Pawns Daughters of The Underworld Book 1

by Leighelle Stone

  If there was a dagger down here, they would be the ones protecting it. That or a Queen bat was waiting for me on the other side of the magma fall.

  I wanted to yell out bingo, but that would’ve been about the dumbest thing I could do. I sent a silent thanks to Coal, glad for his warrior status and the little tidbits of information I had picked up from him. I put on my battle boots, woke my shadows, and grabbed a rock from the cave floor.

  It was going to suck balls to go up against all of these bats, and I didn’t have a true plan, go figure, but I knew I was about to go straight into the lion's den. They would for sure know where I was now.

  I leaned out of the cave and threw the rock as hard as I could. I had a snowball’s chance in hell, quite literally, of it landing anywhere. Thankfully, it smashed against the caves with a loud enough noise to get the attention of the formation flying overhead. They let out a long, ear-piercing screech that left my human ears feeling like they were about to burst.

  Every bat in the cave tensed, then poised themselves for battle.

  Dang. Not exactly the distraction I was hoping for.

  I took a chance and leaped from the cave while they were at least looking down below. Making myself as thin as possible, I flew through the air at what felt like lightning speed, which probably wasn’t much, but it felt fast for how much I was lagging from the heat.

  I had a one-track mind, my eyes on my target, and hoping I could get myself small enough to get through the slit to the right of the magma fall.

  A gust of air and a swooping sound caught my attention. Raging pain ripped through me as a bat flew straight through my shadow. I screamed in agony and scrambled to put myself back together. That was new.

  My cells tingled with little surges of pain, much like they did when the demon turned them to ash.

  Dickhole.

  Once back together and hating life even more, I stayed as still as possible, hoping it was just a fluke. That he wasn’t actually attacking me. A shiver fluttered through my cells at the thought that a bat just entered me. Yuck, dude. It wasn’t like when Coal invaded me, that's for sure.

  My mind went off on a tangent, remembering how it felt to have Coal all over me and subtly covering up the lingering creepy crawlies from the bat.

  Get it together, woman.

  I scanned my surroundings, and when I felt safe enough, I threaded myself through the stifling air. When I neared the magma fall, the bats hardened their exterior. Their eyes danced about, landing on nothing at all as if I didn’t exist. Which I did, and I had made myself so thin and wispy that I covered about ten square feet, hoping none of them decided to fly through me again.

  Two sets of long, translucent wings woke, shimmying and shaking as they stretched to their widest. A ball of dread sat heavy in my stomach. Did they see me? Had they decided to attack?

  Screeching, hollow echoes bounced off the walls around me, and the gusts from their wings as they took off blew my cells in all sorts of directions. I paused, waiting.

  Hell no. I couldn’t handle two at one time; that would suck balls. The two flew away, creating a new formation as they joined the crew down below where I threw the rock. Two more flew away, causing the dread to explode and spread to my entire being. Shit. Shit. They buzzed past me, carefully avoiding me as if they knew I was there.

  Weird. But then again, I didn’t have a soul, and I hoped I was keeping myself concealed, so maybe they had no interest in me. Who knew.

  I kept moving, feeling an odd spark of confidence, even though two of them were sitting just beside the entrance to the next cave. I surveyed the entrance. There wasn’t much room, if any, to squeeze in there. The dagger had to be there. It was the perfect hiding place.

  Like threading the eye of a needle, I weaseled my way into the opening and glanced around.

  The cave was empty. I cursed Scylla. Bitch. I knew it. This dagger was all a ruse. What the hell did she have planned for us next? Was I safe? Was Coal?

  Frustratingly enough, the thought of losing him was like a knife to heart, and I jerked myself into the cave. I had to make sure that the dagger indeed wasn’t here before I gave up and left. I couldn’t face him without being positive it wasn’t here. Not after everything he had endured to help me get here.

  I sank into the darkness, letting my weak hold on my shadows go. Collapsing, I landed on my back, hoping for some coolness. Nope. Not a bit of relief. My skin frying against the cave floor had me jerking up and back into shadow.

  The cave was tiny. If the dagger was there, I would see it for sure. I moved to the edge, staring straight into a thick wall of magma, and hollered in frustration. Fury and exhaustion boiled over. I felt like the biggest dumbass in the world. How could I have let myself be led here? Why did I have to be so naive in the name of revenge?

  Scylla was going to pay for this nonsense. I didn’t like being toyed with.

  Blind rage coiled within me. Back burning and itching from contact with the caves, I slipped from behind the magma flow out into bat territory.

  Instantly, dozens of eyes landed on me.

  Shit.

  I was so pissed I hadn’t even thought to try to conceal myself. In a frenzy, I bolted. Wings flapped, wind gusted, and I tumbled about, unable to hold myself together properly. With no shadows to conceal me, I was a sitting duck bobbing on the water. Only I was positively going to drown. Slowly, painfully, and sizzling.

  I ducked right, then bobbed left, remembering something about running in a zigzag if you’re ever shot at, or something like that. I don’t know, predator not prey. Remember? Until now, I had never needed to know shit like that. Another rush of air whizzed past me, and I tensed, preparing for battle. Whatever that meant.

  But instead of an attack, I was flanked by three bats, flying calmly around me.

  What. The. Hell? They boxed me in, protecting me as if I were their young or something. They called out to one another, moving in perfect harmony, even when exhaustion took over and I fell about ten feet. I did everything I could to keep myself composed.

  Did they think I was one of them?

  Did they think I had the dagger? Hell, did they want me to have the dagger? They handled me with care, never straying from their positions around me until we made it to my original entrance.

  To say I was grateful was an understatement. Without their help, I would have fallen to a very hot maybe-death.

  They deposited me on the ledge I fell from earlier. Immediately, I pivoted to face them, knowing better than to turn my back. I did at least have that instinct.

  Beady black eyes stared at me pleadingly. I cocked my head to the side. It was as if they were trying desperately to tell me something.

  ‘Dagger, we thought you’d never come.’ Wait, hold up, did it just talk to me? And call me Dagger?

  It was nice to know that all my sneaking around was pointless, and they saw me the entire time looking like a floundering idiot. This whole process could have gone much faster and smoother had they said something when I entered the cave. Dicks.

  “Huh?” I said, dumbfounded. I had to be going crazy.

  ‘You’re the Dagger, aren’t you? That's how you survived the caves.’

  “I survived the caves because I don’t have a soul. I didn’t find the dagger.” I held my hands up as proof, then reached behind me to the tender, itchy skin of my back. The little bit of relief from the nagging sensation was almost orgasmic.

  A chuckle rolled around in my head. Was he laughing?

  ‘You’ll find that which you seek, where no soul can go, Dagger,’ he said. Why the hell did otherworld creatures have to be so cryptic and speak in riddles? It would be much easier if they would just tell me where the dagger was.

  “Can’t you be a little more specific, please?” I asked, but he had already started backing away.

  ‘Find the dagger and kill Hades. Please release us from this Hell.’

  22

  I stumbled back through the caves, my mind wandering s
everely. What did the bat mean, kill Hades and release us from this Hell? Are they not supposed to be bats? I wouldn’t put it past him. He was turning out to be more selfish than I had even given him credit for.

  I ignored the sinking feeling and tried to keep my brain from what had happened. Coal’s reach had extended to me caring about some random bats in a cave and worrying that they were trapped. I had gone completely soft.

  I stopped to scratch the incessant itching on my back on a bit of rock that stuck out. My arms were tired of reaching back there repeatedly, and the burning was becoming nearly unbearable. I had high hopes that it would let up some when we got out of the caves. With a moment's relief, I marched on. I had tried blinking out, but the barrier held tight, even for me. I had hoped since they were expecting me that they would let my powers work, but I was stuck.

  I followed the streaks of liquid silver and gold and the awful metallic scent that reminded me all too much of blood. Coal was lying in a slump, still as death. Guilt and dread slammed into me, both fighting for the limelight. Why did I let him come down here? Even worse, why did I care? He wasn’t supposed to mean anything to me.

  “Coal?” I called. My voice cracked.

  My pulse hammered at my eardrums when he didn’t respond. “Coal?” This time I added a little volume.

  Still, he didn’t move. I thought about just leaving him there, unable to face the fact that he was dead and that the thought of his death affected me. I couldn’t do that; I couldn’t be a coward. What if he wasn’t dead?

  “Shay.” I relaxed in the solace of his gravelly voice. A voice I had already locked up tight as never to be heard again.

  “Coal, are you okay?”

  “Did you get the dagger?” Just like him to be more concerned with the task at hand than his health.

  “Negative, sir. It wasn’t there. Just got a raging case of vaginitis of the back.” He scoffed as he sat up. “You’re looking a little better.”

  “I’m fine.” It was clear he was, and I was surprised that he decided to bring himself closer to the caves’ entrance instead of sitting there stubbornly suffering.

  “You have silver and gold drips drying on your face. I should take you to the pawn shop and see how much I could get for you.”

  “Funny,” he said dryly as he rose to his feet.

  “Now, let's get to the barrier so I can ream Scylla a new asshole and put some aloe on my back.” He grunted in agreement and followed close behind me. “Can you get that itch, please? My right shoulder blade is on fire.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” I was sure my back was bubbled up and blistering, the image probably distorted.

  “No, you’re back looks fine.”

  “Seriously? It feels like my skin is melting off. It’s fucking painful. If you tell anyone I said that I will castrate you. Got that?” He hardly looked terrified, just bored.

  To distract me from the sunburn from hell, I filled him in on everything that happened as we walked. Before we knew it, or maybe I just slept walked through it all, I saw the shimmering edge of the barrier.

  “It called you Dagger?” Coal inquired.

  “That's what I said,” I confirmed as I searched the darkness, waiting to see the bodies that Scylla had conjured to kill us when we came back out, dagger in hand to be ambushed. But there was nothing. The only figure I could see was the lusciously curvy one that belonged to the Heiress herself. Still, I let my rage remain. She led me down a rabbit hole that very well could have ended poorly for nothing.

  “Welcome back,” her voice echoed through the caves. “Did you get the dagger?”

  “What do you think?” I asked poisonously.

  “Someone’s cranky.”

  “Yeah, that tends to happen when I’m led on a wild goose chase. It wasn’t there.” Her features fell with sincerity. My anger softened. I may have been pissed, but I couldn’t deny the loss of hope in her eyes.

  “Dammit.” She kicked the wall with her stiletto. “You’re sure it wasn’t there?”

  I stepped through the barrier. Pain erupted from my back, yanking the breath from my lungs. Gasping, I fell forward in pure, raw agony. Coal caught me around my waist and pulled me into his body. I screamed bloody murder when my back pressed against the fabric of his shirt.

  “Shay, what is it?” he questioned frantically.

  “My back is on fire,” I had more to say, but an inky blackness threatened to take my consciousness from me. My eyes rolled back in my head, and my body went momentarily slack.

  “Hey, hey now, stay with me, I’ve got you,” he reassured me, as he released his grip slightly, so my back was no longer in contact with him and laid me down on the ground on my stomach.

  I was fairly confident that I wouldn’t die, but if recent events had been any indication, near-death experiences were in the realm of possibilities for me. I was glad Coal was here for this one.

  “What the hell is wrong with her?” Scylla sounded distant, but I still wanted to smack her. I didn’t get the chance to tell her how I felt.

  “I’m not sure. She says her back is on fire, said it happened in the caves,” Coal mused.

  “Looks fine to me.” It sure as hell didn’t feel fine. A fresh wave of fire spread through my back, and I cried out, digging my fingers into the rocks. Through my delirium, I could feel Coal’s hand tighten on my arm.

  “I’m right here,” he whispered, his lips right by my ear. I gave in to the comfort he was offering.

  “Coal,” I breathed, willing my mind to focus on him and not the pain. “It hurts. It hurts so bad. I’m pretty sure I’m dying,” I cried. Screw my reputation. I didn’t care if Scylla saw my vulnerable moment. I had no idea what was happening and not enough consciousness left to do anything about it. I was exhausted and in so much pain I could barely breathe. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his words loaded with anguish. “We’re going to make it stop, I promise.” He ran his hand over my cheek and brushed a lock of hair from my face. His hand traveled down to brush my shoulder but stopped abruptly. “Shay, I don’t remember a blade being in your ink.”

  “That's because there isn’t one,” I whispered, allowing his words to be my focus. The word dagger bounced around my thoughts. Dagger. Dagger. Dagger. Realization set in, and I gasped.

  “What? What is it?” Coal shifted, leaning over me so I could see his beautiful face.

  “I’m the dagger,” I said. “He called me the dagger. I’m where no soul can go.”

  Scylla laughed derisively. “You’re the dagger?”

  “I don’t think she means her. I think she means it's in her. We need to get her out of here.” Coal moved to scoop me in his arms. A tsunami of torture ripped through me.

  “No, no, please,” I sobbed, “Coal, don’t move me.”

  “Holy shit, look,” Scylla gasped. Unease spread through me like wildfire from her words. Or maybe that was the scorching skin on my back and the smell of burnt flesh wafting through the air. Something sizzled like a steak on a hot skillet. I groaned.

  “What the—?” Coal added.

  “What? What’s wrong? Tell me, please,” I begged, on the verge of passing out once again.

  “Stay with me, Shay.” My eyes fluttered open. “You’re gonna be fine.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Coal.” I had gotten so used to the thought of almost dying that there wasn’t much more preparing I could do anymore. If it was going to happen, there was nothing I could do about it, and quite frankly, the idea seemed pretty good right about now.

  “You’re the shadow. You’ll be fine.” I’m sure he didn’t mean it like I thought he did, but I took the stroke to my ego and smiled as much as I could move my lips. “I think the dagger is inside of you, and it's trying to come out.” He cringed.

  “Trying to come out? As in my back is giving birth to a dagger right now?” What that must look like. I laughed, deli
rium clouding my brain.

  Fire rolled down my side, burning away more of my skin.

  “As in, it is dripping out of your skin right now.”

  “Okay.” I breathed, trying to keep myself calm. It was going to have its way with me, and there was nothing I could do about it. But if it was dripping out, that meant that it would soon be over. Let’s hope it was a small dagger.

  Minutes felt like hours of torment as Coal rubbed my arms to help keep me calm, at a loss as to how to help me. I fully surrendered to his touch, willing to do anything to distract myself. I hated that Scylla was there to witness the moment between us, but there was nothing I could do about it. I’d have to threaten her later. Offering no judgments, she just stood off to the side.

  A metallic clink woke me from the haze.

  “That’s nuts,” Scylla spoke first as I heard the dagger lift from the ground. I wanted to be relieved that we finally had the dagger and had a one-up on Daddy, but I couldn’t be bothered.

  He probably knew about this all along anyway.

  “How are you feeling?” Coal asked quietly. All I could manage was to open my eyes. My body was stiff, and sleep was calling with a vengeance, but the pain had started to subside. My vocal cords were frayed from screaming. “I’m going to take you home now, okay? We need to get out of these caves.” I gave a slight nod of approval and slipped into the darkness.

  23

  The motion of Coal’s transportation mode left me feeling queasy and awake, or as much as I could be anyway. Setting me down on the couch, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. I just closed my eyes and let it happen. There was no energy left to give a shit, but I did turn my head away so he wouldn’t try to kiss me again.

  “Where’s Scylla?” he asked, his voice edging on angry.

  “Wait, she didn’t come back?” He shook his head, his eyes heating. Shit.