Hallows: Pretty Snakes & Devils

Speak of The Devil

K.Flay & Pierce The Veil- Irish Goodbye

B.B.

Lucien is helping me with the straps on my vest as I load up my gun. The vampire hunters didn't find what they wanted and David claims he has no idea what they need. My bet is the Chinese daggers that are sitting in my lab along with the holy iron they gave David to upgrade his hunting armor. The demons are excited about the nursery and clearing out my room for David. They had been sitting around since I gave the guys their bots.

"You seem a little put off since Ashley showed up at the hospital," Carson says when Dec and Ahsan appear. I put my blouse and holsters back on.

"Vanessa dies giving birth and now a missing persons investigation involving his ex-wife pops up. It's going to be a f*****g s**t storm for the Mayor of Hellbourne. Not to mention what they're going to do to me and Delilah," I tuck my guns into the holster and take my jacket from Lucien when he offers it to me. "The shifter. The hunters. The fringe. Chance says all this s**t is happening because I refuse to hand over Espinosa. I'm starting to believe him,"

"We're clear with the Fringe," Ahsan shakes his head.

"I don't think we are," I shake my head. "Someone is helping gather those kids. The hunters don't have a way of knowing how to find them. What are they marked with?"

"Told you," Dec tells him.

"You have a bunch of other s**t to worry about," Ahsan shakes his head but sets down a yellow envelope.

I open it and empty it on the table. A sick prickling crawls over my skin. They're marked with black stone ink. The kind we use to make our tattoos permanent. Each one is marked with a serial number and a barcode. I take a picture of some of them and send them to David. It doesn't take him long to reply.

"See, these are experiment subjects," I toss my phone on the table. "The Fringe are the only ones that keep a census on our bloodlines. Daemon had access to them but this information isn't something they can just get. Trust me. Zoey has been trying to get through their firewalls with no luck and it's been almost a week. Dec designed her program,"

"Bellen has been tracking their stones. They're not just State stones. Some of them don't speak English and they have no f*****g idea how they even got into those cages. The ones you found in the loft, they were being conditioned,"

"For what?" Lucien asks.

"Elemental testing. s**t like Carson's fire thing. Ro's murder. It starts when they're kids. Accidental genetic crossings,"

"Ro's a full-blooded Crow," Lucien shakes his head. "Carson's got tiger blood,"

"Ro's got two crow parents but his mother was something else. Kind of like B.B. and Del have the santeria blood in them. It's not as dominant as theirs but it is there and since we're linked those dormant abilities are going,"

"There are journals in the study about Penelope. Her viper was electric. The conditioning for it was brutal. If she didn't have a twin brother, she would have died," I nod.

"It's why the fringe doesn't practice that s**t," he agrees.

"How does that benefit the hunters?" Carson asks.

"Slapping a hunter's mark on a kid before it becomes a Hallow would turn them into what Demetria was. A loyal hunting machine. Grim said that he was saved from something like this when he was a kid," I answer.

"I'll have Ro scramble them," Ahsan suggests. "My cousin is f*****g around with the director in Dallas. Her name is Magda Cooper. None of them are linked to us and she probably has access to the census records,"

"Your cousin hates us," Carson reminds him. "She's not exactly trustworthy after she let you get stabbed by the f*****g Taliban,"

"I upset her," he shrugs. "Devil siblings are different. This is also something big. If Fringe agents are working with the hunters, we will have huge public executions. Our own are always off-limits. Every director will be replaced and the ranks will be cleared to make an example of whoever is behind this,"

"Perfect," Lucien says. "I'm going to catch up with Vic. You f***s better not take your eyes off her," he kisses my cheek. "Be careful, please. Stay with Carson. You're allowed to go with Ahsan but I wouldn't trust Dec for s**t,"

"f**k you," Dec growls at him.

The others laugh. Lucien presses his lips to mine and looks me over again before turning away with a smirk. I miss having him around all day long. He always found an excuse to be beside me and it didn't feel like I was being watched for being reckless the way Carson does it.

"I forget how much smaller you look without the boots," Ahsan says looking down at my shoes. "I miss them,"

"Me too," Carson agrees.

"Where too?" Dec asks twirling the Hummer's key fob on his index finger.

"They're headed North. Towards the blood orange orchards," Ahsan answers.

"Why don't we try something that doesn't involve the car?" I asked pulling my jacket on.

"I don't like your popping powers. I get queazy," Ahsan shakes his head.

"Take your bike," Carson suggests.

"I need the car. All my toys are in there,"

"What are the odds of us needing to blow s**t up tonight?" Dec asks.

"Please, say high," I laugh. They all grin. I still haven't seen Ahsan "pop off".

"You heard her," he smirks.

"Fine. We'll take the Hummer, but I still want to try what I had in mind soon," I agree, Ahsan has me on his lap before I even lift my leg up to climb in. Dec and Carson are in the front.

"Ro told me you keep tabs on him," he says. Carson snorts in the front seat.

"Is there a question in there?" I roll my eyes.

"You know there is," he growls squeezing my thigh.

"You want to know what I have on you," I nod. "I'll pass,"

"B.B.,"

"What?"

"You don't have to do that you know? You can just ask me, princess,"

"Maybe when you come to hang out with me again, I will,"

"Ooof," Dec laughs.

"Maybe I'd hang out more if you didn't do everything in your power to avoid me,"

"You know I'm not upset that you f****d him, right? It's how you went about it. You're supposed to be Daddy, no? You're all about the truth and you broke that between us. Ro told me immediately. Well, as soon as you got back from Mexico the first time. That's why I'm mad at you. I'm not as mad as before but it's going to be a long time before I completely let it go. We're good though,"

"You sure?" he looks down at my lips.

"Mhm," I laugh. He grips my ponytail and pulls me into him. The three of them growl at the sound that comes out of me.

Okay, this is definitely part of Eve's influence. These little escapades with the devils have all been influenced by her and her need to be near them all the time. It's difficult to resist the draw. Especially Carson who is more than happy to use his glamour on me all day long. I wouldn't have it any other way anymore. My obsession with them is turning into an addiction.

"You need to chill," Dec laughs from the front seat.

"You need to shut up and drive," Ahsan shoots back. He tucks his hands under my legs. As he lifts me to set me down, I stop him. "You've got instant crazy eyes,"

I push against him and sit up as Eve pokes her head out from under my jacket sleeve. My skin breaks out in goosebumps and my heart starts beating rapidly in my chest.

"s**t, grab onto me," I place my hand on Dec's arm. The four of us pop out of the car and take cover inside the orange groves. A massive red viper smacks right into the side of the Hummer and sends it flying off the empty road.

"Aww, my stuff," Ahsan groans and then dry heaves. Dec laughs at him. I watch as two guys walk toward the Hummer with AKs.

"If they shoot the car that thing is going to blow us all to s**t," Ahsan pushes Carson.

"Let's go," I smile up at him. He grins and nods.

"Dec, stay with this i***t," Carson orders.

"You f*****g suck, Asshat," Dec growls. This time Ahsan answers with a wet gurgle.

"Bend your knees a little, Sweetie," I tell Carson.

Eve slithers out from my pants and expands, taking us both up on her head. I take his hand as she stays low and guides us both down the road silently. Carson removes his gun from his holster and whistles when Eve winds up and takes us high. The red viper turns to look at us.

"That was my car assholes," he growls.

The two guys open fire on us. Eve spins around, the bullets bounce off her scales. I grip Carson's hand in mine and pop us behind them. I take the rifle out of the smaller guy the same way he had the guard back at the science fair. I put my father's gun to the back of his head. The one Carson disarmed curses. Their snake is coiled up with its head bowed as Eve circles around it.

"That wasn't very nice," I tell the one in front of me. I reach for the ski mask on his face and pull it off. Carson does the same to the other one. I inhale getting a smokey scent off his skin. A devil which means the other one is the owner of the viper.

"Who sent you?" he asks. The two men just stare at us. "B.B.?"

I wave my gun back at Eve. She immediately twines her body around the Viper's. The red snake starts to struggle. The taller man groans as Eve tightens her hold on it. I put the gun up against the Devil's forehead.

"I will let my snake squeeze the life out of that little red one," I warn him. "You'll watch as your Viper suffocates to death and takes your partner with it," he averts his soft blue eyes. "Are you prepared for that?"

"I am," he answers numbly.

"Is that right?" I laugh. I tuck my gun back into my holster and grab the front of his vest. My fangs elongate as I pull him closer. My eyes shift to the viper. His brown eyes look red in the glow of the moonlight. I open my mouth letting my tongue slither out of my mouth. I pull the devil down to his knees so I have better access. "Are you prepared for me to cut you off from his essence, little viper?"

"Don't," he hisses.

"Tell the pretty devil what he wants to know," I shrug.

"Don't," the devil shakes his head. I hiss at him and cover his mouth. I can feel his devil familiar lingering behind the car. The Viper lets out another low groan when Eve tightens her hold on the snake. The red devil steps out from behind the Hummer. It's pissed.

"You don't want anything to happen to your little snake do you, gorgeous?" I ask it. It growls at me and then looks back at the snakes. "Eve," I call back to her. She releases the snake keeping her body around it as it catches its breath. "Come closer," I hold out my other hand. He looks around and does as I ask. He stares down at his vessel. "He's not going to stop me. He can't. Come here, sweetness. Tell me what you're doing here,"

The devil is dressed in all black, similar to the vessel. The guy watches in horror as his devil familiar betrays his pleas. The devil takes my hand and glares down at his mortal counterpart. The viper shrinks down and slithers over to the devil without hesitation. The big guy lets out a sigh of relief and drops to his knees. I push the hair away from his eyes and cup his cheek. He looks over at Eve. His red eyes dance with fear.

"Reaper," he growls at me. "Mercy," he bows his head submissively. "Forgive my mortals,"

"Sure, but you have to tell me what you're doing here,"

"The blue devil," he answers. The two guys growl at him.

"Who sent you?"

"Daliah Eden," the big guy answers.

"She sent you after Ahsan? Why?" Carson asks. The guy puts his hands up. Carson lets him up. He pulls out his cell phone and offers it to him. Carson takes it and reads through whatever is on there. "s**t. Baby, call Vic. The fringe put out a hit on him and Damian as well,"

"Why?" I ask pulling my phone out.

"Miss me, my love?" Vic answers immediately.

"Always," I smile. "Vic, bad news. There's a hit out on you and Damian,"

"No, s**t?" he laughs.

"We caught two guys on Northend trying to get Ahsan,"

"Is he okay?" Ro asks.

"Yeah, the four of us are together. Eve is upset,"

"I bet," Lucien laughs. "What do you guys want to do?"

"Ask them if they've seen the vampire hunters by any chance," Vic says.

"They're in that old farmhouse," the devil in front of me answers.

"Nice," Ro laughs.

"Lucien, head to the airport," I say looking down at my watch. "Delilah's plane will be landing soon. I'll send Stacy and paw patrol after you,"

"On my way, baby. Be careful, guys,"

"Are you being mean to the other familiars?" Vic asks. Ro laughs.

"Bye, guys," I roll my eyes and hang up. "Why does he fringe want them?"

"Youngling trafficking," the devil answers. I step back and let him up. I offer him his gun back.

"Okay, sure. They were found in Vic and Damian's sector but why Ahsan?" Carson asks.

"The Fringe forgives but never forgets. His family has a history," the viper answers. Carson and I look at one another.

"History of what?" I ask.

"Smuggling younglings out of their country. Eliminating unresponsive stones. Selling Reaper younglings on the dark web. There's a reason why he doesn't belong to stone," the devil spits at my feet. "That's who you're rolling around with, Merciful Death,"

Rage boils in the pit of my stomach and I kick his leg out. He growls falling onto his knees.

"Ahsan," I growl.

"Ahsan, get your ass out here!" Carson demands.

"Speak of the devil," the viper hisses.

"Give me a second," Ahsan says from the darkness. He's still throwing up. Dec and Ahsan walk towards us moments later. Dec is peeling an orange for him. He hands him a slice. Ahsan doesn't hesitate to put it in his mouth before spitting it out. "Thanks, man,"

"What's going on?" Dec asks as they approach.

"This asshole just told us you used to deal in youngling trafficking," Carson doesn't hesitate to answer.

"He's lying, right?" I ask him. His eyes meet mine for a second and he shakes his head.

"What the f**k do you mean no?" Carson growls.

"It wasn't like that," Ahsan takes the rest of the orange. "The Fringe gives orders and you follow them,"

"The Fringe would never give that order," the devil growls.

"What rank are you?" he scoffs.

"C-Class. Beta six. Florida Region," the viper answers.

"Way down on the food chain," Ahsan rolls his eyes. "A-Class. Alpha three. Chad Region, Asshole. We'd smuggle kids out of the country to keep them safe from the predators of our region. Keeping Reapers alive is a full-time job for all of us. A lot of those stones gave their lives for them. The country isn't at war because of mortals. They're just pawns. The fight has always been over the Reapers and it always will be,"

"Why were you excommunicated from your region?" Carson asks. He tenses up and shrugs.

"Because I helped my parents kill the entire board of directors and squad leaders of our region. They were dealing with the light Jiinn. Abdullah Hassan promised to overlook the whole thing if we kept quiet. He sent us this way and we never spoke of it again,"

"Director Hassan was murdered in his home two nights ago," the viper informs him. "His entire stone was eliminated,"

"We still have to take you in, Ahsan. Killing us or running is only going to make you look guilty," the devil stands up. His knee pops loudly when he straightens up.

"One f*****g headache after another," Carson growls at Ahsan. The Hummer creeks loudly as he lifts it off the ground and puts it back on the road. "Look at this," he growls pointing out the damage. "f****d the entire paint job up. Delilah gave these to us,"

"Sorry man but this guy is flagged dangerous. We couldn't take any risks,"

"How did that work out for you?" he huffs. The two of them look over at me.

"We could have taken you had she not been here," the viper hisses at him. "We're under strict orders not to harm Merciful Death,"

"Nice," I smile. "So, do you guys want to blow up some vampire hunters with us?"

"B.B.," Carson shakes his head.

"What? You're telling me you're going to let them take San without tailing them? This way we can all go together and I finally get to speak to Director Bellen. I also want to see Giana in person. I got her something,"

"Giana Bennette?" the viper asks.

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Bat-girl in a uniform," he nods. "She's good people. Bellen wants to put her on Daemon,"

"Yes," I laugh. They all smile.

"Wow," the devil looks me over. My devils step between us. Dec pulls me to him and puts his arm over my shoulders.

"Don't look at her," Ahsan growls at him. He averts his gaze.

"What are your names?" I roll my eyes.

"Ivan Montez. You can call me Montez," the viper holds out his hand. I shake it politely. James would be so proud of me for it.

"Thomas," the Devil answers.

"No last name?" I ask.

"No," he shakes his head. I am grateful that he didn't offer me his hand.

"Umm, did James tell you guys what the appropriate amount of time before I reach for my hand sanitizer is?" I ask.

"Just do it. They shot at you," Ahsan answers.

"Okay, and I am adding that to my good excuse list," I take it out of my jacket pocket. I squirt some on my hands. "No offense. If you want someone to blame, blame my dad. He wouldn't let people touch me and when they somehow got past him he would wipe me down or take me a bath,"

"Is it weird that I feel like I'm meeting a celebrity?" Ivan asks.

"You are," Carson rolls his eyes. "You f***s better pray my truck starts. It's a long walk to the farmhouse and I do not want to carry Ahsan's crap,"