Page 14 of Another Underworld

“Always,” Candy Vargo announced.

“No worries,” Cher said, hustling into the house. “I’ll whip something up real quick.”

That was a little alarming since the last time Cher had cooked it consisted of burned toast and raw hotdogs. Whatever. I kind of liked burned toast.

“Cher cannot cook,” Fifi pointed out. “Should I order pizza?”

I laughed. “No, let’s see how bad it is and then make a call.”

“As you wish, My Liege Bitch Goddess Cecily.”

I was about to tell her she could drop the liege part but didn’t. Fifi was very much about pomp and circumstance. If it made her happy, who was I to complain?

“Do we have an actual fucking plan?” Pandora snapped, eyeing me with distaste.

So much for thinking she wasn’t a gaping douche. But to be fair, she was probably as worried as I was. What if the end came, and the Higher Power had nothing to do with it? What if Armageddon arrived because no one would accept both of us asthe Goddesses of the Darkness? Hell, what if alien cockroaches really were living in my drywall? Actually, the cockroach theory was the best-case scenario.

“Tomorrow, we go into the Darkness even if we haven’t heard from Dagon. We need to establish that Pandora is back. If we’re not worshiped, we cease to exist. Along with that possibly insurmountable task, we’re keeping our eyes wide open for the Higher Power,” I stated firmly. Turning to Abaddon, I asked, “Have you tried to reach Dagon?”

“Multiple times,” he replied, stone-faced.

“Is it normal for him not to answer?”

“No.”

And, yet again, my stomach cramped up. Had something happened to Dagon and the others? That seemed highly unlikely. Dagon was feared and respected. He was also one of the fiercest fighters alive. I really, really hoped he was still alive.

As if wishes became reality—which was rare—Dagon and Shiva appeared in my living room in a blast of red mist. His expression was unreadable, and his demeanor was tense. Neither Demon looked good. Shiva’s clothes were bloodstained, and Dagon had a long, jagged cut on his right cheek and bruises on his face. The wound was raw and bleeding profusely, which was shocking since a Demon of his age and power healed fast.

“Bitch Goddess Cecily,” he said, bowing to me as Shiva followed suit. Shiva grimaced as she bowed. In the past, I would have chalked that up to the fact that she despised me. However, we’d come to a truce, and it was clear that she was in pain. Both gave Pandora the side eye, but didn’t say anything about her presence.

“Dagon,” I replied, indicating we should go into my house. “Where are Corny, Irma, Moon, Stella and Jonny?”

“They’re still in the Darkness,” he replied flatly, looking wildly displeased.

My eyes narrowed, and my fingers began to spark. “Explain,” I said tightly.

“I will,” he replied as his knees suddenly buckled.

Before Dagon could go down, Abaddon was beside him, bracing the wounded Demon and helping him into the house. I knew Abaddon was fast, but I’d barely seen him move. Fifi aided Shiva, and Candy Vargo brought up the rear with an odd expression on her face.

Once we were seated, Cher doled out the sandwiches that she’d made. They looked surprisingly edible. Fifi was shocked. The Succubus took a tentative bite then gave me a covert thumbs up. Unfortunately, my appetite was gone. The mood in the room had killed it.

Dagon and Shiva, however, ate like they were starved. It was unsettling.

Candy Vargo passed on the food as well, watching Dagon and Shiva with focused interest. It put everyone on edge.

“Can you tell me what happened on the Higher Power’s plane?” Dagon asked as he finished two sandwiches then gratefully accepted another sandwich from Cher. “And then I will try to give an explanation as to the others’ absence.”

“I can.” It gave them a thorough accounting of our time on the Higher Plane, leaving nothing out. Both Dagon and Shiva paled considerably when they heard I’d threatened the Higher Power, but they didn’t call me out on it. The only part of the story Dagon asked for clarification on was the description of the Higher Power.

I obliged. “She’s a chain-smoking, smack talking, nightmare.”

“Hmmf,” he grunted as he wolfed down the next sandwich.

I gave him a level stare. Why were his wounds getting worse? I turned my attention to Shiva. Blood was seeping through her shirt with no sign of slowing down. There was somethingterrible at work here—something that was stopping their ability to fix the damage to their bodies.

I narrowed my gaze at them. “Why aren’t either of your wounds healing?”

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