Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

DASH

“Where the helldid Scotty and Jay go?” We were sitting down by a river—a river that was on fire—waiting for a boat. I was freaking the fuck out and Lilith...the demon who was leading me to Hades...was filing her goddamn nails.

“Everything isn’t about you, Dashiell. Scotty and Jay had another task to perform. Ah, here comes Kharon.” A long wooden boat floated down the flaming river with a being in a brown hooded robe guiding it to the dock where we were sitting.

While we were at the club, I’d gotten up to use the men’s room, and when I returned to our table, Scotty and Jay had left. Lilith was acting pretty cagey about where they’d gone, not giving me any information. We had, however, left for the dock soon after.

Why we were going to see one of the sons of Lucifer wasn’t clear to me. I thought we were going to ask Scotty and Jay to go, but suddenly, it was Lilith and me. I was terrified. I’d never been to Hades and based on what I was seeing, I really hoped never to come back.

“I’m supposed to go to the fertility doctor tomorrow. Do you think if I contribute to the baby-making process there’s a chance that my child will be a demon?” I felt uneasy about contributing to the process because I wasn’t sure about what a child of mine might inherit from me in my current state—sort of human, sort of demon-ish, with a little vampire thrown in for good measure.

Lilith stared at me for a moment. “I’m really trying not to be offended by the comment, given my status, but I don’t know an answer to that question. I have sons who are demons and vampires, so I’m not sure what’s wrong with them in your eyes.”

Obviously, I’d said the wrong thing, which wasn’t my intention. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I’m dumb that way, which is why Keir usually does all the talking for us. I’m worried about him.”

Lilith took my hand. “I’m sure you are, Dash. Look, Scotty and Jay’s mission was to destroy Thane Nyxon who was up to no good. There’s more to the story, but right now, let’s concentrate on what we’re here to do. Thane’s gone now and can’t be brought back. Take a breath. Keir’s fine.”

My heart pounded. Had Keir been in danger, and I hadn’t been there? It hadn’t sunk in when we were sitting at the table because I was so freaked out by where I was that I hadn’t paid attention to what was going on before I went to the restroom. “Why didn’t you smack me in the head and explain it to me slowly when it happened?”

Lilith stood and pulled me up with her from the bench on the ferry. “Because this is where you need to be and what you need to do right now. Scotty will always look out for Keir. If I didn’t know how much he loved Jay, I’d swear he was in love with Keir. Before your brain gets ahead of your common sense, know he’s not in love with your husband. He feels protective of Keir because David personally enlisted Scotty to be your husband’s guardian.”

Huh? “I thought Jo⁠—”

“No. Jo put in a word with the Council for Scotty after David spoke to her. Since you were going to be the Key to Keir’s Gatekeeper, Jo wanted to be certain you two were safe, knowing how important both of you were to the Realms.”

The boat arrived at the dock, and we walked toward the exit. Lilith was stopped by the ferryman before we climbed onto the dock.

“What is it, Kharon?”

“Nyx is making a mistake. She’s hiding in the Gates of Hell. I disagree with her attempt at taking over the Human Realm, but I don’t want her eliminated.” He stepped off and extended his hand to Lilith.

She leaned forward and whispered, “She’ll never know you told me.”

I got off behind her, giving the being a nod. If she was hiding at the Gates of Hell, shouldn’t Lucifer know it already?

Lilith pranced away, and I followed her. We walked up the stairs to the street level and crossed to the other side, heading toward a group of guys who appeared as if they belonged to a biker gang. Those types were usually easy to spot if you knew what to look for—leather jackets, cocky attitudes, arrogant.

Lilith stepped up to a damn gorgeous being who was bigger than her, but obviously, she wasn’t intimidated. “I’m here to see Prince Beelzebub.”

The being in front of her bowed. “Mistress, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Brokorol, the President of the Hellhounds. I’m responsible for the prince’s safety. May I discuss your visit with him first?”

Lilith nodded, so he started his bike—which was like nothing I’d ever seen before and was immediately jealous of—and sped away. I turned to her, and she smirked. “Don’t get any designs on that bike. My fiancé would love it too.”

We both laughed as we waited for the biker to return. A small being hurried over to us. It bowed and smiled. “I’m Er’on, Brokorol’s assistant. Can I get you anything, Mistress?”

Lilith smiled kindly, which I didn’t know she was able to do. “Thank you, Er’on. We’re fine. Do you enjoy working with the hellhounds?”

“Oh, yes, Mistress. I enjoy my responsibilities. The Hounds are good to me. Who is your friend?” The being pointed to me.

Before I could say anything, Lilith smacked me in the back of the head, which brought an evil glare from me. “Ouch to you.” I pointed to Lilith before I turned to Er’on. “I’m Dashiell... I’m the Key.”

The small being bowed to me, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why, but I gave a little dip of my head in response. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Key. We’ve been excited for you to visit us. Prince Jameson speaks highly of you.”

“Thank you. Can you tell us when we’ll be able to see Prince Beelzebub?” I needed to move shit along.

The bike the president had left on growled as he returned. I wanted this shit over with, but I didn’t hate seeing that bike again. The handlebars were unlike anything I’d ever seen.

“That’s fucking cool.” I couldn’t hold back. I was trying to memorize every detail to recreate it in the shop.

“Thank you, sir. I designed it myself. Prince Beelzebub has agreed to see you. If you’ll follow me.”

We walked down the main street of Hades. There was a park on the right where a bunch of people—families, kids, and old men playing checkers—were enjoying the day.

I couldn’t imagine how much fun they were having in Hades. I was trying not to be too judgmental, but it was hard. “Why are they all here?”

Lilith chuckled. “We all have our own version of Hell.” She pointed to the park. “They’ll never win the game.” Then she pointed toward the picnicking families. “They’re not real families.”

As we walked toward the business area of Hades, the number of businesses on the street was mindboggling. “Seriously? How many people patronize these businesses?”

“People? None. Spirits? Too many to count. It’s too much for you to comprehend, so don’t try, Dash. We’re here on a mission, and I need you to be in top form. Beelzebub isn’t your typical demon.”

We strolled down the street until we stopped in front of an Italian restaurant. There was a crowd gathered around the open air patio, and until we got closer, I had no idea why. Sitting at a table for five was Beelzebub. He had a massive tiramisu in front of him, and Brokorol sat at another table with a huge portion of his own.

“If I eat this whole thing before Brok, I get to go up top and scare the fuck out of little kids.”

The crowd laughed as Er’on stepped between the tables with a stopwatch. “Ready! Set! Eat!”

I turned to Lilith. “Are they serious with this shit? We don’t have time. Who knows how much time we have before Nyx moves from the Gates of Hell. Shouldn’t Lucifer know she’s there?”

Lilith leaned closer. “The gate Kharon spoke of isn’t down here. It’s in the Human Realm. It’s in a natural gas field where humans can’t survive, but Nyx and her followers aren’t human. She’ll play hell finding another space she can hide out. We have to get Beelzebub to approach his father to open Droh so she has somewhere to go when Keir banishes her.”

“And how will he do that?” That was the big question for me. We had no idea how he’d banish Nyx. It didn’t seem as though anyone knew.

“Let’s take it one step at a time.”

We watched Beelzebub shove food into his pie hole at breakneck speed while Brok seemed to be taking normal bites. Obviously, it was a setup for Beelz to win, which was laughable.

When Beelz held up his empty spoon—the size of a small shovel—Er’on clicked the stopwatch and turned to the crowd. “Prince Beelzebub has set a new record! Thirty-three seconds!”

Er’on walked over to Beelz and held up his hand in a grand gesture. “The winner and still champion!” The crowd went wild, and even Lilith clapped, so I whistled and cheered along with them.

Kissing the ass of one of Lucifer’s sons wasn’t what I’d planned to do that day, but...when in Rome...

Beelz wiped his mouth, waved to the crowd, and got up from the table. He walked toward us, and Lilith curtsied, so I bowed, unsure of the proper etiquette.

“Key! Good to see you. Where’s your other half?”

I raised myself and grinned at him, taking his hand to shake. “He’s up top. Scotty and Jay—” Lilith stomped on my foot—“oh yeah. Uh, Scotty and Prince Jameson are with him.”

“Any luck finding the enemy?” Beelzebub began strolling up the street with a slick walking cane in his right hand and a toothpick in his left. He pimp-walked next to us, the bucket hat on his head looking absolutely ridiculous. He was quite a character.

Lilith elbowed me, so I answered. “She’s somewhere in the Human Realm. It’s called the Gates of Hell.”

“It’s in the earthly country of Turkmenistan. She has her followers hiding out in a natural gas field. We can’t allow her to stay there, of course.” Then, she elbowed me again. I was getting tired of her bony elbow making contact with my ribs.

I turned my head toward her. “Ouch. Knock that off.” She gave me a death glare and tilted her head toward the prince of Hell. I got it. Pitch time.

I hurried to get ahead of Beelz so he’d stop walking. I put my hand on his shoulder, but then pulled it back quickly when he gave me a look as though he were going to catch me on fire. “We’re sorry to disturb your day, but we’d appreciate it if you’d approach Lucifer with a request to unseal the mouth of Droh. If... When Gatekeeper banishes Nyx from the Human Realm, there will need to be somewhere for Nyx and her followers to go. If they can’t get back into Droh, then are they to hang out here with you?”

“Fuck no!”

That was what I wanted to hear. Without waiting for another word from me, Beelz tucked the walking stick under his right arm and took off at a brisk walk.

I started to follow him, but Lilith grabbed my arm. “You don’t want to go where he’s going. Our work here is done. Let’s get you back to your husband.”

We returned to the dock and waited for the ferry. I was antsy as hell. “How long have we been gone?”

“Ten years in human—” She laughed hysterically as she studied my face.

Just my luck to get a wisecracking demon as a wingman in Hell.