Road to Hell (12 page)

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“Does anyone have any clothes that might fit Sam?” I asked. When no one answered me, I huffed out a sigh. “I guess I’ll go shopping again and see if I can find him something.” I didn’t have any money left, but Sophia would probably give me some cash.

“You will not,” Nathan said. His cobalt blue eyes were cold as he looked down at the imp. “It is too dangerous for you to wander off again. You have already fallen into one demon trap. It was lucky you managed to escape.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” I countered. “Sam saved us and I’m not going to repay him by letting him wear a filthy loincloth.” We glared at each other in a standoff. Neither of us were willing to back down.

“I will go shopping for suitable clothing,” Sophia said, breaking the tension. “We need more food anyway.” Now that I’d joined them, she needed more than just milk, tea and a few staples. I needed food on a regular basis even if no one else did.

“I will accompany you,” Brie decided. “I could use the fresh air.” She sniffed pointedly, as if our newest acquaintance was stinking up the store. Apart from a faint trace of sulfur, he didn’t give off any bad smells.

“See if you can buy a new attitude while you’re out,” I said to her back as she followed Sophia to the door. “I think they’re having a sale at Macy’s.” Brie cut me a narrow glare then switched it to Leo when he couldn’t quite smother his snigger.

Feeling uncomfortable beneath Nathan’s disapproving scowl, I headed for the kitchen. Sophia had an old kettle that she boiled on the stovetop. Filling it with water, I switched the burner on and placed the kettle over the flame. Turning around, I jumped back when I came face to face with Sam. “A little space?” I said, trying to control my thundering heart.

“Sorry,” he said contritely and took a couple of steps back. Nathan was watching us through the doorway. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, trying to appear casual and failing miserably. His sword wasn’t in evidence, but he could call on it with a thought.

With my new sidekick hovering behind me, I waited for the kettle to boil. Sam darted looks around the room, taking everything in. It was all new and strange to him. He started and clutched hold of my arm when the kettle started to whistle. I poured water into the teapot then put it on a tray along with a cup for myself. Sam picked up the tray before I could reach for it. It was unnerving to have him waiting on me like this, but I figured he needed time to settle his nerves.

We trooped back into the front room and sat at the table. Nathan opted to remain standing, but Leo plopped down in his usual seat. Sam placed the tray in front of me then moved to stand behind me. I twisted around to see him wringing his hands together in worry. Having my guardian angel watching him with an unblinking stare wasn’t helping. “Why don’t you take a seat?” I said.

Reluctant to move, he slunk out from behind me and I realized he’d been using me as a shield. He might have been imprisoned in hell for several centuries, but deep down he was still just a timid teenager. He slid into the seat on my right and inched it closer until our elbows were almost brushing. I hadn’t yet decided if it was endearing or annoying how attached he’d become to me already.

“Since no one else is going to do the introductions,” I said, “this is Leo and the brooding, silent one is Nathan.” Leo smiled and Nathan just rolled his eyes. “The girl that looks exactly like Leo is Brie and the woman with the long hair is Sophia.” He nodded in acknowledgement and appeared to be committing their names to his memory.

“I have a question,” Leo said to Sam. The imp gulped and clutched the edge of the table in trepidation. “What were you doing in that alleyway?”

Sam relaxed slightly when he realized he wasn’t going to be verbally attacked. “I was trying to find the courage to leave the shadowlands.”

“It is supposed to be very difficult to escape from hell,” Nathan said. “How did a pitiful creature such as you make it through a hellgate?”

“I hid beneath my master’s carriage when he was sent to this city about a week ago. He was so eager to return to this realm that he did not realize that I had stowed away. If his carriage had been drawn by nightmares rather than nags, I would have been discovered for certain. The beasts have uncanny senses.” I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn’t want to interrupt him by asking questions.

“Once the carriage reached the shadowlands, I dropped to the ground,” he continued. “I waited for the coach to become distant then followed it to the portal. Hundreds of years have passed since I was taken from my family. I did not know what I would find on the other side. I could see freedom at the far end of the alley, yet I was too afraid to leave.”

“Why was your master sent here and who gave the order?” Leo asked.

“I do not know why he was sent here, but a Demon Lord gave him the order. The Lord has taken charge of the town on the other side of the hellgate. Tens of thousands of demons have gathered there, with more arriving daily. There are apparently other portals scattered throughout the city, but I overheard the Lord say that only one is not blocked by the wards. They use this pathway to come and go from hell.”

That meant the demons weren’t permanently trapped here like we were. They could still return to hell whenever they needed to. Once they were back in hell, they could probably use alternative portals to enter other cities. Only angels, and apparently me, were really imprisoned here.

I felt chilled at the thought of tens of thousands of demons massing near the portal where we’d found him. “What’s stopping the hordes from coming through the gate?” I asked.

“They have not yet conquered it,” he replied. “Only strong demons can defeat a hellgate. If it was easy, the Earth would have been overwhelmed by evil long ago.”

“Why are there so many lesser demons in the city if conquering a gate is so hard?”

“Demon Lords and the stronger Captains can carry a small entourage of five lesser demons through the gates in their carriages.” 

“That might all change soon,” I said glumly. “I hear their new leader is trying to break down the gates to let all of the hell spawn free.”

“They have a new leader?” Nathan asked sharply. “Is Satan not still in charge?”

“Apparently not. He disappeared a couple of decades ago and someone else has taken over.”

“How can you possibly know this?” Leo asked.

“I saw it in the memories of the demons that I’ve absorbed,” I replied with a grimace then turned to Sam. “By the way, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about your master ever again. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the specters who is floating around inside me.”

Samuel looked at me with such hope that I thought he was going to burst into tears. “Are you certain?” He’d seen me absorb the two lesser demons, so this wasn’t a complete shock to him.

“I saw his memories when his essence invaded me. I caught fleeting glimpses of him as a Captain of a ship. I saw the tantrum he threw when you’d defied him and he wiped out the entire crew.”

“Then I am truly free,” Sam whispered in a trembling voice. “He will never be able to torment me again.”

“If we are discovered, another demon will no doubt take his place as your master,” Nathan reminded him. “It seems it would be in your best interests to remain in our good graces.”

I frowned at him in disapproval. “There’s no need for threats. Sam knows he’s better off with us than being back in hell.” My new sidekick shuddered hard enough to make the table rock at that possibility. I snatched up my teacup before the liquid could slosh over the brim.

“My mistress is correct,” he said fervently. “I have thrown my lot in with her and I am now hers to command.”

“I’m not your mistress,” I said with a sigh. “I’d rather you think of me as your friend.” We didn’t really know each other well enough to be classified as friends, but I didn’t want him to be so subservient.

He smiled at me shyly. “I would like that…Violet.” I could see that it was a struggle for him to use my name. “It has been a very long time since I have had a friend.”

Leo shook his head sardonically, but didn’t comment about our bonding session. Nathan’s face was stony. He stood so still that he looked like a Greek statue.

“What did you mean when you said your master’s carriage wasn’t drawn by nightmares?” I asked, tearing my eyes away from Nathan. “Why do demons even need carriages? Don’t they just teleport everywhere?”

Sam’s expression turned grave again. “Nightmares are one of hell’s version of horses. They are made of shadows and have eyes that burn with fire. They serve only the strongest of demons who have conquered a gate in all nine realms of hell. Demons cannot teleport when they are in hell. I have heard this is only possible when they are in this realm.”

“It is the same for angels,” Nathan confirmed. “How did you manage to stow away on the carriage?”

“Sam has a neat trick,” I said. “Show him,” I urged when the imp just sat there.

Looking down at his hands, he concentrated and his skin changed color. It went from black to a dark brown that matched the table top. They even had the same grain of wood as the table.

“Interesting,” Nathan said in a musing tone. “Can all imps camouflage themselves like this?”

Sam shrugged and the color faded. “I do not know. I did not often have a chance to speak to the other lowly minions.”

“I would like to know where Satan has gone to,” Leo said. “He is the most powerful demon in existence. It does not make sense that another has risen to take his place.”

They looked at me for an answer, but I didn’t have one. The demons that I’d absorbed didn’t know where their old leader had gone or how their new one had risen so high. “It beats me,” I said with a shrug. “I didn’t see anything about that in any of their memories.”

“How many souls have you absorbed now?” Nathan asked.

“Three,” I replied with a grimace.

“When did you acquire the other two?”

Leo explained how we’d both stabbed the lesser demons in the chest to release their essence. “They were immediately drawn inside Violet once they were expelled from their vessels,” he finished up.

“I have never heard of anything like this happening before,” Nathan said. His tone and expression were disturbed. “We should consult with Sophia about this when she returns. Perhaps she will have some wisdom to shed.”

He’d tried to hide my ability to ingest souls from the others, but now that Leo and Sam had seen me absorb two more demons, the secret was out. I could already imagine Brie’s reaction to the news and knew that it wouldn’t be pleasant. This would give her even more reasons to dislike me.

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“She did
what
?” Brie said incredulously and stared at me in horror. Sophia had taken the news a little better, but she was still pale and shaken. They’d returned after a couple of hours with clothes for Sam and food for me.

Sophia picked up her teacup with a hand that trembled slightly. “You heard Nathanael as well as I did,” she said. “There is no need for him to repeat himself.”

Pacing up and down, the teen was so worked up that she couldn’t articulate her feelings. Coming to a stop at last, she gripped the back of her chair hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “When were you going to tell us that you are a succubus?” It came out in an accusing hiss.

“What the hell is a succubus?” I asked in confusion.

“It is a mythical creature that eats souls,” Leo told me then turned to his twin. “I do not believe that Violet is a true succubus.”

“Really?” she said sarcastically. “Why not?”

“Because she did not suck the essence from the demons,” Nathan replied. “They were drawn to her. She had no choice but to absorb them.”

“Why has she not been possessed by one of them?” Brie asked and sent me an accusing stare. “It is unheard of for a demon to fill a vessel and not to take charge of it.”

“It is obvious that Violet is not a normal human,” Sophia said almost tiredly. She might not need to sleep, but she looked like she could use a nap right now. This news had obviously hit her hard. “I already knew she was special. I just did not realize how different she would be.”

“I would not call being able to absorb demons ‘special’,” Brie said.

“What would you call it?” I demanded, already knowing what her answer would be.

“Only someone who is evil could take more evil into themselves,” she said coldly.

Sam surged to his feet and all three angels made their weapons appear. “My mistress is not evil,” the imp said hotly in my defense. “She is good and kind and there is not a wicked bone in her body!”

I put my hand on his arm to find that he was shaking. His bravado was just a show. He was petrified of them all. “Thanks, Sam, but it’s okay. Brie is just saying what they’re all thinking.”

Filled with distress, he sank back down onto his seat again. “They are wrong,” he said stubbornly. “I have lived with true evil for centuries. I can feel it even when they try to hide their real natures. I do not sense any evil in you.”

“You should. I have three demons inside me, after all.”

He shrugged his bony shoulders, but he didn’t relent.

“What does this mean?” Leo asked Sophia.

Staring deeply into her cup, she dragged her gaze up to meet his. “I do not know.” Her simple answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “I have not seen this development in my visions.”

I stood with a heavy sigh. “Come on, Sam, let’s get you cleaned up and into some new clothes.” His skin was too dark to tell if he was dirty or not, but it would make me feel better for him if he took a shower. At the least, it would get rid of the smell of sulphur.

I picked up the plastic bags that Sophia had left next to Sam’s chair and he hesitantly followed me up to the second floor. Taking his bags into my room, I upended the contents onto my bed and sorted through them. I handed him a change of clothes then took him to the bathroom. After showing him how to use the shower, I retreated to my bedroom.

Folding his clothes up neatly, I put them back in the bags then dumped them on the floor at the end of my bed. I had only one small dresser and it wasn’t big enough to share with him. The closet was full of Leo and Brie’s clothing. With nothing better to do, I lay down to wait.

A quiet knock came at my door a while later and I realized that I’d dozed off. I opened my eyes to see Sam standing in the doorway. “What do you think?” he asked, scratching his arm nervously.

Now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he looked almost human. Only his unnaturally dark skin and ugly face spoiled the illusion. “You look better,” I said as diplomatically as possible.

He grinned and sat down on the floor beside my bed. “I enjoyed taking a shower. Do you think Sophia would mind if I did so again?”

I hadn’t seen a single customer enter the store so far, but she didn’t appear to be strapped for cash. I was pretty sure she could afford to pay the water bill. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Feeling tired despite my nap, I lay back down again. I could hear raised voices coming from downstairs, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. I was fairly sure Brie was arguing with them to kick me out, since I was apparently so evil.

“I’m going to take a nap,” I said to Sam. “Don’t let anyone disturb me, okay?”

“I shall guard your door until you awaken,” he said in a serious tone. Standing, he tiptoed out of the room. He shut the door gently and I heard him lean against it. Shaking my head at my peculiar new friend, my eyes slid shut. Moments later, I fell into a dream.

I was in a dark, misty area with dense fog swirling around my feet. Looking up, I saw only darkness without stars above. The air was damp, but odorless. A sound came from somewhere in the distance and rapidly drew closer. Peering into the mist, I saw several pairs of scarlet eyes approaching. They glowed brightly enough to illuminate four shadowy, horse-like creatures that had to be nightmares. Their hooves made no sound, but the wheels of the carriage they were pulling sounded like they were clattering over a hard surface.

Creaking and groaning, the carriage was as inky as the sky and dense black curtains filled the windows. An image of a monstrous face decorated the door, but it flashed past so fast that I didn’t get a good look at it. No one appeared to be directing the nightmares and they didn’t wear a bridle. Their eyes flickered towards me as they bolted past, but they didn’t stop. I sensed a malevolent presence in the carriage just as something took hold of my hand and pulled me down into a crouch.

It was the female lesser demon that I’d absorbed. “It is not safe for you to be here,” she hissed. Without her vessel, she couldn’t hide her hideous face and form from me. She was dressed in black leather armor and knee high boots.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“You are dreaming of the shadowlands that lie between hell and Earth,” a deep voice replied. I glanced over my shoulder to see the pirate captain who had kidnapped Sam and had taken him to hell. “We need to leave this place immediately.” He was even taller than the police officer that he’d possessed. He also wore leather armor, but it was slightly more ornate and had metal braces around his wrists.

“Why are you in such a rush to leave?” I asked suspiciously. I knew it was just a dream, but it seemed very real.

The lesser male demon stepped into view, ringing his insubstantial hands in worry. “If our master catches you, he will take you to his realm. If you stay there for too long, you will become his creature. Once that happens, we will never be able to free ourselves from you.” Unlike the other two, he wore an outfit that looked like a plain black sack with a rope for a belt.

“I didn’t ask any of you to invade my body,” I reminded him. “It isn’t my fault that you’re all stuck inside me.”

“Yet we are trapped and we see no way to extricate ourselves,” the female said unhappily.

“Why did you enter me in the first place?”

“I thought I could possess your vessel,” the pirate replied. “But when I entered you, I found only a vast emptiness inside.”

“What do you mean?” I said with a frown.

“Normal humans have a soul that we can subjugate to our will,” the lesser male explained. “You are not like any human we have ever encountered before.”

I didn’t want to put two and two together, but I knew what this meant. I wasn’t like other humans, because I apparently didn’t have a soul. Demons couldn’t possess me because there was nothing inside for them to take over.