Page 71 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

Ant glares at Ty with red hot anger. Ty returns the look with a coldness which sends a shiver of warning into my soul. I’ll take fire over ice any day. “Ant!” I snap, he blinks and turns to glare over my shoulder at the approaching cavalry no doubt here to wipe us out. He arches an eyebrow at me. “You aren’t the sort to run from a fight.”

“I have no power here.”

He rolls his eyes. “You are never powerless, Natia. Before all of this you beat demons twice your size with your skill and bare fists.”

“I’m much better with swords.”

He waves his hand and produces my beloved twin swords. I grasp them and turn towards the oncoming battle. A spark of power behind me snatches my attention. When I turn, Ty has disappeared.

The magic from Ant twists and pulses into the room. Sparks of amber burning in his eyes. Ant for all his airs and graces is a scary mother fucker.

Two demons come barreling towards us, one with curved crimson horns protruding from his bald head, the other human like apart from the elongated K9’s digging into his lower lip.

I point a sword at them. “You get horny, I’ll get fangy.”

“I already am, watching a woman fight does that.”

I roll my eyes as the first demon launches himself through the air, spinning in an impressive display of gymnastics. Does Hell have Olympic equivalents? He grins at his perfect descent towards me. I resist rolling my eyes. Fancy his move may be, but also stupid. In the last second, I drop to the floor and slam my fist to the ground, my sword pointing upward like a spike of death. The demon’s black eyes widen as he realizes his mistake, too late. He whips his arm out in front of him, the blade slicing through his forearm and straight into his throat. He jerks a few times before going limp. I stand and use my foot to roll him off my blade.

The next comes at me head on, her eyes wild with violence as her raven hair whips behind her. In a far smarter move than the previous demon, she feigns left, waiting for me to follow. But her tense muscles give away her intention to alter course. I match her, acting as if I’m falling for her move. She spins and aims a roundhouse at my chest. I lean back as her foot brushes my shirt. Ant appears behind her, rips her head from her shoulders, then splits it in half with his bare hands. Arterial blood splatters the walls whilst my face gets a generous coating of brain matter. He grins at me, like we are a team. I grin back, because it feels good to remember I am not helpless without my magic, and to know at least one person has my back, even if he is a demon. Wow, not something I ever imagined myself saying.

A howling, nude, hairless creature slithers along the low ceiling. It reminds me of Golem. Its head twists at a ninety-degree angle as it observes me and Ant with an eye that reflects back at us. I raise my bloody sword. “What the hell is that?”

Ant leaps into the air and grasps the thing around its neck. He stomps on the eye, its head exploding into black goo. Ant shakes his boot as I back up to avoid being touched by the substance. “That was a spy.” He reaches out for my hand. “Come, we should leave. They’ll just keep coming.” I hesitate for a second, trying to discern from his eyes if I’m walking into a trap. He rolls his eyes. “If I wanted you dead, it would already be so, and I wouldn’t be here to save your ass. Now take my hand.”

Wrapping my hand in his, I mutter, “Better the devil you know, right?” The world spins and I’m floating through the wonderful peaceful place. Weightless and carefree, safe and home.

Chapter Eighteen

Natia

When a Taurus woman’s feet hit the floor in the morning, the Devil says, “Oh no, she’s up.”

Quick, imagine what a demon’s lair would resemble. Got it? That’s where I’m standing. Albeit a very rich and refined demon. The dark space is illuminated by the many iron candle harbors dotted around the floor. Red silk drapes the furniture and bed. Heat seeps into the room from an enormous fireplace, fur rugs and throws are scattered throughout the room. Is Ant against animal cruelty and uses faux? I stare at the male as he opens a door to the far left to reveal a gleaming black bathroom.

He points inside. “Do you want to get cleaned up first?”

I glance down at my body. My blood covered limbs tremble with exhaustion and I can’t decide which particular demon is matted in my hair. Plus, the stench of the cell clings to me like sticky cobwebs. I grab the offered towel from his hand and pause at the door. “Are we still in hell?” I whisper.

He shakes his head, his midnight hair breaking free from the hair tie. “No, we are in my private quarters at Hell’s Hole.”

I puff out a breath of relief, step into the bathroom and swing the door shut, locking it for good measure. This might not be hell, but I was still in a demon’s lair and a few seconds warning whilst naked in a shower was better than nothing. I spin around in the room, taking in the opulence. Gleaming black tiles, everywhere. A mirrored ceiling gives an illusion of height. Why would the ceiling be mirrored? Vanity? “Look at me washing my body, I’m so sexy in soap suds,” I mock. No, doesn’t quite fit with Ant’s personality. I glance at the shower, large enough for four people, then back at the ceiling. My eyes widen. Oh… right. I examine the various silver round buttons next to the shower and hit the first one. Music filters into the room. I smile and hum along to Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For a Hero”. Who knew hell’s royalty liked eighties pop? I strip off, dump my clothes in a heap on the floor, and try the next button. Water erupts from several faucets. My heart jumps and slams against my chest. I grit my teeth. I will not become that girl who jumps at freaking shadows. I was in hell. Accept it and move on. The steaming water causes rivulets of red to stream down my legs. The color gets lost on the black tiles. Maybe that’s why Ant has them? I grab an unlabeled bottle of purple liquid, remove the cap and give it a quick sniff. Berries with sandalwood. Does he get this made in hell? I chuckle at the thought of demons crushing berries underfoot in a barrel.

A light tapping sounds from the door. “You okay in there?” Ant shouts.

Am I? I lean my forehead on the tiles. Hell threw everything against me, Archan, my friends, Jack… Gran. Where do I go now? Duncan and Zee made their feelings clear, and they are right, they are safer without me. I can’t go back to the bat cave.

The light knock turns into a pound. “Natia?”

“I’m alive,” I shout. Damn Nathan. Could he grant me deception now? Or was it only a ‘whilst I was being formed’ kind of gift?

“I left clean clothes for you on the bed, I’ll be out for about ten minutes. Stay in the suite.”

I laugh. Where would I go?

* * *

Liquid silk, the color of midnight, flowing like water, covers me in artful drapes down to the floor. I stare at my reflection, it’s got to be the most stunning dress I’ve ever worn. The door swings open and Ant walks in, his hair damp and he’s changed into a three piece black suit. He looks amazing and matches me.

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