Chapter Thirty-Four
Enzo
Panic clawed at my frozen chest as I plummeted toward the earth. I tried desperately to call out to Serenity or Angelo—to scream for help, for anything—but my mouth wouldn't open. My jaw was locked tight by Marsha's spell, the magical ice sealing my lips shut as effectively as if they'd been sewn together. The air rushing past me carried no sound of my terror.
Then something massive flew underneath me with impossible timing, and suddenly I landed hard on a broad, scaly back that knocked what little breath I had left from my lungs. The surface was warm beneath me, scales sliding against my frozen fur. A magnificent lion's mane whipped in the wind directly in front of me, golden-brown strands tangling in the air.
Hades!
"Get them off me!" Marsha's scream tore across the battlefield, raw with panic and fury. She staggered backward, her arms flailing wildly as she clawed at the darkness wrapping around her body. Morden's shadows had slipped around her like living chains, winding tighter and tighter until she resembled amummy being devoured by the night itself. The dark tendrils covered her mouth, her eyes, binding her arms to her sides with inexorable force.
Her concentration shattered like glass.
The spell binding me broke with an almost audible snap. The ice inside me melted away in a rush of blessed warmth, sensation flooding back into my frozen limbs like fire through my veins. My wings suddenly responded to my desperate commands, muscles unlocking and stretching with painful relief.
I flapped my wings hard, launching myself off Hades' broad back with a burst of renewed energy. The swampy air had never felt so sweet in my lungs. Freedom sang through every fiber of my being as I shot toward the broken rose window, my small form darting through the jagged opening with inches to spare.
Glass shards still clung to the edges of the ancient frame, glinting like teeth in the lightning flashes. I felt the sharp edges brush against my wing membrane but didn't slow down. The cathedral's interior opened up before me—dark, vast, and filled with shadows that promised both danger and salvation.
A rush of displaced air and the scent of sulfur told me Hades was right behind me, his larger form barely squeezing through the opening with a scrape of scales against stone. His presence at my back was a comfort I hadn't expected but desperately needed.
Below me, I took in the cathedral. Valentin was chained against a pillar. He was awake and struggling against his chains like a mad man. A red headed girl was chained to another pillar, and I recognized her—Zoe Moore. She’d been imprisoned with Joy during Maximo’s—or rather Ari’s—human trafficking scheme. What the hell was she doing here? She was supposed to be home with her parents.
Then there were two people covered in vines. One had to be Rose and the other Alice. Neither of them were moving.
But what froze my blood was the black portal torn open in the cathedral’s center, Dark Demons pouring through. The edges crackled with dark energy, and through the opening I could see the stone fortress walls and flickering torches of Abaddon Rock. They were coming from the Dark Demon fortress—Abaddon Rock. Abaddon Rock wasn't in the Elder Dimension. It was high up in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Marsha must have opened a gateway to bring reinforcements. That portal had to be closed or we'd never fight off these demons.
Dark Demons slashed at me with their swords, blades whistling through the air as I dodged frantically. Then Hades roared drawing the demons’ attention away from me. Some of them flew up to fight him. I didn’t wait—I shot through the cathedral’s interior toward Rose, hoping I wasn’t too late.
I hovered next to Rose who was completely covered with those damn vines. I shifted back into human form. The transformation rippled through me with familiar discomfort—bones expanding, muscles reforming, the world shifting back to human perspective.
"Did you forget about me, vampire?"
The mocking voice sent ice down my spine. I whirled around, my heart lurching. Fuck. Faas stood twenty feet away, his face twisted into that same infuriating smirk I wanted to wipe away. A writhing fireball danced in his palm, orange flames casting flickering shadows across his features. The heat from it made the air shimmer, and I could smell the acrid scent of sulfur and burning magic.
"Hiding behind these walls like a fucking coward?" I snarled, letting all my rage and frustration pour into the words.
His eyes flashed with fury at the insult. He drew his arm back and hurled the fireball at me with deadly precision, the flames leaving a trail of sparks in the air.
But I was too fast. Angelo’s blood still surged through me, making me faster, Superman faster. I darted out of its trajectory, feeling the scorching heat pass inches from my face. The fireball was immediately swallowed by a dark shadow that materialized from nowhere, the flames sizzling away into nothing with a wet hiss.
A crash echoed through the cathedral as Marsha came flying through the front doors, her body wrapped in writhing shadows like a cocoon. She looked like a mummy made of living darkness, struggling and screaming beneath the bindings. She hit the floor hard and rolled, unable to break her fall with her arms pinned.
Heavy footsteps echoed as Tinker Bell and Morden stepped through the cathedral entrance with lethal purpose, their faces grim with determination. Dimitri and Lorcan were right behind them, both bloodied but still standing, weapons drawn and ready for more violence. I had no fucking idea where Keir was. The sight of them—battered but unbroken, ready to keep fighting—sent a surge of fierce pride through my chest.
Dimitri wiped demon blood from his face with the back of his hand and flashed a cocky grin. "Miss me?" Then his eyes found Valentin chained to the pillar, and the smirk vanished. He raced over, his boots pounding against the stone floor.
Valentin panted. “Dimitri, you’ve got to help Rose and Alice. They’re both dying wrapped up in those fucking vines.”
I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders, my fangs extending as I positioned myself for the fight. A smile crossed my face—vicious and satisfied. The cavalry had arrived. Relief and vindication flooded through me in equal measure, washing away some of the crushing weight I'd been carrying. Ari'scarefully laid plans were falling apart like a house of cards in a hurricane, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.
I could hardly wait to see his face when he arrived. It would be something I would savor forever.
Faas' arrogant expression crumbled as he took in the assembled force arrayed against him. His eyes darted between the warriors, calculating his odds and clearly not liking what he saw. He stepped back, wings already beginning to unfurl. "Fuck this shit." His voice cracked with panic as he flipped out his wings fully and launched himself toward the shimmering portal that was still open.
“Get out of my way!" He plowed through a cluster of dark demons like a battering ram, sending their bodies flying in all directions. Some crashed into walls, others tumbled across the floor. Then he burst through the portal's surface with a flash of light and disappeared, leaving only ripples in the magical gateway behind him.
Coward to the very end.