Queen of the Underworld | Book 3

• sixty-one •

a/n: what song do you think would go best with this chapter, dear readers?

The demon didn't let my hand go not even for an instant.

At least I was released from the iron shackles, that was one hurdle down.

Julian was dragged along by Asmo who also kept a firm hold on him. I could see the gears in his mind turning as he watched me. He had seemed somewhat surprised at what I had told Runith and Mal. I knew he was trying to work out what I was going to do.

"Move fast, girl," Runith said pulling on my wrist until our noses were inches apart. "Take us to the Gates, fulfill your promise."

A familiar putrid smell came from his lips. It made my head spin and my stomach lurch suddenly. His breath was rancid, and the familiarity of it hit me suddenly. His breath smelled like the Styx, like rancid death and decomposition.

I nodded quietly, trying to avoid his face. "I'll do it, we just need to huddle together."

A loud banging sound followed by cheers rang through the room, it was far away but close. The sounds of the fighting that had just moments before been announced was coming closer and Runith's violet eyes scanned the doors he had directed a mercenary to go through.

He looked like a cornered tiger caught in a cage looking at the doors and windows, calculating exit scenarios.

A small hand clasped my shoulder and when I turned, I found Mal's calculating gaze. "Take us there, now. If you specter us anywhere else we will kill your lover as soon as we arrive, understand?"

I nodded when I saw everyone was close to each other.

I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. Spectering still was difficult to do and I'd never done it in the presence of so much dark power and after being shackled with iron for so long.

Julian watched me with worry and disappointment in his grey eyes.

I tried to ignore everything that was working against me and concentrated on where I needed to go. I thought of the menacing cavernous walls of the cave where Julian and I had once been. I remembered the sounds of the empty cave, the echoing sounds of dripping water as we edged closer to the Gates.

The tug of the change pulled at my stomach like it always did.

As soon as my feet felt solid ground again, I felt the the familiar iron clasps on my wrists just as I ducked to the ground.

I screamed in pain as iron burned and blistered my skin anew. I tumbled to the ground and out of the way just as the large Hellhound leapt towards us.

The walls shook and the rocks on the walls crumbled and fell as it reacted to the sheer power being exerted by everyone in the poorly lit cavern.

Mal's heavy accent broke through the noise. "It's an ambush!"

A large heavy hand grabbed my shackles and when I looked at the man, I didn't recognize him. His violet eyes were fierce and his teeth were gritted in anger. "You led us to an ambush!"

I pulled back from him. There was only one person whose breath smelled of death. Somehow, he'd changed from Damien's appearance to someone else, someone older.

He was suddenly pushed away and as he flew through the air, the pain intensified on my shackles until I was sure I would black out from the pain.

"Leah!" Julian choked out. "Help her!"

The world was spinning, I could feel my magic spilling from me like an open faucet. I couldn't concentrate, I could barely see around me.

Shaking hands were on me quickly. "Emmy," Leah said softly despite the chaos around us. "You're going to be all right, hold on."