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Abigail made a gagging sound.

  "I saw a pool the size of my high school gym," she said flatly. "I am going swimming before whatever is after me catches up and kills me."

  I made for my bag and rummaged for a change of clothes.

  "Fine. We got to meet Gil there either way," I said. "I'm coming with you."

  "Hey, they have lobster here," Amaymon yelled. "I wanna find a place and clean 'em out."

  He wasn't joking. The guy could bankrupt a fast-food chain in a single night.

  I got changed and attached Amaymon's pendant to his collar. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror—swimming trunks, tank top and flip-flops. I looked like the tourist archetype. Unless you noticed the short sword wrapped in my beach towel and Amaymon's eyes. Then it was goodbye Fun Land and hello Horrorville.

  Abigail stood at the door with her hands on her hips. "Are you going to chaperone every move I make?"

  "Yes. Unless you have a death wish."

  "It's broad daylight," she said exasperatedly. "Every time I felt like I was being chased, it was at night. I mean, we're on a huge ship full of people. Relax for a second will you?"

  Ah, there it was. Defiance and ego weren't a good mix.

  Little Miss Succubus thought she was safe just because the sun happened to be up. She thought a crowd of tourists were going to keep her safe. Perhaps she thought herself powerful enough to control everything and everyone.

  What a freaking idiot.

  "So, you think you're okay on your own?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "I don't see any danger. And I can take care of myself."

  "Okay," I said. Time to show some tough love. I cocked my head slightly, in the cat's direction. "Amaymon."

  The cat disappeared.

  Amaymon, in his human form, leaned against the door, rubbing shoulders with her. Then he pushed. It wasn't a hard push—just the strength it took for a person to press a button, but Abigail was sent flying across the cabin and tumbled painfully.

  "Whatever is chasing you is not human," I said menacingly. She gave me a horrified look, one which I ignored.

  Tough love, Erik. Tough love.

  "They're probably around Amaymon's level of power," I said. "So, if you can deal with him, you're free to do whatever you wanna do."

  The demon hissed and bared his fangs. As he slowly walked toward her, his clawed fingers raked the air.

  Then I tapped his shoulder and stopped him.

  "But that may not be the case. Most likely there is someone pulling their strings," I said. "Like an evil wizard."

  I dropped my towel and sword, and approached her.

  "So, here's your chance," I challenged. "Charm me and make me call him off."

  The succubus got to her feet. I could feel her power flow from her body, like a heater left on for too long.

  "You're mine," she growled.

  I felt her power hit me and I actually stumbled. But I was ready for her.

  I used her power to fuel mine and my own aura flared. I might not be able to use magic, and I may not be the most competent wizard around, but if there was one thing I never lost at it was a cock fight.

  I had more raw power than most creatures I met. Even Amaymon recoiled when I cut loose, and he was as badass as they came. My energy reserves were so large that I could automatically heal from one death blow after another. My magic rendered me virtually immortal, and this little girl thought she could go toe-to-toe with me.

  My energy release actually drove her to her knees. I heard a faint scream escape her and she began shaking as I approached.

  I knelt next to her and allowed my aura to recede. The lesson was over.

  "I know you're scared," I told her gently. Tears flowed from her eyes. "I know this is a very scary world you’ve just stepped into and you don't get half of what's going on." I gently grabbed her hand. "You're not as helpless as you think you are, but you can't deal with these guys. This is way out of your league."

  Then I smiled, the same way my own teacher smiled when he saved my life. "But that's okay. We all need help once in a while. There's no shame in asking for it.”

  I helped her up and handed her a tissue. "I'm sorry for what just happened," I said.

  It was true. I hated having to rough people up and I especially hated making women cry. But it was either this, or watch her get killed.

  "We're on your side, Abigail," I reassured her. "I promise you, I will not let anyone or anything harm you. But you have to trust me."

  She hung her head.

  "I need to get stronger," she managed after a while. "Stronger and better. More control. I need to control this thing inside me." She tried a weak smile.

  "Control is good. Good judgment is good, too," I said.

  She nodded. "I won't be a pain again."

  "And I won't be such a douche," I replied.

  We both looked at Amaymon.

  "Hey, he made me do it," he said innocently. "I'm a victim here."

  It wasn't very convincing, especially with that grin of his and the villainous chuckle that followed.

  "Come on," I said as I rolled my eyes. "Let's go for that swim."

  Right before I followed Abigail out of the cabin I heard Amaymon mutter, "Hot babes and all the family comedy I could use. Man, I'm lovin' this already."

  Chapter 16

  I can't remember the last time I went on vacation. Probably because I've never been on vacation. Hunting supernatural monsters doesn't exactly pay well.

  Abigail was in the pool and, as usual, every person there was giving her way too much attention. Amaymon had settled at the bar and I really didn't want to know what he was up to. He could be spiking people's drinks for all I cared. He kept giggling as he watched people rushing to the bathroom.

  Hey, we all have our hobbies.

  I guess he got bored after a while because he came over to the deck chair I was lounging on and handed me a beer.

  "Why'd you do that?" I asked weakly.

  He slumped down next to me. "It amuses me."

  Our bottles clinked.

  "So, what time did your sister say she's gonna meet you?"

  "Should be in about an hour," I replied.

  But of course, Gil has her own timing.

  Her shadow cast over me and I opened my eyes to find her looming over me, wearing a summer dress and a pair of designer sunglasses that probably cost more than my car. Her platinum blonde hair glimmered under the sunlight.

  "Hello, brother," she said.

  "I think you meant one minute," Amaymon quipped.

  I sat up and made sure Djinn was still within reach. Hidden, but within reach.

  Abigail got out of the pool and approached us. I held my hand out and stopped her a few feet away from us.

  "No tricks," I told Gil.

  She held up her right arm. "No tricks," she said, rolling her eyes. "Scout's honor."

  I was about to point out that she was never in a Scout group, when Mephisto beat me to the punch.

  "Isn't this pleasant?" he said.

  Even on the ship, Mephisto was wearing his butler suit. Behind him I saw Gil's two angel flunkies in their FBI uniforms, and from far away you could almost mistake them for bodyguards.

  That would make my sister the celebrity. She certainly looked the part.

  "Why you gotta bring him here?" Amaymon complained. He was still lying on the deckchair, completely ignoring the arrival of either my sister, his brother or the angels. Instead, he just belched loudly.

  "Brother," Mephisto replied. "I could smell you from all the way ashore."

  "Don't piss me off, asshole. Last time I checked I can still kick your ass," Amaymon shot back.

  "Mere luck."

  "You wanna have another go?"

  Gil stepped in front of her familiar.

  "This is too much testosterone for my taste," she said before turning to Abigail. "Hi, I'm Gil. So sorry we didn't properly introduce ourselves last time."

  Abigail glared at her outstretched
hand and recoiled.

  Gil sighed. "Well, I guess there are some hard feelings after all."

  I crossed my arms. "So. Why are we meeting here?"

  Gil smiled. "Because it turns out we are both after the same thing."

  "You're not taking the girl," I insisted.

  Gil let out a bark of laughter. "Keep your precious succubus, Erik," she said. "I was referring to what is hunting her."

  "Huh. And what would that be?" I asked.

  A buzzing sound penetrated my head, like a faulty radio station struggling to get a clear signal.

  Not here, a voice rang in my head. It sounded exactly like the voice in my dream, the one that led me to Abigail and the start of this whole case.

  The angels, I thought. The sense of urgency I got from them told me they were about to share some seriously classified information—the apocalyptic kind.

  To hell with it. I was comfortable here, out in the open, where I had the advantage. No way was I trusting them.

  "No, I'm thinking here is just fine," I said. The buzzing stopped. "You guys better start speaking english because we are not having this conversation in white noise."

  "The information is too sensitive to be divulged freely."

  So, they could speak english.

  It was the one on the right who spoke, in that robotic way which reminded me of a badly edited sci-fi movie. They didn't ever move their stiff necks and only their lips went up and down.

  "Well, tough shit," I said. "You can either accept my terms or go back to whatever shit hole you came out of. Let your imaginary god listen to your whining."

  You know how you hear yourself say something and you know it's wrong but you just can't stop yourself? I've mouthed off people in the past and suffered repercussions. But these guys took that to a whole new level.

  The angels glowed brighter and brighter, like a pair of suns going supernova.

  "Speak not your Lord's name in vain." Their voices were like a megaphone in my head.

  Gil stepped in between us. “Zamiel, Escariel. There is no need for such drastic actions. He meant nothing by it." She was actually sweating.

  "The heathen must die for his actions," said one of them.

  Amaymon hopped to his feet. "Alright! It's been a while since I fucked up an angel. Let's rock."

  "Enough, both of you," Gil yelled. "Erik, control your familiar." Her magical aura flared.

  "You need him," she growled at the angels. "Think of the priorities."

  She actually got through to them and their glowing receded.

  Gil glared at me as she panted. "How about you do not anger the celestial beings?"

  "How about a new rule?" I suggested, talking directly to the angels. "No one fights, and we all go home in one piece. What do you say?"

  They nodded very slowly.

  "I could have taken them," Amaymon murmured. He sat down and actually sulked.

  "Okay, then," I said. "Let's hear it. What's after Abigail?"

  Both of them twisted their heads to look at each other. The edges of their sunglasses glowed like the corona around a sun during a solar eclipse. When they finally spoke their voice was one.

  "Lust."

  I stared at Gil, who had an equally befuddled expression on her face.

  "Come again?" I asked.

  "The Seven have taken physical manifestation," they said.

  I looked around. Maybe the others understood what was happening. Gil and Abigail just stared at the angels, waiting for the next clue.

  Good; for once I wasn't the only one not getting it.

  Mephisto and Amaymon simultaneously let out a quick bark of laughter, something which I took as a very bad omen.

  "The Seven?" I asked. "Seven what? Stars? Sisters? Cute little kittens? I bet it's not cute little kittens."

  "Try the Seven Deadly Sins," Amaymon said with a lopsided smile. "Pride, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, and Envy."

  "Why can't it ever be kittens?"

  "The Seven Deadly Sins?" Gil asked. "I thought they were just biblical symbols. Please, explain."

  "They are, Master Gil,” Mephisto replied. "They are simply a categorization of different ways humans fall. Essentially just an elaborate list, nothing more."

  "Then, what the hell are you guys on?" I asked, poking a finger at the angels.

  They did that weird robotic thing again, where they moved their heads together to look at me.

  "The Seven Deadly Sins are a categorization of human temptation. They are fueled by human energy despite being demonic in nature," they said.

  "And what's that got to do with everything?"

  "The Sins are energy, the foulest and most negative energy of all," explained the angels. "Now, they have been assimilated with certain high-level demons, giving the Sins a physical form."

  "Ah, come on," Amaymon countered. "You got any idea what sort of power that would take to make something that abstract into a reality?"

  The angels looked at him. "It would take far more power than all of us present here put together."

  "So, it's god-like power?" Abigail asked, speaking for the first time.

  "Your assimilation is not incorrect," they replied.

  "Oh, so that's what we're dealing with here?" I said. "An evil god who created seven super demons. So, why chase after Abigail?”

  "We do not know."

  "Any idea what they want?"

  "We do not know," they repeated.

  This was getting irritating. "What do you know?"

  "If the Sins are allowed to roam free, then this plane will no longer be in equilibrium. Evil will reign and this world will become a second Hell," said the angels.

  "Hey, don't knock it," joked my familiar. "We throw great parties."

  "Under no circumstances is the balance to tip over," they continued. "We will send an envoy, a Virtue who may counter the Sin, in order to preserve balance."

  "An envoy?" I echoed.

  That didn't sound right. It looked to me like they were trying to do us a favor and make us owe them. And these guys were sure to come collect.

  That's how invasions usually start.

  "What if we reject this envoy?" I asked.

  Everyone turned to look at me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the angels. This conversation was feeling more and more like a Mexican standoff.

  "Then, the Sin of Lust will win and the world will be that much closer to ending. If one Sin is allowed to spread its corruption, it will be easy for the following Sins to spread as well. It is time to choose, Erik Ashendale, between your stubborn pride and the fate of the world."

  Ouch. Schooled by an angel.

  "That is all we can divulge."

  They shimmered for a minute and then just froze. It was as if someone had pressed the reboot button on these guys, and a split second later, both of them fell silent again.

  "I don't like this," I said.

  "Which part?" Gil asked. "The unknown enemy or the waiting?"

  "There must be something we're overlooking," I continued. "The angels said the Sin needs a demon to host it, right?"

  She nodded.

  "Then, it makes sense to have a demon compatible with the Sin."

  "Just like when creating a channel," she said knowingly.

  "Exactly," I said. "So, we gotta figure out which demon is most compatible with Lust. Kill the host, kill the Sin. Right?"

  "Theoretically it makes sense," Gil agreed.

  "Could it be another succubus?" Abigail suggested.

  "Nah, I'd smell her from a mile away," Amaymon said.

  "Yes. The demon will be ancient and powerful," Mephisto added. "Something terribly powerful, even without the Sin's power."

  "I can only think of one legend that fits that description," Gil said. "Lilith."

  "The Mother of all Demons," Mephisto growled.

  The two demons hissed and tensed up.

  "Lilith?" I asked. "Anyone care to fill me in?"

  "She is known as the Mother of a
ll Demons," Gil explained. "According to the legends, she ruled paradise and was cast down into the darkness when she became too lustful and rebellious. She gave birth to the Alphas, the ancestors of most of today's demons. Legend says that all demons are related to Lilith and she alone populated Hell."

  "Is that true?" I asked Amaymon.

  He nodded. "Before she came along, Hell wasn't even the Hell you know. It was just a nascent place and we were still forming it. Then, she came along and a horde followed in her wake." He bared his fangs in a smile. "They were no match for us of course, but after a while we learned to coexist. Hell was formed and the rest is history."

  "We also know her as the First," Mephisto added.

  "The first what?" I asked.

  He gave me a significant look. "The First," he stressed.

  I understood him then. Lilith, the first person to walk the Earth. The first human, or maybe one of our distant cousins. The first one to fall into the dark side.

  Lilith—God's firstborn.

  And judging by the stories told, the first woman ever scorned.

  "So, we are up against the motherlode." I sighed at my own pun. "Quite literally."

  I slumped back down on my deck chair and found my beer. It had gone warm by now.

  "How do I beat her?" I looked around, hoping that between the two ancient demons and my genius twin sister, someone could provide me with a tangible answer.

  That was all I needed right now. I was a hunter through and through—show me a monster's weakness and I'll bring back a corpse.

  Gil withdrew inside her own head, probably recalling every detail she had ever read on the subject. Mephisto's expression was blank and cold like a sheet of ice. Amaymon scratched his head absentmindedly, something he only did when genuinely worried.

  That, more than anything, sent me spiraling downwards.

  Amaymon was a rock. He never got nervous or worried about anything. He was just that powerful. If this demon was worrying him, then my chances of survival were slim to none.

  "This ain't your run-of-the-mill demon, Erik," he said without his usual swagger.

  "I know," I snapped. "Just tell me, what is she?"

  Mephisto cleared his throat. "That is still unknown to us. But she is capable of magic, even creation. Perhaps an ancient, purer form of the human prototype?"

  "Or perhaps the people in chapter one of the Bible ain't people after all," Amaymon suggested, "but some sorta gods."