Page 87 of Hellfire

Pasuntha glanced back at his companions and spoke in the language of the djinn, which sounded heated and Arabic in origin.

Eventually, Jinjiri grabbed Blaze’s shoulders, pressing her forehead to his in a gesture of solidarity and support. The beads and sequins of her corset rustled with her movement. “I honor my life debt to save you from the serpents.”

My throat dried as the Marids argued among themselves before Pasuntha relented, ushering us into his travel bubbles and transporting us to the Cairn.

The closer we floated to our destination, the more the power I’d absorbed from the Cairn of the Elements flared inside of me. Weak and distant but ever present. I wondered if I could recharge upon the stone and challenge my grandparents. Except, I needed the djinn king’s assistance in the ritual. Or perhaps Blaze might be able to perform it from his familiarity with it.

Pasuntha delivered us to the stairs at the base of the Cairn. Whirlpools of power danced around the edges of the Veil breach I tore open to march into Earth and rescue Blaze. Snakes crawled under my skin as the Serpent King and Queen raised their arms and intoned dark words to summon the sixth elemental, lightning cracking around them.

“Stop them,” Pasuntha ordered his three companions, marching up the stairs, my men and I close behind them.

At the top of the dais, Sanctuary stomped forward, making a circle around my grandparents. Cole and Talon launched an offensive to pare them back and aid us to retrieve the glowing sigil from her upturned palm. Dark magick sparked against the light as Talon’s spear collided with the Sanctuary’s canes. Blood splattered as Cole’s weapons tore through the dark soldier’s lines. I’d never seen anything as majestic and lethal. The Sanctuary redirected my lover’s attempts to get to their master.

Phoebe clutched the Book of the Dead in the crook of one elbow, she and her husband uttering the final word from the spell. My mind shuddered with the power they woke. Lines of Veil energy flexed at the movement of something enormous hidden in its fabric. An ominous, damned beauty, emerging from the Veil hole at my grandparents’ command.

Phoebe’s face lit up. “Come to me, my love.”

A churning fury of clouds and lightning formed the head of a giant snake, curling in descent from the sky. Of course, ithad to be a fucking snake, didn’t it? Or perhaps that was my grandparents’ notion of power.

“Stop!” I shouted over the thunder roaring above, hoping I still possessed some connection over the ultimate power that might stop this.

Phoebe turned and looked at me, at my men and four djinni behind me. “How gallant of you, my dear, bringing the djinni and your coterie of man-sluts to accompany you.” With a smug smile, she turned to address her husband. “Deal with them, my love.”

“With pleasure, dearest.” Camus’ maniacal smile froze my blood. His pupils reshaped into slits as he called on his snake magick. “Vnac nuk kyna.”

The dark words of the serpent tongue dragged down my back like Lycan claws.

Magenta light pulsed in Blaze’s snake tattoo and his eyes. Oh, fuck, Camus took control of him again. The coward always puppeted others to do his dirty work, hiding behind them as a barrier of protection.

I lunged for my bonded, grabbing his arm. “No, Blaze, listen to me. Resist it!” I chanted my own words, making Camus laugh, and Blaze shove me away.

Gable caught me and steadied me. “Easy there, Blaze,” he hissed, deploying his snake powers, the influence thrumming in my veins, twisting Blaze’s head in our direction.

“You’re no match for me, boy!” Camus asserted his authority in a stupid pissing contest. “I taught you everything you know.”

“Wanna bet?” Gable released a bolt of white magick that thrust him back.

White light exploded as Cole and Talon broke through the line of soldiers and went to work on my grandmother to stop her from seizing control of the sixth elemental.

My grandfather sneered and gripped my lover’s shoulder. “Young Blaze, kill anyone that’s indecently touched my granddaughter.”

My bonded turned like a robot to face us. Dark red globes blossomed on his palms. Jinjiri tackled him to the ground and her companions wrestled to hold his arms down.

“Houston, we have a fucking problem!” Gable shouted, calling on his dark and light powers, deflecting a crimson projectile directed his way from a Sanctuary coming to Camus’ aid.

Two Marids broke away from Blaze and went to battle with Camus, throwing him aside from their kin. Camus’ skin shrank as they pulled the water from his body, desiccating him. Fuck. He looked like a dehydrated snake with beady eyes.

“Blaze, no, please.” I made it two steps when a hand clamped on my arm, jerking me back.

“Leave him, love.” I stared up into Gable’s grey eyes.

He pointed to the snake coiling in the air, easily as long as ten football fields and quite possibly the largest being I’d seen in my life. It landed on the ground, and everything shook. If it weren’t for his grip, I would have landed on my ass.

He shook me gently, calling my attention back to him. “Think you can take back the sigil, love? I’ll distract her.”

An impossible ask, but I was willing to try.

“Come, my love.” Phoebe coaxed the elemental, and the furious python cloud slithered closer. “Assist my husband and take care of these fools for me. Then bring the djinn world under my command.”

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