Death Lord

16

“Welcome,” one of the women said. She was tall and thin, with short black hair, tanned skin, and features that were more stern than pretty. “We knew you would come.”

“You sent me the dream, didn’t you?” I asked.

“Yes, and we’re so pleased you brought Death with you,” the other woman replied. Unlike her sister—who she looked nothing like—she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, with long, shiny chestnut hair and legs that seemed to go on for miles, along with a slitted dress to show them off. “We’ve been wondering when he would visit us.”

“I see you’ve found yourselves some new bodies to possess,” Belial drawled. “Which ones are you?”

“I am Anger, though you may call me Alecto,” the black-haired one said, somehow making it sound like a threat. She gestured toward her sister. “And this is Jealousy, who some call Megaera.”

“How did you get to Earth?” Belial asked.

“A portal opened in Void, and we felt Death calling,” Megaera said.

Belial crossed his arms. “I didn’t call you.”

“Not you. The previous Death.” Alecto’s eyes narrowed, as if this was a sore spot. “We came through, but the portal closed too quickly for our third sister to make it. Now we must bring her to Earth, so we can continue our goal of punishing wicked humans.”

“We served the previous Death,” Megaera said, batting her eyelashes at Belial. “We would be willing to work with you too. We can give you whatever you need.”

Jealousy rose up in me at the way she looked at Belial, and then I realized that was what she wanted. I suspected they both inspired and fed on the emotions they embodied.

To my relief, Belial didn’t seem to care one bit about her offer, because he let out a sharp laugh. “How about you serve me by going back to Void? You don’t belong on Earth, and there’s only room for one Elder God in this city.”

Alecto’s eyes suddenly glowed red as she looked at him with pure fury. Apparently Belial’s ability to piss off anything with a heartbeat extended to the Furies too. “If you won’t work with us, then stay out of our way.” The ‘or else’ was implied.

“Why are you gathering shifters and imps here?” I asked, as Belial stared them down.

Megaera turned her gaze on me and smiled in a way that felt almost predatory. “Those who are attuned to wrath and jealousy are simply drawn to us. You’ve felt it yourself, haven’t you?”

“Let them go,” Belial said in a low, dangerous voice. “These people are not yours to control.”

Megaera laughed. “What if they don’t want to leave?”

My brothers moved beside the two women, brushing up against them in a protective and almost loving way. They snarled at us, making it clear they would defend the Furies if we tried to attack them. The other people all around us seemed to step forward too, reminding us we were surrounded and outnumbered. Belial squared his shoulders and gathered more shadows around him, obviously ready to fight. But if we attacked, a lot of lives would be lost, and I wasn’t sure who would come out the victor.

I touched Belial’s arm to get his attention. “We should go.”

He jerked his gaze to the spot where I was touching him, and then his eyes lifted to meet mine. His brow furrowed, like he was torn on what to do, but then he nodded. He shot the Furies a sharp look. “This isn’t over.”

I sighed and released him, relieved that he wasn’t going to attack. We started to leave, but then a shiver ran down my spine.

Stay, a voice said in my head. Join us.

Both Furies stared at me intently, along with my brothers. I shook my head and looked away, trying to ignore the voices filling my head.

You have so much wrath in your heart. Don’t you want vengeance?

Only we can give you what you want.

Shut up, I shot back, covering my ears even though I knew it wouldn’t help. Belial gave me a questioning look.

Our sister is the Elder God of vengeance.

She can help you defeat Belial.

All you have to do is help us bring her to Earth…

I stopped dead in my tracks as their voices filled my head and took hold of me. Vengeance. Yes. I wanted that with such a deep pull that I actually felt myself take a couple of steps toward them. I would finally get closure for my father’s death and extract my revenge on Belial. Rage surged inside me at the thought of him, along with jealousy of his powers. Why should he be alive, when my father wasn’t? He had to die to pay for his sins. All it would take was—

“Eira, what is it?” Belial asked, gripping my arms tight.

His voice and his touch shook me out of the Furies’ trance. I gaped at him as my head cleared and the rage and jealousy died down. s**t, that had been intense. Still, I couldn’t deny that their offer wasn’t tempting...

“Nothing,” I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself. I jerked my eyes away from the Furies and focused on Belial instead. “Let’s get out of here.”9

EIRA

I

walked into Belial’s bar in a daze, and it wasn’t until we were seated at the counter that I realized we hadn’t gone back to his apartment. I glanced around, surprised Belial wasn’t worried about people seeing me in cuffs, but the place was empty except for us.

“Don’t worry, it’s not open yet,” Belial said, like he could read my mind. “I thought you could use a drink, along with some food.”