Chapter 24Sasha

Chapter

Twenty-Four

SASHA

M y scalp was screaming in agony, and it was everything I could do to try to keep my hair from being ripped clean off my head. If I’d still had my dagger, instead of dropping it like a fucking idiot, I would have cut my own hair off. Instead, my own body was used as a weapon against me.

Seeing Varos look so furious and terrified made me want to cry. As I was being dragged away, all I could think to do was reassure him. It was a poor excuse for comfort. We all knew I likely wouldn't make it out of the situation alive. And if I was taken to my father, because I had no doubts that was my ultimate destination, I was going to suffer horribly before he ended my life for good.

I was sighing in relief that everyone else seemed to be safe in Brimstone as the soldiers poured back through the portal into the Underworld. But when Kallista was dragged through with a knife to her throat, I began to scream in fury.

“No! Take her back! She isn’t a part of this! Take her back now, you fucking cowards!” I thrashed in the hold of the male who was still dragging me, twisting my body until I caught sight of his sword. With a grunt, I launched myself toward it, my fingers just grazing the hilt enough that I managed to wrap my fingers around it. With the fierce yank I gave it, the soldier stumbled sideways, giving me enough slack on my hair to twist my head along with the sword. I had a terrible angle for what I was attempting to do, and instead of slicing his arm clean off the way I had intended, I cut diagonally across his forearm, the sword sliding across his bone. It was still enough to have him let me go as his scream of agony had every creature nearby scurrying for cover.

I turned back to the male who held Kallista and scrambled to my feet. “I said, let her go, you bastard! Now!”

As I ran toward them, the first male who stepped in my way, thinking to stop me, lost his head. The second one received a deep gash to his belly. Depending on what breed of demon he was, he may be able to survive. Too bad I didn’t give half a shit. I advanced on the male holding my new friend, bloody sword raised for battle, when a deep, commanding voice had the blood freezing in my veins.

“Halt!”

Fingers of dread crawled up my spine, and my already labored breathing started coming out in pants, causing spots to dance in my vision as I began to hyperventilate. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I couldn’t face him. I always wondered what I would do if I ever saw him again. Oftentimes, I imagined myself staring him down, taunting him. Sometimes, I saw myself simply slicing open his throat and watching him bleed out with a smile on my face.

Instead, I was frozen with terror at being near my father again.

“Well, look at you, daughter. So impressive. In mere seconds, you took down three of my best guards. Someone taught you well, I see. Amazing." I heard him clapping his hands slowly, mockingly, as he came closer. "I didn’t think a female was capable of this kind of brutality. Is that what happens to females in the Earth realm? Or were you just lucky?”

I took a deep gulp of air into my burning lungs as tears prickled my eyes. I was still frozen in place, struck dumb by an inner trauma I thought I had overcome long ago. Instead, it seemed I had lied to myself, as it had apparently just been lying dormant deep inside me.

The High General circled around me as he spoke, studying me, taking in every single weakness I had tried to train out of myself. As he came to stop in front of me, he snatched my left wrist and held it up, looking at the black mating brand as he tsked. “You were meant to be given to my best soldier as a reward for service. You females can’t do anything right. Can you?”

Then he gave a vicious twist, and I cried out as I felt and heard the bones break in my wrist. At the same time, one of the soldiers snatched the sword that I had forgotten I was still holding in my right hand. Shame filled me as I realized I had the means to end him right there in my grasp but was too frozen in fear to move.

I bowed my head, unable to meet his eyes. As I cradled my wrist to my chest, I could already feel the bones starting to mend together. But I had a feeling that nothing would ever be able to mend my wounded pride or my broken heart.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, though, does it?” my father asked in a deceptively light tone. “You’ve already betrayed me.” I didn’t see the backhand coming, though I had been expecting it. I landed on the hard ground, my hand instinctively moving to the burning skin as I stifled the sob that wanted to escape from my throat. The blow had split the skin on my cheekbone, but that, too, would heal quickly.

“I will make you pay for what you’ve done, you deceitful bitch! How did you manage to get all my soldiers away from their posts? How did you plan the escape?" He screamed down at me, spittle flying. "I should have tossed you in the fire as soon as you were born with a cunt. Both you and your pitiful waste of a sister.”

“Don’t speak of my sister!” I shrieked, my fragile control breaking. “You are nothing but a murdering monster who destroys everything good and kind.”

The kick to my ribs had me rolling over with a pained grunt. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the next blow. I didn’t have to wait long. I cried out as the sword I had stolen was driven into the back of my thigh. Not wanting to give him too much of a show of weakness, I gritted my teeth, holding back the screams of pain I felt when he twisted the blade before pulling it out. I was starting to understand that this male had no intention of letting me live out the rest of the day.

A slight movement distracted me enough to catch my eye. I blinked, trying to make what I was glimpsing come into focus. I thought I must have really been delirious with pain when I realized several sticks were lining themselves up at the edge of the path leading into the North Forest. I squinted as I watched them… sharpen themselves. What the fuck?

The next kick had me sprawling to my other side, and it took all I had to hold in my cry of pain as my thigh burned with fire. I slowly turned my head to face Kallista, wanting to apologize for putting her in so much danger. They had no reason to keep her in the Underworld other than to be hateful. I didn't want to imagine what Valen and Varos were going through at that moment. Considering Varek had always been unable to enter the portal, I could only assume that the other brothers had been warded against it as well. It was just me and Kallista, and I wasn’t sure I would live through the next few moments.

A tear escaped my eye and rolled down to my temple to soak into my hair. I’m sorry. I mouthed the words to her, hoping she knew how deeply I regretted that she had been pulled into this situation. Through bleary eyes, I saw her tap her leg. I had to blink several times to clear my vision enough to see what she was doing.

Kallista held three fingers against her thigh, tapping them in a subtle movement I nearly missed. I darted my eyes up to hers to see that she was staring at me, and then she moved her gaze toward the tree line, over to where the sticks were acting strangely. She was concentrating, her whole focus in the direction of the sticks, as she curled one finger into her palm, leaving two.

I finally understood. I had forgotten that her powers allowed her to manipulate inanimate objects. She had been practicing more after she managed to rescue herself from the Aswang demon who had tried to eat her a few weeks ago. I had no idea how far she had come with controlling her power, but I hoped she had enough to save herself. She was being held close enough to the portal that if she distracted the male holding her with the blade against her throat, she should be able to make it through.

My whole body relaxed, and I was grateful for Kallista’s gift. Knowing she would be safe allowed some of the fear to ease my tight muscles. The only thing left was the regret of all I’d be losing and the grief Varos would go through.

“I have never been so disappointed in my entire existence. Did you know that after you disappeared, I was so angry that I strangled your poor excuse for a mother?” He chuckled as he circled me again and came to a stop next to my side. I watched as he raised the sword with both hands, gripping the pommel, ready to lower it into my chest. “I was finally free from that worthless mate who couldn’t do the one thing a female is good for and provide me a male child.”

I turned my head to stare at Kallista, not wanting to see the killing blow. “I’m sure my mother was happy to die, knowing she was finally free from the likes of you." My tone was calm, ready to die to save a friend. "Males who abuse females and think we are weak are just cowards who can’t get past their own insecurities.”

I expected a bellow of outrage; what I hadn’t expected was Kallista counting to one, dropping to the ground, and then seeing the male who held her end up with a confused expression on his face a split second before a sharpened stick protruded from his eye. I could definitely say I was thoroughly impressed with her aim. It seemed that Kallista had learned quite a bit in her training. I was so proud of her, and my lips tipped up in a smile that quickly dropped into a frown as, instead of running for the portal, she jumped up and ran toward me.

“What are you doing,” I croaked out. “Run! Leave me and go back to the portal! Before it’s too late.”

Kallista huffed out her annoyance as she grabbed my hands and hefted me to my feet. “No way am I going anywhere without you.” When I finally managed to stumble to my feet, she kicked the male lying beside us. “That man is your father? What a piece of work.”

I breathed out a laugh as the pain swept over my entire body. There was nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly, but that didn’t mean my injuries didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch. “The High General may have sired me, but that male was no father of mine.”

I was upright but not quite steady on my feet. I turned to look at the High General to see that he was choking on his own blood with a stick protruding from the side of his neck. I felt nothing as I stared down at him, his gaze fixed on me and still filled with malice even as he choked to death. He was nothing to me anymore, hadn’t been since he murdered my sister.

“Let’s go,” I said and accepted the arm that Kallista offered, putting my own over her shoulders. Together, we walked slowly toward the portal and out of the Underworld. I knew we would have to return soon, though. There was a major battle on the horizon that would take all of us to win. We needed to start preparing because the Underworld was as unforgiving as it was dangerously beautiful.

Before stepping through the portal, we both turned back one last time to look over the forest.

“I hadn’t realized this place would be so gorgeous,” Kallista said with awe. The pink sky was beginning to darken, and one of the moons was peeking out over the horizon as the sun was setting. I sighed.

“It really is. But don’t mistake beauty for safety. This place would eat you up and spit out your bones.”

“Is everything here deadly?” Kallista asked with a shudder.

I shrugged. “Just about.” Giving one last glance at the High General lying on the ground, his hate filled eyes still trained on me, I turned around, facing the portal. “Let’s go home.”

Together, we stepped through the portal and right into what I expected to find.

Juliette was on fire, spitting mad, kicking and screaming while trying her hardest to get away from Varek as he held her wrapped securely in his arms. Valen looked unhinged as he paced in front of the portal. As soon as he saw Kallista, he swept her up and held her so close I worried for the state of her ribs.

Varos was kneeling on the floor with his head bowed, looking so dejected. My heart broke into a million pieces as I took in his posture. The poor male had been through so much in his very long existence. I leaned against the wall, letting it support me. I wished I could go to him, but it was taking all my strength to stand in place without falling to the floor. I took in the blood covering his chest, glad to see that someone had removed the arrows from his body.

“Varos,” I called out quietly. I waited until his head lifted slowly to give him a weak smile. “Are you okay?”

He blinked at me with red-rimmed eyes that, at first glance, were devoid of emotion until I noticed the utter devastation hiding in their depths. He blinked again as if waking from a trance. “Princess?” he rasped out and began to scan me from head to toe. “Are you really alive?”

As soon as I nodded my head, he climbed unsteadily to his feet, taking slow steps forward until he was close enough to touch. I waited, holding my breath, wanting to reach for him but knowing I had to let him be the first to move.

“I thought you were gone from me forever. I kept staring at our mating brand, waiting for it to change.” He finally lifted his hands to cup my cheeks. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

My breath hitched as I blinked away moisture. “It was all Kallista. She saved me. She was absolutely amazing.” I glanced over to see her smiling at me with watery eyes of her own.

Varos picked me up bridal style and turned toward the elevator door. “You can tell me all about it as I bathe you.”

All four of us crowded in together, Juliette looking relieved and finally hugging Varek back. Valen was still a bit wild-eyed as he held Kallista close, and Varos, with his face in my neck, breathed me in like I was all he needed.