Which was good, because just then, the demon horde showed up.
Take That, You Witch
As soon as Cage got back from wherever the fuck he'd gone this morning, Azy was going to kill him. That was if she wasn't already dead herself. She crept forward into the darkened hallway of the villa. She'd barely made it in the door before demon dragons popped up out of the shadows. She couldn't go back, escape, they blocked the path behind her. She swallowed back the bitter fear in the back of her throat and inched away from the bastards. They weren't attacking, not yet anyway.
Everywhere she looked, the shadows darkened, and more demon dragonsmanifested. The normally warm villa felt too hot. Nothing moved in the air except the writhing of their scaly bodies and an occasional flap of wings. The silence surrounded her. So many things were very seriously wrong with this scenario.
Dammit. The villa and the area around it should have been safe and secure. Azy didn't have any weapons, not even her mirror.
The wedding planning-paloozacalled her to come to the dining room where they'd set up shop. It looked like a damn wedding store in there. Even though she'd told them whatever they chose for decorations and food and even the ceremony would be fine, she couldn't begrudge Ciara her excitement. She was clearly having a blast going crazy with the plans.
Even Azy's Mami Wata sisters were thrilled with the whole idea of a human wedding. If the demons harmed any of them, Azy would march right back down to hell and destroy it all over again. With Cage's help, after the babies were born and hidden away from any and all evil.
Where was everyone? Had the demon dragons already killed, maimed, and destroyed them all? Where in the world were all the dragon warriors? They should be here slicing and dicing these piles of poo into underwear stains.
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and reached out to Cage with her mind, hoping against hope he was in dragon form.Cage, where are you. Help.
No response. Shit.No matter what, she had to keep her babies safe. That fear that burned the back of her throat bubbled up again. Azy had no idea how she was going to make it alone.
More of the stinking bastards popped up around her, hissing and clawing. Instinct kicked in and she punched the closest one right in the face. It retreated. Strange. Most of the rest of them backed off a few inches as well. That was the first one to even get close to her. She was open and vulnerable and surrounded. She should already be dead.
The masses of demon dragons scurried around her forming walls. No, not simply walls, a tunnel. They were herding her. That wasn't good at all. Fighting them all off alone wasn't exactly a choice. She certainly didn't want to go wherever they were trying to steer her. Who knew what would be waiting. Probably the Black Dragon, here to exact his revenge for the destruction of his hellish home.
Yeah. That had mostly been her idea. It had been the first time Cage had put one-hundred percent of his trust in her. She'd called together all their allies and executed the plan to destroy Hell and rescue her friend. There was no plan now and no one to rescue her. No allies. She was utterly alone.
Azy glared at the demon assholes around her and held up her fists to any that got too close. None made the mistake of approaching her again. With each step she took, they closed in around the way she'd come. The chill of fear for the lives of her loved ones seeped into her.
Please, Cage. Give me a sign. I'll make it through if I know you're okay.The warmth of Cage's soul burst against her skin. Its light protected her, pushing out warm rays that blinded and singed the demon dragons’ eyes. They squealed and faced away but did not retreat.
She stroked shaking fingers overhis soul shard she wore around her neck. At least she knew he wasn't dead. Cage may not be here by her side, but he was still protecting her. She wasn't alone, not with him as her mate. Okay. If she remembered that, she could make it through whatever was coming her way.
Azy called to Cage over and over in her head. Eventually he would have to hear her. As slow as the demon dragons allowed, she made her way through their deadly dark tunnel of bodies. They stank and hissed at her. Every time one of them made a move toward her, the babies would shift. They were smart little things and could feel the presence of evil around her. She did her best to soothe them with her thoughts and kept herself as calm as she could so they wouldn't be flooded with the tsunami of fear she was holding back.
In another few feet, the demon dragons skittered away and finally the bodies gave way to open space again. They'd directed her toward the great room where she and Cage had declared only the day before that Ciara and her mother could plan everything for the wedding to their heart's content. The two of them would be happy to simply show up. It had given them a reprieve from wedding planning hell. Now the room was a recreation of the depths of hell.
The room was dark and hot. The skylights were blocked and Azy could barely make out figures in the gloom and doom. Sweet seaweed in the sea. The Wyverns and their mates were all here. Ciara and Jakob were frozen in time near one doorway. Jada and Ky looked ready to pounce into battle. Match was literally mid-shift. His great dragon head already blowing a stream of fire suspended in the air, his body nothing more than a shimmer of red sparkles.
No mermaids, no other humans, and no Cage.
What the literal hell was going on here?
"Come in, young mermaid." At the long dining table, sat one witch Azy never thought she'd see again. Ereshkigal, the Black Witch, queen of the underworld.
"What do you want, witch?" Azy couldn't keep the disdain out of her voice even though she probably should. She was surrounded, powerless, with no hope of rescue.
The witch didn't seem bothered by Azy's animosity. She picked at some cake left on a plate near where she was sitting, poking at it with her long craggy-ass fingernails. Girl needed a manicure, bad."There are many things I want, and I shall have them. You're going to help me."
Yeah. No. "Only if one of those wants is to die. I'll happily help you with that."
"I warned Kur-Jara that a half human mate's soul would be worthless to us. Especially one with no real love, no magic, nothing useful but a connection with the shard." The witch scoffed at Azy and waved her hand. She said some words in an ancient sounding tongue and the world around Azy went even darker.
The only light in the room came from the soul shard. The witch rose to her feet and glared at Azy. She pointed to the necklace and it floated up tugging at Azy's neck.
The witch's words burned into her. Worthless. No love. Nothing useful. A year ago, she might have believed those words. She had love. A love so deep and important it had completely changed her world. Cage's love had changed Azy, helped her find her own love for herself.
Azy reached for the shard, knowing that if the Black Witch somehow got her hands on that precious piece of Cage's soul there would be world ending consequences. The muscles in her entire body stung with the effort. She couldn't move. Her arms wouldn't respond. She could breathe, she could blink, but the rest of her body was frozen, caught in the witch's spell. That must be what had happened to everyone else in the room. This dark magic had stopped all of the dragons and their mates in their tracks.
All except Cage. He wasn't here. Thank Poseidon.
