𝔸𝕧𝕒

I latch onto Morgan's back as he scales the high, brown stone wall with incredible ease. The wall is covered in red warning signs reading "ΑΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΕΤΑΙ Η ΕΙΣΟΔΟΣ", which I don't need to know much Greek to realize means something like "stay the heck out of here".

With a firm thunk, his feet hit the ground on the other side and I slide off his shoulders.

The building in front of us is made of the same brown stone, cracked and decaying.

"Are we sure this is the place?" Kieran asks in a hushed voice.

"There are only two known catacombs within 40 minutes of the island," Morgan whispers. "The other one is open to the public, so yeah... pretty sure. Now be quiet and follow me."

Morgan gestures for us to follow as he walks up to the entrance, which is just an open archway where a door may have once stood. He steps inside as I walk close behind with Kieran at my back.

After a moment, he finds the entrance to the catacombs and signals for us to join him. We tiptoe delicately behind. A narrow stairway leads down to an even-narrower passage that looks too slim to be intended for fully-grown people. My jeans rub against the stone as I do my best to fit through the tiny gap. I'm not typically bothered by tight spaces, but this has me completely creeped out.

I exhale as we make it out of the passage into a larger corridor with arched ceilings. The stone walls are rough and discolored from decades of water damage and decay. There's modern lighting installed all throughout the space, with tunnels shooting off in every direction.

I start to feel a bit dizzy, so I lean on the wall to stabilize myself. I feel the surface crumble beneath my fingertips and send tiny rock pieces falling to the floor with a clattering sound.

Morgan flips around in a fast motion and the pebbles go flying behind me, just missing Kieran.

"Sorry," I whisper to a wide-eyed and tense Morgan.

He looks around for a moment before looking back at me.

"This isn't good," he says softly. "That power—telekinesis—no demons have it. Only the Demon Kings. They must be nearby. Stick close to me. And Kieran, watch the rear."

"I'm pretty sure Zane would kill me for that," Kieran says in a hushed tone.

Morgan shoots him a glare before continuing to move forward.

After a few feet, he stops in his tracks just before an opening to the next corridor. We hear voices arguing in the distance, but I can't tell what they're saying. He nods—indicating that we're about to encounter trouble—and swivels around the corner.

We can't quite see the sources of the chatter, but nearly run into a woman with long black hair and a leather vest. It's pretty safe to assume she's not on our side, as a smile stretches across her face when she sees me.

She grabs Morgan by the wrist, but she must be a Shaytan because she seems shocked when he doesn't succumb to her powers at her touch. He flips her around and locks his arm around her neck, putting a hand over her mouth.

"Where are they keeping the Sirens?" he whispers.

He lifts his hand so she can speak, but rather than respond, she screams.

"They're here!"

She manages to slip her arm loose and reaches out to touch me, but Kieran intercepts her and in a flash, Morgan snaps her neck.

"You okay mate?" he asks Kieran.

Kieran nods.

"I think you got her before she was able to hit me with her powers," he says. "Thanks."

A horde of demons appears at the end of the path, rushing toward us. Morgan throws his arm forward and sends three of them flying back into the others, knocking them down like walking bowling pins.

"Shit," one of them curses.

Most of the group gets to their feet and begins charging forward again and Morgan yells for me to stay back. Kieran turns to watch the other entry so that his back and mine are touching.

Morgan was right... I'm definitely a liability in this fight. Maybe I should've stayed at the hotel.

With a few more flicks of his wrist, Morgan has managed to throw the demons from one side of the cavern to the other, sending them flying into walls and each other as the ceiling cracks and large chunks of rock whip through the air.

After a moment, the dust clears and nearly a dozen demons are scattered across the ground.

"Is anyone on our tail?" Morgan asks.

"No, we're clear," Kieran says.

"Are they all Shayatin?" I ask.

"A few of these guys are Incubi or Succubi," Kieran says as we step over their unconscious bodies. "Not sure about the others. Probably a mix."

We walk for several minutes, not encountering another soul as we wind through what seems to be an endless underground maze.

"Alright, Ava, we're lost here," Morgan whispers. "I'm gonna need you to tap into that bond. Can you sense Zane anywhere?"

"Wha-... how do I do that?" I ask.

"I don't know. That's for you to figure out."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath in, but all I can sense is the constant heavy beating of my heart and the ringing in my ears.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know. I can't tell."

"Okay," he says softly. "It's okay. We'll find him."

"Find who?" a deep voice says over Morgan's shoulder.

We all turn to see a man with a wide build, five-o'-clock shadow, and a wicked smile. He's wearing a slick grey suit with an unbuttoned white shirt.

"Looking for me?" the man asks.

"That all depends on who you are," Kieran says.

"Excuse my manners," he says, looking me directly in the eye. "My name is Leviathan. And I don't know if you've been looking for me, but I've certainly been looking for you."

Morgan scoops me behind him and puffs his chest before knocking Leviathan back with a wave of his hand. Leviathan staggers back into the wall, but the blow wasn't nearly as effective as it was on the demons before.

Leviathan looks up with a mix of surprise and concern in his eyes, but his smirk doesn't waver.

"Interesting power, there, son," he says. "Who might you be?"

Morgan replies with a swift fist to Leviathan's face. The two begin exchanging blow after blow as Kieran does his best to keep me out of the fray. Morgan is managing to hold his own surprisingly well against the Demon King.

"Don't worry about me," I say to Kieran. "Help Morgan."

He nods and launches into Leviathan, forcing him down to the ground. The two of them successfully manage to pin him.

"What are you doing, Kieran? I got this guy," Morgan grunts as he struggles to hold Leviathan down. "Protect Ava!"

"It didn't look to me like you had him," he says.

"Protect Ava, huh?" Leviathan asks Morgan, his lip corner twisting upward. "Who is the girl to you?"

Morgan pushes his knee harder against Leviathan's chest to silence him.

"Should I-" I start to say, but am interrupted by the feeling of an arm wrapping around my neck and an unfamiliar voice from behind me.

"What do we have here?"

Morgan and Kieran both look at me with wide eyes, frozen in place.

"You want to let me go?" Leviathan asks. "Or do you want to watch him snap your pretty little lover's neck?"

"She's not my lover," Morgan snaps.

"You're better off telling lies like that to someone who can't sense your desires."

"Fine," I say. "Snap my neck then."

Part of me is really hoping that this immortality business will get me out of this, but another part of me is willing to risk whatever I have to in order to get my friends out of here alive.

"Ava," Morgan scolds. "We don't know how this will go. We can't risk it."

"I brought you guys into this. I can't have you fight all my battles for me."

"What should I do with her, brother?" the man behind me asks.

Brother? Oh shit... so I'm being held captive by... Lucifer.

"Kill her," Leviathan says.

I can't help but shudder as I await my fate.

"Stop!" Morgan shouts. "If I surrender... I have your word that neither you, nor anyone working for you, will hurt her or my demon friend here?"

"You do."

Morgan lifts his hands and Kieran takes his cue and does the same. They both stand and Leviathan rights himself.

"It's okay," Morgan says with a solemn look. "Leviathan keeps his word."

I feel the grip around me loosen and can finally turn to see my attacker—a sharply dressed, handsome, young-looking man I now know to be Lucifer. He has tanned skin, a sharp jawline, and short curly brown hair. He looks more like a male model than an icon of evil.

Leviathan calls for more demons, who rush in and cuff Morgan and Kieran, taking them away down one of the many corridors.

"Where are you taking them?" I ask.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned with where we're taking you?" Lucifer asks, grabbing my upper arm and pulling me in another direction.

"Fine, where are you taking me?

"Well, I assume you're here to see your Siren. So why don't I take you to him?"