Prince of Hell

by J N Moon

  "Medium, generally."

  He worked on commission, obviously though not for long. I eyed his every move.

  Chuntering under his breath, he rummaged around on the sparse rails. Most of the suits came in brown, grey, navy, and...black.

  "I'm not sure we have red silk shirts in. We can order one for you if cost is no problem?"

  "That would be great. Thanks. You lived here long?"

  His demeanour changed, his shoulders rising slightly, but enough for me to notice. He was holding his breath. "All my life. You, though? Obviously English. Oxford? You don't have a dialect to your accent."

  "Bath, actually."

  "Ah, that explains it. Your first time in South Africa?" He talked whilst browsing for a shirt, so I could try the whole ensemble.

  "Yes, is it that obvious?"

  Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Not really. I know most of my clients, though. I haven't seen you before. You have a quintessential English accent, and Bath is quite affluent. Here, the changing room is just through there. Let me know if there's anything you need," he snarked.

  "Anything?" I scanned him.

  Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Almost! We're not that kind of place, sir."

  "Good to know."

  I was faking the accent, and Bath is far from affluent. That’s just what they like people to think.

  As I came out of the changing room to get a better look at the suit, looking in the mirror, my heart stopped. It seemed just for a moment...Who was I?

  A far cry from the man a few years ago, scraping a living as an art dealer, a failed artist, and now I was wearing a three-thousand-pound suit, gathering enough power to do...

  With my vision focused on the mirror, I detected a sneer from Richard. Felt him scan me as I saw what pleased me but pissed him off. A personal shopper, for someone with envy issues, I would think possibly the worst job. He was mostly courteous, his inner feelings unable to be completely suppressed.

  "That's a good fit, but we can tailor it to make it sharper?"

  "Thank you. Yes, and then I'll need it sent to this address in the UK. I'm not staying, and I hate shopping. The red shirt?"

  Raising his eyebrows at my shipping request, he continued, "Let me see. I'd just like to check we've got your measurements a hundred percent." He assisted me taking off the jacket and proceeded to measure me. He shivered, which I took as a good sign since I am dangerous.

  His lips pressed tightly together I could see he was done with small talk, so I pushed him further, "It's my last night here. Anywhere you recommend I go? Clubs?"

  Wincing, he said, "Well, nowhere off this street. You know to always get a cab, right? A cab with a sign. The townships, backstreets after six pm would be very dangerous to you. I don't go out much myself. Not here. Right. That should be fine. Your address?"

  I gave him my address, Nathaniel's house and my credit card and waited. As he sorted that, I eyed a cafe across the street. Fortunately, with window seats. I hate wind, and it was bloody windy here. No doubt because the ocean was not far.

  I paid, thanked him, and made my way across the street. I ordered coffee I decided not to drink. My vampire body, though it had got better at digesting human food, was still in shock most of the time, the details of which aren’t pleasant. Bael was good, but my nature was stronger. I watched Richard until the shop shut. As he left, I followed him back to his apartment.

  Loitering outside, I found a seat and waited. His apartment block was small, fortified to the hilt in an area just above the poverty line. My instincts spot on, after an hour, as nighttime crept in, Richard appeared looking around, shady behaviour, and made his way to the poorer end of the street.

  I had no fear. Any locals who spotted me walked away from me. I strode out of distance of Richard, the houses becoming shanties until he stopped outside a dilapidated one-story building, hesitated, then walked in. A man appeared at the doorway, almost larger than the doorway and armed, took some money and nodded. Whatever he was doing, it wouldn't be good, so I hid out of sight for about ten minutes before scanning the building and finding a gap in the wall to sneak through.

  There were a few guards. Here it's all private security, but mortals are easy enough to avoid. The tiny grounds around it were littered and dry. Listening in, it didn't take long to pick up his scent. Ah, a brothel, as I thought, but unfortunately my brother wasn't the gentleman. I found a broken window to the room Richard was in. I got in easy enough through an open window, again picking up Richard’s scent I moved effortlessly past the guard’s unseen, then slowly twisting the handle to his room I stood dead still by the door.

  Richard had a woman tied to a bed and was beating her, and not in a kinky way. She had a gag in her mouth but was trying to scream through it. So tightly chained, she didn't see me. Instantly, I was behind him and bit his neck so hard he yelped, but he was immediately paralysed with my venom. Desperately I tried to block his vile memories, thoughts, as I sucked hard on his neck, intentionally putting him in agony. In minutes, he dropped to the floor, dead. Spitting out his cursed bitter blood and before helping the woman, I searched the rest of the building, finding three other bouncers there, who, on seeing me, blood dripping from my mouth, shot me. I kept moving forwards, laughing, terrifying them with my fangs.

  I drained them fast, one down, two to go. They scrambled out of that place, but I was quicker. Using my nails to slice their throats so they'd bleed out. Finally, the big guy at the door ambled in, shooting, but I leapt at him, taking him down, draining him. I needed his blood to heal the gunshots. Searching his pockets, I took the money. Sadly, a lot more than Richard had given him, and went back to find the woman.

  I unchained her. Shaking, hysterical creature, her eyes did not lie. She knew I was a demon. So, I drank her blood, mesmerised her, and gave her my blood. Not enough to turn her but enough to heal her wounds, her mind. I gave her the money, and under my dark influence, I walked her home, a different woman.

  I went back to Richard to set him on fire. Sorry, Bael, I don't think so...

  ***

  "You were going to leave him. That wasn't your job. You wanted to go alone. Good job I popped in. Without all seven of you, you'll never get Rachel back. Consider yourself grounded," Bael shouted, his voice shrill.

  "You're going to save this piece of shit? You know what he is..."

  "Then why don't you alter his mind like you did Daniel?" he screamed.

  Shrugging and twisting my lips, I said, "I have. Maybe it'll work. But grounding me? Seriously?" I smirked. "You do it. I don't want to give this piece of shit a chance. I want to burn his body, Bael."

  His voice grave, he said, "I know, and I understand, but I need all seven of you. All of you. Now mesmerise him with your psychology lesson 101. Give your blood and let's get home. Seven days. If he's still a psycho, then you can whack him. I promise."

  "Wow, your fatherly love didn't last long, did it?"

  "Anthony, stop being an asshole. The clock is ticking."

  Huffing, I dropped my blood into the lifeless body of the dick-head, though he'd been dead for twenty minutes. Nothing happened.

  Bael ranted, "Get out of the way. I'll shift the lazy ass corpse but be ready to spill him your blood." Raising him slightly, mumbling some incantation, purple dew seemed to form over the misogynist. Bael gazed at me, raised his eyebrows, and again I dropped my blood into the twat's mouth.

  Now he gasped deeply like breathing for the first time, his back arching up. Spluttering, he opened his dead eyes. "Where am I? What happened?"

  "You're an asshole, that's what happened." I crouched, grabbed his face, and stared into his eyes. "You will never hurt another. Now you know that whatever you are, there are bigger, more dangerous predators out there, watching your every move."

  Richard looked dazed.

  Panting, I stood up, facing Bael. "Let's sort this, make sure he feeds on someone...brutal." Then, gesturing, I said, "You won't need to look far. Do your spell, and I'll see yo
u in Clifton."

  Nodding, Bael flicked his hand. My stomach churned, head spinning like nails twisting in my brain, but I was home. The familiar smell of Bath with all its traffic, its fumes through my head. Pained relief washed through me.

  "Anthony!"

  Smiling, I turned, hearing Marcus's voice. Then my mouth fell open as I saw I was surrounded by my friends. Acacius, Aaron, Nicolas, even the werewolves and dragon shifter. Laughing, I asked, "Am I a prisoner? It's good to see you all. You have no idea!"

  As I went to walk, my legs stuck, unable to move. Looking around, anger built fast when I saw Lucius. The little shit appeared from behind my Nephilim friends, a tome of a book in his hands.

  "We've bound you. Or, rather, he did at our request. It's for your own good. We will not allow you to reign your destruction again. It's for your good and everyone else's."

  Aaron chipped in, "Don't be mad. Anyone else we would've killed, but as it's you, we're just holding you until the rest, along with Bael, are dead. You will be punished, obviously. What the hell were you thinking? Rachel? Really, Anthony. You'd bring down the destruction of the planet for your own selfish reasons? No."

  "Seriously, I wouldn't do this, guys. I mean, Bael will be pissed, and it's too late. We, all seven of us, are back. Though I have to admit, I wasn't overjoyed at changing some of them." I saw their tiny glances, watched their eyes as they looked at one another. "Please. I know you fear me. I haven't changed, much. But I don't...I really don't want you to get hurt."

  Acacius went to speak. The ground shook, and Bael appeared, suited, booted, pissed. "Lucius, you're with me!" a flick of his wrist and Lucius was gone. "Now, boys, because I like Anthony, and you’re supposed to be his friends,” he shouted, “I'm not going to kill you or send you to Hell, but you will leave him alone," he bellowed, scraping his hair out of his face. He nodded to me, grinning, and the next thing I knew, I was back in Clifton, in his house with my six brothers sat around, Richard and Andy arguing, Jack looking out of the window, bored. Tony and Daniel pouring drinks from the sideboard and Tom, sitting next to the fire, notepad on the arm of a chair, and a large whisky in the other hand.

  "Gentlemen, gentlemen. Calm the fuck down. Good, now I've got you all together, I have an announcement. I need you all to keep a low profile for the next seven days. After that, you can do what you like, but not before. Now, I'm not asking. If you cross me, I'll simply put you into a deep sleep. Am I understood?"

  Jack spun around from looking out the window and rolled his eyes at me. "Sure. I'm going to hang out with Anthony if that's Ok with him?"

  I nodded. Andy joined Jack. "Me too. I need time to adjust, and I'd like to spend this time with them."

  The others were quiet.

  Bael shrugged. "Fine. Meet me back here in seven days."

  "What about Lucius? Where the hell is he? I'd like a word with him," I hissed.

  "Shut up. He's somewhere safe, and you'll be having no words. I've put a protection spell on you all so the other supernaturals and their glorious Council can't find you, but if you step out of line...Well, you'll regret it."

  "So, what are we supposed to do now then? You've taken us out of our lives, put us here, now what?"

  "I'll take care of you, show your potential. Except Andy and Jack."

  Daniel sauntered over to Bael, dramatically flicking his long, silky hair back with his hand. "And what if I'd rather stay with Anthony." he looked over to me. "I think I'd like to f —"

  "And that's enough," Bael shouted. Daniel was suddenly incapable of moving his mouth, frozen in mid-speech along with the rest of him.

  "As for the rest of you," snapping his fingers, that only left me, Jack, and Andy able to move.

  "Well...Kids. They grow up so fast. I'll see you three in a week then. All right." And zap, we were back in Bath.

  Jack and Andy staggered.

  "I'll never get used to that. It makes me...want to...puke," Jack stammered.

  Andy frowned. "I'm full of doubt. What the hell...Anthony, we're looking to you, and I'm hungry. I don't want blood," he cursed.

  "Well, if you're hungry, that's probably what you need. Come, this city's filled with evildoers, lucky for us."

  Reluctantly, Andy followed. Jack seemed more upbeat. "What was Bael on about, seven days?"

  "Well there's seven of us, so some ritual no doubt to bring back our power in seven days, that's my guess," I answered.

  "But why? Why is he doing this and what I'd really like to know is why you helped him? You actually trust him?" Andy grunted.

  “Ha. You've got to be kidding. Trust? No way. I have my own agenda. I want the power to bring back those I got killed, that's all. But the amount of chaos in this world that goes unseen by mortal eyes, this is nothing. It's ongoing. If you ever thought your life was boring, it won't be for long. Not now."

  We walked out of the city centre towards a small park that was near Nathaniel's, my, home. As I stood outside listening, Jack and Andy seemed restless.

  "Shh. Be still," I whispered.

  Within the park, small as it was, two men waited near the edge. No doubt looking for a passer-by to rob, or worse. Jumping over the iron fence with the other two following, I kept to the edge, found the men, and opening my arms, I said, "Jack, Andy...here."

  Jack seemed crazed. Savagely, he bit and drained the man, his eyes small and mean. I pulled him away, but he wouldn't let go. Whispering loudly, "What are you doing? I told you to mesmerise them, not to kill them."

  Dropping the man, Jack clicked his fingers. The man was dust. Andy pulled away, his eyes like saucers. "You don't have to do that! Have you lost your mind?"

  Shrugging, Jack looked to Andy's victim, and before I could grab his hand, click. The man was soot. "Who cares? They're wicked. A waste of air."

  "They are also the source of us living, fool. Where the fuck is your humanity? They weren't..."

  "They were rapists. Now they're not. Shut it, Anthony. You've killed innocents, remember. Now it's your turn. You're always grouchy when you're hungry — that's what I've noticed." Jack laughed.

  Beads of sweat broke over my forehead. This wasn’t going to plan. Oh God, this is going to be a long week. I fed, but my heart wasn't in it. Jack, further pissing me off, killed my victim. I grabbed him by the neck. "Will you just stop doing that? Jesus. Whatever Bael does, you may still need humans. Just stop, or I'll stop you."

  Worry clenched my stomach. As their maker, they should obey me, but they weren't, and if they didn't now, then what would happen after Bael increased their power? Shit...

  I took them back to Nathaniel's home, ignoring their shock on seeing it, and lit the fire, grabbed a book, and plonked down.

  "What are we supposed to do now?" Jack smirked.

  Exasperated, I snapped, "Look. Here's a clue. You've been given immortality. Why not pick up a book and learn something? Or use the laptop? Do something to better yourself."

  He snorted and left the room.

  Rituals. I pulled from my pocket a piece of cloth that had a bit of Rachel's hair. Upstairs, I knew, was a brush that Nathaniel had used on his thick, long hair. I didn't have much, but as neither of them was human, there was a chance. And I read.

  Necromancy...No that usually involved an actual body. Blood magic.

  I text Bael. I wanted blood from all seven of them, and some of his.

  I didn't hear anything back, but when morning came, I was woken up by traffic and my phone beeping. He'd agreed, but I had to wait. He'd gather the blood of the four with him and put it on ice.

  Andy and Jack were sleeping. I woke them individually, telling them I needed to taste their blood but really, I sucked it and spat it into a phial. They weren't compliant until I told them why.

  "How the heck will that work? It's not like we're related to her."

  "No, but we are connected and powerful."

  "And the others?"

  "Bael has them on hold. He's got it on ice."

  Jack smirked.
I guessed he was glad he’d come with me. Andy snorted roughly, his face neutral.

  Then they helped me find other ingredients that I needed. A human heart, rainwater, amaranth flowers, saffron, a Yew branch, mu, blood of the dead — we had that — and something belonging to the dead person. Along with this, I had to draw a strange sigil. It was complex and had to come from blood from my two index fingers, but I had it. I'd run it by Bael before, but I had the spell. He could hardly say no after everything I'd done for him, and now maybe my lover could be back.

  We gathered the ingredients, including our blood, which I put in bags in the freezer, just in case anything happened. Christ, I'd gone to such lengths, I wasn't about to mess this up. The rest of the week I spent reading, hunting, but staying out of the city. I admit I was suspicious that none of my friends came by the house to see if I was there. I guessed Bael’s spell was stronger than I'd anticipated.

  Sleep didn’t come easy. Every night, I woke up in a sweat from nightmares of Rachel coming back and choosing Damien, the half-vampire, half-demon goth she’d chosen over me when we split up. Or catching me having sex with someone else. Thoughts of Zagan and Nimue flooded my body, sways of lust gripping me. If this didn’t work, I might have to take a job with Zagan and Nimue just to shake this off, but the more I tried to put this out of my mind, it seemed the more my body rebelled, and the hunger and yearning grew. Even blood didn’t help, it just made it worse, but I was so close I just couldn’t now, could I?

  Trying to distract myself from this impending desire that seemed to be growing like weeds, I took Jack and Andy out hunting in the early hours before dawn, then hired a taxi to take us to some local places like the town of Glastonbury where we fitted in without raising an eyebrow. Obviously, the car being too small and though my old car would've been big enough, I wanted to stay away from my flat for now.

  The seventh day came. I called Bael to say we were on our way but as usual, he didn't wait and zapped us over.

  Seven Princes, Seven Deadly Sins

  Shockingly, the other four were still as stone, still in the position we left them. Raising my eyebrows to Bael, he just shrugged his shoulders.