Immortal Fire - Book One

The sound of someone speaking stirred me from my sleep. I did not want to wake up. I was going to kill Damien or Hayden for making such a noise when I was trying to sleep…

Groaning, I tried to get comfortable but found that I could not move. Memories flooded my mind and I realized what had happened and that I was not back at the warehouse in New York.

Opening my eyes, I struggled to focus as the room swam before me. Oh my god. Squeezing my eyes shut I opened them again and finally the scene before I came to view.

I was in a large hall. The walls and floors gleamed from the light reflecting from their surfaces that was cast by the open hearth in the center of the room. The hall seemed to be made from polished obsidian and marble. Looking slightly to my left, my head pounded with pain along with my neck. There was a large ornate throne resting upon a raised dais. This must be Hades’ throne room…

“Shit…” I muttered to myself as I struggled to break free, but it was futile.

My wrists were bound by cuffs that were bolted to the wall my back rested against and my feet were bound by the same platinum thread that held Cassie.

“Good morning sunshine,” said Damien from beside me. I had not even realized that he was there and almost had a heart attack when I heard him.

Looking at him now, he was bound the same way that I was, but he looked perfect as usual.

“How the fuck did you get caught?” I asked incredulously.

“The way you say that it almost sounds like an insult,” he replied. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed.

“I got distracted…” he said.

“By fucking what?” I asked. I could not believe that he had got caught…

“By you…” he answered rather shamefully, and then looked away. I did not know what to say or what to do. We did not have time for this now, so I moved on to the next question.

“Where is Cassie? Hades had her and he was draining her life force!” I struggled with the cuffs but gave up when they would not budge. The cold iron bit into my skin and I could feel the welts start to form.

“She’s here next to me,” he said and moved back as much as he could against the wall so that I could see her better. She was passed out and dangerously pale. My fear for her life spread through me.

“We need to get that platinum off her. It’s killing her.” I said leaning back and looking around the hall.

The hall had statues of Hades himself and his hell hounds lining the walls. It looked like something from a horror film. Movement from beside a statue directly across the hall from where we were restrained caught my attention. I thought it was another demon or Hades himself but then Hunter stepped out from the shadows. I was about to tell him off when I stopped myself at the sight of him.

Hunter walked across the hall to the steps of the dais and leaned against the banister as if for the support to stand. He had blood seeping through his grey button-up shirt. The top buttons were undone, and cuts lined the left side of his chest.

He did not seem to even notice us. He looked almost catatonic and then I remembered what Damien had found out about Hades’ mark and that Hunter technically was possessed and under the control of Hades himself.

Damien was watching him too with a look of concern. I thought of calling out to Hunter, but I still felt such rage and hatred toward him. The large double doors of the hall opened, and Hades stalked in like he owned the world… in some way he did own it if you thought about it.

“Ah, I see that you are awake. Wonderful,” he said sounding chipper as he walked up to the three of us chained to the wall like animals.

Hades stopped before Cassie first and looked her up and down disgusted before he moved to stand in front of Damien. Damien looked furious. I had never seen that look on him before and it scared even me. Damien’s golden eyes were glowing with fury. He was livid.

Hades’ laughter filled the hall as he looked down at Damien. “Finally, I have captured an angel of Christianity. You lot are usually tougher. Guess I captured a dud, and it doesn’t count then…” Hades smirked. Damien was pulling against the shackles, but it was getting him nowhere.

“Oh, don’t bother. Those are made from the very blood of the Gods, that has been fossilized. You aren’t going anywhere.” He said sounding bored.

“They aren’t my God,” said Damien from behind clenched teeth.

Hades just looked at him, seeming bored with the situation already, and then turned that cold gaze to me. I tried to seem indifferent, but my heart pounded in my chest. Hades stepped in front of me and knelt so that his face was inches from mine. He grabbed my face with his hand, and I could feel his nails dig into my cheeks as he squeezed.

Blood ran from the spots and Damien was cursing; struggling to get free. Hades’ eyes held mine and I forced myself to look him straight on and not show him that what he did was causing me a great deal of pain.

“Now, who is going to watch who burns?” he asked before violently releasing my face with a shove that knocked my head against the wall behind me and standing up swiftly.

I forced my jaw open and closed in some way to relieve some of the pain Hades had inflicted. Lifting my head, I smiled at him.

“I will still watch you burn, even if it means I burn alongside you,” I said defiantly. Hades’ eyes blazed red again in anger.

“You will not. That platinum around your ankles will keep you from using your Angel Fire, you deplorable child.” he snarled back at me.

“You better hope it works then,” I replied indifferently. Hades struck at my face, and I saw stars.

Damien was shouting profanities I had not even heard before and got struck across the face too. Hades then walked over to his throne and sat down. I had noticed that Hunter had not moved or said anything. He was still covered in blood, and I wanted to know why.

“What happened to Hunter? What did you do to him?” I asked.

Hades looked at Hunter and grunted disgustedly. “I did nothing. He tried to cut my mark from himself before the tracking could be completed to locate you.”

Hades spat at the ground at Hunter’s feet. If Hunter tried to get rid of the mark, then it must have been true that he could sometimes break through the possession. This new knowledge gave me hope and I looked at Hunter in a new light. Turning back to Hades I felt disgusted.

“What’s wrong with him now?” I asked. Hades glared at me.

“Quite the talkative one, aren’t you… just my luck. He is reliving all his memories and being punished. His skin is constantly being cut open… a mild punishment now that I think about it. When I think he has learned his lesson, a new mark will be placed.”

I could not believe it. Hades was fucking sick. It also meant that Hades did not have full control over Hunter, and I could use that to get us out of here. Damien was still watching Hunter and I could see he had a million thoughts going through his mind: probably the same as me. Hades watched me for quite some time and eventually I could not stand it anymore.

“What is your plan? Why have you been hunting me?” I asked.

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask that. It is usually the first thing sorry souls ask. Pathetic…” He was now pacing the hall like an enthralled scholar. “I need you to retrieve something of mine that was taken from me an exceptionally long time ago. I need it back, and you are the only one who can get it for me,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

Hades smiled broadly. “My Helm of Darkness; the light and dark elves hid it somewhere eons ago and I have located it. However, you are the only person who may enter to retrieve it as you have light and dark blood running through those veins,” he said pointing his finger at me.

I didn’t say anything in return, and I could see this aggravated him., This was not the entire plan… He was about to stalk over to me once more when a large demon entered, and Hades went over to him on the other side of the large hall. The two of them were locked in conversation and looked like they might have been a while.

“Keep watch,” I whispered to Damien who nodded and held his gaze on the two by the doors.

I struggled with all my might, but I could not break free. Slumping against the wall I looked defeated at my feet with the platinum thread. Maybe, just maybe my angel fire would still work even with the platinum. Nothing else that was the norm usually worked on me because of my mixed blood. Sitting up straight, I summoned the fire and let out a sigh of relief when it responded as it normally did, only slightly weaker. Damien looked quickly over to me before averting his eyes back to Hades and the demon.

“Aria don’t do it. You’ll get hurt.” he pleaded quietly. I scoffed at that and rolled my eyes, immediately wincing as my face pained

“Have you not seen what I am fucking looking like today?” I answered sarcastically. Blood covered my face and hair; my lip was swollen…

Bracing myself, I let the flames blaze up just enough to burn the cuffs that held my hands together. The fire itself did not hurt me but as soon as the cuffs melted, the molten metal ran across my flesh charring and melting it as it went. A whimper escaped me, and I struggled to hide back tears.

The distinctive smell of burning flesh made me gag. I turned my neck and buried my face into Damien’s shoulder as he kept watch and my tears ran down his taut skin.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my hands were free. Using my control over water, I summoned the water from the fountain near Hades’ throne.

Damien bent his head against mine and whispered soothing words to me, all the while never faltering with his watch. The cool water covered my hands like gloves, and I flinched from the sting but immediately felt relief.

Sniffing unattractively, I sat back with my hands still in place behind my back. Hunter was watching me but did not seem to register anything before him.

“Aria, pass me my dagger in my belt quickly before Hades see’s,” Damien whispered earnestly.

Doing as he said, I reached stealthily over his hips to his dagger and pulled it back quickly. The water was helping my hands, but they were still extremely painful. Hades must have genuinely thought there was no way we would be able to use our hands so there was no need to disarm us.

For a God, he was naïve. I passed the dagger to Damien behind his back where his hands were tied, and he began to pick at the lock. It was now my turn to keep watch and the demon was cowering away from Hades. He was angry about something, and I did not think we had much time left. Cassie was not cuffed as she could not even move with the platinum thread that wound around her, killing her.

Damien brushed his hand gently down my forearm behind my back. He was free and now was our chance. “What’s the plan?” he asked quietly, staring ahead as if we were still being held.

“We need Hunter. He will know how to find Hayden and a way out of here.” I whispered.

“We don’t know if we can trust him,” Damien said

“We need him, and I think we can trust him. Hades has not got a mark on him anymore and you heard what Hades said. Hunter cut the mark from himself trying to get rid of it before the tracking spell could be completed. He’s on our side.” Damien spared a glance at Hunter before looking back at Hades.

“Okay, but how do we get rid of Hades?” he said after a few minutes. This I already had planned.

“I’ll take care of Hades; you get that platinum off of Cassie when I do and then we get the fuck out of here,” I spoke. There was no time to plan anymore as the demon left and Hades was turning back to us. We looked like we had not moved, and Hades walked over to us.

As soon as he was close enough, I summoned the Angel fire behind my back and waited for him to be just where I knew he would. Hades bent down before me and wiped his thumb across my bloody lip before placing it in his mouth and smirking at me. Now was my chance. I grabbed his face with my burnt hands and watched as terror washed over his face. I forced the fire to shoot and consume his face, but he pushed my one hand away before it could contact the full force.

My other hand however stayed in place and Hades’ right side of his face and neck went up in sapphire flames. A horrific shriek sounded, and the walls shook. Hades disappeared then and Damien had already gotten rid of the platinum on our ankles and was helping Cassie when I ran over to Hunter who had not moved an inch. Grabbing his shoulders, I shook him violently. “Hunter! Hunter! Where is Hayden?” I screamed at him.

He just looked at me like I was an illusion. Damien had come over and was carrying Cassie who lay limp in his arms.

“We need to move!” Damien shouted. I agreed with him. Shaking Hunter was not working.

Losing my nerve and needing to get the hell out of here, I took a deep breath and did the one thing I had been wanting to do for a while now…

I pulled back with all my force and punched Hunter square in the face.

I shook my hand as pain raced up my arm.