Page 34 of Anarchy
“I’m sure you’ve already done something to Dorian Gray, Ripley.”
“Magical crabs are nothing compared to what I have planned.”
“Hang tight, my witch. I knew you wouldn’t disappoint with intel. We’ll be back.”
“Try not to hurt the Hellhounds when you get here. Akul abuses them pretty badly. The one I think is related to Bram is pretty bad, and you’ll probably have to fight him, but the others are just victims.”
“We’ll try, Ripley. There’s a very good chance Bram and this other Hellhound are closely related. So we might not have to fight him either. He could easily turn on Akul when he sees how differently Bram has lived his life,”Lilith said.
I felt them leave me, and a sense of unease settled over me. It wouldn’t be that easy. Even with all the supernatural power on our team and two gods, something was going to go wrong. I saw the look in Oscar’s eyes and the damage to May’s back. Oscar wouldn’t have an epiphany when he saw Bram.
He was going to shift and try to tear him apart. Someone had better let me out of this fucking cage before that happened.
25
Bram
I’d never been under so much pressure in my entire life. It felt like if I unclenched, I was going to shart out my stomach and die in front of two gods. I kicked in Lilith’s door because I panicked when I found out Ripley was in Hell. I knew I had to act quickly because Dorian and our traitor were in the same place. If I was freaking out, then everyone at the library definitely was, too, and I knew shit got broken when the God of Chaos was upset.
I just wanted Lilith to let me bring them all back to Hell so we could figure this out. Hellhounds had been great generals and strategists in the past, but I was pretty far removed from that. I wasn’t just trying to free someone I cared about and capture the demon who hurt Talvath. I was now the poster boy for every Hellhound here, and if I fucked this up, nothing would change for us.
It was way too much pressure.
Lilith and Reyson finally came out of their trance and got straight down to business.
“Do you know an Akul?” Lilith asked.
“I think your brother is there, Bram,” Reyson said.
What the actual fuck?
“Akul has his fingers in politics,” Talvath said. “Lobbying politicians isn’t allowed in Hell like it is in some places on Earth. It’s so illegal they will kick you out of office and bar you from ever running again. Even corrupt politicians won’t risk it.
“There’s long been a movement to change things for the Hellhounds. It’s pretty heated on both sides of the argument. Akul is an extremist who benefits greatly from the way things are now. If things changed, he would lose his major source of income and actually have to pay people to run his estate.
“It’s been put forth to be put into a bill several times. There was enough support for it numerous times. Every single time, at the last minute, the writer of the bill would withdraw it with no comment. We’ve long suspected blackmail was involved. Now that allthisis happening, it wouldn’t shock me.”
“That’s quite a lot of shit instead of just admitting you shouldn’t own people as property,” Felix snapped.
“I agree, and I’m trying to avoid a civil war here like what happened on Earth over this exact same matter,” Lilith said. “There was a horrible one in the past that led to the enslavement of the Hellhounds in the first place. This has long gone past trying to prevent an uprising again. People like free labor and the profits from owning them. It’s time that stops.”
“Then why haven’t you done something about it?” Felix demanded.
He wouldn’t let this drop, and I knew why because I had talked to him about it. I couldn’t say I didn’t want that answer either. We all did. None of this would happen right now if Lilith had stepped in sooner.
“Hell isn’t a monarchy, and I’m not the queen. I didn’t make a few creations, demand total obedience, and forbid them from falling in love like Samael and Lucifer. Iwantedthem to be clever and think for themselves. I wanted them to find love and happiness. The entire point of their being was to be self-sufficient.
“In the beginning, there were a few of us. We all wrote laws and figured out what we wanted this realm to be like together. They multiplied and eventually didn’t need me anymore. I can’t manipulate anyone and force them to do my bidding. No god can, even if they like to pretend they can.
“Even saying I was in support of freeing the Hellhounds probably wouldn’t be enough. You see how far Akul is willing to take this. Putting those sigils in the hands of a mortal puts this entire realm in danger. He’s willing to kill off everyone who disagrees with him. That’s the one thing I’m unwilling to do, and that’s what would have needed to happen if I had stepped in before this mess happened.”
“I need to say something about this plot,” Talvath said, clearing his throat. “That is Bram’s brother with Akul. Bram’s mother had two pups. I wanted to keep them together. It’s cruel that none of the Hellhounds know their family. Everything was in the works to have both of them come and live with me, but the Akul got involved.
“It was no secret I thought the Hellhounds should be free, and I’d never had one before. However, Akul and his followers knew it would be bad for their cause if someone like Bram was presented and showed that Hellhounds were perfectly civilized beings with feelings that didn’t deserve what was being done to them.
“Akul swooped in and purchased Bram’s brother from underneath me. I’m guessing Bram and his brother look just alike, but Bram’s brother was raised differently than Bram. I have no doubt if they ever put those laws forth to be voted on and I asked Bram to testify on behalf of Hellhounds, Akul would have produced his brother to discredit Bram.”
I had a brother? I didn’t know my parents. They hadn’t even been in love. They were forced together when she was fertile, and we were taken away shortly after she gave birth. I could have known my brother. Talvath tried to keep us together. Talvath was great and played with me when I was younger, but sometimes, I wanted to rough house when I was shifted. I held back because I didn’t want to hurt him.
