“Mercy?” A deep laugh flew from my mouth. “You betrayed me…after everything I have done for you.”
“I don’t wish to live in this form any longer. Please. If you’ll just make me human once more, I’ll stay away from women. I’ll…I’ll never look at them again.” His eyes met mine briefly before he dropped his gaze to my chest.
“So that’s what this is about. You gave information aboutmyChosen in exchange for your soul.” The anger built once more as I pulled him closer with my power, the dark thread of power pulsing in the air between us as it held him in place.
His shoulders trembled.
“You ignorant waste of energy and breath. I am the only one who can set your soul free becauseIown it.”
“You’d do that for me?” Wonder flashed through his red irises with their slitted black pupils.
Heaven certainly isn’t picking my brightest for their spies.It was a comforting thought. If God or Michael had recruited one of my Chosen, such as Malachi or Samael, the betrayal could have been disastrous.
“Why in the world would I release your soul, Marzan?” I threw him to the pavement and flicked him with twenty whips of ether, ensuring their touch not only sliced his leathery skin, but burned his flesh as they cut. “Your crimes on Earth led to your punishment. I have been indulgent and lax with my duties.”
He blubbered through his tears and pain, forming nonsensical words, writhing on the ground.
Tiring of the game, I sliced off his ear.
His shrieks rose higher, and I was thankful for the loud music. Even if someone had walked outside, though, they wouldn’t have seen anything as I’d already wreathed this area in shadows to hide myself and Marzan.
Not that I genuinely cared. It was always thrilling to show my true self and watch the humans piss their pants and try to tell themselves they didn’t see me, to explain my appearance away as a drunken hallucination or too much stress.
Marzan’s agonized screams turned into gasping whimpers as his fingers scraped the dirt of the alley as he searched for his missing ear.
I froze him in place. “Since you enjoyed torturing and killing the weak in your former life, I think a fitting punishment for today’s treason is a special return to Hell. I’d like you to meet my newest arrivals.” Dropping into a crouch, I speared him with a narrowed glance. “Let’s just say these men were long-term career criminals on Earth. They’ve been without fresh meat for a long while. Better loosen that bunghole, Marzan, because they certainly will.”
As if he’d forgotten about his bleeding head minus one auditory appendage, he held out his palms. “Please, Lord, I’ll do anything—”
‘Lucian?’Anna’s pure voice drowned the demon’s words and rang in my head like the sweet gonging of a bell.
I needed to get rid of my betraying tenant of Hell. “You will no longer have my protection. Be gone.” With a snap, I sent the wretched creature to his new cage in my realm. Closing my eyes, I relished the relative calm of his absence.
‘Are you there? Can you hear me?’
Giving a shake of my head and a long sigh, I cleaned the splattered blood from my black pants and silk shirt.
I guess I should go see what my money’s paying for.
Locking onto Anna’s presence, I blinked to her location and found myself in a murky, dusty room filled with rows of bookshelves.
At a small table in the middle of the library, Anna sat, her hands skimming an open book.
I’m not sure how she knew I stood before her, but her face broke into a radiant smile.
“Hi, Lucian,” she whispered.
“You’ve grown,” I said, instead of acknowledging her greeting. “Your hair is longer.” Giving the room a quick glance, I kept myself invisible. Several human children sat at the other tables, huddled with one another, whispering or studying the tomes on their tables.
“I’m thirteen now. My birthday was last week.”
Her voice pulled my focus to her. “And what did you get for your birthday?”
Presents for being born seemed ironic.Humans celebrate their birth into this horrible world as if it’s a great gift.Seemed more like a burden to me, having to worry about doing good, and even then, knowing those honorable deeds didn’t matter when it came to bad luck.
“Sister Carrie found a new braille book.” She shut the text and held it up for me to see.
I leaned closer, bending over the table across from her. “The Hobbit, huh?”
