I run.
22
Demons scream behind me as I sprint with everything I have left inside of me. I can practically feel their acidic breath on the back of my neck, but if I can just make it to Ūnus, if I can get through…
I shove any doubt away, because I have to get through. This can’t all be for nothing.
I try to focus on my pounding steps as I run down the path, but Jerif’s eyes and the look on his face before he was overrun smash through my insides like a wrecking ball.
I hate myself for leaving him. I should have tried harder. I keep telling myself that, but as I run for my life down the passageway, there’s another part of me that knows there was nothing I could do. There were too many of them. Maybe I could’ve turned this around if I had abilities other than the scythe that’s still gripped in my hand, but I don’t. I was too afraid of Hell and of being a demon. Maybe if I had accepted things sooner...
Tears drip furiously down my cheeks.
Their deaths are my fault.
I run faster, completely losing track of which Ring level I’m at. “Get her!”
I glance over my shoulder at the net-toting demons, and fear spikes through me like a Richter scale going off.
Pushing faster, I keep running, slamming my scythe into the few that reach my side. I race all the way to the end of the corridor, skidding to a stop as a smooth, metallic-looking portal sits serenely in front of me.
I spin, confused. Did I get turned around? Where’s the Ūnus portal? A multicolored mob of demons moves down the passageway toward me, more nets in their grasps. They don’t look like they’re in any hurry, like they know they’ve got me cornered.
Yelps and growls of “Take her to the Ophidian” fill the air all around me, and even though I don’t know exactly what it means, I know I can’t let it happen. I swipe at the tears and sweat on my cheeks and back up slowly. I ready my scythe, suddenly determined that they won’t be taking me anywhere. I’ll fight until it kills me, because fuck these assholes.
They must have pushed me further down the corridor than I thought. I passed what I was sure was the inaccessible Duo portal, but that must’ve been Ūnus instead. I ran right past it, and now I’ll fight to the death with my back pressed against the Nihil portal, because none of us are getting through this one.
I grip my scythe tighter, ready to take my last stand. I press back even more as demons move closer, their creepy eyes filled with looks of excitement and victory.
And then the strangest thing happens.
I expected to feel a wall of hardness at my back, but as I press against the Nihil portal, I’m suddenly blanketed in a thick, warm substance. I lose my balance and tip backward, and the last thing I see are the rage-filled faces of my attackers as they rush forward, their clawed hands snapping out to get me but catching only air instead.
My mouth opens in surprise as my scream fills my ears, and I fall straight into the Center Ring of Hell.
Holy fucking demon spawn, I’m a Nihil.
The End of Book One...
Hellgate Guardians Series
Rapid-Release Schedule
Book 1: June 8th
Grave Mistakes
Book 2: June 22nd
Grave Consequences
Book 3: July 6th
Grave Decisions
Book 4: July 20th
Grave Signs
Also by Ivy Asher & Raven Kennedy
Shifter Romantic Comedy Standalone
Conveniently Convicted
Dystopian Romantic Comedy Standalone
April’s Fools
Also by Ivy Asher
The Sentinel World
The Lost Sentinel
The Lost and the Chosen
Awakened and Betrayed
The Marked and the Broken
Found and Forged
Shadowed Wings
The Hidden
The Avowed
The Reclamation
More in the Sentinel World coming soon.
Romantic Comedy Standalone
Conveniently Convicted
April’s Fools
Also by Raven Kennedy
Paranormal Shifter Romance:
Addie: Pack of Misfits Book 1
Reese: Pack of Misfits Book 2
Jetta: Pack of Misfits Book 3
Fantasy Reverse Harem Romantic Comedy:
Signs of Cupidity: Book 1
Bonds of Cupidity: Book 2
Crimes of Cupidity: Book 3
For the Love of Cupidity: Book 4
Cupidity Box Set
Romantic Comedy Stand-Alone:
Can’t Fix Cupid
April’s Fools
Conveniently Convicted
Dark Contemporary Romance:
The Girl Who Cries Colors
Cruel: Savannah Heirs Book 1
Tame: Savannah Heirs Book 2
Wild: Savannah Heirs Book 3
Dark Paranormal Romance:
Void
Wicked Webs
Ivy Asher
Ivy Asher is addicted to chai, swearing, and laughing a lot—but not in a creepy, laughing alone kind of way. She loves the snow, books, and her family of two humans, and three fur-babies. She has worlds and characters just floating around in her head, and she’s lucky enough to be surrounded by amazing people who support that kind of crazy.
Join Ivy Asher’s Reader Group and follow her on Instagram and BookBub for updates on your favorite series and upcoming releases!!!
Raven Kennedy
Raven Kennedy lives in California with her family. She is most known for her international bestselling Heart Hassle series about a quirky cupid who wants to find love for herself. RK writes in a range of genres, including romantic comedies, fantasy, dark romances, contemporary, and paranormal. Whether she makes you laugh or cry, she hopes to connect with readers and create characters you can root for.
You can connect one-on-one with RK on Facebook in Raven Kennedy’s Reader Group and on her Instagram. Click the icons below!
