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

But odds were, I’d end up with another dead end. Something big and bad was going on Down Below. Something big enough that even a little imp—the lowest of the low—knew what was what.
    I didn’t know who—or what—but I had a gut feeling someone was making a move on my domain.
    Let ‘em try. If any dems tried to set even one hell-painted foot inside Orlando, there was going to be hell to pay.

4
    E veryone was asleep at Momma R’s by the time I made it back dusty, dirty, and sporting more than a little soot from the fires of Hell. The stink of sulfur stuck to my skin, Hell leaving its nasty-stank-ass rotten egg scent on me. Blech.
    The back door automatically opened for me, a nice little bit of magic I appreciated since I’d left with a ton of weapons and no house keys. Nice.
    I tugged off my boots near the door, quietly placing them on the rag rug Momma R made a couple hundred years ago. The woman hated throwing anything out. A little soot dropped off the toe of my boot and I bent to wipe it off, thankful Blooming Aster dropped a few cleaning spells in this house in addition to my own.
    I turned left, quietly making my way to the kitchen, finding Papa Finn at the counter, scanning every can, baby bottle, and jar of baby food he’d found. I settled into one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table, content to watch my father work. He snagged a beer out of the fridge for me, giving it a once over with his rod—that sounded really gross—and then handed it over.
    “I take it things didn’t go well?” He took a sip of his beer.
    I snorted and ruffled my hair, bits of dirt raining on the counter. “Not so much. Didn’t learn a thing from the imp and Mom showed up.” I cracked open my beer and took a healthy swig, emptying half the thing down my throat. “That woman drives me insane.” I sighed. “Seriously Papa, I don’t understand how you ever got involved with her. Didn’t she drive you crazy? With all the evil and the hate?”
    Papa Finn laid his dowsing rod on the counter and came to sit across from me. “That’s a simple question with a complicated answer.”
    “Is ‘complicated’ parent code for ‘pain in the ass’?” I raised my eyebrows.
    He chuckled and shook his head. “You know your mother and I didn’t have a normal relationship. None of us did. A woman using dark magic to combine— “
    “Wait.” I held up my hand. “Please spare me the details of my conception. I’m just like J-dawg upstairs—immaculate conception and nothing you say can change that.”
    Papa Finn, an old unicorn who’d been around the block a few times, blushed and lowered his eyes. “All I’m saying is your mother didn’t choose me out of some misplaced search for love or devotion. I had traits she wanted and I’ve always been grateful to be a part of your life, to watch you grow. But for me, everything was about you, not her. The way she is?” He shrugged. “I never tried to find a reason. I just loved you as hard as I could and hoped that we all managed not to ruin you too badly.”
    The soft smile I got beat back some of the anger and rage still pulsing in my veins, the whole “love conquering evil” thing in full effect. I swirled the beer around the bottom of the bottle, watching the liquid swish around. “I’m a little like her, you know? I mean, I’m like you guys too, but she’s still there. The woman who is quite possibly the worst mother ever is a big part of me.” I took another sip. “And I don’t know what it means to be a mother. There’s no man in my life to offset all my bullshit and make sure Bry’s raised right. How am I supposed to be a mother? I’m not even qualified. I didn’t play baby dolls with other kids. I lit them on fire .”
    Papa Finn grinned, rubbing his inner forearm and probably remembering that day. Bonus to him being a unicorn? A quick shift took care of that little third-degree burn. He pointed down the hall, where my son lay. “You love that little