Page 24

24

DIANA

S ometimes when everything got to be too much, I made Quelier clear an hour for me to spend in my book-cabin. Reading smut was good for the soul, and right now my soul needed some support. My anxiety was wound up tighter than a spring. Every hour of my day was filled with training, meetings, the guys, and my family. I barely felt like I had time for myself.

No wonder the original hour turned into three and a half. No one mindlinked me or came looking for me, which was odd. I couldn’t even take a piss without one of the guys popping into the bathroom to see what I was up to. Ares and Mal would invite themselves in, and gave me no privacy. I dropped a mental note to Q, but he didn’t respond.

Then I tried to mindlink each of the guys to no response. My dads didn’t respond either…

Familiar alarms from our weekly drills blared, and it felt as if a brick sank in my stomach. The shrill sound pierced my ears, the pain shooting all the way to my heart.

We had a security breach…Red was here.

Dread coated my insides, rising like bile in my throat. No. There’s no way Red could have found us here. This place was supposed to be secure.

With a snap of my fingers, I changed into a full black tactical suit and boots, my hair tied into a tight top bun. I faded out of my cabin to the town center. Soldiers were hustling to their stations, just like they had done in their drills. I faded to one of the private training rooms on the top floor, where I was supposed to meet my father and the guys in a worse case scenario. The entire floor was eerily silent…still. Not one soldier was here, and none of my men were either.

Something felt…off. Wrong. I waited for a few minutes, in case I was the first one to show up. But no one came.

I faded in and out of every private room, convinced I had chosen the wrong one, but they were all empty. When I faded to my apartment, it was empty too.

Where are you? I asked the guys. Radio silence. Hello, can any of you hear me?

None of them replied. I tugged on my soulbond with Zaz, and although it was still intact, he didn’t respond. Same with Bash. Our bond didn’t work the same way, but I always felt him. His presence was a constant for me, even if it was in the background during my day to day.

Dad? Michael? Oisín? Nothing.

I dropped a mental alert for Quelier…but he didn’t answer.

I faded back to the town center, and saw Morrigan. She ran to me, her eyes a pitch black with small white irises. She was mid-shift, ready to completely shift at a moment’s notice.

“Red’s army just sieged in the transition space. It’s upwards of a thousand,” she reported. I remembered that from the very first time I was here—it was the disguised gateway to Pit 13. They were close… “Is Ares with you?” she asked me in a panicked voice.

“No, I can’t contact him, or any of my men, or my fathers and brother. Something isn’t right,” I said. My own heart felt like it was racing, pounding on my insides and screaming to let it out.

My whole world was crashing down around me. Something was beyond wrong. This was fucking unnatural. All five of my men, my fathers, my brother, and my PA would never disappear without telling me. They’d never leave me behind.

August faded into the town center, a look of relief on his face when he found me. “Hey, I’m glad I found you. What the fuck is going on?!”

“I’m not sure. The guys are missing.”

“So is Judas. Have you checked the meeting room?” he asked, his voice harried.

“No. Morrigan. Until we find out what is going on, you and Apollo are in charge of the troops,” I ordered.

“I’ll do you proud,” she replied, shifting into her full raven form and flying back to her unkindness.

“Come on, let’s check,” I told August, taking his hand. I faded us to Lucifer’s conference room, but something pulled at me mid-fade, throwing us off my course.

We landed in a hot, damp space. The whole space was red, clay colored rock cracked and worn with time. It was round, lined with cells. From here I could see floors and floors of cells below us, each level bigger than the one before it, like an upside down spiral. The gigantic fire in the very bottom was a massive mess of writhing flames, adding to the sweltering atmosphere.

“Where the fuck are we?” I asked as I turned to August.

He stood there, a shit-eating grin on his face. “This is the real Pit 13. Where the worst offenders are sent to rot away for eternity. Where your men, fathers, and brothers are currently decomposing without their magic.”

He pointed and laughed at the horrified expression on my face. “Oh don’t worry Diana. You’re a strong independent woman. I’m sure you’ll be fine without them.”

“How fucking dare you?!” I roared, losing a stream of fire at his face. “You’re the rat.”

He blocked it, sending it into one of the fires. It flared up, doubling in size. “Surprised it took you all so long to find out.”

“Why the fuck would you fuck everyone over like this? Your own fucking people!” My mind couldn’t comprehend the gravity of his treacherous actions.

He rolled his eyes, as if it was the dumbest question in the world. “Power. Red told me he’d get rid of Judas and give me the Costa Coven. I’d be his liaison, overseeing all the vampire covens in America on his behalf. Couldn’t pass it up.”

“Let them go, and I’ll make your death swift,” I offered him. He was a dead vampire walking. He sold out his own people. His coven. This entire movement. I’d personally drive the silver stake into his heart myself, and rip his head off his body for good measure.

“It took a lot of work to trick them all. I had to impersonate your dreadful voice, Brooklyn accent included. How do you survive the sound of your own voice, by the way?” I glared at him as he cackled like an unhinged B movie villain. My powers swirled around my hands, begging me to let them loose. “If you attack me one more time, Red will end them. If you cooperate, he’ll let you die in their stead. Good deal if you ask me.”

“Where are they?” I demanded.

He pointed to the next floor down, that shit eating grin still going strong. “Cell 666 and 667. You can waste your time, but you won’t be able to free them. The only way they’re getting out is if you slaughter his army and kill him, or hand yourself over.”

“He won’t let them go if I hand myself over.” That was a trap, too.

“No, he probably won’t. You should go into battle, and send all Judas’ vampires to the front line. Let them get slaughtered and cull the herd. That way, I won’t inherit such a clusterfuck of mindless morons. Thanks in advance, Di,” he cackled before fading out.

I ran down the redstone staircase, floor after floor, until I reached their cells. The fire was closer here, sweat drenching my catsuit. The guys were in cell 666, and my father, brother, and PA were in cell 667. Even with cooling and ice spells, those of them without fire magic were a breath away from passing out. Every moment I breathed in this air, I felt like I was suffocating.

“Diana! Get out of here before August finds you. He’s the—” Desmond shouted.

“I know. He led me here,” I told them. “I either fight or hand myself over to get you all out of here.”

“Don’t hand yourself over—it’s a trap,” Oisín said.

“Don’t go anywhere!” Ares cried as he hurled bolts of magic into the bars. Most of them fizzled out before they made an impact. “We can escape. Wait here until we do.”

“We…we aren’t escaping, Ares,” Zaz wheezed, coughing up a fit. “I think the only way we’ll get out is if Diana gets us out. You have to be careful, Honey.”

“I…I don’t know if I can do this,” I admitted. This was my worst fear come to life. My men and family weren’t safe, and I’d have to fight this war alone. I wasn’t ready…I wasn’t good enough.

Michael got up from the ground, reaching his hand through the bars. He was barely able to hold himself up, and the pained expression in his eyes made me think he was having another attack.

I took it, and he imbued me with his gentle silver magic before kissing the back of my hand. “I believe in you, Di. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. I’m so proud of you.

“What was the magic for?” I asked with unshed tears in my eyes, too emotional to respond to his words. I didn’t want to cry.

“It’s a protection spell, in case you need some help,” he breathed, clutching his chest. Oisín leapt up, helping him sit down again.

Lucifer took my hand, pulling me as close to the bars as I could go. His horns were out, and he had a wild, unhinged glint in his eyes.

“Listen to me, kid. Wipe that sad look off your face right now. Get your head in the game. You can fucking do this. You’ve been playing cat and mouse games with Red for months, and it’s time you realized he’s the mouse!” he exclaimed as he squeezed my hand. “You’re Diana Morningstar, act like it.”

“Your dad is right,” Bash agreed. He wasn’t the worst off, but he seemed agitated, most likely from being separated from me. “You almost killed Red, twice. You came back from the brink of death. You survived being with the five of us on a daily basis, and you fought a T-rex. You’re a fucking boss.”

“HBIC,” Q quipped. He seemed fine, if not mildly inconvenienced. I wasn’t going to ask why, because I didn’t feel like hearing him rant about Fae magic. “I made sure Marilyn, Charlie, and Nonna were safely hidden away before we got trapped. Angela is too, but Judas hid her. Something didn’t sit right with me when the alarm went off.”

“Thank fuck.” I felt like shit, because amidst the chaos, I didn’t even think of them.

“Put Morrigan and Apollo in charge of the armies. Focus on killing Red, and that should undo whatever is keeping us bound here,” Ares instructed me. He waved for me to come to him, and I flattened myself against the bars.

All five of my guys managed to touch me. Ares and Desmond, the least affected, hugged me through the bars. Bash has Zaz’s arm around his shoulder, helping him bear his weight. They both kissed my hand. Mal held my face, rubbing his thumb over my lip.

“You’re a Queen, Diana. A Morningstar, destined to rule the world. When you come back here to set us free, I’ll bend the knee,” he laughed. His smile was weak, and I could tell he was in pain.

I thought of Mal chasing our future daughter around with a spatula. The bright smile on his face. I was determined to see it again. To meet my future children. To live a life with my men, where we were free of war and fighting.

“I’ll be back for you,” I promised them.

“I want his head for the trophy room,” Ares growled.

“If it’s still intact, you can have it,” I assured him. “No promises though.”

“Obliterate him. Leave nothing to resurrect or reanimate. And remember, you set the tempo,” Oisín said. “You better come back in one piece, you’re my only sibling I like.”

“Ditto,” I agreed before I left. The longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave and the more I wanted to fade back to the apartment and sob into my pillow.

My magic was messed up in the Pit, but I managed to fade back to the town center. Apollo and Morrigan waited for me, along with every single troop in the entirety of our forces. There were thousands of them. Every ally came through to help us in our moment of need, and I suddenly didn’t feel the overwhelming urge to cry.

I didn’t have time to cry myself a river—it was time to drench the world in the blood of my enemies, until every inch of the battlefield ran red like one.

“Where are they?” Apollo asked. “The guys, Lucifer, and Michael are gone. So is Quel.”

Quel? Now I had to survive this war, because if he was comfortable enough giving my PA a nickname, I had to get the tea on how Angela’s love life was shaping up.

“Red has them trapped in Pit 13. They can’t get out. It’s on us…” I peered up at both of these tall, seasoned warriors, and despite my men’s absence, I felt like I was in good hands.

“Okay. We either go on the offensive and meet them in the transition room, or we wait for them to break through,” Morrigan presented me with the options. “The wards separating them from us are only going to hold out so long.” Her shiny black hair caught the light, and I took a deep breath while I thought about it.

“Wait. Let them deplete their magic breaking down the wards,” I decided.

Apollo nodded, gesturing to the soldiers. “You should say a few words. They’ve noticed the guys aren’t here. I heard some of them ask about Lucifer, too.”

My wings sprang from my back of their own accord, magical instinct kicking in. I flew into the air above the army, hovering so everyone could see me. After magically enhancing my voice, Apollo cracked a bolt of lightning through the sky, getting all of their attention. Most of the soldiers cheered and waved when they saw me. Others whistled. I hoped their confidence in me would be justified when this was all said and done—they’re survival rested on my shoulders.

“Red is in the beginning stages of breaching our wards and storming Pit 13. His forces will come through the transition area, and most likely appear at the far edge of the camp,” I said, pointing away from the woods, to the other side of the camp.

“August betrayed us by giving away our location and allowing them access here.” Whispers and gasps broke out across the crowd. He was Judas’ right hand, a member of our leadership. Looking back on it, it makes perfect sense he was the rat. Who else would have been able to evade the hive mind and Judas’ efforts to find him? “He shall be destroyed on sight. He doesn’t get a trial for selling out his own people and backstabbing our movement!”

The soldiers cheered. I let the noise die down before starting damage control.

“Desmond, Azazel, Mal, and Ares joined my fathers on a special mission to take out as many of Red’s forces as they can before they make it here. Apollo, Morrigan, and I will lead you into battle.”

Some of the soldiers cheered, while others whispered among themselves, their feelings on Ares’ absence divided. I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t train them. This wasn’t what many of our allies signed up for. They wanted their armies trained by the best, the God of War himself . The four men who carved out gruesome reputations for themselves as Satan’s hitmen.

Some of them knew who I was, and others merely thought I was one of Lucifer’s many children. I formed a sword with my magic, then lit it on fire, waving it for the crowd. The ones who had been with us since the beginning recognized the imagery from back at the compound and chanted sword . Some of the newer soldiers were impressed, while others were stone faced. I need to say something to get their buy-in, and quickly. I had no clue how much time was left before Red arrived.

“Centuries ago, Azazel had a prophecy. A witch-hybrid female would be born into the world when Hell was in turmoil, destined to either save or destroy it. He had a vision of this magical uprising. And a second vision of me fighting Red for our freedom from his megalomaniac expansion. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted this responsibility. When Desmond, Mal, Ares, and Bash found me, I was working my way through school to become a human rights lawyer by mixing cocktails. Once I fully came into my magic, I wasn’t sure I could handle the responsibility. I trained for hours, day and night, learning how to wield this immense power to protect you all. Some days, it seemed almost impossible. How could I make up for a lifetime of magical education in mere months? Now I stand before you, wondering if I’ll be good enough to kill Red once and for all and free us from an eternity of being crushed on his boot, forced to live in a world without free will.

“But as I look down at your faces, I realize something— all of it is worth it . I may not become a lawyer to help the disenfranchised like I had dreamed of since I was a child, but I’ll save both the human and paranormal worlds from an eternity of ruin. The responsibility and power may at times seem like a weight on my chest, but it’s a weight I’ve learned to carry for the good of our people. The training may have been rigorous—extra grueling because my partners and fathers have high expectations for me—but it made me into the woman I am today. The woman who will kill Red without remorse. Who will save the world from certain destruction at the hands of someone who will only selfishly take from it. And someone who will destroy the parts of it that don’t work for the weakest of us all and rebuild it into a place where all paranormal beings prosper.”

The crowd clapped and cheered, their excitement infectiously spreading. Whispers of uncertainty turned to assured shouts. The raven shifters were cawing and the wolf shifters howled, their calls echoing through the center of camp. Soldiers shot bursts of magic into the air, ready to take on our enemy.

“When you’re fighting for your life out there, remember the people who couldn’t be here to fight for theirs. The people in your communities and families back home. The people who don’t have the agency to fight for themselves. Think of Lucifer Morningstar’s commitment to free will, and exercise your own to be the change the paranormal world needs in this pivotal moment.”

A loud crash boomed through the air, and the sky warped above us. I could feel how close Red’s forces were to breaking through the transition barrier. They’d be here any minute… The worst scenario was finally happening.

“Get to your stations! We take no prisoners, and Red is mine. I’ll see you all after this. Remember, you’re making history today!” I flew down to meet Apollo before he left, because I had no clue what Ares actually did while he was leading an army.

Before I could ask, he said “You’ll be at the rear, on the high ground near the apartments. You need to keep a vantage point. This is going to hurt, so don’t tell Ares.” He put his hands on the sides of my head, and a jolt of magic shot through my brain. Holy shit! I tried to break away, but he kept a firm grip on me, then joined our foreheads while he mumbled something in Greek.

A loud raucous chattering took over my brain, like a thousand mindlinks going on at once. Stars above, it fucking hurt. Like a blinding, head splitting, teeth aching migraine.

“Diana, you’re now connected to the army’s mindspace. Think of it like a chatroom, or a hivemind like the Costa Coven has,” Apollo said in a lighter accent than his brother. “I need you to focus on me. Do you feel our connection? Tell me something using it.”

I’m so telling Ares you did that to me, I teased him, trying to lighten the anxiety clawing at my insides.

You cry baby, he snarked. Morrigan, she’s connected. Are you ready?

Ready to do these assholes an unkindness… Morrigan’s voice rang through my head. It took me a moment to realize she was making a pun. Because a group of ravens was an unkindness.

Apollo chuckled aloud, then slapped me on the back. “She cracks me up. I’ll drop you off before I take up my post. Remember, let the soldiers handle the fighting. You take out Red.”

He faded me to the top of the tallest apartment building. It had the best vantage point of the entire camp, and would allow me to keep an eye on everything. I casted security wards, so no one could fade up here or come through the roof door.

A crashing sound rained down from the sky, a mix of thunder and shattering glass. Ripple marks shot through the sky, and black streaked through them. Red’s soldiers faded from thin air, landing throughout Pit 13 in small groups instead of attacking in one large force. They played right into Ares’ battle plan. Every area was covered by our soldiers, who were ready to attack. Before I could get lost in the fighting, I scanned the skirmishes around the camp for Red. I didn’t see him anywhere, but he could be hiding.

Does anyone have eyes on Red? I asked through the mindspace, hoping I was using it correctly. It was almost the same thing as a mindlink, but more crowded.

Negative, Morrigan replied.

No, a rough male voice said.

Not here, Apollo said.

The space filled with different versions of no, and I pushed the mindspace to the back of my head, so I could focus. The fighting grew more chaotic the longer the fighting drew out. I saw a group of soldiers in Red’s signature crimson uniforms setting the training building on fire. Morrigan’s unkindness decimated groups of soldiers, and Judas’ vampires turned this place into a blood buffet. The majority of the corpses littering the ground wore red, and I thanked the stars for that.

A burst of pain between my shoulder blades knocked me over, punching the breath out of me. I immediately shielded myself, rising to find Red on the other side of the roof. He wore his usual crimson robe, but this time his hood was down, showing his pallored, gnarled complexion. His skin was tight, with eyes so dark and sunken in, his face resembles a skull.

“Did you think your wards could keep me out?” His gruff voice sounded cocky, like he had already won this fight. “Think again, Ms. Morningstar.”

The spell he casted at my shield exploded on impact, showering embers of magic all over the roof. Hit after hit bounced off the shield, wearing and breaking it down. I dropped it, cracking a flame whip at his ankle. It wrapped around, and I pulled his leg out from under him. When he landed on the floor, I smothered him with a fire net.

“Good thing they didn’t, because tonight is the night you die. This dance between us ends tonight,” I said, my words a promise. One way or another, I would kill him.

He faded out from under the net so he was only a few feet away from me. I casted another shield, but this time it was between us, so his magic bounced off it and hit him. He cried out in pain as his own magic lacerated his face and chest.

He broke through the shield, and levitated me off the ground, binding my hands together. The same maneuver which caused me so many issues in training.

“Yes, and it’ll end with your uprising being squashed beneath by boot. We all heard your little speech in the transition quarters, but guess what? It was the ramblings of a stupid, mediocre girl who can’t control her powers. A fool who was stupid enough to follow her failure of a father off a cliff to her death.” Another binding wrapped around my throat, restricting my air. “Your men aren’t here to save you. You’re going to die alone. You’ll be the reason your soldiers die. All the people you love will be taken from you, and that’s the smallest way you’ll suffer.”

I breathed in an effort to slow my racing heart, concentrating on how to break his magic. I tried to break the bonds, shift, and morph my wrists and hands, but nothing worked. He squeezed my neck harder, and my air supply cut off. I can’t breathe. My legs thrashed, kicking out in an effort to free myself.

“Don’t panic. I’m not going to kill you. I want you alive to watch me kill and torture every last one of your soldiers. Then I’m going to burn down your camp, building by building. I’ll make you use your own magic to execute your boyfriends and family. Your personal Hell will be the memory of you ending their lives on replay.”

A crack sounded in the sky, and a loud shout. Red turned to see what the commotion was about, and thankfully I freed myself. Apollo rode in a cream and gold chariot in the sky, pulled by giant, menacing swans. They hissed and clamored as they drew his chariot closer to us with a surprising amount of grace. He swooped low, shooting Red with a blinding ray of sunlight.

I scanned the battlefield, and the tide of the war had changed. A wave of Red’s soldiers faded in, overrunning Morningstar troops at least three to one. The chaos has reached an all time peak as blood soaked the earth beneath them. My soldiers were tired, screaming, and struggling to defend the camp.

Where did all those soldiers come from? I had destroyed his camp, burnt it to the ground.

“Oh you foolish, moronic girl. That camp you destroyed was one of four—I have just as many, if not more, troops than you do,” Red laughed at me, his condescending tone grating on my pride.

Excruciating pain radiated throughout my entire body, bringing me to my knees. I could barely breathe, think, or stay upright. I keeled over, trying my hardest not to vomit.

“You dropped your shields, amateur,” he taunted me as he shot spike after spike of pain through my bones. They felt as if they were breaking, shattering into a million pins and needles inside me.

I tried to force him out, but he held strong, poisoning my mind with every second passing by. A slicing bolt of magic cut my throat, and I felt warm, hot blood rush down my neck and chest, drenching my uniform in blood.

“Enjoy one of many deaths you’ll suffer throughout the next millenia, Diana. When you come to, I’ll let you surrender in public, and we’ll start the whole torture-execution party,” Red promised in a sickly, sweet voice, as if he was promising me an incream party instead.

My body violently shook and the edges of my vision went black. Images of my men flitting through my mind reminded me how my failure cost millions of people worldwide their lives. How I let my army down. I let my men and family down.

I epically failed , I thought as I died on the concrete roof floor, with Red smiling at my demise.