I pushed my friends out of the way and stepped forward. “I don’t want to fight you. I made a mistake by entering your world, but it was not my intention to anger you.”
The brunette one cackled, throwing her head back. She shook her finger at me, slow and deliberate, like she was scolding me.
Chaos smirked. “Save your breath, Gray. They won’t speak to you. They won’t listen to you. We must fight them.”
A knot formed in my chest. I was hoping to avoid a bloody battle with the Goddesses of Vengeance, but they didn’t strike me as the forgiving type. The blond one licked her lips and eyed me like a piece of candy. The kind she wanted to chew up and spit out.
The red-head was the one we fought at the Harpy Forest. The attack was brutal, and I almost didn’t recover from it. Her eyes burned into mine, fierce with rage. She was still sore that we had gotten away.
Valentina muttered through gritted teeth, “Let’s end this.”
I nodded and threw Aldric a look. His eyes lit up with recognition. In one swift movement he backed up, drew out his bow, and fired a sun arrow into the three of them. They shrieked and scattered, dodging the arrow by a hair. I was grateful that The Keeper had forged him the new weapon and proud of Aldric for not hesitating.
I threw myself in front of Aldric as the blond Fury dove for him. She struck my jaw with her fist and sent me stumbling back into him. He caught me by the elbows mid-fall and catapulted me forward. I leaped up and caught her by her hair, dragging her back down to the ground.
The brunette hissed and charged toward us just as Dragos and Valentina each grabbed ahold of one of her arms, flinging her backward. She let out a low guttural growl as she sprang up and slashed Dragos across the face with her claws.
Valentina growled back, her eyes shifting to amber as she changed into her wolf form. Red fur sprouted out from her flesh as she lurched over onto all fours. It was just enough of a distraction. The brown haired Fury narrowed her eyes and flew directly toward her. Dragos slammed into her, knocking her to the ground, and pounced on her, wrapping his hands around her throat.
The blond Fury struggled against me to go to her, but with the help of Aldric, I held her tight in my grip. Seven, realizing Chaos didn’t need his help, raced over to us and grabbed her shoulders. She kicked and flailed as she tried to get out of our grasp.
I glanced up to see Chaos and the redheaded Fury fighting overhead. His wings flapped, smacking her over and over again, but she kept coming back for more.
A sharp pain pierced my neck. Blood trickled down my chest. I whipped my head back to the Fury I was restraining and gasped. She was smiling with a chunk of my flesh between her teeth. In shock, my grip loosened, and she broke free. Seven and Aldric reached for her but she shot up like a lightning bolt above us.
Aldric tore off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it around my neck. “Until it heals.”
I nodded, wincing from the cloth hitting my open wound. I looked up, searching for them and spotted them both going after Chaos now. “We have to do something.”
“I have an idea.” Seven motioned toward Dragos and Valentina, who were each taking turns wrestling around on the ground with the dark haired one. In wolf form, Valentina was able to pounce faster, but the Fury anticipated and countered her every move.
Seven raced over to them, calling out from behind. “The other two will come down to protect her.”
I nodded and turned toward Aldric as we ran to catch up with him. “Be ready.”
He nodded back, readying his arrows.
I ran to Dragos’s side and whispered in his ear. His eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face.
I lunged at the brunette Fury. “Hey. I’m right here. Come and get me, bitch.”
Her eyes rolled back into her head and then forward again. A shiver ran up my spine. She crept toward me slow as I stood still, my sword behind my back. These were ferocious but not intelligent creatures.
That’s it. Just a little closer.
Only inches away from me, she hissed and started forward. In the blink of an eye, I whipped my blade around and drove it straight into her belly. She screamed as her eyes widened, then bulged. She wrapped her hands around the blade as I thrust it deeper. Black sludge oozed out and ran all the way down to the hilt of my sun blade, coating my fingers. I held my breath as the stench permeated my lungs.
She twisted and squirmed as I held tight. I watched as her soul faded from her eyes, leaving nothing but two black gaping holes. Her form went limp and she slumped over. I pulled my blade out and shoved her as she crumpled on the ground.
Holding the blade above my head, my hands covered in sludge, I threw my head back and called out to the other two. “Who’s next?” My voice roared like thunder over the flapping of wings.
The Furies shrieked at the sight of their sister lifeless on the ground. Forgetting all about Chaos, they dove toward me with murder in their eyes.
Twenty-Two
Wild-eyed and fuming with rage, the Furies screamed as they glided through the air, barreling toward me. With my eyes shifted to black, I stood my ground, both daggers out in front of me. Chaos, stunned by their sudden change in target, hissed and chased after them, his wings flapping with the force of a hurricane.
Dragos threw himself in front of me just as the blond one landed inches away from me. Aldric drew up his bow, but the redhead ripped it out of his hand from behind. She shoved him hard, sending him flying backward. Seven intercepted her as she tried to pounce on top of Aldric. He opened his palm and pushed out a wave of electric energy. She tumbled backward and winced as she hit the pavement. Her head hit the ground and bounced.
I spun back around as the other one’s claws whipped past Dragos and smacked me in the face. Blood seeped between my fingers as I clutched my cheek. She roared like thunder as she charged toward me. Dragos and Valentina leaped at her. In one swift movement, she flung her hands out and sent them flying back. The ground cracked as their limp bodies hit the ground.
My hands trembled as I gripped my blades tight. The blond Fury stalked toward me like a lion. My heart raced as she quickened her pace, black tears streaming down her face.
I stood my ground, raising my sun blade and ready to strike. As she bridged the gap between us, I lunged forward. She growled and flicked my blade away like it weighed nothing. My stomach turned. I slashed at her with my other dagger but couldn’t make contact. She clamped onto my wrist and screamed into my face. Panic spread throughout my body as my hand flew open and the dagger fell to the ground.
Her other hand closed around my throat, cutting off the air to my lungs. I eyed my blade on the ground and reached for it, but her grip was firm. I clawed at her hand, trying to wrench it away, but it wouldn’t budge. My chest ached and burned, my head spinning.
The Fury flashed me a wicked smile and whispered, “This is personal now. Goodbye, Goddess of Death.”
My vision blurred, and the Siren’s song began to hum in my ears, beckoning me to surrender. Blood dripped down my chest as her claws dug into my neck. I glanced over at Dragos and Valentina’s motionless bodies and tried to will them to wake up. They didn’t move a muscle.
A flash of light flickered in my peripheral vision just as the darkness began to set in. The Fury shrieked as she was flung back, and everything went still. The air hit my lungs like a slap in the face. Like swallowing sandpaper. My knees gave out and I crumpled to the ground. I keeled over, coughing and spitting up blood.
All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. There was one more Fury left. I pushed up with all my strength and whipped around just as Aldric shot his last arrow into the redheaded Fury’s skull. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she exhaled her last breath.
I looked back to see Chaos hovering over the blond Fury, her limbs torn. Black sludge oozed down his arm as he clutched her heart in his hand. I let out a sigh of relief and raced over to Dragos and Valentina just as they were coming to.
Dragos’s eyes widened a
s they met mine. “Gray. Your neck. Are you, all right?” He pressed his hand to my throat.
I nodded as I winced. “I’ll live. It’s just a scratch.”
Aldric limped over. “Just a scratch? Darlin’, she almost tore your throat out.”
I drew in a sharp breath and lowered my head. “I know.” I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Chaos hadn’t been there to stop her.
Dragos sneered at Chaos. “What took you so long? Aren’t you supposed to be a god?” His veins bulged from his neck.
Chaos narrowed his eyes down at him. “They caught me off guard. It won’t happen again.”
Seven placed a calming hand on Dragos’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath. He’s on our side. And he just saved Gray’s life.”
Dragos looked away. He was angry and filled with guilt. I could feel it. Not toward Chaos, but toward himself. He wanted to be the one to save me.
I sighed and reluctantly turned toward Chaos. “Thank you for stepping in.”
He nodded, his face more serious than I had ever seen it. “I will not let anything happen to you. You are too important.”
My heart skipped. The connection between us was something I didn’t want to think about. He infuriated me at times and enchanted me at others. He was intoxicating, and every instinct told me to run away, but I was drawn to him all the same. There was something about his presence. The way he looked at me. And now he had just saved my life. Would this haunt me forever?
Dragos pulled me away and into his arms. He kissed my cheeks, cupping my face in his hands. “We have to be more careful. I can’t lose you.”
I smiled. “I’m fine. Really. Look, I’m already healing.” The gash was mending itself, stitching itself together with tiny invisible fibers.
Chaos snickered. “No thanks to you.”
Dragos and Aldric both started toward him as I stepped in front of them. “Stop. This fight isn’t over. Save your strength for our true enemies.”
Chaos smirked. “She’s right. You think this was tough? Cerberus is ten times as strong as all three of these Furies put together. Get over yourselves and accept the fact that Gray needs me.”
With nostrils flared and eyes shifted, Dragos stared daggers into Chaos. I placed a hand on his chest. “I need you too. All of you. We can only succeed if we do it together.”
Dragos clenched his fists then relaxed them. He nodded and forced a smile. “As you wish, love.” He smiled but still had one eye trained on Chaos.
Aldric leaned on Seven while he waited for his leg to heal, his brow furrowed in my direction.
I cocked my head to the side. “Is there something you want to say?”
He sighed and looked around, avoiding my gaze. “Just be careful. I know you trust him but…Chaos’s only concern is protecting you. He doesn’t care about any of us or this world.”
A lump formed in my throat. That old familiar feeling of dread returned. I didn’t want to face it just yet. The possibility that all of this was doomed from the start. The Hades Protocol. The ruse of helping. A tiny voice in my head urged me to proceed with caution. To keep my guard up. The gods don’t care who wins this war. They have the power to destroy it, no matter the outcome. The only thing Chaos expressed interest in was getting me to Elysium. One way or another, I had to prove to him that I didn’t belong there.
We left the Garden District and headed back toward the French Quarter, picking up our pace as we followed the sound of screams and scraping of metal against metal. We needed to heal but there was no time to waste. The demons were turning this city into a blood-bath.
I gasped at the sight as we turned down Bourbon street. Hellhounds. They tangled with the Rougarou, slashing and snarling at each other. I raced over to Josephine and the Witches. They were struggling to hold them back.
Sweat dripped down her face. “Silas is in there somewhere.”
I scanned the crowd and spotted the berserker tearing apart a hellhound with his bare hands. “Don’t worry. I think he’s got it covered.”
Samuel flew to my side. “What do you need me to do?” His eyes were filled with warmth and admiration, a refreshing change from when we had first met.
I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Protect your mother. I need this barrier to hold.”
He nodded and planted himself in front of her, his eyes darting around for any possible threat.
Dionysus swooped down. “Took you long enough. These demons are a wild bunch. We should have brought Selene with us.”
I raised an eyebrow at Chaos. He smirked but rolled his eyes. “She is busy. Besides, she’s too sentimental.” He patted Dionysus on the back and turned toward me. “Selene is our sister and the goddess of the moon. She’s also responsible for that tantalizing Narcissus magic you hold so dear.”
I shook my head, confused. “I don’t understand. The Narcissus flower was in the Underworld.”
Chaos’s eyes twinkled with a glint of mischief. “And so was she. She spoke very highly of your abilities to evade her song.”
My stomach dropped. All the blood rushed to my feet. “Selene is the Siren?”
Chaos smirked. “She has a lovely voice, doesn’t she?”
I felt like the wind had just been knocked out of me. All this time he knew and didn’t tell me. Another trick.
I flew into a rage and pounded my fists on his chest, startling him as he inched back. “Why was she in the Underworld?”
He laughed, grabbing my wrists and holding me in place. “She was sent there to guard the flower. Then you came along and stole it from her.”
I wrenched away from him. “She got in my head and almost killed Val. What kind of twisted games are you all playing?”
His smile faded. “The kind that keep you alive. You are strong, Gray. Stronger than my sister, stronger than Jezebel, and stronger than Cerberus. You need to start trusting yourself. You panicked with the Fury, but you could have overpowered her. You don’t need my help. We need yours.”
His words hit me like a ton of bricks. He was a god, an immortal, an all powerful being, and he was relying on me?
As the fighting continued around us, I stood dazed and speechless. I didn’t know how much the others heard, but Dragos and Aldric were staring at me wide-eyed.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, I spotted her. Her pale icy blond hair whipped around her shoulders like golden tassels. Arcadia. Without hesitation, I sheathed my blades and charged toward her.
Our eyes locked and my nostrils flared. My pulse throbbed. “Where have you been?”
Arcadia snickered and tossed her hair. “I’ve been trying to get us out of this mess you put us in. You don’t deserve to be Imperator.”
I was fuming, my fists clenched. “And how is that working out for you? Cerberus doesn’t care about you or any of your deals. How could you betray me like this?”
Her eyes narrowed down at me. “You’ve brought nothing but trouble since you came around. You literally brought chaos. I should have taken you up on your offer to disappear.”
I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
She turned up her nose. “In Diana’s Forest, the first time we met…you said if I gave up Jane, you and Aldric would disappear. I should have said yes.”
I burst out laughing. “You didn’t actually think I was serious, did you? I was lying. I’m not going anywhere. I never was.” I stared daggers at her.
She gasped, her eyes widening. “You would lie to your own sister? I thought you were supposed to be the honorable one?”
I gritted my teeth. “There is no honor when you are amongst thieves. And you are no longer my sister. We may share a father, but you are not my family.”
Right on cue, her four traveling Lupi cohorts sauntered up behind her, eyeing me with suspicion. I regarded them carefully as Arcadia smirked.
I licked my lips and cleared my throat as I addressed them. “You have this one chance to get back over to the rest of your pack, free fr
om punishment. If you choose to stay with this traitor, I cannot help you.”
Their eyes darted back and forth between each other and at Arcadia before they bowed their heads and kneeled before me. The taller one trembled as he looked up at me. “We have been misled. Have mercy on us.”
Arcadia gasped.
My eyes hardened as I met his stare. “Go. Now. And don’t ever fall out of line again.”
The Lupi scurried off to join the others while a look of shock spread across Arcadia’s face. She crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip, giving me her best pout.
“Why does everyone always want to follow you?” Her whining grated on my nerves.
I sighed. “Because I keep my word. Something you have no idea how to do.”
Her eyes darkened. “Are you going to kill me?” She glanced at my sheathed blade.
I shook my head. “Despite what you think, I’m not a monster, Arcadia. I’m not going to kill you, but I am going to keep you from hurting anyone else.”
Her limbs shook as the realization hit her. “Please, don’t. I need it. I promise I will stay out of your way.”
I felt a twinge of sadness for her but reminded myself that she could never be trusted. “I’m sorry, but you don’t deserve your magic.”
She opened her mouth to scream as I gripped her shoulders and closed my eyes. She struggled against me as my hands went to her temples. Calling upon my Narcissus magic, tiny fibers began to dance within me. I saw her magic and my bones called to it. It flowed toward me like a magnet. Arcadia cried out as she fought to resist it. I pressed harder.
A golden light poured out of her and into my veins. It coursed through me like a river. I drew in a sharp breath and sucked in the last trace of it, stopping only before killing her.
I stepped back as she collapsed onto the ground. She looked up at me, her eyes filling with tears. No longer a wolf charmer, just a blood-thirsty Dhampir with no magical abilities. Just like her mother.
Gods and Demons (Blood and Darkness Book 3) Page 15
