Revealing the Monster by Amelia Hutchins
Chapter Six
My fuck it bucket runneth over. ~Lena
I stood on the balcony of the guild, sensing Alden’s arrival before he peeked up to where I waited for him. I extended my wings and moved to the ledge, dropping to the stairs beside him. I’d made it a point to check on him often. He’d loved my mother, and I’d grown attached to the cantankerous old prick.
He smiled a silent welcome as we gazed out over the empty streets of Spokane. He didn’t need words to tell me he wished my mom was here, and I didn’t need to tell him I missed her, too. We’d formed a bond in her absence, one that tugged tightly in the darkness of the new world that burned around us.
“You’re getting the hang of your wings rather quickly,” he acknowledged, nodding toward my back, then tilting his head to study my face.
Alden had salt and pepper hair and soft blue eyes. He wasn’t old, but he wasn’t a spring chicken, either. He’d fallen in love with my mother, which hadn’t been part of the plan. He’d been there to observe me, to get close to me so he could study our coven and help Lucian. Love had other ideas for him, and when my mom died, she had left him with the same emptiness that plagued me.
“They’re rather handy but still a nuisance more often than not,” I shrugged, turning as a new batch of enforcers emerged from the guild, coming toward us. “How is everything here?”
“Hell on earth, but we’re surviving.” Alden turned, gazing out at the destroyed city. “Every time we handle something, some other shit comes into play. You guys figure out how to close the Hell Gates yet?”
“No, not without murdering Lucifer, who seems to be tied to them. Not that we wouldn’t enjoy it, but the balance is fragile. Lucian is seeking his sources and scouring for Hecate. Her daughters were sighted in Ireland a week back, causing havoc on the isle. How are you holding up?”
Alden turned his head in my direction, studying me before exhaling. “I miss her, Lena. I miss your mother every morning when I get up, and every night before sleep takes me away from the pain. Grief doesn’t have a time limit, though, kid. It’s crazy because we weren’t together that long, but I feel as if she took my heart with her when she died. I’ll catch the scent of wildflowers and think of her at the worst moment possible. How are you? I know Joshua and the others are still patrolling, but you don’t go out with them anymore.”
“My emotions have returned, and sometimes I wish to hell I could turn them back off again. I think it’s worse because there’s pain and guilt from not caring that my family and coven died. It was like I knew, but there was no overwhelming emotion from the losses. It was probably best that I didn’t feel it at the time, considering everything happening around me. Joshua felt more than I did, but he still hasn’t really processed what happened.” Sighing, I turned toward the demolished city, studying the smoke billowing from the building’s ruins across the street. “Lucian has grounded me. Lucifer is out hunting me, and with those have remained loyal to him, I’m more of a hindrance than help lately. He has Gluttony, Leviathan, and Greed still by his side. Erie has taken the rest of his generals. Word has it, she’s bent about something Lucifer did, and after him as well.” I chuckled as Alden shook his head and whistled.
“I’ve been finding corpses in the most awkward poses. Erie also made the mages that were topside go to ground. I have seen hide nor hair of a Druid in weeks. Of course, she blew them up recently, and if any survived, they went into hiding pretty damn deep from that woman, and I don’t blame them one bit.”
“She’s wickedly awesome,” I laughed, staring out over the trash-covered streets.
Demons had invaded every part of the city. As far as the eye could see, skeletal remains littered the ground, mixed in with the garbage that blanketed it. My nose itched with the scent of fires blending with brimstone and sex. Lucifer wanted the entire world to be like this, and I intended to stop it from happening.
“Are you here checking up on me, kid?” Alden asked.
“No,” I faced him, withdrawing crystals and dropping them on the ground. His eyebrows lifted with surprise, and a guarded look filled his narrowed gaze. “I just need protection from anyone listening. Calm down, old man. I don’t intend to hurt you,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I’m looking for Spyder. I fucked up, and he’s paying for it. I claimed Lucian, and I claimed Spyder too, or the furies did. Also, the ancient blood magic spell is still working. They did it to protect me from Lucifer, of which I know you’re aware. Blood magic is—”
“Dangerous, and normally doesn’t finish its course until you give it what it wants,” he finished for me. “I’m old enough to remember the cost of meddling in ancient magic, Magdalena.”
“Right, I forgot you’re old as shit,” I joked, and his shoulders shook with silent laughter. “I knew I had claimed Lucian after the spell had been cast, but I just found out about Spyder. The clock that started upon the claiming to solidify the bond is nearing its end. Spyder’s chosen death, or more technically, to be reborn instead of suffering from the bond. His death would dissolve the spell, or so he hopes.”
“Why not just give it what it wants, Lena? What is the price that you’re unwilling to pay?”
I studied Alden’s face, noting the wrinkles that had aged him since my mother died. He searched my eyes as if he’d find the answer within them. Swallowing, I considered how much to disclose, but after a moment, I decided that honesty was the best direction.
“Sex,” I grunted, and his mouth opened to the perfect ‘O’ while his eyes widened to match them. “We tried it, but I couldn’t do what was needed. Now, it’s his life on the line. He did the right thing, and the price the magic is taking would be his sanity. Considering what he is—well, let’s just say he’d make Lucifer seem more like a warm-up act. Spyder asked Lucian to put him down because he’s the only one who could. They’ve been together since their creation. I can’t let that happen.”
“Kinky.” Alden’s face turned red before he peered up at the stars. Then, lowering his eyes, he smiled. “I can’t tell you what to do in this situation, kid. That’s between you and them, and at the end of the day, we all have baggage. The only thing that really matters is how you carry yours. Do you put it back into the bag, or do you empty it so it’s not so heavy to carry? When’s the last time you unpacked some of your own?”
“Are we taking a trip, Alden?” I asked, uncertain what the hell he meant.
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Can you live with Spyder dying? Can you carry that weight around with you? You’re looking for answers, but you already made your choice. You’re going to do it because you cannot bear his death on your soul.” He rocked back and forth on his heels while scratching the back of his neck, chuckling at the absurdity of the conversation.
“I don’t have a soul,” I grumbled, exhaling. “The bond we share, it pulls us together. I need it to stop. I am in love with Lucian, and I can’t keep craving Spyder, too. It’s not fair to either of them.”
“And you, Lena. It isn’t fair to you, either. You often take yourself out of the equation, and you shouldn’t. Maybe it’s time for you to let go of your past and any lingering reservations about your situation. Do you remember when we first met? You were terrified of us. Now, you’re like family. You’ve been through hell, and you have refused to break. You committed suicide to protect the ones you loved and your unborn son that they thought to use as a weapon. You’re selfless, and that’s not something many people can say honestly. If you’re serious about being with Lucian, Lena, you need to let Spyder go.”
“I am, but first, I have to find him. I need your help with another matter, though. I’m looking for any information you can find on the original three furies and what happens when they claim their mates. Or, in our case, how to escape being claimed by furies,” I admitted, knowing Alden had a vast library with ancient tomes his people had stolen over the years. “If there’s a way to free Spyder from being bound to me, I’d like to have the solution as soon as possible. If it includes body fluids, I need to know so I can plan to do everything required all at once.”
He winced physically at my choice of words before shaking his head. “I found some things in the fae’s library about furies, details that showed what the furies were and what they protected. And, well, we figured you’d come to us for more information, eventually. I promised your mother I’d look after you, Kid. I’m in over my head on this one.”
“My mother,” I whispered, swallowing past the lump that saying her name created. “She did not know what they were. We were all in over our heads, drowning in a war that we didn’t know was happening around us. Lucian was there to protect the world, and we didn’t even realize the danger of his presence to ours or us. I had the seal within me, slumbering. If it had awoken, we’d all be nothing more than husks of flesh after it had spit out our bones.”
“This world was already heading down the highway to Hell. Now, we have shit happening that makes me wonder if we can ever come back from this. I need to show you one more thing if you can spare a few more minutes.”
“For you, old man, I will always make time.” Hearing a noise behind me, I turned to see Zahruk coming down the stairs toward us. He had dual blades attached to his back, with leather straps that crossed over his ripped chest. Eyes the color of freshly polished sapphires smiled the moment they landed on me, and then slowly moved back to Alden.
“You’ll need to remove the crystals, Kid. Zahruk is here to see the newest clusterfuck unfolding in town.”
Bending down, I retrieved the crystals while holding Zahruk’s gaze. His lips tightened, curving into a wicked grin when he reached us.
“You called for me, Elder?” Zahruk asked, his attention shifting to Alden.
“It’s just Alden now,” he corrected, pushing his fingers through his hair. “You can bring Lena with us, right?”
“She’s light and easily captured,” Zahruk stated, dragging his gaze down my curves. “Shame she got claimed so early on.”
“Careful,” Alden chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling with the secret. “She’s taken by something none of us could deal with once it was pissed off.”
“Sounds fun.” Zahruk held his hand out for mine. “Don’t be scared. You’ll like my bite.”
“You may not like mine. It’s to die for,” I returned, as one side of Zahruk’s mouth tipped up in a sinful grin. “After we’ve finished here, can you drop me off at Vlad’s club?”
“Sure thing, pretty monster.”
