Something hooked beneath my gut.
I’d put money on Mammon being the Lord of Greed.
“It wasn’t up for debate,” the winged beast snapped. “I’ll make you a deal. Give me the girl, and I’ll let you live.”
Leviathan just laughed, which intensified the dread creeping up my spine. I was either about to see Mammon turn him into a snake-kabob, or he had a trick up his sleeve yet.
I moved to the far end of my cage, trying to put as much distance between myself and these two as possible, but it wasn’t nearly far enough. My back pressed against the metal bars so hard, it hurt.
For a tense moment, no one moved or said anything, the tension so thick, Leviathan could slice through it with his claws. Mammon gripped my bars, ready to bend them apart to free me.
Leviathan lunged for the winged demon lord, who reacted just as quickly and swung a punch at the serpent demon’s face.
It was so fast, I was sure I was about to see the serpent hit the ground. He dove to the side, dodging the blow, and his body began to shift even before he righted himself.
Leviathan’s legs disappeared, replaced by a long, reptilian tail. His claws grew longer, his muscles twisting and contorting as he tripled in size. What was left was a hellish naga creature,half man, half snake. My eyes popped as I watched him whip forward, hitting Mammon straight in the chest.
They tumbled backward on the stone floor in a tangle of limbs, fists, fangs, and claws.
Leviathan’s sharp nails raked across Mammon’s impossibly thick skin, doing minimal damage that I could see, and the fire demon grappled with the thrashing tail. One of his blazing wings brushed against the silk sheets of Leviathan’s bed. The whole thing went up in flames in the blink of an eye.
Leviathan roared, his fist connecting with Mammon’s face, and I screamed as flames licked dangerously close to the cage.
As if disturbed by the Lord of Envy’s rage, the ocean outside began to crash harder, waves washing into the cavern and soaking the floor. A white crest crashed into the bed, putting out the fire a second later and leaving a crispy, drenched heap behind.
In the midst of the brawl, there was a crackle of red magic, and a giant iron hammer appeared in Mammon’s hand. He swung it—hard. It cracked Leviathan in the side of the head, sending him sprawling across the stone.
The demon Lord of Envy twitched on the cave floor but fell still a moment later and didn’t move again.
Seeing the serpent demon’s body splayed on the ground, I found my voice and finally screamed.
Mammon’s eyes snapped in my direction.
“As I was saying…” He approached the cage, still wielding the giant hammer in one hand. It was nearly as tall as I was, with multiple faces and ornate demonic runes carved into the handle. “You’re coming with me.”
I tried to back up, but there was nowhere to go. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I had to stall. Belial couldn’t be far away now…
Mammon laughed as he gripped the copper bars. Fire blazed beneath his touch, and the metal glowed hot before melting enough for him to bend them.
The bars groaned, and I screamed, “Leave me the fuck alone!”
He ignored me and warped the metal until there was a space big enough for me to fit.
“Come here, morsel,” he said, grabbing me by the forearm and yanking me out of my prison. I stumbled, trying to wrestle my arm out of his hold, but to no avail.
On the one hand, I was thankful to be free. But Belial had been right—as much as I hated it—that the cage had been the safest place for me to wait for his rescue. He’d told me to stay put in Leviathan’s realm until then.
By the time he got here, I’d be gone, pulled deeper into the depths of Hell.
“Let me go,” I screamed, pulling against his iron-like grip. I clawed, kicked, scratched, and bit at his hand until he grabbed me by the waist and tucked me up under one of his arms. He probably would have thrown me over his shoulder if not for the wings; they’d burn me alive.
“You’re a light little thing, morsel,” he said, carrying me as easily as if I was a bag of groceries. I swung my legs frantically, desperate to connect with something, but it was no use. “We’re gonna have to fatten you up for sure.”
My insides turned. I didn’t want to know why he’d want more meat on my bones or why he kept calling me ‘morsel’. Whatever he had planned for me, it wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all.
I screamed again, making eye contact with a helpless water demon servant as we marched by.
