Page 16 of Witch Please
“Seriously? I’ve been dying to find you just so you can throw me under the bus?” my glare earned me an owlish blink from her. “I swear I should’ve found a way out and left you to rely on Blackman to get your ass out. I’m sure you’d be stuck in an orgy in no time.”
“Mr. Blackman is down the hall.” Charon chirped helpfully but the glint in his one eye betrayed his amusement.
“I wasn’t sure if you woke up swinging or disoriented not remembering your name.” Sissily breathed under her nose as she rushed to exit the room and join me. “I figured we can play good cop, bad cop, just in case.”
“In case of what? They give out awards for idiots in the Underworld?” staring daggers at her back I swaggered after them. “If that’s the case I guarantee you, you’ll have the gold medal.”
“Don’t be a jerk, Hazel.” With a quick glance over her shoulder, she hurried to keep up with Charon who was stomping down the hall again. “I never know what to expect with you anymore.”
I slowed down, hesitating. My gaze narrowed on Sissily’s back; I braced myself for whatever was about to happen. “I’d been meaning to ask. Do you think Jack will be able to help Amber get out of the spell while we are gone?”
“No doubt.” She waved a hand over her shoulder dismissing me as if it was nothing.
Grinding my teeth, I clenched my fists and jumped-kicked whoever that was in the lower back. With an inhumane screech, she went down on all fours, her ponytail flopping like a dead animal on the side of her head.
“Who are you and what did you do to Sissily?” I hissed at the creature and kicked it in the chin when it twisted around to see me.
Head flying back, it flew a foot or two to the side, stopping when it smacked the wall. Instead of fighting back or attempting to run away, it threw its head back and started to laugh. Charon joined in as well, both of them guffawing, you’d think I just told them the funniest joke of the century.
“Where are my friends, demon?” it took great effort to speak through clenched teeth and my words sounded garbled. “Speak before Hell is left without a gatekeeper.” Rage was churning inside me, and with hands shaking I allowed it to grow to a point where my skin felt too tight for my body.
“A little test, Miss Byrne.” Charon waved me off, unconcerned. “No harm done, I’m sure.”
Raising my hand, palm up, I released a stream of light at him, hitting the floor an inch from his feet. The stone exploded with such force we all went airborne and were flung against the walls, me included. Arms shaking, I scrambled back on my feet as fast as I could and rushed back to where I thought Charon landed. The second his blonde hair came into view I grabbed a hold of it and yanked as hard as I could.
It did nothing.
I couldn’t move him at all apart from ending up with a fistful of hair. Since he made no sound, I doubt he felt it either. Panic that Sissily and River might be dead for real made me reckless; so, I started kicking at the pile of limbs with everything in me. At some point I heard myself yelling all sorts of obscenities too, but I was so gone I didn’t understand a word of it. It felt like I was kicking, punching and screaming for hours when finally, a voice penetrated the anger fogging my head.
“Hazel?” I recognized that tone. I’d know it anywhere.
“Hazel Byrne!”
Panting, with sweat dripping down my face I turned around to face the speaker. Through clumps of matted hair my eyes locked on blue ones as wide as saucers.
“Sissily?” unable to trust what I see I racked my brain to come up with something which will confirm it’s really my best friend. As always, she saved me from my misery.
“Is that Charon? Oh, dear goddess, Hazel, please tell me you didn’t kill the ferryman.” With a groan she slapped a hand on her forehead. “No amount of scrubbing altars will get us out of this one with Danika.”
“It is you.” I breathed and rushed her, hitting her full speed like a train to wrap her in my arms.
“Oomph,” she wheezed, all the air exploding out of her lungs when we connected. “Easy woman, I’m breakable. Who else would it be?”
“That.” Not releasing her in case they tricked me and take her away I pointed at the creature that looked like her. “It tried to trick me into thinking it’s you.”
“Pfft, as if that would work.” Sissily hugged me back. “I don’t have that big of a forehead.”
“Neither the forehead nor the boobs actually now that I can see it better.” Tilting my head, I finally took a good look at it.
“I thought you were glad to see me.” she grumbled and pushed me away.
“I am.”
“You don’t see me insulting your mammary glands, now do you?”
“My mammary what?” I eyed her warily.
“The chesticles.” She circled her hand in front of her boobs.
