by Mia Bishop
When he stepped out of the darkness Abby felt a cosmic sucker punch right to the gut. “You.” She gasped with the sword at the ready. She wanted to double over, scream, and lash out all at once. Slowly she rose up, glaring at him. “Is this the best the devil can do? Conjuring a demon to take the shape of—”
“It’s me, Abby.”
She stared into Nico’s familiar eyes but shook her head. “Nico is dead. You aren’t him.”
“I am. I swear it.”
“You swear it to whom”
“I swear to God, Abby, I’m real.”
She was still shaking her head, but any words she might want to scream were lodged in her throat. Instead Lobo looked up, eyes dark with pain, “You must be looking for a quick death, demon. First they take my mate and now you disguise yourself as my best friend? Hell must want you back really quick to send you here looking like that.”
“Lobo,” The Wolfman snarled and barred his teeth, Nico paused. “James, look at me. I’m not a demon. Smell my scent, there is no demon in me.” He reached out his hand as he knelt down beside the feral man. “Feel my pain over what’s happened here. It’s really me.”
Abby blinked but still stood speechless, she wanted to believe, but she also knew the armies of Hell would use any trick to gain the upper hand. Lobo sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed and shook his head. “You aren’t you. You smell different, but…”
“But the same?”
“Yeah.”
“I might be different but I’m still your friend.” He offered up a small smile. “Deep down, I’m still me.”
Lobo stood up, hefting Meri’s lifeless body with him. “Then what are you doing here if you aren’t a demon and how did you escape Hell?”
“Long story, but—”
Another voice interrupted them, a deep, masculine voice Abby had never heard before. “But we’ve got very little time to tell it. Everyone must get somewhere safe. The church is our last safe place. It’s where we’ll make our final stand against the Whore.”
Abby gawked while looking up at the man who stood taller than Nico. His brown hair was short and messy which paired heavenly with his glowing blue eyes. They didn’t glow bright, like beacons, it was faint but they glowed none the less. He was handsome and frightening all wrapped up in one perfect package. It wasn’t his height or eyes that made Abby want to take a step back, it was the black leathery wings jutting from his back and the onyx horns that protruded from his temples. The horns were particularly menacing, coming out of his temples, then curving upward and back with gold casings covering their lethal tips. “What the hell is that thing?” Abby asked before she could think to mind any sort of manners.
The man, or creature, laughed off the insult and bowed his head. “I can see why you like her, Nico, she’s feisty.” He drew his attention to her and bowed his head. “I’m a Dark-Soul, I take it you haven’t met any of us yet?”
She shook her head. “No. Do they all look like you?”
“You mean, do we all look like devils?” Again he laughed. “No, we’re all different.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders and added, “Not all of us come equipped with horns and wings, some of us are just born lucky I guess.”
“I’m sorry, that was rude.”
He held up his hand. “We’re in the middle of a war, manners have no place on the battle field. Now, we need to get moving. Rosa isn’t likely to take a break until she can make you all pay.”
Abby screwed up her nose. “From what I can tell she’s winning.”
The group trudged down the street toward the church. The Dark-Soul led the way and Abby stayed close by him to get her questions answered. He looked down at her with what looked like sorrow in his eyes. “She hasn’t won, in fact, Nico dealt her a pretty big defeat down there.” Abby swung her head around to give Nico a questioning look, but the man beside her answered for him. “Nico killed himself while in Hell, he sacrificed himself to close the Gate.”
“But the Gate is still open.”
“It’s closing, give it time. His sacrifice likely put a stop to the Beasts’ emergence.”
Abby sighed as they made their way into the church. “No such luck, the Beast came out before Nico fell in and he fled with Chloe through the portal.”
Jack stepped out of the shadows inside the entryway and clasped hands with the Dark-Soul. “Graham, glad you could finally show up.”
Abby interrupted. “Graham? That’s your name?”
He smiled. “Yep, did you expect me to be named Az’Zeal or something menacing like that?”
“Well… Yeah, sort of.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but the name is Graham Blackwell.” Jack was motioning for Graham to follow him but before he walked away he glanced back at Abby and whispered. “There are two Beasts in Jack’s book of Revelations. Remember?”
Her eyes widened when left with that little tidbit. Two of them, one more Beast to contend with if the Gates didn’t close in time. “Shit.” She cursed.
“Don’t worry.” Nico said against her ear. “We’ll take care of him, we’re prepared this time.”
She jumped and hitched a breath. “You can’t sneak up on me like that.”
Nico’s brow pulled together in a hard line. “I’ve never snuck up on you before.”
“Yeah, well.” She wrapped her arms around herself searching for some sort of comfort in the wake of everything that’d happened. Lobo was certain Nico was back, but even he’d said Nico was different. Different how? She wanted to believe it was him, she wanted to feel his arms around her, but she’d died and was reborn a freak of nature. A supernatural killer. What did that make him? “Things are different now? Don’t you think?”
“My feelings for you haven’t changed.” He held out his hand to her and whispered, “Come with me.”
She slipped her hand into his as he pulled her into a quiet room. Abby eyed him suspiciously. Taking a step back he let their hands drop and leaned against the far wall. “Say whatever you have to say, Abby. I’ll answer you as best as I can.”
He gave her space, space she hadn’t realized she’d need. Even after death he was still concerned about her, the world was teetering on the brink of disaster and he was making sure that she got a chance to get some answers. Her chest grew tight, there was no doubt he was still Nico, but one question still lingered. “Are you—” Her voice quivered. “Are you broken,” there was a pause, “like me?” Her whole body trembled as she did her best to hold back her sobs. “Are you a monster?”
He backed into the corner. His hand cupped her cheek, smoothing his thumb over her delicate skin. “You aren’t broken, Abby. And as far as I can tell, no, I’m not a monster.”
“But you died, we all saw you fall into that pit. How can you be here?”
“Graham saved me.” He ran his hand through her hair and shook his head. “Well, that’s not entirely true, I was already dead and enduring Rosa’s torture when he arrived. What he said was true, I sacrificed myself to close the Gate. I did it for you, I never thought I’d see you again, but my only mission was to close the Gate to give you a fighting chance. Rosa had already killed me twice by the time he came. He knocked her out and gave me a chance to come back.”
“Why?”
“God deemed my actions worthy of returning to the fight.”
“So they resurrected you?”
“No, my soul was trapped in Hell, it couldn’t be resurrected, but it could be reincarnated.”
“But that would mean you’d have to be born all over again.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think God has to play by anyone’s rules, especially since Lucifer decided to change the game. The personification of Justice died, remember?” she nodded and he continued, “Graham was given the task of reincarnating my soul into the Personification of Justice and transported my soul out of Hell.”
Abby stared at him for a long moment and then her eyes lit up. “Does that mean—”
Nico cut her off. “No, Lucas
is still gone. Rosa crushed his heart. Just like Justice, he can’t be reborn, Courage will be reincarnated, new body-new soul. Either someone will be born as the reincarnation of Courage or they will find someone who is worthy, but it won’t be Lucas just as I am not in the body of the previous Justice.” He paused. “I already asked.”
“But you’re really real? This isn’t a trick?”
“No trick, it’s me, just slightly different.”
“Different how?”
“I have the same gifts as any other Personification. I’ll live just as long as you will, I won’t age, and I can withstand a whole hell of a lot of damage. As Justice I can tell if someone is lying. I can tell if their motives are pure and if their actions are just.” His hand dropped to his belt where his blade used to be sheathed and patted a silver hammer hanging from the holster. “And apparently the hammer is my new weapon of choice.”
She smiled a little bit, finally mustering up the courage to lay her hand against the silver armor covering his chest. “The Hammer of Justice.”
He nodded. The tension between them melted away and Abby inhaled deeply before releasing the calming breath. He was back and he was hers again. Nico’s head dipped down and his lips lightly brushed against hers as he whispered, “I’m not going anywhere without you ever again, Abby.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nico and Abby returned to the main room hand in hand. The whispered conversations fell silent as all eyes locked on the pair, most of them had probably heard of Nico’s death. Meri’s body was gone and the only physical reminder was Lobo’s blood-stained clothes.
Abby gave Nico’s hand a squeeze. He returned the gesture. The humans regarded him with fear, the small group of vampires regarded him with caution, but a line of Virtues and Personifications formed down the center of the church to welcome him. One by one they saluted him with a fist over their heart before they clasped forearms with him pulling him in for a quick embrace. There were no questions from them, no accusations. They simply accepted him as one of their own. .
Graham made his way toward them. “Rosa is coming. We have to end this now, my cover can’t be broken.”
Abby narrowed her eyes. “Your cover?”
Nico leaned over to whisper, “He’s working as a spy in Hell; Rosa saw his face when he came to help me. She’ll sell him out in a heartbeat.”
Abby nodded. “Then we need to kill the bitch quickly.”
Nico smiled. “Indeed.”
“Let’s get this over with.” She was already gripping the hilt of the black sword, readying for the fight.
Nico barked his orders, “Everyone to the back, no civilians are taking part in this fight.”
There was a low murmur from those who didn’t want to trust their fate to a man they thought was dead. The doors of the church swung open and Arveda’s presence chilled the air. “Do as he says or suffer.”
A tightness hit Abby in the chest, her hands shook, and for a moment she thought she might break out in a cold sweat. After glancing around she noticed the humans were having a far worse reaction. Their faces drew gaunt, blue tinged their usually tan skin, and beads of sweat formed on their brows. Arveda snapped her fingers and the fear that was crippling everyone in the room subsided. The humans obeyed her command, quickly shuffling to the back rooms of the church.
Abby could almost respect the way Arveda commanded a room or in this case an entire population, but it was the lack of freewill that the Striga imposed on others with her magick that left a bad taste in Abby’s mouth. The townsfolk looked to her for guidance, help, and safety. Abby had no doubt that they would follow the simplest command from Arveda without the use of magic because they respected her position of power. They seemed to have a blind faith that she would always protect them and yet given the right circumstance or a very bad day that woman could level this town, kill everyone in it, and barely bat an eyelash. From what she’d seen Arveda had never given or shown these people anything other than disdain, but they’d follow her orders no matter what by will or by force. The woman turned her gaze on Abby, forcing her take an instinctive step back. “You and the Priest will fight this one alone.”
Abby nodded. “And what about you and your daughters?”
“We’ll be smiting anything that tries to come through that Gate as it closes.”
“Okay.” Abby paused, trying to think of something to say to a mother who’d just lost a child and had another one disappear. “Arveda, I’m—”
“Don’t.” Arveda’s face softened for an instant before bringing herself back under control. “It’s not your fault. I thank you for the sentiment, but you’ve nothing to apologize for. Chloe will come back to us and I have no doubt that someone, somewhere will make that Beast pay for taking Meri’s life. She will be avenged.” A banshee scream filled the air. Arveda snapped her head towards the door. “She’s coming. Kill her now, don’t hesitate.” She spun on her heels and headed for the back exit, calling her daughters. “Come girls, we have demons to destroy.”
There was no doubt in Abby’s mind that whatever demons the Striga encountered tonight would suffer for what had happened to Meri and Chloe. The women would want blood for their loss, even if it wouldn’t help ease their pain. She did a quick scan of the room. Only her and Nico remained. “Where’s Jack?”
Nico flashed her a grin. “He couldn’t be here for this.”
“Why the hell not?”
“We all have our issues, darlin’.”
Abby took a deep breath in through her nose. “And Graham?”
Nico glanced up toward the rafters. Abby followed his gaze. Something blacker than night melded with the shadows above them. The Dark-Soul was hidden, probably not from Rosa if she were looking hard enough, but enough to hopefully catch her off guard.
“So this is it, huh? Just you and me?”
“Yep.”
“Are we going to survive?”
“We’re sure as hell going to try.”
Abby crouched as the doors exploded inward sending splinters flying in all directions. They seemed to almost pause in the air, hovering for a moment as Rosa walked into the room. Her eyes locked on Abby. The Whore of Babylon snarled, “You’re still here?”
Abby spun the sword. “Haven’t finished what I started yet.”
Rosa laughed. “You think you can kill me?” She offered a bemused smile. “No, you think Nico will kill me, you’re just here to tire me out first.”
“I don’t need him to kill you, I’ll gladly do it. And he doesn’t need me to tire you out for him either.”
Rosa turned her attention to Nico. “Oh I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Nico seems to like it when I’m out of breath and panting.”
Abby gave her a bored stare. “I don’t care what happened between you two, it’s in the past.”
Rosa cocked her head to the side. “Nico, I’m shocked. You didn’t tell her about our night in the hotel room?” She looked back at Abby. “That, my dear, wasn’t in the past.”
Abby knew her face betrayed her for one brief moment. She did care, but it wasn’t a deal breaker, the Whore would use sex and jealousy as her weapon and Abby wasn’t giving in. Any woman would care, but a strong woman wouldn’t let it break her. “You aren’t baiting me into a reaction. That’s what you want.”
“You’ve already reacted, little girl. I can see it all over your face. Jealousy, betrayal.”
Abby shifted her stance from one foot to the other. “You see what you want to see. I’m not jealous of anything you had with him. He returned to me. After your night in the hotel and whatever you tried to make happen he told you that the two of you would never be together. And you know where he spent that following night? With me and every night after that. He’s always been mine. You’re nothing to him.”
Rosa snapped. She let loose a scream to crack the Heavens and ran at Abby. Abby dodged left and hit Rosa with the butt of her sword on the b
ack of her head. Rosa was out of control. She spun around and lunged like a feral animal, all teeth and claws. Abby ducked, flipped her blade around and came up. Her fist crushed against Rosa’s jaw sending her back a few steps. “That all you got, old woman?”
Again Rosa screamed. Abby smirked as she dodged the poorly aimed attacks. Having a little fun Abby nicked Rosa with the tip of her blade, slashing a superficial gash here and there. Abby danced on the balls of her feet, taunting Rosa with a smug smile. The fun of out maneuvering her enemy ended when Rosa barreled into her sending them both to the floor.
Abby sprung to her feet and rolled her shoulders. Her vision blurred. The room was spinning and Rosa moved like a blur all around her.
Rosa delivered a series of blows to Abby’s gut. As she doubled over, she took a knee to the nose. Blood gushed down her face. Lesson learned. Abby shook off the pain. Standing back up, she focused on her target. Everything came into focus as she exchanged carefully crafted blows with Rosa.
She was regaining the upper hand, driving Rosa into a shadowed corner of the room where a beam from the broken door tripped her. Rosa fell to the floor. Abby cocked her head to the side and smiled. She had the urge to say something cocky, like in the movies when the hero delivers some witty line right before killing the bad guy. Instead Rosa kicked her foot out and toppled Abby. In a move Abby could barely follow Rosa was on top of her, claws aimed for Abby’s throat. Abby shot her hand up and grabbed Rosa’s neck at the precise time Rosa did the same. She squeezed as hard as she could, hoping to at least render her rival unconscious before Rosa could gouge out her throat.
Rosa’s claws grew longer digging into Abby’s neck. Abby muttered a quick prayer to whomever might be listening to a vampire. She flexed her fingers trying to dig in enough to force Rosa to let go, but before she could get a hold of The Whore’s jugular, Rosa’s body went stiff as a board. Any damage Abby had done was insignificant, but Rosa’s eye dimmed. Her body slumped to the side as Abby scrambled to her feet. Two daggers protruded from Rosa’s back. Nico stood above her.
