by J. E. Taylor
Thunder rumbled around us. If we were at ground level and not riding Leviathan, I didn’t think we could have broken through into the cloud at all. Every step of his seemed impossible, and every motion was punctuated with a growl, like it hurt him to maneuver through the nearly impenetrable mist.
We broke through the cloud layer into clean air that filled my lungs and made me question whether we were still in hell or not. Then the wind shifted, and a whiff of brimstone flowed down the volcano. I could almost see over top of the thing.
“Levi, you need to shrink, now.” Kylee sliced the ropes holding us together.
I blinked and then landed on my ass, almost tumbling back into the cloud layer, but Levi grabbed my pantleg with his teeth.
Kylee was face-first on the mountainside, and she pushed up on her elbows. “You could have let us down first.” She glared at him.
“You said now,” he said.
I got to my feet and dusted myself off. “You did.”
She climbed to her feet and glanced at her watch. Her eyebrows rose, and she showed me the dial. We were halfway between the black dot and the red one now.
“Now, follow my lead,” she said and sauntered up to the crest with one of her knives in her hand, grumbling.
I followed with Levi on my heels, walking with a similar strut as Kylee. Levi walked close enough to rub against my leg. I placed my hand on his head as we crested the top of the volcano.
When I looked up, I had to check the sudden lurch in my chest and keep my face neutral. A sprawling city lay on the other side of the volcanic opening, and a narrow path crossed over the top more like an old, crafted bridge than a death trap over a volcano. Halfway across, I made the mistake of looking down at the fiery pit below. I grabbed Levi tighter than I meant to as I stared at the bubbling arcs of flaming earth.
“Ow,” he muttered, and I eased up, forcing the fear out of my grip.
A demon sentry on the other side gave us a cursory glance before looking back at the book in his hand and muttering, “Tough shift?”
I guessed being covered in worm blood and guts was a normal occurrence for the demons keeping the monster realm in check.
“Very,” Kylee said and kept walking until we passed onto the street.
The streets were crowded with people. Demons, I guessed, and their similarities to us gave us the perfect camouflage, especially with our bloodied appearance. We blended in.
Now I understood why they didn’t want to let the monsters loose in their realm. Their realm mimicked earth in many ways, and the monsters below would happily tear down their steel towers. The cold buildings seemed as appropriate as the black asphalt. No trees dotted the corners. It was all so sterile and without personality. The demons hustling from place to place either had blackened auras or no auras at all.
We weaved our way through the crowds, and each demon that crossed our path hurried away from us, giving us a wide berth and an almost respectful nod as we passed. As we neared the far side of the city, the buildings thinned, and beyond lay a black sea with the kind of ferries I had seen as a kid that took folks up to Nova Scotia for the day. They were lined up in neat little rows, sometimes three deep on a single dock.
Kylee headed for the dock that had only one ferry, and thankfully it was sparsely populated with only a few passengers on board. We stepped onto the ferry, and she pointed to a row of seats that had the wall of windows as a backing. We sat, keeping an eye on the demons on board.
That was when another truth hit me. We were the only ones with any color. Everyone else was a variation of grey or white or black, and their clothes matched. We were covered in blood which made us stand out on this boat.
It also explained why demons moved out of our way in the streets, but they didn’t stare. It was as if being a guard to the monster realm had some weight. The boat lurched forward, and my stomach turned. I swallowed and tried to hide my grimace.
The ferry captain tipped his hat as he passed by us, and then he stopped and retraced his steps. He stared at Levi and pointed at him. “I thought dogs went to heaven?”
Kylee glared at him. “He’s a new breed of hellhound. One that we designed to someday terrorize the human realm. Levi, do you want to show our captain your teeth?”
Levi’s lips pulled back to normal canine teeth, and then he opened his mouth revealing the razor-sharp layer of his own natural teeth, ballooning his mouth out almost like a cartoon dog. When he closed his snout, he seemed normal again.
The captain stepped back, gave us a nervous smile, and hustled away as if he had just seen the devil himself.
I patted Levi, and he licked his lips glancing at the handful of demons on the boat.
Kylee looked over her shoulder at the fading cityscape and then out at the open waters ahead. “Light them up,” she said and glanced at me.
My mouth popped open at her directive.
“We need the boat,” she whispered.
“Can I eat them?” Levi asked.
They looked like people. Acted like people. Even had the mundane thoughts of people. I couldn’t just roast them like flambé. “No.”
Kylee closed her eyes. I know they look like people, but these are demons. Demons loyal to Lucifer. Demons that would slit your throat on earth without issue. She opened her eyes and met my gaze.
I knew it was probably stupid as sin, but I opened my mouth anyway. “Hey, does anyone know when Lucifer is supposed to come back?”
“Why? Are his monsters getting restless?” A man sneered and crossed his arms. He shook his head in disgust. “No one knows when that bastard is coming back.”
“Shhh,” the woman next to him said while yanking on the arm of his coat. Her face was filled with the kind of worry that was distinctly human. I couldn’t tell what color her hair had been in life, but it was black as night now.
I gave Kylee a glance. These were not Lucifer’s tribe, and I wasn’t going to toast them. Not if I didn’t have to.
His eyes narrowed as his gaze flitted from my hair to my face and back again. A crease appeared between his eyes, and he leaned down and whispered something in the woman’s ear. Her gaze snapped to mine, her eyes wide.
“You had to open your mouth,” Kylee whispered out the edge of her lips.
I shrugged and heat filled my cheeks.
The man’s mouth dropped open, and he reached into his pocket. His thoughts betrayed him. While he wasn’t going to kill us, he certainly was going to notify the authorities that there were intruders in their midst.
“Don’t.” I put my arm out with my hand fisted. Now everyone’s attention was on us. “Please,” I added softly even though I knew it was futile.
He pulled his hand out and held a small contraption with a red button on it. His thumb moved towards the button, and I opened my hand. The plow of angel fire lit up the entire inside of the boat. When I closed my hand, no one but the three of us were left. Not even the captain.
Kylee hurried to the helm and took control, charting a new course in sync with her watch. I sat back down in the seat and covered my face. This felt so wrong. A part of me embraced it, but the other part, the one that loved Alex with every fiber, felt nothing but chilling shame.
Levi put his head in my lap. “I would have eaten them,” he muttered, and I met his gaze. “They were demons. You don’t get ushered to hell for being a boy scout.”
“So, what do you get ushered to hell for?” I scoffed. The demons I’d killed didn’t seem like cold blooded killers.
“Mortal sin.”
“Mortal sin,” I repeated. “Like what I just did.” I waved toward the cinders still floating in the air.
“Killing demons is not a mortal sin.”
I stared at him. “Killing is. And every time I do it, I lose a piece of myself.”
Emptiness surrounded me. I couldn’t deal with what I had just done. I closed my eyes, letting the sudden flush of exhaustion that made my muscles feel as fluid as the black ocean we were on take over.
Chapter 21
I blinked and glanced around. Kylee was still at the helm, and Levi was sleeping in the middle of the floor between us, his paws twitching like he was running in his dreams.
“Where are we going?” I asked and cleared my throat.
The black ocean stretched out as far as I could see in every direction, looking more like an oil spill than water. The air pressed down, leaving a stale taste in my mouth that had more to do with where we were than sleep.
“To the inner circle,” she said and tapped her watch. “We are close, which is the good news. The bad news is this is where the demon kings reside.” She glanced over at me. “These aren’t ones to play around with. They are just as depraved as Lucifer, so none of us can hesitate. Once we land, you shoot on sight. Understand?” She sent a glare in my direction.
I looked down at the floor and nodded. I was not ready for a kill-on-sight order. It was different when things were chasing us or putting people I cared about in harm’s way. Then it was a defensive reflex. Even toasting the demons at the portal with Tom could be justified, but it still didn’t make me feel any better about ripping someone’s life from them.
“Assuming they didn’t all bug out,” she muttered under her breath, but it was her thought that left me shivering: God help the world if they did.
I moved forward and took the seat next to her. The sleeve of her shirt had been torn off and a bandage applied to her arm where she had ripped the arrow out. I ran my fingers over the cloth.
She glanced at me, and I met her gaze.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to do a protective barrier around us.” I dropped my hand and glanced out at the sea.
“Don’t do that to yourself. You can’t always protect the ones you care about.” She bit her lip and scanned the horizon. “I don’t even know how much time has passed up there.”
“What do you mean?” We had only been down here a day or two at best.
“Time is different down here. Six minutes could have passed, or six months. I have no idea.” She shook her head like she didn’t even want to entertain the thought.
“What do you mean it could be six months?” My heart lurched.
“It could be six years for that matter.” She rubbed her palms on her pants before gripping the wheel again.
“Everyone we know could be dead,” I whispered.
She sucked her lower lip between her teeth. “God, I hope not,” she finally said and stood taller. “Time to get your guard up.”
Levi’s head popped up from the floor. “I can eat this time?”
The hopeful lilt of his voice made my stomach sour, but I would be happier if he did the assassinations than if I had to. His tail wagged, thumping on the floor, and his tongue lolled out the side. Even in dog form, he looked a bit like a deranged cartoon.
His infamous eye roll cast in my direction, and then he got to his feet and padded to the front window where he jumped his front legs up to the sill. Dotted lights flickered, and a dark energy rolled over the boat.
Nerves bit at me, and I realized my fingers were sparking involuntarily. I closed my fists. It wasn’t long before Kylee pulled into a deserted dock. We tied off the ferry and hopped onto the wooden planks. The soft slosh of water against wood sounded around us, but the quality of the noise flattened like the malignant air absorbed it.
Kylee took the lead, creeping forward with knives in both hands. I unsheathed one of mine and held it in my left hand, keeping my dominant hand free to shoot fireballs if needed. Levi took the rear.
The quiet unnerved me. It was like walking through a ghost town but one made of towering castles made for kings and thatched huts of those that served the kings. It was medieval in shades of gray and such a stark contrast to the metal towers of the last area of hell we went through. The vacant streets closed in on us, delivering the smell of blood and decay overlaid with undertones of brimstone. As we maneuvered towards the center of the dark village, I thought I could hear crying in the distance. Occasionally it sounded like a scream, but no sooner did the sound reach us than it dissipated to nothing.
We finally got to the green in the center. The ground looked like someone threw buckets of paint here and there among the tools of destruction. A guillotine here, a torture rack there, and all sorts of other devices that I didn’t know the name of. The red scorched earth under them rattled me. When I slipped in one of the paint puddles, I realized it wasn’t paint. It was blood. My stomach lurched.
We were walking on slaughter grounds, and right in front of where the gallows stood was the breach. I started towards it, but Kylee grabbed my arm and pointed at Levi.
Leviathan first.
As we neared, I could see the bright, sunny green fields on the other side. I wanted to get home, but I understood. This place was deserted for a reason, and who knew if someone was watching the other side. If we went through without caution, it could be the last thing we did.
Levi jumped, transitioning to his formidable self as he crossed over. A blade swung into view, lashing his side. He turned on the owner but didn’t attack. In fact, his tail actually wagged.
Kylee stepped through with her blades at the ready, but they fell from her hands the moment she stepped on the grass. She nearly jumped off the ground towards whoever was out of sight.
I crossed over onto the beautiful Irish countryside to see Kylee in Michael’s arms and Josh standing next to him, both armed to the hilt and looking like some medieval knights coming to save the day.
I turned and aimed my hands at the portal, blasting it to oblivion within seconds.
“Where’s Alexis?” Kylee asked as she pulled away from Michael.
“With CJ and his wife.” He glanced at me and back to Kylee. “Some serious shit has gone down since you took your detour.”
“How long were we gone?” I asked.
Michael and Josh exchanged a glance.
“Five months. We thought…” Michael ran his hand down his face. “I thought I had lost everything.” He cupped Kylee’s cheek and ran a finger over her lips. “I thought I lost you.” He sniffled and stepped away, getting his game face back on.
“Five months?” My legs gave out, and I sat down hard on the ground.
“We’ve been doing demon detail for the last couple of months.” He nodded to where the portal had been moments ago.
“Alex.” I looked up.
Michael’s eyes softened. He shook his head and looked away. “Lucifer.”
The world swam. I placed my palms on the ground to get some order in my head. Lucifer had Alex, which meant Grace had Alex. I turned onto my hands and knees and dry heaved. The cramping went all the way from my toes to my neck, and I thought my head would just explode from the pressure.
A hand rubbed my back, and soft coos finally broke through the high-pitched buzz filling my ears. Anger enveloped me, and for a fraction of a second, I wanted this world to burn. Darkness dotted my vision as I glared at Kylee.
She kept rubbing my back despite the screams. Screams that I didn’t realize were coming from me until this moment. That truth that I was screaming like a wild banshee shattered the darkness threatening to overwhelm me. I resisted because if I didn’t, my fire would ignite and consume her and everyone around us.
My screams gave way to sobs, the kind that was reserved for loss and mourning. April had it wrong. I wasn’t strong enough to kill Lucifer, not while he had Alex’s face. I sobbed because deep down I knew… I knew that killing Lucifer now would kill everything good in me.
Chapter 22
Josh led us onto the plane in Ireland. I went to the bathroom and just stood under the hot stream of water, trying to close up the open wound in my soul, but it refused to mend. I needed Alex for that. I pressed my lips against another sob. I couldn’t continue this way. I needed to get a grip on my emotions. Now. Before we got home.
When I finally came out into the main cabin, I slumped in the seat and just stared at the floor. My insides wer
e a mess, and when Michael offered me food, I shook my head. I couldn’t stomach it, but I did take the water he offered.
“Did you want to come up here for the takeoff?” Josh asked from the cockpit.
I shook my head. I had no interest in anything. I didn’t even look out the window when the plane took off. I blocked everyone’s thoughts because I didn’t want to hear their worry. I didn’t want to feel their emotions. Hell, I didn’t want to feel mine either.
“Are you going to be okay?” Kylee asked.
I looked up at her, and the hollowness that had taken over the minute I’d stopped screaming bloomed in my chest. I gave her a nod to soothe the worry in her eyes.
“I need to clean up too,” she said, “and then we can find out what happened when we were gone.”
She disappeared into the back room.
When she came back all clean and shiny, she took a seat next to Michael. “Tell us what happened.”
He wiped his face and leaned back in the chair. “Some of it is his story.” He pointed at Josh. “I guess they had a hell of a time getting out of that storm without crashing. He didn’t get Kylee’s text until after he landed. On our way here, he told me he didn’t leave right away. The storm had cleared, and the avalanche devastated some of the lower huts. Half the mountain crumbled down with the snow. He thought maybe you had been trapped, but I guess that’s when CJ called and told him you guys had taken a little detour and that he needed to get to Ireland.”
“When I got to Ireland, I actually looked in your bags, Kylee,” Josh said from the pilot’s seat. He had turned towards us. “Arsenal is an understatement.” He laughed. “I hung out listening to stories of people being slaughtered in the area, and I knew there were some seriously bad things here, but I didn’t know the first thing about battling them, so I called CJ again after two weeks had gone by and no word from you all.”
I listened but kept my gaze on the floor, even when Levi climbed next to me and nudged my hand. I met his questioning stare and looked away. He whined and laid his head on my lap.
