Damned and Desperate (14 page)

She coughed, waving a hand in front of her face.

“I’m sorry,” I said as a blast of heat flamed my cheeks. Odd how I’d never noticed the smell of my breath before, not even with Ash, but this girl was different. Something in the softness of her gaze and the rosy hue of her full lips made me want to cry “Mine.” Instead, I squeezed my hands into fists until my talons cracked the skin, reminding myself Hell was no place for foolish notions. Damnation had a way of dangling a carrot in my face, only to pull it away the moment I reached for it. It had happened with Ash and my brother. It would happen with this girl, too.

“Where am I?” I asked, averting my gaze and focusing on the crude stitching of her grey robe. It reminded me of a nun’s habit, only so loose it fit her like a potato sack.

“Don’t worry. You are safe.” She leaned forward, patting my hand.

I jerked away with a scowl. The feel of her soft skin on my rough scales was too much. “That doesn’t tell me where I am.”

She carried the water basin to a nearby table. “You are underground in a hidden chamber far from harm,” she said over her shoulder, tossing a rag in the basin.

I eyed her skeptically. “Who are you?”

She turned, seemingly walking on a cloud as she glided toward me. “I am Cara, a sister of the web of light.” Her eyes glazed, and her voice had this hollow ring, making her sound like she was in a trance.

“A web? What web?” I didn’t like the sound of that. I had this odd feeling her religion had something to do with spiders, and even though I was a big, scary dragon who had fought monsters of all shapes and sizes, the only spiders I cared for were grilled and dead, very dead. The spiders on level one could release a poison so venomous, I would hallucinate while writhing in excruciating pain for days at a time.

She gestured to a darkened corridor behind her. “The web of light is our protector and giver of gifts. It is also the way to our fate, and accepting fate is our salvation.”

“I must have bumped my head when I fell,” I mumbled, feeling the base of my skull with my good arm. But wait a minute. How had I fallen? A rush of heat escaped my chest when the memories hit me. “Shadow!” I bellowed, balling my fists. “Where is he?”

She backed up several steps, waving a hand in front of her face as the gas from my breath filled our small chamber. She coughed out a response. “Your friend is above.”

“My friend?” I stumbled out of bed, leaning on the wall for support as a wave of dizziness overcame me. “Shadow isn’t my friend.” I needed to get the hell out of here before that tricky demon came back.

She came to me, resting a hand on my elbow. “He saved you from Doc’s demons.” She looked up at me with concern. “Now lie back down. You are unwell.”

“Doc?” I mumbled, inwardly cursing my weakness as I allowed her to help me back to the bed. I could have dusted her with one breath. Why did this woman think she could manipulate me? Why did I let her?

“Doc is the Marshal of the fourth dimension,” she said as she placed a soothing hand on my brow.

“The cuss who feeds the dragon?” I fought the urge to sigh into her touch. This woman had to be a witch. No other demon could have such a hold on me.

“Yes. But you don’t have to worry about him now. You are fortunate. Mother has only saved souls of women, for male demons are usually too hardened for repentance. Then Shadow came into our midst. Mother could not deny a soul who had been taken from Purgatory, for she knew the almighty God who gave her the web would be displeased. Shadow has convinced her you are worth protecting as well.” She pressed a cool wet cloth across my brow.

Damn, that felt nice.

“Mother?” I asked. The only kind of mothers I’d encountered in Hell hadn’t exactly conjured images of warm hugs and homemade jam.

“Mother is our high priestess, the seer of fate and keeper of the web of light.”

I looked into her eyes. They had that ethereal quality again, as if she were speaking in a dream.

“The what?” Though I thought she’d mentioned the web of light before, my brain was still too foggy to process what she meant.

“We are all lost souls who have found salvation, thanks to Mother.” It was obvious she held this Mother person in high reverence, but after dealing with Scorpius for over a hundred years, I knew all too well how powerful demons could enslave others. I did not know Mother, but already I mistrusted her.

I pushed her hand away, needing some space so I could think things through. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She clasped her hands in front of her, appearing more saint than sinner as she batted long lashes. “You will in time.”

In time? But I didn’t have time, did I? The Sergeant, and perhaps more of my friends, were being held prisoner by this Marshal, and I intended to get them out.

I threw my legs over the bed, attempting to stand once more.

“I need to get back to the quarry. My friend needs me.”

She blocked my path, holding out a steadying hand. “Is he big and green?”

“Yes.”

“Shadow has reported seeing him as well.” Her features fell as her soft voice took on a dark tone. “Mother would have saved him as well, since an imprisonment in Hell should not have been his fate, but she can’t save the souls who are marked for Zahaka.”

If I had been baffled before, it was nothing to the confusion I felt now. “I don’t think we’re speaking the same language.”

“Mother has already foreseen he will be nailed to the cross of sacrifice. He will be presented to the dragon, Zahaka.”

Unfortunately, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I’d seen the sacrifice first hand. “You’re telling me my friend is about to be eaten?”

Her narrow shoulders fell. “I’m sorry.”

So that was it? Because Sergeant had been slated for sacrifice, there was no way to save him? Bullshit. I bore down on her, steam pouring out of my nose. “I need to get him out.”

The walls of my cramped chamber began to rattle as debris rained down on my head.

“What’s happening?” I asked as I fell against the wall, shielding my head with my good wing.

The tendons in her neck strained as she clenched her hands. “Zahaka must be angry. Do not worry,” she said with a slight tremble in her voice as she tried to steady herself against the wall. “It will pass.”

Her false bravado wasn’t fooling me. “Don’t you fear the roof will cave in on our heads?”

Her gaze locked with mine, and I could tell it was taking all her willpower to keep her composure. “No. Mother’s demonlings will reinforce the cracks in the walls.”

Mother’s demonlings?

After the shaking subsided, I jutted a foot forward, but she made no attempt to move. “You are injured.” Her chest rose and fell, and the tension radiating from her was palpable. “You must rest.”

I grabbed her shoulders, ignoring her gasp as she leaned away from me. “There’s no time. Take me to your Mother.”

Ash MacLeod

After we walked for what felt like forever, the hot sand had burned two quarter-sized holes through the soles of my shoes and sweat dripped between my shoulder blades and down my brow in a constant stream. We passed a few tunnels, but they were nowhere near big enough to fit the giants. Besides, Jack had caught scent of something along the road. Even though Aedan kept grumbling we were going to be seen, we stayed on the surface the entire time. Good thing, too, because one thing I hated worse than heights was enclosed, dark spaces deep below the ground, especially when that ground was in Hell. No sense in trying to hide three giants, a two-headed dog the size of an elephant, some weird donkey guy with boulders for balls, a yellow birdzilla, and two white-winged angels. We looked like Barnum and Bailey’s traveling freak show.

When we reached a crest and spotted the faint lights coming from the town below, Goliath frowned, dragging a club through the dirt. “No see kin.”

I angled my head, peering up at him. “Don’t worry, Goliath. We’ll find them.”

“Unless kin cast down more levels.”

I cringed at that. Though I didn’t want him to be right, he had a valid concern. I just hoped we didn’t have to travel all the way down to level thirteen to get everyone, because I might have been a badass, demon-zapping big bird, but even I had my limits. Besides, I still had a soul-sucking dragon to contend with on this level. I didn’t think I could handle anything worse.

Aedan, Mar, and I hunkered down at the edge of the rock, checking out the town for any signs of trouble while the giants, Boner, and Jack scoped the perimeter.

I fanned my face as I watched Aedan look through his pair of magical binoculars that moments ago had been a bloody hammer. All he had to do was wish for them with his little star necklace, and voila, he had a brand new set. Kind of unfair Cam gave him the necklace and not me. Sure, I already had a kickass power, but Aedan had refused to wish me a swimming pool and a pitcher of frozen margaritas. It was the least he could have done to help me escape the infernal heat. At least Aedan kept turning rocks into water bottles. He was nice enough to share them with us, passing each one around the group, and then wishing for another after he grew tired of me complaining.

Thanks to my crazy PMS hormones (yeah, Aunt Flo had announced her early arrival during our torturous trek through the desert), I was twice as hot and three times as bitchy as everyone else. I eyed his star, taunting me as it gleamed in the firelight. I’d sure like to get my hands on that necklace and wish up some tampons, pain pills, and a big slice of chocolate brownie with a scoop of ice cream and hot fudge on top. Oh yeah, and I’d wish for that stick to fall out of Aedan’s ass. Right now he was too preoccupied with laying on the hot sand as still as a statue and watching the goings on of the little rickety town below.

From a distance, the place looked like an old ghost town, complete with a saloon and hotel, which took up an entire block, a trading post, and jail. Who the heck goes to Hell and checks into a hotel? And how did people pay for stuff? Did they have a credit system? Did they sell a piece of their soul? Where had the stuff come from, anyway? I watched as a horned demon heaved a big sack out of a cart and carried it into the trading post. I had to do a double take at the horses pulling his cart, for they appeared to be made of flame.

Piano music filtered in from the saloon as two demons tumbled out of it, fists flying and claws scratching when they rolled onto the ground. Then, much to my horror, one demon opened up an impossibly huge maw and bit off the other demon’s head, swallowing it whole. The headless demon ran into a post before falling to the ground, flailing around before it vanished into dust. Yikes. This place wasn’t just the Wild West. This was the Wicked Wild West on steroids.

I thought I heard Mar seizing. “Oh, dear heavens!” she exclaimed.

She was lying on Aedan’s other side, leaning into him way too close for my comfort, squeaking and gasping every five seconds.

Jeez, Louise! Why did Aedan insist on bringing her again? Oh, yeah, because he’s an idiot.

I squinted at the soft light in one of the hotel windows. The silhouette of a shapely woman passed behind it, and my first thought was Katherine. Mar gasped again, but since she’d been doing it ever since we’d gotten here, it was no surprise.

Whoever she was, I was suddenly envious. She had to have been having a better time in Hell than I was. As if on cue, I clenched my stomach as a wave of pain swept through me. Oh, holy Hell. I did not need PMS in a place like this. How the heck had it hit me so soon, anyway? I wasn’t supposed to start for another week. And this heat wasn’t helping things, either. Hot and sweaty didn’t exactly compliment bloated and achy.

“Do you think they have air conditioning?” I asked on a moan.

“My word,” Mar exclaimed. “I’ve never been this hot in all my days.” She had no idea how lucky she had it. She probably hadn’t had a visit from Aunt Flo in over a hundred years, and I bet she wasted all of that period-free sex time knitting sweaters.

Aedan still hadn’t answered my question. “Do you see anything?” I asked.

“The same scenery from ten seconds ago,” he answered dryly.

Okay, it hadn’t been ten seconds. More like two minutes. Guys were so freaking bad at measurements, especially when it came to dick size and units of time. In their world, four inches equaled six, and five minutes was equivalent to twenty. I had no idea how any of them ever passed math.

Another wave of misery washed over me. I wondered how long my undies and jeans would last before the red bulls-eye of shame made its mark. “Damn, my stomach hurts.”

“My hair has gone limp,” Mar whined. As if limp hair was as remotely as excruciating as period cramps.

Aedan set down his binoculars, glaring at her and then at me. “Do you two think you could stop complaining for a few minutes?”

“I beg your pardon!” Mar sounded crushed, as if Aedan had spit in her face.

I nudged Aedan in the ribs. “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to deal with PMS.”

“Oh, no.” Mar peered around Aedan, and for the first time looked at me as if I was a human being and not some nuisance. “It’s your womanly time? Have you no rags?”