pulled me into his chest and took flight despite my squirming.
“No, we have to stay with them!” I shoved at Az, struggling to remove myself from his grip.
“It’s not them he wants.” For the first time ever, I tasted sharp, genuine fear from the cocky angel. “It’s us.”
A massive crack in the ground appeared, an ear-splitting thunder rumbling over the world as the two sides began to separate. My priests ran for cover, Zach pointing and shouting at how close the fissure was running toward the gate. When the familiar black-clawed hand shot up from the gradually spreading canyon, dread filled me, like I drank from a poisonous well.
“Deyva.” Kimaris grinned, hoisting himself up. “At last we’re reunited.” His soulless black eyes slid over to Azariah. “No thanks to you, angel.”
“What can I say, Kim? She’s a much better lay.” Az’s grip around me tightened, his fingers locking at my waist.
Kimaris' proportions were ridiculous here on earth. He was as tall as the church itself and almost as wide, his horns the size of helicopter propellers.
“Don’t you two look sweet wrapped up in each other!” The demon’s voice dripped with cruelty, likely already fantasizing all the ways he would abuse us. A memory of Ahlaeus, my first angel lover, popped into my head and I clutched around Az’s neck tighter. “It’s actually perfect that you two are together. Your screams will be most entertaining to our special guest.”
The ground shook ten times more violently than before, knocking my priests off their feet as they struggled to stand. The fissure in the ground stretched open like a gaping maw—or the Mouth of Hell itself.
“What’s happening?” I could only hold on to Az and stare at what looked like the entire planet breaking apart.
“I don’t know.” Then, “Oh! Ohhh, shit.”
If I thought Kimaris was big, he was dwarfed by the monster crawling out of the earth. Clawed, gnarled hands the size of houses reached up, kicking up dust storms as the palms flattened against the earth. Wide horns emerged, the ends curving up like those on a longhorn bull, and a heavy blackened crown sat between them.
My dread morphed into a bottomless pit of despair as King Belial pulled himself out of Hell.
34
Not A Chance In Hell
Deyva
“Watch me, my king!” Kimaris bellowed, looking child-sized compared to Belial. “As I deliver these unruly subjects back to the pits they find themselves too good for. Angel,” his nostrils flared, glaring at Azariah, “you can forget all about a fair trial and judgment.”
“You’ll have to catch us first, you ugly...I was about to say motherfucker, but no mother would fuck you.”
“Az!” I shrieked.
Kimaris was already lunging toward us, long, hooved legs stretching far. He used the burnt-out husk of an oak tree as a springboard, launching himself up in the air dangerously close to us. Azariah soared and twisted us in midair, changing direction at the last possible moment.
“Think of your priests, Deyva,” Az said, his voice tight with effort as we dodged Kimaris. “Think of how much you love them.”
“More than anything,” I said, scanning the ground but not finding them. Oh God, please don’t let them fall into the canyon.
“Good, hold on to that. It’ll fuel me.” He stroked a tender hand along my face, gazing at me for a moment. “And keep taking what you need from me.”
I lifted my face and kissed him in reply, pulling that raw power and sweet holy light directly from his soul to mine. When we parted, our arms were already outstretched, palms glowing, a vicious wind whipping against us.
“Arghh!” Kimaris raised his arms to shield his eyes, his skin sizzling and hissing at the contact from holy light. But it would take more than that to kill him.
I glanced at Belial, who watched us impassively. His giant form looked too impossible to be real, like he was some kind of monument casting a shadow over Bethel. But his eyes, red-glowing slits with no pupils, focused on us with an unnerving intensity.
“Again, Deyva!” This time Az initiated a rough kiss, but something burning and rank hit us with the force of a speeding car.
“Az!” I screamed. We almost broke apart on our tumble down to earth from a swat of Kimaris' massive hand. Loose feathers floated in the air, but my angel quickly righted us. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth.
I pressed my hands to his back, sending every ounce of healing that I could spare despite my own skin blistering. “We have to