by Eve Newton
“Oh,” I say, totally getting that.
The six of us fall into a grim silence as the noise from the riot downstairs gets even louder. The residence shakes, alerting us to the fact that they are now trying to get through the barrier and to me.
The silence is broken when Shax returns with our mother, whose beautiful features are creased into a worried frown. Surprise registers on her face as she sees the two of me, then she slowly takes in all of the men in my bedroom, her sharp blue eyes finally landing on me.
“Annabelle Pandora! What in the blazes of Hell are you up to in here?”
30
Annabelle
“Uhm,” I blink and falter under my mother’s wrath. “It’s not what it looks like?” I squeak out knowing that it came out like a question, which only makes her face more pinched.
“Oh, please,” she scoffs. “I know that it looks exactly like it is.”
“Okay,” I say, lifting my chin up and putting my hands on my hips. “Yes, all of these men are mine, Mother. Well, except for the miserable cunt in the armchair.” I wave dismissively at Killian.
He grunts in response to my insult.
My mother gapes at me, as I take in the surprised look from Gregory. I give him a sultry smile which makes his cheeks blush.
“All of them?” she asks, looking at them again. “Whatever for?”
“They each give me something different. Drescal gives me the seduction, Gregory listens to me and makes me want to make myself better, Aleister and I…” I shake my head as I can’t explain what we have to anyone yet. “Elijah gives me a challenge but is willing to submit to me. It’s…do I really have to explain this to you?”
She purses her lips at me. “Me? No. Your father didn’t want this for you though. He didn’t want you following in my footsteps. He expected you to…” She bites her lip.
I scowl at her. “Conform? A traditional one-on-one with a little heir in tow. Fuck that.”
“Indeed,” she murmurs. “We need to talk about this, alone, please.” She gestures to the other me on the bed.
“Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of them,” I inform her.
She hesitates.
“I trust them. They are my circle. Well, except for…you know…” I point to Killian.
“The miserable cunt?” Mother asks, giving Killian a big beam which he returns.
Err. Say what, now?
I blink, but then realize that I’m being silly. Of course she knows who everyone is in here. She was the Queen of Hell up until six months ago.
“You would do well to have War in your corner, dear,” Mother says, looping her arm through mine. “He is a powerful ally.”
“Tell him that,” I mutter.
“Hmm. Regardless, if you are sure you can trust these boyfriends with your private business, I can help you.”
“B-boyfriends,” I splutter.
She shakes her head at me to shush. I catch Shax’s eye and he looks antsy, like he has somewhere else he wants to be. I give him an inquiring glare, but he looks at our mother instead, ignoring me.
“You can explain this power?” I ask her.
“Yes. When you were little and anxious or angry, you would do this. It was your way of dealing with your emotions, of pulling yourself out of your body, having no powers and just being “normal”. Your words! Not mine,” she exclaims before I can blast her.
“Oh,” I say, trying to take that in. “I don’t remember.”
“You were only about three or four. Your tantrums were, uhm…”
Killian does nothing to hide the snort of pure amusement. “Legendary, is the word you are looking for, Axelle.”
Mother looks back at me with an apologetic look. “Yes, quite.”
I give Killian a filthy look.
I suddenly feel so very young amongst all of these much older males. Even Gregory is older than me and that makes me feel rather juvenile.
“Well!” I huff. “So glad that I was such a source of amusement for you all.”
“Annabelle,” Mother chides me. “It’s nothing to be upset about. You grew out of them and, so we thought, this power a long time ago.”
“But I don’t get it. I’m not stressed about anything.”
“Something else might be causing you to feel the need to split yourself.” She surreptitiously gives the men another look.
“Oh,” I say again, getting her meaning. “That’s all very well, but how do I get back? I can’t go down there and sort out this mess with no powers.”
“I’m afraid, that’s up to you,” she says quietly.
“Dammit,” I exclaim and look at Shax. “Have you changed your mind about giving me that key?”
Mother catches the question, her eyes boring into her son’s intently.
He sighs. “Even if I gave it to you, what are you going to do with it? You don’t know what it opens.”
“No, but I know someone who does! Leviathan!”
Aleister lets out a strangled moan.
I give him a sad smile. “I wish that you’d told me about her.”
“We didn’t really have the time. I was going to when the time was right. Know that, Annabelle, please.”
“Fine,” I let out a breath. “I get it. I wouldn’t want to admit to being married to her either.”
He chuckles and comes to me. “Am I yours, Annabelle?” he asks with a smirk.
I lift my head up for a kiss. “Yes, of course. But back to Leviathan. I know she knows where…” Shit. I nearly blurted it out about Lucifer. I groan when I realize that Aleister would’ve heard every word Leviathan and I said about Lucifer. I give him an intense gaze, which he avoids.
Crap. I’m going to have to come clean.
“…Dad is,” I finish lamely.
“I agree,” Mother says, giving me a knowing look. “Shax, please, if you have the key, give it to your sister.”
“Oh, fine,” he sulks. He takes his knife and pulls the ornate handle off. He upends it and the key slips out onto his outstretched palm.
“Godammit!” Sid’s voice resounds around the room. He appears next to Shax, almost whole, and gives him a narrow-eyed glare.
We all gape at Sid for using that word in my presence.
“I knew it had to be somewhere magickly protected,” he carries on. “I knew the information was behind something.”
Shax looks from him to me, connecting the dots, the fury on his face making me flinch in my powerless body.
“You used him to get into my head?” he roars at me, taking a step closer. “You utter bitch, Annabelle! I am your brother.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. You wouldn’t give it to me, and I had to keep looking. You know I can’t sit on something. I have to act.”
“You know what,” he spits out at me. “You’ve just made what I have to tell you a fuck load easier. I’m leaving, Belle. I’m leaving you and Hell to go and live my own damned life.” He chucks the key at me, which I catch and grip tightly, staring at him in shock.
“You can’t leave me,” I state. “You belong here, with me, with us.” I gesture to Mom.
“Not anymore,” he growls and storms out.
“Shax, wait!” I lunge forward, but Mother holds me back.
“Let me,” she says quietly, her disappointment in me etched on her face.
“Fuck!” I roar as she disappears after Shax.
“Sorry,” Sid says, sheepishly. “I guess I messed that up.”
“You think?” Elijah snarls.
“No,” I say going to him, giving Elijah a death stare. I take Sid’s face in my hands. “This is all my fault. You didn’t want to do this, warned me it was asking for trouble. You did what I asked, that is all.”
He gives me a sad look, but nods anyway.
“What the fuck, Annabelle?” Drescal shouts. “Do you know what he is?”
I spin around furiously. “I know who he is, and you will leave him alone. All of you will.” I include
the other men in my anger.
I get glowers back, but none of them defy me.
“I have to get back into my body and sort this shit out!” I shout suddenly as the residence shakes again under the force of the uprising going on downstairs.
Gregory comes to me and grips me by my elbows. “Take a deep breath. One, two, three and smile,” he murmurs.
I stare into his eyes and do as he says.
The next second, I’m falling back into my body and I wake up on the bed. I sit up, giving him a huge grin.
“You did it!” I exclaim.
“No, you did it,” he replies, coming over and taking my hand. I can see the questions in his eyes about everything that I said to my mother about us. I’ve swept the carpet out from under him, I can see that, but I want him. He gives the woman part of my essence what she needs.
“I promise we’ll discuss it all later,” I murmur to him. “Right now, I’ve gotta…” I point to the windows.
“Go and do your thing, sweetheart,” Drescal drawls, helping me up and leading me over to the windows and kissing my hand. “This, I gotta see.”
I giggle and catch Elijah’s eyes. He gives me a swift nod and hands me the key that I’d dropped when I re-entered my body. I take it and nestle it in between my breasts. “Nobody move,” I say. “I’ll be right back, and we can sort out how this is going to work.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Elijah says, giving me a little salute that makes me roll my eyes at him fondly.
“Step back, please.”
They do as I ask, and I let my flame wings unfurl slowly, with maximum sexy impact. I beam at the hollers and cat calls that the men send my way and then I flap them, lifting off and flame out to the other side of the window. I slowly let myself fall down to the ground, where I incinerate half a dozen of my minions before the rest realize that I’ve finally shown up and start to flee, screaming for their lives.
31
Annabelle
I smile as I see the Demons running for their lives. They know that their asses are about to get kicked at best and eradicated at worst. I have to make an impact and there is only one way to do that.
I have to let loose the She-Devil. The real one to show that I mean business.
The sin bin is now completely empty of Demons, so I stride forward, breathing deeply to steady myself. I’m prepared to do this, but I may struggle to come back under control. I’ve never gone this far. I’ve never had to but this uprising needs to be nipped in the bud before anyone gets any bigger ideas.
I shove open the double doors that had slammed closed behind the last fleeing Demon, and march out into the courtyard, past the kennels, and through the humongous gates, further out onto the scorched land that surrounds my residence. The little flames that flicker at my feet make me smile and I flap my wings to cause a hot wind that ruffles my hair. Several hundred Demons are waiting outside, not having got as far as the residence for this rebellion. I remember what Dad said about this. The Demons try to start a coup every few years or so. They get too big for their station and it’s up to the Devil to put them back in their place. Since the Devil is now me, I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this more than I should.
I pause, hands on my hips to show them that I’m here and to give them a second to reconsider their actions.
Some do, most don’t.
Arrogant fuckers.
I turn my head, my hands at the ready, as I feel someone walking up behind me. I drop my defensive stance when I see it is only Killian.
“Don’t get too close unless you want to burn,” I drawl, flapping my wings gently.
He stares out across the landscape and steps right up next to me, his hands behind his back. “Those wings are pretty, Princess, but they won’t hurt me. Like you, I am a part of this place. I am…inevitable.”
I blink at him and then turn to look where he is. “I see. So why aren’t you out there leading this charge? I get the impression that you dislike me being Queen.”
“Ruling Hell has never been something that I’ve wanted. It’s not my place. My bloodline started and will end with me, there is no honor in taking away what is rightfully yours.”
I try not to look impressed by his words, instead I scoff at him. “Honor? How noble, War.”
Silence.
“I find it amusing that you think you could take it from me,” I point out after a beat.
He shrugs.
“What are you doing here? Feeding off the conflict?” I ask.
“I came to see if you needed help.”
“You mean Elijah sent you,” I retort.
“No, I am here of my own volition.”
“Thought you couldn’t do anything about conflict you didn’t create?”
“I can’t stop it, but I can redirect it. I can force it into themselves. They will have an inner struggle which will eventually make them go insane.” He turns to look at me, those beautiful white eyes, boring into mine. “Do you want to make them suffer, Princess?”
“Oh my, you know how to get a pussy wet, don’t you?”
He smirks at me.
“Is your dick hard looking at all of this?”
“I don’t get aroused by war,” he says, almost as if he is confused by the question.
“Because you are war,” I say, getting it. “It’s who you are.”
He nods.
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need any help. I’ve got this.”
He steps back and I strip off my clothes. I see no reason to burst out of them when I shift.
I walk forward and let the feeling wash over me. The anger that these idiots have tried to take what’s mine. The fear that I felt when Shax said he was leaving me. The guilt over my Dad. It all wells up and I feel the first signs of the shift descend.
I flap my wings and take flight, the urge to annihilate clawing at me. Cloven hooves, a spiky tail, a goat’s head, all appear. I must look hideous, but also quite terrifying. The Demons are looking up at me in surprise, almost as if they didn’t know I could do this. I stop the shift, knowing that it can go so much further now than I ever thought. I want to. I want to go as deep as I can, but I know that eradicating all of these Demons underneath me in one fell swoop would be foolish. It would take a long time to recoup the losses.
The power of the Devil rises up in me and I let out a bellow so loud, they cover their ears and fall to their knees.
“Bow down to me!” I roar, bringing orbs of fire to my hands.
Most do, but there is always one fucker who thinks he is better than everyone else.
He is usually the one that dies first.
This time is no different. I throw the Hellfire at him and he screeches in agony as he burns away, his essence torn from his body to disappear into the Wastelands.
“Any more of you who think you can beat me now?” I taunt, hoping that someone does. I need to destroy, I need to annihilate, I need to obliterate everything in my sight. Especially as Killian is watching. I think he needs a lesson in being humbled by a greater power.
Sadly, no one does, but just to please the Devil inside me, I let out another roar, this time pouring Hellfire from my mouth, catching the Demons closest to me with it and eradicating them to the Wastelands as well.
“Let this be a lesson in who rules you!” I yell. “I am the Demon Queen and you will not have mercy if you rise against me again.”
I’m practically talking to myself as the would-be battlefield has emptied so damn quickly, it’s disappointing.
I turn around and fly back over to Killian, landing next to him and shifting, fully clothed again in my black leather pants and jacket.
“Nicely done, Your Majesty.” He gives me a mocking bow.
“See how long it lasts,” I mutter. If my Dad’s words were anything to go off, in a few years I’ll be out here again, but next time I will sate the beast within.
“Hmm.” Killian murmurs and then turns on his heel to march away.
I follow him on foot
, chewing my lip. We haven’t resolved the Elijah issue and now is as good a time as any.
As he strides across the courtyard, I call out to his retreating back, “I will have him, you know.”
He freezes for a second, then he turns towards me, his face grim. “Why do you want him?”
I don’t answer that right away as I don’t have an answer. At least not one that I can put into words. “There’s something between us,” I say eventually. “I wish that I could explain it to you, but I can’t. I feel something for him and if you knew anything about me, you’d know that ability doesn’t come along with every Demon, or human,” I growl before he can say anything about Gregory, “that I cross paths with. In fact, it simply…doesn’t. Except in the case of the males upstairs.”
“You’re rambling,” he says.
“I know. But I’m trying to make you see that I’m not out to hurt him. It’s the last thing I want to do. Yes, he is an arrogant asshole that needs a kick up the ass to let him know I’m the boss, but deep down, underneath that…” I let out a breath. “I see how he is with the hounds,” I add gently. “I know the arrogance isn’t all that’s to him. I want to get to know him.”
“The way I know him,” he says.
“I don’t want to come between you…”
“You already have. We’ve both given him ultimatums.”
“What did he counter with you?” I venture.
“That I ask to become a part of whatever the fuck you’re doing upstairs.”
“And will you?” I hate to say it, but if he says no, I’ll be disappointed.
“I don’t ask for pussy,” he states darkly.
“What do you ask for?” I practically pant.
“Nothing,” he replies and turns to walk away again.
“Fuck you!” I hurl at him. “This pussy could please you like no other!”
“Pussy is pussy!” he calls back, not looking over his shoulder.
“So, fuck my ass, you’ll find that to your liking?”
He stops and turns to me with such a look of shock, I mentally high five myself.