Page 3 of Princess of Hell

Shit. I still don’t want to die!

Just before I passed out from my broken ribs and punctured lungs, I heard a low growl. Something was happening in the darkness behind the dumpsters. Whatever it was, it challenged my aggressor. My night vision is perfect, but my eyes were blurry from pain. What I saw doesn’t make sense.

The growl got louder and deeper. It’s not coming from one voice. There are more predators in the shadows. The hairs on my body would stick up if I were human. I have a theory on what or who it was. A serious question shaped in this dire moment of need.

Is this enemy of my enemy my friend?

My eyes registered something that could not be there. I’ve heard legends of them, and I grew up knowing that since I’m a daughter of the moon, I can call on the children of the night. The myths of Hell often come in riddles and verses written in damn Aramaic. The growl announced the wolves, a pack of large wolves that appeared from the darkness and closed in on the Burlo. The Demon roared loud, leaning its head back, announcing to them that I was its prey and that it would consider them rivals if they didn’t leave. The Alpha released a dark growl.

“Yeah, that’s my boy. You don’t fuck with an Alpha!” I don’t know if I said it or just thought it.

The Alpha wolf had that big dick energy all over him. He was maybe one-third as large as the Burlo but was driven by confidence. Yeah, wolfy, you can do it!

I blinked. It just took a second, a heartbeat, or maybe I fainted. When I opened my eyes, a new scene presented itself. A fight scene. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

The other two attacked the Burlo from each side, piercing holes in his thick hide and ripping away chunks of skin and flesh. The Burlo roared in pain and anger. The smaller size of the wolves worked to their advantage. The Burlo was huge and fast, but it was difficult to get a hold of them with three attackers. It tried to shake them off, roaring in pain. The fangs of the wolves ripped the skin of the Burlo the way a hot knife cuts through butter. Pieces of flesh hung from the beast like rags, its stinking blood splattering down its body.

The wolves moved so fast I had to hold my breath for a second, doing my best not to pass out again. This was too good. I don’t want to miss this fight scene for the world. It was one of the most interesting things that had happened to me since I’ve been on the surface looking for the necklace from my mother.

I gave up on the effort of keeping my eyes open, no matter how much I wanted to watch the fight. Shivers and stabs of pain shook my human body. What do I care? No matter what happens, I’m dead already and in big trouble. Why not succumb to the bittersweet taste of death?

As I slipped away, I tried to think of what I would tell my father when we met. I’ll have time to make up a story as I float down the Styx. Charon is such a great liar. I love playing video games with him. Maybe this time I’ll beat him atMortal Kombat. Random thoughts like this filled my mind. I can’t just say, “Hey, Dad. You know, someone stole the necklace from Mom, and I felt I had to get it back. Also, Uncle Chris helped me escape by lying for me.”

That’s horrible. Damn! Charon is going to help me come up with some better shit. I could say I was abducted. No, that would also get Uncle Chris in trouble. Not good. Bad, dumb idea. I need to get on the Zon and get myself a copy ofLying for Dummies.

I could never throw Uncle Chris under the train like that, especially as he was kind enough to risk my dad’s wrath. Theoretically, being thrown in front of a train would be so much better than being brought in front of my angry father. The ruler of Hell has his reputation for all the right reasons. I wouldn’t say he’s a good guy. He deserves his reputation. The job he does makes it necessary for him to inspire fear. It’s only that I’m not excited about being Lucifer’s daughter. Now that I fucked up, I’ll have to pay the price. At the end of the day, what else can dad take away from me? Well, he could lock me in my rooms and forbid me from going hunting, fighting, and all the other stuff I enjoy. And he could lock my Amazon account!

The horror! I need to read so many sequels of so many steamy stories. My Kindle is popping with dirty, steamy stories.

The seer I talked to a while ago promised to help me find my Mom. The question of who my mother is has bothered me for years and years. It should be normal for a girl to know her mother, to grow up around her. That never happened to me. Uncle Chris told me one night after a long hunt over the plains of Hell that my mother was still alive. My Dad had lied to me. He had been lying to me all these years. All the anger cumulated inside me. Not in my soul because, damn, I’m a demon, so I don’t have a soul. I do have an endless ability to be angry.

I can’t complain about my childhood being boring. I grew up with nannies, harpies, fight instructors, alchemists, and lost souls. It wasn’t usual for a high-ranking Demon to have access to as much information as I had. After Uncle Chris slipped and told me my mom was alive, I went crazy. I had to know who she was and where I could find her. Sadly, Uncle Chris couldn’t tell me. He was bound by a spell that made him forget, another one of Dad’s spells.

I hate being lied to, another trait I have from my father. Finding out that dad lied to me all those years hurt. Finding out that my mother was alive and had left me hurt even more. Didn’t she love me?

Did she have a name? Sure, she must have a name. Everyone has a name, right?

Knowing that my mom abandoned me hurt so much more than thinking she died. In some way, I accepted the fact that my mother was dead. But now, knowing that she’s alive and had chosen to leave me, hurt so badly it scratched at my insides.

The wolves kept attacking the Burlo. It still snapped and swiped at them. When it did, the wolf would retreat, wait for the Demon to go after another member of the pack, and attacked again. The Burlo struck out with its thick tail, missing the wolves and striking a few dumpsters. The clacking noise sounded so far away. I was floating.

Damn, I’ll soon be playingMortal Kombatwith Charon.

Darkness closed its mouth around me. Okay, Silver, get ready for an ass-kicking!

Two

Jacks

My pack and I had been tracking the Burlo Demon for a few days. Each time we were close to surrounding and killing it, the damn thing got away. The Burlo did not run around confused. It was focused, hunting something. It was so obsessed with its target that it didn’t try to conceal itself. We lost it a few times. I assumed someone was opening portals for it because it would disappear. Poof, and it got away from us. Then we needed a few hours to pick up its trace again.

This evening would be different. I could taste it in the air the moment I picked up the sounds of a fight. Tonight, shit was going to get real—one huge male Burlo versus a strong pack of wolves. I have confidence in my pack. We’ve seen bad shit before.

My pack surrounded the Burlo. My pack. I felt pride, the pride of an Alpha who was leading his wolves toward victory. The guys and I hunted as one, and this wouldn’t be our first tango. We used the cover of the bar to shift. Drae is on the left. He looks feral, a huge black wolf with his teeth bared and ready to pounce at a moment's notice. There was something dark and dangerous about my Beta. He waited. I could sense his eagerness to attack and rip that demon apart from the way he shifted his weight from one side to the other. Drae flashed his fangs, getting himself into the right mental state for what was coming next. Drae is strong, and he knows how to play it to his advantage. He is large and powerful. His weight works for him. His temper is calm, and each of his moves is calculated. I can count on Drae. He won’t act without thinking.

I can’t say the same about River. He’s on my right, ready to pounce. His growl ripples through his body as he shakes and shivers with lust for the upcoming fight. He can barely contain himself. River is our youngest member and is not cautious. This is the first Burlo Demon he has seen, and the hunt has kicked his adrenaline into high gear. He is thirsty for blood. I’m using so much of my Alpha energy holding him in check.

Burlos are dangerous fuckers, even for us. Their strong body, their thick hide covered in scales, and their acid saliva can take a shifter out for days if one is stupid enough to engage alone and reckless without a plan. This Burlo is the biggest I’ve ever seen. It walks like a gator, but its upper body is almost human if not for the huge maw, long tongue, and large fangs. Burlo Demons are feral and strong mofos, but they’re not evil. It only does what’s natural to it. Everything about this type of Demon is nightmarish and horrible. Just thinking about it makes my fur stand up on the back of my neck, even in wolf form.

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