Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3), Percival Constantine [electric book reader .txt] 📗

that their lord wouldn’t lift a finger to find who betrayed them?”

“That sounds like a threat, little demoness.” Beelzebub’s gaze drifted back to Cross. “Izzz this how you conduct your business, King? You wish to threaten one of The Fallen with a public smear campaign?”

Cross held up his hands. “Hey now, nobody’s threatening anything. What Mara is saying is that you do a lot of work for your subjects.”

“Oh yes, indeed I do,” said Beelzebub.

“And any good ruler knows that he has to protect his subjects. Should they be killed, a good ruler would see to it that the murderers are brought to justice,” said Cross. “So I guess the real question is what kind of ruler are you, Beelzebub?”

“Or perhaps there’zzz another explanation,” said Beelzebub. “The Morningstar may have staged his disappearance.”

“What are you saying?” asked Mara. “Why would he do that?”

“He has been somewhat unstable,” said Beelzebub. “And it isn’t azzz if he has always had our best interests at heart. After all, he has had a tendency to sell out his own kind on more than one occasion. Lilith would know something about that, would she not?”

Lilith stiffened, but managed to keep her discomfort hidden. “I’ve made peace with the role Lucifer had in my confinement. He’s done damage, there is no denying that. But if we’re going to begin to repair that damage, we first need to find him.”

“And who can we trust thozzze repairs to?” Beelzebub pointed an appendage at Cross. “The son of a traitor who wazzz appointed as Lucifer’s successor?”

“You’re starting to hurt my feelings there, Bee,” said Cross. “Keep this up, I just might forget to invite you to my birthday party.”

“Your taunts matter little to me, half-breed,” said Beelzebub.

The color drained from Mara’s face as a revelation hit her. Beelzebub’s tone had grown increasingly combative. The demon had become like a cornered animal, willing to bite any who came near. And that was telling.

“It wasn’t one of your people,” said Mara. “It was you.”

“What nonsense is this?” asked Beelzebub, and then turned his ire on Lilith. “Control your subject, woman!”

Lilith cast a questioning glance at Mara’s direction. With her expressions, she was asking whether her former guard was positive of this. Mara gave a nod to indicate her certainty. And for Lilith, Mara’s confidence was enough.

“Mara is one of the finest demons in all of Hell. Her honor is above reproach. It’s why I sent her to represent my interests on Earth,” said Lilith. “If she believes this, then so do I.”

“And you, half-breed king?” asked Beelzebub. “Where do you stand on these accuzzzations?”

“I’d prefer some solid evidence, but I’d say the fact that you keep trying to insult me right to my face isn’t really convincing me you’re on the level,” said Cross.

“Then I’d say our business izzz concluded.”

Beelzebub’s gossamer wings hefted his form off the throne and he held his arms out to the side. His appendages lit up with hellfire, which quickly left his body and surrounded the trio in a circle of flames that almost reached the ceiling.

“I was one of the first to join Lucifer’s rebellion,” said Beelzebub. “I did my part to keep him honest, to keep him true to his mission. But he wazzz more interested in maintaining the status quo, in placating the angelzzz he still clearly wanted to be with.”

“If you think any of that’s true, then you know nothing about the Morningstar,” said Mara.

“Don’t patronizzze me, child,” said Beelzebub. “Lucifer spent eonzzz in Hell, hiding in his tower and resisting the influence of this glorious place. But I, on the other hand, embraced the power of Hell like no other. If there wazzz to be a new King of Hell, it should have been me.”

“So what, you’re the guy behind what’s happening in the Badlands? Trying to stage a revolution?” asked Cross.

“Hardly, I’m simply taking advantage of the situation,” said Beelzebub. “Raum is just a meanzzz to an end.”

“Raum, of course…” muttered Lilith before casting a glare in Mara’s direction. She still had sore memories from when Raum had attempted to overthrow her rule. And with Lucifer’s recklessness cracking open Cocytus, now he was back to cause more problems.

“You’re dumber than you look, Bee,” said Cross. “You think Raum’s interested in sharing power with you?”

“Hardly, but he will prove a useful pawn for now,” said Beelzebub. “And then, once the time is right, I’ll eliminate him and claim my destiny as the true King of Hell!”

“Yeah, fuck all that.” Cross plunged his hands into the flames. His red eyes began crackling with power behind his sunglasses. The flames started flowing from the circle and into his arms, becoming absorbed by his body. Soon, the hellfire circle was gone, but now Cross had become engulfed by the hellfire. It was so much that he had trouble containing it within his body.

The power was a lot for the cambion to take in. It forced him to his knees and Beelzebub watched with joy on his face.

“You can’t do it!” cackled the Hell Lord. “You’re too weak, half-breed! Not even the blood of Abraxas could overcome the frailty of that whore human who birthed you!”

Cross’s anger reached its peak at that comment. The flames started to subside and though his movements were slow and faced a great deal of resistance, he managed to push himself up on one knee. Then he started to stand.

“No…impossible…” muttered Beelzebub, his eyes widening with fear. “You’re nothing more than a half-breed, you shouldn’t be capable of resisting the power of The Fallen!”

“Bitch, I went toe-to-toe with the Angel of Death and walked away,” said Cross. “So clearly you have no idea who you are fucking with.”

Cross channeled Beelzebub’s hellfire into his palms and redirected it at the Hell Lord. Beelzebub was quickly immolated by his own power and screamed in terror at the pain as the flames seared his black soul.

“Stop!” said Mara, grabbing Cross’s arm. He looked at her and she was startled to see the demon