Something Wicked (23 page)

“Straight back to Hell on a one-way ticket. Unable to summon the energy to leave again for decades. It’s an imperfect science, but it’s the only way. In the human world I have to be human.”

“Why?”

“My strong distaste for them might lead me to lay waste to everyone I see.”

“You’d do that?”

“If I used enough of my power and Satan came out to play, it’s very possible.”

“You make it sound like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

“Because that’s very much what it’s like for me.”

“So . . . Lucifer . . . or
Lucas
,” she began, “is your nice side—”

“
Nice
might be a bit of an exaggeration.”

“And Satan is the truly evil one.”

“With my curse in place, I represent the darkness in either of my guises. But you wouldn’t want to meet Satan. I’m not quite as good of a conversationalist when he’s in control.” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re the first I’ve chosen to have this conversation with in a very, very long time. You should feel very honored.”

Honored
was one thing she didn’t feel at the moment. Eden crossed her arms tightly in front of her. “I need to get back. Darrak will wonder where I’ve gone.”

“Time isn’t an issue here, but there’s no reason to draw this out. I’ve told you what I want from you. The weapon Theo will acquire today may have the power to kill me. But I want to use it to kill Satan instead. If I can destroy my darkness, maybe my light can finally be restored.”

She considered this for an uneasy moment. “You really think Heaven’s going to welcome you back with open arms after all this time?”

His jaw clenched. “I’ve learned my lesson. There’s no reason for them to continue to torture me by ignoring my existence. So will you do this for me? Watch Theo and bring me the weapon when I ask?”

“I don’t know.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, if what you’re saying is true, you’re Lucifer.
And
Satan. And that’s just way too much for me to absorb during one day at the beach.”

“You’re saying you don’t trust me.”

“That pretty much sums it up.”

“But you trust Darrak?” he challenged. “He’s an archdemon. At his essence, he’s nothing but hellfire. I created him to be a servant to me.”

She swallowed hard. “A lot of people come from humble beginnings.”

His expression was tense. “Say you’ll agree to help me. To work for me.”

“Work for
Lucifer
.”

“Yes.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “You need an answer right now?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then my answer is no. I . . . I can’t do it. I can’t work for you. My soul is in enough jeopardy as it is.” She touched her amulet. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

“I see.”

She expected him to get angry with her, but he didn’t. Was he really going to take no for an answer? She really hoped so. “You’ll find someone else to help you.”

“There is no one else.” He went quiet for a moment, his expression shadowed. “I have your mother’s soul, you know.”

A breath caught in Eden’s throat. “What did you say?”

“Your mother, Caroline Riley. She died recently. She was a borderline case—her eternal fate was undecided but recently tipped in my favor when I chose to claim her as . . . insurance.”

“She’s in Hell.” Her mouth was dry.

“Her soul is mine,” Lucas said. “She was a horrible mother to you. She had terrible taste in men. Even your father, an angel.”

She inhaled sharply. “You know about him?”

“Of course I do. I also know that he turned his back the moment the human world was out of sight, and he put you and your mother out of his mind. There aren’t many angels who will give up Heaven for a mortal life.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Eden said, her voice barely audible. He was right. Her mother had been a crappy one. Negligent and emotionally distant. But she didn’t deserve an eternity in Hell for her sins.

“As soon as I let her out of my protective custody, there’s no saying what torment she’ll face. But, like I said, she’s a borderline case. And there is a grace period for me to decide what to do with her. If I reject her from Hell, then there’s a chance she’ll be accepted into Heaven.”

“A chance?”

He shrugged. “Also a chance she won’t be.”

“And what happens then?” Eden’s throat felt thick.

“If neither Heaven nor Hell wants her, she’ll wander the human world as a disembodied spirit—a
drifter
.”

This was too much. She’d said no, and he’d decided to blackmail her. Well, he’d be happy to know it was working perfectly.

“Fine. I’ll help you,” she said not wanting to give it any more thought. “Darrak will help me with Theo.”

“You’re too late. Darrak’s already agreed to help Theo destroy me.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Darrak’s not fond of me, so I can’t exactly say I’m surprised by his decision, but he’s making a grave error siding with Theo.” Lucas smiled. “Demons forged from hellfire can be pretty but are ultimately very stupid. Since both started off their existences as incubi, they weren’t prized for their keen intellects.”

Panic rose up inside her. “Don’t hurt him.”

“Hurt Darrak? For wanting to end my existence?” He grinned. “Thanks for the suggestion.”

She swallowed hard. “No, look, there has to be another way.”

His grin disappeared. “Yes, there is. You bring me that weapon when I ask for it. And you promise to say nothing to Darrak about this. Otherwise, your mother will be damned for all eternity. Human souls and hellfire are not friends. The screams are very disturbing. I believe you got a little sample of that earlier.”

She couldn’t forget it even if she wanted to. “Fine. Whatever you say.”

“If you need to speak to me, hold the marble and say my name.”

“Lucifer,” she said.

“Yes.”

“But if that’s your true name, why aren’t you bound by whomever says it?”

“Because I’m the Prince of Hell. That does come with a few special privileges.” He turned away and began walking down the beach. “Bye, Eden. Nice talking to you.”

Snap.

The next moment Eden was back in the restroom of the restaurant, shaking, staring at her pale expression in the mirror.

FOURTEEN

“That was fast,” Darrak said as Eden sat down next to him at the table.

“Really?” She looked surprised.

“I ordered you the daily special,” he said, as the waitress brought plates of food to the table a few moments later.

“I . . . I’m not very hungry.”

She looked distressed. He really wanted to touch her hand and assure her it was okay, but didn’t want Theo to sense any weakness on his part. Not toward Eden.

No, it would be best if Theo felt Darrak was simply using Eden’s body and any other emotions would disappear the moment he found a solution to his curse.

And Eden couldn’t find out Theo’s plan or the fact that Darrak had readily agreed to help him out. Keeping it from her might be tricky, but he knew she’d never approve in a million years.

Then again, the plan was to destroy Lucifer, not to go gallivanting all over town clubbing baby seals.

Still. The less said the better.

“So now that you have had some time to refresh yourself,” Theo said, keeping his trademark charming smile on his handsome face, “I want to ask for your assistance today.”

Darrak braced himself. While he’d told Eden Theo would help them, he didn’t tell her the demon wanted something in return for his troubles.

“With what?” she asked.

“I’d like you to accompany me as I speak to someone.”

“Who?”

Theo cocked his head to the side. “An angel.”

Eden blinked. “An
angel
.”

“That’s right. He’s going to help me get something I need.”

“Why do you want me to come along?”

“I just do. Consider it a favor.”

Eden blinked slowly, then took a sip from her glass of water. “Okay. Where will we find him?”

Well, that was easy. Too easy, actually. Darrak was surprised she hadn’t flat out refused to have anything to do with this. Even he didn’t understand why Theo needed to talk to an angel. It was a rare thing for demons and angels to even come face-to-face. They usually repelled each other like magnets.

“He hangs out at a pub just down the street from here every day at about this time.”

“An angel goes to a pub?” she asked.

“He’s an alcoholic.”

Eden’s eyebrows rose. “How is that even possible?”

Theo grinned. “Demons and angels are susceptible to human alcohol and drugs when in human form. Even more than humans are.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Just a taste is sometimes enough to create an addiction.”

Darrak snorted. “Just like Eden and her morning OJ.”

“Better than your chocolate donut addiction,” she mumbled under her breath.

Okay.
Somebody was still a bit cranky, weren’t they?

Darrak expected her to ask more questions and demand answers, but Eden simply nodded as she pushed her untouched plate of food away from her.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re sure?”

She nodded. “Positive.”

The pub was called the Pig and Thistle, and it was small, dark, and musty. There weren’t many customers inside. One bartender. A waitress. A couple of people sitting in a booth. And one man at the bar, hunched over the nearly empty glass of dark ale in front of him.

“That’s him,” Theo said.

That was an angel? She had to say, she was disappointed. With thinning blond hair and gaunt cheekbones, the angel looked like an average man in his midthirties who drank more than he should while the wife and kids waited patiently at home.

After what she’d just experienced with Lucas, she knew looks could be deceiving. She assumed Theo would question this angel about the whereabouts of the weapon.

Just observe. That was all she was instructed to do.

She could do that.

After all, her mother’s soul currently hung in the balance.

Why would Eden go out of her way to save her mother’s soul? Caroline Riley had basically left her on her own from the time she was a kid to fend for herself, sometimes for up to a week at a time while she went off with whoever her latest boyfriend was.

She’d never physically abused Eden, but the emotional abandonment was enough to do damage. Eden always felt that her mother just didn’t care. And when she was around, she always treated Eden more like a buddy than a daughter.

Would she be happy Eden had stepped up, without question, to do this? It wasn’t as if Eden had agreed to help Lucas so she’d gain something. The last time she’d done a favor for her mother—paid off a credit card so the collection agency would stop calling—she’d been yelled at, not thanked.

Her mother hated it when other people—even her own daughter—interfered in her business.

But this wasn’t a collection agency looking for a few thousand dollars. This was the fate of her mother’s soul. And she didn’t expect a thank-you card in return.

The fact that her mother had left her anything in her will when she died—half of Triple-A and a pair of earrings—still surprised Eden. The fact that her mother had a
will
surprised her. The woman basically lived out of a suitcase for most of her adult life.