Page 41 of Till Death

I pushed aside the niggling voice of reason telling me they’d come back to this terrible place to save me. Too much bitterness burned my throat for me to be reasonable right now.

“There’s a way,” I insisted. “I know it. I feel it.” I pounded a fist against my heart for emphasis.

Eli took a step closer. “Thereisno way. I’m telling you.”

“And I’m telling you differently,” I fought back. “I have a feeling we’re right where we need to be. Hank wouldn’t have made this an impossible situation.” Even though he was the one to start the war in the first place.

“Whatever it is you plan to do, you should do it quickly.” Amon’s bodiless voice echoed through the space. Coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. “Because I’ve called the other sin demons to my side. And they’re on their way here now.”

CHAPTERTWELVE

“We need to get out of here, y’all. Now.” Lisa snapped her fingers to get our attention but the gesture wasn’t necessary. “Immediately, if not sooner. Catch my drift?”

Tamara waved us toward the door. “This way.”

Hopefully the damn thing opened this time. But I had a gut feeling Amonwantedus to run. He wanted us scared, like little rats in a maze, while his friends chased us down. Once again I’d become the rat. Hoping to find the cheese. A dangerous piece of cheese, because in this case it might be poisonous.

It was all a game, because he wanted to see what we would do and if we’d find a way through.

A way out.

I hated demons. I hated gods, too, because they both seemed to have the same sick sense of humor.

Eli took the lead, his long legs eating up the space between us and the door. He grabbed the handle and gave it a single hard pull. Much to my surprise, the door opened easily enough. He turned around and glanced at the rest of us in a clear bid to get our rears into gear.

“Come on.” I bent down low to whisper to Cole, urging him to follow. “You have to come with me. It’s all right. It’s going to be okay.”

His red eyes tracked up to meet mine and my gut sank when I noticed there wasn’t a hint of blue left.

“Cole, it’s fine. Come on now. You follow me.”

Yeah, I might have been lying to him. It was impossible to say. But I’d cut through every last sin demon in my path if it meant having a chance to fix him.

I looked after the two women quickly striding out of the room. Eli made sure they were out before turning back to me and inclining his head.

“If you’re sure…” he trailed off.

He still stood like a soldier at attention. At least he wasn’t panicking this time. And he’d once again recruited my friends to help me. Not my living friends, but the ones who had the best chance of making it out of Hell. They’d all stopped what they were doing for me, again, and I knew I’d never be able to pay any of my friends back for it.

Desperation, everyone.

“I’m sure,” I insisted.

It took a fair amount of coaxing but I finally got Cole to move.

A dark empty hallway stretched out in front of us when we made it to the door. I kept my hand on Cole’s hunched and bulging shoulder to urge him forward. He walked slowly, his knuckles scraping the floor. He continued to growl low in his throat. A constant rumble of sound I learned to interpret as nothing to worry over.

“Pick up the pace, girly, or we’re going to be served between two pieces of bread. I for one don’t feel like being some crazy demon’s snack.”

This from Lisa. I swore I saw a muscle in her jaw begin to tick.

“You’re dead. How do you think you’re going to taste?” Tamara called out over the sound of our pounding footsteps. “No one is going to want to take a bite out of you.”

“How about a little less talking and a little more moving?” Eli asked. Like he had suddenly become the voice of reason.

“Hurry, Cole.”

Bright red eyes met mine, his underbite growing more pronounced than it had looked even a few minutes ago. I swallowed over the terrible stabbing feeling in my chest. Pain, for what he was going through.

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