Cast In Blood: Revelations Series Book 1: (9 page)

W
alking through the brimstone caverns
, Lenny felt very small. She was still riding the high from defeating Demas, but her adrenaline was diminishing with every step deeper into the lower levels of Hell.

"Keep up, shifter," Polly urged. "Lucy is waiting to meet you."

"Is she nice?" Lenny asked, feeling stupid as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Nice?" Polly chuckled. "She is the Queen of Hell, you realize."

"That doesn't mean she has to be an asshole."

Polly stopped her breakneck pace and turned to Lenny with a look of begrudging patience.

"Yeah, I guess she is
nice
." Polly smiled, making air quotes around the last word. "But she does have a few personality traits that are less than congenial. Lucifer does not like liars, at all; however, she does like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. She is not terribly fond of mind games. Straightforward is the way to go with her. She also doesn't like it when people are late, so let's get the lead out."

"Sorry, I'm a little bit nervous, Polly. Two days ago, I had no idea I'd be in Hell meeting with the Prince, or Princess, I guess, of lies who hates liars, after I nearly killed an immortal genie while I was being evaluated by a Knight of Hell. It is just a little much for me to process right now. So, you'll have to excuse me if I am not running to get to Lucifer's lair and hear God-knows-what about my new job," she blurted, feeling as though she might cry or go completely mad. "And, it stinks like rotten eggs in here. How in God's name do you stand it?"

"Another thing to remember is that, even though there is no hate between us and the man upstairs, no one likes to hear the big guy's name thrown around too much. Just a tip when you talk with Lucifer. FYI, ya know." Polly smiled, making Lenny feel a little more comfortable. "As far as the smell, I hardly notice it anymore. After a few thousand years, you get used to it."

"I feel better."

"Good. So maybe we can move on to your meeting sometime today?"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lenny returned the demon's smile, surprised at the fact she suddenly felt so at ease.

That feeling went away when they got to Lucifer's office. She stood before a large, wooden door with an ornate carving from floor to ceiling depicting what appeared to be a scene from Hell. At the base of the work, a group of nude men and women stood reaching up to the skyline, where three angels stood guard. Demons mingled with the humans, touching them with clawed hands and extending their forked tongues lasciviously toward the people. The angels at the top of the door looked down with no expression, their wings spread wide, concealing what seemed to be a fortress amongst clouds behind them, their fingers curled tightly around the shafts of long spears, ready to defend Heaven at all costs.

Lenny stood mesmerized.

It was beautiful.

"It's by Rodin," Lucifer said from behind her, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. "I like it, but I'm not in love with it. He did it as a gift when he got here. Trying to butter me up, I think. It didn't work."

"Oh, uh … I think it's uh … nice," Lenny stammered.

Lucifer opened the door to her office and stepped inside. She was a striking woman with long, dark hair held up in a neat twist at the top of her head. Her eyes were a sharp green, but still seemed warm and kind. Her skin was smooth and flawless, a shade of pale olive. She was beautiful, but she also had an air of welcoming. Behind all of that, Lenny sensed a tough as nails woman that put up with little to no shit.

"Come in and have a seat. Polly, can you wait outside?"

"Actually, I have business to attend to," Polly said, making a sawing gesture across her throat.

"Um, okay. I'll see you later then?" Lenny asked her nervously.

"Yep." Polly made a half-salute and headed off down the hallway.

Lucifer smiled and took her seat behind the desk, motioning for Lenny to take a seat across from her.

"So, what do I call you?" Lenny asked, taking her seat.

"Your Most Supreme Highness of Hell and all of its lowly inhabitants will do nicely."

"Um, okay."

Lucifer suddenly burst out laughing. It was a hearty guffaw that made Lenny smile.

"I'm just kidding, Lenny. You can call me Lucy, or Lucifer if it makes you feel better."

"No offense, but I always thought you were a guy."

"I get that a lot." Lucifer snapped her fingers, instantly transforming into a blond man that looked like he had stepped straight off a Gucci advertisement. "But I find that I am the most comfortable in my regular form."

The male model snapped his fingers and turned back into a woman. This time, though, her hair was a shiny auburn and her eyes were ice blue.

"Cool," Lenny whispered in awe.

"It comes in handy when I run into an especially misogynistic angel or human. But it is all kinds of uncomfortable. I really don't see how men do it, all of the dangly bits getting in the way all the time." She shuddered. "It honestly gives me the willies."

Ha, the willies!
Lenny thought to herself, trying not to laugh out loud.

"Wasn't your hair black before?"

"You are quite observant." Lucy smiled. "I can change form as you just saw. I also can take on any appearance I feel will put a person at ease. If you project that redheads are more trustworthy, I'll have red hair. Most of the time, people simply see me as they wish with no effort from me at all. It's a skill that came with the job. I think that might be where the Devil-in-disguise thing came from. I'll have to ask Elvis next time I see him."

"Elvis is here? Are you serious?" Lenny asked excitedly.

"In Hell? No." Lucy chuckled. "He is still alive. Just turned eighty, and still going strong. We have tea about every ten years so I can check up on him. Disappearing from the public eye was part of his deal. Can't have him on stage at eighty but still looking forty, right?"

"That explains so much."

"So, Lenny, back to business. I am told you are willing to come and work for me. I want to tell you that makes me very happy. I believe that you are someone who will be invaluable to Hell, and to me directly." Lucifer sifted through a few papers on her desk, apparently looking for something specific.

"What exactly is it you would need me to do?"

"Well, you would work with Polly for a while learning the ropes. Your skills as a shifter would definitely come in handy."

"So like a spy?"

"Yes, sometimes. Although it appears you have a few other valuable skills, as well. I heard about your tangle with Demas this afternoon. Very impressive."

"That just happened. How did you hear about it already?"

"From the horse's mouth," Lucy said as she waved her hand in the air.

The television next to the sofa came to life, showing a dark room with a small cage in the center of the floor. Inside the cage, Demas sat sullenly, his large body almost touching the bars all around him. He moved what looked like an inch, his hoof touching the side of the cage, and a bright electric bolt shot out causing him to convulse and scream out in pain. With every convulsion, his gelatinous skin connected with the metal bars, sending even more volts through his body. Lucy waved her hand again and the television went dark.

"How long will he be trapped in there?"

"For eternity, of course. I can tell you that he really hates you, so it's probably best he stay trapped forever."

"Makes sense." Lenny shrugged.

"Well, let's get down to business then, shall we? I am offering you a position as a freelancer for Hell. You will be contacted when jobs arise that require your special skillset. I will provide you with an apartment of your own and a company car. You will also get a monthly retainer, as well as payment for each job. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great, honestly. I do have some questions, though," she said, feeling more comfortable.

"All right." Lucifer leaned back and laced her fingers together.

"Can I say no to a job?"

"You can, but it probably would not be a good idea," Lucifer raised an eyebrow, letting Lenny know she was not pleased at the prospect of being refused. "Lenny, I know your soul and I would never ask you to do anything that would compromise your morals. I do not need your soul sullied by foul deeds."

"Okay, that sounds fair. Do I have to give my soul away or anything? Am I going to get my own cage here when I die?"

Lucifer laughed again, but this time it made Lenny feel embarrassed and a little silly.

"I do not want your soul, my dear. Not that there is anything wrong with your soul. It just doesn't work that way. I don't really make deals like the devils in the movies. The way it works is, if you are a good person and try your best not to be genuinely evil, you get a one-way trip upstairs. If you are a rotten, evil monster that turns your back on Heaven, you come to me. Simple as that."

"That sounds pretty fair to me. The last thing is, Polly told me that you would give me some information about my real parents."

"Ah, yes, I have it all right here." She waved the paper from her desk as she spoke.

"You have a file on me?"

"Well, a paper at least." Lucy began reading. "Your father was a man named Luther. He was a pure blood shape-shifter born in the year 1865. He worked for a railroad baron named McCarthy as an enforcer and took a liking to McCarthy's daughter, Helena. Of course, McCarthy didn't want his only daughter consorting with the help, much less help that he considered a monster. So Luther did what everyone does when they love someone they can't have: He found a way."

"Wait, you said 1865? That would make him like one hundred and twenty-four-years-old when I was born."

"Yes. Shifters live very long lives. You have a lot of years to look forward to, my dear."

"Great." She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, go on."

"Well, it seems McCarthy had made a deal himself. He had found a demon willing to help him out with his desire to be rich. In return, the demon wanted to go straight and live a normal life. That life included being the wife of a rich railroad tycoon. She became his ideal spouse and they were actually very happy together. Their daughter, Helena, never knew she was half demon."

"Whoa, wait. I'm part demon, too?"

"There's more, Lenny. Do you want me to go on?"

"Might as well. It can't get any weirder," she said, fearing she might be wrong.

"Luther decided he could not live without Helena. As was the case with many people during those years, Helena fell ill with tuberculosis. Luther was beside himself with grief at the thought of her death. He called out, issuing a plea to anyone or anything that could or would help him. What answered was a ghula by the name of Amanarit. She took over the weakened, infected body of Helena. In the following years, she murdered Helena's father and mother and ran off with all of their money, as well as a new husband who had no idea what she truly was."

"My father," Lenny whispered.

"Yes, my dear. Your father," she said before continuing to read. "In the year 1990, they had a child. When that child was born, Helena died. Most likely what occurred was that Amanarit deserted the body that she had inhabited for almost one hundred years, leaving Helena to die. Luther was beside himself with grief and unable to care for his infant daughter, so he gave her to a human family to raise as their own. The rest you already know."

"What the hell is a ghula?" Lenny knew the answer but needed to hear Lucifer say it, or it couldn't be true.

"Lenny, please listen to me," Lucifer said, trying to calm the agitated girl.

"No. What is a ghula?"

"A ghula is a type of female djinn." Lucifer sighed as she stood up behind her desk.

"I'm a djinn?"

"No. You are only part djinn. A very miniscule part at that. More like you have a djinn essence."

"I'm a monster like that fucking blob of shit you have locked in a cage?"

"Lenny, please sit and calm down."

"No," Lenny turned on the Lightbringer. "I will not calm down. I come in here and get told that I'm demon, shifter, and fucking ghula, or djinn or whatever, and you want me to fucking calm down?"

Lucifer stepped forward and stood in front of the girl, staring her directly in the eyes.

"Did it occur to you just how easy it was for you to shift into the same form as Demas? Don't you usually have to concentrate and work at shifting? With Demas, it was instantaneous. That is because you have that essence. Just think of all the things you could do if you can just harness that power."

"I have to get out of here. I need to think. I don't think I can do this," Lenny said, feeling claustrophobic.

Lucifer stepped aside, allowing the girl to walk out the door.

Lenny rushed out of the office, trying her best to hold back tears. She looked both ways, not knowing where to go. She turned around, facing the carved door that now felt like a blasphemy. The stoic angels now looked like ill-willed voyeurs watching and judging her for the monster she now knew she was. The demons appeared to be reaching out to her, telling her that she was just like them. She turned to her right and hurried down the hall, trying to escape the carving. When she rounded the next corner, the smell of sulfur hit her like a ton of bricks, sending her reeling. The flood of sensory assaults crumbled the last bit of control she had. Lenny wept as she ran down another hall until she came to a door that was slightly ajar. She rushed in, not knowing what was behind it and not really caring much, either.

P
olly checked
her phone one more time just in case anyone else had texted with some information for her. She was also wondering if J. D. messaged to let her know he was going to be late. There was nothing. Not a single text or call had come through since his message asking her to meet him at Dante's. Polly was dubious; J. D. had never been a completely reliable source. He was a good demon, and loyal to Lucy, but he had a habit of embellishing a little.

Then there was the troubling matter of the theft that led to his Knighthood being stripped from him. Polly saw being a Knight of Hell as an honor and a privilege. In her mind, J. D. had sullied that honor and it disappointed her because she had once trusted him. She had actually believed he was someone worthy of her trust and respect, and that was something that didn't happen often.

The fact that he stole from Hell really angered her, but it hurt worse that he'd betrayed her trust. She supposed there was a small part of her that still trusted him, slightly. That was why she had spoken to Lucy on his behalf and got her to agree to allow J. D. to keep his hellfire. It afforded him strength and many powers he would have lost otherwise.

As much as she wanted to trust him, Polly was more concerned about having to waste valuable time chasing down a bum lead. She was becoming increasingly annoyed that she had to deal with meeting him in a human establishment. She walked into the club and made a beeline for the bar. Bartenders were always good sources of information, and he'd no doubt be able to tell her if J. D. was already there.

As she moved toward the bar, she couldn't help noticing how the red neon flames that were bolted to the wall were interspersed with metal pitchforks. Polly rolled her eyes at the whole cliché and quickly glanced around taking in all the tacky sights and sounds.

The bar sat in the center of the main room with the dance floor surrounding it. Back behind the circular bar was a decent sized room, where the pool tables and dart boards were. It was there she decided her meeting with J. D. would have to take place. It was one of the best spots for keeping an eye out on the rest of the club as well as the quietest place in the bar.

She wondered if the bartender would know something as to where J. D. was, whether or not he was actually at the club. This place was exactly the sort of seedy gin mill he'd enjoy on a regular basis. Guys like him—with more power than sense—always did. They seemed drawn to the cheap, easy women and the forgetfulness that came with the power of alcohol.

People moved out of her way as she walked, which she was used to. Even if they didn't believe in demons, it was as if they instinctively knew she was dangerous. Very few ever stood in Apollyon's way, and those few who did had a short shelf life. Mostly, folks avoided her like the plague.

As she approached to speak with the man behind the bar, she got no farther than the second row of illuminated tiles that made up the dance floor when a short fellow in a Tommy Bahama shirt and khaki pants stood in her path.

"You're pretty," the little man slurred at Polly.

"Excuse me?"

"I'd like to climb you, Mount Amazon. Get it? It's a double entendre, see,
Mount
Amazon, 'cos I want to mount you." The drunk fellow began to move forward as if to give Polly a hug. She put a hand on his balding head and pushed.

"Shove off, cretin," Polly said as the man hit the floor giggling.

"She touched me!" he shouted back to his group of nerdy office jockeys, and they cheered their friend on. Polly rolled her eyes, stepped over the vermin, and continued on her way to the bartender.

"Nice moves you pulled on poor Patrick there. What can I get you?" The man tending bar grinned at her, and Polly had a feeling Patrick and his friends had been giving the bartender trouble all night. She looked the man up and down and noticed he had long, thick, dark black hair and was clad in leather chaps and little else.

"I'm looking for someone."

"Aren't we all?" The bartender grinned a little wider.

"No, I mean I'm meeting someone here. Dark skin, tall, silver hair. He been in here?"

"Sounds like he'd be hard to miss. I haven't seen anyone like that." As he spoke, he took orders and made drinks for the people around them.

"Well, when he arrives, if he inquires about someone named Polly, tell him I'll be back by the pool tables," she said as she slipped him a fifty dollar bill.

"Hey, lady, I'm not your messenger," the bartender called. His slipping the bill in his pocket as Polly turned and walked away told her he would do as she asked.

Polly moved toward an unused table and began to rack the balls. Before long, there was a group of guys watching her with smiles on their faces. They expected that because she was a woman, she would have no clue how to play the game. Polly decided she'd be happy to take their money while she waited. After she won the third game and the two men who had teamed up to "kick her tall, pale, gorgeous ass" were walking off scowling, J. D. showed up.

He caught her eye and moved right to where she stood, bypassing the bartender completely. Polly reached for the balls on the table and began racking them again, making sure it was a tight fit. "You up for a game?"

"No, thanks, Polly. I have some information for you on the souls. It's not much, but I figure that a little bit is better than nothing," the tall demon said coolly.

"I'm not in a patient mood, J. D. Just spill what you've got," Polly barked as she broke. Balls hit the pockets as if they were afraid not to. When they stopped rolling, only five were left on the table. Polly picked off every last one. J. D. watched, amusement causing a smile that reached his eyes as she sank each shot expertly.

"You've still got it, P."

"Like I could ever lose it?" Polly winked at him and continued, "It's good to see you, J. D. How have you been?"

"Oh, good days and bad, you know how it goes."

"So, what have you learned?"

"There's been some rumbling in the lesser demon communities." His grin faded and a cold indifference replaced it as if he suddenly recalled that he was supposed to be mad at her.

"What sort of rumbling?"

"They're tired of being known as lesser demons. Some are talking uprising. The djinn have been stirring up several factions, or at least they were before they started busting their pals out of lockup."

"Uprising? That's impossible. They'd have no way to harvest or collect the souls. Plus, let's be honest here, Heaven isn't just going to let a demon walk right in and take some souls. I know for a fact there is nobody up there with access to our souls."

"Except Charon." J. D.'s words made Polly pause.

She explored her thoughts for a moment. Lucy had questioned Charon herself.

There was no way Lucy could overlook something that huge, could she? No, it just didn't seem possible that the Queen of Hell would question the soul thief and not know it.

Polly shrugged those thoughts off and decided it was time to move on." What else do you have for me?" she asked her old compadre.

"I got a girl that can help you with information gathering."

"Spill."

"One of my mares is part succubus. Inexperienced, but talented nonetheless. With the right prompting, she might be able to access information that we can't. She can also smell emotions and psychic residue—trust me, she'll be a good little tracking dog for you. She'll need some guidance, but I've found that a smack or two usually helps."

Hiding the look of disgust on her face at the disrespect J. D. showed the beings in his care, Polly began to rack the balls again. She hated that she had to hide her feelings, but she needed J. D. friendly and talking. This girl of his seemed like just the ticket to her. She hesitated for a moment, then relented. "Okay, bring her to me."

"Now?"

"Soon would be good. I've kind of got a lot of shit to do here. Waiting for you wasn't exactly on my agenda." She turned to him and let some hellfire flash through her eyes to let him know how serious she was. He backed up a step to show respect. Only Knights of Hell (and certain former Knights that had been allowed to keep their power) could harness hellfire that way.

As it shone through a demon's eyes, it also amped up the ability to connect with everything in the universe. Though she had fallen, Apollyon was still an angel, and God didn't take away the gift of communion with everything. The hellfire allowed them to see a being's soul and to tell if they had the seal of Hell upon them. If there was, then the demon was free to approach, and they could also look and see what the person had done to earn the mark.

The seal meant the person had done something bad enough that Hell owned, or was close to owning, his or her soul. Any time betwixt incarnations would be terribly rough. The reprieves for a new life, and another chance at Heaven, were few and far between. Reincarnation happened when the assigned higher demon felt as though the soul they were tormenting had reached a sort of enlightenment, an understanding of how wrong they had been in their previous lives. Hellfire allowed all that, and it also gave her strength well beyond anything possessed by upper demons.

When she told Lenny she could burn with it, she hadn't been lying. It took a lot of energy and power from her to do it, but hellfire could be harnessed in the same way a laser or flamethrower could. Polly didn't like to use it. She preferred more hands-on methods when dispatching enemies.

If J. D. felt this girl had some power and could help, that meant one of two things: She was loyal to him and he could get information out of her later that he could use against Polly, or she was really that good and he hoped Polly would appreciate his aid and give him some form of payment. The latter she could deal with.

"Okay, I'll go get her. You don't have to be such a hard ass. You could lighten up a little, you'd enjoy life more, ya know."

"Hey, J.D?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not buying the good Samaritan act. What's in this for you?" Like Lucy, Polly wasn't much for games. Instead of plotting around her adversary's next move, she preferred to call them out.

"I was hoping when my girl finds your guy that maybe you'd remember it was because of me and give me a little something." His grin was toothpaste ad worthy.

"If she's any good to us, we will see. You're forgetting that you owe me a favor. Lucy didn't allow you to keep your hellfire because she is merciful, you know."

"So, are you the one who talked her into letting me keep it?" J. D. looked shocked.

"Of course I did. You didn't actually think Lucy would let you keep it out of the goodness of her heart, did you? I encouraged her to allow you to keep your power because I was hoping that one day you'd help me, too. If this isn't that day, I'm sure we can scrape up some sort of bone for you. Now, go fetch." Polly tossed the cue on the table and began walking for the door.

"That shit isn't cool, Apollyon. I've been a loyal friend to you since—"

"Loyal?" Hellfire flashed in Polly's eyes, cutting J.D. off. "You call yourself loyal? What about when Rafael tried to kill Lucifer and smuggled a freaking angelite bomb into Hell because you gave him information on our back door? What about when you stole from us?"

"Hey, I had no idea he was planning to kill Lucy. I actually thought there was some horizontal limbo action happening and they didn't want anyone to know. As for the stealing, I did what I had to do to help myself out. I don't expect you to understand or forgive me, but I never would have hurt you or Lucy for anything." J. D. shrugged as he reached the door first and held it open for Polly to walk through. As she began to step through, Polly noticed a swarthy dark haired man on his cell phone. He was speaking and gesturing frantically all the while looking at her and J. D. intently.

Polly pushed J. D. back into the club and shut the door. She took a quick look outside through the window next to the door and noticed a white van idling in the parking lot. Anger swelled, and she stalked over to the man at the bar.

"You. What are you playing at?" Polly hissed.

"N-nothing." Fear made the man's voice a pitch too high, his eyes a little too wide, and sweat began to appear on his upper lip. In that moment, Polly was certain he had information she wanted.

"What the hell is going on? Why'd you push me back into the bar, P?" J. D. looked a mixture of puzzled and pissed.

"This gentleman here is setting us up for something. I'd like to know what."

"I ... I…. Look, I ain't setting you up, really. I was just letting some folks who wanted to follow you know that you were leaving the bar." The man's face blanched and Polly thought his black hair and dark brown eyes made a nice contrast to his terrified and quite pale face.

"Who is out there?" she growled, an unspoken threat hung heavy in the tone of her voice.

"There's this church I belong to, and they just want to know a bit more about you. I met them through my parole officer. They have a soup kitchen I volunteer at for community service. I have to do it for another offense I was charged with before I went to jail. They're good folks, and they told me that you broke into their church and tried to kidnap someone. All they were going to do was follow you, honest." Polly could tell that the man wasn't lying. He really believed all these church members would do is follow her.

"I don't want to be followed. Do you understand what I am saying here?"

"That they shouldn't follow you?"

Polly closed her eyes a second as she tried not to lose her composure. She took a deep breath and said, "That would be smart, yes."

"Okay, I'll call them."

"How about you wait right here and I'll tell them myself?"

"Oh, it's really probably better if I tell them." The man's face went whiter as he continued, "They won't like that you spotted me."

"Leave this matter alone. You called to let them know we were leaving. Your job is done." Polly allowed a little hellfire to come into her eyes as she checked out the man's soul. There was a seal, but it was faint and he actually had the chance to remove it if he led a good and virtuous life. He wasn't a bad guy, and Polly wondered if she could play fast and loose with the rules. Technically, the seal of Hell was on him, so she could approach and make a deal, but morally she preferred not to bring souls to Lucy for torture if they didn't need to be.