But Pestilence was too strong, and he was already working to break free of my vines, tearing them off his body and making them wither and die with his sickness. That's when I called on my Famine powers to steal energy and power from him, dragging it out of his body and into me. I grew stronger, while he grew weaker. He tried to fight me with everything he had, but I was too much for him. I kept pulling and pulling, my hunger demanding more and more of Pestilence's essence, until I ripped the Elder God out of Adam entirely.
Adam staggered, his knees hitting the ground, his body weakened and battered by hosting Pestilence for so long. The Elder God hovered above me, a yellow spectral essence, a tainted cloud of putrid sickness. He spread his plagued fingers across the battlefield, searching for his next host, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I wrapped a swirling mass of air infused with light and darkness around him, then forced him into the portal. Pestilence screamed, a shrill, horrifying sound that made everyone on the battlefield feel queasy, as the portal to Void sucked him inside, like it too was greedy to lock him away.
Pestilence was gone—leaving only Adam behind. I was his judge, jury, and executioner, and I’d tried him and found him wanting. Today, I was his reaper.
My entire world narrowed to just me and Adam. I stepped closer to him, clearing his body of the remaining vines that still clung to him, leaving grazes and cuts where their thorns had started to burrow. His body was covered in Pestilence's boils, his hair almost gone, his skin still a sickly color, though his Fallen powers tried their best to heal him. For a second I saw Gadreel, who I'd thought had been my friend, but who had tricked me for numerous lives. A bitter reminder of all that Adam had done.
He deserved to suffer for his sins.
“Eve… My Eve.” His voice was weak, pleading, and it fueled the hate inside me. “I knew you’d come back to me. Heal me and we can be together finally.”
"No." He didn't deserve any more words, and nothing I said would ever get through to him. He'd been a possessive, abusive husband when I was Eve, and after I'd left him, he'd only gotten worse. He'd never been able to let me go, his obsession carrying across multiple lives—thanks to Death's curse—for thousands of years. I had nothing in my heart for him but loathing for everything he’d stolen from me. I was literally a different person because of him. A different person again and again, always losing everything I held dear, then having to search for it over and over, knowing I would only lose it again.
I didn’t plan to lose anything I loved ever again.
His face changed when he realized I wasn't going to help him. "Whore," he yelled, followed by a dozen other obscenities, along with, "I'll kill you!"
"No, Adam. It's time for your final death."
I plunged my dark-and-light sword into his chest, slicing him open with a hard slash of my blade. His eyes widened at me, and he spat blood from his lips as he tried to fight back, but he wasn't strong enough to do anything to stop me. I felt his life force flicker, and it would have been so easy to steal his life and end his suffering, to feed my eternal hunger… But I did not.
Instead, I hit him with all of my rage and suffering, with all of the love I felt for my family, and the grief from when he'd taken me from them over and over. Light and darkness, air and vine, truth and hunger—all of my powers mixed together to rip him apart, atom by atom. His face became a mask of pain as he was torn asunder, his screams echoing across the battlefield, and then he was no more. My power devoured him, wiping him from existence entirely.
Adam was gone, and only I remained.
Our eternal battle was finally over.
34
Lucifer
Even though I'd become War, my father still managed to overpower me. We wrestled like I was a child trying to move a man as I attempted to force him toward the Void portal. I was starting to think Death would be impossible to defeat. No one won their final war against him, though many had tried. How had I ever believed I might be the one exception?
I glimpsed Aurora behind him, now in Belial's arms but still reaching out toward us, her cries for her parents almost lost to the sound of battle. I couldn’t let my father take my daughter away and raise her. No good came of having Death as a father figure. If anyone knew that, it was me.
"Oh, Lucifer,” Death said. “You could have ruled all the worlds. I expected so much from you, my son. Instead you had to fall in love with that mortal woman. She made you weak."
Why was everyone always trying to convince me that loving Hannah made me weaker? "No. Loving her has only made me stronger."
"You're wrong." Death shook his head at me, then gestured at Aurora and Belial. Undead immediately surrounded them, trying to tear my daughter from her brother's arms, but Damien blasted them all back with a burst of air. Zel, Lilith, and Cerberus, now freed by Kassiel, all leaped into the attack too, easily slicing down the skeletal attackers.
"You see," I said, turning back to my father. "Love wins."
But I'd been so distracted by the attack on my family that I hadn't noticed Death lunging toward me, and he managed to rip the Void key right out of my hand. Then he let out a guttural roar as he clenched it within his palm. Rays of light of every color shot out of it, before he closed his fist and shattered it into a million pieces. The portal to Void immediately closed behind him.
Fuck.
“Careless, Lucifer,” Death chided. He wrapped his free hand around my neck and pinned me against him from behind. “Weak. Powerless. Useless. What a disappointment you are. Are you even my son? Or did that angel lie to me?”
"I guess I'm a mama's boy," I growled, as I grabbed his arm and flipped him over me. His back hit the ground hard, but then he slithered away, too fast for a mortal eye to see. But he wasn't getting away. I didn't know how I would stop him, but this had to end here. Maybe we could put him back in his tomb, which had to be behind him somewhere. There was a solution, I just had to find it.
I shot brilliant blue and red hellfire at him, but he always managed to escape it. I kept firing, pushing him back and back, toward the battle behind him. Then I released all my War powers and grabbed hold of every one of his undead soldiers, turning them against each other. Against him.
They swarmed his body, a writhing mass of bones and dead flesh, and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the sight. But then an ear-shattering roar burst out of Death and he shifted and grew, becoming a giant black wolf with glowing purple eyes and talons that turned the ground black around them. Fenrir's wolf form, now with an apocalyptic twist. Shit, maybe this really was Ragnarok.
Wolf-Death launched himself at me, and only the swift beat of my wings got me out of the way in time, though he did manage to rake a claw down my side. His mere touch leeched life out of me, and a deathly chill spread through my body. I sucked in air as I tried not to let Death overtake me. I was too strong to be so easily defeated—but how long could I last against this apocalyptic Death wolf?
Fingers curled around mine, and I looked into Hannah’s face, smears of blood covering her cheeks, her hair coated with a fresh layer of fine gray ash. She'd managed to defeat Pestilence and Adam, and now she was by my side again, ready to face our other eternal enemy.
“Let's finish this." She sent a little life-giving energy into me, allowing me to fight off the last of Death's touch. "I can rip Death out of Fenrir. I just don't know what we'll do with him after that."
"I'll get him back in the tomb." Time for plan B. Or Q. Or whatever the fuck we were on at this point.
Hannah held her hands out, her body emitting a green glow as she sucked at Death's essence. He let out a skin-crawling howl that echoed throughout the battlefield, making everyone cover their ears. Then he charged her with his wolf body the size of a dump truck. I blasted him with hellfire so strong it knocked him back and set his fur on fire, but he stood up and shook it off, snapping at me with his massive fangs. Then a giant paw tried to rip me apart with its claws, but I flew around him and kept firing at him, distracting him while H
annah leeched away his life force. He grew weaker and weaker, the purple in his eyes dimming, his movements slowing down.
“I’ve nearly got him,” Hannah ground out.
Purple essence seeped out slowly, unwillingly, from Fenrir’s mouth, nose, and ears. I rushed to the base of the Sphinx, looking for Death's tomb—but it wasn't there.
Death suddenly released Fenrir's body, launching out of him, forming what looked like a spectral Grim Reaper in the air as it hovered over us. Fenrir shook out his wolf body, but then the two began to merge again—Death trying to return to its host. I shot all of my power into Death, holding him back with everything I had, but knew it wouldn't last. We had to kill Fenrir to sever the bond.
I quickly sought out my sons, even as I struggled to hold Death back. Belial was closest, and oddly enough, the one I trusted most with this task. I met his eyes and pointed at Fenrir, and he nodded as understanding settled over him.
Belial handed Aurora to Damien, unsheathed Morningstar in one quick movement, and plunged my old sword into Fenrir's throat. He acted quickly, bringing Morningstar down fast and sure, no lack of certainty and no hesitation. Fenrir couldn't even struggle, not as the light-infused blade cut him down, and he hit the ground hard. As he died, his body returned to his human state, looking small and broken on the ashen ground.
Fenrir was dead, but Death still remained. An Elder God with no tomb to lock him inside, and no Void portal to send him through. But he needed a body.
Death yanked himself free of my hold, and his essence began to float forward toward the person he'd already chosen as his new host. Death was the absence of indecision—and I knew his choice even before he got there.
Aurora.
“No!” I began to run toward my children. “Not her!”
Damien tried to rush away, carrying Aurora in his arms, but Death's skeletal army surrounded them from every side, with Theo at the head of them. Kassiel began to fight them off, and Olivia and her other mates joined him, but Death was too fast and too powerful.
Belial flew in front of Death's essence, shielding his siblings with his wings, his beautiful ombre feathers spread wide. He thrust Morningstar into the air, right into the middle of Death’s essence, and the mist swirled around the blade, almost like a caress, spiraling to Belial’s hand and arm like it was tasting him.
"Take me," Belial said. "Not the girl. She's only a child, and still weak. You'll be too easy to defeat in her body. But I'm also your grandchild, and I'm almost as ancient as you are. With our power combined, we'll be unstoppable."
"Belial!" Hannah screamed. "Don't do this!"
I grabbed her hand and held her back. "No. He can do this. I have faith in him."
She looked at me like I was insane, but there was only one person here strong enough to contain Death. Hannah and I couldn't do it—we were already Elder Gods. It had to be Belial.
"But what if we lose him?" she whispered.
I squeezed her hand. "We won't."
"Why do you want this power?" Death asked Belial.
Our oldest son straightened up, his eyes blazing with fury. "To defeat my father once and for all and take my rightful place as Demon King."
His words were like a blow to my chest. After all we'd been through, did my son truly mean that? Had he done all of this just so he could have a chance to grab an Elder God's power? Had I really been so wrong about him?
Death cackled. "I like you, grandson. Perhaps my pedigree merely skipped a generation. Yes, you will make a fine host, at least until the girl is older. But I require a sacrifice."
Belial closed his eyes briefly, and then he looked at his mother, his gaze lingering on her as his face remained stoic. Then he turned his eyes upon me, and I saw the truth there, as if I'd had a touch of Hannah's power. Belial didn't want Death's power. He was only doing this to save his sister. He was doing this for us.
He looked at Aurora next, still in Damien's arms, and his jaw clenched. "Anything," he told Death.
"I require the sacrifice of your soul," Death rasped.
"Belial, no!" Hannah yelled, rushing forward to try to stop this somehow, but I wrapped my arms around her, wishing there was some other way to defeat Death and save my son. If Hannah and I could defeat the Elder Gods inside us, I had to believe Belial could do the same. Somehow.
Belial cast one last glance at us, as if saying goodbye, before he nodded at his grandfather. “Done.”
Then I could only stare in horror as my son became Death, the destroyer of worlds.
35
Hannah
As the last of the purple essence disappeared into my son, my tortured cry rang loud and harsh over the landscape and then echoed back, like the whole of Hell shared my grief. Behind us, the battle was still going on, but none of that mattered. All I cared about was that I was about to lose my son to Death.
I gripped Lucifer’s hand, dragging him along with me as I crossed the distance between us and Belial, my wings bursting from my back when my legs didn’t move fast enough. Damn it all. An Elder God couldn’t have another one of my men. Death wouldn’t take my son.
“Belial!” His name ripped from my throat. “Belial, you have to fight!"
Belial was kneeling in the dirt, shuddering with the aftermath of becoming Death, but then his head snapped up and his glowing eyes met mine. A horrible cackle escaped from his mouth, as purple magic slithered up and down his body, making his veins and bones glow from the inside out in a most horrifying way.
Theo landed in front of me, trying to block me from getting to my son, but Lucifer grabbed the gargoyle by the throat. He reached out with a tendril of darkness and picked up Morningstar, which had fallen when Belial had become Death, and yanked it into his hand. Without hesitation, Lucifer used the glowing sword to slice Theo's head off. When it was done, Lucifer tossed the gargoyle's body aside like it was a doll, then handed Morningstar to Kassiel and wiped his hands.
I couldn't even take satisfaction in the traitor's death, because all I could see was Belial, spreading his purple-tinged wings as he gazed across the battlefield at his undead army. When Belial had been a kid, he'd had horrible nightmares, and I would stroke his head and tell him everything was okay until he fell asleep again—but this was one monster I couldn’t rid him of. If my sheer will had been enough, he would have returned to me immediately.
“Fight, Belial!" I called out. "Remember who you truly are!"
"Who I am?" He let out another horrible cackle. "I am Death. Belial is no more. He was weak, and now he is gone."
Lucifer clenched his fists. "No, he's not. You are Belial. Our first child. Our strongest son. I know you can fight this. Don't let him win."
Belial suddenly launched himself at Lucifer, wrapping his hands around my mate's neck. Lucifer's eyes went wide as Death sucked the life out of him, making him go pale. "I am Death, and you will die!"
Instead of fighting him, Lucifer wrapped his arms around his son in a hug. "If you need to kill me, then so be it. If I could give my life to save you, I'd do it. I'd gladly sacrifice anything for you."
Death roared and released Lucifer, retreating away from us. He shook his head like he was confused, and I knew it was Belial trying to fight him off. All he needed was a little help from his family.
I gestured for my other sons to come close as I moved toward Death. Just like with War, I had to trust that Belial wouldn't hurt me. With Lucifer at my side, Kassiel moved to stand on the left, and Damien on the right. Aurora launched herself away from Damien and flew over to me, and I caught her in my arms, kissing her on the face, so relieved to have her back again. My entire family, reunited once again—and now we had to save one of our own.
“Belial, we love you," I said to him as he glared at us. "Focus on that. Focus on your family."
“Don’t let past hurt dictate your actions, brother," Damien said.
“Please come back," Kassiel added. "We’re all here waiting for you.”
"Love is a lie," Belial said. "
Love makes you weak. Love is nothing."
"That's Death talking," Lucifer said. "Not you."
"What would you know of love?" Belial asked, glaring at his father. "You neglected me as a child. You cast me out of Hell. You pretended I didn't exist for centuries. Now you speak to me of love? Where was your fucking love then?"
"I'm sorry." Lucifer's voice caught a little. "I've made many mistakes. I let my pride keep me from doing what was right. But I've always loved you, and I've always been proud of you, even if I was terrible at showing it. I promise I will do better going forward."
Belial responded by raising his arms, and his undead army charged toward us, plowing over our other soldiers to get to us. He was losing this battle against Death, and we had to do something. Something more. At first, I thought perhaps I could drain him of power, like I'd done to Adam and Fenrir, but then we'd be stuck with Death with no host and nowhere to put him. We had to get Belial to defeat Death instead.
I thought back to when Lucifer and I had defeated our Elder Gods, and how we'd called upon our opposite natures to fight back. With Famine, I'd used growth. With War, Lucifer had used peace. Which meant with Death, Belial had to use life. But how? He didn't possess that gift.
No, but I did.
Lucifer glanced at the oncoming horde of undead, but our soldiers were holding them off, for now anyway. Demeter and her fae warriors used air magic and elegant swords to keep them at bay. Gabriel and the other angels shot light and flew on shining wings over the battlefield. Baal, Lilith, and Samael led the demons and Fallen forward, and among them I saw Zel slicing into shifters and gargoyles, and Cerberus tearing skeletons apart limb by limb. They were all giving us time, time enough to save our son.
I propped Aurora up on my hip, and then reached for the other's hands. They got the idea, and my family all linked hands as we circled around Death. He glared at us with purple eyes, but Belial held him back from attacking, as I'd known he would.
Infernal God (Claimed By Lucifer Book 3) Page 18
