Hellbound: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Thrice Cursed Mage Book 6)

by J. A. Cipriano

  The rest of her girls, along with nearly every other patron, were on their knees or backs all around the room, busily tearing their clothes from their bodies. The smell of sex was heavy in the air as people started going at themselves and each other. The swell of energy in the room lifted into the air like a serpent uncoiling its head, and I knew we were really close to being fucked.

  “You are not strong enough to defeat me, and neither is your pawn,” Asmodai spat, taking a step toward Persephone. His skin glittered like polished alabaster as sapphire flame swirled around his outstretched hand. With every step he took toward the demigoddess, her feet slid backward across the polished black marble. “Now make like a good girl and get on your knees.”

  Persephone’s legs shook as she gripped the katana defiantly and tried to take a step forward. The symbols etched along the blade’s length began to glow, and for a moment, it seemed like she was going to be able to throw off the Prince’s attack.

  A lecherous grin spread across the Prince of Lust’s visage. “I hate to do things this way because it makes me feel like a caveman, but you will kneel before me, Persephone, and you will like it.” He snapped his fingers, and her katana shattered into a million pieces.

  A wave of power burst through it, like water through a breaking dam and threw Persephone backward. Her body slammed into the far wall with so much force, it hurt me just to hear it. Asmodai’s grin grew broader as her body slid down the wall into a heap on the floor.

  “Is there anyone else who wishes to test my power?” he asked, surveying the room, but almost everyone was too busy getting fucked to even notice him. He sucked in a deep breath, and as he did, his entire body swelled with stolen magic.

  “Hey, jackass,” Sam said, stepping out of the shadows to appear next to the prince. As Asmodai turned his head toward the cross-dressed Sam, confusion evident on his face, Sam head-butted the demon on the bridge of the nose.

  “Ow!” Sam cried, stumbling backward as Asmodai collapsed to the ground like a limp noodle. The power in the air vanished, leaving those frolicking around us to stare at one another in disbelief. It was weird, like watching people have that weird wakeup following a one night stand while still in the middle of it.

  “Did you just head-butt a fucking demon prince?” I asked, amazed it had worked. Everything I knew about demons suggested Asmodai should have shaken it off. “That was awesome!”

  “Yeah, sometimes the only way to solve a problem is to use your head,” Sam replied, stripping off his dress and dropping it to the ground so he stood there clad in a pair of black briefs. It was weird because while he’d seemed totally female until the moment he’d dropped the dress, he seemed very much male now.

  He then began stripping off Asmodai’s pants, which was pretty horrible because the Prince of Lust went commando.

  “This is a low point in my life,” Sam said, pulling on Asmodai’s leather pants before moving to retrieve the silver shirt from the still moaning girl who had caught it earlier. He wrested it from her grip and slung it on as I approached him, still woozy from my trip over the bar.

  “At least you aren’t borrowing his underwear,” I said, trying to figure out how to kill the demon. Without access to the cat or one of Maya’s magical weapons, I wasn’t sure how to go about it. Then again, Sam was full of surprises. Maybe he knew how?

  “This is true. That would most definitely suck.” Sam shook his head in disgust before gesturing at the fallen demon. “So what’s the plan?”

  “Um… kill him?” I asked, shrugging. “That’s my old standby.”

  “Perfect,” Sam said, grinning at me. “I’m always a fan of murder and mayhem. You know, assuming I’m not on the receiving end of it.”

  “Not yet,” Persephone cried from behind us. She wasn’t quite on her feet, but she was getting there. Still, from the look of things, she definitely needed to seek the attention of a highly trained medical professional sooner rather than later. “He needs to turn his territory over to me first.”

  “How do you plan on making him do that?” I asked as a couple of her girls, both flushed and naked as jaybirds, helped her toward me. Part of me wanted to avert my eyes, but I didn’t. I’d heard of more than a few chicks dropping trou before murdering a bunch of dumbasses, and I’d already witnessed their ninja skills in action.

  “I have my ways,” she growled as the girls helped her hobble over. It took a while because her left leg was bent at an unnatural angle, but she managed to come over to us anyway. Talk about fortitude.

  As she knelt down beside the demonic prince and pressed one splayed hand to his chest, pink fire erupted from Asmodai’s body, causing her to fall backward on her butt, shrieking in pain.

  “No!” Mammon’s voice boomed through the room as he appeared in between Asmodai and Persephone in a cyclone of pink fire. “You cannot have Asmodai’s domain.”

  “Why not?” Persephone challenged, eyeing the Prince of Greed like he was something she’d stepped in. “I have laid claim to it already.”

  “Because,” Mammon said like a sullen child. “I want it.” He let out an annoyed breath. “It’s why I have dealt with him.” He flicked a hand toward me.

  “I’m right here, you know,” I said, wondering what would happen if I shot Mammon with the Glock. Judging by what it’d done to a powered up Asmodai, not a whole hell of a lot. That thought made my blood run cold. Once he was done bickering with Persephone, he’d come for me… Only… An idea popped into my head.

  “No one cares,” Mammon said, still not looking at me. “This is between me and Sugar Tits over there.” He glared at Persephone.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” the demigoddess said, looking the Prince of Greed up and down. “I’ll give you something you’ve been wanting for a long time in exchange for Asmodai’s lands.”

  “No,” Mammon growled, turning away from her. “I’m the Prince of Greed. I want it all!”

  “You can put it anywhere,” she said, and Mammon stopped mid-step.

  “Ten percent,” Mammon said, not looking at her as he eyed the fallen Asmodai. A sly smile curled across his face. He had the upper hand, and he knew it.

  “Fifteen,” Persephone countered.

  “Twelve.” Mammon knelt beside the demon and traced a hand across his chest. “Best offer.”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Deal’s over. Ten.” Flame began to flow out of Asmodai’s chest, swirling up out of him and into Mammon’s palm.

  “Fine, twelve.”

  “Ten.” The flame filled Mammon’s palm and danced there like a dying sun. As it did, Asmodai’s body turned to dust.

  “You said twelve before,” Persephone replied, glaring daggers at the back of Mammon.

  “That was so five seconds ago.” He glanced at her over his shoulder and showed her the flame. “Do we have a deal?”

  “Fine,” she growled, and Mammon nodded to her.

  “Glad that’s settled.” Mammon turned his eyes on me and pink flames danced within them. “Now, about you.”

  Those words made my blood run cold and the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up, but I pushed it down. I had exactly one chance to pull this off, and I couldn’t let fear hold me back.

  “We’re good.” I crossed my arms over my chest in an effort to play it cool. “Per the terms of our agreement, our deal is complete.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mammon, Prince of Greed raised an eyebrow at me, somewhat surprised. It was weird because I got the impression very little surprised him.

  “Yes,” I deadpanned before gesturing at the dust heap formerly known as Asmodai. “The Prince of Lust is dead and the seven are gone. Those were the terms of our agreement.”

  “Jenna Carmichael is still alive.” He glanced at her, and I had to ignore the impulse to slug him in the jaw. While it might feel good, it wouldn’t help. “Albeit not for long, but still alive.”

  “That’s irrelevant since she’s not a member of the seven anymore,” I sai
d, trying my best to keep my grin off my face. It was true. Our agreement had been to kill Asmodai and his seven councilmen. Now that Jenna was no longer a member of said council, her head was no longer on the chopping block.

  “A technicality…” Mammon said, getting to his feet. “It runs counter to the spirit of our deal.”

  “Well, unless you’re going to call a lawyer, who I’m willing to bet will concur with me, we’re good. Unless you’re breaking your deal?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Because it sure sounds like you might be considering it.”

  Mammon glared at me so hard I thought I might burst into flames. It was scary, but it let me know I had won, and that was so sweet I almost danced an Irish jig. When Mammon snorted and averted his gaze, I let loose a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

  “No, you’re all free to go.” He shrugged. “Assuming you can get out on your own.” With those words, he vanished, leaving a horrible silence in his wake.

  15

  “So, uh, what’s the plan?” I asked, glancing at Sam. He stood over Jenna with a curious look on his face. At first, I’d thought he’d moved next to her because he was going to protect her if Mammon got stupid, but even though the demon was gone, Sam hadn’t moved.

  “Um… I dunno,” Sam glanced at me and shrugged. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” I asked, anger filling my voice as I began stalking toward him. “We finished our unfinished business and Jenna is released from Asmodai—”

  “Yeah, that’s the problem,” Sam said, shaking his head. The look on his face stopped me cold. He was dead serious. “The only reason she’s not dead now is because we’re inside and that’s reducing the pressure on her, but without Asmodai’s demonic influence to mitigate the effects of Hell on a living human, she’ll die the moment we take her outside.”

  “Wait, what?” I asked as I realized what he was saying. By getting Asmodai to release her from bondage, his power no longer protected her. In short, by saving her life from Mammon, I may have killed her, anyway. As that realization settled over my, a surge of rage leapt up inside me. There was no way, I was going to let that happen. I’d come down here to save her, and I owed her too much to fail. There had to be a way.

  “She needs a demon to steward her,” Sam said, kneeling over her and touching her face. “Soon.”

  I spun on my heel and glanced at Persephone. She wasn’t watching us and instead was ordering her girls around as they cleaned the place up and ushered the guests out. “Can you do something?”

  “Sorry,” Persephone said, not bothering to look at me as she bustled about. “I’m not a demon. Just a poor Greek girl who wandered in and got stuck.” Her tone indicated she probably could have cared less, but it’d have been hard.

  I had half a mind to shoot her, but that wouldn’t help. Instead, I turned back to Sam. “Can you do anything?”

  “That’s a bad idea,” he said, looking me up and down.

  “A bad idea why?” I asked, kneeling down beside him and putting my hand to Jenna’s cheek. She was ice cold to the touch. Her breathing was so shallow her chest was barely moving.

  “It just is a bad idea.” He sighed. “I don’t really have the juice for something like that.” He gestured toward my arm. It was still absent its tattoos, but my flesh was noticeably darker. Interesting, but not helpful, since I still couldn’t contact my own demon and ask for help. I wasn’t sure she’d have helped, but it would have been nice to know for sure.

  “What can you do?” I asked as a snake of fear wound its way around me. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was have Jenna die in Hell. After all, it was my fault she’d had to make her deal in the first place.

  If I hadn’t let her get captured in that fucking desert, she wouldn’t be in this mess. Now. If I’d actually been good at my job, I’d have saved her before that warlord captured her. I’d have made it so she didn’t have to take Asmodai’s offer to be one of her seven. No matter what way you sliced it, this was my fault, and that meant I had to fix it. I owed her that much.

  “Nothing unless she agrees.” Sam shrugged. “But I can maybe lend her enough power to shield her if we hurry.”

  “Just do it.” I told him, standing up and pacing back and forth because I didn’t know what to do with myself. Jenna couldn’t die. I had to fix this, even if it cost me everything. I couldn’t go on having failed her twice. I just couldn’t. “If she disagrees, I’ll pay the price.”

  “Fine.” Sam put his forehead against Jenna’s and whispered something in that demonic language that made my head want to twist off my neck. It was like trying to eat a plate of shit mixed with broken glass.

  A moment later, Jenna’s eyes snapped open, and a scream erupted from her lips. A tiny tattoo of a crimson devil complete with horns, tail, and pitchfork that sort of reminded me of the one on the Deviled Ham Spread container appeared on the spot where Sam had touched his forehead to hers.

  “It’s done.” Sam glanced at me and found me staring at the tattoo. He blushed sheepishly. “Sorry, it was the first thing that popped into my skull. Don’t worry, I’ll get rid of it once we’re out of here.”

  “You’re a demon? I feel like you should have mentioned that,” I said, tearing my gaze from the tattoo and fixing it on him. Part of me felt betrayed. Not just because he was a demon. No, it was because I actually sort of liked him. That’s what made it feel so horrible to find out he was a demon, and demons, even the one in my head, couldn’t be thrown very far, let alone trusted.

  “I never said I wasn’t.” He stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “But I’m not so bad. When it comes to demons, I’m practically an angel.”

  “Are there good demons?” I asked, hoping it might actually be true even though just asking made me feel naive. I wasn’t sure why I cared so much but I did. For whatever reason, I really wanted Sam to be one of the good ones.

  Before he could answer, Jenna coughed violently, and I rushed over to her, scooping her up in my arms. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m okay.” Her hoarse voice was barely a whisper as she nodded to me. “What happened?”

  “Sam lent you some power to keep you alive.” I touched her forehead. “He says it’ll go away once we get out of here.”

  “Thanks,” she said right before smacking me across the face. It hurt. A lot. Like way more than it should have. Spots danced across my vision as I dropped her and fell backward onto the ground.

  “Careful, you don’t know your strength,” Sam said, sidling next to us and holding a hand out to her. “Don’t get used to it though. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s sharing. Also caring.”

  “Why the fuck did you hit me?” I cried, getting slowly to my feet. My head was still ringing to the blow.

  “That was the dumbest thing anyone’s ever done for me ever,” Jenna said, taking Sam’s hand and letting him help her to her feet. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I replied and got myself to my feet when no one offered to help me up. It was upsetting on a level I didn’t expect because I’d sort of felt like we’d become a team. Sigh. I was being silly. We were a team, but that didn’t make us friends. I’m not sure why, but that bothered me a lot more than I thought it would. I was probably just tired.

  “Come on, time’s a wasting,” Sam said, moving toward the door where we’d come in. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can take my power back.” He glanced over his shoulder at Persephone. “Can we borrow the limo?” It didn’t sound like much of a question and part of me wondered if she’d even heard him because she waved him off without responding.

  “I’m taking that as a yes,” Sam said in a way that made me think he’d been going to take it no matter what she said.

  He opened the door and held it open for us as we approached. Outside, the light of Hell was pinker than ever, and I got the feeling something had changed drastically. Was that from what had happened with Mammon? Then again, I gues
s it didn’t matter. At the end of the day, we were in Hell, and it was still run by demons. What’s that saying? “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss?”

  “So what’s the plan, exactly?” I asked, glancing at Sam as I stepped out into the warm Hellish air. It tasted a bit weird now. Like cotton candy and latex, which yes, were things I never expected to taste simultaneously.

  “We—I mean you— will journey past the mountains of hate into the deepest, darkest jungles of Hell. There you will find a temple unlike any other.” Sam grinned at me. “You’re going to rob said temple.”

  “Part of me thinks you’re fucking with me,” I replied, trying to figure out if he was serious, but the sad thing was he did seem serious, and I didn’t like that even a little bit.

  “But a little part of you hopes I’m not serious?” Sam said as Jenna exited past him. “Too bad, chum, cause I’m like a heart attack.”

  Sam followed Jenna out and headed toward Persephone’s limo. It wasn’t far away, and the driver was leaning against it smoking a cigarette.

  “Great,” I mumbled because something told me entering the mountains of hate and a mystic temple were not going to end well for me. Not even slightly.

  “Don’t worry. You won’t actually be crossing the mountains. I know a girl, and as long as you threaten her, she’ll teleport you, and you alone, to the temple of doom.” Sam shrugged. “Or vaporize you where you stand, but whatever.” He waved me off as he approached the driver. “Sometimes you have to take a little risk. Live a little.”

  Call me crazy, but I was really starting to hate Sam.

  16

  “Let me guess, your name is Mac Brennan, and you’re a Hellfire-flinging version of Faust himself?” said a female voice that sounded older than time as I passed through the purple velvet curtains and stepped into the badly lit room.