Page 10 of Villains and Vengeance
I sit there still for a while, trying to think but I can’t. My brain is racing in circles and the only thing I can come up with is that I can’t let them catch me under any circumstances. There’s no real plan. I need more intel before I lock myself in my web bunker, but once I’m done I’m going to stay there until I can get out of the Mountain.
I’m about to leave the shaft when I hear a noise. I freeze, peering out of the hole. I’m sure I heard— A rock ricochets off the wall close by and I hear a low curse. I recede deeper into the shaft as a low light appears.
Silas comes shuffling down the hall, sharp eyes looking this way and that.
‘It’s only a matter of time,’ he says as if he knows I’m close and it gives credence to my theory that he has a better nose than he lets on because I’m pretty sure he knows where I’ve been hiding.
He hasn’t come for me, and he hasn’t told Dante though. No doubt he’s waiting for the right time to get the most out of the demon king for his reward … or to take Dante’s seat of power.
I stay where I am, straining my ears and waiting for Silas to be gone. My stomach is rolling and I’m afraid I’m going to be sick again, which would tell Silas my position. I put all of my effort into making sure that my stomach isn’t going to give me away, and, when I’m sure the vamp is gone, I leave the narrow tunnel, venturing back out into the larger one.
I start counting my steps again, jumping at every noise I hear until I get to the opening I want. Slipping into the next shaft, I crawl along the passage. They’re a lot like air ducts in this area of the catacombs. I glance down at the rooms below every now and then to make sure I’m going the right way, but I’ve done a huge amount of exploring in the main parts of the Mountain. I don’t tend to get lost so long as I don’t go too far afield.
I hear them before I see them: Axel, Iron, Daemon, Jayce, and Maddox. These groups of small caverns, the Clusters, are like self-contained homes and I find all five demons in the main living area. It’s got a table and chairs in the center and even some old paintings on the walls. Three archways lead to bedrooms with actual beds in them and the whole place is lit perpetually by conjured torches in the walls. If the Mountain had the equivalent of luxury apartments, these would be them.
There’s only one way in and out of these tunnels, at least for the supes, and I’m sure that Dante’s put them in here to show Maddox the bonuses that being the King’s friend can afford him and his clan as well as to keep tabs on where they are at all times.
‘What do you think?’ Maddox asks Iron.
‘Unhinged megalomaniac.’ Iron answers as he swaggers around the room in a black tee that shows just how built he is.
Not that I notice.
‘Julian means the demon king, not himself,’ Jayce sniggers.
Maddox rolls his eyes.
‘I agree,’ he says to Iron. ‘I was hoping for some old-fashioned honor amongst demons, but we won’t get that from him. The stories about him are true. He’s hell-spawn through and through.’
‘Guess that means we’re going to have to follow through on the deal,’ Daemon says, sitting back in the chair, steepling his fingers in a blatant parody of Maddox on the other side of the table.
Maddox ignores him.
‘Shouldn’t be too hard. We all remember her, recall her favorite—’ Maddox breaks off as he catches sight of Axel who I notice is smiling wide. ‘What is it?’
‘She’s here.’
He looks up at the ceiling, his eyes trained on one of the openings close to me.
I freeze even though they can’t see me.
‘How do you know?’
Axel huffs. ‘How do you think?’ he taps his ear lightly with his forefinger.
‘You’re close, aren’t you, Victoria?’ Maddox asks.
I swallow hard, trying not to breathe or make any noise at all.
‘I know you are, so just listen. We’re going to find you. I’m sure you remember enough about us to know we can, and when we do, you’re going to suffer for what you took from us!’
His eyes change to solid black in his anger and I inch backward, my body shaking. He’s furious, like way angrier than any of the other marks have been before. I mean I knew he’d be pissed because I bruised his great, big, demon ego, but his rage makes me …
Axel is grinning up at the ceiling. ‘She’s scared.’ He licks his lips. ‘I can practically taste her fear.’
‘Good!’ Jayce says so vehemently that I wince. ‘Go. Hide. Try to evade us, Vicky. Make it a good chase! I can’t wait until we’ve got you backed into a corner and I can finally do what I’ve been dreaming about for two years!’
I’ve heard enough.
