by Lexi Ostrow
Racing out to the center of the ship she stumbled, not from a strike, but from something Seraphina was doing. The female was standing nearest the broken window, arms raised and eyes closed.
“What is she doing?” She asked as she passed the bag to Hugo.
“I believe she mentioned she was going to ‘shake the bloody bastards off her ship,’” Philippe said grimly.
She looked to Hugo, who still stood frozen in fear where she’d left him. “Thomas!” Gesturing for her friend to come over she met him halfway.
“Stay with him?”
She nodded. “You’ll do better at holding him upright than I would.”
She slammed into the sidewall, pain ringing through her body, careening through her at a rapid pace.
Suddenly, the sake shaking ceased. The screeches of the demons were not longer audible either.
“Is it done then?” Greyston asked, holding his gun at the ready but inching toward the broken window.
“Fucking ingrates. Who do they think they are?” Seraphina grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “I mean, honestly, you do not attack a vessel holding your fucking queen.”
“That is not all they will attack,” a smoky sounding voice called from outside.
“Dieargog!” the Queen of Hell hissed, her wings expanding in a vicious burst.
The ship shook violently—left, right and then dipped downwards—drawing shouts from them all. Lucius stumbled out of the captain’s quarters, face red and swollen.
“I can’t access him. He fears nothing.”
Clara had met only two other Nightmare Demons in her life, and they had all had one thing in common, they did not experience fear. Lucius was terrified, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
“Of course he fears nothing,” Seraphina grabbed at the gun in her waistband, firing it out the window. “He thinks he’s the bloody ruler of the world!”
Another slam into the ship and Clara realized what was occurring. “He’s going to drop us from the sky.” Her panicked shriek echoed off the metal around them, seeming to taunt her.
“Layel, Nathanial, Seraphina, you know what to do,” Philippe shouted, drawing his gun, and shattering the nearest port window with his elbow.
She heard three burst of whirring that belonged to any crystal weapon, but there was no indication he had hit something. A hideous sound began to ring her ears, something like screws sliding over metal and scratching a path in their wake.
“The roof!”
Hugo had found his voice, pointing up and drawing everyone’s eyes the top of the ship. Two golden brown talons had pierced the ship, prying it open like a can of meats.
“Bloody hell,” Thomas cursed, blowing out a breath. “Plans anyone?”
“Get near an Angel, everyone stand as close as you can.” Layel barked out the order as flames licked through the small holes in the top of the ship. “Now!” He shouted, lunging forwards, one hand grabbing Thomas and the other Philippe.
Fire heated the metal ship, making it feel rather like Hell. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she turned, desperate to get to Hugo before anything dropped from the sky, but she was caught around the midsection. Screaming, she felt nausea bubble up as she was flashed from the ship.
Her feet slammed into the ground, sending a piercing pain from her heels to the top of her head. The force of the impact knocked her on her arse in a pile of snow. Coughing, she forced the air back into her lungs before darting to sit upright.
“Is everyone here?” Lucius was hard to hear as he was standing nearly two hundred meters away and barely a spec in the snow. Seraphina’s brilliant red hair blew in the wind next to the Nightmare Demon, and Greyston appeared hunched down in the snow.
“Hugo!” Struggling to stand, she dug her hands into the snow and used it to push herself up. “Hugo!”
“Clara, I’m here!” Hugo’s voice carried from just next to her.
She jerked her head to the right and saw him a ways off with Layel and Thomas. Spinning quickly, she realized that Nathaniel had grabbed her and Hugo, flashing them both to safety.
“We are not safe here,” Seraphina cautioned, having flashed her and the other two to the group. “That ship will fall momentarily.”
Clara followed the slender, white finger up to the dark night sky, which was alight with flames and sparks. Dieargog was still attached to the ship, clinging to it like a dragon on a spire. As the red flames licked the sterling metal, the colors were magnificent in their destruction. She could not feel the heat of the fire raining own on them, but she knew as it got lower, it would become deadly. The vessel would begin to fall apart soon, the heat undoing the soldering Eliza and her crew had done.
Seeing him, firing dancing from his mouth onto the ship, was disheartening and terrifying. The demon had no clue they’d broken free from the ship.
“We are stuck here, at least for a few moments. None of us will be able to flash after taking so many such a distance.” Anger dripped from Seraphina’s tone and flashed in her eyes as they went black. “My demons are working with him. They lead him to me with the connection all demons feel to the queen.”
“Eliza is going to kill me,” Lucius muttered, dropping into the snow despite his perfectly tailored suit likely needing to stay dry.
“Ciel doux. Yes, yes she is.” Philippe added, dropping down beside his hunting partner. He looked outwards, watching the demon attack the empty ship.
“Are we safe?”
She hadn’t realized she asked the question until Hugo had wrapped his arms around her, tugging her against him.
“I don’t know how any of this was ever safe, but we are away from it.” His words shook, either with fear or anger.
“We will not sit here,” Layel commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. “He will realize we are not on board once he rips the roof from the base. We do not want to be in the vicinity when he does.”
Clara had never really liked Layel, but she was beginning to.
“Little late for that. Run!” Thomas shouted, racing past her, kicking snow in big lumps into the air.
Greyston shouted after his son and raced after him when it was apparent Thomas was not returning. She felt momentarily guilty, knowing they were all there because the man fate had tied her too had wished to make her happy with a Christmas light.
Glancing up as she tugged away from Hugo she felt her stomach drop. Dieargog was still holding the airship, but he was no longer looking at it. His ruby-red eyes gleamed against the flames as he stared directly at them.
“Our guns!” Clara grabbed at the specialized weapon in her waistband. “Hugo, give that to Philippe.”
He opened his mouth, green eyes blazing, but he tossed the gun to their lead hunter. “You will not stay,” he tugged her in the direction Thomas had run.
“I must. Lucius will be useless now.”
“I can hear you, Succubus. I am not more useless than you will be against him.” Lucius sneered, walking to stand in the line next to Seraphina, Layel and Nathaniel.
A scream tore through the night, and she twisted her face to the ship just in time to watch it careen towards the ground as Dieargog rushed at them, wings outstretched like hands and an inferno blowing out of his mouth.
“Please, go!” She pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks.
He gave her one last look before dropping her hand, and racing towards the shelter Thomas and Greyston must have seen. He’s only here because of me. He deserves to live, to do great things.
“I need him distracted,” Seraphina said with a calm she could not have felt. “I cannot cripple him if he is focused only on me.”
“We will do what we can,” Nathaniel pulled the customarily invisible Seraph blade from his back, the black metal gleaming in the firelight. “Layel, for however long we live, I will always be grateful to you, to our mated bond and the love we showed others existed.”
Layel said nothing, merely nodded his head and drew his blade from the holster none but Angels c
ould see.
“I’ll do my best, but I didn’t find a break in his walls.” Lucius sounded defeated before they had even made their final stand.
She wanted Hugo there, wanted his hand in hers. Wanted to have a last moment with him as Layel and Nathaniel got. She wanted a life with him, no matter how foolish it was to want. Fear had a way of removing the smoke from the mirrors and showing a person what they truly wanted. Clara wanted Hugo.
The ground shook beneath their feet, and she heard someone shout about the ship. Far too close to them, the remains of the dirigible flamed. It was unrecognizable, with pieces of metal bent and broken at all angels.
A blast of fire slammed into the ground mere meters from their feet. Heat scorched Clara’s face, seeming to burn her skin with its power. Anger took over. She’d spent a life in Hell being tortured, fucked and harassed by demons. If she was going to die by the most terrifying demon there was, she was going down fighting.
Hugo would go on without her. His life would continue to mean something, even if she wished for him to be beside her, facing off by her side.
Squeezing the trigger on the gun, she felt the faint, familiar wind of the cogs that meant the firearm was readying itself. She wasn’t prepared for the blowback that came from the weapon having been charged moments before she and Hugo had given into sleep. Tripping, her gun flew towards the beast, blasting a silver streak as it tumbled through the air.
“Foolish Succubus,” Dieargog smiled, revealing rows upon rows of spiky teeth. “I can smell you, and I desire you as much as I desired being trapped in Hell.”
A giant wing slammed into her shoulder, sending her flying backward. Pain speared into her chest from the blow, but she was unable to respond to it as the smack sailed her backwards. The wind stung her face as she flew and slammed into the ground. Snow quickly piled over her face, burning her eyes and choking her as it piled into her mouth. Heat surrounded her, and she realized Dieargog had lit the snow on fire as best as he could and was playing with her, as a cat did a mouse.
Fifteen
Thomas clenched his hands at his sides and started to climb the giant snow-covered rock pile they had slipped behind. It had taken less than a minute to find where they had run because Thomas had shouted at him. Every fiber of his being was repulsed by his actions.
You’re falling in love with her. The thought slammed into him and nearly dropped him to his knees. He’d known her for such a short time, but as he sat there, hiding from what she faced, he simply knew. The mating forced them together, but it had been impossible not to feel something for the spunky, beautiful and brilliant woman who fought alongside people, not of her kind.
“I shouldn’t have listened. If this demon is as awful as we are lead to believe with what we just witnessed, Clara will not die without me by her side. I don’t understand how my feelings could be this strong, but they are, and I will not hide from them.
“I’m sorry,” Thomas whispered before standing up. “I shouldn’t have run. Hunters do not run. I’m sorry, Father.”
“We will go back. Fear is natural. We all fear that monster, but we will not abandon our own.”
Hugo didn’t honestly care what was being said, but he was impressed that a man of such a young age was prepared for battle the way he was. Pushing himself over the edge of the snowy rocks, he fell forward at what he saw.
“Clara!” Hugo screamed. Bile rushed up at the image of Clara disappearing beneath the snow, but he forced himself to swallow it down. Flames seemed to pop up from the ground around her, and he was done hiding. “Clara!” He bellowed again, taking off in the snow after her.
Get to her. She has to be okay. She just has to be. Wouldn’t you feel it? Fuck, why did you never ask her if you could feel when something was wrong the way you could sense her presence!
Fear paralyzed him as he got to the fire perimeter around her. Dieargog was swatting at the others as if they were mere play toys. Nathaniel and Layel were flying about, slashing and striking at the creature’s thick hide. The dragon-like demon did not care. Its eyes blazed in Seraphina’s direction, and hers were closed.
They were locked in some sort of a mental battle. He knew Seraphina was formidable, but if Dieargog had killed all of his kind, his powers would likely be insurmountable.
A cough pulled his focus from the battle to the snow pile. Tugging off his brown coat, he slapped it against the flames, shocked when Thomas and Greyston removed theirs and did the same instead of joining the fight.
“Don’t let the coats entangle, it will just let them catch on fire,” he shouted, not thinking about if it drew the others attention until after he had. “Clara, are you all right?”
“I don’t want to lie to you, so no. I fear my arm is broken and I can feel the steady drip of blood from where the tip of the wing slammed into me.”
His arms waved furiously, determined to get to her.
“Is this magic?” Thomas growled, brow wrinkling. “Why can we not put it out?”
“It is said his kind breathed the first fires of Hell. I am beginning to think it was not a tale.” Greyston leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Clara and jerking upwards, to quickly lift her out.
“Clara!” he dropped into the snow by her side, running his fingertips over her in search of injury. Blood coated her black leather corset, and he let go of her only long enough to tie his jacket around her, trying to stifle the slowly trickling blood to make certain she did not lose too much.
“It’s time to leave.” Layel flapped above them, glowering. “She cannot hold him much longer. We will have to find another way. We are too small a force to take him on without the element of surprise.
The Angel dropped down into the snow, his husband a heartbeat behind him.
“Clara, let me flash you. I will heal you when we return. You will be commended for your bravery.” Nathaniel stepped forward, taking Clara from the ground.
He foolishly growled at the man, as if he was a threat, but Nathaniel flashed out without acknowledging it.
“Come, there is no time. She will take Lucius and Philippe.” Layel grabbed hold of Thomas, Greyston and Hugo.
A swirl of discomfort hit him, and he was back in the familiar surroundings of the Palace. Clara was standing, looking as if she’d never been involved in the fray, next to Odette. He breathed a sigh of relief that she was well and hoped Seraphina would flash the other two back shortly.
“Hugo!” She squealed as a smile lit up her face.
His feet were moving towards her as she raced across the room to him. They collided, a clumsy mess of body parts, and he crashed to the floor with her on top of him. She beamed down at him, cupping his face in her hands.
“Don’t say anything, just listen to me for a moment.” She dropped a quick kiss to his lips. “I love you, Hugo Clark. This night taught me that I don’t want a moment without you. That’s what I thought about, how selfish I felt as I raced to my death thinking about how I wished you were going with me, so we were together.”
“I love you, too. There is something to be said for what looking at danger shows to a person.” He lifted his face to hers, pressing his lips against hers.
“I couldn’t get him.”
Seraphina’s choked cry cut through the happiness he was swimming in. Clara rolled off of him, standing in a brisk movement that showed her skills as a hunter, a warrior. Philippe lay on the ground, bleeding from a wound to his side. Odette dropped to his side, laying her hands on him in less than a moment.
“Lucius. He was too far away. I didn’t have enough energy to flash to him and then flash us out.” Seraphina choked once more and collapsed to the floor.
Odette’s head jerked up, looking around the room.
“No one speaks of this. No one leaves this room until I tell Eliza. No one leaves this fucking palace until we have a way to get him back.”
Sixteen
Even after imprisonment for centuries, fury had not run through his veins as hotly as it did.
Seraphina had nearly bested him. Her powers had grown whilst his had dwindled under a pile of broken rocks. Power loss had been expected, being paralyzed by a pathetic Angel who apparently couldn’t make up her mind, had not been. Years ago, he had destroyed nearly three hundred Dragoniari soul by soul to consume their gifts. Like Angels, each had something they excelled at, with no two demons ever really sharing the same talent.
He’d sustained himself on the souls and blood of his brethren whilst he’d been trapped awake, thinking upon every moment of his long life. He’d oft wondered if his sins would haunt him. He had his answer, they would not.
The only memory to haunt him was of the red-haired Angel dropping him to his entrapment. He’d heard her name countless times over the years, especially once she’d stolen the thrown from Lucifer.
“I cannot fathom how that occurred,” he sputtered.
Finding her had been simple. He’d merely tapped the entrance to Hell with a claw, and the second an Imp had seen him, the creature declared his loyalty. Not killing the pitiful creature was the hardest decision he’d made, but he needed the demon’s connection to its Queen to locate her. He had spent less than an hour rounding up demons that despised their current female. All of whom pledged their fealty to him. Yet, none knew the location of her whereabouts when she was not in Hell. A frustrating issue that would not be a problem if he had not been ambushed by two other Angels and a handful of unusual weapons.
It was the humans and demons working together that had confused him. When he’d been put in his cell of sorts, demons had hunted humans, all except the Pure Angels. However, the well-dressed lesser demon at his feet was a sure sign that some sort of alliance had been formed amongst the species. One he crushed the moment he took power from Seraphina.
Snorting a puff of smoke from his nostrils, Dieargog turned his oblong head to look at the Nightmare Demon that lay unconscious in the snow.