by Julia Mills
“No need to be sorry, Rian. The girls understand,” Sarah Beth, the matriarch of the McKennon family, answered. “We’ve all gotten a little crazy over the ones we love.”
Nodding at the older white witch while keeping a tight leash on his emotions, Rian again started toward the kitchen. He needed to know what the two most powerful witches in the world had been able to find out about the safety of his mate.
Barely in the room before Kyra started to speak without looking up from the Moldavite amulet, Rian moved closer while listening. “It shut off when Mom got about ten feet away from you. The power to use this thing definitely comes from you. I can’t even get it to spark.”
Finally looking up, the tiny platinum-haired witch smiled. “But I can tell you that what you were seeing was an old memory. Really old from the feel of it.” Kyra stopped talking, looked at her mate, and began to bite her bottom lip.
Rian could hear the buzz of the couple speaking directly into one another’s mind. He attempted to listen and found out they were using their unique connection—one he was not a part of. Not willing to waste any more time, he punched Royce in the arm and barked, “Just tell me, dammit. Whatever it is, just tell me. I gotta get going. I have to get Audrey outta there.”
“First of all, you’re going nowhere without all of us, and second, Kyra is positive the Demon Lord was manipulating the memories you saw.”
Kyra picked up right where Royce ended. “I can feel the taint of his magic.” Her lip was curled, her nose crinkled across the bridge, and she shuddered, “It was strong black magic. He was there. The jerk was baiting you. He knows you have serious white magic on your side and he wants it. I can feel the greed and envy he has for your power and your beast. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has some dragon blood in him somewhere, or at least has tasted it. He knows how strong you are. All he needs is your name and I have no doubt he would summon you to hell.”
“You can tell all that from feeling his magic?”
Nodding, eyes wide, Kyra jumped up and walked right up to Rian. “Damn straight. That SOB is made of magic. I would venture to say he’s millions of years old. You don’t get that old without serious mojo from every source you can find. Demons of his level beg, power, and steal magic of all kinds. It’s survival of the fittest and boy oh boy, is Adramelech fit. He’s old. Has been in power a very long time. But don’t mistake strength with smarts. The bastard may be superhero strong but he’s stupid, irresponsible, and greedy. No match for us.”
“Kyra,” Royce sighed and shook his head. “We talked about this.” His last words ended in a growl.
Rian watched as the little witch spun in her toes and marched over to his brother, shaking her finger the whole way. “Do not growl at me, Royce O’Reilly, I swear to...”
Kyra’s next words disappeared in a surprised ‘Oomph’ as Royce threw her over his shoulder and excused them both. The room erupted into laughter as Kyra could be heard yelling, “I swear to the Goddess, I will turn you into a...” right before the door to their room slammed shut.
“Roy is in for it now,” Rory laughed.
“You better watch it, Ror. Kyra’s got good hearing and a deadly aim when she’s pissed,” Lanced teased.
Rian watched Sam smile while cuddled close to Lance’s side. A bone deep envy the Dragon Leader was embarrassed for feeling threatened the tenuous hold he had on his rage. He needed Audrey out of hell. He needed her safe. He just needed...her.
Unwilling to wait for his younger brother to settle his domestic disagreement, Rian turned to the group. “I believe Royce has the right idea. The Guardsmen and I will go to hell.” Holding up his hands to stop the flurry of complaints he saw brewing in the witches’ eyes, the Dragon Leader continued. “This is one mission I can honestly tell you we’re going into blind and I won’t risk any of your lives. We,” he motioned to his brethren, “share a blood bond that allows us to keep tabs on one another. I know y’all are strong and when together, damn near unbeatable, but the fact still remains going to hell quite literally means dousing yourself in pure evil, and I’m not willing to risk your white magic. We’re gonna need everything you’ve got when we bring Audrey and Kayne home.”
He paused and looked around the room. It was now or never; he had to tell them the one thing he’d been holding back. The only thing he thought would keep them from helping him save his mate. Taking a deep breath, Rian spoke the words he’d dreaded saying for as long as he could remember. “There is a demon inside Audrey. It is apparently dormant, but I have no clue what will happen to her when we bring her topside. As devious and scheming as Adramelech is, I can only guess it will try to possess her when out of the Demon Lord’s control.”
Looking directly at Alicia because she knew the kind of bond mates share, he spoke directly from his heart, “I’m gonna need your help to get it out of her. I’m not going to hell and back to save Audrey just to lose her to some damn low level demon Adramelech stuck inside of her.”
Alicia nodded and confirmed what Rian already knew; she was a smart cookie. “And that’s why you always used a Devil’s Trap when you summoned her. Makes sense.” Reassuring him with a smile, she added, “We’ll be here waiting with a Devil’s Trap and Exorcism Rite. Eleanor and Elmer can help us. She had to go back to her coven tonight, but I’ll make sure she’s here when we need her.”
“Thank you,” was all Rian could say. He was truly humbled.
“I believe you are right, Rian. We should stay here,” Calysta agreed, entering the conversation from over his shoulder.
She handed him back the Looking Glass and a large oval shaped Rose Quartz set in polished silver. “You need to keep your mate close and with this,” she tapped the soft pink stone, “you guys will be able to communicate with us up here. You hold great magic—all of you—and we can help you use it to battle whatever you may come up against. I also have this for you.” She held out a small leather bound notebook. “It contains the spells to open Kayne’s coffin and neutralize whatever else is around him. Sarah Beth and I put it together after we rescued Drago. It stands to reason it will work with all of his men considering they were locked away by the same wizards. Their kind like to stick to what they know. I knew we’d need it again, just not so soon, and definitely not in the Underworld.”
Before he could answer, the back door opened and in waltzed Drago and Maddox, laughing and talking like they were attending a party, not a planning session to go to hell. “See Madman, I told you the young’uns wouldn’t leave without us. They need us.”
Deciding to avoid any further complications, Rian agreed, “You know it. We were just waiting on y’all.” To Drago he said, “Alicia said you were resting your eyes. You good to go? We’re outta here at noon tomorrow...or later today, whatever time it is.”
“I’m good.”
“Me too, ya’ little asshole,” Maddox grumbled under his breath before busting out laughing. “I always have your back. I’m a sucker that way.” The entire room erupted into laughter that just as quickly died when dragon magic filled the air around them.
Running to the door, Alicia screamed, “Oh my Goddess!”
Faster than the eye could track, Drago was by her side, sword drawn, sunglasses flying through the air. One look out the window and the Assassin immediately relaxed, yelling through the screen, “Anyone ever tell you to call ahead, young man?”
“Now, where’s the fun in that?” Jace yelled just a few seconds before he and Melanie appeared at the door. “But I will tell you there’s a purple dragon landing in about five minutes. How’s that for calling ahead?”
Opening the door and motioning them in, Sarah Beth hugged her surrogate daughter, Melanie, and kissed her cheek, as well as Jace’s. “I am so glad to see y’all.”
“Jace heard there was trouble and had to come, which meant Liam had to come, so here we are. Tomas and Hollie are off helping the Angels with something but said to call them if you needed them.”
Just as predicted, Liam and
Hannah walked through the door about five minutes later. Rian watched as everyone welcomed the younger couples. About ten minutes into the festivities, Kyra and Royce reappeared, looking no worse for wear.
Rian was speaking to Liam and Jace to see how much they knew and to make sure they were ready for the battle yet to come. It was no surprise when they both said Rory had been keeping them up to date. Royce, who’d made his way over to them, snorted. “That boy is better than CNN. He gets the word out faster and you don’t even need a TV.”
When Melanie and Hannah came to retrieve their mates, Royce pulled Rian into the kitchen where Rory was already at the table, reading Calysta and Sarah Beth’s notes. Rian grabbed a glass of iced tea then sat down between his brothers.
To Rory, he asked, “Anything good?”
“It’s just exactly what they used and taught us to use when we got Drago outta that hole. If Calysta, Kyra, and Sarah Beth think it’ll work, then I have no doubts. You?”
“Not a one,” Rian answered, more than ready to get the show on the road. “Good job telling the young’uns. I wasn’t going to involve them, but I’d imagine with witches for mates, they’re more prepared than I am.”
“I figured you’d be pissed. But Jace and Liam are good.”
“Yeah, they are,” Rian agreed, looking at two of the youngest of the MacLendon Force and two Guardsmen he was glad to have on his side.
“I heard you telling the others only the Guard was going after Audrey and Kayne. How did that go over out here? It pissed Kyra off so bad I had to hold her back.” Royce was watching his mate as he spoke and from the twinkle in his eye, Rian was sure ‘holding Kyra back’ was code for something a whole lot more fun than it sounded.
“Calysta and Alicia agreed so everybody else was good with it. She gave me this amulet and said we can communicate with them while we’re down there.” Rian showed Royce the Rose Quartz pendant.
“Calysta?”
“Yeah, she also gave me the notebook she and Sarah Beth made with all the spells to get Kayne out of whatever God forsaken tomb we find him in.”
Still looking at Kyra, Royce spoke directly into Rian’s mind along their unique link. “What are the chances we’re all coming out of this alive?”
“A hundred percent if I have anything to say about it.”
Then aloud with his dragon rumbling in his head, the Dragon Leader mumbled to himself, “I’ll take nothing less.”
Chapter Nine
Audrey had no idea where she was or how long she’d been locked in the darkness. What she did know was that Adramelech had a sick sense of humor and was taking mental torture to a whole new level. The bastard had locked her away in what the princess could only assume was the deepest darkest hole in hell, with only the glow of Demon Lord TV to keep her company.
He’d somehow bespelled a rectangle shaped piece of stone to show her every move that Rian made. It was pure torment to watch the man she loved more than life itself prepare not only himself, but also his friends and family, to come to save her when she knew it was a trap.
Right after she woke up from whatever Adramelech roofied her with, the princess screamed at the screen until she had no voice. She’d kicked it, hit it, threw rocks at it; even beat it with a large piece of wood, but nothing made the images stop. Down on her knees, Audrey prayed to God, the Heavens, the Universe, the Goddess of All, and any other all-powerful beings who were listening, to somehow let Rian hear her. Her only wish was for him to stay topside and not fall into the Chancellor’s trap.
It was a good thing she was on her knees when Rian lost his temper and threw his brother to the ground. It broke her heart to know she was causing him such pain. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she watched the scene unfold, her only thought that had she never gone to that damned beach all those years ago, Rian would be living his life in blissful ignorance.
Trying to scream with only the tiniest of squeaks coming from her damaged vocal chords, Audrey railed against the Demon Lord who’d kept her a prisoner for so many years. “You stupid piece of crap! Why can’t you see you will never win? I hope my mate and his brethren will beat you down in your own backyard! Just leave him alone! You have me!”
Yelling until she had no voice at all, Audrey collapsed in a heap on the soot covered floor and wept until she had no more tears. Dragging herself onto the dirty cot, the princess covered herself with the threadbare blanket and stared at the ceiling, trying with all her might to block out the images on the screen across her cell.
Her eyes slid shut just as the scrape of stone against stone reverberated off the rock walls of her new accommodations. A half-dead lizard man thing walked in, dropped a tray of food on the table, and left. Whatever it was smelled rancid and made her throw up a little in her mouth.
Rolling over, Audrey covered her ears with her hands and hummed in her head. It seemed nothing worked. She was still drawn to the sound of Rian’s voice. No matter how hard she fought it, she wanted to watch his every move. Wanted to be there with him. Hated Adramelech more every minute he kept them apart.
As if on cue, the horrible, screechy voice of the Demon Lord filled her cell. She had no idea where it was coming from but needed a mute button more than she needed her next breath. “What’s wrong princess? Don’t like your dinner? I’m sorry, but that’s all that was left after the hounds finished their evening meal. I see your mate is still planning to invade the Underworld. I would’ve thought a dragon of his stature was smarter than to think he could best the Chancellor of Hell himself.”
There was a long pause. Audrey prayed Adramelech had crawled back under whatever rock had birthed him but all too soon, he spoke and all she could do was sigh. “I’m sure you figured this out but it bears emphasis.”
Again, he paused and Audrey wished she had just a bit of her voice left to tell him to go away, that she didn’t care. But she didn’t and listened as the Chancellor continued. What she heard made her want to scream her voice away all over again. “I now know your mate’s first name is Rian and he has brothers. I’m one step closer, little princess. One step closer to owning not only your soul, but his too.”
His evil chuckle made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Then he said the one thing she’d been dreading since the first time he tried to beat her mate’s name out of her. “I’m betting that big strapping dragon of yours will be willing to make a deal for your soul. Don’t get me wrong, I had a huge trap set for him and his compatriots. I even raised a few dead hunters and wizards to help me take the mighty Dragon Guardsmen down, but then I had thought. Why kill those dirty do-gooders? That would be a hero’s death. Their souls wouldn’t stay here for me to torture. They would go to the Elysian Fields. Their afterlife would be filled with endless pleasure and that I cannot be a party to.
“So, I put my best people on it and they came up with an iron-clad contract. Oh, it will seem to him as if I’m trading his soul for yours. But you see, they wrote a little clause, a kind of retroactive catch, in very fine print at the bottom. It says if you, my sweet Audrey, have ever broken any of my rules—in any way, shape, or form—you will forfeit your soul. And yes, I can assure you that sneaking out of hell is against my rules.
“I know it’s petty and I know you wish you could rip the heart out of my chest, but when you think about it, you did this to yourself. Oh, and your mate. Let’s not forget about him. You doomed his soul to everlasting torture, too. It sucks, but then again, the greater entity will win. I am after all the Chancellor of Hell. I didn’t get here by being a patsy.
“Now, just lay there on your little cot, in your new little room, and watch your screen. I’ve made sure you won’t miss a minute of the action. And there are no hard feelings. I’m even gonna let you have one last goodbye with lover boy before I take him to the Pit. Sleep tight, darling.”
There was a click of some sort and the bastard was gone. Audrey laid in stunned silence. Her heart was broken and she was all cried out. Her voice was gone. And the
prayers she’d offered to every celestial body she knew of were going unanswered.
Helpless to do anything but look at the man she loved, the princess rolled back over and looked at the stupid screen. Rian was talking to his brothers. She listened as he assured the middle brother they would all make it out of hell alive. It became hard for her to breathe as tears she didn’t know she had wet her cheeks.
Speaking directly to the pure white light that had illuminated her soul from the first moment she’d seen Rian, Audrey said all the things she’d planned to tell him when they were safe and happy topside.
“Rian, I know you said that the dragons believe a man’s mate is the light of his soul, but I’m afraid they have it wrong. You, my love, have been the single brightest spot in my doomed existence. You have made every minute worthwhile by simply loving me and letting me love you. Knowing you were there for me, no matter the time and space that separated us has been my one true joy. You always said you were better for knowing me, but you have it backwards. I will forever be better having just glimpsed your handsome face.
“I now know what all those silly songs you made me listen to when we were together were talking about. At first, I thought you were crazy, but having known you has made the lyrics come to life. Over the years, some of them actually stuck with me. Singing them and thinking of you made the bad times bearable. Lying here watching you prepare to come save me makes me love you more, if that is even possible.
My mother used to brush my hair every night and ask me what I was thankful for. I listed things like the flowers or my new pony, you know, the things little girls think are most important. I would then inevitably ask her what she was thankful for. Her answer was always the same. She would look at me, kiss the top of my head, and say, “Oh, Audrey, my cup runneth over.” I never knew what that meant until I met you. With you, Rian O’Reilly, not only my cup, but also my heart and soul runneth over. You, dear man, make life worth living, even in hell.
Audrey paused and wiped the tears from her face. She blew out a long breath and looked at the moisture on her hand. It was the representation of her life. A mixture of happy and sad tears, each one signifying the good and the bad that not just she, but every person, no matter where they were, had to endure to truly live.
