Satanic Fortitude Read online

  “Hey,” I said quietly and sat next to him. The heat was back, riddling through me the moment our bodies touched again. The silence was unnerving, and there were a lot of things that we needed to say to each other.

  “Ricky called and for a split second I thought that he was fucking with me.” Zachary sighed. His emotions were affecting me more than usual. He was filled with rage, happiness and love. I wasn’t ready for all this, but I had to be, because he was ready to fight for me.

  My heart thumped in my chest as the craving for his touch made me a little weak. Maybe it was time to get some liquid magic into me and just forget about the weight of responsibilities that were still making me a little anxious.

  “I thought that this was the end,” I admitted and lifted myself up. “Come on, let’s get inside. I just need to feel normal for a second.”

  He nodded and rose to his feet. Ricky had cleaned my entire space and for a change the flat was cozy and inviting. Zachary shut the door and for a long moment he just stared at me, like he didn’t believe that I was really in front of him.

  “I fucking missed you, Flower, more than you can imagine,” he said, tossing his jacket away. Maybe this was wrong on so many levels. I was still grieving Arthur and my little girl was out there, but I deserved to act spontaneous for a change.

  I walked up to him, grabbed his mouth and kissed him hard. The moment our lips touched everything felt better. The fire that brewed deep in my stomach was back.

  “Maybe you won’t believe me when I say that I haven’t showered in a month in human terms,” I said, aware that he was more ready than me.

  “Well, we can do that together, can’t we?” He leaned down and lifted me up. I was surprised to see that the bathroom had been renovated and everything in the loo was in perfect working order. Zachary started undressing me and I noticed that his hands were shaking slightly.

  When we were both in the shower and the warm water began streaming down my body, I shut my eyes and let him kiss me. I felt alive again, finally belonging somewhere. My other life, that one in the underworld, could go to hell.

  Chapter 14

  “How hard it is to say what that wood was, a wilderness, savage, brute, harsh and wild. Only to think of it renews my fear!”

  ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  I arched my head backwards, letting the water wash over my face. Zachary stood behind me. My body was pleasantly numb after he made long and peaceful love to me in the shower.

  We were taking the time to enjoy each other, reflecting on what kept us apart. I didn’t want to think about the future, or about the fact that I still had to go after Alexis. That task didn’t seem real anymore.

  The whole bathroom was filled with steam. Zach was tracing his finger over the line of my back. Heat radiated from his skin and spread over my body.

  “I thought you were dead. For weeks Ricky had been telling me to give it a rest, that you weren’t coming back,” he said, then kissed my collarbone, moving further towards my neck.

  We hadn’t even talked about anything; the sex had replaced the words for now.

  “It’s a long story, and I’m not really sure if I want to talk about it tonight,” I said, thinking about the time that I was going to have with my daughter once this whole thing was over. She probably had no idea who I was. Matilda had been looking after her in the past two years, so that was understandable. There was going to be a time when I would take over. I wanted her to call me mum.

  “You have to tell me everything eventually, Flower. I’m curious to know things about hell,” he told me and I thought that maybe humans weren’t supposed to know anything about hell, but I owed an explanation to Zach. He was there for me when I needed him the most.

  His hand suddenly moved down in front of my body and I shut my eyes enjoying his erotic tortures. Warmth scattered over me, and magic embraced us both with its electric veil.

  Then his finger started moving inside me and I gasped, letting go of a loud moan.

  “Let me enjoy this for a bit longer,” he muttered and started rubbing my clit with his forefinger. The burning sensation in the pit of my stomach was back.

  “Oh yes, just don’t stop. I have missed this,” I said, shutting the water off, and trying to focus on his movements. He laughed and then he replaced his finger with his hard length. Moments later he was moving inside me again and I was gasping for breath.

  I loved it and with every thrust I needed more of him.

  “Not planning to,” he muttered and bit my neck and then began really working me. We were still standing in my tiny shower, so the space was pretty cramped. I pressed my palms on the glass, moaning as he rode me from behind. The second time was quick, hard and intense. The whole front of my body tingled when he pushed me to the edge of orgasm, and it wasn’t long before we both climaxed, sparks rushing down my skin, as the magic flew between us.

  It was over fast and for a long moment he laid his head on my back, breathing hard. My heart pounded in my chest.

  When he pulled away I felt a little dizzy and drained. Zach slapped my arse playfully when he walked out of the shower.

  “Get dressed, you have a lot to tell me. I’m going to make some food for us,” he said, drying himself with the towel.

  “The fridge is probably empty. I haven’t been here for over two months,” I reminded him. Before the events in Purgatory, I was staying with Ricky and in my day-to-day existence I barely had anything in the cupboards.

  After I rinsed my body with water I stepped out of the shower. I dried myself with a new towel that Ricky most likely had bought for me and then went to the bedroom. My old clothes were still hanging in the wardrobe, so I dressed quickly, thinking about food. My stomach was growling loudly. After my meeting with Lucifer I kind of forgot about how hungry I really was.

  “Wow. Where did all of that come from?” I asked, walking into the kitchen. Zach sat at the table filled with food. There was fresh bread, meat, cheese and coffee. My mouth watered instantly.

  “Ricky must have filled the fridge after Paul told us he was going to get you back. That was only two days ago. The old Watcher showed up in the agency and told us that he found the way to get downstairs,” Zach said, shrugging his shoulders. “He refused to take any of us and started mumbling something about completing his lifelong task.”

  I smiled, thinking that Ricky was a saint sent directly from heaven. I needed to thank him again tomorrow.

  Zachary poured me some coffee and we both started demolishing this food pretty quickly.

  “Are you ready to listen?” I asked, once my stomach was full and I could barely move.

  “Give it to me, Flower. Let’s hear your story.”

  “First things first, so Morpheus wasn’t just some demon, he was the demon…”

  It was a lot that I needed to cover so I started telling him about my disappearance from Purgatory, about each circle of hell that I travelled too, and demons that I met on the way. It felt surreal going over this, reliving these experiences again.

  That’s when it hit me that this was a real test. Some of my abilities had failed me and there were times I’d thought that I wasn’t going to survive.

  When I was done Zachary just sat there, not saying anything. He didn’t even flinch when I revealed that Lucifer was my father.

  “That’s everything. The journey ended when Paul beheaded Hades somewhere in Limbo,” I explained.

  “Unbelievable,” Zach said, shaking his head, and then dragged his hand through his hair. “I really don’t want to end up in hell after I die. None of this sounds good and Paul is some kind of superhuman.”

  “Yeah, apparently he is a messenger of God. To be truthful I have no idea how that works. I think only the worst kind of people get to see it,” I pointed out.

  “Okay, now that we covered it, we need to get to bed. I bet you’re exhausted. We can worry about your task tomorrow.”

  I was surprised that Zachary didn’t start bombarding
me with questions. Maybe he didn’t fully believe that I was in hell. Part of it felt like it was a nightmare, something that only happened in my imagination.

  It was strange going to my own bed with a human man, being back in my own apartment.

  Later on, when I was sleeping and Zach had his hands wrapped around my body, Lucifer showed up in my dream reminding me that I had a job to do. He talked about my new responsibilities and my mother. I didn’t quite remember that dream in the morning, and I stopped thinking about it when Zachary started kissing the back of my neck. I glanced at the clock and looked out at the bright sky and sun, relieved that I could see it again.

  “Have you noticed that other demons are staring at us?” I whispered to Zachary when we were in the tube later that morning.

  I had forgotten how busy London was during rush hour, and I knew that I hadn’t missed the crowds. Ricky had got in touch with me before midday. He wanted me to get to the office as soon as possible and refused to explain anything over the phone. Zachary was starting his shift later on that day, so he wanted to tag along.

  I noticed that as soon as we left my flat many demons were staring at me, noticing me more than usual. This wasn’t super unusual. Demons were always aware of each other on the streets, but their emotions were conflicted. I was sensing a lot of anger and suspicion.

  My magic was alive, coursing through my veins, but I didn’t like those looks. I still didn’t feel like I was someone special. Lucifer was my father, but I didn’t believe that anyone else knew about this yet.

  “Sort of, but that’s normal, right? I thought some kind of magical energy connects you guys together,” Zachary said.

  The tube was busy and there were a lot of demons and a few mongrels around. I knew most of them could feel that I recently returned from hell. On top of that they knew that I was a mongrel and that had never happened before.

  A blond short-legged demon with a suitcase hadn’t taken his eyes off me from the moment he got into our wagon.

  “No, this isn’t normal. Demons don’t pay attention to me normally. Something must have gone on, and I have a feeling that it isn’t anything good.”

  “Chill, Flower, you’re famous now, so that’s why they are staring. Don’t they know who your father is?” Zach asked, slight amusement in his tone.

  “No, I don’t think that my father has anything to do with it. Besides, demons cannot be fully controlled on earth. That’s why Lucifer has appointed the heads of the factions, other demons that are supposed to keep an eye on everyone,” I explained and nodded to him that the train stopped on our station.

  The mass of people stepped off the platform and my bad gut feeling reminded me that maybe I shouldn’t have taken it easy yesterday. Something must have happened when I was asleep.

  We climbed up the stairs to the main road outside the Brixton station when an older demon walked into me. He wore a thick black coat and had a silver beard. I tried to move past him, but he was intentionally blocking my way.

  “Excuse me,” I snapped, getting tired of this sudden attention. I was ready to punch him.

  The demon’s eyes gleamed with fury and then he spat on me. My jaw dropped and I just stared at him with my eyes wide.

  I was so stunned that I didn’t even have a chance to get mad.

  “Murderer. Lucifer is coming for you,” he hissed and then before I could do anything he started walking away, disappearing in the crowd.

  I quickly wiped the spit off my face, furious with Ricky that he didn’t explain anything over the phone. Zachary was looking baffled too.

  “What the hell was that about?” he asked.

  “He just called me a murderer,” I said. More demons were staring at me looking annoyed as I kept walking through the busy street.

  We continued to head over to the office and I could hear Ricky’s raised voice. Emma and Ricky were already inside and it looked like they were talking to someone.

  “Maxine will be pissed, and she might do something stupid,” Ricky was saying.

  “Cyril!” I shouted, seeing my Asian friend alive and well. Okay, so I wasn’t meant to be so affectionate again, but I went through a lot with Cyril. He deserved a hug, even the most awkward one. When I pulled away everyone was staring back at me like there was something wrong. “I’m so glad that you’re all right.”

  “I’m fine, thanks to you,” he muttered, clearing his throat and looking a little embarrassed. “Now I kind of understand why you were so important.”

  “Maxine, there is a situation,” Ricky said and I glanced at Zach, who situated himself at the corner. He released some jealous vibes towards Cyril and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

  Zach knew that Cyril was just a friend.

  “I would assume so, because a moment ago some random demon called me a murderer,” I said. “I’m sure we’re talking about the same thing. Come on, hit me with it.”

  “Alexis is back in the palace,” Cyril explained and I thought that he was messing with me for a second. “Rodriguez knows that he’s losing the election in hell and he supports her.”

  I slammed my fist over the table, swearing loudly.

  “What do you mean she is back? Rodriguez knew that she was the one that kidnapped Georgie,” I shouted with fury.

  “I think you need to sit down for what I have to tell you,” Ricky suggested, walking around the desk. Emma smiled at him and I remembered that I was supposed to ask him about their relationship. Last night I completely forgot about it.

  “What? Is there more to this?” I asked. That bitch had a nerve. I thought she would hide and plot her super revenge on my father, but no. Instead she went back to the place where everything began.

  “She claims that Arthur’s death wasn’t accidental and confessed that she saw you killing the prince. The royal family wants justice,” Cyril said.

  I dragged my hand through my hair, trying to breathe in at the same time.

  “What the actual fuck?” Zachary asked, before I had a chance to process all this.

  My father was the most powerful demon on earth, so I couldn’t understand how he even allowed her to get to the royals in the first place. He was supposed to be keeping a tab on them and that bitch had just walked right back into the palace like she was part of the family. She must have realised that she could hit two birds with one stone. That story sounded so perfect. The ex-girlfriend that had been abandoned by the prince finally gets her revenge.

  “Lucifer asked me to take care of her,” I said, trying to stay calm, but deep inside I was exploding with fury.

  “The word from hell has spread. Rodriguez and Alexis know that you’re Lucifer’s daughter. The old demon is trying to hold on to his position for as long as he can. I have no idea what they are planning, but I came here to warn you,” Cyril explained.

  “Maxine, you need to stay calm and think about your strategy,” Ricky said. “The royal guards aren’t barging in here just yet. We still have time to think about a plan.”

  “I don’t need to think about this,” I said, through my gritted teeth. “I’ll get to Alexis and kill her with my bare hands, if that’s what I have to do. That bitch is going to pay for everything she’s done to me once and for all.”

  Chapter 15

  “We all so willingly record our gains, until the hour that leads us into loss. Then every single thought is tears and sadness.” ― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

  “Calm down, Maxine, and let’s think about your strategy for a second,” Ricky told me, but I was far from being calm. “Rodriguez and Alexis know that you’re Lucifer’s daughter and they are trying to create havoc. You also need to think about Summer.”

  Deep down I was furious that Alexis had managed to return to the palace. I didn’t think that this could happen. My father had promised to take care of Rodriguez, but he had an uprising on his hands too, so that complicated things.

  I was too anxious to establish a full connection with Matilda in case Rodriguez was planning
something. After last time my Warlock friend may have taken some extra precautions and it was going to be very difficult to track her down. Right now Alexis didn’t need my daughter anymore, but I could never be sure what she was planning. She was desperate to push Lucifer out of hell, in whatever way she could.

  I felt lost all of a sudden, knowing that I pretty much was running out of time. Demons in London were convinced that I had killed Arthur, and that was going to cause me a lot of trouble. I was done being invisible.

  “So what are they all waiting for? If the royals know that I’m the killer, why am I not being arrested?” I asked Cyril, still quite shocked that he was back unharmed and still working closely with Rodriguez. Many demons in Beelzebub’s circle had seen him attacking Watchers. It was obvious that he helped me escape.

  “Royals haven’t got any evidence, only that statement from Alexis. The Queen wants to go through proper channels. Scotland Yard is now involved in your case,” Cyril explained.

  “Rodriguez and Alexis are using their demonic abilities to mess around with everyone’s heads,” I said, knowing that royals would need to be convinced that I was truly the one that had taken away their prince. They all knew me and they were all aware that I used to be very close to him in the past.

  “I should get back to the station. I might find out more there,” Zach announced, standing up. “In the meantime, Max, don’t do anything silly.”

  “Silly?” I snapped at him. “I just want to kill that bitch. She’s trying to ruin my life.”

  “Maybe, but you need to be smarter than her. She wants you to panic, to make a wrong move,” he added.

  I didn’t want to wait around here and discuss what to do next. Alexis was using me and she was still a threat. It looked like my other plans that involved mongrels and my daughter had to wait.