by Kelly Oram
Ignoring a wave of nausea, I headed toward my father and Dani, who were engaged in a battle that made Ethan’s fight with Necro Babe look pitiful. I could hardly make out the movements between the two of them, and anyone who got in their way was at risk of becoming collateral damage.
Ethan’s roar of pain pulled my attention across the garden. He had Grace backed against a wall and was protecting her as best he could. But the demons had discovered he had the power to kill them, and were ganging up on him. He needed help. “Dani!” I screamed, running as fast as I could to save Ethan’s humanesque butt. “Get the artifact! I need the talisman!”
I jumped on the back of one of Ethan’s demons and slit the thing’s throat before it knew I was there. Then, I spun and found the heart of another. After that, the monsters were on to me and shifted their focus.
Ethan was hurt pretty bad, so I took back my blade back and threw a shield spell over him and Grace as I backed up to lead the demons away from him. “Clara! Help Ethan!”
I didn’t look to see if she heard me, because I now had a dozen demons advancing on me. “Boss said not to kill him,” one of them hissed.
Another one paused and cocked his head to the side. “He’s not really our boss, though, is he?”
All of the demons stopped and gave each other confused looks. One by one, their faces split into evil grins. “We’re free.”
Crap. My seraph wound must have weakened my dad enough for him to lose his hold on them. “Okay, fine.” I shifted my weight to the balls of my toes and gripped my knives tighter. “Let’s do this.”
They took me up on my offer, all jumping me at the same time. I managed to get a few good swipes in, and sent a couple of them back to Hell, but there were too many of them and I just wasn’t fast enough. They knocked me to the ground and one of the creatures stomped on my leg, shattering the bone, while another sliced my stomach open with a dagger. The wound was deep enough that had I been standing, I think my guts would have spilled out onto the ground.
The pain was so intense my vision went black, and I screamed for all I was worth. The demons laughed in response, and one of them plunged his hand into my gut as if he intended to pull out my insides and have them for lunch.
Heck to the no! I’m sure I would have tasted fabulous, but I was nobody’s dinner. When the pain overwhelmed me again, instinct kicked in and I let go of my mind. Beelzebub was ready and waiting. The second I gave way, he grabbed the reins and took over.
With a roar, I sent out a wave of demon magic so powerful it incinerated every demon in the garden. The bodies just went poof and turned into clouds of ash. When they died I felt my body absorb their power, and it fueled my lust for control and destruction.
With a single thought, I healed my body back to perfect health and rose to my feet. Around me lay dozens of dead and injured people. The smell of their blood made me salivate. I wanted to taste it. I wanted to drink it all and feast on the hearts of those still living.
“Russ!”
“He’s lost it!”
“The boy! Kill the boy!”
“Don’t hurt him!”
“Russ!”
I didn’t know who was saying what, and I didn’t care. They could all try to stop me, if they wanted. They would all lose.
“No!” Dani shouted, just as several men attacked me from behind.
They were strong and fast—trained guardians—but their weapons did nothing against me. A flick of my wrist sent their blades flying. Another flick, and the men who attacked me were dead in an instant, cut down in the blink of an eye, their necks broken. I grinned as bodies dropped around me, and relished in the horrified cries that followed. Emotions were so pathetic. So delicious.
More guardians began to advance, but Dani froze them in their tracks and came running toward me. “Russ, no!”
A small voice whispered in my mind, The Chosen One. Kill the Chosen One. Taking the life of the Creator’s most powerful creature was tempting. If I could kill the Chosen One, there would be no one left to stop me. I would rule this world unopposed. Not a soul would be a threat. They would all have to bow to me and bend to my will. I could have complete control. But I wasn’t interested in her right now. There was one person I needed to take care of first.
“Oh, Dad!” I sang, turning in circles until my eyes fell upon the man in question. “Time to have some fun, mano e mano.”
As our gazes met, dark thoughts and feelings flowed into me, and for once I let them come.
“Russ, be careful. Don’t lose yourself to him, son.”
I laughed. “I didn’t lose myself to him, Dad. You gave me to him. You turned me into this. You handed me this power. Don’t you want to see what I’m capable of?”
My dad took a couple cautious steps my direction. Brave. Stupid, but brave. “I don’t want you to hurt anyone. That’s not who you are.”
“Or is it? Like father, like son, and all that.”
I advanced on him and he took a step back, throwing up his hands as if to ward me off. “That’s Beelzebub talking. Don’t let him control you. You don’t want to kill your own father.”
“Oh, but I do. I really, really do.” And I did. I didn’t even think it was Beelzebub wanting me to. This was all on me. With Beelzebub in my head, I was free. Memories I’d been ignoring and emotions I’d been refusing to let take control consumed me. Anger, hate, a lust for vengeance. My father had lied to me and betrayed me. He’d made mistakes worthy of death. Why not make it so he could never hurt me again? Why not give him what he deserved?
My dad must have seen the devil in my eyes, because his face paled and crumpled with regret. “I’m sorry, Russ,” he whispered as he cast himself in a cloaking spell.
I didn’t need to see him to know where he was. Now that I was open to my Lord Beelzebub, my relic called out to me, stronger than ever. I followed its energy with my eyes as my father circled around behind me. I waited until I knew he was close, and spun to meet him with my dagger. “Did you really think it’s going to be that easy, Dad?”
He was more prepared for me this time, and dodged my fist swing. I followed it with a second swipe that would have landed true on any other mortal being, but my dad, being so full of power, moved with warrior-like grace and speed. I felt him fall away, and then he was on me, jabbing a knife into my side.
I hadn’t expected the blow to hurt, but searing pain ripped through me. Beelzebub recognized the poison and informed me my father’s blade had been blessed by a priest and bathed in holy water. I screamed more from anger than pain. I was pissed that even now he was one step ahead of me. Always one step ahead of me, always with a cunning trick up his sleeve. Well, no more.
Fueled by pure rage, I lunged for my father with unearthly speed, wanting to rip him apart with my bare hands. This time, my knives found their target, both sinking hilt-deep into his stomach. He dropped his magic immediately and fell to the ground, coughing up blood. “Russ,” he croaked.
I ripped the talisman from around his neck and relished in the wave of power that washed over me as we were finally reunited. Slamming the thing down on my father’s chest, I sucked every last drop of supernatural essence from his being, drinking it all in until my entire body trembled. It was incredible.
My father’s horrified face was icing on the cake. “How does it feel to be human, Dad?” I didn’t give him time to answer me. “Now that you’re just as weak as mom was, I think I’ll let you see how it must have felt for her when you killed her.”
Dad’s eyes widened and I licked my lips, drinking in his fear as if it were a timeless bottle of Chardonnay. Power flowed through me into my hands, and my fingers stretched into long, deadly claws. “I’m going to enjoy ripping your heart out of your chest. I think I’ll even give you the honor of letting you stay conscious while I eat it. I can do that, you know. Perks of having the devil inside me.”
Dani screamed as I lifted my hand into the air, and dove on top of my father before I could plunge my fingers i
nto his chest. The unexpected move made me pause long enough for Dani to grab my wrist. “Russ, no!”
I tried to throw her aside, but she matched my strength and met my gaze with glowing eyes. I instantly recognized her as a kindred spirit. Shocked, I gave up my fight and stared at her. The flames of Hell lit up her eyes, mirroring my own. She’d become a demon. And not just any demon, a greater demon—an Angel of Death. She could command the very powers of Hell. Her power matched my own. She was my equal. Only she’d not been stabbed with holy water, so she was actually stronger at the moment.
Beelzebub roared so violently in my head as Dani overpowered me that I felt as if my brain might explode. I struggled and spat curses at her, but she pushed me down until I was flat on my back and then climbed on top of me to keep me pinned. “How?” I demanded.
“I’ve learned a lot about my power since you left, Russ.” She spoke calmly, only pissing me off even further. I didn’t want her to be calm. I wanted her to be angry. I wanted her to fight me. “Once I learned how to control it, I realized I could become any species I’ve touched—at will. When I fought Addonexus, I became an Angel of Death. I’ve always had the ability to become a monster. I’ve just refused to play this card since then, because the power is too tempting.”
“The power is amazing,” I corrected her. And it was amplified with her on top of me, radiating that same supremacy. “Join me,” I said. “Dani, you are magnificent right now. Together, like this, you and I could have everything. Stay with me. We can finally stop my father and make this world the kind of place it was meant to be. We could rule it as King and Queen. We could stay together forever.”
The more I spoke, the more I wanted the future I was mapping out. “You and me, Dani. It’s always been you and me, and now it could always be. And we could do whatever we want. No one could stop us. No one would hurt us ever again.”
Dani shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “Russ, don’t tempt me!”
I was desperate now. Beelzebub had control of my mind entirely. He’d made the idea of ruling this world sound enticing. His thoughts and desires were my own now, but I was also still me. My heart was still mine, and Dani was still the queen of it. Ruling would be awesome, but if I could do it with her at my side, if I didn’t have to be alone, it would be the best of both worlds. “I love you, Dani.”
At my admission, something inside me cracked a tiny bit. It was painful, and my entire body fought against it, but the pain wouldn’t stop. My heart was a hard, black stone, but the thought of wanting Dani, needing her in my life, loving her, caused a crack in that rock. A tiny pinhole of light was bursting from it, promising something great if I could just set it free.
Dani sucked in a breath and shook her head as if refocusing. “I love you, too, Russ,” she said. “Which is why I can’t do what you ask. We can’t stay like this.”
“Yes, we can!”
“I can’t. I won’t follow you into darkness. But you can follow me back to the light. You can break free from Beelzebub’s influence.”
When I realized what she was doing, the speck of light inside me was snuffed out again, and rage overtook me again. “How dare you try to trick me! I won’t be swayed! If you don’t want to rule with me—if you would rather reject me again when I’ve offered you the world—then you are my enemy. I’ll kill you for this!”
With another push of all the strength I could muster up, I managed to free one of my wrists. I backhanded her across the face so hard her eyes crossed. It knocked her back, and I was able to get an elbow under me. My stab wound had finally healed, and I knew that if I could just sit up, I’d be able to push her off of me and I would win the battle the second time.
I pushed until sweat broke out across my forehead, but Dani matched my anger with raw determination. Our struggle became a battle of wills, and, stubborn as she was, she just plain wanted it more. “Fight it, Russ!” she screamed at me. “Let go of the hate! You have so many people who love you. So many who believe in you. I love you, Rusty! Come back for me. Don’t let that rotten bastard claim your soul!”
I started to gain ground, but just as I was about to push Dani off of me, Ethan appeared at her side and grimaced down at me. “Sorry, buddy,” he said as he took my own damned angelic dagger and plunged it into my shoulder.
I thought I knew pain. I thought I knew torture and devastation, but I was wrong. There was no way to describe the agony of heavenly fire attacking the darkness inside me. I was burning alive from the inside out.
“Russ!” Ethan—I think it was Ethan—slapped my face. “Come on, fight it. Feel the power of the angels in you.”
I did feel it. I felt it in every fiber of my being. It was eating away the dark presence in me, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake, weakening me to the point where I welcomed death—even if it meant an eternity in Hell. Hell couldn’t be worse than this.
Someone picked up my hand and squeezed it tight. “Russ. Brother. You have to beat this. You still have my essence. You have to give it back.”
“Never!” I spat.
“You must kill him!” someone shouted. “Do it now, while you have the chance.”
Dani gasped and looked over her shoulder at someone behind her. “Gabriel! Why would you say something like that?”
“I have seen it, Danielle. He will destroy us all. He must be stopped, before it is too late.”
“No! Gabriel, how can you say that? He can fight this!”
“Danielle. I have had a vision. He is too powerful now. He will not be able to control himself. He is going to raise an army of demons, and that will be the end of our world. We must stop that future.”
“We will,” Dani hissed. “But we will not change it by ending his life.” She glared at Ethan, who was still holding the seraph blade in my shoulder. “Don’t you dare hurt him.”
Ethan glared right back at her for even thinking him capable, and then shook me until I looked at him. “Russ, how am I supposed to protect Grace without you? You remember Grace, right? Helpless, clumsy, altruistic Gracie?”
The name struck another chord in my chest and made my heart crack open again.
“That’s right, Russ, Gracie needs you. I need you. You have to come back and help me keep her safe.”
“I need you, too, Rusty.” Dani’s tearful voice drowned out Ethan. “Don’t make me kill you. Don’t make me do that. I wouldn’t survive it.”
Dani’s words hit me hard. She would never bend to me. If I didn’t give up this power, she and I would have to fight one another. Either she would win, or I would, but either way, it would kill her. She loved me too much. I couldn’t do that to her. I had to fight this. For her. She didn’t want you, Russ. She rejected you. She doesn’t love you.
He had a point.
My head jerked from side to side as I wrestled with Beelzebub. I could feel myself separate from him for moments at a time, but I couldn’t keep myself free from him. It was as if he were wrapped around my mind and I could pull him away for moments, but I couldn’t tear him completely off and he would snap back to me like a rubber band.
“He’s fighting him,” Dani muttered. “That’s good, Russ. You can do it. Come back to me.”
Come back to what? She’s not yours. She belongs with the Seer. And your so-called brother has his soul mate, too. He will forget you, too. He’ll move on without you the way Dani has. The Creator gave each of them someone to love, and allowed your father to take from you the only person who has ever truly cared for you. I will not betray you like that, Russ. I will never abandon you. You are mine. Stay with me, and we will end your father. We’ll make the Creator pay for her injustices. You’ll never hurt again, and you will never be alone. I will take care of you.
“The Seer is right! You must end it! If you let him live, he will destroy us all!”
With everything going on, I really didn’t need to hear Simone’s whiny pleas to end my life. “Somebody kill that stupid witch!”
“Come back and kick her
ass yourself, brother. Hey, we can even beat up Caleb while we’re at it.”
That was tempting. A snarl and a yelp told me that Caleb wasn’t amused, but Cynthia found it funny. Something deep inside of me was relieved to realize that they were both still alive. They were my friends. I didn’t want my friends hurt.
“It’s not enough,” Dani said. She was leaning over me, staring into my eyes while she and Ethan held me down. “Clara! Get Clara! He needs Clara!”
My heart pounded. The thump felt rusty in my chest, as if the organ were just waking up from a deep slumber. Get Clara? Why Clara? Why would I need her?
“What? Why me?”
I closed my eyes against her voice. My heart burst with warmth at the sound of it. That only happened when Michael was trying to tell me something—trying to guide me. “Why the hell would Michael guide me to Clara?”
I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud, until Ethan shouted, “That worked! Clara, get over here now!”
“Why does it have to be Clara?” Simone asked.
Dani’s response sounded clueless. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have. But she’s brought him back before.”
A long silence followed, and with nothing distracting me, I remembered the pain. I needed it to stop. I reached for the dagger embedded in my shoulder, and as my hand wrapped around the hilt, Ethan covered my fingers with his. “Sorry, Russ. I can’t let you remove this until you’re in control.”
“It hurts.”
“I know, buddy.”
“Russ?”
I rolled my head toward the soft voice. Clara was there, looking down at me with glistening eyes. “Russ, come back.”
She ran her fingers over my forehead, raking my sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes. Her touch burned in a completely different way than the angelic poison coursing through my body. It sent a shock to my heart, electrifying my senses, awakening feelings I’d forgotten existed. It was so startling and intense that I gasped from the pain, but my mind seized the speck of light and clung to it.
“Russ, come on. I didn’t spend the last few days saving your life over and over again just so you could go all Exorcist and destroy the world. You have to let him go.”
