Page 18 of The River of Fire

I can’t help but look over the powerful beings standing in front of us and wonder which one of them is my demon.Not that he’s mine, I remind myself. But have I stopped thinking of him these last couple of weeks? No. Am I admitting that to anyone else? Also no.

It’s bad enough that everyone knows about the nature of the encounter. In the first week following my… attack, Nick, the asshole, crashed into me while running and snarled, “Don’t touch me, demon cockslut.” Suffice it to say his attitude towards me hasn’t improved through the years. I just flipped him off, trying to keep my face impassive, but his team leader, Darla, slapped him across the head and nodded at me. Girls supporting girls, gotta love it.

Suddenly, I feel a sting at the now-healed junction of my neck. I press my hand against it automatically and my gaze snaps to one of the cloaked figures. Nothing really distinguishes him from the rest of the pack – he’s taller than some, and less brutally brawny than others, but they’re all imposing and menacing in their own way.

I know without a doubt it’s him, just as I know that my unthinking reaction pleased him. Like he’s letting me know that, while not visible anymore, his marks remain on my skin, in my flesh.

I drop my hand just as Kevin sidles up to me. “Are you okay?” he asks, brushing against me to speak near my ear. A massive lightning bolt splits the sky, the thunderous boom instantaneous.

While the majority of the soldiers around me are ducking, flinching, or yelping, I instinctively step in front of Kevin and look at the figure that displayed his displeasure. I don’t know what to make of the pulse of emotion I feel in my belly at his reaction to Kevin’s touch. It’s not something I’ve felt before, a mix of protectiveness but also smugness. I divert my gaze just in time to notice that Daniel followed it and is now frowning. That’s an expression I haven’t seen on his beautiful face before.

“May I inquire as to why yougentlemenare outen forcein Purgatory?” Maalik’s voice is always loud enough to echo, despite not shouting.

“We couldn’t decide who to send,” a honeyed voice replies. “It seems that we, ah, don’t trust each other not to take advantage of a… rather delicate situation.”

This demon’s voice makes me think of the snake that lured Eve to the Forbidden Apple.

“What is the situation and what does it have to do with us?” Ramel sneers, tact never a part of his arsenal.

“Well, it seems that there is an ungoverned rift, through which demons are escaping to the mortal realm.”

This proclamation has us all stirring from our enraptured states and looking at our mentors, trying to gauge their reactions. Surely this is a task for us, right? Will we get to visit the human realm? While Maalik has been bringing us some essentials like razors and novels (that is essential to me, okay?), we haven’t seen a bright blue sky in three years. I’m not sure what would be worse – visiting and then returning once our mission is done, or not visiting at all.

“You need us to find the tear?” Corson, our proverbial master of intelligence on all things Hell asks, his brow furrowed.

The snake-tongued demon laughs condescendingly. “No, of course not. We know the tear is in Asmodai’s realm. And before you ask another imbecilic question, he appears to be missing. Or at least not returning communiques.”

This time there are murmurs in our ranks, all of us wondering how an archdemon goes missing.

“Quiet,” Maalik says to us, and then louder, “and yourDark Prince,” the title uttered with much sarcasm, “doesn’t know where one of his minions is?”

A monstrously brawny demon bristles at Maalik’s irreverence and grunts, “You are free to go ask our Lord yourself; see how many pieces are returned to yourbrothers.”

“Why are you here?” Daniel repeats the pertinent question, likely stopping the two males from coming to blows. Henormally lets others do the talking, but it seems like he’s had enough of the tension between our two groups.

“If we go, we will be sensed immediately. Our presence will be considered an attempt to conquer an unprotected region.”

The shock of hearing that voice freezes every cell in my body. My face warms. My ears are ringing. I feel light-headed and realize I stopped breathing. Cognizant of Kevin and Daniel’s attention, I try to control my expression.

“The Elioud, however, won’t be as easily sensed, and they’re insignificant enough not to be considered a threat,” Forked-Tongue finishes.

“And they’re also expendable pawns to send to the slaughter, correct?” Maalik grits out.

“You said that, not us,” the demon retorts. “The fact of the matter is, your soldiers are the only ones who can get in and out without detection to tell us whether he’s interred in his domain and not giving a damn that we’re at risk of being exposed beyond containment, or… if we have a bigger problem to contend with.”

Maalik growls, gnashing his teeth and looking at his fellow Fallen. They nod, some with more reluctance than others.

“There is an elaborate system of tunnels throughout Asmodai’s ziggurat,” Corson supplies. “It could be for ventilation or lighting; their use is unknown to us. Regardless, it is possible for a lithe individual to crawl through them to the interior. Two, at most, could plausibly avoid detection.”

Everyone takes his words in in silence, letting Maalik strategize. “Lana?” he asks, not looking at me.

I think about it objectively. I’m not the strongest, fastest, or most powerful among the soldiers. But I know why he asked me first. I purse my lips and nod. Thunder echoes in cracks as the sky fills with a webbing of lightning.

“Lana, perhaps due to being Nephalem,” Daniel starts to explain, and I swear he’s looking at my assailant while doing so, “has a uniquely strong sense of detection. She can not only sense when demons are present, but also their numbers and strength. Certainly strong enough to sense the presence of a being as oldand powerful as Asmodai.”

After a beat, Maalik asks me, “And? You’re not going alone.”

I don’t need to think it over. “Akira.” I pick my teammate for the unusual mission. Maalik and Corson nod at my choice; Akira is Corson’s stealthiest Cambion. He’s careful and calculating. He’s also too proud to just leave me behind in a tight spot, like some of his other soldiers might.

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