Page 19 of Hell Gate

LILY

My long skirt swishes around me as I make my way down a long hall with pillars and an arched, intricately carved ceiling. The obsidian floor reflects the flickering orange flames dancing in my palm. I smirk at my pretties, curling my fingers around the fire. Double doors open at the end of the hall, and someone inside calls a name that isn’t mine.

Wait.

This isn’t right. Am I dreaming again?

The thick dark fog surrounding me shifts once I’m aware of it. I come out of the vision of another world, waking up to a dark room with a muffled yell.

What the—? My mouth is cottony and I gag, unable to swallow, unable to close my mouth because there’s something stuck in it that makes my jaw ache. I want to rip it out, but my hands are stuck behind me, tied to the chair. Yanking, I get nothing but stiff limbs.

What’s going on? Was I drugged?

Lifting my head, I blink several times, taking in the unfamiliar room. This is wrong. I went to bed at Talbot House, finally passing out after staying up for twenty-four hours reading the books on demon lore I borrowed from the library. I should be in it right now. It feels like I’ve barely been asleep, though my breathing turns harsh when I spot the date on the busted, flickering clock. Two days? No way.

Disorientation leaves my mind like sand pouring through an hourglass. It’s the same unpleasant comedown I had after the hypnosis in the alley wore off. Bit by bit, the thick, abnormal fog seeps away, allowing flashes of what happened when I went to bed to rise to the surface of my memories.

They melted out of the shadows. Grabbed me. I fought, my elbow throbbing with the tenderness of crashing against rock hard muscles. My captors argued. Then came the order to knock me out.

If I close my eyes, I can still sense the large warm hand brushing my forehead with his thumb before the unnatural darkness claimed me.

Grinding my teeth against the fabric gag tied around my head, I recap what I’ve learned in the last sixty seconds since waking. I don’t know where I am, but I’m guessing it’s a shitty motel going off the hideous, dated furnishings and the faint stench of nicotine hanging in the air. I’m bound and gagged, still wearing the oversized t-shirt I went to bed in. Judging by the twinges in my stiff body, I’ve been like this for most of the two days missing from my mind.

Alder, Matthias, and Valerian are dead for fucking kidnapping me. Chest heaving with fury, I squirm against the restraints to loosen them. My muscles are sore from being locked in the same position, but I savor the throbs of pain, feeding each one to my hatred. Once I get out of my bindings, I’ll kick their teeth in.

The door opens and I catch a brief glimpse of a dark parking lot lit by the neon glow of a motel sign. Then my three asshole stalkers stride in.

Demons, my mind supplies helpfully. My stomach clenches. There’s no denying what I saw in the alley. Their fingers that changed into long, terrifying claws. It’s not normal. Not human.

I can’t believe the gate to Hell is real. I can’t believe I convinced myself they were going to leave me alone after that shift from danger to…something far more potent in the alley. They’ve each said they can’t let me go. But kidnapping? Seriously?

Drawing in a deep breath, I launch into a tirade that’s unintelligible with the gag blocking my mouth. They don’t acknowledge me, too wrapped up in their own conversation. I rock back and forth on the chair, yelping when I nearly overbalance the damn thing.

Alder comes close enough to right my chair prison before it topples, scooting me with a forceful shove so I’m wedged between the ratty bed and the nightstand. Once he ensures I’m not going to tip the chair over, his focus returns to the other two men without sparing me another glance.

That’s how we’re playing this? Fine. Fuck. Them.

Huffing, I drop my head back and stare at the ceiling.

“Killing her was a total fail. We couldn’t—hurt her,” Matthias argues in a confused tone. “She looks the part, but I don’t think she’s human. Not completely. You felt it, didn’t you? The pull is intense.”

Fuckboy say what? I tune back into their conversation, no longer ignoring them out of spite.

Valerian waves dismissively. “We have more pressing problems and need to act quickly before we entertain our theories. The demon council won’t buy it much longer with only one of us posted at a time. It’s a risk for all three of us to come here.”

“We have to make a decision,” Alder cuts in. “We’ve made her disappear, but it’s not enough.”

“Uh-m, heh-oh? Ahh-hullth!” My agitated words come out completely garbled by the gag. I go for the loudest scream I can manage instead, satisfied when two of them turn their attention to me.

Alder takes a step in my direction first, but it’s Matthias who beats him to me and touches the gag.

He lifts his brows. “No screaming. Deal?” I narrow my eyes. He huffs in amusement and holds up his hands. “If you scream, Alder will have to put you under again. You can punch me as much as you want if I take off the gag. Does that sweeten it for you?”

Put me under. It was definitely his large, rough hand that caressed my head before the darkness trapped me in that vision.

After considering, I nod curtly, flexing my jaw in relief when the soggy material leaves my mouth. I tense as he massages my cheeks before undoing one of my arms.

He gives my arm the same treatment, working the sore muscles with his skilled hands. “Sorry for this. You almost woke up twice already, so it had to be done. Better?”

---