Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Yep. Paimon feeds off demon souls. He’s more powerful in Hell than he is out of Hell.”
My mouth opens, but before I can speak, Lucas shakes his head. Right. We can’t give too much away, though if what she’s saying is true, it would explain why Paimon has been projecting onto earth. We thought it was because he couldn’t get out of Hell.
“He’s protected there too,” she goes on. “As you know, not anyone or anything can just walk into Hell. Which is why I propose that the best way to kill him is to break into Hell, drag him out, and then do whatever you want.”
“You make it sound easy,” I say.
“Oh, it won’t be. And you’ll need some serious muscle. You’ll have the element of surprise, that’s for sure.”
“Give me one reason I should trust you,” Lucas says.
“Common enemy. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“You could just as easily be leading Callie into a trap.”
“I could,” she agrees. “But I’m not.” She opens a bottle of tequila and smells it. “And, fine. I’m not being entirely truthful.”
“Shocking,” Lucas chides.
“It’s not like that. There’s a reason I know about the blood bonds.” She closes her eyes and I feel a shift in the energy as she taps into her demon powers. Then she holds up both wrists, and something red glows beneath the thin skin of the human she’s wearing. “I’m given my alliance to higher ranking demon. Basically a demon version of your blood bond spell. This particular demon has sided with Paimon, so I can’t go up against him or it’ll be—” She drags her finger across her throat—“lights out for me.”
“So again, you need me,” I say.
“I see it as needing each other. There are others who don’t want Paimon to rule.”
“What do they want?” Lucas asks, speeding over and taking the bottle of tequila from Drea.
She shrugs. “Some want things to go back to how it was. Lucifer ran a tight ship but kinda let us do whatever we wanted once we were on earth. His attention to detail waned over the years. And others don’t want a ruler at all. They want to be able to come and go as they please. But I wouldn’t trust those motherfuckers.”
“Yet you want us to trust you,” Lucas says with fake amusement.
“Look, I’m risking my biscuit here too,” Drea counters. “A nephilim with an entire coven to back her up is dangerous enough. Add in your vampire clique and the fact that your archangel relatives have your back…I’m just a single girl here.” She blinks and gives a flirty smirk, forgetting the seventy-year old drug addict body she’s wearing. “Who is your father, by the way? It is Lucifer, right?”
“That’s for me to know,” I say and wonder if Lucas is thinking what I’m thinking. I have one more powerful ally, and it’s a wonder she didn’t see Osiris when she was at the house casting the spell. He had disappeared with Uriel before she came close enough, and I’m not sure if a demon of her ranking could suss out exactly what Osiris is.
“So, you in?” Drea’s brows go up. “We can break into Hell tomorrow.”
“We…we need some time to discuss this,” I stammer. “And more details. First things first tell me more about this portal. Why does it have to be accessed by a demon?”
“Demons were the ones who opened it.” She puts her hand on her heart and looks up, trying to make a sorrowful face but failing miserably. “Several demons for sacrificed in order to open the rift. It takes demonic energy to unlock the door we created. I can unlock it and get you in but once you’re in, I have a hard time hiding you,” she admits.
“So let me get this straight,” Lucas says, looking at Drea skeptically. “Your plan was to open the door, shut us in, and then wish us the best?”
“I mean, when you say it like that, it doesn’t sound the greatest. But she’s Super Witch over here. She’ll come up with something. If Demons told bedtime stories to keep demon-babies from leaving their beds at night, they would tell stories about Callie King. As much as I don’t want to admit it because you’re a public enemy number one you are pretty bad ass.”
She looks me up and down and gives me that same flirty smile. “If times weren’t so tough I would totally get with you.”
Lucas growls, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“You would definitely have to be in a different body,” I say, and shake my head. Inhaling, I think about everything she’s told us. Both Eliza and Ruby have brought up the fact that I make annoyingly heroic yet chaotic and reckless plans, and somehow I have pulled it off. For the most part at least.