Inferno of Darkness (Divisa Huntress #2) - J.L. Weil Page 0,38
And the truth of those words hit me like a savage storm. There were no lengths, no matter how perilous, regardless of the dire consequences, that he wouldn’t go to for me. Just because I was his mate.
Or was it more than that?
Was it our bond that Ashor was indebted to?
Angel put her hand on Chase’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze as she looked at me with understanding. “We came as soon as we could.”
“Would have been faster, but the hunter was determined to come,” Travis explained, sliding an accusing side glare to his girlfriend.
Emma rolled her eyes, adjusting the bow slung over her shoulder. “Just because I am the only one here who is actually human doesn’t mean I’m not an asset.”
I couldn’t argue with that. She had an aim that rarely missed. “I can’t believe you are all here,” I said, still feeling a bit disoriented. Yet, them being in New Orleans changed nothing. “You shouldn’t have come. My mind is made up. I have to do this.”
“Do what, exactly?” Travis asked, his aqua eyes narrowing. “Get yourself lost in Hell’s Mist? And if you do manage to make it to a gate, do you plan on breaking him out of the underworld alone? Solid plan, sis. And why did you tell Chase and not me?”
“It’s more than that. Besides, who said I was alone? I have to stop Ashor from handing over the Queen of Envy to his mother,” I replied. “Long enough for us to find a way to end Kali.” Basically, I’m trying to save the fucking world. Although, he was right about one thing. It was an impossible task alone. Even for someone as skilled and badass as me, although lately, I wasn’t feeling like the demon huntress I was known to be.
“Why would he do that?” Chase inquired, his sharp eyes searching my face for answers. “Deliver another queen to his mother’s doorstep?”
“Long story,” I sighed. “But the short of it is, to protect me he swore a blood oath to the Queen of Darkness if she gave her word to let me live.”
“I’m not up to date on my Hell fractions, but isn’t Envy Kira’s queen?” Travis asked. He rarely ever called the succubus Mom. My brother was a lot less forgiving and made it pretty clear he didn’t want anything from our demon mother, not even a semblance of a relationship. Our stepmother, Chloe, was enough for him.
I nodded at Travis’s question. “It is. Verena lives in Gardeness. And that is where Ashor will go if I don’t stop him. He might already be there, in fact.” If my dream had any truth to it.
“I really hate demon politics,” Angel grumbled.
We’d been loitering in the dark long enough without a proper hello. I glanced at my best friend for a moment and moved in for a hug. “I missed you,” I whispered, holding on to her for a moment longer.
She squeezed me tight before letting go. “Me too. Home is not the same without you.”
Home. The word punctured a hole in my already aching chest. Her little belly bump protruded more since the last time I saw her, and I couldn’t resist rubbing my hand over it. “You look great,” I said.
Her auburn hair was loose, falling just past her shoulders. She’d had it recently cut, I noticed, the style flattering her cheekbones. “I feel huge,” she said, rolling her violet eyes.
I shook my head. “You are adorable. Every inch of you.” I turned to Emma next and folded her into a hug. Emma was short, cute, and sassy with her red hair and freckled nose.
Ordering everyone to take a seat, I flipped on one of the side table lamps, and Travis whistled as he glanced over Kira’s apartment, walking around.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out,” he said, wandering through the room while the others relaxed into the couches.
“I’m not hiding out,” I pouted, plopping into a recliner. My fingers traced over the textured pattern on the fabric.
Unlike Travis, Chase couldn’t care less where my mother lived and didn’t give the apartment a second glance. He was more concerned with the security and identifying the escape routes. “Lex, we can’t let you go alone. I don’t have to like the guy, but if it was Angel, I’d be doing everything in my power to get to her,” Chase admitted. “You were there for me when Angel and I went through something similar. You helped me bring her back.”