Read Guardian of the Hellmouth Online

Authors: A.C. Greenlee

Guardian of the Hellmouth (20 page)

 

something that offends you?” He asked and she felt herself

 

shaking her head. It wasn’t his fault she was so far behind.

 

“No one I’ve met since I found out I was a Hellmouth has been

 

so forthcoming with useful information. What’s the catch? What

 

do you get out of telling me this stuff?” Jeremy chuckled.

 

“You asked me questions, and I answered them. I thought that

 

was how conversations usually worked. There is no catch Miss

 

Kailani. We’re merely bringing you to our Master per his

 

requests. No more, no less.”

 

“Then why am I strapped to this chair?”

 

“Well,” She watched his eyes travel down her body then back up,

 

“You’re a Hellmouth. You could do something dangerous to

 

yourself and that would be bad for all of us. Master Ophanuel has
asked us to make sure you aren’t harmed in anyway.” He said

 

and she gave him a droll look.

 

“I’m in an airplane, thousands of feet in the air. What could I

 

possibly do to myself?” She asked and he opened his mouth to

 

say something but William suddenly yelled from the next cabin:

 

“Don’t give her any ideas dumbass!” And Jeremy’s mouth

 

snapped shut.

 

“I really can’t say Miss.” Kailani just sighed.

 

“And how long is this flight exactly?”

 

“Just a little over eighteen hours.” He answered; flinching at the

 

glare she gave him.

 

“I’m supposed to spend eighteen hours tied to this seat? What if I

 

have to use the bathroom?”

 

“Then I will untie you and take you to the facilities myself.”

 

Jeremy smiled pleasantly and she shook her head.
“No.”

 

“No?”

 

“No. You are not taking me to the bathroom. What if you’re

 

some sort of pervert?” She asked and his face flushed.

 

“I assure you I would never—!” He started but she cut him off

 

with a chuckle. “Miss Kailani you really shouldn’t tease me.”

 

“Who says I’m teasing? You’re not taking me to the bathroom

 

and neither is old Willy in there.” She raised her voice at the end

 

to which William growled. “I don’t know either of you from

 

Adam, how do I know I can trust you?”

 

“Well Master Ophanuel—”

 

“How do I know I can trust Ophanuel?” She asked and Jeremy

 

frowned, growing quiet for a second.

 

“He’s an angel. An Archangel. Who better to trust than one of

 

Gods generals?” He asked and it was her turn to frown. Good
question. But she knew an angel and he wasn’t very pleasant to

 

be around. Even so, was Pierre really doing all this to help them?

 

Was he just doing his job or was he trying to railroad them? Who

 

could say that he wasn’t sticking to some sort of angelic

 

guidebook where they were concerned? She’d never understand

 

angels but she wanted to believe they were all good, just like in

 

the stories she, and every other person was fed as a child. Even if

 

she wasn’t completely sure, she knew one thing to be true; no

 

matter what Jeremy said about Ophanuel, it wasn’t an angel

 

who’d gotten her this far, but a demon. She just hoped Leviathan

 

would still be there when it was all over.

 

“Hey,” She started and Jeremy stared at her attentively, “What do

 

you think they’re doing with Leviathan?”

 

“More than likely they’ll force him back into hell, breaking

 

whatever hold he had on you. You don’t have to worry about him

 

anymore Miss. You’ll likely never see him again.” He told her

 

and she felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach.
“Say he had a contract to be here, something that was supposed

 

to keep him here until a specific task was completed. What would

 

happen to him then?” She asked quickly and he gave her

 

thoughtful look.

 

“Well he’d be forced to confess to his lord and would more than

 

likely be punished. A lesser demon would be destroyed but

 

baring the fact that The Leviathan is a principality spirit he’d

 

probably be expulsed into purgatory for the rest of eternity.” He

 

said and Kailani jerked in her seat, startling the fallen.

 

“Turn the plane around!” She struggled against her bonds, “Turn

 

it around I have to go back!” She screamed and Jeremy got to his

 

feet, making placating gestures as he flitted around her.

 

“Miss! We can’t return! We have to get to Germany. The demon

 

will suffer for what he’s done to you. Please don’t worry.” But

 

she was worrying. She didn’t want Leviathan hurt at all,

 

especially not because of her. Kailani continued to struggle, tears

 

pricking her eyes as she kicked and screamed until finally the
restraints snapped and she was able to get to her feet. Before she

 

could take a single step she felt a jolt of electricity run through

 

her, her vision immediately dimming as she fell forward into

 

Jeremy’s waiting arms. “William. That wasn’t very nice.” She

 

heard him say as her body began to shut down, his muffled

 

response the last thing she heard before she slipped into

 

unconsciousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Chapter Thirteen
In the last few minutes of their flight to Munich she’d

 

been bound, gagged, and unceremoniously dumped onto

 

something hard. The cold of the steel that pressed against her face

 

and chest pulled her out of the darkness that had consumed her,

 

leaving her confused and bewildered. Kailani tugged at her arms

 

in an attempt to test her restraints but before she could move a

 

fraction of an inch someone lifted their heavy foot and dropped it

 

against her back. She yelped through the gag only to have the

 

person kick her again.

 

“You really have to stop that. Master Ophanuel will be

 

disappointed if she’s
damaged
in any way.” She was suddenly

 

yanked to her feet, the blindfold ripped away so quickly she had

 

to close her eyes to keep from being blinded. When she opened

 

them again she could only gasp at what she found. They’d made

 

it to Germany all right, and snow covered everything, blanketing
the world in a quiet peace. They stood in another private airfield;

 

in a temperature-controlled hanger that sported large glass show

 

windows in the front. She watched Fred, who must have been

 

flying the plane; move forward to open a door which William

 

shoved her through. She instantly regretted it. It was freezing

 

cold with the wind blowing the snow around, whipping her hair

 

across her face and chilling her to the bone. She was dressed in

 

Jeans and a T-Shirt while the three assholes around her sported

 

heavy-duty winter coats. Before she could begin mentally

 

complaining about the cold and her gag a large black SUV

 

swerved into view, a man dressed entirely in black stepping out

 

and moving to pull the back door open.

 

“Put her in.” He ordered in a thick German accent and William

 

willingly obliged, pushing her forward and booting her in the rear

 

to get her into the back of the truck. She fell face forward against

 

the leather and turned her head to give him a scathing glare.

 

“Sergei,” William addressed him with a nod of his head, “What’s

 

the plan?”
“Master Ophanuel is already expecting you.” The driver said and

 

Jeremy moved to climb in next to Kailani but was stopped. “Not

 

you. Him.” He pointed to William who cocked a brow at his

 

brothers in arms.

 

“We will catch up.” Jeremy said in a soft voice, stepping out of

 

the way and allowing William to enter who pushed at Kai until

 

she was in a seated position. Sergei jumped back into his seat and

 

off they went, leaving Fred and Jeremy standing on the runway

 

with befuddled expressions.

 

The three drove for at least an hour and a half before

 

Kailani had had enough of not being allowed to speak. So, like

 

any other American bound and gagged in the backseat of a car on

 

her way to god knows where, she decided to flip out and start

 

kicking the back of the drivers seat.

 

“Stop it!” William shouted next to her, grabbing her legs to still

 

them, which was a bad idea because she switched her tactics from

 

kicking the seat to kicking him. Finally, fed up with her behavior
he growled and snatched her gag away. “What is your

 

problem?!”

 

“You try sitting up with a scarf in your mouth and see how it

 

feels!” She shot back and he fell into a silent glare. “Now where

 

the hell are you taking me?!”

 

“To see Ophanuel. How many times must you be told?!”

 

“As many times as it takes to sink in!” She shouted back and a

 

long suffering sigh sounded from the front seat.

 

“Master Ophanuel will be disappointed.” Sergei voiced, carefully

 

navigating them through what’s been nothing but farm country

 

and small towns for an hour.

 

“And why is that?”

 

“You are certainly not what he’s expecting.” Sergei’s cold

 

demeanor cracked as he chuckled and Kailani found herself

 

frowning. Who were these people? She didn’t know what to
expect from any of them. Other than William, he’s been a

 

consistent asshole since she met him.

 

“Just what is he expecting?” She growled. What she’d meant to

 

ask was what should
she
be expecting. She was terrified of

 

meeting Ophanuel.
Because Leviathan wouldn’t be there to
protect her...
Although she balked at the ridiculous thought she

 

couldn’t deny how true it really was. She couldn’t fathom how

 

quickly she’d come to rely on Leviathan’s protection, on the

 

strength he offered her with his presence alone.

 

“A meek woman, willing to follow his every command.” Sergei

 

answered and she snorted.

 

“Who’s he expecting, a flipping Disney Princess?” He just

 

shrugged.

 

“He is the master. The master will get what he wishes no matter

 

what.” Was his absurd answer. Kailani was about to return to

 

kicking them both when he made a sharp turn through a small

 

cropping of buildings, leading them up a path that was
surrounded by dense forest. She watched in awe as they made

 

another turn and a beautiful castle loomed into view. The scene

 

was something out of a fairytale, a summer romance novel

 

brimming with tales of wicked witches with apples and dashing

 

princes on white horses. It was as if they’d been transported to a

 

different country all-together, the endless fields of wildflowers

 

and the thick foliage a betrayal to the harsh winter weather they’d

 

just driven out of. It was like walking out of a cold, foggy,

 

nightmare and into the waking world of some fairy princess who

 

lived in a far away land.

 

“Holy shit. This is where Ophanuel lives?” She heard herself ask

 

as they drove even further into the dreamscape that created an

 

awe inspired, pregnant silence around them. Ophanuel’s castle sat

 

carved into the side of a mountain, surrounded by enormous

 

beech, oak, and elm trees that stretched their branches towards

 

the open blue sky. The architecture of the castle alone was

 

something to marvel at, each tower, each peaked roof adding to

 

the overall allure of the seemingly drawn to life palace. The
massive fortress stood proudly against a mountain backdrop that

 

looked as if it had been painted into the sky itself. The setting sun

 

spit colors of orange and magenta that made the sandstone castle

 

look as if it were glowing. A deep blue lake flanked the back of

 

the castle, reflecting the suns light and separating the colossal

 

structure from the wilderness that lay beyond. Several smaller

 

buildings that must have served as service quarters littered the

 

grounds of the estate as they drove through the sprawling forest

 

towards the castle. Angels dressed from head to toe in gleaming

 

silver armor perched at what must have been strategically thought

 

out locations but to her just seemed random. “I don’t believe it.”

 

She muttered as Sergei pulled them up and around a long

 

driveway and into a gatehouse. More guards stood at the

 

entrance, holding an array of weapons both ancient and modern,

 

wings of the purest white adorning their backs and draping nearly

 

to the flagstone at their feet. Sergei pulled to a stop at the gates,

 

one of the aforementioned guards trotting over to take a quick

 

glance inside the vehicle, finally giving them the all clear and

 

allowing them to drive into the castle. William was the first to
open his door after Sergei pulled to a stop, jumping out and

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