Something Wicked

by Michelle Rowen

“But you trust Darrak?” he challenged. “He’s an archdemon. At his essence, he’s nothing but hellfire. I created him to be a servant to me.”

  She swallowed hard. “A lot of people come from humble beginnings.”

  His expression was tense. “Say you’ll agree to help me. To work for me.”

  “Work for Lucifer.”

  “Yes.”

  She chewed her bottom lip. “You need an answer right now?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Then my answer is no. I . . . I can’t do it. I can’t work for you. My soul is in enough jeopardy as it is.” She touched her amulet. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

  “I see.”

  She expected him to get angry with her, but he didn’t. Was he really going to take no for an answer? She really hoped so. “You’ll find someone else to help you.”

  “There is no one else.” He went quiet for a moment, his expression shadowed. “I have your mother’s soul, you know.”

  A breath caught in Eden’s throat. “What did you say?”

  “Your mother, Caroline Riley. She died recently. She was a borderline case—her eternal fate was undecided but recently tipped in my favor when I chose to claim her as . . . insurance.”

  “She’s in Hell.” Her mouth was dry.

  “Her soul is mine,” Lucas said. “She was a horrible mother to you. She had terrible taste in men. Even your father, an angel.”

  She inhaled sharply. “You know about him?”

  “Of course I do. I also know that he turned his back the moment the human world was out of sight, and he put you and your mother out of his mind. There aren’t many angels who will give up Heaven for a mortal life.”

  “Don’t hurt her,” Eden said, her voice barely audible. He was right. Her mother had been a crappy one. Negligent and emotionally distant. But she didn’t deserve an eternity in Hell for her sins.

  “As soon as I let her out of my protective custody, there’s no saying what torment she’ll face. But, like I said, she’s a borderline case. And there is a grace period for me to decide what to do with her. If I reject her from Hell, then there’s a chance she’ll be accepted into Heaven.”

  “A chance?”

  He shrugged. “Also a chance she won’t be.”

  “And what happens then?” Eden’s throat felt thick.

  “If neither Heaven nor Hell wants her, she’ll wander the human world as a disembodied spirit—a drifter.”

  This was too much. She’d said no, and he’d decided to blackmail her. Well, he’d be happy to know it was working perfectly.

  “Fine. I’ll help you,” she said not wanting to give it any more thought. “Darrak will help me with Theo.”

  “You’re too late. Darrak’s already agreed to help Theo destroy me.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “Darrak’s not fond of me, so I can’t exactly say I’m surprised by his decision, but he’s making a grave error siding with Theo.” Lucas smiled. “Demons forged from hellfire can be pretty but are ultimately very stupid. Since both started off their existences as incubi, they weren’t prized for their keen intellects.”

  Panic rose up inside her. “Don’t hurt him.”

  “Hurt Darrak? For wanting to end my existence?” He grinned. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

  She swallowed hard. “No, look, there has to be another way.”

  His grin disappeared. “Yes, there is. You bring me that weapon when I ask for it. And you promise to say nothing to Darrak about this. Otherwise, your mother will be damned for all eternity. Human souls and hellfire are not friends. The screams are very disturbing. I believe you got a little sample of that earlier.”

  She couldn’t forget it even if she wanted to. “Fine. Whatever you say.”

  “If you need to speak to me, hold the marble and say my name.”

  “Lucifer,” she said.

  “Yes.”

  “But if that’s your true name, why aren’t you bound by whomever says it?”

  “Because I’m the Prince of Hell. That does come with a few special privileges.” He turned away and began walking down the beach. “Bye, Eden. Nice talking to you.”

  Snap.

  The next moment Eden was back in the restroom of the restaurant, shaking, staring at her pale expression in the mirror.

  FOURTEEN

  “That was fast,” Darrak said as Eden sat down next to him at the table.

  “Really?” She looked surprised.

  “I ordered you the daily special,” he said, as the waitress brought plates of food to the table a few moments later.

  “I . . . I’m not very hungry.”

  She looked distressed. He really wanted to touch her hand and assure her it was okay, but didn’t want Theo to sense any weakness on his part. Not toward Eden.

  No, it would be best if Theo felt Darrak was simply using Eden’s body and any other emotions would disappear the moment he found a solution to his curse.

  And Eden couldn’t find out Theo’s plan or the fact that Darrak had readily agreed to help him out. Keeping it from her might be tricky, but he knew she’d never approve in a million years.

  Then again, the plan was to destroy Lucifer, not to go gallivanting all over town clubbing baby seals.

  Still. The less said the better.

  “So now that you have had some time to refresh yourself,” Theo said, keeping his trademark charming smile on his handsome face, “I want to ask for your assistance today.”

  Darrak braced himself. While he’d told Eden Theo would help them, he didn’t tell her the demon wanted something in return for his troubles.

  “With what?” she asked.

  “I’d like you to accompany me as I speak to someone.”

  “Who?”

  Theo cocked his head to the side. “An angel.”

  Eden blinked. “An angel.”

  “That’s right. He’s going to help me get something I need.”

  “Why do you want me to come along?”

  “I just do. Consider it a favor.”

  Eden blinked slowly, then took a sip from her glass of water. “Okay. Where will we find him?”

  Well, that was easy. Too easy, actually. Darrak was surprised she hadn’t flat out refused to have anything to do with this. Even he didn’t understand why Theo needed to talk to an angel. It was a rare thing for demons and angels to even come face-to-face. They usually repelled each other like magnets.

  “He hangs out at a pub just down the street from here every day at about this time.”

  “An angel goes to a pub?” she asked.

  “He’s an alcoholic.”

  Eden’s eyebrows rose. “How is that even possible?”

  Theo grinned. “Demons and angels are susceptible to human alcohol and drugs when in human form. Even more than humans are.”

  “Well, that’s unfortunate.”

  “Just a taste is sometimes enough to create an addiction.”

  Darrak snorted. “Just like Eden and her morning OJ.”

  “Better than your chocolate donut addiction,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Okay. Somebody was still a bit cranky, weren’t they?

  Darrak expected her to ask more questions and demand answers, but Eden simply nodded as she pushed her untouched plate of food away from her.

  “Okay, let’s go.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re sure?”

  She nodded. “Positive.”

  The pub was called the Pig and Thistle, and it was small, dark, and musty. There weren’t many customers inside. One bartender. A waitress. A couple of people sitting in a booth. And one man at the bar, hunched over the nearly empty glass of dark ale in front of him.

  “That’s him,” Theo said.

  That was an angel? She had to say, she was disappointed. With thinning blond hair and gaunt cheekbones, the angel looked like an average man in his midthirties who drank more than he should while the wife and kids waited patiently at
home.

  After what she’d just experienced with Lucas, she knew looks could be deceiving. She assumed Theo would question this angel about the whereabouts of the weapon.

  Just observe. That was all she was instructed to do.

  She could do that.

  After all, her mother’s soul currently hung in the balance.

  Why would Eden go out of her way to save her mother’s soul? Caroline Riley had basically left her on her own from the time she was a kid to fend for herself, sometimes for up to a week at a time while she went off with whoever her latest boyfriend was.

  She’d never physically abused Eden, but the emotional abandonment was enough to do damage. Eden always felt that her mother just didn’t care. And when she was around, she always treated Eden more like a buddy than a daughter.

  Would she be happy Eden had stepped up, without question, to do this? It wasn’t as if Eden had agreed to help Lucas so she’d gain something. The last time she’d done a favor for her mother—paid off a credit card so the collection agency would stop calling—she’d been yelled at, not thanked.

  Her mother hated it when other people—even her own daughter—interfered in her business.

  But this wasn’t a collection agency looking for a few thousand dollars. This was the fate of her mother’s soul. And she didn’t expect a thank-you card in return.

  The fact that her mother had left her anything in her will when she died—half of Triple-A and a pair of earrings—still surprised Eden. The fact that her mother had a will surprised her. The woman basically lived out of a suitcase for most of her adult life.

  It was hard to believe she’d been knocked up by an angel.

  Eden still wasn’t entirely convinced what she’d been told was true. And if it was—that her father was an angel—then it didn’t exactly endear her to the heavenly species. Her father knew about her, had visited her once very briefly, and then that was it?

  So as they approached the drunken angel, she didn’t feel any particular emotion for him other than the desire to get this over with as soon as possible. And maybe there was some mild curiosity as well.

  As she drew closer, a light brush of energy touched her skin. It felt pleasant, like warm sunshine. Was that an angel thing? That warmth and light? The feeling of acceptance and love just being near him made all her troubles seem to drift away.

  She suddenly couldn’t help but smile at the oddly disheveled man before her.

  “Hey sugar tits,” the angel said, sweeping his gaze down the length of her. “Wanna buy me a drink?”

  Her smile disappeared.

  Theo sat on the stool next to the angel. “You’re Alistair, right?”

  The angel blinked. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”

  “I want to talk to you about a business proposition.”

  “Oh, yeah? What kind of business proposition?”

  “You help me, I help you kind of thing.”

  “And who are you?”

  “Name’s Theo. That’s Darrak. And sugar tits there is Eden.”

  Eden looked at Darrak, who shrugged. She expected him to look amused by the angel’s reaction to her, but he didn’t. His expression was surprisingly serious.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked under her breath.

  “No problem,” he replied tightly.

  She touched his arm to find that his muscles were tense.

  He shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m just edgy, I guess.”

  That made two of them. She really wanted to tell him about Lucas and what he wanted her to do, but she said nothing. This was a secret that had to remain that way.

  She’d keep an eye on Theo as he acquired whatever this weapon was. She’d keep an eye on Darrak and make sure he didn’t do anything that would get him into more trouble than he was already in. And when she was instructed by Lucas, she would grab the weapon and hand it over to him.

  Simple.

  Well, not simple at all, but she didn’t exactly have a whole lot of choice in this scenario.

  Theo nodded at a nearby booth. “Come on over here, Alistair. We’ll buy you another beer.”

  “Okay,” the angel agreed. “You know, I love meeting new people. Good conversation, good drink. I’m all over that.”

  “Then why would you hang out somewhere like this?” Eden asked tensely as they moved toward the more private booth. “It seems kind of dead in here.”

  “They let me run a tab.”

  “Why would an angel need a tab?”

  Alistair frowned. “How do you know what I am?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but Theo touched her back. “Eden’s a bit psychic. She can sense the otherworldly. It’s her gift.”

  “Ah,” Alistair nodded. “That makes sense. Yes, sweet-heart, I’m an angel. In human form at the moment. Impressed?”

  “Very,” she agreed, sliding into the booth next to Darrak. He sat close enough that she felt the warmth from his body. It made her think about last night. Even though she’d been in a black magic fog, she still remembered how good he’d felt.

  Dangerous thoughts.

  She scooted over to put a few inches of space between them.

  Her phone vibrated and she glanced at the call display. It was Andy, probably calling to let her know how the werewolf case was going. That could wait. She pressed the end button to ignore the call.

  Theo got another beer from the bartender and slid it in front of the angel, who accepted it eagerly, bringing the dark liquid to his lips and taking a long gulp.

  “Delicious,” he proclaimed.

  “Is it right for an angel to drink so much?” Eden asked, then bit her lip. It sounded ruder than she’d meant it to. Stress made her lose her tact.

  Alistair smiled. “Whatever gets me through the day. My time here is almost up. I’m ready to go back to my home. Can’t wait.”

  “You don’t like it here?”

  “It’s nice for a visit, but that’s all. I won’t be back for another tour of duty for a century, so I’ll have lots of time to recoup.”

  “You’re a Cerberus, right?” Theo asked.

  Alistair’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve done your research, my beer-buying friend. I am indeed. Then again, there isn’t much place for an angel in the human world unless he’s fallen or a Cerberus, is there?”

  “No, I don’t suppose there is.”

  Darrak remained silent, carefully watching their conversation.

  “So you’re a guard?” Eden asked. “You look after a gateway?”

  He nodded. “To the Netherworld. Nobody’s gotten through my gateway without my permission. Not once in seven years.” He hiccupped and his grin began to fade at the edges. “Is that what this is about? You want to visit the Netherworld? Not a good idea for humans, you know. Get too close to the gates of Hell and your mortal bodies will be incinerated on the spot.”

  Humans? Eden frowned. Why couldn’t the angel sense that Darrak and Theo were demons?

  “No, that’s not what we want,” Theo said. “I’d actually like you to take a look at something for me. Something I recently acquired after a long search.”

  “Sure,” Alistair slurred. “What is it?”

  Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out a black crystal. It was three inches long, flat, and sharp on one end.

  “It’s very beautiful,” Alistair said. “May I?”

  “Of course.” Theo handed the crystal shard to him.

  Eden’s phone buzzed again. ANDY. She ignored it.

  “What is it?” Alistair asked.

  “It’s a black diamond.”

  “Precious.”

  “Very. Hard to find, let me tell you. It’s taken me a long time to find one large enough. But time plus determination inevitably equals success.”

  Was that the weapon? Eden wondered. If so, why would he show it to an angel?

  “I’m not a collector of rare gems, if that’s what you’re looking for.” Alistair gave the diamond back to Theo and too
k a swig of his drink. “Us angels tend to hold no material possessions. Makes it easier to return to the heavenly realm.”

  “I don’t want you to buy it.”

  Alistair placed the mug down on the table and turned to him warily. “Then what exactly do you want from me?”

  Theo touched the angel’s wrist, wrapping his fingers around it. “Your heart.”

  “My heart?” Alistair’s brows drew together. “But angels don’t have—”

  Then his eyes went very wide, and Eden felt a tidal wave of energy crash through the pub. Her breath caught in her throat. “What are you doing?”

  A sparkling white light exited Alistair’s body and channeled into the diamond sitting in Theo’s palm. It began to glow.

  “Darrak,” Eden managed, clutching his arm. “What the hell is going on?”

  Darrak’s brows drew together. He felt tense, every muscle flexed. “What are you doing, Theo?”

  “Channeling our pal Alistair’s angelic energy into this black diamond to create my angelheart, of course. What does it look like?” Flames filled Theo’s eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I really have to concentrate. Almost there.”

  Eden reached across the table and grabbed Theo wrist, attempting to pry him off the angel, but she couldn’t budge him an inch.

  Instead, she began to feel a draining sensation.

  “Perfect,” Theo said, and winked at her. “That helps a lot. Thanks.”

  Alistair raised his gaze to Eden’s. “You’re a black witch.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  “Are you okay?” she demanded. “Is he hurting you?”

  “Hurting me?” Alistair gasped for breath. “He’s ripping my angelic energy right out of me. Yes, it kind of stings.”

  “Theo, stop it!” she snapped.

  “And . . . he’s a demon?” Alistair managed. “I didn’t sense it. I couldn’t sense it.”

  “Why didn’t you?” she asked, her voice hoarse and panicky. It felt like electricity sparked through the pub, but it wasn’t caused by her magic this time.

  His face was strained. “A black witch’s aura can dampen an angel’s senses. The alcohol doesn’t help, either. Should have stopped after my third one. But it’s been a hard day at the office.”

  “One of the reasons you were chosen was your tendency to drink too much,” Theo informed him. “Now, please shhh.”