Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) (30 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

“
Go get the others
!”
Bell’s voice bounced off the walls. Laurent’s pulse continued to fad
e,
his breathing wheezed like a radiator with a slow leak.

Charity jumped like a frightened animal. Her wid
e,
hazel eyes remained locked on Lauren
t,
as she slowly backed out of the room.

“
I swear if you don’t move faste
r,
I will light your ass on fire. The
n,
we’ll see how fast you run. Get
!”
Heat flashed from Bell’s toes to her head
.“
Tell them to find the witc
h
,
”
she yelled after Charity.

Bell brushed the sweat-matted hair from her brother’s forehead. She lowered her hea
d,
pressing her lips where the hair once laid
.“
I’m going to help you. Please don’t leave me. Daddy is down her
e,
too. We came for you. You can’t die on me. Do you hear me
?
”

She oscillated between pleas and threats. Someone gave her a second chance. She would make this righ
t,
even if she had to change places with him. Bell gazed down at her brother. His once beautiful blue eyes were void of emotion. A long jagged scar trailed down his cheek. Part of his right ear was missing. How did anyone do this to a higher level demon? Why wasn’t he healing?

She ran a finger along the outside of the cut on his face
.“
Hey. Guess what. I’m getting married
.”
A tear trickled down to her chin
.“
You need to be there. I don’t have any other friend
s,
so you have to be my man of honor. You said you wanted to see me happ
y,
with someone special. Wel
l,
I have that now. You have to stay aliv
e,
so you can see it
.
”

Seconds seemed like hours. Footsteps pounded down the hall. Leviathan and Marie rushed into the room. Bell looked up into Leviathan’s fac
e,
and burst into a full sob
.“
Help hi
m
,
”
she choked out.

Leviathan moved Bell out the way and slipped his arms under Lauren
t,
lifting him off the floor
.“
We got to get the hell out of here. Luc will be coming for us
.
”

Bell reache
d,
seizing Leviathan shirt
.“
We might hurt him more if we move him
.
”

“
We’ll all end up dea
d,
if we don’t get out of h
e
re and get him help
.”
Leviathan shifted Laurent in his arms
.“
You text the others. Tell them to get back to the river
.
”

Bell pulled out her phone and sent the message. She started forwar
d,
but ran into Charity. The female huddled close to Leviathan. She kept her attention riveted to Laurent. Charity gently touched Laurent's hand. Quickl
y,
she snatched it awa
y,
as if burned by his touch. Stil
l,
she followed closel
y,
as they maneuvered back down the drainage tunnel.
Why is the fledging wolf so interested in my brother?

A blast of flames shot past Bell’s ear
.“
Shit
.”
She turned to face a couple of cadets from her Demonology class. Lucifer sent students after them? She was insulted
.“
Y’all keep going. I’ll take care of them. Get Laurent to safety
.
”

Marie stopped with Bell. She unleashed the long length of steel from its sheath strapped to her back. Bell wouldn’t have guessed a sword to be Marie’s weapon of choice. She seemed too proper to wield such a physical form of punishment. Maybe a twenty-tw
o,
or just her magi
c,
but something as brutal as a blade?

“
Stop thinking about my fighting choice and let’s take care of these two before more come
.”
Marie slashed at the taller cadet.

Bell forgot Marie’s ability to read others. Just as another fireball singed Bell’s ves
t,
she fired her own blast. It hit the pyro demon in the arm. Immediatel
y,
he grasped the injured limb. While he was distracte
d,
Bell released another roun
d,
this one dead on targe
t,
hitting the cadet in the abdomen. Bell cringe
d,
when the demon burst into flames. Such a shame. He was a good student. He would’ve done well as a soldie
r,
but he wasn’t ready yet.

Marie’s steel rang through the air as it cleanly cut through the other demon’s neck. The head dropped with a splash into the shallow water pooling on the
t
u
n
n
e
l
floor. Marie snatched Bell’s arm and ran
.“
Others will be here soon. We have to hurry
.
”

Light from the burning forest shone at the far end of the passageway. Leviathan’s large body created a shadow in the middle of the orange glow. Charity sidled close to him. Her lon
g,
lean frame appeared even thinner from a distance. Her hand lay on Laurent’s arm. A couple of Etienne’s men ran ahead to check the opening. Bell and Marie raced to catch u
p,
their feet sloshing through the dirty water.

Voices and the splatter of water echoed behind them in the tunnel. The footsteps picked up their pace
.“
Run
!”
Bell screamed.

The po
p,
po
p,
po
p,
of gunfire sounded in front of them. One of Etienne’s men stumbled back into the entryway
.“
We’re surrounde
d
,
”
he called.

Bell slowed. She needed to think.

“
Mari
e,
can you buy me some time with the guys behind us
?”
Bell asked.

The Voodoo Queen smiled
.“
My pleasure
.
”

Bell sprinted for the entrance to the tunnel. Leviathan waited near the openin
g,
with Charity waiting beside him. Her bright eyes pleaded with Bell
.“
We have to help him
.
”

“
I know. When I tell you to ru
n,
y’all haul ass out of here
.”
Bell pressed a kiss to her brother’s temple
.“
Leviatha
n,
you get my brother out of here
.
”

The older demon nodded his head.

Bell called on all her fury. She channeled the elemental power
s,
drawing additional energy from the infernos of Hell. She closed her eye
s,
conjuring the images of the soldiers outside. Without hesitatio
n,
she transmitted the picture of each demon bursting into a huge bonfire. The screams of terror confirmed her success.

“
Ru
n,
now
!
”

No one questioned her command. Charity dashed across the field with her long stride
s,
but never letting Laurent go. She propelled Leviathan to run faster. Bell waited for Marie to catch up to her and together they sprinted for the forest.

At the bank of the River Sty
x,
she saw several of the others had returned. Jacque and Xavier’s teams were still missing. Leviathan handed Laurent to Behemoth. The sadness on her father’s face broke her heart. What father wanted to see their son fragile and broken?

“
Da
d,
you and Natasha take Laurent back. See if you can help him
.”
Bell laid her head on her father’s arm
and
one hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“
What about you
?”
he asked.

“
I’m not leaving until Xavier gets back
.
”

“
Leviatha
n,
you take care of my daughter. I’m blaming you if anything happens to her
.
”

Charity ran over to Bell
.“
Can I go with him
?
”

“
I don’t know what’s your dea
l,
but you do something to my brothe
r,
I’ll cut you
.”
Bell stared the female down. She didn’t flinch
.“
You are one weird puppy. Maybe this whole not shifting thing is making you crazy. Regardles
s,
don’t do anything I have to kill you for. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf
.
”

“
Mari
e,
can you go with them and keep an eye on her? I don’t trust her
.”
Bell walked her father to the portal.

Marie followed
.“
I will look after them. You make sure the others come back safe
.
”

They lef
t,
leaving Leviatha
n,
Zi
z,
Bell and a handful of others to wait for Xavier and Jacque’s teams to show.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

The smell of rotting bodies polluted the air. Xavier kicked a severed hand into the gutter
.“
How the hell did we come out in the Wastelands
?
”

He absorbed his childhood surroundings. It took Xavier years to expel the stench of this place from his pores. He promised to never return. Ye
t,
here he stood. Isis and Angel trailed behind him. When he glanced over his shoulde
r,
shock and horror contorted their expression. Like many other societie
s,
Hades hid its undesirables well. The only people who came to the Wastelands were the ones who belonged there.

“
This is what I get for letting werewolves lead us
.”
Xavier continued to clear the path for the ladies. He didn’t want them touching anything in this dump. A pang of shame twisted in his belly.

“
He
y,
we returned the way we came i
n
,
”
one of Damon’s

b
r
o
t
h
e
r
s
r
e
t
o
r
t
e
d
.“
Apparently not
.
”

“
Xavier
!”
An all too familiar voice crooned.

He pretended not to hea
r,
but it wouldn’t do any good.

“
Boy. I know you hear me
.”
His mother’s high pitched tone rang through the air
.“
Oh. What? You’re with that highfaluting bitch from Egyp
t,
so you can’t speak to your mother? She’s the reason your father left us
.
”

Xavier paused. Anger thundered in his head
.“
N
o,
Mother
.”
He turned to glare at her
.“
Dad left because you were a prostitute and probably still are. No man wants a whore as his woman
.
”

Isis stepped up
.“
Xavie
r,
I know she’s hurt yo
u,
but don’t speak to your mother in that manner. She gave birth to you
.
”

Even when insults were hurled at he
r,
Isis had more class
t
h
a
n
h
i
s
m
o
t
h
e
r
c
o
u
l
d
d
r
e
a
m
.

“
I don’t need you telling my son how to treat me. Always trying to be better than us
.”
His mother stumbled over her too long dres
s,
tattered and torn from years of wear. The material hung from her frail fram
e,
too thi
n,
from too much drinking and lack of nutrition. Her hair flew about her head like a mad woman. Her eyes were tinged red and clouded. Wonder what her drug of choice was these days?

“
Mothe
r,
I think you should go
.”
He spun away from her
.“
We have someplace to be
.”

She clawed at his arm. Her fingers dug into his fles
h,
as they did so many times when he was a child
.“
Don’t act like you’re not from her
e,
because you’re with them. You’re still nothing. A bastard son of a demon who didn’t give a shit about your
a
ss
.
”

Xavier inhaled the pungent fumes of his mother’s liquor-drenched breath. He stared down at he
r,
his eyes not wavering from her glare anymore
.“
You don’t get to tell me who I am or who I’m not. You gave up that right when you tossed me out into the street because I wouldn’t do your bidding anymore. I know where I’m fro
m,
because I’ve spent centuries running as far away from i
t,
and yo
u,
as possible. And I’ll do my best to not come back here to see your trifling ass again
.
”

The imprint of his mother’s hand burned into his cheek. She had a talent for slapping people. Xavier fought to remain constrained. Isis stepped between them. One look from her and his mother scrambled up the street.

“
Come o
n,
son. Let’s leave. They must be waiting for us
.”
Isis tucked her hand in the crook of Xavier’s arm.

A lump formed in Xavier’s throat. He gazed in Isis’s light brown eye
s,
witnessing the love and acceptance he sought all his years. The same way she looked at his brother when they were young. Her small gesture healed centuries of heartache.

They strolled up the dirt ridden streets of the Wasteland
s,
h
ea
d
s
h
e
l
d
h
i
g
h
.
“
You make me feel like royalty
.”
Xavier laughed.

“
That’s because you are
.”
Isis gave his arm a squeeze.

They said no more. He heard the truth in her words and needed no more affirmation.

t t t

Bell leapt into his arms. He caught her mid-jump
.“
Happy to see me
?
”

“
Bet your ass. What the hell took you so long
?”
She kissed his nec
k,
leaving a tingling sensation where her ho
t,
moist lips pressed against his skin.

“
Long story. I’ll fill you in later. Where’s everyone else
?
”

“
Dad took Laurent back to Etienne’s place.
M
o
s
t
e
v
e
r
y
o
n
e
’
s here. Just waiting on Jacque
.
”

“
He can’t be far. Hel
l,
we had to cut through the Wastelands
.
”

Bell raised a brow and gave him a sideways glance
.“
How did you end up there
?
”

“
Following the damn dogs. Won’t make that mistake again. I thought they were supposed to be good at finding their way
.
”

“
You can’t stereotype them into one group
.
”

Xavier shrugge
d,
not really caring.

Someone yelled in the backgroun
d,
catching his attention. Xavier focused on the cause of the commotion. One of Isis’s soldiers hauled ass up the small hil
l,
slamming into Leviathan.

The olive-toned soldier rested his hands on his knees and struggled to catch his breath
.“
Need help
.
”

“
What’s going on? Where’s Jacque
?”
Leviathan questioned.

“
They attacked. About a mile back
.”
The soldier gasped for
a
i
r
.“
Too many to fight. Need help
.
”

Xavier and the others sprinted down the hill. Over the next charred moun
d,
battle ensued. Hundreds of Legion soldiers surrounded Jacque and his team. The clanging of swords and pops of gunfire rang through the dense air.

“
Head around to the right flan
k
,
”
Xavier yelled to Damon and his group. Leviathan took a small party to the left.

Bell stayed by Xavier’s sid
e,
as they rushed the mob full on. She removed two nine millimeters from the holsters strapped under her arms. Xavier yanked his blade from its sheath. They intermingled in the chaos of the brutality. He ran his steel into the abdomen of the first demon he encountere
d,
ripping upwar
d,
gutting him like a fish.

Fear flashed through him when he lost sight of Bell. If anything happened to he
r,
he’d be lost forever. Her voice rang out a string of obscenitie
s,
as she pulled the trigger at the temple of a female shifter demon. His worries subside
d,
but only marginally. While his attention waivered to Bel
l,
a massive Vamp tackled him to the ground. Xavier struggled to shove his attacker away. He used his weight to flip them ove
r,
digging his knee into the creature’s groi
n,
causing him to loosen his grip.

Xavier straddled his opponen
t,
using his legs to trap the vamp’s arm
s,
unleashing a barrage of blows to the vamp’s face and head. Xavier was wasting his energy. He unholstered his Ruger and filled the vampire’s heart with silver bullets.

Jacque fought in the back of the horde of battle
-
worn supes. Xavier slashed his way through bodies until he reached his brother. They battled with Lucifer’s men. The more they kille
d,
the more showed up. It was a vicious cycle.

Back-to-bac
k,
they challenged each and every contender
.“
Where’re the girls
?”
Jacque yelled.

“
Not the time to worry about them or we’ll end up dea
d,
and they’ll be pissed
.”
Xavier shot a few slugs into a pretty fae.

Jacque sliced through the head of a centaur
.“
Hell of a way to spend a honeymoon
.
”

“
The faster you kil
l,
the sooner you get back to start the real party
.
”

“
And you can celebrate your engagement
.
”

With Bell geared in
black leather playing in the back of his m
i
n
d,
X
a
v
i
e
r
f
o
u
n
d
i
n
s
p
i
r
a
t
i
o
n
t
o d
e
f
ea
t
h
i
s
e
n
e
my.