“Sent you? Why?” His eyes narrowed. “How did you get here?”
“Reaver.” David opened his fist, and the Ramreels on either side of him reached for their weapons. He gulped, and very slowly held out his palm. “We found this in our archives. It was in a box marked with the agimortus symbol. We think that the agimortus can be transferred to this device and contained.”
Ares scowled, but at the same time, his heart leaped. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“We hadn’t either. We don’t know much about it. We were hoping you would know what to do with it. In any case, it’s better off in your hands than ours.”
Ares nodded to Vulgrim, who took the object from David and brought it over. He placed it in Ares’s hand. It was round, metallic, about the size of a golf ball. He didn’t recognize the etchings on it… some kind of demonic language, he thought. But why would there be demonic symbols on something meant to contain an agimortus—
Fuck!
He flicked his hand to hurl it to the floor, but it burst open, shooting tiny needles into his skin. The familiar burning sensation of being bitten by a hellhound shot up his arm and into his body. Every muscle and joint locked up, but his mind spun, and he tried to warn Cara, to tell her to run, but the poison was already affecting his mouth and tongue.
“Ares!” Her panic rang loud in her voice, and then the sounds of battle rang out even louder.
The two Ramreels pounded the human, knocking him to the ground as Vulgrim made a shield of himself in front of Ares and Cara. “Take the human to the dungeon,” Vulgrim snarled. “Find out what’s happening outside!”
But Ares knew. Pestilence was out there, and the only thing he could do now was pray that Than and Limos had arrived.
Cara’s hand closed around his, warm and comforting.
He should have killed her when he had the chance. God help him, he should have. Now she was going to suffer at Pestilence’s hand, and all because he was too weak to let go of the woman he loved. Everything he’d always believed, that loving someone made you weak, was true.
Limos and Than ran toward the house, the sound of Vulgrim’s shout hitting them as they’d stepped out of their individual portals.
“We’re too late,” Than barked.
Dammit! Limos had wanted to give Ares and Cara some time together, so they’d followed up on Thanatos’s lead regarding Pestilence’s whereabouts. They hadn’t found him, but they’d found one of his minions who had been all too gleeful about some plan Pestilence had to retrieve Deliverance from Ares.
She and Than had come straight here, but by the sound of things, they hadn’t been fast enough.
They burst through the front door and ran into the great room, where Ares was frozen in front of the fireplace, Vulgrim standing protectively in front of him, and Cara looking fierce despite the fact that she was pale, gaunt, and probably on the verge of collapse.
“He’s been poisoned with hellhound venom,” Vulgrim grunted. “My boys took the male responsible downstairs.”
“I heard a horse,” Cara said. “But I don’t know where. Outside, I think.” A crash of broken glass had Limos wheeling toward the hallway. “The dagger!” Cara started after Li, but Thanatos grabbed her.
Limos sprinted to the bedroom, drew short when she saw Pestilence standing there in his armor, Deliverance in his fist.
“Ah, Limos. So good to see you.” He frowned. “Sort of. Your presence ruins my plan to kill Cara, but hey, she’s near death anyway.”
Disgust bubbled up, completely destroying all the leftover happy-happy-joy-joy sentiments about him she’d held on to. Like Thanatos, she wanted to believe that there was some good left in the creature standing before her, but unlike Than, she knew they couldn’t bank on it. “Just so you know, I fully support the idea of ramming that dagger into your black heart.”
“Really?” Pestilence hefted the dagger in his palm, feeling its weight. “I saw the Dark Lord the other day. He asked about you.”
Limos snorted. “Did you tell him to go fuck himself?”
“I told him how you can’t wait to spread your legs for him.”
“Never.”
“You can’t fight him, sister. And once your Seal is broken, you won’t want to. But either way, he’ll take you. He’s getting impatient. He wants children.”
She shuddered, unable to imagine carrying Satan’s spawn in her belly. “You always swore you’d protect me from that fate. How a little thing like a broken Seal has changed you.”
His laughter grated on every nerve. “It isn’t the Seal. I’d have left you to your fate even if my Seal hadn’t broken once I learned what a lying, scheming bitch you were.” She stiffened as he leaned in, brushed his lips across her ear. “I know your secret.”
“You’ve always known that The Aegis didn’t lose Deliverance. You helped me cover the whole thing up.” After he’d rescued her from The Aegis’s grip, she’d fessed up, and he’d helped her do some creative rearranging of Aegi memories and promised to keep her secret from their brothers.
Thing was, she’d lied to Reseph, too. Even he hadn’t known the true reason she’d stolen the dagger.
“But now I know why you stole it,” he said, and her gut knotted. “But that’s not the secret I’m talking about. I’m talking about the other one. The big one.”
Her breath left her, her muscles went rubbery, and her blood congealed in her veins. When Pestilence stepped into his Harrowgate and disappeared, she nearly crumpled on legs that wouldn’t work anymore.
He knew. Dear God, he knew.
And if he spilled her secret to Thanatos and Ares, she’d lose everything.
Twenty-five
Cara’s legs gave out. She’d tried to stay on her feet as the battle raged around them, but as Ares’s muscles began to twitch as though thawing, hers turned to mush. She hit the floor hard, and instantly, Vulgrim lifted her into his furry arms.
“Cara,” Ares rasped.
Vulgrim shifted her close to Ares, and she reached out to cup his cheek. He quieted, though his eyes gleamed with pain.
Thanatos, who had remained in the great room to defend them, cursed when Limos returned, her expression troubled.
“Reseph has the dagger.”
“Dammit,” Thanatos snarled. “Ares, you were supposed to—” He cut himself off when he looked over at Cara, and she finished the sentence for him.
“Kill me. We’re both well aware of that. And it isn’t easy on either one of us, so I’d appreciate it if you kept your damned mouth shut.”
Limos’s violet eyes shot wide, and she casually sidled up to Thanatos as if thinking she’d need to restrain him. Several tense heartbeats passed. A rumble came up from deep in Ares’s chest, and dark shadows passed over Thanatos’s face. Finally, Thanatos’s lips quirked into a half-smile.
“You are either brave or foolish.”
“Neither,” she said. “I figure I’m going to die anyway, so I have nothing to lose by telling you what a jerk you’re being.”
“Thank God,” Limos sighed. “Someone else besides us who is willing to tell Than when to shove it. You’re a keeper, Cara.” Well, that made the room fall silent again, and Limos turned bright red. “Um, I, ah—”
“It’s okay.” Cara wriggled as best as she could in Vulgrim’s arms. “Ares?”
Ares’s head fell forward. His hand opened, and the little ball fell out.
Thanatos crouched and nudged it with the back of his gauntlet. “Son of a bitch. Handy little hellhound spit delivery device. Reseph always was inventive.”
“We have his minion in the basement,” Vulgrim said. “Maybe he can offer up some intel?”
“Oh, he’ll offer it up,” Thanatos said, as he strode away. “Give me five.”
Vulgrim placed Cara on the couch, and then he dragged Ares over and sank him next to her. Gradually, Ares regained the use of his body, and the first thing he did was take her in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“I am so sorry.”
She nearly laughed. “What is there to be sorry for? Not killing me?”
“I hesitated. And because of that…”
“You could turn evil. The world could end. I know. I get it.”
His hand came up and turned her face to him. “No. I failed to make sure you went quickly. Even if you were to suffer, at least you wouldn’t suffer in the afterlife, knowing that because of your death, Armageddon broke the world.”
Her eyes stung. They were on the verge of the end of the world, and he was worried about her soul. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“I’m a fool. For so many reasons.”
The pound of footsteps coming up the stairs drew their attention, and they all turned to the stairwell. Thanatos emerged, wiping his bloody hands on a towel. “That Guardian is toast.”
“He’s dead?”
“No. I pulped him, but I meant that he’s no longer human. Pestilence did something to him. Not sure what, but he’s not… right.”
“What did you get from him?” Ares asked.
“Obviously, he lied about Reaver bringing him here. And he gave up the location where they’re keeping Hal.”
Ares narrowed his eyes. “You think he’s telling the truth?”
“Even if I wasn’t sure of my methods, what he said matches up with what I got from Orelia. We need to head to Sithbludd.”
Cara perked up as much as she could. “We can save him before they kill him.” They all exchanged looks. “What? What is it?”
“Probably a trap,” Ares said. “If Pestilence knows we have his boy, he’ll know we’ll get information out of him. Which means he knows we’ll go after the dog in order to buy you some time. He’s well aware that we need to keep you alive as long as possible while we try to retrieve the dagger.”
“Of course we go after Hal,” Cara said.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Yes, I am. I’m dying, Ares. Whether it happens here or there makes no difference. So if there’s any way I can help—”
“How can you help?” Thanatos interrupted. His words were soft, not meant to be rude, and she didn’t take offense. “You’re weakened, barely able to stand. You’ll only get in our way if we have to worry about you.”
“Than…” Ares’s dangerous growl filled the room.
Cara squeezed his hand. “He’s right.” She arched an eyebrow at Than. “But not entirely. If my dream was any indication, Hal is crazed right now. He won’t allow any of you to help him. I can get close. Free him so he can flash away or call to his family to help fight. If you can’t get the dagger, saving Hal will buy us a few hours if he’s not being torn up in the pit. If you do retrieve the dagger, I’ll be right there.” In which case, saving Hal would be pointless, because he was going to die anyway. “We might not have even seconds to lose. You know I’m right.”
Yeah, they did. She could see it in their eyes.
“If I get the dagger,” Ares said, “I’m using it on Pestilence.”
The tension in the room quadrupled, but when Than inclined his head in a slow nod, the house breathed a slow sigh of relief.
But Cara wasn’t holding out for hope. If Ares got the dagger, Pestilence wasn’t going to stand still while his brother shoved a blade into his chest. No, Deliverance had her name on it, and she knew it. This mission was a one-way ticket for her.
Ares stood, all commander and military bearing. “Than, get as many of your vamps to fight as you can. I’ll send my Ramreels. Limos, call in every favor you’ve got in the underworld—”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sending anyone in my place. I’m going with you.”
“Li, you can’t,” Ares said.
Cara looked between them, confused. “Why can’t she?”
“As long as she’s in the human realm, she’s relatively safe from Satan. He can’t enter the human realm to get her, and thanks to an agreement our mother made long ago, he can’t send his minions to get her unless she gets cozy with a male—”
“Hey!” Limos jammed her fists on her hips. “Private much? Yes, I’m a proud member of the hymen club. So what?” She turned to Cara. “What he’s saying, in that doltish way of his, is that I’m safe up here. But all bets are off if I enter Sheoul. Some parts are safer than others for me, which is why I can go to the Horsemen every once in a while, even if I can’t stay for long.”
Ares scowled. “And only if all three of us are there with you.” He cursed. “Two of us. Doesn’t matter. You’re not going, Limos.”
“I have to. You need all the help you can get,” she argued. “And let’s face it… if we fail, I’ll end up there anyway.”
The foul words that fell from Ares’s and Thanatos’s mouths made Cara blush all the way to her hair follicles. Limos just crossed her arms over her chest, tapped her foot, and waited for the tirades to end.
“No amount of planning is going to make this battle go any better, Ares.” Thanatos’s yellow gaze was somber, and the shadows that seemed to perpetually follow him had gone still. “Reseph knows every trick up your sleeve, every play in your book.”
“We can’t rely on chaos and luck to defeat him,” Ares said.
“But that’s how Pestilence operates,” Limos said quietly. “It’ll be an even playing field.”
“Hardly. He has the high ground and a lot larger army.”
“Then,” came Reaver’s deep, ringing voice from the doorway, “we bring the element of surprise.”
Twenty-six
Ares did not want to do this. Oh, his body was alive with excitement—it craved battle. Craved the feel of flesh rending and bone crunching under his blade. But his heart and head weren’t in it. Not when he knew that one way or the other, Cara wasn’t coming back from their foray into Sheoul.
Reaver, who Ares owed an apology and who had been as battered as Harvester, had agreed to assist as much as he could, and though he couldn’t set foot in the region they were traveling to, he’d brought help in the form of Kynan, who was untouchable, and a blond Seminus demon named Wraith, who was apparently just as untouchable, part vampire, and the brother of Eidolon and Shade. Sin, their sister, and her vampire mate, Con, had come as well, since Sin was ultimately responsible for Pestilence’s Seal breaking in the first place.
And Shade had come to give Cara a power boost. It had improved her color and taken the cloudiness out of her eyes, but her lungs were rattling, and over the top of her head, Shade had given Ares the universal shake of the head that meant not much longer.
Fuck.
They exited the Harrowgate, which had been crammed full of people and three warhorses. Eerie silence greeted them. The only sound was that of the stallions’ hooves thudding on the hard-packed Sithbludd dirt.
Ares tightened his arm around Cara’s waist as she sat in front of him. “I’ve never been in this region before.”
Thanatos glanced around. “Me either.”
“Maybe because this place sucks.” Wraith flipped a throwing knife from hand to hand. “I thought we were going to get to fight. Talk about lame. I’m seriously disappointed in you Horsemen people.”
“Kynan?” Limos said sweetly. “Could you maybe have found a more annoying demon to bring with us?”
“Nope.” Kynan drew a stang from the harness beneath his leather bomber. “They don’t get more annoying than Wraith.”
“If you’re going to do something, you might as well be the best,” Wraith muttered, as he moved off toward an area of shadows. Not even the ever-present hazy light that permeated the land seemed to penetrate the murky darkness.
“What’s going on?” Cara’s voice was quiet, but whether it was because she was fading or because she was afraid, he didn’t know. “Where’s Hal?”
“Does any of this look familiar? From your dream?”
“Not really. When I saw it, there were lots of demons. It was smoky. There were big cliffs and vines. There’s nothing here. It’s like a gray
desert.”
“I think we were duped by the Aegi,” Than growled.
Kynan peered up where reddish, cloudlike wisps floated, providing a sense of depth. “Thanks for letting Reaver take David back to The Aegis. He’ll never be released again.”
Limos let out a dubious snort as Cara sniffed the air. “It’s weird. It smells the same. And I swear, I can feel Hal. Give me a second.” She leaned back against Ares, resting her head against his softened armor. He held her protectively as her lids closed over eyes that were far too dull.
Desperation, sadness, and anger all combined to create an emotional cocktail that threatened to knock Ares on his ass. He’d never felt this way about another person, and his heart was in foreign territory. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of this situation, but he had to get a grip, keep the wall up, because he needed to be stronger now than he’d ever been.
“I can hear him.” Cara kept her eyes closed, but pointed directly ahead. “That way. He’s snarling. He says… he says they’re here.” She frowned. “I don’t understand. Something about a wraith. And a veil. A… whisper veil?”
“Shit!” Ares wheeled Battle around. “Open the gate! Open the fucking gate!”
Sin and Con sprinted toward the Harrowgate. An ear-shattering boom rocked the area, and everyone stumbled, including the horses. The whisper veil, a concealment enchantment, lifted to reveal the true area, which was a sea of demons and weapons, and in front of the Harrowgate, a creature rose out of the ground, all wisps of mist, sharklike teeth, and claws as long as Ares was tall.
“Fucking vapor wraith!” Con grabbed Sin, yanking her off her feet to snatch her out of the way of the beast’s snapping jaws in the nick of time.
Ares hated vapor wraiths. They could be bound to Harrowgates, and while a single beast couldn’t screw much with Ares and his siblings, the three more that materialized, each progressively larger than the first twelve-footer, could put a hurting on them if they tried to get out through the gate.
And he didn’t have to attempt to throw his own portable gate to know that Pestilence had neutralized that ability.