A Soulless Year Three

by Eva Brandt

  Something inside me snapped. Still reeling from my orgasm, I buried my sharp fingernails into his shoulders and started bouncing on his cock. We went at each other like starving animals. It was crazy, angry, painful, and wrong, but I didn’t let that stop me.

  I didn’t know how long it lasted, how long we fucked in the abandoned building. We’d lost control of our powers, and it was a miracle the whole place didn’t come down on top of us.

  Fire and darkness danced around me, and the way he was looking at me stirred a crazy desire in my chest. I didn’t look away, even if I rejected it.

  “I don’t want you,” I told him.

  “Could have fooled me,” he said, shoving his cock so deep inside me I could feel him in my throat. At the same time, his clever hands reached for my buttocks, poking my anus.

  He didn’t have to do much except nudge the tiny hole with his finger. Just like that, I came again, and Cain was swept along with me, no longer able to resist the pleasure.

  By now, I’d lost count of how many orgasm we’d had. I was shaking with a mix of frustration, exhaustion, and contentment. As Cain slid out of me, I fell to the ground in a heap.

  Cain didn’t try to steady me, probably realizing I didn’t want him to. I ended up just lying there, on the ground, naked, with his cum still leaking out of my stretched pussy.

  I wished my Watchers could see me now. I wanted them to know that I didn’t need them, that I could find other lovers, people who wouldn’t use me and who could service me far better than they ever had.

  But they weren’t here, and as petty as I was, I also acknowledged that it was stupid to focus on that alone.

  Finally catching my breath, I willed my power to wash over me. Within seconds, I was clean of Cain’s semen and my own juices. I stood up and summoned another gown to cover myself.

  “Okay. I’m calm now. You said you could help me find my parents? I assume they’re in The Infernal Realm, right?”

  “You assume correctly,” Cain replied, “but you can’t just sneak in there and hope for the best. We have to find the child first.”

  “And how do we do that?”

  Cain grimaced and got up again. “I have a pretty good idea of where she might be, but I can’t go looking there on my own. My… condition forbids it. We have to hurry, though, because I suspect Lucifer will come up with a solution soon. And if he does that, we’ll lose any advantage we might gain through this.”

  “Fair enough. Where do we have to go?”

  “The Shadow Realm.”

  Cursed

  Considering my experience so far with everything related to the afterlife, the answer to my predicament should have come to me without Cain having to give it. After all, it made so much sense.

  If Hope Morningstar had been in any regular place, her parents could have found her by now. Alyssa wouldn’t have tried to tap into the divine spark, since she was powerful in her own right.

  But if The Shadow Realm had taken Hope and Lucifer knew or at least suspected, why had he launched an attack against the humans?

  As we made our way through Sodom, I expressed my doubts and confusion to Cain. “I know that it doesn’t seem to make any sense,” he told me, “but in the big picture, it does. How much do you know about The Shadow Realm?”

  “It’s the world of demonic symbiotes, where Mikael’s mother, Fara comes from. The Celestial Realm and The Infernal Realm both have limited power there. It’s also called The In-Between.”

  He nodded without looking at me. He was scanning the city for any potential threats. So far, we hadn’t run into anything, but Demogorgon was getting increasingly antsy.

  “The In-Between is complicated, but what few people know is that it’s also the realm of lost souls. The demonic symbiotes evolved from other life forms. If a soul ends up in The In-Between, sooner or later, it’ll turn into that.”

  I remembered the tentacles of darkness I’d seen Fara wield and shuddered. “That sounds… unpleasant.”

  “It is and not everyone is compatible with the process. For example, Mikael wasn’t, even if he was half-symbiote. Neither were you.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. “Me?”

  “You’re a primordial soul, Delilah, one of the very first souls to ever be created by The Demiurge. When you were killed by Lucifer, you couldn’t stay in The Infernal Realm. For obvious reasons, you couldn’t go to The Celestial Realm, and at the time, The Mortal Realm couldn’t contain you. So you ended up in The In-Between.”

  Distant memories of shadowy beasts flickered at the back of my mind. I’d always thought my flashes had something to do with the way I’d died as a mortal, but maybe things weren’t that straightforward.

  When I’d been in The Celestial Realm, those images had crippled me to the point where I’d had severe panic attacks. I did a little better this time and didn’t completely fall apart. But the panic was still there, thick and suffocating.

  “Delilah?” Cain asked, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  He brushed his fingers over my shoulder in a barely-there comforting gesture. I was tempted to push him away, but I held back. “Fine. Just remembered some unpleasant things.”

  Cain grimaced. “I apologize. I know I’m dumping a lot of information on you, and it’s difficult to process. If there were any other way…”

  “You don’t have to treat me with kid gloves. I’ll get over it.”

  “I don’t doubt your strength, but I’ve been to The Shadow Realm. It’s not a pretty place to be stuck in. There’s no shame in—”

  “I’m not ashamed,” I cut him off. “I just don’t want to talk about this, not unless we absolutely have to.”

  “That’s the whole point. We have to. I’m going to need you to go there, Delilah. Last time, I had Fara’s aid, but now, knowing her, she’ll be working against me. You have more than enough power to fight off anything that’s in there, with some guidance.”

  “Somehow, I doubt it’s going to be that simple.” I let out a slow, irritated breath. “But fine. Let’s get this done.”

  Complaining about something had never helped me and I didn’t have time to succumb to my fears again. My parents were waiting. For all I knew, Lucifer could have decided to hurt them because of what had happened to Alyssa.

  I still didn’t completely trust Cain, but I had no choice. Other than Demogorgon, he was my only ally.

  “I take it there’s a ritual of some kind.”

  “Good guess. Yes, there is. It’s going to be dangerous, though, since it’s based largely on Fara’s… DNA. For lack of a better word.”

  A part of me wanted to know how that had come about, but I decided it was better to not ask. The source of the spell’s power was irrelevant as long as it worked. Besides, we’d already wasted too much time.

  “Hurry,” Demogorgon whispered in front of us, echoing my thoughts. “The demons will come soon.”

  “I have no doubt,” Cain replied. “Don’t worry. We’ll be long gone by then.”

  Since he was the one who’d eluded the forces of two individual realms, I had to trust his assessment. I was still relieved when we stopped in a plaza located in the center of Sodom.

  “As you know, Sodom and Gomorrah were originally human cities. This was the place where the angels first struck when the city was destroyed.”

  “It still carries the energies from that attack,” I said, realizing what he intended. Michael had done something similar when he’d taken me to the site of the Battle of the Watchers.

  “Yes. We’ll use that energy to power up our ritual. Demogorgon, keep an eye out and tell us if something happens.”

  My familiar hissed at him, obviously not appreciating being ordered around by anyone else except me. Still, he complied, probably realizing now was not the time to argue.

  As Demogorgon began patrolling the plaza, Cain dropped to his knees and focused on the preparations for the ritual. At first, he drew some mystical symbols that were distantly familiar. I didn’t und
erstand what they meant, but I got the feeling that I had, once.

  They reminded me a little of the transport point I’d seen in Paris, but at the same time, they were different. I hoped Cain knew what he was doing.

  I needn’t have worried. Cain moved quickly and efficiently, the ritual familiar to him. Once the symbols were written down, he sliced his hand and let his blood drip on the ground.

  At the same time, his chest started to glow, right over his wound. Against my better judgment, I grew concerned. I didn’t care about him, of course, but I couldn’t let him die yet. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “You’re already helping, just by being here,” he replied without looking at me. “Don’t worry about it for now. I’m almost done.”

  I bit my lower lip, anxiety trickling down my spine and making my wings vibrate. Since Cain didn’t need assistance from me right now, I looked around, making sure no one had approached. Demogorgon was powerful in his own right and very useful, but he had his limits.

  Ironically, I didn’t detect anything, but Demogorgon did. Less than a minute later, he returned to my side, in a complete panic.

  “They’re here. They’re hunting you!”

  “Who’s here, Gorgon?” I asked him.

  “The Watchers. Your… lovers.”

  The way he said that word spoke volumes of his opinion of them. I wondered why he’d never told me about my true identity back in The Celestial Realm. He’d apologized for his deception and like I’d told him then, I didn’t blame him for his choice. But it was still an odd decision, since he’d known my Watchers had killed me. I’d have to ask him about it later, when we weren’t on the run.

  For the moment, I focused on the only thing that mattered right now, our escape. “Cain! Now would be a good time to wrap up what you’re doing.”

  “Thirty seconds,” he shouted at me. “Stall them.”

  That, I could do. As the angels burst into the plaza, I allowed my power to expand into a deceptively pleasant aura.

  I had to be careful about this, since none of my magic—or theirs—could touch Cain’s ritual circle. I wasn’t too confident in my ability to do that for too long, but I could manage thirty seconds.

  As expected, my Watchers were leading the charge, together with Michael and Zadkiel. I narrowed my eyes at the small group, already noticing the conspicuous absences.

  Kemuel and Azrael would have wanted to come after me too. That meant there was another team of angels nearby, possibly targeting Cain.

  I ushered Gorgon to watch over Cain. Invisible to the angels’ eyes, he slithered to the ritual circle while I faced my lovers-turned-enemies.

  “Well, well,” I drawled. “If it isn’t The Celestial Realm’s newest enforcers. I can’t say I’m surprised you managed to find me. You were always so efficient, even when you served another master.”

  “Delilah, if you’ll just let us explain,” Yeqon said pleadingly. “It’s not what you think.”

  “It’s exactly what I think and we all know it,” I told him. I crossed my arms over my chest, surreptitiously letting my magic surge over the edges of the plaza. “But go ahead. Give me your excuses.”

  I didn’t want to hear them out, but it would work better than fighting them outright. Besides, I was curious what they’d come up with. Maybe their stupidity and lies would help me get over the lingering traces of my affection for them.

  “We didn’t set out to deceive you,” Sariel said slowly. “In the beginning, we didn’t know about your history with The Infernal Realm either. We began to suspect after the incident with Ariel, but we never knew for sure.”

  “It was only when Demogorgon showed up, after the confrontation with Lucifer, that we accepted the truth,” Azazel added.

  I snorted. “Accepted the truth. Because the truth is so horrible. Can’t you hear yourselves? What right do you have to deem me inferior, when you’ve done so many awful things in Lucifer’s service?”

  “That’s not what he said, Delilah,” Michael offered softly. “We never thought you were inferior, never.”

  Looking at him, I wished I could believe him. I’d wanted to help him so badly, to give him a family, to heal him from the pain of having to fight his own son. I’d been so naive.

  “Really? You, of all people, should have known. You came to Watcher Academy specifically to keep an eye on me.”

  “The Supreme Being doesn’t always explain why I have to do something. You know that, Delilah.”

  “And you expect me to believe that an archangel with your experience suspected nothing? Please. Don’t make me laugh.”

  As I spoke, I was very tempted to turn and look at Cain. Surely, thirty seconds must have passed by now. But I held back, knowing I had to keep my promise and protect the ritual circle.

  “I made a mistake,” Michael said. “I admit it. You’re just… You’re so different. I was weak.”

  “So was I, for deliberately ignoring everything that was wrong,” I replied. “Look. I don’t hate you. I won’t deny that I probably deserved what happened to me when I was Satan. But I’m also not kind enough to just let it slide. And no matter how tired I am, I have enough self-preservation left to not give someone who’s already betrayed me a chance to do it again.”

  In the end, that was what this was all about. Leaving aside my own grief, I had to be practical. We were on two different paths and we always had been, from the very beginning.

  Sariel clenched his hands into fists. “We tried. We tried to earn you a pardon. But it didn’t work.”

  “You could have tried something else or just let me out yourselves.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore. It was a long time ago. Just keep your distance from me and we’re even.”

  My lovers looked like they still wanted to protest, but they didn’t get the chance. At the other side of the plaza, an archon broke the protective aura I’d painstakingly tried to surround us with.

  Three other angels were with him, all of them in their inhuman forms. This was just great.

  Gorgon couldn’t hope to fight them off, and even if he’d been inclined to try, it would be very easy for them to destroy the ritual circle. Fuck.

  Extracting several of my feathers, I tossed them at the intruders in a barrage of sharp, lethal projectiles. I wasn’t surprised when Kemuel destroyed most of them. In fact, I’d been counting on it.

  The feathers reacted to his magic just like they had to the transport point. They exploded, sending the celestial beings flying back.

  It was only a small delay and they recovered quickly. But it was long enough for me to do what I needed—for Cain to complete his task.

  Cain shot to his feet and extended his hand toward me. “Delilah! Come!”

  I ran toward him and wrapped my wings around us both. Gorgon jumped with us into the ritual circle.

  The symbols flared and I felt a dark power begin to drag me away. And then, my lovers’ familiar voices echoed in my ears.

  “Delilah, don’t! Don’t go with him. Please!” Sariel.

  “We can still fix this.” Azazel.

  “Stay!” Michael.

  “We love you.” Yeqon.

  Even knowing it was only a trick, I couldn’t help but turn toward them. It was a mistake. The moment I looked at them, a strange power swept over me. I tasted betrayal in my mouth and knew no more.

  Cain’s Quest

  When I’d come to Delilah, seeking aid, I’d known it was dangerous. Wounded animals were always the most lethal ones, and I was taking a huge chance by testing her resolve.

  She’d surprised me. I hadn’t expected her to reach for me, or to want to share her body with me. I knew it hadn’t been about me at all—we didn’t have that kind of relationship—but I didn’t mind.

  Her touch had cleared my head more than The Supreme Being ever could. Maybe he’d known that all along, the bastard.

  I didn’t bother hoping we could have more. Our sexual chemistry was irreleva
nt and didn’t change the fact that I was dying. I just had to complete this one, last task, and then, I’d be able to let go.

  Everything went very wrong, very quickly.

  It all happened so fast. I pulled Delilah into the ritual circle that was supposed to take us to The In-Between. She came willingly, and when she threw her arms and her wings around me, her power blended with mine.

  It was beautiful. She was beautiful. I wanted to hold her forever, to treasure her like she deserved.

  But those bastards stopped us before we could make our escape. Tempting lies spilled from their lips. “We love you,” they said, and Delilah hesitated.

  Even then, even when she looked back, I didn’t expect it to have the effect it did. After seeing Delilah with her lovers, during our first meeting, I’d gotten the impression that they really did care about her.

  I’d clearly been wrong, because the next thing I knew, Delilah turned into a pillar of salt.

  The enchantment was a favorite of certain members of The Heavenly Host. I despised it, because it fed on something that should have never been considered sinful—deep emotions of longing and regret.

  It had next to no effect on angelic beings, because very few of them could experience that. But humans and demons were different. I wanted to scream, because once again, someone dear to me had been punished for feeling emotion.

  “Delilah!” Gorgon screeched by my side. “Mistress! No!”

  He was incoherent with grief and already lunging out of the ritual circle in an attempt to avenge Delilah. I had other priorities.

  Left without the main source of its power, the ritual circle started to go out of control. Cursing, I used the fading traces of my magic to suffocate the embers of the spell I’d created.

  There was no way Delilah could survive any kind of magical transportation, not when she was like this. The transformation could still be reversed, especially since she was a divine being now. But if she suffered too much damage, her soul would be lost all over again.