Page 82 of Absolved In Death

“Hmmm, I can’t say for sure. Let’s try it out for a few days and see what Marilyn thinks,” Michael teased him. While my father’s flirted, I made Q’s hair black. Then I gave him apple shaped cheeks and a button nose. He seemed different enough to pass as another person.

A trumpet sounding through the entire pit startled me. It wasn’t the alarms, but a sound coming from the bottom of the pit. The floors where the worst of the worst were kept. I faded us down to the bottom floor of the pit. It was the largest level, where the most dangerous prisoners were held under the strongest magic. The oppressive heat stifled my breathing, and sweat crawled down my back like a slinking creepy-crawly. A group of prisoners gathered around a giant…well, I wasn’t sure what the creature was.

It towered over Ares, Oisín, and Desmond, three of the biggest men I knew, by at least a few feet. It had a humanoid form, with distinctly masculine facial features, but a demonic body. Massive black horns protruded from its head, like a bull’s. It had bird-like claws and huge black feathered wings. The most remarkable thing about it was its eyes—two glittering yellow orbs with black vertical slits, so reptilian…intense. Angry. Crazed. Freed.

And they were staring directly at me.

The way the other demons flocked around him designated him as their leader, so he was the one I’d deal with.

“Diana…” Desmond said cautiously.

“I got this,” I said, even though I had zero clue what I was doing. I stepped forward, until I was close enough for the creature to hear me.

It inhaled deeply, its slit pupils dilating as he captured my scent. The guttural, crisp sound it made was…terrifying. And unnatural. But I put on a brave face, because this was my only chance to get things right.

“A female Morningstar.Interesting. And two male Morningstars,” it stated, glancing at Oisín and Lucifer. “Did your crook of a father send you down here to imprison us again?”

“My name is Diana Morningstar, and I am representing my father, Lucifer, but not to imprison you. We want to set you free,” I announced. “A great war is happening above, one that will change the world. We want you to fight for us in exchange for your freedom.

Some of the prisoners seemed excited by the possibility of freedom, whereas most of them were stone faced. A small red demon to the creature’s left gave me a smile filled with pointy, needle teeth. Another shook its head in obvious disbelief.

“I am Xhaltion, and I have existed in this pit for centuries. We are already free, Diana Morningstar. And we will not fightin a war for a traitor who trapped us down here for eternity,” he growled.

“Only because I made it so. I can lock you back into your cages, or I can be merciful and end your lives. Because I promise you this…If you thought Lucifer was awful, Red will make him look like a parlor trick. He will use the very wickedness which landed you here for his own benefit, until there’s nothing left of you to squander.”

The prisoners whispered amongst themselves. I could tell from their expressions that some of them knew who Red was. Others were buoyed by the idea of war and bloodshed, insisting they should participate for the chance to sow chaos. One demon pointed to Oisín, then said something to the creature in a language I didn’t understand.

“We wish to talk to Lucifer’s heir apparent to discuss the matter further,” he requested, his lips curling in a sneer at me. His tail swished behind him, conveying his arrogant attitude.

“That would be me,” I commented drolly.

His skeptical facial expression enraged me, and I was tempted to rip his tail out of his ass and shove it down his throat. Of course this horned fucker didn’t think a woman could be Lucifer’s heir apparent. Sexism existed even in the deepest, darkest parts of the world—and I shouldn’t have been so surprised—but after dealing with sexism my whole life, I was tired of it.

I channeled the anger and injustice I felt, focusing on the demon standing next to Mr. Sexist Asshole. With merely a thought and a wave of my hand, I snapped its neck. For good measure, I levitated it by the horns and shredded the corpse into dozens of pieces before setting them all on fire.

Try reanimating as a pile of ashes.

“Every time you annoy me, I’m killing one of you. It’s no sweat off my brow if you die here or on the battlefield. I’mgrowing bored of this and may lock you all up again for fun.” I put my nose in the air, just to drive the point home of how beneath me I wanted them to think they were. I had to display dominance, Head Bitch In Charge energy.

The massive thing aimed a neon wave of magic at me. He was completely caught off guard when I stopped it and redirected it at him, hitting him right between his eyes. His roars and growls of fury made his counterattack sloppy. Each hit was either aimed badly, or slow enough I could block it.

“Instead of wasting your time, why don’t you fight me, one on one? If I win, you all fight for Lucifer Morningstar. If you win, you can all go your own ways.” I heard my men’s gasps behind me, and felt Ares put his hand on my shoulder. Whether it was to support me or stop me, I wasn’t sure.

The monster took too long to answer so as promised, I directed a black wisp of shadow down the throat of the poor, tiny demon with the needle teeth. It wrapped around his throat, and before he could try to fight his way out, I snapped his neck.

It’s nothing personal, bro.

“And what if we slit the throats of everyone in your entourage and leave? I will not be forced to play your games, little girl.”

“Oh no he did not just call her that!” Quelier’s outburst carried through the whole cavernous space. “You want to die today, don’t you?”

“I think he does,” Desmond agreed. “But let me do the honors, dollface.” I saw his horns pop from his hairline out of the corner of my eye.

“No, let me. I want to mount that ugly mug of his on my trophy wall,” Ares guffawed. “Maybe you can use his blood to paint me a new original piece to go next to it, Oisín?”

Oh yeah, because I damaged the other one when we lived in Las Vegas.

“It can be a wedding gift,” he offered. “Assuming she doesn’t get tired of you by then.”

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