The Trouble with Hades

Chapter 34

Benicio turned back, sensing that something was wrong. Carsten didn't waste time, acting before he needed to react. The doctor and the nurse were pinned to the wall with a glowing green haze that consumed their entire bodies. It didn't take long for their masks to fall.

Belial looked at me with a devious smile, one that made it extremely clear that he would do anything to get his hands on me. Sharma wouldn't look in our direction, and I suspect that it was because her son was shooting daggers at her. Out of the both of them, she was the worst. Her involvement was shameful. Belial wanted power, but she was prepared to destroy our lives just to help him get what he wanted. I hoped that she felt ashamed for her actions but I doubted she would.

With a sigh, Benicio shook his head.

"This is a dire turn of events. Hold on, Evelyn, things are about to get a little crazy."

Anzide was back at my side, his arm around me and holding me tight. Benicio had moved as far back against the wall as he could manage. It seemed odd until winged soldiers entered the room.

The feathers were the whitest I'd ever seen. They made Sharma's look dirty by comparison. Metal armor clanged as they marched into the room. The soldier closest to me had sandy blonde hair that was long and curly. Pressed against her forehead, a crown curled at the sides and curved upwards over the temple.

I felt a lot of scrutiny as her golden eyes washed over me. Her lips curled in the corner, slight and barely seen. As she continued past the bed, her attention turned back to the front. Two lines of soldiers entered the room, three on each side. In unison, they turned. Metal clanged, feet stomped as they turned to face each other. I could only see the three on each side, but I figured there were more outside the door because the metal clanging was loud.

In the gap between the two rows, a figure walked towards my father and his captives. Like the other soldiers, his wings were the brightest white, that seemed impossible for wings. The metal of his silver armor looked like it had been polished for hours. This figure was tall and lean, probably packing muscles but it was hard to tell. His height matched Belial's as did the other soldiers.

When the new figure passed the bed, he glanced at me. It was then that I noticed that the crown he wore matched the soldiers, but it was not pressed to his head like them. It sat off the skin and hair like Belial's did. He was like Belial and the thought in my mind did not make this any easier.

The figure turned his attention to the captives. With a flick of his hand and disinterest on his face, the figure ordered the soldiers to take custody of the fake doctor and the nurse. It was obvious what they intended to do considering Belial and Sharma were in their true form but dressed in scrubs.

The pair were marched out of the room, bound in the green glow. It wrapped around them, keeping their feet several inches off the floor. Belial struggled, but it was clearly pointless. He tried to say something but no words came out of his mouth. Just blissful silence.

Belial looked back at me, and I smiled sweetly as I raised my middle finger at him. He scowled and turned away.

Hearing an amused chuckle, I looked at the new figure. His head tilted as the challenging smile was offered.

"Aren't you the little troublemaker? Defends the weak, blows up houses, kills vampires, befriends a demon living in exile,"

I did what now? Was James in exile?

"Changed the weather in the land of the outcasts. Argues with nephilim and sends them packing with fear mounting. Argues with masters, leaving them questioning everything they've ever known. Every time an alert was sent out, we watched in silence, taking note of everything you said, every move you made. Unfortunately, Belial ensured that we could not see what he was up to. We knew that something was wrong when you disappeared from our sight."