Hyacinth was shaking now. Not much, but enough to have a fine trickle of dust floating from his body to pool at his feet. “I wanted him to take her soul for the glory of Hell! I didn’t know she was an angel until I came to check on the progress of his punishment.”
Leaning down, she caressed her hand over his wrinkled, leathery cheek, mocking the way a lover would do the same. “Oh, sweet Hyacinth, don’t lie to me,” she pleaded, her tone laced with insincerity, before it firmed. “You of all demons should know better. I know all the sordid details. I’ve been here the whole time, and you never knew. You told me all about your plot the day you decided to give Malachi his powers back.”
Shaking his head—still in frantic denial—Hyacinth whined, “Mistress, I have not seen you indecades. How could I have told you?”
Grinning, Amaryllis yipped in a small dog’s voice, then shimmered as she shrank into the tiny body of the brindle psycho menace that had been following Malachi for months. She panted and barked at Hyacinth, wagging her curly tail so hard it shook her whole ass.
It should have been hard for a creature as leathery and dark as Hyacinth to go pale, but he made a valiant effort. A dull, ashy gray coursed over his hide, making him look like a long-buried corpse. His mouth hung open slightly, and he stumbled back several ungainly steps. “Y-y-you were the other dog?” he squeaked, horror etching his features as the realization cascaded through him.
Appearing back in her regular form, Amaryllis smiled knowingly. “Oh yes, and that little mission you sent me on to wake Malachi up so you could set your trap? I was laughing the whole way. Really, very unimaginative of you.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk.” Heaving a weary sigh, she firmed her gaze at him with a stern glare. “Now, I repeat my earlier question. How is it you thought you had enough of a sack to take me on?”
As Hyacinth started to deny it, Amaryllis drew her sword and pointed the tip into the hollow of his throat before he could blink. “Do. Not. Lie. Again!” she roared, the rumble of her booming voice sounding like thunder echoing through the neighborhood. Car alarms began wailing around them, along with the sound of glass breaking as patio furniture in nearby backyards shattered.
A circle of Hellfire appeared around Hyacinth, writhing and licking at his heels with wicked glee. The flames reached for him with a hint of screaming souls as they danced wildly around his cowering form.
“I see I’m interrupting something here,” Chuck’s clear and firm voice announced. “Is this a private party or can anyone join?” She sauntered out in her tiny lace camisole and sleep-shorts, pressing herself to Malachi’s side. “Amaryllis, I presume?” Her gaze was steady; no hint of fear in her body or her aura.
Malachi stared at the small woman with amazement, simply mesmerized by the sheer audacity of her actions. “Kelly, may I introduce to you Amaryllis the Defiler, First Knight of Hell, our Lady of Evil, Mistress of Darkness.”
Waving him off with impatience, Amaryllis moved closer to Chuck and studied her intently. “You are a brave little thing, aren’t you?” She shook her hair back. “I’ve been impressed by you. I’d apologize for trying to have you killed, but I’m not sorry. I am, however, done with that. It was just a test for your Malachi and this one.” She jerked her thumb negligently at Hyacinth, who was cowering in the center of the circle of Hellfire that was shrinking around him with agonizing slowness.
“I see,” Chuck answered, pinching her lower lip between her thumb and forefinger, deep thought creasing her brow and narrowing her gaze on the unfortunate demon in the midst of the flaming torment. “Well, I’m sure it would be lovely to meet you under other circumstances, but did I hear you say you’re done trying to kill me?”
“You did.” Amaryllis chuckled. “I was sharing with your Malachi that I’ve been bored, and his escapades have provided me with much entertainment. I never truly wanted you dead. It was just something to do.”
“Something to—” Chuck thundered before Malachi clapped his palm over her mouth, stopping what surely would have been another epic rant.
He quickly thought to her,millennium-old demon Chuck. She doesn’t think the way we do. Your whole life span is but a blink of an eye to her. Don’t antagonize her.
“Wise words, young one,” Amaryllis chuckled. Glancing back at Chuck, she expanded on his words. “It was not personal. I was watching to see what Hyacinth was up to. When I learned of his plot, I decided to personallymonitor the situation to alleviate my boredom. To my everlasting delight, your charming demon lover here showed up and immediately drew me in. I watched you two develop emotions for each other. It’s strange. I’ve never felt anything but rage and the ache to destroy. But you gave me fascination, curiosity, desire, and a whole list of things it will take me decades to understand. So no, Chuck, I’m not going to kill you. Or Malachi. Not even Nick. Hyacinth, however, he will be turned into an example of what happens when you cross me.”
Demonstrating the lightning speed and decision-making that made her so feared, Amaryllis spun and skewered the demon with her sword before anyone even realized she’d moved. With an anticlimactic gurgle, Hyacinth dangled on the blade as she lifted it and rested it on her shoulder. The grotesque demon was stuck there, making pitiful mewling sounds.
“I’m going to hang him on my front gate to greet visitors. Not that I have many.” Spinning to face Nick, Amaryllis aimed a sultry smile at him. Her red eyes drank him in, head to toe. “Maybe you’d like to be the first visitor from Heaven,” she purred. “I would like to discuss more demon-angel… interactions with you.”
Staring at her with eyes nearly falling from his skull, Nick slowly nodded as his wings trembled only slightly. “Yeah, I’ll uh… I’ll see if that’s doable.”
Malachi burst into laughter then. “See, I wasn’t that bad, Nicodemus. We demons really are an enjoyable sort once you get to know us.”
Amaryllis chuckled as he grimaced when Chuck elbowed him, exclaiming, “I like her. And him.” She gestured at the angel who was now blushing and pulling on the collar of his robe, as if he couldn’t breathe. Not that he needed to. “This is where I leave you. But don’t worry. I’ll leave the real Reena here in my place, so you don’t miss me too much. She’s been enjoying Real Housewives reruns in my parlor for the past few months.She does seem a little homesick, though.” She snapped her fingers, and a brindle Chuglet appeared, curly tail wagging, making excited piggy snorts.
Squinting, Amaryllis stared at Chuck and sighed. “I took your files, too. Didn’t want Malachi to figure out it was two different demons yet.” Waving her hand negligently, all the missing evidence showed up in a heap on the patio table, one folder sliding to the ground with a loud plop. A chuckle had the demon’s shoulders bouncing with her amusement.
A choking whimper sounded from Hyacinth as he slid farther along her blade, the black ichor of his blood sluggishly dripping to the ground. “M-Mistress?” he pleaded weakly.
Huffing an irritated sigh, Amaryllis straightened and gave a jaunty wave. “Well, I’ll be off. But I think I’ll check in here and there to see how this works. I’m so intrigued by the thought of feelings. I thought they would be a burden, but you,”—she pointed at Malachi—“seem to like them.”
Wrapping his arms tightly around Kelly, he nodded. “I do like them. I’d give up my immortality to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Tapping a talon on her chin, Amaryllis studied him thoughtfully. “And I believe you would. I won’t ask you for that. For now.”
Feeling Kelly trying to lurch forward, he held her tightly around the waist and clapped his hand over her mouth once more, hoping she didn’t bite him for doing it again. He was worried she was about to say something he would regret if Amaryllis took offense. “Wait!” Malachi called as the higher demon made to depart. At her impatient glare, he swallowed hard. “If I may beg another question, my darkest lady?” He bowed deferentially, forcing Kelly to bow as well. At the other demon’s small nod, he hurried on before she changed her mind. “What of Kelly’s father, Gavin? Why did you make his friends kill him?” He felt Kelly slump in his grasp, and he was grateful he’d known what she was going to ask and prevented her from making a grave mistake.
“Oh, I didn’t,” chuckled Amaryllis as she shook the sword, grinning at Hyacinth’s moan. “That was this foul creature masquerading as me. It’s what caught my attention in the first place. It also gave me the idea to be the dog so I could watch him continue his plot. He was trying to use the full angel’s grace, but your associate foiled his plan when he killed the other man, releasing that grace back to Heaven.” With that, Amaryllis dissolved into a cloud of shadows and another tortured scream from Hyacinth. The heavy smell of brimstone lingered long after she’d gone.
No Collars in Bed
Malachi, Chuck, and Nick simply stared at each other in silence for several minutes after Amaryllis’ departure. No one knew quite where to begin. Her revelations had been shocking to say the least. Finally, Malachi turned Kelly to face him and searched her eyes. He figured the truth about her father must have had some ill effect on her, but he saw only relief. “You okay?” he murmured, trying to determine where her head was at.
