“Indeed I did. You killed the man I was going to use for the sacrifice. It’s quite interesting when you think about it. If you had not slain him, he would be in this situation instead of you.”
I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell and rip free of these handcuffs and tear him apart. This beast was the reason I had been alone for two years straight, the reason I had to spend day after day looking for lost souls, the reason I had been drinking myself stupid in order to calm down enough to sleep, the reason I woke up constantly every night because of horrific dreams. The rage burned inside my chest like a wildfire. I was so angry I couldn’t even speak.
Belial sighed. “I made the mistake of leaving the area after you killed the Seer because you had not yet had your Awakening. I reported back to my master with the Spear. That is when he informed me that he needed a Seer in order to gain access to an archangel’s body, which I had unknowingly lost. Things seemed problematic until I stumbled across him one night while searching through the city. I confronted him in an alley and captured his body. The only task left was to locate a Seer, and all I had to do was wait. Regular souls are drawn to your kind. So was Michael’s. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered you were the Seer he found. I spread my influence and reached out to you in a dream to see if I could win you over. When you refused, I planted one of my sentries to wait for you and the angel in his apartment.”
“Bast.”
“My, you catch on quick. I kept an eye on you until you were most vulnerable, and you played right into my hands.”
“So that’s it? You’re going to kill me and then what?”
“I wouldn’t be so bitter if I were you, my dear. I have plans for your soul after you die.”
“What plans?”
The demon stepped closer, filling my vision with those empty eyes. “I asked the master for your soul in return for my services. When you die, you will become my servant.”
I licked my lips, trying to remain calm as best as I could but I could feel myself starting to shiver from the finality of his words. “Why?”
Belial chuckled. “You’re too modest. I was not lying when I said I liked you. I will thoroughly enjoy bending you to my will. Besides, it would be much more fun than simply killing you.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather have my soul destroyed than be your pet.”
“That reaction alone makes me wish I didn’t have to kill you right away,” he sighed, closing those thick lashes over his eyes.
I fought back another urge to shiver with a question. “How can you claim my soul? I thought everyone who dies is taken before the Father and Son to decide if they go to Heaven or Hell.”
Belial’s eyes lit up. “Excellent question. But what you forget is that your soul is already damned. We know about the contract you’ve made with Gabriel. You haven’t collected the one hundred souls, so yours belongs to my master to do with what he will. In this case, it will be given to me.”
I swallowed hard. “Why’d you wait until sunset?”
He stepped away, walking towards where Michael’s body lay and picked up the Spear of Longinus. The wooden shaft of the spear had been snapped off. The tip looked sharp despite being worn with time. He stroked the blade almost lovingly, like a kid with a delicious piece of candy.
“The Lord’s power works best in the light. At night, His power dims and mine grows. When the sun goes down, I will be able to perform the ritual at full strength. Take in the last of the sun, dear Jordan. When night falls, you are mine.”
Panicked, I glanced at the horizon over the city. The dusky orange had given way to a dark navy blue. A sliver of the sun was still visible, but from here it looked as if it were dying—dragging down all the beautiful pinks, reds, and yellows down in its throes. I didn’t have long, maybe less than a minute. Where the hell was Gabriel?
When I turned my head again, Belial stood right in front of me. As I stared at him, a strange sense of calm enveloped me.
“Are you afraid?” he whispered. I shook my head slowly.
The demon rested his gloved fingertips over my heart, testing my pulse to see if I were lying. “Why not?”
“Whatever happens…it ends tonight. I have no choice in the matter. There’s nothing left for me but death or salvation. You have nothing left to scare me with.”
“Then close your eyes and say a prayer, sweet Jordan. I will send you to sleep.” Belial lifted the spear, its tip crusted with the blood of Christ, of Michael, and soon to be with mine. The sun finally disappeared from sight, wrapping the two of us in darkness. I let my eyes fall shut and words spilled from my mouth from memory.
“Our Father, who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On Earth, as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespassers
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen.”