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I never drank ale, especially at a tavern. I’d rather not touch what anyone could poison.
The group of demons playing cards at the table by the bar glanced our way. My wings ruffled and the door slammed open, bringing a gust of wind and Gorgo with his entourage in human form, about ten of them.
The bartender dipped his head to him.
Good. Let’s get this over with.
“Greetings.” Gorgo sauntered toward the bartender with his arms extending as if the pub was his domain. Asher, Sam, and the rest of his soldiers filed in behind him.
The demons playing cards froze. The women sucking blood from the human male stopped. Chattering and slurping of ale halted. Even the flames from the lit candles on the tables stilled.
Gorgo let out an angry snarl when a vamp with silver hair appeared in front of him. I hadn't noticed the vamp’s presence when we arrived. Vampires were known for being fast and stealthy, so he must have snuck in when Gorgo entered.
Gorgo had not seen us in the dark back corner and their sharp sense of smell was useless in detecting angels. One of his captains, a demon named Asher who had a nasty scar across his left eye, lifted the vamp up by his throat. Sam, the other captain with a crooked nose, pulled a dagger from somewhere on his lanky frame.
“I didn’t come to cause trouble,” the vamp said in a strangled voice. “I’m here with a message from King Victus.”
At those words, the three women vamps scurried out the door, taking the human with them. The messenger could have fought back, so I believed he came in peace.
“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Gorgo flicked his wrist and Asher released his fingers.
The vampire straightened his tunic. “I would have had this beast given me a chance.”
Asher snarled but backed away.
Gorgo waved about the pub. “You may speak. You’re among my people.” His eyes lit like shiny black marbles when his gaze landed on me. “And angels I trust.”
The vamp didn’t even bother to look at us. This guy just wanted to do his job and leave.
“King Victus is considering your offer,” the vamp said. “If you deliver what you promised, he will help you bring down your brother.”
I wasn’t surprised Gorgo had a hidden agenda with Victus. But what did he offer? Though our main goal was to eliminate Asmodeus and give humans their world back, perhaps I could get Gorgo to introduce me to Victus so I could kill him. All angel killers must be punished.
Gorgo’s grin broadened. “Very well. Tell your king it will be done.”
The vamp passed through the door in the blink of an eye. The higher-ranking angels had the ability to move fast, but not as fast as vamps. Vampires’ sharp teeth and their speed frightened me the most. Strength and speed, a deadly combination.
Gorgo told Asher, Sam, and his soldiers to sit at the table by the bar and he strolled to our table with arms extended outward, as if greeting his friends. We were not. He pulled up a chair next to me, his tall body swallowing the seat. Zander on the other side of me tensed.
For millennia, demons were merely dead souls wandering the deepest of the abyss beyond the veil as punishment for wrongdoings they had committed in their lifetime. Then decades ago, a powerful rumble echoed across the land as the ground shook beneath thousands of feet.
The Guarded Sea that surrounded the veil suddenly parted, and an eerie red light seeped out from a crack in the massive gate. In that brief moment before the water returned to its place and sealed the gate once more, hordes of malevolent spirits flew out and scattered around the world at an alarming speed. These demon spirits attached themselves to unsuspecting hosts, stealing their minds and souls.
The strength of the sea had kept the gate closed and prevented more demons from entering the human world, as demons cannot cross water.
The monsters who slipped through had raped women with their stolen bodies, but they also learned to adapt to human culture. Eventually, the demons conquered the mortal world. Some even had families of their own.
Gorgo grinned, revealing knifelike teeth. “I’m so glad you’re all here. As Snow should have explained … Wait. Where’s Snow?”
“She couldn’t make it,” Tank ground out and gulped down ale. Then he purposely thumped the cup hard on the table.
Gorgo cracked a shell and tossed the peanuts into his mouth. “Anyway, the traitor is dead. He was spying for my brother. I tore his limbs piece by piece in front of my people. And I assure you, there will be no more traitors.” He met my gaze and lowered his chin. “I apologize for what you’ve been through. I tried to help by …” He jerked his chin at Zander. “Ensuring he found Levia. Without her help, you couldn’t have escaped.”
“About that.” Dawn scrunched her features. “Why did Levia agree to help us?”
Gorgo leaned back, the chair nearly tipping backward. “Before I went rogue, I made a deal with her. If I secured her a seat as one of the king’s captains, she would owe me a favor.”
“And you used the only favor on us?” Zander stole a glance at Gorgo’s minions, sitting by the bar at their table watching us.
