This chapter is dedicated to jinnis . Her ONC entry The Magic of Stories is truly magical as librarian Lynn encounters the most mysterious characters at her new job. I'm really excited where this story will take me. Check it out and get immersed in a cute adventure.

Armed with a dagger, I hold on for dear life on the back of Lou's motorcycle as he speeds through the hills of hell.

Cycle of doom.

That's what Levinia calls this contraption, which sums it up perfectly. This will be a one-off experience never to be repeated.

With a roar, the bike jumps over a deep valley and my gut lurches. I almost lose a couple of energy marbles that are making their way down the processing line.

Shit, I'm too old for this type of shenanigans.

Racing down a steep path, Lou slides to a stop at the shores of a large lake. Cheeks flushed and eyes brimming with joy, he chuckles. "That last jump was pretty epic."

"Speak for yourself. I never want to ride this thing again."

He rolls his eyes. "Seriously, Anchor, you need to get out more. Stuck up as you are, someone could mistake you for a freaking angel."

"I take offense to that."

"I mean it. Keeping up the right image as a celestial demon is already hard enough. You don't want to give others the wrong idea."

"Yeah, sure, okay, once we find Cass, I promise I'll be more social doing demon things."

"Good because Cass enjoys getting loose." He squeezes my arm and turns to the lake.

With the sky reflecting off the surface, the water is as black as the darkest night. Not one ripple disturbs the peace. Glistening and slick, the depth could be anything from a few feet to hundreds of miles. Simply looking at the lake raises goosebumps on my skin.

A sudden whirlpool spits out a creature. With narrow eyes, I watch how her arms cut elegantly through the water with even strokes. A little jump reveals a naked body with soft curves and other appealing assets. I can't tear my eyes away. When she swims toward the shore, I soak in her features. Dark brown curls frame a heart-shaped face; her skin is as dark and smooth as the oak wood at the bar. Intense blue irises gaze up at me from under long-curved lashes. Mesmerized, I step forward. The water nips at my boots; only Lou's pull on my arm stops me from leaping into the lake.

"Careful, she's a siren." His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows; he's affected by her beauty but not as much as me. "Hey, Sierra, what's up?"

"Lou!" Her gorgeous eyes switch their focus. "I haven't seen you in forever. Do you want to play? And who is your friend?"

"It's my brother and unfortunately, I can't." He shrugs an apology. "We are in a little bit of a hurry, so if you could point us to where the canoe is hidden?"

"Awe, I'm sorry, but Levinia made us get rid of it. Too many demons came around and crossed over to the island."

Lou arches a brow. "My demons?"

"Some of them tasted delicious." She licks her luscious lips.

"Sierra, the sirens are here to lure human sinners who escaped the torture chambers back to the gates of hell with their songs. You weren't made to devour demons."

She pouts. "I know, but we hardly ever get humans and those demons deserved a little bit of fun, don't you think?"

Lou shakes his head with a sigh. "I'll discuss with Levinia how we can keep you guys more occupied. For now, how can we cross? My brother and I need to get to the island."

Sierra cocks her head. "You'll have to swim."

Lou clicks his tongue. "The last time I checked, these waters were infested with Strawberry Mollusks."

"They are and the mollusks bite intruders. Try not to get too close."

"I suppose we have no other option but to swim." Lou hunkers down and runs his fingertips through the water. "And it's not too cold."

I gape at him with an open mouth. He can't be serious. "I read about Strawberry Mollusks. They are vicious little things and their sting hurts like crazy."

"They are also very territorial, so we have to be quick."

"Lou, this is insane. There must be another way."

"There isn't. To get to Nicoletta, we need to cross three lakes of the Seas of Six Wonders and this is the first one." He smirks. "And look on the bright side. I'm immune to the sirens and can keep you from straying, which means the Strawberry Mollusks are the only danger in these waters."

That makes me feel so much better.

I take a deep breath. For Cass. I need to do this for her. "Let's make sure to stay close together."

"Agreed." Lou wades into the water and glances over his shoulder. "Are you coming or what?"

Here goes nothing. Stepping into the lake, the mud gives way under my soles. Lou was right, the water is warm and the sand is soft. Soon, I'm immersed up to my chin and push off the ground. With even strokes, I follow Lou's lead. "How far to the island?"

"I'd say we should make it in about ten minutes."

I focus on my breath and the synchronized movements of my arms and legs. My mind strays to Cass.

How much is she suffering?

Welbourne is a vindictive son-of-a-bitch with way too much time on his hands, and the mere fact that Lou is attracted to Cass will make him vicious and unhinged. The competition between them is real; Welbourne has never accepted that he is a mere offspring and not a celestial. He resents every fiber of Lou's existence.

A sudden twirl around me raises the alarms. "Lou!" I catch sight of a translucent tentacle with large, fiery-red suction cups. It slices through the water on the hunt for prey. For a breath, the creature's head pops above the surface. The transparent skin offers a view of its pulsing brain and one large, beady eye assesses my movements. It's fucking creepy.

The breath stalls in my throat and I paddle backward. "Lou!"

Glancing around, he is gone.

Trying to get away from the Strawberry Mollusk, I lie on my back and rotate my arms. It's working and the distance is widening, at least until I hit a jello-like obstacle.

Shit, there's two of them.

I'm pulled under water just as I get the dagger free of its sheath. Stabbing around me at the moving shadows, I swallow a ton-shit of water. Hot pain shoots up my leg and overpowers my senses. The torment is paralyzing. Arms sluggish, the dagger drops from my hand.

I float, unable to move.

The last bit of energy is drained from my lungs.

Scorching pain is all that is left.

Pulled deeper into the murky waters by sucking flesh wrapped tightly around my leg, the pressure on my eardrums rises. My head is pounding so hard that I fear it will split in half. As I sink faster and faster, the water turns as icy as the breath of an angel. Humming surrounds me like a cocoon. I close my eyes, ready for a hibernating sleep.

A sudden burst lights the darkness behind my eyelids. With a squeal, the Strawberry Mollusk releases my leg. I catapult upward, reaching for the sparkles of light sprinkled across the sky. When I break through the surface, my lungs fill with air and energy dances on my skin. I'm functional again, even if battered to the core.

As I splash about, my strength dwindles quickly from my limbs. I'm close to being reclaimed by the depth of the lake when Lou appears next to me.

"Grab one of his arms, Sierra. He can't make it on his own."

Water rushes over my skin as I'm dragged through the lake at rapid speed. My knees hit solid ground first, then I land on my stomach. Crawling out of the water on all fours takes effort; the pain is blinding and I collapse in the warm sand. Panting, I squint to bring the spinning world into focus.

Lou drops next to me. "By the heavens, that was close. The Strawberry Mollusk almost got you to its lair. You would've been stuck."

"His leg is in bad shape." Sierra's warm hands tingle on my skin. "I'm going to look for some Aloe Vera and apply a wrap."

Lou nods. He sits up and looks around.

I barely manage to raise my head. We are at the bottom of a wide chasm with walls so high that the upper edges are no longer visible. The strip of sky between the barriers is a powdery purple that's brightly lit by two suns as boundary markers. "Where are we?"

"We made it to the island. Now we need to dodge—"

A cry cuts him off. Sierra's body flies through the air and lands next to me in the sand. For a breath, I fear the worst, but then she pulls herself onto her knees and bends forward until her forehead touches the ground.

Large shadows darken the suns. I peek at the sources. Two giants tower over us; they are easily the height of one of the taller hills of hell with shoulders the width of the gates of the heavens. One of them is as white as ivory with golden flowing hair, the other has ebony skin and a silver buzz cut. Their glares cutting into us leave not even a slither of doubt that we invaded their territory.

Titans, a demon's mortal enemy.

WP total word count: 18,842

I thought I'd bring a little more action into the mix to keep things interesting. In case you were wondering why the water creatures were called Strawberry Mollusks, a few writers and I have a little competition going that requires us to incorporate the words "amber" and "Strawberry Mollusk" into our stories. I figured I'd go all out on the mollusks and give them plenty of page time to pull ahead in the race, lol.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter; if so, please consider clicking the little Star and/or drop me a comment. Thanks for reading and Happy Eastern to those who celebrate!