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It’s smooth, sliding over my palate and down my throat with warming ease. “I can see why they like it.”
“Oh,” she chuckles, “the number of humans who’ve actually tasted this is considerably few. The wealthiest of the wealthy.”
“Yours, I’m sure.”
“Yes, well.” She smiles modestly, as if I’ve paid her a compliment. “When they make their sacrifices and offerings, what sort of Princess of Hell would I be to not provide them the finest earthly pleasures?”
I point at her face. “Caught you. Upholding the treaty, have you? Completely unaware of your spawns’ behavior, right? Never been here before?”
Agrat’s eyes flicker, her lips curving up slightly as she delicately holds her fingertips to her lips. “Oh my. I’ve said too much.”
I rest my elbow on the table, opening one side of my jacket. Instantly, the cold, weighted platinum hilt of my angelic sword appears in my hand. “No more games.”
The demon’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly. “Now, Zeph.”
“By the decree of His Everlasting Power and the order of the Heavenly Host, I cond—”
She reaches across the table and grabs my wrist. My skin burns beneath her hand. “Put your little light saber away, Zephaniel. You might kill me, and you might succeed in killing the others up here, but you will be overtaken.”
My grip on the hilt of my sword tightens. “You will die.”
Agrat smirks. “I’m certain I will one day. I’m an awful bitch. But not tonight. I promised you reconnaissance, and I’m a lady of my word.” She leans back in her seat, keeping her gaze on me, as if she expects me to attack.
“If this is a trick…”
“It’s not a fucking trick,” she says impatiently. “Listen, sure, I’ve enjoyed the benefits of the humans who’ve voluntarily come over to our side.”
“Voluntarily, my ass,” I spit. “You’ve corrupted the wealthy on this planet who might otherwise have used their resources for good. Instead, you and your filthy master slither into their ears, promising them untold power and money if they’ll only recruit as many souls as possible. The entirety of the entertainment industry belongs to Hell—why? Because everyone loves entertainment.”
“We have nothing to do with how the vast majority of humans choose to pass their time,” she says, folding her hands on the table.
“You do,” I say flatly. “You’ve infiltrated every facet of it using the wealthy humans as your pawns. It’s nothing but a pyramid scheme. The biggest, grandest pyramid scheme of human existence.”
“Trust me, those wealthy humans, you wouldn’t want them anyway.” She gives me a blithe smile. “Just awful, the lot of them. Long ago, someone came to believe Satan was the one true god, the real king of existence, and built a cult based on that. Turns out, he was convincing enough to get plenty of other humans to believe him, and they’ve lasted through generations.They’vesoughtus, not the other way around. Effectively, they’ve done what the treaty was designed to do—let the humans choose a side. There’s nothing in there that says how they should be handled once they’ve done that. If they come to us of their own free will wanting a relationship…why shouldn’t we take the opportunity?”
I know the treaty forward, backward, in every language that has ever existed, and she’s correct. The treaty makes no mention of what happens to humans once they’ve picked a side.
“The treaty is clear about demons remainingoffEarth,” I say softly. “This is a clear, blatant violation of that. You can’t argue it.”
“Fine. You’re right about that,” Agrat replies. “And you and those other pigeons floating around in the sky will never be able to do anything about it.”
“Then we’ll go to war.”
“Seems hasty.” She eyes me. “My dearest love, do please drink your bourbon and calm yourself.”
Before I can reply, a woman’s scream pierces the air.
A human woman.
I’m on my feet before I’m even aware of what I’m doing, my sword out, the incandescent light of Heaven covering its blade. There’s no hiding now, as demons catch sight of me. Their black eyes go wide as they stumble out of their chairs. Some turn and run. Others launch themselves at me.
Fools.
I slash and stab at them, swinging my sword as my wings unfurl themselves to their full span. The demons I cut down erupt into boiling, bloody black tar and seep into the floor with a hiss of steam. They’re not going back to Hell; they’re wiped from existence.
I’m faintly aware of Agrat yelling my name as I stalk into a back corridor that reveals several rooms. A peek inside one to track down the human tells me these rooms are lavish torture chambers available for the right price.
Another agonized scream rips through the hall.
