21

Walter

I traced my fingertips along the shallow cuts of my forearm, stitching the skin with a simple yet effective incantation. All those years spent helping Sarai study for the practitioner exam when she applied for the panacea regiment had finally paid off. These were basic at best, but at least it'd stop the bleeding. I winced, tugging at my shirt. Some of the blood had dried, making the fabric stick to my skin. It was like pulling off the world's worst band-aid. More like plucking since the tattered strings of my shirt didn't relent until the last second.

All I could think about was Bez. I had to hurry up so I could return to him, help him. I also needed to figure out how the dimensional travel worked, which meant returning to the helm or engine room was my best bet. Placing an incantation below my ribcage, I flinched. Before doing anything else, I needed to mend these injuries. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter whether I solved the demon's objective. Between my pale skin, the dried blood, the fresh cuts, and all the woozy blood loss, my complexion had gone full-blown ghostly. Trying not to clench my shaky stomach, I channeled mana into my core, drawing symbols with my fingers that'd begun to go numb.

"You should invert that one." Kell pointed to the incantations lining my stomach. "Oh, and overlap those two, then add an iron rejuvenating symbol."

Kell continued making suggestions while tinkering with the symbols she'd created with sorcery. Stacking basic spells to amplify their power did help make more advanced magics without having to exert nearly as much mana, but the way Kell put hers together—it was like jamming mismatched puzzle pieces together on top of a very wobbly Jenga game.

I swallowed hard, taking her advice and rearranging some of my symbols.

"I'd rip the protective restrictions on that one." She pointed to the incantation stamped furthest on my side. "It'll speed up the healing, minimize scarring, and offers a lovely buzz to mellow you out."

"I'd rather not be high on magic right now," I said, weaving another healing incantation.

"I would." Sapphire irises glimmered in front of me. The powder blue replacing the whites of the eyes made their shimmer all the brighter.

I snapped the incantation in half, changing it into faulty repulsion sigils, and slapped them onto the feathered Fae's chest. The demon possessing the body shuddered, then cackled. His elongated tongue lapped at his beaked mouth as he leaned closer, preparing to bite me.

Blood spattered, splashing my face.

The demon wailed, writhing with a hand punched through his chest. A heart pumped locked in a clenched fist belonging to a man who leaned out from behind the demon he'd impaled with a smirk on his face.

Bez. This was Bez. I smiled, studying the new face that hadn't quite adopted Bez's facial structure through a composite yet, but those crimson eyes illuminated by the pink replaced the whites of his eyes perfectly. Naturally, the first thing he prioritized changing was the hair of his body to a shaggy black with glamoured neon orange roots. He'd successfully possessed a new body meaning he had understood my cryptic clues after I abandoned him to lead the other demon away.

"You bastard." The sapphire-eyed demon gurgled, holding his essence in as glittery blood spilled over the feathers on his torso.

"Fair's fair. You stabbed me in the back first, asshole." Bez winked at me. "I missed you."

Stabbed him in the back? My body tightened. When did that happen?

"Are you okay?"

"Always." He blew a kiss, ignoring my concerns in favor of bravado.

"Good. I was worried, but…"

"I love you too, Walter. With all my heart"—he yanked his hand from the demon's chest and playfully tossed the heart at me—"and his."

The bloody organ hit my chest and then thudded on the floor, making a squishing sound, pumping blood and attempting to beat.

"Gross. Seriously, Bez?" I shuddered. "Why?"

"Wow. Romantic gesture completely lost on you." Bez grabbed the demon by the head and pulled him in close to make eye contact. "Can you believe how ungrateful my boyfriend is?"

"I'm going to…going to kill—"

"No sense in talking to you." Bez dashed toward the wall, slamming the demon's head against the stonework until my incantations holding that portion up shattered, and rocks collapsed onto the demon.

"Excessive much?" I muttered.

"Anything for you." Bez appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye, hands already pressing me against the wall, his mouth finding mine.

His touch was soft, considerate of the injuries I'd sustained. His lips were passionate and sweet but different somehow. Everything about this had a slightly unique feel. It had to be the lack of the composite taking full effect. His shoulders weren't as broad, and he wasn't as muscular—both made wrapping my arms around him that much easier. He was shorter too, which worked to my benefit since I didn't have to extend my neck as much to reach his lips. His lips that were thinner, not that I could talk.

"Okay." I pushed Bez off. "This isn't the time for kissing. We're not in an eighty's horror flick."

"I don't know what that means, but I'm just delighted to see you in one piece."

"I'm happy to see you too. And happy you restored some of your essence, even if…you know." I stared at Bez. Though the face was different, the expressions were true to form. So much of this body didn't quite fit him yet, but hopefully, he'd find himself in the flesh again. I knew that was important to him, feeling comfortable in his own skin—well, in the skin he acquired through possession.

Bez grinned, running his fingers along my abdomen. "You'll be pleased to know, while my composite hasn't changed much yet, this mage is pleasantly endowed—you know, since you're clearly a size queen."

"I am not." My ears burned. "This isn't the time for jokes."

"Who's joking? I'll gladly whip my dick out for you this second."

"Bez," I whined.

"Fine." He brushed my hair. "It's just so hard when you look so adorable."

"No, Bez." I pointed to the shifting rubble.

"You're going to pay for that." The feathered demon stood, shaking off rock and dirt.

"Learn to read the room, dickhead." Bez zipped behind the demon.

He wrapped his hands over the shoulders of the demon whose body began to blur, locking him in place. The demon wriggled in Bez's grip. Black drops pooled out of the pores of Bez's hands, taking form and changing to sheen metallic bladelike claws. Good—he'd not only gotten a full body back but a solid amount of essence restored too.

"You'll pay for this," the demon snarled. "Cheap devil like you has no idea who you're screwing with."

A vampire zipped in front of the demon that resisted Bez's grip, fangs glimmering against the light of the labyrinth lanterns. Definitely a vampire, not a ghoul—I'd studied the difference enough that I'd never have to listen to Bez mock me about it again. I almost died that night in the Magus Estate—once from him—and his takeaway was I didn't know the difference between vampires and ghouls.

"Should we fear you because you're Lilith's kid?" The vampire grabbed the feathered demon's head, yanking it back. "I recognize the essence this close. Foul and pretentious. Though aren't all the demons in Lilith's Hell her babies? Children she loves with all her heart, so long as they heed her warnings about not wandering into the wilderness of other worlds."

"Mora," Kell whispered, staring at the vampire. "Love the host you picked. Always fun."

The vampire—Mora—turned back, pointing a finger at Kell. "I have a scolding prepared for you, but first." She returned to the feathered demon, desperately trying to break Bez and Mora's hold over him.

"I had the misfortune of accompanying Bael to a banquet hosted by your mommy, Lilith," Mora said, disdain pouring off her tongue in equal measure to the blood flowing out of the demon's mouth. "She talked down to all those in attendance from lesser Hells, as she so eloquently put it, and made it quite clear nothing outside her world mattered. Not even her demons who abandoned it."

"You don't know her," the demon begged. "She'll…she'll do anything for her children, her progeny, her essence incarnate, even—"

"I'm tired of your voice. It's obnoxious and whiny." Bez dug his claws deep into the demon's flesh, shredding meat and bone, spilling blood everywhere.

Mora's fingers grew long and sharp, blackened with essence, and she tore into the demon's stomach. Bez's grip remained strong as black essence continued pooling out of him, forming into sharp spikes that stabbed into the demon.

The demon wailed, expelling his own essence to fight back, but waves of black flew from Mora and Bez simultaneously, lapping round and round. A sapphire hue laced in the black held a vibrance, sizzling and crackling against the darkness surrounding the three of them, then the blue flickered in and out like an erratic pulse. I gulped from the essence merging around the three demons, making it impossible to distinguish a single one in the tarlike blob filling the corridor.

Bones crunched, blood splattered, chunks of meat broke loose and spilled onto the floor like ground beef. I gagged.

Bez and Mora's essence intertwined, suffocating the sapphire light with emerald and crimson hues casting a brightening pulse after each muffled scream from the demon fully encased by Diabolic essence.

Kell took off her witch's hat, probably needing something to block the view like me. Instead, she rifled through the insides and pulled out a phone to snap a photo.

"Why?" I cocked my head.

"I never realized the awesome Christmas vibes those two give off." Kell tossed her phone into the hat and put it back on. "I'm gonna use this for my next holiday card."

"Why do I even ask?" I questioned aloud, shaking my head with silent judgment.

"This is how Diabolics contend with conflict," Mora said, adjusting the flounced frill of her dress shirt. The ensemble looked like something out of the twelfth-century Renaissance except for the tacky not-so-fashionable updates Mora must've added because they didn't have bell-bottom styled pantaloons during that period. Yeesh. I bit my lip to keep from commenting. She usually had better taste in her outfits.

"Get rid of the judgy face, Walter." Bez pointed a claw.

"I'm not judging her clothes," I blurted.

Mora frowned and planted her hand on a popped hip. "I fucking hate Maurice's wardrobe."

"I think you look dazzling, babe." Kell practically swooped toward Mora and kissed her. The two locked lips like we weren't being stalked and hunted by demons. Why was everyone kissing to say hello?

We're in literal life-or-death danger.

"I meant the judgy face on how we dealt with that demon," Bez said, zipping in front of me in a blur so quickly it snapped the air around my body before my eyes registered the movement.

I released a breath of relief, grateful to see his essence continuing to grow stronger again.

"Devouring demons is just how things work for Diabolics in Hells and other realms. Plus, with his shattered essence coursing through us, it's quite the pick me up."

"I see." I half-smiled, which Bez took as an invitation, running his knuckles along my tattered shirt as the essence coating his hand retreated inward.

His fingertips tugged at the bloody fabric, running his thumb over the dried flecks of blood while squinting at the fresh, soaked stains. Then, without any permission whatsoever, he yanked my shirt up, examining my stomach in front of Mora and Kell. "Those incantations are solid, stellar, in fact."

"That was all me, pure genius." Kell broke away from Mora's lips just in time to humble brag.

"Shut up." Mora snatched the back of Kell's neck, locking eyes with her. "I'm scolding you."

They returned to their kiss.

I tilted my head. "Are they like having a telepathic argument while making out?"

"Ignore them. That's what I usually do." Bez waved a dismissive hand. "As I was saying, those incantations are solid, but you'll need my essence if you want to fully recover."

"No."

The way I so urgently rejected the offer visibly upset Bez, making his eyes soften with sadness he quickly hid behind a furrowed brow and pouty scowl.

"I don't think you understand the severity of your situation, Walter."

"I do," I explained. "You need all of your strength right now, and splitting any of it will put everyone at risk."

"Bah. I'm not worried about everyone; I'm worried about you."

"I can wait. I'm safest with you at your strongest." I cupped my hands over his, hoping the gentle touch showed how much I cared and that my words conveyed this was the right option. "I'll gladly let you share your essence after we've dealt with Eligos and the other demons."

Besides, the demon possessing the pink Fae was sent to find the mage linked to Bez, connected to a devil. The feathered demon lunged for me, completely ignoring Kell. I wouldn't allow myself to compromise Bez, so if Eligos wanted to use me as a ploy, control Bez or trap him—I refused to make myself a pawn.

"Speaking of Eligos…I'd like to know where he is." Mora took Kell's hat and began rifling through it.

"Agreed," I said. "But we should probably take this conversation somewhere safer."

"It's as good as any place," she said.

"Especially since we have our shrouds up," Bez added. "It doesn't cloak from fellow Diabolics—not that any of that matters on this weird ship—but it'll alert us the second one steps into the territory we've claimed."

Right. I couldn't see their shrouds of shadows without essence. There was so much demon energy and their abilities I wouldn't be able to detect now.

Mora pulled out a laptop, floating it toward Kell, who immediately went to work typing on the midair keyboard.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Having her pull up the security."

"Not doubting Kell's ability to get into the system, but that could take hours, days even since—"

"Oh, I already hacked the system forever ago." The light from the laptop highlighted her mischievous grin.

When had she done that? I sulked. The day she arrived, likely. Not only was she screwing with the navigation system, moving us through dimensional space seemingly without forethought, but she was already setting up her own private viewing of the villa so Mora could definitely sleuth without prying eyes like Bez or mine.

"Weird," Kell said. "He's just standing in the helm, not doing anything."

We all squeezed in close, studying the screen. Eligos stood in full view of the camera, unmoving, golden eyes locked on the control panel. Three Fae with blackened veins lining their skin were behind him.

"Maybe Kell's tinkering saved us." I chuckled. "Looks like Eligos doesn't know how to work the system anymore."

"My system is flawless." Kell huffed.

"Or he can't access the necessary functions since releasing other demons," Mora said. "Lacking their essence might mean he can no longer power the engines."

"It looked like he'd replaced their loss by tossing my body and essence in their absence."

Wait. Bez had found his body in the engine room? That must've been when he got stabbed in the back.

"That's unlikely. Eligos is probably just a fool who doesn't understand the streamlined framework I made," Kell said. "With devil essence, he could probably keep the ship running ten times over, even if he only has a fraction."

"Right," Mora said, dragging the word out and eyeing me and Bez. "Still, we should take this opportunity to—"

"Attack him in the helm." Bez snarled, extending the claws on his raised hands, practically buzzing at the idea of fighting Eligos head-on.

"No," Mora said. "This is clearly an obvious trap to lure us into the helm."

Thank goodness for one levelheaded demon.

"I say we use Wally as bait to lure him out of the helm and then murder him."

"Hey, you're sounding less levelheaded now."

"What? He immediately went to grab you after decapitating Bezzy. I say we use that to our advantage."

"You're not wrong," I said.

"Yes, she is," Bez snapped.

"Not about Eligos being after me. But she is wrong about what we should do. You both are."

I studied Eligos' obvious stance meant to lure us there. He'd taken careful precautions to observe us the entire time since arriving in the villa. That type of analytical behavior indicated he probably already knew Kell had messed with the control panel; he might've also realized we had access to the security system or had some way of locating him. What he didn't plan for, what I suspect, anyway—was us gaining access to the engine room. The locking mechanism on the doorway was different from the others, and once we'd examined the engine and orbs containing demons, he made his assault, revealing himself that day.

"Walter, care to share with the class?" Bez stared at my lips because I was muttering. Oops.

"Right. We need to go to the engine room. Eligos won't suspect that or, at the very least, won't like it one bit," I explained. "We can retrieve Bez's body, more essence for our side, secure and fortify the room, and have Kell hack the system to sync the engine room with the helm, which will give us access to all the controls in the villa. Portals, travel, defenses, and basically turn this entire place against Eligos and his demons."

"That sounds incredibly complicated," Kell said with a wide-eyed confused expression. "And like it'll require a lot of improvising on my part."

"So that's a no?" I gulped.

"No," she said firmly. "It's a hell yes. I love this plan."

"I don't like it," Mora said.

"I like it even more now." Bez grinned. "If Walter's maze of a brain has deduced this to be the best course of action, I support it. Let's get going."

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his chest against my back and lifting my feet off the ground.

"Wait," Mora said as Bez zipped past her. "Shouldn't we discuss…"

Her echoed voice faded once Bez whipped through the labyrinth, moving so quickly everything blurred.

"No time," Bez shouted. "Move your ass!"

I didn't realize how hard it was to breathe when he moved at that speed. Since meeting him, I'd always had a piece of his essence inside me, something helping me grasp the complexities of Diabolic power even when I lacked any understanding of how it worked. When Bez stopped in front of the sealed portal, I finally exhaled.

"Oh, no time to stop and talk?" Mora arrived, gracefully releasing Kell, who fluttered beside her in a telekinetic hold. "Guess since I'm the only one who understands how to open the door, we have all the time in the world."

"Shut up." Bez rearranged symbols lining the doorframe while I closely watched, completely incapable of making sense for a single phrase.

It all looked like gibberish slapped together. All the same, the portal glowed a luminescent black, rippling like water.

"Damn. Guess you do pay attention sometimes." Mora scoffed. "Well? Let's go then."

She grabbed Kell's hand and stepped through the portal. Bez and I quickly followed. The blackness ran like water across my skin, warm and soothing, carrying us to the pocket dimension containing the sealed-off engine room. But in an instant, everything turned white, so harsh against my eyes that I had to squeeze them shut. I shivered as the warmth turned icy.

Landing in the engine room, I brushed away the white flakes of Fae magic like brushing snow from my face. I turned to see Kell and a plain metallic wall with absolutely no sign of Bez or Mora. Not just that. No signs of symbols to open the doorway. It was one way.

"Shit." I panicked. "What happened? Where are—"

"I know, Bez looks rough," Kell said, not even glancing back at the missing fucking portal.

"What?" I followed her gaze and saw Bez's former bloody, headless body propped up by a lance impaled through his stomach connected to hundreds of wires.

I struggled to breathe. Six shattered orbs lay on the railing under the corpse's dangling feet.

"We have to find a way out of here." I pointed to the space where the portal should've been.

"No worries. It's probably just a glitch," Kell said, unfazed as she trotted onto the railing toward Bez's former body. "I can hack the system no matter what's up; the plan is very much still a go."

My chest tightened. This was a trap. It had to be. I led us directly into it, thinking I knew the first thing about outsmarting a demon.