Chapter 26 #3
“I don’t control Kurgan. If he wants to forgive our sire, that’s up to him.” She turned to me and held out her hand. “Zari, and he”—she pointed to the colossus behind her—“is my brother, Kurgan.” She smiled at him.
I tried not to show just how intimidated I was. “I’m Tempest.”
Zari tilted her head. “A witch.” She quirked a brow, her gaze sliding to Fender. “Are we expecting trouble?”
“Expect anything,” he said, then his gaze flashed red and went to Kurgan. “Tempest is mine. You will not touch her, understand?”
Kurgan’s lips curled up and he huffed out a sound that couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than derision. “I have a female,” he said in a voice that sounded like it echoed from the deepest of pits. “I have no use for yours.”
Roman and Fender shared a glance I couldn’t interpret, then Roman stepped forward. “It’s good to have you with us.”
He grunted and looked to Zari as if he were unsure. She nodded.
“Yes.” He grunted.
“You can’t do what you did last time you got out of Hell,” Fender said.
Kurgan’s nostrils flared.
“Kurgan knows what’s expected of him when we’re above ground,” Zari quickly said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Fender nodded. “Good, because nothing can go wrong. We need those weapons more now than ever. We’re trusting your judgment in this, and that you’ll have it handled if shit goes south.”
Zari bristled. “I wouldn’t have suggested Kurgan come if I didn’t think he was ready. The sooner he proves that to you, and to Lucifer, the sooner he can stay out of that damned cell, permanently.”
Both hounds made a sound that I assumed was agreement.
“You got the barter for Pan?” she asked Roman.
He jerked up his chin and patted the front pocket of his jeans.
“Let’s go, then,” Fender said, and he led the way along a short cave.
We all stopped when we reached the end. He lifted his hand and opened another gateway like the one that had brought us here, and this time when we stepped through, we were deep in Oldwood Forest, standing in front of the blue cliffs.
The hounds scanned the area, and I tried not to feel intimidated, but it wasn’t easy.
All of them were taller than me, and no doubt skilled fighters.
They were pack, family. I’d always known I was on my own, even when Matilda W was alive.
She’d been there for me, but she’d never let me fully rely on her because we both knew her time with me was limited, at least in the physical sense.
She was preparing me for what was to come, for the role I was chosen to do.
I’d been fine with that, my only experience with family had been warped and twisted.
My desire for a connection like that again had been shattered.
But standing there with the hounds now, the Matildas refusing to speak to me, that lonely sensation filled me again.
Roman and Fender shared glances and subtle movements that were barely perceptible, but they were communicating without words.
They knew each other so well, they didn’t need to talk.
Zari and Kurgan had their own connection, and I watched as she laid her hand on her brother’s bicep when he tensed after tilting his head back, scenting the forest air for the first time, and seeing him instantly calm.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t content in my solitude. I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
I envied what the hounds had so much it was an ache burning behind my ribs.
“Will Brigid’s ward still be in place?” Fender asked, breaking me from my pity spiral.
“It depends. Some spirits leave with their remains, some don’t. If she has, the ward should have lost a great deal of its power.”
“What are the chances she left?” Roman asked.
“Pretty low. Brigid wanted revenge for her sisters’ deaths. The kind of hatred she had for the angel Uriel doesn’t just go away. I’m sure her thirst for vengeance is just as strong now as it ever was.”
“How will we get through?” Zari asked.
“I’ll have to speak to her and ask if she’ll allow us admittance.”
Fender gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, but he didn’t look happy. “Best we follow your lead for this first part. If there’s anything you need us to do, just tell us.”
It felt good to be useful. “In her volatile state, especially after we entered her cave and disturbed her things, Brigid may be uneasy. She might not remember me, and instead of curiosity, she could attack, which means there is a risk for possession.”
“Possession?” Fender snarled. “No fucking way. No way. You’re not going back in there.”
“Yes, Fender, I am. I’m a witch. This is what I do.
” That wasn’t strictly true. I had done this before, but only once, when I’d gone to rescue a witch and her children—only it wasn’t just her husband twisted by dark magic; his father’s spirit had been there as well, and he’d been as evil as his son.
I shook off that hideous memory and held Fender’s wild amber-and-gold gaze.
“I hate everything about this,” he growled.
There was nothing I could do about that. The sooner we got this over with, the better. “If everyone but Fender could stay here, please.” I looked up at him. “I need to strip, and I’ll need help with the application of some oil.”