“Not what I think? Did you or did you not promise your dad, the devil, that you will deliver my soul to him in one month?”
I winced at his tone. He was right, of course, but there was more to it than that. I couldn’t tell him that I was tricked. And dammit, I shouldn’t have to. He should be more trusting of me. Would you have trusted him if the situation were reversed? A little voice in my head asked. Yes, I answered, ignoring the voice as it called me a liar. But it’s different. I am trying to save his life and he is being a jackass.
My lips thinned and I leveled a glare on Evan. His lips gave a slight twitch. I could tell he was trying not to smile. Did he think I was a joke? I glared at him again and this time allowed some of my magic to crackle in the air like electricity. His eyes flickered to the lights and the mirth drained from his face. Damn right. Respect the power.
“So unfair,” he leaned back; arms still crossed and looked more annoyed than he had before. Good, I thought. Annoyed I could deal with.
“Life’s not fair,” I answered.
He snorted. “Life’s not fair?” He seemed almost livid. “I find out I have one month to live and you sit there and tell me, life’s not fair.” He raked a hand through his blonde hair. “Did I ask for this Helena? Did I make a deal with the devil? No, that was your doing. And to save yourself, you screwed me over. Thanks a lot, babe.”
I didn’t like the sarcasm in his tone, but he was right. I had used him and now it was proving difficult to get out of this situation. I was suddenly fed up with everything, with coming here, with meeting Evan. I wished I had stayed home and never came to the surface.
A loud knock broke the strained silence between us. Evan jumped up and walked to the door, his shoulders dropping as he peeked through the peephole.
“Bri,” he said as he opened the door wide.
She swept through regally, brushing her hand across Evan’s chest, and then stopped when she saw me sitting there. She stared at me and then Evan before a smile covered her face.
“Helena! How good to see you!”
I smiled at her, knowing her overzealous greeting had everything to do with the tension she felt between Evan and me. I also saw the worry in her eyes; she was curious about how I had gotten back. She had sent me away and here I was sitting in Evan’s living room.
Evan sighed. “What’s up Bri?” He stood near the still open door, unconsciously letting her know she was not truly invited.
“Nothing much. Just being…neighborly.” She sat next to me on the couch and patted my cotton covered leg. “Just so you two know; if there is trouble in paradise, I am a really good listener.” She smiled.
“I always seem to know what people are going through. Right Helena?”
I grit my teeth. I wanted to be the better woman, or demon or whatever and not let Bri get to me but dammit, she was starting to irk me. With a capital “I”.
Evan cleared his throat. “Thanks for the offer, Bri, but this is a private matter between me and Helena and we are trying to get everything sorted out.” He indicated the door. “Not trying to be rude or anything, but we were kinda in the middle of something.”
Some of my anger at Evan melted away as he opened the door wider for Bri. He was starting to get bonus points in my book.
“Oh, Evan,” the pretty blonde pouted. “I only wanted to make sure you were okay.” She whined as she walked back towards him.
There was a subtle shift in the air and I could see her magic reaching towards him, a slight purple trailing in the wake. The tendrils pushed into Evan’s head and I could almost taste the magic she was using.
I was tired of Bri and her games. Even still she was trying to manipulate Evan and it was getting annoying. I snapped my fingers, putting Evan in a state of stasis. He could see and hear but not move. Bri noticed his unnatural stillness and slowly turned to me.
“I wondered how you got back.” Her voice was cold, all trace of warmth and friendliness gone.
I shrugged, not willing to give myself away just yet.
She walked towards me and I rose slowly from the couch. It was about time this confrontation came to a head. She stopped a few feet away and looked me up and down. “Obviously, you are a witch. But not from any coven around here.” She eyed me again. “And how did you get back? I banished you to Hell.”
Confusion covered her face, but I refused to answer. I wanted to see how far she would go. Let her dig her own grave, so to speak. The time for lies was over. Evan was able to hear every word coming out of her mouth. I wanted her to confess to sending us to Hell and to taking Orthus. Although I could show Evan, it was so much better when Bri fucked herself.
She frowned at me. “What? Some archaic spell you are unwilling to part with? You made a deal with the devil?”
I looked at her. “The question you should be asking Bri, is how did Evan get back? You banished both of us, remember?”
She waved a hand. “Oh, I worked a spell for Evan. I willed him to return, so I knew he was here. You on the other hand should still be in Hell where I sent you.” She fingered a ring on her left hand. It was small and old; a dark burnished gold with ruby inlays. I recognized it immediately. She had made a deal. With a demon. That was how she was able to send me to hell. I was that much of a threat to her; she had willingly given up her life to get rid of me. I felt almost sorry for her. Until I realized that she had tried to kill me.
I indicated her ring. “You made a deal.”
She stared at me. “What?”
I pointed again to her ring. “You made a deal.”
She looked down at the small token on her hand. “What are you talking about?”
“The ring. You made a deal with a demon.”
She laughed. “No, I simply traded your dog for the ring and a book of spells.”
I stared at her. She really was as dumb as she looked. “Trading one dog for a ring and a book of spells is not an even trade. An item for an item. You were given two things and the person you traded with received one. By default, the second item was your soul.” I told her matter-of-factly and her skin paled.
“H-how do you know that?”
I smiled without mirth. “I’m a demon. It’s what we do.”
Bri squeaked and stumbled back against the chair.
“I knew it. I knew something was off about you.” She whispered. “That red hair. That crazy pale skin.” She stopped. “Red hair. On a demon.” She paled even more as the implication sank in. “You’re not…Lilith?” She gasped the name.
I shook my head, knowing my mom would be happy that her reputation was still well known among the covens. And still inspired fear. “No,” I answered. “I’m her daughter, Helena. Princess of Hell.” I watched in satisfaction as Bri’s eyes widened and she fell in a dead faint.
*
“For someone who ran away from home, you sure like to throw that title, ‘Princess of Hell’, around.” Evan rolled his shoulders for the umpteenth time. He had not liked the whole ‘stasis’ thing.
I sighed, my eyes on Bri who sat across from us, watching me like cornered prey. She stared at me and then at Evan.
“You knew about this?” she asked him, almost accusingly.
Evan nodded. “Didn’t know until you sent me to Hell.”
Bri paled again and I patted Evan’s leg. He glared at me. Apparently, we still had some issues to work out.
“I-I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice small, a far cry from the boisterous woman who had entered the room earlier. “I guess that explains how you were able to get back so quickly.” She almost whispered.
I nodded. “Yup. And that explains why you wear that ring.”
Her gaze flew down to her hand as if she had just remembered the consequences of her action. “I’m really doomed?”
I nodded again. “Basically.”
“How many years? Just the six?”
I smiled wryly and nodded. She knew enough of her demonology to know it was only six years after making a deal
that you ended up in Hell. Most humans thought it was ten. But she didn’t know enough to not get tricked. I felt sorry for her again. She had tried playing in the big leagues and had gotten burned. No way to come back from that. But I wanted to know what had happened to my damn hellhound; I still needed to find Orthus. The wind raged outside and there was still a tropical storm warning, but Evan’s condo faced the street, which meant less damage for his place and more for mine.
“Bri, I need some information from you and if you lie to me, you will be in Hell before your six years, do you understand?”
She nodded, no sound emerging from her throat.
I scooted forward on the couch and leaned towards her. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Evan giving me a small smile as he leaned back, arms crossed again.
“Where is my dog? Where is Orthus?”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
She spoke the truth. She was too scared to lie to me. But that did not help. “Do you know the name of the demon that you made the deal with? That you gave Orthus to?”
She nodded; her eyes wide. “His name was Azazel.”
I groaned. There was no demon named Azazel. That was a common joke among the demons. Azazel, yeah right. Poor girl was an even bigger sucker than I thought. Evan eyed me as I groaned. I shook my head to let him know I would talk to him later. Without Bri. I nodded at Bri and sat back.
“Can I leave?” She asked in a small voice.
I nodded.
She shot out of the chair and raced to the door. She stopped when her hand touched the doorknob. “There really is no way out of this, is there?” She looked back at me. “No way to undo this deal?”
I looked at her. “The only way to undo the deal is to ask or trick the demon you made the deal with to release you.” I told her. “It’s a lot harder than it sounds.”
She smiled at me, a sad twist of her lips. “Good thing I’ve got six years.” She opened the door and in a moment was gone.
I turned to Evan. “I feel bad for her.”
He stared at me incredulously. “She sent you—and me—to hell!” He softened. “What about this Azazel character? Do you know who he is? Can you use him to find Orthus?”
I shook my head. “Azazel doesn’t exist.” Evan’s eyes widened. “It’s a kind of urban legend among demons. It’s a name we use to fuck with humans.”
“Knowing a demon’s name gives you power over them,” Evan said, “so you make up a name. All of you using the same name means you know that it’s a joke.”
“Exactly.” I smiled at Evan’s knowledge. So much easier than having to explain everything.
“Okay, so we can’t use Azazel, so how do we find Orthus? And it needs to be quick. This storm is starting to pick up.”
I nodded. “That’s Orthus.”
Evan looked at me, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
I had forgotten that I had not told him. “Remember when I said that he was a special needs dog?”
Evan sighed, “Dammit Helena, did you lie to me again?”
I glared at him. “I did not lie to you. I just didn’t explain how special he is.” I braced myself for his outburst. “Orthus is a hellhound.”
I eyed Evan, surprised that he did not pass out or yell. Instead he sat next to me, almost thoughtful. He ran a hand through his hair. “How did I not figure it out?” he asked quietly. “All the signs were there. I keep blaming you, Helena, but all the signs, the pieces of the puzzle were right there. Your name. Helena Black. Your dog, Orthus. Your brother, Lucas. Either your family was obsessed with the occult, or it was something more.”
I patted his knee again. This time, he did not glare at me. “Sometimes we ignore the obvious.”
“So, Orthus the hellhound trapped in a Chihuahua’s body is regaining his strength. I take it you bound him with a spell?” Evan asked.
“Yup.”
“And now the spell is wearing off?”
“Yup.”
“And we have to find him and stop him before he destroys the world?”
“Well, not the world,” I told him. “Just Miami.”
Evan nodded slowly. “Okay, nothing to it. Let’s find this damn canine.” He looked over at me. “How are we going to find this damn canine?”
I grinned. “I have a few clues.” I jumped up, “but we have to go to my place.”
Evan stood and shook his head in disbelief before he made a wide, sweeping gesture toward the front door. “Lead the way.”
Minutes later, we stood in my living room. The bowl of water still sat on the coffee table. Outside, the Orthus-made storm raged against the glass, the wind making the windows rattle. The ocean view was a solid wall of gray and doom and a chill had started to frost the glass door.
I snapped my fingers and instantly the candles situated around the room flared to life. Evan raised a brow and I shrugged. Hey, sometimes the magic came in handy. I dragged my fingers through the bowl and the images flared to life. Evan watched, transfixed as the cross, the beach and the stained-glass window flashed in the depths of the bowl.
“What the hell is that?”
I smiled. “A scrying bowl. Kinda something psychics use.” I paused at the images replayed themselves. Evan watched in fascination. “I can see images from the future as well as the present and the past. Because I am not a true psychic, I can only see glimpses though. Bits and pieces. A psychic would be able to see the images as a movie, I guess, and they would be able to tell us where Orthus is.”
Evan waved a hand at the bowl. “A bowl of water is telling us where Orthus is?” He asked skeptically, watching the images continually flashing in the bowl.
“Uh huh,” I answered. “I focused on Orthus and used a bit of energy from Bri. I was able to get a few images of where he is.”
“Right,” Evan said slowly.
I gave him a sharp look. “You were just in Hell. Are you really questioning whether I could see my hellhound in this bowl of water?”
He looked at me and held up a hand in surrender. “Touché. Okay, let’s see what we can find out.” The images flashed again. “Okay, a cross could be a church.”
I nodded. “Yup, I thought that too. And the beach could be a church on the beach. Only problem is which beach and where.” We both watched the third image; the stained-glass with the man holding a quill and the parchment.
I looked at Evan. “Any clue?”
He shrugged, “I have no fucking idea.” He suddenly brightened. “But I may know someone who does.” He pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, flipped through his contacts and dialed the number.
I leaned over his shoulder as he called, and narrowed my eyes as he spun away, his big shoulders blocking the caller ID. A woman answered on the first ring, her voice overjoyed. My brows rose. He shrugged again and described the pictures he needed help with identifying. In less than ten minutes he hung up the phone.
“That was interesting,” I said, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
He laughed at me. “An old friend from grad school.” He said lightly. “She specializes in old Roman architecture.”
“I bet that’s not all she specializes in,” I muttered, surprised at the depth of my response and the fit of jealousy that had taken over me.
Evan laughed again. “Well, she also happens to be very good at what she does.” Before I could respond to that suggestion, he went on. “And she knows the place we are looking for. It’s the St. Francis de Salas Catholic Church. And it’s not far from here.”
I nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. Before I could comment, I felt a presence in the room a split second before a tall dark haired figure appeared before me. Evan quickly shoved me behind him, bravely facing the opponent who had appeared out of thin air. I peeked from around Evan’s broad shoulders and took in the handsome demon. He smiled at me toothily and I moved from behind Evan’s back.
I waggled my fingers at him. “Hey Luc.”
He grinned and made a wide, sweeping gesture at Evan befor
e extending his hand. “Lucas Black. The Second. Prince of Hell. Pleasure to meet you.”
~*~
Chapter 10 – Hell Hath no Fury
Evan sat on the couch in my—Luc’s—living room. Although he was quiet, questions burned in him. After Luc’s whirlwind entrance and subsequent introduction, I had questions of my own. I rounded on my brother, his dark hair blending really well with his overly tanned skin. I smoothed my hand over his brow.
“Who are you supposed to be this time?”
Luc smiled and grabbed a handful of my hair playfully. His deep voice suddenly sounded slightly foreign. “I am Carlos Garcia. My mother was a migrant worker raped by a drunk but chose to keep the baby that the Lord God had placed in her womb. Her faith never wavered and she taught me the teachings of the Bible.” He winked at Evan’s astonished face and spread his arms wide. “I am here to share the word of God and bring his flock back together, safe into his loving arms. Can I hear an amen?”
“Amen.” I answered dryly. I turned to Evan who sat looking a bit shocked.
“What the hell was that?”
I waved at Luc. “He’s on a recruiting trip for my father out in L.A. His job is to really lead the flock away from the path of righteousness.”
Luc grinned at my explanation.
“He does a good job too.”
“Any other family members I should know about?” Evan asked a bit too casually. I could see the strain in his eyes and knew that this day—this week—was proving to be too much for one human to handle.
I shook my head, and the handful of hair that Luc had tugged loose, fell onto my face. I swept it back quickly. “No, no more family members. Just the one idiot brother.” I looked back at Luc. “How do you two not know each other? You live across the hall from each other. You haven’t met before? ”
Evan shrugged. “I haven’t been here that long. Less than a year. And you’ve been gone all that time, am I right?” He asked Luc.
“Yup. Close to a year now.” He sighed dramatically. “But I do miss the old girl,” he said patting the couch.
I looked over at Evan. “Now you can see whose side of the family he resembles.”
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