by Ivy Asher
“Don’t fall.”
“Well that’s fucking comforting!” I say a little shrilly, and in the massive cavern, my voice reverberates back to me. I smirk and look over. “Echo,” I say, listening as his name repeats back to me.
“What?” the demon asks.
“Echo,” I repeat, barely suppressing a grin.
He frowns at me. “What, Delta?”
“Ec—”
“Dude. She’s fucking with you,” Crux says with a grin, elbowing him in the side. “Seriously, for someone who’s probably heard them all, those Echo jokes just go right over that buzzed head of yours.”
Echo blinks as realization dawns on him. He reaches over and pokes me in the side, right in my only ticklish spot. I jump back with a squeal, hiding behind Iceman as I cover my mouth and laugh.
“For fuck’s sake. Stop acting like children and let’s go before any Outer Ringers come here to check out the sounds,” Jerif says before pushing past us. He starts walking down the steps, and I stick my tongue out at his back.
Crux sees and chuckles at me. “Ready?”
“To walk down a bajillion, endless, steep, rocky steps with no railing and straight into the heart of Hell? Sure, why not?” I snark as I walk over.
“Here,” Crux says, grabbing my hand and placing it on the back of his jeans. “Hold onto me right here and don’t let go. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
I dig my fingers into his waistband. “Can we not talk about falling, please?” I reply as we start walking down the first steps.
“Good thinking.”
“This place is huge,” I remark as Echo and Iceman take up the rear, all of us heading down single file.
“Very,” Iceman says behind me.
My eyes keep darting over to the edge, but the height and the creepy shadowed lighting is not a good combination, so I train my eyes to focus on the steps instead, doing my best to ensure I don’t slip.
“Okay, so what’s the plan again?” I ask, suddenly needing a distraction from the feel of our descent into never-ending nothingness and the sound of my scythe clunking with each step down I take.
Jerif groans and Iceman snorts at my annoying question.
“Fine,” I concede. “So you guys said we’re starting at Trēs and working our way up to the First Ring, Ūnus, right? But wouldn’t it be faster to start at Ūnus and work our way down?” I ask. Apparently, climbing down into Hell brings out my inner tactician.
“If these idiots had their heads on straight, that’s exactly what we’d be doing,” Jerif grumps, and confusion seeps through me.
“Uh okay…” I voice, not sure how to react to his declaration.
“We voted and you lost, Jerif. Get over it,” Crux counters defensively.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Jerif snarls back over his shoulder. “You’re wasting time wanting to show off, and we can’t afford that shit right now. We need to figure out what she is and then get back to induct her. Not wave at the family like you’re some kind of hero before returning to the Vestibule.”
If I hadn’t been holding onto Crux’s pants, I would have stopped mid-step and probably created a pile up on the stairs of doom for Echo and Iceman behind me. Family? The word swirls around my mind. It’s familiar, and yet, so foreign in the context of Hell and demons.
How did I not think about their lives and existence outside of being Hellgate Guardians? Logically, I didn’t think they were hatched from pure mayhem and temptation, but I haven’t given a second’s thought to their backstories and lives.
Damn, I’m selfish.
I’m instantly consumed with questions about who they are and where they come from. What are their families like? How long have they been guarding the Gate? Do they have girlfriends? That last question takes me by surprise, but I don’t examine it too closely, mostly because I really do want to know everything.
“Oh, please. If your mom knew what we were doing, she would insist on seeing you too and would probably bring you a fucking packed lunch, so shut it. Maybe I’ll give her a little call and let her know what her baby boy is up to...” Echo threatens.
“Don’t you dare,” Jerif growls out menacingly.
“Echo, quit antagonizing Jerif. Jerif, stop pretending like you don’t talk to your parents every day and wouldn’t like to see them. Crux, we all know you voted the way you did because you do want to show off, so let’s not make-believe otherwise,” Iceman states smoothly and clearly over the bickering.
“What vote?” I chime in, too curious to stop myself.
“Rafferty and Jerif voted to get in and out as fast as possible,” Echo tells me, his tone seductive. “You should remember that’s how they like to do things in the future,” he adds with a smirk that I can hear rather than see.
Flames flicker to life low in my stomach, but I pull out a fire extinguisher and smother them as quickly as possible.
“Echo and I voted to start with the other Rings first,” Crux tells me over his shoulder.
“Yeah, because you paid him off or something. Echo doesn’t have anyone to show off to. We all know this bullshit plan is all you, Crux,” Jerif accuses.
Everyone grows quiet. The statement about Echo not having anyone circles awkwardly around us. Tension rolls off of Crux’s back, and I feel Echo stiffen behind me. Jerif just lanced a serious nerve, and the threads connecting the demons all around me suddenly feel volatile and brittle. What a dick move.
“So what do you do in the event of a tie?” I ask woodenly, in an effort to quell the silent agitation.
“We asked Strut to vote,” Iceman answers.
“Strut? Who the hell is that? Another Guardian?”
“No, he’s our butler. Did he not introduce himself to you?” Iceman inquires, concerned.
I snort. “Um, between calling me the help, telling me I’m not allowed to come through the front door, and judging my ability to leave an epic mess in my wake, no. He dispensed with the pleasantries.”
Strut, I repeat in my head. The name suits the guy, but not nearly as much as Grumpy Lurch does. He’ll always be GL to me.
“I think when he voted to have you go through more Rings, he was just hoping you’d get snatched somewhere in Hell and never return to muddy his floors again,” Jerif announces over his shoulder, killing the happy thoughts I was just having about Grumpy Lurch and all the ways I’ll probably piss him off when I’m inducted as a Guardian.
I scowl. As soon as I get back, I’m releasing a bunch of dirty pigs in the mansion and leaving GL to deal with the aftermath. He wants me to get snatched, well, I’ll show him. I am Swamp Thing, hear me roar.
While I’m thinking about how many pigs it would take to make GL squeal, I accidentally miss a step on the stairs. I go tipping over sideways, interrupting my inner evil laugh. I yank back on Crux’s pants with a white-knuckled grip, but I’m pretty sure he’s not only not going to catch me, but I’m also about to take him with me right over the edge as I tumble into the depths of Hell and probably die.
Fuck my life. This is not how I saw things ending.
21
“Stop screaming and open your eyes, Delta! You’re fine, I caught you, but you have to stop panicking or you’re really gonna make yourself fall,” Echo grunts.
My lids pop open, and I see Echo has caught me by my shirt and is straining to hold onto me. He’s lying fully on his stomach, his fist closed around the fabric. I look down, realizing that I’m hanging off the side of the railless stairs. I immediately start to panic again.
“Oh God, oh God!” I chant, at a loss for what else to say when you’re almost certain you’re about to fall to your death.
“None of the Gods can come down here and help you, so how about you stop invoking them and grab Rafferty’s hand so he can pull you back onto the stairs before you make Echo lose his grip on you,” Jerif barks at me from above.
His tone is stern enough that it makes my eyes fly up to his, and my panicked parroting cuts off. As soon as
our gazes lock, I see the orangish flames in his irises flickering, and I take a shaky breath, his angry tone both pissing me off but also quelling my fear enough to make me react.
Iceman is lying on his belly too, his hand reaching down as far as he can without tipping over. I don’t know how Echo reacted fast enough to grab me, but hanging over the edge with nothing but my cotton tank top to save me from impending death is not comforting.
“Focus,” Jerif snaps again, regaining my attention. “We can’t grab you unless you reach up. So unless you want to hang there all damn night, get your fucking head together and grab Raf’s hand.”
“God, you’re a dick,” I whisper shakily, my scythe tapping against my thigh as we both hang. Thank fuck the belt is holding it.
“Yep, now stop fucking around.”
Fucking around? I have never wanted to junk punch a guy so much in my entire life.
Like the thought of doing just that propels me, I gain enough courage to twist and strain up, reaching for Iceman’s blue hand. Crux is on the other side of Echo, looking like he’s ready to jump right off the stairs if I fall, his green eyes wide and his muscles bunched with tension.
Just as I manage to snag the tip of Iceman’s cold fingers, I slip again, my body jerking back as my tank top twists. I go spinning with a scream that bounces off the cavern walls.
“Fuck, hold on!” Echo tightens his grip on my shirt, coiling the fabric to help me stop spinning, but that’s when I hear the worst sound ever.
Rip.
Fuck. No.
My shirt is tearing, and I have seconds to get up, or I am going to fall. “Do it now, Delta!” Jerif shouts, his voice cracking against my ears like a whip.
Gritting my teeth, I twist again as far as my non-limber body can take me, and Echo swings me at the same time like I’m a fucking trapeze artist. I feel more than hear my shirt ripping some more as I strain forward with all my might to reach Iceman. The shirt shreds, my body slipping down as my hand slaps onto Iceman’s when I’m swung forward, but we can’t latch on, and I swing back again and oh fuck, I’m not gonna reach, and my shirt is gonna rip right off and—
With a grunt, Echo wrenches me forward again. My body slams against the wall of the cave at the same time that Iceman’s hand slaps around my arm, and then with a heave, he hauls me up.
My stomach scrapes against the stone stairs, ripping into my flesh, but I don’t even cry out at the burn of pain. I’m too fucking relieved.
I get dragged up, face-down, right on top of Iceman. We’re both panting, Echo too from the sounds of it, and those are the only noises I can hear other than the pounding pulse in my ears.
“Are you alright?” Iceman asks, his hand still firmly on my arm. I don’t even think he realizes he’s still clutching me so tightly. My arm feels like it was nearly yanked out of its socket, but I don’t care about that either.
“Yeah,” I answer shakily as I pick up my head from his chest to look at him. “Thank you,” I tell him, my eyes pricking with tears. “Thank you,” I repeat again, my whole heart and soul pouring out into those words. That was fucking terrifying.
His blue eyes burn into me, even as the coldness of his skin seeps through his suit to calm me. “You’re welcome. I told you, Delta, we got you.”
I nod my head gratefully as his words sink into me. I almost died. Holy shit. It was so close to things being over for me, and it all happened so fast. I’m shaky and reeling, and not at all sure how to feel. I probably shouldn’t be focusing on Iceman and what’s happening between my thighs. I should probably just sit here, grateful to be alive and promising the powers that be that I’ll use the rest of my life for good. But I’m a demon, so I’m not even sure what good that would be.
“Damn, that was intense,” Crux says, running a hand over the back of his neck. “We need to put a leash on her. I’m so sorry I didn’t fucking catch you, Delta.”
I look over, snapping out of the emotions splashing through my head, and see Crux helping Echo up from the ground. The shadow demon stands and helps me to my feet, allowing Iceman to get up behind me.
“It’s not your fault,” I assure Crux. “Really. Don’t feel bad. I don’t even know what happened. I’m not usually that wobbly. I feel weird, though. Like some fucked up combo that has me feeling invincible and also like I want to cry.”
“I smell blood,” Echo interrupts, his expression pinching with a frown. “Where are you bleeding?” he asks me as his pale hands start skimming over me.
My shirt is all stretched out and ripped from the hem up to about the middle of my back. All four guys come forward to stand around me, crowding around the steps, but Iceman keeps a steady hand at the middle of my back, like he’s worried I’ll fall over the edge again.
To answer Echo’s question, I lift the front of my shirt, giving everyone, including me, a look at where my stomach is all scraped up. It looks like I have another case of road rash on top of the road rash I already had. Crux sucks in a breath. “I’m fine,” I assure him before dropping the shirt.
“You should heal quickly, especially after we get you through your Ring and hopefully remove the rest of whatever block is on you,” Echo tells me.
“She might heal, but until then, she reeks of blood. Nothing calls trouble faster than the scent of blood,” Jerif says, arms crossed in front of his chest. “She’s making everything more complicated at every fucking turn.”
My eyes flick over to him, anger rising up in me. And here I was, giving him the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe he’d been harsh with me to snap me out of my panic and force me to act—to get moving and reach for Iceman before it was too late. But no, I’m pretty sure he’s just a dickhead.
“Sorry to inconvenience you, Jerif,” I say, my tone on the edge of scathing. “If I live long enough to meet your mom, I’ll be sure to tell her all about what an asshole she raised.”
It’s a shot in the dark, because what the fuck do I really know about his mom? Maybe she thinks the meaner, the better.
But I know I hit the mark when his eyes widen slightly, and I see it—parental panic. I had it many times when my parents were alive and I was worried I was going to disappoint them and earn a lecture. I smirk at him and turn away, seeing Crux’s grin.
“Thanks for catching me,” I tell Echo. “I’ll try not to bleed everywhere and smell up all of Hell.”
Echo snorts and takes my hand as he starts leading me down the stairs again. “Come on. Now I really want you to meet Jerif’s family.”
“Fuck off,” Jerif says before leading the way again. Crux gives me another apologetic look and then follows behind the angry lava demon.
I grin at Jerif’s back. “Is he gonna get in trouble with his mommy about how he hasn’t been using his manners with me?” I snicker, and I feel the adrenaline and fear that was just pounding through me give way to relief and safety. I exhale, oddly feeling more centered, anchored even, and once again focus on my feet as we climb down the stairs.
Behind me, Iceman hooks a finger through my belt loop with a deep chuckle. “Yep. His sisters will lay into him too.”
My smile spreads wider. I never thought I’d look forward to visiting someone in Hell before, but I’m practically giddy now. Payback’s a bitch, and her name is Delta Gates.
As we continue to make our way down the evil flight of stairs, I start to make out the view below. There’s what looks to be concentric circles rippling out to cover the cavern’s floor. I can’t tell how high up we are, and it’s not like Hell’s lighting helps much, so I squint at the rings and tell my heart to calm the fuck down.
“Are those the Rings of Hell?” I finally ask as we make our way closer and I’m more certain of what I’m seeing.
Damn. How far down to these stairs go? My thighs are going to be killing me tomorrow, especially if we have to hike back up these things. Then again, given my little tumble, maybe I can convince Jerif that it will be safer if his rude ass just carries me back up on his back. I’m no
t too proud for a piggy back ride.
“That’s the Vestibule,” Iceman tells me, his mouth closer to my ear than I realized. I jump a little and have to fight off goosebumps at the same time. I swear I hear him chuckle.
“It’s set up like a mini version of what the Rings of Hell look like,” Crux explains. “But if you look down the middle, you’ll spot a line.” He points, and I follow his tan, well-muscled arm and see exactly what he’s talking about. “That’s the aisle that leads to all of the Ring Gates. We can get to each Ring from that passageway.”
I study the line that bisects six layers of circles. The Outer Ring is the largest, with every interior ring growing smaller inside of it until you get to the very middle. It somewhat resembles a bullseye. I see that the pathway that Crux pointed out goes straight down the middle, all the way to the center circle. That must be Nihil, where Satan and his former Heavenly homies all live.
I try to tamp down the anxiety that starts to hammer at my chest. I’m about to find out what kind of demon I am. I’m going to hopefully get some answers, and then I’m going to be inducted as the fifth Guardian of the Perdition Estate Hellgate. No pressure.
An image of my mother and father before they died flashes through my mind, and a stinging sensation resonates through my chest with each beat of my heart. I want to tell them that this will all be okay. That they’ll always be my parents no matter which one of them fucked a demon, thus resulting in them becoming the proud parents of literal demon spawn. I mean, we all make mistakes, right? I think I turned out pretty good for a hellion, if I do say so myself.
So what if one of them messed up? Clearly, they forgave each other for it. My parents were always madly in love with one another, and they always loved me. There wasn’t a day that went by where I ever questioned my place in their heart. That thought makes my face feel hot and my eyes prick with emotion. It’s strange to find out something so epic about myself and not be able to talk to them about it. Now, more than ever, I wish they could answer back.
After what feels like forever, we step off the last stair, and I gape down the huge aisle that leads to the different Rings of Hell. We all pause for a moment, and I’m not sure if they’re simply letting me take it all in or if they’re as taken by this moment as I am. It feels...big. Like something major is going to happen that will affect all of us.