Touched by Hell

by Emma Shade

  She let out a breath. “I’m sorry you couldn’t have a normal life.”

  “It is what it is.” I handed her a Solo cup of wine. Her eyebrows rose at the plastic cup in her hand.

  “Still, you should’ve been able to go to college, have kids, and maybe meet a man to marry.”

  “Isn’t that backward? Shouldn’t I meet a man first and then have kids?”

  “Well, you don’t necessarily need a man to have children. That’s what sperm banks are for.”

  I made a face. “Yeah, there’s always that. I never expected a husband or children. From a young age, I knew my life was fucked.”

  Raven took a sip of wine and her voice resonated inside the cup. “I’m sorry you didn’t have a good childhood.”

  “Me too.” I lifted the plastic to my lips to take a swig but lowered it. “I’m sorry I’m a sucky friend and never asked. What happened to your mother?”

  “She died shortly after I was born, or so I was told. I have to guess it was tuberculosis, given the year of my birth.”

  “Wait.” I held up a hand. “Your mother was human?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how that would work, especially with me being a reaper and all. My dad won’t talk about her. He changes the subject every time I ask.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish you knew more about your mother.”

  “It’s not like it would change the outcome if I had. I would still be a reaper, and she would still be dead if she were really human.”

  Nodding, I understood what she meant. Her mother would’ve been long dead. Raven was about two hundred years old, and nobody I knew had lived that long. Well, except for my friends who were supernatural beings. I stared at Raven while she scrolled through her phone. What would happen to her once I died? Sadness overwhelmed me at the possibility of her being alone again. She or her father would have to bring my soul to Hell, unless they pulled a miracle and I ended up in Heaven. The likelihood of that outcome would be as probable as a unicorn trotting down the sidewalk.

  My eyes swerved to the balcony to see Coren stretching in the setting sun. His sinewy biceps flexed at the movement and I observed the shadows between his muscles and skin from the fading sunlight. Heat rose low in my abdomen as he turned his sharp jaw and full lips in the reddish glow. He would either destroy me or save me. Perhaps both.

  What would happen when I would have to choose between my life or the death of my friends? While the rest of the group had been so preoccupied with saving me from Lucifer, those whispered words echoed in my subconscious again. Just a little tug is all it would take. For you or your friends.

  I looked down at the scratched linoleum floor of my kitchen. Anger seared through me because Lucifer had threatened those close to me. He knew what I’d choose if it meant saving my friends. I’d die for them without a second thought.

  CHAPTER 23

  Don’t go breakin’ my cold, black heart.

  The sword throbbed against my back.

  Without a doubt, there was a demon inside the place. I swung the double doors open like I was an outlaw in an old western. What I did not expect was the doors bouncing back and slamming me in the shoulders as I took a step forward. So much for a badass entry.

  All heads turned in my direction. If the music had screeched to a halt, I would’ve crawled under a table to die of embarrassment. Thankfully, it had not. I pushed the doors more carefully this time and entered the Silver & Ale Pub. After a few seconds, the patrons resumed their drinking and eating as if the wooden doors hadn’t just pummeled somebody.

  “Smooth,” Coren said, coming up beside me.

  “Shut up,” I growled and then slid up to the bar. “An old fashioned, please.”

  “And you?” the bartender asked Coren. His red beard and green eyes implied an Irish lineage, but the hint of an Irish accent lilting his voice sealed the deal.

  “Black ’n black.”

  Coren paid for our drinks and we watched the bartender while he made them. After he slid them in front of us with coasters, Coren waited until he walked away and put a couple of hundred-dollar bills in the tip jar. His expression said exactly what I was thinking. Some insurance in case we break something. Or the demon does.

  I surveyed the area as I took a sip of my drink. The small pub was a shotgun-style building from the historic downtown area. It was narrow and long with hardwood floors as far as the eye could see. While this type of architecture was popular in its heyday, it made pursuing a demon extremely difficult.

  I heaved a sigh. “My sword vibrated before we even came inside. Maybe we passed one on the street?”

  He shook his head slowly. “No, there’s one here. I can feel it.”

  “You can feel them? Is it a part of your demon makeup?” Why hadn’t he told me that little bit of information?

  His gaze shifted away and he scanned the crowd. “Do you see anything suspicious?”

  Crossing my arms, I stared him down. “Why do you always seem to distract me or ignore me when you let information slip? It’s annoying.”

  A smirk lifted his lips. “Yeah, well, you’re about to slip out of that low-cut shirt. Not that I would mind, but it’s distracting.”

  Adjusting the shirt, I huffed at not only the truth of his statement, but the fact that he had, yet again, changed the subject. I ignored it for now, only because we had a beast to find.

  “You think your muscles aren’t distracting?”

  His gaze swung to mine. “Is that so? I can show you the whole package later ton—”

  A bloodcurdling scream rent the air and I jumped up from the barstool. We had to fight through the panicked people running from an unknown threat. I lost Coren in the melee. I made it to the back hallway near the restrooms first and I slid to a stop in shock. A beautiful blonde woman leaned against the wall, her clothes half torn and displaying most of her naked skin. Her head was thrown back at an odd angle. She screamed again and her blood vessels popped out all over her body.

  I finally spotted Coren a few feet away from me. The color had drained from his face as he stared.

  Pulling my sword free, I searched the vicinity for the vile beast, unsure which way the attack may come from. “Where’s the demon? Coren! Do you see it anywhere?”

  “It’s in her,” he muttered, his voice so low I barely heard him.

  “You’re kidding, right? Tell me you’re kidding.” I backed up a step when the woman’s tongue ran over her teeth with a wicked smile.

  Coren took a deep breath. “It’s in her, Mara.”

  “A full possession? That’s impossible. Death has only witnessed one, and he’s lived for over a thousand years.”

  I wanted to look at him, but I was scared to look away from the poor girl. Her blue eyes had turned as black as tar. She seized and dropped her head as she sagged against the wall.

  “What do we do?” I held my sword out in front of me, but I didn’t think I could kill a human, possessed or not. Sure, I’d killed demons looking like a human, but never a human with a demon inside of them.

  He had remained quiet, and I resisted the urge to glare at him for being useless.

  She tensed and Coren finally found his vocal cords. “Get ready. You get the demon’s name and I’ll try to save her.”

  I nodded, trying not to think about the other scenario.

  Her head rose slowly, methodically, until her dark eyes found me. Her voice was weird because two people were speaking at once. Her normal voice of a woman, and a deeper, more sinister voice. “You’ve been a bad girl, hunter. Tsk, tsk.”

  “Who are you?” I questioned, my voice strong despite wanting to vomit.

  “This vessel?” The woman’s hand motioned to her body. “Her name is inconsequential.”

  I took a step and pointed my blade forward. “No, you stupid monster. I want to know the name of the pathetic asshole who couldn’t face me without taking the body of an innocent woman.”

  The laugh with double voices caused the
hair to rise on the back of my neck. I had watched scary movies as a teen; I had even watched the exorcism ones. Still, nothing, no movie, no story, could ever prepare me for what I witnessed now.

  She tilted her head at a peculiar angle and took two steps in my direction. “Would you like me to take you over instead? It would be so easy.”

  “Name!” I ordered.

  I spotted Coren coming around the back of her, unsure of what he had planned.

  “Names are power.” It smiled with black saliva-covered teeth, but it was crooked and misshapen on the girl’s face.

  “Ugh. Another cryptic demon. Surprise, surprise.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

  Raven chose that moment to pop in next to me. Her eyes rounded as she took in the scene.

  The girl licked her lips, her tongue snaking out as far as it could possibly go, and her jaw cracked with the movement. Black slobber covered her lips.

  “Noooo. This can’t be real.” My best friend blinked a few times. “Please, with all that is holy, tell me that woman doesn’t currently have a demon taking up residence inside her.”

  Shifting on my feet, I winced. “Uh...”

  “Reaper,” the possessed woman whispered.

  “Oh, my God. Even her voice is the stuff of nightmares.” Raven shivered.

  Nodding, but bringing my attention back to the woman, I said, “You mean the two people talking at one time? Yep.” I narrowed my eyes and turned my attention to our target. “I won’t ask again, demon. What’s your name?”

  The woman took another step in my direction. I assumed this particular evil entity had never walked in stilettos, but it picked it up fast. Her legs weren’t as wobbly as before. Now it took a measured step again, the high heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

  “You’re so pretty, Mara Jone Argueta. I’ll enjoy playing with you in Hell.” A hand reached for me, its clawed human hand inches away.

  “What are you waiting for? Kill it!” Raven cried, her eyes wide.

  “She’s still human, no matter what’s on the inside. I can’t do it.”

  I froze as the demon’s eyes twinkled in the low lights of the pub. Another step in my direction and it would be on me. Why couldn’t I kill it? This demon didn’t care about human life, mine included. All it cared about was destroying me, and I pussed out because I cared too much about life.

  With another creepy cackle, the demon whispered, “Just one tug is all it would take.”

  The breath left my lungs and my chest tightened. “What did you say?”

  Before it could lay a finger on me, Coren grabbed the woman and whispered in her ear. She screeched, clawed, and began screaming a language I had never heard of in my life. The dialect sounded ancient, that much I knew. Then, to my utter shock, Coren replied. In the same language.

  Raven grabbed my arm, her fingernails pressing against my forearm. Each time the woman and demon screamed, her nails dug further into my skin.

  “Arde in regnum phasmatis!” the demon shrieked and then burst into maniacal laughter.

  I watched the next horrific act playing out in slow motion. With a sickening crunch, Coren snapped the woman’s neck. Her head twisted around and she slumped near my boots, her empty blue eyes staring up at me.

  *****

  “I completely understand why you killed her, but you should’ve at least tried to restrain the woman,” Death stated. “We could’ve interrogated the demon inside of her.”

  I looked at the three people surrounding me. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be in a daze after what happened, but none of them detected I had started paying attention. They had moved me to a padded bench inside the pub, which was eerily empty and silent.

  “I already feel guilty for killing, okay? Don’t make this harder.” Coren rubbed a hand over his face.

  Raven placed a hand on her father’s forearm. “Dad, there wasn’t anything Coren could do. I’ve never seen anything like it. This wasn’t the work of a low-demon possession.”

  “Did you get a name?”

  Raven and Coren both shook their heads.

  He gave a curt nod and he gestured to me, “She’s going to be pissed off beyond control. Don’t be surprised if she doesn’t start swinging.”

  I chuckled and all heads swiveled to me. “I’ll at least give you a warning before I start punching people. Okay, maybe only a half a second warning first.”

  Looking around, I noticed the woman’s body had disappeared, and I thanked the Lord for that. Anger bubbled inside of me at the death of the woman. I turned my fury on the man that broke her neck.

  “You!” I glared at Coren. “How dare you take a life? Just when I thought you had redeemed yourself of your demonic ways, you go and do that?”

  “Mara, I can explain.” His fingers touched my hand.

  I yanked it away. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Please let me tell you why.”

  “You killed the woman in cold blood. That’s what happened. You could’ve saved her. You could’ve done anything else.”

  He reached for me again, but I scooted away from his touch. “Don’t. I don’t want another demon to touch me again.”

  Coren opened his mouth to speak, but he thought better of it after a quick glance at Raven and Death.

  With a scoff, I removed myself from the padded seat and stormed to the door. “I’m outta here.”

  “Mara, wait!” Coren called after me.

  “Burn in hell,” I snapped. I pretended I hadn’t noticed the hurt and shock on his face.

  As I strode down the sidewalk, I wondered why I believed Coren was capable of good things. Why he got under my skin and lit a fire nobody else had. I still felt guilty for telling him off and for leaving the pub.

  Emotions were a messy business. There were no rules, no set of guidelines where your heart was concerned. Physical pain I handled surprisingly well, but these invisible, unrelenting feelings about Coren seemed unmeasurable.

  I stopped suddenly, my boots sliding to a stop on the concrete. I might be falling for Coren. A demon hunter was falling in love with her prey, the one being she was supposed to hate. Son of a bitch. I had to walk away now before we both did something we’d regret. With new determination, I took a few deep breaths of the cool night air. I had to become an emotionless, cold-hearted girl again. There wasn’t room for love in my heart, or in my chaotic life.

  I had two things to focus on. I had to hunt demons without mercy, and I had to keep my fucking soul before Lucifer finally murdered me or took it by force. That meant that I had to figure out a way to stop Satan before he stopped me.

  What was the opposite of Hell? Heaven, of course.

  I needed to locate an angel.

  CHAPTER 24

  Are you there, God? It’s me, Mara.

  The limestone Catholic structure seemed empty. I craned my neck to see the large steeple jutting into the morning sky.

  Our Lady of Angels Cathedral was the same church in which I’d saved the priest and received my blessing. A stained-glass angel had arms outstretched. The next one had both hands holding some green leafy things. Both had a yellow halo surrounding their heads.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” Raven asked, her head tilted up to see the steeple as well.

  I shook my head. “No. I’m good.”

  “Why a cathedral? Couldn’t you find answers from one of us?”

  “Maybe I’m looking for a little bit of forgiveness, too.”

  Raven was oblivious to my plan until we had arrived. We both knew I would be safe inside, but she hesitated.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “I’m sure. I’ll just stay away from the holy water.” I laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

  She didn’t find it funny.

  I made my way across the street to the entrance of the cathedral. The heavy wooden doors were unlocked and they squealed on their metal joints when I opened them. When they slammed behind me, I jumped.

&n
bsp; Slowly making my way up the small staircase that led to the sanctuary, I paused at the two bowls with water and a sponge. What would happen if I touched it? I carefully touched the sponge and felt the cool wetness of the holy water. I remembered old movies where they touched their forehead with it, so I parroted what I remembered from them and waited. I hadn’t burst into flames, so I let out a breath I didn’t know I held.

  My gaze flitted over the wooden pews and stained glass. On one side, there were images of a man with a cross, which I only knew was Jesus from bible study when I had snuck there with a friend. The altar at the front of the space rose from the floor and I slowly made my way to it.

  Candles illuminated each side, their red glow beautiful with the different colors streaming in from the stained glass. Hues of red, blue, yellow, and indigo filtered in and over the wooden seating. A stone table sat on top of the raised space, and what I assumed was a bible sat open on top. I hadn’t understood a lot of the symbolism, and I blamed my upbringing for that. My mother didn’t attend a church of any kind. Which made sense if you really thought about it. No true Christian would ever sell their daughter to the Devil.

  When I was about a foot from the altar, a man’s voice caused me to start.

  “May I help you?”

  I swung around and saw the same priest from the street. He wore a simple shirt and pants with the white collar announcing his priesthood.

  “I was wondering if you could answer some questions.”

  He nodded and gestured to the first pew. “Of course.”

  Sitting, I swallowed the nerves that bubbled up my throat. My gaze flitted around the space, and I was unsure what to do now that I was here.

  “Would you like me to pray with you?”

  This time I swung my view back to him. His graying hair, kind blue eyes, and gentle smile made me feel oddly comforted. “I doubt it would help me, but thank you. The reason I’m here is to ask about angels.”

  Tilting his head, he eyed me curiously. “Why wouldn’t it help you? All souls deserve to be forgiven in this and their past life. I could tell you our confessional hours, or you could always make an appointment with me.”