I almost forget my act and try to reassure her. Instead I try to send her my thoughts.
I’ll get you out of here. You’re going to be okay.
First, I have to get Megan. She’s going to fall to her death if I don’t. Then Aunt Kate and Ryan.
Ryan!
“Where’s Ryan?” I ask. I don’t care if the vampire attacks me again.
“I killed him,” Liam boasts. “He wouldn’t stop fighting. You saw all that blood in the office. Did you walk through it? That was his. He thought he was all tough until I started tearing his limbs off.”
My stomach twists with a sudden desire to throw up. The carpet was soaked in blood, and I walked on it to get the sword. I’m sure it’s still on my shoes. I wince and glance at Megan.
She shakes her head, trying to communicate behind Liam’s back without moving, and glances at the cabin. I take a deep breath of relief and regret it as a sudden blast of pain bursts through my side.
“Now for what I want,” Liam begins. “You are going to become a vampire.”
I shake my head with confusion. “What?”
“See? It’s not as bad as you thought,” Liam says. His voice sounds like he understands. “I think you’ll enjoy being part of our group.”
I don’t want that! I’d rather die! I just need to get a bit closer to him.
Liam continues. “You can return with your aunt to finish high school. Live with her as long as you like. You’ll never age. Once you’re ready, you can leave them and go wherever you want. There are vampires all over the whole world. Any one of them would welcome you in.”
I want to argue with him, but I have to appear like I’m going along with this. “What about Megan?”
Liam frowns. “I’m afraid there’s one issue. Once a person is changed, the need to satisfy the thirst of blood is so strong that it must be quenched. You will have to choose between your aunt or Megan.”
I feel like throwing up again.
“It’s unfortunate.” Liam nods. “But think of the benefits. You get to save your aunt. You will live forever and have the power to do whatever you want.”
He takes a step forward, his face and voice filled with hatred. “Because if you’re thinking that you’re getting out of here alive without becoming a vampire, you’re wrong.”
I swallow.
Another step closer. Don’t blow it.
The disgust in his face eases a bit. “You won’t know what you’re doing while you taste your first blood,” he reassures me. “Then it will be over, and you can go back to your life.”
I hesitate. There has to be a way to save everyone and get out of here. Liam catches my indecision and snarls. He spins on his heel and stalks to Aunt Kate.
“Wait!” I stumble after him.
He picks her up like she didn’t weigh anything. She doesn’t make a sound or move. Her long dark hair streams to the ground, and her head falls backward.
“See this artery here?” He points to her throat. “One small bite, and her life will drain out. She’ll be gone, and it will be your fault.”
“Don’t... Please don’t.” I stagger closer.
“Say you’ll do what I want,” Liam commands.
I can’t say the words. If I have to trade what I am, I have to save them all.
Liam lowers his head to her neck. He pauses before biting. “I was hoping you would let me kill her.”
“Wait! I will!” I stammer a bit. I’m close enough now. He just has to put Aunt Kate down. Then I can strike. “I’ll do it! Put her down!”
Megan twists violently behind him. “No! Nic! Don’t do it!”
She’s going to ruin it!
“Shut up!” I shout over Megan and swing back to Liam. “Just don’t hurt her! Put her down, and I’ll...”
“NO!” Megan screams. She kicks until she’s swinging back and forth. I hear a crack and look up to see horror on her face.
The beams give way. With a loud screech, they tumble to the ground. The log tilts and falls into the pit. She screams as she’s pulled with it into the depths of the earth. Then her screams disappear. Liam throws Aunt Kate aside.
I yell in anger.
Not Megan! I was supposed to push Liam in!
Liam stands on the edge of the pit
“She’s gone to the demons,” he yells. “She was supposed to be mine! Why do they always take what is mine?”
I want to rush to the pit, but all I see is Liam. It’s because of him that this night happened. It’s because of him that Megan is lost. It’s because of him that everything has been ruined.
He doesn’t deserve to exist after what he’s done. He can die the same way Megan did. I roar and launch myself at him. He doesn’t even have time to turn before I crash into him.
He stumbles forward a step. I growl and push again. He fights for his balance, but I don’t allow him to pull back up. With a final shove, he tumbles into the pit.
“No!” he yells and drops out of sight.
I rush to Aunt Kate and roll her face forward. Her hair covers her face, so I brush it back and feel for a pulse again. Her skin is warm to my touch, and I feel the beat of her heart.
I lost Megan.
I failed. I didn’t save her. I thought I could. Tears fall, and I squeeze my eyes shut. How am I going to tell her parents what happened? How am I going to tell Aunt Kate?
“What have I done?”
I glance over at the pit. I can’t just leave Megan’s body here, alone, in the dark.
I sniff.
What if she’s not dead?
A faint scream trickles up the tunnel. So quiet I almost missed it.
“Forgive me for what I’m going to do,” I whisper. “I love you so much.”
Before I can change my mind, I leap to my feet, grab the sword, and jump feet first into the pit.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Wherever You Go
Eli couldn’t wait any longer. When Megan dropped to her death, he pushed off the branch ready to attack. Mal pulled him back.
“We can’t!” The leader reminded, his hands gripped Eli’s arms. “Our orders!”
They watched as Nic rushed to his aunt’s side and then dove into the pit. Eli yelled in frustration when his charge disappeared. Megan’s screams broke off. But after a short, eerie silence, they continued.
“My orders are to protect him,” Eli protested. “I’m not leaving his side even if he walks to the gates of Hell!”
“Son of Lucifer!” Chasdiel exclaimed. “They’ll be killed down there!”
“And we’ll be dispatched to Heaven to stay there forever,” Mal yelled back. “As much as I long to worship the Creator in His throne room, I’m not done fighting yet. Megan is praying. Hope is not lost.”
“I can’t watch them die and do nothing,” Chasdiel said. “They have no hope down there. We could sneak closer so if Nic has a change of heart, we are there.”
“When, not if,” Eli snapped. “He’s going to turn to the Creator.”
“He almost did what that unholy vampire enticed him to do!” Chasdiel yelled. “How much worse will the demons torment him?”
Eli roared in response. “That’s why I must get there. Fires of Hell! This is taking too long. Are you coming or not?”
“I am.” Chasdiel responded first.
Eli raised his eyebrows, surprised that the angel who continually doubted Nic would be first to charge into a hopeless and probably useless fight.
“I can’t watch them die.” Chasdiel’s voice was filled with torment. “I can’t just watch on the sidelines while the battle rages. This battle will determine Nic’s soul and the lives of hundreds of humans and angels.”
Before Mal could reply, Elan and Natanel flew to the trees with stealth. They drew their swords and saluted.
“Malkiel, we have woken the Forgiven. Many are praying and interceding with the Creator,” Elan said.
“Well done,” Mal said. “Now help Sari and Azrael. Move the two humans to a safe pl
ace and protect them. I fear they are not out of danger yet, and if the vampires are stirred up, the fight will come to them.”
Elan and Natanel saluted again and flew off to complete their mission.
“Let’s go.” Mal gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he stepped forward. “We’ll keep to the shadows and pray to the Creator that Nic makes the right choice before it’s too late.”
Eli nodded with a grim smile. It was good to have them with him and know that Kate and Ryan will be guarded. He smacked them on the shoulders and pushed off the branch. The black pit loomed, and he wondered if the darkness would consume him.
But then he remembered the Creator’s words to Joshua, the leader of the Israelites when they stood poised on the borders of Israel, knowing they were outnumbered and facing a battle they couldn’t fight.
Eli had to smile when he realized that the words, though thousands and thousands of years old, were timeless, just like all of His words.
“Do not be afraid, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
He gripped his sword tighter and quoted the words as he followed Nic into the pit that led to Goddard’s domain.
* * *
Megan was terrified Nic would give in to Liam. He was far too desperate to save his aunt to think about the consequences.
She bit back a groan of agony. The ropes had cut deep into her wrists. Her shoulders burned to the point she almost wished they would be pulled out of their sockets. At least the pain would stop.
She didn’t know what was down in the pit, but it couldn’t be good. Even Liam feared it.
Oh, God, You said You’d take care of me and protect me. I need you help! Please help us!
Every inch of her body ached, but a greater ache grew in her heart. What were her parents going to do when they got home and found her missing? She wanted to take away the anguish they would feel, if she could.
Every time she moved, she knew the beams were shifting. It wouldn’t take much for them to fall. She tried to conserve her strength for when Nic needed her the most.
She tried to think of a better way to keep Nic from doing something dumb, but she knew there was only one choice. It was going to be bad. The best she could hope for was that the crossbeam would land over the pit.
Megan waited until Nic was ready to deal with Liam to make her move. She shifted back and forth and got her legs moving like a pendulum until the beams rocked. She closed her eyes, said another prayer for help from God, and kicked one last time.
The beams cracked and then dropped. The pressure on her arms abruptly stopped. She screamed. But the jerk and thud she hoped for never happened. Instead she kept falling.
Total blackness suffocated her, and she struggled for breath. Her screams turned raspy. A grim reminder, that she was alive, for now.
Rocks and dirt hit her face when the pit narrowed. She hit a flat rock and realized she wasn’t moving anymore. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the panic and gingerly sat up.
Megan pushed herself up but knocked the beam off the ledge. It pulled her off with it. Her leg caught on an overhang, and pain washed over her body. But nothing slowed her down. She kept falling.
Without warning, she slammed into something hard. She stopped screaming from the jolt. The beam dangled below, pulling on her arms again, but she was stuck.
When she opened her eyes, a red glow far beneath her lit up the small tunnel she had fallen through. A small sense of relief flickered in her heart, and then she looked at what had stopped her fall.
A creature with long, dark wings and a sword in one hand held her. A scar crossed his nose, making him even more hideous. The demon’s red eyes were filled with evil.
“Well, a juicy little treat fell to me,” He sneered. “What fun I can have with you once this task is done! This is most definitely my time.”
That was when she started screaming again.
* * *
Catherine slammed the front door of the house open and dashed into Henry’s office. “Father! You’ve got to come!”
Henry pushed his chair back. “Aren’t you supposed to be gathering the others? Do you know what I’m dealing with right now? All our blood supplies are gone. Now we have no way to feed that army of vampires. What’s happening that you think is so important?”
“I knew Liam was doing something, so I followed him. I was right. Liam took Megan, Kate and Ryan. He’s using them as bait to turn Nic into a vampire,” she gasped.
“Good. He is doing what I told him to do, following orders. Something you seem to struggle with.”
“No!” Catherine protested. “You don’t understand. He’s trying to get Nic to be under his command. But Nic held out, and then Megan fell into the tunnel that leads to the demons. Nic pushed him in and then jumped in, too.”
“Traitor!” Henry spat and then laughed. “Serves him right for stealing all the blood!”
“We’ve got to go! Don’t you want to save Liam?”
“Let him die,” Henry sneered. “Let them all die. Then I will rule this land.”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Got Worse
I fall through the darkness. Megan’s screaming has stopped. Before I can wonder why, she starts again. This time her next shriek is filled with horror and pain, and it terrifies me.
My arm crashes into a rock, and I almost lose my grip on the sword. The walls close in on me. The darkness weighs me down. I have a feeling that I’m a fly caught in a deadly spider web.
I keep my eyes open. Liam’s down here, and maybe even Blaise and other demons. Even in the sheer dark, maybe I can sense them before they attack.
Megan is still shrieking somewhere below me. My drop continues and then in an instant, a red glow lights up the cavern. I jerk to a stop, dangling headfirst in the tunnel.
I crane my neck. It’s Liam. He’s standing on a rocky overhang, holding my ankle. He glances at me and then back at the glow below us. Megan’s shriek stops, and it’s eerily silent.
“Let me go,” I snap as I twist to free myself.
“Shut up, idiot,” Liam orders. “Blaise and the others are down there. We’ll get Megan, but we have to do it my way, do you understand?”
I drop back to look at the warm glow. Liam shakes me to get my attention.
“Do you understand?” he snaps.
“Yes,” I hiss. “Just get me up.”
He nods and pulls me up to stand on the edge next to him. My head spins when I stand, and my whole body aches. Liam studies me for a minute.
“This is a battle you can’t fight,” he says. “You have to let me change you now to save her.”
“A few minutes ago, you were saying that I’d kill her after you changed me,” I growl.
“Not with all these demons around,” Liam says. “You’ll be too busy fighting them off.”
I don’t trust him. Not after what he has done to everyone I care about. But before I can see or do anything, a dark shadow shoots out from below and grabs my arms. It’s Blaise!
Blaise pulls me off the rock. He punches Liam with his other hand. Liam flies back against the rock wall. His head slams into the rock with a resounding smack, and he slumps to the ground.
The demon breaks into hideous laughter and jumps leaps into the air while holding onto my foot. He spreads his wings to glide down to where the red glow is stronger. I struggle and yell to get myself free but to no avail. Blaise lands and throws me down at his feet. My sword clatters out of my hand.
I shake my head to clear it and roll over. The tunnel opens up to a large cavern, one that would hold several of the skyscrapers from Chicago. An eerie glow comes from other passageways that litter the rock floor.
How far down does your domain go? Center of the Earth?
Not far from me, there is a fence made out of iron bars as thick as my waist. They block my path, reaching across the cavern and high up to the rock ceiling, creating a barricade.
There is only one entrance I can see. A massive
gate stands in the center of the cavern. Although the lock holds firm, the gate has been torn apart so that there is a small gap where it was bolted into the rock.
Past the fence, there is a large courtyard and then a black castle looms out of the rock. Eerie red light shines out of the windows like a million red eyes glaring down on me.
A battle rages inside the gates of the castle’s courtyard. Demons fill the air and ground as they hack each other apart with black swords. Their cries of agony echo throughout the cavern. When they are destroyed, flashes of fire burst around them, and they vanish.
Can this get any worse?
I glance around for Megan but don’t see her anywhere. I push myself up to my feet. Blaise shoves me to the ground. I land on my shoulder, and fresh pain joins my ribs.
“Get down where you belong, dog,” Blaise roars and kicks me in the stomach. “You’re my slave now. You will bow to me.”
I groan. Screaming takes too much energy. Just breathing is a struggle. Twisting violently on the rock floor, I try to find relief. Nothing works. I roll to face the tunnel. There’s an odd shadow in the corner of the cavern.
I peer into the blackness and see Megan huddled in the back, curled into a small ball. She isn’t moving. Before I can say anything, Blaise kicks me in the back. I yell in pain and frustration.
“Face me, boy,” he sneers. “I’m going to enjoy this fully. Roll over.”
I ignore him and try to see if Megan will move or do something. Blaise roars in anger and pummels me with the flat side of his blade.
“You will learn to obey!” he yells.
I roll across the rocks, but he follows and beats me with the flat of his sword. I curl up into a ball until I have enough.
“Stop!” I yell. The blows cease.
I roll over like he wanted. He continues to strike me with his sword and then pauses.
“Good,” he says. “Once you learn to obey, it will be much easier on you. Now it is time for you to be mine. You will promise to serve me as your lord and master.” He waits for a response, but I don’t say anything.
Devil's Pathway Page 30