AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CASSIAN
“They’re driving me out of my goddamn mind!” Amon shouted. “I need some peace, just for a while.”
“So, what? You want us to babysit them?” Griffin asked, a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes. Now was not the time for jokes. We were there for a reason, and it was finally our chance to get some assistance with Samara.
Fortunately, Amon chuckled and wasn’t offended. “I wish. They’re more than you can handle. No, I’d like to put them to sleep for a while. Get some peace around here.”
I understood where he was coming from. In the short time we’d been there, they’d interrupted numerous times, were loud and distracting, and were basically like a bunch of toddlers running around doing adult things. No wonder the guy wanted some peace. I babysat for Tristan once, and his pups weren’t half as bad as these demons.
“Okay, so rock them to sleep and sing a nursery rhyme?” Griffin asked. I wish that sarcastic bastard would shut up before he pissed off Amon.
Being in another realm meant we were to behave by other customs. Considering I hadn’t a clue what demons considered customary, I didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing. Griffin, on the other hand, wouldn’t shut up.
“Thanks, but no,” Amon answered. “I’d like you to visit the Underworld and ask Thanat, the ruler of the Underworld, to kill them for a bit.”
“Kill them?” Ember asked, intrigued—and a little put off—by the request. “You want us to kill your friends, essentially?”
Amon glanced at two demons too enraptured by their own sexual acts to notice how loud they were. His eyes drifted to the coffee table, surrounded by a small group that was gambling over a card game. He looked back at us and sighed.
“Demons cannot technically be killed. It would only put them into a deep sleep until I’m ready for them to return in a few decades. Then, they can leave the Underworld and return to gambling and sex.”
“So, wait,” Emily asked, leaning forward. “This isn’t the Underworld?”
Amon laughed and pointed to Emily. “I like you. You’re funny.”
“Uhm, thanks?” Emily’s expression held so much confusion. I loved the way her nose crinkled, and her eyebrows pulled in—it was cute.
“Of course, this isn’t the Underworld! The Underworld is for souls of the deceased but is different than the Sky Empire.” She looked at him strangely, so he elaborated. “Or as your people call it, Heaven. The Sky Empire is also for the deceased, but unlike the Underworld, it is not dark and depressing. It’s filled with light and happiness. Though, you don’t obtain such by ‘being good,” he quoted with his fingers. “It’s not the same Heaven that humans believe.”
I stood from my chair and said, “If we’re going to the Underworld, I need to call Sam. I haven’t spoken to him since we left, and there’s a lot to catch him up on. Is there anywhere I can speak to him in private without so much moaning?” I asked, glancing at the couple who were nearly naked on the carpet in front of the fire.
Amon nodded and led me to an empty room nearby. “You can use my office. No one is allowed inside, so you shouldn’t have any issues with noise.”
I thanked him, and he closed the door, leaving me to the first moment of peace I’d had in I don’t even know how long. It was strange to think that a demon lord had an office. So ordinary. So human.
Whipping my phone from my pocket, I called Sam. It rang a few times before he picked up. “Cassian? Thank god you’re alive. I was concerned you got into trouble there.”
“No, we’re fine. We’re in the demon realm. Hopefully, this call doesn’t cost me a fortune,” I teased to lighten the mood. Even through the phone, I could tell Sam was uneasy hearing that. He was just as clueless about the demon realm as I was.
Little had I known, it was so much worse.
“Cass,” he said, his tone grave. “The Ash Hounds came by. Alpha Radolph sent some of his pack to help out while you’re gone. But while his pack was away, their base was attacked.”
“What happened?”
“A group of feral wolves attacked the pack and left. They lost a few guys, and a few more were injured, so Alpha Radolph ordered half his men to return. He left half in case someone was waiting to attack our pack and was using the attack on the Ash Hounds to draw them out and away from the warehouse.”
I closed my eyes, my hands forming into fists at my side until my knuckles turned white. “I’ll have to thank him when we return.”
“Cass, there’s more. One of the members who was killed had a message sliced through them. Someone cut into their flesh, Don’t underestimate me. Alpha Radolph insists they have no enemies—none that evil, anyway—and believes it to be the work of Samara. He thinks she’s trying to scare him off, so he’ll pull back his men and leave our pack. She’s trying to break off our alliances, but he said he wouldn’t let Samara win, and that they won’t be running with their tails between their legs like a bunch of bitches. His words, not mine.”
I huffed out a laugh, knowing those were Radolph’s words.
“But that’s not all. Feral wolves have been creeping closer to us, and the police have been all over it. What if we get some rookie or some asshole playing vigilante, and they see us? They might mistake our wolves for the feral ones. I’m worried, Cass.”
How? How had so much happened in such a short period of time? Pile this onto the shit platter I’d already been building. Dealing with the cursed object, Samara, the demons and the Underworld, and now this? Feral wolves, attacks, police… It was all too much. How the hell were we supposed to fix this?
What would my father do? Or my mother? How would they handle this? I wish I could speak with them, even for a moment. I could get some clarity, and some guidance. But that was out of the question.
