Tirade (Heven and Hell #3)(77)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“I’ll be fine.” I don’t know why I even bothered to say that anymore.

“Can we go already?” Riley said.

“Meet us there,” Sam told him. “If you make it through the portal, we’ll ride with you then.”

“I’m telling you it will work.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not willing to risk her life on it! She’s already half dead!” Sam roared. Everyone gasped in shock that he would say such a thing. Even he paused and looked down, shame in his eyes.

Don’t worry about it, Sam. I know what’s happening to me.

“We’re going,” Sam told everyone and took off running. I turned my head to see the fountain. We were in Portland and he was taking me through the portal into hell.

The knowledge actually relieved some part of me and I felt a small burst of energy. Maybe now the beast would stop pummeling my insides for a few moments. He went right through and landed smoothly on his feet, absorbing all of the impact. I looked up and saw his eyes were pure melted gold and I knew he was holding back the hellhound within.

“You can put me down,” I offered.

He smiled. “Are you kidding? Did you see what Riley wanted to do? Who knows what’s going to happen.”

Sam turned as the portal opened up once more, looking like a large swirling black hole. Then I heard the sound of a revving engine and squealing tires. The portal seemed to widen and then all of a sudden a Jeep Wrangler burst through and came skidding over in front of us. Sam dashed backward as the Jeep jerked to a stop. Riley leaned out the window, which was unzipped, and grinned. “I told you it would work.”

“You drove a Jeep into hell?” I asked, more alert than I had been the entire day.

“Walking around is boring,” he quipped smartly, but when he met my gaze, his eyes were serious.

He came to help me. After everything, he still came. He could have left by now, should have, but he was here. That didn’t make everything he had done right. I was still beyond mad, but I had to admit any help we got was better than none. Hopefully, he wouldn’t betray us. Again. “Well, it definitely looks like something you would drive.”

It was army green and had a scuffed-up tan soft top. The tires were huge and I knew if I wanted to ride in it, I would have to climb in. There were huge fog lights on the roll bar at the top and written across the windshield in green letters was: Eat My Dirt. It also had a very long antenna with one of those yellow smiley face balls at the top.

He gunned the engine. “Get in.”

Sam seemed to have no trouble climbing into the Jeep while holding me. I didn’t expect to see Gemma, Cole and Logan sitting in the back. Sam seemed surprised to see them too. In fact, he scowled.

“I’m not staying behind,” Cole said tightly. “She’s my sister.”

“Fine,” Sam spat coldly. “But I don’t have time to watch your back. Heven comes first.”

“Sam.” I gasped. He didn’t apologize; he barley even glanced at me.

“I can take care of myself,” Cole snapped.

“Logan, you gotta go home,” Sam said, seriously.

“I want to help. Sitting around isn’t going to make me any better.”

Sam scowled and was about to argue. “The kid stays,” Riley burst out from the driver’s seat. “We don’t have time to get a Lucent Marble.”

Sam swore, looked down at me and realized he was right. Riley hit the gas and tore off across the barren gray landscape.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I’m taking you to Ana. Hopefully, she’ll know what to do. Maybe that flower will heal you.”

“The flower may heal my injuries, but it won’t get rid of the beast. It’ll just tear up my body again.”

“It’ll at least buy us some time,” Sam said, avoiding my gaze.

Or prolong my death. Did I really want to be healed just to go through this over and over again?

Depression seemed to settle over us and we rode in silence. I didn’t know what to do, short of finding Hecate and begging her to get this thing out, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. Beelzebub wanted that name and he wanted me to suffer. I wondered how much more of his tirade we would have to bear before I succumbed.

I began to feel restless. The beast in me no longer seemed satisfied to be back in hell. It wanted something more. It seemed to take control of my weak body and I sat up to look out the window. “Stop the car,” I told Riley. My voice didn’t sound like my own.

“Are you crazy? We aren’t anywhere near the island.”

“I don’t care.”

He kept driving, ignoring my pleas to let me out.

“Heven, hold on. We’re almost there,” Sam said and tried to wrap his arms around my waist. I howled in pain and then grappled for the door handle, throwing open the door.

“Shit!” Riley yelled and slammed on the brakes. I jumped out, falling onto the ground, and lay there stunned for a few moments before the beast picked up my body and forced me to walk.

Sam was there, Riley too, and they both stared at me like I’d lost my mind. But I barely noticed because I had to get there. I had somewhere to be. Sam grabbed my arm and that horrible sound ripped from my throat, the sound that I recognized from when the beast had taken me to its lair. He didn’t let go, only swung me to face him and grabbed my face in his hands.

“Heven,” he implored, his molten eyes staring into mine. It was like a lightning storm of gold in his gaze. I knew he could sense the beast. It was so close to the surface. I wondered how he held himself back from attacking, from letting the hellhound in him out. His arms were shaking and his breathing was shallow, but he stood firm and never once dropped my gaze.

“You have to fight, sweetheart. Don’t let this thing take over.”

I nodded, the color of his eyes bringing a little bit of myself back to me. But that only angered the beast and he began an internal assault. I cried out and fell to my knees, blood pouring from my mouth.

Sam picked me up, supporting my weight alongside him.

“Please, let me go.” I begged. “It’s going to keep punishing me if you make me stay here.”

Riley was there, pulling Sam back, telling me to go. Sam let him pull him back, but he kept his arms out to catch me if I fell. His jaw was locked and his eyes were hard.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered before turning and limping away.

I barely thought about the fact that I was walking toward my death.