Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(52)
Without looking at me, Death motioned to the circle surrounded by candles and Hellhounds. "You stand in the center."
I did as I was told, looking around the room. It had seemed more frightening when I’d first walked in. Now it reminded me of a sweat lodge. The ceiling dipped down with giant ledges connecting the walls, resembling bridges. I hoped the place had been renovated because I didn't relish one of those falling on top of my head.
"Give me your hand."
Death reached out, waiting for me to place my palm in his. It was an improvement since normally he would have grabbed it without warning. "Do you accept the duties of a Hellhound and vow to place them and your sisters above all else?'
"I do."
He grabbed a hunting knife from the table behind him and faced Echo, who was holding a large chalice. My stomach began to do cartwheels, which turned to full-blown flips as he slit one of her wrists and filled the chalice with her blood. The sight made me queasy, but she smiled at me in reassurance. He followed the same action with all of the Hellhounds until the chalice was filled with their blood and I was beginning to realize what he intended to do with it.
"Drink." Death placed it in my hands and I swallowed back bile. The idea of drinking their blood, especially so much, was revolting. However … I knew it was part of the deal I had made and I resigned myself to the task.
I gulped back the blood, forcing myself not to vomit, concentrating on any thought that stood a chance of distracting myself from my current predicament. I reached the bottom and handed it back, covering my mouth to keep them from seeing the grimace that would be permanently cemented there.
When Death turned to place the dagger and chalice on the table behind him, I couldn't stop myself from sticking my tongue out in disgust at the blood left behind on my tongue. Scrye smiled at me in understanding, with a silent promise not to say anything.
Death faced me once more. "Do you vow to protect innocents, avenge those who have been wronged, and condemn unholy souls?"
"I do." I was beginning to feel like I was in the middle of a wedding ceremony and I was the bride.
"Will you take the darkness within you in the name of all that is good?"
Darkness? No one said anything about darkness. "Yes."
Death smiled, making me uneasy.
"It's time for the naming ceremony. Normally I would do it, but you have a soul, which prevents me from seeing your true name. Scrye, on the other hand is talented that way."
The Hellhounds removed themselves from the circle, leaving me alone with Scrye. "Don't worry, this won't hurt." She looked deep into my eyes and grabbed my skull with both hands.
I fell into Scrye's eyes, like Alice down the rabbit hole, and found myself in a place that was most decidedly not Wonderland. It felt like I was standing on a precipice; the nine circles of Hell lay beneath, catatonic in its solidarity, the inhabitants maiming and killing one another. Though I couldn't hear the screams of torment, I seemed to have empathic abilities in this vision. Emotions overwhelmed me, drowning out true thought, as I was forced into the minds of tainted souls.
Those below were filled with selfish longing, pain, and anger. I was sickened by their arduous pursuit of their wants, coupled with memories of past acts. The murderers were the worst, replaying their handiwork like their most cherished dreams, only, to any sane person, it was disturbing. Suddenly, I had sunk into those deeds, looking through the eyes of the murderers, feeling their excitement at the chase and the satisfaction of their kills.
Anger spread through my bones, trickling deep into my stomach, making my muscles ache with despair. I wanted to rampage against them; death was too easy, and after seeing the way some of them killed ... they deserved far worse. Although, I had to acknowledge that some of the Hell dwellers didn't deserve the level of punishment they’d received.
Thrust from the vision, I stared into Scrye's opaque eyes as they crinkled with mirth.
"What?"
Her smile widened, "I've seen your name, it's Fury." Electricity coursed through my veins and my skin tingled, as if awakening from a dream. The Hellhounds repeated my name and I was flushed with power.
Death stood, watching me, before stepping from the shadows. Scrye joined the other Hellhounds. A silver aura surrounded Death, leaving me transfixed. I felt paralyzed, unable to react when he leaned forward to whisper, "Accept me within you and this won't hurt."
His lips captured mine, not a kiss, but something that predated sexual affections. He pulled me to him roughly, holding my back with one hand and my face with the other, fusing us as one.
His aura began to blend into a single thread transferring from his mouth to my own, funneling down my throat to reach my core. Gut-wrenching pain took over as my essence was altered and the original part became diluted.
The Fury within me was taking over my Willow aspects, eliminating my humanity. Death grasped my numb lips more firmly when I tried to pull away, but moments later he released me. My voice disappeared as Death examined me and I choked on the piece of Death within.
Each Hellhound took their original space within the circle. Echo's voice lifted into a wolf-like howl. The others joined, and soon I found I was following. My body shook, mimicking a seizure, and I grew worried. Had something gone wrong? The shaking accelerated, bringing a bone-crunching agony with it. I sought the others to find their forms distorted. I screamed and blacked out.