Hell's Gates (Urban Fantasy) by Celia Kyle, Lauren Creed Read Free Book Online

happened. Fire roared into the sky, smoke and flames shooting into the air and painting the clouds an unearthly red. Roars and screams poured from the small circle, the agonies of lost souls voicing their pain.
    Lucifer—drama king.
    “Enough,” I snapped. The howls immediately quieted and turned into annoyed grumbles. Uncle Luc said that if anyone managed to create a portal into Hell, they deserved a little fanfare.
    I stuck my hand through the roiling circle, reaching in and groping around. “Come on,” I mumbled. “Someone’s gotta be hanging around.” My fingers collided with something fleshy and hot and I fisted whatever I’d found, tugging it free from the fires of Hell. “Ha! Got you!”
    A quivering imp dangled from my fist, my hands wrapped around his chubby ankle. Ever since I’d adopted Bryony, I’d found babies adorable and an imp… was basically a red human toddler with wings, tail, and the cutest little horns on its forehead. Oh, and it was evil. There was that.
    They were also the easiest to catch and generally didn’t give up too much of a fight. It was why when I needed something simple, like information, I called on these little guys.
    I dropped the imp and it scrambled away, crouching on the ground while hissing and slashing at the air with its cutesy tiny claws. It was like a Chihuahua attempting to intimidate a Great Dane with its itty-bitty bark.
    But even an imp could be a deadly creature if left unchecked. How many times had I had to banish an imp and clean up its mess when a teeny-bopper pop group decided they wanted to make a deal with the devil and ended up with an imp instead?
    Right now, I wasn’t in the mood. I darted my hand out and grasped the tiny creature by the arm, yanking it close and shifting my grip to its horn. I pulled its head back and pressed my blade to the underside of his chin.
    “I’m really not in the mood.” I pricked his skin and he whined, a hint of my blood seeping into the wound. “Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll send you back.”
    I wouldn’t even take the time to torture him or anything.
    The imp froze, his eyes following the length of my arm, up my body, and then finally focused on my face. It twitched a split second, eyes widening, and then he… snickered.
    I frowned. “Do you not get what’s going on, little dem?”
    “Oh, yes, mistress.” He sounded all humble and downtrodden, and yet I wasn’t buying it.
    I released him, letting him stumble back a bit, and then he gave me a little mocking bow. I knew mocking and it was totally mocking.
    “Forgive me, mistress. Would Her Highness like me to polish her boots?”
    Still with the mocking.
    I lifted my leg and kicked the little fucker in the head, sending him rolling to the edge of the circle. It flared a bright white for a split second and then the imp yowled in pain. Magic wielders always tried to keep Hell beings contained by fire. I used ice.
    His pain-filled shout was immediately followed by raspy chuckles.
    “What’s so funny, little prick?” I propped my hands on my hips.
    “Nothing, oh, nothing, Highness.” He kept laughing as he pushed to his feet, rubbing his battered head. “I am most honored to be brought into your domain. Oh…” He touched a tiny claw-tipped finger to his lips. “Gee, I’m sorry. We aren’t in your domain, are we? No, no, no, you banned all dems from entering your city.” He glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the distant city lights and then released another giggle. “Tell me, mistress, how is that going for you?”
    On one hand, I could cut off his head and send him back to Hell, but then I’d have to start all over again. On the other… I could get information first and then cut off his head and send him back to Hell.
    Even if starting over was a pain, it was very tempting.
    “Listen, fuckhead.” I snatched at a little more hellfire, delving into the second circle and melting the dirt and sand around his feet into a molten pile of liquid