Thankfully, Hades was distracted at the moment and hopefully paying her no attention whatsoever. And what a distraction it was—a real, honest-to-goodness goddess.
She had no idea where Tilly was but prayed her friend was safely hidden in the thick woods. Sabrina was still alive, perched on the back porch with only a shotgun for protection.
Three humans, one immortal warrior and a goddess against Hades and all his minions. Not good odds. But she was hoping to turn the tide a little in their favor.
She peeked through the tall grass and gasped as more hideous demons poured from the ominous black hole. She would have nightmares about this day for the rest of her life.
It was now or never.
Taking a deep breath, she scurried out of her precarious hiding place and fell to her knees beside Mordecai. This was the serpent, and she was here to help him. His shirt was gone, burnt off by the devil’s blast, and he wasn’t moving. He was lying on his stomach, his bare back exposed to her. A fierce dragon stared back at her, its dark eyes watching her every move.
She grabbed his shoulder and tugged, using all her strength. The guy was all muscle and weighed a ton. He landed on his back with a thud. Jessica yanked her grandmother’s amulet over her head and held it in her hands as a brief second of doubt assailed her. Shoring up her courage, she pressed the round pendant on the warrior’s chest just over his heart.
Closing her eyes to block out the bloody scene and the noise before her, Jessica repeated the words written in her grandmother’s journal. She’d read them over and over for years and knew them by heart. “You gave your soul to me to keep. You gave my life to me. I now return your soul to you and pay my debt, my fee.” Her hands began to burn, but she held on, not letting go of the amulet. “By the light of the Lady. By the light of the moon. Two halves are joined, renewed.” The warrior’s entire body jerked and his back arched as though he’d been struck by a live wire.
Black eyes snapped open and he gazed up at her. “Who are you?” His deep voice made her shiver.
“That doesn’t matter. Your friends need help.”
Mordecai rubbed his chest an expression of sheer wonder on his face. “You returned my other half to me.”
Jessica glanced up to find several demons had noticed them and were coming in their direction. She swallowed hard, finding it hard to breathe, let alone talk. “Um, you need to fight now and I really need to hide.” Turning, she climbed to her feet and raced to the woods. She’d climb a tree and hide and watch the battle unfold. She was no coward, but she wasn’t stupid either. Without a weapon, she’d be dead in no time. She’d done what she could. The rest was up to the serpent and the others.
“I paid our family debt, Grandmother,” she whispered. Her grandmother was dead, but the obligation had remained. Now it had been fulfilled.
An unholy roar filled the air as Jessica grabbed a low branch, pulled herself up into a rather large cypress tree and climbed until she found a spot with an unobstructed view.
“Holy crap.” She dug her fingers into the branch and tightened her thighs around it so she didn’t fall. Mordecai had fully shifted. The serpent really was exactly like the winged dragon tattoo on his back. About twenty feet long, he was more than a little intimidating. He opened his mouth and fire whipped out and engulfed several demons, setting them aflame. The demons’ cries pierced her eardrums, but she couldn’t look away from the fight. She pulled up the collar of her shirt and buried her nose in the cotton fabric when the nasty stench of burning demon flesh reached her.
The swamp suddenly came alive. A loud roar ripped through the air, quickly followed by another and another, all of them different. Jessica tried to sort out the sounds. Was one of them a tiger or was it a lion? And she was almost certain she heard a bear.
Hades froze where he stood and his demons ceased to fight. Both Mordecai and Arand looked toward the howls and roars. Sabrina was watching the woods too. The goddess seemed to be giving off a glow, which grew brighter with each passing second. The smile on her face was the most beautiful thing Jessica had ever seen.
It seemed, in that moment, the entire world held its breath and waited.
Chapter Fifteen
Sabrina tensed, her finger tightening on the trigger until she forced herself to relax. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally fire the shotgun. She didn’t have much ammunition.
What was going on? She’d seen Jessica sneaking out to tend to Mordecai, and moments later the warrior had revived and shifted into a giant dragon straight out of some fantasy novel. And he seemed to be on their side, frying demons with his fiery breath. Very cool.
Arand fought the ugly-looking demon Hades had called Agmar, keeping him away from her. He had a sword in one hand and had morphed his other hand into a paw tipped with long claws, using it to rip at the demon’s vulnerable points.
But it was the Lady of the Beasts who drew her attention. She wasn’t overly tall, but she was stunning with her long brown hair that touched the ground and her clear sky-blue eyes. They were old, those eyes, and filled with the wisdom of the ages. She wore a simple leather sheath and her feet were bare.
Sabrina would never forget the look of sheer love in Arand’s gaze as he’d dropped to one knee and called his goddess by name. Envy was an ugly emotion, but Sabrina felt it. She wanted that look turned toward her. She’d told Arand she loved him and he’d said nothing in return.
That hurt. A lot. But her love for him was what it was and she wouldn’t change it. She’d help him fight Hades and then she’d set him free to return to his Lady. Being alive and knowing she’d played a small part in helping Arand be free and alive was more than enough for her.
It was the adult, the spiritually evolved thing to do.
Who was she trying to kid? She’d hurt and be heartbroken for years to come, but she was tough and would get through it. Somehow.
A demon head bounced onto the porch beside her. The nasty thing sprayed blood across the wood but thankfully didn’t hit her. But it pulled her attention back to the battle at hand. Plenty of time to think things through if she were still alive when this was over.
Right now, Hades and the Lady were simply watching one another, letting their warriors fight for them. Sabrina didn’t think that was really fair. In truth, she thought the god and goddess should fight one another and leave the rest of them out of it. It wasn’t fair to have others fight their battles, but then again, no one ever said life was fair, especially not when it involved the gods.
Several loud roars filled the air, coming from all around them. Hades froze and his demons stopped fighting. Both Arand and Mordecai turned toward the sounds.
The Lady of the Beasts smiled. The sight was so beautiful it almost made Sabrina weep. She looked away, wondering who or what was coming now.
Arand threw back his head and howled. Seconds later, Mordecai joined him, making a raucous roaring sound.
A massive bear, a huge white tiger and an enormous lion stalked into her backyard. These had to be the other warriors, the ones who had been freed. Somehow they’d found out about Arand and come to help.
Her spirits lightened. Maybe there was hope. There were far too many hours left in the day to defeat the curse by allowing the time to just run out. But maybe they could actually defeat Hades himself and drive him back to Hell. If not, maybe they actually could keep the fight going long enough to run the clock out on the curse. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing.
She shifted her position, ignoring the burning pain in her chest. She wanted to keep an eye on Hades. If he made a move toward Arand, god or no god, she was shooting his designer-clad ass.
A brilliant light flashed in the clearing, practically blinding her. Sabrina blinked, seeing spots dancing before her. “What the hell?” She rubbed her eyes and still wasn’t certain she was seeing what she thought she was. A seven-foot tall reddish bird, its wings tipped with gold, perched beside the Lady.
Sabrina might not know much ab
out mythology, but she knew enough to know this was the mighty Phoenix. Somehow, he’d arisen from the ashes of his death.
On the Lady’s other side, a sleek black jaguar appeared, slinking out of the swamp. Sabrina was stunned by his appearance. This had to be Stavros.
But she’d thought the jaguar and the phoenix were dead. How were they here? Not that it mattered. They were here and they could fight. It was the miracle they needed. All the immoral warriors of the Lady of the Beasts were assembled.
In the blink of an eye, the animals disappeared and they were all men, all tall and strong, all ruggedly handsome. As one, they stepped into formation behind their goddess, as though they’d done it many, many times before. All except for one. Mordecai placed himself in front of the goddess and cocked an eyebrow at Hades.
The god tipped back his head and roared, “Attack!”
Demons continued to stream out of the portal, practically falling on one another in their haste to follow Hades’ order. It seemed the god was holding nothing back this time around.
Sabrina felt her heart sink. There were so many of them. She wiped one sweaty palm on the leg of her jeans and aimed her rifle. Every time one got close to her, she fired. And every time that happened, Arand appeared like magic from the fighting horde and chopped off the demon’s head before disappearing back into the fray.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and made her clothing stick to her body. Roars and growls, howls and screams, grunts of pain and yells of triumph filled the air. Metal clashed and the ground ran red with blood.
Sabrina didn’t know if the fighting lasted for minutes or hours. There were moments when time seemed to slow to a crawl and others when it sped by at the speed of light. The swirling, noxious black hole spit out more demons as soon as the ones fighting were killed. It was a never-ending supply.
A thump sounded next to her and Sabrina whipped her shotgun around, ready to fire. So far she’d been lucky and no demons had gotten onto the porch. She didn’t expect that to last much longer. The warriors were fighting machines, fast and brutal, but the sheer number of demons would eventually wear them down.
But it wasn’t a demon on the porch with her. At least she didn’t think so. The woman was blonde with blue eyes and a ton of curves. She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt and she was holding a three-foot sword in one hand.
Sabrina blinked, but the woman remained the same. She also looked vaguely familiar, as if Sabrina had seen her somewhere before.
“I’m Kellsie.” The woman glanced toward the fighting and scooted closer.
Sabrina kept her shotgun leveled at the woman, not willing to trust her. Hades could be a tricky SOB.
Kellsie frowned at her. “We got your message.”
She was totally confused. “What message?” Was this some kind of trick?
“That the wolf was running loose in New Orleans. I’m with Marko,” she continued. “The bear.”
Sabrina took a deep breath, trying not to hyperventilate. “You’re one of the women.” Of course she was a woman. She felt stupid but her thoughts were a totally jumble.
Kellsie shot her a grin. “And so are you, I take it.”
Sabrina nodded and turned her attention back to the fight, taking a chance and trusting that Kellsie was who she said she was. Agmar had retreated from his battle with Arand to protect Hades. Her warrior was currently engaging two humongous demons at once. Demon blood flew and hacked limbs littered the ground. She swallowed hard and looked away, praying she didn’t lose the contents of her stomach along with her dignity.
“I don’t know if Arand told you or not, but go for the necks,” Kellsie instructed. “It’s the only way to kill those suckers.” She glanced off to her right. “Araminta and Aimee are around the perimeter and will help where they can.”
Sabrina was no longer listening. For some reason, the demons were doing their best to avoid five of the warriors. They were defending as the warriors attacked, but it didn’t seem as though the demons were actually trying to kill them. It hit her with the same force as Hades’ lightning bolt had earlier. Those were the three warriors who’d evaded Hades for twenty-four hours, the warriors who’d broken the curse. The curse had also expired on the jaguar and Phoenix as well. That meant Hades and his minions couldn’t touch them.
The warriors, on the other hand, were showing no reticence and were hacking their way through the demons as fast as they could. Mordecai and Arand were fair game though and the demons were hitting them hard.
A demon with blue leathery skin, claw-like fingers and two horns protruding from the side of his head jumped onto the porch, his sword held in front of him. Sabrina didn’t hesitate. The sound of her shotgun echoed as the demon clutched his throat and fell backward.
Kellsie was off like a flash. The other woman stood over the downed demon, raised her arms and brought the blade down on the creature’s neck, severing it from the body. Kellsie was back beside her before she could blink. “That’s the way to do it. You incapacitate the suckers and I’ll finish them off.”
Sabrina didn’t have the heart to tell her new ally that she only had a half dozen or so shells left, if that. She’d fight until she was out of ammunition and then use the shotgun like a club.
She sought out Arand once again and her heart jumped into her throat as a huge demon swiped long, sharp claws toward him. Arand jumped back, barely avoiding being gutted. Why wasn’t the goddess doing anything to help? Both god and goddess stood on the perimeter of the fight, watching and waiting. But for what?
As though he could hear her thoughts, Hades suddenly made a move. The god raised his hands and aimed them toward Arand. She was very afraid Hades was going to fling two of those lightning bolts at Arand. She could almost hear the god’s thoughts, feel his anger and determination to destroy the warrior before Arand could break the curse.
Sabrina was off like a shot, feet pounding across the porch. She was down the steps and across the yard in a flash. She heard Kellsie calling her name, saw Arand whip his head around toward her. It all happened so fast, but yet time seemed to slow down and stretch.
Hades released two of those deadly lightning bolts toward Arand, and Sabrina knew she had only one chance. She jumped, extending her body as far as she could, flinging herself in front of him. Arand’s expression turned from one of worry to one of complete horror, and she knew he understood what she was doing.
He might have yelled her name, but she couldn’t be sure, couldn’t hear anything above the thundering of her heart. She was going to make it. Satisfaction filled her. Arand would be safe. She stretched out her hands, willing her body to fly faster though the air.
She didn’t quite make it.
One bolt of Hades’ lightning struck her smack in the middle of her chest, jerking her several feet backward. She slammed into Arand and his arms came around her a split second after the other bolt found its way to him. He flew back, taking her with him.
They landed hard, but Arand kept his arms wrapped around her, cushioning her from the worst of the fall. She could have told him it no longer mattered. She couldn’t feel much anyway.
The sounds around her dimmed. Arand was leaning over her, his mouth moving, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Love you,” she whispered. She wasn’t afraid to die. She’d much rather prefer to live, but if Arand stayed alive and the world was saved then her death had some meaning.
“Don’t leave me.” His tortured yell penetrated the black fog threatening to swamp her.
She licked her lips and forced the words past the pain in her chest. “You live.” She wanted to say so much more but it felt as though an elephant had taken up residence on top of her. This was so much worse than the first time she’d been hit. She knew now that the god had simply been toying with her earlier.
She blinked, wanting to capture the image of her wolf one final time. Concern filled his dark eyes and his shaggy hair fell around his shoulders. She loved his hair, so
soft. As she watched, a lone tear slid from one of his eyes, rolled down his cheek and splattered on her face.
Sabrina wanted to tell him not to cry for her, that she didn’t regret one single moment of their time together or what had happened between them. It was fate. Her fate. She thought she heard a woman chanting in the distance. No, many women, their voices rising together on the wind to protect the small band of warriors and their women.
Keeping her eyes open grew much too difficult and Sabrina closed her eyes and released a long breath. The world faded away until there was nothing at all.
Arand threw back his head and howled. How had it come to this? He was supposed to protect Sabrina, not the other way around. “I love you,” he whispered. “Come back to me.”
She lay there, still and unmoving, his words unheard. He’d been a coward, not telling her he loved her when he’d had the chance. Now it was too late.
But it wasn’t too late to avenge her.
Arand dropped his sword and let the change overtake him. His wolf burst forward, ready to fight. His chest ached, but it would take more than one powerful bolt from Hades to kill him. With the return of the Lady and his fellow warriors, his power had increased tenfold.
He hated to leave Sabrina lying in the dirt surrounded by dead and dying demons. The bushes beside him rustled and he stood over Sabrina’s still form and growled, daring anyone to try to take her body from him. He sniffed, instantly recognizing the scent even over the stench of death and demons.
Tilly crept forward, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Go. I’ll take care of her.” She moved to kneel beside Sabrina’s side and placed her hands on her chest. “Go.”
Arand threw back his head and howled again, the sorrowful sound rising above the grunts of the demons and the battle cries of the warriors. Letting the animal inside him have full rein, he sought out his greatest enemy, the one who’d killed his mate.
Howl of the Wolf hc-4 Page 18