Soul Savers: Faith Part 6

So my husband and my son appeared to be all that was left worth fighting for. Would I fight for others? If I could, I would. Of course I would! But the way things looked, Tristan and Dorian had to be enough for me to believe in to carry me through what I had to do. Were they? My heart nearly burst with the love I had for them. h.e.l.l, yeah, they were enough. I just had to figure out how to save Tristan and then our son. As for the rest of the world? Their souls were no less valuable, but I didn't know what could be done. For now, they were my world.

And I couldn't save either as long as I was here.

"Okay." I lifted my hands, palms up. "You're right. I know what I have to do."

Mom, Rina, and Ca.s.sandra eyed me carefully.

"You will do what needs to be done to save Earth's souls?" Ca.s.sandra asked.

If there are any left. But I was done arguing with them, so I nodded. "Yeah. But not because it's my purpose. But because, unlike any of you, I value all of their souls and would never purposely leave anyone behind."

Rina pressed her lips together. Mom narrowed her eyes. Ca.s.sandra only nodded. They couldn't argue with me. Too many times they'd sacrificed one soul for the "greater good." Too many times in the past they'd asked me to do the same. Asked me even now. I'd never given in before and never would.

"G.o.d is with you," Ca.s.sandra finally said.

"Find your faith, Alexis," Rina said.

"I love you always, no matter what," Mom said.

Then the bottom dropped out from underneath me, and I fell.

Chapter 6.

When I found her soul down here in h.e.l.l, I'd wanted to kill her. My own soul filled with joy to see her, of course, even if it was her essence in the Otherworld rather than her whole self in the Earthly realm. At least we were together. But finding her in h.e.l.l made me think she'd gone and done something stupid again, as she was known to do. It wasn't her fault-she hadn't had time to learn the rules like the rest of us had. We were born into a different world than her, even Rina and Sophia, who'd come from a different time. We often took for granted what we knew. With new challenges thrown at us nonstop, I'd been unable to give Alexis the lessons I'd gained in my hundreds of years. She'd had to learn as we went, trial by fire, so she was bound to make mistakes.

But to know that her soul's presence in h.e.l.l was not one of those mistakes, but Satan's doing, was quite the relief.

To see her leaving by the light of the Angel carrying her away made everything we'd been through down here worth it. As long as her soul was safe, I would be fine.

"Don't give up." Her words carried down to me as I caught the flaming sword she'd tossed my way.

Never, I thought as I used the weapon to fight the Demons that had sabotaged my escape.

The lava-ensconced, monstrous body of Satan thrashed in the lake of fire, his molten fists pounding the air as Alexis flew away. He turned his attention on the Angel and me at the same time we dispatched the group of Demons that had brought us down. We stood on a bridge of black lava rock that stretched across the entire cavern, what appeared to be hundreds of feet above the lake's surface, although distance could not be easily judged or measured down here. Bound to the lake below, Satan couldn't quite reach us. With a roar, he sank into the flaming lake. A moment later, a blazing serpent emerged and soared upward.

At the same time the snake rose, more Demons flew at the Angel and me. I swung the sword at the first one to reach me, and easily took it down, but the second put up more of a fight. The ball of its mace slammed into my shoulder, the h.e.l.lfire on its spikes sending needles of ice into my flesh and bones. I spun away and arced my sword as I came back around. The mace's chain wrapped around my blade, and the Demon tried to yank the sword from my grip.

"No way in h.e.l.l am I giving this up," I muttered as my hands tightened around the hilt. The Demon sword, along with the Angel's help, was my best bet of getting out of here. With a hard jerk, I pulled the blade free. It sliced through the chains, severing the ball from the handle. Weaponless, the Demon screeched a slew of obscenities in the old language. Flinging the profanity back at it, I charged, taking its head with one swoop. I spun to find not another Demon facing me, but the serpent.

Its enormous head had risen high enough from the lake to come eye to eye with me-its eye taller than my entire body. I glanced down to find its tail still immersed in the lake's depths far below. No telling how long it was. With an oval, yellow eye blazing through its red, magma skin, it peered at me for a long moment. It opened its mouth to reveal fangs dripping with red-hot venom. A tongue of fire flickered out, its p.r.o.ngs licking my other shoulder, and this time, liquid heat pierced into my skin rather than ice. Then the snake twisted away before shooting higher into the air. One glance up and I knew why.

Alexis and her Angel were still in sight.

"I don't think so." I sprinted across the bridge until I came as close as I could get, and then leapt into the air.

My sword pointed downward when I landed on the snake, I plunged it in deep. Its body whipped to the side as its head looped around. I wrenched the blade free and swung at the tongue as it flicked out at me. I missed. As though deciding I wasn't enough of a threat, the head turned back up and aimed for Alexis. I ran up its back, trying to reach its head before it came within striking distance of Alexis, but it was right on her heels. I thrust the sword again. The snake hissed and shrieked. It reared away from Alexis, whipping back and forth. I dropped to straddle the wide beast with my legs as best as possible, hanging onto the sword's grip and gritting my teeth through the heat of the fire warming my leather pants.

Its head swung around to face me again. Its mouth opened, baring its fangs, then widened as though preparing to swallow me whole. With a violent yank, the blade came free, and I jumped to my feet, holding it in front of me. This time when the tongue darted out, I lobbed it off. But another one immediately replaced it. The mouth opened further, coming closer.

Then it flew at me. I jabbed at it, and the jaw snapped, nearly taking my head, but I ducked just in time. When I came back up, the Angel who had tried to rescue me stood in the snake's mouth, holding it open with his feet wedged into its bottom fangs and its sword piercing the top of the snake's mouth.

"No!" I yelled.

"I cannot die," he said. "But you can, and so can she. If your choice remains the same, I will be back for you."

Without hesitation, he dove down into the snake's throat, his wings spread wide to sc.r.a.pe the sides all the way down. Flinging itself back and forth, the snake slithered down into the lake, shrieking as it went. I missed the land bridge as we sank, but sprang off the snake's back as soon as I saw a ledge on the cliff side to land on. Before the fiery serpent was even halfway down, it exploded. b.a.l.l.s of fire and ma.s.sive drops of lava rained into the lake below. Whatever happened to the Angel, he was gone now.

I was left in h.e.l.l alone.

I glanced up to make sure Alexis was safe, and relief filled me when I could no longer see the light of her and the Angel who carried her. I could handle h.e.l.l for a while as long as she was okay.

"She may be gone, but you're mine again." Satan's voice rumbled all around me. "I knew you couldn't stay away forever."

"Don't think I'm here forever."

"We'll see about that ..."

A Demon swooped down at me. I swung the sword at it, but it twisted away. Out of nowhere, something hard slammed into my head. I stumbled back, turned, reached for the wall, but it was too late. My feet landed on nothing, and I began to fall backwards for the lake. Another Demon soared for me, as though to ensure I plunged deep into the fire. When it tried to shove me with its hooved feet, I grabbed onto its calves and clung. Its powerful legs swung back and forth as it tried to fling me off, but I held on until I saw black under me.

Nothing but black. No fire. No beasts, Satan or otherwise. Nothing at all could be seen below. The blackness could stretch forever, as far as I knew. Anything could be down there. But it wasn't the lake of fire or the serpent's mouth, which was good enough for me.

I let go with a prayer.

And crashed into a frozen floor. The h.e.l.lfire's ice in my shoulder shattered, jabbing pain through my entire right side. I rolled onto my knees and one hand and tried to look around. The darkness was thorough. A black as solid as wood.

But not silent.

The screams of earlier-the bays of souls-filled the air, my ears, my head. With no external visual stimulant, visions formed in my mind. Memories of things I never wanted to see again. The horrible acts I'd done on behalf of Lucas and the Ancients. The people I killed. The villages I burned using a flame from my very palm. The same palm I used to stroke my wife's skin, to cup her face for a kiss. I'd choked kind and generous men with these hands. Snapped necks of religious leaders. Seduced royals' women to start wars. I'd led ambushes, finished unfair battles, and caused the deaths of thousands. Hundreds of thousands.

The lamenting souls recalled each one. Reminded me that I belonged here in h.e.l.l. Pleaded with me to admit my guilt and accept my punishment.

I tried to stay steadfast in what I knew in my heart and soul. What had been promised to me. No. I've been forgiven.

"Have you?" Satan's voice asked, slithering around me. "Are you ssssure?"

"I'm certain."

"What about for thisss?"

A new vision showed-Alexis's distraught face as I walked out the door of the safe house in Virginia, leaving her with her mother and grandmother so I could meet Lucas. Abandoning her for seven years, seven months, seven days. Deserting her so she had to bring our son into the world without me ... forcing her to suffer the circ.u.mstances of his birth alone.

"That is your fault, too," Satan taunted. "Dorian's arrival without a sister."

"I know," I admitted.

"I don't think you do. I don't think you fully understand. We needed you to mate with Alexis. We needed the child you, and n.o.body else, would produce. But we only needed one. Only the boy. He is important. So very important, with the blood of you and Alexis. The blood of Jordan and Ca.s.sandra. So powerful. And he isssss mine."

I growled and swung my fist, but it hit nothing but air. Satan laughed.

"It's too late for you to fight that inevitability. You know it as well as I do. And it's too late for you to change this next bit I'm going to share, but I'll tell you anyway, because it makes me happy. You see, two children from the two of you would not do. Not for our plans. Another Amadis daughter from anyone else would have been an inconvenience, but a daughter from you, born with this boy, would have ruined everything. And we actually had someone in place to ensure there wasn't a girl."

He paused, as though checking to make sure I was listening. I didn't want to, but it's not like I had a choice.

"Kali was such a good servant of mine," he finally continued. "Placed herself right where she was needed most-at the top levels of Amadis leadership. Dressed in Martin's body, everybody trusted her. Katerina, Sophia, their servants. If Martin sent supplies to the kitchen staff at the safe house where Alexis stayed during her pregnancy, n.o.body would question it. If those supplies were ingredients for her breakfast, in they would go without a second thought. If those ingredients were enchanted to attach to an extra X chromosome, and cursed to obliterate the fetus in utero, n.o.body would even know. n.o.body did know. The circ.u.mstances of her labor-the unusual amount of blood loss that caused Alexis to lose consciousness-they blamed on natural causes. They were delusional in their security. Martin hadn't gone within a thousand-mile proximity to Alexis, yet Kali had succeeded in killing her child. Your child. For me. Alexis would have been better off with children from anyone but you. Kali's son would have been a better choice for the Amadis. But you just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Murderous red filled my vision. Every muscle pulled taut. When a Demon flew at me, I thrilled for the fight.

"It's your fault." Alexis's voice came from the Demon. Its form morphed into her shape. I hesitated. "Your fault that the Amadis didn't have another daughter. Why did you have to ruin my life, Tristan? Or should I call you Seth? You're selfish and evil! You don't deserve to be married to me. You don't deserve to father my children. Look at all of the horrors you've committed!"

Alexis's image disappeared. The Demon's mouth with her voice pouring out of it opened wide. It exhaled a colorful smoke that became another vision. No, not a vision. A window onto the Earthly realm. Showing Dorian and Noah. Dorian leaving Noah. Dorian saying goodbye as he headed out to find Lucas.

"LIES!" I bellowed.

Satan chuckled. "Oh, I'm afraid not."

"He's going because of you, Seth," Demon-Alexis said. "IT'S ALL. YOUR. FAULT!"

Her accusations grew, and she shouted an unending list of the many ways I'd hurt her and our son. How I'd caused the fall of the Amadis and the world. How I'd failed her and everyone else.

"Have you been forgiven for these trespa.s.ses against others?" Satan drawled. "For the sins you've committed against your own wife and children?"

"I died because of you. Our baby girl, too. You weren't there to save us!" Alexis's voice continued, and that was the one that broke me. The vision of holding her damaged, lifeless body as our baby bled out of her brought me to my knees.

Easily catching my reaction, Satan pounded me with that one. Never let me forget it. The vision blinded me as the Demon's fists and club beat at me, its voice-Alexis's voice-driving home the pain I'd caused her and our children until they became a cry. Her sobs. Her keens of despair. And I wailed along with her.

At some point, another Demon arrived, carrying the voices of all the others I'd hurt and killed. The ones I thought I'd been forgiven for, but didn't know anymore. I could no longer believe in that possibility. How could one person cause so much agony to so many other people, including those he supposedly loved, and be forgiven? How could I be absolved for the many, many atrocious sins I'd committed?

"Impossible," I moaned along with the others.

There was no way. I didn't deserve to be pardoned. I didn't deserve to be anywhere but here. I only deserved to listen to these Demons with their howls and whimpers, their accusations, the guilt they hurled at me that stuck like black on tar. I deserved to suffer the pain, to relive the agony of my soul mate's death forever and ever.

I belonged right here. In h.e.l.l. For eternity.

Chapter 7.

I awoke with a start, my arms and legs spread out to catch myself and my heart pounding in my throat. The sensation of falling backwards for a great distance lingered from my dream. I blinked as I stared at the ceiling, taking in the familiar sight of gossamer fabric draped between the tops of four stone pillars at each corner of the bed. After a moment, my brain a.s.sociated the view with our suite at the matriarch's mansion on Amadis Island, and my heart finally returned from my throat to its normal place and speed. I blew out a big breath of relief to know it really had been a dream. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been able to sleep so hard and long. My body must have needed the lengthy regeneration, because it'd never felt as strong and powerful as it did now.

Once my muscles uncoiled from the abrupt return to consciousness, I rolled over the thick mattress that lay atop the stone dais of our bed, and onto my side, facing my husband. He lay on his back, the silky sheet pulled up to just below his hip bones, his bare abs, chest, shoulders, and arms a sight to behold. I wanted to explore every mountain and valley of his body, preferably with my mouth, but his beautiful face was so peaceful, his long lashes resting against his cheekbones and his full lips slightly parted. I decided not to wake him. Yet. Just to be sure he was indeed asleep, I brushed my thumb over his scruffy jawbone and then across his bottom lip. I lifted myself up on an elbow and leaned in to kiss him. His breath came soft on my lips, but he otherwise didn't so much as twitch. He'd been dealing with my nightmares for so long, he must have needed the deep rest as much as I had.

So I slipped out of the covers and treaded softly to the en suite bathroom, where I found my fighting leathers-a corset and pants-clean and folded on the stone counter, waiting for me. The pool-size tub always called to me, but I couldn't remember what we had planned for the day, so didn't know if I had time for the luxury of a bubble bath. So I took a quick shower and dressed.

When I came out and pa.s.sed through the bedroom to the front room of our suite, the sheer curtain hanging in the doorway to the balcony caught my attention. Something about it wasn't quite right, but I couldn't pinpoint the problem. I shrugged and slipped through the door, closing it quietly behind me. Before leaving the suite, I reached out with my mind to identify who was in the mansion and where.

There was n.o.body.

No, I had to take that back. I couldn't tell if there was n.o.body because something felt odd in my mind as it tried to reach out. As though something blocked me. Had Tristan asked Owen to m.u.f.fle our suite again so we could make love last night? Had we made love last night? I hadn't noticed any bruises on my skin when I showered. And surely I'd remember! But I honestly couldn't remember a thing about last night or yesterday or ... My brow furrowed as I tried to recall my last memory, because my mind kept bringing forth events from my nightmare.

"I seriously need coffee," I muttered aloud as I left the suite.

I stopped at Dorian's room, but there were no signs of him or Sasha, so I made my way downstairs. Ophelia, the mansion's head of staff and bringer of breakfast, was nowhere to be found either. I sat in the fancy dining room where everyone staying in the mansion usually gathered for breakfast and dinner and waited until the sound of my own fingers drumming on the tablecloth drove me crazy. A mental search for her found nothing in the entire building. However, when I entered the gourmet kitchen, I discovered a hot pot of coffee waiting for me.

As I leaned against the granite counter and sipped my nectar of the G.o.ds, I stared hard at the rack of pots and pans hanging from the ceiling over the giant kitchen island. I could have sworn Ophelia used black-as-night, cast-iron pots, but these were the kind I preferred, covered in ceramic that was painted burgundy. Had she finally acquired new cookware? Seemed unlikely at her age, especially when hers had been so beautifully seasoned over the years. Then again, I couldn't recall at the moment if she'd actually been the one who did all of the cooking or if someone else did. Who had it been? Had they been replaced?

Why was my recent memory so freaking cloudy?

When I finished my coffee and still n.o.body had shown up, not a single mind signature coming into my range, worry needled its way under my skin. I searched the entire bottom floor for people. Owen, Vanessa, Charlotte, Sheree, staff, someone. But the mansion was like an empty museum, with sun streaming through the foyer and dust motes dancing in the rays.

"They must be in the village," I said, knowing full well I spoke to myself, but the silence was unnerving and I'd needed to break it. "Are we supposed to be in the village?"

I tried to think if we had a council meeting or special event we should have been attending, but I couldn't remember anything at all. Nothing. My memory was more than cloudy; it was downright gone. I glanced up at the ceiling, as if I could see two stories up to Tristan, but decided to let him sleep a bit longer and make the trip myself. Just a quick flash to the village to make sure everything was okay, and then I'd come back to wake him.

But when I tried to flash, I went nowhere.

I tried again and again, until I could only imagine how ridiculous my face must have looked with the concentration I put into it. What the h.e.l.l? I strode over to the double doors at the front of the foyer and pulled on them. They refused to budge. I went to every door that led to the outside on the first floor, and none would open. And at that moment, I realized what had been off with the sheer curtain on our balcony: It had been hanging still and shadowed. It didn't billow inward as it usually did from the breeze off the Aegean Sea, and the light behind it hadn't been right. Neither was the light here in the foyer-there were no windows in the foyer for the sun to shine through. The only light usually came from the fire sconces on the wall.

"What's going on?" I called out as worry blossomed into concern. "Where is everyone?"

n.o.body answered.

"h.e.l.lO?" My shout bounced off the stone walls, reverberating back to me. Concern exploded into panic. Something was wrong. I ran through the entire first floor of the mansion, throwing open doors to offices, bathrooms, staff rooms, parlors, the media room, closets ... all except the doors to the Sacred Archives, which wouldn't open. "Dorian? Owen? Vanessa? Blossom?"

I yelled all of their names as I ran. I thought I caught a flash of pink and then a glimpse of white hair.

"Ophelia! Is that you? Are you here?"

Still no reply. I ran up to the second floor, throwing more doors open, and finding n.o.body. And then to the third story, even daring to enter Rina's wing for the first time since she'd died.

"Solomon?" I called. "Where are you?"

Not only was n.o.body around, but there were simply no signs of anyone being here. No coffee cup left on a side table. No hand towels in the bathrooms looking like they'd ever been touched. Not a single piece of trash in the bins-not a tissue or balled up sheet of paper to be found.

Adrenaline shot through my veins, and my heart sprang into a gallop. I ran back to our suite, throwing the doors open with a bang.