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“Truth,” Cronus rumbled. “Finally.”
Vegetation bled damp through the seat of her yoga pants, but Eddie didn’t move. She let the repercussions of what she’d heard roll through her mind. “If you were born the day before you arrived on earth, how can you know so much about hell?”
“Excellent question, mistress,” Cronus said.
Maybe she should object to being called mistress, but Eddie was into it, so sue her.
Yesterday puffed up his chest, reminding Eddie of a plucked chick. “I know everything about hell.”
“Lie,” Cronus said.
Turning to Cronus, Eddie voiced her fear. “But he’s my guide through hell. He told Uriel and Dee that he could guide me through hell.”
“Mistress.” Cronus pressed his large body against her. “You have us.”
Chapter
Twenty
Eddie lost all sense of time as they followed a fat, lazy green river. Cronus led the way, and Xerxes kept on her heels. Yesterday trotted behind. He’d given up pleading his encyclopedic knowledge of hell a while ago. It could have been hours, it could have been minutes, Eddie had no idea.
She felt good. Strong. And like she could walk forever. Strength surged through her muscles; the air felt wonderful on her skin. The place seemed to beat to a rhythm in time with that of her heart.
“Can we rest?” Yesterday whined from behind her. “I’m hungry.”
Eddie didn’t feel tired, or hungry. Was this part of her full powers or something?
“Hide.” Cronus trotted back to her. “We will shield your presence.”
Whatever that meant, but Eddie wasn’t going to stand here asking questions when Cronus wanted her to hide, while they were tromping through hell. She dived behind the tangled trunk system of a large tree and pulled the fronds of a fern-like plant over her head. The undergrowth rustled, and Yesterday ducked behind her. “Wrath’s demons,” he hissed. “Stay very quiet.”
He had Eddie at demon.
The hounds crouched on either side of them, Xerxes pointing his rump at Yesterday in a way Eddie was willing to swear was no accident.
The bass murmur reached her first. Their voices were harsh and guttural, but Eddie didn’t dare take a peek.
“Lower demons,” Cronus said. “As stupid as they are ugly.”
Now she desperately wanted to see what they looked like. She remembered the creatures from her dream of them beating up Shade.
“I smell that imp,” one of the demons said.
Xerxes glared at Yesterday accusingly.
It could be any imp. One glance at Yesterday’s face, and Eddie came down on the side of nope. They were definitely talking about him. He’d told her he’d had some trouble in hell. Just what kind of trouble had the little shit stirred up down here?
“We need to leave the imp,” Cronus said.
Tempting, but she couldn’t do it. She tried thinking a thought at him. “We can’t do that.”
“We?” Cronus stared at her. “I can assure you that Xerxes and I could leave him happily.”
“He is near,” a second demon said. “The scent is still strong.”
“You are sure you cannot leave him?” Cronus asked.
Getting more tempting. Tempting-er. No, definitely more tempting.
