Page 1 of Hidden Sacrifice
CHAPTER1
MORRIGAN
“Well, this is boring. Who wants to start a spontaneous orgy?”
The boys had described the hunting cabin as a mini apartment resembling a tiny log cabin in the middle of the woods. Standing in front of it, it looked like an abandoned wooden shack with unchecked moss growing wildly on the outside. I wouldn’t have bothered to step foot inside the door had it not been for the smoke rising from the chimney. The familiar smell of hellfire reminded me that Hell had a way of taking care of things, despite the outward appearance.
The inside was more than spacious, but it still had nothing on the wing of the palace I had quickly adopted as my home. But it was still far grander than I could have imagined from the outside. Guess I should stop second-guessing the magic of Hell and just roll with it. At least we were still in the Hell realm, which meant I wouldn’t have to worry about clothing, travel, or food. The essentials.
“I don’t think it’s considered spontaneous once you talk about it first. Now it would just be an ordinary orgy,” Jasper said, not bothering to look up from the small black tablet between his large red hands. He was researching all the ghost sightings and missing souls throughout the realms.
“I’ll orgy with you, Fox.” Justice wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me back against his lithe form. He peppered light kisses against my neck as I melted into his touch. White, blonde hair fell haphazardly from his head, tickling my skin.
“An orgy requires five participants.” Jasper felt the need to correct us again. His sizeable red frame took up nearly the entire sofa. His tail twitched back and forth irritably as he scrolled through miles of text. He was back to wearing a three-piece suit, all in black. A severe case of resting demon face settled over him the moment we got into the cabin.
“Thank you, Jasper Prince of Lust. Perhaps you would like to continue my sexual education with hands-on training?” I stared at his head and watched as he nodded and then continued reading. My eyes rolled as I breathed a deep sigh. Men.
I could feel Justice laughing from behind me. “He’s always like this during the hunting season. Don’t take it personally, Fox. My offer still stands. I’ll give you an orgy all by myself.” His breath against the delicate skin of my ear sent shivers down my spine, and I considered taking him up on his offer.
The hunting cabin had a central area with a long table, and plenty of space for torn-up pieces of paper to attach to the wall with connecting strings. There were two bedrooms, one with a gigantic bed that took up most of the room and one room full of single beds. If they didn’t want to snuggle, they could sleep in their tiny bed of solitude. I already knew where I was sleeping.
The front door opened without warning, causing me to jump in Justice’s hold. Jax walked through as Jace followed. They could pass as siblings, both with dark hair, longer on top than on the sides. Captivating eyes, though Jax’s were sea-foam green to Jace’s dark. On occasion, Jace’s eyes flashed white; a precedent to signal his monster was precariously close to the surface.
This morning, I awoke to find Jax and Jace gone from our comfortable bed in the palace. Justice had distracted me when I first opened my eyes, so it took me a while to notice their absence. It was easy to get ahold of Jax and Jace using our shared mental telepathic powers. Jax had assured me he had taken Jace with him to gather some hunting supplies. They would meet us at cabin 42.
Jace carried a large, locked chest in his arms, with a bulging backpack on his back. It looked like Jax had only taken him to be the mule. Jace was bound to do, or not do, whatever Jax wanted, but it didn’t mean Jax could treat him like this.
“For fuck’s sake, Jax, you could have helped him carry it.” I rushed past Jax as I grabbed for the chest in Jace’s arms. Jace quickly moved the box to the side, raising it up and out of my reach.
“I’ve got it, Love.” His smile was carefree and light, a stark contrast to the vampire I had known over the past few weeks. The one who put a collar around my neck to block my mate bond while parading me around the castle on a leash. It should have bothered me more than it had. Some part of me knew it wouldn’t take long before I would be back with my mates. The worst part was missing my other demons.
I suddenly felt the keen awareness that I didn’t know Jace very well. All the time we’ve spent together so far was during high-pressure situations. Somehow, my feelings toward him and the rush of adrenaline that coursed through my veins whenever I was with him had mixed up my emotions That, and the damn bond I felt at work pulling us toward each other like two stars locked in each other’s gravitational field.
“Can we talk?”
Jace’s smile slipped from his lips. I knew how that sentence sounded, and I swear I didn’t mean it like that. Large crimson arms reached above my head to take the chest from Jace, guess Jasper had finally found a reason to put the damn tablet down. The entire room felt like it had the air sucked out of it, as everyone waited on bated breath for something to shatter the collective uncertainty that surrounded that sentence.
“I want to talk to Jace alone for a little bit. Can everyone give us a few minutes in the bedroom?” I felt the collective exhale from my demons as they realized that I hadn’t meant them. Jace swallowed hard, and I struggled to see the resemblance to the Jace I had come to know.
I could feel Jace was right behind me as we headed toward the large bedroom. A sort of excited energy passed between us that spoke of familiarity. However, my logical side shouted out that he was still a stranger. I crawled up into the middle of the extravagantly gigantic bed, bringing a blanket around me for comfort.
Jace stood at the doorway, hanging on to the frame as if weighing his options. The only option available to him was an attempt to delay the conversation. Knowing the demons out there, that wasn’t an option either.
I curled my legs underneath myself and waited. Eventually, Jace shook his head and walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. The subtle click as the door closed securely sounded in my ears, making my heart race. Memories from the vampire realm when Jace laced up my shoes and spelled my lead around my spine flooded my mind. I was craving his touch and bite. Fucking bond.
“Jax forced me to leave this morning. I cuddled with Justice all night; I swear.” He said with an edge of urgency as he came to the end of the bed and gripped the frame tightly.
My mind flashed with more memories of the vampire realm as I focused on his hands. I was captivated by the vampire in my memories. I hadn’t thought I needed another member to add to my little harem. My demons were more than able to keep me fully satisfied. But Jace offered something only some lucky girls ever get to have. An amazing, exciting, rule-breaking relationship with the bad boy who breaks your heart, but teaches you who you are once you push past your boundaries. Fate said I get to skip out on the heartbreak on this one. The gentle vampire standing before me now wouldn’t push any of my boundaries.
“I didn’t want to talk about that.”
I watched his face fall as his mind scrambled to guess.
“I know I was an asshole when I kidnapped you and when I put a collar on you. Probably also when I put a leash on you.” He smiled through his memories, and I felt a sense of relief at that. That was the Jace I knew.
“I wanted to talk about all of this. The Jace I met ruthlessly wanted to kill the King of the Fae and sit on the vampire throne. You were willing to kidnap a demon mate and exploit me to get what you wanted. The next moment, you’re in Hell smiling like you didn’t just lose everything. Something feels off about that.”
His gaze softened like he was looking at some adorable puppy. “Love.”
