Hell to Pay (Blood for Soul Book 1)

by Alvin Atwater

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  My head jerked in nearly every direction, but I saw no heavenly-being. That didn’t mean it wasn’t there. The flaring didn’t stop. There could only be one solution to this problem. What could it be, you ask? Get the fuck out of there.

  I made a sprint, not toward home but into the crowd. The presence strengthened. In fact, it got so strong—I spun but no one was behind me. Shoot. It had to be a hunter, maybe the same one from earlier. It was just a fantastic time to be without allies. Fan-fucking-tastic.

  I made sure to stay in a crowd as I wondered. If this hunter could do the same thing as Yulese, it wouldn’t matter. If he or she did have that ability, I’d be dead right now. Triggering an overflow of power against Conus’s annoying lock isn’t something I could do at will.

  I pulled out my phone and dialed Amelia’s number.

  No answer.

  I tried again.

  Still no answer. Something didn’t feel right about this whole thing. This presence…could it really be a hunter?

  Suddenly, the presence vanished. I wasn’t buying the charade one bit—I made sure my surroundings were overlooked with my paranoid eyes. Nothing. People were simply minding their own business. I stopped in an alley and scoped some more. I needed to manifest a weapon, but couldn’t risk bystanders seeing. Too bad that thought was too late…

  An arrow covered in flames missed my head by mere inches, as it buried itself into the brick wall behind me. Good thing I was on guard. The presence returned, so strongly that my ears rang if I focused on it. Then I whiffed a scent…a soothing scent of honey and roses. Lots and lots of roses. And this wasn’t Amelia’s rosy scent—no… This was another goddess. That’s when I heard her voice—the same voice who had attacked us in the mall.

  “Well, hello there, cutie pie. What did the archer say to the handsome guy?”

  The goddess smiled as she approached. I didn’t say anything, just scoped the area. “You make me quiver.”

  I cringed. “You did not just hit me with an archery pun.”

  “Oh, come on, that was pretty good,” the goddess said.

  “No, not it was not.”

  She sighed. “For being half human, you sure don’t appreciate their humor.”

  “What do you want from me?” I said. “Are you really a hunter?”

  “Epex Helios, fallen prince of the Helios clan, if I told you now, the hunt would be over. I want to play some more.” The goddess appeared, right in front of me: face to face. Long golden-white hair, green eyes, and natural goddess beauty in a white dress—she smiled. Something about her seemed very familiar, but I was too nervous to put more consideration into that thought. “Make this fun for me.” My eyes didn’t leave the golden dagger that was suddenly at my neck. “You’re not the only one who doesn’t play by the rules. The only difference is that no one will bat an eye for me. But for you, everyone lost their minds.” She paused as if waiting for a response. I didn’t give her one. “Oh, come on! Do you even meme?”

  “What?”

  “Never mind, I’m trying to get better at this human comedy stuff. Could make the hunts far more interesting.” She looked me up and down. “With abs like that, it’s crazy that Amelia doesn’t jump you.” She laughed. “This hunt was way too easy, so I can’t claim it just yet. Demigod hunting is once in an eternal lifetime. I’m going to savor it. Make it challenging, become the hero, or you will have hell to pay.”

  She walked with her back turned to me, for about three feet. Huge golden wings sprouted from her back. The pressure of ascending hummed through the air as her wings glowed with bright blue heavenly-light. Then just like that, the goddess was gone.

  I just stood there. I wasn’t surprised that she had no fear of me—any goddess could insta-kill me with a thought. There were a few things that bothered me.

  One was that she didn’t mention Yulese, or claim any intention to avenge him. Two: the protections of the misthanger queen and Amony didn’t work. Nope, nadda. Three: no one batted an eye at Amelia’s actions either.

  Did they know Yulese was dead? Are the hunters so confident that they absolutely believe that I cannot harm them?

  I shook my head, pushing the thoughts to the back as I got the hell out of alley. At least I had learned something new. I’d better get Ruin, or else, if that huntress reappeared, she’d be ready to make the kill. As I crossed the street, I noticed Sin, waving at me from afar.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “Are you sure she’s the one from the mall?” Sin said after I told him about the encounter with the goddess. He took a bite out of his cheeseburger. I grabbed my second one.

  “I shit you not,” I replied. “None of your goddamn protections work on her.”

  Sin texted what I assumed was the gist of this conversation to Amony.

  “Did Amelia have anything to say about this?” Sin asked.

  “Amelia wouldn’t answer her phone or reply to my texts. She’s in class.”

  “I don’t know.” He shot me a skeptical look. “Let’s go to Middleburg University, just in case.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do, so fuck it, let’s go.”

  Using Sin’s car, we stopped by Amanda’s to get Ruin, before going on to the college. I found myself thinking about the university when we arrived. Human parties every night, enticing enough that succubae made it a hunting ground.

  The smell of alcoholic beverages lingered in the long over-decorated halls. There were a few students out, probably running errands, or heading home early. Most classes were in session. Sin and I only needed to peek into Amelia’s class and be gone. Nothing more, nothing less. Just to make sure I remained in the clear, I let Sin peek through her classroom window. He looked for a quick second, then turned back to me.

  “She’s testing,” he said.

  “Oh,” was all I could really say. The relief flooded though me like quenching thirst on a summer day. No use dwelling on this. “I’m going to the bar.”

  “It’s a little early, my friend,” Sin said.

  I glared. “I don’t give a shit. Are you coming or what?”

  He sighed. “What the hell. Let’s go.”

  I pat his shoulder. “Now you’re starting to sound like a m—”

  My sentence was cut off when my heavenly-being senses flared just as we stepped outside. Sin and I looked at each other, knowing what this meant.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I said, as I took off into a sprint toward the parking lot. Sin followed. One would think we’d be home-free, right? That we made it to the land of milk and honey or some crap like that. Nope, yards ahead, we stumbled upon the scene. An angel was kneeling next to a familiar ginger girl—the one Elly attempted to make seduce me. She lay there, unconscious.

  The angel, a bearded man dressed in a long white robe that made him look like Gandalf with wings, placed a hand on her forehead. Heavenly-light oozed down to cover the unconscious college student.

  “Your illness shall be healed, good karma for giving food to that starving man,” the angel said. “Good things come to all who put the needs of others before their own.” He turned to us, eyes dark. “Stand aside, while I send that devil back to Hell.” A short sword of pure gold appeared in his grasps.

  “Hold up there, Captain Bucko, he’s not—”

  He ignored me, as he charged Sin. I don’t know what kind of Houdini he pulled, but Sin unsheathed his sword from literally nothing and blocked the angel’s killing blow just in time.

  Ruin began to pulse as if eager to play. I ignored it as the demi-devil and angel’s swords clashed again and again.

  If Sin killed the bastard here and now, I’d honestly have no problem with it. Self-defense is a thing, right? I was intent on seeing the battle all the way through. That is, until the angel managed to get a long slash across Sin’s arm.

  He didn’t stop there.

  He parried Sin’s useless attempts to get back at him and left two more slashes acro
ss the demi-devil’s chest and his other arm.

  Sin’s casual wear of shirt and jeans was like butter to the angel’s sword which probably slayed hundreds, if not thousands of demons.

  I charged force, waited for the perfect moment and bashed the winged bastard to the ground.

  “He’s neither devil or human, so fuck off,” I told the angel as he stood up.

  “Demigod, you’re a traitor! To team up with their kind.”

  The angel charged me. Fine, then, if being civilized isn’t an option. I unsheathed Ruin just in time to block his blade. Then I delivered a kick that pushed the angel backward. Sin was about to leap back into the fray, but I raised a hand.

  “I’ve got a message for Paradise Realm,” I said, as I ran toward the angel. He parried Ruin, pulled back, and went for a horizontal slash that would’ve taken off my head had I not ducked. Amelia had trained me better than that. I punched the angel in the gut and then force-bashed him to the ground. Just for good measure, I smacked him around with six more force-bashes.

  I wish life could be this easy. I wished the fight would end this easily. All aboard the ends-well train. But no, moments like this could never be enjoyed.

  I’d be naïve to think an angel this strong would go down that easily. I simply succeeded into really pissing him off. A LOT of golden heavenly-light surrounded him as he stood up, teeth bared in a maniacal snarl. In the blink of an eye, the angel was in front of me.

  I barely got the block in—even so, I still took a gash on the shoulder. The icy pain threatened to slow me down, but I fought through it.

  The angel disappeared, but then reappeared behind me. I knew because I felt the presence. I was only fast enough to avoid the killing blow, but still took a slash across my torso.

  I spun, and a colorful explosion of knuckles rocked my world. I staggered but didn’t go down. That second was enough—he was about to finish me when a hand stopped the blade. We both froze at the sight of her mist-implied nakedness. The misthanger queen.

  Chapter Thirty

  “This demigod is a guest of my territory, so go home,” Misty said in an even voice, though there was more behind that voice than it let on. Haze covered her like a skimpy dress, but she didn’t seem to give a fuck at whether we leered or not. The angel turned his glare to me.

  “This isn’t over. I will make sure word gets around.”

  “I don’t think you heard me, so let me make this clear.” Misty placed a finger on his shoulder. In a brief shimmer of red and blue, seizure-inducing light, the angel vanished.

  “Oh crap,” Sin whispered. “Did you—”

  “I simply forced him back to Paradise Realm,” Misty said as she walked over to me. She outlined my chin in a finger-cold caress and then simply disappeared. Sin and I blinked at each other.

  “If you bed her, you’ve got to tell me what it’s like,” Sin said.

  “Shut the fuck up,” I said before bursting into laughter along with him.

  Sin dropped me off at Amanda’s—can’t go around in bloody clothes.

  We met back up at Secure Corps and explained the events over lunch to Amony. She barely reacted, as if this was common occurrence.

  “Let’s do some training this afternoon,” Amony said, at the end of the meal. “Then we’ll have our Sunset meeting tomorrow morning instead of tonight.”

  She contacted the others to relay the message. I thought about texting Amelia, but decided against it. She didn’t seem too impressed with us last time. While it would be wise to invite the powerhouse, I doubted she’d have time to entertain what’s supposed to be my job.

  “All right, everyone should be here in about an hour or so” Amony said. Her gaze turned to Sin with a look that I had only seen when I met them at the bar. When the demi-devil placed his arm around her. “Sin, I need to speak with you in my office. Epex, you’re free to stay or go until the others get here. Maybe change into some gym clothes.”

  Shaking my head, I shooed them off. “I’ll be fine. Just go have your ‘top-secret’ discussion.” Amony’s private quarters were on the hidden basement level. Other than fuck Sin’s brains out, she probably did her witchy ritual shit there. Stuff that I’d rather not see.

  I thought about how much it sucked that the hunters had found me so quickly. Well, I guess that’s why they’re called hunters—protections or not, I couldn’t hide forever. I didn’t want to ditch Middleburg but it definitely had hit my Not Safe list. At least, not safe for me. Damn. Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to see Elly standing there in casual clothing. Long jeans, tennis shoes, and sky-blue shirt. This is a super big deal, because I never heard of a succubus wearing anything that was not skimpy as hell. They had prey to get.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she said, as she sat in the chair next to me. “Never mind. You were in here alone. I don’t want to know.”

  “I was pretty much ditched by the horny dynamic duo,” I said, ignoring her sexual jab. There’s a time and a place to utilize the right hand. Not in a corporate building.

  “So, you’re just sitting here, planning to wait for an hour? Because Devante isn’t quite done teaching yet.”

  “Either great minds think alike, or you’re just bored,” I said.

  “Well, I needed to talk with the witch about Sunset stuff,” Elly said.

  I chuckled. “You are a succubus. Why not walk in on them while absorbing their energy and just start blabbing away.”

  “No thanks, I really don’t want to see that shit.”

  “You sure?” I said with a laugh. “Do you not need to refill your sexy energy gauge?”

  Elly shot me a glare. “If you must know, I’m already full.”

  “Ah. Did you force Middleburg University into a giant orgy again?” I said. “There are some things humans do that—”

  “No,” she interrupted in a slightly-shrill, embarrassed voice. “I only did that out of boredom. I can absorb energy within a one-mile radius. In a city like this, people are always having sex.”

  “Not sure who wins at the reproduction contest. Humans or rabbits?”

  “The humans, of course,” she said.

  “Am I hearing an argument between two virgins?” Devante laughed, as he walked in dressed in another goddamn black suit and matching tie. I was a little jealous of the fedora. Note to self: buy myself a fedora.

  I shot him a glare. “Fuck you. I’ve got an excuse.”

  “Yeah, no, you don’t,” he said as he sat across from us.

  I looked at Elly in surprise. “As for you. You’re shitting me, right?”

  Elly flipped Devante off, blushing so hard that I had no choice but to laugh.

  “Okay, do explain please. How the hell are you a virgin succubus?” I managed to say, barely containing my laughter.

  She folded her arms. “Just because my biology requires certain energy from nature doesn’t mean I’m going to defile my body with strangers.”

  “I thought succubae loved sex?” I said, legitimately confused. Who wouldn’t be? This wass a new one for me. It’s like introducing a vegetarian wolf or a fish that’s allergic to water.

  Elly shrugged. “So what? I’m my own person. And a virgin male has no right to laugh at anyone.”

  Now I felt my own blush. “Should anyone be reminded as to why I have an excuse?”

  Devante chuckled. “Enlighten us.”

  “Did Amony fill you in on anything, asshole?”

  “She gave me the basics but just because you were in Hell for the past eight years doesn’t excuse you. Aren’t you married to a goddess?”

  “No,” I said.

  “You live with a bunch of hot women. Explain, please.” Devante pushed.

  Elly sighed. “Devante, if he was stupid enough to seduce Amelia’s followers, would he be in one piece with us right now?”

  He laughed. “Probably not.”

  “There’s no probably in that sentence. Provoking a goddess is like sticking your finger into a river of lava just to s
ee what it feels like,” I said.

  “Still, Epex, I can help you get laid,” he said with a laugh.

  “Fuck off,” I said.

  “You sure? There were a few girls asking about you.”

  I blinked. “Well if you insist—”

  Elly smacked a hand on the table. “You can have your stupid guy talk somewhere else. The witch is coming.”

  “My offer will always be valid, Epex. There’s going to be party at my place soon. Lots of hot women, free food, free beer.”

  I shook his hand. “Free beer, my weakness. I’ll be there.”

  Elly sighed. “Idiots. I need a drink. Sign me up for that party too.”

  Amony and Sin walked in. You could tell the horny rabbits had had sex just by the glow on their faces. I decided to ruin the moment.

  “No one gives a shit that you two fu—”

  Elly squeezed my arm with unnatural strength, sending a spike of pain that shut me up. Amony took her place at the head of the table, Sin sitting at her side. She acted as if she hadn’t heard my incomplete comment, but her expression made it clear.

  “So, about this training?” Devante said.

  “Ah yes, we’ll start with some physical training,” Amony said. “So, I’d appreciate it if you’d get in some gym clothes—didn’t I tell you that over the phone?”

  Devante waved off the comment. “I train in what I fight in.”

  “The warm-ups include running,” she said in an even tone.

  “Nothing new to me,” Devante said. “Besides, it’s cold as balls out there.”

  “It’s really not that cold,” Elly said. “A little chilly, but great training weather.”

  “You northerners are all the same, I swear.” He folded his arms. “Are we going to train or stare at my suit in envy. If you want me to prove my athleticism in this wardrobe, then let’s get this salt train derailed and the sweat pumping.”

  “Salt train?” I said.

  “Stupid memes,” Elly whispered to me.

  “Shouldn’t that stay as internet language?” I said.

  “Long story, I’ll explain later,” Elly said.