He charges at me with his head down, and I jump to the side, narrowly avoiding the horns on top of his head. He rams headfirst into the wall, and the entire pen trembles again. This time rocks slide down from high up the cave walls, and they fall on top of the dragon, pinning him to the ground by his left wing.
He roars, and tries pulling at it, but I can see that he’s stuck. This is my chance. I don’t like the thought of killing something so callously, but I have to do it to get home…
I grip the sword tighter, and rush forward. I climb up the dragon’s tail, using his spikes for grips, and haul my way up his back. He thrashes beneath me, trying to shake me off, and I fall to my knees. The dragon’s scales are hard and brittle feeling, and I fight to get a decent grip.
Before I can get to my feet, he thrashes one more time, sending me flying. He pulls his wing free, and turns toward me, breathing fire in the process. I drop down and roll away, but I can feel the back of my calf on fire, and I shriek, trying to bat the flames out. By the time they’re extinguished, my leg is a black and red charred mess.
The dragon charges forward, snapping his powerful jaws, and I force myself to my feet. I have to bite my tongue to keep from screaming in pain when I put weight on it, but I don’t have time to worry about it further. If I’m going to avoid being eaten alive, I have to move, move, move!
The dragon snaps, teeth clicking together inches from where my head was seconds ago, and I roll to my feet. I bring the sword up and around, and it bounces off his sharp teeth with a loud clang, and the force of the impact knocks me back to the ground, and the dragon snaps at my face again.
I roll aside, and he comes away with a mouthful of black rock. He tries to chew the rock, and I see another opportunity to end this fight. I jump to my feet, grab the sword off the ground, and run towards him. The dragon turns his beady little eyes on me, and I pick up my pace.
He slashes at me with his claws, and I duck under them, coming up beneath the dragon’s large breastbone. I grip the sword tightly, shove it through the dragon’s scaly hide, and the dragon roars in pain. Blood pours hot and fast from the wound, drenching me completely. The dragon shudders once, then collapses to the ground, pinning me under one of his giant legs.
There are cheers from the spectators, but I can’t see the look on either Selene’s or Hades’ faces, because I’m still stuck beneath the dragon’s leg. I try to crawl and drag myself free, but my stomach scraping along the rock and my burned calf aren’t helping any.
Finally, a hand grabs mine, and I look up into Selene’s worried blue eyes. She helps me out from under the dragon’s unmoving body, and she looks me over for any serious injury. “Kylie, are you alright?” she asks.
I show her my charred calf and the four parallel scratches across my stomach. She shakes her head, and leads me over to one of Hades’ gruesome servants. I try not to look at his mangled face as he cleans me and bandages my stomach and leg. When he touches the charred flesh of my calf I nearly pass out from the pain, but Selene squeezes my hand and steadies me.
When the bandaging is in place, Hades glides over, clapping slowly. “Very well done. I thought for sure you would have been eaten.”
“She nearly was,” Selene hisses. “Hasn’t she proven herself enough?”
“I’m afraid not. She has two more tasks left to complete. Now, if you’ll follow me, the next task is ready and waiting…”
The door closes behind me, plunging me into near total darkness. The only light comes from the red lamps hung around the walls, and the throne room looks much more menacing with them turned down. Shadows flicker around the room, and I chase them out of the corner of my eyes.
All I have to do is grab the meat and run. Just reach my hand into the dish, and grab the meat. Then I’m on to the next task, and I’ll be one step closer to being with Tara…
I can see the large, silver dish on the floor. It’s only about twenty yards away from me, and I make a mad dash for it. Out of nowhere, something furry slams into me, sending me crashing to the floor. My head snaps against the dais where the thrones rest and I rub my head.
Something slinks back into the shadows, growling at me, and I catch sight of a double-headed snake tail. It hisses at me from the darkness, and I see three sets of yellow eyes peering out at me, inching closer and closer. The chimera steps into the reddish light, and it glints off the horns of the goat and dragon heads.
But it’s the lion’s eyes that scare me the most. They’re slanted, amber in color, and truly monstrous. This creature will slaughter me without a moment of hesitation, and it will probably enjoy it in the process. That thought makes me shudder involuntarily, and I have a moment of hesitation.
That’s all it takes.
In only a second, the chimera is attacking. It knocks me to the ground, standing on my shoulders. Sharp claws tear my sleeves, and they dig into the flesh of my shoulders. The scent of blood seems to excite it, but I don’t really notice it; I can’t look away from those piercing eyes that are staring into my very soul, telling me I’m about to die.
Without thinking, I reach up into the lion’s mane, grip a fistful of hair, and rip it out. The lion roars in pain, and I bring my feet up, planting them firmly on his underbelly. Then I shove as hard as I can, just barely managing to dislodge the monster on my chest. It rolls away, getting to its feet in a heartbeat, but I’m already making another attempt at the food dish.
It catches up easily, and the goat head rams into my side, cracking something that feels like a rib. I tumble away from the dish, spilling across the floor, and I jump to my feet just in time to avoid having my head taken off by a dragon’s sharp teeth. I swing my foot up and around, slamming my heel right into the dragon’s snout.
It crunches, and the chimera backs away, obviously in pain. Part of the challenge is that I can’t kill this beast, or I’ll risk Hades’ wrath, so I can’t use my sword or bow. Not that they’d probably help considering how slow and uncoordinated I feel with my stomach and leg wrapped.
The beast turns and snaps at me, and I swing my foot up and around again, this time kicking the lion’s head. It snaps sideways, and the chimera rolls head over heels away from me. I grab a fistful of lion mane and haul myself up onto the creatures back, just behind his wing joints.
The chimera thrashes violently beneath me, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge me from its back. I grip the lion’s mane tighter, and hold on for dear life. When the creature takes off, beating his powerful, massive wings, I nearly scream in fright. Flying is not something I’ve ever enjoyed, and I’m not going to start now.
Only seconds in the air, the chimera seems to remember it has two snake heads for a tail, and I hear them hissing angrily behind me. Before I can even look behind me, I feel the teeth of one sink into the back of my neck. I grit my teeth against the pain as the second head buries its fangs into the back of my right hip, going deep enough to scrape the bone.
I’m dead right now! I have no body. How is this possible?
I don’t have time to ponder it though, because the beast does a barrel roll, and I nearly go flying from his back. I bury my face in the creatures back, trying to stay put, and the creature slams into the ground, knocking me from his back. I roll across the ground, banging my elbow down hard on the ground, and the creature glares at me.
I get to my feet just as the beast charges at me. I run forward to meet it, grab the horns of the dragon, and vault over the beast, somersaulting to my feet. The beast turns on its heels, skidding against the dais, and the lion roars. It’s too late though.
I’ve already reached the silver dish with the meat, and I stick my hand into the bowl, trying hard to overlook the fact that the meat looks not only fresh but slightly human, and yank out a thick bone. The second the chimera sees the food in my hands, all three heads scream in defeat.
The beast backs off obediently, and the doors open. Selene rushes in and hugs me. “You’re doing so well!”
Hades is slower to congratulate me. “You’ve man
aged to kill my dragon and outsmart my pet. Now, I’m going to give you the toughest challenge of all,” he says with a grim smile. “I’m going to give you the privilege of fighting me.”
Selene gasps. “Hades, no! She’s just a fledgling; she doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Oh, come now,” he says. “It’s not a fight to the death. All she has to do is get the better of me. Force me to concede defeat, and I’ll give her back her body, and all will be well with your children.”
“Hades–”
“What are the rules?” I ask, interrupting her.
“Kylie, no!”
I ignore her, and meet Hades’ eyes without flinching. “What are the rules?” I ask again.
“Simple. Anything goes. If you fail, your soul will belong to me. If you win, I will give you back your body. There are no rules, and you may even use whatever weapons you wish. I’ll even give you the first move.”
“I’ll do it,” I say, taking a step forward.
“Excellent,” he says, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk.
Chapter Five
Selene and Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, take their places at dais at the front of the room. Hades takes off his flowing, black cloak and tosses it aside. Underneath, I see bulging muscle and a fighter’s stance. He’s done this before, and I’ve just realized that I’ve gotten myself in way over my head.
Dragons and chimeras are one thing. They’re animals incapable of rational thought or of planning ahead. Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, probably one of the most powerful gods there are, and I’ve just basically entered a fight to the death over my immortal soul.
I shift my dagger, another gift from Selene, feeling the comforting weight in my hands. This is not going to be easy, if it’s even possible, but I can’t give up. There’s too much riding on this. Selene is counting on me to help her, so I crouch down, readying myself for the fight of my life, trying not to think about the last time I fought an immortal being.
I died…
“I offered you the first move,” Hades reminds me as if I forgot.
“I don’t want it.” Only an idiot rushes head-first into a fight with a more experienced and powerful fighter. That was one of the first things Kaven taught me.
The thought of Kaven is enough to distract me for one second, and that’s all Hades needs. He rushes at me, slamming hard into my chest before I even have a chance to react, and I fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. He’s on me before I can breathe, and he slams my head down onto the tiled floor.
Stars explode at the backs of my eyes, and I instinctively bring my knee up into his stomach. He wheezes hot, foul smelling breath all over my face, and I fight to keep from gagging as I shove him off of me. He goes rolling across the floor, and I jump to my feet, trying to think of a way to win this impossible fight.
Anything goes…
Hades punches me squarely in the back, knocking the wind out of me. A thick forearm wraps around my throat and a knee is pushed into my spine, preventing me from getting the air that I desperately need.
I wiggle just enough to where I can move my jaw, and I fasten my teeth around his arm. He howls in pain, and I bite down harder, feeling the skin break. Immortal blood pours into my mouth, and I can feel something I’ve only really experienced twice in my entire life.
Bloodlust.
It fuels me, warming my veins and bringing me back to life. With the immortal blood flowing through my veins, I easily break free from Hades’ grasp, and I spin away. Gripping his wrist, I twist under it, extending it as far as it’ll go, before popping it free from the socket. I let go, and his arm hangs uselessly at his side.
I don’t wait for him to recover though.
Instead, I launch a series of snap kicks to his thigh, aiming for the same spot each time. On the fourth kick, his left leg crumples from under him, sending him down to one knee. I punch him directly in the nose, and there’s a brief second where nothing happens, before it begins spurting blood.
Before I can hit him again, he’s back on his feet, and he disappears in a cloud of black mist. I raise my dagger, and start to pivot, searching the entire room for where he might be. I see nothing other than the flicker of shadows across the walls, and I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know he’s waiting, biding his time, preparing to jump out and me and end this fight.
Why is he hiding though? Is it possible he’s somehow scared of me? He probably thought I’d go down a lot easier than this, and now he’s resorting to the powers he has that I don’t.
There’s a flicker of shadow, and I look too late. Hades comes flying at me, and he shoves me to the ground. His fingers wrap around the sides of my face, and he lifts my head to slam it down. I whip my head forward, head butting him right on the nose. It crunches, and it starts bleeding again. Noses are such fragile things…
His eyes tear up, and I plant my feet on his chest and shove. He’s heavy, so he only goes about ten feet, but it’s far enough. I jump to my feet, my mind racing for a way to end this fight. I search around the room for anything I can use, and my gaze rests on the front of the room, and I start to form a plan in my mind.
It’s crazy, but it just might work!
I bolt for the front of the room. I can feel Hades right behind me, and I instinctively duck. He goes flying over my head and crashes into the dais with a groan. I’m back on my feet and running again, and I see Selene’s eyes widen in surprise. She’s not sure what my plan is, but I am. All I have to do is get to her before Hades realizes what I’m doing.
I hop the steps to the dais, shifting my dagger in the process, and I yank Persephone toward me. My hand comes up, pressing my dagger against her slim, pale throat. Selene’s lips tilt up in the barest of smiles, and that tells me I’ve just gotten the upper hand in this fight.
He went through all the trouble of kidnapping her and tricking her into being with him that I doubt he’s just going to let her be killed rather than give me back my body. He’ll be willing to deal and, when he does, I’ll be able to return to Tara and Daray, and I’ll be able to fight for the people that I care about one more time.
Hades slowly gets up, rubbing his forehead. There’s a thin cut across it, but it quickly heals over, and he cracks his neck, taking the time to size up his Queen’s situation. She’s squirming in my grip, and I tighten it, putting extra pressure on the knife. I don’t like the thought of threatening her, because she’s done no wrong to me, but I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get home.
Hades regards me with a cool expression, but I can see the tightness of his jaw and hands. “What are you doing? I thought we were in the middle of a fight.”
“Anything goes,” I remind him.
“I hardly think this is fair,” he murmurs. “My darling wife has never been one for fighting. You shouldn’t have dragged her into this.”
“Well, I needed some kind of leverage,” I say, looking at him. “I mean, you’re an all powerful god, and Lord of the Underworld, and I’m just the spirit of a dead vampire fledgling. This should even the odds a bit, don’t you think?”
He frowns. “You have three seconds to release my wife.”
“Or what? I’m not breaking any rules right now. You said anything goes, so anything goes. Now, concede defeat, give me back my body, and I’ll release her without harm. But you’d better hurry up and decide,” I say, drawing blood with the knife. She whimpers, and I try not to let it get to me. “Because I’m getting a little impatient. It’s not smart to try and keep me from Tara any longer.”
He makes an exasperated noise, and I know I’ve won. Finally, after another moment of thought, Hades sighs. “Very well. I concede defeat to you, Kylie Redding, and I give you the reward of you body. Take it and get out of my home.”
I glance at Selene, and she nods. “Your body is waiting for you back on Earth.”
I release Persephone, and she throws herself at Hades. He holds her indifferently at arms length, but I see the relief
in his eyes, though he makes sure to quickly hide it. He cares about her, even if he doesn’t want anyone else to know it, even her.
Selene nods toward the two-story door, and I jog after her. The second the door slams shut behind us, she hugs me close. “Kylie I’m so proud of you! Nobody has ever won a fight without trickery of some kind, and I’m so happy you figured out his weakness and used it against him.”
“Is she really his weakness?”
“Many people think that Hades is evil and incapable of love, but that’s not true. He’s dishonest, and selfish, but not evil. He does have a heart, and it belongs only to Persephone, from the moment he laid eyes upon her. Most people don’t know it, and he’d deny it if asked, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“So he’s a giant softy?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” she says, stepping into Charon’s boat. He doesn’t look at us, and wordless he pulls away from the dock, turning the boat around. He has no problem forcing the boat to go up stream, and we make great time.
“Selene? What’ll happen now that we have my body? Do you just send me back? Or is there some kind of magic spell needed?” Charon laughs and I glance back at him. I can’t see his face, but I get the feeling that he’s smiling at something. “Selene?” I ask, worried by his reaction.
She sighs. “There’s something I haven’t told you. I was worried that if I did, you might not go through all of this.” She takes a deep breath. “There is a bonding process. I have to force your soul back into your body, and it’ll be incredibly painful. I was going to tell you when we got back to my Gardens.”
I sit back. “There’s more that I have to suffer? I’ve already been burned, gored, and thrown around by yet another god. And now there’s a painful bonding process?”
“Kylie–”
“You should have told me sooner,” I say, refusing to look at her. “I would have still gone through this. Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
She shakes her head. “I promise I’ll explain when we get back. Just, hold on for a bit longer, alright?”
Protector (Daray Hall #2) Page 4