by Tara West
Cerberus was waiting for us as soon as we got off, puffing up his massive chest and growling at us to move along. He was the ugliest dog I’d ever seen, the size of an elephant with three misshapen heads, matted grey fur, and large, yellowing fangs that oozed sizzling venom onto the crusted lava beneath him. He brought rabies to a whole new level.
Sarge’s jaw dropped as he pointed up at the beast. “What the fuck is that?”
I warily gazed at his three heads while whistling for Jack. “Move, before he casts us down another level.”
“He can do that?” Sarge asked.
“One snap of his jaws, and it’s all over.” I clutched my scythe as I hurried past the snarling canine.
Jack moved along more slowly than I would have preferred, stopping a few times to growl back at Cerberus. I didn’t want Ash’s dog getting killed out the gate. Ash would never forgive me.
“Come on, buddy,” I called, patting my leg. “Ash needs you.”
That seemed to do the trick. He whimpered as he fell in beside me, swiveling one head back at Cerberus. I was surprised they didn’t break into a dog fight. The hairs on their spines were standing on end, and their fanged jowls dripped slime.
“Guess we won’t be taking this way out,” Sarge said as he thumbed toward Cerberus.
“This is the only way out,” I grumbled.
Which was why I never got off the elevator when I delivered souls to Hell. I usually bumped them off with my scythe, and if that didn’t work, I applied a swift kick of my boot.
Rule number one when Grims delivered souls to hell: never, ever get off the elevator. Sure, I’d fallen off a few times, but luckily, I’d jumped back onto the platform before Cerberus sank his teeth into me. This time would be different. I’d have two extra passengers and a dog. I had no idea how we were all going to get past him, but I decided to worry about the escape later. First, I had to find my woman, one captive soul among millions who weren’t too amenable toward Grims.
This trip would be interesting.
We navigated through the bottom of the pit, caught in a sweltering maze of flaming pyres. I’d heard a tale of a ghoster who’d survived a brief trip to Hell, that the key was to move quickly toward the top, where the air was cooler and less stifling.
“Hey, everyone. It’s a Grim! A Grim’s in Hell!”
I spun around at the sound of the snarling demon. He was a little grey thing with a bald, flattened head and one eyeball, and that one eyeball was centered on me. I was certain if he had any venom, he was about to use it.
Jack snarled down at the creature, but the demon was oblivious to my guard as he jumped up and down and pointed. “A Grim! A Grim!”
I saw other shadows in the distance, slinking toward us with claws raised.
“What do we do now?” Sarge asked.
I clasped my scythe tightly as I leveled him with a somber expression. “We run.”
Ash
Callum brought me into a smaller cave and deposited me on a lumpy platform covered in strange furs. I rubbed my sore backside and glared up at him. “You dick!”
He chuckled. “Didn’t think my brother was into mouthy girls.”
“Guess you were wrong.” I pouted when I thought of the real reason Aedan was with me. Maybe Callum was right. Maybe Aedan wasn’t into bad girls, but I happened to look like Mar, so he’d made an exception.
I wondered what Aedan would think if he saw me sitting on his brother’s bed wearing nothing but my grandma’s bra and jeans. I was certain Mar would have been mortified had she been caught in her corset, but I had worn bathing suits that covered less. Besides, Callum appeared to have already gotten over the shock of seeing my girlies, so I forced myself to put it out of my mind. I had bigger problems.
Callum grabbed a jug off a weathered, wooden table, tilted his head back, and took several gulps. Somehow, I got the feeling he wasn’t drinking Gatorade.
I licked my parched lips as I watched him. He didn’t even offer me a sip, but I wasn’t interested in whatever was in that dirty jug. After flying across the flaming embers of Hell and choking on lots and lots of smoke, I wanted water. I scowled at my surroundings, hoping to spy an Evian bottle somewhere, or at the very least, a sink with some decent tap. But this place looked like a throwback to the Stone Age. I’d be lucky to find a well. The stone floor was covered in grime, the walls were blackened with soot, and the only light source was a low flame from a fireplace at the back of the cave. The thing I sat on was some sort of bed covered in the hides of an orange and black striped creature. In short, the place was a dump. Okay, so I wasn’t expecting the Ritz Carlton in Hell, but I thought dragon lairs were supposed to have caches of rubies and gold, not smelly furs and cobwebs. I had to get out of here. If I didn’t get eaten by something, I’d end up with e-coli.
Then I saw it, the small stream of water running down the side wall and into a crack in the floor. It was like Callum had his own mini waterfall. I jumped from my seat, grabbed a wooden goblet off the table, and held it under the stream.
Just as I was about to tip the refreshing liquid into my mouth, Callum held out a hand. “You don’t want to drink it.”
I hesitated. Damn. I was so thirsty. “Why not? Is it poisoned?”
Shrugging, he averted his gaze. “Not exactly.”
“What’s wrong with the water?” Didn’t he realize getting kidnapped by a shadowy demon and flying through Hell worked up a thirst?
He pinched his fingers together and grimaced. “Just a little. It changes hormones.”
“Seriously? Like, will I grow a moustache or start my period early?” I looked down at the swirling liquid. Could it have been something other than water? I hadn’t realized until that moment how parched I was, but the inside of my mouth was so dry, it felt like a dustbowl. I hesitantly took a sip. It was surprisingly cool and refreshing.
I took a few more sips before he snatched the goblet from me. “That’s enough.”
I wanted to argue but decided to save it for another time as I slumped back onto the bed. There was obviously something wrong with the water, and I didn’t want to wake up with a dick, but sheesh, I was still thirsty.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Ashley,” I said after I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Ashley Murphy.” Then I slapped my hand over my mouth. Why had I said that? I’d shed that stupid last name a long time ago.
“Well, I’ll be. A Murphy. No wonder Aedan fell head over heels for you.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, no wonder.”
He walked over to the wall and dumped the contents of the goblet down the stream. “Aedan was engaged to a Marie Murphy once. You look like her.”
Oh, boy. Here we go.
“Yes, I know. So what’s your escape plan?” I asked, needing to change the subject, and not just because I was tired of talking about Mar.
He averted his gaze. “I don’t have one yet.”
I rose on shaky legs and stiffened my spine. “What do you mean, you don’t have one?”
He shrugged. “I only just found out you were in Hell. Give a dragon a break.”
Which begged my next question. “How did you know I was here?” I asked with an accusatory note in my voice. This rescue seemed a little too convenient.
“How did I not know you were here? Just about every demon in this dimension saw Shadow flying over the Lake of Fire with a glowing angel in his arms.”
What little moisture I had in my mouth all went south as my hand flew to my chest. My stomach churned when I realized just how easy it would have been for him to drop me. That would have been an unpleasant surprise to wake up to, drowning in a sea of flame. “Y-you mean he carried me over a flaming pit?”
“Yeah.”
He grabbed something off the table that looked like a handful of jerky strips, but as I squinted at the thing, I just about barfed up hormonal water. Those weren’t jerky strips. They were legs, eight of them, all attached to a bulbous, hairy, petrified body.
Dragon-grilled spider. Gross.
“You hungry?” he asked as he bit the head off the thing.
Bile projected into my throat as I vehemently shook my head. “No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself. More for me,” he mumbled as he ripped off a leg, grinding it between sharp fangs.
I tried to blot out the sound of crunching spider carcass as I searched the cave for an escape. Wringing my hands together, I batted my lashes, going for my best cute pouty face. Yeah, using my charms as a method of persuasion was pretty low, but I was in Hell, after all, and I didn’t think I could sink any lower, anyway. “Is there maybe a nearby elevator you can direct me to?”
Callum screwed up his features, and then he laughed so hard, smoke poured from his nostrils.
I clenched my hands and shot to my feet. “What’s so funny?”
“If it was that easy, none of us would be here. There’s only one elevator, and the dog guarding it isn’t exactly friendly.”
“Hang on.” I perked up at that. “Dogs love me.”
He wiped spider residue on his loin cloth and burped loudly into his fist. “Not Cerberus. He’s got three heads and venomous fangs.”
Cerberus? The monster from mythology? Lovely.
I threw up my hands. “So what am I supposed to do?”
He heaved a sigh as he leaned against the table. “Right now the best option is to keep you safe until Aedan comes for you.”
I rolled my eyes and plopped back down on the furs. “Which will be never.”
“He will rescue you.” He came and sat beside me, but not close enough that our legs touched. No, he left a respectable few inches between us. So why did it still feel like he was hogging my space?
“How do you know?” I asked.
He grunted, shaking his head. “My brother told me if I ever stole your soul, he would find you, and when he did, he would spare me no mercy.”
I turned to him, searching his gaze for any sign of deceit. “He really said that?”
He nodded. “Last time I saw him.”
I cringed as memories from my ghosting mishap came flooding back. Callum and his two demon friends had attacked me and tried to take me to Hell. If it hadn’t been for Aedan, they would have succeeded. Guess it didn’t matter since I’d ended up in the fiery pit, anyway. “Oh, yeah, I remember that night.”
“Sorry about that.” He pointed a clawed finger at my hand, which I realized was clenched in a ball by my side.
I held it up, waving my fingers at him. There was only a faint scar across my palm. “It’s okay now.”
His eyes searched mine, the look in them so heartfelt, I thought he was about to declare his undying love. “I was just doing my job, you know.”
Just doing his job? Was the guy for real? They’d been trying to steal a child’s soul. “Banishing a child to Hell? What a nice occupation you have.” So much for his heartfelt expression. Maybe he was just blowing smoke up my ass with the nice guy persona. Maybe he was only trying to earn my trust before he started torturing me. This was Hell, after all.
He looked into my eyes, his gaze steady and unwavering. “Children can’t go to Hell. We were there for the sorceress.”
“And what about those rumors I heard of you?” I asked as a shudder stole down my spine when I recalled the way he’d come after me the night I first encountered him. “That you’ve burned ghosters’ eyes out.”
“Rumors, nothing more.” He chuckled. “I suspect my brother started them to keep the other Grims from confronting me.”
I wanted so badly to believe him. After all, he was my only friend in Hell, the only person I could trust, although I knew I’d still have to be on my guard in case he turned out to be psycho like Shadow.
“That’s good to know,” I said, and then my blood ran cold when I realized that evil and sadistic sorceress was in Hell with me. “What happened to her? Lucia, wasn’t it?” I stole a quick glance over my shoulder, wrapping my wings protectively around me. “Is she around somewhere?”
“Oh, no.” He chuckled. “She got knocked down several dimensions on the first day.”
I assumed by dimensions, he meant levels. All that mattered was Lucia wasn’t here. I would not have wanted to meet up with a crazy, vengeful demon bitch. I had enough to worry about.
After exhaling a sigh of relief, I forced myself to look into his eyes. Beneath the glowing red, I thought I saw specks of blue, bright blue, just like Aedan’s. “So Aedan is going to just march through Hell and find me?”
He puffed up his scaly chest. “If anyone can do it, he can. My brother is smart and resourceful, and he’s been fighting demons for a century.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “There’s just one problem.
“What?”
“He doesn’t know I’m here.” My shoulders fell. Nobody knew I’d left with Shadow. Aedan probably wasn’t expecting me to come to his room tonight. He wouldn’t even notice I’d gone missing until tomorrow.
Callum stood, muscles bulging as he stretched his arms over his head. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out eventually.” Then he headed for narrow doorway leading into the main part of the cave.
I stood, apprehension settling in my gut. Twisting my hands together, I jutted a foot forward. “Where are you going?”
He turned to me, his bright red eyes darkening to an ominous crimson. “There is one soul who knows you’re here, and he’ll come to reclaim you soon enough.”
“Shadow,” I breathed. “What are you going to do?”
Steam poured out of his nose as he laughed. “What dragons do best.”
Aedan
After leaving the flaming pit behind us, we came to a forest, gnarled petrified trees the color of stone, some of which were three stories tall. They had died eons ago. Jack proved just how fragile they were when he bumped into one and it disintegrated in a puff of dust, raining debris down on our heads.
Though we choked on soot and the stifling air, we had no time to stop for water. Shadows followed us, too, their hideous outlines played across the trees, illuminated by crimson light from the distant flames.
I knew they were scorned souls, eager to seek revenge on the Grim Reaper who’d delivered them to Hell. Whether I had been their Grim or not made no difference. We all looked alike to them, only now fear of their cloaked, skeletal escorts had been replaced with resentment. They would not hesitate to turn my scythe against me and cast me down to the next level of Hell. I considered myself lucky to have Jack and Sarge on my side. I only hoped we could reach Ash before the demons assembled their numbers.
The first demon attacked sooner than expected, falling from above and landing behind me. I ducked and spun around, narrowly missing the creature’s blade as it whooshed past my nose in a blur. Before I could react, snarling canine fangs snapped off the demon’s head and tossed it into the forest. Its screams echoed through the trees as its headless body chased after it.
I placed a hand to my throat, thankful my head was still intact. “Thanks, buddy,” I said to Jack.
He answered with whimpers as one of his heads nudged me forward while the other looked over his shoulder. Good idea to keep moving. I had a sinking feeling this attack wouldn’t be the last.
Ash
“I have come to claim what’s mine.”
“Shadow,” Callum chuckled as smoke poured out of his nose. “How nice of you to visit us lowly demons. We were starting to think you weren’t coming back.”
I clung to the cave wall, hanging back as other demons filed past me, circling Callum and Shadow as they faced down one another.
“I made a vow to my master, and I intend on keeping it.” Shadow held out a hand, and the crowd parted as he pointed directly at me. “Give me the girl.”
A shiver coursed through me as I tried to sink farther into the darkness. His cold gaze upon me made my flesh crawl. Why hadn’t I stayed behind in Callum’s lair?
Callum cast a disinterested glance over his shoulder. “Sorry. She’s my bitch
now.”
I flinched at that. Yeah, supposedly this was all just Callum’s act, but I didn’t like the idea of being anyone’s bitch, even if the demon claiming me had perfectly round buns.
Great. Here I go gawking at dragon ass again.
I had no idea why I was so fascinated with his rear. Maybe it was the skimpy loincloth he wore that left little to the imagination, and his crimson scales didn’t hide much, either. Somehow I knew that beneath his rough exterior was the flesh of a man, and the heart of one, too. Maybe the real reason I was drawn to him was there was something else about this demon that was so very Aedan. Could have been that, like Aedan, he had this need to protect me. Could have been I sorely missed Aedan and was looking for anything with a heartbeat—and who was I kidding—a penis, to take his place.
Gawd, what was wrong with me? Ever since that hairy demon had splashed me in the face with water, my hormones have been buzzing like a diesel-powered vibrator.
Shadow’s body lengthened before my eyes, until he was towering over Callum. “She is a prize for my master. He will not be pleased to know you have her.”
Callum scowled up at him, clenching his hands by his sides. “Then you were a fool to leave her in the care of a hungry demon. Please explain to your master that I thought she was too pretty to be eaten.”
My face flushed. Did he really think me pretty, or was this all part of his ruse? And why the heck did I care, anyway?
Shadow’s features seemed to freeze, and I almost envisioned his hollow eyes a window into his soul, barren and devoid of life. “I can assure you she was not meant to be eaten. The demon will be punished severely.”
Callum crossed his arms, chuckling. “Already took care of it.”