by G. K. DeRosa
“Oh, really?” Lucifer’s eyes bounced to mine. “That is quite an accomplishment, dear daughter. And what do I get out of this deal?”
“A permanent vacation.” She sneered.
“And what do Luna and Ryder get from this bargain?”
I sat forward in my seat, steeling my growing nerves. “Luxora vowed to keep the Underworlders in check and prevent an all-out war between the houses of Azar and the humans. I’ve seen the visions.” I shuddered at the vivid images that crept across my mind.
A deep chuckle burst from Lucifer’s lips, vibrating his chest and bouncing his wide shoulders up and down. “And you believe her? That she can control the Underworlders where I couldn’t? I, the King of the Underworld; Lucifer, the light bringer; Prince of Hell; Angel of the Bottomless Pit; Ruler of the Darkness… Need I go on?” His voice rose in intensity with every title, the air thickening with his power until the entire room trembled.
Ryder’s head whipped to Luxora. “He has a good point, sister. What is your master plan?”
She grunted. “Father’s words are powerful, but his actions do not reflect them. He’s grown weak and lazy; he has been corrupted by the vices of the human world. He has no real desire to rule the Underworld or its inhabitants. He’s merely putting on a show because he’s been threatened. I am the one that has been here for the people. The five other warlords trust me, and they will listen to reason.”
“Good luck,” Lucifer spat, picking up the silver knife from the table and twirling it between his fingers. “But you’re not wrong. My interests in the Underworld have dwindled. There is so much more in the world of more importance to me. I’ve been bound to this bleak realm for far too long.” He speared a chunk of meat from a platter and shoved it in his mouth. “A permanent vacation sounds lovely,” he muttered between bites.
“Wonderful. Then let’s begin.” Luxora smiled at me as she chomped into a big, juicy red apple. “Nicodemus!”
The sorcerer materialized before us in a puff of dark smoke.
Oh, crapsicles. Ryder tensed beside me, his thigh brushing against mine beneath the table. I’d thought for sure Lucifer would fight her on this and buy us more time. Now we were out of luck, and I still couldn’t feel a twinge of magic because of these damned handcuffs.
Nicodemus pulled a dagger and a dark urn from within the folds of his robes and placed them on the table. After watching Garrix’s binding spell, I had a pretty good idea what would happen next. Me losing blood.
Ryder squirmed in his seat, his body turning slightly to mine. The movement caught my attention, and I swiveled my gaze to his. His hand moved to my thigh, slowly running over my skin.
Heat pooled in my core, his touch even now making my insides clench. What was he doing? My brows slammed together as I shot him a narrowed glare, and his incandescent pupils flared to life.
The black cord laced around my heart pulsed. It was faint, but it was more than the weak whisper I’d felt lately. The glow in his eyes magnified, and a deep growl vibrated his chest. The manicured nails skimming my flesh were replaced by his claws.
My knee bounced up as goose bumps crawled down my leg. The pulsing bond intensified. I tugged on the murky tether as a hint of dark magic swirled within. Ryder was a genius. Bringing his demon to the surface was flaring up his power so I could access it.
“Everything all right, son?” Lucifer’s cynical gaze landed on us.
“Fine,” he hissed. Barely any traces of humanity were left in his voice.
The devil reached across the table for another platter of food as Nicodemus and Luxora worked on the spell on the other side. Lucifer’s hand brushed my free one, and a jolt of energy rocketed through my skin.
The tiny demon within me flared to life, and dark magic exploded through my veins. Harnessing what I could siphon from Ryder’s cord and whatever it was Lucifer just did, I focused on the mystical restraints, hiding my hands under the table. A sharp sizzle crackled the air, like a live wire snapped.
I was free! A burst of energy wracked my core, and I felt everything all at once. Tugging on the ties that bound the team, I summoned a portal and directed them through.
Nicodemus glanced up from the massive tome spread across the opposite side of the table, and his expression darkened. His eyes widened, realization carving into his sharp cheekbones. He opened his mouth just as the whirling vortex spun to life in the middle of the dining room.
“Guards!” Luxora bellowed as my team—my friends, Cillian, and Calliope—leapt out of the portal.
Chapter 25
The room exploded into chaos. Demons filtered in from every doorway, Nicodemus threw bolts of magic across the room, and Luxora lunged. A dark blur zipped in front of me and tackled the warlord to the ground. I gasped.
Ryder’s broad shoulders hovered over his sister, his clawed fingers ripping and tearing as screams filled the chamber.
“Are you okay?” Drake appeared in front of me blocking my vision.
I didn’t think I’d ever been happier to see the ice prince.
“Yes. It was about time you guys got here.” I shot him a wink before two demons came at us.
Drake’s faery sword flared, brilliant sparks of violet dancing across the blade. He slashed at the first monster as I summoned a dagger and whirled it at the second one. It was a direct hit and the slimy demon crumpled to the ground, disintegrating into a puddle of green sludge.
Sharp sounds of battle resonated across my eardrums as I summoned an energy ball in each hand. I tossed them into the fray rapid fire as wails and howls rang out.
Cillian, Calliope and Raf’s angel swords blazed through the demons, cutting them down in swarms. Aeria’s ethereal melody tinged the air, the tune intoxicating the demons until Raine took them out with her magic. Triston and Zephyr fought side by side, both partially shifted with their sharp fangs and claws fully extended. Across the room I caught my vampire roommate hurtling daggers faster than bullets, nearly each one hitting its mark.
My heart soared as I watched my team, my best friends, fighting for me. I didn’t have long to revel in the happy moment though. A gorabora demon lunged across the room, pummeling into Ryder who still had Luxora pinned.
My breath hitched as memories of the last time he’d been poisoned by the demon’s venomous saliva swam to the surface. I raced toward them as they tussled across the floor. Ryder’s face was twisted in fury, the full-blown demon come out to play. With a powerful swipe of his clawed hand, he ripped the gorabora’s head right off.
I staggered back as blood spurted in the air.
Ryder leapt up, wiping the crimson splotches off his face and stalked toward Luxora once again without giving me a second glance. His demon was both terrifying and magnificent all at once.
When I could finally get my tongue working, I called after him. “Ryder, try the snake!”
His vacant citrine irises met mine, and for a second I was scared he was too far gone. He clenched his jaw and nodded, and I caught a tiny glimpse of the man beneath the beast.
The tightness in my chest dissipated slightly, and I jumped back into action. Scanning the room, I searched for Lucifer. The handsome fallen angel was nowhere to be found. In all the confusion, I’d lost track of him and now he’d vanished. A demon appeared before me, his tusks slicing the air. I leapt back before he gored me with his sharp horns and thrust my dagger into his belly.
No matter how many demons we cut down, more appeared. It was almost like magic… Hmm.
Where was Nicodemus?
I scanned the vast room until I found the sorcerer in a corner, sitting safely within a protective orb. From this distance, I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but his wrinkly lips were quickly flapping.
Aw, hell no. I raced across the room, throwing fireballs at anyone who got in my way. By the time I reached the opposite side, the stench of charred bodies filled the chamber.
Nicodemus’s eyes bugged out when they landed on me. And they just about tripled in s
ize when I muttered a few words, and his glowing orb burst into tiny useless droplets of magic.
My powers were strong, but now that I’d absorbed a taste of Ryder’s and Lucifer’s dark magic, the energy rolling through my body was heady. It coursed through my veins like a runaway train, filling me with more power than I’d ever felt before.
It was all-consuming and completely addictive. Now I understood why dark magic was frowned upon at the academy. Its allure was far too seductive.
Nicodemus stopped muttering the incantation as panic flashed across his watery eyes. He threw his hand out, and a bolt of lightning burst from his splayed fingertips. I blocked it with my palm. The energy bounced off my hand and fizzled away to nothing.
Extending my arm out, I imagined invisible fingers wrapping around the old man’s throat. Closing my hand, I squeezed. His eyeballs bulged as he coughed and spluttered.
I could feel the vertebrae in his neck, so fragile against my strength. I could easily twist my wrist and end his life with a snap. Darkness seeped into my vision as a raspy voice echoed in my mind. Do it. He deserves to die after what he put you through.
My fingers tightened, and the invisible ones around his neck mirrored my movements. I raised my hand, and Nicodemus’s feet dangled a few feet off the ground.
“Stop!” he choked out, his pallid skin turning a pale blue shade.
But I couldn’t. Most importantly, I didn’t want to. Blood lust surged through my core, filling every inch of me. I wanted this man dead. My heart craved it, demanded it.
“Luna, don’t!” Ryder appeared at my side, bloodstains splattered across his face, neck and every inch of him. He grabbed my hands and squeezed, focusing his unearthly eyes on mine. Darkness contorted his features, the demon masking his face but underneath the black was the man I loved. “If you kill him like this, you’ll regret it. Don’t let the darkness take over.”
The rasp of his voice made him sound more demon than human. And still, he managed to hold onto a sliver of his humanity. And more importantly, remind me of mine.
I released my hold on Nicodemus’s neck and he slumped to the ground, coughing and sucking in breaths. Ryder’s arms encircled me, pulling me into his firm chest. I buried my nose in his shirt, the sharp tang of sweat and blood permeating the material, but still his familiar sandalwood scent lingered. I held onto that for as long as I could as the battle raged around us.
He released me a moment later and before I blinked, raked a clawed hand across Nicodemus’s throat. Blood spurted out in a waterfall of crimson. The sorcerer’s body jerked as his eyes widened into saucers.
My jaw dropped.
His head lolled back, and vacant orbs stared straight up.
“Ryder?”
He stood over the old man, a pleased expression across his darkened features. Then he turned to me, his jaw softening. “He needed to die, just not by your hand.”
The brutality I’d seen from Ryder and myself today scared me. I couldn’t deny it, but he’d been right. Sometimes you needed a monster to fight a worse monster.
Ryder extended his hand, and I took it, wrapping my fingers tight around his. “Let’s finish this.”
Cillian and Luxora battled it out across the room, the sharp clang of swords ringing through the air. Now that Nicodemus had been stopped, the flow of demons seemed to diminish. The rest of the team fought the remaining stragglers.
Luxora’s snake hissed and bobbed up and down as the angel blade bore down in powerful arcs.
“Did you try killing Malis?” I asked Ryder as we raced toward them.
“I couldn’t get near him. That thing’s fast. But I’m convinced it’s the key to stopping her.”
“Then let’s do it.”
He shook his head. “Go to the others. Do that thing you do so well and incinerate these bastards. Leave Luxora to me.”
His demon still surged and as much as I wanted to trust him, a tiny part of me still feared for the man beneath. I squeezed his hand and brought it up to my lips. “Promise you’ll come back to me.”
His blazing citrine irises locked on mine. “Always.”
With dread constricting my chest, I lifted onto my tiptoes and quickly brushed my lips against his. “I love you. Please be careful.”
His hand snaked around my neck, and he pulled me into a crushing kiss. “I should be the one saying that to you.” He finally released me and with every bone in my body screaming in objection, we darted off in opposite directions.
“Drake!” I shouted, “Zephyr, Scarlett, come on guys. Let’s do this.”
The Fae prince reached me first, his hand tightly clasping around mine. The perfect royal was a mess, his gelled hair sticking up, entangled in demon blood and guts. My lips tipped into a smile once I confirmed he was safe and just dirty. Triston’s hand joined mine a moment later, and before long all eight of us stood in a row.
At least a few dozen demons still remained.
“Ready?” I glanced down the row.
Everyone nodded, determination setting in on their weary expressions.
“Let’s get this party started!” Zephyr shouted.
Raine began the chant, and we all joined in, our voices vibrating with power. “Fuocem velocem. Fuocem absolutem.” Raging heat coiled in my core, filling every inch of me until there was nowhere else for it to go. My knees wobbled from the intensity, but Drake and Triston’s firm grips steadied me. A bubbling volcano hissed and spluttered, churning my insides. I needed to free it, or the dark heady power would completely consume me.
“Now!” I shouted, releasing hold of the guys’ hands as a wave of scorching fire burst from my fingertips. Vibrant orange and red flames moved in a devastating tidal wave, burning everything in its path. Hideous shrieks and screams filled the room as the demons tried to get away, only to be consumed by the hell flames.
Only the protective bubble around Ryder, Luxora, Cillian and Calliope remained once the smoke and ash scattered.
My heart constricted when the haze lifted giving way to Calliope’s form stretched across the stone floor. Cillian hovered over her as Ryder and Luxora continued fighting.
From the looks of it, the warlord had realized that Ryder was going for the snake. The creature moved with startling speed as Luxora dipped and spun away from his attacks.
With the hell fires diminishing, I called back the safety bubble, washing away the magic protecting my friends. And giving me access to the warlord herself.
The eight of us stalked forward, heady magic still coursing through our veins. The bond thrummed with power.
Ryder pushed himself off the ground as Luxora’s blade slashed through the air, nearly taking his head off. Exhaustion was carved into his dark features, and still, he continued fighting. The dark lord looked fresh as a daisy. Each cut and wound freshly healed over as quickly as it was inflicted.
I turned to my team. “The snake. It has to be the answer.”
“Then let’s get that damned serpent,” shouted Drake.
Luxora snarled as we approached, Malis racing up and down her body in a figure eight. A dark mist swirled around the creature. I reached for it mentally like I had with Nicodemus, but I couldn’t wrap my invisible fingers around it.
“It’s blocking our magic somehow,” said Raine, her brows twisted.
“Maybe individually,” I answered. “But there’s no way it’s stronger than all of us.”
“Together,” said Drake.
“Incoming!” I shouted, and Ryder shuffled Cillian and Calliope out of the way.
Drake’s hand shot out, and he muttered a few words. Luxora’s eyes widened as invisible icy bands curled around her body, immobilizing her.
“Now!” I cried out. Our hands joined, and we shouted the words of the first spell I’d ever used. The one that proved I was more than just a human; I was a darkblood like the rest of the team.
“Toree fuocum celis demoniom, toree fuocum celis demoniom!” The dark words flowed from our mouths, the sheer po
wer thickening the air. Sparks flickered between our palms and searing heat scorched my hand. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out as searing energy hemorrhaged through my veins. The eight of us released each other and splayed out our hands. The overwhelming power burst from our palms in a wave of electric blue and brilliant orange.
The blast consumed the serpent, the crackle of energy zipping up and down its slender body until nothing remained but a charred casing of skin.
Luxora shrieked and collapsed to the ground beside the creature. As the fire raged on, her skin shriveled away, leaving a dry, desiccated corpse.
My breaths came in short, ragged spurts as I drifted toward the body of the dark lord. I toed at her withered form with my boot, and a layer of skin sloughed off. After all this time, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that she was really dead.
Ryder appeared beside me, his arm winding around my waist. “It’s over,” he softly whispered against my ear. My body sagged into him, the feel of his strong arms around me chasing away all the day’s horrible images.
“It’s over,” I echoed.
Chapter 26
After the final battle with Luxora, the end of the year exams didn’t seem quite as daunting. The eight of us, plus Cinder, sat in the library huddled over our textbooks. A smile slipped across my face as I glanced at each of my friends. It still didn’t seem real—that we’d beaten the dark lord and survived. Most of us anyway. My throat tightened, a knot of emotion blocking my airway. I’d never forget Ash, and how he’d lost his life protecting me.
Cillian, Calliope and of course, Ryder, they’d fought by our side through it all. They had become the family I’d never had growing up. “Has anyone gone to see Calliope today?” I whispered.
Scarlett’s crimson-lined irises lifted to mine. “Yeah, I went this morning. Cillian said she should be getting out of the infirmary by tomorrow the latest.”
