He chuckled.
He did. Just how much did he know about me? I forced my face to look unimpressed that he seemed to know so much. “We start training early.”
He saluted and reached around me to open the door. I stepped out into the dark. When I was halfway down the stairs, his voice stopped me.
“Heven.” It was the first time he said my name. I didn’t turn around and he didn’t wait for me to; he kept on talking. “I gave you my word that I’d help Sam and I will.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, knowing full well that he could hear me. Then I hurried away without looking back.
*
I fought sleep the entire way home. When I finally got close to the farm, I had to park Sam’s truck and walk to the house. If Gran saw Sam’s truck in the morning, she’d assume he was home. But Sam wasn’t home. Hence the reason I had to hide his truck. He was supposed to be driving it. I grumbled and stumbled a bit as I walked to the house in the dark while I cursed the fact I had to lie to Gran about everything. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to hide everything I needed to hide. Like where this new scar on my face had come from and where I was until all hours of the night.
Thankfully, Cole helped buffer some of the lies. I told Gran that I fell out of one of the apple trees while I was pruning in the orchard and landed on a broken branch that scraped my face. He also stayed and ate the dinner that Gran cooked tonight, lessening the fact that I wasn’t here, though I’m sure I had some explaining to do next time I saw them both
I was as quiet as I could be when I let myself into the house and made my way to my bedroom. I was so exhausted I collapsed onto the bed fully clothed. Every muscle in my body ached and the burn on my arm hurt. At least I didn’t have a fever anymore.
A noise in the doorway caught my attention and I looked up to see Logan hovering in the door. “Hey,” I whispered. “Come on in.”
“Where were you?” he asked, coming in and standing next to the bed. In his hand was a chocolate bar.
I sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I was making plans to get Sam out.”
“Did you find a way?” He sat down on the side of the bed.
He seemed so vulnerable. I don’t know if it was because I was exhausted or because I was feeling emotional about Sam, but seeing that candy bar in his hands and feeling like I somehow let him down was almost my undoing.
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I think I did.”
His eyes lit up a little with hope.
“I found someone to help me get into hell.”
“Who?”
“One of Sam’s old roommates. You can meet him tomorrow.”
He nodded. “I miss Sam.”
“Me too. Is that chocolate for me?” I asked, holding out my hand.
“Yeah.” He handed it to me and I took it. I unwrapped the bar, breaking it in half and holding out a piece for him. After he took it, we sat there eating the candy in silence.
“Cole was worried about you. He tried to hide it tonight, but I could tell.” Logan shifted and stared at the floor, the chocolate in his hand forgotten.
“Hey,” I said, sitting up. “I’m a lot tougher than I look. Nothing will happen to me and I’ll get Sam out.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to you.”
I took a chance and put an arm around his shoulder. “You haven’t been awful. Annoying sometimes, but never awful.”
He laughed, but it turned into a cough.
“How are you feeling?”
He shrugged. “I’m doing okay.” He shoved the rest of the candy in his mouth to avoid saying any more.
After a few more minutes, I walked him back to his room and sat there for a while, watching TV with him. When his eyes started drooping, I covered him with an extra blanket and headed back to my room.
I was going to put my PJs on. I was going to put some more salve on my arm and wash my face. I was going to turn the covers on the bed down and reach out to Sam and hopefully, maybe, find some peace.
Instead, I fell on the bed. Face first. Sleep knocked me out and dragged me under.
Right into hell.
I felt the familiar vacuum pull on my chest and my stomach felt like it was up in my throat when I landed on the hard, unforgiving ground. I rose steadily to my feet, but an incredible pain seared through my head and I fell back down. I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t see anything—the pain was blinding. I felt tears run down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother to wipe them away. I couldn’t. It was too hard to move.
It could have been minutes or hours that I lay there, but eventually, the pain ebbed away. My vision cleared and I wiped my face with the hem of my shirt. I felt like throwing up, but I resisted and pushed myself to my feet. Automatically, I reached for my dagger, but it wasn’t here because I was dreaming.
Although, didn’t I know this wasn’t just a dream?
I had a very bad feeling about what this meant.
My surroundings were exactly the same as the last time I was here: dreary, gray and utterly lifeless. Everything looked like it was destroyed in a fire and the sky rolled with thick, dark clouds that resembled heavy smoke. I looked around warily, wondering what kind of evil was waiting to attack, but nothing was in sight.
I began running.
I was in hell. Sam was in hell.
I ran and ran until the rough, black granite castle came into view. The bridge was down, giving me access to the inside. Something niggled in the back of my mind, warning me. This was too easy. But I didn’t care. Sam was here and I wanted nothing more than to see him. I raced through the castle and down into the dungeon. I didn’t bother to be quiet because he probably already knew I was here.
The door to the dungeon was open and I skidded to a stop in front of it. Suddenly, I was very nervous. What if this was a trap? What if I rushed in there only to be killed? Then who would get Sam out? Another horrifying thought ripped through my mind and I tried to push it away, but another one of those headaches began at the base of my skull, pushing the thought firmly into my mind.
What if Sam was dead and this was my punishment—finding his body? A whimper escaped my throat. I jammed my fist against my lips and shook my head. Ignoring the throbbing pain in the base of my skull I stepped through the door to see what exactly it was he wanted me to see.
I walked quietly, almost silently because of my bare feet. There were some moans and a few shrill cries from some of the occupied cells as I walked by, but I didn’t look in their direction. I kept my eyes focused on the cell I knew Sam was in. There was no door. A door wasn’t needed to keep him in. I could see the edges of the force field shimmering as I drew closer. I realized how horrible it would be to sit in there day after day and stare at the open door and know that you couldn’t just walk out.
As I drew closer, I felt the familiar feeling that I always felt when Sam was about to shift. He was shifting? But why? I peeked around the door and into the cell. A large hellhound was there, fully tensed and completely focused on something deeper inside. I couldn’t see what it was. His large body blocked my view. I stood there watching, not wanting to distract him.
Sam threw out a paw and something slapped against the wall. I strained my eyes to see what it was that laid there unmoving… It was a rat. And thanks to Sam’s hit, it was dead. Suddenly, Sam lunged and tore into the rat, eating it in two swallows. I made a sound and my hand flew to my mouth to muffle it.
The hellhound turned abruptly and saw me in the door. It made a low growl in its throat and shot into a darkened corner of the room. I could feel his embarrassment.
His shame.
He was ashamed that he had to eat rats to survive.
Mere seconds later, Sam came running out of the same corner, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He ran so fast, he was nothing but a golden blur, and when he smacked into the force field, it was with a sickening thud.
“Heven? Oh my God, Heven.” Both his hands flattened against the invisible bar
rier and his eyes roamed every part of me.
“Sam,” I cried, not even bothering to hide my tears. I threw my hands up against his and I marveled in the heat I felt radiating through the barrier. My eyes slid closed and I leaned my forehead between our hands. “It’s you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m not sure. I was asleep and…”
I stumbled back when he slammed into the barrier. He ran at it again and again, trying to break through.
“Stop,” I said sadly. “It’s no use.”
“God damn it,” he yelled. “When I get out of here I am going to kill you, you bastard!” he screamed.
“Sam, calm down.” I went back to the barrier without hesitation and laid my hands upon it again.
Breathing heavy, Sam did the same. “He’s back in your head, then?” His eyes burned gold.
“I’m not sure, but it would explain how I got here.”
“Has he talked to you?”
“No. Have you seen him?”
“No,” he spat. “Let him come down here. I’ll rip his head off.”
“Sam!” I looked around. “Shhh…” It scared me he would threaten Beelzebub like this. What would happen to him?
“Shit,” he swore. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I’m not afraid.”
He looked me over, his eyes narrowing on the burns on my arm. “How are you doing?”
I was better than him. The dagger wound on his bicep was not healed, but swollen, and his ribcage was black and blue. “Why hasn’t that healed?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I can’t heal as good while I’m down here, I guess.”
I glanced behind him. “You’ve been eating rats?”
He lowered his eyes and one of his hands fell away. I cried out, trying to grab it back, but my hand hit against the force field. “I don’t have a choice.”
“I know that. I don’t care.”
His eyes came back up to my face and I drank in every inch of him. He was so utterly breathtaking. Everything inside me warmed just looking at him. “I miss you so much,” I whispered.
“Me too.”
I pulled away from the doorway and looked around.
“Hev?”
“I’m going to get you out of here.” I ran to the cell over from his and peered in. “Kimber?”
She didn’t respond at first and I yelled again. Then I heard this odd scrapping sound and she dragged herself over by the door. I gasped. Her hair was matted, blackened with dirt. Her cheeks were sunken in and her skin was gray and dead looking.
“Heven?” Her voice was a whisper of a sound.
I knelt down in front of the door. “You’ve got to convince your soul to get back into your body.”
“No use,” she said.
“Yes! I’m going to get you out of here.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t belong here.” I didn’t consider Kimber my friend anymore, but no one deserved this. She didn’t say anything so I continued. “Do you think you could weaken Hecate’s spell long enough to break down the force field?”
“Her magic is too strong,” Kimber said.
“Would you at least try?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Heven,” Sam called and I ran back to him. “It’s no use, honey. She won’t do anything without her soul to give her a reason to live.”
“Then we make her soul get back in her body.”
He was about to say something, but then he stiffened and his body began to shake; his eyes flashed gold and focused over my shoulder. “Run,” he whispered.
I turned to see what would make him so upset. My eyes collided with someone I’d never seen before.
“Don’t bother running, I would only catch you,” he said. He was tall, blond and thin, but I could tell he possessed a good deal of muscle and power from the way he carried himself. He had blue eyes and wide cheekbones. Most people would probably call him handsome, but I thought he was creepy. Maybe it was because of where we were meeting.
“Who are you?” I asked.
Don’t talk to him. Run the first chance you get, Sam warned.
“I came to check on the prisoners. Imagine my dismay to see someone trying to break one of them out.” He made a tsking sound. “Such action deserves a punishment.” He looked at Sam.
“No!” I cried. “He didn’t do anything. Punish me instead.”
“No!” Sam yelled. “Run, Heven.” He began throwing himself against the force field again, trying desperately to get out.
I wasn’t going to run. Whatever punishment this man was giving, I would do the taking. I felt my body begin to shake and I knew Sam was seconds from turning. Just as he was about to change forms, the man pulled something out of a box. An amulet. I looked back to see Sam twitching, sweat beading his face as his body struggled to shift but couldn’t.
I ran at the man and he laughed, tossing the amulet at the barrier that Sam stood behind. To my amazement, it went right through and landed on the floor by his feet. Sam’s body was still trying to shift, but thanks to his training with Gemma, it didn’t hinder him as much as it could have, and he dove at the amulet. His hand closed around it and he threw it as hard as he could against the stone wall.
Nothing happened.
The man laughed. “You cannot destroy it. No matter how hard you try.”
Abruptly, I spun and kicked my foot out, catching the man in the knee. He stumbled but did not go down. Anger stole over his face and he grabbed me, lifting me off my feet. I kicked him again in the abdomen and he cursed, throwing me to the ground. I tried to act like it didn’t hurt because I didn’t want Sam to see me in pain.
The man leaned over me, grabbing my hair and yanking my face up to meet his eyes. “I did exactly as you said. I punished you.”
“No,” I protested, struggling.
Sam was beyond himself, screaming and throwing things around inside the cell. I tried to look at him, to tell him I was okay, but the man wouldn’t release my hair.
“Yes,” the man growled. “I did exactly as you said. I punished you by throwing that amulet into his cell. Now he can’t feed himself. Now he’ll starve!”
I gasped.
The man laughed and released me, pushing me down onto the floor. “And that amulet will eventually weaken him to the point of exhaustion.”
“Who are you?” I choked, holding back my tears. I’d never give him the satisfaction but inside I was breaking, splintering into a thousand pieces.
“Your worst nightmare,” he said, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me up. I heard something in my shoulder pop but I ignored it.
He raised his fist to strike me and Sam roared… a sound that ripped right from his soul. It was so frightening that even the man holding me faltered. I took the opportunity and twisted out of his grasp, bouncing to my feet and falling into a crouch.
“Run, Heven, run!” Sam yelled.
But I couldn’t. I was starting to feel disassociated with this place. I was fading and I knew I was waking up. I stumbled to the barrier and did what you never do to an attacker: I turned my back. I pressed myself as close to Sam as I could and pressed my fingers against his.
I’m coming back. I found a way to get you out.
Get out of here!
From behind, the man tried to grab me, but his hand went right through me. I held Sam’s eyes until I faded completely away.
Chapter Five
Sam
When I was little, my mother used to say “hate” was a bad word. I wasn’t supposed to say I hated anything. I never really understood why until recent months. It isn’t really the word that is bad. It’s the feelings that go along with it—the actions it inspires. I have acted upon hate. Actions I regret, actions that I’ll never be able to take back.
Yet, still, I’m tempted.
Right now, I’m shaking with temptation.
It might actually be good I’m confined to this li
ttle dirty cell because, otherwise, the man standing in front of it might be dead. Scratch that. He would be dead.
Thank God Heven got out. For whatever reason, Beelzebub’s hold on her dream was shattered. Seeing her had been a shock, but not unwelcome. It had been torture having her so close, yet so far away. And unfortunately, she was pulled here through her dreams, which meant Beelzebub was back.
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