by Eva Brandt
Alyssa’s epilepsy had always been something difficult for her to handle. She’d almost died, several times, before she’d become a demon. I’d thought it wouldn’t be possible for her to go through that experience again, but primordial demons lived to break the rules.
Alyssa was seizing so badly her lovers couldn’t risk approaching her. “When did it start?” Lucifer asked. “How long has she been like this?”
“A minute, if that,” Mikael replied, turning toward us. It was only then that he noticed my presence. The moment he saw me, his eyes flashed with protective fury. “Lucifer, what is he doing here?”
“He’s come to help,” Lucifer said. “Or so he claims.”
“You can’t possibly think he’s telling the truth,” Callum Adamson offered, pinning me with a cold gaze. I felt his incubus power testing me, seeking out any sign of deception.
With a scowl, I batted the wave of magic away. “Now isn’t the time to fight. My brother and I have a deal. I’ll try to help. So get out of the way, or let your realm and your lover fall apart.”
“Do it,” Lucifer said. “We have no choice. I can’t fix this and neither can you.”
“Fine,” Mikael said icily. Turning toward me, he spat, “But know this, Father. If you don’t keep your word…”
I didn’t bother waiting for him to finish his threat. We’d already wasted enough time in futile conversation. “Move, child,” I said, pushing him aside.
It took me a good minute to work my way through Alyssa’s hostile magic, but at last, I knelt at her bedside and took her hand. Healing had always come easy to me, but this was one session I couldn’t rush. If I pushed too hard, in the wrong direction, my magic could have the opposite effect and burn her. And there was no telling how she’d retaliate.
At the same time, I was working under pressure. Her volatile power was still trying to attack me and for a few seconds, when our hands touched, I was seized by the uncontrollable urge to just give up, to abandon everything and die already.
There was no point in any of this, no point in trying and fighting.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I forced myself to focus. I couldn’t fully shake off the haze of despair, but I had to keep my promise.
“If there is no hope,” I said, “I’ll create it.”
I didn’t expect a reply from anyone in the room, but maybe Mikael understood what I was doing. “Yes,” he said, a little calmer now. “If there is no hope, we’ll create it.”
Even now, when we were at odds with each other, my son’s voice helped me, reminding me of what I’d been fighting for. Today, my fight was different, but that didn’t make it any less important.
I was here for Delilah, but I would have come anyway, if Mikael had asked. This woman held the key to his happiness in her hands. I might hate her for what she’d done to Delilah, but as a parent, I had to give her a second chance.
My divine magic responded to that decision and slowly slid into Alyssa’s body. It took forever. I had to backtrack at least ten different times, because her demon physiology was fighting me every step of the way.
But in the end, my persistence paid off and I figured out what had happened. Mikael and Lucifer had done a good job in removing all the traces of Demogorgon’s venom from her body. But by the time they’d done so, he’d already sunk his hooks into her brain. Her demonic healing skills had worked against her, burying the lingering traces of his power so deep they hadn’t been able to reach it.
Interestingly enough, her convulsions weren’t because of epilepsy at all. It was just the way her body responded to Demogorgon’s poison.
“This is going to be unpleasant,” I said. “I have to force some of her previous injuries open to weed him out completely.”
“I thought that might have been it, but I couldn’t tell,” Lucifer mumbled. “All right, but be careful.”
“Please,” Mikael added, that lone word soft and broken.
It was a testament to his desperation that he’d chosen to put his faith in me. If things had been different, if any other person had been lying on this bed, I doubted the word ‘please’ would have ever left his lips. But she was special to him, just like Delilah was special to me.
“I’ll do my best,” I promised. “But it would be better if you stepped out. Lucifer can stay to help me.”
I could tell they wanted to protest, but after a brief exchange, they decided to go along with it. Mikael and Callum left and Lucifer knelt on Alyssa’s other side.
So far, I had stopped her seizures, but it was only a temporary respite. To heal her, I’d have to break her.
Pulling back slightly, I shot my brother a hesitant look. “She’s stable for now. But there’s a problem. I’m not sure she’ll be able to remain the Vessel of Hope, not right now at least.”
I expected him to start arguing with me, to accuse me that I was a liar. After all, The Celestial Realm had always wanted to take control of the Power of Hope. But he didn’t.
“I was afraid of this,” he said instead, his shoulders slumping.
“You’re not surprised.”
“No, of course not. Once Hope went missing, it became obvious that in her current state, Alyssa isn’t compatible with holding the power she’s supposed to have. But she was born to be the Vessel of Hope. It’s not like she can just give it up, not without dying at least.”
He was right, and I didn’t have a real solution for it, nothing beyond what we’d already spoken about. “Maybe if we can’t fix it, your daughter can. Come on. We’ve bought Alyssa some time. We have to make good use of it.”
As I spoke, the disembodied souls of my Watcher lovers manifested in the room. The perfect glowing spheres danced around me, nudging each other in an almost whimsical way. Lucifer’s eyes widened. “Ah. I see how it is now. Okay, Michael. We can work with this. I might have a perfect ritual for this situation.”
At his reply, the spheres stopped moving. A voice echoed through the air. “Just be advised, Brightest Star, that we’re only doing this for Delilah. If you try to break your word, our past allegiances won’t keep us from destroying you.”
I couldn’t identify the person who’d spoken—maybe because the words had come from the three Watchers at the same time. Lucifer was more powerful than every other angel, but even so, this gave him pause.
“I’m not afraid of you,” he said, “but I’ll uphold my part of the bargain anyway. We both want the same thing, don’t we? For our loved ones to be safe. As long as you can guarantee that, you won’t have any problems with me.”
I knew better than to think it would be so easy, but I set the issue aside for now. “Okay then. Let’s do this. For Alyssa and Delilah’s sake, we’ll work together. Let’s hope it’s enough.”
Cain’s Choice
“Oh, Cain. I wish you took better care of yourself. This just won’t do. It won’t do at all.”
I sat on the chair in the cottage and watched my mother fuss over me, just like she had when I’d been a child. I was still a little dazed and unsure what to do. I’d come here for a very specific purpose and it didn’t include this reunion with my mother and Lilith.
“We have to treat your injuries,” she said. “Who inflicted this crazy curse on you?”
The question snapped me out of my trance, reminding me of Delilah and of everything I was hiding. “Never mind that now,” I told my mother. “How is this possible? How are you back? Have you been here the whole time?”
My mother shook her head. “You know it’s dangerous for a soul to stay here for too long and my situation was unique. Lilith and I had help.”
“Abel?” I guessed.
“Of course,” Lilith answered in my mother’s stead. “Your brother did a very good job in tracking us down. You made the right choice when you brought him back.”
Something about her tone put me on the edge. I remembered how well Lilith knew me and how easily she could manipulate emotions.
I had to be careful around her. She wasn
’t aware of my connection to Delilah, but she must have felt Delilah’s magic on me. She could make accurate guesses, and that wouldn’t end well.
“I’m glad,” I said softly. “I admit I had my doubts.”
“I know that,” my mother said, cupping my cheek gently. “I’m proud of you for surpassing your fears, Cain. I know I always placed a heavy burden on your shoulders. But now that we’re together, we can finally be a family again and take back the power we were born to have.”
It was what I’d always wanted, so why did the suggestion make me feel so leery? Why did my skin crawl when I thought about obeying her?
I wasn’t sure, but either way, I couldn’t seem too compliant. Lilith would never buy it. “Is Lucifer’s spawn useful to us somehow?”
“She’s very useful,” Lilith explained. “Technically, Hope Morningstar isn’t Lucifer’s biological child. She is Mikael’s daughter, and through him, she has symbiote blood. Through Alyssa Michaelis, she has a mortal lineage. It’s really quite interesting. Lucifer might not have done it on purpose, but his spouse brought into being the first creature that truly unifies the three realms.”
I’d been so busy seeing Mikael as a Prince of Hell and Alyssa as his queen that I’d completely forgotten that little tidbit. Of course it made a difference. Fuck.
“And what do you plan on doing with her?”
“It’s quite simple. We will use the child to extract the Power of Hope from Alyssa Michaelis,” my mother answered. “After that, I can take it back.”
I’d done a lot of questionable things throughout my life, but none of them had involved eating an innocent baby. I tried to control my revulsion, but I must have failed, because Lilith shot me a knowing look.
“Don’t be like that, Cain. You know as well as I do that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”
The analogy was the worst possible one considering my mother’s future plans, but knowing Lilith, that was on purpose. “Is that supposed to be funny? Because I’m not laughing.”
“I didn’t expect you to laugh, my dear,” my mother answered. “I just want you to accept it.”
Truthfully, it shouldn’t have been such a big deal. Once, when I’d been at The Academy of the Devil, I’d arranged for my mother to do something similar to Alyssa. It had been gruesome, but I’d acknowledged it as necessary.
Hope was only a baby, but that didn’t change my personal history and goals.
“You’re right, of course. It’s just a little unexpected.”
My mother sighed. “Yes, I would have preferred to not have to do something like this. But Cain, this is my last chance. We have to strike now, while the iron is still hot. The first Satan has dealt Alyssa a heavy blow. We won’t be so lucky in the future.”
It was the first time Delilah had been mentioned in the conversation. I frowned, suppressing the restlessness and anguish building in my heart. “She might still help us if we find her. She didn’t take recent revelations well.”
“I take it that’s why she agreed to lend you a hand?” Lilith offered.
I nodded. “That, and she had no one else to turn to. She was very angry. She’d have come along, but she was turned into salt right before I came here.”
“I despise that enchantment,” Lilith replied, curling her lip. “Celestial beings always use it only on women, as if we’re impure just because we have vaginas.”
I wasn’t touching that with a ten-foot pole. For all I knew, she was right, although I got the feeling Kemuel hadn’t cared about Delilah’s gender when he’d cast the spell. She wasn’t a person for Kemuel, not really. She was a weapon, a thing. And Lilith and my mother felt the same.
I got up and shot Lilith a quick smile. “Don’t worry about it. They’ll never get to use it on you. I won’t let them.”
It was exactly what I’d have said under normal circumstances, displaying the perfect amount of protectiveness I’d always felt toward them. I allowed myself to feel that same desire to protect. There was just one difference. This time, the emotion was toward Delilah.
Lilith didn’t realize that and she relaxed, content that my dispute with Abel wouldn’t interfere with their plans. “I appreciate it, Cain,” she said. “And I suppose you’re right. It doesn’t really matter in her case.”
The biting retort was on my lips. I wanted to point out how foolish and irresponsible that comment was. Fortunately, I held back, and the door to the cottage opened, interrupting our exchange.
“Oh, brother, I see you’ve decided to do us the honor of gracing us with your presence,” Abel said from the doorway. “I didn’t think you’d be willing, after our last meeting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I told him. “I’ve done far crazier things for Mother’s sake.”
“He’s not wrong about that,” Fara offered as she soundlessly glided into the room.
She was carrying Hope, cradling the child in her arms with striking gentleness. It was a little disgusting, considering the baby’s intended fate. Then again, maybe I was being a little short-sighted about this.
Hope was Fara’s granddaughter and Fara had said many times that she wanted to protect her family. How was she okay with this? Surely, she realized Mikael wouldn’t take it well. And why wasn’t Lilith considering the possibility of her betraying us?
The question troubled me, but I couldn’t ask outright. So, instead, I focused on the main reason we were here. “Have you made all the preparations for the ritual? With Satan gone, The Celestial Realm might not be distracted for much longer.”
“We’re aware of that, but we also can’t rush. This can only work because of Alyssa is weakened, and we’re waiting for her to truly reach her limit.”
That made sense, although I got the feeling there was more to it than that. Abel confirmed my guess. “Besides, having a Vessel of Hope that is completely out of control is destroying The Infernal Realm from within. It would be foolish to stop Alyssa now.”
A shiver ran down my spine. This could be very problematic. I’d been around Alyssa Michaelis long enough to know what kind of damage she could do. It was entirely possible for her to destroy the realm she had sworn to lead and protect.
A memory of the words written above the gates of The Academy of the Devil drifted into my mind. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
I’d long ago abandoned hope, but thinking back, Alyssa might have returned it to me. It might have been part of the reason why I’d decided to try again, after all these years of failure. I’d felt all over the place after I’d lost contact with her, but I’d overcome it. Alyssa’s consorts and minions might not be so lucky.
I needed to go back to my plan and return Hope to her mother. I couldn’t make my move immediately, though. It was too dangerous. If I tried, I might end up hurting the brat in the process.
“That’s fair enough. Are you planning on taking over The Infernal Realm then, Abel?”
“Of course not.” Abel snorted. “I don’t have the patience for something like that. But Lilith would make a great queen of Hell. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I did and I didn’t. Lilith was intelligent, perceptive, and knowledgeable about demons. She was also the one who’d saved hope itself when it had almost been destroyed. But unfortunately, the throne of Hell was occupied, so unless Lucifer was willing to step down again—which I doubted—there was no way Lilith could get what she wanted.
This would all mean a war larger than I’d even anticipated. But I smiled and nodded anyway. “She was practically a queen already when we were teachers.”
Lilith laughed. “Now you’re just flattering me. But don’t worry. I don’t mind.”
At that moment, I wished so very badly that things had been different, that they’d taken another path, that I’d made other choices. But we hadn’t and as much as I hated it, this put us at odds with one another.
“You’re not wrong in saying we should hurry, though,” Fara intervened. “Perhaps we should take advantage of the chaos
to pursue the second part of the plan.”
“The second part of the plan?” I repeated, dreading what I was about to hear, but determined to see this through to the end.
“Our attack on The Mortal Realm, of course.”
That shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did. At the end of the day, Fara was a demonic symbiote and a lost soul. She had her own interests and desires, beyond that of protecting her son, and she’d never been fond of The Mortal Realm.
Was this why she’d agreed to work with my brother even if it meant hurting her family? I didn’t know, but it was an option.
“I’m on board with hunting down some humans if you’re interested in that sort of thing.”
“That would work well, yes, Cain,” my mother answered. “The state of The Infernal Realm might be a good thing for us, but right now, they’re so disorganized they might not pose a threat to The Celestial Realm. We need to make sure they’re all delayed, long enough for us to go through with the ritual. On the other hand…” She bit her lower lip, uncertain. “I don’t think you should leave The Shadow Realm now. It’s not safe. You’re still hurt.”
“Mother, I’m going to be fine,” I automatically replied. “This curse is nothing. I’ve lived with it for ages.”
“That doesn’t make it better,” she shot back. “Abel, can you deal with this in your brother’s stead?”
Abel licked his lips and smirked. “It would be my absolute pleasure.”
That was when I saw the potential of this situation. My mother, Lilith, and possibly even Fara and Abel thought I was weakened by my condition. In fact, if I wasn’t mistaken, they planned on exploiting that. Lilith might have sensed the traces of Delilah’s gift on me, but she was smart enough to realize the remnants of that power wouldn’t endure for too long.
If I stayed here, like this, I’d be swallowed up in the shadows of The In-Between. I looked at my mother and Lilith, and realization dawned.
This might have been my family, the people I’d loved and searched for. But their souls had been twisted and corrupted by The In-Between. Nothing could help them—not the Vessel of Hope, not the divine spark, and not even the Power of Death. Maybe the Demiurge could have, but he wouldn’t intervene.