The Demon Beside Me

by Nelson, Christopher

“That’s-”

  Before he could get his protest out, Victor was dangling in the air again, held up by one massive fist. “Little angel,” Opheran said, “you will not lie to me. Is that understood?”

  Victor squeaked something that sounded affirmative. Opheran lowered him to the ground and waited. Victor bowed his head. “It is likely to be as you say. They did not make it explicit.”

  “Indeed. How surprising. I have a task for you, little angel. Run back to your masters and tell them that House Asmodeus rejects their jurisdiction. If they wish for the return of Heaven, we are willing to negotiate an equitable agreement. We will consider any further attempts on the life of a member of House Asmodeus as bad faith for negotiating purposes. Advise them to remember that this is their home at stake. We have little interest in it, but understand it is valuable to them. While we understand the loss of face they may risk, this may be valuable enough to accept such a small concession.”

  “I cannot-”

  “You can. Or I will send your body back to them with a message attached.”

  Victor swallowed hard, and then nodded. “By your leave.”

  Opheran nodded in return and the Archangel rose to his feet. He turned around, golden wings unfolding from his back. His head turned slightly and he gazed at me, expressionless. I smiled and waved. A silent snarl crossed his face, and then he kicked off from the ground and vanished.

  “All’s well that ends well, right?” I asked.

  “Pastor Pruitt,” Opheran said. Jase’s head was down, but at his name, he looked up. Tears stood in his eyes. “With all due respect, this situation could have been averted if you were stronger.”

  “But he had a suggestion planted by that damn angel!” Tink protested.

  Opheran looked at her. “Did he?”

  “Yes! There was something foreign in his thoughts. We expelled it.”

  Opheran’s gaze turned back to Jase. “A suggestion is strongest when it draws upon something the victim believes. It was a strong suggestion, wasn’t it?”

  Jase’s head dropped again.

  “Don’t pick on him!” Tink stepped between Opheran and Jase. “He was doing it to protect his congregation. We’ve abused his sanctuary in the past. There was even a fight here, right in that parking lot. You were there. He doesn’t need to be involved in this one.”

  “But you came here,” Jase whispered. “You came to me for help, and I turned you away. Lord, forgive me.”

  Opheran didn’t say anything else, simply watched him. There wasn’t anything left to say. I stood up, stretched, and walked toward my car. I didn’t get more than a few steps before a heavy hand grabbed my shoulder. “I am not done with you yet, Isaiah.”

  “Shit.”

  “How far do you trust that one?” Opheran jerked his head toward Caleb, who was still motionless.

  “We’re friends. I’d fight for him and he’d fight for me. Hell, he risked censure from the Choir, fighting Victor like that. I trust him more than I do most demons, to be honest.”

  “Rare to see a friendship like that.”

  “An angel separated from the groupthink of the Choir isn’t that different from us,” I said. “If they were all more like him, we wouldn’t have a war in waiting.”

  Opheran sighed. “Keep your friends close, Isaiah. You will need them, I suspect. This Gatekeeper thing. What more is expected of you?”

  I turned to look up at him. His face showed concern. “Do you think I will need additional guidance or protection?”

  “Do you think you will?”

  I considered what was forthcoming. War, Famine, and Death. I would have to command each one to do something, to change the world. The next one would come in just over two months. If I told Opheran, would he try to influence what my command would be? Would he try to command me to do something that would disadvantage the Choir? If he did, that would make me betray Caleb. Or would it?

  “I don’t know, my Prince. I simply don’t know.”

  Chapter Four

  * * *

  Caleb got out of the car and headed for my apartment, leaving me in the parking lot with Tink. I walked her to her car. Instead of getting in and driving off, she leaned against the side and sighed. “It’s been a while since my life’s been this exciting.”

  “I thought after Purgatory, we’d be done with this.” I leaned against the other side of her car. “Wish Kibs had warned me about what would come next. This is too exciting for me.”

  She laughed. “Your life’s been far more exciting than mine, demon.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Hikari.” Tink’s tone held nothing but scorn. “Didn’t know what you were getting into with that, did you? I could have warned you.”

  “Could you?”

  I waited for her response and felt the car shift behind me as she moved. “I suppose not,” she finally admitted.

  “If you were able to warn me, I think you would have.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe I like seeing you miserable.”

  “I’m not miserable.”

  “Really?” She laughed.

  I pushed off the car and turned around. She was already facing me, grinning across the trunk of her car. “Really,” I said. “Yeah, it’s not the healthiest relationship in the world, but we get along well enough.”

  “Well enough.” She mimicked my tone of voice. “So you’re settling. Is that what you’re trying to say? On the one hand, she’s a bitch up, down, and sideways, but then on the other hand, the sex is great, right?”

  “Let me tell you about this thing she does with her tongue-”

  She held a hand up. “Too much, demon.”

  “Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.”

  “In all seriousness, you’ve been with her for almost two years now, right? Every time I come over unannounced, she’s bitching at you for something. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. There’s no love there. Hell, I don’t even know if she likes you at all anymore. I don’t know why you can’t see it.”

  I turned around and leaned back against the car again. “She’s got a temper.”

  “I know. I have a temper too. That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

  I did know it. I knew exactly what she meant. The first few months after moving in together had been great. We worked well together, slept well together, supported each other, and just simply got along. The first incident had been ridiculous. She blew up at me for not putting the dishes away. The fact that they had still been drying didn’t make a difference to her. It was petty, and I didn’t know why it had gotten her so angry, so I shrugged it off. “Everyone’s entitled to a bad day now and then,” I said.

  “Sure, but not every day.”

  “It’s not every day.”

  “Bullshit. I don’t believe that. It’s just coincidence that whenever I drop by, she’s screaming?”

  “What’s your point here?”

  “Why the hell are you still with her, you idiot?”

  I looked over my shoulder. Tink had her hands flat on the trunk, leaning forward, glaring at me. When my gaze met hers, she flinched backwards. I looked away. “I didn’t think you cared so much,” I said.

  “Shit, demon. Like you said, if you die, so do we. I have a vested interest in your self-preservation this time around. The last thing I want is for you to get smoked just because you’re all screwed up in the head because your girlfriend’s being a royal bitch!”

  That was it. I smiled. “Don’t worry so much about me. I can deal with her.”

  She sighed and I felt a thump as she hit the trunk of her car. Softly, of course. “Why do you stay with her?”

  “Maybe I love her.”

  For a moment, I thought I had won. “You know love alone won’t solve your problems, right?”

  “Maybe not, but it’s better than being alone.”

  “You’ve got friends.”

  “Do I?” I drummed my fingers on the side of her car. “You and Caleb are b
usy with your own lives. My co-workers are in construction, they’re either burned out meatheads or solid family men. I hardly see Becky anymore after her dad sent her out to chase that new contract. Jase has a different social circle than I do. Who else is there?”

  “Is your circle really that small?”

  “Are you feeling sorry for me?”

  “Maybe.”

  I smiled, though she couldn’t see it. “I’m fine, Tink. Hikari has her issues, but you know I do too. We honestly do get along most of the time. She’s just frustrated and takes it out on me. I can take it.”

  “It’s not ok for her to do that.”

  “It’s ok as long as I can take it.”

  “Demon-”

  “It’s fine, Tink. So have you moved in with Caleb yet?”

  She snorted. “Are you kidding me? First of all, I have a house, he has a tiny little shithole apartment. Second, he wouldn’t dare.”

  “Seriously?”

  “He’s not into me like that.”

  “Are you?”

  Again, I waited for her response. I felt her move, the car bouncing slightly under my fingers. “I wish I knew,” she finally said. “He’s not a pretty guy, but he’s got his charms. There’s some tension between us. I don’t know. If he weren’t a centuries-old angel, maybe I’d go for it. I just can’t get past that.”

  “So what you’re saying is that you don’t go for older men.”

  “Demon, I’ll hurt you.”

  I laughed and walked up to the passenger side window. “So, when’d you get this car? Last time I saw you driving, it was a Camaro.”

  “About three weeks ago,” she said, running her hand along the roof. “Got a great deal, they gave me above book value for the Camaro, so I picked this up for only a couple thousand. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford the Veyron I’ve always wanted.”

  “So are you getting this slow increase in value just by nature of your good looks and sunny disposition?” I looked over the top of the car at her. She glared at me and I chuckled. “Don’t let Hikari figure it out. I’m sure she’d turn you in.”

  “It’s not like I’m making a profit doing this. Depreciation kills the value as soon as you drive off the lot. I’m still losing money, just making sure that I don’t lose all that much. You know what it’s like. Have to be frugal.”

  “You? Frugal?”

  “On occasion.”

  “Where do you get all this money, Tink?”

  She glared at me again, but then sighed. “Do you really want to know? It’s a family trust fund. I found out all about it once I came of age and got a letter from the family lawyer. Leverage it as hard as you can. They always pushed me to save money when I was a kid, and Azriphel was the reason why. Save up so the next generation could focus on how to beat him without worrying about money.” She snorted and patted the roof of her car. “The letter said not to worry about making it to thirty years old. Make sure you’ve added a few grand to the accounts. I worked for a few years, up until shortly before we met, actually. Use magic to enhance your income without getting caught. From when I was eighteen until about twenty-four, I added about a hundred grand to the account.”

  “That explains a lot,” I said.

  “No, it doesn’t. That was about one percent increase.”

  I did the math in my head. “Holy shit.”

  She gave me a tight smile. “And now, demon, there’s no reason to save anymore. I can burn through that trust fund if I want to. I can buy all the toys I want. My ancestors were ruthless, apparently. Figured that if we were going to die young, might as well enjoy it as much as possible until then. I don’t ever have to work. Hell, if I have kids, they won’t have to work either. So what’s a few thousand bucks on a new car every few months? Some of our investments produce more than that in interest every couple of months.”

  “I wish I had your problems,” I said.

  “What problems?” She leaned on the roof of the car. “What’s a girl to want if she’s independently wealthy like this and her entire reason for living hard and fast is gone?”

  “Find a new reason to live.”

  She looked at me, directly at me, her eyes wide. Then she smiled. “Want to go for a ride, demon?”

  I opened my mouth, caught the golden light reflecting off the hood, and dropped to the ground. Ichor rushed through my veins as a scimitar narrowly missed my head, shattering the car’s window instead. Before the other scimitar could reach me, I pushed off from the ground, throwing myself away from the car, out into the partially empty lot. “Sneaky little angel,” I growled.

  “Son of a bitch!” Tink snarled. “My car!”

  Victor didn’t respond to either of us, simply oriented on me and charged. I crouched on the balls of my feet, ready to move in any direction as ichor transformed me into my full demonic form. Even fully transformed, my skin wouldn’t turn his blades, my hellfire wouldn’t consume him, and my strength paled compared to his. Still, it gave me a fighting chance.

  What put the odds in my favor was a seriously pissed off mage. Her first spell wrapped around his knees like a bola, throwing him off his stride. I leapt over him as he fell forward, landing behind him and driving one heavy foot down toward his exposed ankles. He grunted as the blow landed, flipped over onto his back and launched himself to his feet. Tink’s next spell left frost rippling out from where he landed, encasing a nearby car in white rime. Victor slipped, and I gave him a taste of my own magic, a spark of hellfire aimed right between the eyes.

  He took the spark on the flat of one scimitar and launched himself forward, both blades wide and low. I threw hellfire in front of me, but it wouldn’t stop him. His stance prevented me from dodging sideways and there was a SUV parked right behind me.

  A car flew into his path, its hood pointed down toward the ground. I recognized it as Tink’s car just a second before the sparkling hellfire started to eat into it. A metallic thud from the opposite side told me that the archangel hadn’t changed course quickly enough to avoid it. I looked over my shoulder and saw blood coursing down both of Tink’s bared arms as she lifted them into the air. The car, with attached archangel hood ornament, rose higher into the air, tilted over backwards, then dropped to the ground with a crunch. “Asshole,” she said.

  “You know that’s not going to stop him,” I said, circling around to where she was.

  “No, but what’s going to hit him next will.” She grabbed my hand and laid my palm open with her knife, drawing ichor to the wound, and then mixed our blood together. The mixture of our blood would amplify her magic. I didn’t recognize the rune she traced with the mixture but whatever it was, it would hit Victor far harder than he’d ever expect.

  The ruins of her car, hissing and groaning, started to move. Two scimitars sliced through the undercarriage, and pieces of metal and plastic popped free. Victor pushed his way out of the wreck. His clothes were torn and purity was dripping from a couple of minor scratches, but overall, he looked wonderful for someone who just had a car dropped on them. He hit the ground, crouched, and flung himself toward me.

  Tink clenched her fist.

  Victor stopped short and his eyes popped open wide. He sliced wildly at the air in front of him and started coughing. He sucked in another breath before coughing again. Tink lifted her fist up to eye level. The angel lifted off the ground, legs kicking. His weapons clattered to the ground and his hands clutched at his throat. “I don’t think you’re going to stop her that way,” I observed.

  His eyes burned gold as he glared down at me, his wings manifesting as he called upon his power. He rasped something unintelligible at me, but Tink simply lifted her fist higher. “Don’t try, Victor,” she said. “He’s my demon, contracted and bound by blood. If you’re trying to kill my demon, you have to deal with me first. I’ve faced down Dukes of House Lucifer before. You’re nothing compared to them, angel. Nothing. I’ve only grown stronger since then.”

  I watched with some amusement as his gaze flick
ered over to her. His chest inflated as he forced a deep breath past her grip and snarled something in his native language at her. Tink grinned and slammed her closed fist down into her thigh. Victor smashed into the asphalt of the parking lot with a sickening crunch. She immediately lifted her fist back up and slammed it back down. This repeated a couple of times, and then she flung her arm out to the side and opened her hand.

  Victor flew across the lot and slammed into another car, thankfully not mine. The impact nearly tilted the car onto its side. Tink walked toward him, clenching her fist again and looping it up over her head, then down into her thigh again. Victor described an arc up into the air, then back down into the ground just a few feet away from us. Gravel sprayed my feet. “What did he say to you?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t very nice. Why do you want to know?”

  “I don’t ever want to say anything remotely like that to you.”

  She smirked at me and walked over to where Victor lay. The angel’s eyes were dark and unfocused, but his attention was clearly on Tink. “You’re nothing to me, Victor,” she said, her voice soft, almost pitying. “You’re a fool, serving a fool, doing nothing but foolish things. You think that since he’s just a halfblood demon, you can walk all over him? Think again. He’s the Gatekeeper, and he’s got more power than you can possibly dream of.”

  Victor’s lip curled up in another snarl. She didn’t give him a chance to say anything; she simply kicked him in the face. His head rocked, but his expression remained unchanged. She shrugged and planted her heel on his nose. The pop was audible from where I was and the angel’s choked groan made me cringe. “Tink, hold on-”

  She kicked him in the face again and looked over her shoulder at me. “Sorry, demon, but he’s really pissing me off.”

  “I noticed. He’s about to grab your foot, by the way.”

  “I know. If he does, he’ll lose the hand.” Victor’s hand paused, then lay flat on the ground. “So he is listening. Victor, you need to knock this stupid shit off. If you keep it up, I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you for myself, not for the demon, just for myself. I’ll do it slowly. You won’t like it.”