Vindicated by Bella Klaus

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ifroze on the spot in front of the dais steps, one side of my body turning colder with the touch of primordial evil. My hand twitched toward one of my guns before my fingers spasmed. What was the point of shooting something made of smoke?

Fenrir stood at my side, Thor was halfway up the stairs that led to Queen Hel, and the faerie… I had no idea what he was doing because at that moment, all I could concentrate on was what was in front of me and the cold presence at my back.

“Lydia,” Marchosias’ deep voice slithered through my ears. “You have two choices. Perish or leave this throne room with me and submit.”

Fenrir growled. “Let go of my mate.”

“Ah,” said the primordial mass of evil. “The wolf god who has claimed my property for himself.”

“I don’t belong to you,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You forget the bargain your mother made with me to return you to the world of the living,” he rumbled. “You owe me everything, Lydia Gerrison.”

Queen Hel’s dry chuckle grated on my nerves. “Before I hand her to you I require two favors.”

“Name them,” he said.

“Deal with these two nuisances for me.” She pointed from Thor to Fenrir. “Drain them of their magic, and I will grant you permission to leave.”

“What are you doing?” I yelled at the mad queen. “Releasing a creature like that will upset the balance of the world.”

Marchosias’ power coiled around my neck like a snake. “That’s where you’re wrong. Only a portion of me will leave Hell… Enough to enjoy the regular life of a mortal before returning here.”

“Times are changing.” Queen Hell tapped the side of her withered temple with a blackened finger. “Those who were relegated to the pits of existence will rise and get what’s coming to them. Everyone else who lorded over them will be punished.”

Gulping hard, I tuned out her nonsense and focused more on the gigantic mass of evil spreading across the ceiling like toxic smoke. Marchosias spoke as though he just wanted to frolic in the sun, but if Grog was to be believed, the primordial demon wanted to become the emperor of all shifters and rule the Supernatural World.

“Are you all right?”Fenrir asked through our bond. His turquoise eyes burned an incandescent white, reflecting the heat of his fury.

“Marchosias won’t hurt me,” I replied. “Not when he still needs me for his plan to be reborn. I’m more concerned about you if he steals your power—”

“He won’t,”Fenrir replied.

My gaze jumped to Thor, who charged up the stairs at Hel, brandishing a much dimmer hammer, only for her to raise a hand and send him flying toward the back of the throne room. “You saw what Marchosias did to Thor’s magic.”

“Any idiot who keeps their power in an object and then throws it at an enemy deserves to have it stolen,” Fenrir said. “Stand aside. I’m going to challenge Marchosias.”

“Do you think you can?”

“He takes the shape of a wolf, doesn’t he?”

“Sometimes,” I replied. “Will you command him with your magic?”

Fenrir grunted.

Hel’s monologue continued. It was some form of tirade against the Norse gods that was as rambling as the testimony she’d given in court.

“Marchosias.” Fenrir’s bellow cut through his sister’s rant.

“Yes?” he replied, elongating the syllable.

“Make yourself solid, and we’ll fight this out as wolves.”

“Why would I agree to such a proposal?” The demon’s chuckle echoed across the throne room. “It would be quicker to drain your magic and take your mate for myself.”

Fenrir scoffed. “I know my sister only has half a functioning brain, but even she will be able to tell when you fail to subdue me.”

“Hey,” Hel snapped.

I shot her my most venomous glower. Queen Hel folded her arms across her chest with the fingers of her dead hand drumming on her healthy bicep. My eyes narrowed. If I could yank off that ring, then she’d revert back to the weak little shit she was before the Great Divide.

“Wake up,” Fenrir growled at her. “If Marchosias was capable of absorbing magic from anything other than inanimate objects, he would have done so already.”

The cold presence on my shoulder eased off, and warmth returned to my skin. I turned around to find a portion of Marchosias streaming toward the ceiling.

“It looks like he’s putting all his pieces together,”I said to Fenrir through our link.

“That’s the only way a smoky bastard like him can face me,”he replied with a snarl.

“I accept,” said Marchosias. “As they say in the common vernacular, bring it on.”

“You two aren’t going to wreck my beautiful throne room.” Hel raised a hand, and the domed ceiling opened up into a black sky filled with fiery stars.

Flaming Ferris wheels spun in the distance among tent-shaped objects that looked like they’d been retired from a demonic circus. As the dark mass of smoke that was currently Marchosias drifted out from the throne room, a shudder ran down my spine.

“Be careful,”I said into my bond with Fenrir. “He can make himself incorporeal when it suits him—”

“Then I’d better use my power to make sure he remains solid,”Fenrir replied in a voice of steel.

He thrust out an arm and opened a four-foot-wide portal that overlooked the lake we had visited in Midgard. The head of a giant wolf poked through and glanced from side to side before the rest of him stepped into the throne room. He stood over six feet tall with bristling black fur and teeth that looked sharp enough to tear off a person’s head.

Another equally as large wolf followed, its eyes glowing red.

“Are those the pair who guarded your wolf’s chamber?”I asked.

“Geri and Freki,”Fenrir replied.

“What are you waiting for, wolf god?” Marchosias bellowed. “Fight, and let me claim my Lydia.”

The primordial demon hovered hundreds of feet in the sky, a black figure backlit against the burning stars, his leathery wings outstretched. His wolf was nearly identical to mine, except his eyes burned a malevolent crimson that made Wolfette howl.

I placed a hand on my chest. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head.

Part of me suspected that she might see Marchosias as a father figure, considering her appearance, her wings, and her fire came directly from him. Right now, I didn’t have time to decipher her emotions, not with so much going on.

“Stay with the wolves,”Fenrir growled into our bond. “And do not attempt to fight my sister.”

“What if she attacks me?”I asked.

“She’s too cowardly to act, and as long as Thor is alive to hurl insults about her lack of power, she’ll be too prideful to call on her minions.”

“No one’s that stupid,”I said. “She’s likely to summon them the moment she’s about to lose.”

Fenrir didn’t say anything for a few heartbeats. When I was about to repeat myself he replied, “I’ve just ordered all the shapeshifters to guard the perimeter.”

“Brilliant.”I curled my hands into fists, my mind forming a plan of how to get that ring.

“Face me, you sacless coward,” Marchosias bellowed.

With a snarl, Fenrir ran up the dais steps, making Queen Hel skitter backward, her hands outstretched. A wave of magic blasted down the stairs, making me slip back and bump into the faerie.

“Careful.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and held me steady.

Geri and Freki both bared their teeth in identical snarls.

“Sorry.” The faerie snatched his hands away.

I clenched my teeth. Hel had probably tried repelling Fenrir the way she had Thor, when she’d made him fly across the throne room.

“Get away from me,” she screeched.

Without skipping a beat, Fenrir pulled out his arm, slashed her throat with his claws and continued to the throne.

Queen Hel dropped to her knees, both hands clutching at her neck. Black blood spilled through her fingers, and down her golden dress. My throat dried. Now was my chance to attack her while she was down. As Fenrir jumped on her throne and climbed its back toward the giant skull, I stepped toward the dais.

“Stay away from my sister,” Fenrir’s voice filled my head.

I raised both palms. “I wasn’t—”

“Don’t think I can’t guess your next action.” He leaped up to the giant skull that hovered above the throne and scaled its front.

“What are you doing?”I reached for the holster and pulled out the gun. Fenrir might have told me to stay away from Queen Hel, but he didn’t tell me I couldn’t shoot her from a distance.

“I never had enough magic to learn to teleport,”he muttered. “And I want to be as far away from you as possible before I shift.”

I was surprised he hadn’t shoved me into Midgard for safekeeping.

“Lydia?”he said as he reached the top of the skull.

“Yes?”I held my breath, expecting him to warn me to be careful.

“I’m relying on you to escort the hostages to freedom.”

A lump formed in the back of my throat, and I swallowed hard. “Thanks for your faith.”

He harrumphed. “I wouldn’t have mated you if I didn’t think you were capable of being a hero.”

Fenrir leaped into the sky and shifted. A giant paw shattered the skull, sending bone fragments raining down on Queen Hel’s head. I clapped a hand over my mouth and tilted backward to take in the sheer scale of Fenrir’s white wolf.

It was hard to tell his size from the speed he was moving toward Marchosias’ wolf, but Fenrir exceeded the winged creature by at least a third. With a growl that made my insides tremble, my mate lunged at the black wolf and caught him by the throat.

“Fuck you.” The edges of the primordial demon’s body turned to vapor around Fenrir’s jaws, only for the particles of smoke to draw back and coalesce into a solid shape.

Triumph exploded across my chest, and I pumped my fist. Fenrir must have commanded Marchosias to remain solid.

“What is the meaning of this?” The fury in Marchosias’ voice made the air shake. “Queen Hel!”

She was already stumbling to her feet, having magically cleansed her dress of blood. Her malevolent features shifted to me, and she curled back one side of her lip.

Placing a hand over her chest, she snarled, “Fenrir made a huge mistake when he left you—”

I raised the gun and shot her straight in the heart.

Her mouth fell open, and her withered hand dropped to the side. One eye opened and closed as the shock of being shot registered. I raised the gun once more and aimed it at her head. Sure, she was immortal, but even gods could get knocked unconscious.

“Bloody bitch.” The iris of her good eye flared an unearthly green. “When I’ve finished with your carcass—”

Thor’s hammer darted through the air and hit Queen Hel square in the face. She flew back onto the bone-covered throne and howled. The weapon spun and rushed toward its master.

I turned to the faerie, whose features were still obscured by his black cloak. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” He stepped back, narrowly missing Thor as he rushed toward his returning hammer and snatched it out of the air.

“To free the hostages.” I pointed toward the throne at the top of the dais. “They’re supposed to be kept in a chamber back there.”

“What should I do with this?” He twisted around to show me the unconscious body he’d slung over one shoulder.

“Leave him on the floor.” I dashed toward the stairs with the wolves at my feet. “Are you coming?”

“I suppose you’ll be wanting me to open a portal.” He jogged at my side. “That will cost you extra.”

“Whatever you say.” Right now, all I cared about was Fenrir and returning the villagers to Logris. We could deal with the faerie’s money grubbing ways later.

Thor bounded up the stairs, presumably to complete the work he’d started on Queen Hel’s face.

I sprinted behind him, taking them two at a time with Geri and Freki running at my left and right. At the top of the dais, Thor swung his hammer, only for a freshly recovered Hel to block with her dead hand and shove him back several feet.

“How are you doing this?” Thor snarled.

Hel threw her head back and laughed. “How the tide has turned. The great Thor is struggling with his power, while I haven’t begun to unleash mine.”

Marchosias’ roar shook the air and fat droplets of black liquid rained down from above. I tilted up my head to find the white wolf tearing off a leathery wing. My wolf winced at the memory of the injury she had sustained when the demons attacked the alpha’s compound.

I walked a wide circle to the right of Thor and Queen Hel, my boots crunching over pieces of shattered skull, and I found a door behind the throne. Streams of ominous light shone around its frame, and the giant wolves at my side bristled. Wolfette let out a whine of warning that made my stomach churn with dread.

“Are you sure this is the place?” The faerie’s voice trembled.

“You heard the demons,” I said. “They said the hostages were behind the throne.”

I glanced over my shoulder, meeting the faerie’s artificially colored eyes. Even though his features were identical to Fenrir’s, my mate would never form the expression of a gaping fish.

He spluttered. “And you believed them?”

“If we’ve got it wrong, we can always shut the door.” I placed my fingers on its handle, only for a pulse of magic to sting my entire hand. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s protected.” I turned to him and scowled.

“Shouldn’t that have been obvious?” he asked.

“Apparently not to you, since you were trying to discourage me from opening the door,” I snapped.

His lips tightened, and he raised his chin in a mulish expression I’d never seen Fenrir make.

“Can you open up a portal through the door?” I asked.

“I’m an expert in escape, not infiltration,” he said.

My lips formed a tight line. So far, the only thing this faerie seemed good for was getting on my nerves. Shaking off my annoyance, I shoved past him, walked between the huge wolves and returned to where Thor and Queen Hel were grappling with his hammer.

By now, the enchanted weapon flickered on and off like a malfunctioning night light, looking like it was desperately in need of charging. With the amount of power she wielded and Thor’s magic fading at an alarming rate, Queen Hel should have been winning the fight.

Wolfette barked at me to pay attention.

My brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

I glanced up at the fight taking place in the sky. The black and white wolves were locked in a lupine wrestling hold. Marchosias’ jaws were clamped around Fenrir’s front paw, even though Fenrir was holding him down by the back of the neck. Black liquid spilled down to the throne room floor, filling the air with the scent of burned tar.

I pressed the heel of my hand into my chest. At least the blood wasn’t Fenrir’s.

Another sharp bark from my wolf pulled my attention away from the fight taking place above.

“What?” My gaze dropped to the grappling pair.

One of the wolves ventured toward them, his nose to the floor.

“Has he found something?” I asked.

Her exasperated bark indicated that I would have noticed what he’d found if I had been vigilant. A rain of white sparks flew from Thor’s hammer, making me flinch, but I continued toward the large wolf.

Kneeling beside him, I asked, “What did you find?”

He drew back, revealing a diamond and ruby ring still attached to a blackened finger.

My heart somersaulted and landed smack in the back of my throat. It must have fallen off her rotting corpse when I fired one of those glowing bullets into her chest. With a trembling hand, I reached for the ring, finger and all, and darted away from the fight.

Wolfette gave me a questioning bark.

“Yes, I’m going to use the ring to let me through the wards, then we can free the hostages.”

She yipped.

The battle between Thor and Hel continued on the left of the dais, while I shoved my way through the large wolves and headed back toward the other side of the throne.

“What are you doing now?” asked the faerie.

“Trying the door again.” I glanced over my shoulder.

Geri and Freki formed a barrier around my back, so nobody could see what I was doing unless they were hovering above us. I tilted my head toward the aerial battle. Black spots covered Fenrir’s fur, and dark blood continued to rain down onto the throne room’s floor. I hoped none of it was coming from my mate.

My wolf whined. I couldn’t tell if it was out of sympathy for Fenrir or because she wanted me to hurry up and save the hostages. I placed my fingers on the door handle, only to receive another zap.

I snatched my hand back. “Bloody hell.”

“What did you expect?” asked the faerie. “It’s not like the wards will let you in because you tried a second time.”

If anyone else was with me, I might have explained what I was doing, but I knew very little about faeries apart from the rumors that they couldn’t be trusted. My gaze dropped to the ring in the palm of my hand.

“Should I put it on my finger?”I asked my wolf.

She gave me an it’s-not-like-you-have-much-of-a-choice whine.

“You’re right.”I slipped on the ring, bracing myself for an electric shock, a massive jolt of power, or for something cataclysmic to happen, like melting skin.

The ring just expanded to accommodate the flesh around my finger bone, feeling just like any other piece of jewelry. When I touched the handle again, there was no shock. I pulled it down and stepped into an unlit chamber.

“Anybody there?” I asked into the dark.

“Hello?” said a voice.

“It’s Lydia Gerrison,” I said. “Fenrir and I have come to set you free.”

Two furry bodies stepped on either side of me, their glowing eyes providing the barest illumination.

The villagers stood huddled against the wall, wearing iron collars around their necks. They stared out at me through wide, frightened eyes as though they still couldn’t believe I had come to their rescue. I scanned them from left to right, my gaze landing on a small figure with tear-streaked cheeks. A rush of emotion thickened my throat. That was the little boy I had failed to save.

Wolfette gave me a sharp bark, reminding me to focus.

According to Phina, if I had the ring, then it meant I also commanded the Sixth Faction of Hell… at least until someone noticed I’d stolen it and forced me to give it back. I sucked in a deep breath, dredged up my alpha power, and commanded the metal restraints to disappear.

The ring pulsed, and several clatters later, each prisoner stepped forward. “Thank you,” said a bear shifter I recognized from the bakery. “None of us expected to survive.”

Geri and Freki bared their teeth and snarled.

“It’s all right.” I placed my hands on their backs. “These are the people Fenrir wants us to save.”

As the two wolves fell quiet, I walked between their large bodies and locked gazes with the faerie. “Open up a portal.”

He spluttered. “Now?”

The words he’d told me on the other side of the door resurfaced, and I gave him my most malicious grin. “Do you need more adrenaline?”

My wolf yipped, already knowing what I intended to do. With a flare of my magic, I raised my hand and filled it with fire.

“What do you…” His eyes crossed. “How can a wolf shifter—”

“Who told you I was a wolf?” I shoved my flaming hand in his face. “Are you going to open that portal or will I need to burn you alive?”

His massive chest heaved up and down with rapid breaths, and his turquoise eyes glistened with tears. My stomach churned at the sight of such a cowardly stick-in-the-ass character using Fenrir’s beautiful features, but I shoved that feeling aside.

I shifted my teeth to needle-sharp fangs, and changed the color of my eyes to resemble Wolfette’s. “Do it.” Even my voice was a deep growl that sounded more demonic than lupine. “Open that bloody portal before I give you a reason for wanting to escape.”

With a girlish shriek, the faerie flailed his arms, and sunlight streamed in from a hole in the dark. It widened to reveal a meadow that bordered a field of oversized poppies.

“Done.” His voice shook. “Don’t ever threaten me again.”

“Geri, Freki, stand aside and let the nice people leave this realm.”

The wolves moved to the left and right, and the faerie rushed toward the portal, looking like he was about to escape. I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and squeezed.

“Let the others go first,” I said in a low growl.

He nodded and gulped.

“Thank you.” The bear shifter from the bakery placed her large hand on my shoulder.

“I’m just sorry that you got caught at all,” I murmured.

She gave me a tearful nod before ushering everyone else through the portal. I stood to the side, making sure they all reached the safety of the Human World before wishing the baker a safe journey through the wards.

“Right, then.” The faerie hooked his thumb toward the portal. “I’d better make sure they get home safe.”

“Watch out for the humans in the park,” I murmured.

With a nod goodbye, he stepped through the opening. It closed behind him, leaving me in the semi-darkness with Geri and Freki.

I placed my hands on their shoulders. “Come on, let’s check on Fenrir.”

Movement flew at me from the corner of my eye, and something sharp sliced through my throat. Pain exploded across my senses, and warm blood cascaded down my chest.

I clutched my neck, my head spinning as the wolves charged past me and toward whoever was standing at the door.

An explosion of Hellfire sent them flying to the back of the room. When the flames subsided, Queen Hel stood at the door, the dead side of her skull collapsed into itself so it looked like she only had half a head.

My mouth dropped open. How on earth did she survive that?

Still clutching at my neck, I stepped backward, but she leaped across the room and stuck a dagger into my ribs.

Agony sliced through my insides, and my breath froze in my throat.

“Thanks for keeping my ring warm.” She twisted the blade. “But it’s time for you to die.”