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My laugh tumbled out weak and yet a little wild. “So are you.” I jammed the poisoned blade into her throat.
Ebony blood bathed my chest as I reveled in her shock.
Ziva scrambled back on her hands and knees, gasping for air as onyx veins snaked over her pale flesh. “Y-You used Demise.”
“Save me a seat in hell, bitch.” I coughed, the sound wet and as disgusting as her gags.
Her roar quickly fizzled out, and she fell back, choking on her own blood.
And then silence settled in the church.
I tilted my head and spat a glob of my own blood. Damn. I reallywasdying. The gateway to Earth was miles away, and I’d never make it out of Vlehull, but at least I took that evil beast out first so she couldn’t suck down any more innocent souls.
Too bad I failed the mission, and Coltrane wouldn’t get the Infernal Sol. I’d never see Hawk again or get the chance to fix what had broken between us the other night. I’d never know what would have been.
Warmth unexpectedly spread across my left hip, and tiny vibrations followed.
What the hell?
I reached into my pocket and drew out the amulet, smearing blood all over it. My heart gave a few hard thumps. Magical items heating and shaking were never good signs.
As my strength waned, the heavy gold setting tumbled from my fingers onto my belly. My hands fell at my sides, and the dagger skittered away.
My lids drooped. So sleepy. So cold.
I hadn’t felt this cold since that time I squatted in an abandoned house while it snowed. That had been brutal. But this was a different kind of cold, one no amount of blankets or fire could chase away. Death’s scythe skated down my neck, ready to cleave out my soul.
The air in the church shifted, and a hulking figure emerged from the shadows, something he seemed very good at doing.
Fane Maverick approached with silent footsteps, frowning as he examined me. He muttered a string of curses under his breath.
“You lose,” I mumbled. “Didn’t get to murder me after all.”
He loomed over me. “You didn’t win either.”
I shrugged, or at least I tried to. “Semantics.”
Fane squatted and scrutinized the plethora of injuries peppering my body. “How are you still breathing?”
“I’m tough to kill.” He should ask his brother. Oh, he couldn’t. I chopped his head off.
Something like respect flickered through his gaze, but it vanished as he reached for the Infernal Sol.
He hissed and yanked his fingers back. “What the fuck?”
The crimson sun-shaped stone glowed brighter than the lampposts outside.
“What’s it doing?” I asked, vaguely aware that a dangerous demon amulet was beginning to tap into its magic. The gold setting broke and crumbled away, leaving nothing between the gem and my bare skin except for the sheer, torn shirt.
Fire exploded over my torso as if I’d been stabbed with a hot poker. A shriek ripped from my mouth, and my back arched off the ground.
Fane clawed at the stone as it sizzled. “No! NO!” His fingers dug in, but the rays fused to the center of my stomach.
Molten lava poured through my veins, and they burned red beneath my skin. White flashed over my vision as I arched off the ground again, screaming so violently it felt like my throat would shred apart.
Not for the first time, I prayed for death. Hell would have been more merciful than this.
ChapterSixteen
