Page 15 of Princess of Hell

The city was so alive. The hot sun warmed my skin. I loved it. Under other circumstances, I would have enjoyed it so much but, at the moment, all I wanted was to get my damn necklace back. It’s mine!

I heard the ocean before I saw it. It stretched behind the docks, an endless blue surface that made my heart long for something I couldn’t have. I clutched Jacks closer to me. His muscular body felt so good pressed against mine. I was careful not to touch his cheek with mine or have any stray strands of hair fly around.

“The crystal is so red,” I called out to Jacks over the loud noise of the traffic and the roar of his bike.

We stopped on the shore, looking around. Ships docked everywhere.

“My necklace could be anywhere.” I jumped off the hog. The phone app was on, and the crystal was still red.

Drae and River stopped their bikes next to me and looked around.

“It doesn’t look conspicuous,” Drae said calmly

“I have a hunch. There’s a bar where we might find a few answers.” River’s shoulder-length dirty blonde hair shook in the wind of the sea breeze.

Five

Jacks

Just as we were about to follow River toward that hole-in-the-wall type place he wanted us to go, the air rippled as if it was cooking. Grey and red smoke appeared and a crashing filled my ears. The scent of brimstone and ash filled my senses.

“What the…?” I asked no one in particular, getting ready for a fight.

Silver stood candle straight, inhaling deeply, and took off her gloves. “Guys, I’ll deal with them. Just don’t get in my way.”

A katakana appeared in her hand. Damn, what the fuck.

Drae and River looked ready for the fight, same as I. River’s fangs elongated over his lower lip. I used all my Alpha restraints to prevent him from jumping into the smokey fog.

“Jacks, those guys are Brimstone Demons,” warned Silver, her eyes focused on the mist. “They burn if you touch them and spit lava, so take care. Avoid them, if possible.”

A few figures emerged from the smoke and rippling air. They were tall and looked like men, wearing only trousers. Yet something didn’t seem right. Their bodies were strong and muscular yet seemed unfinished, with no tone or details to them. Their coloring appeared more reddish-brown than flesh-hued, and no hair covered any parts of their bodies. It suddenly dawned on me. These things looked like half-completed pottery projects. Their eyes sparkled like fire. They ignored us and targeted Silver, closing in on her.

“Shift!” I sent the mental order to Drae and River. We are stronger in wolf form. However, I didn’t want them to shift in the open. The container off to the side provided the perfect cover. We shifted and were ready for combat.

As for Silver… damn.

As soon as the terracotta monsters closed in on her, Silver struck, slicing with the katana and punching with gloved fists, moving with an expert grace I had not expected. She would place her open palm on the forehead of one of them, and it would turn to ash. Yet, for every Demon taken down, more emerged out of the fog.

I kicked one with the heel of my boot that tried to attack Silver from behind. I got its attention. Its head spun around like an owl, glaring at me with that empty face and expressionless, fiery eyes. A deep roar escaped its throat, and it moved its weird mouth that looked like the artist had no time to detail it.

“Hey, you art projects gone wrong!” I yelled at the others.

Two more turned and moved closer. I felt the heat emanating from them.

“Jacks, be careful. Don’t let them touch you!”

Her warning came too late. One of the Demons snuck up on me, and its large hand touched my face, searing my flesh and making it sizzle. River kicked it from one side and the colossus landed on the ground. Using their shirts that they had taken off to shift, Drae and River wrapped the cloth around each Demon and grabbed tight. Steam rose from their palms and pain glistened in their eyes, yet neither stopped until they ripped off the Demon’s arms. It cried in agony and disintegrated.

One of the other two Demons spit lava at me. I dodged out of the way at the last moment, though a droplet of lava fell on my shoulder. I felt the fur burning and the molten liquid sear deep into my skin but pushed the sensation from my mind, mostly because I thought I was about to die. I still rested on all four paws. The Brimstone Demon had spun around to face me and prepared to spit more lava at me. I would have been a goner if, at the last second, Drae had not snuck up on the Demon from behind and wrapped his shirt around the terracotta monster’s mouth. The lava vomit flowed back down the Demon’s throat and across its chest. It wailed in agony as the lava ate its way through the terracotta skin and melted its throat. The Demon’s chest burst into flames, consuming its body in seconds. It opened its mouth to scream. Fire erupted from its lips and engulfed its head. The monster fell face-first onto the cement, bursting into ashes.

Having learned from Drae, River succeeded in doing the same thing to the second Brimstone Demon with predictable results.

We kept on fighting and distracting the Demons until Silver had a bit of space around her. She maneuvered between them and jumped, touching their heads with her bare hands and turning into ash each one she attacked. When the last of the terracotta monsters dropped, we all exhaled.

Silver leaned her back against mine. It felt wonderful.

“Are there more?”

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