Pandora's Box - Eve Newton Page 0,77
can’t put my finger on it. It is almost like a contented happiness from deep within.
Shax, who had remained out of the way while the circle gathered, steps up next to me now. “Drop the barrier, Sis. We’re ready.”
I don’t answer him, I just give him a brief nod. My Hellfire ball is now bigger than the one I made Lucifer stumble with. I can do this.
I can.
I have to.
If I don’t, then he will start with Gregory and eat every single one of the beings I care about.
Love. Love is the answer to beating Lucifer
Just say it, bitch. Love, love, love.
“Love!” I shout, ripping my throat apart and pull my hands back as the ball is so big now it is burning my hands.
“Step back,” Shax says to the circle, knowing that I can’t.
As they fall back, Lucifer breaks the barrier and with a terrifying roar, he lunges forward.
Shax throws the dagger with an accuracy that I could kiss him for, and it buries itself in Lucifer’s chest, making him howl and as I’d hoped, he loses his Shift.
“Fuck you! You little shit!” he thunders, slapping his hand over the hilt, but it burns him. It is Shax’s blade. Only he and I can touch it. It is doing the job I needed it to do. It is weakening Lucifer.
In the next second, I push my hands out and send the ball of fire flying across the cavern to hit him full on.
He screams, squirming from the burn, but it isn’t enough.
“Again,” Killian says to me now in human form, gripping my elbow tightly. “You can do this, Anna.”
I draw in a deep breath. A lot quicker than the first one, another ball grows between my hands, then two. Killian is giving me everything that he has and so is everyone else. They are behind me, surrounding me, not abandoning me.
I step forward and Killian lets me go. The fire is glowing brightly, almost screaming at me to throw them, to use them to annihilate.
I don’t disappoint.
I shove out both of my hands and the two fireballs fly forward, slamming into Lucifer at the same time and bursting into the fires of Hell that burns him to an ash as we watch.
Silence.
I blink.
“Is that it?” Devlin asks.
I turn my Devil’s head to glare at him. He feels my wrath and actually quakes in his boots. “Is that it?” I snarl at him.
I am fucked. Well and truly fucked. How I’m still standing on my shaky hooves is a mystery.
I put my hand to my head and allow the Shift to retreat, stumbling but Killian is there to catch me.
“You did it,” he says with a smile.
“We did it,” I reply and then slump into his embrace.
“Not to be the party pooper and incur your wrath,” Gregory ventures. “But is it over?”
“I’m glad that you said that and not me,” Aleister mutters.
“Yes, it’s over,” I say. “Love was the key.”
I climb out of Killian’s arms. I walk over to the pile of ash that used to be Lucifer and glare down at it. I hold my hand out and sweep the ashes into a small, neat pile and then summon up a black velvet drawstring bag. I transfer the contents of the ash to the bag and then, with the flick of my wrist, send them into their own little firecube on the other side of Hell from Leviathan.
Just in case.
Chapter 40
I turn back to my circle with a tired but bright smile.
“Thanks,” I mutter, shoving my sweaty, messy hair back.
“What for?” Elijah asks. “We didn’t do anything really.”
“You didn’t leave me,” I say and feel the stupid tears prick my eyes.
“No fucking chance of that,” Drescal says. “You are stuck with us, I’m afraid.”
I giggle. “I can’t think of a better group to be stuck with.”
“Aww,” Devlin says, looking away and sniffing.
“You ass,” I say, shaking my head at him.
He turns back and grins. “So, anyone else really horny now?”
I raise my hand with a cheeky grin.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Shax mutters and disappears. I don’t care that he didn’t congratulate me or any of that other bullshit. I know how he feels.
“I guess it’s just us then,” I say and whisk us all back to my bedroom.
Sid catches my eye and gives me a smile before he slips out of the room. I let him go because now isn’t the time for us to be together.
I do look over at Gregory and although he is covered in sweat