Sweet Reckoning (The Sweet Trilogy, #3)(83)

“What have you done?”

Kaidan squared off, standing his ground, another knife already in his hand. He spun it on his palm before gripping it again.

“Just a bit of holy water on the blade.” He spoke casually, but his eyes were fearsome.

Mammon’s face hit the floor with a thud and his spirit thrashed above the body as if on fire. That’s for your son, Flynn, I thought.

“Return to hell, Brother,” Rahab called to the spirit. “The holy effects will burn from you there.”

Mammon’s spirit dove through the floor, and the room filled with a dreadful silence.

“You,” Pharzuph whispered to Kai. His eyes were bright red. He moved closer to his son, dragging me. “I trusted you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Kai said.

Pharzuph’s eyes widened, and the room gasped at Kai’s audacity to talk back.

“You filthy, weak idiot! You had more potential than all my past sons combined! How could you let yourself be charmed, like a dog, by a Neph girl? You’re a failure!”

Kaidan’s face was pained for a fraction of a second.

“Kill him,” Rahab demanded. My heart jumped hard in my chest. No! I tried to push away, but it wasn’t necessary.

As Kaidan wove the blade through his fingers, nobody made a move.

Cowards, I thought. All of them. They could have taken Kaidan down if they had wanted, but they knew he would have time to kill one of them if they reached for their weapons, and none were willing to sacrifice themselves. Even Pharzuph used me as a shield, facing me toward Kaidan and keeping his face close against my head. What would Lucifer say if he could see his fearless leaders now?

Their selfish motives worked in our favor, and for that I was grateful. Kaidan watched me as his father moved us from side to side in a sickening dance.

“Brother Pharzuph,” said the dapper Astaroth, “I’m afraid this is more dire than we thought. Your son and the traitor’s daughter are quite . . . in love.”

“You jest,” whispered Pharzuph, squeezing my throat harder.

“Not in the least,” Astaroth said. “And they’ve acted on it. They’re married.”

The Dukes let out scandalized sounds of disbelief. Even surrounding Neph gasped.

“So, that’s how you did it,” Pharzuph hissed.

In a careful voice Astaroth said, “Marna and Ginger, move away from the son of Pharzuph. You will have nothing more to do with him.”

The girls stared at their father, unmoving.

“I said, get over here!” Astaroth commanded.

“No,” Ginger said.

Astaroth’s stunned expression was priceless.

“What the hell is the problem here?” Thamuz snarled. “Andre, Ramón!” His two sons stepped forward, standing just outside the circle. “At least one of us can control our children!” Thamuz bragged to the Dukes, then looked at his sons. “Take care of him!”

Both of the guys turned toward Kaidan and hesitated.

“Do it!” Thamuz yelled.

“We have no weapons,” one of them said.

Thamuz’s eyes went wide with anger. “Since when do you need a weapon? Two of you against one knife is no contest. Kill him!”

As they moved toward Kaidan, panic welled up inside of me and I pressed my will out to them: Do not harm him! You don’t have to obey your father! Their steps slowed and they stopped. I could not believe it. One of the sons grabbed his head as if it hurt.

Thamuz let out a terrible yell and punched his nearest son in the temple, knocking him out cold. The other one fell to the floor and cowered before him.

“I don’t know what’s happening, Father! I think we’re being influenced!”

“Idiota! Your will to kill should be stronger than any influence.”

Rahab shook his head. “No Duke would dare to influence you against your father’s wishes, and no Neph is powerful enough—” He stopped, and his head slowly turned to me. Then all eyes were on me. Pharzuph’s grip tightened to the point that I could barely breathe. It wouldn’t be long before I passed out if he didn’t loosen his hold.

“You did this!” Thamuz said to me. I was feeling so faint I could hardly manage an ounce of fear.

Until Rahab stepped in front of me.

“Do not forget with whom you are dealing, child,” he said. His demon self came half out of the top of his body, leaning into my face like a wraith and shrieking. His gigantic horns twisted around the shadowy spirit head, making me shrink back into Pharzuph.

I felt Rahab pressing into my mind, and though I fought it, he was too strong. A chilling sense of evil filled me as his words rang out in my head. How does it feel to know you’ll be burning in hell this very night as we bask in your suffering? You chose wrong when you chose against the stronger force.

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.