34. Not A Chance In Hell
Deyva
“W atch me, my king!” Kimaris bellowed, looking child-sized compared to Belial. “As I deliver these unruly subjects back to the pits they find themselves too good for. Angel,” his nostrils flared, glaring at Azariah, “you can forget all about a fair trial and judgment.”
“You’ll have to catch us first, you ugly...I was about to say motherfucker, but no mother would fuck you.”
“Az!” I shrieked.
Kimaris was already lunging toward us, long, hooved legs stretching far. He used the burnt-out husk of an oak tree as a springboard, launching himself up in the air dangerously close to us. Azariah soared and twisted us in midair, changing direction at the last possible moment.
“Think of your priests, Deyva,” Az said, his voice tight with effort as we dodged Kimaris. “Think of how much you love them.”
“More than anything,” I said, scanning the ground but not finding them. Oh God, please don’t let them fall into the canyon.
“Good, hold on to that. It’ll fuel me.” He stroked a tender hand along my face, gazing at me for a moment. “And keep taking what you need from me.”
I lifted my face and kissed him in reply, pulling that raw power and sweet holy light directly from his soul to mine. When we parted, our arms were already outstretched, palms glowing, a vicious wind whipping against us.
“Arghh!” Kimaris raised his arms to shield his eyes, his skin sizzling and hissing at the contact from holy light. But it would take more than that to kill him.
I glanced at Belial, who watched us impassively. His giant form looked too impossible to be real, like he was some kind of monument casting a shadow over Bethel. But his eyes, red-glowing slits with no pupils, focused on us with an unnerving intensity.
“Again, Deyva!” This time Az initiated a rough kiss, but something burning and rank hit us with the force of a speeding car.
“Az!” I screamed. We almost broke apart on our tumble down to earth from a swat of Kimaris' massive hand. Loose feathers floated in the air, but my angel quickly righted us. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth.
I pressed my hands to his back, sending every ounce of healing that I could spare despite my own skin blistering. “We have to take him out. We can’t afford to keep playing cat and mouse.”
“And what do you think that king’s gonna do?”
“I don’t know, but Kimaris is the threat right now.”
“I’ll break every bone in your wings, angel!” Kimaris roared up at us. “And you, succubus, will watch, while all my legions take their turns with you.”
“You’re never touching me again!” I screamed back, all feelings of love gone. Pure hate roiled through me like an angry sea. “You’ll never have any of them!” I twisted in Az’s grip, freeing both hands to extend straight toward the demon I longed to kill for millenia.
My holy light wasn’t as strong as Az’s, but I succeeded in temporarily blinding Kimaris.
Shoving myself away from the angel, I fell freely to earth, using my strength to drop harder, like a boulder.
My kick landed on Kimaris' chest, sending him backward and giving me room to pummel my fists into his face.
The force of my blows would have sent a human’s head flying from its body, but the demon’s head just snapped from side to side until he regained balance. With lightning speed, he bowed forward and headbutted me right in the chest.
Air shot out of my lungs as I flew backwards. Fuck, that hurt.
“Deyva!” Az dove straight toward me, getting close enough that I could see the worry on his face before an arm the size of a crane smacked right into him, sending him tumbling through the air.
“Aaazzz!” I shrieked, horrified as more golden feathers floated to the ground, my angel’s body landing with a hard thud and rolling before he stilled.
A shadow came over me, blocking out what little light remained in the sky. King Belial brushed golden feathers off of his arm, utterly ignoring me as his lava-red gaze leveled on Kimaris.
“This is an embarrassment.” The king’s voice vibrated through the air like there was a speaker right next to my head.
“I will end this once and for all, my king!” Kimaris' speech slurred as he stumbled over, his jaw hanging at an odd angle.
“No.” Belial stretched both crane-like arms out toward the smaller demon. “You are the embarrassment, and I will end you .”
Something spurred to me to take off running, hurrying to Az stirring painfully slowly on the ground. Despite putting distance between me and the demons, I still heard Belial’s voice as though he were right next to my ear.
“You released the succubus with no authority from me, and sent a barely Hell-touched angel after her. Together, they overpower you. You are incompetent and a disgrace, Kimaris.”
“No! My king, please! No, ahhh!”
The sweetness of Kimaris' death was tainted by Azariah’s battered body, his breaths coming in pained wheezes and wings shaking in shock. I kneeled next to him and pressed my palms against his skin.
“Sorry. This is going to hurt like a bitch.” I didn’t care that it would drain me. I healed him, and held nothing back.
“Gahhhh! Still better than getting fucked by Kimarisssss!” he hissed, arching and twisting as I repaired his broken wings. “Deyva, stop! You’ll drain yourself!”
“You’re our best chance of surviving this, Az,” I gasped, my body growing heavy and sore, my balance failing. “I was in Hell for millenia, I’ll never be strong enough.”
The ground rattled and I glared at Kimaris’ withered body as it bounced against the dry earth, eyes black and lifeless, before sliding down into the cavernous ravine.
“Deyva, shut the fuck up and kiss me,” Az said softly, and before I could pull away, he grabbed my shoulders and drew me in, slanting his mouth over mine.
I moaned, drinking deeply for one brilliant, restorative second, and then I gasped as a fist like a boulder wrapped around my waist, stealing me away from Az.
“Deyva!” Az cried, eyes wide with horror. He jumped up, wings beating and ready to fly, and was promptly batted roughly away by a massive hand.
My ribs screamed with Belial’s grip, my legs barely able to kick, but I still had John in hand, and I used the sword to hack at the fingers holding me.
On the ground below, rushing out from Bethel’s gate, my men cried out, Zach’s bright head running for Azariah where he lay discarded against the ground.
“Deyva, my wickedest eater, I suppose I should not be surprised you were tempted by sweeter fare,” Belial boomed, my head throbbing harder with every syllable, the vibration of his voice so dense it made it hard to hold on to the hilt of my sword.
“I should not have given you to Kimaris, he was not worthy and I failed to see it.”
I was both terrified of turning and facing Belial, and determined.
He was ghastly, enormous, and yet somehow exquisite in his power.
Not handsome, but beautifully horrifying, with a jaw that extended from one twisted ear to the other, like a jack-o’-lantern, and bones that twisted and turned in every direction.
“I have a bargain for you, little succubus. You may have your human morsels. You may retire from my service. Deliver me the angel, and peace is yours.”
The world went quiet, or the alarm in my head rang so loud it blocked out the wind, the screams from the ground. Turn Az over to Belial and it would be over? Stavros, Zach, and Kais would be safe. Bethel would be safe.
I...I would be free.
I almost believed in the fantasy for a moment, except there was one obvious error.
And then Azariah called up from the ground. “Deyva, I’ll do—”
“Shut your mouth, Az!” I screamed back, craning over Belial’s fist to see him staring up at me, glowing with light, his face sorrowful, but not frightened.
“But you could—”
“Azariah, don’t be a dumb bitch!” I answered, grinning, seeing his smile, as weak as it was.
I turned back to Belial and faced the snarl of his glare.
“Not a chance in Hell, Your Majesty. You can have me for all I care, but there’s no way I’m letting you touch a feather on that angel, or a brick of that town, and we both know you can’t get in. ”
“I will draw their feeble souls out, eater,” Belial said, crushing the words in his gore-dressed teeth. “I will destroy every one of their measly bodies for your defiance, and ensure their suffering for eternity.”
Demon kings were wordy bastards, but I was a woman of action.
I grabbed John’s hilt in both hands, twisting my body and stabbing down into Belial’s wrist with all my strength, groaning as blessed steel struck demonic bone.
Belial roared so loud, my vision darkened, and I was falling through the air before I could see again, a scream shredding my throat.
“Oof!” Azariah caught me in his arms, wings beating unevenly at my back.
I buried my face in his neck, not out of fear—that feeling had already numbed me—but just to taste his skin with my lips again. “You’re mine too, Az. Just as much as the priests are. If I can’t surrender, neither can you.”
“I suppose I should’ve expected this. How could you not love me?” He forced out a scoff. “We’ll romance each other right once we’re done. Right now, we have work to do. Ready?”
“He has John!” I warned, staring up at where my sword remained piercing Belial’s wrist, the wound sizzling and festering.
“Leave it, take Andrew instead,” Az said, passing me his own blade. “I’ve got holy light anyway. And don’t fucking give me anymore of your strength, Deyva.”
I kissed his jaw anyway, just because he deserved the thanks. “Drop me on his shoulders.”
Az’s jaw gritted, his flight circling us cautiously around Belial at a distance. “Are you sure? We could get the guys, go inside the gate…”