Hell Raiser: Hellscourge, #7

By J.C. Diem

Growing tired of being chased by Vepar and her death squad, Violet and her friends embark on a plan to turn things around. The Demon Lord doesn't know it, but the hunter might soon become the hunted.

Bob hasn't given up on punishing Violet for her past humiliation of him. If he gets his hands on her, he'll make her regret the day they first met when she'd chopped his fingers off. Staying out of his clutches is on the top of her list of things to avoid, yet it won't be easy.

Violet's next trip to hell will be fraught with danger. Not just for her, but for her best friend as well. Sam is perilously close to becoming human again, which means he is fragile and easily broken. She must hunt down the Demon Prince, find the object that he has in his possession and keep Sam safe from harm.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seize The Night Agency
• Release date: Nov 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536565072

Book preview

Chapter One

WANDERING AIMLESSLY through the Garment District, I was flanked by Sam and Leo. I almost felt as if they were my entourage, except I was infamous rather than famous. Every cop in the city was looking for me. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones who were hunting for me. I had other enemies, some of whom had infiltrated the ranks of the New York Police Department.

Demons, Leo warned us in a low voice, as if reading my mind. He nodded towards a group of six women. They were loitering near an iron statue of a man that was sitting down at an old-fashioned sewing machine. This pack of hell spawn hadn’t taken possession of police officers. They were just pretending to be normal people.

As I watched, some of their faces flickered and momentarily switched to their demonic forms. Sam was too far away to be able to sense their evil auras. He watched them warily from the corner of his eye. Thanks to the spell that Brie had cast to make our bracelets, they didn’t notice us at all.

Due to the swathe of murders that had been committed in the city, tourists were few and far between these days. People brave enough to venture out tended to move in groups for safety. This worked in the demons’ favor and the six women didn’t stand out that much.

Tense and on edge, they watched everyone suspiciously. Someone had been whittling down their numbers and they didn’t know who the culprit was. They suspected it was me and they couldn’t have been more wrong. Nathan and I had recently witnessed a demon pack being decimated. We now knew it was a lord by the name of Vepar who was responsible. We also knew what her plan was.

Vepar and her kill squad were determined to find our base. They knew evicted souls were drawn to me and they were using their own kind to narrow down the search. That was the reason we were out on patrol right now. I needed to spend as much time as possible on the move so they couldn’t evict souls from their vessels and follow them to our base.

Further down the street, I saw the very demon that I was thinking about suddenly appear. Before she’d fallen from heaven, Vepar had been pale and had short black hair and blue eyes. Either out of nostalgia, or from habit, she’d chosen a vessel that matched her appearance. Her clothes were black and as tight as possible. This time, I saw the leather brace she wore on her right wrist. A small rune was glowing red. The rune was similar to Brie’s spell that allowed angels to see the red auras of demons. Vepar’s showed her the blue auras of angels as well. Our bracelets seemed to cancel their ability, hiding the fact that Leo was an angel.

Vepar wasn’t alone. She’d brought all eighteen of her minions with her. She was using three demon packs to help search for us. They kept their distance from each other and only the lord’s presence kept them from fighting. Demons tended to stake out a territory and fight any of their kin that encroached on their turf. These packs hadn’t carved out their own patch of ground. The lord was keeping them too busy to settle down in one spot.

Seeing the group of six female demons, Vepar sent her lackeys after them. Leo opened the door to a boutique store and drew us inside. He wasn’t taking any chances with our safety. Vepar was reportedly the mistress of Dantanian, who was the Head Scribe of the Scriptorium in hell. Dantanian had access to every rune that had ever been created, except for the ones my own personal hellscribe had invented. This meant that Vepar could have access to dark magic that we didn’t even know existed yet.

We watched through the window as her lackeys moved in to surround their rivals. All eighteen lackeys disappeared with the women, leaving Vepar behind. I watched her check her reflection in a window. She was vain and it showed. Two men walking towards her stared admiringly. She smirked, knowing she was desirable and that they were beneath her. One of the men stopped and said something that made Leo gasp in shock. His hearing was so acute that he could make out what they were saying from across the street and above the passing traffic.

What did he say? Sam asked.

He suggested that the three of them should step inside the building behind her and find an empty room where she could pleasure them both at the same time.

I wrinkled my nose at that then looked at Sam. Couldn’t you hear him?

He shook his head and looked crestfallen. My hearing is not what it used to be ever since we returned from hell a week ago.

Leo and I exchanged a look, then a motion caught my eye. I saw Vepar ball her hand into a fist. She punched the man in the face so hard that he flew through the air. Hitting a signpost, he slid to the ground in a daze. His friend shouted something and took a swing at her. She caught his fist in her hand and squeezed. He screamed and went down to his knees as blood poured out of his mangled hand.

The few other pedestrians were scattering in fear. Her lackeys returned from slaying the vessels of their kin before anyone could call the cops. She motioned at the two men and four of her minions hurried forward to get rid of them. The moment they teleported away, the onlookers seemed to forget why they’d been worried. Teleporting had a special kind of magic. It allowed both angels and demons to appear and disappear without being noticed. It befuddled the wits of the onlookers.

Vepar’s lackeys returned a short while later. Two more bodies would be found, but at least I wouldn’t have to ingest their souls this time. Speaking of souls, the essence from the evicted demons should be appearing at any moment. We were only a few blocks away from our base and they would have been slaughtered somewhere nearby.

We should leave before the souls find us, Leo said. We didn’t want Vepar to know that we were on to her plan. We were playing a game of deception with her and she wasn’t even aware of it. Each time the souls came in search of me, we teleported to a different area to lead Vepar and her minions away from our lair.

I’m ready whenever you are, I replied.

Leo teleported us a few blocks south of our base in Midtown and we waited for the souls to arrive. It didn’t take long before I saw a mass of what looked like low fog boiling towards us. Humans couldn’t see the demonic essence. It swerved around the pedestrians without their notice.

In here, Sam said and opened the door to a deli. The souls could squeeze through the smallest of cracks, but he held the door open to allow them faster entry. Hurry, he urged me as the first demonic essence seeped into me. Lord Vepar and her followers are heading this way.

It didn’t take long for all six of the evil souls to flood into me. I was hit with the usual barrage of thoughts and memories. There was nothing new in the montage and I banished the images to the back of my mind.

Seeing that I’d assimilated the souls, Leo took hold of my arm and reached for Sam. He whisked us away just as a pale hand reached for the door handle to wrench it open.

We appeared in the front room of Sophia’s store and Sam put a hand over his heart. That was a close one. She nearly saw us that time.

Nathan and Sophia broke off their conversation in the kitchen and hurried to meet us. Are you all right? Sophia asked anxiously. Tall, slim and beautiful, her hair was pure white and hung almost to her waist. To everyone else, she looked like a rather plain woman in her forties with brown hair that was going gray.

We’re fine, I replied and waved her worry away. But we came pretty close to getting busted.

We cannot keep up this ruse forever, Nathan said with a frown. Vepar will eventually discover what we are doing.

Hopefully, I’ll find the next portal before that happens, I said with a shrug and sat down at the large round table.

He took his seat across from me and studied my face. Sophia drew the two boys into the kitchen to give us a semblance of privacy. How are you feeling? he asked.

I’m a bit tired, but I’ll be okay, I said with a wan smile. Brie had zapped me with holy fire when Sam and I had returned from our last jaunt to hell. Nathan had infused me with more of his grace as well. The combination should have been enough to keep me going for several weeks, yet it was already wearing off.

He reached across the table and took my hand. I can try to heal you.

We both knew it would only deplete his power and that it wouldn’t have a long lasting effect on its own. There’s no point, I said quietly and curled my fingers around his. It only works for physical wounds. I was tainted by two different evil essences. It was a spiritual problem that I was dealing with. There was supposedly a cure, but I still didn’t know what it was. At this point, I was wondering if Fate had just told me that to give me false hope. You know the only thing that will be able to give me strength, I added.

He nodded reluctantly. I do not like it, but you will need to summon Briathos again.

I had another reason to gain my strength back. I’d been back for a week and I still hadn’t seen Zach yet. He hadn’t managed to find the time to sneak away to see me. It was eating at me that he was seeing Candy far more often than he was seeing me. He’d texted me last night that he had a plan to meet me, but he hadn’t told me what it was yet. I didn’t want him to know that I was dying. That meant I had to go through another round of holy fire again.

At least the legion won’t be wiped out during the purge this time, I thought. The house that I’d built for them had managed to keep them safe from being eradicated. So far at least.

Chapter Two

USING THE BRACELET that Brie had made for me, I concentrated on summoning her and she appeared a moment later. At first, she was startled to find herself in another location. Then she turned and saw me. I wish you could give me some warning before you kidnap me like that, she complained. You were lucky I was speaking to Domiel and Jeduthun rather than Hagith or Orifiel when I suddenly disappeared.

I wouldn’t have brought you here if it wasn’t important, I said. We’d come to a truce, but we still tended to be snarky towards each other. Neither of us was going to change, so we would just have to learn to get along.

Leo hurried into the room to give his twin a hug. They weren’t really related, of course. Only their vessels were siblings, but they’d been partnered together for tens of thousands of years. They were as close as a real brother and sister. A couple of inches shorter than me, they were slender and had short, curly blond hair and blue eyes. Like all angels, they were flawless.

Taking in the dusky color of my skin and my sweaty face, Brie could see why I’d brought her here. It would seem that you will require being purged more frequently, she said and took her seat.

Sophia entered the room with Sam on her heels. The imp was carrying a tray. He placed it on the table then sat next to me. Studying him, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could refer to him as an imp. His transformation from a monster back to a human was nearly complete. His brow had smoothed out and his eyes weren’t squished up. His skin was a lovely medium brown and had almost completely lost its gray tinge. As I’d predicted, he was cute.

Have some tea before Brie purges you, Sophia said and poured me a cup. It will hopefully help to settle your stomach.

Only if I can keep it down in the first place, I muttered.

Do you have any news for us? Leo asked. Brie, Dom and Jed were on our side. They were double agents and acted as our informants.

Hagith and Orifiel are growing impatient at our inability to capture you all, she reported. Hag wanted to punish Nathan for defying her. She also planned to try to control me by torturing my friends. They did not think it would be this difficult to take you into custody.

They haven’t worked out a way to break through Sy’s runes yet, I replied with a smirk. We can hear them trying the doors sometimes. They aren’t as stealthy as they think they are.

She rolled her eyes. I have told them that it is useless to try to circumvent the demonic runes, but they will not listen to me.

You are just a lowly minion to them, Leo told her as kindly as possible, yet she still scowled. Hag and Orifice think everyone from the lower orders are beneath them.

Sam and I sniggered at his usage of the nicknames that I’d given our enemies. Nathan shook his head at our childish antics. He was technically from a higher order than the leaders of the angelic host that had been gathered together in New York. He was a Seraphim, but he’d been stripped of his rank. God had banished him from heaven for having doubts about humanity.

This is not something that is a cause for amusement, Sophia reminded us primly. We are in danger of being discovered by Vepar, as well as being captured by Hagith and Orifiel.

I know, I said with a sigh. This is my way of dealing with the stress. It was better than curling into a ball and crying. That wouldn’t accomplish much, apart from embarrassing me.

Angels were always watching our base. They were waiting for us to make a mistake so they could pounce. They had gathered over seventy angels in their host now. They spent their time either standing guard at their warehouse, or scouring the streets for me.

Nathan, Sophia and Leo had made a deal with them while Sam and I had been in one of the realms of hell. The angels would stop trying to kidnap me and in return we would hand over the metal pieces that I brought back from my journeys to the underworld. I’d found six of them now and I only had three left to find.

We didn’t know what would happen when the objects were joined together. Sophia had been sent a vision that it was important somehow. Hag was hoarding them and she was determined to wield it. Since she was an angel, she didn’t have the evil power that would probably be necessary to use it. Supposedly, I would and she was going to control it through me.

I drank my tea, then I couldn’t stall any longer. Okay, I’m ready, I said to Brie.

She grimaced a little, but dutifully left her seat and came to stand beside me. I knew she didn’t enjoy zapping me. It was just something that had to be done and I could trust her not to go too far.

She put her hands on my head and pain flooded through me. This time, I didn’t hear any internal screams of pain and terror. The legion were safe and secure in their big black house. I was the only one who shrieked in agony as holy fire pushed back the taint.

When she finally pulled back, Nathan was there to take some of the pain away. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. Bliss swept through me as he infused me with his essence.

All too quickly, we were torn apart and Brie teleported me away. Sam had been holding onto my arm and he was drawn along with us. We appeared in an area that I tried to avoid at all costs. The nearly identical brick buildings of Stuyvesant Town loomed over us. I instinctively hunched my shoulders as I remembered being attacked by a crazed flock of birds. "Did you have to bring us here?" I complained.

Brie was about to respond when she stiffened. I looked where she was staring and saw two women who were far too beautiful to be human. Sensing they were being watched, they began to turn. Sam pulled us all back against the wall and we blended in with it.

Looking around suspiciously, the angels couldn’t see us camouflaged against the building. Turning away again, they disappeared as they teleported away. They carried rune stones that allowed them to see the blue auras of other angels. It was a spell that I’d stolen from the Collectors. Our former allies were using rune stones to locate their kind before they could be captured and harvested.

Sam released our camouflage. He was shaking slightly and sweat dripped down his face. That is getting harder to do, he confessed. He was exhausted and he’d only had to hide us for a few seconds.

It was unnecessary, Brie scolded him. I could have teleported us to safety. You need to conserve your energy for when it is needed.

It is instinctive, he said with a shrug. I spent four hundred years hiding from demons. It is not easy to switch off my instincts.

I was just glad he hadn’t lost his abilities yet. I’d only visited six of the nine realms. We still had three more to travel to before I would have my final showdown with the Hellmaster. Sam had saved my butt enough times for me to know that I couldn’t do this without his assistance.

Chapter Three

HOW ARE YOU FEELING now? Brie asked me. It was a sign of our progress that she was showing any concern for my health. In the past, she would have just returned to her post and left us to fend for ourselves.

Better, I replied. I looked down at my arms and saw that the dusky hue had receded a little. Only people who knew me well would know it wasn’t my natural skin color. I put a hand to my forehead to find the low grade fever I’d had for the past few days was gone.

I should return to our base before I am missed, Brie said. Can you summon Leo to your side?

I reached inside my pocket and drew out a small wooden angel that Leo had carved for me. The angel’s knees were drawn up to his face and his wings were wrapped around him. His face was hidden, but I knew it was meant to be Nathan. I concentrated and Leo appeared in front of me. His worried expression cleared when he saw us. That took longer than I expected, he said. What was the delay?

Sam had to hide us from a couple of angels, I told him and saw his relief that my best friend’s talents weren’t gone yet.

I will leave them in your care, Brie said. She hugged Leo briefly, then disappeared.

Leo examined my face and frowned. You do not look as though you need to exercise any excess energy away this time.

Usually, my eyes would be glowing blue from Nathan’s infusion of grace, but he hadn’t given me much this time. The taint is a lot stronger now that I have two different toxins inside me, I told him. Being purged with holy fire, then healed with Nathan’s grace is barely enough to hold them back.

Sophia had seen a vision of what would happen to me when the poison grew too strong. My skin would turn completely black and I would rot to the core. It would be too late to save me by then and I would surely die. It was nearing the end of July now and I only had a few months left before this would happen. My eighteenth birthday was only four months away and it didn’t look like I would even live to see it.

Morose at the thought of dying so young, I put the angel carving back in my pocket. I touched the sapphire rune stone that was my link to Nathan. With a thought, I could bring him to me, but I didn’t. We needed time apart after he shared his grace with me. Doing so had strengthened our bond even more. I could feel him in my heart where my missing soul should have been.

Sam surreptitiously looked at my watch, then shared a glance with Leo. I knew them both well and blew out a sigh. Did you forget to tape something?

No, he replied sheepishly. There are two programs on at the same time and I could only record one of them.

Your addiction is taking over your life.

Scold me during the ad break, he said. Leo had become hooked on a program about fairytales that was set in modern day times. Even worse, he had taken to watching daytime drama shows while we were in hell. He’d assumed the task of taping Sam’s favorite shows during our absence.

Sliding a look at me, Leo made his decision and zapped us back to the living room. The moment the TV came on, Nathan realized we were back. He appeared in the doorway, but he didn’t come inside. We stared at each other and