Betrothed to Jack Frost: Fire's Fury **SOON TO BE PUBLISHED**

10)Jack

"Virgin" by Manchester Orchestra


***
Elle removed her hand from Lucy's mouth once she dragged her back to the kitchen. Lucy looked to be about to hyperventilate but Elle didn't have time to calm her. They had bigger issues at large. Namely, the skeletal creature trying to claw down the bathroom door. "W-what the hell is g-going on??" Demanded Lucy as she cowered near the dishwasher.
Elle was about to say Lucy wouldn't believe her if she told her, but she doubted that the second the skeletal creature threw out the bathroom door with enough force that it flew across the hallway and shattered against the opposing wall. Anything was probably believable at this point. "Take this!" Said Elle as she made Lucy take ahold of her trusty baseball bat. "Hit anything that comes at us! I'll explain everything if we live!"

Lucy's hazel eyes went comically wide as she gaped at Elle. "IF?!"
Elle tried to focus on the monsters at hand and not Lucy's panicking. It was difficult; Lucy was near tears and all the while complaining how none of this seemed real. Elle needed to drown her out to focus on the skeleton monster currently limping down the hallway while simultaneously trying to listen to what was happening outside to know how many immortals or monsters were around. It was difficult; Lucy was crying and making inaudible sounds. Elle continued to have the growing fear that it wasn't a hell hound outside.

"Hel?" Questioned Elle as the skeleton monster finally limped its way to the kitchen. The creature smiled darkly at Elle while Lucy started screaming. It didn't have eyes. A soulless black stared out through empty eye sockets.
"No, Queen Evangeline," the monster purred with a throaty sound. "The Goddess Hel has no time to spare, not with the destruction of the realms coming!"

Elle didn't want to show this monster fear. "I'm offended, she couldn't come kill me herself?" she mocked, slowly back stepping. "She sent a wimpy skeleton?" She didn't want to attack this creature; not yet. Elle wanted a better idea as to what was going on, what was coming next. Maybe if she let the creature talk, it would reveal its intentions.
The skeletal creature hissed. "I am a follower of Lady Hel; determined to see that her father, the all-powerful Loki, rise supreme above the Olympians!"
"I guess you're going to be disappointed when he fails," said Elle coolly. "He's no match for the Olympians."
Although it was wrong to antagonize the bad guy, she received an odd sense of satisfaction annoying the rail-thin monster.
The creature hissed again as it swiped a clawed hand towards Elle's direction. It hobbled further along, seeming to feel moving slower was the way to catch Elle off guard to move closer. The skeleton advanced even closer, now within an arms reach.
"Your head will make an excellent trophy to move me up in the ranks of hell, Queen-"
The skeleton was cut off from speech at the same time a loud SWOOSH sound occurred. Elle's mouth fell open as the skeletal creature instantly scattered into hundreds of smaller pieces courtesy of being hit with the baseball bat. Elle's head swiveled to stare at Lucy who looked oddly apologetic.

"Y-you said h-hit anything that moves!"
"Good job," encouraged Elle, smiling weakly before her mouth dropped into an o of horror. The skeleton monster was already starting to reassemble itself. Its arms were trying to slowly piece itself together, its torso wiggling closer to find its head. There was no time to burn the skeleton with her own abilities, Elle needed to save her strength in case whatever it was that was outside decided to come in.

Lucy again whacked the skeleton creature, once more causing the pieces to scatter.
"Keep doing that, I have to see if more are coming!"
"W-where's Shadow?" Whimpered Lucy, watching the skeletal pieces once more try to reassemble before she whacked it again.
Elle didn't answer for she had no idea where the loyal German Shepherd was. Whatever it was outside could have already killed her...
She shook off the horrid thought. At that moment, a very disturbing laugh occurred, one from no one that Elle knew. A stranger materialized among them, seemingly appearing from thin air.

"How does it feel?" The question came from a towering figure at the other end of the hallway. He stood at an impressive height of 6'5", if not taller, with arms resembling thick tree branches. His stocky hands seemed as substantial as hams, and his long, dark-brown hair, almost black, cascaded braid went down his back, nearly reaching his buttocks. Strange tribal tattoos adorned his arms, accentuated by a sleeveless shirt that hugged every contour of his muscular frame. Elle was certain she had never encountered this new arrival before.

Lucy was still yelling wildly as she continued to hit at the skeleton monster. It was doubtful she was aware of the new arrival.
"How does it feel knowing that your husband and the Olympian's have left you to die...?" asked the newcomer.
Elle allowed a large flame to grow in her left hand while her right held the ax. She tried not to show fear even though she could hear a window breaking in the living room. It didn't matter whether it was another skeleton monster or not, it meant Elle and Lucy were now outnumbered.
"Who are you?" Elle hoped her voice didn't sound as fearful as she felt.

"Fenrir the Great," said the man boldly. Elle tried not to show fear. No, this was not the Norse God Loki's daughter. Instead, it was one of his sons. "Your murderer!" Fenrir seethed before launching forward. Anticipating something bad was bound to happen, Elle launched her fireball towards the approaching Fenrir. The monstrous man hissed but did not halt his movements. It simply sparked him similar to how a sparkler could affect someone if they held it too close on the fourth of July. Elle knew she had to think fast. She launched the ax at Fenrir, near certain it was bound to strike him to the head. She wasn't an expert ax thrower by any means, but she had enough practice throwing spears with Hermes to know how to throw one. But Elle was mistaken. Fenrir was too quick for the throw of the ax; he too easily moved his head at the moment impact was about to strike. The ax roughly bit into the wall behind him.

Darting back to the kitchen, Elle jumped over the hundreds of pieces of skeleton Lucy was still watching over. Hurrying as Fenrir made his way into the kitchen, Elle moved to grab the can of gasoline off the counter. She quickly threw some over the pieces of skeleton before throwing a larger amount onto Fenrir.

A throaty sound started deep within Fenrir's throat showcasing his sudden rage. He stopped his advancing to growl menacingly. "One step closer and I kill you," warned Elle as she started another ball of flame in her hands. Although Fenrir snorted at this threat, he did not advance further. Part of him must felt it was possible she could accomplish her threat.
"Your dad Loki probably warned you of what happens when you make me angry," said Elle, growing the ball of flame larger.
Lucy suddenly halted her moves of trying to constantly kill the skeleton monster. She gaped at Elle with wide eyes.

"You have sooooo much explaining to do," she warned before once again returning to bashing the skeleton to bits. Any moment she spent not hitting it was time the skeleton spent trying to reapply itself. "Why won't you just die?!" Lucy wailed as the skeleton kept trying to reassemble.
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," announced Fenrir, almost sounding bored.
"As if I'm going to give you an easier way to kill me!" Shot back Elle. She understood the intent to kill her, but assuming she would roll over and allow them to do the deed was simply insulting.
"That's not quite what I was referring to," said Fenrir. Easily - too easily- he swiped the nearby Lucy into a choke hold. Her bat clattered to the ground beneath her tan clogs. Now there was nothing stopping the skeleton from slowly trying to assemble again. Lucy wiggled helplessly.
"Let her go!!"

"You must already know my demand," said Fenrir in a growl. He provided a smile. "Surrender at once and allow your immediate demise, or, I snap this frail human's neck. "I can tell from the passion in your eyes you're quite fond of her."
"You kill her, and I'll set you on fire immediately," warned Elle, allowing the flames in her hand to grow nearly a foot tall. "This won't end well for either of us!"

Lucy's eyes were wild with fear. They darted back and forth to Fenrir holding her to back at Elle and the fire. "Do you really believe that it'll be that easy to kill a son of Loki?" mocked Fenrir. He spoke with confidence; but his eyes betrayed him. They held slight fear.
Elle did not believe such a thing. Knowing her bad luck, it was not going to be that easy at all. Still, she tried not to show fear at the possibility of failing.
"It's worth a shot," she answered confidently, disappointed to find that the skeleton was nearly assembled once more. Its final pieces were that of its neck. Out of frustration, Elle kicked the skeletons head several feet away to make the body work to find it again. The detached head hissed in her direction once it hit the wallpapered kitchen wall roughly. Parts of its hyoid bone and ear ossicles chipped off after the hit.

"You'll be given to the count of three to surrender," said Fenrir firmly. "After that, I'll be snapping the girl's neck before feasting on her inner intestines. Then I'll be coming for you."
"Go ahead," sneered Elle, calling his bluff. There was a reason Fenrir had yet to kill Lucy. In his own small way, he must have feared the idea of Elle setting him aflame; otherwise, he would have killed her already.