by Diem, J. C.
“Where’s Sam?” I asked, panicked that he’d been left behind.
The door burst open and Sam entered. He sent Nathan a reproachful look and hurried over to the table when I was gently placed in my seat.
“What happened?” Sophia asked sharply as she stepped into the room. She carried a tray with a teapot and two cups. All signs of her visitor were gone. So was the purple cloth that had covered the table.
Brie and Leo appeared at the same time and took stock of the situation. “Did we miss something?” Leo asked uneasily.
“Not much,” I said tiredly. “A whole bunch of demon souls all hit me at once, that’s all.” Without Nathan and Sam holding me up, I would have sagged face down on the table. Sorting through the images that had assailed me, I saw a familiar bridge and knew that it was important. I just wished I could remember where I’d seen it.
“Have you discovered who is killing the vessels?” Sophia asked the three angels.
Brie shook her head. “Not as yet. Whoever is behind the deaths is being very circumspect. They apparently do not wish to be found.”
“Maybe they don’t realize that they have allies,” I said as Sophia poured me some tea. She added a dash of milk, stirred it and handed the cup over.
“We do not know that they are our allies,” Nathan was quick to counter.
“Who else would want to expel them from their vessels?” I asked.
“It could be a demon who is seeking to rise through their ranks.”
“How? By killing a bunch of human vessels and sending their rivals back to hell?”
“I imagine that they know by now that their souls are not being sent back to hell,” Sophia told me. “I am sure they know very well that you are absorbing them.”
Stunned, I froze with my teacup halfway to my mouth. “Are you saying a demon is deliberately ejecting his kin so I can absorb them?”
They all shared a look then nodded. “That is the most likely scenario,” Nathan said with far more calm than I was feeling. “Now that they are aware of what will happen to them when their vessels are destroyed, they are jockeying for position. The more rivals they can eliminate, the better their standing will become.”
“That’s insane,” I said with a groan of annoyance. “They’re using me as a storage place for their competitors.”
“There could be a benefit to this,” Sam said hesitantly and wilted beneath the incredulous stares the others gave him.
“What’s that?” I asked without much hope.
“Each time you take in a demon’s soul, you become stronger when you enter hell and the shadowlands.”
Leo narrowed his eyes in thought. “Samuel has a point. Perhaps absorbing so many malignant souls isn’t a bad thing. They could inadvertently be aiding you.”
Brie’s lips twisted in disagreement, but she kept her reservations to herself this time. “Did any of them give you any new insights?” she asked.
I shook my head wearily and took a sip of tea. “Not really. Just more horrible memories of their pasts and images that I wish I could scrub from my brain.”
Ingesting demon souls might make me stronger in the shadowlands and in hell, but the process could be draining. I’d never taken so many in at once before and I was reeling from it.
“You should lie down and rest,” Sophia said in concern.
Sam went to stand to escort me upstairs, but Nathan motioned for him to stay put. “I will carry her to her room.” I was swept up into his arms again before I could protest that I could walk. He was careful not to jostle me as he took the stairs up to the second floor. My room seemed smaller with him inside it. He lay me down on my bed then brushed a kiss against my forehead. That small sign of affection pushed some of the darkness back. “Sleep,” he said. “I will watch over you.”
His eyes were intense and for just a moment, I wished he could switch places with Zach. My cheeks flamed at the thought of Nathan being my boyfriend. The kisses he’d given me to heal my wounds were always on my mind. I fell asleep to the impossible wish that an angel could ever love a human who was as flawed as I was.
My sleep was deep, but it wasn’t dreamless. My growing legion of demons waited for me in the shadowlands of my mind.
“I do not like this,” Morax said without preamble when I materialized before him. Dozens of soldiers and other lesser demons stood in a cluster with the newest arrivals cowering at the back of the group. From their terrified expressions, they’d been briefed on whose body they were now trapped inside. Less cowardly than their minions, the captains had also formed a group. There were only a few of them and they deferred to the lords.
“You’ll have to be a bit more specific than that,” I said wearily. Even in my dream, I was tired.
“I do not like the fact that someone is deliberately sending more souls to you,” he clarified. There was still plenty of room in my head. I had a feeling we hadn’t even scratched the surface of how many souls I could take inside me.
“My friends think it could be rival demons who are whittling down their competition.”
Morax exchanged glances with the other lords who were in charge of the throng. “It is possible that this could be the case,” he conceded.
“We are growing impatient,” a female lord growled. “We are weary of being trapped inside you.”
“Boo hoo,” I said flatly. “I’d give you a tissue to dry your tears if I had one.” Her nostrils flared in rage. Two of the other lords grabbed her arms before she could attack me. “Do you think I want you all inside me?” I said. “Because I don’t. I want you out and I’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of you.”
“So far, you have done nothing,” she countered.
“What do you want me to do?” I said in exasperation and she fell into a sullen silence. “I don’t hear any of you offering me any suggestions. I’ve had one tip from the last batch of newbies and it didn’t really help me much. If anyone knows where I can find an entrance to the eighth realm of hell, now would be the time to speak up.”
“You do not understand how the hellgates work,” Morax said. He sounded almost as snobby as Brie.
“Feel free to explain it to me,” I replied with exaggerated patience.
“All demons were sent to the first realm of hell after we fell,” he began in a lecturing tone that instantly set my teeth on edge. “Satan was the first to fight his way through a gate to the second realm. Eventually, we gained the strength to follow in his footsteps.” He indicated himself and the other lords who stood behind him.
“That’s fascinating,” I said in a tone that indicated I was lying through my teeth. “But what does it have to do with finding an entrance to the eighth realm?”
He took a deep breath, probably to quell the urge to throttle me. “My point is, we all exit hell through the ninth realm. We know that there are portals that lead directly to the other realms, but it is rare for us to stumble across one.”
Feet shuffled then a hand rose timidly from the new arrivals. The lesser demon was pushed forward to the front ranks. “I heard a rumor that a portal to one of the other realms was seen in Central Park a few decades ago,” he said. “A Captain went to investigate it, but she never returned.”
“She must have challenged the hellgate and lost,” one of the other lords muttered.
“Why would she challenge another gate when she’d already defeated one in the ninth realm?” I asked. Morax was right, I didn’t know much about the portals.
“Every gate must be challenged and the trials must be completed before we can pass through it,” he reminded me. “There is always a risk that we might fail and be sent back to the first realm again.”
“Why would she have taken that risk?”
“If she could find a gate that led directly to another realm, it would create a shortcut. She could circumvent travelling through the ninth realm and enter through another one instead.”
“Does that mean if you want to go to the first realm, you have to start at
the ninth and work your way inwards?” Most of the demons nodded. “How long does it take to get to the first realm?”
“Several weeks, depending on the mode of transportation,” Morax said. “We must enter and exit through the gates that we have already defeated. If we were to discover a new gate, we would need to defeat it before we could use it.”
“I guess I won’t have to face that risk.”
“No,” he said sourly. “It took us many centuries and many challenges before we were able to fight our way free from hell. Since you have conquered the master gate, you are the only one who has the ability to traverse through any gate that you wish without challenging them first. You do not need to go through the trials each time you enter a new realm.” I received bitter looks from the assembly at that.
“Yeah, it rocks being me,” I said absently. I didn’t know which realm the portal in Central Park would take me to, but I had a feeling I would end up in the eighth realm. Fate was leading me where she wanted me to go and she was putting demons in my path who would inadvertently assist me. “Central Park is huge,” I said to the lesser demon who had given me the tip. “Do you have any idea where the portal is?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Ugh, why did it have to be there?” I said with dread and loathing. With the spooky raven roosting somewhere in the grounds, it was the last place I wanted to go.
“Now that you have a clue of where to search, I urge you to find the portal soon,” Morax said. He began to fade, taking the rest of his brethren with him as my dream broke up.
Waking, I found Nathan seated on the floor with his back to the wall. He’d kept guard over me while I’d slept just as he’d promised. His expression was pensive and I studied his perfect profile in silent wonder. He’d left the door open so there could be no question that he was doing anything inappropriate. Such as healing me with his heavenly kisses.
Turning, he caught me staring at him and smiled. He only rarely allowed himself to smile and it sparked useless longing inside me. “How do you feel?” he asked.
My stomach rumbled, and I sat up. “Hungry, apparently.”
“It is almost dinner time,” he said and stood. He offered me his hand to help me off the bed. “You look better,” he decided.
“I feel fine.” My dizziness and fatigue were gone. It was alarming how quickly I was starting to recover from the inundations of evil now.
I saw Sam sitting on the couch in the living room and waved. He grinned in relief that I was up and leaped to his feet. Like Nathan, he’d been keeping a vigil over me while I’d been recovering. “I’m going to wash up,” I told them. Taking the hint that I needed a few moments to be human, they trooped downstairs.
Glad that Sam no longer hovered so close that he could hear every sound I made, I utilized the facilities. My scarlet bracelet caught my eye when I dried my hands. Several faint images looked like they’d been carved into the stone. No matter how hard I squinted, I couldn’t make out what they were. It was just one more mystery to add to the list.
₪₪₪
Chapter Fifteen
A delicious scent wafted up the stairs as I reached the end of the hallway. My nose led me to the table where a roast meal waited for me. Sophia had outdone herself this time. “What’s this in honor of?” I asked as I sat down. Roast chicken and vegetables had been arranged on a plate.
“I thought you could use a nice meal after having such a trying day,” Sophia said.
“It smells great,” I said and she beamed at my praise. I must have looked even worse than I’d felt for her to go through such efforts to cheer me up.
“Did you by any chance speak to the legion while you were sleeping?” Leo asked.
It was amusing that he’d adopted my nickname for my inner demons, but his question surprised me into inhaling a piece of roast potato. I hadn’t forgotten about the dream, but I’d been doing my best to do so. I was still hoping there was some other way to access the eighth realm rather than through a portal in Central Park.
I started coughing and Sam helpfully pounded me on the back in an effort to dislodge the obstruction. It worked and I spat the potato back onto the plate, to Brie’s horror. I took a sip of tea, which helped to ease my throat, then shook my head. I felt bad about lying, but it wasn’t just my fear of the raven that had me denying it. It was dangerous to enter hell and there was no guarantee that I’d survive the trip. Friday was only four days away. It was selfish, but I wanted to see Zach before I risked my life again.
“I take it you have not had any new visions?” Nathan asked Sophia.
“Not as yet.” She flicked a glance at Sam and me, warning us not to say anything about the reading that she’d performed for me. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was keeping secrets. The reading hadn’t given us anything that we could use, but it did warn me of a coming betrayal. I studied my friends as I resumed eating. Brie was the only one who openly disliked me. If anyone was going to stab me in the back, it would probably be her.
“If Violet is up to it, we should continue her training in the morning,” the object of my thoughts said.
Leo shifted uneasily. “Do you think it is wise for her to absorb more demons so soon after her recent inundation?”
Brie shrugged carelessly. “It will not kill her. As the imp said, the souls apparently make her stronger.” She didn’t care if I suffered permanent mental damage as long as I did the job that had been assigned to me.
Finishing my meal, I pushed my empty plate away and mentally grimaced at having to undergo armed combat again. I knew it was necessary, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I’d already been sliced open once. God only knew what sort of injuries I’d sustain the next time.
My gaze slid to Nathan as I remembered our last kiss. “I’ll be fine,” I said before I could stop myself. “Like Brie said, I need practice at real fighting.” After receiving several bouts of healing from Nathan, I was willing to put myself in danger in the hope that he would have to kiss me again. I was less than pathetic.
“It is settled,” Brie said in satisfaction. “I already have a new location in mind for our next trap.”
“Of course you do,” I muttered.
Nathan stood and the twins copied him. “Show me where you plan to strike.”
Rolling her eyes that he felt the need to double check her chosen lair, Brie took them both by the hand and they disappeared. Sophia began gathering the dishes and I waved her away. “That was the best meal I’ve eaten in ages,” I told her. “You shouldn’t have to clean up after the effort you made.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said with a warm smile. “I almost wish my vessel required food. It smelled heavenly.” Her expression was wistful as she was reminded of heaven. She’d probably never get to visit her true home again. When her grace had been stolen, she’d become permanently trapped inside her vessel. A stab to the heart dislodged angels and demons. Since she was no longer an angel, I wasn’t sure what would happen if her host was ever that gravely wounded.
“Is there any way you could get your grace back?” I asked as she accompanied me into the kitchen.
Sending me a startled look, she tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. “I have never heard of such a thing happening, but I suppose it is theoretically possible.”
“Why did the demons steal your grace?”
My question touched on a forbidden subject and her face darkened in sorrow. “I do not know,” she said softly. “Leo and Brie rescued me before I could learn why they required my holy essence.”
“I’m sorry they took your grace,” I said awkwardly. I didn’t know the full story, but it was obvious she was still mourning her loss. “If I can find a way to restore you, I will.”
Her expression turned even more sorrowful. “I am afraid that is an impossible dream. You would have to discover what they have done with my essence. I cannot imagine that any demon would ever willingly offer you that information.”
That was probably true, but I
had a large number of them stored inside me. The next time I found myself in a dream version of the shadowlands, I’d put the question to them. After all she’d done for me, Sophia deserved to have her grace restored.
As if knowing I had questions for them, my inner demons didn’t make an appearance when I went to sleep that night. Brie woke me bright and early by poking me in the back with a finger. “Wake up,” she said with a hint of glee at rousing me from my slumber.
“I don’t wanna,” I grouched and burrowed deeper into my blankets.
Grabbing me by the ankle, she dragged me out of bed and dumped me on the floor. I thrashed around, trying to untangle myself from the blankets. My door stood open and I saw Sam gaping at me from his spot on the couch in the living room across the hall. “You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know that?” I said when I was finally free.
“It takes one to know one,” she taunted, sounding like a real human teenager.
“I hate you so much,” I muttered, but she’d already left my room and was stalking down the hallway.
Catching the grin on Sam’s face, I poked my tongue out at him and slammed my door shut. No one had any sense of privacy in this building. Taking my time to dress, I chose my rattiest jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie. I had a whole selection of hooded sweaters now. I mostly stuck with black to hide the bloodstains that were inevitable whenever I tangled with my enemies.
₪₪₪
Chapter Sixteen
Entering the front room, I took a seat at the table. Leo exaggeratedly looked at his wrist where a watch would have been if he’d owned one. “Feeling cheery are we?” he said innocently when I scowled at him.
“Being dragged out of bed by my ankle at the crack of dawn isn’t my idea of a good way to start the day,” I replied tartly.
