by Kelly Oram
The devil laughed at my startled expression and gestured again for me to take the glass on the table. “Have a drink, son.”
I eyed the glass skeptically. “Why? What’s it going to do to me?”
Beelzebub chuckled. “It’s just whiskey. I figured a little comfort for this conversation couldn’t hurt.” He took another swallow, a larger one this time, and closed his eyes against the burn in his throat. “That’s good stuff. I love being topside.”
“Don’t get used to it,” I said. “You aren’t staying.”
The devil actually pouted at me. “You’re no fun.”
“And you’re not answering my question. What am I?”
I waited for another sigh or a look of annoyance, but instead Beelzebub grinned. “You, my boy, are my Scion.”
“Your Scion?”
“Mm.” Beelzebub nodded, smiling proudly. “The first I have had since the start of the Great War, in fact.”
I wondered if that meant his Scion, whatever that was, started that war. I hoped not, for my sake. “What’s a Scion?” An image of a car shaped like a toaster came to mind, but somehow I didn’t think that’s what he meant.
Beelzebub thought for a second, and then said, “Rough translation—a godly descendant.”
“Descendant?” Clara gasped.
I understood her horror. “Descendant?” I repeated. “The Devereauxes are descended from you?” My eyes snapped to my dad’s and then back to Beelzebub. He refilled his empty whiskey glass. “That explains a lot about my dad, but there is no way I’m going to start calling you ‘Grandpa,’ so don’t even think about it.”
Beelzebub laughed. “I said it was a rough translation. Scion is more a metaphorical title, in your case. You are not one of my demons, but you have inherited my power. You are to be my presence on Earth, since I am not permitted to be here in person.”
“I what?”
My jaw fell slack and Beelzebub grinned. “I have bestowed my power on you. You are my version of the Creator’s Chosen sisters. You are my Chosen.”
What was I supposed to do with news like that? When I’d learned that Dani was the Chosen One, it made so much sense. She’s so strong. Then, I found out Grace’s role in the grand scheme of things, and that was even more of a given. Only someone like Grace could balance Dani. And Ethan fits his role of warrior extraordinaire more than the two of them combined. But me, the devil’s advocate? What kind of horse crap was that? Why did I have to be the bad guy?
What did it even mean, anyway? Was I evil, like the devil? Was it my destiny to fall into war with Dani and Grace and be their opposition? Was history repeating itself with Ethan and me? Were we going to become archenemies, like Beelzebub and Michael? That wasn’t right. I know I can have a certain disregard for the law, but there’s no way I was supposed to turn on the people I loved most in the world and spend my life fighting them. I wouldn’t do that.
“No,” I eventually said. Everyone had been sitting in silence, patiently waiting for my reaction. Well, like it or not, they were about to get it. “No. There’s no way that in some past life I was in Hell and chose to come to Earth to be your stupid champion. I don’t think so.”
“Well, no,” Beelzebub admitted with a frown. “Because of the Banishment, I don’t have the luxury of sending my own people to Earth, like the Creator. I have to work with what I’m given—not that I’m not thrilled with you. I am. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect Scion.”
I blinked. “Excuse me, but given?”
“Your father, of course.” Beelzebub frowned, as if I should already know that. “The first time he summoned me, we struck a bargain. He wanted power that could stop the council, even with the Chosen One on their side, and I needed a Scion.”
Oh, heck no! I whirled on my father. “YOU GAVE ME TO THE DEVIL?”
Before my dad could respond, Beelzebub said, “I am not the devil.”
“You’re the ruler of the underworld!”
“Yes, but I am not evil.”
I scoffed. No way was he going to get me to believe that.
“I am opposition,” Beelzebub said. “Discord. There are many different theories about who and what I am. So many religions, all with their own theories about the afterlife. They all have different depictions of me. In a way, each has a piece of the truth, but evil?” Beelzebub tsked. “That’s a little harsh.”
“Right. Because you never rebelled against the Creator, and you didn’t start a giant war.”
“There has to be opposition in all things, Russ. Even your Holy Bible says that. Without me, the Creator would have no purpose. There would be no one to keep Her goals in perspective. She would become everything you believe that I am. I exist to keep Her in line.”
I scoffed again. “Well, you’re doing a fine job. The world is a mess. What do you need me for?”
“To oppose the Chosen sisters, of course.”
This conversation was giving me a headache. “I thought the whole point of having two of them was that they opposed each other.”
“They do.” Beelzebub rolled his eyes. So weird. Michael does that every now and then, too, and it’s just as disturbing when he does it. “They oppose each other, but together they create balance. They complement each other perfectly.”
He had a point. Dani and Grace were the perfect example of yin and yang.
“Tell me,” Beelzebub said, “where is the chaos in that?”
“And just what do you expect me to do about them?”
Beelzebub smiled. “Be the discord in their lives. Distract them enough that they will never be able to balance one another completely. It’ll be easy enough to do. You see, I’ve given each of them a piece of your soul.”
“What?”
He shrugged, as if soul-stealing-giving-mixing-whatever was a common occurrence. “I’ve placed a piece of your soul in each of them, thus binding you to them both. They will both always be drawn to you as that tiny piece of your soul within them yearns to be back where it belongs. You will feel that connection as well, though not as strongly.”
Huh. I’d always felt that Dani had taken a piece of me with her when she ditched me. I didn’t know that was literal. And that whole thing with Grace, how we met and felt that instant connection, it all made so much sense now. We really were connected. I was relieved to have an explanation, but at the same time I got a sinking feeling in my gut. I was connected to them both. Forever. I was destined—no, doomed—to torture them both for the rest of my life. “That is so not cool.”
Beelzebub raised a brow. “I can think of worse things than having two beautiful and powerful girls unable to stay away from me.”
“You obviously haven’t met Dani and Grace,” I muttered. Both Beelzebub and my father laughed.
“With your strengths and your weaknesses, you were the perfect choice,” Beelzebub said. “You’re completely incapable of allowing a perfect balance. With all of your power and courage, you lend the Chosen One too much strength. While the Ungifted One feeds off of your vulnerability and your tendency to be”—the guy smirked at me—“emotional.”
“Screw you, jerk.” When I made a rude gesture at him, he smiled like I’d just proven his point.
“Ah, Russell.” His smirk melted into a smile of affection, which pissed me off even more. “Such a perfect little Scion. I gave them the connection to you, but what you’ve done twisting their hearts up the way you have is genius. Their love for you has created discord not just with each other, but with each of their designed mates as well.”
“Designed mates?” Gabe was Dani’s designed mate? I was going to hurl.
Beelzebub rolled his eyes again. “You didn’t think our dear Mother Creator would send Her precious pets to Earth and not give them each their soul mate, did you?”
“Soul mates?” Seriously. Hurl. A little bit of throw up actually started to climb up my throat.
“The opportunity to give them each a perfectly-balanced relationship?” Beelzebub continued o
n, unaware of—or maybe just indifferent to—my current state of distress. He laughed. “But you shot that plan straight to hell for not just one, but both of them, you charming, handsome devil.”
“You mean Gabe and Ethan are…” My voice trailed off. That was great news for Ethan, but me? Not so much. Dani would never be mine. Of course, I already knew that in my heart, deep down. I’d known it since the moment she chose him over me and walked out of my life. But I didn’t want to say it out loud. I happen to believe that a good dose of denial is healthy for a person.
“The Seer and the Warrior,” Beelzebub said. “Yes, they were meant for the Chosen Sisters.”
Well, that blew.
“They’ll choose their mates, but they will never have perfect harmony with them. You will always stand between them.”
I hated the idea of coming between Ethan and Grace in any way, but a sick part of me was glad I’d caused discord for Dani and Gabe, even though I knew it wasn’t really either of their faults. All three of us—all five of us, really—were just pawns in some sort of sick, twisted, godly game.
Well, screw the Creator, and definitely screw the Dark Angel. “Whatever. Dani and Grace can have their freaking soul mates. I don’t give a crap. I don’t care about any of it. Destiny can go screw itself. I’m not going to stir up trouble with them just for the fun of it, and I’m sure as heck not going to stick around so that I can make them both miserable in their relationships for the rest of their lives. If I can’t ever be happy, then at least they should get the chance. They deserve that.” I pulled my shoulders back and leveled Beelzebub with a defiant look. “Sorry, dude, I’m not accepting this crap job offer.”
My father started to protest at the same time that Beelzebub let out a dramatic sigh. “So strong.” I couldn’t decide if the tone in his voice was disappointed or wistful. He eyed me a moment, considering me. “You sure have your mother’s pure heart, don’t you?”
I froze. My hostility went through the roof in an instant. “What would you know about my mother’s heart?”
Right then I learned where the expression “grinned like the devil” came from.
“No!” Dad shouted suddenly. He stepped forward all the way to the edge of the circle that was holding Beelzebub and me prisoner. He’d never looked more desperate as he pleaded with the Dark Angel. “Don’t! Please, I beg you!”
That sick feeling returned to my gut. Beelzebub had been so pleasant and conversational that for a minute I’d forgotten whom I was dealing with. But the gleam in his eyes as he soaked up my father’s anxiety revealed more about him than any words ever could. I didn’t give a rat’s butt what the man claimed—he was evil, and whatever game he was playing, he was about to win it.
“I’ve been referred to as the Master of Lies,” he said, “but you’d be amazed at how often it is the truth that helps me accomplish my goals.”
“Please,” Dad whispered again.
“I’m afraid I must.” Beelzebub never took his eyes off my father. “You have given me the perfect Scion, save one devastating flaw. Your son has the strongest heart of any Earthly creature I have ever met. As many times as his heart has already been broken, he still chooses to fight for good. Breaking him completely may be the only way to harden him enough to do my bidding. What better way can I do that than to reveal to him the whole truth of the one man he’s always looked up to like a hero?”
I jumped to my feet, my adrenaline spiking with my fear. “What are you talking about?”
My eyes darted back and forth between the devil and my father until I thought I would die from anticipation. I flinched when I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. Beelzebub had risen and was standing directly behind me. “I consumed your mother’s heart,” he said, sounding as if he could still taste it in his memory. “Right after your father cut it from her chest in order to summon me.”
A loud gasp made my eyes flick to the couch. Clara sat there with her hand cupped over her mouth and tears spilling from her eyes.
I couldn’t move at all. Whatever I was feeling was beyond shock. Beyond betrayal. Perhaps my heart actually had shattered completely. That would explain the numbness. Maybe I wasn’t capable of feeling anything anymore.
“It wasn’t her,” Dad whispered, as if I’d asked for an explanation. I hadn’t. I didn’t want to hear any excuses. There wasn’t a single one he could give me that would make me forgive him. “She’d gone crazy. She tried to kill you. She had to be stopped.”
I said nothing. I still couldn’t move. Could barely think.
“She needed to be stopped,” Beelzebub agreed. “But she didn’t need to be sacrificed, did she? You bound her with your magic. She couldn’t hurt him. You could have tried to talk to her or taken her to a hospital. You could have had compassion. You knew that, and you chose to sacrifice her.”
“It wasn’t her,” my dad repeated. His face was paler than I’d ever seen it. “She was gone.”
Beelzebub gave Dad a rueful look. “If you had truly believed that, your sacrifice wouldn’t have worked. You wouldn’t have been giving up enough to summon me. It was your awareness that allowed me to transcend the veil between this world and the nether—your conscious choice to take the life of the woman you loved so much.”
My eyes were glued to my father as he dropped his head in shame.
“Here’s the kicker,” Beelzebub continued, a chuckle escaping him. “Kate wasn’t crazy at all. She’d been spelled by Jacque Valois.”
My father’s head snapped up in horror.
Jacque Valois—the old Supreme High Councilor—was a warlock who used to be head of the council until my dad ran him through with a dagger. They were old college buddies and had sat on the council together for a long time. But when Dad fell in love with my human mom, Valois considered it a disgraceful betrayal. Dad eventually left the council because of it, choosing my mom over his job, and they were never friends again.
Dad always blamed my mom’s death on Valois and the rest of the council. Boy, was that ever a big fat lie. I suppose in some twisted way he’d passed his guilt onto the council because they’d never approved of his relationship. But they hadn’t been the ones to cut her heart out and feed it to the devil. I’d never blame them again. That guilt was all Dad’s.
“Jacque knew Kate’s strength.” Beelzebub continued to drive the nail in further. “He knew how much she loved you and your son. He knew as well as you did that she was going to accept the truth. He was afraid of the influence you would have on the supernatural world if she stood by your side, and he feared the influence she would have if she raised your son.
“Jacque figured you would come to your senses if Kate let you down, so when you resigned from the council and confessed you were going to tell her the truth, he placed a spell on her. Had you stopped to help her, you would have noticed it. You could have saved her. You could have had everything with her that you’d wanted, but you saw an opportunity and you took it.”
My dad processed this information, then collapsed to his knees, looking as if he might vomit. Tears escaped his eyes, leaving shiny tracks down his cheeks before dripping off his quivering jaw. I could do nothing but stand there and watch him break. I was still too overwhelmed. I’d never seen my father cry before.
Beelzebub squeezed my shoulder again. “He killed your mother, Russ. He killed her for the chance to obtain power. And then he gave me your soul in exchange for that power.”
His voice was an oily serpent in my ear that found its way inside me and spread like poison until it snaked around my heart and turned me to ice.
“How many times has he lied to you, Russ?” Beelzebub asked softly. “How many times has he hurt you? You have the power to make sure he never does it again.”
Before I realized what was happening, I tapped back into that dark, dangerous place where I had limitless power and the desire to destroy everything in my path. I reached deep down into my gut, where I felt the pull connecting me to the Lord of the Underworld.<
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“Russ! No! Don’t give in to him! That’s exactly what he wants!” Clara’s fearful plea was meaningless. I was already gone. I’d already given in.
Dark storm clouds formed above my head as I called upon the powers of Hell. They swirled in a violent rage above me, forming into a curse so evil it could only have come from Beelzebub’s mind. I couldn’t have imagined up something so horrible on my own, but it was nothing more than my father deserved.
I stared at my dad and I knew he was seeing the flames of Hell in my eyes, but he didn’t cower away from me. His expression stayed sad, and he simply whispered the words, “I’m sorry.”
It was too late for an apology. I gathered up my curse, but when I tried to send it at my father, it hit the invisible barrier of the devil’s trap. I tried again, with more power behind my attack, but to no avail. Then I tried other things—all sorts of magical attacks that should have left my father in ruins. Nothing got past the barrier. With each failed attempt, I flew further and further into a blind rage.
A hand came down on my shoulder again, restraining me. “You are not a demon, Russ. You do not have to rely solely on my power. Your warlock magic can break this demonic barrier.” Beelzebub’s eyes gleamed. “Free us, and you and I can rule this world. Together, every angel in Heaven could not stop us.”
I almost did it. I almost broke the circle and unleashed the devil on Earth.
As powerful as Beelzebub was, the fact that he had only demon magic made him useless. Yet, all I had to do was cast a simple stain-removing spell my father taught me when I was twelve and had accidentally dumped cranberry juice on the living room carpet. I was just about to dissolve the paint of the devil’s trap when my father’s shout snapped me from my trance. “Russ! No! Whatever you do with me, you cannot free him!”
“You are in no position to bargain with the boy, Alexander.” Beelzebub turned to me. “He murdered your mother, Russ. I told you the truth. I will never lie to you. You can have ultimate power. Release me, and I will give you whatever you want.”