Encounter with the Devil

by Maya Daniels

  “I’m not your enemy, Eric.” Shaking his head, he walks away, stopping at the threshold where this whole conversation started. “You fear for her, and I should let you calm down before you can see reason. The girl has nothing to fear from me; neither do you.” Throwing those words with his back turned to me, he walks out, closing the door behind him.

  Breathing harshly, air whizzing through my nostrils like a raging bull, I clench my fists into a white-knuckled grip. I don’t trust him, or the angels around Helena, and nothing any of them say will change that. Even if she decides to turn her back on me after everything, I will follow her. I’ll be her shadow for as long as I breathe to make sure she is safe from all of them.

  “I screwed up again, didn’t I?” Helena’s whisper is raspy and raw. She coughs weakly when I kneel at her bedside.

  “You are awake.” With shaking hands, I smooth the hair around her face. “You did nothing wrong.”

  “I’ll think I scared you, monster boy.” Lips lifting in a sleepy smile, she squints at me. “I’m guessing the wards held them back?”

  “You saved the day, cupcake.” Pressing my lips to hers, I inhale her scent. “They’ll know better than to mess with you now.”

  “I’m going to tell Lucifer that because of me your wings are back.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” Holding her face between my palms, I force her to look at me. “What you do, what you can do, none of them need to know. In these fucked up worlds, you need to keep your powers close to your skin. I’ll be dead before I allow them to use you.”

  “Okay.” Her eyelids flutter closed, leaving me to wonder if she was aware of what she was saying.

  “At least she woke up,” I tell myself, pressing my forehead to hers.

  Helena

  “You would think they’d eventually give up.” Pointing my chin at the demons throwing themselves bodily at the wards and sending sparks everywhere, I glance at Eric.

  It took an additional twenty-four hours after I spoke to him to fully wake up. With the time spent learning stuff from Lucifer, stabbing dragons and almost burning my sidekick to a crisp before going nuclear on their asses, I’ve spent four days in Hell. That’s three days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-five minutes more than I wanted to be here. Without a word, Eric stops next to me at the front doors, yanking me roughly to his side.

  Not Eric then.

  “Colt, I think I told you I’d stab you in the forehead if you kept doing this.” Shoving him away, I glare at him. “No one thinks it’s funny.”

  “I find it interesting that you can’t tell which one of us is your mate unless we speak.” Smirking, he leers, pissing me off.

  “If you can’t see how pathetic this makes you look, maybe they’ve dropped you on your head when you were born.” Scrunching up my face, I pretend like I’m looking for a bump still on his head. “Is that why you feel inferior to Eric?”

  My back hits the wall, Colt getting in my face, sneering “Careful little girl, anything can happen when no one is watching.” A shiver of revulsion passes through me when he grinds his erection on my lower belly, pinning my arms between us.

  Pushing the bile rising in my throat down, I grin at him. I was expecting him to do something like this by now. “You have no idea how right you are about that, asshole.” His eyes bulge out, and he freezes when I press the dagger harder at his groin. “You think there is anything here worth chopping off?” Acting like I’m thinking on it, I move my head left and right slightly. “I think not, but I’m willing to give it a go.”

  “What is the meaning of this?” Beelzebub booms from somewhere behind Colt, his deep voice echoing in the empty hallway.

  “Just Colt making sure I don’t fall down.” With a fiendish smile, I wink at Colt. “I felt a little dizzy.”

  Backing away slowly, Eric’s brother whirls around and storms outside through the still open doors. Too bad for the wards, I wouldn’t mind those feral demons snacking on him right now.

  “You alright, Helena?” Coming closer but still keeping his distance, Beelzebub gives me a once over, looking for injuries I’m sure.

  “Never better.” Offering him a small smile in gratitude, I turn to look at the barrier we created around us. “It’ll take a lot more than Colt to mess me up.” Watching him from the corner of my eye, I smirk. “I survived an encounter with an Archangel and a bunch of fallen. A whelp has nothing on me.”

  His shoulders shake with his chuckle. “I know you don’t want us mentioning him, but you have so much of your father in you.”

  “I came to terms with it, Beelzebub. You can talk about him as much as you like.” At his skeptical expression, I laugh. “I like to think I have just as much of my mother, too. So, I can’t be all bad, right?”

  “You have more of your mother than you may think.” That got my full attention. “Sedakiel might be an Archangel of mercy, but she is feistier than any other female I know.” Humor twinkles in his red eyes when he grins at me.

  “I like that.”

  “You’ve been very quiet and withdrawn since you woke up.” Venturing consciously, he follows my example and scans the wards. “I know you don’t trust us, and I don’t hold it against you. I actually admire that about you. Trust should never be given; it should be earned. But if anything is wrong and you are not feeling well, we can help as much as you let us.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m good. I just need time to think.” Shrugging nonchalantly, I push away the warm fuzzies his words gave me. Being accepted by the fallen was not on my bucket list, no matter how nice they are.

  “Something has changed?” He keeps prodding.

  Clutching the dagger tightly, my thumb rasps on the leather hilt. Ever since I woke up, I find myself holding it to keep me calm. “When I helped you seal the wards, it felt like some blockage was removed from me.”

  “What kind of blockage?” Noticing my reluctance, he lifts both palms in surrender. “I do not mean to pry. I’m only trying to see if I can help. Regardless of what anyone says, Satanael has been my brother since creation. You are his blood, and that’s all that matters to me. Politics are Lucifer’s problem. I couldn’t care less.”

  “Even if that gives you an advantage?” Glancing at him slyly, I tell him without words he is full of shit. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Laughter bounces off the walls, his large palms pressing on his chest. “You wound me.” At my cheeky smile, he shakes his head. “You are more cunning than they give you credit for. I’m looking forward to seeing their faces when they finally realize it.”

  “Anywho…” Blowing out a breath, I ignore the easy way I can talk to Beelzebub. “After going kaboom”—I make an exploding motion with my fingers between us, enticing another chuckle—“something got unplugged. I feel whole now instead of like two people pushed inside one body.”

  “That is a good thing, no?”

  “It feels that way, yes.” Flinching when a massive demon with gray skin and four large horns hits the wards bursting into a puff of ash, I turn away from the courtyard. “I don’t feel insane or evil, so it’s good.”

  “If only horns and claws could give you a clear picture, life would be an easy journey. Evil has many faces Helena. You don’t see it coming until it’s too late.” With those cryptic words, he walks away, leaving me watching after him.

  His words keep repeating in my head as I wander aimlessly through the place. Not even the creepy clocks get my attention when I pass them heading for the room I’ve been given. It was where Eric and I stayed, although I haven’t seen him since he made sure I’m fully awake. He kissed me senseless, crushing me to his chest like we’d never see each other again and said he would come back when he knew he was worthy.

  Whatever that means.

  I haven’t felt his emotions, and while lost in my own troubles, I totally forgot to go look for him. With that thought pushing away Beelzebub’s words, I square my shoulders, determined to knock some sense into Eric’s stubborn
head.

  “Where is Eric?” Barging in the room with the fireplace, which turned out to be Lucifer’s favorite place to hang out, I zero in on him.

  “Hello, Helena.” Nodding as if I didn’t almost rip his door off the hinges, he regards me calmly.

  “Hello, Lucifer.” Baring my teeth in a fake smile, I let it drop the same second. “Where is Eric?”

  “How should I know? Sulking somewhere around here. We are all stuck, so he can’t go anywhere, just like the rest of us.” Frowning slightly, he even looks hurt. “He’s been avoiding me and won’t speak to me unless I’m willing to fight him,” he admits begrudgingly.

  “I wonder why,” I tell him dryly.

  “I believe Leviathan took him up on it.” Blinking stupidly, it takes a moment for his words to register in my brain.

  “Took him up on what exactly?” Dread pools in my stomach, remembering how Eric was clinging to me before storming out of the room.

  “To fight.” Swatting a hand like chasing a fly, his lips twist in a grimace.

  “We must find him.” Turning to go and do just that, I notice Lucifer is not following me. Storming back inside, I grab a fistful of his button-down shirt, yanking him to his feet. “Like now, Lucifer. He got himself in some shit, I just know it.”

  I race out of the door, dragging Lucifer along. He allows it obviously, or I wouldn’t move him an inch, but I’m scared out of my mind for Eric not caring how he will react.

  “I’ll have you know, everyone else fears me.” Drawling, he still keeps pace with me.

  “I’ll fear you too, but after we find Eric.” Glancing over my shoulder, I nod at him. “Promise I will.”

  “You are a very peculiar creature.” He keeps musing while I turn us through hallways.

  The mention of a creature stabs me with guilt. After I woke up, I forced the Trowe to stay in the room. He refused adamantly at the beginning, but after threatening him that I would never allow him near me, he agreed begrudgingly to obey. Eric telling me that my sidekick stood up to Lucifer, protecting me when I crumbled on the ground, left me unnerved. I still haven’t decided if having him around is a good or a bad thing.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that before, once or twice.” After turning a corner on yet another hallway, I admit defeat. This place really is a maze created to confuse you enough to drive you insane. “I have no idea where I’m going.”

  “If you asked, I could’ve assisted you with directions.” Sniffing like a snob, Lucifer smooths down the invisible wrinkles on his shirt.

  “If you removed the stick that’s far up your ass, you would’ve heard that your son might be in danger.” Spitting the words angrily at him, I vibrate with rage. The ground lurches beneath my feet, pushing us both on opposite sides.

  Huffing superciliously, his gaze narrows at me. “It’s only us here, the wards won’t let anyone pass. He is safer than he’s ever been. The only danger to him is his own anger and stubbornness.”

  “I wonder where he got that from.” When his eyes turn to slits, I huff out a breath. “I’m not going to argue with you.” Pressing fingers to my temples, I massage them in circular motion, hoping to elevate the budding headache. “I want to see with my own eyes that he is fine. Can you please lead the way?”

  Without a word, he turns around, going back to where we came from. Clenching my teeth, I follow behind him, stewing in my anger. He would’ve let me walk around for days if I didn’t say anything. What an arrogant jerk.

  I keep telling myself that Lucifer is right. I saw it myself that nothing can get past the wards. No matter how many times I repeat it, the feeling that something is wrong keeps urging me to find Eric. Somewhere between the third, or was it the fifth, hallway, Beelzebub joins us, as well.

  “Where are we headed?” Falling in step with me, he shoves his hands in his pockets.

  “I’m looking for Eric, and Lucifer was kind enough to lead me to him.”

  “He left with Leviathan so they can release some aggression.” Lucifer throws his words over his shoulder. “They are in the fighting arena.”

  “Umm…” Beelzebub starts walking faster. “I saw Leviathan fly out to scout the area a while ago.”

  Lucifer stops so suddenly my forehead bounces off his back. Beelzebub grabs my arm, preventing me from falling on my butt from the impact, and they exchange a weird look that curdles the blood in my veins. The next thing I know, Lucifer is bolting down the hallway like an arrow with Beelzebub and me at his heels.

  “Where is Colt?” If that idiot did something to Eric, I’m seriously going to stab him in the forehead.

  “Last time I saw him was when he left the palace.” Beelzebub turns an intent look my way, reminding me he last saw Colt the same time I did.

  “Colt is strong, but not strong enough to do any damage to Eric.”

  Lucifer doesn’t even sound winded, while I’m breathing like a freight train. Not unless Eric lets him do it. I don’t voice my fears, but they are there nonetheless, pushing me to run faster. The only thing stopping me from screaming his name like a crazy woman is the knowledge that I’m still in danger. As messed up as that sounds, I know at the bottom of my soul that he will never be far from me until I’m safe. Not for long anyway, and not if he can help it.

  While my mind is giving me a pep talk, we reach a dead-end hallway with only one door at the far end. Made out of some silver metal—it could be real silver for all I know—it shimmers in the candlelight like a trap set up for unsuspecting passersby. Without slowing down, Lucifer bursts through it, the heavy door slamming open and staying embedded in the wall. Beelzebub is next behind him, and I pass the threshold last.

  Ending in a dead stop, I try to look at everything at once in hopes I’ll see him. I expected a room, like the few I’ve seen in this place. This is like a totally different world. Lucifer was not joking or using the word in jest when he said arena. As long and as wide as two football fields, the center of the area is made out of packed dirt. All around, benches are layered in multiple levels, circling it and turning it into a ring.

  My gaze lands on two creatures facing each other at the center of it. A shiver passes through me when I notice two large piles on both sides of one of the demons made out of ripped limbs and other body parts. Thank god Eric is not here. The beast closer to us, with his back turned our way, has dark gray skin and claws as long as my forearm. They curl like snapping jaws of a beast every time he clenches his fist. My gut tightens at the sight. That’s only until I take a good look at the other one.

  Dark gray skin makes him almost appear like he is made out of smoke. Amber eyes are blazing with unrestrained fury while his large body twitches as if preparing to pounce. He has two sets of horns, smaller ones curling up from the far sides of his forehead and large ones like a minotaur shooting up from his temples. Mused up hair tangles around them, giving him even more of a wild appearance. High cheekbones stretch his skin, sharp enough to cut if you touch them. To my horror, I find him as handsome as he is terrifying. Disturbed by that last bit, I turn to Lucifer.

  “We must’ve missed him. I’m sure he went back to our room.” Ignoring the fact my voice is shaky, I blow out a breath, acting like it’s from all the running we did.

  “What?” Lucifer looks at me like I’m nuts.

  “Eric.” Saying the name slowly in case his brain got damaged from the running, I swing my arm out, encompassing everything around us. “He is not here.”

  “Get her out!” A voice that will haunt my nightmares for as long as I live fills up the room. The sound deep and guttural, numbing my skull.

  Too afraid of what I will see, I stare wide-eyed at Lucifer. His lips lift at the corners slowly, like the cat that ate the canary dropping my stomach at my feet.

  “Of course, he is.” Pointing a finger that I follow, my eyes lock on the rage-filled amber gaze of the beast.

  “Eric?” At my timid whisper, the demon snarls before his furious roar shakes the walls around us.

  T
here is a lot to be said about shock. In a split second, so many emotions slam inside you at once that at the end you feel absolutely nothing. Like an empty shell, all you can do is blink and hope that your heart eventually spatters to a start.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  That thought echoes in my head, bouncing around the empty cavern that is supposed to hold my brain like tumbleweeds in a deserted desert town. After an eternity of nothingness, an overwhelming need to get the hell out of here away from everyone and everything makes my muscles twitch, but my feet are rooted to the spot.

  “I think she is in shock.” Beelzebub bands down at the waist to peer at me.

  Lucifer snorts.

  Nothing could’ve worked better than that arrogance to snap me out of the state I’m in. Anger replaces all other emotion, and I grind my teeth at his gloating. The look on his face tells me that I’ve done something to please him immensely and that shit simply won’t do.

  Ignoring both of them, I focus on the demon. No, damn it, not a beast. Eric, I focus on Eric. No matter how he looks, it’s still him down there under all the horns and claws. I have to believe that’s true or I should use my own dagger and end my miserable existence. Squaring my shoulders, I lift my chin up and start down the endless stairs leading to the center of the arena.

  “Get out!” Eric roars, rattling the benches, making me stumble a few steps before I straighten myself up.

  “No!” Keeping my gaze locked on his, I continue moving down.

  Panic flares in his eyes the closer I get, which looks hilarious on something as terrifying as him. The closer I get, the more comfortable it is to see the shadows swirling around him. Part of him, yet, separate. Everyone kept calling him Shadow, now I can see why that is. He looks like he is made out of shadows—solid shadows if there is such a thing.

  When my boots hit the packed dirt, I’m still a good ways away from him, but he takes a step back as if ready to run. Stabbing pain hits the center of my chest. Did he decide he doesn’t want me to be his mate? As soon as the thought comes, I dismiss it. The way he was clinging to me the last time I saw him, the anguish in his eyes…it spoke of something else.