How to Worship a Goddess (28 page)

“Then, Lady Lucy, allow me to gloat just a little at getting something past you.”

“Don't take too long.” She forced herself to casually cross her arms over her chest. “My
berserkir
will be here soon enough and he will not happy.”

“Did you really not expect me to come with backup? Your
berserkir
may be strong but he can be slowed. And by the time he catches up, you'll be gone. Same for your
lucani
, who are only now realizing they've been outmaneuvered. If they get here before we leave, Caeles will be thrown into Aitás.”

Lucy knew the demon would do it. She'd gone into this knowing their plan probably wouldn't work. She'd been willing to give it a try but she wasn't willing to let Caeles pay the price for her mistakes.

“If we go right away, I'll release Caeles when you pass through the gate into Aitás.”

“You will release him back onto this plane.”

The demon smiled. “Such a stickler for details. But of course he'll be returned to this plane. He's not the prize we want.”

After a slow breath, she waved a hand in front of her. “Then I suggest we get this over with. Because Brandon is stronger than you think.”

***

The demon hit him broadside as Brandon raced after Lucy.

He'd realized there were two demons only seconds before this one had leaped on him and taken him to the ground. Brandon didn't even have to think about growing claws or fangs. They just suddenly appeared in a burst of white-hot pain that lasted only seconds.

As he and the demon went to the ground, Brandon used his claws to rip at its arms as they struggled.

The thing was wiry strong, but no match for Brandon in a rage.

And he was mighty pissed off. Apparently
berserkir
blood came with anger-management issues way worse than anything he'd previously been capable of.

So he used the anger. He let the rage fuel his power and when the demon rolled away only to come at him seconds later, Brandon let it get close. Let it think it'd gotten the drop on him.

He took a bone-rattling blow to the head but managed to dodge the thing's teeth as he used his claws to swipe at the creature's back.

The demon staggered back but Brandon sank his claws into its sides.

Furious screeches rang out as the demon tried to get away but only managed to work Brandon's claws deeper. The scent of blood hung in the air, mixing with the acrid, ashy scent of the demon.

The demon snapped at Brandon's neck, and instinct made him pull back, ripping his claws out in the process. Poison. Had to stay away from those teeth.

Brandon brought his hands up into a defensive position but the demon didn't make a move toward him.

And when it fell over in front of him, he realized why. He'd killed it with his bare hands. Bare claws.

Shit. Brandon's stomach flipped. He'd seen his share of blood on the ice, spilled enough of his own, but this…

He'd killed this creature. It didn't matter that the thing would've done the same to him. He'd never done more than break some guy's nose on the ice.

Jesus, he was gonna be sick. He drew in a deep breath. And another. No, he wouldn't. He couldn't. He didn't have time. He knew this wasn't the demon Lucy had been dealing with. This one's features were rounder and it wasn't as tall. The other one was probably dragging her away while he stood here hyperventilating.

Fuck
that.

Fear made his feet fly, no longer worrying about how much noise he made. He breathed in as he set off, honing in on her scent. He was close. So fucking close. Not bothering with the trail, he barreled through the undergrowth and the shrubs.

He had to be close. He hadn't been that far behind. There! He saw a flash of color ahead through the trees. A flash that disappeared into a tree. Not behind a tree. Through it.

Without thought, he leaped for that black pit in the thick trunk of an obviously ancient tree. For a second, he thought for sure someone had played a trick on him. That they'd painted what looked like an opening on the bark so he'd jump for it and knock himself out. Like the coyote from the old cartoons, always after the roadrunner. Always fucking things up.

Not this time. Brandon sailed into the darkness, then fell. And fell.

***

Lucy heard someone approaching, just as the demon opened the portal. She hoped the damn blue bitch closed the portal fast because she knew whoever was coming would follow her.

No such luck.

A heavy body hit her hard and she went down, taking the demon that'd been holding onto her arm with her.

Mist enclosed everything in a gray shroud. Where they'd landed, there was no sun. Blessed Goddess, had the demon taken her straight to Aitás?

“Lucy! Run!”

“Brandon? Brandon, oh gods, get out of here!”

But she knew he couldn't. What little light there'd been from the portal was gone. The gate had closed.

The mist made it so hard to see. She was moving but not under her own steam. Someone was pulling her. She reached out for whoever it was and felt thick, strong forearms.

“Brandon!”

“Quiet, Lucy.” He whispered into her ear and relief poured through her body. “Don't fight me. Stay–”

He groaned and fell away as the demon attacked him, knocking Lucy to the side and into what felt like a tree.

She had a brief moment to gasp in relief. Now she knew they weren't in Aitás. There were no trees in Aitás. That meant there was hope.

Blessed Goddess, she no longer had her powers, but that didn't mean she was useless. And she'd just decided she was sick of playing the helpless victim. Her eyes were used to seeing in the dark. She blinked a few times to accustom her vision and she quickly took in the scene.

At least the demon had meant to keep its part of the deal. Caeles lay bound and seemingly unconscious on the ground yards away from where Brandon and the demon now struggled with each other.

Not wanting to draw any attention, she kept low to the ground and scurried toward Caeles. She was trusting Brandon to keep the thing busy while she got to her son.

When she was sure Caeles was okay, they could join Brandon and try to get the hell out of wherever here happened to be.

Behind her, she heard fighting, flesh landing on flesh. Punishingly hard blows that elicited grunts of pain from both fighters.

She reached Caeles and started working on the rope binding his wrists and ankles. He roused just as she tossed away the ropes.

“Caeles, don't move,” she whispered in his ear. “Don't draw their attention.”

She knew he heard her because he stilled. His head turned slowly so he could watch the fight.

Brandon was holding his own, but Lucy could see his strength starting to flag. Her stomach gave a sickening twist as he took a blow to the face that snapped his head back.

She needed to do something before he was seriously injured. Looking down at Caeles, she saw his eyes narrowed in contemplation.

“Brandon needs a distraction, something to—”

Caeles shifted so fast she barely had the chance to understand what he was doing before he leaped to Brandon's defense.

He'd shifted into a bear… a huge black bear with fearsome teeth and dangerous claws.

The demon didn't respond quickly enough and Caeles caught both the demon and Brandon and they went to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.

In the misty darkness, she watched as Brandon and Caeles wrestled the demon. Brandon had spared a quick glance at Caeles, his eyes widening before he'd had to return his entire attention to the blue demon.

The demon began to thrash wildly, fists and feet flying, connecting with flesh in audible thuds. It caught Brandon in the side with a vicious kick, sending him flying in the opposite direction, away from her. When Brandon didn't get up right away, she ran for him, keeping a wary eye on Caeles and the demon as she did.

Fear for two of the men she loved most in the world made her light-headed. Caeles seemed to be holding his own but he'd need help to win. And they had to win.

She knew they were close to Aitás. It was the only reason the demon would have brought them here. The longer they stayed, the more danger they were in of another demon coming to help.

By the time she reached Brandon, he was already shaking his head and getting back to his feet. He nodded once to her before he threw himself back into the fight.

Lucy gasped as she saw blood seeping from the back of his head. Too much blood. Godsdamn. Her hands curled into fists so tight, she swore she felt the bones crack. She could stand here no longer. She had to hit something, had to smash that demon's face—

“Hello, Lusna.”

Lucy froze. She recognized the voice, though she hadn't heard it in almost two thousand years. Shit. This had all become so much worse. Lucy forced herself to take a slow breath as she turned, schooling her expression into a polite greeting. “Culsu. It's been a while.”

“Yes, it has. You seem… different, Sister.”

Rail-thin with negligible curves and curly, pale gray hair that reached her hips, Culsu, Lady of the Blue Gate, stepped forward. Her pale skin appeared to glow in the misty gloom, as did her silver eyes, the slimness of her body reflected in the sharp angles of her face.

Goddess Culsu had an ethereal beauty just this side of eerie. Her voice sounded sweet as spun sugar, but her ruthless personality was enough to strike fear into the heart of any sane creature.

As guardian of the gate to Aitás, Culsu made the decision as to where the newly dead ended their journey. Would they be sent to the black pits or merely into holding for the next reincarnation?

“
Tukhulkha
,
cesasin
,” Culsu ordered the demon to halt. “Call off your men as well, Lusna.”

The demon had already stepped back when she called out to Caeles and Brandon to stop.

Caeles caught Brandon back with a large paw on his shoulder when Brandon would have rushed to her side. She met his wide-eyed gaze with a calm nod then turned back to the Underworld Goddess with a forced calm. The blood running down his neck made her heart beat like a trapped bird in her chest.

“Culsu.” Lucy deliberately continued in ancient Etruscan, knowing Culsu didn't have a firm command of English. What goddess who spent her life in the Underworld would? “Why have you sent your demons to attack me?”

The goddess's slim, pale eyebrows curved into half moons. “I haven't. Why would I?”

Culsu looked sincere and she had no reason to lie right now. “Then you didn't know Charun was using the
tukhulkha
to kidnap goddesses back to Aitás?”

Culsu blinked, the only outward sign of her surprise. “No. Why would he?”

“Because he wants to leave Aitás.”

True bewilderment showed in her frown. “Why would he wish to do that?”

“Why don't you ask him?”

Culsu paused. “I will the next time I see him.”

“And when will that be? Have you seen him lately? Have you talked to him?”

Another pause, this time longer. “No. I haven't seen him for centuries, but that's not uncommon.”

“Then be careful, Sister. He's seeking goddesses to consume for their power. He's already taken Mlukukh. He tried to take Thesan. He sent this demon to take me.”

“And what would he do with your powers?”

“Leave Aitás.”

Culsu frowned, her eyes narrowing to slits. “But that would upset the balance.”

“I don't believe he cares. Watch your back, Culsu. We don't know what he's capable of.”

“And so I will. But now I think you must leave. Your man is about to expire.”

With a cry, Lucy spun, just in time to see Brandon's eyes roll back into his head as he went boneless. Shifting back into his human form, Caeles caught Brandon before he hit the ground.

“Shit. Mom, there's a lot of blood.”

Caeles's fear barely registered through her own. She only knew it was bad. They had to get him back to home. Back to doctors who could heal him. Back to Amity.

“Culsu, please. You must send us back.”

The goddess shook her head. “I can't open that gate. My only power lies with the one into Aitás. The demon must take you through any other. Or you could open it yourself.” She paused and studied Lucy closely. “But you can't, can you? Your powers are already gone. Why?”

Lucy barely heard the other goddess. She could feel Brandon slipping away from her with every second. His eyes were closed and his chest barely rose and fell.

Culsu would not allow the demon to take her into Aitás but her life wouldn't be worth living if Brandon died.

“Lusna, what happened to your powers?”

She turned on the other goddess then, allowing all her anger and fear to show. “I gave them up for him. I don't expect you to understand, but you must get us out of here so I can find someone to fix him. I love him, Culsu.”

The other woman merely stared at her before looking at the demon. “Take them back. She's of no use to Charun as she is now. And tell him I want to talk to him.”

The blue demon sneered. “I'll release her and her toys because you're right. She's worth nothing any longer. Just an empty shell. We'll be seeing her back here soon enough.”

The demon walked to a huge tree, laid his hand on the trunk, and muttered a spell that brushed against Lucy's remaining
arus
like a cold breeze.

Goose bumps rose on her skin as the tree disappeared and sunlight poured through. Without another word, she motioned for Caeles to bring Brandon and she pushed them into the light.

She turned back to Culsu, just before stepping through the gate. “Watch your back, Culsu. He'll turn on you too, if you're not careful.”

The other goddess shrugged, such a graceful movement. “It wouldn't be the first time.”