26
Caim
Despite what Eva had said, I wasn’t giving up on the cure. If anything, her words made me even more convinced I needed to find it. After we’d returned to my apartment, Eva had gone straight to bed, despite the need that still pounded between us. The night had taken its toll on her. Her attempt at flight had drained her mortal body of energy, and there was little she could do to fight sleep.
Fine with me. I had things to do, and she’d only object if she caught me.
As I swung into the living room, I lifted my phone to my ear. Phenex answered after half a ring. “Boss?”
“How’s the club? Everything alright there?” I gripped the phone tight in my fist, worry churning through me. The last thing we needed was a full-blown attack on the club.
“No sign of the cult if that’s what you’re asking.” Phenex chuckled. “But Eva’s two human friends are going wild. They wanted to get in the birdcages and dance, even though we’re the only souls in this place.”
“You gave them alcohol. Didn’t you?”
“Just a few Devil’s Kisses. I figured, what’s the harm?”
I closed my eyes. We didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with drunk humans who were very much the target of newborn demons. “That wasn’t a good idea, Phenex. What if something happens, and they need to run?”
“Listen, Caim,” Phenex said with a grunt. “You left me in charge of the club, and this was what I thought best. The girls were out of their minds with worry. They were so tense, I thought they might crack. A few cocktails and some music made the world of difference, and I don’t regret that.”
“Fine.” He might have a point. “Just try not to get them completely wasted, alright?”
“Why? What’s happening? Did your meeting with the fae go badly?”
“You could say that.” With a heavy sigh, I filled him in on everything that had happened with the fae, leaving out the detour Eva and I had made into the alley. No need to divulge that. When I finished telling Phenex the story, I could practically hear the tension pounding through the phone.
“So, you snapped, and then you killed her.” A long beat passed. “Mind explaining why you didn’t completely destroy her right then and there? That’d be one cult demon down, Caim. The leader, at that.”
My gut clenched. I’d had a feeling Phenex would say something like that. “I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. At the time, destroying her seemed like a terrible idea. But Stolas is taking care of it now.”
“Good.” Phenex grunted again. “Those damn fae. Should have known they’d turn on us eventually. They never did like coming into the club much.”
“They think they’re doing the right thing. That said, Stolas took out several of their fighters. They’ll be at a disadvantage now.”
Truth be told, I could see their point. The current hellgate situation worked for now, but eventually, something would go wrong. The hellbeasts would revolt. Lucifer had supporters in the underworld, but there would be fewer of them now that he had his soul. None of the Princes were in Hell to back him. We were all here.
It had never been a problem before, not when Lucifer fed the demons with an endless supply of human souls.
It was a consequence that none of us had ever considered until now.
And there was no way to contact him. No direct line into Hell. With the gate shut, it was impossible to warn him of what might come.
“So, what do you want us to do, boss? Now that we know where the new court lives, we could storm the place and clear it out. Take out the problem. We’d still have the cult to worry about, but at least these fae would be taken care of.” He let a beat pass before speaking again. “But I have a feeling you don’t want to do that.”
“Sometimes, Phenex,” I said with a sigh. “I forget just how ruthless you are.”
“Is it really ruthless if I do these things to save the fucking world?”
Shades of grey. The ends justifying the means. It reminded me of the conversation I’d had with Eva tonight about Lucifer. Phenex had no trouble doing whatever it took, even if it meant getting his hands bloody. There was just one difference between him and the King of Hell. Despite his penchant for violence, he never lifted a finger unless one of us told him he should. He always listened.
“We can’t slaughter them in their own home,” I said quietly. “If we did, we’d be no better than the monsters we used to be.”
“Hmph.” I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. “I don’t get it, Caim, but if that’s what you think, then I’ll go along with it.”
The monster that I’d barely tamped down reared its ugly head again. It poked up, spidey senses tingling. It liked the idea of going on a rampage at the fae court. Why hold back? Why not just wipe them off the face of the earth?
Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth. The voice grew loud, drowning out whatever Phenex was prattling on about now. It had gotten a small taste of freedom after decades spent in the dark, and it was hungry for more.
