He might be powerful, but I’m The Demon of Sacrifice. Revenge against men is what I do.
Chapter Nineteen
Surcy somehow managed to teleport the entire group of people to the little cabin Daniel had brought her to so long ago. She wasn’t sure if was the exertion of teleporting that many people at one time, or her exhaustion, but she immediately collapsed, falling into darkness.
When she awoke, she was lying on a bed, with the God of Earth’s two children asleep beside her.
She sat up and found herself surrounded by Immortals. To her complete shock, all of them appeared to be entirely healed. Their hair had returned and their skin was no longer burnt and blackened.
It was... impossible, a miracle. And yet, as she watched, she noticed a stiffness to their movements.
So maybe they still have more healing to do.
Her body ached as she pulled back the covers and slipped from the bed.
The Goddesses of Winter and Spring glanced up at her from where they crowded near the fire.
“The angel’s awake,” The Goddess of Winter said.
Her words had an immediate effect on the room. All eyes turned to her, with a mixture of relief and unease.
Adan, the God of the Earth, left the kitchen and came to stand in front of her. “My wife?”
Her heart lurched, and she shook her head.
For a minute, a look of pure pain came over his face, and then it disappeared. “Humans always go too fast.”
The Goddess of Winter moved closer, and Surcy felt an immediate chill. “I wish to speak with you. In private.”
Surcy almost groaned. What could this be about now?
Wincing, she followed the goddess outside. To her shock, the God of Sin followed too. The other Immortals stared at them as they passed, and there was an unspoken tension she didn’t understand.
On the porch, they sat around a little table, no one speaking for a time.
At last, the God leaned back, exhaling loudly. “We fucked up.”
She raised a brow in confusion.
“Caine, the bastard. The monster who tortured all of us for so many lifetimes. The man who screwed up every fucking realm. He’s our son.”
Her brain stopped. She looked between the two of them.
The Goddess of Winter stared out at the sky, her gaze troubled. “It was one night of pleasure. We convinced ourselves when I got pregnant that he couldn’t possibly be the father." She gestured to the God of Sin as she spoke. "We’d had many other partners, and the coupling of Gods had never before resulted in a pregnancy.”
“But we were wrong,” he said. “We didn’t know it until it was too late. We kept him in the fortress. We watched him carefully. He showed more power than our demi-god children, but not much. We didn’t know until he attacked what he was capable of.”
Okay... that was unexpected.
“Why are you telling me all of this? I know he’s your son, but you know we still have to kill him, right?”
He laughed. “Of course you have to kill him. He’s a monstrous mistake that we both regret terribly.”
The Goddess of Winter spoke, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “I thought if I was kind to him. If I was patient with him. That even if he was... our child, he wouldn’t be the wretched creature that the Fates warned about.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “But there was always evil within him, I just didn’t see it.”
He sneered. “It wasn’t entirely our fault. It was about the balance. If she hadn’t have been so pure and good—“
“There is no one to blame for this but us,” the goddess interrupted, her words like a slap.
Tension sliced between the two Immortals. Zagan looked as he really wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut.
“I’m sorry,” Surcy said, not knowing what else to say.
The Goddess seemed not to hear her. “We just wanted you to know that he’s more dangerous than you ever imagined. When the time comes, we have to kill him without hesitation.”
Surcy opened her mouth to offer some reassurance.
“Go,” the goddess whispered, but it wasn’t a command, more like a plea.
Surcy turned back to the door, but looked at them one last time. The God of Sin had moved to stand behind her, even though they didn’t touch. A single tear slid down the goddess’s face, but froze midway on her cheek.
What must it be like to know your child is evil? And to know he’ll be killed? Her heart twisted, and she slipped back inside.
The cabin was strangely quiet, as if the Immortals were lying about preparing for war in some unseen way. She went to the kitchen, ate and drank, then showered.
When she finished her shower, the Goddess of Winter and the God of Sin had returned to the room, each on different sides. All eyes turned to Surcy.
Uh oh.
“So what now?” The God of Night, a vampire with a hell of an attitude, asked. Something in his dark expression told her he was angry.
Surcy decided to just be direct. “We heal as quickly as possible, and we go back to fight.”
The vampire leaned back in his oversized chair and crossed his legs. “Are you fucking kidding me? We were all nearly burnt to a damned crisp. Now we’re supposed to go back and fight against an army of those assholes?”
Surcy tried to hide her surprise. “We don’t have another choice. Without the sanctuary, it won’t be hard for Caine and his angels to find us. We need to act quickly.”
“You mean it won’t be hard for them to find us with a spy in our midst.”
Her gaze swept to the God of Autumn. “What do you mean?”
The god looked older than the rest, with tangled long auburn hair that fell loosely around his narrow face. His skin was a deep tan, almost the color of the leaves just before they changed shades in the fall. Although he was far shorter than the massive Immortals, he didn’t seem to notice or care.
“You might have been able to trick those demons who all have hard-ons for you, but you don’t fool us, angel,” he sneered. “Caine has been pulling whatever he wants from that mind of yours. That’s why the angels found us. That’s why we’re in danger.”
“No—“ she denied.
“Yes,” he hissed. “And at any point, he can ring his little bell and call you back. And then what? You’re his to command.”
Was Frink right? The thought sent something aching through her. She’d suspected he was telling the truth... Truth be told, she'd known, but it was too much to consider. If she had to accept that all along she’d been unknowingly hurting her demons... she shivered at the thought. She couldn’t. She’d deal with that new emotional blow when the time came.
She drew herself up taller, her heart racing. “I’m here, fighting for what’s right. I’m trying to make this world a better place, but I’m not one of you. I can’t do this alone. So whether you trust me or not, it doesn’t really matter. Do you care about this cause? Do you want to take that bastard down?”
It was the God of Summer who answered. The shifter glanced at her, his golden eyes spinning slowly. “After what he did to me, I would rather die a thousand more deaths than see him remain on my throne. I will kill him, with or without the help of the other Immortals.”
“But what about his little security system?” The Goddess of the Ocean stood from her seat, her tail replaced by long legs. “You know that we cannot enter the throne room as long as Caine sits on the throne.”
I didn’t know that. “None of you can?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Damn it. Then what can we do? How can this work?
And then it hit her, there was only one solution.
Surcy took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. “But I can.”
The God of Autumn huffed. “Yeah, so our plan should depend on an angel Caine can control with a simple word?”
No one spoke for a long minute.
“Perhaps that’s exactly what we should do,” the Goddess of the Ocean sai
d, her voice holding danger. “Angel, what are you willing to give up for this plan of yours?”
“Anything and everything,” she answered with ease.
The woman’s ocean blue eyes locked onto hers, and the Immortal crossed the room. Stroking Surcy’s cheek, she smiled. “I have a plan, loyal angel. But it will be painful, and it will destroy you.”
I’ve died and had my memory wiped. I've lost the men I love. What more can they do?
Knowing them... something even worse.
Surcy swallowed around the lump in her throat. “All right.”
The Goddess turned back to the room. “I know how we can ensure that Surcy is the perfect person to face Caine. The plan is a simple one, but with our help, she will succeed. So, who will join this cause of ours?”
Her words hung in the air.
The Goddess of Love stood from where she’d been seated by the window. Her beauty was so overwhelming it overpowered the room. “All I want is peace and goodness... but none of that will happen until we put that bastard’s head on a spike.”
The Goddess of Spring laughed. Her solemn expression was gone, replaced by a smile. “I forgot how fucking fun all of you are. I’m in.” Flowers sprouted on her fingertips and moved up her arms. “Let’s see Caine face us when we’re ready for him.”
Murmurs rose. Other Immortals stood, moving by the Goddess of Love’s side. At last, only the God of the Night remained. And the God of Autumn.
The God of Autumn sighed.
“Autumn?” The Goddess of Love called.
The Immortal glared. “By all logic, we’ll lose this battle. And this time when he kills us, it’ll be for good. But I for one would rather go down swinging, then hiding like a frightened child. That is your plan, isn’t it, vampire?”
The God of the Night rose, his dark eyes locked on all of them. “I’m not afraid.”
Surcy stared. “You practically stink of fear.”
Anger radiated from him. “I’m going to fight with all of you, but not because of your childish attempts to convince me. I’m going to fight to remind all of you that there’s nothing more powerful than the night.”
The Goddess of Love moved closer to Surcy, to stand in front of her. “So what’s the plan?”
Surcy took a deep breath. What is the plan?
Chapter Twenty
The next morning, they stood outside the barrier separating Zedussa from the rest of the world. Surcy was positioned in the middle of the line of Immortals. The druids had stayed behind to guard the children, knowing that they might be the last beings with the blood of gods remaining after that day.
Each of the Immortals had donned traditional robes befitting their station. They were long, with slits on the sides, and pants underneath. Each one wore an emblem that symbolized their power. And the fabric was spun of both gold and silver, making it so the morning sunlight seemed to cling to them.
Some of them held weapons.
Some of them were dangerous enough without them.
The Gods and Goddesses of the Seasons would shift into dragons the moment the attack begun. They had no need for anything but their claws and their teeth. It was the same with the Goddess of the Ocean. She no longer wore her mermaid tail, but she swelled with the power of the ocean. She assured them that when the time came, neither Caine nor his angels would be safe from her wrath.
Of all the Immortals, the Goddess of Life was the quietest. She carried with her a golden dagger, but she admitted that she would do little fighting. Her strength would be to lend the others her powers. She would heal their wounds to keep them moving. She was the healer that would fade into the shadows made by the God of the Night.
She was perhaps their most powerful tool.
The vampire stood at Surcy’s side with a sword in his hand. He held it like a man unaccustomed to weapons, but he’d reassured her that he could use it, if needed.
The God of Sin, The God of Earth, and The Goddess of Love held their weapons with confidence. Her bow rested in her hand, as if made for her, and she had many arrows upon her back. The God of Sin carried a long sword with a wickedly jagged edge, and the God of Earth carried an axe.
All looked like powerful Immortal beings, ready for an attack.
And yet, Zedussa was silent.
No angels crowded the sky. None even soared overhead. There wasn’t even the flicker of movement that said guards walked their paths around the structure.
“It’s eerie,” the vampire whispered.
She agreed.
“They’re waiting for us,” the Goddess of Love said, and there was a darkness to her words. “And so we shouldn’t disappoint them.”
“Just be prepared,” The God of Sin said, his voice forcefully casual. “It isn’t just Caine and his angels we have to watch out for. His archangel will be there too, and that bastard’s smarter than all of them combined.”
Surcy shivered, remembering the red winged angel.
When their group started moving forward, she called her soul-blade into her hand. They walked in measured strides across the lifeless lands, moving toward the formidable structure.
“This place was a thing of beauty when we ruled here,” The Goddess of Life whispered.
Surcy stiffened, and a strange sensation washed over her. Glancing behind them, she saw that life was blossoming everywhere that the goddess had stepped. Grass sprouted on the ground, hidden seeds split, and trees emerged slowly from their slumber. They grew at an incredible speed, stretching higher and higher as branches and leaves erupted.
Her pulse sped up.
Already things were changing. She prayed that was a good sign.
When they were just outside of an archer’s range of the fortress, the Goddess of Love gave an order, “stop.”
Immediately, they obeyed.
“It’s time,” the Goddess of Love said. “We must execute the plan to the letter.”
The Gods and Goddesses of the Seasons moved back and within seconds they shifted into their dragon forms. Where once the four Immortals stood, now powerful magical creatures stretched their massive wings. The God of Summer was golden and massive, humming with strength. The God of Autumn was red and simmering with a contained kind of anger, that she could sense waiting to explode. The Goddess of Winter was black, her anger worn about her like a cloak. The Goddess of Spring was a lovely shade of blue, with talons that could sever heads with one swoop.
A cloak of darkness spread over all of them like a black cloud. For a second, it made Surcy's chest feel tight. The cloud reminded her so much of Caine. But then, she breathed deeply, reminding herself that this was all part of the plan. The God of the Night would do his best to conceal them, for as long as possible.
At last, they were ready.
And then, the war began.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daniel stood like all the other angels. They were silent soldiers, preparing for a war. It took everything within him to stay standing in the silent throne room, knowing that Surcy was somewhere close by, preparing to attack.
This feels wrong. How the hell am I an angel?
A tremor rolled through his body. Images flashed in his mind of the moment he was burned alive.
He felt his eyes widen, and clenched his entire body to keep from throwing up. Was it not enough he had to burn to death in his first life? He’d had do it again!
His head spun, and he felt light on his feet. Burning to death had to be one of the worst ways to go. Even after that, he had experienced a different kind of pain when his soul appeared in the throne room. Daniel had been still withering in agony when Caine had turned him into an angel and wiped his memory.
He’d fought it with all his might, but it was useless.
He would never forget the moment he tried to kill Surcy. It would haunt like a ghost for the remainder of his life. He didn’t know how she’d brought him back, but making love to her was the only thing that healed his soul. That kept him from imploding the moment he realized all
that had happened.
Thank God for Surcy.
Staying by her side was the only thing that could bring him peace again, yet he was more valuable here. He had to pretend that he didn’t remember and be ready to help her when the time came.
Even if it drives me mad.
Even though not knowing what happened to Mark and Tristan was its own kind of torture.
Suddenly, Daniel sensed a change in the room. His gaze moved to the darkness that concealed the cowardly Caine, and his entire half of the throne room.
What’s happening now?
Caine’s darkness crept slowly out over the rest of the room like a cursed mist. It did nothing to hide the red-winged archangel that leaned back arrogantly near the bastard, nor did it hide the three portals to the other realms.
Despite himself, Daniel’s gaze flickered to the portals. They loomed deadly, salvation and punishment, the blinding brightness of the entrance into the angel realm, and the absolute darkness that led to the demon realm. Beyond them was the Soul Destroyer, closest to the back of the throne room. It hummed of danger.
“They will be here soon,” Caine said, his voice breaking the tension-filled silence. “There’s more that still must be done.”
The doors to the throne room opened, and four angels carried a massive wooden stock across the room, before setting it near the portals. They opened the top, where spots had been made for a head and hands to go.
He’s going to punish someone? But who?
“Daniel.”
When Caine said his name, he knew. He knew that the punishment was meant for him. And yet, how could Caine know that Daniel’s memories had returned? Daniel had done everything that was asked of him. So was this about something else?
It doesn’t matter. I have to obey.
He stepped forward and bowed, even though it was like a dagger in his stomach.
“Yes, Caine.”
“Go in the stock.” Caine’s command seemed to fill the air.
He didn’t force Daniel to obey. The demon could try to fly or outrun the six dozen angels who crowd the room, but Caine and Daniel both knew he wouldn’t make it more than a few feet before he was dead.
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