He looked formidable. He was over six feet tall, and beneath his expensive-looking white suit, Alexa could see his muscular physique. His face was handsome but hard and angular. And while Milo was all golden and light, this man was dark and shadows. His dark hair and olive completion stood out against the white of his suit.
His black eyes transfixed her as he looked her over with a combination of irritation and admiration. A mortal body lay crumpled at his feet.
Alexa sensed the fierce darkness that swirled around him, cold with putrid demon energy. As she looked more closely, she could see that he wasn’t fully materialized. He wasn’t as substantial as he had first appeared and looked almost like a ghost. She could feel the static in the air, and she could smell something rotten. She knew she was in the presence of power, great power.
Alexa shot a nervous glance at Milo. But he just stood there with his weapons drawn. Light blazed around his swords, and while she could see no fear in his eyes, his nostrils flared and a flash of fury crossed his face.
Why wasn’t he moving?
The stranger bared his teeth in a feral, petrifying grin, and when he spoke his deep resonant voice sounded strangely familiar.
“Oh, look, boys. We’ve got company.”
Ten men appeared from the shadows and surrounded them. The men were thick and muscled and carried themselves like seasoned military officers or policemen. They pointed their semi-automatic weapons at Milo and her. Although she knew bullets couldn’t technically kill an angel, she did know that hundreds of bullets fired at the same time would rip their bodies to shreds.
The mortal men looked threatening enough to cause her concern, but when she scanned their scarred, pockmarked, and hideous faces she could see no spark behind their eyes, no shining kernel of cleverness. They’d been picked for their muscles, not their brains.
Milo stepped back and placed his body protectively in front of her. His hands gripped the hilt of his swords more tightly as the men moved closer. Alexa was stunned at Milo’s sudden instinct to protect her, but she would have preferred a glowing sword of her own.
Alexa wondered how the demon could control these mortal men. She couldn’t sense any demonic essence in their bodies. They didn’t have the emaciated faces of men who’d sold their souls, so she ruled out possession. They were still human—stupid to be working with a demon, but still mortal.
The demon looked at her and flashed his teeth. Then he brought the soul to his mouth and inhaled it like a puff of smoke. For a moment, the demon’s eyes glowed with white light and then he moaned, low and throaty, as if he’d just swallowed the last of his favorite meal.
Alexa wanted to be sick.
“This is a surprise,” said the demon. She’d heard his voice before, but she couldn’t remember where.
“I was not expecting to see the two of you together like this.”
He watched Milo for a moment longer, and then his eyes settled on Alexa. “You and I have unfinished business, darling.”
“Excuse me?” Alexa glared at the demon, disgusted at his use of the word darling.
She stepped around Milo to face the demon, and one of the men pressed a large metal barrel against her chest. She looked over to Milo and was astonished that he didn’t look surprised.
“A deal’s a deal, Alexa,” said the demon. “You gave me your word. You should honor it just as I did.” His tone was final.
Alexa flinched. “How do you know my name?”
The demon laughed softly. “Oh. I know so much about you, Alexa. I know all your secrets. I know your dirty little thoughts about what you want to do to that mortal boy, Erik.”
The demon’s grin widened at the shock on Alexa’s face. “Yes. It seems that we are connected somehow. I have an open window to your memories and your feelings. I even know how you died—”
“You’re Hades,” said Alexa in a half-whisper.
She couldn’t explain how she knew this for sure. She just did. He was the creature that had stepped out from the Hellgate and struck a bargain with her to save Erik. She remembered the pain, the flash of light, and how in an attempt to take all of her soul, he had only managed to take half.
She felt Milo’s eyes on her, but she wouldn’t look at him. Milo seemed to have known the demon was Hades.
She turned to him and said, “You look different. Smaller. And more human than I remember.”
The last time she’d seen him his skin had glowed like painted stars, and his ageless face had been covered in a white beard, which grazed his chest. Now, apart from his bottomless black eyes, he looked like your average stockbroker in an expensive suit.
Hades stepped over the body, walked over to the bar, and poured himself a drink of liquid gold.
“Yes, well, I couldn’t very well walk around in my magnificent, gloriously handsome, and resplendent glowing self, now could I? It would have been too much for the ladies. Even now they throw themselves at my feet as if I were their love god. Still, I found the perfect host. And he was very much obliged to accept.”
“I’m sure he was,” said Alexa. “I’m sure he jumped at the opportunity to surrender his body so you could possess it.”
“I can be quite persuasive.” Hades’ expression was cool, and while he gloated, he played with the gaudy rings on his fingers.
Alexa had no idea how to kill a pagan god, but she was pretty sure she could punch the smile off his smug face.
“How is it that you speak contemporary English?” inquired Alexa. “Weren’t you imprisoned in the Netherworld for hundreds of years? It’s like you’ve been modernized.”
“I’m a god,” said Hades, looking at Alexa as if she were the most foolish girl in the world. “I’ve been around for thousands of years, and it was only until recently that you angels tricked me into exile. Did you think I’d have difficulty mastering modern speech, or that I would cower in this world of technology? I might have been imprisoned, but I was never blinded to the advances in the human world. And yet, now I find myself in a world where mortals have no idea who I am. They refer to me as if I were a myth or a legend, like a child’s fairytale. They don’t sacrifice themselves to me anymore. The world has changed. And so must I.”
“I see you’ve been keeping busy since your return, with the usual—” Milo paused. His swords glimmered in the light as he looked at the corpses on the floor “—killing mortals, stealing their souls—”
“Not stealing,” answered Hades as he drank the contents of his drink and then poured himself another. “I merely take what is given to me freely. Their deaths are inevitable. It’s a fair exchange.”
“You’re seriously demented if you think killing mortals for their souls is fair,” said Alexa.
She fed on Milo’s bold demeanor and tried to hide her rising panic at all the guns pointed at them.
“There’s nothing fair about that.”
“Fair?” Hades’ real and terrible face began to show through his mortal disguise.
“What do you know about fairness? Loyalty? Promises? I was promised an eternal supply of souls and power—only to be tricked into banishment.”
His features softened, and he looked both amused and annoyed.
“You angels think you’re something special, don’t you? But you’re just weak spirits. At the end of the day, you’re nothing but ghosts with an ego.”
He paused for a moment to get everyone’s full attention.
“My soldiers have agreed to give their souls to me upon their death, in exchange for riches when they are alive. They worship fortune—and I give it to them.”
Hades drew out his hand and made a fist. Golden light spilled from between his fingers, and when he opened his hand his palm dripped with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Every precious gemstone Alexa could imagine glimmered in the pagan god’s hand.
CHAPTER 5
SUDDENLY, TWO OF THE WOMEN on the couch got up and rushed over to grab the gleaming stones from Hades’ hand. He chuckled as they scurried
back to the couch to inspect their treasures. “The deals are sealed with my mark, and they cannot be undone. Even in death, their souls belong to me.”
Alexa was both sickened and sad. But if Hades could conjure up precious stones, what else could he do?
“You’re tricking them.” Alexa was both angry and frightened. “You’re sick.”
“I’m practical.”
Alexa searched the room for a way to escape. But with the guns pointed at them, they were trapped. The only way out was the elevator. If they moved, they would be shot into a sloppy angel mess, and Hades would no doubt devour them later. Unless Milo had some miracle plan of escape up his sleeve, Alexa had no idea how to get out of this mess.
Although she barely knew Milo, she knew him well enough to recognize the tension in his shoulders. She dug her nails into the soft flesh of her palms. She doubted she could slap the pagan god to death.
It occurred to her that she could disarm the guy closest to her. But then what? The other nine would shoot them immediately. No, she couldn’t risk it.
“Was that Dr. Prevost?” Milo’s voice was surprisingly calm as he gestured towards the man whose soul Hades had just ingested.
“Why are you hunting the souls of the members of The Crowns of the World? What is it about them that makes them worthy of the great Hades?”
Hades shrugged. “I like his apartment.”
“Why do you need to employ humans?” asked Milo. “What’s the matter, Hades? Have you lost your touch? Don’t demons want to follow a burned out pagan god anymore? They can see through your bullshit, can’t they? You’re desperate.”
For a moment it looked as if Hades’ icy calm was about to snap. His eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth in disbelief at Milo’s insolence. But he controlled his anger quickly, gritted his teeth and smiled.
“I might have been away for hundreds of years, but one thing hasn’t changed—man is still the same greedy creature. You’d be surprised at how easily these gems can persuade weak mortals to serve me. They are my dark hands, now. My servants. And I have more of them than you can imagine.”
Alexa noticed that the eyes of Hades’ dark hands seemed unfocused. They had a strange gray film over them, as if they were wearing the same gray-colored contact lenses. The light in their eyes had faded, and they looked like the eyes of corpses. The young women on the couch had the same vacant gray eyes and empty smiles.
Could they not see through Hades’ human disguise?
Two of them had slumped off the couch and lay passed out on the floor. She wondered how young women always managed to put themselves in such dangerous situations. They probably didn’t really comprehend what they’d given up. All for money…
Hades could see that she was staring.
“Yes. Beautiful, aren’t they?”
He moved next to a brunette who was sprawled on the couch and lifted her up in one swift movement. Cupping the back of her head, he kissed her deeply. Her arms dangled limply by her sides. Her eyelids fluttered open for a moment, and then they closed. Her face was expressionless like she was in a coma. Hades tossed her on the couch like a discarded pillow.
“I’ve always had a penchant for the fragile beauty of mortal women. Their taste is addictive.”
Alexa leaned towards Hades angrily, and the servant poked his gun barrel deeper into her chest.
“You’re a sick bastard. I’m sure if they knew who you were—what you are—they’d never let you near them, and they’d certainly never let you touch them.”
Hades laughed and ran his fingers along the thigh of blonde woman in a tiny black slip. “They like it just fine, darling. They wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.”
Alexa had to refrain from leaping at Hades. She hated this guy.
Milo moved forward even though a gun was pointed at his skull. “Let the women go, Hades—”
“Or what?” Hades raised his glass to his lips and sipped at his drink. “What do you think you can do?”
His eyes flashed. “Please show me. You know I love to be entertained. Go ahead. Do what you must.”
Milo’s body stiffened, but he stayed where he was. Alexa could see that he was fighting for control. He looked at Hades. “You know we can’t harm humans.”
“Really?” Hades laughed. “I remember a time when humans meant nothing to you. When the mere sight of them disgusted you. What’s stopping you now, angel? Are you afraid word will reach the Legion? You shouldn’t worry. I care nothing for the corrupt politics of the Legion. I won’t tell them if you decide to kill my dark hands. I’ll just replace them. Go on. Do it.”
Alexa looked curiously at Milo. “What’s he talking about?”
She searched his face. Milo didn’t look past nineteen, but his eyes held years of wisdom. He had recognized Hades the moment they had entered the room. It was obvious they already knew each other. Milo was more of a stranger than she had imagined. He must be a really ancient angel.
Hades looked at the two of them.
“What’s this? She has no idea who you are, does she? How interesting.”
Milo’s handsome face twisted, and his elegant eyes narrowed to slits. “What is it that you want, Hades?” he said. “Why don’t you order your zombies to kill us already? My arms are cramping up. I feel like a fight.”
“Shut up, Milo,” warned Alexa, but he didn’t seem to hear her.
“The way I see it,” Milo continued, “while I can’t touch your humans, I’m fast enough to get around at least three of them to get to you. Yes, I might die in the process, but not before I cut off your head or do some serious damage.”
Milo raised his swords. “It might be worth the risk.”
Alexa opened her mouth to protest, but then she closed it. There was a strange, deliberate smile on Milo’s face, like he was enjoying himself. He wasn’t stupid. Maybe this was part of his plan—to anger Hades, to throw him off a little, and then do whatever it was he was planning.
“I’ve got a deal for you,” said Milo coldly. “Tell me what you want, what you’ve been up to, and why you are targeting The Crowns of the World, and I might kill you faster.”
Hades settled his empty glass on a side table. His face was stony.
“What I want,” said Hades to Milo, “you cannot give me. Business is good. As you can see, I have an ample supply of dark hands, but it’s not enough. Human souls are more valuable than you can imagine. They fuel me with energy and light. But an angel’s soul—”
Hades turned to Alexa, “—well that’s even better. And you still owe me yours.”
Alexa squared her shoulders. “No, I don’t. It’s not my fault your plan backfired. That’s on you.”
“It makes no difference. A deal’s a deal. All of your soul belongs to me.”
“Go to hell—”
Pain exploded in the back of Alexa’s head, and she fell to her knees. The blow had caught her hard on the back of the head. She heard Milo calling her name, and she blinked the red spots from her eyes and staggered to her feet.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
She turned and glared at the smug looking dark skinned man who’d hit her. “You’re going to wish you’d never done that.”
The man made to strike Alexa again, but he recoiled when Hades dismissed him with a flick of his wrist.
“Wait.” Hades straightened the front of his jacket.
“You know, I should be thanking you, Alexa. That night when you chose to save your precious mortal, when you chose to give me your soul willingly, even though I didn’t get it all, I did get enough of it to sustain me in the mortal world. An angel’s soul was the essential ingredient for my true rebirth. I would have succumbed without it.
“All of this,” he raised his arms, “would not have been possible without the sustenance your soul provided. Mortal souls would never have been enough. As soon as I stepped out into this world, I felt the rush of power from your angel soul. It is because of your sacrifice, darling, that I now stand before you.�
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“You’re lying…” Alexa felt cold all over, but the look on Milo’s face confirmed what Hades had said.
She had unknowingly enabled Hades to cross into the mortal world.
She felt dizzy and sick all at once. All these deaths were her fault. All of them.
Time seemed to stop for a moment. She clenched her fists, but even the pain of her nails digging into her palms didn’t relieve her guilt. The pain didn’t change anything.
“Now, I need to be somewhere,” said Hades.
He moved towards the hallway. He looked back at Alexa for a moment. And then he said, “Kill them.”
CHAPTER 6
THE SHOOTING HAPPENED SO FAST that Alexa barely had time to duck. The explosive pressure and the pop-pop-pop noise sounded and felt like firecrackers. Everything happened at once. It was like watching a movie in slow motion through someone else’s eyes. And then Milo was there, shielding her with his body and pulling her with him as he ran.
Chunks of plaster and marble flew into the air and fell around the room like snow. Bullets tore up the floor and walls around them, and the sound was almost unbearable. Women screamed, and the men shouted as they fired mercilessly at Alexa and Milo. And they couldn’t fight back.
Bullets sliced through the back of Milo’s shirt like sharp claws. Spurts of white essence and chunks of flesh splattered onto Alexa. Still, they surged forward, running in bursts of speed, throwing themselves to the ground, and then up again and moving faster. Milo pushed Alexa down behind a gray loveseat. In in one fluid motion, he sheathed his swords behind his back and turned to face her. Alexa tried hard not to gasp when she saw his essence seeping from the wounds on his face.
“Whatever happens,” he said urgently, his eyes darkening and strands of his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. “Don’t kill any mortals. Do you understand? Alexa! Are you listening?”
Alexa didn’t know what to answer since the mortals were trying to kill them. She just gave a quick nod of her head.
“We just need to figure out how to get out of here before they blow us to pieces—”
The Helm of Darkness Page 4