by May Dawson
Lucifer reached out his arms to the side, as if he were on the cross. Too late, I saw the lantern out of my peripheral vision. I tried to sit up, pushing him off me, but I couldn’t get loose in time to save the lantern.
It crashed onto its side. The glass shattered across the hardwood floor.
There was a rushing sound, or maybe it was the sound of all the souls in Hell crying out as their tormentors came back to life.
Bright light swirled into the room, blinding me. My eyes squeezed shut against the light, and I struggled to crack them open even though my eyes burned.
Samael was on the floor in pieces. His front half formed before his back half, but already he was crawling toward me, his fingers digging into the ground to drag himself without his legs.
Malicious eyes fixed on mine, intent on murdering me all over again.
Fuck that.
Nimshi dragged Lucifer off of me, dumping his bloody body to one side. The devil’s eyes stared fixedly at nothing now, frozen and unseeing.
I sat up and, still eying Samael, reached to pull the blade out of Lucifer. If it was true that the Final blade had the power to bring someone back to life—or destroy their soul in the afterlife—then the blade was coming with me. The hilt felt hot against my palm, slippery with blood. I yanked, but my fingers slipped off it.
“I can’t get it,” I told Nim. “Maybe it’s lodged in bone?”
Nimshi tried to pull the Final blade out of Lucifer’s chest. “It’s stuck,” he said. “God damn it. Maybe cursed.”
He grabbed the blood-slicked hilt again, harder, and braced his foot on Lucifer’s body to try to get some traction.
“You’re alive.” Dani’s voice broke the silence of the room. I twisted, almost surprised she was there; I’d been so fixed on saving Nim from Lucifer.
Dani stared at Nimshi as if she couldn’t believe it. Her legs wobbled underneath her visibly, and then she took a knee heavily on the floor.
“Well,” Nim said shortly. “More or less. Mostly less.”
“This is Hell,” I told Dani. “And it’s time for us to be going.”
“But—”
“Talk later.” Nim said. He stood up, his eyes meeting mine. “Lucifer’s last tricks. I don’t think that blade’s coming loose.”
“Let’s go,” I said. I grabbed my sword from the floor where it had fallen when I’d been sucked out of here.
“Glad to see you, sis,” Nim said, hugging his sister with one arm.
She hugged him back, but her eyes were troubled. “Ellis didn’t murder you?”
“You just saw her save my ass again, right?” He asked lightly, squeezing her and then letting go to head for the door. “Even though I told her to leave me in Hell.”
“I’m an idiot,” I said. “And so are those brothers of yours.”
Were. So were those brothers of yours.
“They must’ve gotten held up,” Nim said.
“Levi’s dead,” I said in a rush, my chest aching. But there was no time to think about what had happened to my men, because we had to get out of Hell. Then we’d figure out what to do next.
“What the hell happened?” Nim opened the door a crack, glancing out into the hallway, and then quickly closed it again.
Samael crawled across the floor toward us, determined. He was saying something but he wasn’t fully formed yet, and the words were all garbled.
“One second,” I said. I crossed the room back to Samael, who tried to rare back on his arms. I put my boot on his shoulder and drove Samael down to the ground, then ran him through with my sword. I leaned hard on the hilt, staking him into the ground.
“That should hold you up for a bit,” I said pleasantly. “I never really believed in staying friendly with exes, anyway.”
I turned around to find Nim’s eyes on mine, appraising, and his lips quirked up into a smile. “I think I love you.”
“I thought she killed you,” Dani said, her voice flat, distant, as if she couldn’t bear to say the words.
Nim turned to her, his eyes widening. “Dani. No. Tell me you didn’t do anything...”
Dani stared back at him, her lips parting. She looked as if she were on the verge of tears. But she said, “They were just Hunters. You don’t—”
“Shut up!” Nimshi’s eyes were wide, his jaw locked with fury. He raked his hands through his hair as if he were barely holding himself together. “They’re my brothers. Whatever else they are.”
“We have to go,” I said impatiently. “They wouldn’t have wanted you to be trapped here in Hell, Nim. We’ll regroup when we get free.”
Levi’s face flashed through my mind again, the bloody smile carving across his throat.
As soon as I let myself feel a damn thing, I was going to fall into an abyss of grief that I didn’t think I could ever swim up from.
But first, I had to get Nim free and safe. I didn’t care right now if I spent the rest of my days in Hell or not, because my life was going to be Hell anyway. But I couldn’t let the devil win.
“Let’s go,” I said again, my voice flat.
Nimshi nodded. “There are demons between us and the door. We’ll have to fight our way out.”
“Good.” I was ready to do some killing.
I kept seeing Levi’s lifeless face, his beautiful soul stolen out of his body, and when I did, the world stopped for me for a second. I wanted to murder Dani, right there in that long, cold marble hallway.
Instead, I was thankful when the demons came after us.
We ran down the marble hallway, our feet slipping on the slick floor. We had just passed the door in the hall where Nimshi had been held when it was thrown open behind us. Demons piled out, half-a-dozen of them, and the screams of the tortured echoed through the hall.
“Go,” I told Nim, turning on my heel, catching my sword up in my hand. I said the one thing that I knew would get him out of here, even if he didn’t deserve it. “Get Dani out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Nim said. He shoved Dani down the hall. “Keep running. Don’t stop until you get to the road. It’s neutral territory. A demon can’t take you from the road against your will.”
“I can’t leave.” Her voice was soft behind me. “I owe you. Her. I owe h—”
“Just go, Dani.” I said.
All I wanted was not to have to look at her. She’d flipped from cold and calculating to regretful in a second, and I didn’t trust her.
The first demon met my blade, and I was thankful for the distraction. I whirled and dove and cut, Maybe my sister was right that this land of the dead was where we belonged, because a sword had never felt so right in my hand; I was fierce and dangerous, and fire formed easily at my fingertips here in Hell, and I sent the demons running from the flames themselves.
When the hall was quiet, the bodies of demons leaking blood across the marble floor, I turned to find Nimshi and Dani staring at me.
“Shall we?” I asked tartly.
“I definitely love you,” Nimshi said.
I took his hand in mine—in my free hand, my sword still at the ready—and together we headed down the hall.
I didn’t look back at Dani, who followed us, but I thought about how she had said her brother could never have loved me, without his soul.
And I said, “Told you.”
Even in Hell, there’s always time to say I told you so.
Chapter 30
Nimshi, Dani and I stumbled out of the castle and back onto the path that led to it.
It was deep night in the Far, the sky black and oppressive. Dark clouds floated across the sky, blocking out the stars so that it seemed like they might not even exist here. The only light came from the lanterns that hung along the path, and even so, it seemed like the night soaked up that light.
My sister had said that night here belonged to the wraiths and the demons.
I heard the demons behind us, the sound of their swords clinking and their feet stomping. Hundreds of demons.
Together, we ran for the path, which was supposed to be neutral ground, Not that I was sure it was now. Not when I had just struck down the king of Hell.
“Ellis!” Levi shouted. He ran toward us, and my heart leaped in his chest. On Levi’s heels were Jacob, Ryker, Calla and her men. I saw them in my peripheral vision, but my focus was on Levi, and I couldn’t have looked away. His throat was cut here in the Far, a dark red smile of dried blood under his chiseled jaw that made my stomach drop, but his deep blue eyes were bright and alive.
“Levi!” I stared at him, torn between wanting to throw myself into his arms—forget a thousand demons, here was my Levi, bright-eyed again—and being unable to draw my eyes away from that bloody cut. Levi was gone, but Levi was here in the Far. Seeing him felt like it should mean everything was okay, and yet it wasn’t.
Levi caught me with an arm around my waist, hugging me tight, gripping his sword in his other hand.
I took his face in my hands, but I couldn’t say anything. My eyes flooded with tears.
“Shh, sweet girl.” He rested his forehead against mine. Usually, he had something comforting to say, but instead, he just shushed me again.
“You can’t tell me everything’s going to be all right.” I felt hot tears gather in my eyes, and I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the tears. “I’ve got to kill some demons before I lose it.”
Levi’s lips turned up. “Being around us has really screwed you up, huh?”
“In so many ways.” I blinked hard, trying to push down my wild emotions. Part of me thought, you should say goodbye now. But I couldn’t. I wanted to cling to him, and instead I made myself take a step back and grip my sword like I was a functioning human being.
Calla looked toward the oncoming horde and swore. “Remember when I said I liked you, Ellis? I take it back.”
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a party,” Jacob said grimly, raising his sword.
“Brits throw the worst parties,” Tanner said.
“Really?” Jake demanded. “I’ve been to your version of a party, Tanner. It was not a good time.”
“I enjoyed it,” Turner deadpanned.
I stepped between Ryker and Levi as we all turned to face the oncoming assault. I swiped the tears out of my eyes as raced up toward us, closing the last of the gap.
A demon locked eyes with me as she raced toward me, her hair streaming back from her face, an evil smile curving across her beautiful face.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
Her eyes widened slightly as she realized I wasn’t scared of her. I was grateful for the distraction. She raised her sword over her head as she jumped toward me, her powerful arm cleaving down as if she would separate my head from my body. I jumped forward, under her arm. My momentum almost carried me into the demon behind her. But Levi was there, striking down his blade, arching in toward that second demon and driving his elbow into his face.
My demon’s blade slammed into the ground where I’d been a second before, and I sliced through her kidneys and watched her fall, then stepped forward and drove the blade through her back. Then I was turning, looking for the next opponent.
Calla and Tanner fought with deadly fluidity. A demon dove at Calla, and she ducked low, driving herself into the demon’s legs. He found himself flung over her back and onto the tip of Tanner’s blade. He whirled, and she ran through the demon behind him.
But as we fought, we were getting strung out, separated. The bodies piled up around Levi. Calla and Tanner worked their way back toward the gate of Hell, as if they were determined to clear every last demon from the Earth and the Far.
This was trouble, though. This separation. I glanced from Levi to Ryker, who was nearest me now. Three demons surrounded Ryker, who hesitated as they closed in around him, as if he were planning his best attack. I gutted the demon nearest me and ran for Ryker.
Ryker launched himself from the ground, kicking one demon in the chest, bounding off him. He slammed his sword through the second demon on his way down. The third demon dove toward him, blade outstretched, and the tip almost grazed Ryker as Ryker was coming down toward the ground.
But my blade slammed into the demon first, knocking him backward. Ryker landed in a crouch near my blade and stood. He flashed me a devilish grin, nonplussed about the situation we were in and the odds.
“Thanks, Firestarter,” he said.
“Stop showing off.” I scolded him.
“You first.” He turned, sweeping a low leg to trip the demon that came after him.
Around us, the sounds of battle were furious, the clash of sword against sword and bodies falling.
Ryker pulled his sword free from the demon that had just fallen over his foot and stood, turning to me. His eyes widened as they fixed behind me. “Look out!”
Something slammed into me hard between my shoulder blades. I staggered forward, then realized I should go with it. I let myself fall to the ground, twisting to take the fall on my hip and shoulder like I’d practiced in the dojo. I threw my sword up to protect myself, raising the blade like a shield.
Samael smiled down at me. The Final blade was in his hand. Time seemed to stop for me; the wind rustled his hair around his face.
“Goodbye again,” he said to me. He drove the blade down, all the force of his body, all his hate, behind that killing blow. I knew my blade wouldn’t be enough to stop it, and I tried to roll to the side knowing it wasn’t going to be enough.
Ryker flew through the air over me. His legs slammed into Samael, knocking him back. The two of them fell heavily on the ground.
The Final blade was lodged in Ryker’s chest.
Ryker grabbed the hilt of the blade. He struggled to pull it out, as if he realized what it was. As if he’d kill Samael now.
“Ryker!” I fell to my knees next to him. I put my hand over his, holding the blade in his chest, because if he pulled it out, he’d bleed out. “Hang on. God damn it—why did you do that?”
His vivid green eyes were wide with horror, his hands shaking as they pushed mine away and tried to wrap around the hilt. But his eyes locked with mine anyway, and impossibly, he winked.
He tried to say something, but blood dribbled from between his lips, and he made a choking sound. He coughed and tried again. His words came out a rasp, because his lungs weren’t working, but I caught enough. I knew what he was trying to say.
“Overprotective asshole, remember?”
“No,” I said. “No. You cannot do this to me. Ryker.”
Samael towered over me. Ryker’s eyes turned up to Heaven, and I saw the second his eyes went dark.
I wrenched the Final blade out of his chest and rose to face Samael.
Chapter 31
“Fooled you,” Samael said.
I launched myself at him with the bloody blade.
“Twice,” he said. He snapped his fingers, just a second before my sword slammed into him.
My sword slammed into the ground. I stumbled, the force of the blow almost pulling me over. When I whirled, Samael stood behind me.
“I took a page from your boyfriend. A bit of story-telling.” He nodded at the blade, and when I looked down at it—this sword covered in Ryker’s blood—I realized it was just a normal sword now. He had the Final blade the whole time.
“Thanks for coming like I asked. And most of all, thanks for taking out Lucifer.” He smirked at me. “I’ve been waiting for my chance at a promotion.”
Samael. As the new king of Hell.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen for you.” I said flatly. I moved toward him, drawing back the sword.
Sometimes, you and your ex just can’t live in the same universe anymore.
“My own sword? Do you think that will work for you?” Samael asked.
The hilt was burning hot—I didn’t realize it until it singed into my skin—and I dropped it as my hand blistered.
/> “I’m always a step ahead of you,” Samael said. “When will you learn that, Ellis?”
He put boot on the blade of his own sword and dragged it across the dirt, out of my reach. I tucked my useless hand under my other arm and squeezed, trying to dull the pain enough to think. Think, Ellis.
Samael reached out to caress my face, his fingers lightly touching my cheek. “Don’t feel badly. You’ve never been able to help being a fool, have you?”
I stared at him. But instead of his smug face, I kept seeing Nim’s peaceful face, wrapped up in that blanket. Levi’s cut throat, as he stared up at the ceiling. Ryker trying to wrench the sword out of his chest, to give me the chance to fight, his last thought to save me.
“Ellis!” Levi’s voice was urgent. His muscular, tattooed arm was stretched out, sword in hand, ready to strike down Samael.
Ash, Jacob, Nim and Dani were behind Levi, all running to me. Ash fought off two demons who attacked her at once, her strong arms and blade fluid as she ducked and dove in her sapphire satin rags.
Jacob fell a few steps behind, slowed down by a demon who dared to get between him and me; that demon was currently falling back off his blade, his body suspended in the air for a second as blood sprayed off the silver sword. Nimshi turned, too, had been attacked and he did a quick step, agile as a dancer, as he pulled his sword out from the demon he’d just felled. Jacob and Nim turned in toward each other, and I couldn’t hear them from here, but I knew my tall black-haired angel and my green-eyed demon were checking in with each other to make sure they were both okay.
My men. Together, despite death. And coming to me.
I was glad my boys were on their way, but Samael was mine to deal with.
“You really wanted this, huh?” Samael took a step back from me, and he flipped the Final blade over, casually. “I have a deal for you, Ellis.”
He had been the one to set the spell on Lucifer, the one that lodged the weapon that struck Lucifer down in his body. And then, when the rest of us left the room, he’d been able to pull the Final blade out of Lucifer’s corpse.