"He knew who you were?"
"He's been stalking us the entire time, mon frère. Somehow, he heard everything I said to you."
Shit.
I closed my eyes as if it would drown me out from existence. I was in Hell, but the true hell was back home. Elyse, dead? Rose, dead? Just like that? No fight? No fanfare? Just gone? Hearst was bolder than I had given him credit for. It meant he had a lot of confidence in the power he was stealing for Abaddon. Either that or he was going to fulfill his promise to set the demon free.
"This is all my fault," I said, my jaw clenching in uncontrolled anger.
"Yes, it is," Gervais replied.
"Shut up," Alyx said. "It is not. Landon, you can't watch everything all the time."
"I have to," I shouted, pulling away from her. "That's my job. To watch everything. To stop everything before it gets out of hand. This is getting out of hand." I turned and threw my fist into the stone wall. Mortar exploded from it, coating me with a layer of dust. "Son of a bitch. I'm going to kill that worm."
"And I would be happy to assist you," Gervais said. "I lost months of gathering my power to that little shit. Oh, and the way Lucifer laughed at me for it. He sent me back out here, naked and unarmed. I only found you because every demon down here is talking about how you killed Cain. Which is impressive, by the way."
"He didn't do it alone," Zifah said.
Gervais noticed the demon for the first time. "You?" he said, surprised.
"Yes, me. I'm going back with Landon. We have a deal."
Gervais looked at me. "Landon, don't tell me you made a deal with this little pissant?"
"I did," I said, still trying to straighten my head. "He helped me defeat Cain and get the Fist. I owe him."
"But, you can't," Gervais said.
"Why not?" I snapped.
"Zifah is a worse trouble-maker than I am. Mark my words, diuscrucis. If you bring him to the mortal realm, you will regret it."
"But I won't regret it if I bring you?"
"I don't need you to bring me. I've been banished."
"He's full of poop, Landon," Zifah said. "I told you; nobody down here will listen to a thing he says. I don't want to make trouble. I just want to go somewhere that I won't be treated like dirt."
"I'm not the one who is full of it. Landon, I know we have had our differences, but I am telling you the truth."
"Will both of you shut up?" I said. The two demons fell silent. I opened my eyes, glaring at them both. "I don't care about either one of you right now. You can both stay in Hell, or you can both come with me. At this moment the only thing I want to do is find Randolph Hearst and rip his head off."
They were both silent. A dozen quick heartbeats passed.
"Landon, can I say one thing?" Zifah said.
"I don't know. Is it useful?"
"It might be. It's about your friends."
"What about them?" My voice was still full of venom. I couldn't help myself.
"I know what killed them. Or who killed them. Whatever. It was Hearst's partner."
"You know who that is?" Gervais said.
"Yeah. I was going to wait until we got out of Hell, but seeing as how we're all here together like this, and you've already kinda been primed for bad news-"
"Who?" I said impatiently.
"What do you know about ghosts?" Zifah asked.
"That they aren't real. Who, Zifah?"
"They are real, Landon. Very real. And they can possess any mortal they want to. They can control their bodies and make them do anything they want them to. Like shoot someone, for example."
Gervais' expression changed. "You know this for a fact?"
"Yeah. I do. I got wind of it through Cain. She's been making deals with demons left and right, and promising them all a bit of Abaddon's power."
"Damn it, Zifah," I shouted. "Who?"
"It's Rebecca, Landon," Gervais said. "He's talking about Rebecca."
Twenty-Seven
"What?" I said my voice a harsh whisper of disbelief.
The last time I had seen Rebecca was in the Box. She had helped me defeat the Beast. She had told me she was trying to change.
I had told her to be good.
This was being good?
"How do you know it's her?" I said.
"There's only one ghost I know of with the pedigree to get a demon to do anything for them," Gervais said. "And that is Rebecca."
"The word down here is that she thought she was going to go to Heaven after she saved you from the Box," Zifah said. "She figured that saving God from the Beast was a pretty strong item to put on her resume. I wasn't there, and this is all rumor, hearsay, and gossip, but apparently she went to ask God about letting her in, and He basically told her no.
"You would think that would have driven her to try a little harder, and for a while it did. She set about saving kittens from trees and stopping people from being raped and all that poop. She went back a second time, and He said no a second time. She got pissed about being denied, and here we are."
I shook my head. "No. That can't be. She was stabbed with the Redeemer. Her soul became good."
"Souls can change, Landon," Alyx said. "You know that better than anyone."
"This was different. The sword changed her."
"There is no difference," Gervais said. "She was given a new start, but she still had the choice. She's angry at God for denying her. That is the only thing that makes sense."
"Because she didn't earn it," I said. I knew that was how Josette would have responded. "You can't just buy your way into Heaven with good deeds. It takes time and patience to prove your worthiness. Patience never was one of her strengths."
First she had saved me, and then she had betrayed me. Then she had saved me again. And now she had killed at least one of my closest friends and was making another massive power play.
Everything was coming full-circle.
I didn't like it.
"We need to get back, now. I need to find Rose, and then I'm going to pay another visit to Hearst."
"You need to be careful, Landon," Gervais said. "Hearst is not the same as when you left."
"I've only been gone a day."
"No. You've been gone a week."
It had only felt like a day to me.
"Time is similar between Hell and Earth, but different," Zifah said, noticing how confused I was. "There isn't really a parallel. Sometimes a day is a day; sometimes it isn't. Lucifer controls all of that."
"He controls time?"
"Down here? Yes. God cast him down to this realm and gave him full power over it."
"And he thought it would be fun to mess with your sense of things," Gervais said. "He enjoys watching you."
"Great. I'll have to put that on my marketing material. When you say Hearst isn't the same, you mean what, exactly?"
"He's been taking in Abaddon's power," Gervais said. "Him and his top flunkies. They're stronger than a regular vampire, and their touch kills instantly."
That didn't sound good. "What about Rebecca?"
"A ghost can't take in power," Zifah said. "They're in between worlds. She won't be able to level up through Abaddon."
"How is being a ghost different from being in Purgatory? Also, if she's always only a ghost, why would Hearst keep working with her now that he's über?"
"Purgatory is for two kinds of people," Gervais said. "There are the ones who are serving penance for lighter sins, who work off their penance there for a few hundred years before going to Heaven. Then there are the ones that neither Heaven or Hell wants. Ghosts are stuck in the mortal world because they have unfinished business that will direct them to Heaven or Hell."
"So Rebecca got stuck when the Beast killed her? Why?"
"I would say it was because she felt responsible for freeing the Beast. This would have been much easier if you had let him destroy everything. Or if you had let me take his power."
"So you could destroy everything?"
"I wouldn
't have destroyed it. I would have used it as my personal playground."
Like that was so much better. "Okay, fine. Rebecca is stuck as a ghost, and now she's back to being a super-bitch. Why would Hearst keep her around?"
"She's immune to Abaddon's power, for one," Zifah said. "She's immune to pretty much everything. You can't kill a ghost. You can exorcise them, banish them, which sends them a few thousand miles away. You can't end them. For another, she can control any mortal who isn't protected."
"Think of what you can do with that, diuscrucis," Gervais said. "President. General. Deli clerk."
"The perfect assassin," I said.
"On both sides," Gervais agreed. "She can kill Hearst if he isn't compliant unless he never wants to leave his house again."
"There has to be a way to spot them. A P.K.E meter or something."
"There are ways, but they are only open to mortals. I've heard the Nicht Creidem know a way. It may be that you can see them. I don't know."
"I've never seen one before."
"Despite the television shows to the contrary, ghosts are incredibly rare. It may be that you have simply never crossed paths with one."
"Or it may be that Rebecca has been watching us since I visited Hearst and I didn't know it."
"That is also possible."
I really, really didn't like this. Things had been calm for almost two years, and now it seemed like the entire universe was blowing up in my face again.
"What are your intentions, Gervais?" I asked, staring at the fop-haired demon.
He put a hand to his chest as if offended. "My intentions? Why Landon, you wound me. My intentions are to help you put a stop to this. Of course, I still want to take over the mortal realm and kill you, but I can't do that if someone else takes it first. We are allies, for now, though I don't know what use I can be to you."
I wasn't sure what use he could be either, but it was like I told Zifah. I needed him close to keep an eye on him.
"What about you, Zifah? I'll bring you back. What then?"
"After I get tired of internet porn?" he asked, laughing until he saw no one else was. "I'd be happy to hang out with you and help, but if I think I'm going to die, I'm out of there. Sorry, Landon, but I waited too long to get away from Hell to come back that easy."
"What if I promise to come back to get you?" I asked.
He wrinkled his snout. "Mmmmm... Maybe we can work something out."
"Good enough. Gervais, let's go."
"What about Damien?" Alyx asked.
"I don't think he'll care that we left without him."
Gervais knelt in front of the stones, putting his hands on them. He whispered something, and they burst into flames.
"Ladies first," he said, motioning for me to step in. Instead, I shoved him from behind, pushing him into the Rift.
I lifted the Fist of God with my power and followed him through.
Twenty-Eight
We came out of the Rift in Cabal's underground compound, just like I knew we would. The fiend wasn't present, but one of his mortal followers was. She jumped at our sudden appearance, taking three steps toward the door before regaining her composure.
"Where is Damien?" she asked.
"Don't know, don't care," I replied. I needed to find Rose, not waste time on this. "Where is Cabal?"
"Up in the club."
I kept my grip on the armor, carrying it out into the underground passages.
"Do you smell Espanto?" I asked.
"No, but the odor of sex and blood is strong down here. It is hiding other scents."
"Landon? Where are we going?" Gervais said. "Why did we come out here? We should have arrived in Central Park."
"The Rift was bound to this location," I replied. "I made a deal with Cabal for the trip down. I'm going to deliver the payment and get him to send us to New York."
"Cabal? That weak-willed snot? I'm disappointed in the class of demons you're throwing in with nowadays, Landon." Gervais shot a glance over at Zifah, who flipped him the bird.
"It's your fault for lowering my standards so much," I replied, getting a chuckle from Zifah.
We emptied out into the club. The music was thumping, and I expected to be greeted with a full house and a partial view of a breast or ass, or any combination of the same.
The stage was empty.
The tables and chairs had almost all been removed.
There was one left front and center. Cabal was sitting at it, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed behind his head, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.
Espanto was sitting next to him.
Over a hundred demons, weres, and vampires waited on the outskirts.
I don't know if we had just walked into a trap because I was expecting something like it and that would indicate I was caught completely-off guard. It didn't matter. He was here, and from the looks of things he had brought a veritable army to bring me down.
My eyes flicked over to Alyx. She hadn't been able to spot him past the other scents, which I had no doubt had been planted for that very reason. Now she stared at him, her eyes big, her face stone.
"There you are," Espanto said, putting his attention on Alyx. He pushed his seat back and got to his feet. "Come here, my darling. I've missed you."
I felt my heart begin to thud in excited anticipation at his confusion and then fear when Alyx didn't respond to him.
Instead, I was confused when she began walking forward.
"Alyx?" I said.
She didn't seem to hear me. She went over to Espanto, and he put his arms around her and wrapped her in a solid embrace.
I didn't know what was happening. I was sure that I had drawn the power from the brand. She wasn't under his control anymore. She couldn't have been. Then why had she gone to him?
"Alyx," I said again, louder this time. There was no reaction.
"She isn't yours, diuscrucis," Espanto said, looking at me over her shoulder. "She's mine. You had no right to take my wife from me."
I felt my heart sinking. I had neutralized the brand. I knew I had. The only other explanation was that she had been playing me the entire time. That she was being the demon and lying to me, just like Rebecca.
"I'm so happy to see you again," Espanto said, running his hand over her rear. She nuzzled his neck, growling softly.
I watched them, feeling stupid and jealous. How could I have fallen for that again? How could I be so dumb? I was supposed to know better than this by now.
I swallowed my heart and shook it off. No. I wasn't being dumb. Alyx's loyalty was real. Her love was real. Maybe she could fake the sexual interest. She couldn't fake the way she had protected me. The fury. The strength. It was the doubt that was stupid.
I loved her. Foolish or not, demon or not, I trusted her.
"I see you've brought me something," Espanto said. "A Fist of God. That's what they call it, yes? I appreciate the gift." His eyes shifted to Gervais. "And you? I owe you."
He kissed Alyx on the cheek, and then gently turned her around to face us.
"Alyx. Kill them all."
"Yes, Master," she said. She began to grow and change, shifting into her demon form.
"Landon, remember what I said about dying?" Zifah said, vanishing from sight.
Alyx stood in front of us, huge and frightening. She bared her teeth, snarling viciously.
I didn't reach for the stone to summon the sword.
I didn't gather my power.
Instead, I stood before her and smiled.
"I love you," I said, showing her that I believed in her.
She smiled back as best she could in that form. Then she turned on Espanto, scooping him up in a massive claw.
"You don't own me anymore," she growled.
Espanto's eyes widened, clearly confused. "I do own you. I branded you."
"Your brand is powerless."
"That isn't possible."
"No? How do you explain this?"
She grabbed his
head with her other claw and tore it from his body. Then she dropped both to the floor.
Cabal finally got to his feet. He had betrayed me to Espanto as expected, and now he was faced with a very angry Great Were.
"Kill them," he shouted to the assembled demons, his voice heavy with fear. He drew a dagger, holding it in front of himself as if it would be worth anything against Alyx.
The other demons started forward, but it was obvious they didn't really want to get involved. I considered letting it happen anyway. A hundred dead demons would help the balance overall. I was in a hurry. I needed to know what had happened to Rose. If she was in trouble, I needed to help her.
"Cabal, wait," I said. "I don't want to fight you."
I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled out the stone. I rubbed in between my fingers, for a moment hesitant to give it to him. It had belonged to Elyse, and now she was dead. It was all I had left of her. That, and memories.
I tossed the stone to the fiend. The memories would have to do.
"Take it. I need to get back to New York. The business with Espanto is over. Alyx is her own demon, and I don't think you want to suggest otherwise."
Cabal caught the stone. He eyed it for a second and then put up his hand. "Very well. Consider the deal complete. I don't want a fight with you, diuscrucis. I like to pick battles I know I can win."
"You can get us to New York?" I asked.
He nodded. "I have a Rift. I will open it for you."
Alyx changed back to human form. She had a large smile on her face, and she seemed as though a massive weight had been lifted from her.
Cabal glanced over at her with terror in his eyes. A free Great Were was always something to fear.
"I had no choice," he said. "He would have killed me if he knew I had seen you and didn't tell him."
"I know," Alyx said. "Don't cross me again, and we'll have no problem with each other."
"Of course," Cabal replied, his eyes shifting to the pile of ash where Espanto's head had been. "Will you be claiming his territories and assets?"
Execution (The Divine Book 6) Page 11
