Page 11 of Locked

CHAPTER EIGHT

LUKA

Hisheavyfootstepsechothroughout the silent woodland, every animal having made themselves scarce with the presence of Satan traipsing through their home.

“Come now, tell me what you boys have actually found out while playing school. I can sense her, the lust pouring from her soul.” He grins, his white-fanged teeth on full display. His features mirror mine almost exactly, with his platinum blonde hair and bloodred eyes. He is, in most ways, an older version of me.

“From yours too.” He nods at each of us with a smirk. “There have been whispers that another prince has been sending the hounds after the two of you for quite some time, but the murders only started happening weeks ago, correct?”

I nod, confirming what he already knows. “They started happening when we got the news that she had enrolled here. Her parents came to discuss her spot, handed over a donation, and left. The first body showed up the following morning,” Bale states, his eyes not leaving the lace in his hands. He’s lucky she’s a little weird and seemed to think his new fidget toy was a turn-on.

Our father has always been a little harder on Bale, their relationship strained, even on a positive day. Where I was born with our father’s demon qualities, Bale took after our mother. His black hair and amber eyes are identical to hers, and our father despises it. Bale looking so much like her only adds fuel to the already burning fire between the two of them. Her kind are typically more solitary, so as soon as we were born, she left, leaving our father to raise us alone.

We were raised in the Ring of Wrath by our father, one of the Seven Princes of the Underworld. The seven steer clear of each other in the depths unless they are required for meetings or ceremonies. Putting that number of high-level demons in one place, each with their own innate sin, is a bad idea, but letting them all up here together would bring total and utter destruction, which is not something that we can afford.

The chaos of hell is intoxicating for our kind, but in order to keep it from imploding, they live by strict laws. One of which is not bringing disputes to this plane, but here we are. Our father just needs to know more about who it is so that they can sort their shit out where they are supposed to, and the best way to do that is to question the grunts.

“So, they’re trying to kill her or take her? Do we know yet?” He questions, his eyes flitting between us.

“None that we have captured have been willing to say much, other than the fact that we’re fighting a losing battle and to let them have her,” I reply, holding eye contact while Bale stares at the ground with a scowl.

Father continues to walk, heading deeper into the woods, with the two of us walking side by side behind him.

“There are two hunters this time. They’re increasing in numbers and if we don't fix this shit soon, I will have to send more demons above ground, which I really do not wish to do. I may not like it here, but they will destroy it like everything else they touch. We need the souls from here for us to stay functioning down there. Do you understand how serious this could be if it gets out of hand?”

“Of course we fucking get it, Father. Give us some credit. We know. We’re the ones here living through this shit to make sure the gate is safe,” Bale snarls, walking over to a tree far from our father and leaning against it, once again fiddling with her black lace as if it grounds him.

Ignoring him, our father stops mid-step, inhaling deeply with a wide, sinister grin spreading across his already menacing face.

“We think one may be fated to her, could it be possible?” I ask cautiously. It’s unheard of and doesn't make a lick of sense, but there’s no other reason why he wouldn't have killed her on sight.

Suddenly, Bale is off running back toward the academy, a loud squeal suddenly echoing back to us through the trees.

“Get the fuck off me!” She yells. A loud growl ripping from Bale's throat her only answer.

“For fuck’s sake,” I huff out, jogging in their direction with Father in tow.

Bale has her up against a tree, her feet dangling below her while she thrashes her body against him in a futile attempt to fight him off. His eyes are pools of molten lava, surrounded by thin, black veins, as he stares at the tears rolling down her reddened cheeks.

“Bale, drop her! You’re about to kill the girl!” Father roars, grabbing him by his collar and throwing him to the ground, forcing Wynn to drop into a heap at the base of the tree. “I don't care if you haven't decided or come to terms with the fates, but if what Luka says is true and the hound is fated as well, this is why they’re being sent. It’s unheard of for a human to be fated with this many different supernatural beings, so there must be something about her that makes her different. Someone wants her to see if they can take it, whatever it is.”

I walk over to her slumped form, my hand tracing down her back to siphon some emotion to see where she’s at and if she needs some help to calm down. I expected some fear, a little bit of panic with a sprinkling of dread. After all, she is alone in the woods with a demon, a vampire, and Satan himself, but instead, the girl is excited. Her tears were forced from her eyes by Bale's firm grip on her throat, not fear.

She lets out a laugh, her wide eyes taking in the three of us with a hint of humor. “This is a cute little family picnic.” She smiles, her brow raising at the laughter erupting from our father.

Standing up, she strolls over to him, a little unsteady on her feet, extending her small, perfectly manicured hand toward him. She's ballsy, I’ll give her that. This five-foot-nothing girl just strolled up to fucking Satan to shake his hand.

“Let me guess...You look a hell of a lot like this asshole, so I’m assuming you’re daddy dearest? By the looks of it, you already somehow know who I am, but hi, I'm Wynn.”

His gravelly laughter fills the air once more, and he takes her hand in a firm handshake, bending down to meet her eyes; the height difference between them is almost comical.

“Hello, little Wynn. You're right. I’m these little assholes' father, but you can call me Satan,” he quips, a smirk spreading across his face. She is at eye level with his fangs, but still, excitement is all that I can sense from her. “Now, Wynn, how much of this do you know about, hmm?”

“I know that your lovely twins here have been causing me grief and that I’m being followed by something that isn't them. An asshole named Pyro keeps popping up and warning me to stay inside, and there are creatures with embers for eyes watching my window. Now, Satan, my next question. How do we fix it?” She asks, using air quotes when speaking his name, as if she doesn't believe who she’s speaking to.

“We tie the bitch up to lure the two that are here. Torture them, sort this shit out once and for all, and then send her the fuck away from here,” Bale snaps, pacing behind us.

“Well then, get to work, boys. I can't be here for this, as you know, but report back in the morning. I hope you live through this, Wynn, but if not, you’re welcome down in the depths. You’ll fit in well down there. I can see why the fates picked you for these two, or should I say three? You have a fire in you that most humans simply can't possess.”

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