“Busy,” Murphy said. “Why?”
Mia raised her wing and displayed two massive claws protruding from her side. “Did you guys bring a medic?” Mia asked.
“What the hell?” Nicholai looked at the situation. “How are you still alive?”
“Well, I think it’s the angel armor on my rib cage. It doesn’t stop it from hurting though.”
“Hold still,” Nicholai ordered.
Mia groaned as he wiggled one of the claws.
“It’s in there. Murphy, put your axe under here and…”
Murphy did so and popped the claw out, and before Mia could react, he did the same to the second one.
Mia swore a blue streak.
The Countess stormed out of the crypt and said, “There are children in there. Fortunately, they are asleep. Where’s my bar of soap? What happened to you? You’re bleeding all over my marble.”
Nicholai smiled as he tore the lower half of Mia’s gown off and wrapped it around her chest. “Go and rub some dirt on it, and you’ll be fine.”
Mia looked up at him, over at Murphy, and then at the Countess but held her tongue. Instead, she said, “Let’s get Audrey and the kids out of here. I spotted the PEEPs vehicles. We’ll fly them over the fence and then come back to help out.”
Nicholai was about to speak, but Mia cut him off.
“My children, my call,” she said. “Murph, you stand guard until we come back. Thank you, Countess, I’ll be sure to put you in my will.”
“That’s kind of you, dear. Come and get the kids before Maurice gets attached.”
“Incoming!” Cid called out to Ted who was standing vigil for his family.
Nicholai dropped down first. He opened his wings, and Audrey walked out carrying Luke. Cid helped her into the truck.
Mia landed carrying both boys. She handed them to Ted.
“Where’d you get the snazzy wings, pumpkin?” he asked.
“There was a white sale, hope you don’t mind,” she said, slumping down to the ground.
“Mommy’s hurt,” Brian said.
Nicholai walked out with the PEEPs first aid kit. “Mia, get up!” he ordered.
She stood and let the birdman properly dress her wounds. Mia reached into her wing when Nicholai was finished and produced two Nephilim claws. “I brought back souvenirs. Careful, I think the tips are poisonous,” she said. “One for you and one for Cid, so don’t fight.”
“Mia, we have to go, the flock is arriving,” Nicholai said.
Mia walked over and kissed Ted and then each of the boys. “Mommy’s got to go. You behave for Daddy. Ted, take them all to the farm. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the hellhounds. I don’t want the kids or Audrey to see that.”
“Mia,” Ted said.
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said and flew upwards.
Ted didn’t like the way her eyes didn’t quite make contact with his. He could see she was exhausted, but the night was far from over. He would wait for her at the farm.
Mia stopped off at the mausoleum to pick up Murphy. She landed and noticed the crypt was closed.
“The Countess didn’t want her minions to get hurt, so she recalled them. Victor put you and I on hellhound duty. He says that once the controlling Other is killed and the contract is canceled, the dogs will probably roam free.”
“Oy.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want to kill anything else today if I can help it,” she said.
“Well, let’s see if we can drop them back into Hell,” Murphy said, opening his hand. Inside was a bright green piece of chalk.
“Where did you get that?”
“Brian had it in his pocket. I found it when I was helping him to relieve himself in the bushes.”
“Whoa, he probably palmed it when we visited the art store yesterday. Stealing… What am I going to do with that kid?”
“Love him. He could have used it on the Countess while we were busy, but he didn’t.”
Tom and Chambers leaned against their patrol cars which were blocking off the main entrance to the graveyard.
Mia landed and suggested, “You may want to move your cars back about ten, fifteen feet.”
“Really, why?” Tom asked, noticing how beat up Mia looked. “Where are your shoes, Cooper?”
“I’m not sure. I lost track,” she admitted. “It’s been a long day.”
Chambers moved his vehicle back and then got in and did the same for Tom. He walked back to watch Mia draw a giant rectangle on the cement apron of the drive. She stood up before she finished and warned, “In about thirty seconds, Murphy is going to come running through here. There are going to be two ugly em effers chasing him. Hopefully, they will fall into this portal I’m opening up. If not, then plan B goes into effect.”
“What’s plan B?” Chambers asked.
Tom looked at him and said, “Run, Dude, Run.”
Murphy rounded the corner. One of the dogs had caught his scent and was chasing him. He didn’t see the other dog. Well, one dog was better than none, he reasoned, so he increased his speed. These dogs were meaty brutes. The classification of dog he thought was a broad one. The animals were black and well-muscled, but he thought they resembled wild boars more than dogs. They had razorback hair along their spines and teeth so long it made it impossible to fully close the animals’ mouths.
Mia was just finishing her spell and had just opened the portal when she heard the heavy footfalls of an approaching hellhound. She hovered over the open maw, worried that the tentacles of the keepers would pull her down at any moment. She knew if she showed up one more time in the Pit of Despair, she’d be a goner. Hell was off limits to the assassin who snuck Ruax in through the pit.
