Page 17 of Give a Devil his Due
Lifting on his elbows, Colt zeroes in on me and gulps. “I did nothing, but her …” Whatever color that has returned to his face drops away. “She glowed.” His bulging eyes turn to Eric, and I remember him bathed in a weird light I thought was coming from somewhere behind me. “Heaven’s light and Hell’s magma made her skin, brother. I have never seen anything like it.”
“Well, fuck a duck.” My arms give out, and I drop on the pavement like a rock.
Eric
“It means nothing.” After I jump on the tracks from the platform, I reach for Helena. “It could be anything at this point.”
We both know I’m trying to reassure myself more than her. That’s why she says nothing and just takes my offered hand, following me to the metal rails where the metro used to zoom by daily until the jinn decided it was time for them to rule the realms. A long, dark tunnel stretches on both sides of us, and Hel shivers, wrapping her arms around her middle.
I curse up a storm under my breath.
What were we thinking? Both Raphael and I know what kind of personal hell my mate had in Purgatory, and like idiots, neither of us thought twice about bringing her here. My eyes lock on the Archangel, and I know he is thinking the same by the way his jaw is set and his knuckles white.
“You’re right.” Hel shrugs, peering intently at the black gaping hole of the tunnel. “And it’s not like we can change anything, so what’s the point of stressing about it. So, I glow. I also have wings, horns, and a tail. Big deal.” An uneasy snort rasps out of her. “At least I don’t have a third boob … or a penis. Because let me tell you, if I grew one of those appendages, I have no doubt it would’ve been impressive in size, and I’d be chasing you right now with it bobbing ahead of me.”
My chuckle makes her lips curl up, and it brightens her entire face. If threatening me with imaginary cocks makes her forget about all the unknown that scares her, I’ll gladly suffer through it. Colt, on the other hand, can’t wait for an opportunity to take a jab at me.
“You are not scaring him, she-devil. He likes it.” My brother guffaws at my glare.
“We should’ve sent humans to search, not brought Helena here.” Satanael peruses the underground terminal with his hands loosely propped on his hips.
“Of course.” Helena sneers at him. “Because why send someone who’s hard to kill when you can send humans, right? I have no clue why I didn’t think of that.”
“I do not care much for them.” Poor Satanael is genuinely perplexed about why his daughter is upset with him.
“I couldn’t tell.” Muttering, she shuffles closer to me. “Can we go before I stab him in the forehead with the dagger?”
“We will meet you here in an hour.” Beelzebub lifts a hand all business-like and trots toward the tunnel behind, followed closely by my twin and George. The hunter is a little green in the face, but he darts after them without a complaint. Satanael glances a few times at Hel, but my mates ignores him, so with a sigh and slumped shoulders, he disappears as well.
The sound of their thumping footsteps fades away.
“We should’ve brought the Trowe.” Raphael steps on Helena’s other side. “The wards are too strong in this place for them to have just missed it.”
The short hairs on my arms standing at attention confirm he is telling the truth. Even from the sky, the deterrent placed around the tunnels under Atlanta prickled at my skin, warning me to get the hell away from the place. Deserted now after the attack, it has a creepy vibe to it even without the help of any warding, but the terror-inducing magic claws at my innards the longer I stand in one place.
“There is enough of us to deal with whatever is here.” I still follow his gaze to where Helena is hyping herself to enter the tunnel.
I want for us to come across a jinn more than I ever wanted anything before. I need to rip into one of those pricks for doing this to my mate. For making a feisty, brave female wary of a fucking tunnel. My gums tingle where the sharp incisors want to drop so I can sink them in their necks and rip out their throats.
“The others will be back before we leave. Come on.” Hel pulls out her dagger and, squaring her shoulders, steps forward.
Raphael and I follow on her heels, my arms tense and ready to grab her if she shows any signs of distress. A few feet in, it’s already so pitch-black I can’t see a finger if I lift it in front of my nose. Shifting my sight to my other form brings my surroundings into view, but I know neither the Archangel nor Helena can see in this darkness. I reach for my mate’s arm to guide her, but before my fingers contact her skin, a soft glow forms a bubble around us.
Tilting my head, I stare at Raphael.
“A perk.” One of his shoulders jerks in a shrug.
“Aww, look at you, Raphael.” Hel giggles. “You are like a lightning bug.”
“I’m not an insect.” He sounds affronted, but I see his mouth twitching at the corners. “I’m an Archangel.” A shadow crosses over his gaze, making me frown.
“Maybe I should try and see if I can do the same,” Helena muses, and my attention goes back to her. I’ll corner Raphael’s angelic ass after we are done here to see what’s up. “Knowing my luck, my boobs will light up like flashlights.”
My bark of laughter echoes down the tunnel, and we all freeze.
“Very smooth, Eric,” Hel says dryly. “Might as well send a marching band to announce our presence, why don’t you?”
I shift my sight back to normal since I no longer need it and brush off the reprimand. At least she’s no longer timid while walking in the claustrophobic space. Smooth concrete walls rise on both sides and form a rounded dome above our heads. The low railing lines a narrow path wide enough for one person to walk on, and so far, no door or entrance can be seen. Air heavy with the stench of heated metal and some type of gas coats my skin and the inside of my mouth.
