by Angel Lawson
“Is he?” she asks through a grimace. “Is that the truth? Or did you lose him? Did you lose him with your inadequacies? Your promiscuous ways? Your lack of focus and suspicion? Did you turn him away when he needed you the most and he found refuge instead, with—”
I slam the blade into her chest, straight through her heart. I yank it out and stab her again, over and over, until blood pools around us, thick and black, not human—harpy blood. It’s sticky and rank. It covers my arms and my legs, and even then, I can’t stop. I won’t stop. “Damn you to hell for eternity,” I cry, lifting the blade over my head, prepared to stab her lifeless body one last time, when a strong hand cinches around my wrist, stopping the blow.
I cry out in frustration and look back. I’m not alone. Wide black wings fill the room and Agis stares down at me incredulously, his face twisted in confusion. I have no strength left as he wrestles the blade from my hand.
For a long beat we stare at one another. I’m blood-soaked. He’s covered in dirt and sweat. Both of us wear the refuse of battle. He looks down at Victorine’s body; no longer recognizable. Her hair is matted with blood, her face coated in the spray of my fury.
Every single word she said about me was true. I’d done all of those things to Agis. I drove him to this. If I hadn’t sent him away, he would have been with me at Miya’s garden when the gate opened, he would have never been caught in Lucifer’s game.
And I’d just killed, no, slaughtered, the person that saved him.
What will he do to me?
“Hildi?” he asks, my name soft as a whisper.
“Yes,” I reply in an equal tone. We’re like two wild animals facing off in the woods. Friend or foe?
The tension leaves his face, his eyes clear, and as he falls to his knees he exhales, “Thank the gods.”
I reach for him, but his body turns limp and he slumps to the side, falling and cracking his head on the stone floor. My response if feral, a scream that starts deep in my chest and echoes in my ears. It’s too much, everything is too much, and as if my mind and body both know it, the fifth circle swallows us whole.
34
Luke
One minute I’m gushing blood, being flown away with the help of a tiny but surprisingly strong fairy, deep in the fifth circle, and the next I feel like there’s a cord attached to my spine, yanking me from one realm to the next.
I find myself in a dark, warm room, walls and floors made of obsidian. I touch my neck, feeling for the wound but it’s gone, as is the presence of the wings. My clothes are different—clean. A dark tunic and black leather pants.
A wide window spans the wall, giving a view of a city glowing in the dark expanse, dark towers dotted with light. Sunlight never graces the City of Dis.
That’s right. I’ve been called home.
“Luke,” my father calls, and I turn to face his large desk. It’s also black, carved onyx with gold inlay. “I see you made it.”
There’s criticism in his tone. We took too long. We caused him more trouble than he expected. I have no doubt he underestimates the Valkyrie. I know I did.
“The final circle was difficult. The God of Death was very entrenched.”
My father watches me closely. To the outside observer he’s a strikingly handsome man. Dark hair and piercing eyes. Lips quick to turn into a smile. A layer of stubble accentuates his cheekbones and jawline. He’s charming and seductive. All the things that create a legend—or build up a god.
But I see his true face.
As he can see mine.
“Despite the delay,” he says, “I’m impressed with your work. In a short period of time you managed to get in the Immortals inner circle, gain their trust, and infiltrate their leader.”
Compliments are hard to come by with my father. I puff out my chest. “Thank you.”
He leans back in his seat. “And the Valkyrie trusts you?”
I fight a smug laugh as I think of her body pressed against mine, my cock sheathed in her warmth and her tongue hot in my mouth. “Yes, undoubtedly.”
“Good,” he nods, rubbing his chin. “When I first heard the Immortals were replacing the Guardians, I thought things would be easier. The Immortals…they have spent many lifetimes creating chaos and thriving in their sins. The Guardians…not so much. They prefer the path of righteousness. I assumed the Immortals could be swayed. Only Roland and Marshal took the bait and the knight…well, he was already compromised.”
I listen as my father recounts the pieces of the game board; he’s been moving them around for months.
“Where is Roland?” I ask.
“Close. I’m sure he’s mourning the loss of Victorine.”
I’d felt it—her death—it’s what broke Agis from the circle’s hold.
“Her sacrifice will only solidify his loyalty.” His eyes flick toward the window. “I’d hoped I could bring the others to my side as they fought through the circles, as they struggled with their vices.”
“They’re different,” I tell him. “Changed. They believe in this cause.”
They believe in her, I want to say, but swallow the words.
“They would have been a nice addition to my army, but they’re not needed. My soldiers are impatient for the next phase. They’re eagerly waiting for the barrier between realms to fall. Once we eliminate the six of them, the gods will see that there are no detractors remaining, I’ll make my final move and the Hell will conquer all.”
“Whatever you need me to do, Father, I’m ready and prepared.”
His eyes lock with mine. “Maintain your position and bring them to me. When they arrive, you’ll sit beside me during their trial and as I dole out their punishment for not believing in the cause. Only one god will ascend from the apocalypse.” He grins wickedly. “Me, and because of your loyalty, you’ll be there to reap the rewards.”
He doesn’t give me time to reply, snapping his fingers and sending me back across the realm. In the miniscule amount of time I have to prepare, I school my expression and behavior into the Luke my allies expect. One of Hildi’s lovers—the provider of balance, a key to her success, not the one that will take them all down and imprison them in hell for eternity.
35
Hildi
Taking a final gulp, I slip underwater, submerging myself. Echoey quiet surrounds me, along with the warmth of the bath. My bloody clothes are piled on the marble floor. Victorine is dead. Agis is back. We made it to the City of Dis.
Can this thing finally be close to over?
I sit up, letting the water rush down my head, the ends of my hair tickling my back. From the small ledge next to the tub, I grab a bottle and pour a handful of shampoo into my hand. As I scrub it into my scalp, I look around the massive bathroom. There’s the glass shower I used to wash off the blood, the huge tub and a brightly lit vanity. Behind the tub, there’s a wall-to-wall window that looks out over the city.
I shiver despite the warmth of the water and pour a pitcher of clean water over my hair.
If the bathroom looks like a place of modern luxury, the city itself harkens to the myths of Hell. Blood red sky. Dark buildings clustered together. It’s perpetually clouded in a haze of night.
Exactly how we got here—I’m not sure. Magic, I guess. Something supernatural. Whatever it is that fuels Lucifer’s power. I’m not sure I care. I just plan on kicking his ass and going home.
I stand and step out of the bath, pulling the plug on the way. I step over the dirty clothes and see the outfit hanging on the door. A note in fine script is attached. “For dinner.”
My stomach rumbles at the word.
I stare at the black dress that looks like someone ran through it with a pair of scissors, cutting off the top, bottom and slits across the sides. It makes me long for the white frilly dress from the gluttony circle. Or the harem pants in lust. I glance down at my dirty, filthy clothes and make the decision.
I’ll wear the dress. I’m not getting Victorine’s foul stench on me again.
Before I put it on, I wrap myself in a towel and step into the outer room. It’s a bedroom, dark like everything else in this place. Dark wood floors, charcoal gray bedding. I pause when I see the man sitting on the edge. His eyes flick up to mine.
A shiver runs down my spine.
Agis is here. He’s safe. He’s clean and all I want to do is touch him.
“I—” he begins, closing his mouth and opening it again. “I don’t know what to say.”
My heart jumps to my throat. “Don’t say anything.”
I cross the room and kneel before him. His chest is bare, his body made of hard-cut muscle. I understand why he has the name the God of Death. He carries the weight of anger and loss like an albatross around his neck. It’s who he is, but I also know that it’s why I’ve been drawn to him. Sent for him. I’m here to keep him balanced.
“We’ve all done things in this place that we regret. Gods, my biggest regret is turning you away before it even started—back at Miya’s garden—when you told me the truth. I’m sorry for not listening, for not understanding.” I slide the battered ring off my finger. “I didn’t put this on you in the circle. I want it to be your choice.”
He stares at the ring, then shifts his gaze to my eyes. His shine with emotion. “I never wanted to belong to anyone again,” he says softly. “First it was the rulers I fought for, then Camulus, then the Shaman. All I wanted was my freedom. All I wanted was for the other Immortals to have a choice about where they go from here. Then I met you.”
I nod, ignoring the hot tear burning down my cheek.
“I’ve never felt such pain as I did when you sent me away. I understood it, but I hated it. The way I handled everything…it was bad. It was…cowardly.” His face drops in shame. “I should have waited for you and maybe this never would have happened.”
“No. We’re pieces in a game, Agis, the gods would have found another way to hurt and divide us.”
I’m still holding the ring. He still hasn’t taken it from me. It’s possible that I’m too late. I shift to move my hand, feeling the harsh hit of rejection.
He reaches out and grabs my wrist.
“Yes, I’ll wear the ring,” he says in a quiet but firm voice. “Yes, I’ll bind myself not just to you, but the others.”
Fresh tears fill my eyes, making it hard to see as I slide the ring down his finger. I feel the instantaneous jolt between us and leap into his arms. He grips me tight, so tight, pulling me against his strong chest. I feel his heart pounding and mine beats the same, he lifts my chin and kisses me gently, like he’s testing it out. I don’t want a test. I want him, and I crash my mouth to his, feeling the world explode around us like a bomb.
Agis lifts me into his lap, and I feel his eager excitement. I groan happily, just blissed out to be back in his arms. His fingers tug at the panels of my robe and—
Bang bang bang!
“Go away!” Agis shouts, then resumes kissing my neck. I arch my back as he travels down to my shoulders.
The next bang is louder followed by Marshal’s voice. “I know you’ve got lost time to make up for and guilt to process, but this shit isn’t over.”
Agis groans, his whole body shuddering to a stop. I roll off his lap and lay flat on the bed, staring up at the vaulted ceiling.
“Later?” I ask.
“Later,” he replies, giving me a searing kiss, then standing, adjusting the front of his shorts. I force myself into the bathroom to change. The sooner we finish this, the better.
Then we can move forward.
I stop by Elizabeth’s room on the way to dinner, knocking gently on the door. A moment later she stands in front of me still wearing a robe, with wet hair twisted in a towel. The look on her face tells me something’s up.
“I’m not going to dinner,” she declares.
“What? Why not?”
She holds back the door and I see Darius sitting on a small couch in her room. He gives me a small wave and a tight smile. “We decided to give you a little privacy with your, uh, men.”
“We’re allies,” I say to the both of them. “This is our last night before we face Lucifer. I want you there.”
She shakes her head. “Sorry girl, but, like you just said. It’s our last night. You spend it with them. Only the gods know what will happen tomorrow.”
Tension rolls up my spine. “Tomorrow we end this.”
She nods. “That’s my plan too, but tonight, my plan is to chill out, drink some wine, and hang out with a friend.”
She shuts the door in my face.
Why I oughta…
When it’s obvious she’s not reopening the door, I head down the hall to the staircase. The note on my dress told me to come to the dining room, first floor. When I arrive, I realize that I’m not the only one that cleaned up for dinner.
Seeing the Immortals, my allies, in their semi-formal attire is like having a swift kick to the gut. They’re…breathtaking. They stand at a long dining room table, hair tidy, clothing well-fitted. I barely notice the spread on the table, a feast of food and wine. It’s the smell that catches my attention; savory meats along with roasted vegetables, bright, exotic fruits, and thick, crusty, buttery bread. Rupert, Armin, Marshal, Luke, and Agis.
My lovers.
My mates.
Possibly our last night together.
“Why does this feel like a trap?” I ask, entering the room. I feel the hot gaze of the men traveling up and down my body, starting with my bare legs to the hem of my skirt that grazes my upper thighs, lingering at the slits in the dress around my waist and across the plunge of my cleavage.
“Because we’re in my father’s city,” Luke replies, brushing his blond hair off his forehead. His fair complexion against the dark color of his suit accentuates his features. “You should always be suspicious, but in this case, I think he’s just impressed that we made it this far and that we adhered to his summons. This is his way of welcoming all of us to the City of Dis.”
Luke pulls out my chair and as I sit down, his fingers graze the back of my neck. It’s a gentle, but possessive touch. Staking his claim in a room full of possessive males. My possessive males. It makes me more aroused than it should.
Once I’m seated, the men settle in their own chairs.
“So it’s safe to eat?” Armin asks, eyeing the food.
“And drink?” Marshal holds a glass of wine an inch from his lips.
“Yes,” Luke says, eyebrow lifting as Marshal gulps down the liquid in one swallow. “Tonight is a night of celebration.”
“And after that?” Agis asks.
I hold up my hands. “I don’t want to talk about tomorrow. Can we please just enjoy ourselves tonight?”
“Amen,” Marshal says, refilling his glass. “I, for one, have spent a lifetime preparing for the next battle by nourishing myself the night before. I can think of a few ways to kick it off, can’t you, Valkyrie?”
He winks, sending a shiver down my spine, before he offers me a sip of his wine. He lifts the glass to my mouth, and the sweet wine passes my lips, and coats my tongue. After I swallow he kisses me, making my heart pound in my chest while the wine warms my belly.
When I look up at the rest of the table, I realize why Elizabeth and Darius opted out of dinner tonight.
There’s only one thing on the menu.
Me.
36
Hildi
His lips taste like grapes, and I know that under that suit he has a body that looks and feels like sin. Glancing at the other men, I know that tonight will be different.
It starts with a humming under my skin, my whole body tuned in to the connection between us. I keep expecting tempers to flare—jealousy to rear its petty head—but it doesn’t happen. Even Luke has slid effortlessly into the group. Not even Agis questions him being here.
Armin shifts next to me, plucking a ripe, red strawberry off a silver platter on the table, and holds it to my mouth. My tongue darts out, licking the tip of the fruit before ta
king a bite. Red juice drips down my chin. Before I can wipe it away, Armin licks it off.
Did it just get hot in here?
Marshal loosens his tie and around the table I see the others shift in their seats. No, not just me then.
It’s become clear that this isn’t about eating—although nourishment doesn’t feel far off. What we have ahead…we need to be as strong as possible and nothing fuels the six of us more than being with one another. I look over at Agis and see the hunger in his eyes. He’s starved and I feel his desire deep in my belly. I link my arms around Armin’s neck, and he grips me under the butt, pushing my short skirt even higher. With one hand he holds onto me, with the other he knocks the place settings off the table. He sets me down, holds my eye and says, “Are you ready for this?”
I’ve been asked that a million times before. As a Valkyrie for Odin. As a fighter in the Shaman’s ring. By the Guardians before I came to the Academy and then before countless fights. My heart pounds, banging so hard against my chest that I’m certain it will break free. This question is different. This takes us to a new level. One that my body aches for. One that my soul craves.
“Yes,” I tell him, and that’s enough for the others. Collectively, they react, clearing the center of the table. Armin nudges me to lie flat and a heartbeat later, my back is against the hard wood and the Immortals stand over me like animals over prey. I look into each and every eye, reaching out to touch them somewhere on their body; Rupert’s hand, Marshal’s hip, Agis' forearm, Luke’s fingertips. I arch my back and exhale, “I’ve never been more ready in my entire life.”
I search for a word, one that can describe the feelings I’m experiencing, but nothing comes out but a moan of pleasure. There has to be a word, I think, for five sets of hands touching me all at once. For five pairs of lips, sucking and kissing every inch of exposed skin. There must be an expression for the heat in my belly, the damp warmth between my legs, the toying with the sensitive parts of my body; my nipples, my tongue, my clitoris.
