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20.
“You’re
joking right?” Drew looked around her in
amazement.
They
were in a florist, the heady sent of flowers all around her, and the
beautiful colors melding into an impressionist’s
painting.
“This
is Hell’s Gate?”
“Uh
huh, one of the gates at any rate.” Renegade found Drew’s
astonishment very amusing.
“This
is a florist.”
“Yeah, it
is.”
“Gods,
can we stop flexing our ‘state the obvious’ muscles and actually
get this over with?” Ross growled behind the women.
“We’ll
get this done soon enough Ross, try not to get your panties in a
bunch.” Renegade rolled her eyes and led them to the
back of the shop.
“Hey
Liz.” She greeted a woman behind the counter as they
passed.
“Hey
Ren, see you later.”
The
storeroom of the shop looked like any other would. With
boxes scattered and a haphazard mess of odds and ends. Renegade
led them to the back wall, she laid her palm against the plaster and
pushed. The wall shimmered and an opening appeared in the
stone. Stairs led down a long way, a dull red glow
emanated from the depths of the staircase.
“Can
anyone just walk in and do that Ren?” Drew asked. It was
a scary thought that hell might be that accessible.
“Not
a chance, it takes some serious hell-clout to open a gate like that.”
Bastien answered looking impressed.
Renegade
smiled at Bastien and winked.
“Okay,
I know most of you have been down here before. But I’d
like to just remind you of the rules.” Renegade spoke to
everyone.
“We are going to
be walking down a path that I create as we go. Do not, and
I can’t stress this enough, look anywhere but directly at the
person’s back in front of you. There are things down
there that can drive you insane if you look at them once. You
are going to hear strange things, your name being called is about the
most harmless of what you will hear. Don’t listen or
look away from the person ahead of you. Drew, I want
you directly behind me. Keep your eyes on my back at all
times. Seth stay behind Drew, Marcus you’re behind Seth,
Bastien your next and Ross can take up rear guard, your angelic half
will afford you some protection. Is everyone clear on what
I’ve just said?”
There was
a murmur of agreement.
“Good,
once we get into Nephritis’s chambers we’ll be able to look
around.” Renegade pulled a face. “Though what you see will
probably gross you out for the rest of the day. Lets
go.”
Renegade
started down the stone steps. Drew right behind her. The
next hour felt like six. Drew heard things she never
wanted to hear again. People seemed to be screaming and
dying around her. That was hard enough to ignore, but when
she heard her mother and father calling her, Drew nearly
turned. Seth’s command saved her from looking.
“Eyes front Drew, don’t
look for god’s sake.”
She’d
snapped her head to the front before she’d turned it
completely.
When
Renegade stopped in front of a craggy stone door, they all breathed a
sigh of relief.
It
had been a horrible hour.
“Neferitis,
Neferitis, she who has sight. Open the door and share her
light.” Renegade chanted.
The
stone door opened with an unearthly screech.
“Who
request’s entry?” The voice was high pitched and
squeaky.
“Renegade requests
entry, great seer.”
“Go
away angel, Neferitis does not want to see you.”
Drew
heard a sigh from behind her, before Ross spoke.
“Ross
of the leopards requests entry, great seer.”
“Ow,
the leopard-angel,” the voice giggled in glee. “You
may enter.”
They
entered the room in single file. Drew shuddered. The
place looked like something out of a low budged slasher movie. She
made up her mind she was not going to look around too much. Drew
moved in next to Renegade when the angel stopped.
No
wonder Ross didn’t want to come near here. Neferitis was crouched
on the stone floor, she was dressed in rags and filthy. She
made bag ladies look like socialites. Her head was mostly bald with
stringy patches of yellow hair dragging in the filth of the
floor.
Drew felt
Seth step up next to her.
Nephritis’s
head snapped up, her eyes were pools of blood red. There
were no whites to them. She sniffed the air, jerking at a
sent she’d picked up, she sniffed the air again.
“Nexus,
ohhh no, Neferitis smells a nexus - the first nexus. It
has started.” The demon seemed agitated, she started
swaying back and forth. “No, nexus is bad bad for hell
bad.”
Her words rolled into
one long breath. She lurched forward suddenly coming to a
stop in front of Ross.
He
almost stepped back but held his ground. Suppressing a
shudder of revulsion at her proximity.
“Ross,
no no no no, the nexus has come.” Neferitis started to
reach forward to touch Ross. Drew dashed past Seth and
blocked the demon. She pushed her back against Ross’s
chest. Reaching back she took his arms and folded them
round her waist. Drew wove her fingers through Ross’s
watching Neferitis follow the movement. Drew ran her thumb
along Ross’s hand make it look far more intimate than it
was.
Ross
was dumbfounded, he looked at Renegade for an answer.
“Go
with it.” She mouthed.
“Neferitis
will not touch what is mine!” Drew’s voice was steady, lethal in
its intent.
“No,
no, no.” Neferitis shook her head but she took a step
back.
“What is
this nexus you speak of seer?” Renegade asked.
“The
joining, one by one they will become mates, two where there was only
one, and one made of two. The strength they gain will be
untold.” She hissed and turned.
“None
will deny the power of Nexus, once fate has chosen a mate it will be,
there will be no denying. Strong emotions and reactions
will be the first sign, no way to avoid if the nexus has chosen your
mate. If this She is the mate of Ross angel-leopard,
Neferitis cannot touch him. The nexus will not be
denied.” Neferitis crumpled onto the floor, despondent.
Drew almost felt sorry for
the creature when a blood red tear rolled down her cheek.
She
started to let go of Ross’s arms so she could move away, but
Renegade gestured for her to stay where she was.
Drew
looked over at Seth, his posture was like a steal bar his fists
clenched to his sides. The look on his face, deadly. He
was obviously furious. Drew wondered what was up with
him.
“Seer, we
have come to ask where the vampire Sandamar is keeping the Dragon
Namara.” Renegade drew Neferitis’s attention back to
her.
The demon
seemed to brighten a bit. “Sandamar, Neferitis hates that
vampire. Neferitis will help you find the dragon.” She
got to her haunches and started to sway.
“Go
to where you saved the dragon before, deep under the ground find the
salamander. The fire lizard will burn with green flame, a
green flame yes, when faced in the direction of the dragon. Find
the salamander and it will show you where to find the dragon.” She
hissed in a singsong voice.
“We
thank you for your help Seer, we will leave you to rest
now.” Renegade turned away from the demon and led the
way out of the room. The rest followed, Drew just ahead of
Ross. Something made Drew turn, she saw Neferitis reaching
for Ross.
Drew
moved with a speed she never knew she capable of, when she looked
again she was between Ross and the demon, her arm was extended palm
up, her hand fully clawed and the tips of her claws touched the soft
flesh under the demons chin.
“I
told you, you may not touch what is mine.” Her voice was a deadly
whisper.
There was
no way in hell she would allow the demon to have her friend. Drew
poured all that anger into her body. Showing Neferitis she
would not be crossed.
“Nexus,
it has begun, the nexus.” The demon wailed but moved further back,
giving Drew and the others room to leave.
The
walk out of hell seemed to go very fast for Drew, her mind was
spinning over what the demon had told them. What was the
nexus that the demon kept on about. From what Drew could
understand it was a joining of sorts, a forced connection. She
would have to wait to find out when the other sat down to discuss
it. There was just too much of the mythos world that she
didn’t understand yet. What had her intrigued at the
moment was Seth’s obvious anger. When Bastien had tried to walk
behind Drew on the way out Seth had given the man such a hostile
stare that Bastien had moved back holding his hands up in
surrender. Seth was seriously p1ssed about something,
could Renegade be right, had seeing her pretended to claim Ross been
more than he could stomach. Drew felt a small
flutter of joy at the idea. Maybe there was hope for her
yet. Maybe Seth did feel something for her after all. She
grinned at the thought.
As
much as she loved Ross as her friend, and she had to admit he was
definitely no longer a stranger but a much-loved friend – his arms
had felt wrong. The entire time she’d been in them she’d
been wishing it were Seth’s arms around her. Drew had
been hard pressed not to let that emotion slip to the front. So
she had pretended that it was Seth’s arms around her not Ross’s,
because she knew Ross’s life depended on her being able to pull the
charade off.
She felt Seth
take her arm as they reached the doorway out of hell. “I
want to talk to you, so wait for the others to leave.” He ordered
his head close to her ear.
She
nodded, a little nervous about what he had to say. She’d
never seen Seth this angry. His energy beat against her
back as they took the last couple of steps.
Once
they were through Renegade sealed the doorway.
“Ok,
I’m going to have a word with Liz out front, I’ll meet you all at
the cars.”
“Yeah
I’m heading for my car, I need a serious shower.” Bastien started
for the front.
“Dude, can I
get a ride?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah
sure, I was going to head past the compound first anyway.” They
left the back room.
Only
Seth, Drew and Ross were left. Ross reached the arch to
the front and turned.
“One
thing Seth.”
“What!”
Seth didn’t even look at Ross he kept staring at
Drew.
“Before you make a
complete ass out of yourself. Think a bit. Drew
was helping me. Renegade set it up.”
Seth’s
head snapped round to glare at Ross.
“Not
my fault bro, I didn’t know anything about it. By the
way Drew, those were some awesome moves you pulled in there,
specially at the end, you moved like mercury, thanks for the
help.” He smiled at her and stepped through the
archway.
Seth
turned eyes that had gone green with anger back to Drew.
“Is
that the truth?”
Drew felt a
little anger herself, how dare he get all Cro-Magnon on her. He
didn’t want her. Did that mean she was of limits to everyone else
just because he said so. The fact that she didn’t want
anyone but Seth was beside the point, it was the principal of the
matter. If he wanted to be this jealous he might as well
step up, and actually claim the object of his
jealousy.
“What? That
I was trying to save Ross from becoming a demon’s plaything or that
Renegade set it up? Or maybe even that Ross didn’t know
about it?”
He ran a
frustrated hand through his hair.
“God
I don’t know, all of them. Pick one and
answer.”
“No.”
her stubborn streak kicked in and Drew crossed her arms over her
chest.
“What do you mean
no.”
“No I’m not going
to pick one, and no I’m not going to answer.”
“Drew.”
His voice was a low hum, a growl trickling out with her
name.
Drew found
herself backing up, until her back was against the wall and she
couldn’t move any further, he advanced resting one hand on the wall
above her he loomed over her.
“Answer
me please, before I lose it.”
It
was the please that swayed her. He might have been
growling when he asked but at least he said please.
She
sighed and answered him.
“Yes,
I was pretending so I could protect Ross from Neferitis. Renegade
asked me to help, it was the only way we could keep him safe. So
yes, Renegade set it up, and No, Ross didn’t know anything about it
before hand.”
“Don’t
ever do something like that without warning me again!”
“Why
the hell should I warn you?” Drew felt her anger surge to the
front.
“Because,”
He gripped her chin. “it took all my damn self control not to rip
my best friend to pieces in there.” He leaned his head down. His
warm breath flowing over her lips
“When
you put his arm’s around you I wanted to kill him where he
stood. And now, I don’t have any self-control left. So
I can’t stop myself from doing this.”
His
kiss was fierce and demanding a branding, making sure she had no
doubts about who had the right to hold and kiss her. Drew
felt the heat start at her mouth and move down her body. A
flash fire of want and need. He was invading her body with
his intensity. Drew wrapped her arms around his neck
running her hands into his soft curls and kissed him back with
everything that was in her.
It
took her a moment to realize someone was clearing their throat.
“Do you two really think
that doing that right next to a doorway to hell is the best
plan? Wouldn’t you rather wait till you got back to the
compound?” Renegade’s low chuckle was pure evil.
Seth
stepped away from Drew as if someone had slapped him.
Shit,
shit, shit! Drew cursed in her head, she was going to hit Renegade
for that interruption. The way she felt she didn’t care
if they were in hell itself, she hadn’t wanted that kiss to
end.
“Thanks
Ren, like I need more frustration.”
“Oh,
but the sweet ecstasy of passion fulfilled once denied.” Ren
chuckled then left the storeroom.
“When
did she become a f-ing poet?” Seth grumbled.
“Doesn’t
matter.” Drew was p1ssed off that he jumped away from her so fast
and decided to let Seth have a piece of her mind.
“If
you ever decided to kiss me again, try it where we won’t be
interrupted.” She looked over her shoulder at the
wall.
“Oh and,
let’s stop the habit of pushing me up against walls before it gets
much worse.”
She
walked out of the storeroom.
Seth
shook his head and grinned, she always had to have the last word, but
she always left him grinning when she made her glorious
exits.
She was
right about the wall though. Next time – and there would
be a next time. He’d make sure there was something a
little softer near by.
The
trip back through hell had made Seth realize he had to give up the
fight, he wanted this woman something bad. He wanted her
to be his, he wanted to know he could kill any man who tried to take
her away from him. He couldn’t do that if he kept her at
arms length. Seeing Drew with Ross wrapped around her made
him almost psychotic with rage. Ross was family, but he’d
never wanted to kill a man so much in his life. It made
him realize that he had to be with Drew. There was no way
to deny the things he felt for her. He’d just have to
keep his heart guarded, enjoy her, and pray it didn’t come back to
bite him in the ass.
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