Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(58)

I stalked Asmodeus; not wanting to signal my approach and threw my whole body against his back. My teeth reached for his throat. Finding skin, I bit down with all the force I could muster. A sound tore through him that I recognized as a scream, but sounded closer to a terrifying song.

Asmodeus threw me off him and crouched. His face was twisted in anger, his eyes blazed with an inner fire, and his skin electrified with inscriptions.

“I will kill you for that!” He bared his teeth and I saw each of them was sharpened to fine points. I roared in response; begging him to try. A slow, wicked smile lit up his face; showing me that he understood my dare. My paws inched backwards, while his feet replaced the ground I gave up. I turned and ran; he pursued.

He was fast, but I had the strength of a panther behind my movements. I needed him to follow me. Ash was already dead, Willow badly wounded, and Liam’s injured was more extensive than I originally thought. I wouldn’t let him hurt anyone else I loved.

Izzy appeared in my path with the dagger. I shifted as quickly as possible and took the blade in my hands. She handed me my dress, which I threw on as I ran. It was dark and though I could hear his laughter behind me, I was terrified of making a wrong turn.

I was a mouse in a wooded maze. Asmodeus laughed as I made a futile attempt to escape, but only he knew the way out. He didn’t count on the fact that I never intended to find my way out. I was fighting for the survival of my loved ones now. I didn’t care if I lived or died, but I needed them to. If this would be my last stand, I could die with that. I refused to stop even though my veins melted away to acidic fire. I needed freedom from the cage he had made of my life. I needed to have a choice.

My dress strap caught on a branch and was torn free causing minor pain, when the edge pressed into my shoulder and drew blood. Chaotic laughter trailed behind me. The ageless trees loomed around me to conceal this creature, which would destroy everyone I loved. Their branches attempted to restrain my wrists, while their roots shackled my ankles. I clawed at the barriers until I came to a dead end. I had made a wrong turn.

Towering rocks trapped me between them and him. My attempt to climb them proved useless, which left me a single option. I turned to meet him in the dance of death. One of us would die tonight. I tore the dagger from the scabbard and threw the scabbard into the forest. I took a fighting stance and waited.





15: Ultimatum





LIAM





Willow leaned over Ash’s body and tore the vines from him. Tears carved their passage down her cheeks to bathe his face. I sat inches away holding my shirt to the wound from the icicle. I wanted to go after Savannah, but I knew I would be a liability. I tried to comfort Willow, but she pushed me away.

Willow gently lifted Ash’s head and bent her head to kiss his lips. I thought she was saying her goodbyes, but her body began to spasm. Her limbs tightened and relaxed in patterns, while she pulled his lips open. The spasms moved from the lower half of her body to the top in waves.

When the waves reached her neck, a long trail of green smoke trailed from her mouth like a snake. Its head moved clockwise around his lips and dipped into his mouth, similarly to how a child tests the water with their toes before diving in. The snake plunged into Ash’s mouth and down his throat.

I felt sick, as I watched the snake’s tail emerge from Willow’s mouth to swim into Ash’s. It caused Ash’s throat to expand with its size. Once the snake had left her completely, Willow collapsed beside Ash. Her chest continued to swell with each breath she took.

Ash’s body jerked. His eyes opened to reveal white sockets, while his chest twitched with electricity that ran along his skin. His body curled into the fetal position and wiped back, until I thought his spine would split in half.

Willow woke and scooted away from Ash’s body in horror. Her hand covered her mouth and a sound tore from her chest. It was a familiar sound; almost comforting. Though, I wasn’t anxious for her call to be answered.

The ground shook with the full force of her call. The air behind Ash turned into a minor cyclone; pulling debris into its vortex. I stood, still holding my wound and limped over to Willow. She finally quieted, but it was already too late. Death stepped through the vortex and walked forward.

With each step he took, the plants at his feet blackened and decayed. He was furious. Ash’s eyes blinked open. He sat up in amazement, but when he saw Death approach him, he did what any sane man would do; he moved away.

Behind Death, Kali and her sister Ivy came through the portal and it closed behind them. Ivy was smaller than her sisters. She had a petite frame, but was quick. Her Hellhound name was Poison, which suited her personality. Though, her appearance did not. She was a platinum blond with a vivacious body.

I cleared my throat. “What brings you three to my neck of the woods?”

Death flipped his head in my direction to assess me. He looked like an ordinary man; brown hair, onyx eyes, tall, and well built. However, he had such an intensity that no mortal could be in his presence without fear. This was Death; the one thing that all living beings avoided and feared.

“Silence.” Death turned to face Willow. “What makes you think that you have the right to command death?” His voice was hollow; like the absence of sound and yet we all heard him.

“I… If I have the power to do it that gives me the right.” She stood and placed herself between Ash and Death. “You are not going anywhere near him!”