I burst out of the dorm and darted around town like a wild animal. It was the blindest mission I could ever possibly have gotten. Every failed attempt made me angrier and angrier at Lyna.
“Lyna!” I hissed to the sky after running out of my thirtieth restaurant of the night. “The deal was for you to help me find Sloth. If I can’t find him, then the deal isn’t valid. Now stop slacking and help me!”
I was still running and silently cursing at Lyna when, as if on Lyna’s command, two tall figures jumped out of the corner and blocked my path.
“Hi!”
“Ahhhh!” I shouted instinctively, scuttling to the corner with the fervor of a cockroach. I was shaking, my heart ready to leap out of my chest.
They have found me, I thought with paranoia. The Demons from the train have found me. I was certain that I was going to get abducted and be tortured to death. It was only when I got a good look at their faces that I stopped panicking.
Phix and Coco.
“Aw, look. She’s so cute. She’s hiding,” Phix cooed as if I were a lost kitten. He was dressed in the same outfit I last saw him in: a leather jacket and dark jeans. There was a goofy and innocent smile plastered over his baby-like face.
Coco, who was also dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans, simply rolled her eyes.
Phix continued to address me, speaking slowly and acting as though my brain was too small to comprehend anything coming from his mouth.
“Wheeere arrre yooou goooing, litttttle huuuman?”
I couldn’t think. All I could remember was that it was all Phix’s fault that Eclipse was in this situation. He fucked up at the inn and because of that, Eclipse had to show his true form, use up all his powers, and pay for his actions. As a result, I was stuck without a Guardian Demon and forced to make a stupid deal with Lyna in an effort to save him. I was so exhausted with everything and seeing Phix only reminded me that he was the indirect reason why shit was hitting the fan in my life.
My blood boiled and when I clenched my fists, I lost it.
“This is all your fault!”
Thwack!
Thump!
Enraged, I proceeded to whack at him like he was my personal punching bag. I had no idea what had gotten into me. First, I was crazy enough to threaten Lyna with a knife. Now, I was crazy enough to attack a Demon on the streets. I would normally demonstrate more composed reactions, but worrying about Eclipse had flipped my world upside down. I was pissed at him for leaving me to fend for myself and I wanted the world to know my wrath.
“Owwww!”
It was an understatement to say that Phix was stunned by the violence displayed by this “cute little kitten.” I had no doubt that if this were anyone else, he’d knock them out for touching him. With me, he simply resorted to pathetically crossing his arms over his head.
Unfortunately for Phix, I was relentless with my attack.
Unfortunately for me, he had a backup with him.
“Stop! Stop!” Coco shouted, struggling to yank me away from a whimpering Phix. “Oh my gawd! For such a short girl, you have so much force!”
It was only after my arms were getting sore that I deigned to stop. Pooped out, I allowed Coco to pluck me away while I tried to gather my breath.
“What did I do?!” Phix squeaked out, gaping at me dumbstruck.
Slightly pacified after releasing my aggravation, I told them everything. I told them about Eclipse’s comatose state, about his stay at the hospital, and about my desperate search for Sloth to ask for help.
“You worked for him,” I noted belatedly to Phix, extracting myself from Coco’s hold. I stomped over to him and stabbed an angry finger to his chest. “Hurry up and use your demonic powers to GPS him and find out where he is.”
“We’re not powerful enough to do that,” said an annoyed Coco. She moved beside Phix, her eyes staring me down and daring me to throw another violent tantrum. “We’re still ‘baby Demons.’”
“But,” Phix said slowly, the wheels in his mind turning as he rubbed his head. His eyes brightened when an idea came to him. “If His Dark Majesty is at a restaurant, then I think I might know where he is.”
He locked eyes with me and jerked his head to the side. He began to run through the crowd and motioned for us to follow him. “Let’s go!”
●●●
When Phix took us to the aforementioned restaurant, I initially thought he was taking me somewhere to kill me for assaulting him. Fearing for my life, I made a feeble attempt to run away because I was so terrified. Phix and Coco managed to catch me in time, telling me that it was too late to run away. In this part of the neighborhood, I needed to stay with them or else I would get killed.
With their hands securely fastened on my quivering shoulders, they pushed me forward. We eventually wound up in the more economically disadvantaged part of town. There were homeless people lining the streets, gang members hanging around the alleys, and dilapidated buildings that appeared ready to collapse at any given moment.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked uncertainly, avoiding eye contact with gang members who were whistling and shouting jeers at Coco and I.
“If Sloth is at a restaurant, there’s only one place he would be in this city,” replied Phix.
He directed us to the shadowy corners of an alleyway that was filled with homeless people. I could feel their eyes on us as we moved through the alleyway and stopped at a metal door.
Phix stepped over the three brick steps and punched the code into a keypad. A resounding click within the door elicited, granting us access.
The homeless folks in the alley watched us, their eyes tearing up as we walked in. I didn’t understand why they regarded us in such a manner until we strolled through the dark building.
Dawning comprehension slid over me. The first thing that struck me was the warmth of the room and the second thing that caught my attention was the rich scent of cinnamon. We stepped out of the darkness and into a well-lit corridor that led to two polished oak doors.
There was a gold-plated sign atop those two doors that read: Luxuria.
Phix opened the doors, and I understood instantly why those people out there were envious of us. The world in here was Heaven compared to the Hell outside.
The restaurant we were in was one of the most lavish I had ever been in. Its interior was the personification of extravagance. The restaurant had indoor waterfalls as walls, marble tiles, high ceilings adorned with enormous chandeliers, and tables and chairs that seemed to have been made from gold. The restaurant bled of riches and extravagance, and it was not ashamed to gloat.
The scent of delicious food wafted into my nose as I walked in with Phix and Coco. All around us were men and women dressed in posh cocktail attire. They were all dining without a care in the world and the food just kept coming. If I weren’t so focused on helping my Guardian Demon, I would’ve succumbed to my temptations right then and there. I was itching to sit down at a table and set my inner fat kid loose because all the food looked so delicious. I was becoming dizzy with need when I felt Coco push me from behind, as though to throw me out of my daze.
I gave her a timid look and kept following Phix, doing my best to ignore the beckoning food.
We kept striding through the restaurant until we reached another set of doors. Two golden doors segregated the restaurant from whatever lay behind those walls. There was a beautiful hostess standing behind a black marble podium beside the doors—the gatekeeper.
She had bleached blonde curls and wore a white dress suit that showed off more cleavage than the Grand Canyon. She was admiring her diamond rings while licking a red lollipop. Sensing our presence, her attention maneuvered to us. Her dark gray eyes scanned the three of us from head to toe before her focus rested solely on me. Her glossy pink lips lifted into a snooty smile.
Recognition streamed through her eyes when she gazed at Phix. She didn’t bother to filter herself with her next words. “Only humans of obscene wealth are allowed past thes
e doors.” She glanced pompously at me. “However much this one overindulged while she grew up, she is not allowed to pass these doors.” She gave a slight shrug. “His Dark Majesty’s rules—not mine.”
I frowned.
Even Coco, who normally was offended by the fact that I was breathing the same air as her, looked turned off by how this Demon spoke about me. I was sure we weren’t going to get in, but Phix didn’t look worried.
Undeterred, he simply said, “I need the attention of Room #13.”
The hostess’s eyes lit up in intrigue. Her observant gaze swept us once more. “His Dark Majesty is expecting you and this human?”
“No, but when you tell him that Grace is here, he’ll want to see her. She’s a pretty important human,” Phix bristled like he was talking about a celebrity. “You may have heard of her a little over fifteen years ago.”
The hostess mulled over what Phix was insinuating. Soon after, a knowing smile spread across her face. Her attention returned to me, and there was a star struck look in her eyes.
“The six-year-old murderer,” she marveled, her snootiness melting away. She gasped in amazement, gazing at me like I was a celebrity. “Forgive me. If I had known that you were a human of such notoriety, I would’ve set up a private dining room just for you. In the meantime”—she turned to Phix with a big smile—“you’re right. I’m sure his Dark Majesty would love to see her. Come then. Follow me.”
“Are you trying to get me killed?” I hissed under my breath to Phix, hiding between him and Coco as the hostess rounded past her podium to the doors. “Why did you tell her who I was?”
“Do you think we would’ve gotten in otherwise?” he hissed back, his voice soft enough so that only Coco and I could hear him. “She’s the head hostess of this restaurant. She would’ve sniffed you out as the six-year-old murderer sooner or later. I merely helped her along so we could be granted access.”
He cleared his throat as he exchanged uneasy glances with Coco. He turned back to me with admonishing eyes. “And when we go in, try not to get on their bad sides.”
“Whose?” I asked, worry set within me. “Who is in there besides Sloth?”
My question was left hanging when the doors swept open and we were granted access to another wing of the restaurant. If it were possible, this portion of the restaurant was even more extravagant than the last.
We walked by tables upon tables of fabulous looking people who were covered from head to toe in diamonds. They were the royalty of the world, whether through blood, money, or power, and they relished in it. As the hostess had mentioned, they did looked like humans with obscene wealth.
In wonder, we passed through the palatial room and were at another set of gold doors that led into a private room.
This time, the doors looked bigger. I imagined, with the weight of the door, it would’ve taken several grown men to open it.
To my surprise, all the hostess had to do was stick her lollipop into her mouth, wrap her perfectly manicured fingers over the door knobs, and with a pull that was akin to plucking feathers from a chicken, she yanked the doors open without even breaking a sweat.
I had to hold in my awestruck breath once I peered into the world behind those doors.
The room was massive.
Actually, massive was too calm of a word. It was enormous. The room resembled a ballroom. A circle of bay windows surrounded the lavish room while a gigantic chandelier hung in the center of the ceiling. There was a double staircase that led to another part of the establishment and an indoor water fountain in the shape of a serpent. If you should ever wonder what true wealth looked like, then this private dining room was it. I still couldn’t believe that all of this existed within the confines of a dilapidated building.
After marveling at the grandiosity of the room, my gaze finally landed on the marble table in the middle of the room. The rectangular dining table was big enough to seat at least twenty people and the surplus of food on it was enough to feed an entire third world country.
Seated at that table were Sloth and another man, both of whom were enjoying their expensive wine. Sloth was dressed in a pinstriped gray suit, looking more polished than the last time I saw him. His former unruly brown hair was perfectly combed back and tamed. He still looked young with his glasses, but he also looked wiser, more refined, and more aristocratic.
He wasn’t the only one at the table who looked like a royal.
“Rho,” the man sitting at the other end of the table addressed, never shifting his attention from his food. He looked like he couldn’t be older than someone in his late twenties. He was dressed in an all-white suit with diamonds dripping over him. His blonde faux-hawk made his face appear more defined and sharp. Decadence oozed from him. “Did I not tell you that I did not want to be disturbed?”
“My apologies, but you’ll want to be disturbed by this one,” Rho, the hostess, said confidently. She appraised me with approval. “She’s the famous six-year-old murderer!” She made me sound like a famous pop star as opposed to a disturbed psycho. Rho gave me an encouraging nod before she started to make her way out of the room. “Try not to piss him off. Good luck, and if you should ever come back, I’ll make sure to set up a dining room filled with all your favorite junk-food.” She winked. “No calories.”
I gasped.
This Demon knew my cost!
For the first time that night, I felt elation.
Junk food without calories?
Oh my, where do I sign up?
I gaped at her, the fat kid within me making a mental note to come back and take her up on her offer. Before I could even sketch out a time to revisit this place, Sloth crushed my dreams with his next comment.
“No calories, but in exchange you only want her soul, right?” Sloth asked loftily. “Nice try, Rho, but Grace’s soul has already been claimed.”
“All the good ones are always taken,” she tsked, causing me to glower when I registered that she was only after my soul. The Demon pouted like they had taken her dream doll away. With a respectful but saddened bow to the ones at the table, she walked out, her perfect body sashaying from side to side.
“Have you slept with her yet?” Sloth asked the man in the white suit. His smiling eyes watched with interest as the hostess walked out the door.
I was shocked by the crass comment. I had almost forgotten I was in the presence of Demons, not pastors.
“No,” the man answered. “Eclipse already had his fun with her. I do not plan on entertaining myself with the kid’s leftovers.”
It felt like someone had poured glacial water over me. I seethed, jealousy running rampant within me. That pretty hostess was an ex-girlfriend of Eclipse’s? I suddenly didn’t want to eat her non-fat junk food; instead, I wanted to choke her with it.
“Which, of course,” the nameless man went on, drawing his head towards me, “brings us to the one who came to see us today.”
When the man locked his eyes on us, Phix and Coco immediately got down on one knee.
“Your Dark Majesties,” they greeted, and I was left momentarily dumbfounded.
“Majesties?” I repeated before everything fell into place for me.
I appraised the man and recalled all the decadent food and the showcasing of wealth. I couldn’t believe I didn’t piece it all together sooner.
“Grace,” Sloth greeted with a smile that was too cold to reach his bronze eyes. “How nice to see you again.” He grinned, motioning at the one sitting across from him. “Meet my older brother, Tony. Elder . . . meet Grace.”
“Gluttony,” I whispered instead, finding irony in his plain nickname when his true name evoked decadence and overindulgence. His overconsumption of goods did not stop at food. If anything, his appetite for lavishness extended towards all other aspects of life.
Tony smiled coolly.
One would assume that the Demon of Gluttony would be overweight, but Tony was far from it. Despite his big appetite, he was as skinny and toned as any other ath
lete. His face was perfectly crafted in all the right places, giving him an air of aristocracy that was only shared by his brothers.
In this setting, I recognized the similar attributes between Eclipse, Sloth, and Gluttony. Each had their own appeal and had striking features that were only fit for the sons of the most beautiful Angel.
“It is very nice to finally meet you, Grace,” Tony said tactfully, his pearl gray eyes colder than ice. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”
I forced a smile. I knew neither of them was excited to have me here. They were having a nice dinner and it wasn’t pleasant to have an unimportant creature interrupt them. “I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
“Good things, yes?” there was humor in his voice that didn’t translate onto his face.
“You have come a long way to find us,” Sloth observed shrewdly, taking a bite of his cake. He waved his hand for Phix and Coco to stand up, yet his attention on me was unwavering. “Last I heard, you were in Serenity with Eclipse.” He nodded regally at me, as if he was giving permission for a puppy to respond. “What brings you here?”
“I need your help.”
“And where is your Guardian Demon?”
“That’s why I’m here.” I stepped closer to the table. “He needs your help. He’s in big trouble.”
A sound too evil to be called laughter emitted from Tony.
“Eclipse is a Fallen Demon,” Tony drawled, eating from his plate. “He needs all the help he can get. Not to mention, the kid was idiotic enough to reveal his true form in Serenity. As far as I’m concerned, if he was stupid enough to do that, then he can be pathetic enough to suffer the consequences.”
My brows rose in shock. “You already know what he did?”
“Everyone with some fucking sense knows,” Tony answered impatiently. He cast an annoyed glance at me. “And I imagine you’re here because Eclipse is ‘sick’ from the little fireworks show he put on?”