The palace door burst open, and Connor, Dougal, and Howard dashed inside.
“We heard screaming.” Connor stopped short when he noticed the God Warriors.
Russell remained on the floor, his thoughts whirling, unable to accept what had just happened. His gaze shifted to the pile of dust that had been Markos, then to the silk robe on the floor that Jia had taken off before shifting. Both of them were gone. Both in hell? His heart clenched with pain, and he was tempted to rip some shit apart and scream until his head burst.
Markos had probably gotten what he deserved, but that didn’t make it any easier to live with. Russell had known he might be forced to kill him, but he’d clung to a hope that he could somehow save his brother. And Jia . . . he hadn’t saved her, either. When he imagined what she might be going through right now, he felt like his heart would explode. He had to help her, but how could he, when she was in hell?
“What happened?” Howard demanded.
Rajiv fell to his knees in front of Jia’s discarded robe and gathered the silk in his arms. “Jia . . .”
Dougal looked about. “Is she injured? Where is she?”
“Darafer took her to hell,” Russell whispered. His gaze fell on the knife still coated with demon blood. Would that get him into hell? God help him, he deserved to go there. He’d killed his brother. He’d failed Jia.
Or maybe not. Maybe he could still help her. He reached for the knife.
Briathos kicked the knife across the room. “Dear soul, you will be no help to her dead.”
Russell’s pain shifted into rage, and with a shout, he leaped to his feet. “How could you let Darafer take her?” He grasped Briathos’s tunic in his fist and jerked the angel toward him. “How could you screw up like that? I thought angels were supposed to be perfect!”
Connor and Dougal pulled Russell back, but he shoved them away.
Briathos regarded him sadly. “We are not perfect. Only the Heavenly Father can make that claim.”
“So Darafer has been banished?” Dougal asked. “What happened to Han?”
Russell glanced at the pile of dust, and bile rose up his throat. He rammed his fist against his mouth and swallowed hard.
“Markos Hankelburg is dead,” Briathos reported quietly. “Russell killed him while under Darafer’s control. We arrived to send the demon back to hell, but as he was vanishing, he grabbed Jia and took her with him.”
Dougal and Connor glanced at the pile of dust, then at Russell.
Howard reached out to touch Russell’s shoulder, but Russell stepped back. How could he accept sympathy when he was the murderer?
“I’ll let Angus know,” Connor said as he headed out the door.
“I’m so sorry about Jia,” Dougal told the were-tigers in Chinese.
“We haven’t lost her,” Russell insisted. “We’ll get her back!”
Rajiv and Tenzen rose to their feet. Since their trousers were ripped to shreds from shifting, they tied their discarded tunics around their waists by knotting the long sleeves.
“Is she still alive?” Rajiv asked Briathos.
The leader of the God Warriors nodded. “Yes. I will give you more information soon.” His face went blank, and his body shimmered like a reflection upon water.
“When?” Russell waved a hand in front of Briathos’s face, but there was no response. “Hello? Are you there?”
“He has joined the Heavenly Host,” another angel explained.
“He’s telling them what happened?” Howard asked.
The angel shook his head. “They already know. We are in constant communication. The council of archangels called an emergency meeting and asked Briathos to attend.”
“They wish to extend their apologies for this unfortunate situation,” a second angel added.
“Unfortunate?” Russell gritted his teeth. “What’s happening to Jia? Is she being tortured?”
“Most likely she will be treated well,” the first angel replied. “Lucifer only resorts to torture when he has something to gain from it. In this case, he would gain nothing but the wrath of the Heavenly Father.”
The second angel nodded. “The Father does not approve of demons taking His children alive against their will.”
Russell snorted. “Well, that’s big of Him!”
“Calm down.” Dougal touched Russell’s shoulder.
“Jia’s in hell!” Russell clenched his fists, wishing he could hit something. “I’ve got to help her!”
Rajiv tilted his head, studying him. “You’re in love with her.”
“Yes, dammit!” Russell’s eyes burned with tears. “I have to save her, but I don’t know how.”
“ ’Twill work out.” Dougal gripped his shoulder harder. “Believe me, I know what ye’re going through.”
Russell took a deep breath and blinked the tears away. He’d never felt so damned helpless. “Tell me what to do,” he begged the angels. “Can I take her place?” After all, he was headed for hell anyway for killing his brother.
“The archangels have begun their meeting,” the first angel said. “Briathos is giving his report.”
“He’s in heaven?” Howard glanced at the shimmering angel. “I can see him here.”
“To interact in your world, we take on these human forms that you see,” the first angel explained. “But they are merely projections—”
“Enough!” Russell yelled. “How do we save Jia?”
“The archangel Gabriel has decided on a course of action,” the second angel announced. “First, a message will be sent to Lucifer, demanding the return of the live mortal.”
“And that will work?” Russell asked.
“Perhaps,” the second angel replied. “Perhaps not. Lucifer enjoys the havoc caused by his demons.”
“This sort of occurrence is not without precedence,” a third angel commented. “We had trouble banishing the demon Rasputin back to hell. He was planning on taking members of the Russian royal family with him.”
“But we were able to stop him,” a fourth angel added.
“The mortals kept trying to stop him,” a fifth angel chimed in. “But because he was a demon, they were unable to kill him.”
“What about Jia?” Russell demanded. “What if Lucifer refuses to return her?”
Briathos turned solid once again. “The meeting has adjourned. Gabriel sent a message to Lucifer. We will have a reply in due course.”
“How long is that?” Russell asked. “And what if Lucifer says no?”
“Do not fear. We are preparing for that,” Briathos assured him. “Gabriel is asking the Heavenly Father for permission to invade Lucifer’s domain.”
“Ye’re invading hell?” Dougal asked. “Ye can do that?”
“It is not done often,” Briathos admitted.
“I believe the last time was a thousand of your earth years ago,” the second angel added.
“If you go, take me with you,” Russell said.
Briathos winced. “That is not recommended. If you die in battle there, your soul could end up trapped in hell forever.”
Russell took a deep breath. “I’ll risk it if it means saving Jia.”
“So will I,” Rajiv said, then translated for Tenzen, who also vowed to go.
“When will we know?” Russell asked.
“All will be revealed in due course,” Briathos replied.
Russell grimaced. “What the hell does that mean?”
“That pissed me off, too,” Dougal muttered.
Briathos sighed. “It means it is hard to tell you a certain time. Our time is different from yours. A few hours for us are days for you. It could be a week.”
“A week?” Russell clenched his fists.
“For you,” Briathos said. “The good news is that it will be only a few hours for Jia, too. We will return when we have news.” Briathos and his unit of God Warriors vanished.
Russell rammed his fist into a column. He would go crazy in a week.
Ten minutes later, Russell was sitting on the floor in the palace, leaning against a column that he’d pummeled into submission.
Rajiv took a seat beside him. “Don’t blame yourself. It was my fault. I should have taken her outside.”
Russell shook his head as more tears burned his eyes. “I kept telling her I would protect her, but what did I do for her? First I failed her when she was killed. And now she’s been taken to hell.”
“She told me that she mated with you.”
Memories of their two nights together rushed through Russell’s mind. He dragged a hand with bloody knuckles through his hair. “I don’t blame you if you’re angry. I shouldn’t have done it, but God, I love her so much.”
“I figured as much,” Rajiv admitted. “When Darafer shifted into a wolf to bite you, your first thought was for her safety. Then you let him bite you to keep him from attacking—”
“Don’t,” Russell interrupted him. “I still failed her.”
Rajiv sighed. “When my parents were murdered by Lord Qing, my brother and I moved here to live with Grandfather. And then Jia came here after her parents were murdered. She’s like a sister to me. If you go to hell to rescue her, I’ll be there with you.”
Russell nodded, then hefted himself to his feet. “We’ll get her back somehow.”
Howard peered through the door. “Come on out, guys. Angus wants to see you.”
Russell and Rajiv followed Howard down the palace steps and across the courtyard. It was crowded and noisy with people trying to talk to Russell, but he barely noticed. Angus was at the top of the stairs that led down to the riverbank. Han’s army was still across the river, agitated and restless. No doubt they were wondering what had happened to their leader.
Angus motioned for Russell and Rajiv to join him. “I heard what happened, Russell, and I wanted to let ye know how sorry we are that ye had to—”
“I’m fine,” Russell muttered.
Angus gave him a dubious look. “I also wanted to warn you that once we announce that the war is over, there will be celebrating. It will be a cruel sound for both of you. The war with Han is over and Tiger Town is safe, but the cost was too high for either of you.”
Rajiv nodded, his face harsh with grief.
“I’ll let you do the translating into Chinese.” Angus lifted a bullhorn and turned it on. “Attention all those who are gathered here this evening.”
Voices hushed on both sides of the river.
“There will be no battle tonight,” Angus continued. “Master Han is dead, and the demon Darafer has been banished back to hell.” He passed the bullhorn to Rajiv, who repeated the announcement in Chinese.
Behind them in the courtyard, cheers rang out. Han’s ex-soldiers hooted and clapped, while the were-tigers broke into a joyful rendition of the Tiger Dance. Soon a chant began to echo throughout Tiger Town. “Han is dead! Han is dead!”
Russell clenched his fists hard as more tears burned his eyes. The last of his family was dead by his own hand, and it was cause for celebration.
Han’s army across the river grew noisy as they adjusted to the fact that they were now free.
Angus took the bullhorn back, and after he made a few loud, blaring sounds, the noise on both sides of the river quieted down. “Attention, soldiers across the river. We wish you no harm. You may go home in peace. If you would like to break the bond that Darafer holds over you, we have a medical procedure that can return you to normal. The ex-soldiers you see here have all been freed from the pact with Darafer. If you wish to be set free, lay down your weapons and come to us.”
Rajiv translated the announcement, and the ex-soldiers in the courtyard cheered when they were referred to.
Russell watched the army across the river to see what they would do. A few of the officers on horseback rode away. A handful of foot soldiers drifted off into the woods. But the majority of the army tossed down their weapons and waded into the river, heading for Tiger Town.
“Congratulations.” Howard patted Rajiv on the back. “Your town is safe. And the war is over.”
“It’s not over,” Russell growled. “Not till we have Jia back.”
“You’re right.” Howard gave him a worried look. “We’ll get her back. I’ll go with you.”
Russell snorted. “You can’t go. Your wife is expecting. You can’t risk it.”
“We will all be going with you, lad,” Angus said quietly.
Howard punched him on the shoulder. “See what I’ve been telling you all along? You’re not alone, Russell. You never were.”
The tears that had threatened to fall finally slid down Russell’s face.