Immortal Rider_ Lords of Deliverance Series_ - Larissa Ione [91]
No words would form. Pestilence crumpled to his knees on the crystal bridge, and she went with him. The moment her knees hit the rock, searing grief hit too. No… no… this wasn’t happening! Thanatos was supposed to restore his Seal, and oh, God, what had she done?
“Limos,” Pestilence gurgled through the blood, and then he was Reseph again. Limos knew it, could see it in the way the ice of his eyes melted into tears. “I’ve missed… you.”
Her throat constricted so violently she could barely breathe. “Forgive me.”
His entire body shuddered. “I-I’m… sorry.”
“No,” she rasped. “Don’t be. None of this was your fault.”
His head fell forward, and his hair spilled into his face. “You don’t… understand,” he whispered. “I’m sorry… to… to… disappoint you.” His grip tightened on hers with so much force that she gasped. “You must be so disappointed that Deliverance didn’t kill me.”
His head came up, his eyes glowing red, and he yanked the dagger out of his chest as if it were nothing but a sliver.
Holy mother of—
Another of Arik’s knives hit Pestilence’s hand. Deliverance fell out of his grip, the blade spinning. Limos snatched the dagger out of the air and scrambled to her feet, nearly bowling over her brothers. Pestilence moved in a blur, armoring up. Within a heartbeat he had a sword in his hand and was swinging it at her head. Than shoved her out of the way, and she heard the distinct sound of metal crunching into bone. Thanatos stumbled and hit the crystal, Pestilence’s blade lodged in his skull.
Ares attacked Pestilence with a vengeance, and suddenly, the cave came alive with snarls, as a horde of demons seemed to crawl up through the crystals below. Wraith leaped into the fray while Arik produced another throwing knife from his boot and took out one of the scaly beasts as it skittered up a crystal.
“Go!” Ares tossed her the cup. “Get out of here!”
She wanted to stay and fight, but Arik was still in danger, and she had to protect her agimortus. Cursing in frustration, she threw a gate. The portal shimmered like a sparkly curtain, waiting… and she didn’t even realize she was hesitating until Arik tackntince led her, forcing them both through the gate to land in the sand outside her house.
Yes, they had Deliverance and her agimortus, but somehow, none of what had happened in that chamber felt like a win.
Twenty-two
Arik’s heart was jackhammering so hard and so fast that his ribs hurt. Or maybe the ribcage pain was from Pestilence’s killer right jab. Or it could be from Deliverance’s hilt jamming into his chest.
Carefully, he eased off of Limos and started to help her to her feet, but when he looked into her moonlit eyes and saw the horror pooled in them, he sat down beside her.
Her bloody hands clutched Deliverance in a white-knuckled grip, and her pale face was streaked with tears.
“I tried to kill Reseph.” Her thin voice was barely audible over the crash of the waves on the beach.
“Hey.” He pried the dagger out of her hands and stabbed it into the sand. “You did what you had to do.”
“You don’t understand. I wanted him dead, Arik.” Her eyes were wild, her nostrils flaring as she fisted his collar in some sort of crazed desperation. “I want my brother dead.”
Arik stroked her hands, using his touch and his voice to soothe her. “That’s because he’s not your brother. Not anymore, and you know that.”
Limos looked at the dagger he’d jabbed in the sand. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Calling me out on things even I don’t know.”
“You know.” He drew her against him and cradled her head against his chest. “You just lie to yourself.”
“Of course I do,” she said quietly. “I do it to everyone else, so why not to myself?” She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath, then jerked in alarm as a gate opened a yard away.
Ares stepped out, bloodied, one eye swollen shut, one arm dangling uselessly at his side. “We’re all okay,” he said, before Arik or Limos could ask. “Wraith took Than to Underworld General.” He glanced at Arik, as if needing to explain. “He’ll heal on his own, but the