Infernal God

17

Famine sneered at him, and then with one ghostly hand she knocked him aside. "I require a female host."

"Take me," Nemesis rose to her feet, with her imps—who had all been disguised as fae guards—behind her wielding weapons. "I'm the one you want." Famine's green spectral form moved toward her, but there was no way in Heaven or Hell I was letting Nemesis get control of this Elder God. This was my one chance to rescue Lucifer from War, and I wasn't going to lose it. Nemesis had betrayed us time and time again, and now she'd stabbed Zel—I wasn't letting her win.

"No." I strode forward with both darkness and light emanating from me, my air powers whipping at my hair, while thorny vines grew up out of the ground at my feet. It was time to show that b***h what happened when you crossed the Demon Queen. "Famine is mine."

My thick vines wrapped around Nemesis, stabbing into her bare skin with the thorns, but she grew long, black talons and sliced through them, then managed to scamper away to the other side of the cave. Belial and Theo began fighting against the other imps, but the only one that mattered to me was Nemesis.

She split herself into dozens of copies, all of them slashing at me with swords and claws, but I cast out the light of truth around me and found the real Nemesis. I shot her with light and darkness, but she was so fast she seemed to almost blink away, and managed to dodge everything. No way was she escaping though. With a roar, I created a tornado of air laced with light and darkness, then unleashed it upon her. It caught Nemesis inside it, and then my vines reached up and tore her apart, limb from bloody limb. Though I'd never reveled in death, I watched on with grim satisfaction as Nemesis was destroyed.

Don't f**k with a pregnant woman protecting her family.

"My queen, are you all right?" Theo limped to my side, one hand wrapped around his waist.

Imp corpses were scattered over the ground, and Belial delivered the final blow to one of them with Morningstar. Then he turned to survey the pieces of Nemesis lying all over the ground in a pool of blood.

"s**t, Mother," Belial said. "I never realized you were so brutal."

"I did what I had to do." I looked around the cave and my breath caught. "Where is Famine?"

Belial sheathed his sword. "She must have escaped during the battle."

We rushed up the tunnel and emerged into a snowy battlefield. Shifters and imps fought against gargoyles and fae, and I was relieved to see that both Damien and Kassiel were all right. I scanned the area and found Famine's green spectral form floating above them all. She hovered over Mirabella for a few seconds, then turned around and reached for a large white wolf with ice coating its fur, who stood beside Fenrir.

Famine was looking for a new host. I couldn't let that happen. But Zel was gone, carried off by Callan to safety, and Famine wanted a female body.

There was only one person strong to contain her.

Me.

11

Hannah

A

path of dead, brown vegetation led directly to Famine. Plants withered and died, flowers lost their petals, leaves turned black. Shifters and gargoyles alike fell to their knees in her path, as if they'd lost all the strength to fight or even stand.

She was feeding.

Everything about it made my soul revolt. I was a goddess of spring and nature, and she was the opposite of everything I held dear. Yet I had to offer myself to her...there was no other choice.

Fenrir, in his giant wolf form, saw Famine coming for the ice wolf and jumped in front of her, baring his fangs. Whoever that wolf was, Fenrir didn't want her taken over by Famine. And here I'd thought Fenrir didn't care about anything or anyone except himself. But Famine couldn't be stopped, not by Fenrir, and she tossed him aside, then closed in on the white wolf.

I unfurled my silver wings and launched myself toward Famine, using my wind powers to give me a boost. "Famine!" I yelled.

The Elder God turned toward me, just as the ice wolf shifted back into a beautiful woman with white hair and pointed ears. She pulled out a gem and activated it, using a key to open a portal that she and Fenrir slipped inside. It closed before Famine could escape back to Earth. Like the coward he was, Fenrir had turned tail again—and left behind most of his shifters.

Famine let out a frustrated growl now that her host had vanished, but then her energy turned upon me. Being near her was like facing an energy drain—her very presence made me feel tired, hungry, and weak. Like I hadn't eaten or slept in days.

"I command you to submit," I said, repeating words I'd heard Belial use with Pestilence, but then I added my own twist. "Famine, I need your help."

"Is that so?" she asked with a sickening cackle.

"I need to defeat War. I'm told you are the only one who can stop him."

Her spectral form grew dark and angry. "Yes...War must suffer..."

Not exactly what I wanted, but I let it slide. "Serve me, and we'll take him down together."

"Mother, no!" Belial called out. He stood beside Kassiel and Damien, who also echoed his sentiments, but I ignored them. My sons had to know this was the only way now that Famine was freed. "Are you willing to make the sacrifice?" Famine asked.

I hesitated. I was willing to do anything to save Lucifer...except endanger our unborn child. "That depends on what you ask of me. I am with child, and I won't let you do anything that would hurt her."