“You think you’re funny,” the Troll choked out as green and black blood poured from his mouth. “But I will have the last laugh.”
“Really?” I asked. “You could have fooled me.”
“You might have the soul and I might die, but she will come for you.”
“Sounds great. I look forward to it,” I told him as I prepared to end him once and for all.
But as I tore his head from his hideous body, he did indeed get the last word in. Right before the son of a bitch took his last worthless breath, he called out a spell. I froze in both shock and horror. How did this sub human bastard know how to summon death? The Troll King died with an evil smile on his putrid face.
I’d thought the battle was over. I’d thought I’d won. I was wrong.
The battle had just begun. The dying bastard had unleashed the wraiths. The one dead species I had no jurisdiction over.
All Hell had broken loose and it wasn’t set off by me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thousands of screeching wraiths descended on the happiest fucking place on Earth. Their screams were haunting and unearthly. The abominations had dead eyes and gaunt faces with papery skin and open wounds. Nearly transparent specters wailed and moaned as they flew in frantic circles with no other goal than to create as much pain as they were in. The bone-chilling screeching would stay with me long after the battle was done. Swords and magic were useless on the wraiths as they darted like blood thirsty gnats on speed in and out of the bodies of my army.
The shrieks of my people were more than I could bear and I began to chant counter spells in an ancient language that very few still knew existed. The cries of the wraiths reached ear-splitting decibels and I watched in horror as some of my Demons fell to the ground in agony. My spell was working, but too slowly to stop the death and destruction the wraiths were causing.
“Get Raquel,” Astrid shouted above the fray. “Surround her and protect her. She can banish them.”
Searching like a man gone mad, I spotted Raquel. She was far too injured to do anything but try to survive the attack. Goddamnit, this was not supposed to be happening.
My eyes were wild as I tried to find Elle in the chaos. She would never live through this. My daughters and nieces stood a good chance of making it out alive, but my Siren… no.
Tearing through the deadly specters without care for myself, I searched—I searched desperately. I barely felt the icy blasts as the wraiths ripped into my skin. The savage ghosts carried a blistering wind with them that shot through me like a frozen dagger.
I would survive this toxic strike. I was a True Immortal, but I realized I didn’t want to survive if she didn’t. I finally had an answer to her damned question and I needed her alive to hear it.
The attack was a clusterfuck of ghostly execution and there was little to nothing I could do about it.
And then I found her…
Pam and Astrid were at her back holding her upright and Elle was shouting directions. My Siren was calling the murderous apparitions to her and they headed for her so quickly I couldn’t see through the billowy fog they created in their wake. In their frantic blitz, they resembled a swarm of bloody bees.
What the fuck was happening? I was so close, but I couldn’t reach her. The wraiths were so frenzied I could barely move.
And that’s when I went deaf.
I was fairly certain everyone in the battle went deaf. I could vaguely make out my Demons touching their ears and grabbing each other in confusion. I’d never heard of a wraith attack causing loss of hearing. But I’d also never witnessed thousands of wraiths at the same time.
I shouted in warning as they went for Adrielle. I couldn’t hear myself, but I felt the vibration all throughout my body. It was the worst moment of my life and I would relive it for the rest of eternity.
And then everything went into slow fucked up motion. The wraiths tore through my Siren as she stood there and took it. Her face was serene and she was bleeding profusely. I swore on everything I was that I would avenge her death. Not a day would go by that I wouldn’t hunt down and kill anything or anyone connected to the ghostly abominations. The Trolls would be systematically wiped off the face of the Earth and then I would find their keeper.
In helpless horror, I watched as Elle raised her bleeding arms to the sky and her mouth opened. I had no idea what she was saying but her lips moved and something maniacal started happening.
My Siren was singing. She told me she never sang.
The damned words—I hadn’t listened to the words… again.
“Karaoke some time?” I suggested with a lopsided grin.
Elle and Sadie traded glances and both shook their heads slowly.
“Trust me,” Elle said. “You don’t ever want to hear us sing.”
“Ever,” Sadie added with a small shudder.
She was singing and she’d clearly didn’t want us to hear her. She’d used an enchantment to deafen those she wanted to survive the effects of her melody. My negating the value of mythology bit me in the ass once more—the song of the Siren lured men to their deaths… or in this case, the wraiths.
It was like watching the movie Fantasia on crack. The wraiths began exploding in vivid color—red, orange, green, blue, yellow. The colors bled together and erupted, shooting over the spires of the castle and flaring up into neon nuclear bombs. The lethal fireworks shot into the sky, fanned out like macabre flowers, and spilled back down to the ground in dazzling burning embers.
My Siren’s eyes were closed and her lips never stopped moving for a second. I let my fire recede and I stood as still as a statue while I watched the most glorious, deadly performance I’d seen to date. Thousands of wraiths were detonating and bursting into colors so bright I had to shield my eyes.
My army huddled together and watched in shocked alarm and admiration as my Siren rid the world of the swarm of death.
As quickly as it started, suddenly it was over. Elle fell to the ground and let her head drop to her hands. She then looked up and our eyes met. With a touch to her ears, my ability to hear returned as did everyone else’s.
However, no one spoke. Not a word.
With slow careful steps, my broken Demon army circled my Siren and went to their knees in reverence.
“Well, that was certainly some shit you don’t see everyday,” Pam grunted as she walked around and checked on her people.
“Roll call,” Tiara shouted.
Tiara was missing an arm, but it would grow back. The rest of the main group was alive and healing quickly. Damaged but alive. I stood stock still. My feet felt like lead and I simply watched as the women bowed down to Adrielle Rinoa.
More words raced through my brain.
“You gonna let that man talk to you like that?” Pam asked a clearly seething Elle.
“Let him have his fun. I’ll have mine shortly,” she hissed.
If this was my Siren’s idea of fun, we were definitely going to have to talk. I clearly didn’t understand women at all. My smugness at believing I’d known what she meant vanished. I was going to need a damned interpreter to figure my Siren out.
The women parted as I approached her. I reached out and gently pulled her to her feet. Elle’s smile was as blinding as the fireworks had been and it was all I could do to stay standing. This woman slayed me and cut me off at the knees at every turn.
“That was a bit unexpected,” I said, my voice sounding hoarse to my own ears.
“No one will ever die at my expense if I have anything to say about it. Ever,” she replied, still smiling despite her bruised and swollen lips.
I carefully ran my finger over her mouth. What I wanted most was to kiss her, but causing her any kind of pain was abhorrent to me. I knew she would heal—all immortals did. That gave me solace, but I despised seeing her harmed.
“You humble me,” I whispered with my hand on my heart. “The answer to your question is yes.”
“Which question?” she shot back, narrowing
her amethyst eyes at me. “I’ve asked many.”
“The important one.”
“Refresh my memory, Devil,” she replied.
I closed my eyes and grinned. The woman was going to make me work for it. I deserved nothing less and neither did she. Fine. I would work. The reward was worth any discomfort I had stating my feelings in front of my people and my children.
“That girl has got you by the balls, Lucifer,” Pam bellowed joyously. “You had best tell her what she wants to hear. That Siren can blow us all to Kingdom Come if she’s pissed. You better watch yourself, boy.”
Pam’s laugh echoed those around us and I let her irreverence go—mainly because she was correct—rude as Hell, but correct.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I bit back my smile and raised an eyebrow at the Siren who had truly made me feel. “I’m in love with you, Adrielle Rinoa. You are a dreadful woman and I want to spend every horrible moment for the rest of eternity at your evil side. I love you and I’m not even appalled to admit it.”
The intake of breath from the crowd of women was so monstrous that I was certain they were all going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“Holy shit on fire,” Pam squealed, hopping around like her pants were on fire. “I can’t believe what I’m hearin’. The Devil is in luuurve. Has Hell frozen over?”
“Don’t think so, but I’m not sure using the words appalled, dreadful, horrible and evil in a declaration of love is the smartest way to go,” Astrid said sounding a little concerned.
I grinned. My niece should be happy I didn’t use the term bosom…
“No, it’s all good. Trust me,” Dixie said with a delighted laugh and her hands clasped together in joy.
“Whatever you say, cousin,” Astrid replied, shaking her head.
“And I love you, Harbinger of Evil. You’re an asshole with an attitude and I couldn’t be happier about that. The simple fact that you came out alive after having sex with me is miraculous, but what I really love is your horrifying ability to lie, cheat and steal. However, if you ever cheat on me, I will remove your impressive manhood with a dull butter knife. I will let it grow back and then I will rinse and repeat—for the rest of time.”
“That was a little TMI,” Tiara announced to the open mouthed crowd. “Is she fucking serious?”
“As a human heart attack,” I replied with a laugh that came from low in my gut. “And I’d have it no other way. Besides, I’ll do even worse.”
“Holy Hell on a bobsled,” Pam grunted and slapped her forehead with her hand. “Can’t wait for the wedding. Should be a dang violent freak show.”
“No wedding,” Elle said to Pam with her gold ringed amethyst eyes still glued to me. “We prefer to live in sin—much more fun.”
“She is sooooo perfect for you,” Dixie squealed, throwing herself at Elle and hugging her hard. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Elle asked, surprised by the show of affection.
“For loving him.”
“That part is easy,” Elle replied with a laugh that made my pants tight. “The living with him part will be interesting.”
“Is interesting a euphemism for crime ridded shit show?” Pam joked.
“Actually, it is,” I confirmed as I took Elle into my arms and held her close.
Love felt pretty damned good. Who the Hell knew? Everything about this woman calmed me and made me feel… well, happy.
The lone clapping coming from the damaged entrance to the castle didn’t take me by surprise. It was staccato and angry. I’d been expecting a visitor and she didn’t disappoint. Of course she was a little late to the show, but I was well aware that she didn’t like to get her hands dirty—that was for lesser immortals.
The Keeper had arrived just in time for the final showdown of the day. Her timing was shitty—but then again it always was. However, this time her hands were going to get dirty.
Very dirty.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“How lovely,” she said in a flat toneless voice and continued her disrespectful show of appreciation with her slow insolent clapping. “I see you found your darkness.”
“Fate, always awful to see you,” I said, placing Elle behind me and stepping out in front of my people. “What brings you to the happiest fucking place on Earth? I’d think Harry Potter World would be more your speed. I do believe you and the Nagini have so much in common.”
“Touché,” she shot back coldly.
“And where is this darkness you speak of?” I asked, scanning the horizon behind her. “I will destroy it. Then you can leave and go terrorize other unsuspecting immortals.”
“Is that supposed to be funny, Devil?” she asked.
“Not at all,” I replied, holding my temper with enormous effort. The need to take her down was almost a physical pain. “Simply truthful—a rarity for me. Show me the darkness or I will show you no mercy.”
“This is rich,” she said laughing in a way that made me certain she had lost her mind. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?” I ground out with my fists clenched at my sides.
It would do me very little good to smite her without all the information I needed. Satisfying? Yes. Smart? Absolutely not.
“The words, you stupid evil man. It’s in the meaning of the words.”
I put my hand up as a signal to my growling Demons to stand down. I could fight this particular battle on my own. Fate was a dangerous woman to start with. Add in her unbalanced insanity and she was a ticking time bomb.
“What words?” I demanded, still not following.
“Is a rose still a rose by any other name?” Fate purred with a vicious smile on her face.
“My name,” Elle said on a gasp as she stepped forward and took my hand in hers. “I think I’m your darkness.”
“Explain,” I said, but kept my eyes trained on Fate. She was not to be trusted.
“Adrielle means dark one.”
“And Rinoa?” I questioned as a profound relief began to wash over me.
“One who is a torch of light in the darkness,” she whispered.
My joyous bellow of laughter startled everyone. How in the Hell had I missed it? My darkness had been with me all along. How fucking perfect. I pulled my Siren closer and kissed the top of her gorgeous blonde head as I continued to observe Fate.
The bitch’s words came flowing back…
“The darkness is coming for you, Lucifer. You will need to embrace it when she arrives,” Fate said in the same bland tone one would talk about the weather.
I’d missed the word she.
“There’s fire in the darkness, Lucifer. A fire that will weaken you, yet make you stronger. A fire that could restore your soul.”
“Stop talking nonsense, old woman,” I roared as the building trembled in reaction to my ire. She was fucking with me and I wanted to end her with my bare hands. “I have no soul. It was obliterated when I fell.”
“Is that what you think, Lucifer?” she questioned, examining me with pity.
“It’s what I know.”
My Siren’s fire was my savior and I now believed that something else might be a distinct possibility… “Well, while this has been a ball of fucking laughs, it’s time for you to go. I’d say it’s been a delight to see your drunken face again but it hasn’t. Good day, Fate,” I said with a dismissive nod to the hateful woman.
“I’m not done here,” Fate hissed, causing an ominous wind to blow, knocking my Demons off their feet. Astrid, Tiara and the rest were still standing, but it was anyone’s guess how long they could take the unpredictable winds of change.
“I’m done,” I snapped back equally as vicious.
Elle squeezed my hand and with a covert wiggle of her fingers, she halted the escalating wind. Fate’s glare shot to Elle and she simply stared. She tore her gaze from Elle and paced slowly back and forth in the still smoldering embers of the dead wraiths to gather herself.
Elle’s action floo
red me. It made me consider other words that had been imparted to me by my mother. Sometimes mothers might know best, even one as unhinged as mine. This time I wasn’t going to miss a beat—far too much was at stake here.
“Imagine my surprise when your darkness turned out to be the very thing I’d been searching for,” Fate said in such a deranged and angry voice that the hair on my neck stood up. “It’s really just so very convenient. Don’t you think so?”
“Not really,” I replied sounding unconcerned. It was a lie. I was on hyper alert, but I was an outstanding liar. The direction of this exchange wasn’t one I liked.
“The locket. It’s mine,” she said.
“Here you go,” I said flatly, tossing the locket at her feet. “The real question is why are you looking for it?”
“It’s empty,” she shouted as she threw it to the ground and zapped it into millions of tiny sparkling pieces. “What was in it belongs to me.”
My smile was pure evil and Fate took a few steps back. “Really Keeper?” I asked in a tone that had all the immortals present—regardless of species—backing away. Only Elle stayed with me—my darkness. “That’s not what I heard.”
“You heard wrong,” Fate said.
“Explain yourself,” I snarled as she blanched, but immediately stepped back up and held her ground.
“I need the soul. It belongs to me. End of story.”
“No,” Elle said, staring right at Fate. “It does not belong to you. It’s mine.”
“I should have had the Trolls do away with you and your mother centuries ago—all I need are your souls. The bodies are a turning out to be more trouble than they’re worth,” she shouted. “But you’re a slippery one, Siren.”
“Takes one to know one,” Elle shot back to the surprise of Fate. “You’ve been using our power for millions of years, old woman, and today it stops.”
“And who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” Fate snarled, but stayed back as Elle began to spark like a black fiery diamond. “I control fate. I am Fate.”
“Shit’s about to get ugly,” I heard Astrid mutter under her breath.
Fashionably Flawed: Book Nine, The Hot Damned Series Page 20