by Amy Sumida
“Then this is our best bet,” Lilith declared. “Will you help us trap him?”
“Of course, we will,” Azrael said immediately. “I will have my scythe positioned right above the body you possess. As soon as Katila leans over you to claim your soul, I'll take his.”
Lilith smiled at Azrael and then at her husband. “See? Easy as pie.”
“I wish I could do this for you,” Samael growled.
“I'm sorry, babe; only demons can possess people,” Lilith said as she took his hand.
“Demons and people who steal their power,” I muttered as Trevor returned with the drinks.
“What?” Lilith asked.
“I was about to tell you why we've been so busy,” I said. “Katila possessed Trevor. We assume that he gained the ability from the demon souls he destroyed. Oh, and I just found out that Katila inherited his father's death magic too; that's the reason he's able to use the Pasha.”
“Ability or not, how could he possess you?” Samael asked Trevor in shock. “Demons can't possess other gods.”
“I gave a part of my soul to Vervain when we bonded,” Trevor explained as he handed out the drinks. “But she isn't Froekn so she never gave me a part of her soul in return.”
“You had a hole he could slip into,” Samael whispered.
“It's fixed now,” I said. “I'm sorry we've let it distract us. We should have called you this morning.”
“I should have called,” Azrael added. “I'm sorry, Samael.”
“I understand.” Samael held up his hand. “No apology necessary. Family comes first.”
“Thank you,” Azrael murmured.
“Just help me protect my wife,” Sam said to Az. “My stubborn, amazing wife.”
Lilith smiled softly at her husband.
“I will,” Azrael said. “You know that I'm invested in this too.”
“I don't want to tell Lucifer about our plan,” Samael said suddenly. “He'll want to be there, and then he'll try to take over. Not to mention, he'll want to tell the demons, and Lilith doesn't want our children to know what she's doing.”
“They'll try to step in and possess the woman for me,” Lilith said. “And the whole point is to protect them.”
“I understand,” Azrael said. “We can tell my father after we've killed Katila.”
“When are you going to begin the possession?” I asked.
“Right after we leave,” Lilith said.
“Where will you leave your body?” I asked.
“In our home.”
“I'll have some of the angels watch over her,” Samael said. “She'll be safe. It's not her body that I'm worried about.”
“Sam,” Lilith said gently.
Samael cleared his throat and continued brusquely, “I'll come by to fetch all of you tomorrow morning. Then we can set up a watch in the house and guard Lilith until Katila takes the bait.”
“All right,” I agreed. “Be careful, Lilith. I also made Katila more insane.”
“You what?” Her eyes widened.
“I was trying to use my magic against him.” I waved my hand. “Never mind; the point is, he's really going to be acting erratically and irrationally.”
“His desire for power will focus him,” Lilith said confidently. “In that, I think we can expect certain behavior. We know that he won't be able to resist the allure of my demon soul, and we know he has to approach the possessed woman to collect it. So, he will come, and he will come close. That's all we need.”
“I hope you're right,” I said grimly.
Chapter Forty-Three
The next morning, Samael showed up bright and early. Azrael would be staying at the house in France with Samael and Lilith until Katila was caught, but the rest of us would be taking shifts. The first shift would be Odin, Trevor, Re, fifteen Intare, and myself.
Samael had a picture of the house on his phone and that was all we needed to trace there. After arriving, we checked out the house and the surrounding area before settling in. It was a traditional French country house with a little garden out back and enough acreage between it and its neighbors to ensure that any battle sounds wouldn't be heard. There were four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen to cover.
We planned on staying invisible until the fighting began. A couple of lions were stationed outside and the rest of us were spread throughout the house. Azrael and Samael would be with Lilith the entire time, but we wanted to make sure that if Katila pulled something unexpected, we could counter it.
Lilith was being kind to her host; there was no reason not to be. She might have to put on a show when Katila arrived, but she had prepared her host's mother for that. The old woman seemed sturdy and capable, with a stern resolve that reeked of desperation. She had a beautiful home and seemed to be well-off, but I had the feeling that things weren't so perfect below the surface. How could they be? People don't barter with the Devil for funsies. But, whatever her reasons were, the woman kept them to herself and handled herself with the composure of a survivor. I hoped that she and her daughter survived this as well.
“The local priest just called,” Samael said as he strode into the bedroom. “They've got an exorcist who just so happened to have come to town this morning. He's on his way.”
“That was fast,” I muttered as everyone jumped into action.
I shouldn't have been surprised; it had only taken a few hours for Katila to find his last victim. Put into that light, he was late.
Lilith ran to the bathroom and mussed up her hair and then splashed water on her face; ruining her make-up. She looked horrid when she crawled back onto the bare bed. The room was already prepared; broken items strewn about, curtains torn and hanging lopsidedly, and blankets cast aside. Basically, it looked nearly as bad as Lilith.
I turned to Trevor and saw the Wolf. Not just in the background; he was in control. Trevor knew he needed the Wolf's predator nature now, and he'd given him free rein. I smiled at him, and the Wolf pulled me into a quick, searing kiss.
“This time he dies,” the Wolf whispered in my ear. “We strike with Azrael, and we kill him together.”
I nodded and eased back against the wall. The Wolf drew away from me slowly; holding my hand until the distance became too great. Then we all settled into our places and went invisible.
When the knock finally came at the front door, we were ready and waiting. Azrael was posed behind the headboard; scythe looming over Lilith's head. Samael was at the foot of the bed, Odin was to the left, Re waited near the door, and I was to the right with the Wolf.
The possessed woman's mother led Katila into the room; muttering things in French with a worried tone. She even wrung her hands. Not bad; although, I'm sure most of her anxiety was real. She knew what Katila really was, and that we'd—hopefully—be killing him soon. One way or another, there was about to be a murder in her home.
Beside the quivering woman, Katila was dressed in a Catholic priest's robe and clutched a bible to his chest. Around his neck there hung a golden rope instead of the normal priest stole. It had the shine of magic to it. I fastened my eyes on it; it had to be the Pasha. If I could snatch that cord as Azrael swung, victory would be guaranteed.
I eased in behind Katila as he moved toward the bed. He was speaking to the mother in French so I didn't understand him, but it sounded like your basic reassurances. Katila motioned her out of the room—I was glad for that—and then closed the door and locked it. His eyes had an insane gleam to them as he approached Lilith. She was moaning and growling and foaming at the mouth; gross enough to fool me. When Katila got close, she spat at him and pulled her legs to her chest defensively.
“I know who you are,” she hissed. “You aren't getting my soul, you bastard!”
Katila laughed in surprise, which was just what we were hoping for. We wanted to reassure him and throw him off his game at the same time. He'd never think that we'd acknowledge who he was if we were there to trap him.
“So, you know what I'
m here for,” Katila said as he eased closer. “And you know that you're not strong enough to fight me; especially not in that body.”
“You'll have to catch me first,” Lilith growled as she crouched; looking as if she were preparing to run.
Katila tossed the bible aside and stalked closer; slipping the cord from his neck. I grimaced at that; I'd missed my chance to disarm him. I shouldn't have waited. Perhaps I could still pull it from his grasp. I moved closer.
“I'm faster than you,” Katila taunted Lilith. “Go ahead and try it; I'll have you before you make it five inches.”
Katila dove for Lilith. Azrael swung; coming into view so the rest of us could see his scythe and avoid it. I reached for the cord as Samael reached for Katila's back; to make sure he didn't dodge the scythe. Re blasted Katila with blinding light. Odin and the Wolf dove for Katila's legs; the Wolf shifting into a werewolf as he went.
All of that happened in the blink of an eye, and another eye blink later, Katila was still alive.
Katila allowed himself to be pushed but went further with it; smashing into Lilith as he ducked beneath Azrael's scythe. We had all dropped our invisibility so we didn't get in each other's way, but this meant that Katila could avoid us too. When I pulled on the Pasha, he tightened his grip and allowed me to pull him with it; swinging out of the pile-up just as Azrael was lifting his scythe for another swipe. Odin punched out with his fists while Samael leapt forward, but Katila was already crashing back into me like a ball on an elastic string.
Katila pinned me face-down beneath him and deftly wrapped the Pasha around my neck. He rolled so that I was laid atop him, and everyone went still.
“As if I didn't expect this.” Katila laughed madly. “All you've done is deliver my queen to me.”
Katila pushed me up and got us on our feet.
“You hurt her, and your death will be agonizingly slow,” Azrael vowed.
Re caught my gaze and smiled. He could burn Katila to ashes and it wouldn't hurt me at all. I'm fire-proof just like him. But I subtly shook my head at him; I had other plans.
Katila tightened the cord around my neck as he laughed again; spittle hitting my cheek. I could feel a burning zip of magic within the rope; pressing at me as if it knew the largest soul meal it would ever encounter was laid right before it. It was salivating and sharpening its knives. But my star was finally responding, and its light radiated out to the cord; blocking its hungry intentions. Katila didn't notice, but then he wasn't intending on using the Pasha on me anyway. Not on his queen.
“I won't hurt her unless you force me to,” Katila said. “I'm saving her from all of you. Even now, she trembles to be so close to me.” He rubbed his face against mine as his free hand pulled me tightly against his erection. “Soon, my dearest. I will take you home, and we will consummate our love.”
Damn, this bastard was bonkers. But insanity had worked in my favor after all. A sane man wouldn't have grabbed the most vicious beast in the room and tried to mate with her. He wouldn't have tied a magic cord around her neck without intending to use it. And he wouldn't have taken his focus off her for one tiny second.
“You'll never take my soul, Death Angel.” Katila glanced at Samael. “Neither of you. I am the soul harvester now.” His grip slackened as he snarled at the men. “I am the soul-eater!”
“Keep your pathetic soul,” I growled as I shifted a hand into a claw. “I just want your heart.”
I swung around—the Pasha rubbing a raw line into my throat—and punched my talons into Katila's belly; straight up and behind his rib cage to his heart. The Wolf sensed my intentions as soon as I started to move, and he was there in a second. His claws wrapped around Katila's throat just as my fingers wrapped around that evil heart. I will never forget the look of horror and confusion on Katila's face as the Wolf and I tore him apart together.
“You may have become a soul-eater, but I'm a dragon,” I snarled at Katila as he died. “I'm a man-eater.”
I had planned on taking a bite of Katila's heart as he took his dying breaths and then begging him to stick around while I finished it, but without his heart and throat, Katila had died too quickly to taut. Also, I wasn't in dragon form or even half-dragon form, and the thought of eating a human heart was revolting. So, I opted for crushing it instead. The Wolf dropped Katila's body as if it were trash.
“Well, that was a bit anticlimactic,” I noted as I tossed the remnants of Katila's heart onto his corpse.
“I found it very satisfying,” the Wolf growled and grinned.
Everyone else just stared at us in shock. And then the house started to shake.
Chapter Forty-Four
A crack of thunder announced the arrival of another god, or a goddess, rather.
Just behind Katila's body, a woman traced in. She had her four arms splayed out aggressively upon arrival; each one holding a nasty looking-blade. Her dark hair was wild and tangled around her shoulders and her dark eyes were focused on me. She was dressed in barbarian-chic; pieces of leather held on by gold chains that glistened on her sandalwood skin. Her massive breasts were heaving and her thick thighs were set apart in a battle stance. She stuck her long, red tongue out at me like she thought she was Gene Simmons.
Her stare dropped to my bloody arm. “Godhunter, you will die today.”
“Get back into your body!” Samael shoved Lilith onto the bed, and the motion seemed to send her soul out of her host.
A shimmer rose from the human woman, her eyes focused on us, and she began to scream.
“Get out!” Samael pointed to the window. “Now!”
The woman scurried over the ledge and out to safety.
As all of this was happening, my lovers gathered around me, and I shifted into my half-dragon form. My stomach rumbled, and I wished that I hadn't wasted Katila's heart. My burning stare lowered to the mangled organ, and my mouth started to water. It was only a little squished; that wouldn't change the flavor.
“Do you hear me?!” The goddess—who could only be Dhumorna—roared.
“Huh?” I looked up at her. “Oh, sorry; I was contemplating eating your son's heart. He was an evil bastard but that rarely taints the meat.”
Dhumorna screeched and rushed me.
The room exploded with magic and the clash of weapons. Re's sun magic flared out; the blast taking off one of Dhumorna's ears and all of her hair. Simultaneously, Dhumorna's blades sparked off my claws as I deflected some of her blows. Odin spear took care of another Dhumorna hand, and Trevor straight-up bit her last wrist; tearing her hand completely off. Dhumorna screamed and twirled; turning into a living Cuisinart.
We all backed away as she moved forward like the Tasmanian Devil. It seemed like a manic motion, but her weapons were positioned to do damage. Blood from the stump of her wrist sprayed out; splattering the walls and all of us. I may have opened my mouth for a little taste; waste not, want not.
Azrael swung his scythe into the goddess whirlwind and was knocked back by the sheer force of her gyrations. Samael—God's Wrath Made Flesh—swept forward; his wings opening with a crack of thunder and the angelic script on his cheek glowing pale green. Suddenly, eyes sprouted all over Samael's body, and every one of them focused on Dhumorna.
The air went thick with magic. If I'd still had hair on my arms, they would have stood on end. Sam's dozens of snake eyes were glowing; some of them right through his clothing (which is how I knew he was covered in the things). He was sending out some powerful snake-eye-juju. I was glad I wasn't the one on the receiving end of all those stares.
Dhumorna stopped spinning and stared at Samael transfixed. Sam smiled smugly and drew a wicked blade from his belt. We all stepped back to give him room to kill her; just in case he was about to do something else weird with those eyeballs. But as soon as Dhumorna was within his reach, she grinned evilly and lifted her three, uninjured arms. Samael's eyes widened in surprise; turning his whole body into an enormous expression of shock. He moved to stab her, but Dhumorna's blades
were already descending, and it was three against one.
Suddenly, Dhumorna was knocked away; sent tumbling into the far wall with another body. They crashed apart, and a demoness stood to confront Dhumorna. The female demon was voluptuous and sexy, with long, red hair and bedroom eyes the color of young acorns. A massive pair of ebony horns spiraled back from her forehead and an even larger pair of wings swept up from her shoulders. She raised hands tipped in razor-sharp claws that were already dripping with her enemy's blood and licked them (I'm not the only one who likes a mid-fight snack).
“Sweet succubus; it's Lilith,” I whispered.
The Mother of Demons faced off with the Destroyer of Demons; the two women circling each other like gladiators in some kind of alien arena for MILFs (Mothers I'd like to fight). Samael started forward, but his wife slashed a hand at him; succinctly telling him to stay out of it.
“You went after my children,” Lilith hissed. “Big mistake, baldy.”
Yeah; Dhumorna's head was healing from the burns Re had given her, but it wasn't growing hair yet. The insult didn't seem to bother the Destroyer; this was a straight-up killer who couldn't care less how she looked so long as she won.
“Your people killed my husband,” Dhumorna growled. “And now, you've killed my son. You will die along with your friends, and then I will slaughter every last demon in existence. I will—”
Lilith cut Dhumorna off—literally. She sliced out with her claws and severed one of Dhumorna's arms; one of the good ones that still held a blade.
“You're the one who will be dying today,” Lilith declared. “But it will be slow. As slow as your son's death should have been.”
I grimaced at the Wolf, and he shrugged. Oh well, what was done, was done. Next time, we'd kill our enemy slower.
Lilith slashed again—the blow deflected by Dhumorna's blade—but she quickly followed up with a downward swing, and that one lopped off another of Dhumorna's arms.