However, Merlidon parts his lips. “Maybe he was watching you, Melody. He’s been ‘missing’, right? He could have been keeping an eye on you all along.”
I’ve already come to that conclusion. It’s the only way to explain how he knew about me and Lucifer. No one else knew. Not even Luna. His answer doesn’t soothe my tension though, and I keep going, hell bent on pacing a hole into the floor.
“Melody,” Lucifer calls. “Calm down. Let’s think.”
“He’s a demon, Lucifer.” I whirl on him, eyes ablaze. He doesn’t even blink. “He’s a fucking demon. He was skilled before but do you know what that’s going to mean now? He’s even stronger and now he has access to Hell. He can attempt to destroy you guys from within.”
To my horror, Lucifer laughs. After a moment Merlidon joins in. I frown. “What’s so funny?”
“Destroy us from within?” Merlidon chokes as he pushes out another chuckle. “Mr. Black would have to be quite skillful if he’s capable of destroying all of us from Hell.”
“You don’t know,” I say crossing my arms. I don’t think the thought was that stupid. “He might have a plan. My father always has a plan.”
“I doubt that plan will be Hell related in the slightest,” Lucifer says. “But we should try to figure it out nonetheless.”
“He’s a high ranking.” I don’t know why that just occurs to me now, why I’m just now figuring it out. And judging by the silence that runs through the room when I say that, they already knew it. “He’s a fucking high ranking demon! How the hell did that happen?”
“That, I really don’t know. Unless he tells us himself, it’ll be hard finding the answer to that. Unless…” Lucifer looks at Brotus.
He doesn’t hesitate. “I didn’t get to see much. As soon as I grabbed ahold and opened the door, he shoved me back out. He might not have been a demon for very long but he’s already very, very strong if he managed to push me out so quickly.” From his tone, I’m guessing that isn’t something that should be easily done.
“So, you didn’t see anything?” Merlidon asks.
His steady eyes shift away from his king, to his friend. “Not anything solid.” I throw my hands up in defeat and he catches the movement. “But I did manage to put a track on his mind.”
I perk up. “So, you know where he is right now?”
“If I try to find him, I should be able to, yes.” Brotus raises his hand, no doubt to ward me off because I’m only a second away from demanding that he tells me where he’s hiding. “But the track is shallow. I didn’t have much time to make it more deeply rooted, and so it’ll only work for the realm it has been created in. And unfortunately, he isn’t in the human realm anymore. He’s in Hell.”
I sag. The hope he inspired in me disappears with a poof. “So, you’re saying that as long as he’s in Hell, we won’t know where he is then.”
He nods. “We’ll have to wait until he gets back to the human realm.”
That doesn’t make me feel any better, though a track on his mind is definitely an advantage. Mr. Black won’t stay in Hell for long. He’s still human at heart. He’ll show up sooner or later.
I nod at Brotus, thanking him without having to say the words and he accepts it just as silently with his own answering nod. Then I sink into the chair my father just recently vacated as if my feet gave way. I put my head in my hands, trying to breathe and finding it’s hard getting air into my lungs.
“Melody?” a voice calls over me. I don’t have the mental space to distinguish who exactly it is. Hands grab my shoulders and now the voice is closer. “Are you okay?”
I open my mouth to speak but all of a sudden, I’m tired. Too tired to speak, too tired to think, too tired to keep my eyes open. They drift shut, images of my father flashing through my mind. I see him snarling at me, I see the hatred in his eyes burning right into my soul, cutting deeply. I see the way he looks me up and down, as if I shouldn’t even be alive. He’s a demon and even then, he still looks at me like I’m scum, like I’m not worth the right of life. And he has a plan. He made that very clear before he disappeared. He has a plan and I sure as shit haven’t seen the last of him yet.
“Get her some water.” My eyes flutter. Whoever it is leans me backwards until my back rests on the chair, neck eased softly downwards.
Something cold presses to the side of my head where Mr. Black had hit me. I hear voices above me, but nothing they say is distinguishable. I feel like I’m floating, detached from my body. Not really here but here all the same.
Then I hear another one. Lucifer’s, I think. He’s touching my face. No, patting my cheek. Telling me to open my eyes.
So, I do. The three of them are hovering over me, Lucifer being the closest one. Concern shines in each of their eyes. I look between the three of them as they wait anxiously for me to speak.
“I’m not dying, you know. It’s only a bad head wound.” It didn’t seem like it at the time. I’d still had a lot of fight in me after getting hit, but now the adrenaline has worn off and here I am.
“There’s a little blood,” says Brotus. He presses a hand to my neck, easing me into an upright position. He positions a cup of water to my lips and as much as I don’t like the thought of someone feeding me as if I’m incapable, I’m too weak to move or to argue. And I’m thirsty. So, I drink the water, gulping it all down.
When it’s done, they step back from me as if they’re not sure I won’t die and so they don’t need to keep that close an eye on me. The thought almost makes me smile. Instead, I lift a heavy hand, wiping away the water that has dribbled down my chin.
“I can’t function like this,” I say, looking at Lucifer. He nods. The other two stiffen when he looks at them in a silent order to leave. They don’t want to, I notice. They want to stay. With a jolt, I realize why they’re so at odds with each other.
They’re jealous. They’re actually jealous. I understand it, of course. But like Lucifer said, the parts me that belong to them aren’t being shared. There’s something about them individually; pieces of them I can’t get from the other. Just the same that there are pieces of me that belong to them individually.
“Give her some time,” Lucifer says. Without protest, but not without hurt in their eyes, they nod, then after shooting me another glance, they disappear.
I wait until Lucifer comes to kneel in front of me before I say, “They can’t keep being mad at each other like that.”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Let them deal with it themselves.” His voice is a little tight and I look at him, frowning. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m not going to die, Lucifer,” I say to him again, and for some reason that brings a smile out of me.
“I can’t risk it though,” he says, not smiling. He draws closer and I lift my chin, giving him better access to my neck.
As he feeds, I have to resist the urge to tear at his clothes. It’s as powerful an experience as it was the first time, and if I wasn’t sitting it would have surely driven me to my knees. But through the waves of lust crashing through me, I feel my wounds healing, the aches and pain fading into nothingness. When he finally pulls away, eyes vibrant with the strength I’ve just given him, I feel nothing but my own renewed vigor.
Satisfied, I give him a peck on the cheek. I’d welcomed his distraction, but now’s the time to get back to business. I straighten my back, “Luna’s still missing.”
“Do you think it’s connected to Mr. Black somehow?” Lucifer asks.
I suck in a deep breath. Even now, the initial shock hasn’t quite settled in. “I mean it can’t be a coincidence, can it? That he disappeared and became a high ranking demon.”
“There are too many possibilities from the little that we know now.”
The little. Always too little. Never enough information to point us in the direction we need to go. All we have is a broken compass.
I try not to sigh. “There has to be some way to figure this all out.”
; Lucifer stands, bringing me up with him. He sits back down in the seat I was in and pulls me into his lap. Again, he makes slow circles on my skin, this time on my right arm. “I could hold court. Bring all the high ranking demons before me and question them. They’re the only ones who know how to become a high ranking demon. They might know something.”
“How soon can we get this done?”
“Right now, if you really want.”
“Alright, what are we waiting for.” I get out of his lap.
19
When Lucifer says he’s going to hold court, I don’t have anything in particular in mind. I’m not sure what to expect, and just go along with it, teleporting with him, then watching as his straight-faced high commanders stroll into the throne room, Brotus and Merlidon included.
Not too long ago, demons from his own castle attacked us in this very room. Soulless demons, with no sense of self control. Products of Charmeine’s plan to rid the world of those beings she believed plagued it. It was the first time I saw Lucifer, Brotus and Merlidon in battle, and I remember the awe I had felt, the disbelief when I took in the way they moved. I had fought right along with them as well, and had fallen into a rhythm that belied the time we’ve spent together. If anyone saw us, they would have thought we’d been fighting together for ages. Since then, I should have known that I would be here. Not holding court in an attempt to find my father, the demon, but with them, together like this, working together, playing together, laughing together. Being friends. If anyone had said this to me a year before, I would have punched them in the gut.
Life really is an unpredictable beast.
Brotus stands by the throne, hands clasped before him, looking every bit the high commander he is. Merlidon on the other hand, chooses to sit on the steps leading up to the throne, right next to me. Lucifer had suggested I take a seat in his lap, to let everyone know who I am to him, but the thought had repulsed me too much to even consider it. He pressed but I stood firm.
Now, as I watch the high ranking demons stream into the large room, I half wished I had taken him up on his offer.
Their eyes seek me instantly. Some look intrigued, others look hungry, most are utterly outraged by my presence. However, before Lucifer, none of them say anything.
Still, the power in the room increases tenfold. My body trembles at the force of it, but I don’t move and I definitely don’t let it show on my face. Behind me, Lucifer sits, lording over all these demons, and his power is mammoth sized compared to theirs.
“It’s good that you could all make it,” he says, and though he doesn’t shout, I’m sure every single demon in the room hears him. I can’t count them, but I’m sure it’s close to a hundred. It’s the only reason we decided to do mass court instead of speak to them one by one. The latter would simply take too much time. And this isn’t even all of them, this is just all the ones who had been close enough to answer Lucifer’s urgent call.
Not one of them say anything. For some reason, when they were all piling in, I expected them to kneel once Lucifer begins talking. But they only stare up at him, waiting for him to continue, not missing the chance to glare at me whenever they can.
“I called you all here for a reason,” Lucifer continues. His voice rings with authority, eyes direct. My chest swells with pride watching him. “Recently, there has been a new demon joining your rank, but, unlike the rest of you,” he says that last bit pointedly, and a few of the demons shuffle restlessly, eyes darting away, “he has gone rogue. The demon I’m speaking of is Mr. Black, former Guild leader for New York.”
They begin murmuring at once, turning to each other. Lucifer allows them to speak, calmly watching them with no emotion in his eyes, not even the perpetual humor that is always present. Then he speaks again, cutting into the rising noise. “If any of you know the whereabouts of this demon, or the cause of his transformation, speak now.”
“He’s a Guild leader,” someone says. It’s a female, teeth razor sharp as she sneers. Still, she’s incredibly beautiful and stands with her shoulders back. “A hunter,” she sneers as if it’s a curse. I don’t miss the look she gives me. “A hunter wouldn’t ever become a demon.”
“Perhaps not on purpose. As for the whys and hows, we have no answer. That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
“Why don’t you ask the human by your feet?” someone else snaps. Damn, they must really not like me being here. Even that demon is glaring at me as if it wants to rip my throat out. But can I blame him? I’m a hunter, fated to kill their kind. They have a reason for their wariness and anger.
Lucifer pierces the demon with a look that would have a weaker demon withering on instant. This one only squirms uncomfortably. “Are you trying to insult my intelligence? If she had the answer, you all wouldn’t be here.”
“Who is she then?” the female demon asks again. “Why did you invite her here?”
“She’s important to the quest I’m undertaking.” His eyes meet mine and the passion that burns in them threatens to shake the earth into shambles. I shoot back a look that could only be described as terror and tightening my jaw against any insults that wish to break free. Lucifer smiles and I know, in that instant, that there’s no stopping him. “And,” he says, that smile still on his face, “we are soul-bonded.”
Shit.
An audible gasp rings through the crowd. I look at him sharply, but this time he doesn’t match my gaze, he only keeps his eyes on the demons before him. I turn back to face the masses. All their eyes are on me. They look as though they’re ready to tear my eyes out.
“A hunter?” someone at the back snarls. “A human?”
In the corner of my eye, I see Merlidon sit up, resting his elbows on his knees. He’s smiling like a man anticipating a fight. He did the same thing when the demons attacked us in this room, but now, faced with his own sane brethren, he looks just as willing to attack. I’m not sure if it’s more in my defense or Lucifer’s.
I turn to look at Brotus. His eyes are also on the crowd, and though he remains as still as he usually is, his eyes don’t stay in one place. They dart around the crowd, intent, as if searching for whoever might make the first move. I’ve never been one to play the damsel in distress, but I can’t help the warmth that fills me knowing Brotus and Merlidon and Lucifer are ready and willing to come to my defense.
“Oh, fuck,” I drawl, stretching my legs out before me. The position is casual, at ease, as if I’m not scared of them in the slightest. And I’m not. With the three most powerful demons by my side, a horde of them is nothing to me. Still, they note the way I recline backwards, watching them with easy eyes. I note the way they don’t take kindly to that. “You fuckers aren’t getting any action in the human department, are you? I can smell the celibacy from here.”
Merlidon flashes a quick grin. I glance behind me to see that Brotus now has a slightly smug look on his face while Lucifer is struggling not to laugh.
“Yeah,” I go on. “I’m human. So what? I’m the human here and I know what it means to be soul-bonded to someone. As the demons, I would expect you to have a little sense about how intense and important that is, but I suppose that’s too much to ask from you all.” I look back at Lucifer who catches my eye, more than willing to play along with my game. “You’re wasting your time here, Lucifer. These fools don’t know anything.”
“Oh, come on, now,” he coons, “Let’s see what they have to say first.”
“Hey, do whatever you want, Lucifer. It’s your court. But look at them. Dumb as a bag of rocks.”
Maybe it isn’t the wisest thing to be taunting a group of powerful demons, especially ones who are more than willing to attack me. But I don’t care. And clearly, one of them – the woman who spoke before – doesn’t care about the fact that she’s standing before her king either. One moment, she’s standing there, seething with such rage I’m sure steam will start rushing out her ears. And then the next, she’s before me, nails digging into the skin of my neck, trying to draw
blood. My windpipe becomes severely restricted as she snarls above me, lips curling.
Brotus and Merlidon rush into action. Lucifer doesn’t move, and I’m glad he doesn’t. He knows he doesn’t have to. While Merlidon and Brotus are on their feet, eyes feral as if they’re willing and ready to rip her to pieces if necessary, Lucifer remains seated. He remains calm.
I don’t need their help and before they make it to me, I flip her onto her stomach so quickly the room gasps at the blur of movement. I have her arms pinned behind her back, her nails grabbing out at anything but coming up short. Again, I have my knife in my hand and I run it along the side of her face, tauntingly, pressing hard enough that it hurts but not hard enough to draw blood. Not yet.
“Watch yourself, little demon,” I whisper above her, keeping her still though she writhes to get me off of her. “Don’t forget that I’m still a hunter, through and through.”
“Enough.” Lucifer’s voice rings through the room and it succeeds in stopping her struggle. I come off her, slowly, unafraid, not caring whether she attacks me. Her limbs tremble with the urge to attack me again. But she tried it once. After Lucifer’s express word, she won’t try it again.
“Forgive her, Lucifer,” someone says, sneaking up behind us. It’s another female demon, looking exactly like the one who attacked me. They must be twins. She bows her head, contrite, before pulling her sister behind her. “She has anger issues she needs to work out. I apologize for the commotion on her behalf.”
“It’s okay,” Lucifer say softly, eyes falling on me. “I’m well acquainted with women who let their anger get the best of them.”
Haha.
He laughs in my head. On the outside, his eyes fall on the bowing woman again, who’s keeping a strong hand on her seething sister. “We know something,” she says.
“Do tell,” Lucifer urges.
“We heard of an uprising happening in South Africa.” At her words, the room gasps again. Aren’t they growing tired of that? “So, my sister and I went to investigate. We saw the New York Guild leader there.”
Hunting Light: Hunter her Lovers (Demon Hunter Book 2) Page 14