by RJ Blain
The God of the Machine. I grimaced at the reminder Earth was just a living machine with a set destiny, running until the tank emptied and the whole thing stuttered to a halt. Choices drove us and forged us, but it all ended the same.
Life on my Earth would inevitably come to an end, then it would begin again with two little seeds.
All we did was change the date.
I had—maybe—saved those I could. I’d seen too many dead because they had wanted better lives for themselves. I understood why Michael had burdened me with his purpose.
It wasn’t actual power, but the right to make a choice—one only I could make, a choice arbitrarily granted by the devil and The Almighty. I understood why I’d been told it didn’t matter if I knew I had a moment where the weight of the world rested entirely on my shoulders.
With one hand, I could destroy. With the other, I could heal and bring life.
My next words would change everything. The khepresh I’d worn hadn’t been for a literal war, but a figurative one. I could allow my thirst for revenge to guide my hand, but my satisfaction would be short lived.
“We’re born without a choice in our birth. If no one chooses to become part of your hosts, everything remains balanced, correct?”
“Correct,” They replied, and in that moment, I felt the echo of Their power, the one that forged worlds and destroyed them.
“Replant their seeds of life. Let them live again. If the devil loses a few demons, new ones will be born.”
He made a thoughtful sound. “And his devils?”
“You’re God. Can’t you make him some new ones?”
Malcolm sighed and shook his head. “That’s not going to fly, Kanika.”
“I can,” He replied.
“But will you?”
Silence.
I sighed. “It’s either the end of days now, or the end of days later. Decide. I’ll just die along with everyone else, but that’s part of being mortal. No matter what choice you make, I still die. But the real question here is this: do you love Earth and its creatures more than you love your fight with the devil?”
He echoed my sigh. “You had to pick the girl with the guts to stand up to me to be your child, didn’t you?”
“You’re joking. I picked her because she has the courage to stand up to me. You’re an angel in comparison.”
“Literally.”
I cleared my throat. “Well? Will you?”
“I will. Never let it be said I’m not a caring god. Our war will happen, Lucifer, but it won’t be this day. When this is over, our numbers will remain balanced.”
“Just not today,” the devil agreed.
“It shall be done,” He confirmed. “I have sent my angels to fulfill the promises my archangels made to you, Kanika Mephistopheles. In five minutes, the cities will be cleared of most innocent life. Then, the purge begins. Mortals, give me a token of their sin so I might wipe it from this world forever.”
Malcolm headed to the room’s desk and picked up the Wishing Well business cards we’d gathered, most stained with the blood of the dead. “Will these do?”
“Indeed,” He confirmed. “Know this. Should I do this, there is no turning back. Not even I can undo what will be done, and you will carry the weight of these souls forever on your shoulders.”
“What weight?” I held my hands out, palms up. “There will be death, but there will be life. They will not lose their souls. In this life, they are lost, but they will be born again. They have a second chance. I didn’t decide to murder these people for their souls. They’re already dead. All I’m doing is giving them another chance. I’d hope someone would do the same for me.”
Malcolm would; he’d already proven that.
“So be it. It will be done. May it be witnessed I have not broken my promise to the world of men.”
“Witnessed,” the devil announced.
He left, and I breathed easier without His presence in the room. Sighing, the devil shook his head. “Your clan and Caitlin will be the final obstacle, Malcolm.”
Malcolm canted his head and arched a brow. “They hurt Kanika. They die.”
If I rolled my eyes any harder, I’d hurt myself. “That’s a dumb reason to kill them.”
“It’s the only reason I need.”
“Give it up, cupcake. He’s a kelpie, and he’s chosen you—and don’t you even try to claim you didn’t choose him back. He’s a demon. Let him reclaim his clan and pride without standing in his way.”
Men. I gave up. “Fine, but if you get hurt being manly, Malcolm, I’ll be pissed.”
“Back atcha, dahlin’,” he drawled.
I understood why so many feared the end of days. When He moved, no trumpets signaled his destruction, nor did light bathe Savannah. To all appearances, nothing had changed, but everything had changed, and the newly dead littered the streets, felled with no warning.
Nothing betrayed the workings of Him and his angels.
No one would know why so many had died, some victims, some murderers, and some bringing their deaths upon themselves through their greed. No one would learn, not unless we told them.
I wouldn’t. Some things were better left secret.
Malcolm wrapped his arm around my shoulders and held me close while we stared out over the street from the hotel lobby. Even the staff had died, and I tried to remember the reasons I had done what I had done.
One day, they would live again, new seeds planted and brought back to life, their souls safe. It was a burden I could live with.
Malcolm sighed. “Who is going to take care of the bodies?”
Ew. Considering how many there were, I certainly didn’t want the job, although I supposed the work belonged to me. How could I deal with so many corpses?
Had I been wise, I would have asked Him and his angels to take care of the mess, but I supposed dealing with the aftermath was only fair. Short of razing the entire city to the ground, what could I do? It would take thousands of workers to clear so many bodies, and I couldn’t imagine the logistics of trying to bury so many dead at one time.
In such a short period of time, Wishing Well had done so much damage to so many. Buildings could be rebuilt. An entire city could be rebuilt.
Spending the devil’s money, Malcolm could rebuild it, and I knew just the man who could raze an entire city—or three.
I leaned against Malcolm. “I know a guy with a dragon. Maybe the dragon can burn the whole place to the ground. Then you can rebuild everything from scratch.”
Would fire be enough to erase the crimes committed where the city stood?
“You know a guy with a dragon?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Kanika, do you realize the dragons haven’t emerged yet?”
“So?”
“It’s a dragon.”
“Are you scared of dragons?”
Malcolm hung his head. “Why not? It’s only a dragon. Go on. Go ask about your dragon. Do you even care you just suggested feeding a bunch of people to a dragon?”
“It can eat Caitlin, too, if it can find her.”
“Sold. Where’s your dragon?”
“Tennessee. I’ll need to talk to the guy who sold me the bracelet.” I had a sneaking suspicion Satin had supplied the damned thing to Hagnar, but I’d keep my peace about that. The results worked for me.
“I think I need to become friends with him.”
“If I meet with him in person, I’m leaving you in the car.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Deal with it.” I sighed, shaking my head over the pointless, wasted deaths. I wondered how many had died because of my single choice. Maybe one day I’d ask. For the moment, I’d quietly live with my regrets, of which there were many.
I could only hope meeting with Hagnar wouldn’t add to them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Thanks to so many dead, we couldn’t drive out of Savannah, so I called Hagnar’s shop.
He answered on the third ring. “T
he rumor mill says you’re neck deep in trouble, Kanika.”
“Exchange trouble for bodies, and you’d be right. I have a question for you. Can you wake the sleeper in your basement?”
“Why would I want to? Do you have any idea how much food I’d need to feed that one?”
“If it likes it meat a bit ripe, I know a few places.” I hated myself for the wording, but it was the truth. “Does it have a taste for human?”
“He has a taste for everything. He eats ash, Kanika.”
“There’s three dead cities in Georgia. All I ask is to try to leave as many buildings intact as you can, but if your dragon has a taste for condemned buildings, by all means, he can have them.” Someone scratched at the lobby door, and I turned in time to watch Malcolm open the door to let in three ancient mummies. “It’s the devil’s work.”
“You got involved with that nonsense? I’m surprised you of all people would do that.”
“Heir of Hell and all that nonsense,” I admitted. “The rumor mill is right. I’m in way over my head.”
“Sounds like it.”
“So, can you wake it?”
“Why do you always come to me with odd jobs?”
“Because I’m an idiot who picked a terrible business name.”
Hagnar laughed. “For you, I will, but I bear no responsibility for what happens afterwards.”
“Understood. Also, just a tip. That node of yours? You better make it disappear—or hide it really well. There are those who know they exist.”
“For that tip alone, I charge you nothing for my help. Who knows?”
“It doesn’t matter. If they aren’t dead already, they’re going to die.”
“And for that, I owe you a favor. Just tell me one thing. How did you, of all people, end up in the middle of this mess?”
“I wasn’t joking. Heir of Hell and all that shit. That’s how.”
Hagnar whistled. “Now that’s a shit job.”
Glancing at Malcolm out of the corner of my eye, I smiled. “It has its benefits.”
Since we couldn’t leave Savannah, I herded Malcolm, Ginger, the Gilded Lady, and King Tutankhamun to the beach. The mummies grumbled at me over the ruination of their fun. I couldn’t blame them. I had wrecked my own plans. Who expected a multi-city armageddon? Not me. Before I’d agreed to kidnap Malcolm, scraping to get by fell in line with my expectations, and I had expected to struggle.
Only one loose end remained: Caitlin and the Stewart clan.
How had things gotten so strange—and how had they circled right back to the beginning? I sighed and stared out over the ocean.
“Why are we here?” Malcolm asked.
“Ocean nookie after ex killing.” I shrugged. “Call her and have her bring your clan with her.”
“There’s two of us and at least ten of them, Kanika. The ocean doesn’t make me invincible, and I don’t know the finer points of fighting as a kelpie.”
I pointed at the three mummies. “They got robbed of their undead army of mummies. I was thinking we’d just watch and let them work out their irritation on Caitlin and the Stewart clan.”
“It’s still a bad idea.”
“Who needs to die, my queen?” King Tutankhamun demanded.
I stuck my tongue out at Malcolm. “The rest of Malcolm’s clan and that bitch of an ex, Caitlin.”
“The sands are ours, my queen.”
I spotted a bright green scarab burrowing where the surf and sand met. “Right. Just lure them here, Malcolm.”
“This is a terrible idea.” Sighing, Malcolm pulled out his phone and checked the display. “I’m still amazed I have a signal. I don’t want to talk to Caitlin. Can’t we skip to the ocean nookie? I’m game for the ocean nookie.”
Of course he was. He was a kelpie. I’d make him teach me how to swim first, but I planned to enjoy my reward for learning a new skill. “No. Call her.”
He sighed and dialed. “Caitlin, I need to meet—” With wide eyes, he pulled the phone away from his ear, glanced at the screen, and returned it to his ear. “All right. Five minutes on the beach, then.”
“What did she say?”
“I don’t think He’s as honest as we thought, or he has a very twisted sense of justice.”
“What? What happened?”
“He decided the Stewart clan had outlived their usefulness as demons and turned them into angels. He didn’t kill them. He took them and made them His own.”
My eyes widened, too. “Why would He do that?”
“All He said was that their numbers would be equal and that He’d replace the devils—and make the devil new ones. Conversions count, I suppose. It’ll piss the devil off, too.”
“But why leave Caitlin?” I growled.
Malcolm pocketed his phone, laughing softly. “He likely doesn’t want the devil’s cupcake aiming for the heavens. I have it on good authority she can be vicious.”
Hissing, I flexed my hands and mimicked claws. “I’ll show you vicious.”
“Please do.”
I sighed. “I can’t blame Him for not wanting me gunning for him. I’m a walking disaster.”
“It’s okay. I still love you anyway.” Malcolm grinned at me. “Were you serious about the ocean nookie?”
“You’ll have to wait to find out.”
“Damn it.”
Caitlin showed up alone. Since I’d last seen her, her hair had turned white. She kidded to a halt and glared at me. “Why are you here?”
I almost felt bad that the last moments of the woman’s life would be spent having a fight with me. “There’s no way I’d let you near my kelpie. No, I’m here as an observer. I don’t want you to miss your date with the grave. You chose to align yourself with Wishing Well.”
“They promised me Malcolm.”
I shook my head, and I pitied her for her obsession over a man who’d never love her because of who she was and what she’d done to him. “That’s one bargain that’s never getting fulfilled. Sorry. I feel like I should give you a chance to try to redeem yourself, but—”
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Wow. I’d finally met someone who was a bigger asshole than the devil himself. “You’re really quite the bitch, aren’t you?”
“How dare you!”
The longer I dragged it out, the more I might hurt Malcolm, who had already lost his entire family in one fell swoop. Sighing, I turned my back on her, stepped to Malcolm, and took his hand in mine. “She’s yours, King Tutankhamun. Try to save a little something for your friends.”
“How long might I play with her, my queen?”
“For however long you want. Share with Ginger and the Gilded Lady—and whomever else might be lurking in the sands.”
“Yes, my queen.”
The sands erupted, and a swarm of scarabs engulfed Caitlin. Only her screams convinced me she lived beneath the covering of insects. The three mummies stepped forward as one, claimed the kelpie, and dragged her away.
“And people say the devil’s mean, but you’re something else,” Malcolm murmured, giving my hand a squeeze.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I’ve never been so turned on in my life.”
A startled laugh burst out of me. “You’re so weird.”
“I’m a kelpie in my element, and you just gave the demon of my nightmares to vengeful mummies. Nothing I could do compares to a mummy’s curse, and she has the ire of three of them. There’s no better gift anyone could give me. I’m free.”
He’d already been free the moment he had married me, but I’d let him have his moment and enjoy his relief without undermining him. “So, is it better than ocean nookie?”
“I’ll have to do some very intense studying to find out.”
I could live with that. “Don’t we need a control if we’re going to be properly studying this? It’s for the sake of science.”
“We have a control already, the night I claimed you as mine.”
My eyes widened.
Did he truly expect to do better? According to his smirk, he most certainly did.
Holy hell and amen.
Hagnar’s dragon came with the dawn, and it burned Savannah to the ground, and once the city smoldered, it ate.
And ate. And ate. And ate.
It was even larger than I believed possible, and I wondered what sort of magic had shrunk it to fit within Hagnar’s caverns. It dwarfed the first building it incinerated, gulping down the ashes while they still glowed red. With every bite, its scales brightened, the black paling to an iridescent rainbow.
From the safety of shore, we watched it devour the boardwalk, leaving behind soot stains on the sand and erasing evidence civilization had ever existed within the city.
“I’m sorry about your father,” I whispered, watching the dragon take to the skies and breathe flame so it might continue to feed. “It’s my fault your family died.”
“They didn’t die. They’re serving a new purpose now. And anyway, who said my father was turned into an angel?”
I held my breath and waited, not certain if I dared to hope for the impossible while wondering if Malcolm had wanted them out of his life or not.
“He’s a MacGregor now, Kanika.” Malcolm pulled out his phone and turned the display to me, showing several texts labeled as coming from his father. “Sure, my parents can be jerks. They are kelpies after all, but as far as kelpies go, they’re nice enough demons. They’ll adore you. My mother adores cats. You may want to stay human and neglect to show her your fur coat. She’ll never let you out of her sight ever again if she learns you’re also a cat.”
I’d take his advice; I’d already had enough trouble from one cat lover as it was. Without Miss Angorra and Mr. Mistoffelees, I wouldn’t have made a deal with the devil in the first place. I took a moment to compose myself. “Your parents are fine?”
“They’re fine.”
“Huh. That explains why you’re in such a good mood for someone who was offered ocean nookie but declined it because he is incapable of teaching a cat how to swim.”