Damian rolled his eyes, picked up William's head, and reluctantly joined me. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, giving the demon a firm look to let it know I would defend the child at all costs.
"I wonder, what does demon taste like?" William's head asked no one in particular.
"Duck, I'm told," Simon answered, then gestured again toward the path. "If you please? Lord Asmodeus is most eager to meet you."
I glanced at the huge pits ablaze with the fires of hell, and shook my head. "Illusion or not, I'm staying right where I am."
Simon tipped its head to look at me. "Afraid of the fires, are you? That's not good. That's not good at all."
"How so?" I asked, one eye on the nearest conflagration. I felt sick to my stomach at its nearness, my psyche shrieking to get out of there by any means possible, but I couldn't leave Damian and my friends.
"I believe I'll let my lord answer that. If you please?"
I took a deep breath. "You can tell Asmodeus that I'm not going anywhere, and if he wants to talk to me, he can just get his pox-riddled behind over here to—"
A noise unlike anything I've ever heard in this world or the next shook the cavern, echoing off the high stone walls, doubling and tripling on itself. The flame pits erupted in bonfires that nearly touched the ceiling, the fire and horrible scream almost enough to bring the entire structure down upon us. I pulled Damian behind me, trying to shield him as I backed up against the wall and prayed the glamour or whatever was being used to create this illusion was strong enough to protect the physical world from this nightmare.
Eventually, the noised died down, and the flames dropped to their normal level. My hands shook as I dusted off Damian, making sure he wasn't injured before turning to face the demonic steward.
Simon glanced nervously toward the distance corner of the cave. "I respectfully suggest you not anger my lord again. He does not take well to being told what to do."
"He can bite my shiny pink—"
Sally shut up with a look from me, but she muttered several rude threats in her odd mixture of English and mangled French. I examined my options quickly and decided that I really didn't have a choice.
"Fine. I will go speak to Asmodeus. But he must first release my friends." Sally, Tim, and Jack all protested, but I held up a hand to stop them, keeping my gaze firmly on Simon. "I will go just as soon as my friends are released, but not before."
I half expected another roar from the demon lord, but to my surprise, Simon smiled. "But, my good lady, your friends are not prisoners here. They may leave at any time."
"They may?" I blinked a couple of times, then glanced at the fire pits. There had to be a trick somewhere. "Very well. You will escort them out. Once they are safely outside this building, I will see Asmodeus."
The demon gave me a look that said it was humoring me, but put two fingers in its mouth and blew a sharp whistle. A small demon in running shorts and a dirty T-shirt appeared before it. "Wassup?"
"These people… er… revenents, Dark One, and spirit need escorting outside. See to it."
The little demon looked curiously at me, its eyes opening wide when it noticed my double souls. Its lips pursed together, but before my friends could protest again, it ripped open the fabric of being, shoving them through it with one last look at me.
"How do I know they're safe?" I asked, immediately seeing the flaw in my hastily thought-up plan.
Simon rolled its eyes, and gently shoved me toward the path. "Asmodeus has no interest in them. Mind the lava."
"Lava. Such a quaint touch," I murmured as I stepped carefully over a thin trickle of molten rock, careful to stay as far away from the raging pits of fire as was possible. I am not ashamed to admit that there were two times on the journey across the cavern floor where I came close to turning tail and bolting, but each time Simon seemed to sense my rising panic, and stopped long enough for me to regain composure.
"Here we are, then, all safe and sound. Well… for the moment." Simon's smile as we crested the plateau was feeble even by demonic standards, and did nothing to promote a feeling of security. "My most gracious lord, the tattu is here."
For the most part, my life has been sheltered. I've seen monarchs and politicians rise to power and fall away into obscurity.
Radicals, geniuses, madmen… they've all crossed my path at some time or other. But with very few exceptions (Sally being one of them), they have all been mortal. The Society has been a recent phenomenon, forming a shy fifty years ago, and although my work there has afforded me a chance to mingle with other immortal beings, I seldom do. Asmodeus was the first demon lord I'd ever seen, and I had to admit that I was somewhat disappointed by the mundane appearance of the man who rose from behind a desk to greet me. He could be any fifty-something businessman crowded into the London tube, clutching a briefcase and a copy of a morning paper.
"If you like, I can adopt a more fearsome appearance," he told me, apparently reading my mind. "And no, I can't read your mind. That, to my great regret, has been a skill that has eluded me."
I blinked twice. "If you can't read minds, then how did you know what I was thinking?"
He reached out to touch my face. I took a step backward, out of his reach. Simon said something about attending to other business and slipped out a door built into the rock wall.
Asmodeus's hand fell. He propped one hip up on his desk, his arms crossed as he considered me. "I am quite adept at reading expressions, and your look of surprise at my mortal appearance presented no difficulty in interpreting. Do I frighten you?"
I swallowed hard, ignoring the urge to look behind me at the room filled with fire while wondering whether I could pull off a bald-faced lie. I've never been good at deceit, so I decided to go with honesty. "Very much so. What exactly do you believe you are going to do with me? I am a Beloved, bound to a Dark One."
"You are tattu," he said simply, falling silent for a moment.
I willed my body into quietude despite the horrible need to fidget… if not outright run away screaming at the top of my lungs.
"You have that rarest of things, a perfectly pure soul."
"I have two pure souls," I said, throwing caution to the wind.
"No, you have the soul you were originally born with and the second, which I assume was granted at a rebirth. The first is flawed; it is the second that I desire."
"You can't have it." I rallied enough inner strength to carry my trembling legs over to a chair, which I sat down upon in a sudden manner that belied my brave words. "It's mine. They both are, flawed or not. They're mine, and I have no intention of giving either up."
"Do you have any idea what a perfectly pure soul means to me?" he asked with deceptive mildness—deceptive but for the sudden light of unholy greed that shone in his eyes. Just meeting his gaze took a year or two off my life. I looked down at my hands, which were clutching each other. Chills ran down my back and legs, my stomach tightening into a leaden wad.
I shook my head.
"A soul affords me power. But a perfectly pure soul, one untainted by its bearer, can provide me with almost unlimited power.
With a soul such as yours in my possession, my ascension to the throne of Abaddon is guaranteed."
My stomach roiled at the thought of my beautiful clean soul being soiled and ultimately destroyed in Asmodeus's attempt to become premier prince of hell.
"You can't have it," I said in a low voice, gripping the arms of the chair so hard my fingernails bent. "I will go back to the Akashic Plain before I allow you to destroy something so good."
He smiled, and for a second, I saw his true form. A red wave swept down over my vision, blinding me, stripping me of air and thought and, for a brief moment, the desire to live.
I never thought of you as a quitter, a soft voice said, imbuing me with feelings of being loved and cherished and valued above all things.
Sebastian?
I am here, Beloved. I will be with you momentarily. Do not allow Asmodeus to frighten yo
u. I will not allow any harm to come to you.
Where have you been? Why haven't you talked to me? You left and I couldn't mind-talk with you.
Regret mingled with sorrow leeched into my brain. I apologize. I was indisposed. But now I am back, and together, we are more powerful than you can imagine. His mind brushed mine with an emotion that I couldn't mistake.
Do you always fall in love with women so quickly? I asked, half joking.
You are the only one, Belle.
Where are you?
Near. I will be with you in a few minutes.
I lifted my chin, and kept my gaze steady on Asmodeus. "I don't see that we have anything further to discuss. I have no intention of relinquishing my soul to you, and there is no way you can force me to do it."
He smiled again, but this time I was ready for it.
Good girl, Sebastian said, his thoughts full of approval. You have been tempered. You can withstand this.
"I hate to disappoint such faith, my dear, but time grows short." Asmodeus raised his voice. "Simon, bring in Orinel."
The door opened just enough for Simon to poke his face through the crack. "My lord, there has been a… an unforseen event."
Asmodeus frowned. "Spare me your gibberish and summon Orinel and its prisoner to me."
If it were possible for a demon's face to grow pale, Simon's did. "Er… my lord…"
The door burst open at that moment, sending Simon flying into the room. He landed in a heap at my feet, but made no move to rise. I stood slowly as a man entered the room, moving as silently as panther. A blond panther.
"Asmodeus. I would be lying if I said it was a pleasure to meet you again," Sebastian said, holding out a hand for me. I stepped over Simon's inert form and took his hand, his fingers tightening around mine. "Although I admit to looking forward to this moment for a very long time."
The demon lord frowned a second time. "Where is Orinel?"
"The demon has been destroyed." Sebastian lifted his hand to show the ring of power on his thumb. "I believe I took it by surprise, since it spent a good five minutes before I dispatched it telling me of your plan to capture me and use me to force Belle into compliance."
At the sight of the ring, a red light shone in Asmodeus's eyes, but it quickly faded into one of speculation.
"That ring was destroyed."
"It was remade."
Asmodeus nodded. "The folly of alchemists and their precious carmot. Very well, we are at an impasse. You have my ring of power, and I have your Beloved. How do you suggest we proceed?"
Sebastian released my hand and pulled me close to his side. "Belle and I will leave with the ring in our possession. You will be allowed to continue as you are, until such time as you attempt to harm either of us. At that point, I will use the ring to destroy you just as I have done your minion."
Is the ring powerful enough to destroy a demon lord?
In the right hands it is.
Asmodeus looked thoughtful for a moment. "That is not acceptable. I, however, have a solution to the situation. In exchange for your Beloved's extra soul, a soul, I might point out, she has no need or use for, I will swear an oath to never harm you or your families."
Sebastian was shaking his head even before the demon lord stopped talking.
I took a step away before Sebastian could refuse Asmodeus's ridiculous suggestion. Unless I did something, I knew the situation would deteriorate quickly.
"I just want to make sure I have this all straight in my mind," I said quickly. I backed up a couple of steps until my back was to the fiery hell pits. "You're not going to let us walk out of here unless I relinquish one of my souls, are you?"
Asmodeus pursed his lips. "No. Sebastian may hold the ring of power, and he may possess enough power to use it against me, but he would be destroyed in the attempt. You are his Beloved. He will not do anything to endanger you, including bringing his own life to an end."
I looked at Sebastian. The truth was in his eyes.
Do not listen to his lies. I have power enough to destroy him.
I know you do, I answered gently. But I also knew that Asmodeus spoke the truth… the attempt would end in Sebastian's destruction as well, and that I could not tolerate.
I looked at the cavern that yawned behind me, at the still-inert demon lying at the feet of the chair, at the man and the demon lord before me. A time had come that I suddenly felt as if I'd been waiting for all the years of my life. I prayed that what I was about to do would work. If it didn't… well, I'd been through that, as well.
"There is only one path open to me." My heart sang as I acknowledged the emotions that had been blossoming since I had first seen Sebastian. I know you haven't asked me, and it's only been a short time that we've known each other, but somehow, I've fallen in love with you. I never thought I would willingly sacrifice myself for another, but you are more important than even my life.
Belle—he started to say, but I held up a hand to stop him.
"A soul cannot be taken away by force," I said, my love for him all but bursting from me. "It must be freely given. Sebastian de Mercier, I do willingly cede unto you my soul. Bear it with all the love I have for you."
Sebastian knew at that moment what I was going to do. Asmodeus screamed as Sebastian leaped forward to me, but I stepped backward, off the stone plateau, down into the flames that called my name.
I love you beyond life itself, was my last thought to Sebastian before I was consumed by the fire.
Chapter Nine
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Such a dramatic exit.
Oh, be quiet.
If I'd known you were capable of such acting, I would have suggested that you simply brazen your way out of the situation.
Such a funny man.
You had me believing you were sacrificing yourself.
I wasn't sure it would work. I didn't have time to talk to the director about whether a soul transfer could be conducted via a sacrifice.
Had I known of your plan, I wouldn't even have bothered to destroy Orinel. You could have acted him to a grave.
I reached behind Sebastian and pinched his delectable rear. One more smart comment like that, and I'll regret thinking I was dying for you.
Immediately, my head and heart were flooded with a wave of love so profound, it made my breath catch in my throat. Beloved, nothing will ever approach the unselfish acts you conducted on my behalf. I know what it cost you to believe you were sacrificing your life for me, and I will spend eternity humbled by your show of love.
That's a little more like it, I said, allowing him to see the smile in my mind. I couldn't resist a possessive little touch to Sebastian's shirt as Sally opened the door to the suite. They're here. Behave yourself.
I have promised to do so in front of the Betrayer. But once he has left, all bets, as they say, are off.
The accompanying growl in my head left me breathless and wishing that Damian's parents would hurry up and take him off our hands so I could fling myself shamelessly on Sebastian and allow him to pleasure me in all the many ways he had been imagining since I had woken up in his arms.
Those are only the tip of the iceberg, he said with a silent laugh, stiffening slightly as an auburn-haired man entered the room.
"Hullo, Papa," Damian said, glancing at Adrian and a woman I assumed was his wife. "Hullo, Nell."
"Don't bother getting up on our behalf," Adrian told his son in a dry tone.
I looked him over, wondering what sort of life he had led to be named the Betrayer.
You forbade me to dwell on it.
"Sebastian," Adrian said, turning to face us, giving Sebastian a little nod.
"Betrayer," Sebastian said, making a stiff nod of his own. I elbowed him. "Er… Adrian."
I smiled at the love of my life, filled almost to bursting with the joy he brought me.
Adrian's dark blue eyes, so like his son's, passed over me with curiosity. "I do not know what miracle
Ysabelle has wrought to turn you from predator to protector, but Nell and I are grateful nonetheless that you have kept Damian from harm."
Adrian held out his hand. Sebastian's jaw worked, but the rest of him was frozen into a big, unyielding block. I nudged him again.
It wouldn't kill you to be polite, you know. He's offering you his hand, if not in friendship, then at least in peace.
He is the Betrayer—
Yes, I know, the one who handed you over to Asmodeus to be tortured, but you survived that just as I survived being burned at the stake. Twice. Tempered, remember? It's now time to move on, Sebastian. The present holds enough challenge— we can't live in the past.
Sebastian's struggle was evident on his normally stoic face. I bit my lip to keep from smiling as he wrestled with the memories of the hell he survived with an understanding of what I was asking of him.
"You can do it," Adrian said, dimples flashing to life for a moment. "It's painful at first, but it gets easier. Or at least my wife keeps telling me."
"Honest to God, these men. You'd think asking them to behave in a civilized manner meant the end of the world," Nell said with a roll of her eyes as she walked over to Damian and told him to gather his things.
The boy's nose wrinkled when she stopped next to him. "You still smell," he told her.
"And you're still obnoxious," she responded with a ruffle to his hair that spoke of affection despite her words. "Get your things and we'll stop by the museum so you can say hi to the mummies."
I raised an eyebrow at Sebastian. He was still imitating a statue, staring down Adrian, whose hand was still extended. "Stop acting so stubborn," I hissed, nudging him with my hip.
"I can stand here as long as you can," Adrian said, humor lighting his eyes. "You might as well give in."
Sebastian ground his teeth, his hands fisted tightly at his sides.
You stubborn man. Don't you see that Adrian was forced to betray you by Asmodeus? If he didn't sacrifice you, who knows how many innocent people would have been killed? You wouldn't have wanted them to suffer in your stead, would you?