Sweet Reckoning(100)

I remembered the peace of my mother, Mariantha, and her words of love.

You’re wrong about the stronger force, I silently said to him. Now, get out of my head! With huge effort I pushed my mind, like moving a brick wall, and I forced him out. His demonic eyes bore into mine, shocked that I was able to extract him. He pulled his soul completely back into his body. Pharzuph was clutching painfully hard around my throat. I grabbed his forearms, trying to pry him away or at least loosen his hold before I suffocated, but he didn’t budge.

“Your feistiness was endearing at first, but it’s starting to wear thin,” Pharzuph said.

“Her mind and will are strong,” said Rahab, “but there are ways to disable any person. Everyone has a weakness . . . something that makes them question their Maker.”

I didn’t like the way he was looking at me. Like he had some knowledge or secret that could “disable” me.

“Excuse me, Duke Rahab,” called Marek from the doorway.

All heads spun to him.

“I apologize for the interruption, but I believe Duke Belial approaches.”

Just then a loud knock sounded. The faces of the Dukes hardened, and my heart soared high above the summit.

“By all means,” Rahab said. “Let him in.”

The door was quickly opened, letting in a wash of sounds from the club, then closed and locked again as my father strode in wearing a navy blue pin-striped suit. His hair was neatly cut and he looked amazing. At his side was Zania in designer jeans and heels. She crossed her arms and glared at the Dukes. Her father, Sonellion, let out a growl.

“Now you just hurt my feelings,” Dad said in that gloriously deep voice. “I didn’t even get an invitation.”

“Traitor!” Sonellion yelled. He looked poised to strangle my father, but neither he nor any of the other Dukes made a move to seize him. “You were behind all of this! You stole my daughter!”

Dad laughed at the ridiculousness of that.

“You came here to mock us?” Pharzuph demanded, and in his preoccupation with my father, I felt his hold on me loosen. My lungs filled with air, and a surge of energy accompanied the oxygen.

“I ain’t here to mock you,” my father said. “We got a lot to talk about. ’Cause I know I’m not the only one in this room who knew after the Fall we’d been used like a bunch of fools. Lucifer’s the one who did us wrong—”

“How dare you!” Rahab said.

Sonellion reached into his jacket for a gun and my dad pointed at him. “I don’t think you best do that, my man. You see my son-in-law over there?” He nodded toward Kai. “That’s right. He got a damn good aim with that knife, as y’all have seen. And it’s a straight shot to the back of your big ol’ head.”

Red eyes galore.

Dad went on like he hadn’t been interrupted. “We served hell all this time out of fear, or maybe our own greed, and it didn’t look like there was no option of anything better. But there is. Y’all know we can’t stay on earth forever. But we don’t have to go back down there either. I don’t know about you, but I’m making the right choice this time.”

The Dukes showed their frustration and anger as they tried to speak over one another. They didn’t know what to believe. The Neph stood in silence, sidling closer together, farther from the Dukes. Kai had moved forward, getting closer and sizing up the scene. Rahab was shouting, trying to regain control. Pharzuph let go of me with one hand, and I gasped for air through my sore throat. He grasped me only by a wrist now as he stepped toward the mob to better be heard. Fierce arguing ensued, and eyes were bloodred in every direction. Kaidan caught my eye, then looked toward where Pharzuph held me. I could see the gears working in his mind as he tried to figure out how to free me.

I barely heard my name being called from the other side of the room in a familiar European lilt. When I turned toward Marek’s voice, his hand was behind his back, and then a blur of glimmering metal was soaring into the air. Pharzuph turned at the sight of it, but he was too late. I snatched the hilt from the air with my free hand and felt a jolt go up my arm. Marek winked at me, and I smiled, more grateful than I’d ever been in my life. Kaidan moved into the circle at my side.

Blinding light shot from the end of the hilt and expanded to reveal a shimmering blade. It was huge, yet virtually weightless. Pharzuph leaped away from me, and rushed to his fellow Dukes. The entire room turned toward the shocking light, and the demons hissed at the memories it invoked. More than six hundred dark spirits stirred in agitated fright above us.