Page 86 of Grave Consequences
“Can’t wait!” I call like a smart ass.
Iceman gives me a wry look. “You really love to push his buttons, don’t you?”
“Yep,” I say with a grin. “But I have to enjoy every little piece of happiness I can get, since it seems like my life isn’t going to be getting easier any time soon.”
The guys all surround me, like they’re silently offering me their support. “We’ve got your back. Every step of the way,” Iceman promises.
“I know,” I reply with a smile as I look at each of them and wonder how the hell I got so lucky to find them. I take a deep breath. “I guess we should go down to Hell’s Embrace? See if we can figure out whatever vague talk Nefta hinted at with the Hellgate?”
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Echo asks me.
“I have to be,” I answer honestly. “Our portal is fucked, and apparently, I can’t be a Gate Guardian, so I’m no help to you that way. My induction apparently did jack shit, but I’m not going to just leave the Gate and all of you vulnerable,” I say, shaking my head. No wonder I didn’t feel the attack the way they did. “I have to do something, or we could just get overrun again as soon as Morax regroups and starts building up his army again. We can’t waste any time.”
“Then let’s go,” Jerif says as he nods at me. “Call your scythe.”
I raise a brow at his bossy tone. “Aren’t you going to sayplease?” I say teasingly.
“No, but I’m sureyou’llbe saying that later when you beg,” he replies, and fuck, his banter wins over mine. My cheeks go pink at the wicked promise, and the other guys all seem to be on board with Jerif’s plan, which reminds me of that group sex dream I had in what seems like forever ago.
Fix the Hell Gate.
Fuck the shit out of my demons.
Try not to get caught and used as a pawn in realm domination.
Sweet, looks like a pretty solid to-do list to me.
I exhale a steady breath and shake out my hands. I loosen up, dispelling the arousal that Jerif stirred in my belly, and focus on calling my scythe. Holding my right palm up, I get ready for her. “Come on, Red Queen! Let’s do this shit.”
My hand prickles, and then my scythe appears in all her bladed glory. I let out a shriek that takes the guys by surprise as I jump in the air with a huge victorious smile on my face. “Yes! I fucking did it! Did you see that? I called and she appeared, just like that!”
“We saw,” Jerif says dryly, rolling his fiery eyes. “Now let’s go.”
I follow him and the others out of the room, tsking at his surliness. “Don’t worry, Queen,” I say, petting her wood slightly. “Jerif is very impressed with us, he just isn’t good at showing his feelings.”
Iceman snorts beside me, while Echo and Crux snicker.
“Keep it up, Warrior Princess, and I won’t just have you begging later. I’ll be painting that ass of yours red, too.”
Dammit, now I’m horny again. This is gonna be a long walk to the Hellgate.
25
Iexit the massive mausoleum that is Hell’s Embrace, and step out onto the path that leads to the actual Hellgate.
Luckily, the weird gong noise doesn’t go off like it did the first time I walked this path, so there’s no loud ass noise that rings out to deafen me. Which is a really good thing, because we’re on edge enough as it is. I think we were all half expecting for Morax to be here waiting to ambush us, but the long cavernous space is completely empty and quiet—thank fuck.
I don’t dare entertain an ounce of relief though; I’ve learned my lesson in thinking,oh good, this is going well.
We walk in alert silence, but nothing is hiding out in the shadows or leaps out to attack us. Echo disappears a few times, his body seeming to evaporate in the blackness around us, like he’s double-checking nothing is lurking around, but with a few sweeps in the shadows, he soon confirms that we’re alone.
We make quick time to the Hellgate, and I’m once again awed by its presence. Even more so now that I know beings like me helped to make this thing work.
I look up at the massive double doors made of blood-red flames, my eyes sweeping over their spiked tops. Instead of a sense of foreboding like I had the first time I saw it, I’m just filled with curiosity.
Now that I’m looking, and I meanreallylooking at it, I can see that it seems...tired. I know that’s a fucking weird thing to say about the doors of Hell, but some of the flames don’t look as thick or as strong as they should. There’s supposed to be a solidness to them—the flames should be so thick it should be just a conglomerate of layered red, barring any sight past them.
But instead, the Hellgate’s fire is completely out in some spots, and I know that’s where Morax’s army was able to break through.
