Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

I stepped out of the steaming hot bath water with a deep sigh.

It wasn’t that I’d gone three weeks without properly cleaning myself, but my bodily hygiene had definitely been reduced to a minimum while on Earth. Mostly, both Haniel and I had quickly washed up in the bathrooms of random apartments while the owners were out, and for vanity’s sake, we’d of course chosen the homes of the rich and famous in Manhattan. I’d also managed to regularly wash my clothes and then fast-dry them with a bit of conjured fire.

Okay, admittedly, I’d lost control of that fire on more than one occasion and had accidentally burned down half a bathroom—with my clothes thankfully untouched—so that Haniel had to barge in and tame the flames, but hey, it wasn’t like the wealthy people who owned these places didn’t have the best insurance available.

The most embarrassing part of those incidents was definitely that Haniel had seen me buck naked, which he’d ignored with his usual surliness. I wasn’t his type, he’d told me bluntly. Now Azazel, on the other hand, he would totally bang.

After which I had to make it very clear that my man was off-limits.

Once dressed, I walked out into the main room of the suite, where I stopped short at the small table laden with a three-course meal.

I squinted at Vengeance, who was lounging on her nest of blankets in the corner. “Who brought this? I didn’t order anything.”

Her middle head gave a quiet woof.

It shook the walls.

Right, then. Someone had apparently thought to provide something to eat for me, even though actual food was not essential to a demon’s health. It was more of a luxury, a pleasure, something to indulge in, like a fine liquor.

I went over to the table, picked up a plate, and sniffed at the pile of some elaborate rice dish.

What if it was poisoned? Were there even substances that could poison a demon? Amrit had a mind-altering effect, and, as I’d learned, its highly concentrated form could almost knock out an angel or demon. I wasn’t aware of any other toxins that could be dangerous to our kind, but I certainly didn’t know everything.

And without a clue who had sent this to me, I’d steer clear for now.

I set the plate back down just as a commotion from outside the door to the hallway sounded. Several voices overlapped in what seemed like agitated bickering.

“Shush,” one voice rang out above the others, definitely female. “I swear to Lucifer, I will slap you sideways if you go in first. Know your place.”

“Ha!” a male voice answered. “But I do. That’s why I know I have the right to go in first, seeing as I’m her favorite nephew.”

“That’s not a difficult feat,” another male voice butted in, and a huge smile took over my face as I recognized Azazel. “You’re her only nephew, so you have no competition.”

“See?” the female, who I now knew to be Azmodea, said. “At best, she tolerates you. Me, on the other hand, she loves. I shall have the honor of greeting her first.”

“No, you won’t,” said the voice that clearly had to be Mammon.

What followed was more bickering and what sounded like a scuffle that went on for several seconds, until Azazel sighed so loudly it was audible over the noise of the brawl.

“I can’t take you two anywhere,” he muttered just before the door opened and he stepped inside.

“Azazel!” I grinned widely as I launched myself at him.

I was about to enfold him in a hug when he was unceremoniously shoved aside by his sister.

“Darling!” Azmodea cried out and grabbed me by the shoulders to pull me into a crushing embrace.

“It’s a good thing she’s a demon now,” Mammon said from behind her. “Otherwise, that affectionate attack of yours might have just broken some of her bones.”

Ignoring him, Azmodea withdrew enough to plant a big smooch on each of my cheeks and then held me at arm’s length.

“Look at you,” she said with her eyes shining wet. “So stunning. You were beautiful before, dear, but now you’re a killer. Being a demon suits you.” She grasped my chin in one hand and gently shook it. “Oh, I’ve missed you!”

My own eyes were suspiciously hot and blurry, too. “I’ve missed you, too.” I uttered a self-deprecating laugh. “Well, I mean, I didn’t remember you, but I always felt like something was missing. I’m so glad to be home.”

“ Home .” She made a delighted sound and turned to Azazel, who glowered at her. “Do you hear that? And you were worried she’d never get used to living in Hell.”

“You were?” I asked Azazel with wide eyes.

He shifted his weight. “I knew you missed your life on Earth, and it was clear that you had trouble adjusting to this realm. There was nothing I could do about it, but it did concern me.”

“Oh.” I bit my lip. “Well, having been in Heaven and coming back to Hell now, it feels like home here…more than anywhere else I’ve lived. And I think being a demon is only part of that.” I gave him a smile. “Because home is where the heart is. And you’re my heart.”

His eyes softened, the only outward sign of emotion, but I felt the ping of his deep, aching love within my chest.

“Ugh!” Azmodea said. “You two! It’s too much. You’re just too adorable. You know”—she pointed a finger in my face—“now that you’re back here, you’d better keep up the lovey-dovey stuff because I cannot, will not, suffer through more of his grumpy moods. He has been utterly unbearable these past few years. You’re the only thing that makes him somewhat tolerable?—”

“Oy!” Azazel barked.

“—and we need your contribution to the cause, darling,” Azmodea kept going with admirable nonchalance. “Never forget the duty you have. The well-being of an entire archdemonacy rests on your ability to make this curmudgeon happy.”

Azazel bared his teeth at his sister. “I swear, I will?—”

“Enough with the babbling,” Mammon chimed in, taking his mother by the shoulders and simply depositing her a foot to the side. “Honestly, you’re not the only one who wants to greet the prodigal member of our family.” Turning to me, he opened his arms and beamed at me. “Come here, Auntie!”

I was about to hug him when I remembered that I had no idea of my best friend’s fate, and given the fact that it was Mammon’s meddling that had put Taylor’s life on the line in the first place and he’d promised to fix it, I had the sudden, raging need for answers.

The look I sent him was the only warning.

The next second, I had my wings out, my hand around his throat, and my power whirring about me. I shoved him into the wall with all the new strength I’d gained courtesy of the bond with Azazel. Mammon grunted upon the impact and raised his hands in a placative gesture.

“You’ve acquired a new kink, I see,” he croaked.

My fingers tightened around his throat, and I snarled.

“How did you get so freakishly strong?” Mammon’s eyes darted over my shoulder. “Uncle, a little help?”

“Oh, no,” Azazel said from behind me. “I’m enjoying this way too much.”

I shook Mammon to get his attention back on me. “What happened to Taylor?”

“What?” squeaked Mammon.

“My. Best. Friend.” I bared my teeth and let him feel a wave of my power. “You put her life in danger by telling her Belial’s true name. He was pissed at her for summoning him to deliver messages to me. You swore to fix it. Did you? Is she alive? Is she safe?”

He laughed. The audacity!

Eyes dancing with mirth, he said, “Oh, she’s perfectly fine. No, really! Safe as can be. Alive and well.”

Some of the tension left me, my shoulders relaxing a bit. Still, I didn’t let him go. “What about the whole thing with Belial? Did you resolve that? Did you find a way to make sure he won’t come after her?”

Mammon’s shoulders shook with his near-silent laughter. “I didn’t have to. She did that all on her own. Don’t worry. Belial won’t ever raise a single finger to her.”

I glanced at Azazel. “Is that true?”

He nodded, the hint of a grin upon his lips.

I narrowed my eyes. “There’s more to this. What is it? What’s the story here?”

My beloved demon gave a fluid shrug, a sly expression on his face. “It’s not mine to tell, love. You’ll have to get it from Taylor herself.”

I huffed. “Yeah, when I’m allowed to see her. And who knows when that will be. I don’t know if Lucifer will continue to be a little shit about this…”

“I’m sure you’ll get to visit her soon,” Azazel said.

“Um,” Mammon piped up, raising one finger, “now that we’ve cleared this up, I don’t think there’s any reason for you to keep choking me.” He paused, and a contemplative look came over his face. “Although, on second thought…this is actually stimulating.”

“Ew!” I let him go as if his throat were a slimy eel. Shaking my hand, I stepped back and sent him a dark look. “That was so unnecessary.”

Mammon rubbed his throat and eyed me. “This is by far the hottest version of you. Fierce looks good on you, and now you’ve got the power to back it up. Chapeau!” He sketched a bow.

“On that note,” Azmodea chimed in, “how come you’re this strong? You feel like a seraph now. And your power tastes very familiar.” She tilted her head and pointedly looked at Azazel.

“Uh, yeah,” I said. “We’re bonded.”

“Duh.” Azmodea waved her hand. “You’re married. I know.”

“Actually, that marriage was dissolved with my death.” I grimaced. I’d never get used to speaking so casually about the end of my human life. “The bond we have now is new.”

She squinted at me and Azazel in turn, then her eyes widened. “You didn’t.”

I just grinned.

“What?” Mammon asked around a mouthful of the food on the small table. “Someone explain this, please.”

“There’s an ancient way of bonding,” Azmodea said. “A connection of two souls. It’s permanent and incredibly intimate, tying the two partners together on every level. Which is why no one really does it.”

Mammon nodded. “We like to keep our options open.”

“I don’t,” Azazel and I said at the same time.

“Some demons you are,” Azmodea muttered, but her tone was affectionate, her lips curved upward. “Well, I don’t quite understand your folly, but I congratulate you anyway and wish you nothing but happiness.”

She hugged me again and then gave Azazel a kiss on his cheek, which he rewarded with a warm smile.

My gaze flicked to Mammon munching on the food I’d scorned earlier, and my stomach fizzed with anxiety. “Uh, you probably shouldn’t eat that.”

“Oh, did you want any?” His eyes dropped to the almost cleared plates. “I’m sure we can order more.”

“No, it’s just…I don’t know who sent this, or whether it might be poisoned.”

He squinted at the plate he was holding, then he choked, and my heart dropped to my feet. Oh no! Was it kicking in already? I should have said something earlier. Why didn’t I say something? I’d totally forgotten. Oh no, oh no, oh no…

Mammon grabbed his throat and wheezed, stumbling to the side. The plate fell from his hand and shattered on the floor. Coughing and convulsing, he collapsed into a heap, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

I uttered a high-pitched squeak and rushed to his side. “Mammon!”

Spit bubbled up from his mouth, and his body shook with violent tremors. Then—he went still.

Too still. He was barely breathing.

“No!” My hands flew over his chest, his face, but I didn’t know what the fuck to do. Eyes clouding with tears, I turned to Azazel and Azmodea, who were just standing there. “Help! What do I do?”

Azmodea regarded her nails. “Tell him to cut the shit.”

Azazel shrugged. “You could slap him several times. It’s the least he deserves.”

“What?” I gaped at them.

Azmodea rolled her eyes. “He’s pretending. There is no poison that can affect our kind. He’s absolutely fine, just pranking you.”

I whipped my gaze back to Mammon, whose convincingly-suffering-an-agonizing-death expression was now slowly being undermined by a smirk that stole onto his face.

“You,” I growled and shoved him hard, “are the worst!”

His body was shaking again, only this time it was from laughter as he heaved himself up to sitting. “And you are the best. So easy to tease. Oh, I really missed you.” He wiped at his eyes, still laughing.

It took both Azazel and Azmodea to hold me back from beating the shit out of him.