Page 387 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Something didn’t add up. “Why not just leave them all in the Realm of the Damned?”

Soren looks at me with a smirk. “Because we cannot destroy most of the demons down here for fear of upsetting the balance, and they need to be fed.”

Fed…

Axel stops in his tracks. “Wait… youfeedthe demons down here? With what?”

Soren shares a wicked smile with Ivor before looking over his shoulder at us. “Some beings are beyond reform, their sins too vile to be forgiven. This is one of the ways they pay. Their souls are completely gone once fed upon by the demons, making sure they’ll never be reborn again.”

Jax chuckles. “Good fucking riddance. Feed them all to the fuckers. It’s the least they deserve.”

We keep moving, but I glance at Rion, a seed of a plan forming. As always, Rion knows exactly where my thoughts have gone. He nods his head, giving me a small smirk.

The hall soon opens up to a wide-open area with the ceiling disappearing into an infinite night sky. Thick jagged rocks are randomly spaced ahead, with each spanning about twenty feet tall.

We start moving through them when the screaming grows louder. Soren and Ivor ignore it, keeping their pace.

Glancing around, I notice something is missing. “Where are the prisons?”

Soren glances over his shoulder before tilting his head at the thick, jagged rocks. “You’re looking at them. Each contains a prison that locks away a demon. No one should be able to bypass that lock. So, you can understand our frustration. Not only did King rip a hole in this realm, opening it into your world. He somehow tore open the lock on most of these cells, unleashing the demons inside.”

Ivor grunts. “Not an easy feat.”

I share a look with the guys. We’ve underestimated King and his power for too long but no more.

More and more jagged prisons appear, placed randomly around us until we make our way through a labyrinth of them.

Axel rolls his neck, scowling at Soren’s back. “This place is like a fucking maze.”

Soren nods, waving his hand around us. “That’s the point. Should any try to escape or get in, those that don’t know the secrets to work the maze will be lost forever.”

“Sounds like fun.” Jax gives him a deadpan look.

Soren’s mouth twists into a smirk as he narrows his eyes on Jax. “Why don’t you give it a go?”

Jax chuckles. “Trying to get rid of me, old man?”

“One can only hope.”

Jax walks over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Soren stares at it like he would a snake.

“Don’t be like that. You know you’d miss me if I were gone.”

“I really wouldn’t. I have a feeling the only one who would miss you is your mate.”

Jax nods like that’s a given. “Of course she would. I’m her favorite.”

Soren looks over at the rest of us as if waiting for one of us to deny it. But we all know what Jax is like and even though he likes to vie for Kiarra’s attention, we know he doesn’t mean it. It’s just his way of lighting the mood when everyone gets too serious, including himself.

Soren drops Jax’s arm, giving him a look of warning, making him laugh. He sighs before moving closer to Ivor.

A low growl hits my ears just as we round the next corner, making me pause. Rion whips out his blades just as a large beast surges forward, leaping up to attack. Before it reaches us I shoot forward, grabbing it by its neck, holding it in place.

The beast is nearly the same size as me as it growls, trying to snap at me. I tighten my hold and it whimpers.

My senses pick up more just as three more hounds surround us.

My own hounds rise up as I push my alpha power out around us.“Yield.”

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