Ruby’s breath quickened again until she was panting. Her body was soaked in cold sweat.
To her left, the mirror groaned and creaked. She turned back to face it, watching as red light crackled though the darkness. Her blood had already made its way into the plasma in the mirror. The two intertwined until the mirror was filled entirely in her blood. Ruby’s eyes widened as a wall of red stared back at her.
There were only slivers of light at first, then entire rays, until the wall of her blood smoldered. The red glow colored her face as she stared. It was mesmerizing. The luminesce reminded Ruby of a retro lava lamp she had on her nightstand as a child. Back when she was afraid of monsters under the bed– before she knew those monsters were real.
The same red glow she had foreseen.
Demas’ laugh drew her attention back to the hall. “Thank you for the help, darling,” he sneered. “That AetherBorn blood is just what I needed.”
The son of a bitch played us. Again.
“Wha–” she gawked, unable to finish the word. Flashes of the bloody waterfall and a glowing, red doorway ran past her.
“Nyx! Eros! Time to go!” Demas hollered, waving his arm over her, “Tartarus is waiting!”
Chapter 58
Remember every part
Liam’s grip on her tightened.
Her gaze was trained on Demas’ self-assured grin and her thoughts boiled to the surface. She felt nothing short of pure rage. Not at him but at herself. The bastard was getting what he wanted, and it was her blood that helped him.
There was a scream from the top level, followed by a thud. She turned to see another body fall to the floor below; one of the knights.
Spinning her head back to Demas, she pushed Liam away with her elbow. He stumbled back, registering what she was about to do.
“Guys! A little help!” he yelled back.
Within moments Zag and Ray were by his side, readying their stance. She didn’t bother looking at them knowing full well that she had no need for them right now. Her damaged hand was going numb, the loss of blood taking its toll on the rest of her fingers. She ripped off the bloody tee Liam had wrapped around her and tossed it at Demas.
The fabric had hit him square in the jaw, and he threw it back in disgust.
By the time he’d wiped her blood off of his face, she was in front of him. Her good hand ripped at the back of his head, clutching a fistful of black curls while she held the bloody dagger to his throat with the other. Even without a finger she could feel its strength in her hand. The pressure she put on her hand made the blood spill faster.
She had better make this quick before she passed out.
The power in her itched to get out but she held it in.
If she was going to kill him, she would do it as herself. She wanted to remember every part of this.
Her eyes met his, unblinking. She was so close to him that the jagged breath that left her lips reached his face. He was much taller than she realized, and Ruby was straining to stay on the heels of her feet. She pulled back his hair, bending him into her and thrust the dagger’s blade into his skin.
She could feel the blade crush his throat and for the first time, his grin was gone. Replaced by something completely different. Fear.
Ruby pushed down on the hilt, deepening the cut. Her arm turned sideways, readying for the final turn of the blade when she heard a cry from behind her.
“Watch out!” Liam yelled, spinning her attention to Eros and Nyx.
The deities had her in their orbit. Nyx’s finger was raised, pointing in her direction. The smoke bellowed from her, rushing to strike. Eros was a few steps closer, one arrow mid-air while he readied another.
She looked back at Demas and smiled, slicing his throat.
The cut was brief. Ruby managed to run the blade halfway down before Liam tackled her. His thick body pushing her out of harm’s way. She landed on her side, the dagger staggering to the floor as she fell, her hand unable to hold it any longer. Her head hit the tile floor and her brain rattled in her skull. She reached up to her hair, feeling a clump of wet in it. Her fingers pulled away, covered in blood. There was so much blood on her it was hard to tell where it came from.
She pressed her hands into the floor and tried to push herself up. Her eyes were losing focus quickly and she swiped at them with her palms, painting a red mask across her face.
Blinking rapidly, she tried to make out what was happening.
Somewhere in front of her Demas was crouched on the floor, his hand at his throat. Nyx had him lifted halfway and was dragging him into the red glow in the mirror.
“No,” she whispered, barely making a sound.
Her hand reached forward to stop them, but it was too heavy to hold up. She let it drop to the floor, the rest of her body following. Beneath bloody eyelashes she could see two more figures following into the portal. Muscular arms wrapping around a limp body.
Ruby crawled, her legs splayed beneath her. Her fingerless hand leaving a trail of red in her path.
“NOOOOO!” she screamed as Eros dragged an unconscious Liam into the portal.
Red light filled the room, painting the library in the hue of her visions, then dimmed. The portal darkened, plasma filling the mirror once again.
They were gone.
Chapter 59
Back home
“We’ll get him back,” Zag knelt at her feet, his usual dramatics down to a minimum. “We will.”
She wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, her or himself. Ruby sat on a chair in the library, her elbows resting on her knees. Nola was at her side, making sure her injured hand was elevated until the ambulance arrived. She was against calling them, but Cyril assured her that they were on his payroll, so they’d keep quiet. She was starting to wonder if she was the only one in the city not under his thumb.
Her downward gaze offered no welcome and she wished everyone would stop trying to console her.
They lost fourteen people. Nine Elementals and five AetherBorns. Two of them her knights. Then there was Liam. She had no idea where he was and if he was even alive. The only hope she had for his survival was that Demas needed him to get back at her. Liam would live only if Demas was as much of a self-absorbed jerk as she thought he was.
And even if he lived there was no guarantee that Demas wouldn’t hurt him just for the fun of it. They had dragged him into Tartarus itself. From what she knew of the place, it wasn’t exactly a five-star resort.
She needed to figure out how to get him out. Fast.
Ruby curled her right hand into a fist, her teeth grinding at the sudden pain where her finger used to be.
“Hey! I said no moving!” Nola harped, pointing at the fresh blood that flowed from the wound. “You’re no good to us if you pass out.”
“I’m no good even if I don’t,” she scowled back.
Jake’s hand squeezed her shoulder, light enough that she could tell he was afraid of hurting her. “Maybe you should get over yourself, huh?”
“Excuse me?” Her head spun back so fast it almost ripped right off her body.
“Just sayin’, I don’t remember the last time you sat around moping and feeling sorry for yourself.”
“If you haven’t noticed, people died today, and that tool kidnapped my boyfriend!”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know yet.”
“Ah! But you’re going to do something. So, start there.”
“Where?”
“Where you always start, Rue.” He smiled, “Remember in third grade when I told you that you couldn’t play basketball with us because you were a girl?”
“Uh huh.”
“And what did you do?”
“Threw the basketball at your face and broke your nose.”
“See what I’m getting at?”
“I guess.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
She straightened her back and started to lower her arm, bu
t Nola gripped it quickly and pulled it back up, scowling. “For starters, I need to get this goddamn finger thing figured out. Can’t exactly hit up Tartarus like this!” She raised her arm at him and rolled her eyes.
“Oh, this is going to be amazing!” Zag leaped to his feet, the sparkle back in his eyes.
“I’m gong alone.”
His face dropped. “Like hell you are.”
“Zag, I’m not arguing about this. We don’t know what’s down there. Is it even down?” She asked no one in particular. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Girl, I’m going. He was like a brother to me. I won’t lose him too,” he looked at his feet. “It’s not your call.”
Jake stepped into her peripheral. “Me too. No arguments.”
“What? He’s like a brother to you too?” she scoffed.
“No. But you’re family. So, you’re stuck with me.”
“Me too.” Nola added, “And count Ray in as well.” She glanced at the AetherBorn who nodded before rolling her eyes.
“Not to interrupt but we’d like to help,” a voice sounded behind her.
She turned halfway and cast a sideways glance at Ren and Elijah. She had heard they stayed behind to fight with the rest of them despite what happened.
“You’ve done enough helping for today,” she hissed.
“Look, Ruby, I’m sorry. I really am,” Ren said. “There is no excuse for what I did. I just couldn’t risk Elijah’s life. And I am mortified at how this turned out. But I want to make it right. Please.”
Elijah unraveled his grip on Ren’s arm and stepped forward. “I’m not happy with what he did but he means it. He’ll do anything you ask but, in the end, it’s your call. If you don’t want us there, we’ll leave”
She closed her eyes and let her good hand fall to the side, her finger grazing the handle of the dagger next to her. She wasn’t sure what to do or how to move forward. She wished Liam was here, he was always good at helping her plot out her thoughts. She had no plan, no army, and her hand hurt like hell.
Ruby thought back to the basketball court. Her tiny body throwing the ball at Jake’s face, all because of a game. Because he made her angry. Well, now she was more than just angry, and Jake had a point. She was going to do something. She would always do something.
She looked up, her back a little straighter, gaze more determined. Eyes as black as ravens.
“Looks like we’re going to Tartarus,” she said and found the dagger again. “We’re bringing Liam home.”
Epilogue
Liam’s body was cold as ice which was uncommon for a Fire Elemental. His head pounded and he felt like he’d been kicked in the gut a million times. With a hammer. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been lying on the floor but the numbness on his left side implied it had been at least a few hours.
He rolled over on his back and pushed his palms firmly into the ground, pushing himself up to sit. His hands felt suddenly warm and he looked down to see them covered in soot.
Well, this is different.
It was dark where the deities dumped his body and he tried to make out the layout of the place. It looked like a cave, the walls dark and rocky and spanning high enough up that he couldn’t see where they ended.
Where the hell am I?
He grabbed a handful of soot, bringing it up to his nose. It smelt of fire and ashes mixed with something else. A metallic smell that turned his stomach. Blood.
Liam threw the soot back on the ground, wiping his hand on his pants. He was mildly regretting taking his shirt off to wrap Ruby’s hand right now. Who knew what he could get hit with in this place.
Tucking his knees in, he pushed himself up to stand. The pain in his side from where Nyx’s smoke fired into him was gnawing at his nerves, but it was nothing compared to the pain the two arrows sticking out of his thigh were causing. He squinted his eyes and he tried to make out the fletching in the dark.
When he caught a glimpse of the edge, he reached for it with his right hand and snapped the end off. The dull pain vibrated to the back of his thigh and he bent over, fighting the vertigo that came with it. His left arm looped around the back, feeling for the point of the first arrow. Liam found it quickly– hard to miss a piece of metal protruding from skin.
His teeth gritted and he took a quick breath in before pulling the arrow out through the back. The pain was blinding. His breathing sped up so fast he could hardly keep up with it. His body shook and he bent forward, retching between his legs.
One more, he thought and snapped the second fletching.
Another pull and a few more bouts of vomit and he was leaning against the cave wall, trying to focus his eyes again.
There was a rustle in the wall opposite him, followed by the sound of metal dragging on stone. He shielded his eyes as red light streamed into the cave. A door! Someone is coming!
Liam’s eyes struggled to make out the shape, slowly focusing on the curvy figure in front of him. The backlit, red doorway cast an ominous glow over her long gown. His eyes followed up her legs, past the unnaturally long, black hair, landing finally on her face. In the dim light of the cave stood Nyx, grinning at him from ear to ear, her white eyes twinkling with savage joy. Though it was hard to tell from his vantage point, he could swear that from behind her back, two shadowy wings emerged.
His rage rose to the surface, warming his once cold body with a fire only he could summon. Taking one great stride forward he lunged for her. His body soared through the air, almost majestic and…
Snap!
Something tugged at his neck, pulling him back to the wall.
The air escaped his lungs as he landed flat on his back. His hands reached for his throat, feeling for what had hold of him. Something slick and metal. His fingers moved to the back, feeling the metal encircle his entire neck. He whipped his head back, hearing the sound of the metal on the rock for the first time. He was too preoccupied with his pain before to notice…
The assholes chained me to the wall!
Nyx howled in front of him, her laughter echoing up the cave walls.
“Oh, brother dearest!” She yelled through the open doorway, “I think your dog wants to go for a walk!”
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About the Author
Alexis N. Sage has spent most of her life waiting to meet a witch, vampire, or at least get haunted by a ghost. In between failed seances and many questionable outfit choices, Alexis has developed a keen eye for the extra-ordinary.
Since chasing the supernatural does not pay the bills, Alexis has dabbled in creative entrepreneurship, marketing and retail management. She spends her free time reading thrillers and binge-watching television shows in her pajamas.
Currently, Alexis resides in Toronto, Canada with her husband who is not a creature of the night.
She is a Scorpio and a massive advocate of leggings for pants.
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