Renegade (Heven and Hell #4)(15)
Author: Cambria Hebert

We continued to fly over houses and buildings. I spotted a few inhabitants—they were all demons of course. But it was shocking to see how they were essentially living… It was almost civilized.

Where are we?

The buildings began to grow fewer and farther between, and then I noticed how a river also ran through this part of hell, bubbling and moving along at a snail’s pace. We followed it for a while and then I saw where it led.

To a castle.

The river surrounded the castle like a moat, and the residence jutting up from the center reminded me of the ice castle Superman lived in. It was all jagged edges and black stone. Some parts rose higher than the others, creating an uneven look. I wasn’t sure if there were windows, but we weren’t yet close enough for me to tell. There was an overly large drawbridge lying across the moat, creating a path to the humungous double doors that looked to be made of steel.

This must be the home of one of the seven Princes.

Each must have their own land that they dominate.

I wondered who dominated this part.

I dug my heels into the dragon and he gave a snort, dropping from the sky again until I thought he was going to plummet into the ground, leaving me broken and bloody. Just at the last possible second, he snapped out his wings and sank ever so gently to the ground.

“Showoff,” I muttered.

In response, a row of razor-sharp teeth were thrust in my face as I climbed off the bird. “If that’s your idea of a smile, let me inform you about this little thing called a dentist.”

I must have offended him because he flew away.

Whatever.

I began snooping around the land, looking for clues as to whose place this might be. Not that I would know the difference. We really needed to make a list of all these dudes. I knew a couple already. Let’s see… There was Leviathan, of course. One wouldn’t forget the backbreaker. Of course, Beelzebub, the bane of all our existences, and I had heard a few of the demons at my castle whispering about Mammon and some dude with a name that started with As… I just thought of him as Ass, because no doubt he was one.

There was no one moving around the castle, which irritated me because I couldn’t find out what I wanted to know. I decided to do what any good neighbor would do and just ring the doorbell.

I crossed the wide drawbridge, noting that the moat was stocked with demons, and then approached the front door. Shame there was no doorbell. I raised my hand to knock and the door swung open, revealing a demon in a suit and tie.

“Who are you?” the demon asked, looking me over.

“I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

“Do you have business with Leviathan?”

Figures. It was the backbreaker’s castle. “Actually, I do.” I lied, looking past him into the castle, which was completely lit up—with lights.

I pushed past the demon and walked into the expansive foyer, noting the marble tiles on the floor, the huge black chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, and a staircase that had been carved out of granite and polished until I could see my reflection.

This place made my castle look like a dump.

“Wait here. I will tell the master you have arrived.” The demon took himself off into probably what was another fancy room.

Of course, I didn’t listen to him. I wandered through a large room with a fireplace, a desk, and paused beside a large flat-screen TV. I shook my head sadly. All this time I could’ve been watching football.

How had he pulled all this off? Electricity, nice furniture, television. Why didn’t Beelzebub have any of this?

There was a door off the room I was in so I opened it and looked inside. I think my jaw hit the floor. It was a showroom. For Harleys.

I rushed into the room, taking in every chrome and leather detail of fully restored Harley Davidson Motorcycles from just about every year. Man, they were sweet. I’d always wanted a motorcycle.

Heavy footfalls from behind had me looking over my shoulder as Leviathan entered the room. “It is you,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Nice place you got here,” I said.

“You weren’t invited.”

“Sure I was. Your little demon there”—I motioned to the one who let me in and hovered at door watching—“told me to make myself at home.”

Leviathan’s eyes flared and he turned an accusing stare on the demon who shook his head profusely. “No, no, that’s—” He didn’t get a chance to finish because he was incinerated where he stood. I stared at the small pile of dust.

“That was harsh,” I said.

Leviathan swung back to me. “What do you want?”

“Well, really, I stumbled upon this place by accident, but now that I’m here, you can explain something to me.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“How in the hell do you have electricity and TV?”

He smiled. “Are you envious?” That idea seemed to please him. Then I remembered another little fact about the seven Princes. They each encompassed one of the seven deadly sins. Leviathan’s must be envy.

“Just because those things aren’t important to Beelzebub doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t enjoy such luxuries.”

“But how?”

“You just saw me incinerate my servant with the flick of my hand and you ask me how?”

“So you have all this through your power?”

He nodded.

I knew Beelzebub was collecting power. Leviathan said as much when he stormed my castle. He’d been greedy in collecting it. He must be saving it because his land was derelict and primitive. So what exactly was he planning to do with it all?

It all came back to the stolen souls and the power they generated.

“Where are the stolen souls?” I asked, gauging the Prince’s reaction.

His face snapped up to mine. “What do you know about the souls?” His voice was deadly quiet.

“I know they’re here, somewhere in hell, chained to the floor.”

His eyes narrowed and suspicion vibrated off him in waves. “Is that why you’re here? Do you seek the power of the souls for yourself?”

I would go with that. Better than him knowing I wanted to help set them free.

Then he turned thoughtful. “I’ve heard murmurings of the Soul Reaper being found.” He pinned me with an intense stare. “Are you him?”

So the others didn’t know about Heven. The only one who knew her identity was Beelzebub. Interesting.

“Never heard of him.” I replied. “Well, I should be going,”