by Lexi Ostrow
He winked, and she pushed off the ground, pleased to find she truly wasn’t in any more pain. “Do you think we should wait for the others here?”
He shook his head and turned his gaze towards the mountain. “We can’t be more than a twenty-minute walk away now, Odette. That doesn’t even guarantee we will find the entrance, just get to the base of the mountain. What if we have to walk circles around it to find what we need?”
They only had four days left, and no clue how long searching for the flower would take. It was entirely possible the bloom would be right at the cave, and just as possible, it could be at the heart of the entrance that separated the cavern from Hell. All they knew for sure was that it was yellow.
There was no time to wait. The trio would have to use communicators to catch up to them once they arrived. She looked off at the mountain, at her possible savior and hardened her gaze.
“You’re right. I don’t want to be a victim anymore. Thomas Agardawes didn’t raise Felicia to be, and he certainly didn’t raise me to be one.”
Odette shouldered past him but didn’t notice the proud smirk on his face as she did until she briefly turned to see if he was coming. The man was going to be her true savior, the one to believe in her. The one to fight for her. He liked things clear and uncomplicated on a hunt, and she would not start another fight. They needed to be a team if they were to enter Hell alone.
Fourteen
“Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is?” Philippe pointed at the glaringly obvious stone door as he looked back at Odette.
She looked beautiful. Her dark hair was secured in a low knot at her neck, and her green eyes blazed with determination. He’d been fighting off the urge to kiss her, make love to her, since her declaration the previous night.
He hadn’t meant to be a cad. All he wanted was to keep a clear head to protect her. Staring at her, he wasn’t certain it had been the best idea. Lucius protected Elza—sort of—and Greyston and Felicia hunted together nightly.
What if having feelings for your partner made things clearer, easier to protect and look out for the person?
She snorted, and he loved the way it sounded. He was falling in love with everything about her, but he’d long since accepted that her fiery spirit was what had stolen him from the beginning. When they finished the mission from hell, he was going to speak to Master Agardawes and Layel, if he could be summoned somehow, about courting her.
The life of a hunter was precariously short, and until Odette, he’d never minded it being alone. Since that day, he couldn’t fathom not being by her side. Love wasn’t something that happened in his family. He was a soldier, and as such, had had marriages arranged by the King of France, but he had a strong feeling he was already in love with Odette, and not simply falling.
“It is most certainly a door. A large, stone door out in the middle of absolutely nowhere, sitting inside a mountainside.” The smile that spread on her face was infectious. He turned and picked her up, spinning her in the air at their fortune. Barely an hour after they’d set off and here was the door.
Her laughter rang out and echoed—a beautiful sound. She was happy; he could see it in every fiber of her being. She had her hope back, and he would make sure they found her flower in time.
“We’re here. We’re honestly here.”
He couldn’t blame her for her disbelief. After the attack on the airship, he had stopped believing in anything, except that Odette was his vision in the darkness. He set her down, and she was still beaming at him.
“Thank you, Philippe.”
“It was my pleasure, Odette. Now, I do believe we need to open this door.”
The smile wiped from her face, and her eyes fell to the ground. “We weren’t expecting a door, Philippe. Never, in all of our planning, did we expect there would be a door and not only the mouth of a cave.”
She wasn’t wrong. Layel had never come back after Odette had rushed out, and even Agardawes hadn’t had an inkling of what to expect. All he had was coordinates, and they’d arrived.
“Baise!”
She gave a short laugh. “I’ve come to realize that must mean fuck.”
He nodded, and she looked back at the door, but she had already given up. The smile had left her mouth, and her eyes had grown dark. She looked like the woman he’d fucked in her bed chamber, when she’d asked him to remind her to live.
“Odette, you are not allowed to give up on me. I know how to shake you out of this, and whilst I don’t think there is time, my prick is more than happy to help me remind you.”
She turned her head to him and gave him a disgusted look, but some of the light returned to her eyes. “That’s not funny, Philippe.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was insensitive and rude. So get mad, let’s have a row of it, and then we can go back to the door. Or, we can skip the row and try the most logical way to open the door.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, and he got the distinct impression that the look could scare a young sod into confessing anything he’d done wrong.
“Why do people build doors?”
She rolled her eyes at him as if it was the dumbest question she had ever been asked. “To keep things in or out.”
“Precisely. So if there is a door to Hell—”
“Then a demon could open it!” The spark returned, and she kissed his lips quickly.
He smirked. Odette was looking at the door, and he studied it with her. There was no sign of a handle or a knob. Nothing that indicated where someone would touch it to open it.
“What if a half demon isn’t enough?” She looked betwixt him and the blank stone door once more.
“Then we wait till the full demon gets here. Lucius and the others can’t be that far behind. A few hours at best.”
“Then perhaps we should wait.”
“Odette, why are you stalling?”
“Because if I open that door, there is no denying the turn that is occurring, and no way to outrun the accusation that I’m part demon.”
“Ma belle felle, that ship has sailed. Not only have you survived longer than any other bitten Kappa victim, but also you healed both yourself and me. You may not have the wings, but you have the blood.”
“A pocket watch has never gone off around me.”
He growled deep in the back of his throat. She was going to push him into trying to open the door with his head. “They do not go off around Lucius or Greyston either. They’ve been calibrated somehow. Your father did it in secret so I may be wrong, but what makes you think he didn’t do the same for you?”
She paused before speaking, and he knew he’d made his point.
“I can’t deny it’s possible.”
“Good, then we are in agreement. Either you are going to reach out and put your hand on the door, or I’m going to take it and put it there. We’re on a mission, and you’re impeding it. So make a choice.”
Philippe’s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. He would never hurt her, but if she didn’t accept what she was, then he would force her. His opinion on demons had shifted a lot in the past six months, and whilst he wasn’t willing to stroll up to a pub with them, he certainly wasn’t going to kill them on sight anymore. Odette was a half demon and had never shown any signs of knowing it, she didn’t need to question who she was. She was the same dark haired beauty she’d always been, but now she knew why she was so beautiful.
“Fine. Bloody hell, you can be an arse!”
He chuckled, and despite his confidence, chewed the inside of his cheek as she stretched her arm out. His eyes were locked onto her beautiful, pale, fingers as one by one they made contact with the door, followed by her palm.
The reaction was immediate. Philippe lost his footing and stumbled to the side as the ground beneath them shook. A booming sound blasted around them as the door began to slide down. The process was agonizingly slow, and he had to lean forward and pull Odette’s hand off the door as it lowered. She appeared to be frozen in
shock, and he couldn’t blame her. Standing at a subconscious crossroads, she was stuck betwixt hating what she was and accepting that it was the only thing that could save her.
“Oh, my heavens.” She turned to him, beaming once more. “It…it opened, Philippe!”
He didn’t get to sneak in a well timed ‘I told you,’ because the distinct buzzchime of a demon sensor went off. The element of her pocket watch that sensed demons was still working as well as the typically time telling function. She’d been worried it wouldn’t work, and they hadn’t had a chance to check until this moment. His hand flew to his belt, and he snarled when there were not only one, but also two missing crystal guns.
“Fucking Angels.” Bending, he grabbed the short dagger from his boot and saw Odette take her gun out, despite having nothing to cover her eyes. When they’d awoken, all their goggles had been pulled off by the wind as the ship had fallen.
His eyes moved in rapid succession from right to left and into the cave the cave. There was a demon around them, or it was simply going off because they were standing at the gates of Hell. When nothing came at them from any direction, he stood up from his battle stance but didn’t put the dagger away. It would be better to have it out, anyway.
“Odette, I think it’s just a reaction to the door to Hell. I know you’re opposed to this, but it’s break it or leave it. They’ll hear us anywhere we try to hide.”
With her free hand, she reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her pocket watch. “No, but I’ll hide it. I’m not having the others stumble on it and fear the worse. Watch the entrance. I’m not interested in finding out what lurks just on the other side with my back turned to it.”
She moved away to a small green shrub and dropped the pocket watch inside of it just as two tiny demons ran at them.
“Mon Dieu! Imps. Odette, don’t let them bite you. It’s toxic.”
She was already spinning to face the small blue and purple creature. “Really? I had no idea, Philippe. Thank you for telling me!” she shouted back at him.
He resisted the urge to laugh at her snarkiness.
Imps were barely bigger than a child of seven, with long forked tails and wide foreheads. Their skin could be any color, and they didn’t think it meant anything. One bite from an imp could leave a person paralyzed. They were some of the tiniest of the high demons and had to have a strong defense mechanism.
The blue one hissed, just as it leaped at Odette, who was closer. A green beam cut through the bright daylight, and the Imp screamed. Philippe knew it was a sound he would never forget. She hadn’t let up on the trigger, so the beam continued to burn through the tough leathery hide of the blue imp.
Philippe lunged forward and sliced the dagger clean across its neck, using its pain to his advantage. He cringed as blood splattered. The head bounced onto the floor and rolled over Odette’s foot. To her credit, she didn’t scream, just kicked her foot and launched it away from the cave entrance. Imps were easy to kill. They were only classified as high demons because they were known to serve them and did not have a human appearance. As far as fighters went, they were nearly useless.
He lunged again to finish the purple one off, but it scampered back through the door before he could. He moved to get it, but Odette stepped in front of him.
“Let it go. I have a feeling we should save our energy for something bigger. If it wants to run, let it.”
“What if it’s telling someone what happened?” Adrenaline raced through him. Letting demons escaped was not how he hunted.
“I’m sure there are a million other things that will alert stronger demons as well, which is why we need to let it go.”
They stared at each other before he lowered his dagger arm and let some of the tension drain from his body. “Fine, but don’t put the gun away. I want weapons out at all times.”
She looked as if she was going to comment but didn’t. The vibration on his arm startled him, and he pulled his tattered sleeve up. The communicator shook gently and visibly against his wrist. He twisted the dial.
“What?”
“You opened a door didn’t you?” Lucius’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
“As a matter of fact, we did.”
“No shit. It knocked us arse over head. We’re lucky none of us got hurt.”
“Speak for yerself, Lucius,” Kellan’s voice snapped.
Philippe was glad to hear his partner had faired all right during the Nightmare Demon’s attack.
“Look, we’re close enough that we can almost see where the mountainside touches the ground. Master Agardawes wants you to wait.”
“Lucius, I can speak just fine, it is merely my shoulder that hurts.”
Philippe chuckled at the grumpy voice.
“As he said, we are close. There is enough time to wait if you are not further ahead than the entrance. Stay on alert, and if you wish, go slightly in and scout it out. If we can avoid using the communicators inside the cave, I’d prefer it.”
“Understood.” He looked at Odette to make sure she agreed, and she gave a sharp nod.
“You’re both alright?”
Panic filled her eyes, and she shook her head, pleading with him not to mention the fangs.
“Imps attacked us when it opened. We’re both fine.”
“Good. The three of us will be there shortly. Philippe? Protect her.”
Agardawes ended the communication, and Philippe looked at Odette. “With my life.”
She smiled at his comment, reached out and laced her fingers through his.
“Let’s go see what’s just on the inside. Make sure it’s safe, and nothing is waiting to jump out at us.”
He tugged her back gently and kissed her. Just long enough to make his heart beat faster and her lips plump. “Now let’s go look.”
She smiled, and together, they walked to the entrance. It was brighter than he’d thought it would be, which was perfect since she and Lucius would be the only ones capable of seeing in the dark.
“Ready, Philippe?”
“Quick scouting, we don’t go in too deep, and if we see anything yellow, you’re eating it immediately.” They both laughed, and together, stepped over the threshold.
It was a narrow hallway, something that had been carved out and had small, lit torches hung on the wall. “Guess all demons can’t see in the dark.”
She looked at him and shook her head.
Slowly they walked down the narrow hall, but he was certain nothing was going to immediately jump out at them. When the compact dirt hall opened up into a cavern that mimicked the catacombs under Paris, he let out a low whistle and put his guard up.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered and tugged on his hand to walk a few steps forward.
Had he not been struck by the enormity of his surroundings, he may have stopped her. The ceiling of the cave seemed to be hundreds of meters above their head. Crystals jutted down in purple and green hues. Light from the torches reflected off them, and sent flashes of color over every inch of the room, including landing on Odette, and he assumed himself.
“This must be where the Angels get the crystals, from Hell.” She was awestruck if the tone of her voice was any indication.
Large openings lined the area across from where they stood. It was a maze. One they could inevitably get lost in for days, or never see a sign of the yellow flower if they didn’t separate. Philippe really didn’t want to split up in Hell.
“I want to look in one tunnel. Just one, and I promise, we’ll turn around and wait outside.”
“I have no idea why you say it as if you’re asking permission. We’re partners, and even if I were still playing nanny, you wouldn’t listen.”
She laughed, and the sound echoed around them. “Fair enough.” Still holding his hand, she pulled him in the direction of the passageway furthest to the left. “Might as well start on the end.”
He felt every hair on the back of his neck standing on edge as they walked, and yet, the closer they drew to
the tunnel, the less anxious he felt. It was almost as if it was radiating a calming ray or something. When they stood right outside of it, he gasped.
There was no narrow dirt tunnel as there had been before. Instead, it opened into a cavern as large as the one they stood in, and a beautiful blue lake took up the center of it. Odette moved as if in a trance.
“This is crazy, but I almost feel as if I belong here.”
Disgust radiated off her words, and he felt sorry for her. She was a partial demon walking around in Hell; it made sense that she would feel comfortable, safe.
He followed close behind her, never letting his eyes rest in one spot for too long. She was walking towards the lake and had pulled the bloodied shirt over her head before he’d even comprehended what she was doing.
“Odette, are you knackered? What are you doing?”
She put her hands on the pants and tugged them down as well. Philippe’s tongue seemed to swell up in his throat as he stared at her firm arse. He felt the blood slowly drain and taking any rational thought with it as it redirected to his prick. It was very much throbbing as she pulled the frilled panties off, left in nothing but a partial corset.
She didn’t turn back as she spoke. Her hands went to the front of her chest, and he watched as the white ribbon tie of the corset which tied in front to help hunters dress quicker, dangled before the corset hit the floor. She turned, and for a moment, he thought he was dreaming. She was perfect, nude, and despite where they were, he wasn’t going to tell her to stop.
“Mon Dieu,” his voice rasped out.
“I just want to get clean. I can’t walk around covered with blood, dirt and ash from the attack and crash, not if I don’t have too.”
He didn’t understand her logic. Somewhere, he heard himself shouting in his mind that it was too dangerous, that they didn’t have time. The words didn’t come out as he watched her body descend into the lake. He momentarily prayed there no demons living in its depth and then cursed his hormones as he pulled off his shirt and went to join her. Danger be damned, he decided he would keep his distance, keep watch. He could best do it if he were close to her, though, and that was the story he would stick with if they were caught doing something so utterly foolish—literally inside Hell.