“You shouldn’t, but what choice do you have?”
“I was rescued,” Marsha says, standing taller. Girl’s got balls.
Zeus eyeballs the very cell I was held in. “The door is locked and warded against teleportation.”
I blink. Oh shit. She was meant to be here, not in Anger where The Duchess planted her. Archan shoots Marsha a frown. The rest of the gang remain stoic even as they join together the dots and realize something is amiss.
“You are a lazy second rate god and no match for us,” Archan says by way of explanation.
Zeus waves his hand. “No matter, I have what I need from her.” His gaze narrows on the trident strapped to my back. “I see you’ve visited my brother.” He shoves his hands in his suit pockets. “It won’t save you where you are going, although you might last a little longer.”
“Why? Where is she going, you buffoon?” Jed asks with a roll of his eyes.
Zeus lifts his hand from his pocket and reveals the vial containing my blood. “Natia will do what I want her to, when I want her to. If I declare she walks off the edge of a cliff to her doom, that’s exactly what she will do.”
Nathan tilts his head. “That power is short-lived.”
Zeus tucks it back in his pocket with a frown. “Short lived is all I need. You are all so caught up with your very human feelings, it will be your downfall.” A taunting grin appears on his face as he focuses on Archan. “Love has made you blind. It is a weakness, one I plan to exploit.”
Archan remains impassive, even though we all know Zeus speaks the truth. The Duchess smiles at me. “How is that pesky curse? Your immortality dangles by the thinnest of threads.”
Lucifer steps forward. I grip his arm. “They aren’t worth it.”
Zeus’s grin gets wider. “You are right, Pandora, now is not our time. I will see you shortly. Do me a favor and fight me, it makes victory that much sweeter.”
I roll my eyes. “Zeus, when you’re weeping with defeat on the battlefield, remember you created me to destroy an entire race. You only have yourself to blame when I turn against you. In a battle of good against evil, good will always triumph. You know why?”
Zeus blinks like he’s seeing me for the first time as I continue. “Because you have put me through hell, and I still fight for mankind, for friendship, for love. Evil is a tunnel-visioned empty vessel, incapable of seeing beyond its own crusade. Just ask the King of Monsters.” I widen my eyes and look around the dungeon. “Oh, that’s right, you can’t, because I murdered him with nothing but a blade and the love in my heart for those I fight for. Love isn’t a weakness, you idiot, it gives us a purpose and drive you can’t possibly conceive. Yes, it drenches us in fear, a vulnerability that clenches a fist around our souls and steals our breath. But there is nothing more powerful than someone protecting those they love, so when I take you down, it won’t be mankind’s survival that gives me strength. It is the love of a friend,” I tighten my hand on Lucifer’s arm, “the power of a soul mate.” I slide my hand in Archan’s, as Zee and Duncan move to stand at my back. “It is the strength of a family. That is what you are up against. So, as you draw your last breath in this dimension, remember it’s not because you want to unleash Hell upon the Earth, it’s because you threatened those I love.”
Zeus’s jaw ticks as he sees the resolve in my eyes. “I’m counting on your love, silly girl,” he grits out before disappearing with The Duchess.
35
Chapter Thirty Five
Archan
There is as much beauty in the dark as there are horrors in the light.
The journey out of Violence was simple. A few drops of blood on an altar launched us into Fraud without fanfare. But the turbulent storm burning in Natia’s soul sets my mind into overdrive. Zeus has her blood. Once he ingests it, he will be able to control her for a short time. Whatever plan she has concocted is counting on him doing exactly that. I could pry her mind apart and pull out the secrets she is holding close to her heart, but that would be another violation of our bond. She forgave me once, I’m not sure I would be so lucky again.
“Is it meant to be like this?” Natia asks, spinning around to take in the endless barren cracked desert which touches the blood drenched sky.
Lucifer scans the distance. “No, the realm is full of deceivers, schemers, and scammers. Fraud is a highly populated level of Hell.”
“Zeus?” I ask.
Lucifer frowns and starts walking. “Perhaps.”
“So what is the tax in Fraud?” Natia asks as she walks by his side.
Lucifer glances at her. “A truth.”
Natia nods. “Easy peasy for me.”
“A truth you have never told anyone before. If there is a burning secret you are holding on to, the level will demand that as payment. So everyone better get their thinking caps on. The truth circle is only a few miles’ walk.”
Natia’s eyes drop to the floor, a frown marring her forehead. This should be interesting.
