Page 71 of Defying the Relic Hunter

Dante’s soulless slate-gray eyes stared coldly at me. “Not unless it’s necessary. I want Montezuma’s treasure and you will find it for me.”

“You kicked me out of the clan, remember? I don’t have to obey you anymore.”

He laughed. “You don’t have a choice. I have your Coletti.”

“He does not,”Granny inserted.

“They’re all ok?”

“Si, they are unharmed.”

Relief flooded me and I let my gaze rove over Dante. Something was off about him but what? “God, you’re such a liar.”

A growl rumbled deep in Dante chest. “Am I?”

I frowned. His lips hadn’t moved. Dante’s normally immaculate black hair stood out wildly and his scalp seemed to slide about unnaturally. “Ethan’s fine and the Bjarke got their asses handed to them.”

Dante carefully straightened his blood-soaked suit. “The battle has not yet been won and your insolence will be punished.”

My unease grew. There was way too much blood on his suit.

“Step out of the circle,” Dante commanded.

I could feel his rage beating at me. “No, and if I were you, I’d put the gun down.”

A merciless smile pulled at Dante’s mouth. “The Farin just died.”

“Granny?”

“He lies.”

“Step out of the circle.”

A cold prickling ran up my spine and I warily surveyed the mounds of bones. Had something survived? I opened my mind’s eye and the breath froze in my lungs. Holy Mary Mother of God, that wasn’t Dante. It was Asmoday. “Don’t you ever get tired of wearing other people’s skin?”

A bellow of fury broke from Asmoday. “Step out of the circle or I will send you straight to hell.”

“If I leave the circle, I die.”

“You’re dead either way.” Asmoday pulled the trigger.

Bang!Something slammed into my chest and hurled me back on the table. It toppled over and the mirrors slammed into my head. A terrible roaring filled my ears, and everything faded to black.

Chapter Nineteen

“Welcome to hell,” a raspy voice gloated.

The words echoed over and over in my head, shocking me back to consciousness. Hell? I shot upright and pain exploded in my head. Sonovabitch! It felt like someone had hit me with a crowbar. The minute Dante appeared I should have engaged my helmet.

My eyes widened in horror as an unending blackness stared back. Had I gone blind? The only sound was an eerie moaning.

A torch flared in the darkness, then another and another and another until I could make out a cavern. Strange contorted rocks reared from the floor. Some seemed to writhe in nameless agony, while others clawed at the air as if to escape some unspeakable horror.

It kinda looked like the Cavern of the Damned, but smaller. How did I get here? I never left the circle. Was I dead? I didn’t feel dead. Then again, I had met some ghosts who didn’t know they were dead either. If I was dead, I shouldn’t feel any pain, right? I swiped at the blood running down my face. Or bleed? Had Asmoday brought me here? If so, where was he? Those torches hadn’t lit themselves.

Holy shit! Ethan! Panic rolled over me. Where was he? Was he hurt? Or dead? I let out a mental scream.“Ethan!”

Granny Annabel’s familiar presence filled my head.“Your man is unharmed.”

---