Revealing the Monster by Amelia Hutchins
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hell is full once more, but not with demons. Monsters have invaded and have come to play. ~Lena
The sound of men arguing woke me from my pain-filled nightmare. I blinked, staring up at a midnight sky. At least, I’d thought it was the sky. My head pounded, and the arguing got louder, adding to my headache. Turning my head to the side, I peered at the men that were screaming at one another.
Lucian stood outside the room’s barrier, his eyes glowing with anger, and Spyder was beside him, as were Ryder, Zahruk, and the other men. Lucifer and Asmodeus were with me on the other side. I tried to sit up, but hands gripped my shoulders, forcing me to peer up into black, sightless eyes.
“You’re not creepy or anything, right?” I muttered, staring at the demon holding me down.
I was weakened from blood loss, which I was certain had been their plan. I gradually turned my head to find Lucian watching me, his face giving nothing away. His entire form hummed with power, but I couldn’t tell what he felt.
If I had to guess, I was going with him really wanting to say ‘I told you so!’ right now. Not that I blamed him, but I’d been with him when I was taken.
“You will hand Lena over to me, now,” Lucian demanded.
“Or what? You can’t walk through the runes made to lock you out,” Lucifer snapped, crossing his arms over his chest while Asmodeus chuckled.
“You can have her once we’re done with her,” he offered, turning to nod at a demon that left the room.
I coughed, unable to get enough air into my lungs in my prone position. My eyes fluttered closed, and I slowly inhaled, only to cough more as something inhuman filled my nose with the putrid scent of death.
“You think I won’t rip this realm down to the baseboards? Give me my seal back, now. I won’t ask you again,” Lucian demanded, sending a strong buzzing noise of power rushing through the room. “These runes only prevent me from coming in the front door, asshole. I’ll come through that fucking floor if I need to.”
“You know you won’t survive topside, Asmodeus. Let our Kitty go, and we will help you take it over; scout’s honor.” Spyder thrummed his fingers on the barrier, his shadows searching it for any weakness but finding none. “Tick Tock, asshole. You piss Lucian off, and he’ll redo that pretty face of yours right after he fucks it.”
“Speaking of fucking, Luc here fucked your whore. She even enjoyed it, coming for him,” Asmodeus said crassly. “She smells deliciously wicked when that kitty is getting petted. Doesn’t she, Lucifer?”
“She’s intoxicating, Lucian. I see why you want to keep her. The thing is, you don’t need her coherent to fuck her, do you? Because I’m pretty sure that Asmodeus found a certain box, and once it’s opened by Lena, her life cycle of being soullessly driven by the furies ends. It’s a win, right? Asmodeus gets his throne in his own realm, which he was promised. I get Pandora back, along with her box being opened, allowing her to slaughter the worthless humans. You, you get your corpse back with the seal still contained inside of it. I fail to see where anyone isn’t happy here.”
“Minus the fact that Magdalena will be dead, asshole,” Spyder spat out, glaring murderously at Lucifer.
“Semantics, Shadow. She is already dead, isn’t she? Her soul is no longer inside of her, and no matter how hard you fucking try, you can’t figure out how to save her. Now you know how it feels to be helpless. It’s not a nice feeling, is it? Oh, that’s right. You were powerless before when I bashed her fucking head in, and you got to watch her slit that pretty throat of hers.”
I turned my head, peering across the room where Makenna had been placed into a medieval highchair. Turquoise eyes watched me, and she smiled, making the purest sound of joy that was out of place in the horror show playing out in front of her. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I made a soft sound to her in reply, causing the demon behind me to slap me.
He lifted his hand to assault me again. But Makenna made a gurgling noise, and then the demon let out a shrill cry before he imploded. The babe laughed, waving chubby arms while I gawked at her.
Holy fucking shit! Someone needed to get Jake from State Farm on the phone for this child because she was going to leave destruction in her wake.
I opened my mouth, but the screaming returned as the men argued. My wings itched, forcing me to free them, cutting through the rope holding me in place.
Slowly, I sat up, staring at Lucian while Asmodeus and Lucifer faced away from me. My body felt wrong, and the back of my head ached so much that my vision swam with each subtle movement. The demon that had been sent away reentered the room, turning to look at me where I was perched on my elbows, doing my best to get upright.
Eyes the color of a dark well slid to the remains of the other demon that bathed the wall with goo. The demon shifted his attention to Makenna, who continued making sweet noises. He bared his sharp, elongated teeth in her direction, and she waved her hands in the air, oblivious to the demon that was looking at her as if she was dinner.
The demon slowly made his way to where the Prince of Hell and the Prince of Lust stood, arguing over stupid shit while my head felt as if it once again had fluid escaping from it. I pushed up from the altar, using my wings to help as I fought to get my feet beneath me.
No one looked at me, even though I knew Lucian, and those who had come with him saw my movement. I stumbled forward as Asmodeus turned, smirking while he watched me through narrowing eyes.
“I don’t remember giving you permission to move. Do you? I must say, your perseverance is something to acknowledge, but we’re not to the part where you get to play with us yet, Magdalena.”
“Gods, you’re an asshole,” I muttered crossly, leaning back against the concrete altar that had markings all over it, along with dried blood. “I don’t know who does your housekeeping down here, Luc, but you should get a refund. I think the last victim’s blood is still crusted to this thing.” Cold violet eyes slid to mine, his lips curling inside a snide smile.
My bravado wavered, and a violent shiver snaked down my spine. I just had to make it past Lucifer and Asmodeus to reach Lucian, right? Makenna cooed and my heart sank. I wasn’t leaving her here.
I’d been wrong about Lucifer, and I couldn’t leave her behind. Swinging my gaze toward my sister’s daughter, I swallowed down the tears, knowing that both of us wouldn’t be getting out of here.
If I ran for her, Lucifer would be on me in seconds. That meant I’d have to throw her through the barrier, which left me behind.
My eyes swung back to Lucian’s, finding him shaking his head, reading my mind. I stepped forward, and Asmodeus made a tsking noise as he palmed the dagger in his hand.
“You know, I knew there was something different about the furies the first moment I sensed their arrival. My girls wouldn’t be fighting so hard against me. You’d be helpless to do anything other than what I demanded. Yet you fight me, don’t you, little girl? You’re not entirely soulless, after all. Are you? Nah, someone has been feeding you slivers of their soul but also something else. Lucian has been slowly bonding them inside of you, and no one was aware of it, were they?” Asmodeus asked, gradually making his way to me. “No matter, you see, I always have a backup plan. I had my men fish this dagger out of that prison where Lucian tossed it months ago.”
Lucifer moved closer, smirking wickedly while Asmodeus spoke. My eyes slid between them, holding Lucian’s stare while the two Princes of Hell walked toward me.
“Do you know what one little prick of this dagger will do to you, Magdalena?” Asmodeus asked, his dark blue gaze sparkling with laughter.
“I have a pretty clear picture of what it will do.” I didn’t move a single inch from where I stood, holding onto the altar as my feet refused to hold me up.
“Do you know it is the one dagger that can kill a Nephilim, too? It was actually made to do that, which will rid Lucifer of that pesky creature left behind by your sister. Once you and she die, your line is gone, isn’t it?” he continued. “I guess we should make that happen, shouldn’t we, Lucian? Lucifer has been distracted by the monstrosity that he created, neglecting what’s really important. And you, Lucian? You're supposed to be inside your own realm. Your time is finished here, and with this soulless bitch out of the way, your reason for remaining has disappeared.”
“Fred, you’re so fucked if you think that shit will work,” Erie snorted. “You’re getting duct-taped to the freezer this time.”
“You’re just in time to watch me slaughter this bitch, imagining she’s you, Mórrígan,” he chuckled.
“You’ve been naughty, Fred. Do you honestly believe if you kill Lena, you get to walk away from this? I promise you; you don’t. There’s too many of us and not enough of you left to try your hand and think you have a winning one.”
“Let’s see, shall we?” Asmodeus lunged toward me, but something else slammed into my body before he could reach me. I gasped at the agony in my chest, staring into violet eyes that widened in pain. “You fucking idiot! You weren’t supposed to die yet!”
“Makenna,” Lucifer whispered, blood splattering from his lips to paint my face. I pushed him away, rushing to the babe.
No sooner had I reached her and tossed her at the barrier that Asmodeus got to me. My wings flared, and I rounded, sending them cutting through the air. He shrieked, jumping back as his eyes turned red and his wings exploded from his spine.
Asmodeus lunged, and I backed up, dodging one attack after another while he tried to stab me with the golden dagger, pulsing with untold power.
His hand sliced through the air, forcing me to go in the opposite direction, but he grabbed onto one of my wings. Bone snapped, and he laughed as if we played a game.
A shrill cry of pain escaped my chest as he twisted my wing, sending my body flying to the floor. I arched off my spine, tears blinding me as I stood.
My wing hung limply behind me as the other flapped, unbalanced without the other one. I slid my gaze to Lucian as he and the others remained motionless, watching me lose against a much stronger creature.
Lucifer had taken a dagger to his chest for me and he was down. Lucian couldn’t get through the barrier, which left me fighting alone.
“He can’t save you.” Asmodeus pulled out what resembled a music box and held it toward me. “Open it so that I can kill you and end your suffering.”
“I’m not an animal, bitch. I don’t need to be put out of my misery.”
“Touch the fucking box!” he snarled.
I shot forward, slamming my hand against his arm, which sent the tiny box sailing to the people outside the ruin-covered barrier.
Asmodeus howled, turning to look at them as we fell to the floor. His wild eyes came back to mine, narrowing as he peered between our bodies.
“You stupid bitch, why would you do that?” he asked.
“Because you don’t get to rule my world. Enjoy Hell, asshole,” I whispered, coughing up blood before I glanced down, staring at the dagger protruding from my chest. “You lose.”
“You’re fucking dying, and you think I lost?”
“Do it,” I growled, sensing what was about to happen.
Fire erupted around us, and Asmodeus howled in pain. Twin swords scissored through his neck, removing his head as I fell toward him. Lucifer plucked me up, falling to his knees as he held me.
“I’m sorry, Lena. I had to get that dagger away from him,” Lucifer whispered through his pain. There was a black hole in his chest, one that spider-webbed through it. “I had to protect my daughter from him. I’m so sorry I failed you both.”
“Bring Lena to me, now,” Lucian snarled, his eyes landing on the dagger that remained in my chest. “Luc, if you ever want to see your daughter again, bring her to me.” His voice shook with emotion, and yet he remained emotionless on the outside.
Lucifer pushed up from the floor, teetering on his feet while he carried me toward Lucian. He skidded his foot against the runes, and then Lucian yanked me from his arms.
I watched Lucifer fall to the ground; his shoulders slumped in defeat. Demons slowly started flittering into the room, whispering their plans for him.
“Bring him, Lucian.”
“No,” he hissed, shaking his head at me.
“He saved me, or tried to. Bring Lucifer so that he can heal and the balance isn’t destroyed. The world has enough horror happening. Don’t let this add to it. The world doesn’t have Alden anymore, and I’m dying. I’m asking you to protect him until he can face what he created.”
“Grab him,” he snarled, holding me tightly. “I have a plan, Lena. I need you to trust me. Please trust me.”
“I trust you because I love you. And I know you love me too, even though I’m reckless and fucked up bad this time. I messed up the backup plan.”
“Plan B isn’t going to work now,” Spyder stated.
“Then we go with the original plan I had,” Lucian announced. “Get the others to Club Chaos, now. Time is running out. I am calling in all the favors I have collected since the beginning. Find the debtors, and tell them I am collecting.”
