Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

‘Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true!' The quote was from Aesop's Fables.

The problem? I was about to live it…

An icy wind tore through the room, upending the set pieces and all of the furniture on the soundstage. Drawing the evil woman out by producing a fake show on the Demon Network and humiliating her had worked—maybe too well. Abaddon, my boyfriend—for lack of a more accurate term, had been wary of the plan. However, no one had anything better. I might be one of the two Goddesses of the Darkness, but until very recently, I'd just been an actress in her forties trying to make a comeback in Hollywood. In the end, I'd decided we'd go with a plan I felt comfortable and familiar with. Hopefully, it wouldn't be the end of all of us.

That would suck hard.

Pandora hadn't come alone. She had twenty flaming demonic assholes with her, and she was irate. Her normally gorgeous alabaster skin was a mottled red. Her gown was wrinkled and torn, and her eyes were manic. She'd clearly been in hiding, and it hadn't treated her well.

"How dare you," she roared. "You will pay. Oh," she added with a laugh that verged on hysteria. "Don't worry about your backup security. I killed them."

Abaddon's growl of fury made my blood run cold. The strikes against Pandora were too many to count.

The Demon hadn't changed much. Her crazy was showing, and she was delusional. The Shitty Whore was still stunning with an evil iciness to her. She was viciously insane and lacked a conscience, but there was no discounting how smart she was. Her sadistic cunning had gotten her through millions of years.

I only had forty years under my belt and most of that was as a human. The odds were bad, but I was pay or play on this particular episode. There was no canceling this show.

"You've got it all wrong, Pandora," I said flatly as I raised my hands in the air and produced two fire swords. "Your unhinged mind has it backward. You're going to pay."

Her flaming assholes snarled and bared their teeth. The searing heat coming from their hulking bodies stank like sulfur and made my stomach roil. The green fire with icy blue sparks that covered their bodies popped and cracked ominously.

Pandora and her people were on one side of the large soundstage. Me and my people were on the other. My posse were no slouches. We were outnumbered, but we were a deadly crew. Abaddon had gone all badass and was glowing dangerously. His eyes blazed red, and his purple fire sword appeared in his hand. His presence made the flaming assholes nervous. They kept their eyes glued to the Destroyer. Too bad, so sad for them… there were several of us almost as deadly as Abaddon.

Fifi morphed into a hulking, six-foot monster with razor-sharp fangs. With a grenade in each hand, she looked like a nightmare come to life. My self-proclaimed Succubus bodyguard was terrifying.

Cher, my agent who just so happened to be an Angel, had ripped off her shirt and downy white wings burst from her back. She wielded a glowing golden stick. It looked like a massive dildo. It was all kinds of crazily appropriate for my tiny agent. Ophelia, my de facto new BFF, had her purple fire sword and was no longer sporting a beret. The Demon was as deadly as advertised.

"Stella," I commanded. "Transport Uncle Joe and Bean. NOW. Get them out of here."

Without a word, my loyal and nutty subject obeyed. They disappeared in a mist of shimmering black dust.

Jonny, who was lacking in the brains department but was amazing in battle, came sprinting out of the dressing room, minus his pants that had been puked on. He'd morphed into a monster over eight feet tall, complete with claws and fangs. It was a chilling look, and he wore it well.

He also wasn't fucking around.

When he opened his jaw, it appeared unhinged, like something out of a zombie movie. It was insane and gave the flaming assholes pause.

Sushi the Succubus Queen, no shrinking violet, walked front and center, wearing a white tux and patent leather red shoes. Her razor-sharp fangs were extended, and she looked the flaming assholes up and down like they were pieces of meat, and she was going to a barbecue. I had no clue if she was about to break her nine-hundred-year celibacy streak, but the threat was there.

Corny Crackers was naked and holding knitting needles. If I hadn't recently seen him behead flaming assholes with his hobby utensils, I would have been concerned. I wasn't. He was a master with his wool tools. Moon, who had played a version of Pandora in the show, was still humping the couch, which almost sent the real Pandora over the edge. However, my horny, furniture-loving buddy now had an enchanted sword in each hand, compliments of Fifi. It was a disturbing picture, but it was what it was. Moon was nuts, but she was mine. I'd defend her till the death.

But they weren't the last of my crew…

With a shriek so high pitched I was sure I'd burst an eardrum, Irma Stoutwagon joined the posse. She reminded me of a rabid Tasmanian Devil on crack… or maybe a pissed-off honey badger on a week-long cocaine bender. She was out of control.

Everyone took a wary step back except Candy Vargo. Candy was the OG of badasses. The Keeper of Fate didn't morph into anything. She wasn't glowing. She had no weapon in her hand. Candy simply crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Pandora. As wild as it seemed, she was the scariest Immortal in the room. Her confidence was killer. Pandora studiously avoided eye contact with her.

"No one makes fun at my expense," Pandora bellowed as spittle flew from her lips.

I heard the whir of the camera and realized we were still being live-streamed. Bean hadn't turned off the camera. I was going to turn that happy accident into a win.

"And no one kills the Goddess Lilith and gets away with it," I shot back.

"I didn't kill the bitch," Pandora screamed. "You have no proof."

Cher laughed. Sushi laughed. Abaddon didn't move a muscle. The rest of my people laughed along. They had no clue why they were laughing, but it made the situation at hand more ominous.

"Stop it," Pandora shrieked. "NOW."

"You want proof?" I ground out. "I'll give you and the Demon world proof."

Silently and with no fanfare, Candy Vargo, Abaddon and Fifi surrounded me for protection. Without a moment to lose, I closed my eyes and projected the demise of my mother by Pandora's hand. The shitty whore was speechless as the holograms played out in front of her… and all of her people tuning into the Demon Network. I hated that Man-mom and Lilith were watching, but that was beyond my control. I could only hope they would turn off the feed.

Pandora could no longer refute that she'd thrown the massive fireball that had ended the Goddess Lilith's Immortal life. Her flaming assholes grew uncomfortable and began to mutter amongst themselves. It was looking less and less like hand-to-hand combat was going to occur. That was a plus. Losing any of my friends because they were fighting my battles would devastate me.

"Attack," Pandora commanded. "Kill them."

Her flunkies didn't move.

"I am your GODDESS," she screamed. "Do my bidding, or you will die."

They stood motionless. The flaming assholes were still dangerous, but their leader had screwed them over. I wasn't sure if she was in more danger from them or if we were. One by one, they morphed back into a human-looking form. One by one, they turned their back on her as if to shun her existence. Her shriek of fury shook the building at its foundation. Pandora's eyes turned black, and a thick haze of pure evil swirled around her. It was difficult to breathe. I took short, shallow breaths so I didn't pass out. The depraved Goddess raised her hands over her head and created a massive fireball. As she threw it at the men she considered traitors, Candy Vargo flicked her pinky finger and dropped a shield around them. The fireball hit the barrier with a thunderous explosion, then the blast flew back at Pandora. She screamed in agony as her vicious magic backfired.

Note to self: Never ever get on Candy Vargo's bad side.

As Pandora rolled around on the floor, trying to douse the flames, her eyes darted wildly around the set like a cornered animal. Her body convulsed as if she was having a seizure. It was difficult to feel compassion for the vile woman, but a small part of me did. It was clear her power was depleted. She'd have put out the flames and transported away if she'd had any real strength left.

If the Higher Power, whatever it actually was, had truly put the box inside her, her heinous behaviors were the result of that one tragic action. While it couldn't excuse what she'd done over the millions of years she'd been alive, it was a piece of the catastrophic puzzle that had shaped her.

There needed to be two Goddesses of the Darkness to keep the balance. I was one, and sadly, she was the other. Letting her die wasn't on the table. Retracting my swords, I waved my hands and doused the flames. Part of me wanted to watch her burn for her sins, but a bigger part of me couldn't let it happen. Instead, I made the compassionate choice.

Slowly, I walked to her. I held up my hand when Abaddon and Candy Vargo tried to interfere. "I've got this."

I could hear the tension in Abaddon's voice. "As you wish."

"Fuckin' badass," Candy Vargo said. "Real deal."

I wanted to prove her correct. I would prove her correct.

Pandora lay in a pathetic heap on the cold cement floor. When she noticed my approach, she tried to crawl away.

The tides had changed. It was time to use the key.

"Don't touch me," she hissed with psychotic rage. "NO ONE TOUCHES ME. Ever. You are a lowly nothing—a piece of shit beneath my shoe. I am Pandora, Goddess of the Darkness. If you touch me, I will destroy you."

I forced myself to remember that, at one time, she was good. There was very little evidence of that anymore, but if all of our findings were correct, hope still lived inside the wretched woman. If I could get to it, she might be free of the evil and chaos the Higher Power had gifted her. She would still pay for her sins, but it might afford her some peace.

"The truth can shift," I said, speaking the key aloud. "In the Darkness, the seed of hope awaits. Behind every smile lies a dark secret. What you see is rarely what you get. Some bridges are meant to be burned. Embrace what is repugnant to discover the beauty that lies beneath. Often, the answer has been in front of you the entire time."

"Stop it," she snarled. "Rubbish. You know nothing of what you speak. Do not touch me. I will make you regret it."

The key wasn't supposed to be used to lock Pandora away in a box. The key had been meant to save her. The key was to open the box and let the hope seep out. It was to let the box out of Pandora and free her from the evil that had been her prison for so long. Both of the Goddesses had been tested horridly by the Higher Power. In the end, both had failed.

This test wasn't the end for me. It was the beginning. I could create change by embracing the repugnant to discover the beauty that lies beneath. My gut told me the answer was in the embrace.

"Look at me," I told her sternly.

She refused. It didn't matter. She had ears. The Demon would hear what I had to say.

"The truth is shifting. Your people no longer have faith in you because you have committed the vilest sin a Goddess can commit. You killed Lilith."

She raised her head and glared at me.

"Your smile belies the tragedy that lives inside you," I said. "You are Pandora's box. The box is you."

She reached out, her fingers splayed in a move I'd seen her use when shooting electricity at her foes. With her power zapped, nothing happened, not even a piteous spark. In her frustration, the Demon Goddess spit in my direction.

Her reaction meant I was probably on the right track, so I kept going. "Burn the bridge that you've walked on for so long. It's the past. The only thing left in Pandora's box is hope. I can help you let it out."

"Fuck you," she ground out.

"I'd rather not," I replied.

Her lackeys laughed. The irate glare she shot their way didn't affect them. They were done. She knew it, and they knew it.

"Don't let your pride be the sin that destroys you," I said calmly.

"It already has," she screamed. "Let me out. Let me leave. I'll not bother you again."

I shook my head. "Not the way it works. Embrace what is repugnant to discover the beauty that lies beneath."

Getting down on the floor next to the broken Goddess, I wrapped my arms around her. She fought me tooth and nail, but she was no match for a Goddess at full strength. As I hugged her tight against my body, she began to sob. It pulled at my heart, and I held her even tighter. In my arms was the woman who had killed my mother—the woman who had done her best to destroy me.

Pandora's hatred for me might never go away. My hatred for her might last for eternity, but it didn't outweigh my pity for what the Higher Power had done. Who knew? In time, I might even learn to forgive her.

I felt the tendril of hope heat both of our bodies. A golden glow surrounded us and danced over our skin. The sensation was glorious. Pandora's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she went limp in my arms.

Oh, holy Hell. Was she dead? Had I killed her? That hadn't been the plan. Killing the Goddess would make me no better than her, regardless of my intention. To top it off, we were still live on the Demon Network.

Frantically, I searched for a pulse and let out an audible sigh of relief. Pandora's heartbeat was steady and strong. The Demon Goddess wasn't dead.

There was applause, and I couldn't tell if it was the Demon's or one of Cher's audio effects that she'd used in the show. I let out a soft squeal when the glowing enchantment lifted us both off the ground and suspended us high in the air. A summer-scented breeze gently wafted through the scene before the golden light surrounding us went from warm and gentle to nuclear blinding.

Cradled in the breeze, I shielded my eyes as we floated back to the ground and landed softly. When the light diminished, Pandora's eyes shot open and bored into mine. She appeared desperate and terrified.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You're okay."

Her smile was fleeting as she began to fade. My pulse kicked up a notch as I held her tighter in the hopes that she wouldn't disappear. This wasn't a transport. She wasn't escaping. No. This was something I couldn't have expected. Pandora was literally fading into nothing.

"What's happening?" I cried out.

Candy and Abaddon rushed over.

"Help me help her," I begged as Pandora grew more transparent.

"I told you not to touch me," she whispered brokenly as she faded into nothing.

"Where the hell is she?" Abaddon ground out, glancing around wildly.

"Hold that thought," Candy said as she began to glow. "I just need a sec here."

No one said a word as the Keeper of Fate glowed so brightly we had to look away. She chanted in a language I'd never heard, and diamond-like crystals rained down from the ceiling, covering every surface on the sound stage.

It stopped as abruptly as it began.

"Fuck me," Candy Vargo said with a surprised chuckle. "Can't quite explain it. She's gone, but she ain't dead."

"Then where is she?" Abaddon demanded.

Candy shrugged. "Not sure, but it ain't far."

I stood up and dusted the crystals off my clothes. In a move that shocked everyone, Pandora's henchmen got down on their knees and bowed to me. "All hail, Bitch Goddess Cecily," the Demon in the front shouted.

The others repeated it.

"Wasn't expecting that," I muttered, keeping an eye open for any sign of Pandora. If anything would bring her out of hiding, I would assume that her people swearing fealty to me would do it.

"Let me out," Pandora begged in a weak and haggard voice.

I whipped around and produced my fire swords. Abaddon followed suit. His expression was confused, but he was ready for a fight.

I didn't see Pandora anywhere.

"What's wrong?" Abaddon asked. "Did you see something?"

I shook my head. "Didn't you hear her?"

"Hear what?" he asked, scanning the room.

"It was Pandora," I told him. "She said, let me out."

His brow dipped as his gaze met mine. "I didn't hear anything."

"Neither did I," Candy Vargo said, looking concerned. "But I believe you. I can still feel the shitty whore close by. Try answering her."

I swallowed the knot of anxiety in my throat and then asked, "Pandora?"

"Yes." The relief in her voice was palpable. "You can hear me. Good. Now, let me the hell out!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. I kept looking around the stage to see if I could pinpoint where her voice was coming from, but to no avail. "Where are you?"

"I warned you, and you wouldn't listen," she hissed. "Now, you have to find a way to let me out or else."

I looked at Candy and Abaddon for help. They both still looked bemused. "Don't you hear her?"

Both shook their heads.

I glanced around the room at the other Demons. "Did any of you hear her?"

The answer was no. No one heard her except me.

"You shouldn't have touched me," she said in a flat tone. "I warned you, and now you have to pay."

My breathing came in rapid, jerky spurts as realization hit me like a ton of bricks thrown at my head. Hard. My knees gave out, and I dropped to the floor. Abaddon squatted down beside me and gently pushed my wild hair out of my face.

"I know where she is," I choked out raggedly.

He waited.

I clutched at my chest. "She's in me." I shook my head in denial even as the truth consumed me. "I'm Pandora's box."

Abaddon stood up, slashed his hands through the air, and blew up the far end of the sound stage. "Motherfucker," he bellowed.

I turned to the Keeper of Fate. "What do I do?"

She inhaled slowly and blew it out on a loud woosh. "We're gonna have to make a trip to the Higher Power and get this shit worked out once and for all."

I'd gone from being an unemployed actress to a Goddess who had another Goddess stuck inside her. I'd found my mother. I'd found the love of my life. I was accepted by my people. It looked like I'd be acquiring some of Pandora's people. I had a shitload to live for.

I extended my hand to Abaddon. He was red in the face and still fuming. If I was going to meet the Higher Power, I wanted him by my side. "Will you come with me?"

He nodded jerkily and clasped my hand in his. "There is no place in the Universe I'd rather be than with you. I'll be by your side until the end of time."

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you more."

"Not possible," I told him with a sad smile.

"Let's call it even," he replied.

"Deal."

The Keeper of Fate placed her hands on our shoulders. "You ready?"

"No, I'm not ready, but that won't stop me," I said. "Let's get this party started."

Candy nodded. My people cheered and applauded. Pandora's former followers did as well.

Then, in a blast of orange crystals, the three of us exited stage left, so to speak. We were on to the next show. I had no clue how the episode would end, but I was determined to get Pandora out of me. The alternative was unacceptable.

I had three choices. Do it. Don't do it. Or, do the fuck out of it.

I chose the last one. And I played to win.

In a burst of silver, orange and glistening black mist we disappeared.