Chapter 38: Samael

The inner depths of Tartarus were not what I expected. From the stories I'd been told as a child, I'd always imagined Tartarus as a black abyss, an abyss so dark that even shadows couldn't be seen. I expected to smell the decay of rotten corpses and hear the whispers of the lost souls. But there was none of that here. Tartarus looked like a more twisted version of the underworld. The tones across the land were more of a muted gray, and whereas our rivers looked translucent in color, Tartarus rivers were a deep blood red, making the black sandy beaches look like they were leftover ashes from the destruction of the blood rivers waves.

Luka walked silently ahead of me; he hadn't said anything since I'd let him know that Miles and Katrina were going into hiding. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me for denying the pull we were feeling toward each other or if his thoughts were elsewhere. I also didn't understand why I cared so much; I'd never felt this sort of pull or connection with another male before, but the longer I was in the presence of Luka, the more I wanted to act on what I was feeling toward him; I didn't know how to proceed, and I was worried about making things awkward if whatever this was between Luka and I ended badly. He was Katrina's mate; he would be a permanent fixture in my life. I didn't want whatever this was between us to get in the way of our bond with Katrina.

"Samael, whatever you're thinking about, either lower your mind block or quit thinking about it. Your thoughts are so loud I can practically feel them crashing into me as my powers try to read them. You're wreaking havoc on me." Luka growls out; his voice laced with irritation as he picks up his pace, furthering the distance between us.

"Sorry," I mumble as I throw more power into my mental shield; there's no way in hell; I'm lowering my block and allowing Luka to see my every dark, twisted thought. Images that I was trying to keep at bay were already circling in my mind every time I glanced up and looked at Luka's back, noting how his muscles seemed to roll under his shirt with every step he took or his glutes tightened with every long stride. Thoughts of how my hands would feel against his muscular body, my thighs would feel pressed against his, and his firm lips would feel pressed against my own. The images were so intense and graphic that I felt like I could feel his touch on my bare skin.

A black smog up ahead caught my attention, interrupting what was soon to be my x-rated thoughts of Luka. "What's that?" I ask as I jog toward Luka, quickly catching up to him and pointing in the direction of the smog up ahead.

"Shit." Luka replied when he caught sight of the smog, "Nothing good. We need to find shelter quickly before that catches up to us."

I took a look at my surroundings; there was Nothing near us. The world seemed flat when seconds ago, I could have sworn we'd been walking on the rough terrain of hills and an abandoned road.

"Tartarus is playing tricks on your brain," Luka states, grabbing my hand and making my breath hitch as I felt familiar tingles spread through my skin, causing me to glance down and watch as our magic swirled together, intertwining like a thread braided together into a rope, "Look now," Lukas states when he notices my attention is on our clasped hands and not on the scenery in front of us.

Glancing up, I take in the view in front of us. Now I can see the Tartarus the history books describe. What I once thought were blood-red rivers turned out to be lava flowing through the city, the black sand, the ashes left over from the plants that the lava river had destroyed. I could see the smog now, and undead-like creatures walked throughout it.

"What are those?" I asked Luka, who was still trying to find the best escape route for us.

"They're the soulless. The forgotten beings couldn't make it to Jehovah's heaven or Lucifer's hell. They're searching for a soul; if they capture you, they will take yours. Once their death smog touches your body, your flesh will begin to melt off your body into a gooey puddle. You'll lose control of your entire body, and they will capture you, stealing your soul, leaving you to walk the abyss of Tartarus, wondering until you find a soul to steal." Luka pins me with his gaze before turning away. "We will go down that path." He remarks, pointing towards a path that leads directly to the largest of the lava rivers.

I nod my head in agreement as I follow him; I've never been this deep into Tartarus; the furthest I've gone was with Luka when we entered the library. Looking around at what was to be his kingdom, I realized that he was the prince of darkness, the mate to Katrina's demonic half. It made me wonder if Loki was a god of the light. Could Loki have descended from a different original God than the rest? Would Eris' the Queen of Darkness, also have descended from somewhere else. Jehovah was the original light God; could he have had a brother born to the night. The only brother I've heard of is Braham, and while some may think his powers are darker than those of Jehovah, he still contained the holy light inside him.

We were almost to the river of lava when the Soulless surrounded every side of us that wasn't facing. Luka kept his gaze toward the river of lava, looking it over like he was trying to dissect its secrets, and only occasionally glancing at the creatures around us. My attention was solely on the soulless, waiting for their attack.

"Why did you lead us this way?" I ask as I spread my black wings, a sign that I was heir to the underworld, providing Luka and myself with some coverage if the soulless decided to charge us.


"I read in an ancient text once that the ancient Hawaiian Goddess, Pele once lived in Tartarus her home was the Lahar River, which is the river in front of us; there should be an opening here somewhere, nestled between the rocks of Wahieloa and Lohi'au, which were created from the bodies of Pele's former husband and lover, that will allow us entry into Pele's home, her sacred underground volcano, Lōʻihi."

"Wait!?! Instead of going towards the Rocky Mountain Terrian towards the west, you're telling me we went straight toward the lava river, from some ancient text you read?" I ask, stunned by Luka's decision.

"The soulless can touch every part of Tartarus except for what is considered sacred ground; we still have a least a day's walk before we reach Lillith's prison; our best bet of escape is finding the entrance to Pele's home," Luka replied, his gaze wandering over my wings, causing me to shiver slightly with arousal, as my cock stirred alive. Shit, now was not the time to be thinking of Luka stroking my wings.

Luka took in the situation around us before looking back toward me and at my wings again, "How well are you at flying?" He asks.

"I'm not the most advanced flier, but I can get from point A to B," I reply, trying to figure out what Luka's thinking.

"Ever flown with a passenger before?" He asks, quickly stepping toward me as the soulless begin to move closer to us, their smog almost upon us.

"Err..No, not yet," I reply as he lunges himself at me, his arms wrapping around my waist, his head tilted into my shoulder.

"Hover us over the river. I need a better view, and the heat of the lava will slow down the smog." He replies when I catch him in my arms, catching my breath as his skin sends tingles everywhere it touches mine.

"What if I drop you?" I ask worriedly about dumping Luka into the lava.

"Then I die." He replies before jerking his head back to look at the swarming soulless; the smog set to touch us at any moment.

"Katrina will never forgive me." I gulp down the sudden onset of panic at the thought of losing Luka

" Then don't fucking drop me." He growls before commanding me to fly now unless I want to be condemned to the depths of Tartarus and made into a soulless creature.

I tighten my arms against Luka as I flap my giant wings, rising us up above the soulless. The smog spreads quickly, trying to entangle us in it, but my wings send a powerful gust of wind as I take off into the air, sweeping the smog away from us.