“Afraid your precious humans will get caught in the crossfire?” Lilith shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it. Like I said, I’ve heard a lot about you, Luther. I know you’re after something.”
“I’m trying to avoid drawing too much attention from the angels,” I said. “A gang war would fit that bill.”
“No…there’s something else about you. You’re…different from the man I’d heard about. I can sense something inside you. A darkness.”
“Ever since Purgatory, things have been different,” I said. “I need to know what I am.”
She smiled while sipping her scotch. “Now we’re getting somewhere. I know all about darkness, Luther, and I know more about cambions than anyone else. I can give you the information you need to know, but it won’t come cheap.”
“Let me guess, kill Iblis so more of the competition can be taken out?” I asked. “Hunt down the rest of the gangs, too?”
“No, that’s not as much of a concern for me. There’s something else—something a lot less bloody that will end this war quick and easy.”
“And what’s that?”
“Did you ever stop to ask why no one ever tried to come after Asmodeus’ territory before now?” asked Lilith. “There are demonic turf wars all over the world. Believe it or not, but it’s hard for a demon to be trusted and even harder for them to trust. They’re opportunistic like you wouldn’t believe and constantly jockeying for power. Everywhere except here. Why? It certainly wasn’t because he was a fair and just leader.”
Never really occurred to me before, but now that she said it, I supposed she had a point. I’d heard of demons fighting each other in a lot of other cities. Iblis had said it himself; Asmodeus’ absence had drawn demons like him to Chicago.
“They feared him,” I said.
“Close,” said Lilith. “What they really fear is a Lord of Hell. Asmodeus was the only member of the Infernal Court who maintained territory on Earth. So, if you really want to stop this war dead in its tracks, there’s really only one way to do that.”
“Doesn’t matter who takes over for Asmodeus…more demons will continue to come, and the angels will eventually find some way to intervene and keep the peace for a bit,” I said.
“That’s right. Just taking over Asmodeus’ territory won’t fill the empty seat on the Court. The other Lords have to choose a replacement.”
“Has that ever happened before?”
She shook her head. “No. The Infernal Court is made up of the fallen angels who were Lucifer’s trusted generals during the rebellion. Once, in the past, they removed a seat from the Court. But they’ve never replaced one. There’s zero precedent for this.”
Lilith stood and walked over to a wall safe. She entered in a combination and opened it, taking something out. I watched her work, and I saw that what she held in her hands was an old, leather-bound book. She brought it to me and I took it from her hands. On the cover was the inverted pentagram. I opened the book and carefully turned the ancient pages. The text was handwritten in Enochian.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It’s a journal once kept by a member of the Infernal Court. There was one member of the Court who never quite fit in with the others.”
“And you said his seat was removed?”
“That’s right,” said Lilith. “His name is Abraxas.”
Abraxas… I racked my memory, trying to remember something—anything from my time with the Sons of Solomon about a demon named Abraxas. But I couldn’t come up with a damn thing.
“This archdemon, he never really trusted his compatriots, not even during the rebellion. This journal is his account of everything that happened before, during, and after the rebellion, back in the early days of Hell.”
“So, he hates his co-workers. Don’t see why that’s news,” I said.
“That’s because I haven’t gotten to the good part yet,” said Lilith. “All this demon has ever wanted is power and chaos. He felt the rest of the Court was standing in his way. And so, he left Hell, traveling the realms, seeking out the darkest, most powerful magic he could find.”
“What did he find?” I asked.
“The power he gathered, he imbued it into a large stone, which he planned to use to eliminate anyone who got in his way.”
“Including the other Lords,” I said.
“That’s right.” She leaned over me as I turned the pages, her fingers brushing against my shoulder, her breath hot on my neck as she narrated the tale. I could smell her perfume. Powerful demons like her could suppress the scent of sulfur. All I could smell from her was lavender.
“So, if he had this all-powerful stone, what happened?” I asked.
“His treachery was discovered, and the stone was destroyed,” she said. “The Court expelled him and locked him in the depths of the pit.”
“How’s any of this help you?” I asked. “You want to spring him from Hell’s prison? Because I don’t think that’s gonna work out so well. Hell is…well, Hell. So I don’t even wanna imagine what their prison’s like.”
“No, you really don’t…”
“And besides, after Purgatory, I’ve kinda had my fill of interdimensional travel.”
“I should probably clarify.” Lilith returned to the couch and crossed her legs. “It’s more accurate to say the stone was shattered, the remnants scattered across the planet.”
“Why would the Court do that?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It wasn’t the Court, it was Solomon.”
My eyes drifted back down to the book, scanning over the Enochian scrawl. I looked up at Lilith, who never took her eyes off me while she sipped her drink. “You’re saying these Abraxas Stones…they’re in the hands of the Sons of Solomon?”
“The last record of the stone was of Solomon shattering it,” said Lilith. “Even separated, those stones hold a lot of power. If we can get some of them, it would be enough of a show of power to convince the Court to select a replacement for Asmodeus.”
“And let me guess…you want that replacement to be you,” I said.
Lilith nodded. “You see, the Court’s a bit on the racist side. They all came from Heaven, so they feel a fallen human isn’t as pure a demon as a fallen angel.”
“Guess that arrogance is hard-wired into them,” I said. “So you get Asmodeus’ seat on the Court, his territory in Hell, and his territory on Earth. What’s in it for me?”
“You get the one thing you’ve always been searching for but have never been able to find an answer to,” said Lilith. “The one thing you need to know in order to discover just who you are and why you’re so important.”
“And that is?”
“The name of the demon who conceived you,” she said. “The name of your father."
12
The scotch almost slipped from my hand once Lilith finished her pitch. I tried to hide my surprise, shifted in my seat and took a drink. She’d just offered me the name of my father in exchange for helping her find these Abraxas Stones. That was a pretty impressive offer.
If you’ve got a demon’s name—their true name—you can have power over it. The power to summon, the power to banish, the power to control. Just as long as you’re capable of handling that level of magic.
I hadn’t thought about my father in a long time. When I was a kid growing up in the Sons of Solomon’s temple, I’d often try to sneak down to the library in the dead of night. There, I’d read every book I could find about demons and Hell, trying to get some sense of who—or what—I was.
I never found any answers. The Sons would always tell me there was some great destiny for me. For years, they kept my true nature a secret. I knew there was something wrong with me, though. The eyes were a dead giveaway, and I had a greater affinity for magic than any of them ever did. Everyone else had to work twice as hard to be half as good.
I was a teenager when I finally learned the truth. Alistair Carraway, the man who had rescued me from demons when I was born—w
ho had tried to save my mother—was the one who’d first told me I was a cambion. And from that point on, all I knew was that my mother was Grace Cross and my father was some unknown demon.
Alistair always told me he had never learned who my father was, but I wasn’t so sure of that. After I’d learned of my true nature, the Sons would tell me I had a destiny to fulfill, except they’d never say more beyond that. Gave me the sense everyone there knew more about my parentage than they were letting on.
Now, Lilith was offering me the opportunity to answer those questions. One of the reasons I’d started sniffing around the demon world more once I had come back from Purgatory was because I’d wanted to know more about myself. Purgatory had unlocked a darkness in me. Not that I was complaining—I actually really enjoyed this new side of myself. But the question of why still hung in my brain.
“My father’s name,” I said with a scoff. Yeah, I wanted to know, but I wasn’t going to make this easy on Lilith. Giving away too much in a negotiation was a rookie move. Lilith was better than that, and I had to be, too. “Why should I care about him?”
Lilith took a long, slow whiff of her drink and then gingerly sipped. She stared at me with those bright, yellow eyes. On most demons, it was a disturbing sight. But with her, there was something different.
“I think we both know you’re curious, Luther,” she said. “We were both saddled with destinies we never planned for. I became the mother of monsters and the first human soul damned to Hell. And you, you’re supposed to be some sort of weapon in the final war.”
“Am I?” I asked. “And which team will I be playing for?”
She shrugged. “It’s unclear. But why do we have to keep playing these roles? I say we shouldn’t just tear the book up—let’s light the damn thing on fire and then dance on the ashes.”
Had to admit, all that talk of destiny was what had pushed me away from the Sons of Solomon in the first place. I’d left the order years ago and hadn’t really looked back since. Other than Alistair, I hadn’t seen any of the Sons since then. That was still a sore point between the old man and myself.
“I like the sentiment, but still not sure why any of this should interest me,” I said.
“If you’re going to throw away your destiny, you should first know what your destiny actually is. And to do that, you first have to learn about who your father is.”
I shrugged. “Some demon.”
Lilith gave a chortle and shook her head. “Oh, Luther. Carraway really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
“What do you mean?”
“I can sense it in you,” she said. “The hellfire. Most demons don’t possess that ability, let alone cambions. So what makes you think just any demon was behind your birth?”
Lilith’s words reminded me of one of my earliest cases. A girl had been possessed by a demon, and in an attempt to reach her, I’d tried to dreamwalk. The demon had known things about me—about my father. Said I was a special child. Hinted that Alistair had hidden things from me. When I confronted Alistair about it later, he’d brushed it off.
Demons lie, but they also tell the truth. Especially if they can use it to their benefit.
“So, you know who my father is.”
“Honey, I know a lot more about Hell than just about any demon you’ll ever meet,” she said. “So, what do you say, Luther? How about you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours?”
“Once you get your hands on the Abraxas Stones—”
“Stone, singular,” said Lilith, holding up a single finger. “All I need is one to earn my spot on the Court.”
“Okay, so say that happens. What’s next?” I asked. “What is your endgame, Lilith? It can’t just be about getting a seat at the table.”
She looked away, and the smile that had been on her face since I’d entered began to fade. Lilith sipped her drink and rose from the couch, walking over to the window. She looked down, staring at the crowd below on the dance floor. I stood and came up behind her.
“Tell me something, Luther,” she said. “Have you ever hated someone so much that you wanted to rip away everything they had?”
I did. More than a few. Though I didn’t care much these days about him, Joseph Luxton’s face instantly came to mind as one of those people.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because that’s what I’m after.” Lilith turned around and faced me, taking a step closer. I didn’t budge an inch, holding my ground. She was shorter than me, her head barely reaching up to my chin. But she was close enough that I could feel the warmth from her body.
“You want revenge on someone,” I said. “Who?”
She smiled once again and placed a finger to her lips. “That’s my little secret, Luther. All you need to know is that if I become a Hell Lord, I’ll have the means to get what I want. And you don’t even have to worry—the person I want vengeance on is a fellow demon.”
“Who’s worried?” I asked.
“I like you, Luther. You’re different from other humans. And other demons.” She took another step, the distance between us almost nonexistent now. “In some ways, I think you and I are similar.”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, gently yet forcefully. I knew what she was trying to do—would have to be a damn fool not to. And though her scent was intoxicating, that was a road I knew I shouldn’t go down. Maybe that was the human side of me still struggling to maintain some control, but it was also more practical not to get involved with someone like Lilith.
“Was it something I said?” she asked.
“Let’s keep things professional, Lilith,” I said. “I help you get this stone, you tell me what I want to know. That about the size of it?”
“Just about.”
“I’ve got a condition,” I said.
Lilith raised an eyebrow and leaned against the glass. She folded her arms and stared at me. “I’m all ears, baby.”
“Immunity.”
“Do I look like a district attorney? What sort of immunity do you expect me to be able to give you?”
“I’ve got someone who wants me dead.”
She scoffed. “Honey, I live in Hell. Trust me, there are a lot of people who want you dead.”
“Not like this guy,” I said. “Do you have the power to keep him off my tail?”
“Depends on who we’re talking about.”
“Cain.”
Lilith’s smile faded again. If anything, she maybe looked a bit scared. “Cain. As in, Adam’s son? The first murderer?”
“We crossed paths recently—didn’t end so well. So, if this goes our way, not only do you tell me my father’s name, but you also make Cain the first new addition to your little corner of Hell once you claim your seat.”
“I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with, Luther,” said Lilith. “Cain escaped Hell and Purgatory. He’s dodged every last thing the angels have thrown at him. If I tried to take him downstairs, he’d find a way out—he always finds a way out.”
“So what am I supposed to do, just spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder?” I asked. “If you’re gonna be Queen of Hell, there’s gotta be something you can do.”
Lilith took a deep breath. “I’m gonna regret this…” She stepped away from the glass and returned to the couch. “There might be a way I can keep you hidden from him. It’s a spell. Very ancient, very powerful, and very dangerous.”
“Sounds perfect; sign me up.”
“After we get the stone.”
I nodded. “You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”
Some might think I was crazy to ever trust a demon. Except it wasn’t about trust. Demons couldn’t break deals. They could trick you, sure. But outright breaking wasn’t possible. Once they agreed to do something for you, they had to meet their end of the bargain. There wasn’t any way around it.
Lilith held out her hand. “Well? Are we in business, handsome?”
Helping Lilith retrieve one of the Abraxas Stones me
ant going up against the Sons of Solomon. It’d be like turning on my parents. Alistair would definitely not be a fan of that move—might even come Stateside to do something about it.
I couldn’t worry about that now. Lilith was giving me a way to get everything I needed to take things to the next level. Tear up the book and start all over again, not have to worry about destiny or be constantly looking over my shoulder for Cain to turn up and stab me in the back.
“Iblis might be a problem,” I said.
“You let me worry about Iblis. He could even be in charge up here once I’ve got my seat. He’s an opportunist, cares more about his own ass than power,” said Lilith.
I took Lilith’s hand in my own. Her skin was warm to the touch and her handshake firm. Our hands stayed clasped for longer than normal, and she gave a light tug on my arm. I responded by moving in closer. Lilith leaned forward and planted a kiss on my cheek, then pulled away and released my hand.
“I think I’m going to enjoy working with you, Luther,” she said.
“When do we start?” I asked.
“Come back tomorrow, during the day,” she said. “We have to go over our plan.”
I nodded and began to leave. As I passed the table, I looked down at the book. There was something about this journal that drew me to it. Made me wonder what other secrets there might be locked away inside. I reached for it, but before my fingers could touch, the book vanished.
“Now, now,” said Lilith. “I never said you could touch my things.”
“A partner keeping secrets is never a good thing.”
“One could say the same about you. Do you really mean to suggest you’re hiding nothing from me, Mr. Cross?”
“Have a good night, Lilith.”
I decided to leave it at that. I exited Asmodeus’ former office and saw Lydia sitting at a bar near the stairwell. Part of me was tempted to go over and talk to her, maybe buy her a drink, but decided against it. Besides, her eyes were fixed on her phone, and she seemed more invested in that than anything else.
I descended the steps, taking them all the way down to the ground floor. As I walked by, I saw Killian with a beer in hand, talking with some people. We briefly made eye contact and then he looked away. Having my own informant here might still pay off. Even though I now had both Lilith and Iblis on my side, sometimes the info you got from the lower-level guys could be just as good.
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