The Devil You Know

by Jena Gregoire

  She shut her eyes and concentrated, trying to will something familiar to appear, Onyx or her apartment. She even tried to conjure the shower she and Vegas had shared. She forced her mind to study every detail of the memory in an effort to make it materialize in her dream and that's when his voice cracked through the silence.

  “Dirty little thing, aren't you?”

  Deziree's eye snapped open, and standing just a few feet away from her was Asmodeus. He wore a black, three-piece suit, the elegant cut of which contrasted with his true, ugly nature. On anyone else, the suit would have been attractive. On him it looked completely wrong.

  "I didn't think I'd see you here," Dez said.

  "You must have known we’d inevitably meet again," Asmodeus said with a smirk. "Just like the humans you're trying to protect know their inevitable end is coming."

  "Human expecting Hell to spill into their realm? I don't think so," she said, shaking her head.

  "'Apocalypse!' 'The end is near!' Those are their words, not ours, but they do fit, don't they? They know their end is coming, no matter what name they give it. They continue to pray to a god who abandoned them long ago, believing their faith is enough to save them. Even after several millennia, they are still ignorant enough to believe their god is the only one. He’s just one of many who got bored with their playthings and left long ago. But not before banishing my kind to a realm of never-ending misery for nothing more than challenging the merits of the humans’ existence. For them.”

  Utter disgust dripped from his every word. Of the many gods that have existed for millions of years, the one that a large portion of the globe still worshipped was the one that created the Hell dimension. Following an uprising in his own dimension, a handful of angels were banished from his realm and cast into a new world to suffer alone for all of eternity. Religions around the world tweaked the story here and changed a detail there, but the truth was, humans weren’t to blame. It was basically a cosmic power play gone wrong. From the sound of things, demons were sore losers.

  “You guys are seriously still hanging onto that grudge?” she asked. “The humans didn't do that to you.”

  "Why do you defend them? They don't care about anything but themselves. It’s why the old gods abandoned them. The gods weren’t forgotten, they were discarded by an ungrateful creation. The very beings that weaved this universe into existence can't be bothered to save them. Why do you feel compelled to do so?"

  “I'm tied to them," she said, considering letting the truth rip.

  "Tied to them how?" he sneered. "Have you fallen in love with one of their kind?"

  "You haven't figured it out yet? No, I suppose you're too busy plotting the destruction of the world, a plan which will fail, by the way. Don't you feel something when we're close together, or are you too busy raping human women to feel anything?"

  "Raping human women?" He may never have thought of his victims after their crimes had been perpetrated. She could tell her words had forced him to dig deep. His black eyes fixed on her but he remained silent for a moment before continuing. "I suppose you're the unfortunate offspring of a demon-human copulation."

  She tipped her head and shrugged her shoulders.

  "You're not mine, are you?" He chuckled. "Oh that's rich!” She let her silence do the talking. “This is going to be fun.” With his final words, he vanished from the void and another voice broke through.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Michael

  Michael gently shook Deziree's shoulder. He had come into the room the night before only to find her in such a deep sleep she never even stirred when he crawled in to the bed with her. He had decided to just let her sleep until it was time to get ready to leave. Now that they were ready to leave for the island, he was having trouble waking her.

  “Dez,” he said, placing a kiss on her cheek. “It's time to get up.”

  She finally started to come out of her near-comatose state and he breathed a small sigh of relief. She stretched and groaned her displeasure at having to wake up. She blinked her eyes at the brightness of the sun streaming in through the windows.

  “You must have been wiped. You've been out for about nineteen hours straight.”

  “How is that possible?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and Michael held out a coffee for her. "Thanks."

  “The coffee is really good here,” he said. “Everyone is down stairs in the lobby. We'll be ready to go when you are.” He kissed her on top of the head and left the room.

  Michael found their group sitting in the lobby discussing the travel time to get to the island. Kade had his phone out and was studying the map on the screen.

  “We are going to drive from here to Kourou,” he explained. “Devil's Island is about fifteen miles off the coast. We could take the ferry, but those tours come back in the afternoon. If we stayed, we would be stranded on the island until the following day. I think it would be best to rent a boat. We'll figure out the details when we reach port."

  The group split up between three rental cars. Michael, Lucas, and Deziree were in a car by themselves. Once they were on the road, Deziree told them everything about the dream.

  “That explains why you slept for so long,” Michael said. "You couldn't come out until he let you. Just one more reason for me to end this guy."

  Deziree leaned against Vegas, thinking how incredibly lucky she was to have him in her life as a lover, protector, and partner. She had faith that no matter what happened in the hours to come, he'd be right there by her side.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Dez

  They spent the entire afternoon searching for a boat to rent with no luck. As evening started to settle in, they realized they were running out of time. Kade sent one of his men to scout out a boat they could use. A little over an hour later, he returned indicating he had found a boat big enough for the ten of them. The blue and white cabin cruiser was docked at a vacant vacation home. At thirty feet long, the boat had plenty of room for everyone to be comfortable on the trip out to the island and back. When darkness fell like a shroud on the coast, they hotwired the boat and set off into the choppy surf.

  They arrived at the island under full cover of darkness. The tourists were long gone and when Kade shut off the boat’s engines, the only sound was that of the ocean waves bumping against the dock and the rocky shore. They climbed out of the boat and followed the path toward the visitor’s center.

  “I can't see anything,” Dez whispered to Vegas, squinting into the salty breeze.

  He grasped her hand, entwining his fingers with hers and replied, “I can see just fine. Stay with me.” He guided her up the path leading away from the water. Their group walked in silence, the men scanning their surroundings as they went.

  Deziree suddenly felt light-headed. She stopped walking, pulling Vegas to a stop as well.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “I feel strange.” Deziree tried to look around her and could only make out shadows and outlines. The harder she concentrated on trying to see, the clearer her surroundings became until finally she could see everything as if they were in a muted daylight.

  “That’s it,” Vegas said quietly. “Focus everything you have on it.”

  Deziree closed her eyes and felt something building deep in her core. She envisioned it as a sphere of energy, humming, increasing in size with every breath she took. She willed it to grow and grow until it filled her whole body, down to her toes and out to her fingertips.

  She opened her eyes and it was like seeing the world in a whole new light. Every inch and every detail of the world surrounding her was crystal clear, her sense of sight magnified. What had sounded like eerie silence before was now a cacophony of nature.

  “This is amazing,” she said, looking all around her. “I can see and hear everything. Is this what it's like for you?"

  “Basically,” he replied, “but without the black eyes.”

  She fought the impulse to cl
ap her eyes shut in embarrassment. She still wasn't used to the changes her body had undergone.

  “I guess I've got night vision on demand, huh? Another perk of being a half demon. Maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. This could come in really handy on my next job.”

  “Hey, Dez,” Lucas said, “Take a big whiff.”

  Deziree closed her eyes again and inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in all of the scents around her. She could smell every plant and every flower on the island as if they were right in front of her face. Her eyes snapped open. “Demon. I can smell him. We need to go that way,” she said, pointing in the direction of the lighthouse.

  “Let's move,” Kade said, nodding to his six men.

  They came up on the lighthouse and could see a purple glow emanating from behind the weathered stone structure. They crept around until the source of the glow came into view in a clearing well beyond the lighthouse. Asmodeus stood before a shimmering purple orb. The surface undulated and distorted as if something violent was boiling just beneath the surface. A low hum reverberated, growing more intense by the second.

  “You're too late!” Asmodeus said, sensing her without seeing her. A glint caught her eye and she noticed he was holding a knife. Before she realized he was moving, he slashed the knife across his hand.

  Without hesitation, Deziree started walking toward him, pulled her gun from the small of her back, took hasty aim, and pulled the trigger. The first shot hit his shoulder, jerking his body to the side. Her second shot missed.

  He pulled the Sentinel Stone out of his pocket, placing it in his bleeding palm.

  “Patefacio!” he boomed. He plunged his hand into the purple glow as Deziree took another shot. This time, the bullet hit its mark, forcing a path through the side of the demon's skull.

  Asmodeus’s lifeless form dropped to the ground, the hand he had plunged into the roiling sphere was gone, as was the stone. An orange light arced out of the body, hovered in the air and disappeared into the orb.

  The hum coming from the sphere suddenly exploded into loud cracks, and a howling wind whipped around them. Bolts of electricity streaked back and forth across the surface. The liquid began to solidify and take shape. Forms from the other side pushed, stretching it as though it were a membrane.

  “Get back!” Vegas yelled, barely audible over the deafening noise. They all covered their ears, stepping back and bracing themselves. A terrible tearing noise ripped through the night and screams filled the air.

  The gateway was open, a great chasm suspended in the air. Hot wind burst through with hurricane force and the screams grew louder still, transforming into angry shrieks.

  The first demon appeared.

  A boney, charred hand reached out, grabbed the edge of the portal and pulled, yanking the rest of its body through. It stopped, glanced around, and when its eyes landed on the group, it screamed, its body shaking with fury.

  In one fluid motion, Vegas pulled his gun out and fired, hitting the demon in the head with the first shot. The demon dropped from the edge of the portal to the ground and melted into flames of hellfire. The stench of sulfur filled the air.

  “Well,” he yelled, “that answers that question. Aim for the head and don't miss! We have no idea how many of these things are going to come through.”

  A roaring erupted from the portal, giving them only a split-second warning before demons issued forth from the gateway. The entire group opened fire, shooting anything that moved. The demons that weren't hit shifted into black smoke and vanished on the wind.

  Giant, thundering footsteps rumbled from the chasm, shaking the ground beneath them. Suddenly the gateway ripped wider and out stepped a demon well over nine feet tall. Once he was through the portal, he stood up straight and a pair of massive black tattered wings stretched out from his back.

  “Hello again, child.”

  Asmodeus smiled a feral, toothy grin at Deziree and started toward her.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Dez

  “Oh shit,” Dez said in a breathy whisper.

  “Fire!” Kade yelled.

  The sound of gunfire filled the air. Each bullet seemed to do nothing more than infuriate the demon as he stormed toward them. He grabbed one of Kade's men by the throat and ripped his head off.

  “Aim for the head!” Vegas shouted as his empty magazine dropped to the sand and he slammed and full one in its place.

  They continued to fire at the demon's head as he advanced further, grabbing another of Kade's men, twisting his neck and decapitating him, tossing his body aside like common refuse. Dez hit the release on her gun, dropping the empty mag and shoving another spare into place. She fired at the demon's head repeatedly. Shot after shot, the hail of gunfire seemed to go on forever even though it had probably only been a few minutes.

  Finally, the damage they inflicted took a toll. The demon slowed and dropped to one knee, each shot causing his body to jerk. Kade stepped forward and emptied a fresh magazine into Asmodeus's head, and with the last shot, the demon fell to the ground unmoving. The same orange light which had flowed out of his human form now flowed from his demon form, shooting straight into the sky, then it was gone. To be sure he wouldn't get up, they each fired a few more shots into the body and then turned their attention back to the smaller demons advancing on their position.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Lucas

  Lucas moved toward the portal, firing his gun at anything that came through. He only hit about every third demon, the rest smoking out before he could fire a shot into them. He glanced toward the rest of the group. They were putting up a good fight, but he knew there was only one way to stop the flow of demons coming into their world.

  He looked down at his hand and touched Natalia's ring. He felt it deep in his heart, a certainty: he would never find anyone like her again in his life. He was grateful for the time he had shared with her and would cherish every moment they had together.

  He looked back at Michael and Deziree. He was so happy to see his brother finally find love. Having felt that kind of love, even if it was taken away from him prematurely, he couldn't imagine going through an immortal existence without it. He wouldn't allow his brother or Deziree to feel that kind of loss if he could help it. And he could.

  He dropped his gun on the ground and advanced toward the gateway. Time seemed to slow with each step he took. The roar of the hot wind coming from the gateway nearly drowned out every other sound. The gunfire faded into the background. He barely heard Michael scream his name. He turned to see his brother running toward him. He held up a hand and shook his head. Michael stopped running and dropped to his knees.

  “Somebody has to do it! It may as well be me. I found love and I lost her. You have Dez now. Take care of each other.” Lucas gave a small smile and turned back toward the gateway. The sight he saw startled him.

  Natalia stood just inside the gateway smiling at him. He blinked, sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. She silently laughed and held her hand out to him. He thumbed the Claddagh ring. He turned, taking one last look at his brother, who was now accompanied by Dez standing beside him, holding his hand.

  He expected the vision of Natalia to be gone when he turned back, but she was still standing there, hand outstretched with a smile on her face, her beautifully messy chestnut hair only lightly rustling in spite the heavy wind. He took the last few steps remaining between him and the gateway. She's waiting for me. He reached his hand out as he breached the gateway and took hers. When he stepped inside, it was not what he expected. There was no noise. There was no wind. There were no demons. There was only Natalia. He pulled her to him, unable to take his eyes off of her. Their luminescent auras mingled, creating a colorful dance of light around them. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her in his arms again.

  “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

  “I’ve missed you too,” he replied.

  The two of them faded into the ether
together. Forever.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Michael

  Michael watched helplessly as Lucas's lifeless body slumped to the ground. The moment he made contact with the gateway, a loud crack filled the air and in an instant, the gateway disappeared into nothingness. The dead demons littering the sand were the only evidence it had ever existed. Michael squeezed Deziree's hand as tears fell over his cheeks. His heart ached for the loss of his brother, but he was beyond proud Lucas had made the selfless choice, the one which ultimately had saved them all.

  He climbed to his feet, wiping the tears from his face. They searched the beach thoroughly, but no other demons were to be found.

  “They're gone,” Dez said to him. “The ones still living smoked out. The rest are dead.”

  Kade approached them, covered in demon ichor, tucking his pistol into its holster. He placed a comforting hand on Michael's shoulder. "I'm sorry. What he did was incredibly brave and selfless. He’s a hero.”

  Michael look to where the breach had been between the worlds, to where his brother's lifeless body lay in the sand. "He's everyone's hero. They just don’t know it."

  It took hours to burn the bodies. If there was anything left the next day, the tour guides would surely assume some kids had snuck onto the island at night to have a party and the ash piles and debris were nothing more than the remains of their bonfire.

  The two men Kade had lost in the fight had separate funeral pyres. They'd given their lives for the protection of their kind, and everyone felt burning them with the demons would be wrong. When they were done, the remaining party of seven boarded the boat and headed back to the mainland.

  CHAPTER FORTY