Greed's Charity (Seven Deadly Sins Book 1)

by R. A. Pollard

  Her voice reached for him and he turned, his bright eyes glowing in the darkness. She watched him grow smaller and he stared after the retreating vehicle as if his heart had just left with her. A chill of icy wind rushed over her skin, and electric shocks ran down her arms. A touch of prophecy hit her hard. With a sob, she covered her mouth. Kathrine Abell knew with absolute certainty she would never see him again. Not in this life.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Isabelle felt tears rolling down her cheeks. His voice had become a blur in her mind. It was as if she had been living it with him. She saw each moment in her mind—his kiss, his touch, the desperation in his eyes. He did all he could in such a short amount of time to keep Kathrine. Because of that he had been tortured beyond imagining. She felt warm fingers lift her chin, his thumb brushing over the spilling tears. Through his words she felt her attachment to Kathrine deepen.

  “I kept my promise.” His voice was thick with emotion as he leaned to kiss her lips. Salty tears mixed with the kiss as Isabelle grabbed him roughly, kissing him harder, desperate to chase the past from him. Pulling back, the tears making her nose run.

  Isabelle pressed her forehead to his with a tearful sobbed laugh, “You’re late.” The demon let out a rushed breath and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his nose in her hair. He held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Through her tears, Isabelle felt a new level of calm from him, as if a weight had been lifted just by remembering. Just knowing they had a shared past made their connection even more precious to her.

  A tentative knock at the bedroom door brought Isabelle’s head up. A soft voice came from the other side. “Sorry to interrupt. Dinner is ready and your father wants everyone present. I left fresh towels and clothes out here for you.” Her voice sounded almost forlorn. Perhaps Persephone knew precisely what they had been talking about.

  Isabelle glanced at her demon. He had been hers for centuries. She had lived, died, and come back again so he could fulfill his promise to find her. She felt complete right then. The memories were his, but she knew she felt a connection with her past. No one, not even an angelic host ready to destroy the world, was going to keep them apart this time.

  “Come on, we should get back to the house.” She leaned down, her hair fluttering around them. Mammon reached up, pulling her to him in a kiss. He could do this for the rest of her days as far as she was concerned. Maybe food wasn’t so important, but growling stomach argued otherwise.

  “How does Michael seek to accomplish this feat? I mean humanity is not just going to go crazy and start killing itself overnight. He must have some kind of ace up his sleeve or the whole plan is moot.” Isabelle could hear Lucifer’s intelligent voice as she and Mammon entered through the kitchen door. In the large living room where the dining table had been placed, everyone sat around plates piled high with food, handing around a large bowl of red sauce. It all looked perfectly domestic.

  Except Belor. He sat back in his chair watching everyone else eating, a look of jealousy flashing over his features. Sat before him was nothing but a glass of water. Isabelle felt a pang of pity for him. It seemed none of the Sins were curse free. They all had some burden to bear.

  The tantalizing scent of Italian herbs and garlic bread made her stomach rumble, as bad as she felt for Belor, she needed to eat. She didn’t realize how ravenous she had been until this second. Mammon pulled a chair out for her beside Ze, and he slid into the chair beside her. No one said anything about them being late, but Persephone had a smile in her eyes as she watched them together.

  Reaching for the huge bowl of meatballs, Isabelle began to fill her plate. Her mouth watered at the perfectly cooked morsels of goodness. The conversation continued around her as she dug into the food, almost moaning at the taste, her stomach finally doing a happy dance. As happy as she would have been to remain in bed with Mammon, she was starving.

  “He has to have some sort of catalyst, something to force the balance out of whack,” Ze pitched in, his voice thoughtful.

  “Unfortunately, I didn’t get much from Gabriel. He is being closed-lipped about the whole thing, but he seems on edge. I am not sure he fully agrees with Michael's plan, and this could play to our advantage.” Apollo broke off a chunk of garlic bread, popping it into his mouth while the men around the table tried to make sense of the Malakhim’s next move.

  “I can’t see they would try for Isabelle again. They must know by now we have her. It would be suicide to come after her here.” Abbadon sipped from a glass of red wine, his bruises already healing. Only the soft yellow tint of the fading damage remained.

  “I never attributed much intelligence to Michael. He tends to act on impulse rather than fact. He won’t be foolish enough to attempt it. Not now.” Isabelle was pleased to hear Hades say that. Maybe she could finally breathe. Mammon reached for her hand, and she smiled, leaning against him.

  “So the question remains, how are the Malakhim going to unbalance the scales of sin? You can’t just suck all the humanity out of the world leaving behind nothing but the dark.” Ze pushed his plate away, bringing a glass of amber liquid to his lips. “We might as well be the blind leading the blind right now.”

  “What about the box?” Isabelle took a sip from her wine glass, all eyes locked on her, brows furrowed. They had no idea what she was talking about. “Pandora’s box. Doesn’t it contain the evils of man?”

  The room was deathly quiet, all of them staring at her like she had lost her mind. Hades slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet, breaking the silence. “Of course! God damn it! Why didn’t I see it? They’re after the damn box!” He rushed from the room, followed by Apollo. The seven demons exchanged glances and stood, preparing to accompany him.

  Isabelle peered up at Mammon, who was moving to his feet, a smile on his lips. “What just happened?” Confused, she blinked at the sudden departure of her host. Mammon leaned down and kissed her temple.

  “I think you just gave us the lead we needed, Agapétos.” He tilted her head back, dropping a kiss onto her lips before joining his brothers and the two gods in the other room.

  That left only herself and Persephone at the table. “Agapétos?”

  “It means beloved.” The little goddess smiled and slid from her chair. Bringing her wine with her, she joined Isabelle at her end of the table. “You’re good for him. I see him healing already. I have no true children of my own. I always wanted to bear Hades’ sons. But my mother hates him, so she did not bless me with fertility.” Isabelle reached for Persephone's hand, smiling when the goddess pressed a hand to her flat tummy.

  “As such, I always wanted to be more to his demon sons. Hades can be a hard man. When I must return to my mother, he reverts to the cold, malevolent being he was before we met. The boys never really got to spend time with me, so unfortunately they feel no kinship for me.”

  Isabelle snorted and Persephone blinked at her. “That’s just stupid. How could someone they have no affection for make all of them sit down at a table and have a family meal? I don’t know the others well, but Mammon is not the type of man who follows orders from anyone, unless he has some measure of respect and admiration for them.”

  Persephone appeared about to cry, her eyes misting as she turned her head away. She gave a small, joyful laugh. “I suppose you’re right.” She turned her gaze back to Isabelle and smiled brightly. “You really do have a gift for seeing deep into a person, Isabelle. You know exactly what they need, when they need it. Mammon is blessed to have found you again.”

  Isabelle blushed, waving off the compliment. She was just following her instincts. This goddess had a tough enough life as it was. It was clear from all she had seen, Persephone loved her husband. To be forced to leave him for six months must be hell on her, and on him.

  The sound of male voices filled the room as they all returned, Hades heading the group back to the table. “The box is safe. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I should have been the
first thing to come to mind.” He began to pace. “How did I not see it?”

  “Hades, my love, it’s okay. We know the box is locked away. They couldn’t get to it, surely?” Persephone went to her husband, encompassing him in her arms to stop his pacing.

  “I fear we may all have been victims of some kind of misdirection web.” Apollo appeared ready to lose his temper. His skin was dark, his usually bright blue eyes stormy. “This web is designed to do one thing: to prevent our minds from making the simple connection between Pandora’s Box and sin. The gods have used similar methods in the past to misdirect mortals away from us. The idea I could be duped by such a simple parlor trick makes my blood boil.”

  “It affected all of us, Apollo. I wonder how many others this web is designed to deceive?” Lucifer leaned against one of the chairs, gripping it with his hands.

  “All of us, except Isabelle.” Mammon’s voice filled the room, and everyone turned to look at her again.

  “They didn’t take her escaping into their plans. Michael figured once they had her, they wouldn’t lose her. His arrogance truly is astounding. Either that, or she is immune.” Apollo ran his fingers through his hair, moving toward the window. It was long dark now, yet his skin still seemed to glow as if brushed by sunlight.

  Isabelle stood, wrapping her arms around herself. It took Mammon ten seconds before his powerful arms enveloped her in strength. He needed to hold her as much as she needed him right now. Remembering her abduction by Uriel made her heart stutter. Clearly Mammon didn’t like being reminded of it either. Yet together they could weather any storm.

  “Isabelle, might I ask a favor of you?” Hades voice brought her mind back to the room, and she nodded. “As you seem immune to this web, can you assist me in recognizing the signature? It will feel like something sticky hanging over us. All you need to do is point me at it, and I can find it.”

  “Of course. If I can find it, I will.” Stepping from Mammon’s arms, she crossed the room and stopped before Hades. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her gift. Everyone in the room had their own emotional signature. Ze flickered and sparked like a silver flame, glitteringly bright, yet something dark hid just under the surface. She could almost catch a glimpse of it rolling under beneath the light. It was almost imperceptible behind his easy smile.

  Abbadon, he felt smooth, like silk it reminded her of how at ease he was with the ladies. With a flash of his handsome smile he could have them at his feet, or not. He held an air of indecisiveness, much like a teenager unsure of where to go in life, he was the embodiment of “meh”. Interested one moment, bored the next, yet under it all he seemed strained, tired, it worried her.

  Beside him stood Asmodeus—a swirling, hypnotic addiction. To her, he felt like craving for another bite of chocolate cake. You knew it would be bad for you, but it tasted soooo good. He was every desire, and yet his aura was dim, subdued, and so terribly sad it shimmered around him like unshed tears.

  Her attention was then drawn to Belor. He kept himself separate from the others, maybe because his emotional spectrum was a writhing mass of flame and resentment. Despite his efforts to pull it in, he stood apart, alone. By his own choice. Why?

  The surprise, however, was Tanus. She expected ceaseless rage to be seething within him. What she found was a man desperately trying to control the fury that tore at him. Blue light rolled from him like smoke, and with each breath, he pulled it back within. His strength was awe inspiring. It took someone of great control to maintain a hold on such incessant ferocity.

  She focused on Mammon. Unlike his brothers, his form was dark, only the barest hint of green. She expected as much, given what he had endured. Locking away his emotions had no doubt saved him. She tilted her head. Those magnificent emerald eyes flicked to hers, and it was as if a supernova of color exploded from within him. She was enveloped in warmth and power. He was imbued with a core of steel and determination, much like his father.

  Mammon was starkly different from the apparent void of emotion coming from Lucifer. For all the darkness in her demon's soul, he felt emotions on a visceral, primal level. If not for the fact she had seen Lucifer lose his calm demeanor, she might think him barren of all emotion. He was a cold, texture-less red wall. It surrounded him on all sides, a perfect shield. Or was it a prison? She couldn’t fathom why he would shut himself down so tightly. The idea of purging emotion from her life filled her with sadness. Isabelle found she wanted to help all of these men, not just Mammon. They had all sunk into her heart and set up residence, even Grumpy Ass Belor and Stone Cold Luci. They were her family now; they were a part of her.

  Isabelle realized their presence in her life had strengthened her. It was now becoming easier to focus. She was getting used to filtering out the emotions she didn’t need to read and was learning to focus only on the energy she needed. Her mind could protect itself more and more, allowing her to explore her abilities in greater depth. She easily tuned out the Sins around her, closing her mind to their unique presence, and reached for the sticky energy she had sensed hanging in the air.

  Concentrating, she could almost feel the web settling over the demons and gods. It was as if a veil covered their minds. It prevented them from being able to see what should be obvious, sending their thoughts in stray directions. It was strange. If not for her, they might never have realized the box was the catalyst. Isabelle felt Hades’ power moving through her. His mental touch felt like cold metal, leaving behind a powerful tingling sensation in its wake. She could sense him reading the energy through her empathy, then he smoothly retreated. Blinking quickly, her vision cleared, and she focused on Hades.

  His face was locked in concentration. “It is a very complex spell. I can feel it trying to send my thoughts in different directions.” The air thickened in the room, wind rising around his form. Isabelle could see the energy coming from him. It twisted and rotated like a vortex, then dropped to the floor. The god let out a rushed breath and rolled his shoulders back. “More difficult than I expected. For now we can let the Malakhim believe they have us caught in their web. You all need to find a hole in this spell and break through it. Isabelle, this is further evidence they planned on using you for something much darker than just your empathy.”

  A chill washed over her skin as the Lord of the Underworld focused his silver eyes on hers. Feeling Mammon tighten his arms around her, she finally spoke. “What do they have planned, Hades? Please, tell me.”

  “You all know the story of Pandora, how she was the first woman? How the gods showered her with gifts when she was first brought into being. But Zeus both loved her and hated her, so in his jealousy over the adoration bestowed upon Pandora, he tricked her. We all bestowed gifts upon her. But Zeus gift to her was curiosity. The gift was also her greatest weakness. For he also gave to her a treasure, from his own hand, it came with but one stipulation, she must never open it. The term ‘box’ is a mistranslation. What Pandora opened was a jar. The jar contained the Darkness and within that Darkness the Sins were imprisoned. Before anyone could prevent her from opening it—no, that’s not right—before I could prevent her from opening it, she gave in to the thrall of her curiosity. All it took was for her to crack the lid, and the Darkness was released. With it, evil escaped, infecting the world of men. Seven of the Sins were released into the world. From them I created my sons.” He gestured to the demons around the room.

  “I took a small piece of each sin, placing it inside you, that you might mitigate the release of that evil. You have all done an exceptional job, helping to keep the balance by removing those souls who pose a threat to the light in the world. The stories say all the evil was released and only Hope remained trapped in the jar. That however is not true. Enough of the Darkness escaped that man’s future upon the earth was drastically changed, but destruction was averted.”

  “Pandora was distraught by what she had done. It was she who not only condemned the world to forever feel sin but also who saved it from totally being overrun. She
sacrificed herself to seal the jar, to protect the world from her actions. The jar, therefore, can only be opened by a woman who has been touched by the gods. Someone like you, Isabelle. Just as only a woman touched by the gods can reseal it.”

  Isabelle felt as if all the light had been sucked from the room. Mammon buried his nose against her hair as she let it sink in. Michael wanted her so he could open Pandora’s Box and break the balance in the human world. She turned, pressing her face to Mammon’s chest.

  “Where is the jar now?” Lucifer’s voice brought her eyes back to the room.

  “Deepest part of Tartarus, under guard. Only a few know where exactly. Fewer are stupid enough to enter my realm to attempt retrieval. I will have Cerberus sent to protect it. They’re not going to like it, but right now we have more important things to worry about than their fragile egos.”

  Isabelle pulled away from Mammon and looked around the room. The mention of the mythical beast of Hades piqued her interest. Could it really exist? “Cerberus? As in the three-headed dog?”

  Hades let out a bark of laughter. “Don’t let them hear you say that. They are three of my best warrior demons. Cercyn, Benediktos, and Rusaeus. Cer-Be-Rus. All three can turn into hellhounds, but they do not make one large hound. They hate the scholars who gave them that image.”

  Ze flashed a wide grin. “Triplets. Fire, ice, and steel. They fight together, hence the three-headed dog myth. I might have possibly had something to do with the dog thing.”

  Hades sighed and shook his head. “Of course you did. I hate to cut tonight short, but if the Malakhim are, indeed, after the jar, I must ensure it is well guarded.” Hades took Isabelle’s hands into his.

  “It has been an honor, Seer.” He studied Mammon and then turned back to Isabelle. “Be patient with him. He has his father’s stubborn streak.” Mammon tightened his grip on Isabelle’s shoulder. Hades gave him a nod, then went over to his little wife.