All Hell Breaks Loose (Hellscourge Book 9)

by Diem, J. C.

  “It’s great to hear from you, Alice,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

  The fake name was a warning that unfriendly ears were listening in. “You know how life can be,” I said. “It can get pretty crazy sometimes.”

  “Have things settled down for you now?”

  “Not really. One of my friends is in trouble and I was wondering if I could talk to you about him?”

  “Sure. I can meet you for lunch at twelve.”

  “That would be great. Where do you want to meet?”

  “How about our favorite diner?”

  “That’ll be fine. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  The diner was just a short distance from the church where I’d been shot twice and had almost fallen to my death. Nathan had caught me and had healed my wounds. Without his essence, he wasn’t going to be able to come to the rescue like that again. He also couldn’t teleport us there. We’d have to either take the subway or catch a cab.

  I’d grown used to being instantly shifted to another location by my friends or allies. It was going to be hard to return to using normal modes of transportation. We were at a severe disadvantage now that none of us could teleport. My ability to do so was unreliable at best and I couldn’t count on it.

  Heading for the stairs, I slipped my phone into my pocket. Sophia and Nathan had overheard my conversation and had relayed it to Elijah. Their grace might be gone, but their enhanced hearing abilities were still in excellent working order. Now that Nathan was back on Earth, he should be able to repair his injuries much faster. He would also have far greater strength and speed than a normal human.

  Neither he nor Sophia could call on their holy swords, which meant they would be defenseless against demons. At least the bracelets Brie had created for us still worked. Their spells would make it hard for hell spawn to register our presence. It wasn’t as good as Sam’s camouflage ability, but it was far better than nothing.

  Brie’s bracelets also enabled angels to see the red auras that surrounded demons. Out of our group, Elijah and I would be the only ones who could see them for what they were now. I could see their true faces and the preacher could see their auras. To him, demonic auras appeared black and angelic ones were white. He could spot demons instantly while I had to wait for their control to slip before they revealed themselves to me. It would be useful to have him on our team, but it would also put him in danger. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, I didn’t have the luxury of letting him sit on the sidelines. I needed all the help I could get.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Three

  Elijah waited for me to take a seat at the table before he spoke. “I know I’m not a holy warrior, but I’m willing to step up and offer any assistance I can. I’ve asked for a replacement to take over my duties for a while and he will arrive tomorrow. I’ll be staying here until we’ve managed to put down the threat to Earth.”

  Sophia looked at him like a proud mother and patted his hand. “That is very kind of you, Elijah. We will gladly accept your assistance.”

  “That’s a relief,” I said. “I was trying to think of a way to ask you to come with me to meet Reynolds.” Nathan looked down at the table, trying to hide his hurt at being excluded. “I mean, come with us to meet Reynolds,” I added. My guardian’s smile warmed me to the point where I could feel myself blushing. He always affected me this way and it was hard for me to control my emotions when I was around him.

  “I think we should all go,” Sophia said. “It would be wise to stick together as much as possible.”

  “Agreed,” Nathan said. “Do we take a cab or the subway?”

  She looked startled for a moment then smiled ruefully. “I had forgotten about our limitations.”

  “We can use my car,” Elijah offered. “It’s parked in the lot behind the store.”

  My eyebrows went up in surprise. “That’s handy.”

  “After Nathan told us about what Hagith did to him, I figured we’d need transportation,” he explained. He was the only one who’d had the foresight to think of it.

  “Hopefully, once I break Leo free and get Nathan’s grace back, things will go back to normal,” I said.

  Nathan’s tone was wry when he responded. “I am not sure that ‘normal’ is a word that could be used to describe our situation.”

  “You know what I mean,” I said in a mock cross tone.

  “Is there any other news you have to tell us?” Sophia asked.

  “There is one more thing,” I replied. “It seems the Collectors weren’t the only ones trying to create a new race of Nephilim. At least one of the Princes was also involved.”

  “How did you learn of this?”

  “I found out on the same night that Zach revealed his true nature to me,” I said as clinically as possible. “His father was the Prince of the ninth realm.”

  Sophia was stunned to hear this. “I should have seen this in the readings I did for Clarice.” Her tone was disturbed. “Instead, all I saw was an unstable man who would be dangerous for her to associate with.”

  “At least we now know why his personality changed so drastically,” I pointed out. “I’d be willing to bet that Mr. Orion only hit her after he was possessed by Valac again.”

  “Valac was one of the Princes of hell?” she asked with a slight grimace. “I might have known he would rise so high in the demon hierarchy. He was always far too proud of himself and he was one of the first to fall.”

  It didn’t surprise me that she’d known him. They’d all been angels before they’d rebelled and had been cast out of heaven.

  “Have you defeated all eight Princes now?” Elijah asked.

  “Yep. They’re toast,” I confirmed. “Most of them warned me that I’d bring doom on mankind if I killed them all. Have you noticed anything different lately?”

  They shared a look then shook their heads. “Nothing out of the ordinary has happened,” Sophia said. “The murders stopped after you and Nathan were taken to hell. Life in New York has almost returned to normal now.”

  “We humans tend to try to put the horrors behind us and get on with our normal routines,” Elijah said dryly. “They’ll forget all about the spate of deaths soon enough.”

  “The last of Hannah’s descendants have been killed,” Sophia added with a sympathetic look at my wince. “Eighteen bodies have now been found.” There were twenty in total, counting Heather and me. Heather’s body was still in hell, which meant I was the only direct descendant of Hannah still living.

  While that news was bad, I was relieved to hear that nothing ominous had happened after I’d killed the final prince. Their warnings had been just a smokescreen after all. Or so I hoped. Maybe whatever was supposed to happen wouldn’t occur straight away. Maybe it would have a slow effect that would ramp up and explode when we least expected it.

  “You look pensive,” Nathan said with a slight frown. “What are you thinking about?”

  “I just have a bad feeling, I guess,” I replied with a shrug. “Eight realms of hell might now be leaderless, but that isn’t going to stop the demons from invading us. I have to find the final piece of the object of power and get the other seven pieces back from Hag and Orifice.” I had just one of the pieces of the mystery object that would supposedly help me defeat the Hellmaster. It wouldn’t be of much use to me on its own.

  Elijah’s lips twitched at the nicknames I used with such relish, but he didn’t snigger outright. I suddenly missed Sam and Leo with a vengeance. Both boys understood my sense of humor and even shared it to some degree. They were my best friends and now one of them was dead and the other one was a hostage.

  “I would advise you not to attempt to retrieve the fragments that Hagith is hoarding,” Nathan warned me. “The box that they are contained in is heavily warded. If you touch it, it will set off an alarm and it will also cause you physical harm. Hagith and her minions will catch you before you could even open it.”

  “That’s what I thought,” I
said with a sigh. “We’ll have to find a way to get them back sooner or later. I’m going to need them for the final showdown.”

  “We will discover a way,” he assured me. His secretive smile suggested that he already had a plan, but he wasn’t about to divulge it to me. I knew how crafty he could be, so I didn’t question him about it. He’d tell me the details when he was ready to.

  We wiled away the time discussing how I might be able to escape once I’d hopefully been purged of the toxin. My friends were optimistic that I would be cured, but worry shadowed their faces. They’d all seen how much it hurt me to have holy fire burning me from the inside out.

  Nathan caught my eyes and I saw trust and confidence in me that I would restore his grace to him. He was counting on me and I wasn’t going to let him down. Feeling the mood become too somber, I tried to lighten it. “I had some help killing Prince Valac.”

  “Who was it that came to your aid?” Sophia asked.

  “It was a crab beetle.” Her brows drew together and Elijah looked confused. Neither of them had been to hell and they lacked knowledge about some of the hellbeasts. “They’re intelligent, gigantic bugs that look like a cross between a beetle and a crab,” I explained.

  “Someone put a lot of thought into naming them,” Elijah murmured.

  “That’s exactly what I said,” I agreed with a grin.

  “How could a bug have been of any help to you?” Sophia queried.

  “They’re the size of a small car and can spit acid. Their claws are strong enough to slice even a Demon Lord in half.” Her mouth dropped open at my explanation, but I wasn’t done yet. “They breed fast and have huge appetites. Apparently, they can swarm over a settlement and feed on the populace before moving on. They were deemed to be a pest and were hunted almost to extinction.”

  “Demons either heal their injuries, or are sent to the first realm of hell when they are wounded badly,” Sophia said. “How could these bugs feed on their prey?”

  “They’re smart enough to have figured out a way. They spit acid on the demons’ arms and legs to incapacitate them, but they don’t hurt them so badly that they’re sent back to the first realm. The bugs eat the demons’ limbs, but don’t harm their bodies any further. Once they’re full, they move on. The demons eventually heal, but they can’t give chase until after their legs grow back. The beetles are long gone by then.”

  My explanation made them all look a bit queasy. “You allied yourself with one of these things?” Nathan asked. I hadn’t told him everything about my battle with Valac, or with the prince of the second realm.

  “I’d left my dagger here and didn’t have a weapon,” I replied with a shrug. “All I had was an imp to guide me to the throne room. I needed help and the crab beetle was my best bet. My hellhounds were pretty awesome in battle, but the beetle tipped the balance in our favor.”

  “You must have called your dagger to you,” Sophia pointed out. “I noticed it was missing when I placed your phone in your nightstand one day after charging it.”

  “I didn’t call on it consciously,” I admitted. “We were heading to the throne room to confront the Prince and it was suddenly in my hand.”

  “Angels and demons can call on their weapons when they are in this dimension,” Nathan told me. “It is a talent they all share.” He looked sad that he’d lost his ability to call on his holy sword.

  Sophia reached out and offered him her hand. They shared the same sense of loss now. She knew how he was feeling better than anyone. I was almost driven to tears that he no longer considered himself to be an angel. It just increased my determination to mend him.

  Maybe when he had his grace back, the hole in my heart where our link had been would heal again. I felt empty without his presence inside me, even though he was sitting only a few feet away. As if reading my mind, he put his free hand on his chest where a red scar marred his perfect flesh. He felt the same emptiness that I did.

  ₪₪₪

  Chapter Four

  Nathan wanted to scout out the diner before we met with Reynolds. An hour before we were scheduled to be at our meeting place, we entered the kitchen. He motioned for us to wait then opened the door that led to a back alley. Checking that the way was clear, he ushered us out then locked the door. The spells that I’d cast would keep all intruders out. Elijah’s blessing would prevent demonic beings from invading even if they managed to break through my runes.

  We followed the priest to a small lot and he led us to an old, battered car. A shade of brown that was truly ugly, it sported rust in a few panels. “Nice ride,” I said with a straight face. The car was far older than I was and I couldn’t even tell what make it was.

  “The engine is in better shape than the body,” Elijah said sheepishly. “One of my parishioners is a mechanic and he insists on keeping her shipshape.”

  I couldn’t see the car as female myself, but I managed not to roll my eyes at his use of my gender. Sophia took the seat up front and Nathan and I slid into the back. The seats were more comfortable than I’d expected and the car started with a soft rumble.

  Backing out of the lot, Elijah zoomed out into traffic, barely missing an oncoming car. He ignored a blaring horn and a rude hand gesture that was typical of New Yorkers. With a cheery wave at the driver he’d almost hit, he tromped on the gas. I grabbed for a handhold as he careened around a corner, seemingly counting on God’s grace to keep us all alive. As soon as I felt safe enough to let go of the door, I buckled myself in.

  Once we were on the busy avenue, Elijah had no choice but to slow down. Traffic had returned to its normal congestion and the sidewalks were packed with locals and tourists. Life had returned to normal, just as Sophia had said. I watched the pedestrians as they shopped or gaped in wonder at the bustling city. They had no idea that doom was hovering over them. Their fate rested in my hands. Instead of feeling a sense of power, all I felt was dread. The burden was too heavy, but I had no choice but to shoulder it.

  A small girl of about three years old standing next to her mother caught my eye. It wasn’t the same child from my vision, but she was about the same age. It could easily be her who was skewered by a Demon Lord’s sword. I couldn’t quite hold in my shudder and Nathan turned to me. He didn’t speak, he just took my hand in his. Warmth spread up my arm and into my chest, easing away some of the chill that had lodged in there. Even his merest touch was enough to ease my anxiety. It was just one more sign of how much I needed him.

  Rubbing the palm of my left hand on my jeans, I stared at my finger where I’d once worn a gigantic ruby ring. The ring and the cheap leather bracelet that Zach had given me were gone now. He’d reclaimed them after I’d been locked up in his father’s dungeon. A different type of warmth spilled into me. White hot anger that he’d duped me so badly tried to turn into rage. Nathan’s hand holding mine gave me something to focus on so I wouldn’t lose control. It was pointless to allow my wrath to grow when there were no enemies around to unleash it on.

  “What is wrong?” he asked.

  I realized I was gripping his hand so hard that it was probably painful. “Nothing,” I lied.

  He let go of my hand and gently took hold of my chin and turned my face towards him. “If nothing is wrong, then why are your eyes glowing red?”

  “I was thinking about Zach,” I said tightly and crossed my arms. “He escaped before I could kill him. He’s in New York right now, pretending to be a human instead of the monster he really is.”

  Elijah looked at me briefly in the rearview mirror. “Young Zachariah will get what is coming to him. He will be punished for his transgressions.” His tone was so sure that I badly wanted to believe him.

  “I almost feel bad for Candy,” I mused. “She has no idea what he really is.”

  “That is quite mature of you,” Sophia turned around to say. “I am glad to hear you are not so spiteful that you are glad about her predicament.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” I replied. “I’m plenty spiteful. I
just wouldn’t wish a psycho like him on anyone. Not even Candy deserves what he has planned for her.” He was going to marry her and have a few kids. When he was tired of her, he’d have her killed. Now that I’d seen his true face, I knew he’d kill her himself and enjoy it. “I guess his plans will all be for nothing if the gates to hell break open, though,” I added. “Candy will die along with the rest of humanity.”

  “You will not let that happen,” Nathan said firmly. “You will defeat the Hellmaster and you will save mankind.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure it will be a piece of cake,” I quipped and rolled my eyes.

  Sliding over to me, he put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple. I sank against him, wishing we could stay like this forever. Despite Elijah’s reckless driving skills, I felt safe in his arms. Nathan wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me, even if he was no longer a powerful angel.

  All too soon, Elijah slowed down and pulled into an empty slot near the diner.

  “Wait here,” Nathan instructed us. “I will check that the area is safe.” He climbed out and we waited in silence as he sauntered towards the diner. Girls turned to watch him in silent admiration. I couldn’t blame them for gawking. Six feet tall, he had a lithe, muscular build and walked with unusual grace. His black hair hung to his chin and his face was sculpted perfection. My eyes lingered on his toned backside and I was glad Sophia lacked the ability to read my mind. My body might be innocent, yet my mind was anything but clean and squeaky sometimes. I wished I could blame it on my inner demons, but I knew most of it was just my teenage hormones.

  Elijah watched for anyone who had a black or white aura. I examined the faces of everyone in sight. When Nathan finally signaled for us to join him, we climbed out. We were a few minutes early and Reynolds wasn’t here yet. Pushing the door open, he let us precede him inside.