Kushiel walked into the mass of ghosts then, and they began to swirl around him. He opened his arms wide, and Cassius could feel him giving his light to them. It was too much, too fast.
“No, Kushiel!” Cass cried out, running toward his angel.
He reached Kushiel and pulled him back. The light ebbed, giving Cass a moment.
“You can’t give them all your light, Kushiel,” Cass pleaded. “It will drain you.”
“I cannot let them all be sent back to hell. I cannot let Mammon take them,” Kushiel argued.
“As much as I hate to interrupt this touching moment,” the hellhound commented drily, “perhaps it is time to use what you have, human.”
With that reminder, Cassius let go of Kushiel and walked forward to Mammon. The demon barely paid him any attention, looking at Kushiel instead, obviously trying to puzzle out what the angel was doing since he couldn’t see ghosts.
When he was within striking distance, he drew the spear from behind his back. Mammon looked at him then, but he didn’t hesitate. With one swift thrust, he pushed it through the center of Mammon’s chest.
There was a bright explosion of light, the spear glowed white, and Mammon stumbled. He looked down in confusion at the spear glowing in his chest, then he used one hand to pull it out. He dropped it to the ground and stared at it, then he placed his hands on his chest, as if feeling for a wound.
There was none, and Mammon cackled in glee.
Chapter 28
Kushiel
When Cassius struck Mammon with a spear, Kushiel could only look on in shock. He had no idea Cassius even had a magical spear, but that must have been his plan to take care of Mammon.
Only it didn’t appear to work, because Mammon pulled out the spear and laughed, apparently unhurt.
Kushiel would protect his soulmate above all else. He moved forward, leaving the ghosts behind for now, and stepped in front of Cassius.
Mammon was still laughing, and for some reason he appeared to have taken his human form, because suddenly his horns and wings were no longer visible.
The hellhound stepped toward Mammon, as if he had been waiting for that to happen, and with one swift punch, Mammon’s cackle was cut off and the demon fell to the ground. He seemed to be unconscious, which should not have been possible.
“What in hell?” Cass cried out.
“He was annoying me,” the hellhound said, shrugging. He looked up then, focusing on the two of them and giving a grunt.He kicked the spear back over toward Cassius. “This is yours, I believe.”
Cass looked shocked, staring at the glowing spear. The hellhound picked up Mammon, slung the demon over his shoulder, and turned around.
“Wait! What are you doing with him?” Cass asked.
The hellhound sighed and turned back to them. “You made him mortal with the spear,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“But that isn’t possible,” Kushiel argued. They could not be made mortal. Such a thing wasn’t an option.
The hellhound just shrugged, the body of the demon—apparently now a human—shifting with the movement. “Obviously it is. The spear sucked up his immortal essence, so you’ll need to do something with that. What’s left is a mortal form and a bit of soul. He’s evil and hell-bound, though, and thus he falls under my domain. I’ll take care of him.”
“How—” Kushiel started to ask, but Cass cut him off.
“Best not to ask,” his soulmate muttered, giving a bit of a shudder.
The hellhound smiled grimly. “Yes, best not to ask. Not to worry though, he’ll find his way to hell sooner rather than later,” he stated, then he turned and started walking back the way he came.
“You won’t take the ghosts?” Cass called out.
“They’re not hell-bound,” the hellhound called over his shoulder as he walked, and then he was gone.
“Huh,” Cass muttered, looking after the hellhound.
