Page 55 of Flirting with Death

Lex let out a grunt, imitating the troll, Vinny, who was now a pile of dust at our feet.

"Did you find something?" His voice was closer now.

I swung into the hallway, my dagger ready. "Just us." He barely made a sound as my blade sank into his thick flesh, finding his heart. He went up in a small blaze before floating to the ground as dust. I released another long breath as we moved on silent feet to the locked door.

Raiden ran his hand over the frame as he brought his eyes back to mine. "Protection spell. A strong one."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a black mage," I replied.

"But is it on the entire room?" Alastor asked. "Or just the door? We need to be careful."

He placed his hand on the doorknob of the room that would have a wall next to it. I nodded, and he twisted and pushed in one smooth motion. Cerberus launched into the room with a snarl. Lex's shadows follow him. But the room was vacant. Trap? The steady thump-thump-thump of my heart against my ribcage filled my ears as I entered the room. Why would he leave the muse so unprotected, unless he expected us, and this was a trap?

Raiden pressed his hand against the wall that would connect to the other room. "There isn't a hum of the protection spell on this wall."

If only we had a hammer. I glanced around at everyone as Ty stepped forward and shot magic at the wall. It cracked beneath the first hit, sending a loud thunder through the small space. There was no way the other demons hadn't heard that. Lumi and Brook helped him, his sunlight fizzling as the water and ice hit the wall and put out the tiny fires. Commotion with shouts of alarm filtered into the room as the wall finally gave way.

A small slip of a girl was on the other side, huddled in the corner. She lifted her head and smiled gently as she saw us. "I knew you would come. My visions told me this is how it would happen."

If she knew this was how it would happen, then so does the mage. She stood up and stepped forward as a bright light flashed into the room. Apollo met her, his face glowing with happiness as he touched her to ensure she was real and safe. He pressed his forehead to hers, and I knew without him saying she meant the world to him.

Apollo straightened, and he looked at us. When the same bright flash of before blinded me and faded, I sadly realized that we would not receive a thank you or any help with the incoming demons. He had used us to rescue her and left us to fight our way out. What kind of asshole did that?

"Fucking God," Lumi grumbled. "Get what they want and then disappear."

"We have bigger things to worry about right now," Lex said. His shadows tore into the onslaught of demons flowing into the space, along with Bellamy and Cerberus. Raiden pulled out the blade he had strapped on for this situation. Together, we cleared a path through them, Lumi, Brook, and Ty doing their part too. At least as much as they could after using so much energy to break the wall down.

A sharp sting hit my side, making me hiss, but I ignored it as I cut another demon down. We could patch it up once we were out of here. I could feel the warmth of my blood dampening my shirt to my skin. Still, I moved, one after another turning to dust before me.

Finally, the last demon fell, and I leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Raiden bent at the knees, the blade he used still in his grip and coated in substances I didn't want a closer look at. My head spun as the stench of death hit high in my nose. Normally, it wasn't that overwhelming, and I could only attribute it to the enclosed space.

Concern flickered in Lex's eyes as he turned toward me. He went sideways. Wait, no, it's me who was falling. Fire licked at the wound I ignored, spreading throughout my body, tearing a scream from my lungs as I curled into a ball. Poison took hold as it traveled through my veins, helped along by my traitorous heart as it pumped my blood steadily into every part of me. Then hands seemed to tear into my flesh, ripping it away. I was alone in this excruciating pain.

I welcomed the darkness as it came to claim me. Anything was better than the wrenching of my insides.

CHAPTER 31

Raiden

How had I gotten into this situation? It sounded like the start of a joke, a dragon, a demi-god, a demon, and a God walk into a bar. Too bad there wasn't anything funny about this situation. Samantha’s limp body in my arms sent a mixture of panic and fear skittering through me. Watching her collapse felt like my entire life had ended. There wasn't anything we could do as she thrashed in front of us. Touching her seemed to make it worse.

"Put her on the counter," Lex said as he rushed around it. He ducked out of sight for a moment before reappearing with some kind of first aid kit.

"Alastor can heal her," I said as my gaze swung in his direction.

"I-I can't–"

"Don't you dare pull that 'Gods don't get involved' shit. You are so deep in this fucked up situation I don't know where you end and we begin," Bellamy snarled.

"It isn't that–" he said, the pain lacing his words told me he'd be right there next to us if we stormed the gates of Mt. Olympus and dragged Apollo out and gutted him for this betrayal.

I knew we couldn't trust him from the moment he showed up, claiming he was here to help. Now Samantha was paying for that trust.

I laid her limp body on the cool surface, she was silent, too silent as I forced myself to step back. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent beneath the bar lights.

"Then what is it?" Lex demanded as he pulled out a tiny jar full of liquid and a syringe. He prepped her arm before drawing the drugs into the needle. "Bell, Tyler, hold her still, this might hurt."

Bellamy took my place next to the counter, Tyler stepping up next to him to help. He ran his tail over her stomach and hooked it on the other side of the bar. While he held onto her shoulders, Ty grabbed her legs.

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