Peter put his arm around me. “Tensions are high, but the two of you must work together if you’re to defeat this demon.”
Maddy shot me the stink-eye, but she finally shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just happy that I’m going to get a chance to help out.”
“Of course,” Peter said. “Your mother was very clear that she wanted the three of you to work together. Your magic has to mesh with Lyra’s own magic, making it that much stronger. Lyra really cannot do this without the two of you.”
Peter said the right words to Maddy, apparently, because she positively glowed when he said that. “I guess that’s true. Mine and Sybil’s magic will make Lyra stronger.” She looked over at me. “Do you hear that, Lyra? You can’t do this without us.”
“Whatever,” I said, but I knew that she was right. The three of us were more powerful together than alone. Yeah, I was the one with the sword, and I was the one who was going to be punished if we didn’t succeed, but I still knew that we were all more powerful as a unit.
“Okay,” Hale said. “We have the basic plan down. Is everybody ready?”
“Ready,” Maddy said.
“Ready.” Sybil.
I swallowed hard. It was more difficult for me than it was for them, because they knew all along that they were magic. They had 20 years to figure it all out. I had about 20 seconds, at least it felt that way. “Ready,” I finally said.
“Alright,” Hale said. “I guess we’re all ready. Here goes nothing.”
“What about Peter?” I asked, looking at him. He was standing behind me, looking as handsome as ever. I had to admit, this guy knew how to dress. He knew how to carry off a look, too. He was dressed in a black sweater, khaki slacks, dress shoes and had a scarf wrapped around his neck. Somehow he managed to even make this rather casual look seem elegant.
“I’ll be there,” he said. “As Hale noted, I am adept at mind-control. I’ll be able to get in just by telling the man who checks everyone that I belong there.”
“Ah ha! I know what half-breed you are. You’re half Jedi, aren’t you? Half-Jedi and half-human? Kind of like Spock is half-human and half-Vulcan?” I asked.
“Lyra,” Peter said, sounding annoyed. “No. There’s no such thing as Jedis, and there’s no such things as Vulcans. You have to stop watching so many movies.”
“Hey, I don’t watch that many movies, I just know the classics. Like anyone would.”
“Be that as it may, we have to get going. The time is ticking,” Peter said, pointing to his watch.
I sighed. “Here goes nothing.”
26
We got to the club, and I turned into Landon in the car on the way over. Peter was driving, and his car was sweet indeed. It was a brand-new Audi A4 Sedan, and the car literally roared when Peter turned the ignition. The car was Candy-Apple red, which was a color that I always loved and noticed when I saw cars in this particular color, and the seats were soft leather. Somehow the vehicle had a new-car smell, and I wondered if Peter had just purchased it. “Very nice,” I said, rubbing my cheek on the leather, which was as soft as a baby’s bottom. “I mean, you don’t really need a car, seeing as you can literally fly anywhere you go, but I’m happy you have it. Especially since Sybil and Maddy can’t fly.”
“Stop rubbing that in,” Maddy said from the back-seat, knocking my head with her fist. “I thought that we were going to be friends and allies, and there you go, reminding us how much better you are than the rest of us.”
“Why are you such a hater?” I asked her. “Seriously? All I did was point out the obvious, and you’re jumping down my throat.”
Peter put his hand on mine, which actually calmed me down. “Lyra, I know that you’re scared. And you should be. But taking your fear out on your sisters is really not productive.”
I took a deep breath, realizing that he was right. I was scared. Terrified, actually. I had no idea what was going to happen with this demon, and I didn’t want to be dispatched to Hell again. I knew that I would get out, because Peter would get me out, but each time I went, I would be getting closer and closer to the ultimate doom. Nine times. I could die nine times. That hardly seemed fair to me, to say the very least. And what would happen if this guy threw me off the building? Would I regenerate? Could I? Would I come up from Hell and find that my body was broken? Would I have a body to come back to?
“No,” Peter said. “Your body will regenerate. You’re different from a mortal such as James Woodson. You have the power to heal, like you healed yourself when you were shot.”
I looked out the window, not even wanting to scold Peter for reading my mind yet again. It was somewhat comforting, actually, knowing that he was in my corner and that I didn’t really have to explain anything to him.
I looked down at my hands, afraid to ask the next question. “Peter,” I said, feeling that my voice was tiny. My hands were shaking, and I felt like my insides were churning. “Am I going to feel pain? If this demon stabs me or something like that, will it feel like I’m being stabbed?” I shivered, thinking about the shooting and how that felt. But that other demon was able to throw me around the room, and I seemed to feel nothing at all. I crashed into that China cabinet, and it was as if nothing happened. I hoped that this would be how it would feel.
Peter again put his hand on mine. “Lyra, you won’t be able to feel pain if your wounds aren’t fatal. But if the demon manages to stab you in one of your vital organs, then you will die and you will feel it. It will feel like when you were shot.”
“Thanks for warning me,” I said without sarcasm. I continued to look out the window, wishing that I was anywhere but here. I found that I was reading the thoughts of Sybil and Maddy, and realized that they were both jealous of me. Jealous of what? Yeah, I had hella cool powers, but I was going to be the one who was put into danger. I was the one who the demon was going to want to kill. The demon wasn’t going to bother with Hale or Sybil or Maddy or any of them, because they were lame. They were inconsequential. They couldn’t kill demons on their own. So it was going to be me who was going to be the target every damned time.
“Listen, you guys, you really don’t have to feel jealous. Believe me, if I could transfer my powers to you in exchange for me not having to deal with this, I would.”
Sybil glared at me. “Stop doing that. Maddy and I agreed not to read each other’s thoughts, now I would like it if you could also be as respectful.”
“Hey, I’m just now realizing these powers and I want to experiment with them. Sorry about that.” I glared back at her, not liking the black thoughts that she was shooting towards me.
After a few minutes, though, I read their thoughts and they were different. They were really worried about me, and I realized one thing – their jealousy was a mask for their concern. In their heart, they were afraid of losing me.
I turned around and saw their faces, and I reached my hand to them. They took my hand and smiled. “Whatever happens, I love you guys. I want you to know that.”
Sybil cleared her throat and I saw that she had tears in her eyes. “We love you too, Lyra. We are very fearful for you. We’re jealous, but neither of us would want to be in your position. You’re really the one who is most at risk, and we’re going to be praying for you.”
I turned back around and got quiet. I couldn’t get out of my head. Was this demon going to send me to Hell? Would Peter for sure be able to get to me again? I felt sick with every mile the car drove down the street. I felt Sybil and Maddy’s hands on my shoulders, and I put my hand on theirs.
“We’re with you. Never forget that,” Maddy said.
As we got closer and closer to the club, I felt my heart pounding. Yeah, I got rid of that demon in the apartment, but he was a real wuss. This one wasn’t going to be. What if somebody was killed? Like Hale? Or Catori? Or one of the pack? Or, God forbid, Sybil or Maddy? I wasn’t so worried about Peter – I knew that he was immortal. I had finally come to the conclusion that he wasn’t undead, just immortal. At
least he was a half-breed. At any rate, it seemed that nothing could kill him, so I wasn’t going to worry. But somebody else could very well be killed in this scenario. The demon would be gunning for me, but just as a master chess player would get to a Queen by taking the pawns, that’s what would happen here. That thought just occurred to me, which completely cancelled out my earlier analysis, which was that the demon wouldn’t bother with any of them.
Or maybe I was right the last time? Maybe I would be the only one that the demon would want? I had no idea, no clue, and that was keeping me off-balance and afraid. The last thing I wanted was for somebody I loved to die. I would literally take that bullet for them – I could come back, and they couldn’t. Or could they? So many questions, so few answers.
Peter cleared his throat. “The pack is vulnerable, but they are very cunning and have the instincts of wolves. Plus, the demon cannot sense them. Maddy and Sybil are also vulnerable, although they will have the chance to come back when they die. Your mother will probably bring them back right away, but they would have to start as infants and go through the growth process. Unfortunately, they will not come back as you know them now.”
Peter was, once again, reading my thoughts, but I didn’t really mind it at that point. I was having a hard time verbalizing what I was feeling, so his reading my thoughts actually was a bit welcome.
I finally shook my head. “If they can be killed, then I don’t want them participating in this. Leave them out. The pack, too. I can do this alone.” I shuddered, knowing that I was going to make myself that much more vulnerable in doing this, but I didn’t want to risk them. “Peter, you can help me though. Right? You didn’t help me back in the apartment, but I’m assuming that you are going to help me from now on.”
“Yes,” he said. “I can help you from now on. Truth be told, the main reason why I did not help you back at that apartment was because I wanted you to see how powerful you are. You are right, that demon was not powerful at all. That was by design. If I helped you then, you would have relied on me too much and I knew that you could take that demon all by yourself. But for this one, you do need help.”
“Okay, then, you and me,” I said, holding out my pinky for him to give me a pinky swear. Of course, he didn’t know what I was doing. “Pinky swear.”
He gave me a look with furrowed brows and I took his pinky and interlocked it with mine. “Pinky swear,” I repeated. “If you do this, then you can’t go back on it. That’s the rules.”
He shook his head. “No, Lyra. I know that this is a risk, but you have to take it. Your sisters will make you much more powerful. You eventually will get to where you do not need help, but this is not the time.”
I crossed my arms in front of me and turned around. Sybil and Maddy were both looking at me suspiciously. “You aren’t cutting us out of this,” Sybil said.
“I agree,” Maddy concurred.
“Listen, you guys, Peter just informed me that both of you could die. You’d come back, but as a tiny baby and have to go through the whole growth process. I can’t take that chance. The worst thing that will happen to me is-“
“You die and go into the Hell,” Sybil said. “Sorry, Lyra, but we can’t take that chance either. We have to help you. You literally won’t know what you’re doing, and, besides, that’s how it has always been. We’ve always helped you. And nothing has ever happened to any of us. We’ve never died in any of our previous battles.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, but I don’t remember those other battles, obviously. Why I don’t have a memory of my previous lives, yet you girls do, I don’t know. But I don’t care if you’ve never died in a battle with me before. I just can’t chance it now.”
Peter stopped the car. “We’re here. And Asmodeus is in there,” he said, pointing to the non-descript building that was three stories tall, and had no signage on it. It was a pale building, looked like it used to be a warehouse, and appeared to have been built around the turn of the century. “I am finally getting a read on the demon.” He put his nose in the air. “And there’s one other demon in there with him. Astoroth. I can sense both of them and the smell of sulphur is overwhelming.”
“How do you know these guys so well?” I asked Peter. It was weird that he knew just which demons were in the club.
“I know their scents,” he said. “And you soon will know the demons’ different scents as well.”
I narrowed my eyes. Once again, I knew that there was something more to his explanation, but I didn’t really have time to dwell on it.
“Okay,” Sybil said from the backseat. Her voice sounded tremulous, like she was trying to keep her courage up but was really failing. “Let’s do this thing.”
I looked over at Peter, somewhat desperately. “Peter, tell Sybil and Maddy that they can’t go in there. Tell them. I can fight this demon on my own, I know I can, and I really know that I can take him if you’re around. Please, Peter.” I was surprised that I was so passionate, suddenly, about this point. It all seemed okay back in the apartment, when all this was just a plan on paper. But now that I knew that Maddy and Sybil were at risk, a detail that wasn’t properly conveyed to me back at Hale’s, if at all, I knew that I couldn’t let them help me.
“I will not,” Peter said. “You need them. They are going to multiply your powers, which is important right now. As I said, once you get used to fighting these demons again, you can do without them. But not now.”
I crossed my arms again. “Okay, then I’m not going in there. I’ve changed my mind. Take me home.”
I turned around and Sybil was making a gesture with her two hands, as if she could strangle me. “Lyra, if something happens to me or Maddy, then you can just bring us back.”
“Bullshit. If that’s the case, why would Peter tell me differently? He just told me that either of you could die, and you would be reincarnated as a baby. A brand-new baby. Now, one of you is lying to me. Since I don’t necessarily know which one of you is lying, I’m going to hedge my bets. If you guys are coming, then I’m not going in.”
Sybil and Peter exchanged looks, and Peter finally shook his head. “Okay, Lyra, you may have your way. It will simply be you and me in the club.”
I nodded my head. “Thank you.” I turned back to Sybil and Maddy, who suspiciously were looking compliant with the whole turn of events. “Now, we’ll be back out here as soon as we can. You can go ahead and do what you want while you wait for us. Get on your phone and surf the net or whatever. Hopefully, we won’t be too long.”
They both nodded their head, and I shook mine. I closed my eyes and tried to read their thoughts, but I came up with nothing at all. It was as if they were both studiously trying not to think of anything.
I turned to Peter. “Listen, those two are up to no good. I want you to run interference, and if they try to get into the club, I want them gone. And that goes for the wolves, too. They don’t have to get involved with this, and I don’t want them to.”
“Okay,” Peter said. “Now, let’s go.”
27
Asmodeus
She’s coming. The demon was in the Candyclub, laying on a King-sized bed surrounded by three different women. As usual, it wasn’t difficult in the least for Asmodeus to attract members of the opposite sex. Or of the same sex. He might have been in the body of James Woodson, a slight, thin, boy, but that didn’t matter. Once he fixated on a woman that he wanted, that woman would be attracted to him as if he had an invisible tractor beam surrounding his body. As for how he got into the club, that was more than easy, as well. It was all a matter of mind-control. It was better than any Jedi mind-trick. He simply went to the bouncer, announced that he was a member of the club, and he was immediately let in. Never mind the fact that he was clearly a minor and was not a club member at all.
As for Astoroth, he was a member of the Club. Or Bill Hayes was, his host body. The two demons were at the club together, and were both having the time of their lives. They had their choice of women and men, an
d they spent a great deal of time going to different rooms, trying out the sex swings and different contraptions. Of course, Asmodeus really was drawn to the BDSM room, with the whips, chains, paddles and handcuffs. He was a dominant, and he found one willing partner after another who was willing to be strapped to the St. Andrew’s Cross and tortured. He took an unusual amount of glee in these activities, and in that room, he found the one woman who he planned to take to his apartment and rape and murder. He rubbed his hands together as he envisioned himself tearing into her and then slashing her throat. He would dump her body in a dumpster and would make sure that Malphus, a demon whose host body was a powerful attorney, would cover up any hint that Asmodeus was responsible for the killing.
Her name was Michelle, and she was a tiny blonde woman who couldn’t be have been more than 23 years old. She slight and skinny, with perky breasts that she loved to show to everyone in the club, and was wearing a leather body suit with cut-outs for the breasts and vagina. She had the innocent look of a Kewpie Doll, with the big blue eyes, rosebud lips and soft smooth skin. She smelled of sweetness, like flowers and rosemary. Asmodeus was driven wild with desire by the young girl, because, even though she was in this club, and was obviously a popular member, she had the look of a girl who represented Asmodeus’ first obsession.
Michelle resembled Delphinia, a girl he knew thousands of years earlier in Greece. That was during the period of time when Asmodeus was new to earth, having escaped from the Infernum, for the first time, just days before meeting Delphinia. Earth held endless fascination for him, especially Greece. He loved listening to the philosophers Aristotle and Plato, and the artistic brilliance that was emanating from that area was unparalleled before or since. Since he had just escaped from the Infernum, his powers were much less at that time then they presently were. And he, back then, actually had the ability to fall in love.
Lyra's Magic: Witches of Manhattan Book One Page 20