by Deanna Chase
My magic flared, angry and desperate. I had one shot. Now or never. Without hesitation, I unleashed my fury on the demon. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy, I chanted in my head. I didn’t need a spell; I only needed intentions.
She held her hands out, accepting my magic. Every ounce of destructive power I sent her way, she ate up, feasted on, and grew stronger with it.
What in the bloody hell?
The earth magic disappeared, and my breathing labored once again as the piercing invisible needles resurfaced in my chest. “Kane?”
He didn’t respond.
“We have to go,” I mumbled. Reaching down to grab his hand, I finally tore my eyes from Meri and gasped.
Kane lay unconscious, a hole burned right through his jeans. The wound pulsed with ugly gray magic.
Meri moved closer, stalking me like prey. “See that mark? My magic is eating his soul.”
It couldn’t be. I wouldn’t believe it. We had to get out of there. I scrambled to pull the last of the herbs from the satchel. I had enough magic for one more spell. Philip and Lailah could summon us out if I sent up the tracking spell I’d forgotten to perform earlier.
Meri closed in on me. With trembling hands, I dumped the rest of the herbs in my hand and cried, “Nevermore!”
The herbs went up with a whoosh of white smoke and almost instantly disappeared.
Meri paused, eyes narrowed. “My mate taught you that trick.” It wasn’t a question. She spoke with an air of confidence. Then she laughed. “He’s not coming. I would know.”
When Meri had still been an angel, she’d been trapped in Hell and waited desperately for Philip to save her. Time passed, Philip hadn’t showed, and Meri fell. It was what happened to angels stuck in Hell. She was justified in believing he’d never come for me. What she didn’t know was the reason he hadn’t shown up the first time—the very reason he would now.
Dan.
I said nothing. She couldn’t know Dan was Philip’s son. The potential to use Dan for revenge was much too strong.
Beside me, Kane stirred. Thank the Gods. I kneeled down, ready to help him up, but he brushed me off and stood.
Meri raised one crooked finger in his direction. “Come.”
And he did. With familiar, jerky movements. The same ones I’d seen in Dan’s gait when he’d been victim to Meri’s possession.
I stared at Kane, horror filling my heart.
“I told you,” Meri said. “He’s mine now.”
Chapter 17
The closer Kane got to Meri, the more his gait evened out. I steeled myself, frantically searching my memory for some spell, anything to neutralize the obvious possession.
I could make a potion from bluebonnets, but that wasn’t a flower I was likely to find in Hell. Binding Meri might work, but with my magic and strength depleted, the thought was useless.
Rage burned through me, mixing with a tiny spark of power. Thank the Goddess I had something left to fight with.
There was no way I was letting her have Kane too. I’d die before she took him from me.
My fingers ached as magic strained to reach the tips.
Meri glided forward, her arms wide. A dark cloud of magical electricity circled her.
“I have plans for you, white witch,” she said sweetly. “Together, you and I could be very powerful here in the underworld. You won’t even have to give up your lover.” Her tone turned flat as her gaze flickered between Kane and me. “Your choice. Join us, or I’ll end you right now.”
Magic pulsed through my limbs. I held it back. Waiting. “You know I’ll never agree to that,” I said with a dead serious calm.
An air of impatience flickered over her emotionless features. Electric power crackled around her, and when she moved, I was ready.
Raw magic collided, shooting rays of destruction, cracking stone all around us. My power drained at an alarming rate, and in my weakened state, it was all I could do to hold on, much less overpower her. My magical spark didn’t have anything else to give.
She stepped forward, pressing her advantage. I stumbled back. Meri wasn’t as weak as we’d thought. Of course not. She’d been draining me through Kane—and still was.
An absolute truth hit me. I was going to die.
Kane shifted into my eye line. He’d followed the demon and stood a few inches from her. His dark chocolate eyes met mine. Everything vanished.
He stared at me, love pouring from his gaze.
He wasn’t possessed. He couldn’t be. I could see through him, inside of him, and he was still mine.
My body screamed with effort as I moved forward on stiff, lifeless legs. I reached for the last of my power and yanked. Searing energy rippled through me, sending foreign tendrils of power deep into my being. Magic exploded and my insides seemed to rip apart. I fell to my knees, my strength gone.
Meri stopped inches from me, her right arm raised as if to strike me.
I stared up at her, defiance racing through every one of my cells. “Do it!” I demanded.
“With pleasure.” She swung.
Kane moved, a small dagger clutched in his hand, and plunged the knife into her left shoulder. She fell to one knee, her face contorted with rage. Her magic vanished, and a weight lifted from my chest.
I scrambled to my feet and rushed to Kane’s side.
“Run!” He grabbed my arm and yanked me away from Meri.
The small group of demon spectators, who’d been watching the showdown, seemed frozen with bewilderment. We took off, not waiting for an outcome.
We didn’t speak, just headed straight for the green-lighted passageway. Right as we sprinted under the archway, a loud boom rumbled from the auditorium. I skidded to a stop and poked my head out of the opening.
“Oh my God!” I cried. “It’s Philip and Lailah.”
The pair descended from somewhere high above, landing crouched in a fighting position. The demons instantly formed a circle around them. They’d answered my distress call. Only I’d had no idea that meant they’d show up here. I’d expected them to perform a calling to yank us back to the living world. It was a lot more dangerous for angels in hell. Their souls were extremely vulnerable to black magic corruption.
“Let them be.” Kane yanked my arm as he took off running down the tomb-filled passageway.
“But—”
He didn’t slow down or even glance back as he yelled, “Now’s our chance.”
I shoved the fears and doubts out of my mind. He was right. With Meri and her minions fighting off Philip and Lailah, this was going to be our best opportunity.
We passed the crumpled, once ornate ruins of gargoyles, screeching devil-dogs, and statues of humans twisted with torment and despair. I tried my best to not focus on any of them. Even though they were stone, agony poured into my being, tearing at my soul with each step I took.
My breathing labored as my eyes blurred. I blinked. Focus, Jade. Almost there. I spotted the rotting archway Mom had pinpointed as a marker. A few more paces, and we’d be at Meri’s dungeon. I slowed, senses on hyper-alert for any guards. But I was too overwhelmed with the agony and despair of the stone statues.
A terrible thought came to me. Were lost souls trapped in them? I turned to stare at the one closest to me. With her arms raised and crossed as if to ward off an attack, her big, frantic eyes pleaded for help. I took a step forward, trying not to register the warped, twisted body, shriveled with age. It was only a statue, I reminded myself. A grotesque representation of pain and suffering.
Her eyes seemed to follow my every movement. Another step closer. A trickle of sad misery, lined with a faint trace of hope brushed against my emotional radar.
Shock rooted me to the floor.
A soul resided in that statue.
I reached out, determined to soothe the suffering being. I couldn’t do much, but I could send her a little bit of comfort. Just as my hand brushed the icy surface of the statue, Kane jumped back, knocking me sideways.
“Ouch.” I
cradled my dead-weight arm. He’d hit me hard enough and in just the right spot that I’d been rendered temporarily paralyzed.
“Sorry.” He pulled me close. “I think it’s a bad idea to touch anything you don’t have to.”
“But someone’s trapped in there.”
He turned to inspect the grotesque being, a look of horror transforming over his features. “Oh, no. Not again.” He maneuvered me farther from it. “Not only am I not letting you get involved, but we don’t have time for this. Meri’s chamber is just ahead. Let’s go.”
I gave the statue one last look and followed Kane. It killed me to not do something for anyone suffering. But what was I going to do? Make it my mission to free everyone trapped in Hell? What if they belonged there? I shook my head, trying to dislodge the thoughts. We had work to do.
As soon as we rounded the corner, I knew we were in the right place. Withered oak trees lined the stone wall in an eerily familiar formation. I squinted, imagining them hearty and full of life. Yes, I recognized these trees; they were the same ones near our coven circle. I touched the wall, and a faint trace of Dan’s distinct energy reached me.
I squeezed Kane’s hand, hard, and nodded to the stone door. “He’s here.”
We both stared at the smooth surface. No handle. No lock. No obvious way to open it. Mom had warned us we’d need a spell to get in.
“Can you send energy toward Dan?” Kane asked. “Maybe he’ll realize you’re out here and open the door himself.”
“No. You forget most people can’t feel my energy.” Kane could, but he was a dreamwalker and, for some reason, had always been able to sense me. Dan didn’t have such abilities. “Besides, I think the spell is needed to open the door from either side.”
“Right.” He ran a frustrated hand through his sweat-soaked dark hair. “Damn it, Jade, the spell is too dangerous. You’re too weak after our encounter with Meri. We should find another way.”
I sighed. “I’m out of options. Would you prefer I run back to the battle with Meri? Either way, I’m taking a risk. At least if I try this, we have a shot.”
A muscle in Kane’s jaw twitched as he bit back a reply. Despite his obvious reluctance, he stepped aside, making room for me to cast the spell.
My mother’s soft voice rang in my mind. Words she said she’d never forget—Meri’s personal signature. The incantation that would open the door if I managed to infuse enough magic into them.
Where freedom’s lost and dreams turn to nightmares.
Through this door lies a path to despair.
Hopeless. Destructive. Comfortable.
Open to an existence where disappointment ceases to exist.
I said the words over and over in my head, letting my magic build one layer at a time. The spark was faint, but it was still there. With the mental chant, my body grew hot with the kindled magic, forming a different sensation than I was used to.
Panic shot through me. Was I using black magic? I raised my hands, inspecting my fingers. The last time I’d tapped into darkness, they’d turned black. Here in Hell, I noticed nothing except the extreme change in temperature.
Meri’s depressing mantra flashed through my mind one last time. I pressed my palms to the stone. Around my flesh, the door glowed bright orange. The magic spread in a spider web formation across the wide plane. A low rumble sounded from within. The magic popped and crackled as if it were live fire. I stepped back, colliding with Kane. His arms circled my waist steadying me. We both stared.
“Holy shit,” I said under my breath.
Kane’s grip tightened as the door slowly moved.
The magic faded away, and finally the door stood three-quarters of the way open.
I carefully disentangled myself from Kane’s grasp and moved toward the chamber.
My heart hammered, and I barely breathed. Please let Dan be all right. Taking one last frightening step, I scooted into the massive room.
The opulence stopped me in my tracks. The space was nothing like the run-down ruins of the tunnels we’d been working our way through. Pale pink silks lined the walls. A lush, thick white carpet lay beneath satin settees and mahogany wood bookcases. I spared one absurd brief thought for the springiness of the carpet. Where exactly did one shop for finer goods in Hell? A silver tea set sat near an armchair, steam streaming from the top of the pot.
The same one I’d dreamed about!
I turned to Kane and let out a gasp of surprise.
Right behind him stood Meri, her eyes pinched in anger. “How dare you defile my space!”
Kane spun and backed up as if to shield me.
“Give us Dan and we’ll leave,” I bargained and moved to Kane’s side, knowing our departure would never be that easy.
She snapped her fingers, and her door started to rumble again. Only this time it closed.
I swallowed the ‘no’ forming in my throat. Pleading with her would make me appear weak. We couldn’t leave anyway. Not without Dan and the ruby.
Meri advanced on us, desperate anger streaming from her.
Desperate? What did she want, Philip? He was her mate.
And what happened to him during their battle? Jesus, we were in deep now.
I moved, dodging Meri’s blow.
Another surprise. Instead of following me, she beelined her way toward a narrow door at the end of her chamber. Kane grabbed my arm and tucked me once again beside him.
Getting out in a hurry after we found Dan wasn’t going to be easy. I
racked my memory for a banishing spell or some way to magic ourselves back to our reality. Nothing miraculously materialized in my tired brain.
Meri flung the second door open and came face to face with Dan.
His eyebrows shot up as surprise registered over his expression. “That was fast,” he said.
She grabbed him, clinging to his frame.
“What happened?” he asked, stroking her hair.
I gasped. Was he possessed again? Had Meri found a way to corrupt him? “Dan?”
He jerked back and stiffened.
Meri released her hold and turned. She stood in front of Dan exactly the same way Kane had earlier while protecting me. She didn’t say anything, though. She just eyed me with those deep, almost black eyes.
Dan shifted to stand at her side, pushing his tousled brown hair back with one hand. “Jade, what are you doing here?”
“Saving your ass, you idiot. What are you doing?” I gestured to the demon beside him. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Jade,” Kane warned under his breath.
I glanced at my boyfriend, sending him a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. We risked our lives to save Dan’s sorry butt from Hell. Who knows what happened to Philip and Lailah? And he was lounging in Princess Demon’s silk-filled dungeon. Drinking tea.
Dan’s pale green eyes narrowed. He held his emotions in tight control, but I thought I sensed a faint trace of weariness. “Surviving.”
“Not anymore,” I said. “Today you’re coming home with me.”
“No!” Life seemed to come alive in Meri. Flinging her arms out, she reached for more power, but it fizzled after a few short sparks. She stared at her hands for a moment, frustration streaming off her. Odd, she didn’t seem at all surprised her magic failed her. Was she still recovering from our battle a week ago? Abandoning Dan, she barreled into me.
I landed hard on my side. My bones screamed in protest, despite the previously believed cushy carpeting. We grappled, each trying our best to get the upper hand. Nails scraped down my arm. I bit back a cry and rammed my elbow into her bicep. She grunted and lunged for me.
“Get what we came for,” I yelled at Kane and then choked on a mouthful of Meri’s long black hair. Still battling her incredible grip on my arms, I met Kane’s eyes. He glanced at Dan and raised his eyebrows.
I quickly shook my head. We needed the ruby first. Then we could figure out how to make a break for it.
While Dan stood, mouth open, staring at u
s, Kane slipped into the smaller room.
Please, please, please let this stone be easy to find.
I twisted my wrist, trying to dislodge from Meri’s grip. Unsuccessful, I tried to yank my arm back, but she was quicker. With a barely detectable thread of magic, Meri slammed me against the floor.
I grunted and swallowed a cry of distress. Kane would never ignore something like that. And I needed him to find that ruby.
“Meri, stop!” Dan demanded and then reached down to pull her away from me.
The demon’s eyes lightened to clear gray. A barely contained calm settled over her as she worked hard to let go of what I could have sworn was fear.
Why in the world would she fear any of us? And why was she listening to Dan?
What in the mighty name of the devil was going on here? I opened my mouth, couldn’t get the words out, swallowed, and tried again. “Dan? Are you and Meri…?”
The demon glanced up at Dan expectantly.
What the F? Meri was waiting for the answer to my unasked question. The pit in my gut grew heavier.
“We’re friends…” His voice trailed off. He stared at Meri, pale green eyes searching hers.
My stomach turned. “Dan! She’s a demon.”
“You don’t understand,” he shot back.
“Of course I don’t understand. She abducted my mother, possessed you and Lailah, and hurt Kane. She’s an evil, energy-sucking, ruthless demon!”
Kane emerged from the other room, slipping unnoticed past Meri and Dan, who’d been staring at me. He pressed against the far wall, leaning as if he’d been present the whole time. He barely tilted his head in a confirmation. He had what he needed.
“Not anymore,” Dan said quietly.
Meri gazed at him, something close to adoration streaming off her.
I was going to be sick.
The stone door started to rumble again. Meri sprung into action, pushing Dan back into the adjoining room. She tried to close him in, but she was too late. Philip and Lailah barged into Meri’s quarters, covered in soot and demon blood.
Meri bolted forward and then froze, saying and doing nothing.
