Yahweh was a different story. He was a god and not justanygod. He had managed to eliminate every other god and goddess that had stood in His way for thousands of years. Even I was no match for him, at least not while His Sorter of Souls was still in operation. He knew it, and I knew it. From the terrified whimper Lilith let out from behind me, she knew it too.
I glanced back. To make matters worse, the only demons I had with me right now were both high on my list of suspects. Gabriel had more or less proven to us in the dining hall that he was on our side. That left Art and Jezebel.
I was fucked. There were no good options. I was going to have to take a chance that if even one of them had turned out to be a traitor, the other one would protect Lilith. Because realistically, anywhere was safer than here. My entire body was recoiling at the fact that she was this close to Yahweh. He could kill her with a single thought. She was too fragile—I wouldn’t be able to fight Him and protect her at the same time.
‘Lilith, listen to me.’
“No… Ramel, no. I know what you’re going to say I’m not leaving you,” she whispered behind me, and my heart cracked in my chest. I kept my eyes on Yahweh as I pressed her farther back.
‘You need to go with Art and Jezebel.’
She choked on a sob, and the delicate sound broke the last thread of control I had. I stared into Yahweh’s many faces as I whispered into her mind. I was going to fuck this bastard up. I was going to make Him pay for what He had done to us, even if it killed me.
‘Go, Lilith. I’m right behind you.’I promised her.
“Get her out of here!” I barked over my shoulder to Jezebel and Art. Jezebel nodded, wasting no time. She wrapped her arms around Lilith’s waist and launchedinto the air. Art shifted into his snake form and barreled through the barricade of angels that blocked the hall before us.
“Ramel! No! Please!” Lilith’s screams echoed through the hallway as Jezebel flew her away to what I hoped was safety.
When they were gone, Yahweh smiled at me, His many faces much too calm for someone who was about to be torn to shreds.
“Coming here was a mistake, Yahweh,” I growled. “I’m going to cut you to fucking pieces.”
“Your scythe cannot kill me, Ramel. I am God. I created you. The creation cannot stand against the creator.”
I laughed, tightening my grip on the handle of my blade and opening the dams that held my magic in check. For the first time in millennia, I truly let go of my power. Death and decay exploded from my body; mycelium crawled across the floor and up the walls around me, rotting the very stone that made up the manor. God’s angels floated back from the sickening threat of my magic, their lidless eyes widening in fear.
“You are notGod, Yahweh.You are only one god of many,” I snarled, stepping forward, the handle of my scythe dragging through the rot that continued to spread beneath my feet in inky, black veins. “You may have created me, but Lilithmade me,”I spat, flexing my power so violently the very walls shook beneath the might of my magic. “It is Lilith’s magic that runs through my veins, and she is a thousand times the god you will ever be.”
Yahweh narrowed his eyes on me, but I was not afraid. I took another step forward, twisting the scythe between my fingers as I continued.
“It does not matter. You cannot kill me Ramel, no matter how much you may wish that you could.”
I chuckled, reveling in the raw dark power that coursed through me. “You’re right, Yahweh, I can’t kill you.” Holding my free hand out before me, I fired a torrent of black decay at the angel that hovered closest to me. I laughed as it instantly turned into a messy pile of decomposed flesh. It splattered in black, stinking chunks across the floor at our feet.
I looked pointedly down at the throbbing pile of angel that was undeniably living through what I had done to it. Yahweh’s many mouths were set into firm, angry lines at my clear display of power.
“There are worse things than death, Yahweh. I think it’s about time you learned what it is to fucking suffer.”
“I’m not afraid of you. You don’t scare me.”
—LAURIE STRODE, HALLOWEEN (1978)
Istruggled against Jezebel’s impossibly strong grip as she shot through the House of the Fallen toward my bedroom.
“Jezebel! We have to go back; we can’t leave him. Yahweh will unmake him!” The memory of the dream Yahweh had sent me burned in the back of my mind. Ramel’s and Shem’s lifeless bodies were all I could see. I couldn’t lose them. I couldn’t lose any more people. I wasn’t strong enough.
“I’m sorry, Lilith,” she said, her voice cracking. I could hear the worry in her tone. “We have to keep you safe.”
“Please, Jezebel, I won’t survive it if they die.”
Jezebel landed in front of my bedroom, her expression more serious than I had ever seen it. She gripped my shoulders tightly and looked me in the eye.
“Listen to me, Lilith. Ramel and Shemhazai are the most powerful demons to have ever existed. You made sure of it when you made them. If anyone can protect Hell from Yahweh, it’s them. Right now, I need to keep you safe until you ascend. Once you’re fully in your power, Yahweh truly won’t stand a chance. It’s almost midnight; please, just let me protect you until then. The second you have your powers back, I’ll let you tear Yahweh apart your damn self. Okay?”
I bit my lip, unable to respond. My heart was pounding in my chest. This all felt so familiar. I could feel them slipping through my fingers. The fear of losing them was so strong I could barely breathe.
“I know Art freaked you out saying I was going after Ramel, but you have to believe me, Lilith; if I had known the reincarnated version of you would have a problem with it, I never would have done that.”
