Devil Uncaged: Nox: Demoness, #1

By J.C. Diem

Born in the underground prison beneath Nox, Ember was sent to live in the Demon District where she would be among her own kind. Kept in a cage her entire life, the demoness burns to get revenge on the demon lord who is responsible for her slavery. After her master is assassinated, she gains her freedom and begins to hunt Raum down.

 

Raum's search for a suitable partner isn't going well. A hideous hell spawn keeps slaughtering the women he approaches. The Demon Guild Master will need to find a way to eliminate the wily minion before he will be able to become bonded to a powerful and dangerous female.

 

As she stalks her target, Ember becomes aware of the intrigues and powerplays that are going on within the City of Night. She already knows the Immortal Triumvirate are lousy rulers, but they could very well be just as malevolent as her own kind. Raum might not be the only one who needs to be eradicated, but taking down the creators of Nox is a task that's beyond her abilities. If she had more power, she would stand a better chance, but that would require her to join forces with the evilest being in the entire city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seize The Night Agency
• Release date: May 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201298319

Book preview

Chapter One

RAIN DRUMMED DOWN RELENTLESSLY on the creature who was perched on the rooftop of the Immortal Triumvirate’s headquarters. Her gold eyes were fixed on a window across the City Square. Raum, master of the Demon Guild and ruler of the catacombs, sat at his desk, staring out into the night. His eyesight wasn’t as sharp when he was in his human form. She knew he couldn’t see her, but she could see him just fine. He hid behind a handsome, charming, human façade, but an evil monster lurked beneath his pleasing guise. All demons were selfish, sly and malevolent. She should know, since she was one.

I’m only half demon, she corrected herself in a raspy voice. Still, she couldn’t deny that she was as dark on the inside as she was on the outside. How many beings had she killed since she’d gained her freedom just over six months ago? I haven’t been keeping count, she said in answer to her internal monologue. It had to be at least a couple of dozen by now.

Shifting slightly, the demoness drew her leathery black wings in more tightly against her skeletally thin, charcoal gray body. After being kept half-starved during her captivity, she was used to going without food. It had been just one of the many forms of punishments Beleth used to deal out to his slaves.

Her shoulders hunched when she thought about the purple demon who had kept her locked up in a silver cage for the past three decades. She glanced at the scars on her arms and shuddered at the memory of the pain he’d inflicted on her.

She’d been born with maturity and awareness that humans didn’t achieve until they were old enough to talk. She remembered the disgust on the nurse’s face when she’d cleaned her misshapen body of birthing fluids. This one will probably be killed once Lord Dallinar comes to examine it, she predicted.

There will be other children, the woman who had birthed the infant said in an exhausted tone. There’s always more, she added bleakly.

The baby turned her head to see a woman lying on a bed. She had dark brown hair and gray eyes. When her mother saw her, she sucked in a shocked gasp. The baby tried to speak, but she could only make a weak mewling noise.

Oh, my God! her mother said in horror. What is it?

It’s a demon, the nurse said as she tucked a blanket around the baby with a distasteful expression. The infant was too young to understand some of what she was hearing, but she sensed she was being rejected by her mother and the nurse for the way she looked.

I don’t remember being impregnated by a demon, her mother said blankly.

He would have worn a human body during the process, the nurse said pityingly. She had gray hair, a wrinkled face and pretty wings. All hell spawn are born in their demonic forms, she explained. The powerful ones can change their shape when they get older, the nurse added.

He was a shifter like me? her mother asked. Her tone was dull rather than curious.

Demon shapeshifters are similar to werecreatures, but they’re a different species, the nurse said. I need to inform Lord Dallinar of the baby’s birth. Do you want to hold it?

No, her mother said, waving her hand dismissively. What’s the point, when it’ll just be taken from me like the other two babies I’ve given birth to?

The nurse placed the newborn on a table, then murmured a few words. A white object formed in front of her, then flew away before the tiny demon could see what it was. A man appeared in the room a few minutes later. He was slender, had purple hair and green eyes. His handsome face reflected the same disgust the nurse and her mother had shown when he looked at her. While he didn’t have wings, the baby sensed he was the same species as the nurse. This is the ugliest creature I’ve ever seen! he exclaimed in fascinated horror.

Will you dispose of the child, Lord Dallinar? the nurse asked.

Lord Dallinar crossed the room and peered down at the silent baby, it watched him with gold eyes that were eerily aware. No, he decided at last. I’ll block whatever power it has, then I’ll have it sent to the Demon District.

You aren’t going to allow the infant to be raised by the nurses for its first few years, my lord? the nurse asked in surprise.

I can sense this child is strong, the lord replied. It will survive life in the catacombs. It’s simply too deformed and hideous to be reared with the other children. He placed his hand on the infant’s head. His eyebrows went up in surprise when he looked into its eyes. The child can call on hellfire, he said when her anger flared. Its name will be Ember, he decided, then pain lanced through Ember’s head when he cast a spell. A barrier appeared in her mind, dampening some of the power she hadn’t yet managed to explore. It is done, he said in satisfaction. I’ll send someone to take the infant away shortly. He vanished before either of the two women could respond.

Ember snapped out of the memory of her birth thirty-five years ago. Demons aged slowly, so by human terms, she was barely out of her teens. Her shifter half also aged slowly. She would still be considered young by other shapeshifters, not that she called on her werebeast unless she absolutely had to. She preferred her demonic form. It was familiar and comfortable, not to mention highly durable. While she looked fragile and breakable, she could withstand physical torment that would break lesser creatures.

Shaking her head, Ember tried to focus on the present rather than on the past. To her, the future was unimportant. She didn’t have hopes and dreams. Slaves like her knew better than that. Living in the moment had been her way of surviving her long decades of captivity. Staying alive had been her only goal.

The thought of being free had never even entered her head until a fae woman had killed Beleth right in front of her. The huge purple creature had been about to torture Ember yet again when he’d suddenly jerked. His expression had been surprised and pained, then his head had bounced to the ground and his body had collapsed. He’d expired with one hand reaching for her as if seeking her help. His dark purple eyes seemed bewildered that such a fate had befallen him.

While Ember hadn’t seen the assassin’s face, she’d memorized the woman’s scent before she’d teleported away. Gasps of shock had rung out from the other slaves when their master fell. Seeing her chance for freedom, Ember had reached through the bars of the cage, being careful to avoid the painful silver metal. It wasn’t harmful to demons, but she was a half breed and it was painful for her to touch. She’d grabbed hold of Beleth’s hand and had dragged his body closer. He’d kept the key to the cage on a leather cord around his neck. She’d grabbed the cord, had carefully unlocked the door, then had fled. She’d tossed the key to one of the other slaves on her way out. Her fellow captives had been stunned by their master’s sudden demise. She’d heard them crying out to be released as the slave she’d tossed the key to fumbled to unlock her cage.

At first, Ember had hidden deep in the bowels of the catacombs. She’d feared for her life for daring to escape from slavery. After a few nights had passed, she overheard a couple of scouts speaking. The fae woman who had slain Beleth had been a member of the secret Assassin Guild. The scouts were scouring the city for her. Raum wanted the murderer dead, which meant Ember was in the clear. Her name wasn’t mentioned at all. It quickly occurred to her that only the other captives had known she’d been Beleth’s slave. No one else remembered she existed.

Beleth had bartered for her at the market three decades ago after her second master had grown tired of her. Ember refused to think about the three auctions she’d been sold at. Each episode was burned into her brain, but she didn’t have to dwell on them. What would be the use? She knew who ruled the Demon District and who was responsible for her torment, even if he hadn’t wielded the weapons himself. Raum, she hissed and hellfire flared in her eyes.

As if he’d heard his name being spoken, the Demon Guild Master turned his head, seeking the cause of his sudden unease. Ember closed her eyes to slits so the gold and red glow wouldn’t give her away. Raum’s gaze passed over her without seeing her, then he turned away from the window.

A new goal had been born inside Ember the night she realized she was truly free. She planned to hunt down the creature who was responsible for the pain and torment that was meted out in the catacombs. She was going to make Raum pay for every wound that had been inflicted on her and for every scar that she possessed. He might be the strongest demon in the City of Night, but she’d learned that she was far from weak herself. Soon, he would find out just how dangerous she was.

Lightning flared, brightly illuminating her evil grin before she was plunged into comforting darkness once more.

Chapter Two

RAUM SAT AT HIS DESK in his office in the Demon Guildhall, musing about the triumvirate he’d formed with Sebastian and Kade Sinclair. Both of his allies had now found a suitable match who had boosted their power. The warlock had bonded Sorcha to himself last night. He’d felt his ally’s increase in strength through the link in his head. The Demon Guild Master was still annoyed that he was the only one left without a partner. He hated coming last in anything. This had been a competition even if neither Kade, nor himself had voiced it.

One mustn’t rush these things, Raum murmured as he looked through the window at the pouring spring rain. Summer would be here in another month and the storms would become even worse. He had six months left until Halloween to locate a powerful and dangerous woman who would complement his strength. If he failed, the worsening weather would be the last thing he would need to worry about.

Raum gazed out the window without taking in the view. His thoughts had turned inward. He remembered back to the deal he’d made with the Immortal Triumvirate long ago. Few were aware that he’d been involved in forming their trinity. He’d loaned Lord Dallinar some of his demonic magic to boost the power that had bound the trio together. He’d suggested they use ritual sacrifice to enhance their incantation even more. It had worked and the fairy lord, master vampire and alpha werewolf had become far more powerful than they’d expected. They’d promised to repay Raum for his assistance eventually.

They’d hidden their strength and the fact that they’d formed a triumvirate from their allies for a century as they’d plotted a way to make themselves truly immortal. Then Lord Dallinar had come across a spell that could transform humans into shifters, if only for a short time. Witches had used it centuries ago. They used to skin animals and wear their magically enhanced hides to change into bestial forms for a few hours. The practice had become disused, but the fairy had gotten his dainty little hands on a copy of it.

Once again, Raum had been called on to offer his aid. He’d loaned Lord Dallinar a considerable amount of his demonic magic. It had enabled the fairy to cast the modified hex that had swept across the United States. Raum had been promised the leadership of any demons who made their way to Nox, the city they’d built to house the humans who had been transformed into the Halloween costumes they’d been wearing.

Now, here I am, Raum said sardonically. He’d abandoned the fiery pits of hell and had become the ruler of the dark and claustrophobic catacombs instead. Apart from his seat at the top of the demonic hierarchy, not much had changed for him, or for his kind. They were hidden away beneath the city where they were out of sight, if not out of mind. He’d been clever enough to negotiate a guild for his people. He’d gained more power when he’d become the Demon Guild Master, but it wasn’t enough. Raum wouldn’t be happy until he ruled the entire city.

Xiara Evora believed Nox would cease to exist once the Immortal Triumvirate were defeated, but Raum wasn’t so sure about that. His magic had helped create the Night Cursed beings. Their energy had been stripped from them and it now resided within the Immortal Triumvirate. If he could find a way to take that power back, he could use it as he saw fit. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned that to his allies. They believed everyone would be free once their enemies were gone. Raum had other plans for the civilians.

A sly smile flickered over his face at the schemes he’d been hiding from everyone. Not even Azazel, his second in charge, was aware that he’d formed a trinity with a master vampire and a half fae warlock. He was glad he’d kept his plots to himself after learning Azazel was lying to him. His second had been sneaking out to meet with someone for the past few months. Raum couldn’t send his scouts to spy on Azazel. They were notoriously bad at keeping secrets. The Demon Guild Master would have to get to the bottom of this himself.

His thoughts turned to the assassin who had slain Beleth six months ago. She’d snuck into the catacombs and had murdered the demon without being seen, but she’d left her scent behind. A thought occurred to Raum and he narrowed his eyes. Could Sorcha have been the assassin? he murmured. What a naughty girl, he added admiringly. She’d not only managed to infiltrate the Demon District and assassinate one of his strongest rivals, she’d evaded Azazel and had faked her own death.

Hmm, he mused when he remembered the scout telling him about the woman who had thrown herself into the river. She’d apparently been torn apart by water elementals, but Raum hadn’t seen any signs of her body parts when he’d searched for them himself. Perhaps Azazel wasn’t lying about that after all, he said. He made a mental note to speak to Sorcha about this the next time he saw her. Now that the assassin had become bonded to his ally, he was sure he would be seeing her and Eden again.

That brought his thoughts back to finding his own match. Every potential candidate he’d spoken to had been murdered and he was no closer to finding someone suitable. The spy with the gold eyes was responsible for their deaths. For some strange reason, the demon had saved Raum when Sorcha had been about to obliterate him with magic after Kade freed her from the Immortal Triumvirate and unleashed her magic. Raum was still puzzled about why the minion had stepped in.

I’m sure I’ll find out once I capture him and put him to the question, he said with a smirk of anticipation. It had been far too long since he’d indulged his demonic need to inflict pain and torment on others. Unlike Beleth, he didn’t keep slaves caged in his quarters. He didn’t have a collection of minions to skewer with whatever weapons were handy. As the leader of the hell spawn, he had to curb his evil impulses. He had to rule with his head rather than with his basest instincts.

That was far easier to do when he was in his human form. When he was in his demon form, it was harder to control his need to rend and tear his enemies. After spending several millennia in hell, everyone had been his foe. He hadn’t been able to trust anyone, not even the lackeys he’d bent to his will. Azazel had been a faithful lapdog, but only after enduring a decade of torture. His second in command wouldn’t do anything to displease him for fear of being subjected to unbearable torment again.

Raum’s brow furrowed as his mind circled around his problems. He’d thought his second had been completely cowed, but he was showing signs of rebellion. Insurrection wasn’t something the Demon Guild Master would tolerate. If he found out Azazel was plotting against him, he would have to take drastic steps to ensure it didn’t happen again.

A sudden sense that he was being watched had Raum turning to look through the window again. His eyesight wasn’t as sharp in his human form, but he couldn’t see any danger coming. He turned away again, then lightning flared a short while later. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a figure hunched on the rooftop of the Immortal Triumvirate’s headquarters. Then the lightning faded, plunging the City Square into darkness once more.

Uneasy for reasons he couldn’t explain, Raum knew he had to focus on his problems one at a time. He had three important matters to address. The first was setting a trap to capture the spy who had been diligently following him around. The second was to get to the bottom of whatever Azazel was up to. The third was to find his match and persuade her to become bonded to him for life. He wouldn’t be able to achieve the third task until the demon who had been eliminating his candidates was out of commission.

Setting a trap had to be his priority and he needed to get it done as soon as possible.