Red Blooded
Page 38
There was a loud noise behind us as the Prince shouted, “You have been a thorn in my side since the day you arrived. I will tolerate it no longer. I will happily rid the Underworld of you once and for all!”
Power swirled around the room and the few remaining demons fled, shouting their fear in Demonish. Their Prince had clearly lost it and everyone had received the memo.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Selene raged. “I am a goddess!”
“Not any longer.”
There was a boom, followed by a thunderous amount of power that rippled through the arena. Tyler and I reached the top, ignoring what was happening below, focusing on the destruction in front of us instead.
Ray smiled at me from across the landing, his fingers forming a small salute off his forehead. It was so good to see him. And now that he was here, I felt my connection with him jump in my veins for the first time. “These guys can’t fight worth a shit,” he shouted, gesturing to the demons lying on the ground in a pile around him. “They were a piece of cake to take down, but I have no idea if they’re actually dead or not.” He touched one with the tip of his boot. It didn’t move. “I’m guessing they’re not dead. That would be too easy.”
“Jessica,” Rourke yelled, leaping over several downed demons and moving toward me quickly. He scooped me up in a tight embrace, his hands covering my back and neck, his lips falling by my ear. “I’m so glad you’re still in one piece.”
He smelled so good. My wolf howled in pleasure. It was hard not to attack him, but that had to wait. We were still very much in danger. “I’m fine,” I said, running my hands along his chest like they’d suddenly been magnetized to his skin. I hadn’t let myself realize how much I missed his touch, missed him. “You got here quickly—more quickly than I thought possible.”
Before he could answer, Ray’s voice piped up: “He dove into the circle the moment your energy zipped out. I had to fight to get in there with him. He threatened the witches within an inch of their lives to send him immediately.” Ray chuckled. “They had no choice but to send us or risk his wrath.”
Rourke growled, his lips still lingering near my ear. “He held on to my leg like a child and wouldn’t let go.” His grudging respect for Ray was apparent. “So he came by default.”
“What about Eudoxia?” I asked. The Vamp Queen was supposed to have joined our little party.
“I have no idea.” Rourke shrugged. He let me go reluctantly. “If she wants your blood, she’ll get here.” He glanced down at me, his irises radiating a delicious soft green. “Now we have to get out of here. This place reeks of nastiness.” He grabbed my hand, leading me toward the big double doors I’d first come through.
I turned before we exited, glancing down in to the arena. The Prince was grinning over Selene’s broken body. As I looked on, his gaze slowly landed on mine. It was piercing even from this distance.
“There is no place you can hide from me here,” the Prince roared. “You will not get away.” His magic grew as he spoke. He might be able to hit me with his blast, but he couldn’t hit all of us at the same time. The Prince was going to have to regroup and get his guards together and come after us.
I tore my eyes off the angry Prince, ignoring his wrath for now, to discover my brother was nowhere in sight. I broke from Rourke’s grasp. “Where’s Tyler?”
“I’m here,” Tyler answered, striding back into the auditorium from the hallway. “And look who I found milling around outside.”
He had Lily by the arm. She looked disheveled, but alive. Once she saw us, she jumped into action. “We must hurry, you only have moments to leave here. The army is on its way,” she told us. “You were given a very small window to escape. No one will be coming for us, but we must move quickly.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, grabbing ahold of her jumpsuit in my fists. I shook her a bit, wanting her to answer me. “Where did you come from? And who granted us a window and why?”
Her face was grim. “The Princess of Hell freed me moments ago with the order to get you out.” Lily met my gaze straight on. “All of us. Take it or leave it. The hag wants me out, and this will be the only gift you will ever receive in Hell, so I suggest you take it.”
“I thought the Prince killed you,” I accused.
“He can’t kill me.”
“Because you’re too powerful?”
“No,” she answered, turning toward the doorway. “Because he’s still in love with me. Now come on, we have to go.”
We all crowded into the hallway after her because we didn’t have a better plan. She was right, there were no demon guards in sight. It seemed we might indeed have a real chance to get out of here.
Lily turned, her hands guiding the massive doors easily. They moved inward at her command. When they were almost completely closed, the Prince yelled in a strangled howl. His voice was as maddened as it had ever heard it.
He only spoke two words.
“Ardat Lili!”
15
I slowly turned to face her.
Ardat Lili. Handmaiden of Lilith.
Everything came crashing down around me as my brain spun, my wolf snarling and gnashing her teeth. The boys stilled beside me.
She met my angry gaze proudly with her chin up. “Please tell me you’re not a child of Lilith?” I demanded, already knowing full well the answer was yes. When she didn’t respond, I added bitterly, “I guess I can take full blame for not figuring this out sooner.”
I’d been so very, very stupid.
Tales of Lilith were some of the most ancient in supernatural lore. Lilith was the first femme fatale, a seducer of demons, a killer of children, and rumored to be the first wife of Adam. According to legend, she was thrown into the Underworld for all her sins. She lived out her days in Hell constantly seeking ways to procreate and build a sacred race. Over the years she’d been rumored to have birthed many powerful children, all of them part demon of some kind, but she hadn’t been seen or heard from in a thousand years.
How incredibly dumb could I be? We were in the Underworld! And the demoness had told me her name was Lily, and stupidly, I hadn’t connected her to Lilith.
“The myths are highly exaggerated,” Lili answered, dismissing my concerns as the doors slammed behind her, drowning out the Prince’s irate ranting. “Do not believe all you’ve heard or read, as the legends are highly inaccurate. Now if we don’t get moving, we will miss our golden opportunity, so I suggest we move.” She brushed past me.
Power swirled around the room and the few remaining demons fled, shouting their fear in Demonish. Their Prince had clearly lost it and everyone had received the memo.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Selene raged. “I am a goddess!”
“Not any longer.”
There was a boom, followed by a thunderous amount of power that rippled through the arena. Tyler and I reached the top, ignoring what was happening below, focusing on the destruction in front of us instead.
Ray smiled at me from across the landing, his fingers forming a small salute off his forehead. It was so good to see him. And now that he was here, I felt my connection with him jump in my veins for the first time. “These guys can’t fight worth a shit,” he shouted, gesturing to the demons lying on the ground in a pile around him. “They were a piece of cake to take down, but I have no idea if they’re actually dead or not.” He touched one with the tip of his boot. It didn’t move. “I’m guessing they’re not dead. That would be too easy.”
“Jessica,” Rourke yelled, leaping over several downed demons and moving toward me quickly. He scooped me up in a tight embrace, his hands covering my back and neck, his lips falling by my ear. “I’m so glad you’re still in one piece.”
He smelled so good. My wolf howled in pleasure. It was hard not to attack him, but that had to wait. We were still very much in danger. “I’m fine,” I said, running my hands along his chest like they’d suddenly been magnetized to his skin. I hadn’t let myself realize how much I missed his touch, missed him. “You got here quickly—more quickly than I thought possible.”
Before he could answer, Ray’s voice piped up: “He dove into the circle the moment your energy zipped out. I had to fight to get in there with him. He threatened the witches within an inch of their lives to send him immediately.” Ray chuckled. “They had no choice but to send us or risk his wrath.”
Rourke growled, his lips still lingering near my ear. “He held on to my leg like a child and wouldn’t let go.” His grudging respect for Ray was apparent. “So he came by default.”
“What about Eudoxia?” I asked. The Vamp Queen was supposed to have joined our little party.
“I have no idea.” Rourke shrugged. He let me go reluctantly. “If she wants your blood, she’ll get here.” He glanced down at me, his irises radiating a delicious soft green. “Now we have to get out of here. This place reeks of nastiness.” He grabbed my hand, leading me toward the big double doors I’d first come through.
I turned before we exited, glancing down in to the arena. The Prince was grinning over Selene’s broken body. As I looked on, his gaze slowly landed on mine. It was piercing even from this distance.
“There is no place you can hide from me here,” the Prince roared. “You will not get away.” His magic grew as he spoke. He might be able to hit me with his blast, but he couldn’t hit all of us at the same time. The Prince was going to have to regroup and get his guards together and come after us.
I tore my eyes off the angry Prince, ignoring his wrath for now, to discover my brother was nowhere in sight. I broke from Rourke’s grasp. “Where’s Tyler?”
“I’m here,” Tyler answered, striding back into the auditorium from the hallway. “And look who I found milling around outside.”
He had Lily by the arm. She looked disheveled, but alive. Once she saw us, she jumped into action. “We must hurry, you only have moments to leave here. The army is on its way,” she told us. “You were given a very small window to escape. No one will be coming for us, but we must move quickly.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, grabbing ahold of her jumpsuit in my fists. I shook her a bit, wanting her to answer me. “Where did you come from? And who granted us a window and why?”
Her face was grim. “The Princess of Hell freed me moments ago with the order to get you out.” Lily met my gaze straight on. “All of us. Take it or leave it. The hag wants me out, and this will be the only gift you will ever receive in Hell, so I suggest you take it.”
“I thought the Prince killed you,” I accused.
“He can’t kill me.”
“Because you’re too powerful?”
“No,” she answered, turning toward the doorway. “Because he’s still in love with me. Now come on, we have to go.”
We all crowded into the hallway after her because we didn’t have a better plan. She was right, there were no demon guards in sight. It seemed we might indeed have a real chance to get out of here.
Lily turned, her hands guiding the massive doors easily. They moved inward at her command. When they were almost completely closed, the Prince yelled in a strangled howl. His voice was as maddened as it had ever heard it.
He only spoke two words.
“Ardat Lili!”
15
I slowly turned to face her.
Ardat Lili. Handmaiden of Lilith.
Everything came crashing down around me as my brain spun, my wolf snarling and gnashing her teeth. The boys stilled beside me.
She met my angry gaze proudly with her chin up. “Please tell me you’re not a child of Lilith?” I demanded, already knowing full well the answer was yes. When she didn’t respond, I added bitterly, “I guess I can take full blame for not figuring this out sooner.”
I’d been so very, very stupid.
Tales of Lilith were some of the most ancient in supernatural lore. Lilith was the first femme fatale, a seducer of demons, a killer of children, and rumored to be the first wife of Adam. According to legend, she was thrown into the Underworld for all her sins. She lived out her days in Hell constantly seeking ways to procreate and build a sacred race. Over the years she’d been rumored to have birthed many powerful children, all of them part demon of some kind, but she hadn’t been seen or heard from in a thousand years.
How incredibly dumb could I be? We were in the Underworld! And the demoness had told me her name was Lily, and stupidly, I hadn’t connected her to Lilith.
“The myths are highly exaggerated,” Lili answered, dismissing my concerns as the doors slammed behind her, drowning out the Prince’s irate ranting. “Do not believe all you’ve heard or read, as the legends are highly inaccurate. Now if we don’t get moving, we will miss our golden opportunity, so I suggest we move.” She brushed past me.
