The Kiss of Death

by Auryn Hadley

  "Always," Sam promised.

  Nick gave him a smile then looked the other way. "Luke?"

  "I know," Luke said softly, proving he was just behind me. "If things get out of hand, I have the key to the house on Tyrnigg. We'll keep her safe."

  He nodded once then finally turned his eyes back to mine. "I love you, Sia. Please don't forget me, and don't trust anyone but your legion. As soon as they know what you are, people will want to use you. I don't want to lose you before I wake up."

  "Nick, I'm not going to let you sleep very long."

  He tried to smile, but it was weak. "You know as well as I do how plans tend to work out. Just in case, I wanted you to know that." Then, with a grunt, he forced himself to sit up. "Let's take our girl home. Sam, you're driving."

  "Arm over my neck," Sam said, carefully ducking his long, antelope-like horns under Nick's shoulder before heaving the guy up.

  Nick groaned. I wanted to wince in sympathy when I saw his wing hanging limp behind him. Gashes and scratches covered his body, but most had already stopped bleeding. That didn't mean the flesh had returned to his wing. The mangled bicep, to my eye, appeared damaged beyond repair. It had to be excruciating.

  "I got Sia," Luke said as he slipped a hand around me. "Bel, watch our back."

  "Can do, boss."

  Just as he said that, Sam and Nick disappeared into the corridor. Luke tugged me with him a second later. Unlike the corridor I was used to between Earth and Vesdar, this version lined the veils between Vesdar and Daemin – and it felt different. The light was more purple, where the one I was used to was closer to blue. The winds were less constant but just as strong, making it even harder to balance on the precarious footing. Then there was the silhouette of the world. I'd gotten so used to the impression of Earth on the other side of the veil that seeing Vesdar's cliffs and plains drawn out in greys and muted colors was a bit disconcerting.

  Even worse was the color of my friends. Part of that was from the robes that shielded the demons' bodies, but I also knew it showed how drained they'd become. Normally, in the corridor, life glowed in neon colors. This time, my friends weren't nearly as vibrant. We were all spent and tired, and this was the one place it showed more than any of us wanted.

  We looked like a motley mess. Luke was the same as he'd been on Vesdar, a weary golden angel. I still had on the filthy dress without any underwear beneath it. Talk about awkward. But the rest of my guys? I was shocked that any of us were standing. We all needed aether, and badly.

  Clutching at Sam for support, Nick reached out and pressed his hand against what looked like nothing – until it rippled. Only then did I realize he was touching the Daeminside veil. In here, it was hard to have any perspective on location, but the shimmer of wards, patterns, and symbols that rushed along the membrane allowed me to see just how close the border always was. Just one step inside or outside wherever I was.

  "Sia?" Nick asked, his voice sounding strained. "Touch the veil."

  Like he had, I pressed my palm to thin air – reaching for the symbols he'd made visible – and felt it. The best description I could think of was Jell-O. The surface was solid but gelatinous, and it shouldn't take much to push through it. Unlike Jell-O, it wasn't cold. No, like a window on a hot summer day, I could feel the heat of the world beyond leaching through. It was nice and comfortable, but made me wonder just how hot Hell really was while Nick mumbled softly beside me in his own language.

  It took a moment before anything happened, just like it had with my sealing. First, the power built, aether flowing from Nick and into the veil. More symbols lit up and dimmed out. The pattern changed, shifting slightly as I watched. Then his voice grew more insistent. Looking over, I could see Sam straining to hold him up as Nick put everything he had into making his world accept me.

  "We got friends," Bel announced, pulling a lightning bolt out of thin air with an ominous electric buzz.

  They'd told me about aether weapons, but I'd never had the chance to actually stop and look at one before. Stuck standing against the veil, I couldn't help, so I tried to take it all in, learning enough that I wouldn't screw things up if this ever happened again. It seemed Bel's lightning bolt was really a sword, but not one shaped like anything I'd seen before. If anything, it looked more like something I'd expect a Klingon to have on Star Trek, but I had a feeling he did more with it than just sling it around.

  Then Luke moved behind me, shielding me from the newcomers, his arms braced like he was ready to throw. "We've got four incoming."

  "He's almost done," Sam said.

  Nick, however, was still chanting. The veil was slowly sucking my hand deeper inside, oozing its way over my fingers. If I had to guess, I would say it was accepting me, but we hadn't exactly covered this in Muse lessons.

  Then, one of the approaching angels lifted his hand and called out in a foreign language. Luke huffed in surprise and yelled back, "English!"

  So the angel changed languages. "We're not here to fight!"

  "No?" Sam shot back. "Then what do you want?"

  "Amnesty." The man lifted his other hand and kept walking forward like he was approaching the police. "We're from Vesdar, not Angelis. We refuse to fight for Michael."

  "So why are you here?" Luke asked.

  The guy chuckled. "Um, Lucifer, I just got swept to Angelis, and I want to know if returning home is going to bring down demonic wrath on my family."

  All eyes turned to me.

  "What?" I asked. "I just pushed all angels back to their world."

  "Whoa," one of the other angels breathed. "A Muse? Is she Satyr?"

  "Human," Beelzebub corrected.

  "But she looks Satyr. She has the eyes."

  "She's human," Bel said again, but this time it wasn't nearly as nice.

  "Ok," the first angel said, waving the other back. "Not that it matters. If she swept the world clear of our kind, then I certainly don't want to fight. We just wanted to make sure you know we have permanently moved to Vesdar and are just trying to take care of the wives, husbands, children, and homes we've made here. We don't want any problems."

  Luke leaned back, closer to me. "You ok with that, Sia?"

  "Yep." I dropped my voice so only Luke could hear. "And I'd really prefer they go before Nick's done."

  "Can do." He sucked in a breath and raised his voice. "The Muse says she'll do her best to keep you out of it, and if you don't come after her or her legion, then we will treat you like the natives of Vesdar."

  "All we wanted," the man assured us. "And if you need a rest, your Muse is always welcome in Sayeptal. Just tell the people Phanuel sent you."

  And with that, the group all stepped back, returning to their own world as a group. Luke sighed, Bel deactivated his sword-thing, and Nick started talking just a little faster. Now, I could really feel it, but I also saw Nick drooping, like he was struggling to make this happen. I wished I was a little closer so I could give him something but –

  Between one thought and the next, the veil gave way. I fell through, stumbling to my knees in a desert straight out of nightmares. And yes, it was hot. The rocky ground was a slate grey color. The sky wasn't quite orange and not all the way red. Instead, it looked like a really intense and vibrant shade of salmon. Then there were the wisps of yellow-orange clouds that were almost the color of marigolds. In its own way, it was pretty, but it also fit the descriptions of Hell a little too well.

  Before I could start to worry, Luke stepped through beside me. Then came Sam, holding up Nick on one side with Beelzebub helping on the other. What surprised me was that Nick was still conscious. Barely, but he was hanging on.

  I rushed to his side. "Nick?"

  "I..." He forced his eyes up. "I need a nap."

  I palmed both sides of his face. "I'm sure. Let me –"

  "No," he breathed. "Not here. You're going to need your aether to prove you belong here. I'll be fine, Sia."

  "He will," Bel promised, shifting his grip to Nick's back. "Sam
, you get the Muse, I'll get Satan."

  I looked between them, confused. "What? Why?"

  Luke thrust out one golden arm, pointing at the horizon. "Those hills? That's Hell, Sia, and the only way in is with wings. We need to get Nick someplace a chajin can't find him, and if we don't introduce you to the council, things are going to get really uncomfortable for us really fast."

  Bel chuckled. "They don't like it when Nick goes rogue, but they always like it when he wins."

  "Uh huh," I mumbled. "So I'm dating a rebel. Of course I am." With a sigh, I looped my arm over Sam's shoulders, letting my finger trace along his skin. "Hey, I like the pink."

  He smiled and I swear his cheeks turned a bit darker. "Thanks, um, just make sure you don't strangle me, ok?"

  "Nick took me flying after we left the bar."

  Sam's teeth clamped on his lower lip. "With the dragons?"

  I bobbed my head. "Yeah. Sam? I'm sorry I screwed this up."

  "You didn't screw it up, sweetie. You saved our asses back there. No matter what, that's all that matters, ok?"

  "That, and getting Nick some aether. Yeah. I just have to figure out how to do that without committing mass murder. He's going to be ok, right?"

  He scooped me into his arms and hugged me against his very solid chest. "We'll figure it out. Shame you can't just suck up another hoard of angels."

  Then he pushed off. Bel followed, holding Nick to his chest like a sleeping baby with the broken wing cradled under Bel's arm. Behind that came Luke, standing out with his gold skin and white feathers. Under the scarlet light of this place, it was like a fantasy, as if the five of us were flying off into the sunset – which in itself was just crazy, the flying part – but I had a sinking feeling we weren't heading to a perfectly happy ending. From the way these guys were talking, I could see a fight coming, and I was so far out of my depths it wasn't funny.

  But there was one thing I could handle. Sam had just given me the perfect idea. We needed aether, I didn't really want to kill a lot of people, and Nick hadn't taught me how to tell which were on their last breath or how to reap properly. But I could get into Angelis. I'd just proven I was an aether vacuum, and they'd been collecting slaves and growing trees to make their world more like mine. That meant there had to be a little extra out there I could suck up and bring back to get Nick up and walking again. And whole. Even if Nick couldn't fix himself, I was pretty sure I could do it, I mean, how much different could magical healing be than medical illustration, right?

  Halfway there, making my big plans took a distant second to the view stretching out before me. The place I'd arrived was in the middle of a massive chasm. Where we were going was one of the walls, and I swear it had to be as tall as a skyscraper. But that wasn't the shocking part. Nope, it was the giant statues carved out of the rock to make two perfectly matched sentinels, complete with bas-relief wings. Each one stood with his mouth open, and I was pretty sure those things moving behind the teeth were men. Demons.

  And they were waiting for us.

  "Stay close to me," Sam yelled in my ear to be heard over the wind. "I don't know how they're going to take this, but there's never been a woman on Daemin that I know of."

  "Never?"

  He shook his head, keeping it slight so his horns didn't catch my arm. "Not that I've heard of."

  "And a Muse?"

  For a moment, Sam didn't say anything, just bit his lips together. "I need to talk to the guys, but I don't think we should tell them."

  "So I'm just Nick's girlfriend, huh?"

  Slowly, he turned to meet my eyes. "Nick's out, sweetie. He's not exactly able to chase off your suitors."

  "Right. How about yours? I mean, you know..."

  He looked back to where he was going to land. "I can do that." But the smile on his lips said he didn't mind at all.

  Well, Nick said he was ok with this. Hell, he said he was more than ok with it, so for the extent of my stay on Daemin, I was going to make sure I didn't feel guilty at all about pretending to date someone else. At least not too much. Or not where anyone could tell.

  But I also didn't plan to stay here that long. They just didn't know it yet. I'd screwed this up, and I already had an idea how to fix it. No matter what, I would not make Nick pay for my mistakes. Not this time, and not ever.

  Chapter 40

  We landed on a giant, smoothly-carved tongue before a crowd of wildly colored men. No – demons. Each one had wings, most of them had horns, and just like the people on Earth, they came in all sizes and shapes. Granted, most of them were a little more fit than the average American, but if this was the only way in, then it seemed working out was mandatory.

  The guys barely had their wings furled before a greyish colored demon stepped forward, glaring at each and every one of us. Unlike the rest of the demons who looked at my group with respect, this one glared. He snapped out something that sounded like the same language Nick used when sealing me, then braced up before us.

  Sam ignored it. "Nick's been attacked, Mammon," he explained as he set me down. "Our home's been compromised."

  "Who?" the demon asked.

  Sam gestured to the limp form in Bel's arms. "Satan. He's been using Nick on Earth for a few hundred years to blend. Habits."

  Mammon, as Sam had called him, shifted his gaze to me. "So you planned to just move your wench with you?" He stepped closer as a cruel smile took over his lips. "Welcome to Hell, my dear. I can only assume you're the reason we're using this disgusting language."

  "English," Luke clarified from behind me, "and it is polite."

  But Mammon didn't look away. "Fine. I'll give you four a room for your fallen leader, but I get the girl for the night."

  "No," Bel said, dropping the word like it was made of stone.

  "Come, she clearly likes to walk on the wild side. Let her enjoy a real demon."

  I bit my lips together but wisely didn't say a thing. It was harder than I thought.

  "No," Bel said again. "Earth has equality now, and she is not a prize. She is our partner, part of our legion."

  "A human?" Mammon asked, laughing out the word. "She's your warm, wet hole. Clearly a good one, if you've shown her your real bodies."

  "And she's mine," Sam growled, reaching back to grab my hand with his. "Don't make me pull rank here, Mammon."

  "And mine," Luke said, stepping up beside me. "And Satanael's."

  Bel shifted Nick in his arms and stormed closer. "She is our woman, our friend, and anyone who touches her without her permission will forfeit their aether to Satan."

  Mammon's jaw clenched, but before he could say another word, the sound of a deep, rich laugh broke the stalemate. At the back, the crowd began to move, and a form pushed through. People began to murmur in that demonic language, mostly sounding stunned. I couldn't see much, but the spiraling horns on this guy's head were tall enough to look like a pair of masts parting the sea of bodies. When he finally made it through the crush of onlookers, I understood where the myths about the devil's appearance came from.

  This man was as red as blood, with hair so dark it was nearly black. The talons on his hands were long and ominous, matching the brick color tipping his wings and tail. He was also huge, and carried himself with an air of confidence, but the most disturbing thing was how he smiled when he looked at me.

  "Hello, Sienna. I see you've made friends."

  "Uh.." I glanced back to Luke, then over to Sam, hoping for some hint.

  "Azrael," Luke told me. "Leader of the people. He rarely leaves this plane."

  The red demon smiled at me. "Rarely, but when I heard about you, I couldn't help myself. You have your great-grandmother's eyes, my girl."

  "I don't know my parents," I said, shaking my head. "So I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "I know." He pushed Mammon to the side and came closer. "I do know, child, but I remember her eyes. Her son had them, too, like peacock feathers. I'm sure I told you that when you were little. I used to check on you o
ften. I couldn't stay, but I made sure they treated you good."

  "Who are you?" I paused. "I mean, I know your name, but we've never met."

  He offered one terrifying hand. "Charles Hancock, my dear, when I'm pretending to be human. Your CPS advocate. Like I said, I pulled strings where I could, but your demonic nature seems to be very strong."

  "Oh yeah," Luke grumbled.

  Azrael chuckled. "Mammon, get my great-granddaughter and our other leaders a place to be comfortable. And so the rest of you know, this girl is mine, and I will be offended if she's forced to do anything she doesn't want."

  "Your what?!" I snapped. Sure, he may know the name of the guy who helped me shuffle through foster homes, but it was going to take a lot more than that before I bought into his story. "Nuh uh. It's not that easy. You don't get to just claim some relation and think that's going to wipe away all the shit I went through as a kid."

  "Sia," Luke whispered as he clasped my shoulder. "We need to get Nick comfortable. He's still conscious."

  Hearing that, Azrael's head whipped around to Mammon. "Now! I don't care how much you want his position, Mammon, he has earned it – so treat him like it! The first legion will go with him, to make sure Satan is cared for properly. Anything the rest of you want with the leaders of smiths and warriors can wait until they are rested." Then he offered me that hand again. "Sienna and I have things to talk about."

  Again, I ignored it. "I go with Nick."

  Azrael's eyes narrowed. "I see. So that's how things are, is it? Hmm." He took a breath. "Lucifer, would you care to join us? To make sure I don't do anything nefarious to my only living descendant?"

  Luke leaned closer to my ear. "Sia, he runs the show inside these walls, and we don't need to make waves until Nick can fight his own battles."

  "Fine, but I'm not going anywhere alone." I turned to Sam. "Please take care of him?"

  "Always, sweetie." He glanced back, paused, then lowered his voice. "Az is ok. I don't know anything about him having a kid, but he's always respected our decision to work offworld. Just keep Luke close, ok?"