Inescapably Hellbound (Spells That Bind Book 5)

by Cassandra Lawson

  “Someone used a spell on Persephone,” I growled. “All evidence points to you or one of your offspring. I suggest you tell me what you know before I snap your neck.”

  Her blue eyes widened, and she gripped my wrist as she struggled to free herself. Her feet kicked in the air. “Lucifer,” she gasped. “Help me.”

  Lucifer laughed in response and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “What is going on here?” Hera demanded as she raced toward us. “Put her down at once, Hades. Have you lost your mind?”

  “Lost my mind?” I asked with a bark of laughter. “That happened long ago, Hera. The only thing keeping me close to sane recently has been Persephone. Now, someone has used a spell to change her feelings for me. Does that sound like anyone you know?”

  “Didn’t do it,” Aphrodite forced out as she struggled to breathe.

  “Then who was it?” I demanded.

  “Tell him to put her down at once!” Hera ordered Lucifer.

  It was Ares who responded. “Poor Hera. You seem to have forgotten that you don’t give Lucifer orders.”

  “You’re looking more clear-headed than I’d expected,” Lucifer remarked as he approached Hera with narrowed eyes. “Someone was trying to start a rebellion and gain Hades’s help recently. It was a stupid move, considering Hades is much more loyal to me than any of you. He also knows how I deal with traitors. He doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of my anger.”

  I grinned as I tightened my hold on Aphrodite’s neck. “It’s not pretty. Lucifer isn’t nearly as kind as I am.”

  “I’ve ignored the rebellion attempts from Olympus because none of them have ever gone anywhere, but I won’t ignore this one,” Lucifer told Hera. “Persephone is a good friend of my queen, your queen. Tell me who cast the spell on her before I start killing you all.”

  “Eros,” Aphrodite said in a strained voice. Her face was turning blue, and she’d lose consciousness if I didn’t let her go.

  I tossed her across the courtyard like a rag doll and stalked after her. “Your son?” I demanded. “You tell me you’re not involved, yet your son is plotting against Persephone?”

  “I don’t know that it’s him,” she replied, still gasping. “He told me his lead-tipped arrows had gone missing when I asked him why he was making more.”

  “Those arrows would only work for Eros, so he must be involved,” I deduced.

  “They could be used in a spell,” Aphrodite added. “I’ve used them before, but the results are unpredictable.”

  “Where is Eros?” Lucifer demanded.

  “I haven’t seen him in days,” Ares responded. “That’s not unusual. He doesn’t go out much anymore.”

  “I’ll call Rainer and update him on what we know so far,” I told Lucifer. It was also an excuse to make sure Persephone was safe.

  “What?” Rainer’s curt greeting was nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Keep an eye out for Eros,” I told him. “He’s missing, and we suspect he’s responsible for the spell.”

  “All right.” His distracted tone worried me.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Persephone had a meltdown and took off,” he admitted. “I’ve got others looking for her.”

  “She didn’t go home?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” he replied. “She just left Bliss a few minutes ago. I’m heading to her place now.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed. “I’m on my way.”

  Without waiting for a response, I ended the call. I’d kill Rainer if anything happened to Persephone.

  “Persephone?” Lucifer asked.

  “Missing,” I replied before turning to leave. Lucifer could handle what was happening on Olympus without me. My gut told me Persephone was in danger.

  Chapter 94

  Persephone

  I felt hunted as I drove out of the parking garage. The crowded streets were the only thing keeping my speed under the limit. I had no doubt Rainer would follow me. At least, I could be thankful that he couldn’t fly in the human realm. I’d been a fool from the beginning. I should have left Hades alone. Instead, I’d allowed myself to be sucked into his dangerous world. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I realized I couldn’t even call my best friend. Beatrice was one of them.

  My phone rang, and the speaker in my car alerted me it was a call from my mom. I breathed a sigh of relief. She would help me.

  “Mom!” I said a little too loudly.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, sounding panicked.

  “The fallen angels are after me,” I replied.

  “Which fallen angels?” my mom asked.

  “All of them. They won’t let me break up with Hades. You were right about them.” I slammed on my brakes when I nearly ran a red light. “Rainer tried convincing me I’m under the influence of some spell, but I don’t believe him. I need to hide.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” she soothed. “Did you and Hades have a fight?”

  “No,” I replied, trying to get my panic under control. “I just realized that I don’t love him. You have to help me, Mom. They’re going to try to make me go back to Hell.”

  There was a long pause on the other end of the line before my mom responded. “Where are you?”

  “In my car. I don’t know where to go,” I was struggling to hold back my tears. I needed to focus on driving, but it was hard when I was looking over my shoulder, afraid someone was following me.

  “Where exactly are you at?” my mom pushed. “I want to find a place we can meet.”

  “I’m in Oakland still,” I told her. “Traffic is horrible. I’m only about five blocks from Bliss.”

  “Take the portal by twelfth street and get off at the first exit,” she told me. “I’ll meet you there.”

  “What if there’s a line?” I asked. “Rainer will be looking for me.”

  “It’s okay, baby,” she soothed. “I’ll take care of everything. Don’t be afraid.”

  “I’ll try,” I replied in a quiet voice. “I’m so sorry I didn’t trust you about the fallen angels. What have I gotten myself into?”

  “It’s going to be okay,” she insisted. “I need to get off the phone so I can get to the portal to meet you. I promise you’ll be safe.”

  “I love you, Mom,” I said with a sob.

  “I love you, too,” she replied before ending the call.

  I hoped there wasn’t a long line at the transport tube. Dread washed over me when I turned the corner and all the other drivers pulled to the side of the road.

  “This isn’t right.”

  The words had barely left my lips when an SUV sped out of a parking garage and slammed into the side of my car.

  Chapter 95

  Hades

  My phone was ringing over and over in my pocket, so I landed to take the call, in case it was urgent news about Persephone. I didn’t recognize the number.

  “What?” I demanded in a curt tone.

  “Hades, it’s Demira.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. Demira could help with Persephone. “I’m glad you called. Something’s wrong with Persephone. It’s a spell.”

  “I know,” she replied. “I just spoke to her. Do you have any idea what kind of magic was used on her?”

  “Fallen angel,” I replied with certainty. “Everything is pointing to Eros. At the very least, his lead-tipped arrows were used. This is my fault.”

  “We don’t have time for any melodramatic crap,” was her irritated response. “We need to focus on getting my daughter to safety and dealing with the spell. She’s panicking. The arrows shouldn’t cause the paranoia she’s having.”

  “According to Aphrodite, when used in a spell, the results are unpredictable,” I explained. “Do you have any idea where she is?”

  “I’m on my way to meet her,” she replied.

  “Where will you be?” I demanded.

  “The safest place I can think of is the Council of Witches’ offices in San Ramon,” sh
e replied.

  It was a good plan. Once Persephone was inside the building, she’d be surrounded by powerful witches. Someone also might be able to find a way to reverse the spell. Fallen angel spells differed from witch spells, making it hard for a witch to counteract one, but it wasn’t impossible.

  “I’ll continue looking for Eros,” I told her. “Call me when you get Persephone to safety.”

  “You will meet us at the council building,” she snapped. “I lost my sister because you weren’t there to protect her when Poseidon came after her. Regardless of what my daughter thinks she’s feeling now, she loves you and she needs you, so get your feathered ass over there now!”

  “Okay,” I replied because she was right. Protecting Persephone had to be my top priority. “I’ll head there now.”

  “Wait!” She sounded panicked.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I activated the tracking spell on her phone,” Demira explained. “She’s not heading in the direction of the transport tube I told her to take. Something’s wrong.”

  Chapter 96

  Persephone

  “Wake up, ugly little witch.”

  That command was followed by an annoying giggle. I struggled to open my eyes, but it wasn’t easy. The last thing I remembered was a loud crash before my car’s airbags deployed. I felt the soft grass beneath me and the warm sunlight on my face. That meant I wasn’t in a hospital or lying in the middle of the street.

  When I finally managed to force my eyes open, a woman with long brown hair and turquoise eyes was watching me. “Who are you?” I asked.

  Her smile turned into a frown of irritation. “What do you mean? How can you not recognize me?” She waited for my response before snapping at me. “Psyche! I’m Psyche.”

  “As in Eros and Psyche?” I asked.

  “Why do people always put his name first?” she grumbled. “I’m the one who was so beautiful that men worshipped me. A god chased after me.”

  “Stop boring her to death,” another woman snapped as she approached us. “Why don’t you brush your hair or something?”

  Psyche stood and smoothed her tunic before flipping her hair and responding. “It wouldn’t hurt you to put some effort into your appearance.”

  The woman beside me glared at Psyche as she stalked off to a nearby tent. I took that time to study the woman, who I suspected was a bigger danger to me. She wore jeans and a red sweater that opened in the back for her wings. She stood around six feet tall with short black hair that stuck out from under her tarnished helmet.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry,” the woman said in a kind voice. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Athena. I’ve been trying to get to you. I’m going to try to protect you from Hades, but I may need more help.”

  “Where am I?” I asked as I gingerly sat up. Nothing seemed to be broken, though I was a little sore.

  “As close to Heaven as we can get,” she replied before closing the distance between us and handing me my phone. “Call Azrael. He can help us keep you safe.”

  I shook my head and stood. “You’re one of them. Why should I trust you? Besides, you were involved with the threat to me, the one that Hades used as an excuse to get me to go to the demon realm.”

  “Threat?” she asked. “Why would I threaten you?”

  “Did she call him yet?” Hera asked as she landed close to us. “Hades was pissed when he stopped by Olympus. He’s looking for Eros now.”

  “Good luck with that,” Athena scoffed. “That fool is off watching some marathon of old romance movies.”

  “Why is Hades looking for Eros?” I asked as I started to back away. Something definitely wasn’t right. “Lead-tipped arrows, like from the myths.”

  “I guess she’s not as dumb as she looks,” Hera said with a laugh. “Now, be a good girl and call Azrael to save you.”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied before pulling my power around me and sending it lashing out at Athena. The blast knocked her back, but she quickly righted herself and raised a sword of red flames to send a jolt of power into my body.

  I fell back as the air left my lungs. Lying on the ground, I gasped and tried to get my breath back. I needed to get up and defend myself.

  Athena grabbed me by my hair and dragged me to my knees. “I’m done playing games with you. Call Azrael, or I’ll start slicing off pieces of your body to send to him.”

  “My phone,” I uttered. “You have my phone.”

  “Yes,” Athena replied with a frown. “You saw me trying to give it to you.”

  “I’ll call him,” I lied. I had no intention of helping Athena, but I needed to stall her. Once I didn’t meet my mom, she’d activate the tracking spell on my phone. The fallen angels probably hadn’t even considered the possibility of a tracking spell. Few witches could cast one and follow it back to its source. My mother happened to be among those few. If I stalled Athena long enough, help would come. The problem with my plan was that I’m a terrible liar. I had to avoid telling the truth without actually lying.

  She handed me my phone, and I swiped the screen before entering the code—the wrong code. “That’s not it,” I said quietly.

  “Are you playing games with us?” Hera demanded.

  “I was in a car accident,” I reminded her. “What is my code?”

  The game would only work for so long. With any luck, help would arrive soon. I was a good fighter, but not good enough to take on two fallen angels. I planned to hold off on calling Azrael as long as possible. I didn’t want to find out how they planned to use me to get the angel of death to fight on their side.

  Chapter 97

  Hades

  Demira didn’t seem happy about having me carry her while we flew toward Persephone, but she was willing to do anything to save her daughter, something we had in common. Ares was also with me. Lucifer had gotten a lead on Eros and gone to find him. If one of his arrows had been used in the spell, he’d likely be able to reverse it.

  “They’re just up ahead,” Demira told us as we neared the mountain closest to Heaven.

  Ares said what I was thinking. “We flew all that way, only to fly nearly all the way back to Olympus. Why are they here?”

  “Azrael,” I replied softly. “Unless I’m mistaken, they’ve set their sights higher than taking over Hell. They want Azrael to get them into Heaven.”

  “Then they’ve lost their minds,” Ares told me.

  I still found it hard to believe Ares was on my side. My distrust of him was partly why I was going to call for back-up. I landed on the closest hill to where Persephone was being held.

  “What are you doing?” Demira demanded.

  “Calling for back-up,” I told her as I took my phone from my pocket.

  Lucy answered on the first ring. “Where are you?”

  “We’ve located Persephone,” I replied. “She’s on the mountain closest to Heaven.”

  “We’ll be there soon.” Lucy didn’t give me a chance to reply before ending the call.

  “You should stay here,” I told Demira. “If you come with us, it might distract Persephone if she needs to fight.”

  “Screw that,” Demira snapped. “I’m going with you.”

  I could leave her there. She needed either me or Ares to fly her to the next mountain. Not only was it impossible to walk with the jagged rocks between the mountains, but she might not be able to see it once we left her. The mountain had powerful magic protecting it. My fallen angel magic made it visible to us, but it could simply fade from her view once I left. With a nod, I made a decision I might regret. “Let’s go.”

  If Demira was hurt, Persephone might never forgive me, but Demira had been helpless to save her sister. I wouldn’t take away her chance to help save her daughter.

  Chapter 98

  Persephone

  “Enough with your stupid games!” Hera shouted after my fourth unsuccessful attempt to unlock my phone.

  I’d been trying to say a
s little as possible while I continued to enter the wrong code, pausing for long stretches between each attempt.

  “That’s what this is, isn’t it?” Athena demanded.

  “Ugly witches always lie,” Psyche chimed in, having rejoined us.

  She had several other fallen angels with her. All looked bedraggled and nearly feral. I didn’t recognize any of them, but there were more than a dozen, both male and female.

  Psyche grated on my nerves more than Athena or Hera. Since I’d been homeschooled, I’d had little experience with the mean girl type. There were definitely witches who fell into that category. Even with my limited experience, I hated women like Psyche. She was trying to bring me down to make herself feel good.

  Tossing my phone on the ground, I stalked toward Psyche. I wasn’t surprised when Athena stepped back to watch with interest. She knew I couldn’t run away and that I wasn’t a real threat. I could also tell she liked Psyche about as much as I did. After hearing about the arrows, I suspected Psyche’s only role in this plot was to steal them from Eros.

  When I was standing directly in front of her, I looked her up and down before laughing. “If you think you’re going to make me feel bad with your insults, you are sadly mistaken. You are one of the ugliest people on the inside I’ve ever met.”

  “Ugly?” Psyche screeched. “There is nothing ugly about me, you trashy little whore.”

  “Oh, I’m the whore?” I asked with a laugh. “Aren’t you only here because you gave it up to Eros to gain immortality?”

  “Enough of this!” Athena shouted.

  “My love affair with Eros is the stuff of legends,” Psyche argued.

  I needed to push her past the verbal sparring. Athena wasn’t amused with us throwing insults at each other, and it wouldn’t keep her distracted from pushing me to contact Azrael. Hera seemed enthralled with the drama, but something told me she wasn’t in charge. “Love affair?” I scoffed. “The only love affair you’ve ever had was with your mirror. If Eros loves you so much, where is he? I don’t see him here helping you with this big plan. Face it, Psyche, you’re a washed up old hag living in the past.”