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ALASTOR
Icouldn’t help it; the scowl was practically etched onto my face as I watched Ash nonchalantly flicking flames into existence. The entire underground city of Sodom ignited in a warm glow, casting long shadows against the ancient carved walls. It was reckless; lighting us up like a beacon without a second thought for what could be lurking in the shadows.
"Really, Ash?" I muttered under my breath.
Ash turned to me, his gaze as chilling as the air should have been down here. His eyes were voids, not a flicker of emotion in those depths. He didn't respond, didn't need to; that blank stare said enough. Man, did he give me the creeps. I made a mentalnote to check with Cole what kind of demon this guy was, Cole hadn’t been clear on that. Just said he was low level.
Shaking off the unease crawling up my spine, I gave the city another once-over. I had been on the earth a good few centuries and in Hell a couple more before that, but this place felt ancient even to me. We were standing at the edge of history.
"Theo," I called out. "You picking up anything? Any movement?"
Theo's head was already tilted, ears practically twitching as he did his sensory sweep. A look of intense concentration was plastered on his usually mischievous face. He sniffed the air.
"Nothing," he finally replied, shaking his head with a shrug. "It's quieter than a ghost town, or maybe even a tomb."
"Keep your senses sharp," I said, but I knew it was unnecessary. Theo might come across as laid back, but his skills were the best. It was why I hired him.
I did a last sweep and took a breath. I couldn’t see or hear anything, but then I hadn’t sensed the hellions back in that last cavern either, and that had me second guessing myself.
"Ok, team, let's get moving," I instructed. I glanced at Sariel, trying to ignore that jolt of pain as I did so. Not now. "Sariel, you up for taking to the air? We could do with an aerial reconnaissance. Any route suggestions, or potential dangers, let us know."
She nodded. "No problem."
The firelight turned her beautiful white wings to gold as Sariel took flight, soaring far above us to scan the city. I held my breath for a moment, seeing those winged beasts attacking her again in my mind, but nothing stirred. Maybe the hellions didn’t come through here. Maybe they avoided the city. I wasn’t sure whether that thought made me feel more at ease, or less so.
“Right, eyes and ears and any other sense you might have on alert. Let’s move out,” I commanded.
We moved into the streets. The cavern walls bore the tallest, most impressive buildings, but others had been built in a grid system out of salt rock hewn from somewhere in the cave, and they rose two, sometimes three, storeys above our heads. Despite the lit lamps everywhere, long shadows lay in wait, and we advanced cautiously.
"Feels like we're walking through someone's forgotten dream," Theo muttered.
"Nightmare, more like," I corrected, watching as Sariel's silhouette circled above us.
"Either way, fucking creepy," he added, and I couldn't help but agree. The city felt suspended in time, a silent witness to its own desolation. The streets wound before us, labyrinthine, with Sariel's shadow occasionally crossing over, a reassuring sign that she was keeping watch. Nobody spoke for a while and the quiet was oppressive as it hung over us.
"Hey, Alastor," Carlisle's voice broke through the quiet. "You think there's truth to what Sariel said? About the angels sinking this place instead of raining down fire and brimstone?"
I glanced at him. "I don't know," I admitted. "But if they did, why claim to have destroyed it? Doesn't add up."
"Maybe..." Ash's tone was contemplative, his usual cold facade showing a crack of curiosity as he stepped over a fallen pillar. "Maybe they took pity on them. Could it be that the heavenly host had a change of heart and wanted to save the souls here?"
A muscle in my jaw twitched at the thought. Angels taking pity? It wasn't something I could easily wrap my head around.
"Angels don't feel," I said. "They follow orders, that's all." My tone was cold and not at all reflective of the fiery emotions raging inside, as I fought to not to think about the way Sariel had simply turned away this morning.
Theo halted, turning to fix me with a glare. "You know that's not true, Alastor." His voice was low, carrying a weight that commanded attention despite its softness.
"Let's keep moving," I said, deflecting, unwilling to discuss it.
It had been a low blow, saying that about angels. Especially with Sariel airborne and out of earshot. I was glad she was; I didn’t really want her to hear that. Or maybe I did. Maybe I’d hoped she’d heard somehow, that it might hurt her. I shouldn’t want to hurt her, but her rejection from this morning had wounded me deeper than I wanted to admit, even to myself. I could still feel her warm body in my arms, the way she’d come alive, the way she’d moved against me, wanting me, needing me. It had been everything I wanted, and it had been so hard holding back. I’d wanted to roll over, pinning her beneath me, rip her clothes away and drive my hard cock deep into her pussy. I wanted to feel her warmth around me, taking me in, feel her cry out as I made her mine, as I sank my teeth into her flesh and cemented the bond between us. To feel her come apart again and again under my hands and my mouth. I had fought my hound so hard, holding back, letting her take the lead and it had been so fucking hot the way she made herself come, I had almost lost control. But I hadn’t wanted to push her, hadn’t wanted to scare her off. I wanted her to come to me on my own terms.
I was stupid, I thought angrily, as I subconsciously began to walk faster. So fucking stupid. Why the hell would she want me? It had been a slip, a moment of weakness, of desire, not love, not… she didn’t actually want me. And why the fuck would she? I was a fucking hellhound, a dog of hell, and she was an immortal celestial creature so far above me it was dizzying. It was just for a moment, when she’d moaned my name over and over, I’d thought that maybe, just maybe, none of that mattered. For a moment, I’d let down my own walls, and let her slip into myheart, and that was all it had taken, a moment, for her to tear it apart.
Beside me, Theo froze, his hand shooting up and I stopped.
"Figure ahead," he said, voice barely above a breath.
We all stopped, the rhythmic fall of our boots cutting off abruptly. Following his gaze, I saw it too—a human shape, motionless near one of the buildings. My heart kicked against my ribs.
