6. Entertained

"Happy release day, baby," Ella said softly, making me grin down at her, astonished at how she had done any of this. How she was even here at all! I was still in a state of shock. It was like a dream I was too afraid to wake from.

Of course, the idea of being dragged away from the battle so as I could no longer fight to the death alongside my best friend and my brother, had been hard enough to face. But then as soon as I saw Ella enter the fray, dangerously putting herself at risk to try and save us all, I had lost my ever-loving mind!

I had been dragged back to the cell and found myself fighting against the power that kept me imprisoned there like never before. I had fought with everything I had to give, drawing every fucking ounce of power my HellBeast had, and I would have continued to do so until I had fucking died.

The panic, the fear, the heart-breaking pain of knowing I was fucking helpless to get to them, was unlike anything I had ever felt before. And I was ashamed to admit that even the day I lost Lerna and the fear I felt then, had been nothing compared to the fear of losing Ella. I think I would have tried to end my own life, had I not known just how many HellBeast souls were linked to my own.

It was fucking agony!

Which was now why I didn't hesitate then to take my girl's gift of revenge. Because as soon as I entered back into the arena, it soon became clear what had happened, as now all the souls we had not long ago been fighting against had turned against their once tyrant master. Which meant only one thing…

Ella was now a Summoner.

Their Summoner.

I knew I had a fuck load to process with this shit but right now, with my enemy within my grasp and handed to me like the gift Ella had claimed her to be, I found myself moving. I walked toward Niniane with such purpose, ready to fucking break her neck and rip her head off so as she would know the same fate as those she forced me to kill in the arena. To toss her head to the crowd and let them bask in my trophy.

And she fucking knew it!

Her panicked eyes turned to me, as all the souls I had not long since fought against now floated away, giving me room to get to her. I looked back at my girl to find her controlling them and I had not one fucking clue as to how it had happened yet.

She was fucking human!

In truth, I think if someone had told me what would have eventually freed me from this hell, then I would have questioned if they had wanted to die for spouting their insanity. Never in a million fucked up years would I have ever believed what would happen happened. I would never, for as long as I drew breath, ever forget the sight of Ella walking down that cell block, engulfed in a Summoner's power. The way she had broken each one of the cell doors like it was nothing but child's play. Like she had been born to do that shit and it was as easy as breathing.

Of course, at the time I had been too fucking dumbfounded to do much else but stare at the miracle the Gods had presented me with. My brother and my best friend walking unharmed by her side, even Asher, who looked as he was ready to pledge his life to her, looking at her in awe. Well, he could drop to a knee before her but that was all he was getting!

Ella was and always would be mine.

But of course, now that I could see what she had become, I was worried as fuck for new reasons, as it was clear she had now been chosen to take Niniane's place. And like I said, how that had happened seeing as she was mortal, I had no fucking clue. But I would soon get to the bottom of it, that was for damn sure.

But right now, I had my revenge to extract, and take it I would. It was a moment I had been fantasying about since the bitch brought me here. But no fantasy was as great as that of the sight of Ella running into my arms and holding her once again.

That was the true dream come true.

"Wait, J, just hold up a sec," Orth said, grabbing my arm to slow me down.

"Wait for what?! The bitch deserves to die!" I snapped, unable to hold back my anger.

"Yeah, and you won't hear any argument from me."

"Great," I replied before I started walking again, only stopping when he told me,

"She knows shit, J, knows about what that fuck-stain Geryon is planning, where he is, but more than anything, she knows what is now happening to Ella and why…" He paused, taking a deep breath, making me frown back over my shoulder at him.

"And why what?!"

He hesitated a moment longer before stunning me further when telling me,

"Why she dropped to her knees and called her the Summoning Queen." I sucked in a quick breath, shaking my head a little as if trying to make sense of that.

"Come again?"I uttered, as if the first time around wasn't enough to believe what he had just told me.

"It's true, we all saw it happen, brother… we all heard it."

I looked back at Ella, to find the green essence from the souls in the arena clinging to her feet, circling her as if drawn to her. She was far enough away that she couldn't hear us, but you could see she was obviously curious.

"And Ella, what did she do?" I asked, my chest rising even quicker at what the implications to this could mean.

"In truth, well… She looked just as fucking confused as the rest of us did." I relaxed at that, hating the idea that she could have known something like this all this time and kept it from me.

"But she's mortal, how can something like this be true?" I asked just as Marcus joined us, obviously knowing what we were speaking of considering he had supernatural hearing. Hence why the answer came from him and not my brother this time.

"Well, that sweaty ass-crack Geryon wants her for a reason, and if what he claims is true, that she is his niece, perhaps Ella is a far older soul and has no recollection of it. Either way, how about I just rip out all the info this bitch knows and then you can play, ‘who wants the head' with the crowd." I looked to Orth at this, and he shrugged his shoulders and said,

"Um, works for me." I grinned at this and then held out an arm toward the bitch in question, making Marcus pull at his lapels before taking an exaggerated step toward her. I couldn"t help but grin as I watched her panicked eyes turn pleading the closer he got. Because in the end, she knew I wasn"t the only one who wished to reap their revenge upon her.

No, my revenge belonged to everyone in this room, including that of her souls. Souls that were now under the command of my girl, and still this was a realization I was struggling with as I didn"t yet know what the ramifications would end up being. I didn"t know what this would do to her mortality, or if it would take a toll on her mind and what it would end up doing to her as a person. I didn't want the weight of so many Demonic souls pressing down on her or an ounce of evil touching her.

There were just so many things I didn't know.

Although I knew one person that would, and that was precisely where I intended to go next. But as for now, well I took sick pleasure in the sight of Niniane cowering as Marcus stepped closer, trying to scramble back like some confused crab. However, now that Niniane's power had been stripped from her, Marcus didn't hold back. Not now he could create his own version of chains, as a blue electricity snaked up his staff, before he tapped it on the ground. This created lightning bolts of power to expand from the point of contact and branch across the floor, quickly making their way to her. Then once they found their victim, they latched onto her, shackling her ankles and wrists, keeping her in place so as she couldn't run.

"Please! Jared, I can help you! I can serve you and help you fight against Garmr, for I know his weaknesses!" she pleaded, making me scoff, although I did wonder why she hadn't referred to him as Geryon.

"Yes, and soon, my dear, I shall also know… everything," Marcus said, ending this threat with a Demonic voice, one people rarely heard as it was the dark side of his powers the Fates didn't often permit. Then I watched as he lowered to one knee in front of her and the moment she started screaming, I knew it was because he had covered her face in his hand. One that was no doubt currently ridding her of everything she knew regarding what that fuck Geryon wanted with my Ella.

As for the souls, they all shook, vibrating as if some current was passing through them. Like pieces of them still clung to her like crumbs of memories on how they each came to be a Summoned soul.

I felt Ella come to stand next to me and without looking away from Marcus's back where he knelt in front of his victim, I curled an arm around her and pulled her close.

"I know she's bad and we hate her, but this is hard to watch," she admitted, which was when I finally looked down at my girl and her kind, tender heart was easy to see in her big green eyes. Gods, but she was so beautiful and the sight of her concern for the enemy near broke my heart. Especially when I didn't want her to think differently of me for what I was about to do next.

Of course, Orth didn't miss this either. Which meant that when I pulled her close enough to tuck her against me, I kissed the top of her head before looking over it to my brother. Then I shifted my eyes to the side, telling him what I needed without words. He nodded the once and continued to let me have my moment with her.

Soon the screaming died down and left Niniane panting through the mental torture on the floor. Marcus rose to his full height and was putting his glove back on as he walked back to us.

"You have what you need?" He gave me an evil grin and tapped a finger to the side of his head.

"Stored in the vault. And FYI, everything we thought we knew about how evil this bitch really is… triple it." I gritted my teeth at that and, keeping my jaw locked when I felt Ella tense in my hold, I nodded to Marcus telling him I understood.

The bitch had to die.

"Hey, Cookie girl, how did you get here?" my brother asked, making Ella look up from where she had been hugging onto me.

"I came through a door in the temple of Janus," she said, confirming what I had already guessed to be the case. Now as for the how and when, this was still a mystery. But I looked to my brother, as our minds were on the same path.

"That's good, that means a quick and easy way back… in fact, why don't you come and show me." Ella looked up at me for confirmation that I wanted her to do this and, again, it tugged at my heart. So, I kissed her forehead and said,

"It's okay, baby, you go with Orth, I will be right behind you." She looked to Niniane, and I took her chin between my thumb and finger, now gently forcing her gaze from the sight and back to me.

"You with me, baby?"I whispered down at her, making her swallow hard before nodding, telling me that she understood. She knew I didn't want her to witness this next part and her acceptance of what I knew was best for her warmed my soul.

So, I waited for her to walk toward the other side of the arena and off to the underside of where Niniane's viewing platform had been. There was a door that, now open, was no longer hidden and made to look like the rest of the walls.

Then I waited until she was through it before releasing a sigh. It was hard letting her leave my side, if only for the minute it would take me to kill this bitch. But I knew it was better than leaving her scared with nightmares stemmed from my hands. In truth, I would have preferred to take my time with someone as evil as Niniane, but I couldn't be without Ella for long. As already my HellBeast was clawing at me to be done with this shit and get back to her.

So, wasting no more time, I walked over to her and grabbed her by the hair, making her whimper. Then I pulled her to standing in front of me, and was about to address the crowd, when Marcus said,

"Please, oh please say, ‘Are you not entertained'… that would make it epic." I rolled my eyes before telling him,

"No, that would just make it a rip off from the Gladiator movie." Marcus smirked and nodded to the crowd before pointing out,

"Yeah, and just how many of them do you think have seen that movie, J? You say the name Russel Crowe and they will just think that's the name of your pet bird." I scoffed a chuckle at that before tightening my grip on my squirming prisoner.

"In which do you speak?" Asher asked, making me chuckle again when Marcus slapped him on the back and said,

"Oh, you have lots to learn at Devil's."

Meanwhile I turned back to the crowd and started,

"Your famed Summoner is no more!" I then looked to Marcus to see him urging me on and because I thought, well fuck it, I added,

"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" This, like Marcus thought it would, made the crowd go wild, as the thundering of their feet pounding beneath them sounded like a stampeding army was near.

"The Book of Souls found her unworthy and therefore you may be her jury, now cast your sentence!" At this the whole crowd continued to bang their feet in unison on the ground as they chanted,

"Death, death, death, death…" I then tightened my fist in her hair and pulled her back closer to me, speaking into her ear as she whimpered.

"So, there you have it, Niniane, your precious audience has spoken."

"Please… you… you don't have to do this!" she pleaded one last time.

"The sentence has been given! And as one of the last contenders standing in the Summoner Games, I will act as your executioner!" The crowd went crazy at this, cheering and banging louder than before.

"Say goodbye to your souls, Niniane, for this is a sight they have waited their entire imprisonment for and as for me… I am only too happy to give it to them! DEATH TO THE FALLEN SUMMONER!" I roared, making her scream when I put her neck in a choke hold before twisting violently, and it was enough that it snapped her spine. Then I let my HellBeast come forth, transforming my hand into a hellish version of itself, before I allowed heat to make my claws glow. This was so when I severed her head, it cauterized quick enough that it stopped the spray of blood gushing up with the burning heat that sizzled the flesh.

Then once I had her head held in my hand, the crowd went wild one last time before I did as I promised. I tossed her head into the crowd and, finally, my revenge against her was complete as I let her lifeless body drop to the floor. The souls all watched as if transfixed by the sight of their jailor's death before they burst into green flames and floated back to the book when it suddenly appeared in front of me. Once the last one had returned, the book disappeared, making me wonder if Ella had anything to do with it.

Well, I would soon find out. I nodded to Marcus and Asher to follow me, before walking toward the same door my girl had led Orth through. Then once I found them there waiting for us, I snagged Ella by the waist and tipped her head back ready to kiss her, after first saying the words I knew we both needed to hear…

"Let's go home."