The sound of pounding feet made her stomach drop. Were there more demons? No, it was worse than that. It was her friends and they were walking right into the line of fire. “Go back,” she cried, not caring that it would bring Hades’ attention her way. Better directed toward her than her friends.
Both women took in the scene and bolted off in different directions, taking to the cover of the swamp. And just in time as Hades released another one of those deadly lightning bolts. It hit the ground where her friends had been standing only seconds before, scorching the ground and setting the grass on fire.
“Kill him,” Hades ordered Mordecai. “Kill them both now.”
Arand jumped away from his adversary and blocked Mordecai’s view of her. The tattoo on his back stared at her, the wolf’s face solemn. The beast’s expression was one of determination. Her own back itched where her tattoo rested. She would stand by her wolf and fight to the bitter end. She only prayed her friends would survive the coming onslaught. The thought of their deaths being on her was more than she could bear.
“Now!” Hades yelled, his patience obviously at an end.
Mordecai stalked toward them, death on two feet. Sabrina looked at his face and then wished she hadn’t. His eyes were empty. Every muscle in his body tensed for the coming blow.
In front of her, Arand tensed, ready to kill his former friend to protect her. But could he defend them against the might of both Mordecai and Hades? For Sabrina had no doubt the devil would not allow them to live.
She’d thought a lot about that, and it made sense for Hades to kill the warriors if they wouldn’t join him. They were powerful in their own right. Honorable too. Hades couldn’t risk them trying to save mankind, to counter his attempt at taking over the world. If they weren’t on his side, they were powerful enemies, especially considering Hades’ history with the Lady of the Beasts.
A few feet from them, Mordecai raised his sword. He opened his mouth and the battle roar that came out of him was unlike anything she’d ever heard before, somewhere between the cry of a hawk and the roar of a lion.
Heart pounding, she raised her shotgun, ready to defend them against attack. Arand was steady as a rock in front of her, the muscles in his arms and back rippling in preparation.
In a move so fast it was a blur, Mordecai spun and released his sword. The deadly blade flew through the air like an arrow and slammed into Hades’ upper chest, just below his shoulder. The god yelled and threw a deadly bolt of power winging toward where they all stood. Unlike the one that had hit her, which was little more than a spark, this one looked like an actual bolt of lightning.
Mordecai jumped and rolled to the side. Arand did the same, taking her down as he flew through the air. He rolled, protecting her head as he kept them moving until they came up solid against the side of the house.
“Are you okay?” Arand demanded.
She was shaking all over and not quite sure she could stand, but she was alive. “I think so. What just happened?”
“I don’t know.” Arand’s grim pronouncement made her heart race faster. “Stay down.”
He raised his head and she turned hers so she could see between the slats in the porch railing. Mordecai was trying to move toward Hades, but the god shot one of those deadly lightning bolts at Mordecai and he flew twenty feet back through the air, bouncing off a tree before landing hard on the ground. He didn’t move.
“I’ll kill you for that, you treacherous snake.” Hades ripped the sword from his chest and flung the blade aside as if it were no more than a splinter. He ripped open his shirt and swore. Sabrina watched in amazement as the blood stopped flowing and what would have been a mortal wound for her healed before her very eyes. Mordecai hadn’t really hurt Hades at all. He’d just pissed him off.
“You’ll all die,” Hades snarled. “And then you’ll be mine in Hell and you’ll pay for this slight for all eternity. I’ll take control of the world without your help. I don’t need any of you.”
The swirling portal grew larger. “Agmar,” Hades called.
A gigantic demon with a set of six-inch horns protruding from the top of his head stepped into the clearing. He was carrying a very large battleaxe and looked as though he knew how to use it. He was quickly followed by several more. There was an innate intelligence and cunning in the eyes of these demons that had been missing in the ones Arand had defeated earlier. These were true warrior demons.
Bile turned her stomach sour. They were so screwed. There was nothing anyone could do for them now. With Mordecai down, Arand was alone to face a rampaging god and these fierce fighting demons. Sabrina knew she was less than useless to him.
But there was one thing she could do. One thing she could tell him.
She caught Arand’s hand and squeezed it. “No matter what happens, I love you.”
For the first time in his long existence, Arand was unsure what to do. He still couldn’t believe that Mordecai had attacked Hades. He was on the devil’s side, wasn’t he? Seemed that nothing was certain.
Hades was beyond furious, his skin mottled red with his growing anger, and there was nothing more dangerous than a vengeful god on the rampage. There was no way he could protect Sabrina against that kind of fury. Then there was the not insignificant matter of the group of elite warriors currently surrounding Hades. He remembered Agmar from the war with the Lady. Arand had never come across a more vicious and skilled demon.
He and Sabrina were both going to die unless a miracle happened.
He felt her close her hand around his and squeeze it just before he heard her soft whisper. “No matter what happens, I love you.”
Her words struck him like a knife to the heart. Why would she tell him this now? Now, when there was no hope for them.
No, he wouldn’t accept there was no hope. That was Hades’ doing, swamping him with self-doubt and uncertainty. Sabrina loved him. His chest swelled and his wolf howled with pleasure. She’d accepted him as her mate, accepted both parts of him. Arand would not let her down. Her love filled him with a new sense of purpose and determination.
Maybe he was fated to die today. He did not fear his own death. But maybe he could find a way to save Sabrina. Knowing she was alive in the world was worth the cost of dying. He would show her he was worthy of her love.
Stepping forward, he met the devil without fear in his heart.
Arand caught something in his peripheral vision and prayed it wasn’t one of Sabrina’s friends. They were as good as dead if they showed their faces. Hades would not hesitate to strike them down and he would not be able to protect them.
But it wasn’t Jessica or Tilly who stepped out from between the thick trees. It was someone he hadn’t seen in more than five thousand years. She stood there, the ends of her long hair teasing the ground, her blue eyes as clear as a summer’s day. His heart skipped a beat before he automatically went down on one knee and lowered his head. “My Lady.”
“Arand.”
The sound of her voice, so much like music to his ears, filled him with a sense of peace and purpose. Totally stunned, he raised his head and stood. Where had she come from? He’d thought she was still imprisoned in Hell.
“So that’s how the serpent got here so fast.” Hades inclined his head ever so slightly toward the Lady. “I commend you for getting out of my domain, but as you can see, it was all for naught.”
“Was it?” Her soft voice taunted Hades. Arand wasn’t sure how smart that was, but he steadied himself, ready to fight. He glanced toward the porch and found Sabrina with her shotgun leveled at Agmar, ready to fire.
Pride and love threatened to swamp him. Was there ever another woman as courageous and beautiful as his Sabrina? He didn’t think so. Hope gave him newfound energy. Maybe with the Lady’s help, they could defeat Hades and his demons.
Then the black hole began to swirl once again. The stench of sulfur polluted the air and then demons of all shapes and sizes began to pour out of the portal, all armed, all ready to die in the service of Hades.
The war for the world had begun.
Jessica crawled on her hands and knees over the spongy ground, praying there weren’t any snakes or bugs. She hated bugs. She moved slowly, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention her way. It was painstakingly slow, but each movement got her closer to the downed warrior.
She tried to block out the fact that the devil himself was only a few yards away. Thinking about it only made her sick to her stomach and eroded her courage. It would be easy to cut and run, and no one except herself would blame her.
Thankfully, Hades was distracted at the moment and hopefully paying her no attention whatsoever. And what a distraction it was—a real, honest-to-goodness goddess.
She had no idea where Tilly was but prayed her friend was safely hidden in the thick woods. Sabrina was still alive, perched on the back porch with only a shotgun for protection.
Three humans, one immortal warrior and a goddess against Hades and all his minions. Not good odds. But she was hoping to turn the tide a little in their favor.
She peeked through the tall grass and gasped as more hideous demons poured from the ominous black hole. She would have nightmares about this day for the rest of her life.
It was now or never.
Taking a deep breath, she scurried out of her precarious hiding place and fell to her knees beside Mordecai. This was the serpent, and she was here to help him. His shirt was gone, burnt off by the devil’s blast, and he wasn’t moving. He was lying on his stomach, his bare back exposed to her. A fierce dragon stared back at her, its dark eyes watching her every move.
She grabbed his shoulder and tugged, using all her strength. The guy was all muscle and weighed a ton. He landed on his back with a thud. Jessica yanked her grandmother’s amulet over her head and held it in her hands as a brief second of doubt assailed her. Shoring up her courage, she pressed the round pendant on the warrior’s chest just over his heart.
Closing her eyes to block out the bloody scene and the noise before her, Jessica repeated the words written in her grandmother’s journal. She’d read them over and over for years and knew them by heart. “You gave your soul to me to keep. You gave my life to me. I now return your soul to you and pay my debt, my fee.” Her hands began to burn, but she held on, not letting go of the amulet. “By the light of the Lady. By the light of the moon. Two halves are joined, renewed.” The warrior’s entire body jerked and his back arched as though he’d been struck by a live wire.
Black eyes snapped open and he gazed up at her. “Who are you?” His deep voice made her shiver.
“That doesn’t matter. Your friends need help.”
Mordecai rubbed his chest an expression of sheer wonder on his face. “You returned my other half to me.”
Jessica glanced up to find several demons had noticed them and were coming in their direction. She swallowed hard, finding it hard to breathe, let alone talk. “Um, you need to fight now and I really need to hide.” Turning, she climbed to her feet and raced to the woods. She’d climb a tree and hide and watch the battle unfold. She was no coward, but she wasn’t stupid either. Without a weapon, she’d be dead in no time. She’d done what she could. The rest was up to the serpent and the others.
“I paid our family debt, Grandmother,” she whispered. Her grandmother was dead, but the obligation had remained. Now it had been fulfilled.
An unholy roar filled the air as Jessica grabbed a low branch, pulled herself up into a rather large cypress tree and climbed until she found a spot with an unobstructed view.
“Holy crap.” She dug her fingers into the branch and tightened her thighs around it so she didn’t fall. Mordecai had fully shifted. The serpent really was exactly like the winged dragon tattoo on his back. About twenty feet long, he was more than a little intimidating. He opened his mouth and fire whipped out and engulfed several demons, setting them aflame. The demons’ cries pierced her eardrums, but she couldn’t look away from the fight. She pulled up the collar of her shirt and buried her nose in the cotton fabric when the nasty stench of burning demon flesh reached her.
The swamp suddenly came alive. A loud roar ripped through the air, quickly followed by another and another, all of them different. Jessica tried to sort out the sounds. Was one of them a tiger or was it a lion? And she was almost certain she heard a bear.
Hades froze where he stood and his demons ceased to fight. Both Mordecai and Arand looked toward the howls and roars. Sabrina was watching the woods too. The goddess seemed to be giving off a glow, which grew brighter with each passing second. The smile on her face was the most beautiful thing Jessica had ever seen.
It seemed, in that moment, the entire world held its breath and waited.
Chapter Fifteen
Sabrina tensed, her finger tightening on the trigger until she forced herself to relax. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally fire the shotgun. She didn’t have much ammunition.
What was going on? She’d seen Jessica sneaking out to tend to Mordecai, and moments later the warrior had revived and shifted into a giant dragon straight out of some fantasy novel. And he seemed to be on their side, frying demons with his fiery breath. Very cool.
Arand fought the ugly-looking demon Hades had called Agmar, keeping him away from her. He had a sword in one hand and had morphed his other hand into a paw tipped with long claws, using it to rip at the demon’s vulnerable points.
But it was the Lady of the Beasts who drew her attention. She wasn’t overly tall, but she was stunning with her long brown hair that touched the ground and her clear sky-blue eyes. They were old, those eyes, and filled with the wisdom of the ages. She wore a simple leather sheath and her feet were bare.
Sabrina would never forget the look of sheer love in Arand’s gaze as he’d dropped to one knee and called his goddess by name. Envy was an ugly emotion, but Sabrina felt it. She wanted that look turned toward her. She’d told Arand she loved him and he’d said nothing in return.
That hurt. A lot. But her love for him was what it was and she wouldn’t change it. She’d help him fight Hades and then she’d set him free to return to his Lady. Being alive and knowing she’d played a small part in helping Arand be free and alive was more than enough for her.