Tirade (Heven and Hell #3)(17)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I wasn’t going to run. Whatever punishment this man was giving, I would do the taking. I felt my body begin to shake and I knew Sam was seconds from turning. Just as he was about to change forms, the man pulled something out of a box. An amulet. I looked back to see Sam twitching, sweat beading his face as his body struggled to shift but couldn’t.

I ran at the man and he laughed, tossing the amulet at the barrier that Sam stood behind. To my amazement, it went right through and landed on the floor by his feet. Sam’s body was still trying to shift, but thanks to his training with Gemma, it didn’t hinder him as much as it could have, and he dove at the amulet. His hand closed around it and he threw it as hard as he could against the stone wall.

Nothing happened.

The man laughed. “You cannot destroy it. No matter how hard you try.”

Abruptly, I spun and kicked my foot out, catching the man in the knee. He stumbled but did not go down. Anger stole over his face and he grabbed me, lifting me off my feet. I kicked him again in the abdomen and he cursed, throwing me to the ground. I tried to act like it didn’t hurt because I didn’t want Sam to see me in pain.

The man leaned over me, grabbing my hair and yanking my face up to meet his eyes. “I did exactly as you said. I punished you.”

“No,” I protested, struggling.

Sam was beyond himself, screaming and throwing things around inside the cell. I tried to look at him, to tell him I was okay, but the man wouldn’t release my hair.

“Yes,” the man growled. “I did exactly as you said. I punished you by throwing that amulet into his cell. Now he can’t feed himself. Now he’ll starve!”

I gasped.

The man laughed and released me, pushing me down onto the floor. “And that amulet will eventually weaken him to the point of exhaustion.”

“Who are you?” I choked, holding back my tears. I’d never give him the satisfaction but inside I was breaking, splintering into a thousand pieces.

“Your worst nightmare,” he said, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me up. I heard something in my shoulder pop but I ignored it.

He raised his fist to strike me and Sam roared… a sound that ripped right from his soul. It was so frightening that even the man holding me faltered. I took the opportunity and twisted out of his grasp, bouncing to my feet and falling into a crouch.

“Run, Heven, run!” Sam yelled.

But I couldn’t. I was starting to feel disassociated with this place. I was fading and I knew I was waking up. I stumbled to the barrier and did what you never do to an attacker: I turned my back. I pressed myself as close to Sam as I could and pressed my fingers against his.

I’m coming back. I found a way to get you out.

Get out of here!

From behind, the man tried to grab me, but his hand went right through me. I held Sam’s eyes until I faded completely away.

Chapter Five

Sam

When I was little, my mother used to say “hate” was a bad word. I wasn’t supposed to say I hated anything. I never really understood why until recent months. It isn’t really the word that is bad. It’s the feelings that go along with it—the actions it inspires. I have acted upon hate. Actions I regret, actions that I’ll never be able to take back.

Yet, still, I’m tempted.

Right now, I’m shaking with temptation.

It might actually be good I’m confined to this little dirty cell because, otherwise, the man standing in front of it might be dead. Scratch that. He would be dead.

Thank God Heven got out. For whatever reason, Beelzebub’s hold on her dream was shattered. Seeing her had been a shock, but not unwelcome. It had been torture having her so close, yet so far away. And unfortunately, she was pulled here through her dreams, which meant Beelzebub was back.

“How did you do that?” The man outside the force field raged. “How did you break the hold?”

I growled, an unintentional sound but no less real. I wasn’t sure who he was, but I knew he was just as depraved as Beelzebub himself.

“Answer me!” he roared, sinister darkness flashing in his eyes. Then he hit the force field in his rage. I stood there in shock when his fist came right through it instead of bouncing off. Every single time I touched the barrier, it stopped me. How was this man able to get the amulet through and now his hand?

It could only mean one thing.

“Beelzebub,” I growled.

He yanked his hand back out and I watched as the barrier rippled and closed. “You figured it out, did you? A pity. I thought my new body would keep you confused a while longer.”

“I would recognize your nasty stench anywhere,” I spat, my body shaking with the need to attack him. But I couldn’t shift. My body was being blocked from doing what came natural. As long as that amulet was inside this cell, I would remain in my human form. And I would weaken with every passing hour. How long could my body last fighting itself this way?

Then an idea began to form.

“You’re lucky I want you alive right now.” Beelzebub took a threatening step toward the barrier.

“You know, I don’t think blond is your best look. You look like that guy from Scooby Doo, the one who always drove the Mystery Machine around. What a tool.”

He stared at me blankly for a moment before scowling.

“Oh, that’s right, you don’t watch TV. Trust me, dude, that was not a compliment.”

He took another step closer with clenched fists. “Shall I scar the other side of her face, then?”

I paused. What if my idea didn’t work? Pissing him off wasn’t a good idea when Heven was so defenseless. I shrugged. “Okay, keep the body.”

I turned to walk away when his hand shot through the force field once more and grabbed my arm. I spun, throwing my weight backward, pulling him with me. He came through the barrier, stumbling. I yanked myself away and lunged at him, throwing out a fist and connecting with his new nose. Blood spurted across his face. I hit him again, enjoying the sound of crunching bone.

This is exactly why hate is so dangerous. It makes you forget all the reasons you shouldn’t act stupid. But damn, hitting him felt so good.

He threw me off and jumped to his feet, wiping at the blood on his face. His chest was heaving with anger as I launched myself low, hooking him around the hips, and like a bulldozer, I pushed him back.

He grunted and fell right through the force field, taking me with him.

Heven

I jolted upright, gasping for air, clawing at the sheets on my bed. “No, no, no.” It was me crying, but my voice sounded foreign to my ears.