Sacrifice of Darkness: A Guardians of Eternity Novella

wrap him in the soft warmth of her body. “Yeah, they count.”
“Terra.”
An aching need blasted through Javad. He’d spent so long battling the instinct to seek out this female and… And what? This. Leaning down, he claimed her lips in a quick kiss of pure hunger. Yes. Desire churned through him. This was what he desired. This, this, this. He deepened the kiss, the heady taste of her plush lips slamming into him with stunning force, like a bolt of lightning. Javad groaned, and his fangs throbbed. Along with another part of his body.
Instinct took over, shutting down his brain as he wrapped his arms around her. It didn’t matter that they were in a dank cell. Or that Vynom would soon return. Or even that she had never been meant for him. The warmth of her in his embrace eased an ancient pain he’d carried from the moment he smuggled her out of the fighting pits.
“Javad.” She leaned against him, her fingers brushing over his chest before she slowly pushed him away. “We keep getting distracted.”
Javad groaned again. This time, it wasn’t in a good way. It was more an achy-breaky-gut-wrenching kind of way. Still, while his brain might be misfiring, it wasn’t dead.
Terra was right. They had to escape. The sooner, the better.
With effort, he forced himself to move toward the far side of the cell. “I can get us out,” he told her, careful not to touch the silver coating the door. “But there are at least four guards at the opening to this cavern.”
She moved to stand next to him. “Are they vampires?”
“No.” Javad had sensed the demons from the moment he awakened in the cell. “Two trolls. A goblin. And some sort of fey creature.”
“I’ll deal with them.”
Javad blinked. “You?”
“I’m not helpless.”
He didn’t point out that he would hesitate to take on four guards. It didn’t matter that they were probably mongrels. Trolls and goblins were fierce warriors, who didn’t know the meaning of a fair fight.
Instead, he reminded her that she was a Seraf. “Didn’t you take a vow not to harm others?”
She offered him a sweet smile. “Trust me.”
Something fluttered in the depths of his heart. “Always.”

Chapter 5
Vynom was on his way to the sleeping pens that housed his fighters when he felt a warm breeze creeping over his skin. He snarled, whirling on his heel to glare at the center of the large cavern. There was nothing to see yet, but he knew what was coming.
Dammit. He should never have given the bitch access to get through his magical barriers.
Then again, what choice did he have?
He’d been scraping the bottom of his treasure chest when the heavily cloaked female approached him. She’d been looking for Javad, but he’d refused to tell her where to find his treacherous child. Not without revealing why she was searching for him.
Her answers had been vague, but Vynom had managed to figure out that she hoped to use Javad to get rid of Terra. He didn’t ask why she wanted Terra dead. Frankly, he didn’t care. All that mattered was that she gave him the perfect opportunity to reclaim his former glory.
His luck had gone in the shitter after Javad had walked away. With the mystery female’s help, he would be back on top.
Unfortunately, that included dealing with the tedious bitch on a regular basis.
Clenching his hands into tight balls, he glared blindly toward the source of the scent. The female inside never stepped out of the protection of her portal or revealed herself. As if he hadn’t already worked out that she was one of the Serafs from the temple.
So much for their pretense of being peace-loving innocents.
“Now isn’t a good time,” he growled.
“Tough. Terra is here?”
“Yes.” This female had arrived seconds after Javad had been sucked into his cell. She’d warned Vynom to be prepared and disappeared. “Just like you said.”
“Good. Have you…?” The female’s words trailed away. “Dealt with her?”
“Are you asking if she’s dead?”
There was a long silence. Had he managed to anger his unwanted partner with his blunt words? Vynom shrugged. He had what he needed from her. As far as he was concerned, their bargain was at an end.
“Is she?” the female demanded.
“No.”
There was a loud hiss. “You promised to take care of my problem.”
“I will. But first, I need her.”
“For what?”
“She’s going to make sure my unruly child fulfills his duty to me,” he told her. “Once the fight is over, I intend to make sure both of them are disposed of.”
“Then have your stupid fight and be done with it,” she snapped.
Vynom scowled. Once upon a time, he could have arranged a fight within a few hours. He had the reputation of matching the toughest, most violent fighters against one another. His establishments were packed to the rafters with eager customers willing to hand over inordinate sums of treasure. Now…
He growled in frustration. “It’s not that simple. I have to build maximum anticipation for the battle. The more eager my customers are for the fight, the more they’ll be willing to bet.”
She clicked her tongue. “I have no interest in your filthy lust for money.”
“Well, I have a lot of interest in it,” he informed the arrogant pain in his ass. “And I intend to squeeze every bit of gold out of this opportunity.”
“Don’t be a fool,” the female chided. “Terra might be a Seraf, but she isn’t without power. You’ll regret underestimating her.”
Did she just call him a fool? Vynom hid his burst of anger behind a mocking smile. He wouldn’t let this female know how easily he could be provoked.
“Chill out. She’s safely locked away, along with Javad,” he drawled. “By the end of tomorrow night, she’ll be dead.”
“Don’t fail me.”
There was another warm breeze, and the portal disappeared. Vynom clenched his hands into fists and continued his journey to the pens.
“Good riddance.”
* * * *
Terra carefully peered through the opening at the end of the narrow tunnel. Javad had easily used his powers