Hell, you’ll feel and sense everything. Once you’re on Earth, some of the normal physical impressions will be limited, as I mentioned.”
I was so not looking forward to that part.
“Come,” he held out his hand.
I took it, marveling at the fact I could see his skin through the translucency of my own spiritual hand. This was going to be very, very weird.
“Who do you want to see first?” he asked.
“Taylor.”
He heaved a sigh. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Chapter 15
Azazel’s mighty wings beat the air as we made our descent toward the hellgate. A different one than the one he’d brought me through that fateful night of my birthday. Azmodea’s gate was close enough to San Francisco for Azazel to use it to pick me up and take me to Hell, but Taylor lived in Australia...neither Azmodea nor Azazel held control over a gate in the vicinity of Sydney.
Which meant we had to fly into another demon’s territory and use their hellgate—for a price.
Apparently Azazel had called ahead to ask permission and announce his arrival. If a high-ranking demon simply showed up in another’s lands, as he explained to me, it could be seen as an unprovoked violation of territory and might lead to an altercation. Of course, this also meant we had a welcome wagon waiting for us as we neared the gate.
Slightly translucent and mainly spiritual as my form might be, Azazel still had to carry me as if I was solid—to my disappointment, I couldn’t fly on my own—and I clutched him tighter as two winged shapes dropped to our height and flanked us on both sides.
“Our escort,” Azazel murmured in my ear. “They’re mostly for show.”
I glanced at the demons flying alongside us, clad in fighting gear that proclaimed they meant business if push came to shove.
Azazel banked, and we landed in a courtyard ringed by squat buildings reminiscent of the famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon. The blue-glazed bricks covering the walls reflected the light of the torches, the flames dancing over reliefs showing mystical beasts like dragons—although given the reality of this realm, they probably weren’t mystical.
The architecture was beautiful and intimidating all at the same time, a simultaneous statement of splendor and military might.
Our escort landed next to us, their wings rustling as they were folded in a resting position behind the demons’ backs. Azazel was about to stride for the hellgate looming in the middle of the courtyard, built in the same defensively aesthetic style as the surrounding structures, as a voice rang out behind us.
“And what’s that you’re carrying, I wonder?”
Azazel halted, his jaw locking tight. With a sigh, he turned and set me down.
Don’t speak, he told me mentally.
“Elerion,” he said out loud, and inclined his head.
The male demon he addressed stepped out of the shadows of an alcove. With his elegantly cut features, he looked like he’d be the favored model of the next New York fashion show, making designers fall over themselves to put him in their clothes. The way he moved clearly said he knew it too. He carried himself with the sure knowledge of his own beauty, used to wielding it like a blade.
His dark hair was cut short on the sides, longer on the top, some of the strands falling oh-so-carelessly over his forehead. Sharp jawline, high cheekbones, an amused smirk on his lips...but the most striking aspect of his face were his eyes, glowing orange-red like embers in a barely banked fire.
“Azazel,” he said, his tone cultured and precise. “I heard some rumors. Seems they’re true.” He tilted his head and peered around Azazel’s wings to catch a glimpse of me. “You’ve acquired an interesting pet.”
Azazel flared his wings slightly, obscuring me from Elerion’s view, and said in a voice that was dangerously nonchalant, “I would love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid my time is short. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going now, as agreed upon in our negotiations for passage.”
“Ah, yes.” Elerion clucked his tongue. “And why would you be carrying a human soul to Earth?”
“My business is my business.”
“Hm. Curious business. Very...unusual. One might even say newsworthy. And you know what they say about the speed with which news travels.” A pregnant pause. “Especially to the palace of Lucifer.”
Fire licked over Azazel’s wings. His voice was deadly quiet. “What do you want?”
“A favor.”
The muscles locked in Azazel’s back. “Nothing that will bring harm to me or anyone in my care. Nor will I expose secrets that are not mine to