Pandora's Box (25 page)

Mads’s death had him second-guessing his initial response to Micah’s offer. How could he make any deal with a demon for another’s life or value her life more highly than his blood relative? Mads would be pissed if she found out he committed such a huge sacrifice for her. Taking her life wasn’t fair gamesmanship and he suspected Micah counted on it. Yet, how could he live, knowing he caused her death? The guilt would scar him emotionally.

Did he have the nerve to take the offer? “You’ll show me how to bring them back?” Micah probably planned to do the resuscitating while pretending he taught Nix how to perform the trick. Either way, the outcome would be the same. Would it be enough?

“Yes. The offer is part of the agreement.”

“I want James and Georgie protected from demons, along with Gage and Zo once they’re back.”

“I’ll give them more—a demon free pass for five years.”

Micah wanted him pretty bad if he was willing to offer protection of such magnitude to a family of Sherlocks. Nix wanted Mads alive pretty fucking badly, too.

“What exactly is required of me?”

“You return to Hell with me for training.”

Train me for what?
“How long before I go into Hell?”

“You’re mine now. Immediately.”

Nix shook his head at the visuals scattering through his thoughts. Visions of what Hell might encompass. All of the scenes playing out too graphic for a horror flick. “I can’t go now. I need time to settle affairs. Six months and I’m yours.”

“I didn’t realize you were important enough for affairs.”

“I’m important enough that you murdered your wife to obtain me.”

“Indeed.” Beliel smoothed his finger along his jaw. “I’m mildly impressed you dare to drive a bargain.” He tapped his chin. “I wouldn’t normally do this, but I can afford to be lenient.”

He just bet he’d received a special deal. More like he was bent over, getting fucked up the ass!

“I’ll give you three months. At the end of that time, you join me without today’s drama.”

“I want protection for Mads once she’s revived, and Amos, too. No supernatural creature is allowed to come after them or harm them, even if she hunts them down.”

Beliel laughed. “Agreed.”

His agreement came much too fast. “Their protection is already one of your mandates, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Madison is my wife, my Queen, and Amos my son. A demon wouldn’t dare cross me.”

“How do I know you don’t plan to revive her regardless?” Nix demanded.

“I can’t bring back to life what another demon kills.”

His demon lying-radar remained silent.

Nix felt sick to his stomach. “All right.” He took a deep breath. His heart hammering hard enough he feared a rib or two would break.

“A few more bylaws.”

“Let’s hear them.” Nix guessed Abraham felt a lot more excitement when God offered him a covenant.

“You aren’t allowed in the presence of my wife at any time within the three month period or the delay is rescinded and I’ll come for you immediately. If you touch her, I’ll feed your heart and dick to my personal Neko, and reserve the lowest level of Hell for your punishment. I need you, but I won’t tolerate you coveting my wife any further.”

“What is a Neko?”

“Trust me, Phoenix, you don’t wish to know.” As he tapped a claw against Nix’s chest, Mads’s head lolled. “It’s the scariest fucking demon cat you will ever see.”

A demonic cat? Hell was full of not-so-fun surprises. Nix wouldn’t let the idea of his dick being fed to a Neko ferment in any brain cells. Not that he planned to do anything with Mads anyway. He hadn’t touched her—not really—in the five years he’d known her. Starting now wouldn’t be fair, and he’d never thought of himself as that selfish anyway. He could avoid her without much effort. “Neither will be a problem.”

“You are forbidden to tell anyone my real name.”

Sneaky bastard. A name held power. And Beliel knew if Nix told his Sherlock family and friends his real name, they’d find a way to harm or kill him using it. He probably wished to keep his identity secret from Mads as well. The knowledge would give her too much leverage, and she might squeak past his demonic designs.

“Anything else?”

“Buck up, Phoenix, this is the start of a beautiful relationship.”

“What happens when you discover you received a powerless lineage?”

“Let me worry about the possibility.” Micah cracked his knuckles. “Do you understand the ramifications of reneging on a blood deal?”

“Yeah. You seek revenge on my family.”

“Partially. Those you’ve sought to protect with it will also suffer dire consequences. Along with your family, Madison will also endure the consequences.”

Nix would do nothing to harm Mads, not ever. “You’ve got yourself a covenant.” He forced the words out, his tongue too thick with nerves to utter them without a lisp. Shame hit him like a sledgehammer to his vital organs. He’d taken the easy road, preferring his own death and misery over Mads, Gage, and Zo’s death. He couldn’t live knowing they died because a demon King bullied him. Nix realized the selfishness of his actions, but what choice did he have? None, as far as he could tell.

No matter, too late to renege on the deal with the damning words already uttered. Taking them back would be impossible.

Beliel smiled, and Nix shivered. Thanks to his bargain with the devil, he could save Mads, but he would never have the opportunity to tell her he loved her before he went to Hell.

“Do you make this covenant with your own free will?”

“Yes.”

“Three months….” The King sliced his palm and placed it over the bleeding wounds on Nix’s shoulder. “As is the custom of all covenants, ours is sealed in blood. Twice to double bind us.”

Micah licked blood off his fingers. Angelic blood beaded on the King’s finger, and he offered the black substance to Nix. He cringed at the idea of consuming the blood, yet knew it necessary to bind their agreement. He wouldn’t lick the hemoglobin off the digit, however. It would be too sexual in nature for Nix. He took a deep breath, swiped the fluid off Micah’s fingertip with the pad of his finger and, before he could lose his nerve, he sucked it into his mouth. The blood bloomed hot and sweet on his taste buds.

Micah hissed and smoke rose from his shoulder. He tugged his shirt aside. “Now I wear the same marks at you. Visual proof of our bargain. Remember, in three months I’ll come for you. If you try and renege, they’ll all suffer.”

“What the fuck ever!” Nix snarled, his shoulder tingling where their blood mixed. Like a drop of acid on his tongue, the demon blood made his head spin and created hallucinations. Invisible demons milled about the warehouse, colorful auras surrounding them all. An overall sense of well-being warred with his apprehension.

The demon released him as Micah said, “I look forward to our partnership, Phoenix.”

The King enjoyed hearing the sound of his voice too damn much. “Stop your useless yapping and show me how to save them!”

Chapter Forty-Three

“Which one shall we start with?” Micah asked.

“Mads.”

The King shoved Mads into the arms of the demon who had taken her life. “Wonder what your cousin would think, knowing you picked Madison over him or his girl?”

Nix frowned at Micah’s rough treatment of her. He would expect Gage to choose Zo over him as well. “He will understand.”

Beliel snapped his fingers in Mads’s face and her head lifted. She stretched out of the demon’s arms, shoved hair out of her face, and yawned.

“Did he take the bait?” she asked, her voice groggy, as if coming out of a deep sleep.

“Of course. You performed well, Celeste.”

“Celeste?” This wasn’t Mads? His belly churned with the idea.

“Phoenix, please meet Madison’s mother, Celeste.”

“Oh, God,” Nix said, stumbling backward, horrified he never considered the possibility of such trickery. He’d just met her mother two months ago; he should have guessed. “You tricked me into the arrangement!”

Micah shrugged. “I suspected you wouldn’t agree without significant coercion. You should know I would never allow anyone to take my Madison’s life. Not even for you or your lineage would I sacrifice her.”

Of course he’d known, and that was why he asked about the angel reviving her afterward. He’d fallen for the oldest demon trick in the book.

His world coalesced into a rat-a-tat of heartbeats in his ears, drowning out everything for a long minute. He kicked himself mentally; no bigger fool could’ve been born. He should have suspected. Instead, he’d let emotions rule, leading him to a devastating outcome. “Coercion must eliminate our covenant.”

“Incorrect, Phoenix—it was made of your own free will. Our transaction holds true. Now….” He nodded toward Gage and Zo. “Which of them do you revive first?”

Nix stared at his cousin, his throat slashed down the side and his head slanted at an odd angle. Zo’s throat had been cut so deep, her spine was visible.

“Zoe,” he whispered. Mads’s husband had fucked him royally. He couldn’t think of his predicament now, though. Reviving his family was paramount. Nix knelt beside Zo and brushed hair out of her face. “Do your demonic mojo shit, Micah.”

“I told you, I cannot bring back what another demon killed. It is all on you now, Phoenix.” Micah’s satisfied mien was like an abrasive touch to his exposed flesh, pebbling his skin to irritated attention.

“You don’t expect me to believe that bullshit, do you?” Enough of the games! The motherfucker owned him like he’d bought a dog. The need for games had ended.

The King cocked his head to the side as if considering the seriousness of Nix’s disbelief. “Not all angels have the ability to return breath. I can give breath to those I kill. My brother, Jesus Christ, possessed the magic to return breath regardless of how one died.” Micah went to one knee across from Nix. He rested his forearm along his thigh. “I’m counting on you having the same Messianic power.”

“Counting on it?” Nix turned his head away and spelled out Mads’s name three times before facing the demon again. The tactic failed to alleviate his anger. “You killed my family without proof of my parentage. And even if I’m what you claim, you have no verification I can do what you want. You son-of-a-bitch, I’ll find a way to kill you!”

“Phoenix, we’re wasting time. You have three months to settle your affairs, and other matters require my attention. I’ll give you the CliffsNotes version, so listen up. The Jesus Totem I pressed to your forehead proves your parentage. No other could absorb it.” Micah held up his hand when Nix would’ve asked for an explanation about the ‘Jesus Totem.’ He could only speculate as to the meaning of the unfamiliar term. “You will have all your answers soon enough. If you trust nothing I say, do not doubt me when I tell you that you are a direct descendant of the Messiah. All his other offspring have possessed the ability to return breath. First, you must tap into your inner Messiah. The Jesus Totem prepared you for your acceptance of it.”

Nix dragged a hand through his hair. If what Micah said were remotely true, he’d just given a demon unlimited use of Messiah power through a covenant. Nix had not only fucked himself, but the world. Options were required to get out of this arrangement, an alternative which couldn’t be used against Mads and his family.

“What if I die before the three months?”

“Don’t try and renege, Phoenix.” The demon smirked. “Tap your power just this once, and if you die, you’ll rise again in three days. Nothing but God and the Messiah can call you home. If they do, you entered into a deal with me. In case you haven’t put the puzzle pieces together yet, that means you’ll come directly to me and bypass Heaven.”

Feeling sick to his stomach at the magnitude of his fuck up, Nix closed his eyes. “How long will you require access to my lineage?” He opened his eyes to glare with hatred at the demon King.

“Undetermined.”

Which meant forever. What a scary prospect!

Nix rubbed his eyes, wishing he could rewind time. He would have three months to worry about his predicament. Right now, he needed to focus on getting Zoe and Gage back. “Tell me what to do.”

“Close your eyes.” Nix closed his eyes. “Focus on finding the gold and shiny inner light.” Nix tried to focus as directed. All he could think about was how disappointed Mads would be in him. How disappointed he was in himself. He couldn’t even expect his family to feel differently, and they loved him.

An image of Mads flickered into his mind’s eye. She would always be the ‘gold and shiny light’ in his life. The one person worth living for, the one person he never wanted to fail. He would lose Mads’s respect for his reckless actions.

A starlight pattern overrode Mads’s image—blinding, yet pure in its intensity. Warmth and acceptance flooded his body in liquid heat. His fingertips turned cold, then went icy hot, before fading into a mixture of tingly vibrations. His breathing grew shallower. A sense of empowerment and knowledge invaded his soul.

Eyes closed, he moved to Zoe and placed his hands over her heart. The imprint of a white body hit his mind, and the injuries followed next, with red splashed against the achromatic backdrop. He perceived no understanding of how he channeled the power, yet he projected it into Zoe’s body. Against the alabaster canvas of her body’s outline, he watched as something gold spread through her, eliminating her injuries.

Her heart burst into a rhythmic pattern beneath his palms, and Zoe gasped. Nix opened his eyes. Zoe’s head rolled against the concrete and her eyes flicked open, confused and dazed. He sat back on his ass, astounded by the miracle he’d performed.

“Nix!” Zoe flung herself into his arms and almost toppled them over. Nix squeezed her tight as she said, “You wouldn’t believe the weird dream I had.”

I might
.

“I dreamed I was dead and you—”

“I’m impressed by your learning curve, nephew,” Micah interrupted Zoe. “I expected it to be slower.”

Against him Zoe stiffened. “Not a dream?” She pulled back enough to meet his gaze, her brown eyes dark with worry.

Nix swallowed past the hard lump in his throat. “No, Zo, not a dream.”

Zoe clasped his face between her hands and touched her forehead to his as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Nix, what have you done?”

“Fucked up,” he choked out.