Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Luke felt his eyes roll back in his head as he connected with the demon he held. Holler struggled against his hold, but Luke refused to let go as he crawled through the demon’s memories, seeking the information he needed.
They were in the closet, surrounded by all Luke’s pets.
“Someone’s outside.” Grudge pressed his ear to the door so that he could listen more carefully.
“It’s just Helly.”
“Shut up, Envee. I’m trying to hear.”
Dohlar shook his head. “I don’t think it’s Helly. She’s not blowing food smells at us.”
Suddenly, the door turned clear.
Sure enough, Shaddix stood on the other side, staring in at them.
Impractically beautiful, she had features that were too big for her face.
It gave her an unbalanced appearance that somehow came together in a stunning way.
Luke had never understood how that worked, but for some reason, it made her memorable.
Her long black hair flowed around her curvaceous body that she loved to show off with clothes that were at least two sizes too small. He might have found her attractive had they not been related.
And if he could stomach her nasty attitude.
She wore that sneer that had always made him, and others, want to slap her. The only time it vanished was around their father who did slap her whenever she forgot and let it show. That impulse was one of the few things Satan did that Luke didn’t take issue with.
In truth, Shaddix would have been a much more tolerable creature had she been slapped more often.
His demons were smart enough to recoil from her. They tried to vanish back into Hell, but Shaddix wouldn’t let them. As always, she was about control and complete and utter torment.
“Who wants out of there?” she asked.
Envee stepped back farther into the closet, trying to hide herself behind the others.
Dohlar was the idiot who pushed his way forward. “I want out.”
“I have to pee!”
Luke rolled his eyes at Treacle. She was always saying weird things just for attention.
His sister ignored her. “I’ll let you out, but I want you to run amok in the human realm. Can you do that?”
“Yes!” they said in unison.
Envee, Treacle, Trinket, and Fyre were the only ones who didn’t agree.
In his cat form, Trinket huddled in the corner, knowing Luke’s sister couldn’t stand hellcats. If she saw him, she’d kick him just for shits and giggles.
Shaddix opened the door. “If Luke finds you, tell him nothing. You have no idea who did this. If you betray me, I’ll spend the rest of eternity personally overseeing your torment. Understood?”
His demons vanished instantly.
Except for Envee, Holler, and Trinket.
Shaddix started for Trinket.
Hissing, he struck out at her with his claws and scratched up her arm. Then he vanished, proving he wasn’t stupid.
Hugging her arm against her chest, Shaddix glared at the other two. “Not a word to Luke. I mean it. I’ll rip off your wings and eat them in front of you.” Then she was gone.
Envee left the closet, looking about as if she were afraid it was a trick. She glanced at Holler over her shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”
“Don’t know.” Holler didn’t move until Envee stepped through the doorway. “Where are you going?”
She looked back at him and smiled. “Ice cream.” Then she vanished.
Luke pulled back from those memories. Before he could stop himself, he snapped the demon’s neck and let Holler collapse at his feet.
Sorcha gasped, reminding him that she was here.
Shit.
Luke toed Holler’s body. “Get up, asshole. I don’t want my partner thinking I killed you.”
Rubbing his neck, Holler stood up and glared at him. “Why not kill me? It’d hurt a lot less.”
“Exactly.” And with that, Luke used his powers to return the beast to their closet…
In Hell.
After this breach of faith, Holler would be banished from the human realm.
But what really bothered him was that Envee and Trinket had lied to him. It was what Hell creatures did.
Why are you surprised?
Because he’d been in the human realm for too long. While creatures here could be every bit as treacherous as those in Hell, they weren’t all like that. Some were actually decent.
In some ways that made it worse. Because in Hell you could never let down your guard. Never trust.
No one could afford to because every creature there was an enemy who wouldn’t hesitate to cut your throat and laugh while they did it.
But there were a number of humans here who weren’t like that. Those who didn’t betray or seek to hurt others.
Some would even go out of their way to help strangers.
Sadly, they were becoming more and more rare. Had he not had multitudinous reasons to hate his family before this, that would be enough.
Because creatures like him were what had tainted and tempted humanity to be the worst of their nature.
Starting with the Garden of Eden and moving up to now.
People had the ability to be noble and kind. Generous.
But that one kernel of evil that existed inside every human…it was a bitch. A tiny seed that with very little watering would flower into the most destructive force to ever exist.
It was so easy. A little whisper here. Insecurity there. Just play into that oh-so-evil thing called justification.
If a human felt justified in their hatred of anyone, they could commit atrocities that would make his father shudder. Atrocities no one saw coming.
Betrayal. The lowest, worst pit in Hell was reserved for those who betrayed and well it should be.
Sighing, Luke shook his head to clear his thoughts.
With a disappointed pout on her lips, Simi stood next to Sorcha. “The Simi don’t get to eats any demons?”
Luke actually felt bad for her. “Sorry, Simi. But there are still some I have to find. Maybe one of those will deserve to be eaten.”
That made her instantly happy.
Sorcha closed the distance between them and reached up to cup his cheek.
The heat of her hand seared him. Especially when she brushed her thumb against his cut lip.
“I didn’t know you could bleed.”
He watched her mouth as she spoke, the tang of blood on his tongue. “Yeah. My asshole brother wears jagged rings to cause as much harm as possible.” Just like he did. Only until now, he hadn’t had a chance to use them in the human realm.
She arched a brow at his words. “That was your brother?”
He ached to put his arms around her and pull her body firmly against his.
Yet somehow he resisted. “Brassle. The fire demon who tried to take me home to collect the bounty I have on my ass. It’s why I beat him so badly.
Next idiot who wants to come for me will think twice, and I doubt Brassle will be dumb enough to try again.
But he is a bit thick. I wouldn’t put much of anything past him. ”
“And that’s why I don’t question your methods anymore.” Her hand dropped, but she didn’t step away.
She trusted him even though Luke knew she shouldn’t. He was born from the same venom that had Envee and Trinket looking him in the eye and lying about basic information.
Information that could get his throat cut. He needed to know who his enemies were. How else could he protect himself?
That was what made him so furious.
He’d learned to trust his demons when he knew better than that.
End of the world, they were demons and they would act like it.
I should never have taken their word for anything.
“You okay?” She cocked her head to the side.
He glanced down at Sorcha. “Yeah, why?”
“You don’t look all right. You look pissed.”
He stepped away from her, putting distance between them before he did something stupid and closed it.
“I am pissed.” Using his powers, he returned the store to its original condition.
Since no humans were in here, they had no idea what damage had been wrought, and the last thing he wanted was more paperwork.
He should have done this at the ice cream store, but he hadn’t been thinking about that at the time.
Wiping the blood from his brow and lips as they headed back to the street, he dropped the shield he’d put up to keep the humans away from the crime scene.
And the minute he did, he saw Rory standing next to the police officers, staring a hole through him.
Great. The one creature he really wanted to strangle and couldn’t.
By the smug grimace on Rory’s face as they moved closer, Luke could tell the Nephilim bastard knew what he’d done and wanted to kick Luke’s ass as much as Luke wanted to kick his.
Good. He was still in the mood to fight. That was one of the things he missed most about being in Hell. There was always someone who needed a good ass-kicking, and he was always willing to oblige.
Rory headed straight for Sorcha. “What are you two doing here?”
“Passing by. Saw the chaos and wanted to help,” Luke said before Sorcha could tell Rory the truth.
She had an annoying habit of always being honest. Not one of her better qualities, and yet he found it as charming as it was irritating.
Rory ignored him and looked at Sorcha. “Is that what happened?”
He saw the hesitation in her eyes. As the granddaughter of a preacher, she hated whenever he put her in any position where she couldn’t be completely honest. Thankfully, she nodded. “There were three perps and they ran out the back of the store.”
By the expression on his face, Luke could tell Rory didn’t believe a single syllable.
“Why are you here?” Luke asked in an effort to distract Rory. “This isn’t a homicide.”
That got his furry little goat and tied it to a fence. Rory suddenly became sheepish.
“I was…uh…just passing by and thought I’d lend a hand.” He was such a liar for someone who had one foot on the other side of the Pearly Gates.
Luke smirked at his sketchy response. “Why don’t I believe you?”
Sorcha cleared her throat as she placed herself between them. “Okay, before you two start fighting, I think we’ll surrender the crime scene to Rory and get on with our tasks.”
Rory nodded even though Luke was sure he wanted to say more.
Just as they started away, all their phones rang.
Luke answered first. It was Reyes.
“Hey, we just got a call from the locals. There’s a body in the Victorian District. I’m texting you the address.”
“Why are they calling us?” Luke asked, watching Sorcha who must be talking to Bernadette. After what happened with Lawson, SPD wasn’t as quick to call to them.
“Locals are claiming Voodoo or occult. Apparently, there’s a pentagram there that’s scaring everyone.”
Luke rolled his eyes. Though to be honest, he’d give his father credit.
Working with Hollywood through his agents, his dad had convinced millions of ignorant people that one of the most powerful anti-hex symbols was Satanic.
Now generations of humans refused to use the very emblem that could protect them.
One of his father’s better moves.
“All right. We’ll check it out.” He hung up while Sorcha refused to look him in the eye.
Bernadette…
That woman could make a demon blush.
Rory hung up and returned his phone to his pocket.
“Same call?” Luke asked.
“Victorian District?”
Luke nodded.
“Guess I’ll see y’all there.”
Luke watched Rory head off while the people who’d been held in place by the police began to make their way down the street. Everything appeared to be back to normal.
Yet nothing was. There was a killer loose.
In his gut, he had a bad feeling about this. Not just because his siblings were coming after him or the Necos after Sorcha.
There was something else at play here and he couldn’t figure it out.
That really annoyed him.
Simi led them to Delilah. Sorcha hung up as Luke opened the car door for her and Simi.
The adorable demon leaned the front seat forward and headed to the back. Luke went to his side as Sorcha got in.
“Should I stop and let you ogle my ass for Bernadette?” Turning around, he playfully grabbed two handfuls of his butt, then slapped his cheeks.
She laughed. “You need to stop listening in on my calls with Bernadette.”
Luke gave her a charming grin. “I really don’t. I just know how often her mind runs on inappropriate thoughts.”
“You’re not wrong. What did Reyes tell you?”
“Not much.” He started the car. “Someone painted a pentagram at the crime scene. Police are freaking out.” He checked the address, then headed for East Henry.
It only took a few minutes to reach the old Victorian home. Police had the yard cordoned off. A number of bystanders were on the street, trying to peer around the police and vehicles to see what had happened.
Simi tsked at the sight. “Akri-Luke… The Simi is going to find Helly, ’kay?”
“Good idea. I’ll let you know when we get finished.”
“Okies.” She vanished instantly.
Sorcha stared at the seat, wide-eyed. “You haven’t taught her to dive into the backseat before she vanishes?”
“I didn’t teach that to Helly, either. It’s just something she started doing. She’s bashful about teleporting.”
“Really?”
Luke nodded. “I want to say that it has nothing to do with me, but sadly, I don’t think that’s true.” He held her gaze with a meaningful smirk on his lips.
“Should I ask?”
“It involves puberty and Helly poofing into my room at a bad time.” And it was something he did his best not to remember.
It’d shocked them both and to this day, they never spoke about it.
Sorcha laughed. “I’ll leave it at that, then.”
“Please do.” He got out and pulled the tie from his hair, then waited for Sorcha to join him. Together, they crossed the street to where the police were canvassing for witnesses.
Luke headed up the stairs and across the porch to the open door.
No sooner had he stepped inside than he froze.
This wasn’t a SCAD student or a human victim at all.
“Luke?”
He glanced down at Sorcha. “The vic’s another werewolf.”