And then Belial charged again.
Murmur called on his powerful defenses … only to find he had none. His soul army was gone. He pulled the blade out of his now deadweight arm and got ready to stab his foe.
If Belial wanted him dead, he was going to be dead. Hopefully he’d at least make it difficult for him.
Belial reached him, and the moment he did, he burst into flames.This is going to hurt.
Belial’s palm curled around Murmur’s throat, and fuck, it felt like he was reliving his death vision all over again. Murmurstabbed him in the side, below his ribs, but Belial barely flinched. Murmur stabbed him again, right in the wrist, forcing Belial to release his throat. Belial roared, and Murmur recoiled as more flames licked against his bare torso.
Suyin screamed in the background, and Murmur realized she could be hurt in the crossfire of their fight. That was simply not an option.
He stabbed Belial once more and then threw himself back from the flaming demon. The fire extinguished on his melting skin the second he was away from the source, leaving behind deep welts and bloody burns down his arms and front of his body.
“Stop!” he shouted at Belial when the demon immediately yanked the blade out and stalked toward him again. “Not here!” Murmur held up his hands. “We can’t do this here. Think of how many people are around. Think of how many humans could potentially die.”
Murmur didn’t give a fuck about random humans, and he suspected Belial didn’t either. But Heaven tended to get pissed off when demons killed people, so it was best to avoid that.
“It’s time to die, Necromancer,” Belial growled. “I’ve had it with you and your fucking schemes.”
“You still owe me a favor,” Murmur said, backing farther away, leading Belial toward the kitchen and away from Suyin in the living room.
“Not if I fucking kill you.”
“I could call it in now. Force you to protect me.”
“Again, not if I fucking kill you first.” Belial made a terrifying sight as he prowled down the hall toward Murmur. Blood poured all over his body from various stab wounds, and hellfire danced in his eyes and outlined his impressive silhouette. He was nearing eight feet tall, only a few inches below the top of the ceiling.
“Your fucking favor just started a war. A war I didn’t want!” Belial roared.
“A war that was coming anyway,” Murmur rushed to explain. “I foresaw it long ago. I’ve always known Lucifer would fall. All I did was arrange things so that you wouldn’t fall with him. I’m trying tohelpyou.”
“Bullshit!”
“Why would I lie about this? I’ve seen it; I know what’s coming. But you don’t have to go down too. You can win, you can take him down, and I’m trying to make that happen.”
“Why would you want that?”
“Because I, like every other demon in Hell, am sick of Lucifer and his corrupt reign. I’m sick of the constant fighting. I’m sick of defending my territory and living in constant threat of intruders. I want peace. I’m tired, Belial. Sick and tired.”
Finally, Belial stopped. They’d made it into the kitchen. Murmur was halfway across the room, and Belial stooped under the doorway. He seemed a little shorter now, like he’d shrunk an inch or so. And the flames around his body seemed to be dying down, though he still threw off heat waves like a desert mirage.
“There’s a war coming whether you like it or not,” Murmur said. “But thanks to me, Lucifer just lost his greatest source of power. You and I both know you couldn’t have defeated him before. But I just leveled the playing field.”
“I don’t want to fucking fight Lucifer!” Belial’s voice boomed around the kitchen. “I don’t want any part of this!”
“Too bad!” Murmur shouted back. “You’re part of it whether you like it or not. You’reBelial, the greatest King of Hell in the underworld. You’re a fallen fucking angel. You were always destined for this, and you know it.”
Belial’s nostrils flared like an angry bull.
“I’m willing to help you,” Murmur said again. “I want to help you. I want to see Lucifer fall just as much as the next person.”
“I don’t. Want. To. Fucking. Fight. Lucifer.”
Okay, so maybe Murmur needed to stop reminding him of the inevitable. It seemed Belial needed to entertain his denial a little bit longer. Fine by Murmur, as long as he didn’t get any more of his flesh seared off.
“Then you need my help to hide from him,” he said, switching tactics. “Lucifer would have come for you—for both of us—even if you hadn’t been the one to open the door and free the souls. You’re his greatest threat, and he wants to take out the competition. You need my help and I’m willing to offer it.”
Belial searched his gaze. The flames around his body extinguished, and he gradually returned to his normal height. In human form, he was just as tall as Murmur’s demon form. Belial’s full demon form was … something else. One could only give thanks that he couldn’t shift all the way while on Earth.
