Page 8 of Deliver Us from Evil

Where was he getting at? Was there something about that night that I couldn't recall?

"Think about it," Helios said. "Start from the beginning."

I wasn't sure what that had to do with why I was here, but seeing as how he wouldn't answer me unless I gave him what he wanted, I recalled the events that would ultimately give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Especially now that I knew I was in Hell. "My husband, or ex-husband now, told me we were going to a secluded cabin for the weekend."

My heart sank down into the deepest parts of despair as I replayed the events. I should've trusted my gut back then. I knew something felt off, but I chose to ignore it. I didn't think Bal would be capable of trying to kill me; that he and his friends would've organized such a heinous act. And for what, to get rid of the witch, as they liked to call me?

I swallowed the lump forming in the back of my throat and continued while trying not to cry. "Bal told me he wanted to retrieve something in his office, and I waited in the cabin. Next thing I knew, the cabin was on fire. The doors were locked, the windows had bars on them, and my phone was stolen. I couldn't escape."

"Then what happened?"

My lips were pressed in a firm line as tears began trailing down my cheeks. The more I thought about it, the more it pained me. The more the stab of betrayal punctured my withered heart. "What does it matter?" My voice came out a whisper.

"It matters." I startled when Helios’ hand was on my cheek, his thumb wiping away my tears. "Tell me what happened next."

I didn't want to continue, but the gentle vibrato of his voice coaxed the words out of my mouth. "I looked out the window and saw Bal and his colleagues outside. They said they sentenced me to death for..." I gulped. "F-For being a..."

"A witch?" Helios finished for me.

I looked up at him in surprise. How could he have known such a thing? "Right, a witch. They kept chanting witch while they burned the cabin down with me trapped inside."

"And then?"

I opened my mouth to respond but paused when I realized I couldn't recall what happened after that. I knew Bal came to the door, and after I begged him to let me out, he told me to forgive him. Then the front door was lit aflame and that was it. That was all I could remember. "I don't know."

"Try to remember," Helios pushed, but wasn't being a dick about it. There was something about that moment he wanted me to remember.

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander back to that burning cabin. The feeling of helplessness, of being trapped. Of feeling like it was the end for me. The struggle to breathe. The struggle to stay awake. The flames grew exponentially behind me. I looked back to see it moving closer to me with nowhere for me to escape it.

My eyes shot up with a gasp as the memory opened itself up to me like curtains being drawn for the Broadway show to begin. The flames split down the middle and parted off to the side, revealing two monstrous beasts with flame-covered bodies, their crimson eyes directed at me. I faced Helios with clarity. "Monsters. Two monsters were there. Wait." I held up my hand as I put two and two together. "Those were hellhounds, weren't they?"

Helios smirked victoriously and nodded. "Yes, they were. You were brought here by two of my brothers. They saved you from burning alive."

"Two of your brothers?"

"That's right, little witch!" a voice sounded from the open doorway.

I looked over Helios' shoulder to see two new figures entering the closet sized cellar. Like Helios, they were all dressed head to toe in black, minus their feet which were bare. Both men were just as toned as Helios but that was where the similarities ended. The guy on the left was on the leaner side with a thick head of auburn hair that was parted to the right of his face. His eyes were a metallic silver color and had a light matting of facial hair. The one next to him was a head taller with glacial eyes as cold as his demeanor, and a dark wavy hair that went down to his shoulders.

Okay, why was every guy I was meeting in Hell beyond hot? They were the living embodiment of the term, sexy as sin.

The auburn-haired guy had his arms crossed over his muscular chest and wore a wicked smirk. "Looks like she's finally awake."

Understanding dawned as I looked to Helios for confirmation. At his nod, I faced the two men. "It was you, wasn't it? You guys were the hellhounds who brought me here."

"That's correct, little witch," the auburn-haired man said. "Welcome to Hell! The name's Abaddon, the sexiest beast in all of Hell. And this grump next to me is Apollyon." He patted the wavy-haired guy on the back.

"I'm not a fucking witch!" I snapped automatically. It didn't matter to me that the three men in my general vicinity were demonic hounds that looked like they could eviscerate me in the blink of an eye if they wanted to, I was just so sick and tired of being called a witch. What I wouldn't give to have magic powers right now if I was one. The lack of protection should these guys decide to kill me was weighing heavily on my shoulders. The two guys—Abaddon and Apollyon—may have saved me from my fiery demise, but that didn't mean they were any less dangerous.

"Actually, you are a witch," Helios declared.

I sat there with my mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say to that.

"What's wrong, little witch? Cat got your tongue?" Abaddon snickered.

I paid him no mind as all my attention was on Helios. "You can't be serious, right?"

"I speak the truth, Antonia. You are a witch."

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