Chapter Fifteen #3
Ronin blinked. “Course he’s still there. The fucker wouldn’t stay away from you, and he couldn’t say no to you. I couldn’t have him messing things up.”
My jaw dropped. “Ronin! You have to get him out of there, it’s been six weeks!”
“Yeah, sure, but it’s not a big deal,” said the still-a-fucking-work-in-progress. “It’s not like he can suffocate or starve to death in there.”
“Get him out,” I gritted. “As soon as we leave, go straight to Abaddon and get him out of there.”
He sighed like I was being impossible. “If you insist.”
Tossing my head, I went over to Samael and Dora, falling in on Dora’s other side.
“Your last question is about the leech? Really?” Ronin’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “You’re not going to ask about breaking the sub bond?”
I was quiet a beat, then said, “No. Everyone’s already hinted at the terrible price of breaking the sub bond, and I’m not interested in either one of us paying it.
Besides, I kind of like the idea of us being linked across two worlds and two lifetimes.
” Turning around, I beamed at him—eyes shining, nose wrinkling and head tilting. “Because I love you.”
Ronin gaped at me, face frozen. In a blink, he fell to his knees, clutching his chest as if my confession made him too weak to stand. “I love you too.”
“Touching.” Samael’s heavy hands fell on my and Dora’s shoulders. “Shall we?”
“Yes,” I said clearly, shooting a smile at my sister. “Let’s go home.”
“Aww, leaving so soon?”
We whirled around as Lucifer ripped through reality, transporting into the room with a whoosh that blew three servants off their feet.
“But you haven’t said goodbye.”
“Charlotte! Dora! Run!”
The cry was barely out of Ronin’s mouth before Lucifer charged.
Samael threw us back, shoving us out of the way. Before our eyes, their human-safe wrappers melted—unleashing their true angel forms.
“Don’t look!” A heavy body pounced on me and Dora, clapping his hands over our eyes.
We huddled on the floor, smooshing our faces into the cold, gold-inlay marble as the battle raged above our heads.
“Ronin, get us out of here,” I shouted over the clanging of swords and fleshy impact of fists on skin. “Do another transportation spell!”
“I can’t! It’s Samael!” He pulled me closer. “Dark magic doesn’t work in a place filled with heaven’s divine energy!”
Why did magic have so many blasted rules!?
“Do you remember where the door is?” Ronin went on. “We have to crawl there without opening our eyes!”
“I understand!” I found Dora’s hand and squeezed tight. “We’re right behind you! Go!”
Ronin shuffled off of us and crawled to the door. My hand on his ankle was the only guide leading me away from the deadly battle, and as we crawled for our lives, I felt it.
Warmth—soft, safe, and soothing—seeped through my pores and into my bones, filling up every corner of my soul. It was as though the floodlights flicked on, and fear fled—escaping into the shadows.
“You’re safe,” the warmth whispered. “You’re strong. You are loved. You are destined to light this world on fire, child. No one has been born or made who can stand in your way.”
Amidst my pain, terror, and panic... I laughed.
Light, lifting laughter of joy filled my heart as deep as that warmth, spreading calm to everything it touched. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Everything’s going to be ok—”
“Goodbye, brother.”
“Errugh!”
The warmth vanished—ripped away so fast, it was as though I was plunged into an icy lake.
“No!” I screamed, tearing my eyes open... and meeting Samael’s as he fell.
He stumbled back, eyes bulged out of his head—staring confusedly down at the flaming sword stuck through his chest as if he didn’t know how it got there.
Samael dropped to his knees and Lucifer grabbed his wing, snatching a fistful of feathers on Samael’s way down.
The angel collapsed flat on his face. Dead.
“No! You monster, what did you do?!”
Lucifer grinned at me as he shrunk, quickly returning to his favored, red-eyed form. “What I did was get what I came here for.” He shook the feathers at me. “Forgive me, darling, for ever doubting you. You said you could deliver the feather of the air hallow, and here it is.”
At my feet, Dora and Ronin struggled to get up.
“What the— Fuck your stupid hallows!” I was crying. I couldn’t help it. Losing that warmth left me feeling like all the hope had gone out of the world. “You just called him your brother. How could you kill him!”
“Ehh.” Lucifer shrugged. “We weren’t close.”
“You piece of—!”
“Ah-ah,” Lucifer tutted. “What did I tell you about being mean to me right before I’m about to give you your present?
Now, I was pretty mad at you for kicking off this whole Hallow Hunt bullshit.
And even madder when my looking glass”—he snapped his fingers and a man-sized mirror appeared next to him, showing me and Ronin hugging goodbye in this very room—“and saw you two planning to escape out of my reach.
“Part of me wanted to come here and kill you fucking all, buuuttt,” he drew out, “since you did deliver an item for the spell right on time, I’ve decided to let you choose.”
Snap.
Lucifer snapped his fingers and the remaining servants still standing vanished from the room.
I didn’t understand what sending them away was supposed to achieve until twin shadows fell over me.
“Ahh!”
Twin pythons dropped from the beams and wound around Dora’s and Ronin’s throats. They ripped them away and up into the air before I could move.
The snakes slithered away, rushing their prizes to opposite ends of the room.
Dora choked and flailed, her nails desperately clawing at the python’s tail as it tightened around her throat.
“Choose!” Lucifer bellowed. “Who are you going to save, sweet Charlie? But don’t take too long deciding.”
The python twisted around Ronin’s abdomen—crushing him.
“Even for a demon, my babies deliver death within three minutes. So you save one, or you lose them both.”
“Lucifer!”
He waved. “Toodles.”
Lucifer winked out of the room, leaving me screaming in his wake.
“Char-lotte!” Ronin gasped, his face reddening dangerously. “D-Dora... go to... Dora!”
I sobbed, heart-shredding for my body was already turning in the direction he told me to go. “I’m sorry. I’m s-so sorry. I love you, Ronin. Always.” I ran for Dora—
—and didn’t move.
“What—?” Icy cold spread from my tattoo, hardening my lower limbs to lead. I wasn’t going anywhere. “What is this!”
Dora’s lips turned a dangerous blackish-blue. Her flailing feet started to slow.
“Fuck!” Ronin thrashed in the python’s grip. “It’s the... sub bond! It’s forcing you to choose me,” he burst out. “I order you to save your sister! I ORDER YOU TO SAVE YOUR SISTER!”
The cold gripped me, its invisible chains holding me back—demanding I accept the choice it made for me. “No!”
Dora stopped kicking. Her hands fell to her sides as her eyes drifted shut.
“NO!”
“Charlotte Hunter, I release you from the sub bond!”
BOOM!
Ronin’s python exploded—torn apart by the force of the fiery explosion. The flames greedily consumed it and then rushed through the room—
—and time stopped.
The rushing flames. The hissing snake in the rafters. My heartbeat. It all winked out.
I spun away and raced toward Samael. Reason wasn’t controlling me.
Neither was instinct. The only thing fueling my sprint as I crossed the room, ripped the flaming sword from Samael’s chest and jumped on Dora’s bed...
was the look on Lucifer’s face when I hunted him down, taught him my true name, and shoved it down his throat.
“Arggh!” Launching off the footboard, I hefted the sword high—and swung.
The blade sliced through the snake, severing it clean in two, and releasing its charge.
I seized Dora as she fell, then ran for the door—bursting into the hall as the explosion ripped through the bedroom, blowing the double doors right off the hinges.
We tumbled head over heels over limbs, collapsing into a groaning heap thirty feet away.
“Agh,” Dora wheezed—coughing and hacking as she sucked desperate air into her lungs. “What happened?” She eyed me, concern and relief warring on her face. “How did... you do that?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered—my mind trying, and failing, to understand how I outran a deadly explosion. “I just... don’t know.”