by Diem, J. C.
Lastly, I added cream curtains to the windows so she could have as much privacy as possible. I didn’t want any of the hell spawn to be able to watch her like she was a goldfish in a bowl. “What sort of entertainment would you like?” I asked.
“Movies, music, books, anything would be good,” she said as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A TV and stack of movies appeared along with a bookshelf that was crammed with paperbacks and a stereo system.
“I’ll try to come back and check on you soon,” I said as I felt myself beginning to wake up. “This will keep the legion out,” I said and willed a key into existence. She took it and waved forlornly as I faded to invisibility.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Feeling a soft mattress beneath me, I knew I was in my bed even before I woke up completely. Nathan’s face hovered above me. He was so close that I could see myself reflected in his gaze. He froze in surprise and horror swept through me when I saw crimson light reflected in his eyes.
I sat up too fast and almost passed out again. He put a hand on my shoulder to steady me, which made me want to burst into tears. I didn’t know how he could bear to touch me when it was clear that Brie had been right all along. I wasn’t just harboring evil inside me now. It was changing me.
“I need to see,” I said. Nathan knew not to bother protesting. He helped me to my feet and escorted me down the hall to the bathroom. Sam was sitting in the living room, watching TV. His gaze was anxious, but I averted my eyes so he couldn’t see what had terrified me so much.
Stumbling into the bathroom, I grasped the sink tightly and stared at my reflection. My face was far too pale and I couldn’t hide my dread. Meeting my own eyes in the mirror, I was relieved to see the scarlet glow was already beginning to fade. In seconds, the irises were back to their normal pale green again.
Nathan turned me around and tilted my head back to see the change for himself. “I had hoped that the abnormality would only be temporary,” he said in relief.
“Do you think it happened because I took in such a large influx of souls?”
He hesitated then shrugged. “Possibly. There can be no way to know for certain.”
Heaving a sigh, I rubbed my face with my hands. I felt weary to my very bones. Each time I went to hell and back, it took a toll on me. I now had two pieces of the object of power, but I still had seven more to retrieve yet. Apparently, I also had seven more princes to kill. At some point, I’d have to return to the ninth realm. Their ruler had escaped from my justice, but it was apparently my destiny to wipe them all out.
“I have a question,” Nathan said and I dropped my hands to see him regarding me gravely. “Who is Heather?”
I must have said her name out loud before I’d become overwhelmed by the new arrivals. “It’s a long story,” I said. “I’m sure the others will want to hear it, too. Sophia probably has tea waiting for me in anticipation.” We shared a strained smile then I gave him a light shove towards the door. “I need a minute alone. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
With a nod, he ambled out. When I was done and opened the door again, Sam and Leo were waiting for me. The imp lurched forward and gave me a hug then was nudged aside by Leo. He hugged me just as hard then stood back to take a good long look at me. “You are a little pale, but you seem to be unhurt. How are you feeling?”
My stomach rumbled and I put a hand on my empty belly. “I’m fine, but I’m starving.” We headed for the stairs and I was glad to find my legs were no longer shaky. I was already recovering from my latest ordeal. “How long were we gone?”
“Forty-eight hours passed while you were in the shadowlands.”
I looked back to see Sam was just as surprised as I was by that. “Did it feel like we were gone that long to you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “It felt as though only half that time had passed.”
Our words echoed down the stairs to Sophia as she bustled about in the kitchen. She waited for us to enter before speaking. “I have heard that time flows differently in hell. It tends to pass more quickly than it does here, yet it feels as though the opposite is true.” She folded me into a gentle hug and stroked a hand down my hair. “I am glad you made it home safely.”
My stomach grumbled again, ruining the poignant moment. “I could use a snack,” I said hopefully.
“I can do far better than that. Dinner is waiting for you on the table.”
I surprised her with a kiss on the cheek and she put her hand to her face with a pleased smile. “Thanks, Sophia.” I didn’t know what she’d prepared for me, but I didn’t really care what it was. I was hungry enough to eat a horse. A picture of an undead nag came to mind and I held in a shudder.
Brie’s upper lip lifted in an unconscious sneer when I entered the front room. I ignored her and took my seat. A plate with a burger and fries waited for me. Nathan smiled faintly when I attacked the food as if I hadn’t eaten in a decade.
“I take it the meal is to your satisfaction?” Sophia said dryly as she entered with a pot of tea on a tray.
“It’s so good,” I said with my mouth full then concentrated on eating. Polishing it off far too quickly, I sat back with a contented sigh.
“Are you done?” Brie asked with exaggerated patience. “May we finally hear about the adventures that you and your twisted little sidekick had while you were in hell?”
Sam gave her a hurt look and Sophia frowned in disapproval. “You really have no idea how much I rely on Sam,” I said. “If I had to choose between you or him, I’d take him with me every time.” She stared at me in disbelief at that pronouncement. “I almost wish you could come along,” I continued. “I’d love to see you take on the snakes, gnomes, hellhounds and other nasty creatures that we haven’t even come across yet.”
“They do not sound so fearful,” she sniffed, clearly affronted that I thought so little of her talents.
“Getting past the snakes and gnomes was just the beginning this time.” Folding my hands over my overfull stomach, I settled myself into a more comfortable position. “We found the metal object in the catacombs, but a hellscribe snatched it and ran. I killed dozens of those gnome things, then we chased after her. We ended up in the palace with several hundred demons all jammed into the throne room.”
Leo’s eyes were wide and he was perched on the very edge of his seat. “What did you do?”
“We ran, of course,” Sam said with a grin.
“Once we had a good lead on them, we ducked into an alcove,” I explained. “Sam used his ability to camouflage us so we became invisible.” Brie looked away from my pointed stare. No one else in our group had the ability to hide from our enemies quite so effectively. Our bracelets didn’t work in hell. Angel spells were negated once we left this dimension.
“That was quick thinking,” Nathan said with a nod at Sam.
“It was pure cowardice,” Brie argued. “What honor is there in cowering in the shadows?”
“You’re right,” I agreed, surprising her into looking at me. “It would have been really brave if we’d stood our ground. Of course, I’d be dead, Sam would have been captured and the Earth would be doomed. But I guess honor is way more important than the survival of the entire human race.” My tone had become more and more acidic until it was fairly dripping with venom at the end.
Her face went bright red in anger and she stood. She stomped off into the kitchen while Nathan motioned for me to continue my story.
“We hid for several hours until we saw the Prince heading up to his chamber with the object.”
“You saw the Prince of the eighth realm?” Leo asked in awe. “What did he look like?”
“He’s over ten feet tall and has cloven hooves instead of feet. His horns are huge and they curve backwards until they almost touch at the tips. His entire body is covered in strange markings.”
“How did you see his body?” Nathan asked, disturbed that I had this knowledge.
My answer was bleak.
“He wasn’t alone in his room. He had a human girl in there.”
“Heather?” he said in realization.
I nodded and took a breath before continuing. “We tried to sneak in and steal the object, but he saw me. We fought and I killed him.”
Leo held up his hand as the other two gasped in shock. I heard Brie stop pacing in the kitchen to listen in. “You killed him?” he said incredulously. “You fought a Demon Prince and you actually took his life?”
“Yep. I chopped his head off.” My smile felt almost cruel and I let it drop away. “Unfortunately, Heather was too badly wounded for us to be able to help her. She bled to death and her soul was expelled. I absorbed it and she’s inside me now.”
Brie appeared in the doorway wearing an appalled expression. “You have resorted to stealing human souls now?”
Sam came to my defense. “Heather would have become trapped there forever. If given a choice, would you rather remain in hell or escape inside Violet?”
Torn between two equally horrible choices, the teen had no answer to that question.
“What happened after you killed the Prince?” Sophia asked.
“They unleashed the hounds,” I said with a scowl. “We made it back to the catacombs, but they were in there as well. Sam had the bright idea of masking our scent with sludge from the snake pits.” He nodded modestly at my praise. “We found another way out and ended up in the middle of the city to find a storm was raging.”
“I did not think that storms were possible in hell,” Nathan said.
“They are when the Hellmaster is pissed enough,” I replied wryly. “He tossed lightning at us and only let up after a bolt sent us flying.”
Sophia leaned forward in concern. “You were struck by lightning? How are you still alive?”
“It did not hit us directly,” Sam told her. “It landed several yards away.”
It had felt like a direct hit to me, but it was a relief to hear that it had been a narrow miss. “I called on my nightmares and they arrived with a carriage,” I told them.
“You have more than one nightmare and a carriage now?” Leo said in astonishment. “How is that possible?”
“We stole the carriage,” Sam admitted. “It was taking too long to ride bareback to the catacombs. We searched the first village we came to and happened across the abandoned carriage of a Demon Lord.”
“Two nightmares appeared in the traces like magic,” I added. “They seem to be psychic and show up whenever I need them.”
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. “I suppose travelling by carriage is a better alternative than riding bareback.”
“No kidding,” I muttered, remembering how raw my thighs had felt. “Anyway, the carriage took us back to the hellgate, but some demons were waiting for us. I ordered the gate to open and they ran through after us before I could order it to close again.”
“Do you realize what this means?” Brie said accusingly from her spot in the doorway. I raised a brow and took a sip of tea, trying to pretend her tone didn’t grate on my nerves. “You have two nightmares and a carriage at your beck and call and you brought an entourage through a hellgate.”
“So?” I said blankly.
“You have become a Demon Lord.” She enunciated the words clearly, so there could be no mistake.
“That is not true,” Sam said staunchly. “I would feel it if Violet was evil.”
“Based on what she has just told us, there can be no mistake. She is becoming one of the very creatures that she was created to destroy.”
Glancing around the table, I saw the concern in Nathan, Leo and Sophia’s eyes. It didn’t escape my notice that none of them refuted her claim. If they knew that my image had replaced the former owner’s face on the carriage door, they’d probably never trust me again.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-Eight
With everyone now up to date, I handed over the metal piece to Sophia so she could add it to the treasure chest. Sam had showered while I’d been unconscious, leaving the bathroom free for me. I felt better after I’d scrubbed myself and washed my hair thoroughly. I joined Sam in the living room afterwards. He shifted over to make room on the couch and I tried to follow the plot of the movie that he was watching.
“Try not to take Brie’s words to heart,” he said softly, sensing my anguish.
“What if she’s right?” I said just as quietly. “You saw the image of me on the carriage. That only happens when a demon has been promoted to a Lord.” The horns, fangs and scarlet eyes had been a dead giveaway that something was changing inside me. I hadn’t noticed any physical changes yet, but a sense of dread clung to me.
“You are Hellscourge. There has never been anyone like you before. Perhaps you will need to become like your enemies in order to defeat them.” His tone was more hopeful than certain.
That prospect didn’t make me feel any better. If I became like them, then that meant I’d turn evil. “Maybe,” I said uneasily. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Pleading exhaustion despite the nap that I’d had earlier, I went to bed early. I was pleasantly surprised when I slept deeply and wasn’t plagued by nightmares. Everything was quiet inside me. I hoped Heather was locked up safely in her house and that Morax had the troops under control.
I felt much more alert when I woke up and ambled downstairs for breakfast. The angels were in and out all day, checking on demon activity in the city. After lunch, I caught Sam’s eye and nodded towards the door. His confusion cleared when he realized that it was Monday and that I had a date lined up in an hour. “I think it might do you some good to get some fresh air,” he said. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
Sophia looked up in concern, but I was already pushing my chair back. “Sure. I could use the fresh air.” Luckily, the others were absent at the moment. I smiled at Sophia and took my jacket off the back of my chair. She’d cleaned it for me last night and it was pristine again. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Do not push yourself too hard,” she said with a frown. “The weather is starting to turn colder and it would not do for you to become ill.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said on my way to the door. “Sam will make sure I don’t push myself too hard.” He nodded in agreement and pulled the door open. As soon as we were outside, we broke into a near jog. Zach was cutting his last class of the day to meet me and I didn’t want to be late.
It took us half an hour to reach the coffee shop. Again, it was packed. I’d arrived early and I made my way inside while Sam kept watch from across the street. He melded in seamlessly with the wall.
Ordering tea for me and coffee for Zach, I shuffled through the crowd to the counter next to the window. The streets were largely empty of pedestrians, but plenty of coffee addicts still braved the cafés.
I took the only vacant seat and settled down to wait. The seat beside me became available a couple of minutes later. I took my jacket off and draped it over the stool to reserve it.
“Is anyone using that chair?” a girl asked a few seconds later. Her hands were already on it to take it away.
“Yes,” I said and put my foot on a rung to pin it to the floor.
“Your jacket doesn’t count as a person,” she said snottily, sounding just like Brie.
“My boyfriend will be here soon.”
“I’m sure he won’t mind if I use it until he arrives.”
We both knew that if her butt came into contact with the seat that she wouldn’t relinquish it. Our gazes locked in a battle of wills that she was doomed to lose. I kept my foot on the rung and she didn’t have the strength to shift the chair. Although I looked fairly weak, I was a lot stronger than a normal teen now.
A flash of blond hair in the door caught my attention. Raising my left hand, I waved to Zach. I was pretty sure the blinding flash of light from my ruby identified me. He waved and veered towards me, shouldering his way past the snotty cow. She muttered something beneath her breath as she g
ave up on stealing the stool and turned away.
Handing me my jacket, Zach bent to kiss me on the cheek then sat down with a grin. “I thought you two were going to have a wrestling match for a second there,” he said quietly.
“More like a catfight,” I replied and smiled. My anger was already abating now that he was here.
“Most guys would pay good money to see that,” he said with a laugh then sobered. “Are you okay? You look a little tired.”
“I’m fine. I just had a busy weekend.” A hysterical laugh tried to burst out of me, but I took a sip of tea to force it back down.
“I know what you mean,” he said ruefully. “My Dad kept me so busy that I didn’t have a spare moment to myself.”
“What did you have to do?” I asked. He didn’t talk about his family very often and I had no idea what his life was really like.
“He dragged me along to business meetings,” he said sourly. “I was forced to sit there quietly and soak up his wisdom. He wants me to be just like him when I grow up.”
“Sounds awesome,” I said with false enthusiasm. “What sixteen year old doesn’t want to sit in boring business meetings all weekend?”
“I’m seventeen now,” he informed me. “My birthday was two weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I felt guilty that I’d forgotten his birthday. I hadn’t even known he was in the city at the time, but I still felt bad. “I haven’t even bought you a present.”
“I know the perfect present that you can give me,” he said and his eyes dropped to my mouth suggestively.
“You buy me a platinum ring with a huge ruby in it and all you want in return is a kiss?” I said in disbelief.
