“All right,” I agreed. “Be careful, Lilith. I also made Katila more insane.”
“You what?” Her eyes widened.
“I was trying to use my magic against him.” I waved my hand. “Never mind; the point is, he's really going to be acting erratically and irrationally.”
“His desire for power will focus him,” Lilith said confidently. “In that, I think we can expect certain behavior. We know that he won't be able to resist the allure of my demon soul, and we know he has to approach the possessed woman to collect it. So, he will come, and he will come close. That's all we need.”
“I hope you're right,” I said grimly.
Chapter Forty-Three
The next morning, Samael showed up bright and early. Azrael would be staying at the house in France with Samael and Lilith until Katila was caught, but the rest of us would be taking shifts. The first shift would be Odin, Trevor, Re, fifteen Intare, and myself.
Samael had a picture of the house on his phone and that was all we needed to trace there. After arriving, we checked out the house and the surrounding area before settling in. It was a traditional French country house with a little garden out back and enough acreage between it and its neighbors to ensure that any battle sounds wouldn't be heard. There were four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen to cover.
We planned on staying invisible until the fighting began. A couple of lions were stationed outside and the rest of us were spread throughout the house. Azrael and Samael would be with Lilith the entire time, but we wanted to make sure that if Katila pulled something unexpected, we could counter it.
Lilith was being kind to her host; there was no reason not to be. She might have to put on a show when Katila arrived, but she had prepared her host's mother for that. The old woman seemed sturdy and capable, with a stern resolve that reeked of desperation. She had a beautiful home and seemed to be well-off, but I had the feeling that things weren't so perfect below the surface. How could they be? People don't barter with the Devil for funsies. But, whatever her reasons were, the woman kept them to herself and handled herself with the composure of a survivor. I hoped that she and her daughter survived this as well.
“The local priest just called,” Samael said as he strode into the bedroom. “They've got an exorcist who just so happened to have come to town this morning. He's on his way.”
“That was fast,” I muttered as everyone jumped into action.
I shouldn't have been surprised; it had only taken a few hours for Katila to find his last victim. Put into that light, he was late.
Lilith ran to the bathroom and mussed up her hair and then splashed water on her face; ruining her make-up. She looked horrid when she crawled back onto the bare bed. The room was already prepared; broken items strewn about, curtains torn and hanging lopsidedly, and blankets cast aside. Basically, it looked nearly as bad as Lilith.
I turned to Trevor and saw the Wolf. Not just in the background; he was in control. Trevor knew he needed the Wolf's predator nature now, and he'd given him free rein. I smiled at him, and the Wolf pulled me into a quick, searing kiss.
“This time he dies,” the Wolf whispered in my ear. “We strike with Azrael, and we kill him together.”
I nodded and eased back against the wall. The Wolf drew away from me slowly; holding my hand until the distance became too great. Then we all settled into our places and went invisible.
When the knock finally came at the front door, we were ready and waiting. Azrael was posed behind the headboard; scythe looming over Lilith's head. Samael was at the foot of the bed, Odin was to the left, Re waited near the door, and I was to the right with the Wolf.
The possessed woman's mother led Katila into the room; muttering things in French with a worried tone. She even wrung her hands. Not bad; although, I'm sure most of her anxiety was real. She knew what Katila really was, and that we'd—hopefully—be killing him soon. One way or another, there was about to be a murder in her home.
Beside the quivering woman, Katila was dressed in a Catholic priest's robe and clutched a bible to his chest. Around his neck there hung a golden rope instead of the normal priest stole. It had the shine of magic to it. I fastened my eyes on it; it had to be the Pasha. If I could snatch that cord as Azrael swung, victory would be guaranteed.
I eased in behind Katila as he moved toward the bed. He was speaking to the mother in French so I didn't understand him, but it sounded like your basic reassurances. Katila motioned her out of the room—I was glad for that—and then closed the door and locked it. His eyes had an insane gleam to them as he approached Lilith. She was moaning and growling and foaming at the mouth; gross enough to fool me. When Katila got close, she spat at him and pulled her legs to her chest defensively.
“I know who you are,” she hissed. “You aren't getting my soul, you bastard!”
Katila laughed in surprise, which was just what we were hoping for. We wanted to reassure him and throw him off his game at the same time. He'd never think that we'd acknowledge who he was if we were there to trap him.
“So, you know what I'm here for,” Katila said as he eased closer. “And you know that you're not strong enough to fight me; especially not in that body.”
“You'll have to catch me
