The Human Side (The Demon Side Series) (17 page)

“Yes, I do.” Unable to control my wing’s own self-defense mechanism, it fluttered and flapped as the blazing hot steel of a blade touched my skin.

“Hold him down,” Pyro called out.

“No!” Gabriel, Amy, and John cried out as a Demon took me to the ground, face first, while one sat on my back and eight others held out my arms and legs. I tried to wiggle out of their grips, but the more I struggled, the tighter they held me.

“Shut them up,” Pyro ordered as his blade dug into my spine below my shoulders. White hot pain shot through my body, and I let out a guttural scream, drowning out the cries of my companions.

“Just a little twist here,” Pyro gloated.

“Let him go or the pretty boy gets it.” I looked up at Etta, unable to focus on her. Straining to see, I made out the outlines of her legs wrapping around Vetis’s waist from behind with one hand snaked around his neck and the other holding a feather to his chest.

“Stupid girl.” Pyro put his foot on my back. An explosive pop went off inside of me as he ripped out my wing. Dizziness overcame me, and my body shook violently. Vetis screamed in pain.

“You think I’m playing? Kill the head, and the body will fall. I kill him, you all die. One more inch and you all will find your souls in Purgatory. I have lots of friends there who would love nothing more than to get their hands on you.” Fighting off my body’s drive to pass out, I peered up. Etta had pierced his chest just enough to cause pain, but not kill him.

In the past, whenever I talked about my battles with Abihail, she always seemed disinterested or bored. I would find her fidgeting with her nails or staring off in the distance. I assumed she never listened and would divulge little trade secrets no one knew except the Arches about Demons.

But she had remembered my tales about the battle of Jericho, the easiest victory in our history. The Ophidian Lord left himself wide open. Gabriel moved in, plunged his sword in his chest and seconds later, twenty five basilisk legions fell with him. In the midst of pure agony, I smiled at her.

“Kill the girl!” Pyro’s command thundered.

“Now we’re down to a half an inch.” Vetis released another scream as Etta pushed the feather deeper.

“Stop, you idiot. What do you want, girl?” Vetis cried.

“You know what I want. Call him.”

“Call who?”

“Quarter of an inch left. You sure you wanna keep acting stupid?” Etta yelled, twisting the feather inward.

“All right. You win. I’ll call him.” Vetis quietly whispered the words to call upon his Master.

Instantly, Lucifer appeared. “What can I do for you?”

“I want to make a deal,” Etta snarled.

Chapter Twenty

My mind flashed back to Persephone and her warning about Etta. Any deal with Lucifer came with unseen strings. Being a master of words and technicalities, he always made sure he benefitted more than the other participant. Of course this was nothing new. Even when he served as a representative of the Tribunals, he gained quite a bit from his trials and clients. Etta knew this better than anyone else, as his secretary and sister.

“Etta, don’t!” I cried as I tried breaking free from my captors.

“Ra, shut up.”

“And what deal is it you wish to make, Sister?” Lucifer said with an arrogant smile.

“Okay. First off, don’t call me your sister. You gave up that right when you betrayed me and left.” She gritted her teeth.

“I asked you to come with me, dear sister.” Lucifer shrugged his shoulders as he rolled his eyes.

“That’s neither here nor there. Here’s the deal. You leave us alone. Go back to Hell where you belong, and take your rabid cattle with you.”

“I see nothing in that for me.” He blew imaginary dust from his fingernails.

“Let me finish. You go back to Hell with these guys, and for as long as I am human, you leave me and my family alone. That includes John, Rene, Amy, Ra, and Gabriel. None of that ‘oh she’s your friend not your family’ crap.”

“Ah, for as long as you are human? That still doesn’t work for me. You see, the veil has been opened. You will obviously choose the righteous path and hide behind Heaven’s gates.”

“Well, that’s the deal. Whether or not it works for you isn’t my problem.”

Lucifer seethed as he glared at Etta. He had assumed she would want to make a trade—my life for hers. But his Seers were wrong. Could it be they hadn’t calculated Etta’s true inner strength? Or maybe Persephone’s reach went further than delivering warnings and feathers? Whichever the case, I saw the wheels in his mind spinning, trying to figure out how to turn the situation back in his favor.

“I’ll accept your deal if you sweeten the pot a bit,” Lucifer countered with a wily grin.

“What do you want?”

“His wings.” Lucifer growled, pointing toward me.

“Yeah. That won’t happen. How about this instead? You keep the wing Pyro already ripped out, and I let your little boy toy here live.”

“What makes you think I value his life over yours?”

“Think about it. You can go another fifty years or more without an heir. But without Vetis, all the lies, illusions, and the world he built for you on Earth would come crashing down, setting you back hundreds of years. How many of your followers would remain loyal once your empire begins to crumble? How long would it be before you stood before the Tribunal, alone and unprotected?”

Lucifer’s face went cold and he flared his nostrils. I’d seen that look once before. Etta had him dead to rights, and he knew it.

“I don’t have all night.”

“Deal,” he whispered as he snatched my wing from Pyro.

“What? I can’t hear you,” Etta mocked.

“Deal!” Lucifer’s roar shook the house violently.

“See you in sixty years, Brother.” Etta jumped off Vetis’s back, leaving the feather in his chest.

“If not sooner, Sister.” Lucifer’s reply faded as he, Vetis, and the Demons disappeared.

“It’s safe guys.” Etta dropped to my side. “Amy, help him.”

“I’m on it. Okay Ra, this is it. Your last set, so take care of these ones.”

“What do you mean last ones?” Etta shot up.

“His body wasn’t made to handle losing his wings more than once, let alone three times.”

“But he only lost them twice,” Etta argued.

“No. We gave them up when we came down here. This is his third time. Should he lose one again, he’s permanently grounded, or worse,” Gabriel said.

“Why did you do that?” Etta lifted my face to her. Before an answer passed my lips, a surge of electricity burst through my body and everything went black…again.

***

The smell of bacon and eggs tickled my nose. As I sat up, I found myself in Etta’s bed. Remembering what had just happened, I jumped up and ran down the stairs. Relief swept over me as I saw Etta, Amy, Gabriel, and Rene chatting it up at the dining room table.

“Look who’s awake,” Gabriel announced as I rounded the banister. Amy laughed. Etta turned in her chair and giggled as well. A look of sheer horror swept over Rene’s face as she marched toward me.

“You get yourself back upstairs and get dressed. I put fresh clothes on the bed.”

I looked down at myself, panicked, and bolted up to Etta’s room. I had showed up to breakfast in nothing but my boxer briefs. Once I donned more appropriate attire, I returned downstairs and took a seat at the end of the table. John came out of the kitchen with plates full of bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttermilk biscuits that resembled huge, fluffy, golden brown clouds.

“Would you mind saying Grace, babe?” John squeezed Rene’s hand. Following their lead, we all joined hands and bowed our heads.

“Our dear, Heavenly Father, we bow our heads before Thee in thankfulness for this food. We ask that you please bless it so it will be nourishing to our bodies. And please bless Ramen that he will find the right program and support to overcome his addiction to alcohol and drugs. We say these things in your name, Amen.”

“My addiction?” Had I known prayer would turn into a public service announcement for a vice I didn’t have, I would have skipped breakfast all together.

“John told me about your problem and how our cups got switched last night. And with the way you slept, I see it didn’t stop you from getting your fix.”

“Did he now?” I shot John a glare.

“Don’t be mad at him. He’s only looking out for you. Plus, this is a good thing. We can go to meetings together.”

“We can?”

“You have to go to at least one since your magic cup trick lost me my sobriety anniversary chip I was supposed to get today.”

“But—”

“But nothing. Meeting’s at one o’clock.”

I didn’t see the point in arguing with her. I would have to bite the bullet on this one. After we finished our meal, I took it upon myself to help Rene clear the table and do dishes. It seemed to be the least I should do since it somehow became my fault she relapsed. As I dried off the plates, Etta walked to the back door, nodding for me to follow.

“Gabriel told me about the letter and CD sleeve. So I guess you’ll want them,” Etta said with her back turned to me. A hint of sadness echoed in her voice.

“I have no choice. Father wants them destroyed.”

“Yep. Then the veil will close. And you’ll be gone, again,” she said, lowering her gaze.

I turned her to face me. “You’ve saved me twice now. It’s a debt I’ll spend eternity paying back. I’ll always be with you, even if you can’t see me.” I wiped a tear on her cheek with my thumb.

“It’s okay. I’m not crying ’cause you’re leaving. I’m crying ’cause I’m happy.”

“You’re happy I’m leaving?”

“No. You silly goose. You’ll see. Let’s go. You got some letters to deliver.” Etta pulled out the CD sleeve from her pocket. “Gabriel found the letter I wrote you when he cleaned up the house.”

“You guys ready?” Gabriel popped out the back door.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said as I somberly walked through the side gate.

Etta and I walked hand in hand in silence, as Gabriel and Amy trailed behind us toward the river. Their laughs and giggles sounded as if what we were going do had no bearing on their love. Giving over the notes would close the veil on Etta, but Amy as well. I wondered if Gabriel would be able to handle losing her.

Looking back, I saw my brother whisper something to her. Laughing, Amy swept a curl behind her ear, flashing something shimmering on her ring finger. It would seem he’d finally given her the engagement ring he bought, and she’d accepted. Unfortunately for Amy, it would be a short-lived engagement. Reaching the spot where I first awoke in Quantico, we stopped. At the water’s edge stood the buck, fawn, and owl, awaiting our arrival.

“I guess this is it.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

“It’s only the beginning.” Etta tugged at my fingers until hers intertwined with mine.

“I love you, Etta.”

“I love you too, Ra. Now go. And get it over with.”

Uncertain as to what our future would hold, I didn’t want to let go. Handing over the notes would ensure Etta would forget me, us, and the love we shared. No longer would my visits to her be tolerated, erasing me from her life. Not wanting to lose her again, I squeezed her hand tighter, searching for a sign showing me she didn’t want to lose me either. I waited for a clue telling me to grab her and run, taking the letters with us.

“No, Ra. We do this by the book from now on,” Etta said as if she knew my exact thoughts. Confident I’d be able to plead a convincing case as to why we should run, I tried to speak, but Etta touched her finger to my lips.

“We’d never make it far. This isn’t goodbye. It’s a see you later.” She pulled my forehead down to hers. I knew she was right. How do you hide from a being that sees and hears all? If this would be the last time she saw me as her friend, lover, and husband, I didn’t want her to see me moping to our end. I needed her to see the head strong, confident, fearless Arch she married. Straightening my shoulders, I mustered up all the strength I had. I puffed my chest, released my grip, and walked with Gabriel toward Father. Taking to my knee, I hoped he didn’t sense my body trembling.

“We have the letters, but were unable to capture Vetis,” I stated.

“So I’ve been told. Quite the risk she took for you, Rahovart.”

“Yes, Father, she did. I’m sorry. I should have never put her in that position.”

“Don’t be sorry. You did everything within your power. Keep the letters. I won’t need them.”

“But Father, the veil?”

“What about the veil, my son?”

“It won’t close unless— ”

“Is that what you want?”

“No, but—”

“One would hope it were as simple as the notes. I believe her soul remembers life beyond the veil, not her mind. If I closed it, Etta will simply reopen it. You’re going to be very busy trying to keep her out of trouble, my son.”

“What are you saying, Father?”

“Don’t seem so surprised, Rahovart. You accomplished your part of our bargain, and I’m keeping my end of our deal. You may visit her as long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties.”

The weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. Overwhelmed with excitement, I wanted to run to Etta, scoop her in my arms, and never let go. If not for Father still standing in front me, I would have.

“And what of Amy?” Gabriel interjected.

“She did a fine job.”

“Father, forgive me, but that’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant, Gabriel. I have the feeling Etta’s deal with Lucifer isn’t going to hold for long. She’ll need a friend who will understand and help her.”

“Does that mean I too can visit?” Gabriel nervously twisted his hands in the bottom of his shirt.

“From what I gather, you want to do more than visit with her. Marriage is a very serious thing, especially for an Arch. It’s not until death do you part, but for all time and eternity. I hope you understand that, my son.”

“I do, Father. I can assure you my feelings for her are far greater than lust. I love her.”

“I had the feeling one day you and Charoum would eventually marry. Don’t forget to send me an invitation,” Father said, with a wink before vanishing.