“That isn’t the half of it.” I gulped, wishing dreadfully for a glass of water. “There’s an army just on the other side of the gate. Tens of thousands of ferals, just waiting to slip through. They’re prepared for battle. I saw it myself.”
A gasp went through the crowd. I closed my eyes against the panic and listened to the sound of Luke’s breathing as he hugged me tighter. I imagined this would’ve been exactly how it felt as a young child to cling to her father during a thunderstorm. My head built that scene around me and for once, it felt good to let go and just be a kid again. Nothing bad could happen in my father’s arms. Everything was right in the world.
“Lizzy?”
Gabe’s soft questioning tone had me opening my eyes to search for him. He stood only feet away, shifting his feet as if unsure what to do.
“Gabe!”
I ran toward him, throwing myself into his arms. He caught me and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head. It felt right to be near him again. My heart beat wildly in my chest and the pressure I’d carried behind my temples suddenly melted away. His hand cradled my chin and pulled my face up to meet his, his mouth crushing mine. Heat whirled in my stomach and I kissed him back, feeling the softness of his lips as they desperately clung to mine. All the while, the room around us began to buzz with conversation.
“An army?”
“Tens of thousands of ferals.”
“How did she survive Hell?”
“How did she get back?”
“They’re coming for us.”
“We have to prepare.”
“Where have you been?” Gabe asked, finally pulling away. His cheeks burned red. “Everyone thought you were dead. Silvia halted your search days ago.” Cradling my cheek with his hand, he peered into my eyes. “But I knew you couldn’t be. I just knew it.”
“Days ago?” I clung to the soft fabric of his t-shirt. “What do you mean? I was only gone one night.”
He shook his head. “You’ve been missing for a week and a half.”
My knees shook with the news. It couldn’t be. I’d only spent minutes in the depths of Hell.
“Time must work differently through the Hell Gate,” I said, shaking my head. “I was only there long enough to see the army of ferals and then to follow the ones that got through the gate. It must move slower there. A day there is like a minute here.”
Gabe pressed his lips into a thin line. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he pulled me in closer and ran his hands down my arms. Looking down at the tattered and dirty remnants of my pajama pants, he gripped my arm tight.
“Are you hurt?”
I tried to shake my head no, but the sharp pain in my leg would’ve made me a liar. My eyes trailed down to my ankle and Gabe followed my gaze.
Reaching down, he pulled up a pant leg. A harsh burn wrapped around my leg. It had blistered and flaked, like the world’s worst sunburn. His fingers trailed lightly over the wound and I hissed as the pain returned.
“A feral grabbed me just before I could get through the gate,” I explained. “In Hell, they look like these shadowy phantoms of death. Their touch burns, just like the demon in my head.”
That was the first time I’d thought about my demon side in hours. The sudden reminder of my evil side made me wilt. I may have escaped Hell, but I was still the home of a parasitic worm that hated everything Gabe and my family stood for. The thought made me loosen my grip on Gabe’s hand, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Lizzy Redding, you will pay for this.”
Silvia came storming down the aisle, apparently no longer speechless. Fire burned behind her dark eyes. Hot on her trail followed Oscar and Manuel. My trainer gave me a grim nod when he approached, relief on his face. I smiled at him, thankful for his presence. At least he hadn’t given up on me, even if his comrades preferred to hide me away in the dungeon.
“Lizzy didn’t do anything wrong.” Luke stepped in front of her, blocking me from view. “She was thrown into Hell against her will.”
She huffed loudly, her voice raising above the din of the room. “She let a band of ferals through the Hell Gate. If it wasn’t for her, they’d never been able to pass through all at once. For all we know, she’s working with the demons. How do you know her demon side hasn’t taken over?”
“Because it hasn’t.” Gabe pushed me behind him as he took a step next to Luke. “I’d know.”
“Like how her father knew about her mother?” She laughed mockingly. “Please, don’t pretend you know better than me. Now stand aside, gentlemen. Let me do my job.”
Despite her threatening tone, I stepped out from behind them to face her. Luke and Gabe wore matching expressions of stubborn hostility, evident in the deep lines of their frowns and the way their eyebrows met above fierce glares. Gabe reached out to stop me, but I gently pushed his hand away. If Silvia wanted proof that I was still me, she could see for herself.
“I didn’t mean to let them through,” I said, lifting my chin.
If anyone was to blame, it was Silvia herself. She’d housed Elizabeth across the hall from me. It was probably why she’d allowed herself to get caught in the first place—access to me. We’d played right into their hands.
“But you did.” Silvia’s eyes narrowed into slits. Her red lips pressed into a grim line. “And there’s no telling what damage you’ve done. My only means of action now is to make sure you don’t cause any more.”
I bit my bottom lip. She could try to throw me into the dungeon for the rest of time, but there was no way I’d stay there. We’d played her game long enough. I needed to be up here, among my family, figuring out how to slay my demon. She couldn’t cage me anymore.
“Oscar...” Silvia flicked her wrist casually at the giant blond man. “Kill her. Do it now.”
A small smile flickered on his lips as his hand reached for the broadsword that hung from his hip. Charging like a bull, his weapon flashed in the warm light of the ballroom, aiming directly for my heart.
Chapter Sixteen
The absurdity of the situation hit me as Oscar drew nearer with his sword. I’d risked my life to get back here and save these people. And now, they wanted to kill me? Would I never be safe?
Gabe threw me to the ground. Oscar’s sword whizzed over the top of my head, skimming off a few stray hairs. Around us, the room broke out into a roar. Two men grabbed Luke as he tried to intervene. Oscar regained his footing and charged again. Keeping his head down, he lunged forward. I had just enough time to roll to my side before the broadsword cleaved the space I’d left behind.
“Stop,” Gabe ordered. “That’s enough.”
He dove for Oscar’s feet, dragging him down hard. The sword dropped to the floor with a deep clang and the two of them wrestled to reach it. Oscar got it first. Swinging the hilt of the massive metal weapon, he struck Gabe directly on the temple. Gabe crumbled to the ground, his body going limp.
“Gabe!” I ran toward him.
We’d been in this position before, although I never imagined another Nephilim would be the one to bring him down. Cradling his head in my lap, I stroked his hair and the tender spot on his temple where a bruise had already begun to form. The soft rise and fall of his chest told me he was going to be okay. That brute hadn’t killed him. If Gabe had been human, he would’ve been a goner.
“What are you waiting for?” Silvia screamed.
I looked up to see her standing only feet away, her face red and little blood vessels popping out along her forehead.
“Kill her,” she said. “Kill her before she can let that army of ferals through the gate. Our fate depends on getting rid of the key.”
Oscar panted as he stood in front of me. He wrapped two hands around the base of the sword, as if it were a baseball bat, and pulled it back. My judge, jury, and executioner.
Closing my eyes, I tried to take comfort in the warmth of Gabe’s body next to mine. There was no better way to die. Fighting back would’ve been insane. I couldn’t fend off an ent
ire room of Nephilim warriors. And they had every right to want to kill me. I was the end of their world. With me gone, maybe they’d stand a chance.
I waited for the final blow, the stinging pain that would end my life. It didn’t come.
Instead, after the clash of metal sounded, my eyelids sprang open and I gasped to see Manuel standing over me. He had his own sword in hand. The muscles of his back rippled in an effort to fight off Oscar’s attack. The two of them struggled against each other, before Oscar’s sword clattered to the ground and Manuel stood triumphant.
“What are you doing?” Silvia stormed up to Manuel, her whole body shaking. “She’s a threat to the entire world. Can’t you see? Her death would mean salvation for all.”
I couldn’t see his face as he stared her down, but his quiet response reached my ears. “It is not right to sacrifice an innocent life.”
“Innocent?” She tore at her hair and crazy desperation filled her eyes. “How can you call her innocent? She’s part demon. You kill demons for a living, remember?”
“She is innocent.” His voice took on a stubborn tone. “She can’t help what those things did to her. I will not allow her to be killed.”
She snarled in response and her voice got deadly quiet. “Are you determined to follow in your brother’s footsteps, Manuel? A traitor to your own kind? I will see that you are buried for this.”
“Do what you will.” His shoulders straightened. “But this isn’t right, Silvia. This isn’t you. The woman I knew fifty years ago would never have ordered the execution of an innocent woman.”
She stared up at him, confusion and pain flashing in her eyes. At the same time, Gabe began to wake and he pushed himself up to sit. I took his face in my hands, turning it each way to assess the damage.
He blinked several times, blurry-eyed. “What happened?”
“Oscar tried to kill me. You got in his way,” I said, matter-of-factly. For some odd reason, it was getting easier and easier to talk about someone trying to kill me. I guess I’d had too much practice.
His eyes flashed angrily. “Right!” Hopping up, he held onto me as he stumbled forward. “Where is that traitor?”
“He left,” I said, looking around. Somehow, that giant man had managed to disappear through the mess of Nephilim milling around. “Manuel stopped him. I’m okay.”
Taking my hand in his, he pulled me up and grabbed me by the shoulders, looking me over.
“Really, I’m okay,” I told him. Surprisingly, the attack hadn’t left me a quivering bowl of jelly. “We’ve got other things to worry about.”
Manuel was still in the act of calming Silvia down, but a protective circle had formed around us. Adam, Ashley, and Raquel had managed to push through the crowds and acted like human shields, fending off anyone else who might seek to do me harm. Luke had managed to shake off his captors, his face an ugly shade of red, and joined them. I’d never seen him so angry.
Before anyone could make a move, the long low sound of a horn swept through the manor. Everyone froze and the room went deadly silent. I looked up at Gabe to see him similarly immobile, his eyes drifting to the doors.
“What? What is it?”
“An attack.” He swallowed and licked his dry lips. “The manor is under attack. Those are the alarms. They’ve burst through our first line of defenses.”
I shivered. Luke had once told me that nothing could get through the series of mystical borders around the manor. But that had been before a small army of ferals had slipped through Hell’s gate.
“Come on,” Gabe said, pulling on my hand. Everyone was beginning to move toward the exit. There was no panic, no confusion. It was as if they’d been preparing for this moment their entire lives. “We need to prepare. They could get through the final defenses in no time.”
Closet doors and storage rooms that I had never seen the inside of were opened throughout the hallways and the grand lobby. Stockpiles of silver-lined swords, daggers, and bullets filled each one. Despite the confusion of the last few minutes, the Nephilim assembled like soldiers and lined up to receive their weapons of choice. I found a pair of boots to cover my naked and dirty feet. Someone shoved a collection of daggers and a single pistol in my hand. The horn sounded again and the urgency in the room picked up a notch.
“They’re here,” someone shouted from outside.
We raced out the front door, my hand still in Gabe’s. It wasn’t until we reached the lawn did I gasp in horror. At least three hundred ferals stood down the field, facing us. Their eyes flashed violent red as demons of every shape, size, and color snarled. It was an army of death, outnumbering us by more than double.
“I thought you said there were only fifty.” Adam appeared next to me, his sword unsheathed.
Ashley and Raquel popped up on his other side. Ashley sported nearly every type of weapon available. Daggers sprouted from the tops of her knee-high leather boots. A sword and crossbow hung from her back. A pistol hung from her hips. Raquel had just one weapon of choice—her gun. A few extra magazines were stashed on her belt.
“There were only fifty,” I grumbled to Adam. “They must’ve joined forces with others in the forest. I had no idea they’d gang up on us.”
Ashley spun a dagger deftly between her fingers. “They’ve been too numerous for us to keep in check lately. What they need is a good and proper extermination.”
“Yeah, and we’re going to give it to them.” Raquel brushed her red hair out of her face, a look of pure determination on her brow.
I cringed at the thought of her out there fighting. She was only a couple years younger than me, but she seemed so young. I wanted to tell her to turn around and lock herself in our room, but it would’ve been about as effective as telling a brick wall to crumble. Besides, in less than a year, she would be initiated in as a full-blown warrior. Who was I to lock her away? We certainly needed all the help we could get.
This was war.
Nephilim lined up on either side of us, until we formed one massively long row. Tension rose as the vicious army of ferals drew closer. Feet shifted until each warrior found a starting position, as if waiting for a gun at the starting block of a race. I gripped my dagger tighter.
“Gabe, before we fight...” The words spilled from my mouth. “I just want to say I’m so sorry.” I turned to look at him, trying to memorize the strong curve of his jaw, his full mouth, and every other feature of his face. “I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”
He blinked his thick eyelashes and looked down at me, his jaw tightening. “I know.”
I glanced at the advancing line. A few more seconds and they’d be on us.
“Be safe,” I whispered, reaching for his hand. Even with everything going on inside me, he deserved to know the truth. “I can’t lose you.”
He squeezed my hand tightly, sending a thrill up and down my spine. “You won’t lose me. Ever,” he whispered, the corners of his mouth curved up into the smallest smile.
For a moment, the world disappeared as we held onto each other. Even though panic coursed through my veins, my heart blossomed with overwhelming emotion. It was enough to push me through the next few minutes of terror. Even if we didn’t make it through this, I could hold onto this moment forever.
“Can’t you guys save that lovey dovey stuff for later?” Adam drawled. He tilted his head in our direction and rolled his eyes, a grin pulling at the left side of his mouth. “I’m about ready to kick some demon...”
There was no time to finish his sentence. The ferals were upon us, pouncing like panthers on their prey. Screams and snarls sounded from every direction. I tried to focus on a small wiry man with leathery dark skin and bushy eyebrows. He slashed at my abdomen and I jumped backwards, hitting something hard and solid.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Oscar bearing down on a demon with thick biceps and a nasty scar across the face. He didn’t spare me a glance. Swiping with his broadsword, he decapitated the demon and then brought all his weight
down upon the body, obliterating the heart. I gulped, realizing that demon could’ve been me only minutes ago. Thanks to Manuel, my head was still attached to my neck.
My trainer fought only feet behind Oscar. He moved with the grace of a dancer, using only the slightest movements to pierce a heart here and slice a chest there. As bodies dropped around him, I couldn’t help but admire his style. I still had so much to learn from that man. Someday, I hoped he could teach me to move like that.
Sidestepping my demon’s second attempt to slice open my stomach, I tossed my dagger into the air and grabbed the hilt so that the blade pointed downwards. With my bare foot, I tripped him and brought the dagger slicing down, driving it into his back just below the clavicle. I knew I’d hit gold when the demon began to scream and writhe, its body bursting into a cloud of smoke.
“Nooooo!” a familiar male voice screamed behind me.
I turned to see Raquel accosted on both sides by snarling demons. Luke had shouted from ten yards away, his gaze on his niece. The demons had managed to knock the gun from her hands and now all she held was a silver dagger she’d pulled from her boot.
“Raquel!”
I lunged toward her, but another feral stopped me in my path. Dodging its claws, I watched in horror as Raquel took a swipe across her back. Three long and deep marks appeared. Blood began to seep into her t-shirt. The other demon twisted her wrist until she cried out and dropped her remaining weapon. He plucked it off the ground and smiled, an empty black hole where his mouth should’ve been.
“Don’t!” My feet lurched forward, but she was too far away.
Terror filled my body as the demon went to plunge the dagger in her neck. She cried out, her eyes wide, but a blur of a man moved in front of her before the dagger could reach its target. Manuel knocked her to the ground, his own sword buried deep in the demon’s gut. It howled in rage. With a strong backhand, it flung Manuel back and he landed in a heap of three ferals.
I couldn’t stop to watch the fight. Another demon was on top on me, teeth bared near my throat. By the time I’d shoved it off of me, I’d lost track of Manuel in the sea of ferals.
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