should not have given you to Kimaris, he was not worthy and I failed to see it.”
I was both terrified of turning and facing Belial, and determined. He was ghastly, enormous, and yet somehow exquisite in his power. Not handsome, but beautifully horrifying, with a jaw that extended from one twisted ear to the other, like a jack-o’-lantern, and bones that twisted and turned in every direction.
“I have a bargain for you, little succubus. You may have your human morsels. You may retire from my service. Deliver me the angel, and peace is yours.”
The world went quiet, or the alarm in my head rang so loud it blocked out the wind, the screams from the ground. Turn Az over to Belial and it would be over? Stavros, Zach, and Kais would be safe. Bethel would be safe.
I...I would be free.
I almost believed in the fantasy for a moment, except there was one obvious error.
And then Azariah called up from the ground. “Deyva, I’ll do—”
“Shut your mouth, Az!” I screamed back, craning over Belial’s fist to see him staring up at me, glowing with light, his face sorrowful, but not frightened.
“But you could—”
“Azariah, don’t be a dumb bitch!” I answered, grinning, seeing his smile, as weak as it was. I turned back to Belial and faced the snarl of his glare. “Not a chance in Hell, Your Majesty. You can have me for all I care, but there’s no way I’m letting you touch a feather on that angel, or a brick of that town, and we both know you can’t get in.”
“I will draw their feeble souls out, eater,” Belial said, crushing the words in his gore-dressed teeth. “I will destroy every one of their measly bodies for your defiance, and ensure their suffering for eternity.”
Demon kings were wordy bastards, but I was a woman of action. I grabbed John’s hilt in both hands, twisting my body and stabbing down into Belial’s wrist with all my strength, groaning as blessed steel struck demonic bone. Belial roared so loud, my vision darkened, and I was falling through the air before I could see again, a scream shredding my throat.
“Oof!” Azariah caught me in his arms, wings beating unevenly at my back.
I buried my face in his neck, not out of fear—that feeling had already numbed me—but just to taste his skin with my lips again. “You’re mine too, Az. Just as much as the priests are. If I can’t surrender, neither can you.”
“I suppose I should’ve expected this. How could you not love me?” He forced out a scoff. “We’ll romance each other right once we’re done. Right now, we have work to do. Ready?”
“He has John!” I warned, staring up at where my sword remained piercing Belial’s wrist, the wound sizzling and festering.
“Leave it, take Andrew instead,” Az said, passing me his own blade. “I’ve got holy light anyway. And don’t fucking give me anymore of your strength, Deyva.”
I kissed his jaw anyway, just because he deserved the thanks. “Drop me on his shoulders.”
Az’s jaw gritted, his flight circling us cautiously around Belial at a distance. “Are you sure? We could get the guys, go inside the gate…”
“And what? Just wait for the water supply to get fucked, the entire town to starve?” I cried out. On the ground, our priests were trying to buy us time, Kais taking careful aim with his crossbow, catching Belial dead center in the throat. Another brain-splitting roar sounded, and even Az’s flight faltered.
Az’s lips curled up, even as his gaze was weary. “You should’ve been in Heaven this whole time, Deyva, I swear to God.”
“Drop me on his shoulders, Az.”
“One royally fucked piggy back ride coming right up,” Az said, swooping past Belial’s raised fist, before tossing me carefully onto Belial’s left shoulder.
I screamed, ripping into Belial’s shoulder with my left arm, his thrashing starting, before stabbing roughly into the side of his throat. I didn’t know if a demon king had a jugular, or even a pulse, but I knew getting stabbed in the throat had to fucking hurt. And it must have, because Belial reared back, a piercing scream raised to the sky which seemed to threaten to split for a moment. Black blood rushed out of the wound as I pulled Andrew free, cascading over Belial’s twisted muscles, making my feet slip and skid over his leathery hide.
I waited for Belial’s thrashing to calm before jumping, jamming Andrew into the base of Belial’s horn, hanging on by a thread of