Sweet Temptation

Water and Wrath

“In the wreckage of a job well done I saw a place I’d never seen before, yeah,

And that moment I refused to close my eyes anymore.”

—“Worth Dying For” by Rise Against

From the frying pan into the fire, isn’t that how the saying goes? Almost immediately upon arriving in L.A. we got a call from Belial to leave the area. A group of Dukes were flying into LAX from Vegas with some women they met. Blake had the idea of heading for the marina and taking his boat out to his father’s private island, where we’d be safe from the mainland.

Brilliant.

Blake told us to think of this as a “mini vacay,” and after all we’d just been through in Syria, I wanted that far too much. Us blokes took the Jet Skis out, leaving the girls to chat on the island’s dock.

Thing is, it’s dangerous to relax and not give yourself an out. We know that, and yet we’d come to the one place with nowhere to hide. Just our sodding luck. Thankfully the messenger of Lucifer, Azael, is secretly in league with Belial. The dark spirit found us and warned us that the Dukes were on their way to the island.

Now, here we are. Kopano, Zania, and Blake are submersed under the boat dock. I am sitting on the edge with A

Underwater.

After all we’ve been through, you’d think I’d no longer get scared, but where A

I watch A

I still haven’t told her how I feel—not in words. I’m cursing myself now for being too afraid, knowing how much it would mean to her. The Dukes are in hearing range by now. I can’t risk speaking, but I have to tell her. If we’re caught today, if anything happens to us, I will hate myself for not saying it. So, I give her the only thing I have. Silent words.

I raise a hand and make the combination “I” “L” “U” in sign language—I love you. She stares at my hand until her eyes water. She holds up her hand and mirrors mine, pressing her sign against mine, mouthing the words, I love you, too.

I vow we will make it out of this.

She reaches out for me and I pull her against me, feeling her arms wrap around my back. I hold her close, wishing this night would be over soon. I don’t know when the Dukes will arrive, or how long they will stay, but I know we’re in for a long evening.

Blake reaches up and grabs our ankles, telling us it’s time to get in. A

She gives me a firm nod that she’ll be okay. I know she’s a fighter. We quietly swim to the posts underneath the dock where Kope and Zania have grabbed hold. The damn things are slick with sea life, making them difficult to grip. The five of us look around at each other, ready to weather what’s to come. I stare at A

Please, please, let this be over quickly. I hope the Dukes will get their fucking kicks and get the hell out of here. Surely they don’t plan to stay all night?

I hunker down with the others and wait as the sea temperature drops. Zania seems worlds stronger after only a day under A

It doesn’t take long for the Dukes to arrive. They’ve even brought Fly

Father, Melchom, Mammon, and Astaroth came to the island to work, bringing married and engaged women, who they plan to ruin, to soil with adultery, guilt, and regret.

Hours pass, and it’s bloody cold. Nearly unbearable. I can’t stand to see A

At some point during the Dukes’ exploits, A

We cling underneath the dock for hours, pushed and pulled by the Pacific tides, waiting for the Dukes to finish their bloody business so I can get A

They know Fly

“What you don’t know, son,” Duke Mammon whispers with malice, “is that Duke Sonellion borrowed one of Duke Thamuz’s sons to keep watch over the transaction of the girl while he was away.”

Kope and I share a shocked glance. Another Neph had been there in Syria with us. He’d seen Fly

“Tell me who you’re working with!” Mammon shouts above us.

Don’t tell them, I silently beg. Stay strong, mate.

A

“I will tell you nothing, old man,” Fly

Bloody right on him. He’s ready to die for this cause. His father, Mammon, holds a gun to his head, but Fly

“Last chance,” Mammon says.

“I’ll see you in hell,” Fly

I touch my fingers to A

For the second time in my life, I witness a fellow Neph murdered by a Duke. Unlike the first time, I am not numb. I feel the brutality of Fly

I watch helplessly as our worthy ally’s soul is pulled away to hell by demon spirits, and my rage threatens to make us known. I watch as Z’s teeth chatter and A

How much more can we take of this? How many more of us must die before we can act?

I’ve never been more relieved than when the Dukes leave the island. A