41. Jax

Chapter 41

Jax

T he reprieve lasted a whole five minutes before the collar ignited, zapping his remaining strength. Jax collapsed forward, every breath a chore as his lungs rattled. He'd lost count of the hours he'd been kneeling in the derelict room, forced to bow before Gideon.

Pompous cunt.

Thunder was there, pacing inside his mind. But there was a disconnect, as if something was blocking him. Jax didn't like the silence, only receiving the briefest emotions from his beast. Likely the collar, which was tight enough it didn't help the whole struggling to breathe situation. A chain looped, thick as his wrists and anchored to the concrete floor in four separate points. Manacles locked his hands together, the skin beneath red from where he'd tried to break them while weakened.

Gideon sat still on his throne, not a single muscle moving as he watched like some great statue. A lectern stood beside him along with two candelabras, the pages carefully placed beside one another. The chalice had been positioned on a raised platform in the centre of a dug out pit; a woman hung from a hook above it. Blood dripped, far slower than the initial rush when Gideon had first slit her throat.

Blood, death and dirt. That was the scents that surrounded him, the concrete beneath his knees cracked. There were no sounds other than the dripping. No murmuring, shuffling or even the buzz of an insect. Nothing but his own heartbeat, the thump, thump, thump more sluggish than normal.

Gideon blinked, his movement as smooth as a feline when he stood. Two Skulls had entered the room, as well as two Daemons who dragged a gagged man. The Daemons were new, their auras not yet developing the familiar dark tang of black magic. They were a surprise considering the successful transitions between druids and Daemons were small, less than one percentage. Either Gideon had been attempting the ascension with hundreds of druids at once, or the chalice was improving his odds.

Silently, the two Skulls approached the platform, unhooking the woman who fell into the pit with an audible squelch. Jax couldn't see how deep it was from his position, but he could taste the decaying stench in the air.

He fully expected to be strung up and bled above the chalice, but as of yet he was simply made to kneel.

"I've been a terrible host," Gideon said, finally breaking his silence. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm not used to guests."

One of the other Daemons sniggered, but Jax refused to look away from the bigger threat. Gideon smirked, drifting across the pit to perch on the edge of the small platform. The brim of the chalice was full, blood sloshing out the side as he raised it in a toast before bringing it to his lips. His throat rolled violently with each swallow, his lips red when he finally placed the chalice back down.

Gideon drifted back before waving a hand to the two Skulls, one pulling the man by his ankle toward the pit while the other lowered the hooks. Jax didn't bother to watch them raise him, alive and struggling above the chalice. He didn't flinch when one of the Skulls produced a knife and sliced his throat. The man gagged, his flails lessening until the blood loss took its toll.

"Here." Gideon closed their distance, smearing a bloody finger against Jax's closed lips. "Taste that power."

Jax kept his lips tight, waiting a second before spitting. He felt a slam against his face, knocking his head violently to the side. Warmth spread from his hairline, and Jax was sure the blow had split something open.

"You will accept everything I give you, Guardian." Gideon's eyes blazed when they met. "Hadriel believed he ruled the Nether, thinking he had control. Yet here we are, with one of his creations kneeling before me while he still rots down below."

Jax tracked Gideon until he'd returned to his throne, hands spread on the armrests like a king. Or a god.

"Hadriel liked to experiment, splicing together creatures in his boredom. He spoke of your curse," Gideon said, his upper lip curved with amusement. "How that once the hundred years are up, you'll all be forced down with us in the darkness." His fingers clenched the armrests. "How lucky that you broke that particular condition; I can only imagine his wrath when you mated to the thief."

Jax rocked forward, baring his teeth.

Gideon chuckled. "Are you the only Guardian to mate? Or have you all, leaving Hadriel with nothing? Either way, it means I can have you as my own for eternity. Once everything is complete, you'll be the first to be part of my new army. We both know how well you'll take the transition, considering how well your brother took to it. Did you know he screamed? "

Jax bit back his growl.

"He begged for it to end," Gideon continued, eyes glistening. "Screaming until his throat was so raw no more sound came out. I'll make you scream, too, but not until you've recovered enough to survive it. Until then, you can be my pet, watching obediently from his knees like a good mongrel."

More sniggers from the two other Daemons.

"Enough," Gideon snapped, and they both straightened at his command.

"Master, they've arrived," the left one said, his blond hair darkening at the roots. "Just as you said."

Gideon cocked his head, a smile spreading.

A creak, Jax turning his neck to find a door behind him opening. Roach appeared, her lips thinning when she noticed him, but he only paid her attention for a second before his heart clenched. Thea walked in behind, her eyes immediately drawn to his.

Fuck.

What was she doing?

Thea held her shoulders straight and head held high. She wore pale jeans and a light purple T-shirt, the outfit at odds to the dark room. Bandages wrapped around her hands, her natural hair pinned back in a high ponytail to reveal a cut along her forehead, surrounded by an ugly bruise.

"You have it?" Gideon asked, pushing Roach out of the way as if she didn't even exist. He approached Thea, her chin jerking to keep his gaze. "Give it to me."

"Jax goes free first."

Gideon tensed, the muscles of his back rigid as he blocked Jax's view. He heard a sharp cry and then Thea falling to the floor. Jax leapt to his feet, only to be yanked back by the chain looped around his collar. The manacles on his wrists strained, the metal creaking, weakening before the collar ignited, and the power surged through him until he crashed back to his knees. His muscles trembled, barely able to hold himself when he felt fingers tangle in his hair, forcing his head up.

"Stupid bitch," Gideon growled as he knelt down beside Thea. He'd split her lip, and the rage that had pulsed through Jax's body turned volcanic. "Do you really believe you have any say?"

"Touch her again, and I'll kill you," Jax snarled, his throat hoarse.

Gideon smirked over his shoulder. "Ah, so he does speak."

"You said you wouldn't hurt her," Roach said, recoiling when Gideon settled his eyes on her.

"I say a lot of things." Gideon dismissed Roach with an absent wave of his hand, a Skull escorting her back out the same door as before.

Thea closed her eyes when Gideon reached over to stroke along her cheek. "Please," she whispered. "I've got your document; let him go."

"Well, isn't this a surprise." Gideon's fingers pinched her chin hard enough for her to grimace. "You love him; I can see it in your pathetic desperation. Isn't it a shame that love is a weakness. It can make you do foolish, irrational things."

Jax roared, straining against his manacles once more. He ignored the ache in his bones, and how his skin split and tore. The fingers in his hair tightened, and without thought Jax reached back and tangled the chain around the Daemon's throat. With as much strength as he could gather, he pulled, the Daemon's skin giving before the metal. No one stepped up to help, all watching before the collar ignited, causing violent spasms along his arms and forcing his grip to release.

Jax lurched forward, collapsing onto his palms as the dark haired Daemon staggered back. Bone was pale against red, his hands trying to control the damage. The wound wouldn't kill him, but it would leave him vulnerable until he'd healed.

"Pitiful," Gideon muttered, Thea still pinched between his fingers. The remaining Skull appeared at his side, hands sinking beneath Thea's shirt. She struggled, nails clawing at Gideon's arms before he knocked her back to the floor.

"Where is it?" he snarled, tearing at her shirt. The fabric ripped, revealing nowhere for the document to hide.

Thea jerked her head up, her gaze steady. "You'll get it once you release him."

Gideon bared his teeth, the thick black veins throbbing beneath his skin. Without looking away from her, he gestured to the side. "Nael, kill him."

Jax braced for a blow, expected it as Nael, the blond haired Daemon crept forward, his grin frenzied.

"Wait!" Thea cried, voice trembling.

Gideon held his hand up, stopping Nael's advances. "You have two options," he said to her. "I'll kill him, and then torture you until you provide what I want. Or you hand the page over now."

Jax grunted, the collar seizing his muscles painfully. He met Thea's wet gaze, the tears causing the copper specs to glisten. She was so fucking beautiful, and she didn't know how he felt. How her colour had infiltrated his fractured darkness. And now, he'd never get to tell her.

‘I'm sorry,' her lips read, her hand twisting in the air as she recalled the page, and Gideon took it as she was shoved to the floor.

Nael kicked out, knocking Jax to the side. "Master?" he asked, sending the other Daemon who'd passed out a disgruntled look.

"Go." Gideon stared at the final document, the words moving and shifting across the page. "It's taken me too long to hunt these down, and now I'll finally be able to ignite the chalice."

Leaving Thea on the hard floor, the Skull watching over her obediently, Gideon crossed the room and placed the third page on the lectern beside the others.

Whimpers echoed against the concrete, the walls and corners of the room shadowed where the candles failed to penetrate the darkness. A cool air drifted along Jax's skin, lasting only a second before those whimpers grew.

Gideon stepped back from the lectern, the pages giving off a gentle gold glow.

Nael gripped an angel by his throat, his wings limp, broken and missing most of his feathers. The celestrial fought, but there was little strength behind it. With a cry, he was tossed in front of the lectern, his head automatically bowing to Gideon as tremors rocked his shoulders.

"Master," he whimpered. "Please… I can't – " His words cut off when Nael kicked at one of his limp wings. They spread out flat beside him, bone splitting from where the wing joint met his back.

"Read," Gideon demanded, standing over the angel with a baleful expression.

The angel wept, his movements jagged as he clumsily climbed to his feet. He began to mumble beneath his breath, the words incomprehensible before he stuttered, "I… I can't read it. It doesn't matter how many pages, I can't. I don't have the ability." He flinched when Gideon raised his hand. "Please, you need a Sage."

Arcane burned along Gideon's palm, the magical flames as black as night when they met the angel's skin. His scream lasted only a second before his throat was crushed, mouth open in a silent cry. Rage caused harsh lines on Gideon's face, his eyes a violent blaze when he snapped a sharp command towards the Skull.

"Put her on a hook," he snarled, Thea crying out when the Skull reached down and pulled her to her feet, attaching a set of thick manacles the same as his around her delicate wrists. "She's no longer needed." His long coat swished behind him when he turned, seeming to head out of the room.

Jax's chest ached, lungs throbbing when he raised his head. "Wait," he croaked, and Gideon paused. "This isn't straightforward, you have to wait for the words to align to read it."

Gideon turned, fury apparent in every line of his body. "How could you know that?"

"Jax!" Thea screamed. "Don't – " A hand was pressed over her lips, hard enough the fingers created dents in her cheeks.

"My mother was a Sage." Not only a Sage, but she was an archangel, the highest rank amongst the angels. "I can read it."

Gideon took his time to approach, movements silent when he crouched down until they were the same height. "Your mate risked everything to bring me that page, and you're telling me you can read it?"

Jax glanced over at Thea, her eyes wide.

"Answer me, pup," he growled, forcing his attention back.

Jax grit his teeth, his pulse rapid against the side of his throat. "I can read it."

Gideon chuckled, the sound dark and edged with malice. "Oh, how the Fates have truly blessed me."