by D. G. Swank
His lopsided, arrogant smile reappeared. “Why would I need anything more?”
I laughed despite the drying tears on my cheeks. In this instance, I was glad Abel was so cocksure.
“So we go back to the warehouse and then head to my house. I told Ellie and her men to bring Rhys and Jack there.” My voice broke as I thought again about Hudson’s broken body.
“Hey,” Abel said in a soft voice as he picked up my belt. “You can handle this.” He wrapped it around my back and fastened the buckle.
My stomach knotted. “How can you be so certain?”
“Because you have no other choice.”
He finished with my belt, then took my hand and pulled me close. “Do we have to be in an embrace to go back, or can we just be touching?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know if this would work,” I said, brushing my hair back in frustration. “I made a universe in my attic by walking through the door to the staircase leading up to it. This was completely guesswork.”
He stared at me in disbelief. Then his expression darkened. “We’ll discuss that issue later, but the takeaway is that you set the rules, Piper.”
I nodded, not quite believing it. “I make the rules.”
He cupped my chin and leaned close. “Get us back, and I’ll deal with the rest.” He gave me a deep kiss. “Now give me back the ring. Then turn around and draw your sword.”
The ring was in my fist, so I grabbed his hand and slid it onto his ring finger. I looked into his eyes, hating how much I was depending on him to protect me. For the past few weeks, I’d understood exactly why he was helping me—because he wanted me to kill him. Now we were on new ground. He wanted to survive so he could protect me. I had no choice but to trust him, although I’d almost feel better if there were something concrete he wanted or needed from me.
“You have no reason to doubt me, Waboose. My loyalties have changed, and you are my priority now.” He smiled, his smug smile that usually pissed me off, but once again, it filled me with reassurance, if only because it would be a massive blow to his ego if a demon killed me.
“Abel, promise me one thing.”
Fear flickered in his eyes. “What?”
“Don’t let your father capture and torture me. I need the blood vow you made about the demons to extend to your father.”
His mouth parted and he hesitated before he said, “You want me to kill you if my father is about to capture you?”
My mouth turned dry, and I swallowed. “Yes. I know the hell he has planned for me. You have to spare me from that, Abel.”
I didn’t think he was going to agree, but finally he said, “If I think there is no hope, I’ll kill you before letting you suffer for eternity.”
“And I’ll find a way to save you from eternity in hell. I swear it.”
A smile lit up his eyes. “If anyone is capable of it, it’s you.”
I reached up and gave him a gentle kiss. “Let’s do this.” Then I spun around and pulled out my sword, holding it in a defensive stance.
Abel pressed his back to mine and grabbed my left hand with his right one. I glanced over my shoulder to look at him. “You’re not left-handed.”
His smug grin spread wider. “I’m a demigod. I can be whatever I want to be. Now go.”
Chapter Five
Piper
I knew we were back in the warehouse before I opened my eyes. The air was thick with the stench of blood, decay, urine, vomit, and shit. Surprise, surprise, none of the demons had bothered to clean up. I heard snarls and my eyes flew open as Abel dropped my hand. The mark in the palm of my left hand felt like it was on fire.
As if I needed the mark to tell me we were surrounded.
We’d dropped into carnage. There was a pile of human body parts about ten feet in front of me, remnants of the members of the Guardians who’d been ripped to literal shreds by the demon lions, a name I’d bestowed upon the bulldog-faced demons with the bodies of gigantic lions. Their black fur made a great camouflage in the dark warehouse, but their red eyes glowed in the dark. I knew this because one of them sat on its haunches in front of me, beside an axe-wielding demon that looked a lot like a minotaur.
Oh. Shit.
“Abel…”
I could feel his back shift to the side as he glanced over his shoulder. He then quickly turned to the side, dragging me with him. It only took a second to understand why he hadn’t turned to completely face the mythological creature—he’d been facing two demon lions of his own.
Twenty feet behind them lay the crumpled, naked body of my best friend.
I felt my knees buckle and my stomach churn. While I’d guessed his body would probably still be here, knowing it and seeing it were two entirely different things.
Piper, stay strong, Abel said in my mind.
“Son of Okeus,” the minotaur said in a deep, rumbling voice, pronouncing the god’s name as Okee. “Your father insists you join him.” His gaze shifted to me. “And that you bring your succubus with you.”
My eyebrow shot up high on my forehead. “Succubus?”
Again with the succubus. Was that the supernatural word for slut?
“Not now, Waboose,” Abel growled in a low tone.
“Waboose?” the minotaur said with a laugh. “She looks like a warrior, not a waboose.”
What the hell was a waboose? I’d thought it was some made-up nickname he’d given me, not another supernatural title.
Abel quickly took control again. “Tell my father we decline his offer.”
The minotaur lifted the ax and dropped the end of the handle into the curled palm of his hand. “Tell him yourself after we drag you to him.”
Abel turned to face the minotaur, full on, with his uplifted sword.
“How did you know we’d come back?” I asked. I needed to find out what they actually knew.
“We didn’t,” a male voice said from the dark shadows next to the stage. “But Okeus told us to wait to see if you returned.”
“You didn’t go to my house?” I asked. Ellie and her crew could take care of themselves, but I wanted to know if Rhys and Jack were safe.
“He was certain you would return here,” the hidden monster said. “We were less sure.”
And likely pissed to be stuck here waiting for us. It made me wonder if Okeus already knew about my ability to create worlds—and its limitations.
“We have no quarrel with you,” Abel said, “as long as you let us go.”
The minotaur laughed. “If we let you go, Okeus will punish us for a hundred years.”
I suspected he meant that literally.
“One hundred years of punishment is better than an eternity in the abyss,” Abel said matter-of-factly. “And I have no intention of letting you have Kewasa, so prepare to die.”
The minotaur laughed. “You can’t kill me, half-breed.”
“You’re a half-breed yourself, Theos,” Abel said, his voice calm and even, a sharp contrast to my hammering heart.
I didn’t dare take my eyes off the demon lurking in the dark shadows by the stage.
Your sight is not your only defense, Kewasa. Use your power, Abel’s voice spoke into my head.
He was right, but I still wasn’t sure of all I could do with my power. I did know I could sense out demons with the mark on my palm, so I concentrated on that. The burning in my hand shot up my arm to my chest, and something inside me seemed to ignite, bursting to life. Suddenly, I could feel every demon in the warehouse—all twenty of them.
We’re surrounded by twenty demons, Abel.
Steady, Waboose, we shall defeat them.
I was happy he had such a positive attitude, but then I remembered that he could use his power to freeze demons in place. If he did that now, we could escape.
No. There are too many for me to freeze. And they know too much. They must all die.
Well, shit.
Take the two demon lions, he said. Move to the first demon lion’s left side and pierce its
heart. Then kill the second one while I take Theos.
I nearly snorted. Like it would be that easy.
He chose to ignore my pessimism. On the count of three. One.
I took in a breath and willed myself to calm down.
Two.
“Okeus said to bring you alive,” Theos announced. “He never said either one of you had to be in perfect condition.”
On that note, Abel thought, Three.
He lunged first, charging the demon lion next to the minotaur. I was a half second behind him, leaping for the pair of lions only ten feet in front of me. They reacted quickly, hunkering down to pounce, but I jagged to the left and jumped up on the stage. They turned toward me in confusion, one of them releasing a roar. The other simply watched me.
Now what? They had to be killed and I wasn’t about to wait until they came up. With another leap, I hopped off the stage, landing hard on the non-roaring demon lion and straddling its back, surprised at how cold its body felt.
It took a second to react, shaking its body in an attempt to dislodge me. I grabbed a handful of the hair at the base of its neck and briefly considered killing it straight off, but I was on its back and out of the way of its mouth—it wasn’t such a bad place to be. Instead, I lunged for the demon lion next to me, shoving the sword into its side, knowing full well the blow wouldn’t be deep enough to reach its heart but hoping a wound would slow it down.
I’d hoped wrong.
The demon lion roared in anger and swiped its massive claws toward me. I slid my leg out of the way in time to narrowly miss being clawed, but the demon’s claws sank into the side of the demon I was riding.
My mount roared, bellowing in pain, then rose up slightly on its hind legs. I dug my knees into its sides and held on tight with my left hand to keep from getting bucked off—then changed my mind as I realized it was preparing to charge the other lion. I sank my sword into its back, finding its soul. The demon disintegrated underneath me, covering me in ash, but I was more concerned with the demon advancing on me. I shifted St. Michael in my left hand, arced back my arm, then plunged the blade into the demon lion’s right eye.
It roared, taking a swipe at me, but I cut off its left paw with my sword. The demon fell onto its chest and I stabbed the sword into its left side, striking its soul. It collapsed into ash, and I pierced the rising orb that looked like a translucent ball of fireflies, taking a second to watch the souls float into the air.
As I got to my feet, I could see that Abel had already killed his two demon lions and was now surrounded by a circle of a half dozen demons of various shapes and sizes. The minotaur stood on the outside watching.
A quick count established that there were still four unaccounted-for demons, not including the one lurking in the shadows.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I sing-songed, moving closer to the dark recesses of the enormous room.
“Come and find me, slayer,” called the demon in the shadows.
I knew I should stick close to Abel, but something in this demon’s voice called to me, making me want to find him.
Was he like Caelius? A sex demon that drew power from sexually aroused creatures? No, the lure wasn’t sexual, and it hit me that he wasn’t drawing me with a power of his own.
My power sought his.
That was new.
“Do you have a name, demon?” I asked as I took purposeful steps toward it.
It had been close, but I could sense it backing up, moving toward a small group of three lesser demons. More lions.
I drew in a sharp breath. I’d been lucky with the other two. What made me think I could handle three more demon lions and the unknown demon?
“I have a name,” the demon said in a humorous tone, “but I prefer not to give it.”
Smart. Names held power in the supernatural world. My cousin Ellie claimed powerful supernatural titles could scare off demons, but none of these bad boys looked like they were going anywhere, and I was pretty sure they knew my titles. Well, hopefully not all of them.
“Then I’ll give you a name,” I said. “But first I have to see you.”
The demon laughed. “Then come find me, little bunny.”
That caught me off guard. Was it calling me bait? But I ignored the verbal taunt and focused on the demon’s whereabouts. It was obvious it thought it was hiding from me, completely unaware that I knew exactly where it and every other demon in this warehouse was located. But I still needed to see it to attack. Too bad this power didn’t come with night vision.
I followed the demon’s presence down a long, dark hallway along one side of the building, which was illuminated by the moonlight shining in through broken windows. The demon lions were in front of him, all four heading in the same direction.
Leading me away from Abel.
I was stupid to follow. This was obviously part of their plan, which likely involved using me as bait for Abel, but the spot deep in my soul, the newly awakened part of me, was hungry for their souls.
And that scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
Had I been wrong about my soul saving Abel’s? Had I doomed myself instead?
The demons had finally stopped moving. I couldn’t see them, but I knew they were waiting for me in a loading dock.
“Demon,” I called out with the authority of the slayer I was. “Show yourself.” I walked through the door to the dock, knowing that three demon lions stood between me and the unknown demon.
Piper, come back here! Abel shouted in my head, and while part of me acknowledged that was a really good idea, the dark part in my soul refused to consider it.
What the hell was happening to me?
Moonlight shone through the busted metal overhang, giving me a glimpse of my adversary. I hadn’t expected it to look like a man, even though Caelius had resembled a man too, a wickedly handsome one. This demon was no less handsome, but he looked younger. Less experienced. He was blond, with a baby face, and looked to be no more than eighteen, but I knew that meant nothing. He was probably eons old.
“What are you?” I asked him, my right hand holding my sword and my left hand clutching my dagger, St. Michael, which I’d named after the carving of a sword-wielding angel on horseback.
He grinned. “I’m that which you seek.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Cut the bullshit.”
“How do you plan to get to me, slayer? That was a neat trick with the leonals, getting them to turn on each other, but it won’t happen with these three. They may tend to be more beastly than human, but they’re smart. They learned from the others’ mistakes.”
“Why haven’t you had them attack me yet?” I asked, sounding more confident than I felt.
“You heard Theos. The boss man wants you alive.”
“And what do you want?” I asked.
“I want to know where you went.”
I just stared at him. He’d have to wait forever for that answer.
He gave me a sly look. “Okeus will find out. He has his ways. Ways you won’t find so pleasant.”
I had no doubts about that. A shiver ran down my back, but I kept up my cocky attitude. “Why would he care where I went?”
He grinned again. “You’re not that stupid, slayer.”
I found it interesting that out of all my titles, he’d chosen to call me slayer. It was probably the only one that mattered to him, yet neither he nor the leonals had attacked me yet. He was waiting for something, and that made me nervous. “Why aren’t there more demons here with us? Why are the rest with Abel?”
He laughed again. “Maybe you are that stupid. They wish to subdue the god’s son. They all want to be the one to bring him to his father.”
“You got stuck with me, huh?” I asked with plenty of sass.
“Oh, on the contrary, Waboose,” he leered. “I chose you.”
Well, crap. That didn’t sound good.
“I want you to take me where you took the son of Okeus,” he said.
&
nbsp; I snorted. “That’s not happening, which means you chose incorrectly. Especially since I have to kill you. Instead of dying at the hands of a demigod, you’re about to get killed by a lowly human. How embarrassing.”
He laughed again. “You’ll definitely be fun.”
Somehow I didn’t think he meant he’d enjoy bringing me to Okeus.
“Okeus will kill you if you don’t hand me over to him.”
“He’ll never know I took you.” Turning aside, he said something in a language I didn’t understand, and the leonals began to move. Within seconds, I had one on each side and one directly in front of me.
I reached out to Abel, trying to sense how many demons were left in his part of the warehouse. There were only two and Abel was moving quickly toward me.
Great. I’d never hear the end of it if he saved me like I was some damsel in distress. I needed to gain control of the situation, and quickly.
The greatest threat from the demon lions was their front claws. The demons at my sides were only a few feet away, so I lunged left with St. Michael, plunging it to the hilt into the demon’s side. The tip barely reached the demon’s soul, but the effect was the same—it was rendered into a pile of black ash. Having already withdrawn my weapon, lunged to the right, bringing my sword down across both of the demon’s legs and chopping off its paws.
The leonal in front of me hunched back, then leapt for me. I dove forward, sliding across the thankfully smooth concrete floor, and jammed my sword up into the demon’s chest.
The blade didn’t quite reach its soul, but the demon’s forward momentum continued, taking my sword with it.
Hopping to my feet, I drew my other dagger, Ivy, from its sheath. I spun around to face the demon with the amputated paws. Black blood covered the floor and the demon roared in pain as it tried to hobble toward me, but I knew it wouldn’t die. It would eventually stop bleeding and begin to heal. The only thing that would kill a demon was to plunge a spelled blade into its soul. And while this demon could no longer claw me, its huge mouth full of teeth could do some serious damage.
The third demon lay on its side, the sword still stuck in its chest. I really needed that sword back, so I resheathed Ivy and rushed for the demon, plunging St. Michael into its side as I pulled out the sword. The dagger hadn’t gone deep enough, so I stabbed it with the sword again, this time penetrating its soul. As the demon disintegrated into ash, the souls of all the animals and people it had killed floated away, looking like fireflies in the darkness.
