off first. He closed the distance in a single leap, the blade flashing in a wide X before me. I felt a slight tug at my chest as I jumped back to avoid being cut open. Still reaching for my pistols, my hands came up empty. At the same time, I felt something slide down the back of my legs and land with a soft thump on the ground. Unable to slow my momentum, I tripped over the gun belt whose straps had been severed, and tumbled backward. I caught my balance after stumbling about five feet. Like a bad joke, my guns sat on the ground, splitting the distance between us. I could see the faint outline of a smile beneath his mask.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I was getting real tired of being the catcher. The assassin, on the other hand, was clearly still in the mood to pitch. He dove forward, whipping his blade toward me. I caught his wrist and answered with a quick, inside uppercut. He tucked his chin and took the shot without flinching.
Just my luck, the guy knew how to fight. A straight kick reinforced that fact. His foot caught me in the solar plexus and sent me head-overheels down the hill. Before I could adjust and turn my body into the roll, my head smacked the ground, all my weight behind it. Spots flashed before my eyes and the next thing I knew, I was laying face down on the cold, cement sidewalk.
I rolled over and hopped to a squat just in time to catch a boot to my jaw. Something phlegmy and wet spewed from my mouth as my head snapped to the side. The searing white light of pain blinded me as I spun about to land hard on my back. Dazed, I was beginning to think I wasn’t winning the fight. I opened my eyes as the assassin came to stand over me. My blurry gaze met his. I could feel the savage coldness in his eyes. He intended to finish the job.
“Who?” I asked, hoping for a second to catch my breath.
He waggled a finger at me and wrapped his hand around my throat, holding me in place. He lowered the knife toward me slowly, making sure I knew it was coming. That’s when I got a good look at it. It was a long boot knife and down its length was carved a series of magical runes. I recognized it instantly. It was the same one Eenie had used on me earlier.
“Veronica,” I muttered, his hand doing more to hold me down than choke me. Her name dripped off my tongue like bile. The assassin just nodded and tapped the tip of my nose with the blade. Bingo. Anger rose up in me like a volcano, blasting away the cobwebs in its fiery wake. I held it in check until the assassin’s blade neared my eye, then I exploded. Both hands wrapped around his knife wrist and I bucked my hips like he was the best lay I’d ever had. With every ounce of strength I could muster, I wrenched his arm to the side and swept him. He slammed onto his back and I mounted him, sitting on his chest and locking my legs together underneath to keep him there. I twisted his wrist even further, leveraging my weight behind it. The knife slipped free of his hand and bounced off down the sidewalk as I bent his arm backward. I heard a muffled snap as I dislocated his shoulder. He was a tough son of a bitch because he didn’t even cry out, but I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew I had him.
I didn’t wait for him to recover. Like Chuck Liddell on a tear, I started teeing off, raining down punches in bunches. He took the first two well enough, thrashing to get out from under me, but my third shot shattered his nose. He let out a moist grunt as blood squirted up from beneath the mask and blinded one of his eyes. I didn’t let up. I kept banging away, my fists smashing into his face like sledgehammers, until I felt his resistance cease. I hit him a few more times after that just to be sure, his consciousness having faded about twenty seconds earlier.
Not content to simply avoid being assassinated, and feeling mighty vindictive, I got up off the guy and went to retrieve the knife.
“Try to kill me, will ya?”
I walked back over and slammed the blade into his chest without hesitation, piercing his heart. His eyes popped open and he stared up at me, his throat rattling, trying to voice his surprise. Nothing came out. I could hear the sizzle of his blood and see it bubbling black where the blade entered. I snarled and pulled the hood from his head. While I didn’t recognize the guy, it was more than clear he was a demon, a minor one, but a demon nonetheless.
“See you in Hell.” I laughed, amending my statement. “Oh yeah, no I won’t. You won’t be going back. You’re dead forever.” I leaned in closer, pressing my mouth to his ear. “Hope that bitch was worth it.”
I stood up and spit on him as he twitched his last. I saw his chest heave once and settle, his final breath expended. Less than a second later, I felt my skin tingle while the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. A sudden warm flush ran the length of my body. I moaned as the feeling, way too pleasurable given the circumstances, set in. Thinking I’d been poisoned or something, my whirling mind raced along with my pulse. My crotch throbbed and felt like it was gonna explode. That’s when I realized what was happening. I was experiencing a soul transfer.
I stood still for a minute, letting the transfer run its course. I could feel it burning through my veins, passing on the assassin’s strength and vitality, his very essence. My pains were pushed into the background, only to disappear a moment later. When it was all said and done, I felt better than I ever had before. No wonder demons got off on killing one another. It was like taking a handful of Viagra and getting a sloppy hand job from Jessica Alba. I wanted more.
Before I could get too carried away with my analogies, a black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows rolled up and stopped a short distance from me. I grumbled to myself and took a deep calming breath as I waited to see what was next. A second later, I had my answer. The doors swung open and Baalth and Marcus stepped from the vehicle. Marcus, of course, Page 94 had his gun out, pointed in my general direction. Baalth clapped. “Well done.” He gestured to the body on the sidewalk. “You’re no longer a virgin. You’ve popped your soul transfer cherry.”
“While you sat there and watched. How naughty of you.” I was starting to think Baalth had a hand in the attempts on my life. While the assassins, both the longhairs and the demon fellow, had confirmed it was Veronica, I imagined she wasn’t doing it alone. There was too much going on around Baalth for it all to be coincidence. I’m no firm believer in serendipity. He shrugged. “If you can’t handle a lowly demon by yourself, you’re not worth saving.”
I ignored him and snatched the blade, wiping the blood off on the corpse’s shirt. I slipped it into my waistband, making a show of it. I glared at Marcus, testing his resolve. He stared back without flinching.
“Relax, Frank. You called me, remember? I’m not here to fight.” He waved Marcus off, sending him back to the SUV. As his goon returned to the vehicle, he gestured for me to walk with him. “There, now tell me why we’re here.”
I sighed, putting my suspicion away for the moment. It wouldn’t make things easier. “Asmoday has captured an angel and has been using him to draw power from the Demonarch.”
A quiet hiss, and almost silent drawing of breath, was his only reaction. That was the only time
I’d ever seen Baalth appear even remotely concerned. It lasted only a quarter second before he regained his composure. In that instant, I learned an awful lot about what we were facing.
“Continue.”
I did. “As I’m sure you’ve figured out, he’s going to use that power to come after you.”
“So, what do you want from me? I’ve already engaged Asmoday. As we speak, my men are seeking out his and wreaking as much havoc as we can without drawing human law enforcement attention.”
That was demon-speak, which meant he was doing only just enough to fulfill his contract to me, and not a pubic hair more.
Even knowing what Asmoday intended, and its consequences for him personally, Baalth still played the role of uninvolved. Gotta hand it to him, he was one smooth operator. Even on his death bed, he’d be wracking up favors. I turned to face him so he could see how angry I was.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Baalth. This isn’t some petty coup attempt you can put down with guns and goons. Asmoday has drawn so much power from the Demonarch the dimensional walls are crumbling in its wake.” I saw his eyes narrow. It was clear he hadn’t noticed, or hadn’t realized the extent of the damage. “The fact he hasn’t already butchered the angel and stolen his soul to come after you tells me he Page 96 intends to draw even more. It’s likely his next attempt will shatter the wall and free the dimensions to merge. What then?”
He didn’t answer.
“Fine, I’ll tell you what.” I poked my finger into his chest. He took it well. I didn’t lose it. “Heaven and Hell will flood into Earth and all of creation will explode with war. Everything you’ve worked for since Lucifer disappeared will be washed away. If you survive, big if, you’ll be beholden to Asmoday as he’ll have the biggest dick in this pissing contest of yours. How do you think he’s gonna treat you after all you’ve done to thwart him? Let me tell you how. You’re gonna be his bitch. I hope you like taking it up the ass, buddy, because that’s how it’s gonna be from here on out.“You finished?” Baalth put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows. His eyes glowered at me. I could feel
