When the last pedestrian is out of sight, I pick up my speed and run after her. We’re on a back street. Every streetlamp’s bulb has been burned out or busted out, leaving us in darkness. The only light I have is from the moon overhead. There’s not a person around, and not a single light shines in any of the windows of the surrounding buildings.
The girl is sitting with her back turned to me in the middle of the street. I approach slowly, not wanting to alert her to my presence, for fear she’ll take off and the chase will start all over. The closer I get, the more I choke on dread. Something isn’t right.
The instant I have that thought, a high-pitched cackling sounds surrounds me. The screeching comes from every side, yet it’s still just me and the girl. My head turns back to the spot in the road, but the girl is gone. In her place is a box sitting innocently, but its mere presence indicates it’s anything but.
I make my way to that spot in the street, bending to pick up the box while my head swivels to keep an eye on my surroundings. It’s a plain wooden box with no etchings or decorative painting. My instincts tell me to put it down and vacate the area, but when have I ever run from a potential fight?
My right hand goes to my back, patting Solis to affirm I’m not alone in what’s to come. Without overthinking it any longer, I pop the top of the box and stare down to find a bloody, beating heart.
I drop the offending object and take a colossal step away from it. What. The. Hell.
“I see you got my gift.” An unfamiliar voice sounds from behind me, and I spin around to come face to face with a creature that’s undoubtedly an upper-echelon demon.
At first glance he appears human. Chiseled cheekbones, raven hair, devastating smile—it’s all there. But I know what to look for. That shimmery glamour just at the edges gives him away. If I focus for just a few seconds on that shimmer, it’ll start to fade away and the demon’s true identity will be revealed. This particular demon is strong. After several seconds of trying to uncover the glamour, I’m only able to capture glimpses.
“Who are you?” I ask, grabbing for Solis.
The demon tsks. “Is that any way to repay me? I think a thank you is in order.”
I do the most unladylike thing I can think of and spit at his feet. “There’s your thank you, demon.”
“I’m going to enjoy enslaving you,” he sneers. “I see why Lucifer is so taken with you. You truly are a rare beauty.”
Definitely top rank, if he knows my past with Lucifer.
“Good luck. You have no idea how much trouble you’re in. Coming for me alone? Big mistake.”
He chortles. “You think I came alone? Oh, no. I brought friends.”
He whistles, and the shadows all around me start to form into creatures that get uglier as they materialize.
He brought a horde, and that isn’t good for me.
Help
I’m completely surrounded. Solis is with me and I’m powered up, but even I would have a hard time taking on this many demons. Demons who are at the mercy of one of Satan’s chief demons.
“Lucifer,” I scream, hoping he’ll come to my aid again.
“He can’t hear you, but feel free to scream all you want.” His eyes darken until they’re completely black. “I live off the fear. Run, little angel. The chase is my favorite part.”
His wicked sneer would typically garner one of my own. Egotistical demons are usually the easiest to take down, but I know that this time, that won’t be the case. This situation isn’t impossible, but it’s going to test my strength more than it’s been tested since falling.
Demons are notorious liars, so I disregard his warning and yell out for Lucifer again.
“Like I said, he can’t hear you.” He taps on a gaudy oval sapphire hanging around his neck.
“Witches.”
“Very powerful witches.”
“They’ll eventually turn on you. Witches have their own agenda. Always.”
He taps his chin like he’s contemplating my words, but soon, a Cheshire-cat grin spreads across his wickedly handsome glamoured face. “You aren’t wrong. It’s the coven leader’s heart in that box. I figured you’d like to eat the heart of the witch that single-handedly doomed Earth.”
I cringe. “Pass. But thank you.”
“Such manners,” he says, walking closer.
His hand shoots forward, and I crouch, but his action only causes the box to lift into the air and fly into his outstretched arms.
“We’re not going to waste a perfectly good heart.”
He puts the bloody organ to his mouth and inhales deeply before taking a bite out of it. I turn my head away in disgust.
“Between the power that Lucifer bestowed upon me and this charm, even Lucy himself won’t hear your call before you’re in my control.” I turn my head back to the demon.
“What do you want with me?”
“You’ll be one of my first—and favorite—trophies.”
“Since when do demons take angels as trophies?” I ask with a raised brow.
“Never. We don’t allow them to live.”
I throw my head back and laugh, because in all the wars of history between Heaven and Hell, there have been far more casualties of Hell than Heaven.
“You’re the exception because you’re his angel. I’ll take his love and then his throne.”
I stop laughing, because there is so much wrong with that declaration. Starting with the obvious—there’s no love between Lucifer and me. Hate? Yes. Love? Hell no.
Liar.
“Get her, boys. But remember, not a hair is to be taken from her head.”
With that, they all crowd in around me. I’m in my fighting stance with Solis at the ready. The first demon steps forward, and it’s clear he’s already injured, by the way he drags his leg behind his body. They’re throwing their weakest links at me first to try to wear me out. Not a bad plan.
With one solid swing, his head is detached from his shoulders, and his body disintegrates before it even hits the ground.
“Who’s next?” I say, lifting my fingers in a come get it gesture.
This time the entire line of demons in front of me moves forward. I haven’t so much as broken a sweat, but the task ahead has me wishing it were already over.
The line stops suddenly, eyes lifted to the sky. That’s when I hear them. Angel wings flapping in the air, feathers rustling. I didn’t realize how much I missed that sound until now.
“What do we have here?” Leeanna says from my side. “Finally, you showed yourself. Foolish demon,” she sneers.
I watch the thing closely. He doesn’t so much as flinch. No fear, which is something different. He really is arrogant.
In the blink of an eye, he disappears, and demons melt back into the shadows.
Coward after all. Or simply smarter than most, which doesn’t bode well. A stupid demon is much easier to send back to Hell.
“He’s got bigger plans. No way was he going to waste even a portion of his army on this fight,” Leeanna muses. “Glad to see they didn’t have time to tear you limb from limb.”
“I didn’t think you cared what happened to me.”
“We need you for the war. After? I couldn’t care less.” She says it, but the way her chin quivers gives away the lie. Despite my fall, Leeanna does care.
“What’s going to happen when I get back into Heaven? You’ll have to drop this better-than-thou act.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’ve got a long way to go before that’s even a blip of a possibility.”
I shrug. “We’ll see.”
“What was that thing around his neck?” Michael cuts in, drawing both Leeanna’s attention and mine.
“A witch’s medallion. He ate the heart of the witch who gifted it to him.”
Leeanna grimaces. “That only made him more powerful.”
“He’s able to create some type of barrier to shield himself and the surrounding area.”
I leave off the part where I called out to
Lucifer and he never came.
“Most barrier spells with a medallion last only a short time.”
Would’ve been great to know that minutes ago. Then again, the angels hearing me call out for help from the devil wouldn’t bode well for me.
“We know you have connections to covens in the area,” Leeanna grinds out. “We need you to find out what they know that could be helpful to us.”
“You want me to consort with witches?”
Michael’s head snaps to hers and she nods, but her eyes are cast down, knowing what she’s asking is wrong.
“In this instance, if they have information we need, we have to.”
“Leeanna, you can’t ask that of her.”
“She’s fallen, Michael. Who else can go to them?”
He purses his lips but appears to come to the same conclusion she did. I’m their only chance of working with the witches.
“Fine, but if I do this, you both have to promise you’ll speak on my behalf if and when the time comes for me to stand trial to get back into Heaven.”
“If that happens,” Michael hisses, “I’ll speak for you. Assuming you toe the line in every other aspect. Work against us, and you’ll get nothing from me.”
It’s my turn to nod.
I step up to Leeanna. “Why did you meet with Zeke earlier?”
She stiffens. “H-how do you know about that?”
I internally cringe, as my source would not go over well for me.
“He let it slip,” I lie. “But he wouldn’t tell me what you talked about.”
She puffs out her cheeks. “Zeke didn’t fall for me. He didn’t fall at all. He’s here to make sure you stay and fulfill your punishment here on Earth.”
“What?” I jerk back. “What does that even mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Michael jeers. “He’s been working against you all along.”
My body sways and my eyes glaze over.
They have to be lying. He wouldn’t. Couldn’t.
“He did, Victoria.” Leeanna’s tone isn’t mocking. It’s sympathetic, and I might hate that more. “He’s here on assignment.”
“I-I’m the assignment?”
She simply nods.
The son of a bitch tricked me. He took my virginity, and straight up lied to me. He’s no better than Lucifer, and he will feel my wrath.
Hell Froze Over
The next morning, I’m strolling the far end of Bourbon Street. On this side of town, every vice a sinner has can be sated. Sex permeates the air even at this time of day. Behind any of these walls, I’d likely find myself in the middle of an orgy, complete with drugs and alcohol flowing like a waterfall—never ending.
My mind is numb as I focus on the task at hand, using all the energy I have left to smash out the human emotions that are trying to break through. I’m done feeling.
I look at the peeling numbers above the shops as I pass, but in the end, there’s no need. The place I’m looking for stands out from every other building. The Solheim Coven doesn’t have to go for inconspicuous. While every other building on either side of this block is dilapidated, the home of one of the most highly respected voodoo priestesses in the South is well kept, with a fresh coat of paint. However, only magical beings can see it. The home has been shaded so that to everyone else, it looks like every other building—well on its way to collapsing.
The blood-red front door stands out starkly against the bright white on every other surface. A black wrought-iron fence surrounds the home, likely to keep the drunken partygoers who stray too far from the heavily lit part of Bourbon Street off its pristine lawn.
Magic swirls in the air, so thick I can taste it. It coats every surface, leaving a shimmering gleam that only a magical being can see. This signals that the woman I came to see is here: Madame Solheim, the oldest sister of the Solheim Coven. I knock briskly four times before turning the knob and allowing myself in. I know the drill; I’ve been here before, but never in the daytime.
The foyer of the house is quiet, and there’s not a person in sight. I walk toward the back, make a right down the long narrow hallway, and pass through the curtain of beads hanging in the doorway to the heart of the place. The coven sits in a circle, holding hands and chanting, while sage burns in the center.
I don’t dare interrupt whatever they are doing. It would be considered a slight against the coven, and I’m not here to incur their wrath. I need their help, and I’ll only get it by being patient.
Several minutes go by with the same chant being crooned. My arms are crossed over my chest and I have to try extra hard to not roll my eyes.
“Still wearing that chip firmly on your shoulder, angel?”
When had the chanting stopped?
I clear my throat, but she silences me with a raised hand.
“Leave us,” she says to her sisters, and they stand, exiting the room without a single glance in my direction.
Madame Solheim stands and makes her way to me. “There’s evil in the air. We’re trying to purify as much as we can,” she explains the act that I just witnessed.
“You know why I’m here,” I say, with a bit of reverence for her gift. I should’ve come straight here before tracking down Almada. I would’ve saved myself time.
“Nah. Almada had your answers.” My eyes narrow in on the mind reader.
This woman goes against everything I was taught. She embodies the very essence of heretics. What she practices goes against God’s law and will be punishable by eternal damnation.
She sighs. “Still holding on to those archaic beliefs?”
“No, I was merely reflecting on a time where I would’ve only stepped foot in here to end your life and send you to Hell,” I admit.
Madame Solheim appreciates frank discussion, and today is no different. She smiles, nodding her head. “Sometimes falling isn’t a bad thing, Tori. You have the ability to see different views for what they are . . . simply different. We can all live peacefully.”
“You believe that?”
“Someday, but not today,” she confesses. “Something wicked this way comes.”
“He’s already here.”
She shakes her head, holding up one finger. “Not him.”
“Who’s more wicked than the devil himself?”
I ask the question more for confirmation. After what I witnessed last night, I know exactly who’s after the throne of Hell.
“Something that wishes to harness the powers of Hell to unleash it onto the world. Something that wishes to defy him.”
“So, it is a coup,” I say aloud.
“Mmm,” she murmurs. “But you already knew that.”
“Who is it? I might’ve faced him, but I never heard his name.”
She tsks. “You give me too much credit, daughter of God.”
“I’m no daughter of God. In fact, he’d probably smite you just for saying so.”
She laughs. “I was smitten long ago. I don’t fear God.”
She should. God is not to be underestimated. He could end Earth and Hell in one tantrum, if he so chose. His love for all mankind knows no bounds; otherwise, this earth would’ve been scorched long ago. He too has faith. Faith in the faithless. His belief in humans is unearned and unrequited in many ways.
“So, you don’t know what we’re up against?”
“Pure evil. If Lucifer doesn’t act, it’ll be too late.”
“You want Lucifer to succeed? Why?” I’m truly mystified by this entire conversation.
“Not everything is black and white, Victoria. There are things that not even you know about the inner workings of Heaven and Hell.”
“And you do?”
She shrugs. “I’ve heard whispers.”
“Care to share?”
“Some things are not for me to tell. This is a conversation you’ll have, and soon. But not with me.”
My lips form a thin line as I debate whether to take my chances and push or move on, knowing full well that Madame Solheim only sh
ares what she wishes. I inhale and blow the air out hard.
“Who is the coven helping the demon?”
“A wicked lot.”
“Where can I find them?” I press, ready to start hunting witches along with demons.
“They’ve already moved underground. Ezekiel was too late. Whoever the creature, it’s protecting them for their service. Not even my coven can uncover their whereabouts.”
“Is Zeke in danger?” I don’t want anything to happen to him until he feels every ounce of the pain I’m going to inflict on him for his damn deceit.
She shakes her head. “He’ll be fine. He needs to worry about you more than anything.”
“Does he have any idea I know he betrayed me?” The words are spoken from between my teeth as anger takes hold.
“No.”
“I’m going to find him and tear him limb from limb.”
“No. Forget about Zeke. You need to go to Lucifer. He’s very worried about you. I can feel his distress.”
My nose scrunches. “Lucifer doesn’t care about me. I’m just another toy.”
“You know better than that, Victoria. You’re nothing close to a toy for him.”
I refuse to even dissect those words. Even Solheim can be wrong.
“This creature is determined to reign over Hell. Lucifer needs to be ready. The entire world depends on him sitting upon that throne.”
It’s worse than I feared. A rogue demon, creating an army to overthrow Lucifer. It’s a sad day when the devil isn’t even evil enough. He kept his demons in line, and one stepped off the path. Whoever is threatening his reign clearly has other ideas in mind, and it does not bode well for mortals.
“Thank you, Madame Solheim,” I say, turning to go.
“Victoria,” she calls, and I look back at her over my shoulder. “We all deserve to be heard.”
I furrow my brows at her cryptic message, and she continues.
“Not all that are fallen are truly bad, and not all that reign are entirely virtuous.”
Fear The Fall: Fallen Hunters Series Page 13
