“Satan’s interested in me?” I asked. “Can’t say that fills me with relief.”
“It’s a great honor. You should show some respect.”
“Sorry, but I’m not real big on showing respect to the King of Hell.”
Belial’s eyes burned with anger. Take it down a notch, Luther. Lucifer may not have wanted me dead for whatever reason, but if I pushed Belial far enough, well…accidents did happen. It was best to keep things as friendly as possible.
“No offense meant,” I said. “My foot has a tendency to find itself in my mouth every now and then.”
“What do you want, Luther?” asked Iblis. “Can’t be a coincidence, you showing up here right after I’ve started measuring the drapes.”
“You said Lucifer wants Lilith,” I said. “What’s he willing to trade?”
Belial scoffed and shook his head. “You think you can bargain with the Morningstar? Your arrogance is nothing short of astounding, little cambion.”
“Sounds like you’ve been talking to some of my exes,” I said. “It’s a simple question, Belial. Lucifer wants Lilith, I can give him Lilith. But I want something in return.”
“And why should I trust you?” asked Belial. “I could simply tear this entire city apart until I find whatever rock she’s slithered under.”
“You could…” I began, “though, then you’d have to explain to the angels why you’re on a rampage in clear violation of the armistice. And I don’t think Lucifer would be too happy to get that phone call.”
Belial huffed, exhaling from his nostrils. “You’re playing with fire, Cross.”
“Perhaps we should hear him out,” said Iblis. “You never know. Luther sometimes comes through on his deals. And if not, you could always take him directly to Lucifer himself.”
I suppressed the desire to smile. Without even realizing it, Iblis was playing right into this whole plan—as flimsy as it was. The more I could keep Belial talking, the greater the chance of Lilith finding the stone and getting out of there.
“I’ll entertain this little farce for now,” said Belial. “Let’s hear your terms, Cross.”
“There’s just one thing I want,” I said. “An end to this demonic turf war. It riles up the supernatural forces to the point that I can’t keep up, and sooner rather than later, it will spook the angels. I don’t want to have to deal with that clean-up.”
“Once Lilith is returned to Hell, order will be restored. Lucifer will see to it,” said Belial.
“Glad to hear that.” Still no word from Lilith. I had to stall for time. “Two, I want to meet with Lucifer.”
Belial raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You want to meet the Devil?” asked Iblis. “Why would anyone want that?”
“He knows things no simple demon ever would or could. Knows things not even Asmodeus was aware of. I’d like to have dinner with him and chat a little.”
“Lucifer rarely leaves Hell,” said Belial.
“Good for him, but I’m asking if he’ll make an exception,” I said. “It’s a simple proposition. Is he onboard or not?”
“Ah, I get it,” said Iblis with a chuckle. “You think he’s your daddy, don’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes at the demon, trying to act like I was offended by his suggestion. But Iblis was playing his part beautifully, giving me cover for my story and also drawing out this discussion. I’d have to send him a fruit basket when this was all over.
“You aren’t the child of the Morningstar, cambion, I promise you that,” said Belial.
“Those are the terms,” I said. “End the war and let me talk with Lucifer. If you’re not willing to agree, then you can find Lilith on your own.”
I turned around and started for the door. I barely took two steps before Belial called out, “Wait.”
With my back to him, I smiled for a brief instant, then turned to face him. Belial took a step towards me and offered his hand.
“We have an agreement,” he said.
“Good.”
I shook Belial’s hand and closed the fake deal. When I tried to pull away, Belial kept his grip firm. He started to squeeze harder. I felt his hand getting hotter as I held it. Looking into his face, I saw his yellow eyes burning with righteous anger. Belial pulled me closer to him, his face inches from mine, and he hissed.
“Do you really think me so easy a mark, cambion?”
30
All I could think as I was thrown through the window was that I’d pictured this entire exchange going differently. Somehow, Belial had known I was trying to pull one over on him and he’d thrown me out of the booth overlooking Lust’s six levels. I was in free-fall, turning in the air and seeing the dance floor rapidly coming to meet me. Even if I survived the fall, there were dozens of ravenous demons down there, all of whom would love to tear off a piece of me.
It was at that moment that I was snatched from the air in strong arms and carried upwards. I tried to see my rescuer, but couldn’t turn my head enough to get a good look at him. Obviously someone who could fly, though.
I was thrown again, and this time onto the top level of the club, landing on the ground in front of the booth. I groaned as I got back to my feet, needing to steady myself with a nearby stool.
And as for my rescuer? He landed right in front of me, leathery, bat-like wings protruding from his back. It was Belial. The wings receded into his back as he approached me. When he got within range, he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me off the ground like I weighed nothing.
“It would be so easy to kill you right now, Cross,” he said, his eyes burning bright in the darkened club. “But the Morningstar believes you could still be useful.”
“W-What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” I choked out.
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Nor do I care.” Belial threw me again, and this time, I went flying over the bar. I hit the counter and rolled over the edge, landing behind it while the bartender cleared the path.
There was a towel hanging from a hook behind the bar. I grabbed it and tore a piece of it off, then took one of the well bottles and shoved the towel inside so part of it stuck out. Maybe I didn’t have any weapons, but it was a good thing I smoked so damn much. I used my lighter to set the towel on fire, then stood. I hurled the bottle at Belial and it smashed, the fire igniting the alcohol and engulfing him in flames within seconds.
Wouldn’t do a whole lot of good against an archdemon, but it would distract him so I could get moving and think about what I was going to do next. And fortunately, it kept the other demons distracted, too. I jumped over the bar and ran into the stairwell, taking the steps two or three at a time.
“Lilith, wherever the hell you are, now might be a good time for a daring, last-minute rescue.” I could only hope the psychic link was working. Right now, the Abraxas Stone was my only chance of getting out of here. I didn’t know if Lilith could even get it to work yet, but maybe just seeing it would be enough to force Belial to back off, at least temporarily.
I reached the ground floor, but still no response from her.
“Lil, where the fuck are you? Belial’s about to kill me if you don’t get your ass back here!”
“CROSS!”
Pro tip: when you hear someone angrily scream your name, never ever stop to see what’s going on. Just. Keep. Running. That’s the advice I wish I’d been given.
Instead, like an idiot, I stopped and turned around to witness Belial leaping from the sixth floor and falling all the way down to the first. He crashed onto the dance floor in a three-point landing, creating a tremor when he struck. The flames had been put out and his clothes were now smoldering, his burned skin already healing itself and leaving only black marks on his body, which made his yellow eyes stand out all the more.
“I have orders not to kill you, boy, but you are really testing my patience.”
“If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me…” I muttered.
I tried to turn and run, bu
t Belial raised his hand, and then I found I couldn’t move. He had me in a firm telekinetic hold.
“We. Aren’t. Finished.”
He turned his hand and beckoned with his fingers. The invisible force drew me closer to him in response. When I was within range, I once again felt his hand around my throat, his fingers squeezing just hard enough to the point where it became difficult to breathe.
“Lucifer told me I couldn’t kill you. But there are so many ways I can inflict immeasurable suffering upon you while still keeping you alive,” he said. “Now, either you tell me where Lilith is, or we see just how long that bravado of yours can stand up to extended torture.”
I was tempted to give in. Even without Lilith, I could still find out what I wanted to know. Throwing Lucifer an olive branch could compel him to give me the information I needed. That was when something caught my eye behind Belial, something that made me smile.
“You…might wanna turn…around.”
Belial raised an eyebrow in confusion. Then the deep, angry growl was what finally compelled him to look over his shoulder. The demons had made a path, and standing directly across from us was Lilith. Hands on her hips, a smile on her face. And by her side was a beast the size of a tiger. It was covered in mangled, black fur with a row of spikes along its spine and a serpentine tail. The animal’s eyes burned like hot coals. Its teeth were long and razor-sharp, with jagged claws lining its paws.
“Hi, Belial,” said Lilith, reaching a hand down to stroke her pet’s head. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my dog along.”
“Lilith…” Belial released his grip and I hit the floor. Then he started towards her.
“Sic ’em, Dante.”
The hellhound sprung forward, charging at the archdemon. It pounced and struck Belial hard, the sheer weight of the beast toppling him over. Lilith ran around them and came over to my side. With her help, I got back to my feet, my hand touching my raw neck.
“I’ve been thrown around too many damn times today,” I grumbled. “And you named your hellhound Dante? Isn’t that a bit obvious?”
She shrugged. “I’m a sucker for the classics.”
“That’s like the Rover of hellhound names.”
“Whatever. Listen, now we can get the fuck out of here,” said Lilith. She held out her closed fist, and when she opened it, I saw the Abraxas Stone resting in her palm. “I’ve got it—we can go perform the ritual and finish this whole thing once and for all.”
“Good,” I said, turning my attention to Belial and the hellhound. “But I want to watch a little bit of this first.”
Watching Dante go after Belial, I was reminded of when I saw Asmodeus sic three hellhounds on Azrael. Except Dante’s ferocity exceeded all of them combined. Belial gave as good as he got, though, wrestling with the beast and throwing it off him. He conjured up hellfire in his hand, forming it into a whip. When Dante came at him again, Belial sidestepped and lashed the whip around the hellhound’s throat.
Lilith tugged on my arm. “Luther, Dante’s tough but he won’t be able to stop Belial. We have to go. Now.”
I nodded and turned. We ran for the exit.
31
Lilith weaved in and out of traffic as she sped away from Rush Street. When she had realized Belial was on Earth, it was the first time I’d seen Lilith scared. Now, that fear seemed permanently etched on her face. I didn’t think it was something I could ever get used to.
“Is anyone following us?” she asked.
I checked. “No, we’re clear.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t do a damn thing about the fear. That wasn’t going away anytime soon.
“What are you so worried about anyway?” I asked. “We’ve got the stone, now let’s do this ritual and send Belial packing with his tail between his legs. Once he sees what the stone is capable of, that should be enough to scare him off. And if not, we’ll just kill him.”
“It’s not that simple,” said Lilith. “We need a place with a large amount of spiritual energy. I had the ingredients for a spell to find one, but after fetching the hellhound, I only had enough time to get the stone. We have to get the ingredients and find a place to hole up for a while so I can perform the spell.”
I rubbed my chin and thought. A place with a high degree of spiritual energy…why was that description tickling a recent memory…? I retraced the events of the past few weeks, trying to remember what it was. And then it hit me, and I snapped my fingers.
“Forget the spell,” I said. “I know where we can find all the spirit energy you need.”
“Where?”
“Wayne told me about a case. New condos have been erected on the site of the old Cabrini-Green housing project. Bunch of mysterious deaths have started happening and Wayne suspected ghosts.”
“Why?” asked Lilith.
“Cabrini-Green was the poster child for urban decay and gang violence, but it’s been demolished now and replaced with high-priced condos. So lots of spirits hanging around the area, and now with an excuse to start killing folks who’ve taken over their homes and forced out their family and friends,” I said. “Plus, all the disturbances caused by the demons fighting over Asmodeus’ turf and then your arrival, and those ghosts are really riled up.”
Lilith smiled, the first indication she believed this cause of hers wasn’t completely lost. “That’s perfect. We could use that energy to power up the stone.”
“And then what?” I asked. “Once the stone has a full tank, what’s the next step?”
“The next step is a summoning ritual. For none other than the Morningstar himself.”
I did a double-take. “You want to summon fucking Lucifer here? Are you out of your mind?”
“The stone’s powerful enough to kill even him. He wouldn’t dare make a move against us as long as we’ve got it in our possession.”
“I dunno, Lil. That’s a pretty big flamethrower to play with next to a gas spill. You sure you know what you’re doing here?”
Lilith looked at me, annoyance written on her face. “Don’t tell me you’re going to wuss out on me now, Cross. After everything we’ve been through, now that we’re close to the finish line, you’re getting cold feet?”
“Summoning Lucifer is a big fucking deal. How are you going to keep him calm to make your pitch?”
“Easy.” She held up the stone. “We summon him into a binding circle. He’ll be helpless against us, but we’ll have this. We’re going to make the Devil our bitch.”
She started to laugh. It wasn’t like her usual laughing, though. This time, it sent a chill down my spine. Lilith wasn’t telling me everything. There was an element of this plan I was still in the dark about. That only served to make me even more nervous.
We pulled up to the Xavier Apartments, one of the new eco-friendly, expensive high-rises built on the site of Cabrini-Green. Wayne had mentioned Xavier as the place where many of these deaths had been occurring. And as Lilith brought the car to a stop in front of the lobby entrance, I could sense there was a lot of energy in this place.
“This is it,” I said. “We’ve definitely got restless spirits here.”
“What are you thinking? The roof?” she asked.
I nodded. Being on ground above the ghosts and having nothing over your head definitely helped when channeling spirit energy. Less chance of any interference from building materials like iron or electronic signals screwing up the connections. “We just have to get through the front door. Wait around for a bit, and you can manipulate some bastard into letting us in.”
I reached for the door handle, but then Lilith grabbed my shoulder.
“Hold on,” she said. “How are you doing? With your powers I mean?”
I could feel the magic starting to return to me, but it was still weak. Wasn’t sure I could pull off a simple spell, let alone summon hellfire.
“Still a bit sketchy,” I said. “Why would that be an issue? You’re the one doing this ritual, not me.”
&nbs
p; “Right, I know,” said Lilith. “Just a little worried about how you can watch my back without any powers.”
“I’ll make do.”
I climbed out of the car and walked up to the lobby entrance. I leaned against the wall beside the door and lit a cigarette, watching as Lilith went to work. It wasn’t long before some young guy with a dog on a leashed walked up to the lobby. Lilith approached him and spoke with him for a few moments. Some eye contact and brushing her hand against his and he was under her thrall.
Lilith beckoned me in and I flicked the cigarette onto the sidewalk, then entered the lobby. Her new minion let us in the front entrance and we left him in the lobby as we boarded the elevator for the roof.
One thing was for certain, the people in this building had more money than they needed. The roof was an open terrace with numerous couches and chairs, a media screening room, private conference rooms, a chef’s kitchen, and even a damn fireplace.
“I dunno, truth be told, I’m kind of in the mood to just let the spirits murder the shit out of all these yuppie fucks.”
“Keep your eye on the prize, baby,” said Lilith, wrapping her arms around me from behind and standing on her toes to kiss my neck. “If it makes you feel better, we could kill them ourselves once we’ve powered up the stone.”
That was a pretty tempting offer. Right now, there were other things to worry about. “Okay, should we get started?”
Lilith moved in front of me and set down the bag she’d brought from the car. “Watch the door—keep anyone from interrupting me while I get set up.”
I nodded and went over to the elevator entrance, watching carefully. I held out my hand and concentrated, trying to see if I could summon up the hellfire like I had before. There was a spark in my palm, but I couldn’t muster much more than that. I sighed. Just had to hope that Lilith could get this spell done and power up the stone before Belial or Celeste and the others turned up.
A sudden headache hit me. I tried to shake it off, but it was stronger than anticipated. Felt like someone was driving a spike through my frontal lobe. Visions flashed across my mind, visions from the dream I’d had before of Chicago in flames. I looked at my hand again and the spark exploded into a full blaze that burned the world away.
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