by Sammie Joyce
“I’m here.”
“Here.” Asher reached out, finding Gavin’s shoulder and clutching it. Gavin was relieved for the contact. It felt like Asher’s hand was the only thing in the world. He stared out, trying to penetrate the darkness, but it was like he was blind. He’d heard humans describe how unnerving it was to be unable to see in the dark, but until now, Gavin didn’t think he’d ever really understood it.
“Do you think it worked?”
“No, Gavin, the potion just transported us to the hotel lobby. Can someone get the lights?” Jagger raised his voice slightly, as if calling out to a receptionist.
Gavin rolled his eyes, but of course, Jagger couldn’t see him.
Keep it down. Anyone could be listening. Let’s just take a look around. Asher had a good point, and Gavin regretted speaking before thinking.
Oh, so you can see then, can you, Asher?
Gavin was pretty sure that Asher was rolling his eyes now.
No, but that’s not the only way to explore. Let’s go, but keep hold of each other.
I don’t suppose either of you brought a lighter? Gavin was already cursing himself for not thinking of it.
Nope. We could shift, I suppose, and breathe fire. Gavin was with Jagger on that, but Asher cut down the idea at once.
Not a chance. We’re not drawing attention to ourselves down here, at least not until we know what we’re dealing with. Let’s just explore in the dark for now.
They moved slightly so that they were all holding hands. Asher was in the middle and didn’t like not having his hands free. Eventually, he took off his shirt and tore it into strips, using it to create a makeshift rope. Jagger and Gavin held onto each end, while Asher held the middle.
So they walked. Every now and then, Asher would crouch down to feel the ground with his hands, trying to determine if anything was different, but as far as they could tell, it was simply flat, packed dirt.
It was cold here. If he could see, Gavin was sure his breath would be misting in front of his face. Dragons weren’t usually bothered by ordinary cold, but like their night vision, hell seemed to bypass their normal physical makeup.
This place was eerie. It wasn’t at all like Gavin had been expecting. When he thought of hell, he imagined fire and brimstone. Not just this cold, dark, endless place. In a way, he would have preferred fire and brimstone. At least that would be something.
There was no sound but for their breathing and footsteps. Was there even anyone else here? They had found no clues of any kind—no rocks, trees, structures, people, or even variations in the flat ground.
We need to shift. With fire, we can see. We can find Hellith, burn up that contract, and get out of here.
Gavin’s right. We won’t really know what we’re dealing with until we do.
Asher sighed, the sound unnaturally loud down here. I suppose you’re right. Just be prepared for attack. I seriously doubt we’re the only ones down here.
Gavin wasn’t so sure about that. Maybe that was what made hell what it truly was—the aloneness of it all. What if there wasn’t one hell, but many, each person sent to their individual prison of isolation? Maybe Hellith was the only one in this section of hell.
They stood apart and shifted. Gavin breathed fire the moment he was in his dragon form. It briefly lit up the surroundings, but that hardly did them any good. It was as they had suspected. There was nothing but a blank, empty landscape as far as they could see.
Let’s fly; it’ll be quicker, at least. We’ll take turns lighting the way, since there isn’t anything here that will burn. Asher leapt into the air first, but Jagger and Gavin quickly followed. Asher picked a direction at random, letting out another burst of flame, which lit the ground below them for a few seconds.
They flew and flew, taking turns to breathe fire. Nothing. There was just nothing. Gavin wanted out of this place. He felt like if he stayed here for long enough, it would drive him mad. Maybe that was the point.
But he couldn’t leave. They had to find that contract and destroy it first. Then they could go home.
The thought struck him like a truck to the chest. Go home.
Asher… you do know how we’re going to get back, right?
Silence.
Please tell me you know how to get back.
Gavin could feel his brothers’ fears.
I… I didn’t think. Asher sounded scared, and Asher never got scared. Even Jagger didn’t have a lighthearted word.
Gavin forced his wings to keep moving, even as panic spiraled within him.
We’re fucked.
There!
Gavin turned to where Jagger’s mind pointed him. As the last gout of flame died out, he saw what Jagger was talking about. A light. It was faint, but it was definitely a light. They’d been flying for hours, and Gavin had been starting to think that they would never find anything down here.
Let’s head that way.
Great idea, Asher. I was actually going to head in the opposite direction.
Asher didn’t bother telling Jagger to shut up. He was too relieved to care. At last, they had found something.
They stopped breathing fire, flying straight toward the light. It grew brighter and larger as they approached. It soon became apparent that they were approaching a cage. It looked smaller than it appeared from afar. As they got closer, Gavin realized it was huge.
It wasn’t difficult to recognize the creature inside it. Hellith. She was still in her monstrous serpent form rather than her human one. The light came from her—her red eyes glowed slightly, though they seemed dimmer than when Gavin had last seen them. They were still like a bonfire in this place.
Asher gave brief thought to landing and trying to approach in stealth, but there was no point—there wasn’t any cover here. Hellith would see them the moment they got within range of her lighted eyes.
The three of them landed and approached the cage in human form.
“So… I thought it might be you who came instead of Rose. I hope she sent you with a spell powerful enough to break these bars.”
“She did. But first, you must release her from that contract. We won’t release you until we know she is safe.”
Asher was a good liar, Gavin would give him that, but Hellith wasn’t buying it.
“You think I’m a fool? The moment I give you that contract, you will be gone! Release me first.”
Asher folded his arms. “Then it seems we have a problem. Neither of us will trust the other to follow through on their word. How would you recommend we resolve it?”
Gavin had no idea what their plan was supposed to be. Where are you going with this, Asher?
I have no idea! Feel free to make suggestions.
Shit.
“It’s an easy issue to solve, really. You sign a contract, saying that you will release me from my cage once I give you Rose’s contract, or you and she all die.”
That wasn’t going to work. They couldn’t release Hellith.
What if we get her out of the cage just long enough to get the contract? Gavin glanced surreptitiously at Asher. Grab it, then wrestle her back in. If we catch her by surprise, we might manage it. And even if we don’t, this is hell. She probably can’t escape any more than we can.
Yes, she can, or she wouldn’t have to be in a cage in the first place, Jagger pointed out.
Asher, however, was staring intently at Hellith. “I will sign the contract, but only if it is my own life at stake.”
“You think I believe you will do this for yourself? You will die before releasing me!”
“Well, that’s the best deal you’re going to get, so take it or leave it.”
Asher, no! Jagger grabbed his arm, pulling him a few steps back. Rose would die of grief if you sacrificed your life for hers.
That’s not what I’m going to do. Hellith wants me to sign a contract saying I’ll release her? Fine, I will. But as Gavin said, we’ll shove her back in at once.
It was a good plan. They’d cert
ainly have the element of surprise, though victory was far from certain.
Hellith waved her hand, and a piece of paper appeared.
“You sign first,” Asher said in a hard voice.
Hellith shrugged, signing with a flourish of a conjured pen. She tossed the contract and pen through the bars.
Gavin leaned over Asher’s shoulder to read the wording. It said “release”, but as Asher had suspected, it didn’t say anything about not trying to trap her again.
Asher signed.
“Here’s your contract. Now destroy Rose’s.”
Hellith clicked her fingers, and another contract appeared. She tossed it through to Asher. “Fire will destroy it.”
Gavin grabbed the contract and moved it a few feet away. He shifted and shot fire at it. The thing was reduced to ash in seconds.
They’d saved Rose.
Now they needed to save Asher.
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to tell me how to open this cage. I lied. I’m here without Rose’s consent. I don’t have any spells from her.”
Hellith’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t look entirely surprised. “Go to the other side and walk ten feet away from the center. Start digging. There is a lever about two feet down. Pull it to open the cage.”
She’s messing with us. She’s just having us dig holes in the ground to get a laugh.
Of course you would think that, Jagger, but I think Hellith is more concerned with getting out of hell than showing us up. Besides, it’s not like we’ll lose anything by doing as she says.
Unless she has a mine or something down there. Gavin was with Asher, though. They may as well get this over with.
I’ll do it. You two stand on opposite sides of the cage. Whichever side opens, whoever is closest is to grab her and shove her back in. I’ll be ready with the lever.
“Over here?” Asher went to stand on the patch of ground Hellith had indicated. While she was looking at him, Jagger and Gavin moved into position as stealthily as possible. Gavin kept his eyes on Hellith as Asher dug.
She was telling the truth, the lever is here. Get ready.
Asher pulled the lever.
Gavin tensed, ready to ram Hellith back into the cage the moment it opened.
The sides didn’t open, though.
The top did.
Hellith leapt into the air.
It only had them stunned for a second. Gavin, Asher, and Jagger shifted and raced to follow her. Hellith was huge and powerful, and she wasn’t afraid of them.
She grabbed Asher in her claws, tossing him through the air. He managed to regain the air under his wings before he fell from the sky, but only barely. Gavin flew straight at her, trying to get his claws into her, to drag her back to her cage. Hellith didn’t try to push him away. She pulled him closer, sinking her fangs into his side.
Gavin tried to do the same to her, but her skin was like a rock, and his teeth couldn’t penetrate it. Jagger smashed into them, trying to free Gavin, but Hellith had him held too tightly. Asher was there too, a chaotic frenzy of wings and teeth.
Hellith dropped Gavin to respond to Asher’s attack, and Gavin fell like a stone. One of his wings was punctured, and he couldn’t do anything except slow his fall to the ground.
His head spun sickeningly as he hit the ground. He automatically shifted to his human form, a response to the injury. Gavin blinked blood out of his eyes and looked upward. Jagger and Asher were losing, badly. They had all been crazy to think they could do this. They were only seconds away from being torn apart by Hellith.
Just as Hellith was positioning her jaws over Asher’s neck, ready to rip his head off, something hurtled into her from the opposite direction. Something big and green—Mace.
Gavin didn’t even have time to wonder what Mace was doing here, because at that moment, four more figures approached, this time on foot.
Rose, Annabelle, Wendy, and Jade were all wearing glowing bracelets. They stopped by Gavin and started casting spells at Hellith from below. Rose’s necklace lit up like a miniature sun.
He would have time to question how they were here later. Right now, Gavin had a job to do. He couldn’t get up, but he managed to crawl. The spells blasted into Hellith, making her falter. Jagger, Asher, and Mace got the upper hand, and began forcing her back down to the cage.
Rose, Annabelle, Wendy, and Jade were all shouting spells to keep Hellith from regaining her advantage in the fight in the air. Gavin reached the hole Asher had dug. The lever was there. He put his hand on it, turning his face upward.
Mace and Jagger had each of Hellith’s wings, and the four of them were hurtling downward. This had to be timed perfectly. Too soon, and Hellith wouldn’t be in the cage when it closed. Too late, and one of his brothers would be trapped in there with her.
Gavin’s vision was wavering, but he forced himself to focus. Just this last thing.
Hellith’s bulk hit the side of the cage, but Asher was there to shove her sideways. She flopped down onto the bottom with a crunch. Mace rolled to the side. Asher grabbed Jagger, pulling him from the brink.
It was now or never.
Gavin yanked on the lever.
The top of the cage clanged closed over Hellith. She threw herself against it, but it didn’t give. Gavin collapsed to the side, well out of the way of the lever. He knew he wasn’t going to be conscious for much longer, and didn’t want to dislodge it accidentally.
The last thing he saw before he passed out was Rose coming toward him at a dead sprint.
Chapter Sixteen
Rose felt like she was stepping back into an old nightmare. She knelt down by Gavin’s side, pressing a shaking hand to his chest.
She was so lost in her memories that it took her a moment to realize that this wasn’t the same.
Gavin’s heart was pumping frantically under her fingers. Rose’s breath came in a sharp gasp; she hadn’t realized she’d been holding it. She moved her hands, pressing them over the wound in his side that was pumping blood.
Jagger threw himself down next to her, grabbing Gavin’s arm to staunch his second bleeding wound.
Asher was there too, waving Annabelle, Wendy, and Jade forward. “Come on, time to go.”
Rose couldn’t tear her eyes away from Gavin, but she could hear Hellith shrieking in rage and throwing herself against the cage bars. The cage didn’t seem to give.
Asher moved over to make space for the others. Everyone hold on. Annabelle, do it.”
Rose reached out to grab Annabelle’s arm. They all had to be touching her. Jagger put his own hand on Annabelle’s back, and held Gavin’s limp, unconscious one next to it, making sure they were both touching Annabelle.
Rose’s ears were ringing too loudly to hear Annabelle speak the incantation, but it didn’t matter. This time, instead of pain, she felt a rush of pleasure throughout her whole body as the dark world around them vanished.
When she blinked, Rose found that she was kneeling on the hotel floor. Dane pushed her aside, already muttering under his breath as he started to work on Gavin. As she watched, the blood flow from the wounds slowed to a trickle. Rose breathed a sigh of relief. Dane had this.
She grabbed Asher and held onto him tightly. “Never do that to me again.”
Against all expectations, he laughed. “Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.” He raised his voice slightly. “Is anyone else hurt?”
One by one, their group spoke up. Jade had a burn on her arm and the side of Jagger’s face was grazed, but there was nothing worse than that. Everyone was simply filthy and exhausted.
Annabelle and Mace hit the showers first, while the rest of them waited on Dane. After a little under an hour, Dane finally moved back from Gavin. Rose could see only raised pink lines where his wounds had been.
“Thank you, Dane.” She pulled him into a hug.
“Of course, it’s my job. Who’s next up? Jade?”
Jade moved forward and presented her arm to Dane. There was no worry in her
eyes, only trust. It really had only been Hellith’s influence causing the rift between witches and dragons. Now that Hellith was back in her cage, and they knew not to do any divination rituals, they should be safe.
That is, once they managed to break the rest of the coven of her influence. Rose was too exhausted to contemplate that right now, though.
She claimed the shower after Mace, scrubbing off all the blood and dirt. It was the middle of the night by the time everyone was clean and healed. They all piled into bed. Jade went to Annabelle and Dane’s room, while Wendy squeezed into bed next to Rose, who had Gavin on her other side. Mace, Asher, and Jagger piled in next to him.
After what they’d just been through, Rose fully expected to have nightmares, but with her friends and dragons safe around her, her sleep was as peaceful as she could have hoped.
She woke up sometime around midday. Gavin and Jagger were still asleep, but Jade, Asher, and Mace were up. Wendy and Annabelle were in the suite living room too. Rose guessed Dane was still resting. The healing must have taken a lot out of him.
After checking Gavin’s pulse and finding it steady, Rose went to join them. “Everyone okay?”
“All good.” Jade smiled at her. “We were taking bets on who would wake up last. My money is on Dane.”
“You clearly don’t know Jagger. Left to his own devices, he’ll sleep to mid-afternoon on a normal day.”
“Good try, but I saw him stirring.” Asher winked at her. “Mace is with Jade, but I still say it’ll be Gavin. Annabelle is with me.”
“Ten on Jagger.”
“Done.” Now Mace was giving her a heated look. You didn’t say ten of what. Dollars are a bit boring. Shall we say blowjobs?
Rose burst out laughing, which of course started a round of questions from Annabelle, Wendy, and Jade.
Asher ordered them some room service, which they were soon all devouring.
“So what now?” Annabelle asked between bites.
“Well, I’m not letting Rose back into that coven until we’re sure it’s safe. I suppose we’ll have to kidnap the witches one by one and cure them.” Asher didn’t look happy about the prospect, and Rose didn’t blame him. It wasn’t an idea she relished either.