Sweet Temptation

I’ve always known Duke Alocer loved Kopano, but to see it burns my chest with longing. I seek out my father in the mass, and he is watching the interaction with loathing. He can make no move, though. Duke Jezebet, who turned out to be a longtime ally of Belial, stands behind him, pointing a knife at his back.

Zania kisses Kope’s forehead, crying with joy, and I nod to myself, huffing out a breath of relief. A

Nearly all of the remaining Dukes and enemy Neph are disarmed and detained, but I’m not sure how long we can hold them. They are still struggling viciously and screaming their anger like savages.

“It’s time,” A

“Yes!” I shout over my shoulder.

Does she know what’s to happen next? Does she sense that angels are coming?

And then her voice turns sweet and reverent in the air behind me. . . .

“Father . . . let your will be done.”

She’s . . . praying? That’s not at all the tactic I was expecting, but each word sends a tingle down my spine. I’m not the only one who feels it. Others around us look up.

Through the fighting I see my father again. He’s staring at A

Belial rushes from the side and tackles him with a forearm to the throat. His head slams against the floor. Father is large in his new body, but Belial is massive and holds him down while I crouch at his side.

He struggles against Belial, his face furious, and I shake my head. “It’s too late, Father. This is your opportunity to make amends.”

It would be stupid to harbor a grain of hope at this point. And yet, I am still disappointed in his response.

“I will not grovel at His feet!”

Belial shakes his head and mumbles, “You go

Father tries to spit at him, but it ends up on his own chin. I look up at A

Her voice is clear. “I pray forgiveness, for the souls who once betrayed you and have reconciled. Return them to their rightful home, and let those spirits who still harbor hatred be returned to hell. . . .”

The dark room begins to glow, as if night-lights have been switched on. Whisperers circle and spin above us. Belial grins at me.

“It’s working!” I say to A

Her eyes are closed and her face is luminescent. She stands with her feet apart, the sword still blazing in her hands, and says the magic words: “Banish all the demons from earth!”

I’m racked with a sudden bout of dizzying vertigo, but when I look around I see I’m not alone. Everyone’s eyes have gone round as they’re staring at the floor. Blake’s eyes lock with mine across the room. I skate my gaze to the twins, Kope, and Z.

What is happening? It feels like a bloody earthquake. Are we all going to be killed? Will we all be taken tonight?

The fear that threatens to rise up is suddenly snuffed out by a glorious warmth that envelops me and sends an absolute hush over the room.

A

The ground cracks open with a shattering boom, throwing the room off balance. A

The room stills again.

One by one, the souls of the Dukes are sucked from their bodies. One by one the dark souls are siphoned into the crack, returning to hell for good. I watch with more sadness than I want to admit as Father’s soul lifts and his hand reaches for me before it goes lifeless. And then his soul is spiraling away. Down, down, down.

Gone.

Now angels appear from above, a whole slew of them lighting up the room, and I want to say, Bit late, aren’t you? But then I have to smile, because we handled it without them—with A

With the angels comes that warm feeling again. Belial closes his eyes and lifts his face. Something alive is in the room. Something I can’t see, but I can feel. It’s like the warm joy I get when I’m with A

It’s a feeling of love.

“It is well,” says a soothing whisper in my ear like the wind. My heart is beating too fast. I remember what I’d said that day at the Grand Canyon. We can talk peace when You get rid of the demons. Well, I’ll be damned. I think I’ve just been humbled.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

I look over at A

Belial and A

“You did good, baby girl,” he says. He grasps A

The angels ascend, leaving us, and I stare at A

And then something feels . . . strange. My entire torso is heavy and overly hot, then there’s a pull, like a vacuum is on my sternum. I watch in shock as dark red smoke leaves my body where my badge is, and wafts away.

What the . . . ?

I look at A

There are roughly fifty Neph left alive in the room. All of our allies are miraculously accounted for, though some are worse for wear, with bloodied limbs and torn clothing. The room is strewn with bodies and debris. It’s quiet, as if we’re all too afraid to ask . . . is it over, then? Truly?

The floor abruptly shudders and tilts, knocking A

“We have to get out of here!” I yell.

Everyone in the room struggles to stand and run at once. Ginger falls, pulling at Marna, who twists her leg. I grab them both under the arms and pull them to their feet. Then Kope and I grab Zania, who falls next. I grasp A

We made it. I can’t believe it bloody happened, but the demons are gone and we made it. I squeeze A

We don’t stop moving until we get to our hotel, which feels solid and sound. Together, we stand staring out the glass window at Las Vegas, linked hand in hand. All around us people are ru