Lord of Hell (Alex Holden) (22 page)

Authors: Devin Harnois

Tags: #heaven, #gods, #demons, #Young Adult, #Supernatural, #hell

BOOK: Lord of Hell (Alex Holden)

2.22Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

I pulled Animus out again and poured as much energy into her as I could. Then I threw her into Jehovah’s heart. There was only one way I knew to kill a god. I set Jehovah on fire.

He hit the ground and everything shook. It reverberated through my body and I cried out against the pain.

Alex, are you okay?
Mew-Mew hurried over to me.

Semiazas landed next to him. “My lord, you need help. Let me take you to a healer.”

“No, I have to see,” I told him.

So Semiazas helped me to my feet. Tried to, anyway. I couldn’t walk, so he ended up carrying me. “Wait,” I said. “Hayley. Where’s Hayley?” She was as strong as I’d been before I took over Hell. She had to be okay. Right?

I’ll find her.
Mew-Mew hurried off.

Semiazas took me into the air so I could see the whole thing. Jehovah was more resistant to my fire than Satan, but he burned anyway. Just slower. Odin stood by Jehovah’s head, which was no longer attached to his body.

The other gods gathered around, some of them holding off angels to keep the rest of us safe. Many of the angels were now panicking. “Get them to surrender if you can,” I shouted to Ares, who was the closest god to us.

He nodded and started passing the message along.

Jehovah’s body kept burning, and we stood around watching it like a bizarre funeral.

She’s hurt, but okay,
Mew-Mew reported. I sagged with relief.

“He’s really dead,” Semiazas whispered.

But just to make sure, I stayed and watched until Jehovah’s body was nothing but ash. Then I had Semiazas take me to the healers.

Chapter 24

I lay on a cot, my whole body throbbing, but I was getting better by the minute. The healers had fixed my stab wound, my broken legs, and my broken back. I would’ve healed on my own but I was more than happy for the help. Hayley rushed over to see me as soon as she could. She’d been patched up by the healers, too.

“Alex.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. Dropping to her knees by my cot, she leaned over.

“Careful, I’m still sore.”

She nodded and pressed her forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of her. Beneath the smoke and sweat were faint hints of shampoo and deodorant, and the deeper smell that was her. For a long moment we stayed like that. I wanted to go home and curl up next to her so badly it was like an ache in my bones.

Hayley finally leaned back. “God, I was so scared.”

“Me, too.” Slowly, I sat up. “Are the others okay?” Elliot should be, since he’d been back here with the other healers.

“I don’t know.”

I asked Mew-Mew to bring me some messengers. He quickly returned with four demons. I sent three to find Stefan, Colin, and Emily. I sent the last one to get me news of the battle. A steady stream of wounded kept coming into the field hospital. Could the angels still win? Would someone take charge and claim Heaven in Jehovah’s place?

I looked around. “Where the hell did Semiazas go?” It made me nervous after what— “And where did that traitorous fuck Astaroth get to?”

Mew-Mew, who’d shrunk to normal size, flicked his tail.
I’ll go look for him.
He raced off toward the battle.

I turned back to Hayley. “You okay?”

She nodded. “You?”

I shifted to dangle my feet off the cot and moved my legs a bit. “Yeah. Pain’s almost gone.” I glanced toward the battle, wondering if I should join the fight again.

The first messenger returned to tell me Stefan was fighting alongside his father. Another reported the battle was going well. Many of the angels were too shocked at Jehovah’s death to put up much of a fight, and the command structure had broken down.

I got word that Colin was fine and Emily had gotten a long cut down her arm, but she’d been healed and was resting.

Mew-Mew reappeared.
Astaroth is dead. Naamah killed him and her demons tore him to pieces.

I’d wanted to kill him myself and maybe get some answers out of him before I did. Why had he saved me from Valafar’s rebels if he wasn’t really on my side? Or had that just been a way to earn my trust?

Still, if Naamah had killed him, that probably meant she really was loyal. “Good.”

Emily and Elliot joined us. “You really did it,” Emily said. “You killed Jehovah.”

“You stopped the Apocalypse,” Elliot said. “Again,” he added with a little smile.

“I know. I can hardly believe it.” I looked toward the battle. “Do you think they need help?”

Hayley gripped my shoulder. “They’re fine. You just rest.”

Semiazas showed up. He looked so weird with huge black wings sticking out of his back. Silver blood glistened on his black armor. “My lord.” He bowed.

“Where did you disappear to? Did you go back to join your legion?” Or were you doing something sneaky?

“I went to the palace to retrieve this.” He held out his hand. A white key sat in his palm. The twin to the black key in my pocket. Heaven and Hell were both mine now.

I took it from Semiazas with a sigh. I knew I could trust him now. He could’ve tried to take the power. Could’ve killed me when I was weak instead of helping me. “What’s the deal with the wings?” I asked.

He flexed them, feathers rustling softly. “I have… made peace with my past.”

I smiled. “I wonder what Lyriel will think of them?”

He made a little coughing noise and looked away.

The battle lasted a few more hours, but eventually the last of the angels surrendered. I asked Odin, the Morrigan, and the few demons I trusted to watch over the prisoners for a while.

I had one more important thing to do.

***

I went to Joshua’s house. He was waiting for me, standing on his front steps.

“So you killed Him.” His eyes were puffy and red.

“I had to. It was the only way to stop him.” I walked up the sidewalk. “Joshua, I’m sor—”
Bam!
I walked into something solid. I blinked and held out a hand. An invisible barrier surrounded his house.

“The devil can’t come in.”

My stomach twisted, but I really couldn’t blame him.

“What do you want, Alex?” he asked. “To kill me? To gloat?”

“I came here to give you something, that’s all.”

“I won’t fall for your stupid tricks.”

“It’s not a trick. Here.” I dug in my pocket and held it out, as far as the barrier would allow. The white key gleamed in the sunlight. “I want you to have it.”

He frowned at it. “Is that…?”

“It’s the key to Heaven.”

He took a few hesitant steps toward me. “You don’t want it? I thought that was the whole point.”

I shook my head. “I never wanted Heaven. I just wanted to stop Jehovah.”

Joshua moved up, almost to the edge of the barrier, and looked me straight in the eye. “Why are you giving it to me?”

“Because you’ll do a better job than your father ever did.”

He reached through the barrier and held out his hand. I pressed the white key into it.

“I’m sorry for dumping this on you,” I said. “But you’re the best choice.”

He drew his hand back and stared at the key.

“I’m not sorry for what I did,” I told him. “But I’m sorry it was your father, if that makes sense.”

“I understand,” he said quietly.

“I know you hate me now, but someday I hope Heaven and Hell can work together. We don’t have to be enemies.” I turned to leave.

“Alex, wait.”

I stopped.

“I know you’re not asking for it, but… I forgive you.”

My eyes got a little watery. “I forgive you, too.”

Joshua frowned for a moment, then the expression melted away and he nodded.

I decided not to be a jerk and point out that I was right, and he was wrong. We aren’t forced to follow our destiny. We make our own choices. We can change things.

Teenagers ruling Heaven and Hell. Terrifying, right?

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to my beta readers: Robyn, Ekaterina, Karen, and Becca.

About The Author

Devin Harnois writes about the strange and fantastic, loves skulls, and lives in Minneapolis with a lazy cat and a wild imagination. Find Devin at:

Twitter:
devinharnois

Blog:
devinharnois.com

Email:
[email protected]

LORD OF HELL

Alex Holden: Book 3