The Demon's Song

CHAPTER Eight


She awoke with a smile on her face.

Sofia lay in her bed with her eyes closed, her lips gently curved as the notes of a lullaby drifted through her mind. She hadn’t felt so content in…well, years, probably. Her body was relaxed, her mind was at peace. And it only took a single deep breath to catch the mouthwatering scent of bacon in the air.

Bacon. Someone was cooking breakfast. Someone who wasn’t Amy…and who’d been on her couch last night. Her smile faded as her memories returned. Memories that included a fragment of being sung to so that she’d shut up and go to sleep instead of asking questions. It had been heartbreakingly beautiful.

Damn him.

Her temper had only just kicked in when the arguing started.

“I can’t believe you blew off hunting to play housewife. I should have brought you an apron. With puppies and kitties on it, even. Maybe some ribbon.”

The voice had her opening her eyes. It was unfamiliar, deep and resonant, but not nearly as musical as Phenex’s. She had a moment of pure panic until she heard a voice she did know respond. He didn’t sound angry or threatened. Just deeply annoyed.

The relief she felt at his presence was as overwhelming as it was nonsensical. She should have wished him gone. But her better judgment didn’t seem to have a thing to do with her reactions to him.

“Keep it up. Really,” Phenex was saying. “Because once I shove this frying pan up your ass I’ll be welcomed back to Terra Noctem as a hero.”

“You’re in a good mood. I’m going to assume the Betty Crocker act hasn’t gotten you laid yet, then?”

There was a muffled sound, like something heavy connecting with a solid piece of furniture…or person. Sofia was up like a shot, though it occurred to her even as her feet hit the floor that staying in her room might be a better idea. Still, this was her home. She refused to hide.

Sofia barely registered that she was still in her scrubs, minus her shoes, before she was standing in her living room and staring at yet another oversized warrior type, this one sprawled on her floor and rubbing his head. His back was to her, but she had an excellent view of Phenex as he loomed over the stranger, brandishing the smaller of her cast-iron frying pans. For a few seconds, he didn’t seem to notice her. Then those deep blue eyes lifted, connecting with hers, and she felt something electric sizzle through her from head to toe.

Only one word formed in her head: wow.

It wasn’t right for a man to be so beautiful that the sight of him knocked her on her ass every single time. He was manipulative and underhanded and incredibly dangerous, and all she could seem to think about was pawing at him. Normally, in life-or-death situations, sex was the last thing on her mind. Now, here she was ignoring an assault in favor of fantasies about getting Phenex’s clothes off.

It didn’t help that she was pretty positive he’d be on board with that.

“Bastard,” the man on the floor growled. Then he stilled, and Sofia had the fleeting impression of a predator scenting its prey before he turned his head to look at her. She blinked, thinking she must be imagining him. Her mouth went dry and words evaporated.

There was more than one of them. And this one was a masterpiece.

He could have stepped from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the very image of a classical angel and twice as stunning for being flesh and blood. His features were chiseled, though slightly full lips lent a hint of sensual softness to his face. His wavy hair was a golden crown, begging for fingers to toy with its silken softness. Eyes the color of emeralds, stunningly clear, watched her with frank assessment. He was beautiful. Completely, ridiculously beautiful.

And from the way his mouth curved, a motion both slight and seductive, he knew it.

It was only that hint of arrogance that allowed Sofia to quit gawking and pull herself together. Her cheeks flooded with heat when she saw the look on Phenex’s face. He knew what she’d been thinking, too. And to say he didn’t seem to like it was an understatement. Actually, from the way his hand tightened around the handle of the frying pan, it looked like he wanted to give the new guy another good whack with it.

Desperate to prevent a bloodbath in the middle of her apartment, Sofia jumped in with the first thing that came to mind.

“Please don’t kill each other. I can’t afford a cleaning crew, and I don’t want to have to deal with violence before I’ve had my coffee.”

The men were perfectly still for a moment, and then the blond’s face lit with an amused grin. Sofia felt her jaw threatening to drop, but managed to hold it together. He was just so pretty. And in a completely different way from Phenex, who smoldered rather than sparkled. Somehow, she had ended up with two candidates for Sexiest Man Alive in her apartment, one of whom appeared to be cooking her breakfast. And all she’d had to do to get them there was nearly be killed by vampires.

Her life had gotten very messed up very fast.

“Well, well,” the blond said, his voice almost a purr as he got to his feet. “You’re Sofia? No wonder Phenex was so eager to volunteer for guard duty.”

Volunteered? That was news. And Phenex’s silent glare said it was also the truth. Sofia shook off the flattery and tried to focus on the issue at hand. She’d agreed to one bodyguard, not to running a boarding house for immortals.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but one of you is enough,” Sofia said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking between them.

“I agree,” the blond said. “One of us is more than enough, and sadly for you, it isn’t our resident songbird. I’m quite willing to switch places with him, though…and I promise, I’m very entertaining.”

This time, he was ready for it when Phenex took a swing at him. He caught Phenex’s wrist in midair, and the two men glared at one another, locked together, teeth bared. Despite what Phenex had said about not being a vampire, both he and the unwanted company were sporting long, sharp incisors.

“Hit me again and I start biting.” The blond’s words were a hiss, and something in his eyes changed, became reptilian just for an instant.

“You even try it and this songbird is going to enjoy ripping out your eyes with its talons,” Phenex shot back. “If you’ve got anything useful to say, Gadreel, then say it and take off. I’m not usually this far up on your list of people to annoy.”

“Because you’re not usually doing anything interesting. Or anyone.”

They glared at each other silently, and Sofia’s stomach clenched while she wondered which one would manage to strike first. But after a minute that seemed to last years, Phenex snorted, Gadreel gave a wry smile, and they stepped away from each other at the same time. It was almost…friendly. Not quite, but enough to assure Sofia that her furniture and walls were safe.

“You’re a lot more fun when you’re not doing all that broody musical moaning,” Gadreel said. “I suppose I’ll stay for coffee.” He headed into the kitchen without another word, leaving Phenex staring irritably after him. Sofia moved closer, drawn to him so strongly that she barely noticed what she’d done until she was standing right in front of him.

He lowered dark crimson lashes when he looked down at her, and for a few seconds Sofia could pretend that circumstances were entirely different, that he was just the gorgeous musician she’d met. That he’d been in her bed all night.

She had to stop herself before she started imagining all the things they might have been doing, glad that Phenex seemed too preoccupied to look at her as intently as he usually did. Those eyes seemed to see everything.

“I made breakfast,” he said quietly, jerking his head toward where Gadreel was fiddling with her coffeemaker. “I didn’t invite him, but he’s got a habit of inviting himself. Hopefully he’ll take off soon.”

“I heard that,” Gadreel said blandly as he finally figured out how her one-cup machine worked.

“Who is he?” Sofia whispered. “What kind of a name is Gadreel?” It sounded like Gabrielle, but more exotic, less feminine. Not that she had any intention of making the comparison to her newest visitor. She figured he probably had some kind of crazy weapon on him somewhere to go with the fangs. Though the fangs would be enough.

“One of my Fallen brothers,” Phenex whispered back, lowering his head so that his lips nearly touched her ear. The feel of his breath on her skin made her shiver. “Gadreel is a snake. Literally. Keep that in mind when you’re dealing with him.”

Fallen. That word, evocative and mysterious all at once.

“I don’t want a snake in my apartment!”

That seemed to amuse him, and the flash of a grin he gave her made her absurdly glad that whatever else Phenex was, he didn’t seem to have anything in common with the distant, shining beings she’d learned about as a child.

“Don’t tell him that. He’ll never leave,” Phenex said, his breath feathering her skin one last time before he straightened and jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. “Grab some food if you want it. Gadreel wouldn’t have come unless he wanted something, and he’s not going to talk until he eats.” Then he walked away to grab a plate for himself.

Sofia finally looked down at her rumpled scrubs, lifted a tentative hand to the rat’s nest currently masquerading as her hair, and sighed. It was a little late for vanity at this point.

By the time she sat down at the table with her coffee and a slightly obscene amount of bacon, Phenex and Gadreel had been munching and insulting each other for several minutes.

She slid into a chair between the two men, tucked one leg beneath her, and looked from one to the other as she tasted the bacon. It was, as expected, amazing. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Bacon made everything better. Even this, if not by much.

It took her a minute to notice that Gadreel had stopped eating and was watching her intently.

“Hungry?” he asked. Somehow, coming from him, that seemed like a loaded question.

“Well…ah…”

“You’ve got a very expressive face, Sofia. Did you know?”

Sofia swallowed, with some effort, and tried to look casual when she smiled. “I don’t have a poker face. No one in my family does.”

“With a face like yours, that’s forgivable.”

“You’re going to make her puke if you keep it up, Gadreel.” There was a warning in Phenex’s voice. Gadreel just grinned. He might be beautiful, Sofia decided, but there was something unnerving about him. Maybe it was just because she’d heard Phenex sing, but he seemed to have a depth of emotion that wasn’t readily apparent in Gadreel.

“I don’t think you came here to admire my radiant morning beauty,” Sofia said. “So you should probably just get to the point.”

Gadreel blinked, then chuckled. His laughter, to his credit, was much more genuine than she’d expected.

“Oh, I like you. Are you sure you don’t want me here instead?”

In response, she shifted, ever so slightly, closer to Phenex. “I think I’m good with the singing chef here, thanks.”

“Your loss.” Gadreel sniffed. There was a flicker of something crestfallen in his expression that surprised her, but it vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. Had she really hurt his feelings? Did he even have feelings to hurt? Part of her doubted it. But then, there seemed to be a lot more going on beneath the surface than she would have thought with both Phenex and Gadreel. Even if they were…well, what were they? Demons, even though they’d left Hell for good? The thought was chilling. Silently, she cursed Phenex again for putting her to sleep before she’d been able to ask all the things she needed to.

“So,” Phenex said, “what did you get out of the vamp?”

The memory of the creature that had come after her last night almost ruined Sofia’s appetite. Almost.

“You interrogated him?” she asked Gadreel. It was easy enough to picture, but he shook his head.

“Not me personally. I was around, but Meresin was the one who had a…discussion…with him.”

“Meresin?” she asked.

“Another Fallen. He likes to play with electricity,” Phenex said. When she just stared at him speechlessly, he shrugged. “We all have our talents.”

“I…oh.”

“The good news is that we’re now certain that this is an organized group, and that they’re definitely targeting Amphora,” Gadreel said, taking a bite from another strip of bacon and wagging it at Phenex as he spoke. “Not only that, they’re planning to escalate. It’s going to get a lot bloodier around there. The recent stuff? Just boundary testing. Couple of dead vamps and a handful of pretty-drained humans. This Sara would have been the first human fatality. Doubt she’ll be the last, but that’s not the main goal.”

“What is it, then?” Phenex asked, then waved a hand and sighed. “No, you know what, it’s never that complicated with these bloodsuckers. I already know. This stuff is cover. There’ll be something bigger in the works. They want Justin.”

Gadreel took a sip of his coffee. “I’d say you’re astute, but you’re right. They’re just really, really predictable.”

Phenex shook his head. “Dumbasses. Justin’s been king for what, like two thousand years? Maybe he’s just lucky and only winds up with stupid enemies, but you’ve got to wonder whether they take into account the fact that he is what he is because he’s insanely tough to kill. How many are there this time? How long before we can take them out?”

Gadreel’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. “That’s the bad news. Sofia’s would-be assassin seems to be a low-level operative who’s been deliberately kept in the dark about anything important. Could be just a few. Could be quite a few. This time, my money’s on the latter. Especially because the one who got at her friend,” he said with a nod in Sofia’s direction, “was no young thing. A strong, thousand-year-old vampire doesn’t hook up with a bunch of inept fledglings. Whoever is behind this is coming from a position of strength. And I’ll be honest, Justin is coming up short on names of possibilities.”

“Hellfire,” Phenex muttered. “I know where this is going.”

“You and me both.” Gadreel popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and dropped a wink at Sofia. “No rest for the wicked.”

She didn’t know what they meant, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. What she did know was bad enough. Sofia hadn’t missed Gadreel’s small mention of Sara, though, and she latched onto it with fervor.

“You said it was an old vampire who attacked Sara, but that she wasn’t a fatality. Have you seen her, then? Is she going to be all right?” she asked Gadreel.

“Mmm,” he agreed, his tone disinterested. “For a vampire.”

Sofia nearly choked on the bite of bacon she’d just taken. “What?”

Gadreel gave her a long-suffering look as he watched her try not to aspirate tiny pieces of fried pork.

“Please, it’s hardly shocking. Your friend was bitten and nearly drained. It’s not like there are a lot of options at that point. She’s fine. A little pissed off over the whole thing, but fine. I expect she’ll be able to come back above once the current mess is taken care of, and then you can shout at her or beg her to bite you or whatever it is you had in mind.” His eyes brightened with sudden interest. “In fact, if you do decide to let her bite you, please let me know so I can watch.”

Sofia glared at him as she got the coughing under control, though at this point his lack of empathy didn’t surprise her. On some level, she’d known this was the most likely outcome for Sara. She’d watched the looks between Justin and the one who’d taken Sara away—Amir, she thought his name was. Still, knowing that one of her best friends was now a blood-drinking immortal was a lot to take in on top of everything else. She’s not dead, Sofia told herself. She’s alive—I think vampirism qualifies—and she’s safe. That’s all that matters right this second.

Phenex was watching her closely, and when he spoke, the melody of his voice was soothing.

“You’ll see her. Maybe not a lot, but you’ll see her. At least she’s walking and talking. There was only one other option, and it wasn’t a good one.”

She looked at him and nodded. He was right, even if she didn’t like it. The best idea for the time being, she decided, was to take things one step at a time.

“It could be worse,” Gadreel interjected. “There are so many other things that could have gotten her. A vampire is cake. We get chased by things you won’t even see in horror movies. They’re that disgusting.” He seemed obscenely proud of the fact, Sofia thought. And then his look turned sly and speculative, making her dread whatever was coming next. He seemed to like being the center of attention. Whatever it took.

“Phenex told you about all that, right? What we do? Why we’re slumming it up here instead of ruling the fiery expanses of the underworld? That’s what the lords of Hell are, you know. Fallen angels, every one. We were the highest of demons. We exiles are still Fallen, of course, but the lords of Hell part, not so much.” One eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly. “He really didn’t tell you how we came to be the only Fallen ever to be sentenced to death by the Infernal Council and escape?”

The look Phenex gave Gadreel at that moment would have sent most people screaming. Instead, Gadreel simply grinned, showing gleaming white teeth that looked ready to bite. And the hell of it was, Sofia wanted to know what he would say next. This information interested her, and he knew it.

So, from the looks of things, did Phenex.

“No,” Sofia said, feeling a little guilty as Phenex turned that fulminating glare on her. “He hadn’t gotten to that part yet.” If he ever intended to. Which I doubt.

Gadreel’s eyes widened in sheer wicked delight.

“No? It’s quite a story. You see, Lucifer had decided to crack down on those the Infernal Council had deemed...insufficiently devoted, let’s say, to the cause of destroying what we call the Balance. The human realm functions as it should when it’s fairly equal parts darkness and light, though things fluctuate at times. And, of course, Heaven and Hell are always trying to push things one way or the other to gain an advantage.” He waved his hand dismissively, as though he were talking about the weather instead of creatures battling over the onset of the Apocalypse.

“Why were you condemned to death?” Sofia asked, unable to help herself. If nothing else, Gadreel was an engaging storyteller, leaving her hanging on every word. She wanted to know it all, what they’d done to make the devil himself want to kill them, how they’d gotten here. But her question was quickly brushed off, accompanied by the slightest stiffening of Gadreel’s shoulders before he relaxed again. His reaction only sharpened her curiosity.

“I didn’t do anything but be better at everything than Mr. I-Am-Hell.”

Phenex’s snort told Sofia that there was a lot more to that story, and Gadreel shot him a nasty look before continuing.

“Anyway, there were six of us. Six glorious lords of Hell, unjustly singled out for a variety of reasons, condemned in secret. They’d plotted to make a spectacle of us, a warning to the others.” Gadreel grinned, eyes glittering with pleasure. “We would never have known until it was too late. Except who should come knocking at our doors in the wee hours but Leviathan, the mighty and terrible, bearing both the news of our impending demise and the strangest offer he’d put together to save our skins. Phenex barely made it out. He’d sent Belial into a fury for stealing his—”

Phenex got to his feet so quickly that his movement was a blur. Sofia had seen him move that way last night, but it still startled her. It left her speechless long enough for him to put an end to the conversation.

“Enough,” he growled. “If there’s nothing else, take off. Find somebody else who wants a story.”

Gadreel’s mouth curved into a small smile, though there was no humor in it. He got to his feet with deliberate grace. Sofia found herself holding her breath again as she rose, too, stepping back from the table and closer to Phenex. She still couldn’t quite get a read on what the relationship was here, but it seemed unstable, whatever it was.

“Embarrassed, Phenex? Don’t want your new conquest to know why you were marked to burn in the Phlegethon?” He curled his lip. “I didn’t think it was possible for us to fall further, but you’re working on it. She’s just a human, and here you are playing house and worrying about her opinion. You should worry more about this fixation on helping the weak. The last one was nearly the end of you.”

Cold fury burned through her, and the words came before Sofia could think better of them.

“Maybe I’m not as strong as your kind, but at least I have a soul.”

The barb hit its mark. There was a burst of black rage, just for an instant, in the depths of Gadreel’s eyes. Before she could react, Phenex had placed himself in front of her, shoving her behind him as he tensed for a fight. But the first blow never came. Gadreel had gotten it under control almost as quickly as it had begun to slip, though his bitterness lingered in his voice.

“Touché,” he said, and gave her a mocking little bow when she peered around Phenex’s arm at him, chafing at the way Phenex tried to shove her back. “Just remember, my little sharp-tongued primate, that a soul isn’t everything. And now, before your protector threatens to shove any more kitchen implements in places they don’t belong…”

She blinked, and Gadreel was gone without another word, without a sound.