Hell to Pay (Blood for Soul Book 1)

by Alvin Atwater

  “Well, you ready to fight to the death and do this or what?” I said, attempting to keep some humor flowing into the atmosphere. I figured it’d hurt less.

  “Epex, just because you say you don’t believe in the predetermined love of destiny doesn’t make it go away.”

  “You’re still on about this—never mind, it kind of does.”

  “No, it doesn’t. You’re my love, no matter what. You’re bound to me. And it’s up to me to purify you—”

  “Okay, I’m done with this shit,” I said, charging power in my back. It had been a while since I ascended legitimately. Last time, it was from Paradise Realm to the human realm to live among them. Conus’s stupid test. He mainly backed it, making sure I landed in the correct realm. I planned to mimic the ascending but only to get to another human city. Who knew if this would work or not?

  Amelia pulled me close to her. A nice scent of Paradise Realm perfume tickled my nose as I began to feel enticed. Maybe …just maybe I’d let her take me. Her freshly showered scent practically hugged my face. It made me aware that she hadn’t broken a sweat in chasing me down.

  “Please come with me,” she whispered. “I will do anything to be with you. I can plead for Conus to take you back.”

  I snapped out of the seduction effect she attempted. Even a half-breed like me could break the spell of a young, inexperienced goddess with ease.

  “You’re really after that power, aren’t you?” I said, knowing that was utter bullshit. Amelia represented purity. Still, there’s nothing like buying a little time. “To be queen of Paradise Realm. To be queen of the universe?”

  She gave me a confused look. I continued to charge my power. “Epex, I’ve waited eight annoying years for you, wondering what you’d be like all grown up. It made me excited. But it hurt a lot to hear that with each year that your father visited, you chose to rebel. Your original sentence was two years, one year for each time you let your power go out of control. Why do you put yourself through this?”

  “I don’t know. Why do people breathe?”

  “Give me an honest answer.”

  I continued to spout more bullshit. “Amelia, someone spoiled by the fluffiness of Paradise Realm would never understand. I still ask myself things like, why did I get chosen? Conus has six other full-god sons, all of them who are older than me, would lay down their lives for Paradise Realm and its rules, and certainly would love the power. I decided to take a normal life by force. First, defy Conus as much as possible, let him know he has no control over me. And guess what? The opportunity came and I took it. I will not let you take it all away.”

  Just then, two bright angelic wings sprouted on Amelia’s back. Powerful pressure began to fill the air. Think of it like gravity on steroids, and that’s how I felt. I could barely move from this range of her overwhelming power. Young age meant nothing—she was still a goddess, trained to be a hunter. But…were hunters always this strong? Holy shit.

  “I’m only taking you back because I love you,” she said, grabbing me ahold of me. “I will beg Conus to pardon your sentence. We can apologize together to Paradise Realm. I’ll ask them to let you do reaper or messenger duty in place of the sentence. You had it hard for eight years, still growing up to be so handsome. I’ve already imprinted on you, long ago, but you haven’t had any time —”

  “Goddammit let go of me, Amelia, I’m not going back!” I snarled, struggling. Imprinting on me was one thing and it was common among gods and goddesses to do so, but not demigods. Well, to be fair, I was like one of two demigods, half-human, half-god. Never met my mother. The other was half-angel, half-god. The mother angel was judged and forced to fall. I shrugged away the thought. “Amelia, I swear.”

  We began to rise. In seconds, we’d be in Paradise Realm. After what I’ve done, I wasn’t sure if even Princess Amelia Venus, the symbol of purity of her clan, could lessen my sentence. Everyone knew of our relationship. They’d be in the right to be suspicious this whole ordeal.

  I strained with all of my will, moving my charged power from my back to my hands. I aimed my palms at her and hoped that what I planned to do next would work. I had never tried the technique but it was a favorite of Conus and my brothers, especially when they trained.

  I concentrated the gathered power in my hands, forming it into an ability known as force. That force bashed Amelia away from me, only three feet but enough for me to run.

  She gave the chase this time, bearing down on me quickly, a hurt look in her eyes. That’s just how Paradise Realm acted. Self-centered. The opinions of others, especially lower demigods, meant little to them. Even as the heir of the throne, until actually crowned prince, they’d look down on me as much as possible. My human blood didn’t make anything better.

  I moved leftover power from my hands to my back and started ascending. It would be a hasty one but thanks to Amelia’s natural goddess imprinting, she’s a hunter with no intention of killing me. Yet.

  Wings didn’t spring from my back as the colors of the lands began to change. Half-breeds don’t have a fancy show, we just transport. I shivered. I thought I wasn’t going to make it, as Amelia’s hand nearly grabbed my arm. But I launched high into the air in a mess of white, blue, and then purple light, ascending out of there. The last thing I saw was her sadness. Or maybe determination. Shit.

  I almost wavered—she was once my closest friend—but it’s a dangerous game with nobility. This wasn’t the time to take a risk that could land me a spot back in Hell. Yeah, fuck that.

  When the light cleared, I was standing behind a…hotel. A hotel of yet another town, probably not too far from where I had left Amelia.

  I quickly dashed yards away from the spot and entered a chapel. It’d be too dangerous to stick around, especially since the huntress would simply follow. Tracking took a little time to initiate, so I’d have to figure out how to make an escape without using much power before it was too late. Afterwards, I’d begin some god-slayer training or something. There is no doubt that they were coming for me. Since I’d resisted the only one that truly wanted me back, I’m free game.

  However, I’m not going to take this shit. I won’t wait for them to stomp me. There were plenty of on-the-ready killers, all working for six elite, super-hunter leaders. Fortunately for me, all six of them were quite arrogant. Someone like me with little training in power wouldn’t be enough to even make them blink in my direction. Though I wasn’t sure of their names. Hell, Amelia could be one, though I doubted it. Obviously, the top gods wouldn’t waste their time with me. Which is why they sent the heavenly hunters. Don’t confuse them with the army, though. The hunters are an entirely separate entity, bred to capture or kill the wanted.

  Chapter Five

  The chapel was empty, but I could feel angelic power smothering me like a boa constrictor. Angelic power had that kind of effect on me, conflicting with my human side. There were twelve long benches, six on the left and six on the right, their pillow-like tops ensuring comfortable seating.

  Fuck, this was annoying. I felt allergic to chapels. Humans praying to gods as if they deserved something. And then have the nerve to get angry when their request for world domination is ignored. I cringed.

  Angelic power was like a sneeze that one couldn’t get rid of, that annoying itch or burn, lingering and producing a rash in its stead. Still, it was either sit here and think, or go back out to be slaughtered by hunters. Amelia might not be the next face to visit when that door opened.

  I took a seat at the front, motion-censored lights flipping on from above the podium. As I relaxed. My brain began to work, despite the lingering effects of the beer.. And speaking of beer, I really wanted one. Maybe a few.

  I shrugged off the thought. I needed to concentrate. How do I get out of this?

  Now you may be thinking, why don’t I just ascend again?

  Sadly, use of my power is kind of limited. Think of it as a tank. I’d need to refill it by either sleeping or drawing upon a source. But…what can I
draw upon? Conus never got the chance to teach that much to me.

  I sighed. Well, doomed or not, sitting in a chapel wasn’t helping. I looked around the area, unimpressed. Shitty paintings of old men paraded the walls. Fake candle decorations were mounted beneath them. A giant gold clock rested on the wall ahead. The carpet looked as if it hadn’t been vacuumed in decades and some of the seating was a tad dusty. Still…the humans managed to get one thing right alongside the motion-censored lights. That was the AC. I half-expected these buildings to be hot and uncomfortable, but it wasn’t that bad.

  The angelic power made its presence known, like an unfading mist. That’s when an idea came to mind. If it’s there, why not put it to use? Sure, the risk is high, drawing upon the power, but fuck it, what did I have to lose? I held a palm up and attempted the unthinkable.

  A stinging sensation flooded my arm, as if a thousand mosquitos had found their food source. The feeling grew, and within seconds, I couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped. Nothing gained. Whoop-de-fucking doo. What should I expect? A miracle force of power entering me, granting the ability to smite the hunters? Nah. Whatever. At least I got to try beer. That alone would make my death worth it.

  I closed my eyes, exhaustion bearing down on me. I don’t think I had ever slept in Hell. Not once. And it’s not like I could simply die there from body failures. The seating started to look more appealing now, more comfortable. It wasn’t long before I dozed off, uncaring of the fact that the enemy was still out there.

  Four hours probably passed before I dreamed. When humans enter the dream world, they’re protected, free. Most of the time, it’s simply a movie, first person horror shows, or the occasional lucid dream. Dreaming is different for me. I found myself standing on a hill, a single tree nearby, a large red sunset ahead. Below the slope of the hill, stood a modern city.

  I had full control, but not just any control. My spirit was literally there. So were my senses. I could feel the moderate temperature, smell the sweet, cool air, breathe in the rush of peacefulness. Don’t get me wrong. I’m invincible. What happens in the dream world doesn’t happen to my body. That didn’t mean my spirit couldn’t be damaged.

  I headed into the city, eyeing everything, engulfing myself in mental notes of the scenery. People were out and about, driving, walking while listening to their music, and just enjoying life.

  I tried to enter a building, but something strange happened. An invisible force smacked me backward. I landed ass-first, pissed. This was new. No matter what dream, in the past I was never rejected.

  No one bothered to help. They kept on walking, looking past me. Even dream people can talk and interact. I stood up, realizing the possible answer. My body became alert to someone nearby in the outside world. Fortunately, the difference between a dreaming demigod and a human is that we could instantly wake up. I did.

  I expected hell, maybe an assassin, flying ninjas—something - but to my relief only a white cat pranced around, making the bench at the front its bed. I sighed.

  “What the fuck am I doing?” I whispered. Did I expect to live a normal life? The hunters had bloodlust and a powerless guy like me could do little about it. I glanced at the clock. 1:45. Amazing how I had outwitted Amelia for five hours. Maybe she went home—at that instant, a strange feeling of expectation overtook me. I don’t know how, but I felt a holy presence. It was far away, but still somewhere in this town. But how? I hadn’t sensed Amelia before. Maybe the angelic power I had absorbed heightened my senses or something. My tank of power was full and ready to ascend.

  The second I dashed outside, my holy wits hit the roof. The presence was upon me and a dagger-equipped hand swiped, barely missing as I sidestepped out of the way. I didn’t get a good look at the attacker as he rushed forward, cloaked by thick white mist.

  I manifested a pistol. Why waste my time with swords, knives, and daggers when I could end a conflict at the speed of light? Too bad I didn’t think to create bullets. The six-foot-tall attacker effortlessly sliced my gun in half and came for me.

  I sprinted off. I needed to manifest something without using too much power. For a demigod with a lock inside of him, I had no room to be picky—power was precious. A force bashed me to the ground. The attacker dove on top of me as I spun, knocking me back-first. I used both hands to keep his dagger from slitting my throat. The figure grunted, bringing down the blade slowly, but closer to my face, with a pale white hand.

  I’m fucked. I’m so totally fucked.

  Just then, the creature froze. He dropped to the ground a second later, motionless. Blood surrounded the misty corpse. I sat up and caught my breath, sweat trickling from everywhere. What the fuck just happened?

  “I can’t believe I became a traitor because of love.” Amelia walked over to the mist-figure, bow in her hand and pulled the arrow from its back. The thing melted into a puddle of blood. “To think I just let you go, knowing very well that I could’ve stopped your ascension, dragged you back to your father and let them send you to Hell, blows my mind.”

  She walked over and sat by me. My eyes were still wide. I didn’t know what to think. Sure, heavenly-beings can betray their people but they just didn’t. It was pointless. I looked at her with a new respect. The way she took down that thing with little effort, that was just...badass.

  “What the hell was that thing?”

  “That’s a misthanger,” Amelia said. “Most likely the servant of a hunter.”

  “So you’re not the only one nearby?” I said.

  “I am but some hunters are too lazy to bother with tracking, so they hire misthangers.”

  “Are you serious?” I said.

  “If I wanted to be lectured then I would’ve gone home,” she interrupted. She placed her hand on top of mine. “I thought for a while, and decided that I’d be a lousy fiancée if I just abandoned you to die. There’s just no way I could let you go back to such a terrible place of suffering. Conus was way too harsh on you.” She sighed, narrowing her eyes. “My clan will deem me foolish if they find out about this, and will only think of my betrayal as a result of not being able to control my imprinting.” She looked me in the eyes. “But I do this of my own accord. They turned their backs on you, Epex, without even trying to understand you, leaving you to a terrible fate. But…I want to know you. To help you. To be with you. I know behind that attitude you put on, is someone stretching out a hand, hoping that someone will take it. Well, here I am.”

  I stood up, thinking for a bit. Amelia stood too, eyes filled with hope. I wasn’t stupid. If wanted to live, to survive hunters until I was strong enough to fight them, I’d have to trust this naïve goddess.

  Chapter Six

  You may wonder why am I letting Amelia tag along with me. It’s simple. Two people that commited treason was better than one. Whether imprinting was the cause or not, in Conus’s eyes, killing a misthanger—someone or something simply doing their job—was going to earn a sentence in Hell. Okay, all right, she saved my life in a manner that was so smooth that I looked at her differently now. My old friend and I were together again, though the circumstances refused to allow me to relax.

  We were back at the chapel, since Amelia insisted that I not abuse my power or attract unwanted attention by manifesting a house or something. She had legit money and apparently knew some humans that could help us out.

  I cringed at the thought of hanging around humans without being under the influence of beer. Though they wouldn’t be much of a bother to me these days, I still didn’t like them. I sometimes wondered why they were so hostile all those years ago. Nevertheless, it was either them or demons. And demons were assholes. Well, they’re both assholes, but at least I could deal with humans. I may not have many abilities or stable access to power, but I’m still much stronger than the average human, several times faster, even if I didn’t look it. Ah, good ole natural selection, unfairly delivering control of the hidden forces of the universe like usual.

  I glanced at the cat that still napp
ed, only this time in Amelia’s lap. She had a smartphone held to her ear, talking to some woman. I couldn’t wait to tinker with it.

  I studied Amelia, my childhood partner in crime. She’d expressed a free will that not even imprinting could explain. But why’d she betray Paradise Realm just to help me? Love or not, imprinting or not, we’re talking about standing with the guy who declared himself a god-slayer. That meant she stood with me against every god and angel in Paradise Realm. That’s a battle that cannot be won. Hell, it shouldn’t be fought. I didn’t know what rank Amelia stood at among the hunters, but one or two could not face them all.

  Without drawing her attention, I left the chapel, and strolled about in the two o’clock early morning air. Since there was nothing else to do, and sleep was impossible due to Amelia’s chattering, I searched for a bar. It didn’t take long to find one and the second I stepped in...wait, this wasn’t a bar. I mean it was similar but odd. The bartender and his counter were on the far left. A huge stage ahead flashed as the center of attention. A naked woman danced on stage, men throwing money at her. Damn humans, this...is…why? I needed to know.

  A man blocked my path. “You want to enter my club, you show me ID.”

  I did. “Good, good my friend, go have a good time. You look like you’ve never been with a woman.” He laughed at my glare.

  Before I could step forward out of curiosity, my heavenly-being senses flared. It wasn’t like with the misthanger, but it was familiar.

  Amelia was looking for me. With her tracking abilities, she’d find me in no time and the last thing I wanted was to explain why I had entered this place. I mean I wanted beer, but she’d probably complain. My ears were too tired for that.

  “I actually forgot something at home,” I told the man. “I’ll probably return tomorrow.”

  “Your money, huh? Well no worries. This place isn’t going anywhere.”