by Maggie Walsh
“How?” Hades asked in shock, his eyes wide.
Micah thought back to four days ago.
* * * *
Four days ago
He was sitting in his office doing research on his computer when he came across something very interesting, but he knew he could not trust what he was reading. He needed confirmation. Micah grabbed his cell phone and hit a few buttons, then put it to his ear. “Hey, it’s Micah. Can you come to my office?” He then pulled the phone away and hung up.
A few second later, Laylen walked through the wall to his right. “What’s up, Micah?”
“Can a hellhound be killed?”
Laylen raised his brow at the question as he moved closer and leaned a hip against Micah’s desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, but it’s not easy.”
“How do you kill one, and what happens to them when they die?” Micah asked as he sat back in his chair, his gaze locked with Laylen’s.
“Only an angel sword can kill a hellhound, and I don’t understand what you mean by what happens to them when they die. What are you looking for?”
“So the only thing that can kill them is this angel sword. How does someone get one of those? Go to the heavens and ask an angel?”
Laylen smiled as he chuckled. “No. Not just anyone can have an angel sword. They are specifically given to Zeus’s army of angels only. An angel soldier or Archangel.”
“A soldier angel turned into part demon to police the Underworld maybe?” Micah looked at Laylen hopefully.
Laylen smirked. “Yes. All of the Legion Warriors have angel swords.”
“So, when you kill a hellhound with this sword what happens beside the beast dying?”
“Well, first off, it’s probably the hardest thing in hell besides Lucifer to kill. They were made specifically by the gods, given great power, to aid Lucifer in keeping control and balance. Wait, are you…their power. You want to know what happens to that power,” Laylen said, and Micah nodded.
Laylen ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I will tell you, but first I must warn you, Micah, what you are asking, what you are seeking to do, is very dangerous. There is nothing and no one in all of hell or the underworld with greater power than a hellhound, except for Lucifer himself. Those creatures hold immense power, that is why it is so hard to kill them. But if someone were lucky enough to defeat one of them, that person would then gain the hound’s powers upon its death, and that is why it is so dangerous. That amount of power would be too great for most to contain inside them.”
“Even a demigod?” Micah questioned.
Laylen remained quiet for a moment, just staring at Micah. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “No. A demigod would be able to harness that amount of power. But I must also warn you, that whoever stabs a hellhound with an angel sword, killing it, must be very careful not to ingest any of the beast’s blood.”
Micah’s brows rose. “Why is that?”
“Because if the one who defeated the hound and gains his powers also takes the hound’s blood into him, that being would also gain the hellhound’s soul,” Laylen replied cautiously.
Micah’s eyes now widened, stunned at what Laylen just told him. “So, does that mean this person would now only be able to die by angel sword, as well?”
“That’s exactly what I am saying.”
* * * *
Three days ago
“I think you may be certifiably insane, Prime, but I like how you think. And people think I’m crazy,” Lucifer said as he walked across his living room to the bar and went behind it. “What’s your poison?”
“I could really use a Scotch right now,” Micah said as he joined Lucifer and sat in one of the stools in front of the bar, watching as Lucifer filled their glasses, then handed one to him.
“Here’s to crazy assholes like us and even crazier ideas,” Lucifer said in salute and raised his glass. Micah raised his and clanked it against Lucifer’s, then they both brought their cups to their lips and downed the contents in one shot. “Another?”
Micah nodded. “Hit me again. I may need the liquid courage to do what I came here for.”
Lucifer smirked at him as he poured them each more of the amber liquid. “I doubt it. You, my friend, have the biggest balls of anyone I have ever met, and I have been around for an extremely long time. Well, you and Zeus have the biggest balls, but then again, I would say yours are bigger because he’s a fucking god and you are a mortal willing to make such great sacrifices. That is a hell of a lot braver than anything Zeus ever did. Even when he went up against his father and the other Titans, he holds powers that you could never even dream of and had others just like him to fight by his side. But you, and what you are asking, and willing to do, you have even Zeus beat. So when would you like to do this?”
Micah drank the shot in his glass then placed it back on the bar as he met Lucifer’s gaze. “I say it’s now or never.”
“That’s the spirit,” Lucifer said excitedly as he raised his glass in a salute, then downed the contents. He slammed the glass down on the bar’s surface as he swallowed. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Me, too,” Micah replied softly.
Lucifer moved from behind the bar and stood in the center of the room as Micah swiveled around on the stool to watch. “Fluffy!”
Micah’s eyes went wide. “Fluffy is your favorite, your pet, Lucifer. I can’t ask you to do that,” Micah objected.
“You’re not asking, I am. There’s no other hellhound in all of creation stronger or more powerful than my Fluffy. He is the king of the hellhounds and would be the best choice for what you are seeking. If Fluffy agrees to this, and I will give him the choice, then this will seal the deal in my eyes that you, Micah Angel, are not only the craziest motherfucker but the bravest, and I am honored to call you friend and be a part of your family,” Lucifer declared.
Just as he finished speaking, the large, scary, ferocious hellhound appeared by his side. Fluffy lowered his head in a bow to Lucifer and Lucifer lifted a hand and ran it across the beast’s large muzzle. Fluffy looked up, and their gazes met. After a few minutes, Fluffy’s gaze shifted to him, and Micah could see something like pride in those black pools. Fluffy looked back to Lucifer and nodded
“It is your choice, my friend. Whichever you decide, I will accept and honor your decision,” Lucifer said as he ran his hand along Fluffy’s side.
Fluffy rubbed his large head against Lucifer’s stomach, then walked toward Micah. Their gazes met again, and Fluffy bowed, then he sat on his hindquarters and lifted his head, exposing his throat to Micah.
Micah took a deep breath, then stood and walked to the table where he had left Laylen’s angel sword when he first arrived here in Lucifer’s home. He grasped the hilt and raised the blade in front of his face, moving his gaze up its length. He then turned to face the beast and slowly walked to stand before it. “Thank you for your sacrifice. I promise that I will honor it until my dying breath.” Micah then raised the blade and swung it in a high arc, and as he brought it down, it sliced across the hound’s throat, taking off Fluffy’s head. Black blood spurt and poured from its neck, the spray covering Micah’s face. Once it was done, Micah lowered the blade, opened his eyes, then licked his lips, cringing at the taste.
“You are one badass, man,” Lucifer said as he walked to stand beside Micah. He lifted his arm, and with his other hand, he forced claws from his fingertips, then sliced his wrist. He held it out toward Micah. “I give some of myself to you, as well, to aid in your quest. With the addition of my blood, your mortal body will be able to contain Fluffy’s powers within you. Just a few drops will do the trick.”
* * * *
Two days ago
Micah walked into the game room to find Taylor sitting on the couch watching a movie. He went to the sofa and sat beside him. “Can I have a minute, Taylor?”
Taylor looked over at him, then grabbed the remote and turned off the television before looking back a
t Micah. “From the tone of your voice, I’m guessing this is serious. All right, so what’s up?”
“What I am about to tell you stays between us,” Micah said and gave Taylor a pointed look.
“Of course. You have my word,” Taylor promised.
Micah explained everything that he learned about the hellhounds, the angel sword, and everything that he had done.
Taylor’s eyes filled with horror as his brows dropped low and his mouth opened in a perfect O. “You did what? Are you crazy? What if it kills you? What about Jesse? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Taylor rushed out a barrage of questions.
Micah smiled and took Taylor’s hand. “Thank you, Tay, for always being such a wonderful friend and brother. I’m fine. Actually, I feel better than I have ever felt before, more powerful.”
Taylor scoffed. “Well, no shit.”
“This will not affect Jesse in any way. I checked with Lucifer first and made sure I covered all the angles before I did it. I am telling you because you are the Guardian, the protector of the Heart. When we meet Hades and Minos in the field of battle, if something happens to me and I am about to die, I want you to do whatever you have to do to get to me and siphon all my powers.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you. Don’t even think like that, Micah,” Taylor protested as his eyes filled with tears.
“We are about to face the biggest, strongest force of our lives. Even with all our powers and a few demigods on our side, Hades still stands a god. Now I know I plan on fighting to the death, and I know all of you are, too, but I need you to promise me that if I am about to die, you will get to me and siphon my powers. Then use them to protect the Heart, my heart, Jesse, and the others. Can you do that for me, Taylor?”
“Of course, Micah. I will do whatever you ask, but don’t you dare die on me, you little asshole,” Taylor huffed as he pulled his hand away and crossed his arms over his chest, and a few tears rolled down his cheek.
Micah threw his head back and laughed. Once he controlled himself, he looked back to Taylor, then sat forward, wrapped his arms around him, and placed a kiss on his head. “Thank you, brother. And thank you for coming into my life. I don’t know how I ever lived before you and Jesse came here.”
Micah pulled back and met Taylor’s gaze. Taylor gave him one of his smart-ass smiles. “That’s because you didn’t. Before we came, you all were dull and just moped around pulling on your own dicks. Now you’re all hot and alive and making your mates scream with pleasure.”
Micah chuckled. “You’re the best, Taylor.”
Chapter Eight
Micah lifted his front paw, and long, sharp claws the length of a football field stood out from the tips. Quickly he slashed his paw out, catching Hades across the chest, ripping flesh and leaving behind four large gashes.
Hades screeched, then attacked, throwing his body against Micah and wrapping his arms around him. Micah raised up on his hind legs and now stood a few feet over Hades and pushed back. Most of the bodies that littered the ground beneath them where they presently stood were those of Hades men, but Micah knew a few of his own lay below, and he didn’t want to do more damage.
He fought with all his will against Hades’s strength and managed to push him back. Micah looked down and noticed they were now close to the lake that sat five miles from his home and clear of any people. His two heads barked and snapped in Hades’s face, and Hades pulled his head back trying to get out of the way of Micah’s sharp teeth.
The ash that floated around them was getting in his eyes, and Micah shook his heads. He called upon the powers that Fluffy had given him and a burst of energy shot through him. His claws got longer as well as his teeth and Micah snapped, closing his jaw around Hades’s throat. He bit down with all the strength and heard a sickening pop as his teeth sank through flesh, tearing and ripping painfully. Hades screamed, and the ground beneath them shook violently.
Hades tightened his hold on Micah, crushing him and Micah felt bones snap. He pushed harder with his hind legs, and Hades lost his balance. The two tumbled to the ground with Hades on the bottom and crashed into the earth, causing a great crater as ash and soot flew high into the air. Micah braced himself for impact and drew back slightly from Hades as they hit. He could hear and feel the breath rush out of Hades’s lungs.
Micah took the moment of Hades’s weakness and pulled his teeth free, but immediately plunged them back in, sinking deep. His mouth was flooded with more blood this time than the last, and he was sure he sliced through an artery. At the same time, using Fluffy’s powers, he forced his claws to lengthen again and rammed them through Hades’s sides.
Hades cried out in agony, the sound piercing Micah’s ear and they began to ring. Hades’s body started to heat, then became inflamed as Hades pushed out his power and created a fire around himself. Micah tried to stay, but the pain was too great. He released his hold on Hades, tearing flesh as he jumped back and moved out of the crater they had created.
Hades flew up out of the hole and thrust his hands forward, shooting an energy blast at Micah. He saw the wall of electricity-charged air coming toward him and tried to scramble away, but it hit him in the hind leg, and Micah howled.
Hades attacked, jumping on his back. He grabbed one of Micah’s heads between his hands and started pounding it against the earth. The second head turned and bit into the hand nearest, and Hades yanked it away but thrust a fireball at it.
Micah pushed up, and a great power flew from him, sending Hades reeling into the air. Micah scrambled to his feet and shook his head, extinguishing the fire. He saw Hades catch himself and land on his feet. The two faced each other with blood dripping from everywhere. “Why won’t you just die?” Hades seethed.
A thought of Noah from the past slammed into his mind along with Taylor’s last words, and something Aurora had told them. Then a vision of the field that night when they all joined in a circle, using one another’s powers against Shelby’s father, flashed across his memory, and suddenly Micah knew what he had to do. More visions began to race past his thoughts, flying by like a movie on speed mode. Occasionally one would stop for a moment, then flicker past. They were all there—Dante, Raith, Lexi, Viktor, Taylor, Evan, and his father. The visions of all their smiling faces and the things they had all shared kept coming. The happy moments full of laughter and love.
They say that in everyone’s life there comes a time when their whole life flashes before their eyes, and this was his. But it was telling him something. Something very important. Something he would need right now. The last vision was of Jesse, his beautiful mate. He was standing in their bedroom in all his naked glory, with the most beautiful smile on his face as Jesse looked at him. “Gods I love you, Micah.” Immense power began to churn inside him, and Micah allowed the shift to take over and regain his human form, but he still stood as tall as Hades.
“You said we could call upon our friends. So I call on my mother-in-law. Aurora!” Micah screamed.
Suddenly a flash of lightning burst down from the heavens and crashed into the ground beside Micah, and Aurora stood there smiling brightly at him. “You have learned well, son,” she said with pride. “But know that I cannot give you aid. I’m sorry.”
Micah returned the smile. “I didn’t call you here to help me, Goddess. I called upon you to ask if what I am thinking will work.”
“Aurora, you can not interfere with Fate,” Hades yelled.
She turned her attention to him and smirked. “And I am not. I, along with the other gods know that for this battle to truly be won, we cannot interfere or give aid. Micah and his family must stand together and defeat you on their own.”
An evil smile crossed Hades’s lips, and he began to chuckle. “Then he has already lost because they all lay dead and as powerful as he is, you know he still cannot win against me.”
“True, but I also know that he can call upon his friends,” Aurora said and gave Micah a pointed look.
It was what he was waiting
for. Micah turned to face Hades and pulled on all the powers of his loved ones. Using Raffy and Shay’s omega powers, he boosted Taylor’s powers, then grabbed Jesse and Demi’s powers and merged them with Taylor’s. Micah felt Lucifer’s blood churning within and grasped onto those powers, as well, and joined them with the others. His eyes turned pure white, and light flashed from within, hitting Hades. Micah then pulled on Storm’s powers and sent them into Hades’s mind, scrambling his brain. Hades clutched his head between his hands and started screaming.
Micah called on Bailey, and suddenly a line of Micah’s formed around Hades, circling him. The eyes of each of his doppelgangers then turned white to match his, and their beams pierced the air, and all landed on Hades. Micah forced Taylor’s power of absorption out into the beams and felt Hades’s powers leave his body and enter his own. He gasped as the force hit him. He had never felt so much power in his life. His body was blazing with it, and Micah wondered if it would consume him in the end. Surely one body couldn’t contain this much energy.
Hades suddenly dropped before him, shrinking back to his human size. Micah let the powers flow through him, and he released the other Micah’s, allowing them to disappear as he descended back to the earth and into his normal human size. Micah stepped forward, stopping only feet from where Hades lay squirming and writhing on the ground. He held up one hand and called on Noah, instantly knowing the fae spell that Noah had used.
“As Noah so eloquently put it, you no hurt nobody anymore,” Micah said, then began the chant that Noah used on Christoph so long ago. Light flew from his palm and hit Hades directly in the chest. Hades’s hands dropped to his throat as he choked, his eyes bulging as his mouth dropped open and gurgling sounds came from his within. Suddenly, blood started to pour from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Hades’s head turned crimson red as blood poured down his face from his hairline. Micah said the spell again with more force, calling on the powers of all he loved, and Hades’s clothes became soaked as they too turned red and he started to bleed from every pore.
