14. Oz

fourteen

Oz

M addy pops us to Zo’s room and we find her exactly as Georgym described her, in her chair, looking devastated. She looks eerily like Luc did just moments ago.

“Why is she like this?” Maddy cries. “All the other demons were just crying. They weren’t catatonic like Luc. What’s wrong with her?”

Zar steps in front of Zo and touches her shoulder. “It must be her connection with Luc. I can sense his power smothering her. It’s even stronger than it was with me.”

“Why didn’t fixing Luc stop his power from affecting her?” Maddy growls.

I understand her frustration. I figured all we’d have to do was fix Luc and everyone would go back to normal. Did the other demons?

“Why don't you try what you did with Luc?” Belz offers.

Maddy takes Zarreth’s place, laying her hands on Zofina's shoulders, and the now familiar glow of her magic surrounds Zo.

“Fuck! It's not working!” Maddy whines as she puts her hands to her head.

“Maybe she doesn't have any more mates?” Zeph shrugs, shrinking back from Maddy’s death glare.

“We have to get my dad here, like yesterday.” Maddy paces the floor in front of her mom.

“Ugh, now is so not the time,”I mutter under my breath. Putting my head in my hands doesn't stop the feeling of every set of eyes on me. Someone is trying to escape their assigned room, feels big, maybe Luc’s torture room. I think it directly at Maddy and the look on her face tells me she got that one loud and clear. I don't want to interrupt the current crisis, but this feels like a bigger issue at the moment.

“Those fucking fucks!” she curses and in a puff of black smoke we’re gone.

We appear in Luc’s torture room to see Chad attempting to unchain Marjorkorie.

How the fucking hell did he get in here?

Belzar, my Hell sword, if you will. The soon-to-be dead demon hasn’t noticed our appearance yet, so I use our new bond to get my weapon without alerting him.

My sword materializes in my hands and I swing without hesitation. His head leaves his body with a spray of blood as it flies across the room much like Bartleby’s did only days ago. His body crashes to the floor, revealing a stunned frozen Marjorkorie.

“You just don’t know when to give up, do you?” Maddy seethes. “I don’t know how he even fucking got here, but it sure didn’t end the way you wanted, did it?” She chuckles darkly.

Marjorkorie tilts her chin up in some fictitious show of strength, but her voice wobbles when she says, “Let me out of these chains and we’ll see who's laughing then you ungrateful little bitch.”

Maddy’s eyes turn black and the next instant, Marjorkorie falls from her place on Luc’s cross. She’s been chained up so long she can’t even hold herself up.

Maddy takes slow, determined steps toward her aunt, the heel of her shiny black boots clicking on the white tile floor as she crosses the room. When she stops in front of Marjorkorie, she pushes her over with the toe of her patent leather boot and cocks her head as she studies the pathetic demon before her.

“Are you laughing yet, Auntie ?”

She manages to push herself up enough to glare at Maddy. I feel an unfamiliar magic brush against me whispering for me to attack my mate and I laugh.

“You thought you could use your power on me? That I would be easy to control? I am a fully bonded demon. You couldn’t force me to harm my mate if you were at full strength,” I sneer.

“She what ?” Maddy fumes. “You thought you could use my mate against me? Oh, you foolish, foolish girl.”

She throws her hands out and her magic bursts forth in a magnificent display as it slams into Marjorkorie. She convulses on the floor before falling still.

“Damn, Angel. What’d you do to her?” Zeph asks, looking at the frozen demon.

“Nothing short of what she deserves,” my sexy as fuck mate says in a voice laced with power. “She will remain trapped inside her worst nightmare until she repents for all of her misdeeds. If that time ever comes, I’ll know immediately and will decide what to do with her from there. I don’t anticipate that happening though. As much as I want all the lost souls in Hell to truly atone for their sins, I have my doubts she’ll be able to.” Maddy shrugs. “It’s in her hands now.”

“Your grandma, Sera, would be proud, Amica Mea .” Belz runs his hand down her spine and her wings flutter as she shivers under his touch. “Now, what are we going to do with him?” He tips his head toward Droxley who’s gaping in horror.

Maddy tilts her head as she considers her uncle’s punishment until a sinister smile slowly spreads across her face. Without a word, she disappears in a cloud of smoke.

“What the fuck?” Zar snaps. “She do that often?”

“Not without earning another tally on the spanking count,” I growl back at him.

A new cloud of smoke closer to Droxley signals her return and I’m surprised to see Fireball with her. She bends down and says something to the hound before he flames out and attacks Droxley, viciously tearing his balls from his chained body.

Fucking Hell. Echoes in my head as each of us instinctively cover our balls.

“Man, what did she say to him to make him go off like that?” Zeph grimaces as he watches our hellhound go psycho on Luc’s son.

“I told him what Droxley did to his mate. I figured Fireball deserved to get his retribution for the kidnapping of his mate. I mean they left her out in that hellscape with no plan to ever bring her home. How would he have met his mate if she was stranded in the Moaning Forest.” Maddy shrugs as our hound continues tearing her uncle to shreds, seemingly unbothered by his screams.

And to think there was a time when I thought she was too soft for this world. She’s proven to be the perfect balance of kind and cruel. She is exactly what Hell needs, exactly what we need. Pulling her into my chest I plant kisses all over the crown of her head and push feelings of adoration and pride through the bond.

“Can we just walk back to my chambers please? I just want to cuddle and recharge with my mates. I know we still have to help Mom but she’ll be okay for just one more night, won’t she?” Maddy pleads with me as she peers up at me through tear glistened eyes.

“Of course, Princess. Whatever you need, Zo will be okay. We will figure this out.”

Zephyr opens the door and we trail out of Luc’s torture room, leaving the carnage behind. I hold Maddy’s hand as we walk, unable to let her go for even a second. Before the door closes behind us, Belz whistles for Fireball to come with us. No need for him to make himself sick eating Droxley.

The vicious hound runs up to Maddy, rubbing his head against her side.

“I know, Killer. It’s okay. He deserved everything you did and more.” She pets his head, not affected by the blue flames still burning all over his body. “You’re still my good boy.”

Is she having a legit conversation with our hellhound right now? Zeph’s thoughts intrude my own. I really need to figure out how Belz and Maddy blocked him. His thoughts are a constant barrage to my once peaceful mind.

You know Luc can do that. It makes sense that Maddy can too. His twin chimes in.

“Of course you can go back to your mate now.” Maddy chuckles. “I’m glad you came with us today and finally met her. I’ll punish the guys for keeping you apart for so long.” She winks at Fireball before sending him back to Snow.

“You’ll punish us, huh? I’m pretty sure you’re the one getting the spankings when we get back to your room, Princess.” I arch a brow at her, not missing the spike of desire that shoots down the bond.

“That may be. But you still deserve to be punished for keeping poor Fireball from his mate. Think of all the time they wasted apart. Shame on you. All of you.” She shakes her head.

We turn the corner and collide with Georgym.

“Oh! Your Highness! Master Oz! I’m terribly sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Georgym. No harm. It was our fault, really,” Maddy insists.

“Oh, no. The fault is mine, Ma’am. I was just-”

“Georgym. Calm down. It’s okay. What’s going on?” Maddy asks the anxious guard.

“Wrong? Nothing. Everything’s right. That’s what I was trying to say. All the demons are back to normal. No more crying! Oh, thank the devil!”

Maddy chuckles and I bite my lips together to stop from joining her.

“It sounds like it was quite the ordeal for you. I’m happy to hear everyone is back to normal. Thank you, Georgym.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. And Mistress Zofina? How is she?”

“We’re still working on that,” Maddy sighs.

At least she’s not projecting like Luc . Zar thinks, and I can’t help but agree. That would be awful.

“Of course. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“I will. Thank you, Georgym. For now, get some rest and enjoy the end of hysteria.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” He bows before turning away and heading back the way he came.

“He’s a sweetheart,” Maddy smiles at the retreating demon.

“That’s twelve , Princess,” I growl.

“Twelve what?” She tilts her head, trying to figure out the meaning behind the random number.

“Twelve spankings. That’s what.”

“How?! I was only at five!”

“Yeah, and you got one more when you disappeared to get Fireball and now you just doubled it for calling another demon a sweetheart . That’s being generous. I’d rather chain you to the bed for a week. Don’t push me.” I narrow my eyes at my mate, daring her to do just that.

She gasps, her hands flying to her hips. “You’re being ridiculous. I didn’t even mean it that way.” She rolls her eyes.

“Oh, I’m ridiculous, am I? Belz? Zeph? Zar? Anyone agree with me? That our mate shouldn’t call another male demon a term of endearment?”

Zeph looks between me and Maddy before raising his hands like a coward and saying, “I’m not in this.”

His twin has no such qualms. “Absolutely. Especially the term I call her .” If looks could kill, I sure wouldn’t want to be Maddy right now.

Our brat of a mate just rolls her eyes, again . “You’re both ridiculous. Belzar, tell them they’re being dumb.”

“Well… thinking about it from Zarreth’s point of view… I would be pretty upset if you called another demon Amica Mea … Just saying.” Belz shrugs.

“Three against two. We win,” I declare with a smirk.

“Fine. Whatever,” she sighs. “I won’t call anyone else any sort of term of endearment, you big babies.”

“You wanna add another?” I raise a brow.

“You got your twelve. You’re not getting anymore,” she grumbles.

“We’ll see about that.” I grin.