by J. A. Saare
I didn't want the lunacy in my demented mind to return.
"We can't be in this room," Adrian said, although he could only see seconds ahead which wouldn't didn't provide much assistance. He got right behind Gabriel, a hand wrapped around Nala's arm. "If we stay, we're trapped. They'll take us down in seconds. We have to move."
"Everyone to the kitchen," Gabriel ordered, taking charge, choosing the largest and closest room. We could wrap around the pillar beside the door and get to the space with ease. He peered over his shoulder, our eyes met, and I went to him. "Get there. Now."
They could move faster than me, so as they rushed from the room, hugging the wall to make it to the area unhindered. I got a look at the front door. Revenald's green eyes were glowing like polished emeralds, and he had a fucking army at his back. I didn't stop to chat, going through the kitchen door and scurrying inside. The family went to the pool table, making sure they had room to move, and Gabriel placed me behind the wall they formed.
The door opened, and Revenald strolled inside, moving at a leisurely pace. He'd styled and primped himself for another demented evening, wearing clothes that were similar to what he had on when we first met. Those with him followed closely, staying right on his ass. A painful buzz cascaded over my skin like a scouring pad was being dragged over the surface, leaving behind bleeding wounds. I knew why when I recognized five of the faces with him.
The remaining half-demon lords who'd evaded our attempts to track and kill them had come to take us out. They'd brought along vampire progeny. There was also a cache of necromancers—almost a dozen—which didn't make a lot of sense. In my experience, those who communed focused on working with the dead and didn't study self-defense or the art of war.
Then I remembered that wasn't entirely accurate.
I recalled Matthew, a necromancer who'd run from his mistress and refused to bend to her will. He defied her at every turn, wanting to be free at any cost. He was the perfect opponent for me as he'd been offered the very thing he wanted if he killed me. His mistress told him if he won, she'd set him free. When we'd faced each other at Revenald's behest, he'd more than held his own. He probably would have killed me if Gabriel hadn't told me to reach over my head where my shoe rested, providing me with the weapon to end the altercation.
"Hand over the bitch and her murderous lover, children." Revenald grinned, revealing rows of perfect white teeth, his focus going between Gabriel and me. "Bring them to me, or you'll suffer in ways you can't imagine. I'll starve and torture you until I grow bored. Then I'll hand you to others to use for an eternity."
Gabriel opened his mind, using one of the most powerful weapons in his arsenal, ready to change perception. He drew on the mark with Goose and me since there were so many of them, absorbing some of our energy. Alarm swept through him when his ability didn't work. If he couldn't alter their perception, we had to take them on ourselves. Since we were outnumbered three to one, all of us could very well die. He looked to Peter, wanting him to control the emotions of everyone in the room.
That didn't work either, meaning one thing.
Gabriel's glorious blue and red-rimmed eyes drifted to the necromancers who'd accompanied the half-demons. That was why so many had come. One of them had to be a nullifier of some kind, able to block vampire talents. To balance the fight, they had to be taken out first.
I'd sworn to protect the family, even if doing so meant dying.
I grasped the amulet, ready to release the full power of the stone, whispering the words that would make it happen, "Tribuo mihi vestri vires fortitude, quodpresentia. Ego liberetribuo myself vobis.”Present me your force, physical strength, and presence. I freely give myself to you.
The amulet responded, eager to heed and answer my call. A storm raged within me, wind and rain pelting my insides, enhancing my necromancy and giving me the ability to control the undead. My fear vanished, replaced with bravado, determination, and so much strength my hands trembled.
I prepared to issue an order to the vampires in the room when they, and the half-demons with them, sprang forward. Nala shoved me behind her, knocking me into the table, and I wobbled when the edge caught me in the hip and knocked me back. Goose hurried to my side, standing in the securest place possible, as the rest of the family engaged the half-demons.
Gabriel went for Revenald, baring his fangs, rushing at him in a burst of speed. The others chose the threats closest to them, ready to battle. Vampires flew into motion, dodging through the chaos separating them from me.
"Kill them." I took the amulet in hand and squeezed it, assuming control of the vampires in the room. I indicated who I meant, focusing on the necromancers who remained by the door. "Kill them all."
They got the command and turned to do my bidding, and I paid close attention to the necromancers on the other side of the room. Much like Matthew, these ghost purveyors weren't afraid and had come prepared. All of them pulled out guns to protect themselves. A young woman who looked like a teenager lifted her weapon but didn't squeeze the trigger. Her hazel eyes were wide, and her pink lips were trembling. The terror in her eyes was almost palpable. Despite that, there was energy pulsating from her. The power was so strong I could almost make out an aura. If things had been different, I might have felt sorry for her.
Gotcha, bitch.
The necromancers opened fire, aiming at me and the vampires that charged them. I yanked Goose down, forgetting the enhanced strength the amulet gave me. He landed on his back with a grunt, followed by a loud crack when his head made contact with the marble floor. I didn't have time to check his injuries, making sure he wouldn't be hit as bullets slammed into the wooden furniture, causing the table to shake. Several rounds made areas splinter and blow apart.
"Get under it." They were after me, not him. I shoved him away, trying to push him to safety at the far end of the table. "Hurry up. Move, Ethan! Go. Go."
A bullet slammed into my left shoulder, making me bump my head against the table. Bodies hit the floor with loud thumps, but I didn't know who had been hurt. I said a prayer, hoping none of ours had suffered fatal injuries.
I didn't dare stay where I was, crawling under the table and hauling ass to the other side, trying to find shelter of my own. I made it and scrambled from under the pool table. I got a good look at the room, and my heart sank. Although Gabriel, Peter, and Adrian had taken blows to the face and were bleeding, they were holding their own. Corey and Landon had chosen a half-demon to face together while Nala was left to fend for herself. I watched, horrified, as she was bashed in the chin with a very large fist. She cried out as her entire body spun around, and she tried to stay on her feet.
Adrian's attention shifted the minute he heard her, allowing his opponent to slash out with his claws and land a direct hit. The sharp talons swiped through his chest, leaving behind four enormous gashes that opened wide. Blood slid down his torso like a fountain. He dodged the next lash of claws and moved to get closer to Nala, ready to take on two threats at once. Corey saw what was happening and abandoned Landon. He went behind the half-demon going after her and landed a heavy punch to the creature's lower back. The creature turned from Nala and faced Corey, baring its fangs and claws.
We were outmatched.
This shit has to end.
I sent an image to Gabriel, letting him know what I was about to do.
When I hustled back in the day, I'd learned a pool hall had a lot of weapons. You could use barstools, beer bottles, sticks, racks, and condiments in a multitude of ways. One of the best weapons was pool balls since you could hold them to bash someone's face or throw them at your targets. I might not have Sucker, but I had a globe the size of a softball that would hit as hard as the balls on the table.
I flipped the satchel over, let the orb fall into my hand, and brought my arm back. A lick of heat burned my palm, like the sphere contained fire, and I used all my strength when I sent the orb flying across the room. The crystal ball sped over the distance, whacked the girl between
the eyes, and kept going at full speed. My jaw dropped when the bones in her neck severed, her head came off, and the remains of her skull were embedded in the wall. The orb pulled back but didn't drop to the ground. The glowing ball levitated and reversed trajectory, coming right back to me. I caught the orb with ease, discovering there was no hard slap when it made contact with my palm. As I lifted the object, wanting to see it, the sphere took to the air again, hovering over my slightly cupped hand.
What in the actual fuck?
The surface was no longer clear or reflective. The inside was bright red that turned into swirling yellow, orange, and gold in the center. The interior resembled a blooming rose and pulsed in a constant rhythm. Somehow it had its own form of life, and the cloudy center was its heart.
"See nothing," Gabriel snarled, the bloodlust apparent in his tone and bloodred eyes. "You're doomed to death in darkness."
The vampires and half-demons reached for their faces.
The necromancers, for some reason, weren't phased.
They aimed their weapons at me.
I didn't know why I changed the position of my fingers, spreading my pinkie and index finger out, crossing the two in the middle over each other, forming a W with my right hand. I slowly drew my arm back, feeling an invisible thread between my hand and the orb that followed. The ball started spinning when I rotated my wrist, moving at dizzying speed.
The motion felt natural, like I did the shit all the time.
I visualized the orb floating in a perfect circle, taking the necromancers out one at a time. With a hard turn of my arm and flick of my wrist, the sphere shot off, following the idea in my head, traveling in an arc as it barreled through the air and made contact with the side of a necromancer's face. It kept going and carried the detached head into the next target in its path. Before it could finish its journey, even though I was protected by the table from the waist down, bullets hit me in the stomach and the upper right side of my chest.
This time I registered the pain, even with the amulet.
The charm went to work, trying to heal the injuries, but it wouldn't get the job done. The silver rounds had to be removed. Otherwise, they could still kill me. I leaned against the table, bracing myself with both hands, aware of the crackle coming from my pierced lung. I drew in a ragged breath, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. The sphere returned, and I flopped my right hand over, revealing my palm. It did what it had done before, going to the area just above my hand.
Corey grasped the half-demon in front of him, moved around, and put them back-to-back. He used all his strength as he forced the chin trapped in his hands backward, pulling the head toward him at an awkward angle. Nala had grasped the front of the half-demon, latching onto its clothes, holding it in a way that created pressure. The creature's skin spit at the throat, bone broke through, and it screamed as Corey finished the job. He dropped the head in his hands and went back to Landon. Nala followed suit, staying right behind him.
Fatigue swept through me, and dark spots speckled my vision.
Goose slid from under the table, pulled himself up with what remained of the rail, and gasped when he saw my injuries. Although he glanced at the crystal ball, finding what I could do with it as strange as I did, he wasn't about to waste time with questions. He pulled his shirt over his head, brought it to my chest, and tried to stop the bleeding.
He didn't know the injuries weren't the issue.
"It's time, Rhiannon Murphy." Lucifer wrapped his arm around my waist, ready to drag me to Hell. "You're mine now."
The kitchen vanished, and I was yanked back.
I found myself standing in his bedroom.
Red tapestries adorned walls of marble and stone. The bed remained where it always did, against a wall that hadn't been fully closed. The missing portion created a window to the outside. Wretched scents swept into the room, nothing but blood, death, shit, and the awful stink of sulfur. Tortured screams and constant wailing were all around me, an orchestra of pain and madness. There wasn't a fireplace as the entire room was surrounded by flames.
We faced each other, standing only a few feet apart.
Yet, even like this, I was no longer afraid.
"You shouldn't have brought me here," I told him quietly and lifted my hand, seeing the orb had managed to come with me. "I'm a child of His. Not yours."
His features changed, contorting with his anger, making his gorgeous face twisted and ugly. His eyes turned crimson, and his long fangs dropped and covered his lower lips like he was a saber-toothed tiger. "He doesn't care about you. You're nothing more than entertainment. He watches from upstairs to amuse Himself."
"I don't believe you."
I would never believe him again. That was how he held power over me. Everything he'd done to Gabriel and me had transpired because we'd allowed Lucifer access to ourselves. When Bane had entered the black void to help me, I thought he'd come to chase Lucifer away. In reality, he was showing me something else. He hadn't consumed Lucifer's madness when he'd pressed our lips together.
He'd been devouring mine.
Lucifer grinned and approached me. "Are you sure?"
I ripped my gaze from him, studying the sphere.
The thick glass retained the same vibrant colors it had taken on when it had killed the necromancers, reminding me of the sun. The center throbbed, indicating it was not only there but very real. While the orb could be used as a weapon, it also had magic that could center me.
"Do you want to see Jenny?" Lucifer asked, gaining my attention.
He motioned to his left, and there she was, looking as she did the night she'd been killed. Her face was full of fear, her hair a tangled mess on her head. The arms she wrapped around herself were covered in scratches from her nails.
"Rhia?" She reached out to me. "Help me, please."
"Would you like to see what I can make her do?" he taunted, his smile widening into a sneer. "She's mine, you know. I've had her a long time. She has pain that goes on for ages. She's a good little slave. The two of you can serve me together."
"That isn't my sister," I told Lucifer, lowering my eyes, knowing the truth. I hadn't seen the light coming from Heaven when I'd let her go, but I did see the joy and relief in her face when she'd witnessed the glory of God. She'd held her arms out, telling me how beautiful it was, and had strode gratefully through the gates that would keep her happy and safe.
"Rhiannon." Paine's lyrical voice drifted to my ears, and my chin shot up. He had an enormous hole in his chest where his heart had been removed. His bloody shirt was tattered and pieces clung to him. Our gazes met, and his black eyes were full of pain. "You've come back to me."
Anger stirred at the sight, the most potent of all my emotions, which is why it was the most dangerous in this place. Master Yoda remained one of my favorite movie characters because of his infinite wisdom and enormous bullshit meter. He said it best when he warned Anakin that fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.
It wasn't easy to fight the fire raging in my chest, but I did, recalling Paine's ever calming presence. "That's not him."
The false forms of Paine and Jenny vanished.
"Get over here, you frigid little bitch," Ray snarled, coming right at me as he appeared where they'd been, dressed in his casual clothing and loafers.
Even though he wasn't really there, I took a step back.
He looked exactly as I remembered him, and he loved to land stinging slaps to the face. He reminded me the most dangerous creatures weren't supernatural ones. The humans that lived right beside you were capable of causing just as much pain and anguish as a demon, which in many ways made them worse. At least you knew what you were dealing with when it came to monsters.
"I've got something for you, Rhia." His face contorted, his grin one of pure evil. His meaty hands formed into fists, and the wicked smile broadened. "Come here if you know what's good for you."
Years of fear, pain, and the will to survive ri
ppled through me.
Enough was enough.
I wanted him gone once and for all.
I formed a word in my mind, giving it solidity as my emotions gained strength. This time I used good memories, aware that was the only way to get rid of him once and for all. I thought about braiding Jenny's hair as we sat at the park and shared our private hopes and dreams. I thought about how much I loved her. I brought the orb back, prepared to sling the weapon at him, and let the pressure inside me fester like an infection.
If anyone would be afraid, it would be him.
"Leave," I whispered and threw the crystal ball.
He froze like a glitch in the matrix. As soon as the sphere hit him, he burst apart. Portions of him scattered outward, and the pieces became a murder of crows. They flew across the room, their wings pumping so hard and fast I could hear them. The sphere returned to me, landing in my hand as the dark shapes cawed and exited through the open area above the bed.
"That wasn't Ray," I said, composing myself once more. "Thanks for that, though. It felt nice. Therapeutic, even."
"I'll take those you love." Lucifer's outrage poured from him, so sticky and thick I could feel it. "I'll kill them over and over—day after day and night after night. I'll make it worse each time. While I do, I'll let them look out my window. They'll see you enjoying life, even after you caused the fall that led them here. The love they feel for you will become loathing. They'll want you dead, so you can feel everything I've put them through."
"That's not true either." I called to the sphere and it rested in my hand. I narrowed my eyes, but I wasn't angry or frightened, only mildly annoyed. "Are you capable of telling anything other than lies?"
That really pissed him off.
Fire erupted from his skin, and his dark hair bled back. Horns burst from his head as his skin sloughed off and turned black and red all over. His height changed as his body warped, making him taller, shredding his clothing. He approached me, shifting his hips in an odd way, the bulging muscles on his legs quivering. The black claws on his hands lengthened and narrowed at the tips as he pointed at me.