Hellfire Mate by Klaus Bella

Author:Klaus, Bella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I jumped back, my heart somersaulting to the back of my throat, the scorpion hurtled toward me on clattering beetle wings. Beki barked at me to run—as if I wasn’t already trying to escape—but no matter how fast I lurched away from the thing, it kept coming.

Griff chased after it with his dagger, but the wretched thing seemed to want to land on me. Its pincers click-click-clacked like castanets, their sharp points glinting against the light.

My pulse thundered. If I didn’t do something right now, I would become the scorpion’s next host.

Rumpel Kracknuts’ maniacal laughter echoed across the ritual room’s blackened walls. “Fools. Did you think a demon curse would be so easily removed? It’s looking for another host.”

“Put it back inside me,” Griff snarled.

“Impossible,” the faerie said, his voice rising several octaves.

I spun, pointed my gun at the monstrous curse, and shot a hole through its middle. Black debris exploded from its underbelly, dissolving into smoke, only to drift back into the scorpion and make it whole.

“Keep going.” Griff extracted his gun and shot the scorpion’s pincers.

We stood side-to-side, shooting the monstrosity and reducing it to splinters that dissolved into vapor. Beki barked at me to go faster. One of the bullets clipped its wings, making it flounder. By the time we finished with it, there was nothing left of the scorpion but a black cloud that hovered at the ceiling.

I turned to Rumpel Kracknuts, my teeth clenched. “You did that on purpose.”

“What?” He raised his shoulders. “I was minding my own business, enjoying a glass of acacia mead, when you mongrels summoned me against my will. Now that I’m doing everything I can to comply with your wishes, you complain?”

“You could have warned us that would happen,” Griff said.

The faerie narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t ask.”

“How do we get rid of it?”

Rumpel Kracknuts thinned his lips. “Now you’re demanding free advice?”

“Just answer the question,” I yelled.

He shook his head. “It’s no wonder you people always fall afoul of curses. Not an ounce of intellect in your furry heads.”

The ominous cloud swirled above us, looking like it was trying to put itself together to continue its attack. My jaw tightened. I doubted that leaving it in the room for the staff to get rid of would work in our favor. We had to find a way to contain this thing before it found a way back to Griff or me.

Griff pointed his gun at the faerie’s chest. “This iron bullet says you’re going to tell us how to get rid of that thing.”

“Fine,” Rumpel Kracknuts said with a huff. “What you want to do is find another host and drive the curse straight into his or her heart.”

“Like you?” I asked.

He tilted his head and smirked. “Very funny, but the casino vaccinated me against demon attacks.”

That sounded like bullshit. I backed toward the Hatch, wondering if I could order a dish like the one the bellhop had used to transport Hades’ flying creatures.

“How are we going to contain the scorpion?” I asked.

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