Grave Consequences (Hellgate Guardians Book 2)

by Ivy Asher

  A loud clang of metal on metal reaches Lanky and me, and heavy footsteps follow the sound like a haunting drumbeat counting down the seconds before I die. I gulp audibly and try to ignore the spark of excitement that flares in Lanky’s eyes.

  Tazreel, in all his winged glory, comes into view down the hall, stepping out of a stairwell that I didn’t know was there. What is with this place and having secret magical doors? He’s followed by a demon who could be a dead ringer for Hoggle from Labyrinth.

  “This is her?” Hoggle grunts out as they stop in front of my cell.

  “This is,” Tazreel confirms, his lips pursed and his gray-gold eyes steely.

  “Hmm,” the demon hums, looking me over. “She’s an interesting specimen. Her wings and hair alone make her a collectible. Are you going to keep her for your menagerie?” He asks it like I’m a puppy and not a person.

  “Hey!” I voice in objection, but it goes ignored.

  Tazreel looks at me for a moment. “No, I think not. I’m not drawn to this one in that way. I’ll probably trade her. I did, however, promise her I’d hang her by her wings at Luce’s next get-together, and I’m a male of my word. So after that’s been done, I’ll entertain bids.”

  “You can’t sell me,” I say, fear and anger gripping my neck like they’re trying to find my pulse point. “You don’t own me.”

  “Exactly. Which is why the Savor is here to find out who is responsible for you,” Tazreel barks back. “Once we know that, we can hold them accountable, and they can pay for the damage you’ve caused or trade you as payment instead.”

  “What damage?” I counter.

  “The damage you tried to do to my meditation room.”

  “I didn’t do any damage.”

  “But you tried, and your actions have consequences. When I find out who sired you, I’m going to have a strong word with them. You’re practically feral,” Tazreel accuses.

  Pissed, I approach the bars of my cell. Is he seriously saying I have to be punished for trying and failing to break his stupid floor? I didn’t even scratch that shit!

  I lean in toward him. “Well, good luck finding my parents and trying to make them pay. They’re dead,” I snap at him, ignoring the sting that I feel in my soul as I fling that fact around like a weapon.

  “That explains a lot,” Tazreel jibes, and at the same time, I feel a flash of pain at my shoulder. I flinch back away from the bars and look to see that Hoggle has one of my purple feathers clutched in his hand.

  My face goes indignant, and I instantly feel betrayed. I love the movie Labyrinth, and I expect so much better of its characters. I watch, horrified, as Hoggle puts the feather in his mouth and starts to chew it. I reel back with disgust and fight the dry-heave that tries to work its way up my throat.

  That’s fucking nasty.

  “Mmm,” Hoggle comments as he tilts his head to the side like he’s trying to work through a tough problem. His eyes are far away as he chews, as if he’s savoring and identifying notes and flavors in my feather like it’s some fine wine.

  Savoring...I guess that makes sense given what he’s called. He’s like some creepy demon sommelier. I try not to think about what he eats if a feather isn’t available.

  Another dry-heave explodes out of my throat, and this time, I can’t do much to stop it.

  Tazreel and Lanky are watching him intently, ignoring me as I gag. “She’s very sweet, almost too rich and decadent,” Hoggle says, still chewing, rolling the feather around on his tongue. “There’s a bitterness too that I suspect will linger as an aftertaste for some time. The combination is rare.” He finally swallows it down. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted layers like that before, and I’m the oldest of my clan.”

  Bitter aftertaste? Let me out of this cell and I’ll show him bitter aftertaste. Then again, what exactly do I think I’m going to do to this guy? Flap him to death? That thought conjures the memory of my almost death by doves, and I quickly try to shove it away.

  “Explain,” Tazreel orders.

  “Well, there’s the expected smoky taste that all Abdicated possess, but her mother is a mystery to me. I’ve never tasted the like of it before, but we’re in luck, because I’ve been able to easily pinpoint who her Sire is.”

  When Hoggle doesn’t say anything more, Tazreel’s face turns thunderous. “Spit it out.”

  I can tell Hoggle enjoys keeping this Abdicated on pins and needles. It’s probably the only power exchange where he’s able to come out on top. He gives Tazreel a loaded look. “The Sire is most definitely...you,” he declares with an expression on his face like he just tossed a bomb of information at our feet. Shrapnel goes flying straight into my heart.

  “What?” I shout out at the same time Tazreel bellows his own, “What!”

  “Indeed,” Hoggle states with a nod.

  “No. That’s not possible! I’ve sired no one in my lifetime,” he defends.

  I stare at Tazreel, completely gobsmacked.

  This asshole is my dad?

  3

  “Who sent you?” Tazreel’s screaming voice jars my ears. The sound reverberates around the spiked walls of my cell, pinning me in place.

  “No one sent me!” I scream right back.

  Tazreel growls like a pissy wolf. He turns and paces the dark corridor of the dungeon, his blond wings flickering in the fiery light. “This must be a mistake.”

  “It is no mistake,” Hoggle assures him. “She’s yours.”

  Tazreel cringes, as if the very idea of me being his daughter is disgusting. Well, right back atcha, fucker. “I already had a dad, and it definitely wasn’t you,” I say, sending a scathing look at the pompous jerk.

  He ignores me and starts pulling at his hair, running his hands through the blond locks aggressively. Beside him, Lanky immediately digs into his pocket and passes over a hair comb. I’m fairly certain that it’s made of bones.

  Without a word, Tazreel snatches up the comb and starts to fix his hair, while I look at him like, what the actual fuck?

  “You know what this means,” Hoggle says, arching a ridiculously bushy eyebrow. “You’ll have to host.”

  Tazreel grinds his jaw as he finishes his primping and passes back the comb to Lanky. “Absolutely not.”

  “You must, sir. Not all of course, but the Originals for certain,” Lanky says, eyes wide. “Any time an Abdicated procreates, they must host and present their offspring to the other Nihils. It’s the rules.”

  “I know the rules!” he roars back, making Lanky cower. “I damned well helped write them!”

  “Well, then you know I have to report this,” Hoggle tells him. The glare he gets in return looks like Tazreel is trying to smite him or some shit. I’m really glad I’m not the recipient of it.

  “We host when offspring are birthed. Look at her!” Tazreel shouts, flinging an arm in my direction. “She’s ancient.”

  “Hey!” I snap. “I’m only twenty-eight years old.”

  “In demon years?” he questions.

  “What? No. I don’t fucking know. In regular human years.”

  He stops his pacing and turns to look at me. “Human? What do humans have to do with anything?”

  “My parents were human.”

  “False. Your parents are demons,” the Savor intervenes. “Well, at least one of them was for certain. I can’t imagine that your mother was anything else, but I can’t say for sure. Any pixies in your menagerie?” he asks Tazreel.

  “What? No. How would that even work? They’re three inches tall,” Tazreel snarls at Hoggle, who in turn just shrugs.

  “I’m not one to judge what an Abdicated is into; all I know is, no humans were involved in the creation of this one,” he announces again and gestures to me.

  “I’m getting real tired of you, Hoggle,” I snap at him, not liking the myriad of shit that’s being dumped at my feet to deal with. I thought it was going to be hard accepting which one of my parents fucked a demon or the fact that they kept their demonic or
igins from me. But knowing my mother hooked up with this arrogant windbag...it’s too much.

  The deep shelf of the Savor’s brows lowers in a frown. “What is a Hoggle? My name is Borf.”

  “The point is, this asshole can’t be my father,” I say, nodding at Tazreel, who gives a short, “Agreed.”

  Borf-Hoggle shakes his head, clearly annoyed with our mutual denial. “I must go. I’ll be reporting this, so you should ready yourself,” he tells Tazreel before spinning in a circle and disappearing instantly without a sound.

  I blink as I stare at the place where the goblin-looking demon just was. “Fuck!” Tazreel yells, making both Lanky and me flinch.

  He starts stalking away, but Lanky quickly intervenes. “Sir, you cannot leave your offspring in the dungeon. The other Nihil will never let you live it down.”

  Tazreel stops in his tracks and looks back at me, like he forgot about my actual presence, too disturbed by the crisis of my theoretical existence.

  “Oh, right,” he grumbles with a put-out sigh. “Take her to a room, but I want her watched at all times,” he says harshly, sending me a warning look that promises Hellish retribution if I try anything. “I must get ready. Those Abdicated fucks will be pissing themselves to come here. I haven’t let anyone other than Luce here since the humans’ Black Plague.”

  “That was a fun party,” Lanky chirps.

  I look at him with exasperation, but he just comes forward, grabbing a skeleton key out of his pocket—he probably keeps it right next to the bone comb—and unlocks my cell door.

  I step out into the corridor, lifting my chin up to face Tazreel’s aggressive stare. “I will find out which female birthed you and lied to me,” he promises darkly. “And when I do, she will be punished.”

  My hackles rise. “My parents are dead,” I say again. “My mom did nothing wrong. And for the last time, she was a human.”

  He makes a revolted face again. “I would never lie with a human,” he tells me, looking practically nauseated at the very idea. I bristle. “Which means someone lied to me and stole you away,” he goes on, every word making his austere face grow harder and colder. “She pretended you were a human, and I intend to make her pay.”

  I swallow hard, trying and failing not to shake. I can feel wrath coursing off his skin, and for the first time, my brain really catches up to the fact that this guy is other. Menacing power prickles my senses and tugs at my arm hair. Behind me, my wings snap against my back, like they’re trying to hide beneath my skin.

  “I will find out what you know and mete out judgment,” he promises me. In this case, I have no idea what I should even say back. How do I dig myself out of a hole that I didn’t even know I’d fallen into?

  “I just answered a Help Wanted ad,” I reply lamely. One measly job listing put me right on the path to Hell. How’s that for fair?

  His gray eyes shimmer, catching on the gold speckles. “Who are you? Tell me everything. Now.”

  There’s zero room for argument, and that power of his is back in full force, nearly taking me to my knees. My teeth grit and my body locks as some outside force presses into me.

  I take a deep breath, trying not to let it sound too shaky. “I’m Delta Gates. I’ve always thought I was a human. Never even knew demons existed until a little while ago. My parents were human, Tanya and Ray Gates,” I supply, the words just falling off my tongue without my permission. “I saw an ad for a job to guard a graveyard, but it turned out to be a job to guard a Hellgate. I didn’t know anything before that.”

  An exhale expels out of me with force as my eyes widen. “Did you just…?”

  “Yes,” he answers arrogantly while my blood turns hot.

  My hands curl into fists. “If you could’ve just forced me to tell the truth this whole time, then why didn’t you just question me instead of sticking me down here?” I demand.

  “I do not answer to you, daughter.”

  “I am not your daughter.”

  “Unfortunately, it appears that you are,” he says back to me.

  “No,” I shake my head adamantly. “You said so yourself, you don’t lie with humans.”

  “Correct. Which means someone dumped you on earth to be raised by humans.”

  My mouth drops open. Is that...true? Were my parents...not my parents at all?

  I knew that when the whole I’m a demon truth bomb dropped, that either my mom or dad had kept a secret from me. But I didn’t expect for neither of them to be my blood. Distress soaks through my stomach and churns in the acid. Was my mother other too, or not my mother at all?

  “I will discover the truth,” Tazreel says, but I barely hear him. “Until then, you will be prepped for the party.”

  “I don’t want to go to a fucking party,” I snap, feeling way too overloaded right now. Dealing with Tazreel is enough. I don’t know if I can handle dealing with more of these Abdicated at the same time.

  “Neither do I,” he growls back, like this is my fault. “We will discuss more about how you got here afterward. Until then, do not anger me or step out of line. You may be my offspring, but I will still hang you by your wings if you do anything to displease me.”

  Gee, thanks, pop!

  He turns and stalks away without another word, leaving me behind in the dank, fire-shadowed corridor.

  “This way,” Lanky says at my back.

  I turn and follow him in the other direction where he opens another mystery door out of thin air. We climb a steep set of stairs, and as soon as we reach the top, the lighting is that bright white hue again, making me squint.

  I look around as I follow behind him, our steps muffled by the floor made of sleek black fur. I have no idea what kind of animal this hide is from, but it’s big enough to stretch throughout the entire space of the room, so under no circumstances do I ever want to meet it. All around, there are weapons hung on the gray walls, along with every torture device imaginable.

  “Did you really have to take me through this room?” I ask Lanky while sidestepping a shrine of pliers that are the perfect size for pulling teeth. There’s even a wall at the end of the room where two large clamps hang from a wire. It’s the perfect size to hang someone up by their wings.

  He shrugs, unconcerned at my inner dismay. “This is the shortest route.”

  “Mm-hmm,” I say, not believing him for a second. This was done on purpose, probably on Tazreel’s orders, to scare me and make sure I behave. And I gotta be honest, it’s working.

  Once we leave this room, Lanky takes me into a hallway, the floors and walls made of polished black stone, while the ceiling gleams white. The walls are bare, and there are no windows, but the ceiling seems to be lighting everything up like it’s emanating daylight. We pass a lot of doors, all of them shut tight, and then I follow Lanky up a set of stairs.

  I grip the smooth black banister as we start ascending, but my mind shoots back to the trek down a very different set of stairs. If only I’d stopped the guys right then and there on our way to the Vestibule. If only I’d made us all turn back. I wish so much that I would’ve, because then they’d still be alive.

  They’d be alive, and I’d be with them.

  Unwanted tears try to pool on my bottom lids, but I quickly wipe them away. I can’t break down again and again. My life is in danger here. I don’t know what these Abdicated are going to do to me, so I need to save all my energy on staying alive and getting the hell away. If I can go back, maybe I can find the demons from the other Hellgate, Flint and Alder. Maybe they can help me, or at least tell me who the hell the Ophidian is.

  I can’t keep thinking like I’m Delta Gates, boring human woman. If I’m going to make it out of this, then I need to start thinking like a demon. The wings at my back and the fact that I’m walking through Hell right now proves that. No more fighting what I am.

  It’s time I embrace it.

  4

  The room I get dumped into is very different from the dungeon cell.

  Lanky leaves me
alone as soon as he drops me off at a large white door that stands out against the polished black walls. There are already two demons standing on either side of the door, obviously here fulfilling Tazreel’s decree that I be watched at all times.

  The two of them are huge, probably hired for their sheer size alone. I thought Iceman and Jerif were big, but these two have to be almost eight feet tall. Instead of wings at their backs, they have crisscrossed swords, and the blades are made of that same gleaming black stone as the daggers that the Outer Ringers were using to stab Jerif. I can’t stand to look at them.

  With a quick “stay here” from Lanky, I’m left alone, shut into a room.

  I take a small, relieved breath as I look around. The room has a small entryway, holding a head bust of Tazreel on top of a short red column. Rolling my eyes, I walk past the white marble likeness of his arrogant face and pass through the archway that leads to a large bedroom. My eyes widen as I take everything in. The floor has that same black fur acting as carpet, and there are two other doors on the left, probably leading to a bathroom and closet. But straight ahead, past the black and silver canopy bed, there’s a balcony.

  With a surge of excitement, I rush over to it, flinging open the double French doors. A breeze instantly hits my face as soon as I step out. I gape as I walk up to the railing and look over. It’s night. At least, I think it is, but I really don’t know how these things work in the Center Ring of Hell. Maybe it always looks like this. The sky is black with red pinpricks of light bleeding into the darkness like magma stars. Down below, I can see a huge, winding river that casts off an eerie blue glow.

  As far as I can see, there’s nothing other than the river and a smattering of houses far in the distance, but I can only make out their shadows since there’s no moon in sight. The landscape looks fairly normal, other than the stars that flicker like flames, but there’s a taste to the air...it doesn’t smell or feel the way a breeze does on earth. There’s a sweet taste to it, and it’s...invigorating. Like every breath I inhale is making me stronger, like it’s restoring something in me that I didn’t realize was lacking.