by Olivia Ash
“Sadie,” Blair said with her annoying, mocking tone. “Stop running, will you? I still have to skin you alive, like I did your sister.”
That horrific little—
Sadie curled her fingers until her nails bit her palms. She reached toward her connection with the hellhound. With all her might, she communicated her need for help. For vengeance. She pleaded with the creature.
Help me. Kill Mara. She repeated that thought over and over again.
The hellhound tilted its head, and Sadie mentally crossed her fingers that this one was an ally and not like the afflicted ice dragon that had attacked the ifrit village.
Please, please, please.
The creature remained unresponsive, but she kept pleading with him in her thoughts.
She gripped her weapons in front of her until her knuckles turned white. She faced the tunnel where Blair would soon enter. When the demoness finally walked into the small, magma-covered cavern, she smiled at her. “There you are. You made quite a chase.”
She ignored her and kept communicating with the hellhound. Please, help me. You’re my only hope.
Just as she thought her plan had failed, and that she was probably going to die, the hellhound snarled at Blair and leapt at her, digging its sharp teeth into Blair’s calf, though it didn’t draw any blood.
Blair yelped as she fell to the ground. The hellhound shook its head with Blair’s leg still between its teeth. Blair struck her sword against the hellhound’s back, but it only clanged on hard stone. The act seemed to have gone completely unnoticed to the beast.
While her opponent was distracted, she dropped her weapons to the ground and took a deep breath. She remembered that time Mara had first ambushed her fortress with the imps and the skeletons. She had been able to weave a smoke sword and use it. Before her casting wavered, she had wounded Mara with it. Maybe she could do it again now.
She closed her eyes and tapped into the magic the amulet contained. She created her weapon from smoke. When she finished crafting it, she looked at the weapon she created, all grey and smoke and heavy in her hand like a real sword.
Her eyes drifted to her sister’s figure and her sister’s face as Mara tried her best to fend off the hellhound. Blair slammed her sword against the creature, but it harmlessly ricocheted off the hellhound’s leg.
Sadie didn’t waste another second. She sprinted toward her opponent and funneled all her magic, rage, and power into the smoke sword.
She drove it into Blair’s heart.
Her sister’s eyes widened. Blair clutched the smoke sword embedded in her chest and looked at it and then Sadie. She reeled back and quickly turned back into her own form as the hellhound let loose of her leg. The demoness opened her mouth, and it seemed like she wanted to say something, but only blood poured out between her lips.
Sadie extracted the sword from the demoness’s chest only to plunge it into her body again. And even then, she kneeled over the body and stabbed again and again, for everything Mara took from her, knowing Blair would finally be freed when Mara was dead. For being the constant pain in the ass that she had proven herself to be.
Sadie’s vision blurred, and she let out a painful, rage-filled cry. She continued to shove the sword into Mara’s body, because it was the kind of death Mara deserved. And it felt good to give Blair the vengeance she deserved.
Mara’s body grew still.
Sadie released the weapon, and it dissipated. Her shoulders heaved as she looked at the demoness’s corpse. Her eyes burned.
I’m sorry, Blair. I’m so, so sorry. Now you can be free.
She stared up at the ceiling, not even caring that there was no sky. And she laughed even as tears ran down her cheeks.
It was over. But it wasn’t enough.
She no longer had her sister. But now that she had avenged her death, at least Blair wasn’t stuck in a demon’s body anymore. That was all she could have done, and she had finally succeeded.
The hellhound approached her and licked her hand with its sloppy, warm tongue. She smiled as she petted the creature. “Thank you. You saved my life.”
Footsteps echoed from the tunnel she had come from. She stiffened. Climbing to her feet, she prepared herself for another fight.
As the princes came into view, she released the breath she had been holding, and the energy that burned through her veins eased. She relaxed, dropping her arms to her sides. She smiled at them, grateful for them showing up, albeit a moment too late. Still, grateful nonetheless.
“It’s about time you got off your asses,” she said, smiling at each of them.
Kaiser, who stood at the head of the group, looked from the demoness’s body to her. His shoulders drooped, and he hurried toward her. He held her against his chest. “You’re safe.”
She stepped away from him. “Do you think I would just let Mara kill me?”
She peeked around Kaiser to see Mordecai smirking. “That’s my girl.”
“I’ve been waiting for a moment to say this my entire life,” Steele said. He opened his arms. “Group hug!”
He bounded toward her and Kaiser and wrapped them in a bear hug.
Damien and Mordecai laughed but joined in. More tears streamed down Sadie’s face, but they were happy tears. She smiled.
It’s over now.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Sadie
Sadie stepped out of the bathroom and into her massive wardrobe. She let her plush red robe fall to the floor, and she put on the black, silk evening gown she had chosen to wear for the night. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, brushing her fingers through the soft skirt that flowed to the floor. She traced the spirals of red and gold brocade covering the bodice and grabbed the black tiara from the top of her vanity table.
After putting it on, she turned her head from side to side. Its tiny diamonds glowed and sparkled along its sable spirals as they caught the light with her movement.
She took in a steadying breath. Even though she had just faced a demoness, she felt more nervous about what was ahead.
Tonight, the princes waited in her study. It was time for her announcement on who she had chosen as an ally among the four princes. She had a difficult time choosing, because all of them had fought by her side. All of them had risked everything for her. Now, she wasn’t sure if they would like her decision.
When she walked out to her chambers, she found Steele sitting comfortably on her bed. He whistled as soon as he saw her.
She laughed as she approached him. “You could never stay out of my room.”
He stood, his eyes wandering all over her body. She stood a little taller.
“I was hoping there was something I could do,” he said. “You know, so I could be sure to sway you in my direction.” He winked at her.
She chuckled. He was such a rule-breaker, but she was glad he was here with her right now. His mere presence eased her nerves.
“My mind is made up, Steele,” she said. “There’s no longer anything you can do.”
He sighed and took her hand from his cheek and kissed it. With a smile, he offered his arm. She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, and he led her out to the sitting room where the other guys were.
When Steele opened the double doors to her study, she entered to find Mordecai wearing a white shirt and black jacket, sitting on an ornately carved alder chair. His feet rested on the long, rectangular, wooden table in front of him, and his head rested on the back of the chair. An open book lay on top of his face.
Steele walked toward him and patted his shoulder. Mordecai jerked up and the book covering his face fell on the floor. He looked at the door to where Sadie stood. He yawned and stretched out his arms. “Done deciding?”
To her left, Damien stood in front of a bookshelf and glared at Steele. “You better not be cheating.”
Kaiser sat on the largest orange sofa, his elbow resting on the armrest, his temple against his knuckles. He also glared at Steele. “Did you go to her room?”
/> Steele just shrugged and didn’t answer.
Sadie smiled at their antics. They had no idea what she was going to say. She wondered how they would react after she made her announcement. She really hoped they would agree with her decision.
She walked in the middle of the room and took in a deep breath.
Now or never…
“Listen,” she said.
Damien and Kaiser instantly left their Steele-glaring to give her their full attention. She looked at each of them. Steele and Damien stood beside each other on her right, Kaiser sat on the orange couch in front of her, and she twisted around to watch Mordecai pick up the fallen book, place it on the table, and walk to sit beside Kaiser.
She cleared her throat. “You all know why you’re here tonight. It’s time for me to announce who I choose as an ally. But before that, I would like to say a few words.”
Her palms began to sweat, and she wiped them on her skirt. She clasped them in front of her. They felt cold, but she continued.
“At first, I didn’t trust any of you, but you proved to me, time and time again, that I could. You’ve done so much for me. You stood by me against your father, against Mara, Evangeline, and even when you found out about Hecate, you still chose me. You saved my life so many times, and you defended this fortress when I couldn’t. I’ll always be grateful for that.”
She looked at Kaiser who sat ramrod straight on the sofa, looking at her as if he didn’t want to miss a word she said.
“Kaiser, I’ve known you the longest. And out of all your brothers, you’re the most protective. Annoyingly so.” She smiled. “But you also saved me from Mara when my friend betrayed me. And many more times after that. You were the one who led me here, to my fortress.”
The fondness she saw reflected in his eyes reassured her that she had made the right decision.
“You brought me home. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for that.”
Kaiser nodded. “It was my pleasure and duty, Sadie. I would do it one thousand times more if necessary.”
Sadie smiled and turned to Damien.
“Damien,” she said.
His posture was straight and imposing with his hands behind his back.
“You have very impressive allies. Practically speaking, choosing you would be very advantageous, since an alliance with you would mean an alliance with them, too. You’re diplomatic, and you’re a leader.”
His chest puffed out a little bit.
“But you’re also very protective, and I don’t want you looming over my head all the time, because I can protect myself. You have to trust me on that.”
Damien’s lips tightened, but he nodded.
“I also worry that you’re too focused on your diplomatic ties that you forget to have fun,” she said.
His eyebrows knitted together.
Mordecai scoffed. “Oh, he can have fun all right. Just not very good at it.”
Damien crinkled his nose, and Kaiser and Steele laughed. Sadie shook her head and chuckled.
“You have also saved me and protected me. I owe you my gratitude.”
Damien nodded. “Of course, Sadie. Anything for you.”
“Next.” She looked at Steele.
He leaned on the bookcase with his arms crossed in front of him.
“Steele,” she said.
When he heard his name, he stood tall and placed his arms at his sides.
She smiled and winked. “Good news or bad news first?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Bad news.”
Sadie played with her bottom lip. “Well, it seems like you’re the polar opposite of Damien. You have way too much fun.” She placed her hands on her hips. “It’s like you don’t take anything seriously.”
He pouted, and she tried not to smile.
“But you bring so much light and humor to this dark place,” she said, features softening toward him. “You make me laugh, and I think you’re a wonderful stress-reliever.”
Steele smirked.
“At first, your power was my concern,” she said. “Because it’s so dangerous, I couldn’t be sure you wouldn’t use it against me. But you surprised me by teaching me how to block it. And it proved to me that I could trust you. And I owe you my thanks for all that you have done for me.”
“I will always be there for you, Sadie. Regardless of who you choose.”
That made her smile and it encouraged her even more. She held her head higher. Lastly, she turned her attention to Mordecai who leaned back on the sofa. He seemed rather disinterested in what she had to say about the others. He sat with his arms crossed over his chest and a bored expression on his face. His eyes connected with hers, and her knees damn near gave out from under her.
“Mordecai,” she said. “You have a certain darkness around you. A certain danger. I wonder if that’s something to look for in an ally.”
He frowned.
“You’re strict when you train me, but I’m thankful for that because you push me beyond my limits. Because of your training, I finally learned how to sustain a smoke sword. And that helped me defeat Mara. I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”
She smiled at him, and he nodded in acknowledgement.
“So, having said that,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. “The person I choose is…”
Steele and Damien stood straighter, if that was even possible, and Kaiser and Mordecai leaned forward in their seats.
She cleared her throat. “I choose you all.” She braced herself for their reaction.
They gaped at her, speechless.
She opened her mouth and talked, afraid their silence meant they disagreed.
“I never thought it would be this hard.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “But I can’t imagine how empty this fortress would be if three of you were gone.”
Kaiser stood and growled. “Demons don’t share, Sadie.”
Damien walked to her and held her elbow. “He’s right. This is a bad idea.”
“Why?” she asked. “How is sending the three of you home a better choice?”
“I—” Damien said, stuttering. “Just—I refuse to share you.” He tugged on her arm. “Come with me, right now.”
Kaiser blocked his path. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”
Mordecai yawned. “Even if you do, you realize I can just go to her and break her out anytime I want, right? Then I could take her somewhere you would never find her.”
Kaiser snarled at him. “I’d like to see you try.”
Oh, for the love of…
“Enough!” Sadie snapped her arm back from Damien’s grip. “No one is taking me anywhere. Why are you all so against this?”
“Not me,” Steele said. “I’m fine with the idea.”
The other three men gawked at him.
“What?” he said. “Think about it. We’ve never been this close since Cedric died. We’re just learning to be a team again, to be brothers again. Am I the only one who wants that?”
No one spoke for a while.
Damien sighed. “I suppose you have a point.”
“I’ve nothing against it,” Mordecai said, still leaning back on the chair, looking very much relaxed. “I never really planned on following her decision anyway. My original plan was to kidnap her whether she chose to ally with me or not.”
She glared at him. “You had better be kidding.”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t, but, if you choose all of us, that’s pretty convenient too. No more kidnapping plots. And that’s fine with me.” He stretched out his legs.
She rolled her eyes and looked at Kaiser pleadingly. “Will you stay? Please?”
He grumbled but held her hand. “If it’s what you want.”
She smiled at him.
Mordecai stood. He approached her and lifted her over his shoulder without warning.
She yelped. “What do you think you’re doing, Mordecai?”
“Why, to consummate the deal,” he said. “What else would I be doing?”
>
“What?” Her voice came out an octave higher as her eyes widened.
She looked at the other princes over Mordecai’s shoulder. Kaiser and Damien looked at each other, but they were smiling and shaking their heads.
Steele wrinkled his nose. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Kaiser and Damien burst out laughing. Mordecai didn’t put her down, and he showed no signs of stopping, but she found herself laughing, too.
Chapter Fifty
Sadie
Sadie spread a thick wool blanket over the cool blue grass beside the makeshift tent she and Kaiser had made out of more wool blankets. Well, it looked more a fortress than a tent, if she was being honest. They had been hanging out in her bedroom when she suggested they go camping in her backyard.
“Finally,” she said, brushing her hands together. “I didn’t think we would take this long setting up.”
She plopped down on the green blanket and patted the space beside her. Kaiser obliged and sat down on the blanket. She lay down, and Kaiser did the same. Above her, glinting bronze strips spiraled and intersected each other. They formed multiple circular patterns and steepled at the center. The structure looked like the skeleton of a huge circus tent.
Surrounding the metallic frames were honeysuckle and sweet pea vines, winding and twisting around the bars, racing their way to the spire at the top. Through the spaces between the vine-covered metal strips, and through the thin canopies of the red cedars and cypress trees, she gazed at the underworld night sky riddled with colorful crystals.
She and Kaiser lay in silence. With these crystals, she traced constellations of her own, and as she did so, she felt Kaiser’s fingers intertwine with hers. She smiled and shifted to look at him.
“Do you have constellations here in the underworld?” she asked.