by Bea Paige
“Ciera is of no concern to you, wolf. So I suggest you fuck-off back to where you crawled from and we don’t take this any further.” Maro raises his sword, placing the tip against Plutus’ throat.
He laughs. “I could fuck off to where I came from, but you might have trouble passing through given the next circle is mine now.”
“What?” Maro screeches. I don’t think I’ve ever heard his voice reach such a high decibel. I hope he doesn’t do that again, it doesn’t suit him. I much prefer the lower voice; it’s like dark chocolate with a hint of chilli.
“Yup, newly promoted. So, Maro, if you want to pass through, you need to ask me first. I’m thinking you should get down on your knees. How about begging, begging might be good.”
“I don’t beg.”
“We know that, Maro. Not even for the ones you love, hmm?”
Maro deflates a little, his sword lowers and the sparks lose their sparkle. He turns his back to Plutus and steps towards me. I can’t understand the look he’s giving me.
“Plutus, leave it out. This isn’t the time,” Ceb says.
“No, Berus. Maro ‘the high and mighty’ needs knocking down a peg or two. We all know what he’s like, what he’s done. Look what happened the last...”
Maro turns on his heel and raises his sword against Plutus’ neck once again. This time he flicks his wrist minutely and the sword nicks Plutus’ skin, drawing blood. “Another word and your head leaves your body, wolf.”
“Fuck you!” Plutus roars.
“Ah, shit,” Ceb says and before I can even blink, he has me spinning in the air, his body covering mine whilst a fight ensues behind us. At least I hope it’s just a fight and not a battle to the death. My heart squeezes in my chest at the thought that Maro might get hurt. He’s kind of growing on me… like lichen, but growing nonetheless.
For the next five minutes, I can do nothing but stand trapped within Ceb’s arms. He has his chest pressed against my back, forcing my front against the cold stone of his wall. I am indeed sandwiched between a rock and a hard place. Part of the hard place appears to be getting harder by the minute.
“Sorry about this,” Ceb murmurs in my ear, and I’m not certain whether he’s talking about the fight, the fact I can’t move, or because he seems to enjoy being pressed so close to me.
“Are they going to kill one another? I mean, I’d really prefer it if they didn’t. How else will I get through Hell without a guide?”
“I shouldn’t think so. Every few hundred years, old wounds resurface and this happens. They’ll wear themselves out in a minute, but it’s best I keep you safe until they do,” Ceb says. I feel the coarse hair of his beard tickle against my cheek as he speaks. I swallow, trying not to think about where I’d like that beard to tickle next.
A loud bang followed by a whoosh of air has Ceb knocked sideways and me thrown against the floor. I’m quick to my feet, ready to bolt if I need to. But when I see Plutus standing over Maro, who looks like he’s got a nasty gash to his cheek, an unexpected fierceness fills my chest.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I shout, anger making me bold. Plutus looks over his shoulder and smirks. The look he gives me is enough to piss a saint off, and frankly, I’m no saint.
Ceb stands, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t get involved.”
I shake his hand away. “Not happening.”
Whether it’s sheer stupidity or a very real need to get moving and finding my sister, I storm over to Plutus and give him a shove. “I SAID THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Even to my own ears my voice sounds loud. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn the plates rattled from the noise.
Plutus’ eyes widen as he stumbles back slightly. He seems to cower a little. Honestly, I don’t think I pushed him that hard? But, anyway, at least he’s no longer in swiping distance of Maro.
Swiping? I glance at his hand only to see curved black claws instead of human nails. My brain seems to be taking a while to catch up at the moment. What am I looking at here?
Maro had said wolf… If Ceb is some big, three-headed dog, then could this man actually be a wolf?
Oh, bloody fuck, I hope not.
Plutus watches me as I regard him. Meanwhile, Maro is coming to, and Ceb is watching us from the other side of the kitchen. He seems to be looking at me in rapture, or awe. Maybe it’s neither, maybe he has something in his eye? Turning my attention back to Plutus, who is shaking his head as though trying to rid himself of his brain, I stand my ground and wait.
Perhaps I need to appeal to his… what? Human side. When I look at Plutus, I see dangerous. I see handsome, sure, but I’m not certain I see human.
“Look,” I start, holding my hands up. “I don’t know what your deal is, or what the history is between you two, but I am here for one reason and one reason only, to save my sister and to get the hell out of here. You guys can kill each other all you want, but only after I’ve got what I came for.”
Plutus opens his mouth to speak, but I hold my hand up. “No. I don’t want to hear whatever it is you have to say. I need Maro. He’s my guide through this shit-hole you call home. Once I reach my sister, you can do what you like.”
Plutus’s mouth pops open, then closes again. Behind me Ceb chuckles.
“My, you are a feisty one,” he says.
“I’m a survivor. What I lack in skill and strength, I make up for in guts and determination. Take me or leave, I don’t give a shit.”
“Oh I’d take you, right over that table given half the chance,” Plutus says with a confused smile and another shake of his head. He winks at me, trying to make his comment light-hearted. I snort.
“If you try it, I’ll cut your dick off with Maro’s sword myself.”
This time Ceb roars with laughter.
“Fair enough, Mistress,” Plutus says.
Well that was easy.
At my feet Maro sits up, holding his hand against his bleeding cheek. The gash is deep, and thick, crimson blood pours steadily from the wound. I bend down to inspect it.
“That’s a deep gash,” I say, glaring up at Plutus who shrugs. “Let me clean you up.”
Ceb strides over, grabs a cloth from the side and douses it in water.
“Here,” he says, handing it to me. “I’m going to take Plutus outside for a second, whilst you clean up Maro. Be back in a bit.”
“Sure,” I respond, taking the cloth from him and returning my attention to Maro who seems to be gazing at me with a strange look on his face. I pull his hand away from his face and press the cloth against his cheek. He doesn’t even flinch.
“This is very nice of you, but I can heal on my own. Couple hours and I’ll be back to normal.”
“This isn’t me being nice. This is me wanting to get you fixed so we can move on and find my sister,” I say swiping a little too heavy-handed over the gash.
“We will find her. I’m just not sure how we’ll get through the next level, given Plutus hates my guts.”
“The feeling’s mutual it would seem.”
“We have history…”
“That’s what Ceb said.”
Maro clams up and just allows me to wash the cut. I feel his eyes on me, but I concentrate on what I’m doing. I daren’t look at his golden orbs. The last time I did that he seemed to spell me into eating too much soup.
“There,” I say once I am done.
Maro captures my hand. “Thank you.” He presses his mouth against the back of my hand and for a moment, I am caught up in this strange attraction we seem to be sharing.
“See, I told you, Berus. He’s at it again!”
I snatch my hand away and stand, whilst Maro sighs and gets to his feet. Plutus is standing in the doorway, Ceb peering over his shoulder at us both.
“Again? What do you mean, again?” I ask.
The three men look at one another. Every single one of them look guilty of something. I shouldn’t be surprised, we’re in Hell after all. After half a minute of waiting fo
r an explanation and knowing I’m not going to get one I stride up to Plutus and glare at him.
“I need to get through your circle. Will you let us pass, or are you going to make this harder than it needs to be?”
Ceb is giving me a thumbs up, but I ignore him and level my gaze at Plutus instead.
“I’ll do more than let you pass. I’m going with you.”
“Over my dead body,” Maro says from behind.
“That can be arranged!” Plutus retorts. “You can’t stop me. I don’t come, you don’t get through my circle, simple.”
“Fine come then. I don’t care,” I say, exasperated.
“Wolf dick,” Maro snarls
“Angel prick,” Plutus growls.
“Enough!” Ceb shouts, making us all jump. “ I will accompany you all as well. Better keep an eye on these two morons.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. How did I get to this point? Eventually, after several deep breaths and mumbled curses I nod my head.
“Then let’s get going, my merry band of…” Men? Demons?
“Hotties?” Ceb finishes for me.
“We might be in Hell, but none of you are hot,” I lie. With that, I push past Ceb and Plutus and head back out into the shit.
Chapter 12
It smells even worse outside than I remember. Maybe the stink has increased or my nose got used to the clean, fresh air inside Ceb's house. No idea how he keeps it smelling nice in there. I don't think they have air conditioning in Hell, but what do I know? If there's indoor plumbing, why not air conditioning.
"We have a bit further to go through my circle," Ceb warns me. If you want, I can carry you."
I look at him in confusion. "Why would you carry me? I've managed to walk all the way until here just fine."
He shrugs. "My offer stands. You might reconsider once we reach the borderlands. They can get a little muddy."
A little muddy turns out to be several feet of stinking, slimy sludge. It reaches to my hips and once I've taken a few steps and haven't actually moved forward, I give up.
"Okay, you can carry me now." I say it as if it's an honour for Ceb to do so, and not a favour for me. The men are all drenched in mud as well, but they're taller and don't seem to have as much trouble with navigating the mire.
Ceb grins widely. "Your wish is my command."
His skin begins to glow fiery red and both Maro and Plutus step away from him. I'd do the same if I could move, but my boots have sunk so far into the mud beneath me that I doubt I could lift my feet without help.
Ceb changes so fast that I almost miss it. One moment, he's an oversized human, the next, he's an oversized hellhound. Smoke rises from his nostrils and his skin burns with a magma-like glow. I wonder if he's hot to the touch. Will I even be able to ride on him or will I burn? Has anyone ever ridden a hellhound before? I doubt he's letting sinners or demons ride on him, and with me being the very first living human he's met... this might be a world premiere. Sorry, Hell premiere.
Ceb snorts and little flames shoot out from his muzzle. I'm glad he's on our side; otherwise I'd be grilled human very soon. He's terrifying.
"Need a lift?" Maro asks and stretches out a hand, pulling me from the mud before I can say something. One of my boots slips off my foot and stays in the squelching muck. I don't think I'm going to be able to retrieve it; the Ciera-shaped hole that I was standing in a moment ago is already oozing closed.
"I'll find you new shoes in my circle," Plutus promises, the only one of the men to notice my predicament. Maro stares at my bare foot - the sock has disappeared as well - before growling softly and almost throwing me onto the hellhound's back. I scramble to find something to hold on to, but it's too late. I slide down on Ceb's other side, landing in the mud with a soft slushy sound. It's warm against my back as I sink in, driven downwards by gravity. I wriggle against the pull, but with every movement, I sink in further. Mud covers my chest now and it's slowly encompassing my shoulders.
"Help!" I scream, just before the first wave of sludge reaches the lower half of my face and I press my lips shut.
Please don't let me die in the smelliest part of Hell. What good are three strong men if they can't even protect me from mud?
I look up at the dark sky one last time, and - two faces come into view. Maro is the closest and his eyes are wide as he looks down at me. Didn't they notice me slipping down Ceb?
He reaches for me, his strong arms hooking around my chest, pulling me up. When my head is out of the mud, I take a deep breath, gasping for air. I hadn't even noticed that I'd stopped breathing.
"A little help here?" Maro groans as he struggles to get me out. The mud seems to be fighting back, not wanting to let me go.
"Not so strong now, are we," Plutus snickers, but then his onyx eyes meet mine and they widen slightly. He steps closer and reaches into the muck until his hands grip my hips.
"Pull," he commands and luckily, Maro listens. Together, they manage to drag me out until I'm back to lying on the mud as if I was going for a swim. Except that this time, both of them are holding me, preventing me from sinking again.
"Well, that was exciting," Plutus says drily. "Do you do that a lot?"
"Drowning in mud?" I ask, my voice hoarse. I could do with some water now.
"Needing rescuing. I could get used to helping a damsel in distress."
I narrow my eyes on him. "I'm not a damsel, and I'm not in distress. If Maro hadn't thrown me up on Ceb without warning, I wouldn't even have landed in the mud."
I glare at Maro to prove my point. He almost looks as if he's about to apologise, but then he shrugs.
"How was I to know that you've never ridden a hellhound?"
"Are you..."
He starts to laugh, his entire body shaking as he throws back his head. I frown, watching him in confusion. He's not been this emotional in all the hours I've known him. Plutus begins to laugh as well, making me even more confused. It wasn't that good a joke. Hell, it was a terrible joke.
"Hell humour," Ceb roars from above us. He might be speaking normally, but his voice is nothing but a loud roar.
I almost forgot about him.
"Do you trust me?" he asks - no, roars - and I'd love to say yes, but really, I'm not sure I do.
"Maybe?" I shrug and he sighs loudly.
"Don't move."
He takes a deep breath and shifts until one of his heads is straight above me. He rips open his massive jaws and... is he going to eat me?
Heat pours from his maw, hot but not burning. It feels like a giant hairdryer. It takes me a moment to realise what he's doing. By then, the first bits of dried mud start to fall off my clothes, landing on the ground in a smelly heap. Plutus hands me my shoes, now dried as well, although they’re still quite muddy. He must have fished them out of the swamp.
"Now get on my back so we can get you out of here. Even I don't like this place and it's my home."
"I'm going to ride with her," Maro announces and before I can protest, we're jumping onto Ceb. It's almost like flying, and indeed, Maro's got his wings outstretched. We land on Ceb's broad back with an elegance that is nothing like my terrible landing earlier. This time, I don't slip - mainly because Maro is steadying me and helping me sit on the hellhound.
"Get off my back, angel!" Ceb shouts. "I'm not a mule!"
"Do you want her to fall again?"
Ceb is quiet for a moment, then he huffs and begins to walk. I don't have anything to hold on to, his skin is too smooth, but Maro has his arms around my waist, holding me tight.
The three heads in front of me bob up and down with every step. It looks so comical that I’m having a hard time not laughing.
I distract myself by looking at the sullen landscape. It's not getting any prettier, but at least the stench seems to lessen.
Slowly, the ground turns harder and we finally seem to leave the muddy swamp behind. After a few minutes, I take a tentative breath through my nose. The air is clear. I breathe in deep, enjoying the feel
ing of not having to constantly fight my gag reflex.
"It doesn't stink any more," I say to no one in particular, but Maro's chest vibrates with laughter.
"Welcome to the fourth circle," Plutus announces. "Welcome to the circle of greed."
Chapter 13
Plutus moves to stand in front of us all. He nudges one of Ceb’s heads out of the way. That head snarls, whilst the other two just glare at him, baring their teeth.
“Pipe down, Berus. You’re in my circle now, and given I’m closer to the centre, you know I have more power, right? Or do I need to remind you of that fact?”
A deep rumble comes out of Ceb’s throat. It’s so loud and menacing that I feel it vibrate up my parted legs. I have to clamp my mouth shut over the involuntary moan it rouses in me. Behind me, Maro stifles a laugh.
“Cerberus, I’m warning you. Stop showing off and move out of the damn way, you big, fat, oaf.” Plutus gives Ceb a shove, and to my utter surprise, Ceb stumbles sideways, throwing me off kilter. Maro grabs my hips to steady me. His touch and Ceb’s responding rumble has me feeling all kinds of hot and bothered.
“Seeing as this is my circle, I figure I should be the one to give you the grand tour.” Plutus looks up at me, and with a dramatic swerve of his hand, bows.
What’s he doing? Why is he bowing to me?
Ceb growls again. This time a strangled moan releases from my mouth.
“You alright there, Ciera?” Maro asks, his hot lips brushing against my ear. It takes huge amounts of effort not to lean into his hold. The intolerable man knows exactly what buttons to push.
“I’d be better if we got a bloody move on,” I respond tartly, ignoring the interested look Plutus is now giving me, not to mention Ceb’s three dog heads. Yes, they are all looking at me, tongues lolling, like they’ve just had a good old rollick in the park.
Maro chuckles. “Patience isn’t one of your virtues, I see.”
He has the audacity to circle his fingertips over the tops of my thighs as he laughs some more. On the inside, my stomach coils with heat, but on the outside, I hold my back rigid trying not to imagine what it would feel like if Maro were to touch me like that all over, or if Ceb was to rumble like that in his human form, me straddling him. STOP IT, CIERA.