Saint of Sinners (21 page)

I tried one more time to convince Mew-Mew to figure out another way to get help, but he still refused.
Quiet now. I’m getting close and I need to concentrate.

I broke contact. My head thudded in time with my heartbeat. My skin and my stomach were better, though, or maybe I was just too worried to feel much pain. I imagined terrible things—Mew-Mew coming off the Path right at the feet of a demon and being crushed, him getting distracted and falling into a pit of fire, someone noticing him sneaking into the palace and torturing him to death.

I needed something to keep my mind off it. I tried to think about how I’d get out of here, how good it would feel to get back to Earth, my apartment…

Oh, shit. Hayley. She’d been less than a foot from me when I was taken, and she had no idea where I was or what happened to me. I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. It was on and still had half a charge, but of course there’s no signal in Hell. Growling, I fought the urge to throw it against the wall. I’d have to tell her and everyone else when I got back.

If I ever got back.

No, I couldn’t think like that. Mew-Mew was bringing my sword and we had a plan to get out. He’d be fine, I’d be fine. Everything would be fine.

It seemed to take forever, but finally Mew-Mew said,
I’m here, and I can see your window. Can you lift me up?

No. I hardly have any power. I might be able to lift a cup, but I can’t lift you.
I looked through his eyes to see a barred window high up.
Go back before anyone sees you.
This was fucking crazy, he was going to get himself killed.

I’ll find another way in.
Then he cut off our connection.

“Fucking
fuck
!” I felt like crying again. Carefully, I got to my feet and pulled back on the chains as hard as I could. All it achieved was making me more sore. Not only were the chains huge and heavy, they had to be magic, too. I sat down again and focused on the door handle, making it lift and drop, lift and drop. The effort made me sweat and cranked up my headache a few notches, but I kept it up.

Another endless wait later, then,
I’m here, right outside your door.
A second later, something scraped against the door. Mew-Mew was shoving Animus through the gap under the door. The sword stopped with a little clunk.
The handle won’t fit.

My sword was there, maybe ten feet away, and the last six inches wouldn’t fit through. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Can’t I get a fucking break?” Despair made my throat tight and I swallowed past a lump. The chains would never reach that far, but I had to try anyway. I got on my knees and went as far as I could. I realized I would reach farther with my legs, so I shifted onto my back and stretched my left foot out, seeking the blade.

I reached out for Animus, and she reached back. Energy hummed between us and she trembled, rattling against the floor. The handle was still stuck. I pushed instead and she slid back under the door. Now I lifted, my heart racing with hope. It was hard, but she slowly rose, bumping against the door.

It’s working!
Mew-Mew showed me the katana hovering a foot in the air, climbing by slow inches.

It took a few minutes, but I lifted Animus up to the window and pulled her through. Mew-Mew jumped up, back claws scrabbling a bit on the door before he made it through the bars. Animus sped up, gaining power as we drew closer together. Finally I grabbed the handle and sighed at the energy flowing into me. The pain of my headache faded and most of the other aches all but disappeared.

I tried opening the door again. The handle lifted and dropped, the door rattled, but it was still locked, and I still didn’t have my full strength. I tried fire, and it came much easier, but the biggest flame I could get was about the size of a campfire. So definitely not full strength. I pulled at my chains, which still didn’t budge.

You have to use Animus, she can cut through them.

And how do you know this?
I tied her around my waist and unsheathed her.

She told me.

That brought on more questions, but there wasn’t time. It had been at least half a day since Satan left me here, maybe longer, and I had no idea when he was coming back. I pulled the chain on my right arm taut and started sawing. It took several strokes before Animus bit into the metal. Progress was slow, but noticeable.

After a minute, my muscles were getting sore, but I was almost there. With one more cut, the chain snapped, most of if swinging back to crash against the wall. A few inches still hung from the shackle on my wrist, but energy flowed into me. I only took a second to celebrate before switching hands to saw at the other chain. This time the sword bit in right away.

“Once I get this off, I’ll transform into a cat and slip the shackles off.” I needed full strength to try shapeshifting. It was definitely not my strong suit. “Is the Path far?” Another cut, and now I was halfway through.

Don’t worry, we can make it.

In a rush of fire, Satan appeared. I froze, staring at him as he glared.

“Where the fuck did you get that?” He took one step toward me.

Mew-Mew leapt at him with the most horrifying growl I’d ever heard from a cat.

“
No, don’t
!” I screamed at him.

Satan turned and Mew-Mew landed on his face, clawing and yowling. I lunged toward them, forgetting I was still chained. They were by the door, too far away. Satan pulled him off and flung him, fire streaking from his hand.

Mew-Mew didn’t even hit the wall, he burned in midair. The flames swallowed him up, and then he was gone.

Chapter 24

“
No
!” I stared at the place he’d disappeared, nothing but smoke and dust drifting down. Ashes… those were Mew-Mew’s ashes. My vision blurred.

“Did he bring you the sword?” Satan asked.

I shifted my attention to him and rage washed through me. I didn’t know I could be so sad and so angry at the same time. I gripped Animus tighter and considered throwing her at him. No, I needed the chain off first. He must have seen my intent because he came at me.

For once, I was faster. Even with my right hand, my weaker hand, I sliced through the rest of the chain with one stroke and spun to face him. He shifted at the last instant, my blade slicing across his upper arm. He hissed and grabbed the wound. Animus sang at the taste of his blood and I danced aside, putting myself between him and the door.

“So you want this the hard way?” A sword appeared in his hand.

“You killed Mew-Mew.” A tear slipped down my cheek, cool against my hot skin. “You
killed
him!” With Animus in both hands, I rushed him. He blocked, stepping back until he was pressed against the wall. Gritting his teeth, he used his sword to shove me away.

I charged him again and again. I didn’t care—I wasn’t even scared of him. He blocked every attack, but I kept him away from the door.

“This is getting annoying.” He hurled a stream of fire and I dropped to the floor. It roared past me and crashed into the door, sending it flying open.

As I was getting to my feet, he kicked me in the face and sent me sprawling. I rolled as his sword came down and just missed getting skewered. Throwing fire to distract him, I got up and looked for the next opportunity to attack. Satan backed out of the cell, broadsword held at the ready. It had a longer reach than my katana, but I had speed and maneuverability. The lessons from the kami made a huge difference. Even half-mad with grief, I was way more skilled than the first time we’d fought.

I froze his feet to the ground, remembering how it had worked twice before. He jerked to a stop and almost fell over. I ran, screaming, and aimed for his heart.

He met me with his blade, lips pulled back in a snarl. “All this for a cat?”

“He was my
best friend
.” I slashed again and our swords crashed together, throwing up sparks. Heat shimmered in the air around me, from just me or both of us, I didn’t know.

The ice around his feet cracked but still held.

“Attachments make you weak. You don’t need friends.”

My next attack slipped past his guard and I grazed him again, this time on his left side. He also got me, a burning sting flaring across my right shoulder. The pain only made me angrier, and another taste of blood made Animus more eager.

Fire rose up around Satan, hot enough to drive me back. When it cleared, he was moving down the hall, gaze fixed on me. I closed the distance in a heartbeat. We fought down the hall, rage driving me on. My arms were weighed down by the shackles and the few inches of chain still hanging from them. They kept smacking me as I fought and I wished I could get rid of them, but there was no time.

On either side were more cells, and behind some of the doors prisoners screamed. It was background noise. We reached a torchlit stairway.

“How long is this tantrum going to last?” Satan had regained some of his composure.

“This isn’t a fucking tantrum. It’s not a game.” Our swords clashed together so hard it sent us both stumbling back. I paused, wanting to make this clear. “I’m going to kill you or die trying.” It had taken Mew-Mew’s death for me to realize this was inevitable. There was no peace for me while he was alive. He’d go after my friends, he’d destroy my life, he’d never leave me alone.

Something passed over his face, and I dared to hope it might be fear. “You know where you’ll end up when you die.”

“What’s the fucking difference? I’m here already.” Along with rage, there was a kind of numbness inside me. I’d made my decision, and I was prepared for either outcome.

He growled and rushed me, and I just barely blocked his attack. “I guess I’m done playing, too, then,” he said.

My wrists jerked and rose. The heavy chains stretched toward the ceiling, pulling my arms up. I fought against it and kept a desperate grip on Animus. Satan was controlling the chains and my stomach dropped as I realized my arms were now useless. He had me trapped and if I didn’t think of something fast, he could take his sweet time carving pieces out of me.

My arms were almost straight above my head. I threw fire and ice at him, and he stopped them with fire of his own. “This is my realm, my place of power. You’re nothing here.”

I braced for a stab, maybe a fatal one. Instead he used the chains to throw me into the wall. When I bounced off and hit the floor, I lost my hold on Animus. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard her clatter against the floor. Spots danced in front of my eyes and the headache came roaring back. I had to get the chains off, or I was gonna die.

It was pretty much the worst circumstances to try shapeshifting, but it was the only thing I could think of. I reached for Animus, wanting her boost of power. Satan took control of the chains again, dragging me across the floor. The oh-so-familiar feeling of his foot connecting with my side followed. Great, now I had to concentrate while getting beaten. At least he wanted to play with me for a while instead of going for the quick kill.

Doing my best to block out the pain, I closed my eyes. I reached for my power and focused on what it felt like to be a cat. An image of Mew-Mew appeared and fresh tears stung my eyes.
Gone. He’s really gone.
Satan kept kicking me, yelling things that I blocked out. Rage tried to distract me. I wanted to kill him more than anything.

No… more than anything, I wanted Mew-Mew back. I remembered playing with him as cat, running through the grass, pouncing on each other. The way it felt to be a cat, bone and muscle, fur and claws. A ripple went through me as Satan landed another kick.

Then in a rush, I transformed. Dazed and in pain, I forced myself to jump to my feet and run.

Satan’s next kick hit the floor. “Fuck!”

I made it to the wall and tried to change back. It didn’t work. My heart thudded in my little chest. One blow from him could break my back or crush my skull. Or he could burn me up just like Mew-Mew.

“Nice trick,” Satan said as he came at me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Animus. She was at the bottom of the stairs, where she’d skidded when I dropped her. I ran to her, put my front paws on the handle.
Help me change back.
Her power flowed into me and a second later I was human-shaped again. I had just enough time to grab her and stand up before Satan hit me.

His fist connected with my face and fire slammed into me. I screamed and called ice. Steam hissed between us and I struck out blindly. Satan cursed and backed away. Animus hummed with satisfaction, having wounded him once again.

The steam cleared and he stood there with his sword held at the ready and a bleeding gash on his face. Satan was between the archway back to the cells and the stairs, blocking me from both. I needed time, even a few seconds, to clear my head and recover from the beating.

I glanced up at the long, winding stairway. Could I get past him to the stairs? Then a better idea occurred to me—I could just go straight up. I summoned my wings and launched into the air, hoping it would take him a moment to react.

The motion of flying hurt all the places he’d kicked, which was pretty much my whole fucking body. I went past one floor, and another. Did this lead to a tower? The ceiling came into view and I veered for the nearest doorway. Thankfully, the door wasn’t locked and I shoved it open.

“Where are you running? There’s nowhere to go.” His voice got louder by the second. He was flying after me.

I went through the door into a huge, wide hallway. It was bright and white, not at all what I was expecting. I flew to the end of the hall and landed in a fighting stance, waiting for him.

Satan flew through the open door on wings just like mine. “Changed your mind about dying?” He landed halfway down the hall.

“No.” It’s not that I wanted to die, just that I didn’t care. Killing him was more important than surviving. This time, I waited for him to come to me.

Satan charged, and our swords slammed into each other again. Fire blazed up around him and I called my own fire. The different flames shimmered blue where they met. I watched his face, picturing what he would look like with his eyes glazed over. Dead.