I tilt my head. “Yes.”
He delivers the swords to my hands. “Then we are friends?”
I shake my head. “I forgive you. Doesn’t mean we are friends.”
“Tricky bitch,” he chuckles, which makes my smile widen.
Jed taps me on my shoulder. “I got you something too.” He reaches behind his back and produces my whip.
I wrap it around my waist. “Thanks, Smoothie.”
“So he gets to be your friend?” Lucifer huffs.
I shake my head. “Seriously? You can’t see why I am angry at you?”
“Everyone was in on the memory wipe, but it’s always the fucking devil that gets the brunt of the fallout.”
“Not what I’m angry about, Lucifer,” I mutter.
“Here they come,” Zee hollers as demons of all shapes and sizes emerge from the shadows and surround us.
“Hello, old friends,” I say as some ugly hellhounds breach the darkness, their yellow eyes zeroing in on me.
The first wave of demons charge us, easily outnumbering us two to one, the hellhounds targeting me with their nasty teeth snapping and snarling.
“Come to mama,” I whisper, stepping back like I’m terrified. Their snouts push into the air, attempting to scent my fear but it’s useless in a realm drenched in suffering and pain.
The nearest beast launches himself at me, its jaws wide, aiming for my throat.
I jab up hard. My blade slides into its gut like butter, acidic intestines splatter onto the floor as it howls in agony. The second hound snarls as it rushes me, eyes flashing red as it snaps its teeth at my face. I elbow it in the face, snapping its jaw and sending it flying to the floor.
Zee stamps on its head and launches a fire ball into its stomach, its flesh cracking apart as it convulses on the ground. I turn my face away just as it explodes, but not before bits of it catch in my hair. “Every fucking time.” I yank them out, dropping them to the ground before drawing my blade.
“Locks,” Duncan shouts. “Duck.”
I drop to the floor and rotate one hundred and eighty degrees just as a giant octopus creature comes slithering towards me, Duncan’s blue magic flying over my head. The creature lifts one of its tentacles into the air and splits open; a block-headed slimy creature pokes its skull out, jaws stretching beyond the norm. It gobbles Duncan’s magic and the octopus swells, its dead eyes zeroing in on my prone position.
“That’s new.” I shuffle backwards, narrowly missing a snapping alien tentacle thing. I kick out, smashing the face of the mini monster. Just as the octopus swings another tentacle at me, I swipe out with my sword, severing the wiggling limb. It hits my side before dropping to the floor next to me. I kick it away and jump to my feet.
“Natia,” Zac shouts from behind the behemoth sea creature. I lock eyes with him. “Whip.”
I detach the whip and snap it out. Zac catches the end with a grimace before lowering it to waist height. “Sushi,” he explains. God help me that I understand the God of War’s one worded plans. I think I preferred it when we hated each other. Simpler times. We run around the octopus towards each other, wrapping the whip around its neck. We stop on opposite sides of the creature, and it figures out its predicament. The tiny monsters dart towards us with snapping teeth.
“Now,” I shout. We yank, and the head of the octopus swells. I pull harder.
“Put your back into it,” Zac says through gritted teeth.
“That’s what she said,” Jed yells. I roll my eyes.
Zee appears next to me and wraps his hands above mine. We wrench the whip together and the octopus’s head gives way with a huge pop. Zee and I drop to the ground. I prop myself up on my elbows just in time to see an eyeball float by on a river of slime. I glance around, finding our foe in pieces at the feet of the gang; we barely broke a sweat. It all seems a little too easy.
“Anyone else think that was too easy?” Nathan asks, offering me a hand. I drag myself up, hissing at a sting on my ribs. He frowns and cocks his head. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, just tweaked a muscle, I think.”
Archan stalks over, eyeing me from head to foot.
“I’m okay,” I mutter.
