Voices of Hell

by Catherine Stovall

  “Headstrong…” the rest of Raf’s words trailed off into a string of muttered curses.

  Watching the lights tick off the floors as the elevator climbed, Izzy arched an eyebrow at his choice of descriptive terms. “Angel’s are supposed to be purer than that, and you’re going to pay for those remarks later.”

  Ashur never had the chance to reply and Ogwald’s chuckles died on his lips as the doors slid open. Their wobbling reflections slipped away, revealing the familiar hallway that she’d visited many times before. Izzy had no time to feel the grief that tugged at her heart when the two demon guards lunged in surprise.

  Stepping forward, Rafael cut both down before they had time to transform, Damocles slicing through their flesh as if they were not made of solid bone and muscle. Tumbling to the ground, their talons still growing and turning black on their hands, the guards perished in small bursts of crimson mist.

  “You ready,” Ogwald asked, and when she and Raf both nodded, he kicked the center of the double doors. In a spray of wood and a chorus of angry growls, the battle began.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Capone and his men had been lounging on the couches, smoking cigars and planning their futures as world leaders when the trio burst into the room. Within seconds, the jovial atmosphere turned into a world of gunfire, demon rage, and blood.

  Filling the air with a spray of bullets and the smell of gunpowder, the human mafia fired their automatic weapons. Izzy cried out in pain and dove for cover as she emptied both clips into the melee. White hot flashes burned through her body as she looked down at the two bloody holes in her left thigh. Another round of fire echoed against the marble floors, and bullets exploded through the cabinet she’d slid behind, whirling past her head.

  Reloading her guns, she peered through one of the entry holes in the wood to see Rafael and Ogwald fighting side by side. They were holding their own by knife and gun, and Izzy had a flash of Giovanni smiling down on her. Knowing her friend would have been there at their side, glorying in the fight and the chance to go down in a blaze of glory, gave her renewed vigor.

  Calling up her demon, Izzy prepared for her chance, still holding back the change as she let the fury dull the pain in her leg. A pause in gunfire came at an opportune moment, and she shot up from her hiding place, guns firing as she ran full speed ahead. Demons and humans fell all around the angels as they continued to struggle against the weight of the attack. The gunfire renewed in response to her assault, and Izzy hit her knees, sliding across the floor as she took aim.

  Capone shot a rapid burst of fire from his machine gun, but Izzy’s blessed bullets found their mark. Freezing with his finger still on the trigger, his eyes exploded inward, leaving gaping holes on each side of his scarred face. The gun clattered to the ground and his body turned to a wet heap of compost as a triumphant scream erupted from her lips.

  Coming to a stop between Ogwald and Rafael, she pulled the sawed off shotgun from its holster on her back and grinned. “I couldn’t let you two have all the fun.” Ignoring their pained looks and the bullet wounds covering their bodies, she took out one winged demon as it tried to drop from the ceiling. The powerful weapon cleaving most of its head from its body before the monster burst into a chunky spray.

  They’d managed to take out the humans and more than half of the demons in the room, but more began to file in through the busted doorway. As the resistance renewed with heavy firepower, Raf grabbed her by the arm, yanking her upright, and shoving her to the side.

  “Move, now!” he screamed as she stumbled after Ogwald.

  Fleeing through the rooms of the house, they fought their way into the unused formal dining area, taking down as many as they could on their way. Managing to escape the remaining demons, Ogwald slammed the doors closed as Raf dragged a large buffet from the wall to use as a barricade in case their location was discovered.

  As Izzy watched, her weapons trained on the door, a shadow passed over her. Before she could react, the cold barrel of the gun pressed against her temple and the sharp edge of a knife crossed her throat. Freezing at the mumbled promise that she’d be destroyed before she could recover from the wounds, she waited for the angels to turn and face her.

  Luciano held the blade tight against her jugular as Rafael and Ogwald moved to attack, the sharp edge bringing blood. “Don’t move. The bitch is coming with me, and if you try to follow, I’ll slit her throat and take her soul. Ashur wants her alive, but I won’t mind telling him that I found her that way. An eye for an eye, so to speak.”

  Izzy scrambled not to fall against the blade as the mobster yanked her backward toward the balcony doors. Pushing the anger that boiled like lava and her need to transform down as her demon screamed against her commands, she bit her lip until the coppery taste of blood coated her tongue.

  “I’m going to kill you, you son-of-a-whore,” she spat, not caring that her words brought another sharp prick of the blade against her neck.

  Luciano laughed like a man driven to the point of madness. “Not if I kill you first, bitch.”

  Swallowing the sarcastic retort about the idiotic and childish remark, Izzy’s eyes met Rafael’s just as the hammer of the thirty-eight special clicked in her ear. The fear she saw in his face startled her, and she consigned herself to death as the severity of her reality set in. Her only consolation was the knowledge that the two angels would cut the bastard’s heart out and avenge her demise. Without warning, the deafening sound of gunfire filled the room, and Izzy screamed.

  “I always hated him.” Shrugging as if she hadn’t just saved the day and Izzy’s life, Sister Sin tucked her gun back into the side holster she wore over a black corset top and tight leather pants.

  Stunned, Izzy stared at the woman, jaw agape and ears still ringing. “Th-thank you?” she finally stammered.

  “No prob, toots. Now, how are yous guys going to get us out of here?” Insinuating herself into their plan, Sin gave a nod to the balcony and a knowing wink. “This seems the best option—worked before.”

  Rafael stepped forward, his sword still held to strike. “We appreciate your assistance, Sin, but we can’t leave. You may go free, but Ashur can’t be allowed to continue this.” In a swoop of his sword, he took Luciano’s head, never breaking eye contact with the audacious woman.

  “Well, listen to the high and mighty angel on a mission.” Sin shrugged as if to say she didn’t really give a damn, but reached back to pick up her Tommy gun. “If that’s how it’s got to be, then I’m up for a good fight. I got no love for these knuckleheads, that’s for damn sure.”

  Raf started to protest, but Ogwald stopped him. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Or in this case, so a woman sharpens another.”

  The old scripture meant nothing to Iyzebel or Sin, but Raf understood. “Your strength will give us strength,” he spoke the words reverently, bowing at the waist as he did.

  “Bout time you came to your senses, Raffy Boy. Now, the way I see it is, you’re all shot up and hurting. You angels are healing up quick, but this girl’s got at least three bullets still in her that ain’t nobody seen to. There’s still a dozen demons and two dozen humans out there and they are going to figure out where you are pretty quick. We got to get this one here fed,” she jerked a thumb at Iyzebel, “and we got to get to the other side of the house.”

  Deciding that she didn’t like being talked about as if she wasn’t there, Izzy interrupted, “Excuse me, not that I am ungrateful, I really appreciate you saving my ass. But, this one here doesn’t need to be fed, and I only have two bullet holes. These balconies lead all the way to the other side of the house. If we can make it there without being seen, how many more men do you think are with Ashur?”

  Sin shook her head at Izzy’s boldness, a proud gleam in her eye. “Don Guireto was right about you, girl. You got moxy. We can debate about feeding all you want, but that demon of yours is going to break those chains tonight at some point, might as well be while you are in contr
ol. As far as Ashur goes, I’m not in with his pack, but there are the usual suspects. The old Egyptian never leaves his side, and there are at least a half of a dozen made-demons always about. Most of the released Fallen have chosen to stay away, busy gorging on the humans.”

  Ogwald nodded, his mind calculating their next steps. “She’s right, Iyzebel. Feeding will strengthen you and prevent any mishaps. If we are going to take on Ashur, Galia, and the rest of these brutes, we are all going to have to be on our toes.”

  “And what about her gunshot wounds?” Sin interjected.

  Ignoring the woman, Raf knelt at Izzy’s side. Laying his hands on her thigh, he pressed down on each side of the bullet holes. “Izzy, scream if you need to, but don’t move. Okay?”

  Biting down on her lip, she nodded in response as the fire took hold. Her flesh puckered the muscles screaming in revolt as the bullets worked their way backward through the entry holes and fell to the floor. Izzy shut her eyes, gritting her teeth together against the pain as the wounds closed and the pain faded.

  Standing, Rafael wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay?”

  Still quite unable to speak, Izzy nodded her head and leaned her face into his chest.

  “Well, now that’s a nifty trick. I’d like—” The rest of Sin’s words were left unspoken as the sound of the door being forced jerked them to attention.

  “Go, now!” Ogwald hissed as he herded them out of the balcony doors.

  The buffet held long enough for them to quietly move down the side of the house until they found themselves standing on Giovanni’s private balcony. Izzy’s heart wrenched when she saw the shadow of a man, napping as her friend often had, his chair facing the city and a glass of wine at hand.

  Izzy drew her gun, ready to end the fool’s life for daring to take such liberties in a house that had belonged to a treasured soul, but the memory of Ogwald’s words rang in her head. The hunger raged along with her indignation, and she no longer wanted to resist her demon’s demands. In one swift motion, she grabbed the stranger’s weapon with one hand and his face with the other. Before the surprise could fully register on his face, she drained him of every ounce of his human essence, and shoved his body back in the chair.

  Without a word, she led the others through the glass doors, already feeling the added strength buzzing through her system as if it were a drug. Her confidence running high, she forgot to be vigilant, and the sight of the double doors at the end of the room opening came as a surprise.

  Two machine guns aimed at them, and four of the Fallen waited on the other side, their human forms completely abandoned as they snarled at the intruders. Ashur sat in the midst of the creatures, his face a serene and smiling mask.

  Without thought or warning, Rafael hurled Damocles through the air, the blade spinning end over end toward Ashur’s head. With a dull thud, the tip struck the wall, centimeters from its mark. The failed attempt barely caused the demon to raise an eyebrow in the angel’s direction.

  With a scoff, he ordered, “Iyzebel, come to me and all will be forgiven.”

  Izzy glared at her enemy, fighting the change as it pressed against her jaws and finger tips. “I’ll die before I go anywhere near you.”

  The signs that he had suffered just as badly as Rafael during their battle shimmered in the light. Patches of skin still pink and healing covered one side of his face, and Izzy could tell by the way he held his back, that one of his hidden wings had been badly damaged, even though he’d retracted them and wore his disguise. However, Galia and the three generals that stood at his side looked healthy enough.

  “If that’s how you want it, my siren, then that’s how it will have to be.”

  In the instant that Izzy’s attention was diverted, Sin’s hand locked on her throat as the other hand freed one of the pistols from her holster.

  “Don’t fight,” the traitor hissed through clenched teeth, pressing the gun to Izzy’s temple, the blessed bullets inside promising pain and death.

  “Sin! No, you—” Izzy’s words died in a cough as the female demon’s grip tightened.

  “It’s just business. With the family, it’s always just business.”

  Through the pressure of the talons piercing the fragile skin, Iyzebel choked, “Kill the lying bitch, Rafael. Kill them all.”

  Sin shoved her again, forcing Izzy to move until she stood directly before Ashur and his men. The demon prince’s voice vibrated with duality and power, “Iyzebel, kneel to me and pledge your loyalty once more. Forgiveness is within your reach, you only have to ask.”

  Izzy glared at him, hating every fiber of his being with a rage that could have devoured her mind. In a hoarse whisper, she cried out, “Never.” Sin gave her a hard kick against her right knee toppling her to the ground despite her refusal.

  Manic laughter filled the room, bouncing off the dark paneled walls. “I’m going to kill your angels while you watch. I’m going to do such things to them that you will beg for their deaths as they writhe in pain.”

  Izzy heard Rafael’s cry of rage, but the pressure of the barrel against her head wouldn’t allow for movement. Fearing the worst, she screamed out his name.

  Ashur looked down on her in disgust, before turning his attention to the angels. His lips curling, he asked, “You know I will kill her, don’t you? It’s not because I don’t love her. I do, even if she can’t see it. However, I will shed her blood so that the harvest may be successful. Destiny is not about love. That is where you and your God failed. Love will never survive among the creatures that dwell this realm.”

  “If you truly loved her, Ashur, she’d be at your side—not at your feet,” Ogwald accused.

  “Silence, traitor! You, God’s little liar, will be the first to die.” His lips spread into a wide smile as he ordered, “Sin, turn her around!”

  A protective and fierce burn began in her stomach and torched its way through her veins as Iyzebel looked into Rafael’s face. He’s only holding back because of me. It’s always been because of me. On the rooftop, the night the gate opened, he let Ashur escape in order to rescue me. I’m the reason this hasn’t ended, I’m the reason that so many have died. Well, not anymore. It’s my turn to save him. My redemption will lie in my blood.

  “I love you,” Izzy mouthed the words as she swallowed back her tears. She saw the dawn of understanding on Rafael’s face and the sadness in Ogwald’s eyes in pure clarity for a fraction of a second before she attacked.

  Whipping her head around, she struck like a hungry viper, sharp teeth piercing Sin’s wrist. The gun exploded as the woman screamed and blood, hot and frothing, poured over Iyzebel’s tongue. Exquisite pain ripped through her chest as the bullet coated in Christ’s blood skidded across the surface of her breast—leaving her gasping for breath as she pulled the knife from her waistband and plunged it into Sin’s heart.

  Izzy didn’t stop to watch her victim fall or disintegrate. Instead, she turned on Ashur, hate pulsating like a live wire as she struggled to stand. Blackness lined her vision, and she knew that the bullet had only grazed the skin, but the poison of Christ’s blood quickly took its toll. On hands and knees she moved forward as the Galia and his general’s flew around her, attacking Rafael and Ogwald.

  Izzy looked up into the demon prince’s eyes, and screamed, “I told you I’d kill you, you bastard, and if I’m going to die now, you are coming with me.”

  “Your blessed weapons will do nothing to me, stupid bitch,” he sneered as he reached down, grabbing a fistful of her blood soaked hair, “I am of the original Fallen.” Yanking her upright, he sent the first tendrils of fire through her nerve endings, shattering her world into a million pinpricks of agony. “How could you think that you could win?”

  Izzy’s face turned serene, her lips pulling up into a smile that made her eyes sparkle with delight. “In the end, Ashur, it is not strength or age that wins the fight.” Too weak to stand on her own, she stumbled, falling against the mighty demon’s chest.

 
With a gentleness that reminded her of their better times, Ashur’s arms came up to envelope her, pulling her back against his great height as he turned her to watch the battle between his generals and her angels. “Iyzebel,” he cooed. “Do you not see that you are not meant for goodness or love? It is a fantasy that you play out in your head,” he tapped her chest, “but in your heart, you will always belong to the darkness.”

  His voice soothed over her flesh, the feeling of warmth making the sexual need inside her awaken. With her head lolling to the side, Izzy swayed her body, rubbing against him with desire.

  Encouraged by her actions, Ashur purred, “Ah, yes. My siren, my vixen, Iyzebel. It is not too late. Never too late for you.” His hand came up to cup her breast, his fingers brushing hot against her wounds and his thumb tracing circles on her hardened nipple. His lips brushed against her neck until she moaned with pleasure and her eyes fluttered closed. “Don’t close your eyes, my prophet. Watch with me as our generals rip the wings from the angels, and we shall dance naked in his blood.”

  Just as Rafael had quieted her demon, touching Ashur awakened the beast, and she felt the surge of lust spring forth like a thirst begging to be quenched. As ordered, she opened her eyes once more, the irises as black and iridescent as oil puddles in the rain. In that moment, Rafael’s gaze locked on to her, and blood sprayed the room as his hand pierced Galia’s chest. He never looked away, even as he tore the Egyptian’s heart from its cavity. The pain she saw in the amber globes hurt, and she turned away from her regret, catching the demon’s mouth with hers.

  Her tongue was a hot lash against his, the taste of blood still a coppery spice in her mouth. Ashur’s hands roamed her body as his hips rocked with need. She felt the tip of his talons press against the flesh of her waist and her arms came upward, pulling his mouth harder against hers. Stretching so that the length of her body was inseparable from his, she moaned into the depths of his hungry mouth, the battle vanishing from her mind.