My breath hitches when he takes my left hand and slowly, gently, slides the ring onto my index finger.
“Be careful out there, Autumn. I can only help you if you remain alive.”
He finishes with a wink and my lips curl in a smile.
“Well, I had better remain alive then, huh?” I raise my hand to admire the jewel. “It’s beautiful.”
“It was my mother’s. It protected me a lot when I was a cub. Now it’s going to protect you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, my eyes glazed with appreciation but my heart hurts for him and his mother. This ring was made for a reason and I can only imagine why his mother would never want to be locked up.
Wolves don’t belong in cages because our souls are born in the freedom of the Crescent Mother.
He nods and stands from the bed. Spotting one of the letters my ‘new friend’ sent me, he picks it up, reads it, then tucks the parchment into his pocket.
“Payment for the ring,” he says, grinning at me.
“Sure,” I murmur.
Until now, part of me had wondered if the letter was from him but it’s clearly not.
I watch him walk over to the door. He came all the way here just to help me. I know it’s a little silly, but I can’t help but hope it’s because he shares similar feelings for me. Hell, maybe it’s about time I just outright ask him.
“Are you only helping me because of your father?” I ask, the words tumbling from my lips before I can catch them.
He looks back, his gaze intent on mine. “There are many forbidden secrets in Hell, but none of them will drop from my lips this evening.”
I recognise the famous poet, a Rivermare wolf who sold millions of his poems to the humans and wolves. The poem is about a human who falls in love with a ghost who he can never love, but in the end it turns out he was the ghost all along. The human wasn’t a human, but a demon, luring his soul down to the pits of hell.
In the end, the ghost fell willingly into hell, lured by beauty and desire.
Conlaelth’s eyes drop to my lips for a brief moment before he leaves, and I’m left wondering if I’m the human or the ghost?
Chapter 22
Lilith Thornblood
I suppose my idea of hell would be hunting demons in a corporate building in the middle of New York City on a cold, rainy day. All those people in suits talking about finance or weekend plans while cramped in stuffy little elevators or hanging over office cubicles is definitely not my idea of a fun mission. But when it comes down to it, I’m willing to do just about anything to get out of Hell for a while.
The real Hell.
“Here you go, love.” Alaric hands me a blue lanyard with a card that says ‘VISITOR’ on the front. He proceeds to give Caspian, Dove, and her partner, Annastasia, one.
The raven-haired girl hasn’t spoken more than a handful of words to me, but she barely speaks to Dove either, so I think she’s just quiet like that.
We hang the passes around our necks, then Caspian approaches the reception desk where a cheery face human smiles at us all. Damn, Caspian looks hot in his dark grey suit. The material clings to him like a second skin and really brings out his eyes. The demon marks that are usually on his face have been hidden with magic. I actually prefer him with the marks, but I still melt a little when he casts a smile over his shoulder at me.
“Hello and welcome to Dyenasty!” The human’s shrill voice cuts through me, unnecessarily high-pitched and there is a strange dazed look in her blue eyes. Something demonic has been messing with her head.
According to the tracker, Dyenasty is merely a place where demons like to hide and hunt. It’s just a coverup for their antics. But the CEO is a level five demon, and so this place has become a sort of gathering place for them. Already the scent of less powerful demons lingers around me, the smell pungent and suffocating.
It’s also incredibly difficult to tell which of the businessmen and women are demons. They walk with their briefcases and laptop bags without paying us so much as a passing glance. The rows of elevators across the foyer ping open and more suits walk in and out. Above us, the transparent stairs spiralling toward the domed ceiling appear seemingly endless from down here. This is my biggest mission to date, and it’s why we’ve been grouped together.
Eziel called everyone to the courtyard this morning for this mission and got us into groups with each of us tasked with a certain level of the building. I know at least three teams are in the other buildings with sniper guns ready to rain fire down on these demons. Other hunters are making wards outside so none of the demons can escape. I glance over as four cleaners walk in, two of them wheeling trolleys full of cleaning products and weapons into the building. We got this.
“Are you ready?” the girl asks.
“We’re ready.” Alaric flashes her a seductive wink. His wine red sweater, pulled over his white shirt and tie, strains against his muscles. The creepy, happy-go-lucky receptionist practically drools over him. I can’t really blame her. He looks every bit the sophisticated nerd, especially with those wide black glasses.
She taps her earpiece. “The applicants are ready.”
Not three seconds later, a tall, expressionless human in a bright red suit appears. She looks like she hasn’t cracked a smile in yonks. I’m jealous of her red crystal earrings shaped like moons.
“Welcome. I’m Margaret, the Vice President here at Dyenasty. Please remember that only one of you will be chosen as our new intern. Once
