Lord of Chaos (The Dragon Demigods #7) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,34
through the air.
Shit! This asshole is hard enough to fight when he’s visible, let alone— I feel searing pain across my chest, and Gaire reappears. “You should have called me,” he taunts. I see blood on his blade. My blood. I feel the buzzing inside me. I feel the power making my hair stand on end. I wish I could let it all out and obliterate him. I wish I had more control.
Gaire gets this strange look. It’s confusion, I realize in the next instant. “What the fuck?” he mutters, looking around us.
Nia.
She’s gone.
“Where did she go?” I feel someone grip my hand, and I am jerked off of my feet. My stomach rolls. My head feels like it’s going to explode. I’m flying and yet not. It lasts for about ten seconds.
I land hard on my knees. I fall over onto my side. I feel something lick my face. Nia. I put my hand out and touch her fur. My stomach is still rolling. My mouth feels full of cotton wool. My head is pounding. It takes a few more moments before I am able to orientate myself. “Death,” I croak. “Is that you?”
“You might have knocked your head, but you can see just fine.”
I sit up. “Where are we?”
Tri is grinning at me. He has a shiner. His left eye is almost completely shut.
I look around. The garden is big and manicured. It’s all hedges, lavender, and roses. The house isn’t a house; it’s a castle. Like something from a storybook. “What the hell?” I whisper. “Where are we?” I stand, tasting blood. My head pounds, so I close my eyes for a few seconds until another wave of nausea passes.
Death is handing Nia his jacket when I open my eyes. He’s keeping his eyes averted. I glance at Tri, who is also looking away. Prick had better mind his manners. Nia is in her human form. All long legs and even longer hair. Even cut and bleeding, I can still find her beautiful. I avert my eyes until the jacket is on and zipped up.
“Come,” Death says. “Quick,” he urges as he walks to the enormous double doors. They’re about a floor high and made from solid wood. Death knocks using a large iron knocker shaped like a wolf’s head.
“Hi!” a noticeably pregnant woman says as she opens the door.
“Hey…Twelve, can we come in?” Death asks, looking around us.
“I told you to call me mom.” She beams, giving Death a quick hug.
Mom.
“Um…yeah…ah…” Death looks at a loss for words. I don’t blame him. This woman doesn’t look more than a few years older than him. Not old enough to be his mom. I think I can guess who she is.
“You brought friends.” Her eyes widen. “You’re hurt,” she says as her eyes land on me. “You’re…practically naked,” she says to Nia. “You’d better come in. I’ll get you some clothes, you poor thing. My name is Twelve,” she tells us.
“Interesting name,” Tri remarks. By his smirk, I know he has put two and two together.
“Who is it, my sweets?” a man’s voice booms.
“You haven’t brought us where I think you’ve brought us?” I whisper to Death.
Nia looks petrified. She’s pale, wide-eyed. In short, she looks ready to bolt. I grab her hand to keep her from doing that. Death has a plan. I’m sure of it. I trust him even if she doesn’t.
“It’s safe here,” Death says. “I promise,” he adds, more to Nia than to us.
Nia’s eyes widen even more, and she gives a small shake of her head. “I would rather not. Take me back,” she whispers.
“No,” Death says. “Go inside. The house is cloaked. He can’t find us here. We need to go inside now.”
I put my arm around Nia. It’s not something I would normally do. She’s petrified. I feel her trembling. “It’ll be okay,” I say. I trust Death. He’s one of us.
Nia allows herself to be led. I think she does it because she doesn’t have much of a choice.
“What can I get you? A first aid kit? A cloth to clean up? Clothes?” she says to Nia.
None of us says anything.
“Who is it?” Hades walks into the reception area, which is bigger than my entire house. He folds his arms and narrows his eyes on Death. “That hellhound shouldn’t be here.” He growls.
“I invited them in,” Twelve says.
“Gaire is looking for you, Helgwn. You need to go to him and stop this bull immediately.” He doesn’t look happy.