Holyfire: A Brimstone War Novel

By Leila Bryce Sin

Once there was a war in heaven. Then there was a war in Hell. Now the war has come to the surface and no one is safe.

Demons fighting demons. Angels fighting angels. Humans caught in the crossfire. And there is only one who has the strength, the will, and the heart to save them all.

Willamena, the daughter of the All Father and the last of the Lilin, is the rightful Queen of Hell.

Las Vegas is a city that never sleeps, it was the safe haven of the succubae and so many other supernaturals, but now it, along with the rest of the surface world, is at risk. Billie must build her army, finding a way to bring angels and demons to the same side, in order to win the war and save her home, her family, and herself.

Her heart is torn in many different directions by the men she loves and has loved. But she’ll have to find the hidden power inside her and guard her heart if she has any hope to survive, let alone win.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shauna Granger
• Release date: May 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310848780

Book preview

HOLYFIRE

A Brimstone War Novel

Book Two

Copyright 2016 by Leila Bryce Sin

Smashwords Edition

Other Works by Leila Bryce Sin:

Brimstone War Novels:

Hellfire

The Taryn Malloy Fantasies:

Elfbitten

Elfstruck

Elfspell

Elfmoon

Elfcharm

Elfspirit

The Roxy Quinn Fantasies:

Nightbound 

Nightflight 

Nightmask

Erotic Fairytale Retellings:

Little Red and the Wolf

Snow White and the Huntsman

Rapunzel

Rumpelstiltskin

The Mermaid

Cinderella and the Masquerade

Snow White and Rose Red

Sleeping Beauty

Hansel and Gretel

Collections:

The Elfbitten Trilogy

The Elfmoon Trilogy

The Nightbound Trilogy

Erotic Fairy Tales Volumes 1-5

Erotic Fairy Tales Volumes 6-9

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 by Leila Bryce Sin

Cover art by Leila Bryce Sin

Table of Contents

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 1

The heat in Las Vegas is alive. It gets inside you. Under your skin. Makes you aware of your body and every other body around you. Under that heat is a war that thrums with the fires of Hell and the vengeance of Heaven. A war that humans can’t even see.

The crowd pulses around me, fueled by the music that drowns out the beat of hearts. Hands slide over my body, slick with sweat, power snapping at my hips, around my waist, and up my arms. The beat pulses, and my hips move, my thighs tremble, my arms lost above my head as I shimmy and shake with the bodies around me, letting their touches and caresses feed me.

My shirt lifts, exposing my belly. A trickle of sweat slips down my skin to be lost in the waistband of the low-slung jeans that are practically painted on my body. Strands of hair cling to my neck as my hair bounces around my shoulders. But I love it.

I love the heat of the desert, the heat of the bodies around me, the heat of the Hellfire inside me. Over the years, I smothered that heat until it was nothing but embers banked inside me, barely sustaining me. Sustaining isn’t living; it’s just surviving, getting by. But no more.

War has come to my home, to my doorstep, and I can’t hide anymore. And if I can’t hide, then I’m going to revel in my powers again. I am going to fucking live.

I drink from the people around me, sipping on their ambient energy like a fine wine, sampling and tasting until I find the bouquet that will quench my thirst. Somewhere in the crowd, another answers my call as my power unfurls from my body. It is electric and a heat I know all too well.

Through the bodies, my eyes find the other pair that shines in the dark, his own Hellfire flaring inside him as he stands on the edge of the dance floor. He smiles and purses his lips at the same time, and even at this distance, I can feel them on my body. He’s going to feed tonight, but it’s my flesh that he wants to taste.

I flash him a smile before I let the crowd take me again, breaking our eye contact, but I can still feel his power reaching for me. And I let it. With his power reaching for mine, I feel every inch of my skin, my wings are heavy on my back, and I taste blood as my fangs begin to form. I’m in danger of letting my glamour slip. I’m reveling in my powers again, but if a demon suddenly appears in the middle of a Las Vegas club, it might cause a scene, and I’m not done feeding.

With a thought, I push away Quinn’s seeking energy and focus on the humans around me. There are others among us, and I will drink from them if I can suss them out. But right now, hands on my hips are pulling me back, pressing me against someone, leading me in a dance that bends me and sways my body.

Her fingers are slender and tipped with sharp nails that bite into my flesh as she holds me against her. The bite adds a special spice to the energy her body pours into mine. I close my eyes and let my head drop back on her shoulder as her hips guide mine. She is almost exactly the same height as me, so our bodies line up perfectly. Her heart pounds so hard that I can feel it against my back.

Reaching behind me, I slip my fingers into her tousled locks and feel, somewhere deep inside her, that she is other. Generations ago, a nymph slipped into her DNA, and her body hums with the feral, sexual power that she doesn’t even know is still alive inside her.

It is sweet, like honey mead, and already I feel my body becoming heavy with the desire to taste more. As I twist in her grasp, her nails rake along my waist and energy snaps along my flesh. When I face her, her eyes are half-closed. The pulse of the music is pounding through her, and the bodies pressed against her give her something close to what she gives me. I wonder if she even knows it or just thinks she really likes the club scene. But tonight, she’s going to slake my thirst.

Our hips fit together as my leg slides between hers like two pieces of a puzzle. Her legs are bare, a pair of too-short shorts exposing her thighs, which are slick with sweat. Her midriff tank is stretched tight across her perky breasts, and I can feel that she isn’t wearing anything under the thin cotton.

She isn’t looking at me, so she doesn’t see the flicker of light in my eyes. I tilt her head back. Her cinnamon curls cascade down her back as her lips part, her eyes falling closed, and she lets her body be guided by mine, losing herself in the moment.

The skin at her neck is soft, and I can feel the tiny heartbeat that I desperately want to sink my teeth into, but I somehow stop myself. Her skin is salty and sweet all at once, like a caramel truffle. Her nails bite into my back as I press my body against hers and bite on the muscle at her shoulder.

Power floods into me. My thigh grinds into her, and she rides my leg like an experienced cowgirl. Over the hearts, the bodies, and the drowning music, I hear the noise she makes for me, and I drink that in too. It’s all power for me, and already I feel my body responding to it.

My skin is softer, my hair grows, my body is electric. I could burn this place to the ground with a snap of my fingers I am so full of power.

Slowly, and with more than a little regret, I let the nameless girl go. Her shoulder is marked with my bite, but it will heal, and she will live. I’m not hiding anymore, but I won’t kill if I don’t need to. I’m not that person anymore.

I turn in the crowd and let the rhythm of the music wash me to the edge, like a shell caught on a wave, until I spill out in front of Quinn, who is still waiting for me. When my eyes meet his, we don’t have to speak. His hand takes mine, and in a flash, we’re on the roof of the fifty-story building.

Up here, the lights of the Strip aren’t quite as bright, and we can actually see the stars. But the heat of the desert still reaches us, rising through the buildings so that the roof we’re on is hot through our shoes. With a flash of adrenaline, I kick off my heels and let the rooftop burn the soles of my feet, but in a moment, I am healed and become accustomed to the heat. I want to rip off all of my clothes and feel the heat on my skin.

But I don’t. Not yet. Quinn is so close to me that I can feel the heat of his body pressing at mine. His heat is different than the heat of the sun and the dry desert floor—it is a heat that calls to the magic inside me. I can feel my wings. I can feel my fangs. I taste blood, but I want to taste him. He isn’t touching me—not yet—and it makes my body vibrate with frustration.

He is watching me, his eyes half-closed as though he is under a spell. The magic of the succubus is drawing out the demon inside him. Even now, though we’ve declared war with Lucian, Quinn hesitates to take me. Oh, he’ll take me, but he’ll fight an internal battle until I make him take me.

I no longer belong to Lucian.

I belong to no one.

I am Willamena, the last of the Lilin and the rightful Queen of Hell. I am my own.

And I will have what I want.

His lips are parted, and this close, I can see they are as red as in my memories. Red with blood, red with wanting, red with desire for me. I lean in, grip the front of his shirt, pull him to my level, and claim them. They are hot and soft, just as I want them to be. My kiss breaks the spell he was under, and in the next moment, he is moving, his tongue plunging into my mouth, seeking out mine, his hands gripping my hips as his hips press into me. We’ve won the internal battle. Now he is sure of himself and ready to take me. That’s enough to ignite the power inside me, making my skin flush with heat and ready to be filled by him.

I move my hips against him, grinding against his hard erection, and I groan into his mouth. He answers me, the noise slipping down my throat and feeding me. In the next moment, he breaks the kiss, and I am moving as he throws me onto some massive electrical box, maybe an AC unit—I don’t know, and I don’t care. His deft hands have my jeans open and off my body as if by magic, leaving me mostly bare to the heat I was so desperate to feel. Quinn always knows what I want; nothing has changed in our time apart.

He’s standing at the edge of the box now and ripping open his pants, and I can’t help but watch with piqued anticipation. When they’re open, I am pleasantly surprised. He is thick and long and hard, exactly what I want.

His hands pull me across the box so that my ass is just at the edge and my legs go around his hips. His desire and enthusiasm already has me wet and ready for him, my pussy throbbing in anticipation of his cock inside me, so when his head presses at my opening, he slides right in. He fills me, pressing my walls open. When his groin weds to mine, he presses against my swollen clit so that a pulse of pleasure goes through my whole body and makes my back bow.

I want to rip off the rest of my clothing, shred it and expose my body to the waves of heat that emanate from him, but he’s already pounding into me. His rough and forceful rhythm surprises me, and it’s all I can do to keep up with him. My legs are spread wide for him, and my hands go to my breasts to hold them in place as they bounce in time with his thrusts. The dim light highlights the planes of his body, and the light from my eyes casts him in an ethereal glow.

My body is responding to him, power pressing at my flesh and bringing me to the edge of pleasure so acute it is almost something I cannot control. I’m already screaming for him, my fingers spasming against my breasts, my skin drinking power from where our bodies meet. The orgasm tears through me so that I am bucking against the hard metal, thrusting against him as he rides me. I press my swollen clit against him as wave after wet wave of pleasure racks my body.

I feel him swelling inside me, and I know he’s close. I can practically taste the power I’ll get from his orgasm, but before he comes, his hands grip my hips so hard it hurts, and that’s a whole new level of sensation. When I open my eyes, the world spins around me as he flips me onto my stomach. He’s only out of me for a heartbeat before he’s back, his cock slamming into me as his body hits my ass, sounding like a spanking as he pounds into me. My hands scrabble to grab something and find the far edge of the box as I ride the waves that won’t stop because he won’t give me a break. Not that I want one.

His fingers are crooked into the mounds of my ass, his nails biting into my flesh, and the pinch of pain only heightens the pleasure running through me. I scream as another orgasm washes through my body. I am full of so much power that I am shaking with it. My glamour is slipping, but I pay it no attention. So long as my wings don’t interfere, I’ll let Quinn see my bracken skin, my fangs, the Hellfire in my eyes.

His hands leave my ass, and one goes into my hair, twisting and gripping and pulling so that my body arches off of the box. His other hand goes around my body until his fingers slide between my folds, massaging my clit, drawing out my orgasm. He takes me roughly, his mouth on my shoulder, biting and sucking on the muscle but careful not to break skin as he finally, suddenly, bursts inside me.

He’s still bucking against me, making my body rock back against him. He’s pulling on my hair, his fingers are crooked into my pussy, and the magic of his orgasm spills into me—it’s all so much that I lose the ability to even scream my pleasure. My hands go to my breasts, and I pinch and roll my nipples through the fabric so that every part of my body is alive with pleasure. I feel myself vibrating against his body and hands, and finally I find my voice. I laugh and moan and groan, unable to decide what I want to do.

Slowly his hand releases my hair, and I am able to bend forward, catching myself on my hands. Bracing myself, I push my ass against him, and I can feel that he’s still firm inside me. If I wanted to take him again, he’d be ready in a minute.

His hand slides around my hip, his fingers slipping out of my pussy, and he steps back, pulling himself out of me with a deep, satisfied groan. He collapses on the box where I was. When I look at him, his cock is still erect and swaying invitingly. I want to climb on top of him, slide my pussy over that cock, and ride him until we break the box. My mouth waters at the idea. As we’re no longer hiding who we are, it is tempting to take him again and let the power burst from me so that we glow brighter than all the casinos below us.

But I don’t want to bring Lucian to me. And that would do it.

In the last few weeks, we’ve been playing a game of chess, carefully placing our pieces but never coming within reach of each other. He still has Jasper, and I don’t know what he’s done to him. If he’s smart, and I believe Lucian is, Jasper is safe so that he can be used as a pawn in the future. If he harms Jasper, he can’t use him against me. No, in my heart of hearts, I know Jasper is still alive and relatively well.

He’s probably safer than the rest of us.

The All Father, Samael, has started to make his moves on board as well. In the last few days, more and more demons have surfaced. More than I’ve ever seen in one place since the Dark Ages. The population of Las Vegas has grown as the pulse of magic and power draws people to it. So Samael sends his minions up to tear us apart, while we—Lucian and I—try to collect those minions to bolster our armies.

Angels are everywhere, their blades thirsty for demon blood. The angels hunt all of the demons, but they’re helping me by taking out the lesser demons that would choose anarchy or Lucian over joining me. All of my brethren and I are powerful enough to take out the lesser demons, but there are so many compared to our numbers. Enough rats can sink a ship. So we hide from each other and the angels and plan our next move. And my next move is to bring some of my brethren to my side, away from Lucian, while Collin attempts to sway some of his angel comrades as well.

I walk to the edge of the roof, feeling the breeze dance around my bare hips and flutter the hem of my shirt, to look at the crowded Strip. I am so full of power I could level this building. Even if it would take all of my power, I could call every demon to me. But until I have enough power to do that and control them, I have to wait.

The bodies mill along the sidewalks, flowing in and out of the automatic doors leading to different bars or casinos, but really, they’re all the same. High noon or midnight, there is never a want for souls and energy on this small piece of land. But among those moving bodies, I can smell the sulfur; I can see the auras of those who are other.

They hunt me and my sisters. But when the war is over, they’ll bow down to me. Their rightful queen. The last of the Lilin.

Chapter 2

The sun has risen over Las Vegas, and I desperately want to sleep, but I can’t—not yet. Once Lucian snatched Siobhan and Jasper, I knew going back to the Britannia, the place that has been my home for the last ten years, would never be safe. He might’ve driven me out of my suite, but he won’t drive me out of my city.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve carefully retrieved my hidden stashes around the city, slowly putting my life back together so that I can ground and center myself and be ready to face Lucian and the angels and Samael. We’re four sides of a battlefield, but when it comes down to it, we’re all fighting for something quite simple—power.

If my side wins—if I win—then Collin will win, and maybe we can start a new, balanced dynamic. A paradigm shift that’s been a long time coming.

The casino floor is dark even though the early morning shift is coming on. But I’m still thrumming with power and my eyes are bright with Hellfire, so I’m wearing my oversized Audrey Hepburn glasses, looking like so many tourists nursing hangovers. I blend right in as I wait for Quinn to speak to the woman at the front desk.

We’re in Samsara, a resort at the opposite end of the Strip from the Britannia, a counterbalance to the supernatural-run resort. Across the street, the towers of the Wynn rise into the sky, and in the distance, I can hear the first performance of the pirates outside of Treasure Island.

Quinn assures me that the djinn who’s taken over Samsara has been the owner since they broke ground fifteen years ago. Living quietly, mostly in India, he’s only returned recently, like so many others. Quinn met the djinn during one of his past lives, centuries ago. Apparently the powerful being owes Quinn big, and that is exactly what we need.

My ass is starting to hurt from sitting on my hard shell suitcase, and my venti coffee is running low and cold. Quinn’s using his powers of persuasion on the girl behind the counter, getting her to make a phone call she was terrified to make just moments ago. Every time Quinn touches her with his power, it sends a pulse to my core, making my thighs throb. But the pain blossoming behind my eyes is enough to keep me sitting and take the edge off my desire.

I’ve been feeding regularly and plentifully over the last few days, so my hunger is slaked, but my power, my magic, my demon is getting used to having what it wants when it wants. Quinn better hurry up, or something’s going to snap inside me, and at this point, I don’t know if it won’t be my temper.

As if feeling my annoyance, Quinn leans one elbow on the polished counter and looks at me as the girl finally makes the phone call. His own dark glasses are low on his nose so I can see, even at this distance, the power swirling in his eyes. I purse my lips at him and let my foot bob, showing my growing impatience. But the jerk just smiles and winks before giving me his back again.

Samsara, like any other hotel and casino on the Strip, is decorated with its own special flavor. Hindu gods stare down at tourists, gleaming in gold and decorated with jewels, much like the Italian sculptures at Caesars. Here the clubs are called Karma and Maya instead of the Green Briar. It’s beautiful and gaudy all at once, just like the rest of Vegas. But I can hide here, especially with the varying supernaturals milling about with the growing crowds, and that’s all that matters now.

That is if the girl can get the djinn on the damn phone.

Just as