Hell in Heels

by Adrianna Morgan

  Luc raised a brow. “Excuse me?”

  I rolled my eyes. “My dad through and through. Theatrics.”

  Luc laughed and I playfully punched his shoulder. “Now who’s into theatrics?” His gaze swept around the room, spying the candles and bowl of water on the table. “You’ve certainly been busy.”

  I suddenly felt a bit nervous. “Oh, you know,” I answered airily. “Just doing a bit of scrying.”

  Luc eyed me thoughtfully. “What are you scrying for?” He touched one finger to the still surface of the water in the bowl.

  I closed my eyes as the images flared to life. Luc was much better when it came to magic and since he had to use it more often, he was much more practiced.

  “Hmm,” he said, eyeing the images. “St. Francis de Salas.”

  I glared at him. “How the hell do you know that?”

  He smiled. “It pays to be familiar with the area in which you work…and live.” He grinned. “Besides, that church is a favorite of Bri’s.” He rubbed his hand on his chin. “Had some fun times there in the rectory with her. Or was it the parish house? Or both?” He grinned. “Either way, it was fun times.”

  I almost swallowed my tongue and I swore I heard Evan’s jaw hit the floor. “Are you shitting me?”

  Luc laughed. “Hell no. Bri and I, well, let’s just say, there were some lonely nights when she needed a friend.” He shrugged. “I just happened to be a good friend.”

  I covered my ears childishly with my hands. “Just stop. Please.”

  Luc laughed again. “Sure. No problem.”

  I glanced and Evan and saw that while he wore a smile on his face, he wisely kept his mouth closed. He knew that I still harbored a few ill feelings toward her. “Okay, now that we’ve confirmed the church. How are we going to get in?”

  Luc sprawled onto the couch next to Evan, his brow furrowed. “Why are you trying to get into St. Francis?”

  “No reason,” I said quickly. Evan frowned and opened his mouth to talk, surprised when no sound came out.

  Luc grinned at Evan. “Sorry man. She’s always been quick with the spells.” He muttered a few words and Evan coughed.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” Evan warned me hoarsely.

  I narrowed my eyes and my bastard brother laughed again.

  “So, church?” Luc asked, not deterred. “And what’s up with you two anyway?”

  Evan eyed me as he answered. “We’re kinda dating.”

  Luc waggled his eyebrows. “So it can be you and he and me and Bri.” He smiled at his bad rhyme.

  I wanted to tell Luc about Bri’s deal but decided it was not the time. Besides, perhaps he could help us with the church. “How do you get into churches?” I asked. “I mean, I know how you get into them, but are you able to use your powers?”

  Luc shook his head. “Sorry, sis. I get drained simply trying to sustain my looks. All my persuasion comes with the power of my tongue.” He waggled his tongue and I rolled my eyes.

  Evan moved behind me, his arms wrapping around my shoulders as he led me to the couch. I sat still, sandwiched between my brother and the man I was starting to love.

  I waved a hand at Luc’s form. “Get rid of that.” I told him, annoyed.

  He smiled and I watched the magic spread from the white of his teeth, over his cheeks and chin, to his head and then torso. Although still well defined, Luc’s skin was decidedly pasty and his red hair shone against his white skin.

  “Better?”

  I nodded. “Better. But it still does not solve the problem we have about getting into that damn church.”

  Luc looked at me. “You know if you would stop hiding what it is that you need, perhaps I could help.”

  I looked at Evan. He nodded slowly to show me he agreed with Luc.

  I sighed. He was right. They were both right. I needed all the resources I could find if I wanted to rescue Orthus. I couldn’t even enter a church with my full powers. If he was being held against his will, and I suspect that he was, it would have to be a full scale assault. Who knew who might get hurt and what kind of damage might be done. I thought of Orthus. He could become caught up in the excitement and that could speed up his transformation from harmless dog back into hellhound.

  Luc cleared his throat. “Waiting.”

  I took a deep breath. I knew that Luc would think me stupid when he heard what happened.

  “Well, I kinda lost something…someone.” I stumbled over the words. “It. I lost an it.”

  Luc looked at me in puzzlement. “Helena. What the hell are you talking about?”

  I suddenly couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Your fucking bitch of a girlfriend, Bri, stole Orthus and traded him with a demon. Now we can’t find him. We think he’s being held in that ‘St. Francis’ church.” I gestured outside. “That storm is Orthus regaining the powers I bound when I transformed him into a dog to bring him to the surface. And dad doesn’t know. That I…lost Orthus. If we don’t find him, I’m fucked.”

  Luc’s eyes widened as my story came tumbling out. “You are right about one thing,” he coughed. “You are fucked.”

  *

  I looked up at the tall imposing building of stone, stucco and Spanish tiles. Storm winds were slightly buffeted by the tall buildings surrounding the church, but I knew the glass and metal of South Beach could not stand up to Orthus for long. A long branch from a coconut tree was ripped free and swept past us, tumbling end over end down the street. It slammed into a car parked on the street. The alarm blared shrilly. I ignored the distractions.

  The large wooden double doors of St. Francis seemed particularly heavy and although I knew I was severely weakened, I felt that even at full strength it would have taken more than I had to open them. I placed my hand on the doorknob, surprised and a bit scared when the burning sensation I had felt when I opened a church door a few years ago, felt slightly subdued. Perhaps now I was more tolerant. I watched Luc’s face as he got closer and recognized the strain around his eyes. He was in considerably more pain than I felt at the moment.

  Evan touched my hand and I let go of the knob. I looked at my hand covered in blisters. Although not that painful, I contorted my face into an expression of pain until I was able to figure out what was happening. Evan pushed open the dark wooden doors easily. We walked beneath the arch with the cross embedded in stone. I dared not touch any of the stone or wood of the entrance as we walked through.

  I chose not to give into the fear which wanted me to run back down the steps and past the manicured lawns to refuge. I had never shirked an assignment, never felt fear and for the first time, I felt the grip of the unknown. I willed myself to not think about it. I was fine. As long as I did no harm, I was safe. Even in a church.

  A priest looked up as we walked in and we hastily made the sign of the cross. Evan really did. Luc and I made a lopsided ‘t’. We weren’t taking any chances. My strength continued to ebb as soon as my foot crossed the threshold. I waved my hand slightly, not surprised at the slight crackle of red energy that soon disappeared as if it were sucked out of the room. The priest looked around, and for a moment, I feared he had seen my spell. He looked back at us and smiled and I relaxed. I needed to find Orthus and to be honest, fear or not, this priest was not going to stand in my way.

  “Welcome to St. Francis.” He greeted us warmly.

  I nodded and forced a smile, while Evan and Luc echoed the priest’s greeting.

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  I looked at Evan and Luc. Should we tell him that we were trying to find our dog? I debated for a minute, and then decided to just wing it.

  “We are looking for my dog. A little Chihuahua?” I held my hands slightly apart to show him how small Orthus was. “He was stolen.”

  His mouth tightened for a moment and his eyes flickered to a side door. He clasped his hand behind his back and then the smile returned to his face. Evan’s breathing was steady, but I knew neither he nor my brother had missed the exchange. We
were on the right track. Orthus was obviously still here and based on the priest’s response, they had a good idea what he was.

  The priest cleared his throat. “We have had a few…guests from another parish visiting us. One did manage to acquire a dog similar to what you describe.” He hesitated. “However, we believe that the animal is…sick.” He shook his head sadly. “We have decided to terminate the poor creature.” He looked back at me, imploringly. “I hope you do understand.”

  I snarled and almost jumped at him. Only Evan’s hand at my wrist stopped me from doing something decidedly foolish.

  “We are so sorry and we understand,” Luc said in a polished voice. “But Chichi is a part of our family and we would like to see him once last time before he is put down.”

  The priest did not hesitate. He nodded and said a quick prayer before he closed the bible he held before him. He moved to a door partially hidden near the church entrance. It led to a long winding staircase. He wisely kept quiet, only speaking to remind us to watch a step or offer a prayer for ‘Chichi.’ Finally, we reached the narrow hallway from my scrying. I could feel the pulse of Orthus’ powers. In this place, his Hell powers felt wrong.

  I took a step forward, pausing when the priest held onto my sleeve. The man had a terrified look on his face.

  “Remember, whatever happens in there, whatever he does, he is sick and does not know what he is doing. Chichi is a good dog and his spirit will soon be free.” He released me and fell back as Evan, Luc and I walked down the hall. I opened the door and immediately spotted Orthus. He stood as tall as a Pitbull, his features lopsided and still Chihuahua-like. He growled as we entered, his eyes glowing red. I held my hand out carefully as Evan inhaled sharply. I could tell that Orthus’ new look was not endearing him to Evan.

  “Orthus. Buddy. It’s me. Helena. And Luc.” I neared him slowly, dismayed when he backed away.

  “She bound his powers before, why can’t she do that now?” Evan asked Luc.

  Luc answered back, all playfulness gone from his voice. “To bind his powers in the first place took a tremendous amount of power. We don’t have that kind of strength in a place like this. He could rip her to shreds before she even has a chance to bind him.”

  I felt Evan’s eyes on me and I gave a quick nod to corroborate Luc’s story. I held my hand out to Orthus and although he had stopped backing away, he still eyed me with distrust. A loud crack sounded throughout the room and I looked up at the sky through the lone window. It had started to rain and the water sluiced against the glass. I looked back to Orthus and tried to reach him telepathically.

  Orthus. It’s me, Helena.

  Helena?

  I smiled. Orthus’ voice sounded confused, but he was in there. He wasn’t completely gone…yet.

  Hey. We’re here to take you home. But you’ve got to stop this storm. You’re about to destroy the city.

  Orthus chortled. Destroy the city. Yay!

  I grimaced. You can’t. You do that and all these souls who have been praying to survive this storm get to go to heaven. Dad would be pissed that you fucked up his numbers. I piled on the guilt and fear and I felt him start to calm down. Luc’s shoulders relaxed slightly. He felt it as well.

  I used the little strength I had to cast one spell. I gathered a bit of energy from Luc and a lot from Evan. I looked over at Orthus. Sleep. I commanded. He dropped to the floor in a dead faint. The rain beating at the glass started to lighten and in mere moments, the downpour had changed to a light sprinkle. I breathed a sigh of relief as Luc threw open the Plantation shutters and poked his head out. He gave me the thumbs up. I nodded. The storm had stopped.

  I smiled at Evan and turned to the door. It opened suddenly and a harried looking woman with two men dressed in priest robes stood before us. They held a vial with a liquid and an open bible. They stared at us with eyes wide in surprise, before the men rushed Evan and Luc while the woman grabbed me by the hair.

  “What have you done?”

  I twisted from her grip, but she held firm to my long tresses. I spun around, my eyes watering as I felt some of my hair rip loose.

  “You have freed the hellhound. He needs to be exorcised.” She continued pulling at me and the vial of liquid she held in her hand spilled onto my arm. I screamed as pain shot up my arm. The holy water stung, searing hot but did not cause any serious damage. I glanced at my smoking arm and into the incensed eyes of the woman.

  “Demon.” She whispered. “Demon! Spawn of Satan!” She twisted, trying to throw the remainder of the liquid onto my face. It hit Luc who was struggling with one man. Instantly his face started to smoke and he blindly held out his hands. His attacker took full advantage and swung. The sound of bone meeting flesh echoed throughout the room.

  “They are all demons!” The man shouted. “Kill them all!” He threw a wild punch and it hit me on the side of my head. Instantly, I felt stars as my head started to spin. Evan launched himself at my attacker, landing a punch to the man’s face. He cocked his fist to hit him again and was hit by the second man. The blow was so forceful Evan flew across the room. Luc jumped up and grabbed the woman by the waist and threw her off me. I fell to the floor and felt a moment of relief before a hard foot connected with my torso. Evan roared and reached for me.

  Luc grabbed one of the men and grappled wildly with him while I clutched my stomach as I rolled on the floor. The boot tried again to kick me and this time, I heard the slap of flesh on flesh as Evan punched him across the room. The woman picked herself up and ran towards Evan who stood near the open window. She tripped over Orthus’ sleeping body and fell forward, her outstretched hands pushing Evan through the open window. He screamed my name as he fell.

  My heart stopped as I watched him disappear from view. In a rage, I pushed myself from the floor and rushed the woman. I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her into the wall. The wall shook as the woman’s body and a piece of plaster fell to the floor. I grabbed one of the men and clawed at his face, giving Luc a chance to deal with the other. I heard a thud as the first man fell to the floor. The second man looked at me and Luc and ran out the door. I leaned out the window and saw Evan lying below, his body at an awkward angle. My heart caught in my throat and I begged the powers that be to allow him to still live. I rushed out the room and down the stairs, leaving my brother to handle Orthus.

  I rounded the corner and saw Evan. He looked pale lying against the green of the grass. His eyes were closed and I fell to my knees and cradled his head. I felt, rather than heard, the sizzle of fire and smoke as my dad made his appearance.

  “He is mine now.”

  I held onto Evan as the tears start to flow. He was lost to me. I held on for a few more seconds and cried in earnest as the body I clutched disappeared from my arms.

  *

  Hell hath no fury. I stormed into my dad’s office; my red curls a tangle around my face. He stood as I walked in and the crackle of the fire pit in the stone wall was the only sound in the room. I reached out with my magic; I was surprised at my own audacity to challenge my dad. He raised an eyebrow at me and matched my magic, the crackle of the two intermingling in the smoldering air.

  I pushed, too hurt to think about my reckless act. My dad stared coolly at me before my powers suddenly disappeared. I tried to conjure a spell and glared at him as the air remained tinged with light from the pit. Not even a sizzle or crackle of magical energy came from my body. I was completely drained.

  I sat down heavily onto the chair in front of my father’s desk. He sat as well and stared at me, neither of us talking. He knew what I wanted, of course. He knew why I was there. I wanted Evan. I didn’t want him as a soul trapped here, in Hell. I wanted him above ground, back in South Beach and I wanted the vibrant, gorgeous man I had known for a few short weeks…and had come to love.

  My dad steepled his hands beneath his chin and watched the emotions cross my face. He held back, when he would have normally berated me for my brashness. Brashness I deserved to be puni
shed for. Any other demon would have paid with their life. For once, I was grateful I was his daughter. In the few short hours since Evan had been here I had not had the strength to seek him out. This was my fault and I had not lived up to my promise. I had not figured out a way to get him out of his deal. My deal.

  My guilt over my actions warred with my anger at my dad. I wanted to place all the blame on him but I knew it was not true; I had been too selfish to truly do what I had promised to do. I felt the acid of guilt deep in my stomach. I was starting to feel all too human. It was worrisome. But I would have to deal with it later. Right now I had to deal with my dad. Again.

  “You tricked me.” It was a statement. My dad knew he did. And he had the grace not to look too happy about it. “You tricked me and lied to me. Your own daughter.”

  “Yes, I did.” He shrugged. “It’s what we demons do.” he said pointedly. “We are not like humans, no matter how much we fancy them. We are still demons and our goal is still to get as many humans as possible to Hell.” He watched my face. “That has always been the game-plan. As my daughter, you know this better than anyone.”

  I remained impassive, guarding my anger and holding it close to my chest. My temper started to rise to the surface but after my dad had sapped my powers a few minutes ago, I knew better than to give in.

  “Why do you want this human so badly?” he asked me. I was completely thrown off guard. I did not expect my dad, the devil, to ask why I was interested in a human. Somehow the information seemed…beneath him.

  I shrugged. “I have come to care for him.” I answered petulantly as my dad stared at me.

  “And does this human care for you?” His dark eyes bored into mine and I almost squirmed under the glare.

  I straightened my back and glared back. How dare he question me when he was the one that was at fault? I bit my cheek to hold my tongue in check.

  “Helena? I asked you a question.” My dad raised his voice slightly. “Does this human care for you?”

  “Yes.” I bit out.

  “And you are sure of this?” He leaned back in his chair and let his hands fall to the table. His high wingback chair blended in with the shadows behind his desk.