Authors: Michelle A. Valentine
Dr. Fletcher stands and then quickly sits down on the bed beside Mom. She pushes the hair back on my mom’s forehead and I lunge at her. Rick grabs me by the shoulders.
“You stay away from my mother.”
Lilim smirks and my skin crawls. “I’m afraid that’s not possible my darling, Natalie. Your Mom called me earlier, depressed and suicidal over your father telling her today that their marriage is over. She thought since I did such a wonder job fixing you, I could help her through the worst day of her life.”
I stare her down. “So, what? You encouraged her to take the pills?”
She grins wickedly. “I even brought them to her. Lethal doses, too. I told her sometimes it’s for the best if people just end it all.” Lilim looks down at mom. “I’m so glad she listened.”
I jump over the bed, just as Dr. Fletcher claps her hands.
“You bitch,” I scream as I grab a handful of her hair. “You are not taking my mother!”
Lilim knocks my hands away from her hair and then grabs me by the throat. The pressure from her grip makes my eyes widen and gasp for air. Rick attacks her with full force and bashes his fists into her arms in attempts to free me, but it’s no use. She’s stronger than he is. My eyes pound with pressure as my brain screams for air.
Rick backs away and conjures up a couple cement blocks in midair. He hurls them at Lilim’s head. They crush against her skull and fragments pelt me in the face. Her hold on me loosens enough for me to break free from her grasp.
I fall hard on my knees to the floor, trying to regain my strength. Lilim turns and narrows her eyes at Rick before she creates a hammer to swings it in his face.
Blood pours from his nose, but doesn’t let that bother him as he stays intent on attacking her.
All I can do is watch in awe. They both pull different weapons out of the air to use on each other, attempting to hurt one another the best they can—each weapon a little more deadly.
The use of pure demonic power around me makes my head spin. This is just like the time in the quad with Rick and Stew, but magnified times one hundred. I slump to the floor and I’m barely able to keep my eyes open.
Rick’s face is red, like he’s struggling to keep up with Lilim. He can’t keep this up much longer. We need help, and there’s only one person I know that could help level the playing field. I reach into my pocket for my phone and then dial Stew’s number.
“Hello?”
“Stew…” I struggle to speak. “I need you. A demon is in my house. Going to kill my mom.”
The phone slips from my grasp and I’m too weak to retrieve it to hear Stew’s answer.
There’s a loud grunt from Rick as Lilim shoves him against the wall. She whips a short handled knife from nothing and then plunges it into Rick’s stomach.
“Rick!” I rasp.
Rick grabs the knife and his eyes grow wide as he stares into Lilim’s face. She lets go of him and he slides down the wall. The knife still wedged in his stomach.
Lilim wipes her hand against her jeans and stands over Rick as his body goes limp. “You just need to be a good boy and stay out of this.”
I squeeze my eyes tight as I watch Lilim stalk toward me. “Are you ready to make a new deal, Nat?”
My eyes pop wide open. “A deal?”
She squats down and smiles. “I want your soul, Natalie. For whatever reason, you are the key to keeping Rick around, so as long as I own it I can track the both of you. So, what do you say? Your soul for your mom’s. Again?”
I stare up at her, a deep electric burn—the familiar one that used to come every time Rick made a deal in front of me—covers my palms. My fists ball up at my sides. I dig my nails into my skin and take a deep breath. My family means everything to me. There’s no way I’ll let her have Mom. I’d give anything for her, including my eternity. “Okay.”
Lilim smiles and holds out her hand. “I guess we can skip all the formalities since you know the drill, just shake my hand and we’ll get this over with.”
Rick’s still out and Mom’s chest is barely moving. There isn’t really a choice here. I reach out to Lilim and she grabs my hand. Her eyes shine a brilliant white as she burns my skin to seal the deal.
“Stay away from her!” Stew shouts as he barrels through the door and tackles Lilim from behind.
I stare in horror as they roll around the floor, I glance over at Rick and he’s starting to come to and attempting to pull the knife from his belly.
While Stew still has her occupied, I rush over just as Rick successfully removes the knife. He stretches his hand out and hands it to me.
“Stab her,” Rick tells me. “He’s no match for her. That will at least slow her down.”
I swallow as I take the blood covered handle into my fingers. It’s slick with Rick’s blood and still warm.
I peer at the knife with trepidation.
“Do it,” Rick rasps.
I nod and turn around. Lilim has Stew pinned, but she’s not using her power on him like she did Rick. It’s like she’s merely trying to restrain him.
They both grunt as they struggle against one another, and she doesn’t even hear me approach until it’s too late for her.
I slam the knife into her back and feel her flesh tear against the blade. She cries out in pain and loosens her grip. She struggles to reach the knife in her back without success and opens her mouth and roars so loud that my ears ring with pain.
Stew wiggles free and rolls away from her, his breathing ragged. “Who the hell is she?”
She crouches down in front of us on all fours like she’s ready to pounce on us. Rick pushes himself up from the floor and Lilim’s eyes dart between Rick and Stew like she’s debating on finishing what she started.
Rick stands beside me. “You can’t take us both on. We won’t let you have her. Leave while you still can.”
I help Stewart to his feet, but never take my eyes off the menacing demon before me.
“You can’t protect her forever. I will have her soul,” Lilim growls before turning and throwing her body through the second story window.
Once it’s safe, I run over to Mom’s bed and lay my head on her chest. Thank God. She’s still breathing. “Call 9-1-1!”
It’s the longest ten minutes of my life waiting on that squad, but finally they arrive and start working on her. I ride in the squad and follow with her all the way to the Emergency Room until they kick me out of the room so that they can pump her stomach.
I turn to find Rick, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. “She’s going to be okay, you know. There’s no pull towards her now.”
I shrug while tears threaten to expose my pain. “Yeah I know, I’m just glad she didn’t make a deal with Lilim.”
He takes my hand, turns it over, and runs his fingertips over the skin where my lifeline should be. It’s completely gone once again. “I’m sorry you had to make another deal. I feel like I’ve failed you because I should’ve been there to protect you. I don’t own your soul anymore.”
“My hands still burn. Will it hurt much more than this?”
Rick frowns. “A little.”
A shiver ripples down my spine. “How much time do I have left?”
“Not long. Come on. We can’t do this here.”
Grabbing my hand, he pulls me toward the exit. “Wait. I can’t leave Mom. What if she wakes up and needs me?”
He shakes his head. “There’s no choice. If I don’t transition you into a demon now, you’ll die and I’ll have to collect you. You only have so much time after you make a deal when you’re over twenty-one.”
My heart sinks as in all the chaos I’ve forgotten today is my twenty-first birthday. This is it—the last few minutes of life as I know it. Hand in hand I allow Rick to lead me from the hospital. Mom will be safe, because I don’t feel her soul calling to me, so I know she’ll be fine, but it’s still hard to leave her alone.
We step outside into the cool, fall night air and that’s the last thing I remember before I feel my body go limp and everything goes black.
The nothingness ends when I feel a little nudge on my shoulder. “Natalie?” Rick’s calm and soothing voice rings in my ears. “You’re safe. You’re in my apartment.”
An involuntary scream rips from my throat. Every cell in my body burns with what I can only guess is fiery brimstone. I wish like hell I can go back to sleep. There’s nothing else to focus on but the pain of my whole body being on fire.
Both of Rick’s hands hold each of my shoulders down firm against his mattress. “Listen to me, Natalie. I can make it go away, but you have to lie perfectly still and hold your breath.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I gasp as all of my limbs strain fighting against the pain. “I can’t!”
He shakes my shoulders forcing me to stare into his eyes. “You have to or you’ll die and go to Hell like the rest of them. I need to transition your soul. Please let me help you.”
I wondered what happened to the souls once they made their deals. Killing the souls must’ve ensured a transition to Hell.
Tears flow from my eyes as I realize there is no other choice and hold as still as I possibly can. “Okay.”
Rick rolls his right sleeve up and stretches his fingers out like he’s going to palm a basketball. Before I can ask what I need to do, he lays his hand on my face, covering my eyes completely. All I can see is a brilliant white light glowing from behind my eyelids, and then I feel a pull—like the force of gravity—in front of my face. My sides shake, and pain rips through me as it feels like my entire body is being sucked out through my eyes. Against my will, my jaw thrusts open and a vortex of air forces down my throat.
I gag as my eyes roll back into my head and pressure fills my chest, nearly causing me to explode. And just when I think my body can’t possibly take anything else being forced into it and I’m about to die, everything stops. It’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
“Nat?” Rick whispers. “Are you okay?’
I open my eyes and slowly start to sit up. My bones move around inside my skin, like they’re not exactly mine anymore, and I gaze up at Rick. “Do we have to do anything else?”
He shakes his head. “No. You’re done.”
“Already?”
He nods and takes my hand, holding my palm up next to his. Both are smooth and matching. There’s no life line wrinkles to be seen. “You’re branded. Now, you’re officially a demon.”
Remembering the snake tattoo that was developing on my skin, I rub the back of my neck and feel the snakes on my tattoo wiggle beneath my fingers.
“How will I know what to do?”
He grins. “That’s what I’m for. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
My body shivers as he holds my hand. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. I’ll never leave you.” He touches his forehead to mine. “I do want to show you something now, though.”
He reaches into his nightstand drawer and pulls out a photo. My eyes widen as I take in the site of us standing in a field of Forget-Me-Knots holding hands and smiling at one another. It’s not a current picture. It’s all faded and crinkled from the wear and tear of time. Something that came from the time period of the vision he showed me.
That’s when it hits me. This is real. The connection I feel towards him isn’t random or a demonic pull trying to unite us. I’ve loved Rick before, in another life, and he’s never stopped loving me in over two hundred years.
“It’s us,” I whisper.
Rick grins. “I told you.” He cradles my face in his hands and softly kisses my lips. “I will love you for eternity.”
I kiss him back and allow him to pull me tight against his body. Being with him is right. He’s fought to bring us back together. It’s only right that I open myself up and completely try to let him in.
I knot my fingers into his hair just as he pulls away. “I love you, Natalie. We can take things slow until you love me back. I want our first time together to be perfect. We have forever to figure this out.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Rick drops me off that night, he says to act normally and not to draw attention to myself, because I’d have to live life without people noticing any changes about me. Maybe it’s a good thing people think I’m crazy. Crazy people tend to do weird things, like trying to adjust to their new demon body and powers.
Rick says we don’t have to answer the call of all the dying people that we hear in our minds, but it does sit well with “The Boss” to be a good little solider—like I’ve ever been good at that. An eternity is a long time to do the same job.
I instantly wonder about Stew, and how he’s doing after everything. Without thinking, I head around back. The round moon shines proudly, lighting up my back yard like a spotlight, and allowing me to see Stew lying out in his hammock across the fence—the place I first saw him at the beginning of summer.
When he sees me trudging up my back porch steps, he rises up and gives me a little wave.
I smile and I wave back. That must be enough to invite him over, because his feet swing out, and he starts toward me.
“Hey,” Stew says.
I give him a fleeting smile. “Hi.”
He runs his fingers through his hair as he looks away from me. “How’s Rick?”
“He’s okay. The wound healed up before the squad even made it there to pick up my mother, so now he’s perfect.”
He nods. “That’s good. Demon powers are crazy, right?”
“Yeah, they’re pretty screwed up.” My body grows cold as I think about all the trouble demon shit has caused me over the past couple of days. I even killed someone I knew in order to save my own skin which ended up not mattering anyway, because in the end I still became a fucking demon. A single tear slips from my eye and I quickly bat it away.
Stew reaches out to touch my face, but it just feels wrong and foreign to have his touch now. The connection I used to feel towards him is gone. Maybe Rick was right, all we ever really had was his demon side seeking out my soul.
I step back. “I’m sorry. I’m with Rick now.”
His brow creases and he draws his lips in tight. “But I love you, Nat.”
Taking another step away from him, I wipe a tear away from my eyes. “Are you sure? Our connection doesn’t feel as strong anymore.”
He nods. “Just because the pull is gone doesn’t mean I don’t still have feelings for you.”