Immortal Fire - Book One

“Nice doggy; good doggy…” I said shakily.

I hated that hell hounds always showed up behind you… The hell hound growled even more. I guessed he did not like being told that… I glanced sideways and Hayden was watching me intently. It was clear that he wanted to help me, but he knew that if he moved, it might be the very end of me.

I knew what I would ultimately have to do to get rid of him but I did not think it would go down too well with the others so I looked away from Hayden and hoped he did not know what I was planning because if this went wrong, I would be dead. I still held the dagger in my hand, and I clenched it tightly. I could feel the carved silver bite into my burned skin, but I ignored the pain.

Without warning, I lunged at Cerberus and he counters, fangs snapping near my throat as we struggled, and he ended up being on top of me. The dagger pierced the hell hound right in the chest and while I held him there, I let the angel fire flow into him. I knew that if I let him go, he would just vanish like he always did.

The hound snarled and went for my neck again, but I dodged it just in time. A few seconds later the hell hound fell back burning in an inferno of the heavenly blaze.

I fell back breathing hard and watched as the hell hound went still and the smell of rot filled the air. Hayden pulled me away in an instant and held my face tightly.

“Don’t you ever fucking do that again; you could have died!” he shouted, checking me over and pulling me toward the gate where Hunter and Damien stood waiting in an attack stance.

Hayden had been trying to pull me away when it was happening but could not get close enough because of the angel fire. The demons that had been chasing after us were almost by us when Hayden pushed me through the gate and Damien, and then Hunter followed.

Hunter was busy closing the gate in a hurried frenzy and Hayden pulled me back to the grass.

Looking around, I saw thankfully that no one was in the park, and it was late at night. Damien immediately went off to Cassie and was checking on her.

“Are you alright?” Hayden asked, holding my cheeks in his hands. His azure eyes searched mine and his blonde hair fell slightly in front of his face.

He looked worried as all hell, and I knew then at that moment that I loved him. I did not know why I ever doubted my feelings towards him.

“I love you,” I said, not answering his question.

He went still and looked at me like I was the most peculiar thing in the world. He traced his thumbs over my lips. My bottom lip was still split, and he lingered his thumb there. I was getting worried when he did not say anything back, but all my worries vanished when he brushed his lips against mine. Shivers ran through my body as that electricity between us flowed as it always did.

“I love you too” he whispered against my lips.

I could feel him smiling and I smiled in return. I could not help myself and kissed him hard, wrapping my arms around him tightly. I could get lost like this forever with him. Hayden lifted me and kissed me back in earnest.

Our moment was abruptly ended when Hunter shouted.

“Run!”

Hayden lowered me and we both turned to see what was going on. The gate was opening again, and Hunter was running over to us, as well as Damien and Cassie.

“What’s happening?” Hayden asked, frowning at the gate.

He tried to put himself in front of me, but I would not let him. I stood by his side, and that was where I would stay forever. He took my hand in his and I gripped him tightly.

“It’s Hades…” Hunter replied breathlessly, looking at his brother.

“He’s coming.”

I looked around at everyone standing there and I knew that Hades was not after them.

“You guys should go. You don’t need to be here…” I said to them.

“Hell no; nice try princess…” Damien said defiantly.

Cassie, who was leaning against Damien, nodded in agreement.

Hunter raised an eyebrow at me. “Sorry to burst your bubble but I have my issues with that old man and me staying has nothing to do with you sleeping with my brother… so I’m not going anywhere.” I could not believe this asshole!

“I’m not sleeping with your brother!” I said with my face going red.

“Not yet anyway…” Hunter said and winked at me.

“This isn’t the time for this shit!” Damien shouted.

Hunter and I looked away from each other and I could tell Hayden was finding it hard not to laugh at what his brother said. I slapped at his chest and glared at him. Some help he was…

All joking went away as the last of the gate opened and out stepped Hades. His face and neck were charred and black on the right-hand side. His eye was blinded as to the milky pools that swam there focused on nothing and there were no longer eyelids to cover portions of it. I wanted to gag at the sight of him.

Hades was smiling, if you could even call it that considering half of his face was missing. He didn’t move forward, and I could feel the tension between the five of us standing together as we waited to find out what was about to happen...

“Hunter, I see that you have them. Good work.” Hades said, speaking directly to Hunter.

The others stepped slightly away from Hunter, and I could tell Hayden and Damien were thinking they were wrong to trust him after all. I was not buying it. I still thought we could trust Hunter and that Hades was just playing the divide and conquer game now.

Hunter did not respond to Hades but stared him down with the most hatred I had ever witnessed on anyone before. He looked dangerous. Hades did not seem to notice and looked each one of us up and down as if we were dolls in a shop.

“Nice bunch you have here Hunter. Why don’t you stop messing around and hand them over to me? You can stop playing games now.” Hades said, acting as if he had already won.

“You are the one who plays fucking games.” Hunter sneered at Hades.

Hades one eye flared red as it always did when he was losing his temper and I knew that he was going to attack any minute now. He did not have the most patience and Hunter was pushing it to the limit.

As a precaution, I summoned the angel fire and held it within me in case I needed it. Hayden sensed what I was doing as he always did and released my hand after a quick squeeze so that I had the room I needed.

“Hunter, I command you to bring the Angelis Mortis to me now!” Hades boomed.

“You will command nothing of me!” Hunter shouted.

I knew Hades would not stand for that and I was right. Hades’ one good eye flared and the demons that had been waiting on the other side of the gate fired their weapons at us.

“Get down!” I shouted.

Immediately I set a ring of fire around my group. It was tall and would not let anything through. From within it, only silhouettes of the demons and Hades could be seen. The amount of fire I was using was creeping through my veins and I could feel every inch that licked at me. Hayden stood up from his crouch and stared at me.

“Wow…” he said.

“What… oh…” Hunter replied shocked as he looked up at me.

My body radiated the aqua blue of the flames and my eyes held flames within the irises. Flames curled around my arms as they silently crackled.

Looking at them once more, I turned and walked through the flames of heaven ignoring the screams of my friends to not go, and out to bring down the God of hell under the frost-bitten night of New York…