“I get it. You want something. What is it?”
She blinked those big dark eyes. “You’re very direct.”
“Considering my life is on the line, yeah, I’m not into small talk. Cut to the chase.”
“Very well. You are correct: there is something I need, and I want you to help me get it. If you do, I will agree not to reveal knowledge of your whereabouts or the existence of the Nephilim female. If you don’t, I will, and you will all lose your lives.”
His heart sank like a brick in the ocean.
No matter what she wanted him to do, he was going to have to do it.
Fucking angels.She stood there with that innocent little smile, threatening him with the worst kind of blackmail.
At the end of the day, the servants of Heaven were just as self-seeking and underhanded as demons, only they did it under the guise of being the ‘good guys.’ At least demons owned their evilness. At least they didn’t pretend to be anything other than what they were.
“And what do you want?” Raum asked through gritted teeth.
“You must agree to the deal first,” Sunshine replied.
“Not until I know what it is.”
“You have no choice. You will not let your family die.”
He ground his teeth. Damn her for being right. His only hope was to bluff his way through this.
“I’m a demon, remember? I don’t give a fuck about anyone but myself. Yeah, I live with them, but only because it’s convenient. I’d rather they not die, but I don’t care enough to make a deal with an angel without knowing the parameters.”
Sunshine studied him, her head tilted. She looked like she didn’t believe a word out of his mouth.
“Very well,” she said, surprising him. “Recently, a grimoire was stolen. I was charged with retrieving it for safekeeping in the Empyrean Library.”
Raum stilled. No way—no fucking way—she was after what he thought she was. The world was not that small.
But apparently, it was.
“Originally in the possession of a blood-born witch, the book was taken by a demon called Murmur, and it was brought to Hell. As you know, I cannot use my teleportation abilities in the underworld. I need help collecting it, and who better to aid me than another demon?”
She was smart to seek help. Angelic powers were useless in Hell, and she would stick out like a sore thumb on her own. Another angel would be just as incongruous. Blackmailing a demon into helping her was clever, and if he wasn’t so pissed off, he might have been impressed.
“If I do this,” Raum said, “you have to vow to leave us alone forever and never tell a soul what you know.”
“I’m willing to agree to that.”
It was a start, but it wouldn’t be enough. Almost no bargain was completely unbreakable. There was usually a hidden way out, an overlooked loophole. And Raum couldn’t take that chance. Not with Eva and his brothers’ lives on the line.
Immediately, his mind started reeling with plans.
Sunshine was afterThe Book of Gamigin, currently in the Necromancer’s possession. Raum had also wanted it to use as leverage against Murmur until Bel made him scrap the idea.
But now he was thinking…
He knew angels. Sunshine might swear never to reveal their location to anyone, but even if he got her this book and sent her on her merry way, it was only a matter of time before she showed up with her next form of blackmail.
Finding a way to get rid of her permanently was the only solution.
Angels were extremely difficult to kill, but it wasn’t impossible. Just like demons, to deliver permanent death to an angel, they had to be beheaded and the pieces of their body incinerated. The catch was that they had to be beheaded with a consecrated weapon and cremated with heavenfire.
While being in Hell increased a demon’s power, angels couldn’t teleport or use their healing abilities. One might think the underworld would be the ideal place to attack, but unfortunately, consecrated weapons had no power either, which meant no matter what you did to an angel in Hell, they wouldn’t die.
