Delphi Deceived : Love after Life series, page 1
Delphi Deceived
Love after Life series
Holly Guy
To all the good girls who love getting their knees dirty.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Glossary
Key Characters
Foreword
Chapter Zero
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Books In This Series
Books By This Author
Glossary
Original Beings: Immortal, indestructible Beings that have existed since the beginning of time.
Hellish Beings: Immortal Beings that live in Hell.
Heavenly Beings: Immortal Beings that live in Heaven.
Absolutism: The theory that all Beings should be able to use their absolute power.
Relativism: The theory that all Beings should be able to use their abilities relatively to their magical counterpart.
The Council: A group of Relativists and Absolutists who came together to negotiate a peace treaty, i.e. the trial.
The Trial: Twelve Original Beings must consciously and willingly use their powers relatively as though they are still bound by the laws of Relativism. If they fail, Absolutism will be the new ruling theory for natural law. The trial will last five centuries.
Natural law: The intuitive and biological theory which dictates Beings morals. E.g. Relativism dictates all Beings use their powers relatively. This is etched into every Being’s soul.
Beta beings: Immortal Beings that were born after the original beings.
Realms of Hell: Different places in Hell, separated by a variety of punishments.
Key Characters
Foreword
*MUST READ*
This book is set aeons BEFORE ‘Death’s New Pet’ (another standalone novel in the series).
Please read the politics below. They will be referenced throughout. Justifications of either side will also be explained later in the book.
✽✽✽
After aeons of suffering, one fateful day, Freewill put a poisoned gun barrel between her lips and pulled the trigger. Her suicide was completely unprecedented and sent the Sphere into chaos. The Mother of Freedom, Security, Justice, Knowledge and more had ended her own life, and thus, everything she stood for.
Before Freewill’s suicide, the Sphere was ruled under a theory called Relativism. This practice ensured that all Beings used their powers relatively. Meaning that Beings were only able to access as much of their ability as was equal to their counterpart. For example, The Goddess of Love had powers equal in intensity to the God of Hate. These restrictions were etched into every Being’s nature. The Sphere remained in equilibrium with Relativism keeping counterparts equal in terms of intensity and strength.
This system worked until Freewill’s suicide. Suddenly, Beings were becoming more intense and stronger than their counterparts. Hence, in her ashes, Relativism was doubted because it was no longer intuitive to be fair and just to the freewill of one’s counterpart. Relativity seemed to be no more.
The small minority of Beings who disagreed with Relativism, called Absolutists, believed that they should not be restricted. Instead, they should be able to use their absolute power. They did not believe their abilities should be relative to their counterpart now that the natural laws of relativity had left their soul. There were many reasons put forward for this conclusion but ultimately, the argument stated that it was their right to use as much power as they wanted to. In summary, Absolutists believed they had a right to be free from the restrictions that Relativism imposed on their nature.
The fear of the unknown coupled with the potential consequences of Absolutism if abused by Hellish Beings, sent the Sphere into utter chaos. Hence, the Great War broke out between the Relativists and the Absolutists.
Billions died in the war and no end was in sight, until ‘The Council’ formed. The Council comprised a small group of Absolutists and Relativists who came together to create a treaty to negotiate peace between the divisions. This treaty established a simple trial which would conclude whether it was actually possible to restrict one’s own nature consciously.
If possible, Relativism would remain the leading theory for natural law. If not, a new theory, Absolutism, would have to be introduced to protect the rights of all Beings.
A dozen Original Beings were selected to participate in the trial. The trial would last five centuries.
Delphi, The High Priestess of Time and Fortune, was amongst the few selected to participate. She desperately believed in Relativism and believed that Absolutism would only cause destruction and be abused by the much more powerful Hellish Original Beings. It was imperative that she didn’t fail the trial.
Chapter Zero
TWO WEEKS IN THE FUTURE
I’m going to betray you, my beautiful little Princess. It’s inescapable.
Please don’t panic; I won’t hurt you. I just need you by my side forever and always.
And there is only one way to do that…
I must ruin everything you stand for.
Chapter One
STILL TWO WEEKS IN THE FUTURE
Drenched in a thick layer of sweat and tears, my trembling body lurches around the corner. As soon as I clear it, the corridor walls behind me collide with one another with a deafening boom. The impact from the explosion slams into my back. It winds me, snatching the breath from my lips. At the same time, the world turns purple. My thick dress engulfs my vision from where the gust of air forces it over my head. Frantically windmilling, my arms punch the material away. The uncoordinated attempts refuse to free me.
I quickly resort to scooping it into my arms instead. However, just as I yank on one layer of the dress, it pulls the ground away from under my feet. With a yelp, I skid. Everything becomes frenzied as I desperately try to keep my balance. It feels like centuries go by, but it can only be a couple of seconds before I fix my posture and continue my escape.
Around me, the walls start to bleed black, and a thick layer of dust falls from the ceiling. It feels as though I become twice as heavy as the poisonous blanket weighs me down. A mournful groan echoes around me as Power’s Realm collapses. It would prefer to destroy itself than to let it’s pretty hostage escape.
Suddenly, I’m faced with a fork in the hallway. My head tears left and right but both routes look unfamiliar. I’m immediately met with the dreaded realisation that the predator is changing the layout of his home. He traps his struggling prey in his haunted maze. I can almost feel those black eyes picking up every inch of my distress; my sweaty skin, pricked hairs, bloodshot eyes. His suffocatingly delicious scent stains the air too. With every strangled breath I take in, I’m reminded about who I’m running from: a creature that promises me so much pleasure, but only knows pain.
Eventually, I’m met with a door, and I throw my body into it without another thought. It bursts open with a loud bang. Inside, the room is empty except for a towering, cracked staircase in the centre. It screams bad news. I know that he is controlling everything. I know that he is purposely leading me to something. I know that I should turn the other way and run. He’s probably even fisting his erect member as I try to escape. Perhaps he’s already spilled his seed watching me scramble around. He must be enjoying my panic. I know he freaking loves it when my cheeks stain red and I feel true fear within my heart.
I should stop giving him what he wants. I should let the walls squish me; it’ll be a quicker death than my imprisonment. After all, every cat loves a fleeing mouse and I’m only encouraging the unhinged beast within him. As though he can hear my thoughts, he forces the walls behind me to collide, but the explosion pushes me into the ballroom. The evil creature control everything, he even steals away my choice to die.
The room is dimly lit up by floating lamps, made from tortured souls. They pulse a crimson-colour and howl out their sorrows. The throbbing colours distort my vision and make me stumble as though I’m drunk. The rough carpet also bites into my naked feet. It leaves a small trail of blood behind me. Unwillingly, I give the predator a map to locate me.
I thrust my hand out into the centre of the room to check whether he’s given me my magic back. The scarlet-coloured pixels weakly dribble out of my palm, confirming my fears.
Shoot!
Distress bubbles up within my chest until it feels as though I might explode. I can’t even listen out for the predator’s footsteps either. The collapsing Realm coupled with my erratic breathing offers him the privacy to hunt me down secretly.
Realizing I have no other option, I bundle my dress back into my arms and quickly ascend the jagged steps. That primal fear within me screams to get a height advantage over the beast.
“Great Goddess of the world,” I desperately call upon my magic the old-fashioned way. I know chanting is futile. If he’s robbed me of my pixels, he would have also stolen my oral magic, but I can’t rule anything out.
“Of Heaven and Earth, and everything in between. Of Life, Death, and Purgatory. Of the past, present, and future.”
Despite most of the dress being bundled into my arms, the length still catches me up. I’m not fast enough to catch my balance this time, and I fall ungracefully to my knees. Instantly, purple patches form and the pain is blinding. My only saving grace is that the thick material of my dress cushions my head from the stairs etched from demon skulls. I sink my teeth into my tongue— anything to hide my pain from him.
Tears prick my eyes and my face flushes red. That familiar stinging in the back of my nose tells me that I’m going to cry. I desperately try to swallow down the lump in my throat.
Keep going! That shrill voice of reason forces me back to my feet. He’s close behind!
“Of…” My foggy mind thumps in my head as I desperately try to remember the words. “Of something and something else. Life and death? No— I’ve said that already!”
At the top of the stairs, I’m greeted by a landing and three metal doors. Suspicion suffocates me but before I can gather my thoughts, a guttural growl echoes around the building. It’s dark, intimidating and furious.
The predator has found me.
Unwillingly, my body spins around to face the danger but he’s shielded amongst the shadows at the bottom of the staircase. As his hot and heavy footsteps climb the stairs, the lamps explode around him. The shattering of glass and screaming souls have me throwing my hands over my ears to protect myself. It’s futile though. The noise penetrates through the Realm.
Soon, the blanket of darkness reaches the top step. I almost long for the horrible pulsating redness to return. Anything is better than to be left alone with that beast.
One final wave of self-preservation rips through me.
Desperately, I snap into action. I yank at the door handle closest to me, but it scalds me as punishment. Blisters instantly sizzle at my skin, and I instinctively leap away from the door. Without hesitation, I try the other two doors, but I’m met with the same fate. This time I can’t resist the exasperated cry which slips from my lips. On cue, the beast cackles like actually freaking cackles!
As usual, his humour is short-lived and that fiery temper I’ve gotten to know shines through before his lips even finish their smile.
“Delphi!” The darkness of his voice forces the hairs on my body to stand to attention. Everything must stand for the king of kings. He says my name as if he owns it, and I shrink in on myself.
Around us, the building finally collapses in on itself. I hear walls buckling and windows shattering in the distance. It’s quickly joined by the deafening boom of ceilings tumbling into the utter chaos below. A sea of smoke rises from the ashes of the building. I almost choke on the gritty cloud of dust and force my elbow to my lips to stop from inhaling anymore poisonous fumes. Time slows to a crawl as I watch in disbelief the devastation unfolding before me. It’s a scene straight from my worst nightmares.
Above me, the black sky reveals itself. Flashes of blood-red lightning almost blind me and the howling wind whips my dress around frantically. More horrifyingly, the only thing unscathed is the staircase. I swallow down the despair building in my throat. Even in his utter rage, the monster ensures my safety. I am his, and only his. Nothing else will ever harm a hair on my head except him.
A sudden ridiculous feeling floods through me. I almost long to throw myself from the staircase into the chaos below. The death would be quick and at least I would be free from my obsessive kidnapper. However, I will never be free from my monster, not even in death. I know he’d chase my soul to the ends of eternity to keep me by his side. This thought almost paralyses me in fear.
“Leave me alone!” My voice cracks as the guttural noise escapes me. “I’ll never be yours!”
He is still a dark shadow near the top of the staircase, but his intensity is as clear as crystals. He watches me, soaking up every frightened little twitch. As usual, he takes his time, revelling in my distress. I pathetically try to force the door behind me open with my weight again. When the final lamps shatter into darkness at the top of the staircase, I resort to cowering in a small ball.
“Please, Power! I’m begging you! Leave me alone! Let me g—”
Before I can even finish my sentence, two dark eyes flash into view. He only reveals the sharp redness of his irises and the blacks of his expanding pupils. He’s ravenous, still two metres away from me but it doesn’t matter— the monster is within striking distance and we both know that I will not escape this time.
Those devilish orbs slowly rake up and down my body before one twitches and an expression I’ve never seen before pulls through them. Horrifyingly, something throbs between my legs. I swallow hard. This is a dance we know all too well. He chases me and I run. But ultimately, he always catches me, and, frighteningly, I always want him to. Sensing my arousal mixed with fear, his heavy gaze darts lower down my body. I feel the twitch of his grin.
I panic. “Get away from me!”
With a deafening boom, the lightning explodes above me. Dark red veins illuminate the night sky, revealing my monster in all his wicked glory. He suddenly towers over me, and I must crane my neck uncomfortably backwards to take him all in.
Panting hard, his humongous body heaves. His muscles strain under his armour as though they are desperately trying to reach out and touch me. For a second, it looks as though he might burst through the chainmail. An ominous reminder of his power. His erratic breathing is dark and heavy and unwillingly forces another wave of arousal through me despite all attempts to stop it. I clench my thighs together in a feeble attempt to stop my body betraying me.
Raven-coloured hair tumbles into his eyes but I can feel those dark orbs trailing up my body. His pale skin is stained red under the lightning. It’s fitting. The monster looks drenched in blood. Desperately searching for an escape, my gaze flicks to the banisters. There are holes large enough for my body to fit through. My thoughts run wild. I could jump before he realises. If I don’t die on impact, I might be able to scramble amongst the rubble and escape that way.
With a hiss, he flashes his fangs at me. It’s a display of intimidation, a warning of what will happen if I do anything stupid. He reads me like a book. My body tells him everything he wants to know and it’s sickening.
“What is the next line, Princess?” Despite his furious gaze, his voice is sultry. It sends shivers through me and makes me feel alive, even in certain death. He hasn’t touched me yet, but it feels as though there isn’t an inch of skin untouched by his presence. The lump in the back of my throat burns.
“Let me go!” I shriek, and my voice cracks. It’s a pathetic sound, like the noise a baby deer makes before the lion closes its teeth around its neck. If possible, his expression darkens. I feel his hot breath against my cheek.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Pytho.”
“Stop!”
“What is the—"
I’m reckless as I cut him off exasperatedly, “I—I don’t know!”
Amused by my reaction, his lips curl. It isn’t a smile, but it isn’t a frown either.
This is your last chance!
Without thinking, I lurch left to jump around him, but he is much faster. My wrists are slammed together and forced above my head within a blink of an eye. The awkward position arches my back and thrusts my breasts out towards him. Yelping, I frantically scramble around. I kick my legs into his body, but he barely flinches.
“Let go! Let go! For goodness sake Power, please let me go!” I beg, but it’s no use. If I have learnt anything about my obsessive kidnapper, it’s that once he sets his mind on something, he destroys it. There is no taming him, there is no changing his mind. And unluckily for me, I’m the only thing on his list.
