Page 108 of Burn of Obsidian

“This is why women don’t belong in wars,” Cassiel grunted. “Your empathy is a burden.”

She heard a sound of disagreement from above, Thea the only one to look up and find the female angel shaking her head. She’d moved to the top of the stairs, mostly hidden from her vantage point.

“Hold your anger,” Kace whispered, and Thea had to swallow her retort.

“I need to go calm down,” she replied, stepping out until the sun warmed her icy skin. She quickly moved to stand by the car, grabbing her phone from her pocket. She only had a minute or so, and she had to make it count.

“Swiper,” came Roach’s immediate reply. “Do you have it?”

“Not yet.” Thea looked back over her shoulder, checking she was still alone. “But I will.”

Chapter 41

Jax

The reprieve lasted a whole five minutes before the collar ignited, zapping his remaining strength. Jax collapsed forward, every breath a chore as his lungs rattled. He’d lost count of the hours he’d been kneeling in the derelict room, forced to bow before Gideon.

Pompous cunt.

Thunder was there, pacing inside his mind. But there was a disconnect, as if something was blocking him. Jax didn’t like the silence, only receiving the briefest emotions from his beast. Likely the collar, which was tight enough it didn’t help the whole struggling to breathe situation. A chain looped, thick as his wrists and anchored to the concrete floor in four separate points. Manacles locked his hands together, the skin beneath red from where he’d tried to break them while weakened.

Gideon sat still on his throne, not a single muscle moving as he watched like some great statue. A lectern stood beside him along with two candelabras, the pages carefully placed beside one another. The chalice had been positioned on a raised platform in the centre of a dug out pit; a woman hung from a hook above it. Blood dripped, far slower than the initial rush when Gideon had first slit her throat.

Blood, death and dirt. That was the scents that surrounded him, the concrete beneath his knees cracked. There were no sounds other than the dripping. No murmuring, shuffling or even the buzz of an insect. Nothing but his own heartbeat, the thump, thump, thump more sluggish than normal.

Gideon blinked, his movement as smooth as a feline when he stood. Two Skulls had entered the room, as well as two Daemons who dragged a gagged man. The Daemons were new, their auras not yet developing the familiar dark tang of black magic. They were a surprise considering the successful transitions between druids and Daemons were small, less than one percentage. Either Gideon had been attempting the ascension with hundreds of druids at once, or the chalice was improving his odds.

Silently, the two Skulls approached the platform, unhooking the woman who fell into the pit with an audible squelch. Jax couldn’t see how deep it was from his position, but he could taste the decaying stench in the air.

He fully expected to be strung up and bled above the chalice, but as of yet he was simply made to kneel.

“I’ve been a terrible host,” Gideon said, finally breaking his silence. “You’ll have to excuse me, I’m not used to guests.”

One of the other Daemons sniggered, but Jax refused to look away from the bigger threat. Gideon smirked, drifting across the pit to perch on the edge of the small platform. The brim of the chalice was full, blood sloshing out the side as he raised it in a toast before bringing it to his lips. His throat rolled violently with each swallow, his lips red when he finally placed the chalice back down.

Gideon drifted back before waving a hand to the two Skulls, one pulling the man by his ankle toward the pit while the other lowered the hooks. Jax didn’t bother to watch them raise him, alive and struggling above the chalice. He didn’t flinch when one of the Skulls produced a knife and sliced his throat. The man gagged, his flails lessening until the blood loss took its toll.

“Here.” Gideon closed their distance, smearing a bloody finger against Jax’s closed lips. “Taste that power.”

Jax kept his lips tight, waiting a second before spitting. He felt a slam against his face, knocking his head violently to the side. Warmth spread from his hairline, and Jax was sure the blow had split something open.

“You will accept everything I give you, Guardian.” Gideon’s eyes blazed when they met. “Hadriel believed he ruled the Nether, thinking he had control. Yet here we are, with one of his creations kneeling before me while he still rots down below.”

Jax tracked Gideon until he’d returned to his throne, hands spread on the armrests like a king. Or a god.

“Hadriel liked to experiment, splicing together creatures in his boredom. He spoke of your curse,” Gideon said, his upper lip curved with amusement. “How that once the hundred years are up, you’ll all be forced down with us in the darkness.” His fingers clenched the armrests. “How lucky that you broke that particular condition; I can only imagine his wrath when you mated to the thief.”

Jax rocked forward, baring his teeth.

Gideon chuckled. “Are you the only Guardian to mate? Or have you all, leaving Hadriel with nothing? Either way, it means I can have you as my own for eternity. Once everything is complete, you’ll be the first to be part of my new army. We both know how well you’ll take the transition, considering how well your brother took to it. Did you know he screamed?”

Jax bit back his growl.

“He begged for it to end,” Gideon continued, eyes glistening. “Screaming until his throat was so raw no more sound came out. I’ll make you scream, too, but not until you’ve recovered enough to survive it. Until then, you can be my pet, watching obediently from his knees like a good mongrel.”

More sniggers from the two other Daemons.

“Enough,” Gideon snapped, and they both straightened at his command.

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