nearly complete,” he states, and I look behind me to see that the demons have backed off, fading into the surrounding group once more. Toreon is on the ground, but his hands are still outstretched unnaturally, and fading strings of light are continuing to feed into the portal. Inside the swirling mass, I can see something on the other side. A soft white glow that must lead into Heaven.
Ironic, since this is my own personal Hell.
My eyes trail down from the massive threads of portal power back down to Toreon and the strained, awkward pose of his arms as power continues to leach out of him, even while he’s unconscious. My only consolation is that as long as that light still unspools from his hands, I know he’s still alive.
Hold on, Toreon. Please hold on.
“Get into position, pets,” Morax orders, gesturing for us to go to Lucifer, who’s on his knees in front of the Origin Stone. Wisps of steam are coming off of him where the cloth is still bound around his body. I can see peeks of his skin near the Heavenly fabric, and it’s burning and bubbling, though he doesn’t make a sound of pain, just watches the Ophidian with a brutal furor.
“You too, Medley,” Morax tells our sister, and she immediately walks over to Lucifer to stand at his side.
Delta and I slowly make our way over. Her eyes keep darting back to her mates, who are still holding the wicked, gleaming blades at their throats, some of them digging in so much that their necks are already trickling blood.
My steps are leaden. My scythe heavy. Every inch closer to the Origin Stone is a death march.
We’re about to help him destroy all of Hell.
The magnitude of that is unfathomable. The Rings will collapse. The realm will implode. I don’t even know how many demons exist in Hell, but every single one of them will die.
And then the Ophidian will be in Heaven, his final stop, where he’ll be unleashed to take over, destroying the last of the precarious balance that angels and demons alike have worked to maintain since the beginning.
I walk the last few feet toward my sister, taking my place directly in front of Lucifer, with Medley on my left and Delta on my right. Three shades of purple from light to dark, the three of us so different and alike, and so completely bonded.
I tug on that bond now, almost as an afterthought, a gesture of comfort. I love them, and I can feel that they love me, even Medley in her current state. A connection like ours is surreal, and I don’t know if it’s just about being Annuli, or if it’s about being triplets, but the ties I have to them are the only thing keeping me standing.
Medley looks on in a mindless daze, while Delta silently cries. But I feel numb. I feel hate. I feel unrepressed anger. And when I tug on our sister bonds, I feel my sisters tugging back.
“Raise your scythes, Annuli.”
Medley does it immediately, while Delta’s hands shake like it’s the heaviest thing she’s ever had to hold. I tighten and loosen my hands as I lift my blade, my fingers aching with anguish. All three of us poise at the ready, our wicked scythes held above the male kneeling before us, the Devil himself staring right at me.
A million thoughts whirl through my mind, but the one that slams to the forefront of everything is: I can’t do this. I can’t let the bastard win.
Toreon, Vudu, Ire...they’re all going to die. If I do this, it’ll be my actions that seal their fate. And thinking that Medley’s and Delta’s mates are going to be okay is delusional. Morax doesn’t have an honorable bone in his body, he’s not going to spare them out of the kindness of his heart or because he gave his word. We’re idiots if we think we’re going to get anything that we want from him.
I grip my scythe tighter as I realize that once again I’m playing right into the Ophidian’s hands. I’m about to hand him Hell on an Annulus platter, and for what? A future of loss, destruction, and rape?
Fuck that.
I look over at Medley as what I need to do settles painfully in my soul. Her stare is blank, her grip on her scythe sure. My gray gaze flits over to Delta next, and she has tears slowly dripping down her cheeks, her eyes on Lucifer