Infernal God

29

I wondered what horrible thing I would have become had I failed to defeat Famine—probably some gaunt, haggard figure with sagging boobs and jagged fangs, always trying to find my next meal. I shuddered a little at the thought.

No one stopped us as we entered Persephone's Garden, and I led Pestilence toward the waterfall. Now that I'd let my Famine powers out, they begged to drain all the life from the plants in the garden, but I held myself back.

"What made you change your mind?" Adam asked.

"When Lucifer became War he was lost to me. He forgot who I was." I cast a glance over at Adam. "You would never do that."

"No. Never. Over hundreds of years, I always found you. Even when he didn't."

"I know. I became Famine because she has the power to stop War—and so I could be a Horseman like you." I gestured at Misery up ahead, who stood beside the waterfall. "Ah, there's my horse now."

As we approached the waterfall, my gargoyle guard moved in close, with Theo at the lead. Pestilence jerked his head around, just as Belial, Kassiel, and Damien emerged from the hidden cave below the water.

"What's this?" Adam asked.

"It's time for you to go back to sleep." I still had the powers I’d accessed in Faerie, and they were stronger here in the garden I’d created. At my thought, vines wound around Pestilence, binding his limbs, and his face contorted.

“You can’t hold Pestilence!” As he spoke, he struggled, and the vines started to wither and die from his poison.

I drew on Famine, finding the vacuum always in the center of me, the one always hungry for power. I focused on Pestilence, drawing on him, taking his energy away. Making him weak.

He screamed as he realized what was happening. “What are you doing? You lied to me!”

"And it was all too easy... You'd think you would know by now that I will never be yours."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lucifer flying just outside the garden. He had the imps and shifters fighting each other with a touch of his War frenzy, while Belial and Azazel picked them off on the sidelines and protected the innocent humans. It was almost beautiful as Lucifer moved his hands like the world’s most violent conductor. Then he finished his orchestral movement by destroying them with darkness and hellfire. Perfect takedown.

And my cue to finish what I’d started with Pestilence.

I directed the vines to pull Adam under the waterfall, using the walkthrough feature I’d installed. Theo hit a hidden button and the wall slid open to reveal Pestilence’s tomb. I’d had it brought here from Stonehenge, banking on the fact Adam wouldn’t be able to leave me alone and would return again. And where Adam went, Pestilence went too.

Damien was already inside, with the tomb open and ready. He'd told me it wouldn’t work as well the second time around, since the runes weren't fresh—whatever that meant. I had to take the chance though. We had no other option.

Pestilence struggled and glared at me. "No! You will die!"

He sent out wave after wave of disease and horror, but my gargoyle guards were immune and they blocked me from it. Still, it took all of my power to drag him to the tomb, and even then I wasn't sure it would be enough.

With a roar, Adam suddenly broke free of his vines, then materialized a golden bow and arrow and began shooting me with them. One hit my arm and made me instantly feel sick, and I yanked it out and prayed whatever it was wouldn't harm the baby. I knocked him back with a blast of air, then used a weave of darkness and light to shield myself from more arrows.

Just when I thought Adam might actually break free, Lucifer rushed in and tackled him, knocking him backward.

“Get in that tomb, you bastard.” Lucifer's face twisted with rage—fury created by all the times Adam had wronged us over the years. He shoved Adam hard, and they both fell into the tomb and began wrestling. Lucifer launched himself out a second later, his body covered in boils from Pestilence's magic, and then blasted Adam with bright blue hellfire. Belial joined in with his own hellfire from the other side of the cave, and I used a combination of vines and air to lift the lid of the tomb and use it to cover Adam.

The second it was closed, Damien spilled his fae blood on top of it, and the runes began to glow. The lid buckled and nearly came off as Pestilence struggled, and Belial rushed forward to add his own. I created a blade of darkness and sliced my own hand, then Lucifer did the same. Angel, demon, human, fae—all represented in our family line. As soon as all the blood mingled, the runes flashed bright, and the tomb sealed. Then it all went dark in the cave.

"Is it done?" Belial asked.

"Yes, but the seal won't last for thousands of years like the previous one did," Damien said. "And I think anyone powerful enough could open it, if they tried."

"But it will hold for now, right?" I asked.

Damien inspected the runes. "Yes, I believe it will hold for at least a decade or two, assuming no one tampers with it."

"That's enough time for us to find a better solution." Lucifer wrapped an arm around me. "An excellent plan, my love."

"Thank you, but it wouldn't have worked without everyone doing their part." My shoulders sagged in relief as I leaned against him. Adam was locked away, and couldn't harm me anymore—or my daughter. We might actually be able to have something akin to a normal life.

For a while, anyway.