The Viking's Mate Hunt

CHAPTER 124

"Anja? How the hell can you call that thing something so casual?!"

"Because that is, or it was her name at the beginning."

We had finally stopped, sitting down in the pitch-black depths of the cave. The cold stones were biting cold against my back as I leaned against the walls of the cave, pressing my knees up against my chest.

"All lost souls, detached or roaming spirits, end up here. When she did, she was a woman like you. I am not sure what she was, but the legend says she was a shifter, but the stories about what kind are many. However, they said she was a greedy woman, sly and conning that she would use any means necessary to get what she wanted or felt she deserved. Nobody knows how she obtained the fallen dragon, but somehow, she did, but she did not anticipate the cost of her greed. There is nobody she can complain to, nobody that can change her faith, so as the years passed, her spirit became part of the skeleton. Together, they are now one; together, they collect all lost or wandering spirits and souls."

"Okay, so let us pretend now that this all makes sense and that I'm not starting to believe you escaped a closed asylum; why does that have to be so bad? Where does she take them?"

"Sorry, my mistake. I should not have said collected to a human, I guess, so that is on me, but it means she eats them. But that doesn't mean they die or find their final peace. They are all captives inside of her, the skeleton working as their forever prison, so you could say that creature is the closest thing to purgatory that many human religions like to talk about. Only that it is not a forever sentence based on how you lived your life and what choices you made, but the ability to outrun a dragon."

Even if we had to be in the middle of this massive mountain by now, the screeching sound of the dreadful creatures echoed through bone and marrow. Made the mountain shiver and creak, like it was about to fall beneath the weight of something. And here I am, fighting myself next to a stranger wearing horns and a skirt way too short, at least for a man with the hairiest legs I've ever seen. I can't accept this as reality, but from what I've seen with my own eyes, I can't pass it off as a dream or hallucination either. Then a new little light bulb pinged in my head,

"Does that mean I'm dead? I mean, my body? Did we drive after the party? Crash? "

Still, I grasped for every opportunity that there had to be some logical explanation for all of this. For this place and for what I am seeing here. To my horror, he didn't answer, and I squinted my eyes to see him in the dark, but he avoided me, staring straight ahead into nothing.

"It is a little more complicated than that. But do you really not remember anything? Your wolf? Friends? How about your father?"

"I never had that many friends, not real ones anyway. My father?"

I scoffed,

"Who knows who he is or where. Never met my sperm donor."

I shrugged like it meant nothing like I never even considered the thought that my life would have been better all along if I knew him. But I guess I could also have made It so much worse, I guess.

"Sorry, but not sorry. This is all too stupid! You met your father not long ago, even your brother, and from what I heard, your new stepmom! Nope! Shut it and listen! I know you don't remember, but it has been a long time since you were back home in the human world, so you better adjust quickly. We have a shit storm waiting for us up there, no doubt, and I also know for a fact you familiarized with a dragon! So, wrap your head around it and let us head out of here.

I know I am supposed to call this place home, but I hate it! How can you enjoy this beautiful body and toned muscles without a single day of sun or females that look at anything but your horn and tail size? Pathetic place if you ask me. Oh, and I know just how delicious I look, thank you very much, so I know I am wasted down here. Besides, I like this state, alive.. And for goddess' sake, put that grimace away! Just by looking at you, I can feel the same type of genes and judgment that follows them as Tew has! What a rude bloodline!"

Baffled, I just stared at him until he slammed my mouth shut by lifting my chin up with a finger. I have no idea how to react to this.. I mean, was he delusional, schizophrenic, or what? Who can talk like that about something as dire as this and suddenly make it all about their abs?

"Stop drooling; I know you want me! But sorry, on this occasion, I actually fear Tew's reaction if I let you have a taste! Anyway, we have a steep climb down before we can get up again, so let us go. We can't sit here and tease each other like this in a situation like this; you have no self-control have you?!"

He winked at me and offered his hand to help me up, but I was still stunned. Stunned and suddenly very skeptical to touch that hand! Shuddering, just thinking where that had been before, I stumbled up on my feet. My head was spinning; new information, confusion, and the need to smack this wannabe drag queen swirled around one another and left me unable to act on any of them. Wolves, dragons, father, brother, and abs.. Great. I might not be drugged or high anymore, but I think it made some kind of permanent damage, at least to that guy!

After stumbling through the narrow and dark tunnel into the mountain, we reached what looked like a whole. It was like the ground just disappeared into nothing to appear as suddenly, out of nowhere, a couple of meters ahead, and we stopped. I kept a good distance from the edge, staring at Hades in disbelief as his toes were hanging over the edge, staring down, studying the steep fall.

"We should turn back, and maybe we missed a turn. It is not like it was easy seeing anything past that blasting flame on your massive tail!"

I said, my voice filled with annoyance while my head was still filled with a sweet mix of excitement and horror. The man grew a tail all of a sudden and lit up the devouring darkness a while back, and I swear that thing grew right out of his ass! It didn't matter how much he claimed it was a part of his spine. With a raised brow, I looked as he spun around, with a shocked face, before looking down at his tail and blushing... Blushing!? It was so awkward I didn't even know where to look or do with myself!

"You think my tail is massive?! Really? You're not mocking me?"

Then he suddenly cleared his throat and straightened up, hiding his tail behind him.

"So, let us never talk about this again."

I didn't even have time to think it through or answer before he turned and faced the gap right in front of him. Leaving me there not understanding a shit, but he did make sure to keep his tail close after that. Then I realized he did this with everything he said, told me a piece, and then made it obvious that the important piece of the image was missing. So while he rambled about climbing, jumping loose rocks, and some kind of opening, something I didn't really listen to, I stared at his tail.

It sounded like Hades had landed on a solution he was satisfied with, nodding to himself and with his hands firmly placed on his sides. I couldn't help myself, so I grabbed his tail. No, I didn't use force; I didn't mean to hurt him; I just wanted to touch it and figure out what the deal was. It was warm! Warmer than my skin, soft like the most expensive leather but still firm, and I could instantly feel it move in my hand. My eyes widened, and I jumped back in surprise as he let out the strangest sound I've ever heard and jumped back, not once but twice. His face was all flustered, eyes wide, and his mouth hanging open.

"Wha... NO! NO! You can't do that! And that is not okay! That.., I, NO!"

I had to bite my tongue not to smile or laugh, and his reaction was hilarious but also a bit unexpected.

"Calm down. You waved that thing in my face, lighting up everything right in my face. I just touched it!"

"You just, but you can't! And I didn't.. Oh, shut up! That is just wrong! Don't ever touch it again! And a tip, never touch anyone´s tail, never! Let us pretend this never happened and just get this jump out of the way!"

And just like that, he grabbed my hand and sprinted towards the edge, jumping right off the cliff with me in tow. I didn't even manage to scream, not when we went off the edge, not when we fell down, faster and faster down. My heart pounded up my throat, beating between my lips and threatening to hammer its way out of my chest. I saw nothing, not even the slightest movement, only devouring and absolute darkness. Thick and impenetrable. The wind, swishing in my ear, was accompanied by whispers. At first, I believed it was the wind too, the air rushing by as we fell, but the whispers were voices.

Deep voices, light, almost singing, and some threatening, there were so many, so many different tones and messages. The second I thought I could pick up one, I discovered I listened to another without being able to tell when the switch happened. A soft female voice that sounded old and caring, and her words were soothing, but before her sentence ended, a young man was shouting. Whispering and shouting harsh words only to me ended with a baby's cries.

Hades grip around my hand tightened, pulled me closed, and his other hand wrapped around me. It all happened within seconds, microseconds, and we stopped at nothing. No, I am not sure we even stopped, but there was a sudden yank, abruptly and hard, before the fall continued, but this time slower and softer until I felt something beneath my feet. Ground, we landed softly on the ground! And finally, I could breathe; I didn't even realize I had held my breath for so long. The warmth of his breath brushed against my cheek as he whispered,

"Don't answer them, no matter what they say. No matter what they show you. Do not answer, do not look them in the eyes. Do you understand? "

I just nodded, not understanding who he spoke about. Down here, the whispers were gone, the never-ending darkness still thick around us.

"Good. They can't hurt you, at least not physically. Stare past them, bite your tongue, and we will be fine."

Just then, a dimmed light started blinking far down into the darkness, a glimmer of hope.