Red Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  As I reached Lili, the magic snapped inside me, blooming into one multicolored sheet in my mind. I pushed it outward to protect me without thought, my wolf urging me on. I took hold of Lili by the throat, bringing her down to the ground swiftly, not even pausing to hear her words. My wolf slid into control and we both knew what had to be done.

  In order for the new reign in the Underworld to begin, it had to start with Lili’s death. I was a hundred percent certain. With the new magic churning inside me, I was aware like never before and I wasn’t here to usher her into a new reign, I was here to make sure she died. Something my predecessor hadn’t been able to do for whatever reason. The Prince of Hell hadn’t sat on the Coalition for a reason, and I’d realized why as I’d watched him stare down at his bride. It wasn’t because the Prince wasn’t strong enough to have his own place as the demon representative.

  It was because the Coalition was made up entirely of females.

  Demonesses were rare and powerful for a reason. The Princess’s power had been eclipsed by Lili’s for the last thousand years in the Underworld, but only because Lili had been sent here by my predecessor. It was time to fix it and I was the only one who could do it. If this demon princess, the rightful heir to the throne, died, I knew everything that was supposed to happen would be lost.

  In order for the Princess to become the new ruler of Hell, and take her rightful place on the Coalition, she had to gain Lili’s power—not the other way around, and once she did, a new reign would truly begin, just as the demon Scriptures predicted.

  This was the reason I was here. I knew it with every part of my being. My new magic pulsed with certainty.

  “Sorry to put a crimp in your plans, Lili,” I snarled down at her. “But your interpretation of the Scriptures was wrong. The new reign in the Underworld will happen, but only because we are all gathered here at the same time, and you made that happen. Your death will give the rightful heir of Hell power to rule.” My fist plunged into her chest and grabbed ahold of what it needed quickly. I was careful not to let my claws shred it. Lili began muttering a spell, struggling beneath me, but my new magic kept her out like armor.

  She gritted her teeth as she fought against me. “This… is not going to work,” she panted. “I will come back. I can’t die.”

  “I don’t think so,” I countered. “It’s taken me entirely too long to grasp what’s been going on here—what’s been right in front of my face the entire time. But gaining the power of five has given me the insight already. Something like this must only happen once a millennium. A female shifter is born, a demoness rules the Underworld, the fae rise—and now it will begin again, thanks to you. The Coalition is in rebirth, isn’t it?”

  “You know nothing!” Lili shouted, trying to push me away, her fingernails swiping at my face. “I outlasted them all for a reason. It is I—the last one to sit on the Coalition—who will rule. It is my birthright, not yours!”

  “Wrong.” I shook my head. “You’re the last, but I believe you were left here for one single reason”—my voice caught as images began to assault me out of nowhere—“you are the catalyst for the next cycle of power, and after I take your heart and give it to the Princess, it will begin—” The pictures flickered through my mind almost too fast to track.

  I couldn’t focus on anything but the images. I gaped as I saw Ardat Lili locked in battle with my predecessor, who had been glorious. My breath hitched as I witnessed her strength. She had efficiently cut off Lili’s rise to power with cunning and skill. I had been right. Her hair had been dark like mine, her features softer, her expression harder. She’d lived in a far crueler world than I. Lili was true evil, and she had never been meant to sit on the Coalition. Pictures of Lili killing her sisters one by one flashed through my mind. Their grisly bodies were mutilated and left to rot. Another image made its way to the forefront. Lili locked in an epic battle with her mother. The images continued and I moaned, unable to hold them back.

  Lilith knew she would lose the fight against her daughter. In the end, she willingly gave Lili her power, handed it over with glee, because she knew the Coalition would have to accept her daughter once she was gone. They had no choice, there was no witch more powerful.

  But this was not what Fate had intended.

  Instead Fate had been forced to shift and adapt. The road had curved once Lilith made her decision, and in order to balance the scales, and avert complete disaster, the female Lycan had been granted new skills. She had become adaptable. She took on the role of the Coalition’s Enforcer, and when the time came, and Lili challenged them all, the female Lycan sent her to Hell.

  Lili’s long life in the Underworld had culminated in this very point in time.

  There was no doubt about it now. The horror of what I’d just witnessed assaulted me on every level. Lili was cruel with the blackest of hearts and I couldn’t take any more. But just as I’d made my decision to end it all and rip her life-force from her body, something tried to push back, staying my hand, urging me to wait.

  I fought against it, resisting.

  There was no way Lili could remain alive after what I’d seen. She was too dangerous. She would bring evil to my world if she was allowed to live.

  Then one final image burned itself into my brain, releasing with a snap of power.

  I opened my eyes and gasped. I hadn’t realized they’d been shut. I was panting and everyone was yelling. I glanced down. Lili was gone. Totally gone.

  The only thing left of her was cradled in my open palm.

  The last image had seared itself into my soul forever. I blinked, trying to understand what had happened. I glanced down at the pulsing mass in my hand.

  That’s when I realized I’d made a terrible mistake.

  26

  I stood, staggering to regain my balance, clutching Lili’s heart carefully so I didn’t harm it. I shook my head to clear it and the world slowly came back into focus, my senses opening up once again. It was clear to me now that I’d been in some kind of trance-like state.

  Rourke and Tyler stood beside me, each of them holding an arm to steady me. I made my way to the Princess, who lay unmoving on the gurney.

  Ray stood sentinel by her head, his face as serious as I’d ever seen it. “It’s there,” he said. “Her soul is there and it hasn’t tried to leave.”

  “I’m not surprised,” I responded as I met his questioning stare. “You’re going to have to assist me with this. As of right now, I believe this is the sole reason you were created. If this doesn’t work, I don’t want to know what will happen.”

  His eyebrows rose, but he nodded gravely, talking his cue from my tone. Everyone in this place had just realized something incredible had happened. And none of us knew its true meaning.

  I picked up the knife Lili had used to stab the Princess. There was no spell on it any longer, but I could feel the residue. She had indeed spelled it to kill the Princess. I stood over her listless body, and lifted it high so I could plunge it into her chest when a firm hand stayed my wrist.

  “Let me do it for you,” Rourke said, emotion in his voice. I knew he understood the magnitude of what had just occurred, and without hesitation he took the knife from me and drove it into the Princess’s chest, drawing a clean, straight line down from her breastbone to her abdomen.

  Had the Princess been awake for this, I might’ve passed out. But she hadn’t moved and I was thankful.

  The Prince of Hell stood behind my right shoulder, his mouth pursed in a straight line, hands clasped in front of him. He had to realize what was at stake, and knew his bride would surpass him in power, yet didn’t try to stay my hand. He had likely come to the same conclusion I had—this was out of our hands. The power of the Underworld had to go somewhere, and if it didn’t choose his bride, or she couldn’t be revived, it would probably choose me.

  With the power of five supernaturals inside me, I had surpassed him in power.

  His Princess was the lesser of two evils.


  Suddenly Tyler was next to me. He reached over and parted the demoness’s chest so I could place the heart inside. My love for both my mate and my brother almost took me to my knees. I swayed but stood my ground, knowing I had to complete this task.

  I brought my empty hand down and reached into the opening in her chest and clasped it around her deadened heart. “Ray, as I take this out,” I ordered, “make sure her soul stays rooted. It’s the only way I believe she will heal once we’re done.”

  “Got it,” he said, placing his hands alongside her temples gently. “The quicker this is over, the quicker we can get the fuck out of here. I’ve had enough of this place to last an entire lifetime.”

  “I hear you,” I replied. “I want out of here just as bad.” I tugged at her damaged heart, trying not to tear the tissue around it too much. It wasn’t the same shape as Lili’s. It was smaller and I could only feel three ventricles.

  One more tug and it came out. I tossed it to the end of the gurney.

  The Princess’s blood was like the Prince’s, thick and amber, not like Lili’s, which was red. With my other hand, I slowly guided Lili’s heart into the Princess’s chest cavity, positioning it as best I could. When I felt like it was in the right place I glanced up and met Ray’s gaze. “This is going to be the hard part. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m going to try to spread the magic I just received around her heart. You do whatever you have to do to get her soul to accept it, including any sweet talk you may have stored away in there.”

  “I don’t think that will be a problem,” he grunted. “This soul seems to be waiting for something.”

  I gathered the new magic in my mind. It was a mass of lightness mixed with dark, all the different signatures creating a kaleidoscope of energy twirling around inside me. It made me feel strange, not quite myself. My wolf yipped. I hope that means this will get easier to handle later. My brain feels scrambled right now. I concentrated on pulling what I thought I needed, amassing it and sending it out into the Princess’s body, down through my arm.

  Her body accepted it immediately, almost greedily, and as my magic spread into her chest cavity, the new heart gave a tentative beat, and then another. Once I felt her body start to heal itself, I withdrew my hand. I hoped it would be enough.

  “If she does not come back, as promised to me by the Queen of Vampires,” the Prince of Hell said quietly behind me, “your kin will feel my wrath. They are not stronger than I.” His voice was hard, but I heard his feeling behind it. He wanted her to survive. I did too.

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Not only is she coming back, but when she does, she will surpass you in strength.” I stated the obvious so he couldn’t manipulate the situation. “And when I’m done healing your bride, we will all leave this plane unharmed and you will publicly declare your fight with me finished. You and your Princess owe me a life debt, if not more. I will consider it paid if you agree everything between us is completely resolved. As you can see, I never wanted to rule this plane and if this doesn’t prove it, nothing will.”

  The image Fate had burned into my mind flashed again, making me shudder.

  The Prince’s pupils elongated and anger radiated outward. “I owe you no such promise—”

  “You shall leave this place unharmed,” an unfamiliar female voice interjected. “With my blessing and thanks.”

  I glanced down, startled. I hadn’t expected her to heal that fast.

  The Princess’s voice had been surprisingly refined. She had a regal stature about her even while lying flat on her back. Her long jet-black hair flowed carelessly over the gurney, her features precise, much like the Prince’s, but her skin was pearlescent—not quite scaly, but not regular skin either. Depending on the angle, it shimmered, like everything else around here. She couldn’t have been holding her glamour in death, so it surprised me that her real appearance seemed almost human—if you discounted the wings. I knew the Prince of Hell would look much less human if he dropped his own glamour. “You look more human than I’d thought you would without your glamour,” I commented a little stupidly as she continued to stare up at me.

  Power radiated out of her as she finished regenerating from her wounds. I stepped back and watched as her chest wound healed. Once it was done she reached up and pulled her dress together as neatly as she could, and sat, her wings retracting into her back seamlessly. Her pupils were definitely reptilian, however, and they expanded and contracted as she continued to adjust herself.

  “Yes,” she said, her English laced with a thick Demonish accent. “The Prince has mandated that everyone in the Underworld conform to the likenesses of humans, but the demonesses don’t have to glamour themselves as much.” She said it with some disdain, which led me to believe her new rule would likely mandate some immediate changes in the glamour department. “Female demons are born to supernaturals, bred by Demon Lords, so their gene pools are stronger by nature than those of their male demon counterparts, which are hatched from what are called ‘birther demons,’ whose sole job it is to populate our species. My mother was a nymph, so my appearance favors her.” She swung her legs over and motioned to the Prince to come to her side. She turned and addressed him. “You have been very patient, my love,” she cooed in a surprisingly nurturing tone. “This has been a long road, but you must understand my deception was necessary. Without it, Lili would have ruled in my stead. And because you stood by me, instead of siding with”—she purposefully omitted Lili’s name—“the other, you will be rewarded. I could not share what Fate had intended once the new Scriptures were unveiled, or the Underworld would have been tossed into chaos, as you well know. My only concern was with our race and keeping them all safe.”

  The Prince’s face was stony, his eyes fully reptilian. He nodded once, accepting her words, but it was going to take more than that to get him to come around. I wondered if they had Underworld therapists.

  I cleared my throat and glanced at the Princess, meeting her gaze. Her irises are a beautiful mossy green. “So you knew what Lili was up to the entire time and you went along with it having no reservations?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she replied, shrugging. “Ardat Lili has been conniving, but fooling no one but herself for centuries. I am Princess of this realm for a reason.” Her irises lit with a snippet of light green, which must be from her nymph side. Demons didn’t seem to have the same internal spark as other supernaturals. “When Lili brought me the Scriptures she had uncovered, along with a plan to overthrow the Underworld in her favor, I saw the words as they were intended—for me, not her.” The Princess’s power radiated outward. Surprisingly, I found it almost as heady as mine. “I spent that time planning my own ascension to the throne, undermining Lili at every turn, but making sure she believed I pandered to her. She never doubted my intent for a moment, but it was easy to fool her, as she’d always been consumed by her own ego and strength. She held more power than I did, so she never considered me a threat.”

  “Still, you willingly let her kill you,” I pointed out. “That was incredibly risky. What if I hadn’t figured out how to revive you?” It hadn’t exactly been an easy conclusion for me to reach.

  She shrugged as she slipped off the gurney. She stood a head shorter than I was, but she held herself with quiet determination. “I had no doubts. If my interpretation of the Scriptures had been incorrect, then death was what Fate had intended for me all along—something I could not argue against. I made my peace with it long ago.”

  Eudoxia strode forward and I glanced between the two women, a shared power now swirling among us. I had given the Vampire Queen my blood, and in turn she had given me her fae magic, and I had revived the Princess with it. I nodded toward Eudoxia. “Did you have any idea what was going to happen here?” I asked the Vamp Queen. “That we would end up sharing power like this?”

  “No,” Eudoxia admitted, her voice ringing with its regular petulance. Her skin softened as I watched, taking on a peach tone. It had lost most of its bone whiten
ess. She appeared… almost human. “I’d only had a chance encounter with Ardat Lili many, many years ago. In the short time we were together she hinted about her place on the Coalition, as well as the female Lycan who had sent her to Hell, and of one who would be born again. She sought information from me, and gave me just enough to make me eager to learn the truth. But I had to dig for that truth for centuries. I hired an army of spies, and even with all my resources, I never gained a clear picture.” Her voice became irritated. “Not much is known about the Coalition for a reason. Its inner workings are well kept by the Guardians of our Lore, as supernaturals would clamor to get near them. As I was forced to accompany you here,” she nodded toward me, “against my will, none of this was in the forefront of my mind. How could I have known Lili was still alive? Or predicted such a thing? But once I saw her, and realized what she’d been up to, the pieces came together easily. The new regime of our time has begun, triggered by the events that have happened here today. Now we have no choice but to wait and see what comes next.”

  “There’s something else,” I said quietly. I wasn’t exactly ready to divulge what I’d seen, but I had to. What I’d done now affected us all. “I was shown some images when I held Lili’s heart. You’re right, a new regime has begun, but it wasn’t supposed to happen now”—I drew in a deep breath—“it was supposed to happen a hundred years from now.” There were several utterances of surprise. Rourke growled low and Ray whistled, all of us knowing the impact of my words. I glanced at the Princess, who did not look the least bit surprised. “Did your demon Scriptures tell you something would go wrong if Lili died right now, instead of later?” I asked. “Please tell me there is a stipulation in the Scriptures for changing Fate’s plan by one hundred years.”

  The image replayed in slow motion in my mind and I cringed.