by Olivia Ash
Mara rushed to Sadie, moving wickedly fast and slapping her across the face. The demoness’s nails sliced her cheek. “Give it to me!”
She hit the ground hard. Her cheek stung, and her knife fell to the floor. She scrambled away from Mara and pushed herself to her feet.
Mara bared her teeth. “You’re quick for a human. But not quick enough.” She raised her hands, and balls of fire exploded from her palms.
Sadie threw herself behind the charred sofa as fireballs careened in her direction. Her arm collided with the floor. Heat enveloped her as the sofa combusted into flames. For the second time that night, her living room was being engulfed in flames. The inferno licked the walls and the ceiling, consuming the wooden remains that survived the first fire.
“One way or another, you’re going to die, girl.” Mara growled as another raging ball of fire crashed into another wall. “I’ll get that necklace if I have to pry it off the charred remains of your retched body!”
Sadie poked her head around the sofa. Mara shot fireballs in every direction. She had a feeling the fire wouldn’t kill a creature like Mara, but it would end Sadie for sure. A few feet from her, Carlos’s unconscious body erupted into flames. Her pulse hammered in her chest.
She needed to find a way out of the apartment and fast.
Within seconds, the cop’s skin blistered and blackened under the fire’s heat. The stolen dagger lay beside him.
Sadie wanted to crawl over and get it, but Mara didn’t show signs of stopping her heated rage.
Sweat soaked through her clothes, but the heat didn’t seem to burn her as much anymore. She should’ve been screaming in pain, but she only crouched behind the couch that started to burn itself and tried to figure out a way to escape the apartment before the entire floor collapsed.
She reached for the ruby’s magic, the energy she had felt in the abandoned house. She sought for its warmth, but it wasn’t there. If she wanted to live, she had to get out of here.
This is a good time to save me again, amulet, she thought.
Mara stopped setting everything ablaze, apparently content with just waiting Sadie out and watching her burn like Carlos. Sadie’s path to the knife cleared, and she sprung from behind the sofa and reached for the dagger. She grabbed the knife and threw it in Mara’s direction, lodging it her throat.
Sadie didn’t stop to admire the amazing shot. Instead, she sprinted through the burning doorway. She skidded along the hallway and scampered down the steps, every step making her breathe heavier. She reached the bottom of the stairs and halted as a familiar figure stood in the entryway, an intense glint in his eyes.
The handsome stranger, her stalker, knew where she lived. Or, he somehow followed her. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected to bump into him. She lost him at the convenience store.
Sadie swallowed hard, prepared to fight him off as well, figuring him to be another one of Mara’s henchmen. But his eyes softened as they met hers.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Before she could answer, he moved, swiftly stepping past her. She turned and saw him holding the tip of the demon hunter’s knife between his thumb and middle finger. At the top of the stairs, Mara stood gaping at him, seeming extremely perturbed by his saving Sadie’s life. She must have tried to throw the dagger at Sadie’s back. And he saved her.
Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Demoness,” he said, his deep sexy voice nearly growling the word.
Shivers raked down Sadie’s spine. She shook her head, clearing the daze from her mind. She needed to run. But her body wouldn’t move. There was something about the man that stood in front of her that kept her still. Mara actually feared him.
Sadie’s hesitance to leave could have been pure exhaustion from an entire night of fire, fighting, and running. Either way, she didn’t have anywhere else to go. No one to turn to. The handsome stranger had just saved her life, and she needed to know why. Though she wasn’t willing to trust him with the one time he managed to protect her, he was her best bet for the moment.
Mara said, “The girl has something that belongs to me. Step aside.”
“This human girl is under my protection,” he said.
Mara’s face contorted, as if struggling with something internally. The demoness glared at him, though her hands shook at her sides.
“She stole something from me,” she repeated. “I want it back.”
He twisted to look at Sadie and returned his gaze to Mara. “She never stole anything that wasn’t rightfully hers.”
Mara snarled. “She’s a thief.”
The demoness flew down the stairs, arms raised. The guy jumped with unbelievable speed, meeting Mara in between. He slammed the demoness to the stairs, with one hand around her throat, shattering the wooden steps. Wrapping his fingers around Mara’s ankle, he lifted her entire body, smashing it against the banister. Sadie covered her face with her arms as splinters flew everywhere.
Sadie stepped back, slumping against a nearby wall and watched, mesmerized, as her handsome rescuer battered Mara with strong, effortless blows. It would have to take someone of equal strength, someone like her, to do the damage he was doing. Sadie didn’t want to face the explanation staring her in the face. She had enough of demons and fire, and betrayals. She just wanted to get this night over with.
Her rescuer swung the dagger and slashed Mara’s arm, wing, and calf in one swift motion. His movements blurred as he moved too quickly for human standards. Mara tried to dodge each blow, but her movements were too clumsy compared to his. He dug the blade into Mara’s shoulder and twisted it. He yanked the blade from the demoness’s body, and just as he aimed to plunge the blade through her heart, Mara released a strong blaze of fire that engulfed the impossibly fast man.
Mara retreated up the stairs and disappeared into the shadows.
Sadie pushed herself from the wall, ready to go to the man’s aid, but the fire dissipated, and the man stood in front of her, unscathed. She let out a loud sigh. Of course. More Magic.
“Well, let’s just hope we never see her again,” he said in a nonchalant tone.
Sadie highly doubted that would be the last time. Mara had already proven she wouldn’t give up until she got the amulet back.
The handsome stranger dusted off his hands and held his arm out to her. “Shall we?”
She furrowed her eyebrows and didn’t move. He shrugged, dropped his arm, and turned his back to her, walking through the emergency exit. She stared at his back as he moved at a normal human’s pace. It was almost too slow compared to how fast he moved just moments before. With a sigh of resignation, she followed.
He led her into an alleyway, walking close to the buildings. Sadie maintained his speed, remaining a few paces behind him. Her mind worked overtime trying to figure out what he was, why he saved her, and why he came into her life so soon after the amulet was, for lack of a better phrase, gifted to her.
The stranger stopped and turned around. His gaze scanned her from top to bottom, lingering on her wounds and torn t-shirt stained red with dried blood. Without a word, he approached her and lifted the shirt, revealing the deep scratches that had already begun to heal.
She smacked his hands away. “What are you—"
Unaffected by her attempts to keep his hands off her body, he still proceeded to examine the wounds, tracing his fingers over the surface of her skin. He nodded to himself and mumbled something to the effect of “it was working.” He released the shirt.
“What?” Sadie pulled the shirt down past the waist band of her pants.
“I’m Kaiser, by the way,” he said and held out his hand.
She hesitated. But she did owe him a form of gratitude for saving her life. She lifted her hand and returned the gesture. “Sadie.”
His skin was soft, warm, and smooth for such a skilled fighter.
“I know,” he said, hazel eyes staring at her. She could drown in them. He added, “We should go.”
&
nbsp; He turned and started walking again.
Sadie didn’t move. “I’m not going with you. Not without answers.”
He faced her again and looked her in the eyes. “You have nowhere else to go, and you don’t know who your allies are.”
“That’s not true,” she said, but he continued as if she didn’t speak.
“You can probably handle yourself, but you’ll most likely die out here on your own. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.” He took a deep breath. “Come with me, I’ll explain everything. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe.” He held his hand out again.
She only looked at him as she debated her options. She could go with him where any number of unpleasant experiences awaited her. Or, she could try to get out of this mess on her own.
He had yet to give her a good reason not to trust him, though he would still need to work on gaining that trust. One good deed didn’t win her trust or faith in anyone. Tonight was a good reason to hold onto that way of thinking. However, he did seem to know more about everything she was just thrust into than she did. He had answers. She needed answers.
Finally, she made up her mind, extended her hand toward his, and when their fingers touched, the world shimmered around her. The ground beneath her gave way. She fell into a dark plummet.
The last of the world around her faded as she realized she could be falling toward hell.
Chapter Nine
Steele
Steele bolted upright in bed. Naked succubae yelped beside him, some angrily hissing at the disturbance in their sleep. He shivered as a chill creeped through his veins. As a prince of the underworld, he had a deep connection to the demon realms. For years, his home felt empty, dead. Now, it felt like every part of the underworld burned with energy, humming with renewed life and vigor.
The succubus on his right rubbed his chest, her flaming blue hair framing her porcelain skin, making her look like an innocent damsel, not the ruinous monster she truly was. “Come back to bed,” she said, purring the words with hungry need.
Tempting... but not tonight.
He flung her hand away and hopped off the bed. Pulling on his pants as he moved toward the door, his thoughts ran circles in his head. He knew what the feeling meant. The queen has returned. And he needed to be the first to her side. Dashing into the hallway, he almost collided with the red-skinned demon servant standing ramrod straight next to the door.
“She’s here,” Steele said, heart thudding with excitement in his chest.
The servant nodded in agreement. “Our spies confirm that the demon queen has returned.”
Steele grinned. I guess I should pay her a visit.
SADIE
Sadie’s feet planted on solid ground. Everything she saw tilted. Her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed, but strong arms held her steady. Kaiser stood beside her, looking as calm as ever.
As her world came into focus, she found herself standing before a massive wrought iron gate with silver and sapphire stones along its finials, casting a soft light in an otherwise gloomy atmosphere.
A more massive fortress stood behind the gate, majestic stone pillars and columns looming over her. Larger glowing sapphires shone brighter from balustrade posts and parapets. She craned her neck upward and beheld the rock-strewn sky, colossal stalactites jutting down through the mist. All around her, obsidian and granite pillars towered over the rampart where she and Kaiser stood.
Her chest warmed the way it had when she found herself teleported to the abandoned house. The blood in her veins ran faster, and her fingertips tingled. She felt a connection to the place. She didn’t even realize her mouth was open until Kaiser walked closer to the gate, the sounds of his footsteps shaking her from her daze.
Kaiser lifted his hand to knock on the gate, but it creaked open before he could.
“Your Highness!” a high-pitched voice called out.
Sadie heard the voice before she saw the horned and winged creature that emerged from the gate. She instinctively jumped back. He was a gargoyle, she guessed, as the creature looked exactly like the stone figures that stood guard over the gothic churches and buildings she had visited before. Except this gargoyle was talking and moving, his sharp teeth glinting against the eerie light as he fussed over her like an old grandmother.
“My name is Hobson,” he said. “I am your butler.”
Sadie only stared at him. She tried to process the creature standing before her, but her mind couldn’t make any more sense of it than it was all an effect of the magic she gained from the amulet.
Hobson walked around her, hands shaking off the dust and dirt from her clothes. He stood in front of her and cupped her cheeks with both palms, his touch was cold but surprisingly gentle for hands made of stone.
“Are you okay, Your Highness?” he asked. “Are you hungry? Would a sweet bun cheer Your Majesty up?”
“I—” Sadie slowly pulled back, unable to find eloquence, still processing the bizarreness of having a gargoyle butler.
Kaiser shifted beside her and Hobson glanced sideways, eyes narrowing. The butler pointed a finger at Kaiser and screamed, “Detain this man!”
Metallic vines shot from the ground and wrapped themselves around Kaiser’s limbs and torso, rooting him in place. Bolts of white light fired from his hands, but the metal only seemed to absorb them.
“What did you do?” she asked, more confused than accusatory. She stood still for a moment and grinned, amused to see Kaiser squirming, unable to escape from the vines. She already liked her butler.
The gargoyle remained unperturbed. “This is Bitterthorn, the demon queen’s fortress,” Hobson said. He turned to her and added, “We have been waiting for you for a century. You’re safe now, Your Majesty.”
Demon queen? Sadie furrowed her eyebrows. I can’t be royalty. That’s impossible.
She looked up at the fortress. The gothic design wasn’t exactly her style, but as her gaze roved over the imposing metal spirals, ornate crystals, and pillars that decorated the façade, her heart swelled in admiration. Her pendant grew warmer. She felt a tug in her chest, like the fortress called to the pendant. To her.
It felt like going home. A welcoming reunion.
She had never been one for intuition, but this was clearly where the pendant belonged. And now that the pendant was a part of her, this was where she belonged.
“Any minute now,” Kaiser said.
She turned to face him. “Oh!”
She wasn’t really going to leave him there detained. She just got caught up in the amazing awe of her newfound position. At this point, it wouldn’t hurt to release Kaiser. He could have done anything with her, but he had proven himself to be trustworthy several times. He even brought her to this place—this place that felt so right.
She looked at her handsome rescuer while saying, “Hobson, you can release him. This man saved my life.”
Hobson’s eyebrows shot up. “My apologies. My apologies.”
The gargoyle snapped his fingers and the metal vines slithered back to the ground. Hobson walked over to Kaiser and shook his hands with heavy enthusiasm. “Oh, you saved our queen. I shall forever be grateful. Come, come. Let’s go inside.”
Hobson turned his back on them and entered through the gate. He commented on Kaiser’s appearance as he led them into the fortress. “Why do you hide your form? Is this the new custom?”
Sadie shook her head, smiling. Her butler acted as though he had never imprisoned Kaiser to begin with.
SADIE
Hobson gave Sadie a tour of the fortress. Well, some of it. The place was huge. Hobson had led her through the throne room, dining hall, and sitting room. Kaiser silently followed behind her.
Now, Hobson opened the door to her sleeping chambers. Sadie gasped as she took in the rich, golden vines that climbed up the red walls and the matching brocade curtains that covered the windows.
But what caught Sadie’s attention the most was the queen-sized bed carved from ebony in
the middle of the room. Silky black sheets and cushions covered the mattress, inviting her to lay down. She desperately wanted to dismiss her two companions, so she could fall into bed and sleep, but she wanted to get answers from them first. She approached and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Your fortress is impervious, Your Majesty,” Hobson said. “Nothing, and no one, can get in or out unless you allow it.”
Sadie sighed contentedly, loving the ambiance of the place. The castle called to her. She stood up and walked to the nearest wall, touching a golden leaf from a vine. Her fingers grazed the wall and she felt it hum beneath her fingertips. She smiled to herself, knowing everything she had been shown belonged to her and felt better than she had felt in her entire life. As she toyed with the gold embossed vines on the wall, she recalled what Hobson had done with Kaiser upon their arrival.
“Can I do what you did with the vines?” Sadie asked her butler.
Hobson nodded. “Yes, indeed, Your Highness. And a lot more. This place is an extension of you.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “It will take time and practice, but the longer you stay here and become more familiar with the place, you’ll be able to explore all the fortress’s secrets. You can even ask it to summon me,” he said, eyes alight with anticipation. “Even if I was on the other side of the fortress, you could reach me.”
Although excited, Sadie was still confused on how she inherited all this in the first place. She frowned. “I—I’m still lost. How can I be the demon queen? I’m just an ordinary paramedic. I’m not that special.”
“The amulet, Your Majesty,” Hobson said. “The first demon queen was a powerful sorceress who possessed immense power, but she didn’t always acquire it by, shall we say, honest means. That left her with numerous enemies as well as people who wanted to use her power for their own gain. She was eventually killed, and her power was removed. But that much magic couldn’t be destroyed easily. Most of what remained of the queen’s magic was preserved in that pendant you’re wearing.”