Hell's Phoenix (13 page)

Alessa and Nix…interesting that she’d guessed they were the hot ticket item of romances. And yet, the idea of Nix and Alessa together bothered her as much as Nix being with Micah in Hell. Her emotions were so screwed up.

Madison sighed, arranged several more pieces and then studied the design. Halfway finished with the project, she marveled how she’d only just begun piecing it together not an hour ago.

“Am I interrupting you, Madison?”

Madison glanced up to find Georgie standing in the doorway. She smiled at the older woman.

“No, come on in.” She set two more designs into their correct location and snacked on the gummy bears as she watched Georgie take a seat across from her.

“I could hear your thoughts.”

Madison arched an eyebrow. “Beg your pardon?” Last time she checked, she shared telepathy only with Zen, Petra, and Amos. She didn’t want Georgie in her head, also.

“Not literally.” She picked up a jigsaw piece and handed it to her. Madison accepted it and placed it in its spot. The prophet frowned. “How’d you know where that goes?”

“The same way you knew it was the next piece.” Madison bit the head off a gummy and then nibbled its body away.

“Your turbulent emotions were too much for me to ignore.” Madison would apologize if it was something she could help. She said nothing and Georgie didn’t seem to expect a response. “How long have you been having trouble sleeping, Madison?”

“Since Nix went to Hell.” She picked up the bag of gummies and offered them to Georgie, who declined with a shake of her head.

Georgie crossed her legs and sat back in the overstuffed chair. The matronly woman stared at the jigsaw, her forehead furrowed.

Madison sensed the woman had something on her mind. “Spit it out, Georgie.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not planning on coming back from Hell?”

“Kind of doubtful I will.”

“Your chances can’t be any worse than the chances of getting Nix out.” Georgie handed her another puzzle piece.

“Give me the other four beside it.” Madison pointed at them.

Georgie tapped her nail on the pieces. “These?”

“Yeah.” She held her hand out and the other four were dropped in her palm. “Micah needs us both, but I figure I’m a little more valuable. To him at least. That should up my chances of getting Nix out.”

A disgruntled snort stung the air. “Cynical attitudes irritate me.”

Madison laughed. “I’m being realistic and making plans just in case.” She set the pieces in place. “If I can get out, I will. My son needs me and Zen is a poor father figure.” A grunt of protest came from the dark corner. “So are you going to tell me a name?”

The prophet curled a lock of brown hair around her finger. “The name of Nix’s girl?”

“Of course.” Madison munched on a handful of gummies.

“No.”

“Georgie.” She swallowed the candy. “What if I don’t make it back? Then I’ll never know who his girl is.”

“Things have to progress in a certain order or Nix and his girl won’t hook up.”

“Right.” Riddles were getting old, but Madison thought she might be able to decipher this one. “Meaning Alessa has to make it out first before she and Nix can hook up.”

“Alessa?” Georgie’s eyes rounded and her mouth parted, as if startled by Madison’s deduction skills.

“Yeah, it was kind of easy figuring out Alessa is the one. No other chick in my group.”

Georgie gaped at her a long while. “You may be surprised, Madison. I didn’t think you would be, but now….”

“Surprised by what? Alessa being right for Nix? Nah, they already have history, so no big surprise.” At Georgie’s continued silence, Madison peeked through her lashes at the woman. “Were you talking about another surprise?”

Big shocker the woman didn’t answer her, but instead changed the subject. “This is a huge gamble, Madison. Are you sure you want to do this?” Georgie’s question stunned her. “No one would blame you if you backed out.”

“Amos would.” She selected a green gummy and consumed it. She’d blame herself, too, and that’s all that really mattered. “Do you really see that I have a different choice?”

The Birmingham mother-figure cast a quick glance in Zen’s direction and shook her head.

If anyone could dig Nix out of Hell, it would be someone like Madison with ties to the fiery locale.

“Amos says Nix has to come out.” Zen insisted on it, but Nix’s newfound identity wasn’t for her to confess. “The both of you see him returning. That’s gotta be fate, right?”

“It’s your fate that bothers me.”

“I have that taken care of.” Not that Georgie needed to know she and Zen had a plan to crush her soul if things got out of control in Hell. “Zen’s in charge if something goes wrong and I can’t make it out.”

“No.” Georgie shook her head, her loose curls bobbing. “That’s not what I mean.” She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “I cannot fathom the hell that Hell really is. I worry how traumatized Nix will be when he comes out, and I worry what you’ll suffer to break him out.” She splayed her fingers. “Look, I keep getting one recurring message about you. At first I thought I should keep it to myself. Now…I think it’s meant to help you manage or overcome what is to come.”

A cold chill skittered down her spine and she swallowed past the lump suddenly lodged in her throat. “No tampering with free will, Georgie.” Her words came out no louder than a whisper.

“This has nothing to do with free will, but is more like mental warfare. The same kind of ammunition Amos gives you before something happens.” Georgie rested her elbows on her thighs. Her hands met in the middle and her fingers interlaced.

Madison nodded and waited. She didn’t pick up the puzzle wedge, the one that drove her nuts, to put it into its spot. She even found the willpower to resist the call of the sugary gummy bears. Instead, she held Georgie’s gaze, knowing whatever bothered the psychic was important enough that she should take notice.

“If Micah should manage to bend you to his will in Hell—I’m not saying he will but….”

“But you think it likely,” Madison finished for her. Georgie’s pinched expression said volumes.

“
If
you fall to Micah, I want you to think, ‘My humanity will not fall to his will. For Phoenix and for Amos I will be stronger than his might.’ Do you think you can do that?”

What a fascinating pep talk to give herself in such a dire circumstance. The sardonic grin hit her lips before she could squelch it. “Sure, I can do that.” She adjusted the jigsaw piece that screamed to connect with its fellow mates. “And if that doesn’t work, Plan B is Zen.”

Chapter Eighteen

Amos had something to share with the group and his enthusiasm jigged his aura in a dance-like pattern. He’d practically dragged Madison into the dining room to join everyone, including the Birminghams, to unveil whatever he’d concocted to help them while in Hell. She was charmed he wanted to help her, so she didn’t spoil his fun by reminding him nothing of human origin could enter Hell.

Pride reflected from his blue eyes as he handed her the backpack. Tangible anticipation hung in the air as Madison unzipped the pack.

“Amos, this looks like a bunch of marbles.” A sting nipped her fingers when she buried them in the marbles.

“They are marbles crafted from magical hellfire, so they can enter Hell. And when they’re tossed around, they’ll trap demons and you’ll be able to move about without any intervention from them.” Excitement snapped from his aura in zigzag lines. “Daddy won’t be able to call up his defenses to battle your army of damned if his demons are trapped. You’ll be able to get Nix out like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Fear clenched her gut and wouldn’t release its hold. She rolled a marble between her finger and thumb, the power irritating her skin. “Who was with you when you crafted these?”

“Me.”

She glanced at Zen and mouthed ‘thank you’.

“Momma, you wouldn’t believe the things I’m able to do. It’s exciting! All this power to do neat stuff. I’m like Wolverine!”

The marbles would be a huge asset. The inherent ‘but’ at the end terrified her.

“Wolverine isn’t unbreakable, angel. Remember, neither are you.”

Amos scrunched up his forehead, and quirked his mouth in a grimace.

“Amos, promise me you won’t play with this stuff while I’m gone. I’ll be really vulnerable while I’m in Hell and I don’t need you used against me by your daddy.”

“It’s not like Daddy wants to hurt us.”

Tense silence struck the room. Breath strangled in her lungs. Dumbfounded by the naïve comment, she struggled to breathe through her sudden panic. What could she say to that? She wanted to scream and rant, but it would be an ineffective way to handle Amos. She slumped onto a stool, grappling for the correct way to address the topic.

“He loves us.” Amos persisted.

“That man does
not
love me.” She tossed the backpack on the table and rose to her feet, ready to flay skin off Micah’s bones. “All he’s ever done is manipulate me for his personal use. If that’s love—”

“Madison.” Zen shifted into telepathy after speaking her name.
Calm down
.

Petra took up her defense. “You know I love you, kiddo, and I think you’re freaking brilliant for your age. You’re right, Daddy won’t hurt you physically, but he can cause mental pain that’s worse than the physical. You already worry Madison won’t return from Hell. You let him dig his claws into you even a little and you’ll either do as he wants or he’ll hurt your momma to force you to work with him.” She grabbed the backpack full of marbles and shook it. “These are marvelous, but they’re short term. They’ll work for what we need. But they’ll also expose the signature of your power. That’ll make it easier for Daddy to track you afterward because he’ll have possession of your magic. So, goodbye invisible shield.”

Petra placed her hand inside the bag and winced. “You’re the best of all worlds, Amos. Human, angelic, and demonic. Your power will be unrivaled once it’s fully harnessed. And your momma is better than a pureblood succubus. Pandora ups the ante where she’s concerned as well. That type of mojo, when manifested properly, can rival Daddy’s angel and you can be sure, he’ll shape you to
his
preference. If all of Daddy’s plans come to fruition, a new trinity will evolve. Father, Son, and Holy Mother…the three of you. Each of you will work miracles at Daddy’s discretion, convincing people you’re all gods. At first, people will have the privilege of deciding if they wish to worship you, but as your authority grows stronger from the prayers you’ll receive, he’ll ultimately demand worship, and won’t tolerate any lack of devotion. It won’t take long for him to outgun God and when he does, Nix will open the door to Heaven’s destruction. All of the good in humanity will be destroyed from that point forward. Can you imagine such a world? Do you want to be a god of that world?”

The tidbit about Nix’s part in the plan stirred whispers among the Birminghams, but none of them questioned the statement. At least not yet.

Madison clenched the back of the chair she stood near, Micah’s blasphemous plan making her reel. Petra turned to her.

“So now you know, Madison.” Madison nodded slowly, thankful Petra answered the question she wouldn’t answer the other night. “I vow to you both right now, I’ll follow you regardless of the path you decide to take.”

Silence as thick as death weighted the room. Zen glared at Madison’s demon step-daughter. She couldn’t get a read on his thoughts, which worried her. But the ramifications of what she declared, affirming she fought for them regardless of side, bothered her. The avowal sounded too reverential and too much like what Micah wanted.

“Right.” Alessa broke the tense quiet clogging the room. “I’m taking the backpack and I’m following you into Hell. But, if you decide to go demonic, I’ll have to think on it and get back with you because that’s outside the parameters of our original pact. Deal, Commander in Chief?”

That snarky comment lessened the anxiety a smidge and Madison smiled.

“I’m not your Commander in Chief, Alessa. I hope to still be your friend when this is over.” She scrubbed her palms over her face. “Shit, I need a drink.”

“No liquor. You need to say clean.” Zen placed her knife, the one Nix had given her for her thirtieth birthday, on the table and spun it. How poetic. Alessa would sell her soul to save Nix, and they’d do it with the blade purchased by him. She bet when he selected the weapon he never envisioned it would be used to sever his lover’s soul from her body.

She glanced at her watch. Five minutes to four. Her nerves tangled in a hard knot in her belly and she death-gripped the chair. “I can’t do this, Alessa. And you’re crazy for agreeing.”

No one is worth selling her soul. No one! Am I really going to let Alessa damn hers for Nix
? But without her, Nix would remain damned. Amos was adamant about that fact.

Zen placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down onto the seat. Madison tried to shove her fingers through her hair, but she’d pulled it back into a tight ponytail, so she ended up with her fingers lodged in the trapped strands.

Zen tugged her hands away from her face, dislodging wayward strands of hair she could see out of the periphery of her vision, and knelt in front of her. He placed her hands on his knees, but held on tight. “Do you believe Phoenix is still worth this adventure?”

Adventure
?
Ha
!
Replace ‘adventure’ with ‘suicide mission’ and the question would be accurate
. Getting Nix out of Hell was the only hope that soothed her doubt. Dragging an accomplice into Hell with her…worried her.

“Yes, Zen, you know I do. But I can do this alone.”

“No, you can’t. You need Phoenix’s lucky charm or the mission fails. It’s the only reason why we sought out Alessandra to begin with. Amos told you this. Is Amos ever wrong?”

“You know Amos is right, honey,” Georgie added from the far end of the table.

Madison didn’t look her way. She glanced at Amos, who grinned, blew on his fingernails and buffed them on his shoulder. He puffed out his chest in mock superiority and Madison smiled. But Zen wasn’t finished.