The Devil You Know

by Zahra Stone

  Chapter Three

  It was barely two hours later when a bang on the door jolted me awake.

  “Seriously?” I grumbled, eyes bleary. Throwing back the covers, I scooped up the kitten, tucked it under one arm, and stumbled down the stairs, half asleep. I could sense who was on the other side of the door before I opened it.

  “A house call,” I muttered. “I’m honored.”

  “Del told me you have a new house guest.” Jase smiled his wide smile, dazzling me with his teeth, and pushed past me, his arms full. “I’ve brought supplies. Litter tray. Food. Vaccinations.”

  Pushing the door shut, I waited while Jase set up the litter tray, took the kitten from me, and placed it inside. The poor little thing must have been bursting, for it immediately squatted and took a pee.

  “Plumbing’s working ok,” Jase observed, moving on to the food. Scooping something wet and foul looking into a bowl, he placed it on the floor. Once the kitten had finished scratching around in the tray, it clambered out, tripped, smacked its face on the floor, shook itself, then continued straight for the food. It purred as it ate.

  “I’m a bad pet parent,” I confessed. I’d given it milk, but nothing else.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jase scolded. “You rescued it hours ago. Where were you going to find all this at four in the morning?”

  “I told Del I’d bring it in for a check. You didn’t have to come.” Annoyance tinged my words, the heat of my ever-burning anger not far beneath the surface.

  “Lucy,” he sighed. We’d been butting heads ever since I arrived on Fury Island. Everything he said, I automatically disagreed with. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. He was a good man, and I wouldn’t have chosen him to be a part of the key if he wasn’t. To be honest, arguing with him had become more habit than anything else.

  “Del is coming over later with some toys and bedding. I just brought the essentials. Once she’s finished eating, I’ll look at her, give her shots, and be out of your hair.”

  Right. Let’s ignore that I sounded like an unreasonable and ungrateful bitch.

  “Coffee?” I asked instead of giving him the apology he was probably expecting. Or maybe he wasn’t. He was probably used to my crappy moods by now.

  “Sure,” he said.

  I made coffee while Jase watched the kitten. I thought he was being creepy weird, but he explained that he was observing her to make sure she could eat and swallow okay and that she didn’t have trouble walking. Once she finished stuffing her face, she sat back and began grooming herself. At first, she did an absolute crap job, but instinct had her licking her tiny paw and rubbing it against her face. Cutest thing ever.

  Jase laid a towel over the kitchen table, opened his vet bag, and pulled out a stethoscope, thermometer, and syringe. Then he scooped the kitten up and placed it on the towel. And just like that, my eyes welled up. The tiny kitten looked impossibly small in comparison to his big hands—it was just a baby. A baby.

  Not wanting him to see my distress, I left my coffee on the bench and bolted upstairs with no word of explanation. I needed a shower. I’d been in these clothes for three days now, and I’m sure I smelled delightful…too bad I didn’t care.

  Staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I grimaced. Still as beautiful as ever. If you looked close enough, the only thing that was different was the dullness in my eyes. To me, they were flat. Lifeless. They reflected the pain and despair from my fight with Levi and the loss of my baby, and I wondered if I’d ever get over it. Would it always hurt this much?

  Stripping off my clothes, I stepped beneath the spray of the shower, contemplating the day ahead. First, get rid of Jase. Although I was grateful he’d come to check on the kitten and bring it what it needed, Del would turn up soon—I’m surprised she didn’t come with Jase—then I’d have to put up with her good-natured concern. But, once I booted her out, the day was my own. Only I was spending it on lockdown. The slip with my magic last night meant I might have led Levi and whoever else was with him straight to Fury Island. The tv and couch sounded awesome right now, and my mind ran through the daytime soaps I found quite entertaining. And of course, I had the kitten to keep me company, so Del could stop worrying so damn much.

  Coming back downstairs dressed in track pants, a t-shirt, and fuzzy socks, I felt marginally better. Nothing would take away the constant ache in my chest, but the sight of the little orange ball of fluff sitting at the bottom of the stairs certainly eased it.

  “Hey,” I cooed, picking up the kitten and cuddling her. “How about some tv, huh? We’re having a quiet day in, fuzzy butt.” Flopping on the couch, I picked up the remote and flicked through the channels until I found something appealing. I Love Lucy appeared on the screen, and I snorted. How appropriate. Settling back, the kitten turned in circles on my lap before settling into a position.

  Lucy’s re-runs were interrupted with the arrival of Del. I called out to come in before she even reached the door.

  “It’s so freaky when you do that,” she said in greeting as Duke ambled inside. Carrying two bags, she pushed the door shut and followed the black lab.

  “Told you, I can sense you, Jase, and Duke.”

  Duke sniffed the air, tail wagging. First, he explored the kitchen and then sniffed his way to me, zeroing in on the kitten on my lap. I expected the kitten to hiss and spit; instead, she looked at Duke and then stretched her neck to sniff. Nose to nose, the two got acquainted.

  “Oh, my God,” Del squealed, “that’s just the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I put the kitten on the floor, keeping a close eye in case Duke trod on her…or worse, decided she was a tasty morsel.

  “You don’t have to worry about Duke,” Del said as if reading my mind. “He’s great with all animals. He’s a big softie, wants to mother them all.”

  “So, Jase left when I was in the shower, and I didn’t get to ask, is the kitten a girl or boy?” Although I’d been referring to the kitten as a girl, I hadn’t been sure.

  “She’s a girl.” Del sat in the armchair to my right and began digging around in the bags she’d brought with her. Out came a mountain of cat toys. I smiled at her indulgence.

  “Have you thought of a name yet?” she asked, pulling out a cat bed that had been scrunched up tight inside the bag. It exploded once released from its confines. She threw it at me, and I caught it one-handed and tossed it onto the floor.

  “Nah.” I shrugged. I guess I should name her but thinking of girl names brought me back to my lost little girl, and my brain froze.

  “Are you okay?” Del paused what she was doing and looked at me with concern. My throat was tight, so tight that I couldn’t force out a single word. Still, I managed to nod.

  “Your baby, the one you lost, was a girl?” She knew the basics and had been diligently pecking away at me ever since I arrived to get the whole story.

  I nodded again.

  “We should do something for her,” Del said. “A memorial. A way for you to say goodbye.”

  “Stop.” I did not want to talk about this. At all. Ever.

  “Please talk to Levi. He must be hurting, too. The two of you can support each other.”

  “Stop.” This time there was a thread of steel in my tone mixed with a layer of anger. She needed to stop pushing. I was holding on by a thread. If she pushed me over the edge, it wouldn’t be pretty.

  “Lucy, I know you’re hurting. I can see your pain, and it makes me hurt. You say you can sense me? Well, I can sense you, too, and I have to be honest, it hasn’t been pleasant. You came here to get your head together and heal, but you’ve done nothing—nothing—to help yourself. You’ve been stealing cars, holding parties in people’s houses who are out of town, getting drunk almost every night. It’s not helping.”

  She opened her mouth to continue, but I held up a hand and shouted, “Enough!” The whole house shook, Duke whimpered, and the kitten ran to him, seeking shelter between his front paws. Remor
se washed over me. I didn’t want to scare the kitten or Duke, they were innocents in this, but I couldn’t let Del keep pushing. For if she broke through, I’d unravel. I doubted I’d be able to put myself back together. I couldn’t risk it.

  “Lucy …”

  I glared her into silence. “I swear, Del, I don’t want to hurt you, but you have to shut the fuck up. I. Do. Not. Want. To. Talk. About. It.” I breathed out and tried to still the tremble rocking my body. “Please, just go.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, biting down on her bottom lip.

  I swallowed my emotions. I knew she meant well, but this was one of those things that I had to deal with in my own way. Which at the moment was avoidance.

  I named the kitten Nibbler because she chewed on everything. The TV cords. My shoes. An old magazine I’d tossed on the floor when I’d finished reading it. Her toys. She was insatiable with her little razor teeth, so Nibbler it was.

  The next couple of days were spent in glorious solitude, just Nibbler and me. Del and Jase stayed away, and no one turned up on Fury Island looking for me. Life was surprisingly good, and with each passing day, my guard lowered, I relaxed, and began to heal.

  Then it turned to shit. It started when Del, Jase, and Duke turned up on my doorstep, uninvited. I knew from the glowing tattoo inside Duke’s ear that something terrible had happened.

  “Don’t tell me,” I drawled, “your tattoos are glowing, too?”

  “Yes. And they’re kinda warm and tingly. What does it mean?” Del was rubbing at her chest where her tattoo was hidden beneath her clothes.

  “It means someone is trying to break into, or out of, Hell.” I sighed. “Vacation over. Look after Nibbler for me, will you? I’ve gotta go kick someone’s ass.”

  Kissing the top of Nibbler’s head, I handed her over to Del, reluctant to part with her. “I’ll be back,” I whispered, then spread my wings and disappeared, reappearing moments later in Hell HQ.

  Chapter Four

  Hell HQ was a black marble skyscraper perched precariously on the very edge of my realm, towering up over the city on one side and down into eternal darkness on the other. My penthouse was on the top floor with my offices immediately below. I hadn’t realized until I returned that I’d actually missed it. The sleek surfaces, glass walls, the hustle and bustle of my demons patrolling the streets and skies, keeping my realm safe. And then there was my second in command: Ashliel.

  “Finally!” Ashliel glanced over her shoulder at me, her flaming locks moving over her shoulders like molten lava. “Where the Hell have you been?”

  “On vacation.” Striding forward, I stood in front of the wall of monitors and scanned them. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing, why?” She was typing on her electronic clipboard. “Is something meant to be wrong?”

  “I got an alert that someone is trying to break in. Or out.”

  Throwing her head back, she laughed. “Break into Hell? As if.” She snorted and smiled to herself.

  “So…no alarms on this side? Nothing unusual?”

  She studied me intently before turning her attention to the screens. “Nothing obvious, no. No alarms triggered on this side, but how were you alerted? That might factor into it.”

  “The key activated,” I said.

  “Not good,” she growled, all business now.

  Standing shoulder to shoulder, we scrolled through the screens, monitoring every inch of Hell. Nothing seemed out of place.

  “Initiate a lockdown. I want Hell searched from top to bottom. If there is a breach, I want to know about it. The attempt must have come from the outside; someone was trying to get in, not out. Otherwise, this board would be lit up with alarms. Nevertheless, we’re not taking any chances. Full lockdown, search, and then increase patrols.”

  Ashliel hurried off to do my bidding, and I stood, looking out over my domain. My domain. But of course, this is where it happened, in the mountain ranges on the horizon, the hidden chamber where my mother had imprisoned my father for eons. Then, we stumbled upon him. To save himself, he drained my magic to fuel his own; only he’d accidentally swept up the essence of my daughter, effectively ending my pregnancy. The pain I’d been trying to bury for the last week erupted with an intensity that stole my breath. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision, as my heart yearned for what was lost.

  “Gah, Lucifer, pull yourself together,” Ashliel snapped, her heels clipping across the floor. “Your energy is choking. You want payback? Drag their sorry asses into the pit and be done with it.”

  I snorted. Ash was always a sharpshooter. She had no time for bullshit or emotion. I glanced at her. The green of her eyes sparkled like freshly cut emeralds. Hard and sharp.

  “Anyway, I think I found the problem.” She handed me the clipboard.

  “What am I looking at?” I asked with a frown.

  “Geez, did someone give you a lobotomy while you were on vacation?” she snapped, her irritation evident.

  Now I knew how people felt around me. Intimidated and keen to get away from the bad-tempered dragon I’d become.

  “Ash,” I reprimanded, matching her tone. “You’ve done a brilliant job here, and I applaud you for it, but there are boundaries—my dear—and you are skating precariously close to the edge.”

  My gaze drilled into hers, and we battled silently until she lowered hers. A grin spread across her face. “Welcome back, Lucifer.”

  Handing back the clipboard, I turned my attention to the wall of monitors. “This has to be the work of Lilith,” I said to myself.

  “Armageddon?” Ash suggested, one brow arched.

  “Could be.” I nodded. Earth was in trouble. Serious trouble. Simultaneously, across the globe, volcanoes erupted, earthquakes tore apart cities and highways, and tsunamis roared through the oceans. All of the Earth's fault lines were on the move.

  “The triggering of the key was a trick, wasn’t it?” Ashliel asked.

  “Yeah. She wanted me out of the way. Off Earth, so she could launch her attack.”

  “But why?”

  “Because she wants to hurt Dad any way she can, and her focus right now is the Earth he created. Has she forgotten her sons have been banished there? That she’s risking their lives in her drive for revenge?”

  Ashliel cocked her head. “Cold.”

  “As ice.” I sighed. “I’m going to have to fix this, aren’t I?” We both stood, waiting in the hope that God would appear earthside and put an end to the destruction Lilith was raining down. Alas, there was no sign of dear old Dad.

  “Looks like it. Off you go, I’ll continue to manage things here.”

  Dismissed by Ash, I returned to Fury Island, my temporary home away from home.

  “Lucy, thank God!” Del grabbed my arm and jerked me toward the front door of the cottage. “You have to do something. You have to stop it!”

  Placing my hands over Del’s, I halted her. “Stop what?”

  “A tsunami, heading straight for us. It will wipe Fury Island off the map.”

  “Goddamit,” I cursed. Twisting my hair into a knot on top of my head, I secured it with a band. Shrugging out of my jacket, I tossed it at Del and cracked my knuckles. I had work to do.

  “Where’s Nibbler?” I asked. I needed to know they were all safe before I left, knowing I wouldn’t be able to focus if I was worried about this lot. Glancing around, I spotted the tiny ball of fluff curled up between Duke’s front paws.

  I pointed to Del and Jase. “The four of you have to stay in this house. No matter what you hear outside, do not open the door. Understood?”

  “Why? What are you going to do?” Jase wrapped his fingers around Del’s and squeezed.

  “I’m going to protect this house; then I’m going to stop the shit show that is going on right now. The tsunami is just the beginning. This problem is global.”

  “But…wh…how?” Del was lost for words. Her eyes revealed her distress.

  “I don’t have time to explain. All you need to
know is that I can keep you safe if you stay inside. Even if the tsunami hits, you’ll be safe. You might be floating in a house in the ocean, but you’ll be safe. The house will hold. Open the door, and you’re doomed. And let me tell you, I’ll be pissed if anything happens to any of you, including Nibbler. Keep the door closed. Understood?”

  “Yes,” they replied in unison. Closing my eyes, I summoned my magic, drawing from the Earth itself to cast a protective bubble around the cottage.

  Using that much power gave me a heady rush. I strode out of the house with a new pep in my step. I knew using that much magic would be like a beacon, leading Levi right to me, but that seemed inconsequential to what was happening around me.

  The air outside was still, deadly still. Not even a bird chirped. The leaves didn’t dare rustle.

  I rushed down to the foreshore and stood on the beach, amazed at the sight before me. The water was gone. Sucked out, the empty ocean floor stretched for miles. I knew what was coming, though; all that water was going to come rushing back, with a vengeance, destroying anything in its path.

  Fury Island would not survive the onslaught.

  I felt him before I saw him, the familiar warmth of his energy mere feet away. I refused to turn around; instead, I kept my gaze on the horizon. The water would be returning soon, and I had to be ready. I had one shot at saving the island.

  “Lucy.” His voice was music to my ears and, simultaneously, a stake through my heart.

  “Now’s not the time, Levi,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out.

  “Can we assume this is Lilith’s doing?” Dacian asked from behind my left shoulder.

  I nodded, “You can. Is Dad here?”

  “Not yet,” Dacian replied.

  I risked a glance at Dacian, Dad’s right-hand angel, and my best friend. “He is coming, isn’t he? He is planning to help? Because this is just one tsunami. I cannot save the entire planet.”

  Resting a hand on my shoulder, Dacian reassured me. “My army is here to assist, and you have Levi and me.”