by Cassie Ryan
He shook his head, the familiar weariness of being in his mother’s presence weighing him down. “Mother.”
She glanced up to unwillingly meet his gaze.
“Thank you.”
Surprise flashed across her features before she disappeared leaving the scent of sulfur and smoke behind.
Levi refused to let himself think too much before he sat on the floor cross-legged once more, ready to perform the summoning ritual for the second time today.
The fact that who he thought he was—half human—had just been ripped asunder, would have to wait for him to examine it when they were out of danger. For now, he had more urgent matters to attend to.
Excitement curled through him and he chuckled at the thought of a nearly three-hundred-year-old man being excited to finally meet his father. Especially if said father had caused such fear in his mother.
He sighed as he picked up his weapon where he’d dropped it earlier and wrapped his hand around the cold bloodstained handle. With a deep breath for courage, he pulled the blade across his flesh, cutting deep. The sharp pain centered him and he held up his palm, laying the ring next to the welling cut as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
Please let me not regret this.
“By your blood that runs through my veins, I summon you.”
At first, nothing happened, and disappointment had just begun to curl inside him when the familiar static electricity crackled over his skin raising all the hairs on his body and bringing energy and power to swirl through the room in a breath-stealing maelstrom. When silence finally fell around him, someone plucked the ring from his upturned palm and Levi opened his eyes to look up at who or what had answered his summons.
“Hello . . . Father.”
9
Semiazas materialized in the parking lot of Sinner’s Redemption and raked his gaze over the remains of the late Madame, Celine, that still lay just outside the side door on the hot blacktop. She’d literally been ripped in two with both pieces of her head still sporting the beautiful long, red hair he remembered from their last meeting.
He pushed at one piece of the grisly remains with the toe of his shoe. “Pity.” She was definitely more fun alive than dead. The woman had been destined for Hell after a lifetime of unrepented debauchery that included a very long, creative list of sins. She’d recently been diagnosed with some terminal disease or another and had suddenly begun to think about the afterlife.
Humans had an amazing penchant for only worrying about the afterlife when it was too late to do anything worthwhile about it. Which actually was one of the reasons humans were so much fun to play with—a shortsighted set of beings.
However, Celine was smarter than most. Rather than some last-ditch attempt to make it to Heaven in the limited days she had left, she’d contacted a bounty demon with information on one of the missing succubi in exchange for leniency when she reached Hell.
Hoping to collect the bounty for themselves, two bounty demons had taken her up on her offer. Sadly, Celine had forgotten to ask for leniency here on earth, so her death had been a particularly gruesome and painful one. Her last act of helping the succubus bitch escape would probably lessen her punishments in Hell but hadn’t earned her any appreciation from Semiazas. The woman had better hope she was never under his sole power or she would spend eternity regretting her last decision.
Semiazas nodded in greeting as several human men walked by without a glance toward the grisly former Madame’s remains. The bounty demons had left an aversion field around the body until Semiazas could come and examine the site himself. They’d gone on to track the succubus but at least had been smart enough to alert him. If he’d heard about the incident from anyone but the two of them, he would’ve been peeling more demon flesh—and bounty demons could last a long time before expiring and poofing back to Hell.
Semiazas had already tried to pick up the succubus’s energy signature himself, but it was as if something had erased it as soon as it passed by. He shrugged. That’s what bounty demons were for. They could do the legwork and bring him his prize.
In the meantime, he had work to do. He straightened his tie and jacket and walked toward the front entrance whistling happily.
As he neared the front doors, something burned against his flesh and he jumped back to find the leg of his pants singed and smoking, the flesh beneath stinging.
A demon barrier.
The little bitch had shown the whores how to set up a demon barrier. And a powerful one if it had been able to injure Semiazas. He’d be impressed if he weren’t already so angry with those four damned succubi. They’d cost him seven hundred years of imprisonment, and he would spend four times that long ensuring they regretted it.
He examined the exterior of the building finally seeing the faint pearly white shimmer that marked the edge of the barrier. Now that he knew it was there he could recognize it easily.
It took not only a great amount of rare knowledge, but several years and the combined energy of many individuals well steeped in their faith to erect one of these. There had to be several races of supernaturals involved.
Had the Archangels been in on this?
If so, Semiazas would think it highly amusing. Archangels making a whorehouse a safer place for humans? He laughed and shook his head. Michael would probably spout something about temptation having a place in their Father’s world along with free will and all the rest. Michael liked to see things in shades of gray, or “a rainbow of possibilities” as he would often say. But Semiazas knew there was only black and white.
Anyone who was against him was his enemy. Everyone else was his to use as he pleased.
Simple. Easy.
He shrugged and slowly smiled as anticipation curled through him like a promised treat. There were always ways around demon barriers, and he’d just made it his goal for the day to find one.
He walked back around to the parking lot and meandered, waiting. There were always opportunities if one knew where to look.
Nearly an hour later he’d found it.
A car slowly pulled into the parking lot, sliding into a space precisely. The man stepped out and straightened his perfectly pressed black button-down shirt.
The man was in his late thirties, tall and thin, but with enough muscle that marked him as someone who either liked to use the gym or dabbled as a weekend warrior at some sport or other. His aura was mottled enough to show his early life had been spent well, but as the years went on he’d dabbled into the darker areas.
Semiazas smiled as his gut told him this was the one.
He hung back as the man stood in the parking lot deciding if he should go inside or not. Semiazas enjoyed the byplay of emotions that ran across the man’s features. The sad sap who actually believed the tripe he’d been taught over the years had convinced himself that sex was a sin, so therefore by choosing to go inside, he truly believed he was actually choosing to do wrong. Which made it a sin against himself and his own morality.
Delicious.
Semiazas loved self-inflicted stupidity.
The human population would be surprised to find that consensual sex among two unattached adults by itself wasn’t considered a sin by their Father. The prudes who had drafted the Bible had definitely added quite a few of their own touches, including diminishing women’s roles. And to add a wonderfully ironic twist, most of those so-called prophets had broken pretty much every commandment they’d had the audacity to write.
If the human population ever decided to stop being sheep and actually listen to that little voice of common sense and morality that the Father had created inside each of them, Semiazas and all of the fallen would die of boredom.
But Semiazas knew that would never happen. Humans, by definition, were fallible and excelled in proving him right.
The man Semiazas had been watching squared his shoulders and walked forward toward the entrance of Sinner’s Redemption.
Now that the decision had been made and the man was open to the guil
t of his upcoming actions, the picking was ripe.
Semiazas dematerialized, phasing himself inside the man and pushing the existing consciousness aside. There was a flash of surprise from his host, but then he cowered back as he realized who and what Semiazas was.
The pathetic fool actually thought he deserved this possession because he’d been about to walk inside a whorehouse. Semiazas laughed, enjoying the echoing sound it made inside his new host. He opened his thoughts showing the man the truth.
For a long moment nothing happened, and then came the anger.
Yes! Here was something Semiazas could work with.
All those years of repression were about to be made up for in a few short hours.
Semiazas now had access to everything Ronald knew, but poor Ronnie was a silent bystander who didn’t have a brake pedal on his side of the body.
It would’ve been easier had the fool been drunk or high, but Semiazas wasn’t going to question the gift that was offered. Besides, being the one to let the man know the ironic truth had been a fine treat all on its own.
When they were done, poor Ronald here would remember every delicious moment of what Semiazas had planned for this place.
He experimentally moved his arms and legs, getting used to his borrowed body. When he was sure he could function comfortably, he brushed a hand down his already perfect shirt and straightened. “Showtime,” he whispered almost as a dare to the demon barrier he approached.
Ronald here was a good enough soul that he should be able to trick the barrier. Most demons wouldn’t be able to embed themselves deeply enough to fool the damned thing, but Semiazas was one of the originals. Hell, he’d been next in line after Lucifer and Michael until he’d decided the Son and not the Father had the right idea about the universe.
He walked to the front entrance again, and this time passed through without incident. As the door chimed overhead he grinned and hoped Ron had brought his credit cards.
“Welcome to Sinner’s Redemption, sir. Have you been here before?”
Semiazas turned to find a stunning redhead with the best store-bought curves money could buy. Her upgrades were classy enough that if Ron were riding solo, he would’ve mistakenly believed them all to be stock. But Semiazas knew better.
Not that he minded.
Fucking a refurbished model did have its advantages. “This is my first time here,” he said with a wink. “But I’d like to see how many of the services I can avail myself of in one sitting.”
The woman smiled and motioned him into a small sitting room. “I’m Melanie. I can help you find the perfect woman and discuss options for your time here.” She gestured for him to sit and when he did, sat across from him.
“I spoke to Celine on the phone, is she here?”
Melanie’s smile never faltered, which meant none of the whores knew about their Madame yet. “She’s out for the day, but you’re in good hands. What type of woman are you looking for?”
Semiazas sat back in his chair, enjoying the give of the expensive leather. “I like all women, and I think I’d like several at the same time. Is that allowed?”
Melanie smiled. “Absolutely. Why don’t we call a conference and have all the women come out and meet you. But first, why don’t we talk about your budget so I know what options to look for.”
Semiazas shifted and fished Ronald’s wallet out of his back pocket. Right there with several other cards he found the black and platinum cards. A quick delve into Ronald’s consciousness told him the man had a near-perfect credit rating and unlimited credit on a few of these cards in his hand.
Perfect.
He pulled out a black card and handed it to Melanie. “No budget. I have the means to pay for anything you can offer, and I’m in the mood to partake.”
To Melanie’s credit, he couldn’t detect any outward reaction, but the sudden scent of her arousal that permeated the room told him enough. She disappeared into the back office with his card and returned with a black Victorian ladies’ fan.
“Take this with you when you greet the ladies.” She smiled. “Are you ready to meet everyone?”
Semiazas hesitated for effect, pulling a little of Ronald’s real personality in just for fun. “Now that I’m here, maybe I could start slow and just build up to meeting all of them?” He made sure there was a slight waver of nerves in his voice.
Melanie smiled gently and reached out to touch his arm. “No problem at all. If you’ll head into the main hallway, you can knock on any open doors. A less threatening way to meet the ladies might be one at a time.”
Semiazas blew out a slow breath as if suddenly relieved. “Thank you so much. I appreciate you being so wonderful.” He stood and she did the same. “I don’t suppose that you have a room down that hallway as well?”
Melanie’s lips stretched into a smile. “Mine is at the far end of the hall. I’ll be there in a few hours when someone else takes over the front office duties. If you’re still here, maybe I’ll see you then.” Her voice made it clear she didn’t expect him to still be here by then.
Semiazas traced a finger along her jaw before he turned away. “I’ll see you then.”
Flipping the black fan idly against his thigh as he went, Semiazas started down the long hallway feeling like a kid just admitted to the free shopping day at the largest toy store in the world.
A heavy weight pressed Amalya into the mattress and she twisted in an effort to remove the uncomfortable pressure.
“Struggle all you want, bitch. It’s more fun that way.”
A flash of panic made her surface from her exhaustion more effectively than even a slap to the face would’ve. The stench of fetid breath paired with a neck-ruffling gravelly voice made Amalya force her eyes open.
Bloodred eyes filled her vision and it took her a moment to look past those to see the pasty-pale face of the demon who currently held her down.
“What do you want?” Her voice sounded small and frail and she mentally railed at herself for showing such weakness in front of a demon.
“I want whoever carries her blood, but for now, I’ll take you instead.”
Amalya tried to make sense of the words. They were true, but that didn’t help her much.
Apparently, this was the one demon that wasn’t after her for the bounty Semiazas had placed on she and her sisters. Which was definitely a lucky break but still didn’t explain his cryptic words. The demon couldn’t mean rape—any demon could sense within seconds that she was a succubus and would willingly take his essence and the energy that would give her.
Which meant he wanted to take something she wouldn’t willingly part with.
Fear sliced through her as his grip on her wrists tightened, holding them firm against the bed on either side of her head as he leaned down to snuffle against her neck like an overeager puppy.
At full strength she wouldn’t be able to fight off a demon, let alone in her current state where ass-scooting down the stairs had done her in. Frustration churned through her like bitter acid on her tongue.
Sharp pain lanced through her neck and then numbed as the demon licked at the bite wound with a roughened tongue. Amalya cringed away from the contact and swallowed back her panic as a warm trickle of liquid hit her shoulder.
I’m going to bleed to death. This is not how I planned to die.
A feral growl next to her ear made her stiffen, but she held perfectly still and conserved her strength. She would have to take the first good opening that presented itself and use whatever strength she could to escape.
As the demon pulled back to look at her, he snapped his teeth close to her face and laughed when she winced.
She glared up at the demon with the most defiant expression she could muster. “What do you want?”
“Where is the descendant of Caldriel? I taste none of her inside you.”
“Caldriel?” The name didn’t sound familiar, but demons rarely gave their real names since it allowed anyone with that knowledge a certain amount of
power over them. And Caldriel definitely sounded like a demon name.
“Don’t play with me, succubus. If you tell me where to find the one I seek, I’ll kill you quickly and without pain.” He licked his lips, his red eyes darkening. “But if you don’t, I’ll take my time and only I will enjoy this.”
A macabre, hysterical laugh bubbled up through Amalya and she swallowed it back. Talk about horrible options. And even worse, because of her gift, she knew the demon meant every word.
She bit her lip as she searched for a way out.
Jethro and Levi had to be somewhere nearby. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten back upstairs in bed, but she had to believe the two men were still alive and safe. Neither of the men was a match for the demon, and she refused to call them up here only to lead them to their slaughter. Which meant it was up to her to find a way out of this situation without involving either of them.
She forced herself to take a breath and shove away the fear that tried to intrude. She’d been in more dire circumstances before.
Granted, none of them when she was so drained of energy, but she had to believe there was a way through—one that didn’t involve anyone besides the demon dying.
She smiled and then winced when the movement made the wound at her neck throb. “I haven’t learned that name, but I’ve met many demons. If you give me more information, I may be able to help you. I—”
He laughed, cutting her off, the evil sound like a slimy caress against her skin. “Helping me is the furthest thing from your mind, bitch.” He leaned forward and licked a long wet line up her cheek, his warm tongue reminding her of raw liver.
Bile inched its way up the back of Amalya’s throat and she clenched her teeth, battling back the nausea with pure willpower. Throwing up on the demon didn’t seem like a good escape strategy.
“I can smell others inside the house. Call them up here. One of them may be able to lead me to Caldriel. And it’ll be more fun to kill you while they watch.”
She met the demon’s red gaze. “No.”
