Page 29 of Surrendering Hope (The Hope Legacy)

The demon’s black flesh pales. “Sire, Pandora was the last seen with the Jar. But we haven’t been able to locate her or the Jar. She was seen leaving Lucifer’s club, we’re uncertain if she made a deal or if any information was shared.” I roll my eyes. The demon isn’t telling him anything new. The beast’s hand flies forward, and he tears the demon’s head off, tossing it at Lawrence’s feet. Now, here’s a bastard I should have killed many years ago. He has been hankering after Lucifer’s position for the last few hundred years. He believes he’s strong enough to take on Earth’s legion of heinous creatures, which would devour him in a heartbeat. Maybe we should let him try. I numbered his days the second I found out about his determination to get Natia.

Lawrence quirks an eyebrow as he straightens his tie and repositions his cufflinks, the diamonds winking in the candlelight. He’s in his deceptive human form, fresh from a fact finding mission. Facts about what, I’m not sure, but I’m hoping this next conversation will prove useful.

“Useless!” the beast roars, spittle flying from his mouth across an unamused Lawrence’s face. Lawrence removes a crisp white handkerchief from his top pocket and dabs at his cheek. “Have you found the gates?” he bellows.

Lawrence drops the wet handkerchief in the roaring fire. His home resembles an underground mansion, built into the side of a mountain in the wasteland that encompasses this vile level of hell. “I have, Ty. We will work with the warlocks. But you need to be whole to master the beasts which will stampede and devastate us all if we aren’t strong enough to leash them.”

My face pulls up into a grin. “You would never be strong enough, Lawrence. Power greater than theirs is the only thing these monsters respond to, anything less, and they will destroy you. My advice? Get behind me when we unleash them.”

Lawrence makes his way over to an armchair and pours himself a glass of scotch from a fine crystal decanter. He sips the amber liquid whilst eyeballing Ty with curious and calculating eyes. There’s an unknown plan behind that expression which worries me more than Ty’s obvious world domination target.

“Of course, Ty. As soon as you are whole, we will open the gates to Tartarus and the world will tremble at your feet.” As I move forward, the gilded mirror catches my reflection. I’m startled by the transformation he’s had on me already. My unruly hair flies around and my expression is hard and determined, showcasing far too much emotion. My mind catches on the words Lawrence spoke… Tartarus, not hell. They want to open the depths of hell, one most don’t realize exists. It’s not for nasty human souls, or even the average demon. Tartarus is the original hell, the pit of the universe where creatures too monstrous to control roam. Creatures like Typhon. He’s going home for a reunion.

“Including the girl?” Ty questions.

Lawrence nods. “Yes, the girl.”

“How?”

Lawrence approaches and pats him on the shoulder. “We strike at her weakness and bring her to her knees.”

“Her weakness?”

Lawrence’s mouth splits into a chilling grin. “Family, my friend. Natia’s sense of self-preservation is nothing, but for those she loves; she would give everything.”

I recoil from his accurate analysis. She’s in deep shit if they have figured this out, and I need to warn her. But it will have to wait until he rests or she sleeps. Both are seldom events.

Chapter Eleven

Natia

There are no games or secrets that outwit a Taurus’s gut instinct.

Afaded scroll showcasing the ancient family tree of the Greek gods sprawls across the dining table, its details both accurate and disturbing. Zee dumps a set of highlighters and colored pens on the table. He picks a purple pen and cocks an eyebrow at Duncan. “Can I write on this?”

Duncan waves his hand. “Have at it, we’ve had a dramatic life lesson in religion and our beliefs have been blown to smithereens. It’s not like a few marks on a scroll matter.”

Zee scrawls “Jed” over the word Eros at the top of the tree, then traces the line to Typhon, a row under the name Tartarus. “Wait, is Tartarus a place or a person?” I ask.

Emi looks up from her position on the sofa, curled into Aaden who’s hunting on his laptop for ideas on how Typhon plans to destroy mankind. Not sure Google has the answer. “Both. As punishment for creating a Monster, Tartarus became responsible for guarding Typhon and any other monster who was sent there. Over time, the reference changed and Tartarus became both the person and the place.”

My finger traces the lines linked to Tartarus stopping at Eros. “Wait so Tartarus is Lucifer, who isn’t just a god, he’s a Primordial like Jed and Archan?”

She smiles and nods. “Clever girl, yeah they’re brothers. Keep unpicking these clues and you’ll have my family tree sorted in no time.”

I grin at her. “You lead me into a Primordial identity without actually telling.”

“One more down,” Duncan mutters.

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He nods at the family tree. “One more off our list for who Archan is.”

“Focus on the problem at hand. How are we going to defeat Typhon?” Emi says.

“We?” I ask.

She unfolds herself from Aaden, who frowns and studies her every step towards me. “Of course, I’m at your disposal, Natia. Nobody wants the rampaging beast running around Earth.”

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