations. Instead of docking in one of the levels, the cruiser floated straight up into another airlock, emerging into a smaller concealed level above the main transport hangar. A few transports occupied the smaller, dimly lit hangar.