Chapter 17
Seventeen
Ursula
Chains rattled as the steel gate juddered into action and was slowly raised. When it was a quarter of the way up, something smashed into it, impatient to get out.
“Fuck.” I gripped my axe tighter.
“Everything has its weakness. We just have to work out what it is,” Silas said.
I braced as the thick iron that was keeping the monster contained climbed higher.
With a roar, a huge head shoved through, thrashing against the gate that wasn’t wide enough yet. Silas swung his sword, warming up, a grim expression on his face. The creature shrieked and hissed and slammed against the gate, trying to break through, desperate to take a bite out of us.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t messing around. It smelled immortal blood, and it was fucking starving.
The gate slid a little higher. A massive serpent-looking creature burst out.
It had a long snakelike body covered in scales and hundreds of legs, like a giant centipede.
Its head was all dragon, like something from a messed-up fairy-tale book, only with glowing, hungry eyes and multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth designed to tear skin and flesh and grind down an immortal’s bones.
“Not seeing any way to get through the scales on that fucker,” I called.
As soon as I spoke, Silas charged forward, sword held over his head, his feet literally lifting off the ground from the brutal swing he brought down on the creature’s body.
His blade rang out like it had struck steel.
The monster spun around, and Silas dove to the side, rolling out of the way before bounding back to his feet.
“We need to get under its scales,” he yelled over the creature’s roars.
“I’ll distract it and you get around to the other side,” he said.
“The wider, thicker scales must be protecting its most vulnerable organs.”
That would make the most sense.
Silas waved his arms and ran to the right. As soon as the serpent spun to him, I sprinted in the opposite direction. I glanced up and Nathaniel and Eloa were flying high on their side of the arena, watching us and no doubt hoping for our demise.
The creature jerked its head forward, trying to take a bite out of Silas.
I dodged its flinging tail, ducking and sidestepping as I got closer—then jumped, digging my feet into its thick scales and quickly climbing it so it didn’t crush me.
Straddling it, I gritted my teeth and dug my axe under one of the thick, wide scales by my thigh, and wrenched it back as hard as I could.
It popped off, going flying and revealing soft, vulnerable flesh beneath.
The monster shrieked and thrashed, and I swung my axe, burying it into its flesh so I wouldn’t fall off.
Blue-green blood sprayed from the deep wound.
It bucked harder, but there was no way I was letting go.
I shoved my axe’s blade under another scale, and with a grunt, tore it off as well.
The creature thrashed like it’d been shocked, and this time, I was bucked off, my body hitting the hard-packed earth with a bone-crushing thud.
The beast spun in my direction, its legs a wave of movement, carrying its long body as it charged me at full speed.
Silas slammed into me, shoving me out of the way a moment before it smashed into the stone wall, stunning itself. I bounded back to my feet and ran at the creature, then jumped back up, Silas following. We wildly tore off more scales, repeatedly thrusting our blades as deep as we could.
Its blood coated us as the creature’s shrieks and wild thrashing slowed, the monster growing feeble as we hacked at its vital organs. It let loose one final shriek as its head swayed, before falling with a thunderous crash to the ground.
“I’ll check it’s dead,” Silas said, then slid down its back and jogged to check.
I climbed down after him right as the monster lifted its head, opened its mouth, and snapped its huge jaws around Silas, eating him whole.
“Silas,” I screamed and ran toward its clamped jaws.
Silas’s sword burst through its snout before I could reach him, and the monster’s mouth fell open. Silas stood there, jerking his sword from the roof of its mouth. I stopped short, my breath punched from my lungs as relief slammed through me.
“Found the weak spot,” he said and stumbled out.
He was covered in its blue-green blood, like I was, but there was also deep red dripping onto the ground around him. “You’re hurt,” I said and rushed forward.
“It’s just a scratch,” he said, panting.
“Bullshit, let me see.” His suit was torn at his side, and there was a deep gash in his skin that steadily leaked blood.
Fuck. It was bad. Was the creature’s saliva venomous?
Panic filled me. I didn’t have my bag. “Do you feel okay? Any dizziness? Nausea,” I asked as I applied pressure to the gaping wound.
“It wasn’t poisonous,” he said, seemingly unconcerned.
Well, I was. I was more than fucking concerned. “You’re losing too much blood.”
“I’ll be okay,” he said as the crowd roared their approval all around us.
“We need to treat it.”
He covered my hand with his, his gaze holding mine. “I’m okay, Urs.”
“You’re not fucking okay!” He was immortal. He’d live, but seeing him like this had set off a panic inside me that I couldn’t lock down, which was fucking stupid and proved what a moron I was for allowing myself to get close to him again.
He squeezed my hand. “Take a breath.”
“You take a breath.” I pulled my hand away from his because, honestly, I wanted to keep on holding it. “I’m breathing just fine,” I said, while I did my best to steady my stupid gasped breaths. “Worry about your own damn breathing.”
His hand slid over my shoulder, and his fingers curled around the back of my neck and rubbed, but whatever he was about to say to me was swallowed by the sound of the stone wall lowering between us and the angels.
I stepped back, and his hand dropped away. On the other side, Nathaniel and Eloa took us in, exhausted, and in Silas’s case bleeding, and smiled.
How the hell were we going to best them? “Their wings are too much of an advantage.”
Fury filled Silas’s eyes. “This next event, you take Eloa and leave Nathaniel to me.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t feeling confident, something that didn’t happen often. I was always confident in my abilities, but doubt was creeping in and I couldn’t stop it.
A huge angel rose in the stands. Uriel. Silas looked up, locking eyes with the male. Something passed between them, something I couldn’t read.
Nathaniel was watching the exchange as well, his gaze flying to Silas, then back to Uriel, and he looked furious. With a snarl, he swung his sword.
“What the hell’s going on, Silas?”
He drew in a deep breath and looked away from the stands. “I don’t know.”
He was lying. There was no doubt in my mind that he was fucking lying to me.
Something coiled in my stomach, dark and ugly. My gaze slid between Silas and Uriel, trying to understand what it was I’d just seen. “Yes, you do.”
“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”
“Silas.”
“Would you just trust me? Just this one fucking time?” he bit out.
I’d never heard him talk like that, not with that note of near desperation in his voice. “You want me to trust you? That’s something you earn. It’s fucking simple really, just don’t let me down.” The again went unsaid, but his flinch told me he heard it all the same.
Felditch strode back into the middle of the arena, and when he spun and aimed his staff at the dead beast, it vanished. “Did you enjoy the warm-up show?”
The crowd cheered and stomped their feet.
“Then let’s not delay. Are you ready for a battle between good and evil? Between dark and light? I know I am!”
Hell got a bad rap, but as far as I was concerned, it was up for debate as to who truly were the evil ones.
“It’s time to find out who is strong enough to win the ultimate prize!” Felditch yelled, then shot up into the sky, landing in the stands.
“Remember what I said? Leave Nathaniel to me,” Silas said and swung his sword.
The angels’ wings extended and they burst into the air. Silas and I stood back to back, turning, keeping them in our sights.
They attacked as one, swooping down, swords slashing through the air.
Silas deflected Nathaniel’s sword with his own, grabbed Nathaniel’s ankle, and yanked him from the air, hurling him to the ground while I ducked Eloa’s slashing sword and buried my axe in her thigh.
Nathaniel came after Silas again, and I engaged Eloa. She tried to fly away, and I grabbed a handful of feathers and tore them from her wing. She screamed and swung back, swinging wildly in her rage.
Silas and Nathaniel were clashing now, sparks flying off their swords.
Eloa came at me and I lifted a hand, blasting her with power, tossing her back. I glanced over at Silas, seeing blood pooling at his feet and his face drained of color. Gritting his teeth, his sword came down, clashing with Nathaniel’s over and over.
Yanking a knife from its sheath, I threw it at Eloa as she flew at me, the blade sinking into her shoulder. She yanked it free with a cry and tossed it back, trying to stick me with my own godsdamn knife.
I dove, rolling out of the way, and shot back to my feet. “That wasn’t very polite, now was it, Eloa.”
“Die, demon bitch,” she said, and spikes made of ice burst from her palms.
Throwing up my hands, I sent a blast of power back, blocking most of them before they could reach me. Two got through, and I gasped and staggered to the side. One was buried in my thigh, the other had sunk deep just above my hip.
Baring my teeth, I pulled them out, tossing them aside, and laughed. “Bitch, please. You’ll have to do better than that.”
She shrieked and ran at me, and I blasted her back a second time and ran at her.
She used her wings to propel her forward, and I dropped to my knees, skidding across the ground toward her.
As she swung out with her sword, trying to take off my fucking head, I leaned back and she barely missed me.
Reaching out, I grabbed her leg and swung around behind her, then using my axe, I sliced through the tendons of both ankles.
Screaming, she fell to the ground. I jumped on her before her healing could kick in. The bitch was fucking dead meat—a wrecking ball collided into my side, knocking me off her.
I hit the ground hard and quickly rolled to my back.
Nathaniel swung his sword as he advanced.
Oh fuck. Silas was on the ground behind him.
He was alive, I could see him breathing, but he wasn’t moving.
I tried to get up but everything fucking hurt.
That’s when I realized he hadn’t just slammed into me, he’d shoved his sword deep into my side.
I’d recover from it, it would heal, but not in the next few minutes, not the next few days.
I glanced up as I tried to scramble back. Roxy was on her feet, and by the hand Lothar had curled around her wrist, he was ready to restrain her. The rest of my sisters jumped to their feet as well, all standing. Even Uma looked ready to kill for me.
A smile curled my lips.
Nathaniel’s hate-filled gaze slid over me as he closed in. “What do you have to smile about, demon? I’m about to take your head.”
Ignoring the agony, I pushed myself up and staggered to my feet. “You won’t live long afterwards.”
“And who is going to kill me?” he spat.
I motioned to the stands. Every handmaid was slamming into an invisible field that Felditch had lifted around the stands. Lucifer was on his feet now as well, his eyes glowing bright yellow. “They’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth.”
“The rules prohibit retribution,” Nathaniel said, as if he’d bested me.
“Haven’t you been paying attention, Nate? We’re demon bitches, remember? Breaking the rules is what we do.” I scooped up my axe that had skidded from my hand and, with a cry of rage, attacked.
Our weapons clashed, the sound deafening.
He was so incredibly strong and power rolled from him in a chilling blast. He had the might of Heaven behind him, but I had darkness, and it surrounded me, comforting me.
It was as if Lucifer was right there at my side.
I felt him there, his love for me. No matter what happened today, live or die, he would take me home.
I stumbled and Nathaniel used his wings to propel him forward, advancing, not giving me the chance to catch my feet. I was going down, and I wasn’t sure if this time I could get back up. I’d lost too much blood, and the more I lost, the heavier my axe became.
My back slammed against the ground and Nathaniel kicked the axe from my hand, pressing the tip of his blade to my throat.
He smirked down at me and leaned in. “Don’t take this loss to heart, Ursula, you were never going to win.
Did you truly believe that Silas was ever on your side?
” Fury filled his eyes. “I know you caught the look between Silas and Uriel, I certainly did.” Hatred rolled from him.
“Looks like your fuck buddy’s been making secret deals. ”
Whatever that exchange was between Silas and Uriel, Nathaniel was furious about it.
My gaze sliced to Silas. He was struggling, trying to stand up. Blood poured from his back, his side. His gaze locked on mine. No. Nathaniel was just trying to fuck with my head. Silas would never do something so shitty.
Nathaniel grunted, and my gaze sliced back to him as he hit me with power, pinning me to the ground, holding me immobile. He was about to take my head—
Silas slammed into Nathaniel out of nowhere, knocking him on his ass.
He held his blade to the other angel’s throat, breathing hard, hissing through his teeth.
His chest heaved as he raised his sword, and with an agonized roar that echoed around the arena, brought the razor-sharp blade down with brutal force—and impaled the dirt beside Nathaniel’s head.
Silas’s gaze was locked on the other angel. “We surrender,” he said. “You win.”
What? No! “What are you doing?” I swiped up my axe and went for Nathaniel. Nothing happened. My arm was frozen midair, the blade of my axe hovering above him but not touching him.
Nathaniel was frozen as well—then he was gone. One moment he was about to eat my blade, the next he was on the other side of the arena.
My gaze shot back to Silas, his hand around the hilt of his sword still buried in the dirt, his silver gaze locked on mine.
He’d surrendered. He’d let them win.
My heart shattered.
He’d chosen them.