Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(92)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Like I said, she has serious mojo.” Cole leaned close to Heven to whisper loudly.

Gemma nodded. “They might have taken my wings and banished me from Heaven, but I still have some powers. This is one of them.”

“Will he live?” I asked, desperate.

“I don’t know. But this will help him,” Gemma said, standing up.

“Take him out of here. Take him back to my apartment, please,” I asked.

Gemma nodded. Heven reached into her pocket and pulled out two Lucent Marbles. “I only found two; the third one is gone.”

“It’s all we need,” I said, staring down at Logan, who was still unconscious. What would this do to him when he woke up? Would he remember what happened? Would he ever be the same?

“I’ll get him home safely and watch over him,” Gemma promised. She looked at Cole.

“I’m staying with them. They’re going to need the help.”

“Be careful. Beelzebub is very strong. If he is who you are up against, I would recommend just coming with me.”

“I’m not giving up. This guy has taken too much from me. He’s hurt too many people.” Heven placed her hand in mine.

Gemma nodded. She knew that I would never run from a fight.

I crouched beside Logan and brushed his hair from his forehead. “I’m so sorry. You’re going to be okay.”

He didn’t respond as I knew he wouldn’t. But something did happen. The ground began vibrating beneath my feet and there was a shrieking in the sky.

What now?

Heven gasped and pulled my arm, pulling me up away from Logan.

“Get back!” Gemma yelled, pushing at Cole.

I stared in shock as a humungous dragon lowered itself from the dark, ominous sky and landed on the ground beside Logan.

Heven

“No,” I whispered and started forward.

Sam pulled me back. “Are you crazy? Do you see the size of that thing?”

Yes, but if he understood what it wanted, he wouldn’t be pulling me back. I twisted free and ran forward. Sam followed with a muffled curse. The dragon seemed to ignore us as it leaned over Logan’s limp body and began opening its massive jaws. The whirring noise and a light sucking pulled at my clothes.

“No!” I yelled, coming to stand in front of the dragon.

Its golden eyes flicked to me. It opened its mouth wider.

“No!” I yelled, again, with all the force and strength I could.

Amazingly, the dragon closed its mouth and looked at me again.

“Good boy,” I said, feeling silly.

“Heven, come away now,” Sam begged, grabbing my hand. “I’ll get Logan.”

The dragon shrieked and roared, its putrid breath blowing us back. I pulled my hand away from Sam’s. The dragon eyed us suspiciously.

I watched it to see what it would do.

It nosed Logan’s body as if testing me.

“No!” I told it again.

It growled.

“Give me the bag,” I said to Sam.

“Heven…”

“The bag, Sam.”

He handed it over. Without taking my gaze from the dragon, I fished around inside and found what I wanted. I dropped the bag at my feet and loosened the wrapper around what I held.

“Are you serious, Hev?” Cole asked. Then to Gemma he said, “Is she serious?”

“I have no idea,” Gemma answered.

The dragon stared at me as I held up the prize. With a quick flick of my hand, I sent the Snickers bar at him. The dragon caught it and, without chewing, swallowed it whole.

“Good dragon,” I told it.

It opened its jaws and made a sound, almost like a response and showed me his teeth.

I stared at it as it turned and lumbered toward the dead demon’s corpse. It nosed it and then crouched over it and opened its mouth. Amazingly, its golden eyes looked up.

I nodded and stepped back toward Sam who was already running to scoop up his brother from the ground. “Watch,” I told everyone.

The dragon did his thing, opening his mouth and sucking what was left of the demons soul right out of him. When he was done, he looked up.

“What is that thing?” Cole asked, amazed.

“The Devourer,” I whispered.

The dragon looked at me before it flew away.

“It was going to do that to Logan?” Sam asked, tightening his hold on his brother and looking to the pile of ash that used to be the demon that used Logan’s body as a façade for its sinister identity.

“Yeah.”

He turned to Gemma. “Get him out of here.”

Gemma swiftly took Logan from Sam and asked me for a Lucent Marble, which I held out to her.

“Take care of him,” Sam told Gemma.

“Don’t worry about Logan. Take care of yourselves. At the first sign of real trouble, get out.”

Sam nodded and, without another word, Gemma threw the Lucent Marble down and it shattered. A swirling portal of fog appeared. Gemma didn’t hesitate to walk right through.

And then they were gone.

Sam, Cole and I looked at one another.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” I told Sam, feeling just awful about his brother.

“I suspected a demon since we got home from Rome. I brought him down here, hoping for some answers. I hadn’t expected all this though.” He sounded weary and I couldn’t blame him.

“Me either. I keep wondering who this Beelzebub guy is and why he’s gone to such great lengths to torture us.”

“That demon said he wants you, Heven. It isn’t just about the scroll anymore, but you too,” Cole said, his voice grim.

“Yeah, well, this guy is about to get a rude awakening,” Sam said, grabbing my hand, and we started walking again.

Nerves knotted my stomach as I anticipated the one I knew was waiting for me just beyond the rock. When at last he came into view, my breath caught. He wasn’t at all what I was expecting.

I knew him.

I watched as a fly circled his head and landed in his hair. I gasped in horror as I realized exactly what we had been missing this whole time.

Beelzebub was Henry. Henry was Beelzebub.

My mother was dating a demon.

*   *   *

Sam let out a roar and lunged at Beelzebub. He only laughed, flinging out his hand, and sent Sam flying backward onto the ground. Sam rebounded and stood, racing toward him again, but I caught his arm. Stop, he’s more powerful than we realized.

Sam didn’t lunge again, but I knew that he wanted to. I felt the restrained need in him to shift right there and fight.