Page 71 of Widow

Chapter 17

Lucifer

My heart stopped. I brought my hand to the force field the shaman had erected around him and Lia. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.

I flew over the mountains, searching for signs of him. He wouldn't be hard to find once I was in the general vicinity. He exuded power, unlike any I had felt in Inferna.

The faint buzz of magic made my stomach churn, and I landed on a flat expanse that was covered in trees. I took a few calming breaths and then pushed forward.

He was no better than Lilith. He took what she offered, no matter the consequences.

I came to a clearing that had a vast lake in the center. Right in the middle, hovering over the water, cross-legged, was the shaman.

I stopped and rubbed my eyes. The water was clear, not red like the rest of the water in Inferna. It had to be an illusion.

"Lucifer." His eyes were still shut as he started drifting towards me. "You've interrupted my meditation."

I backed up several steps as he approached. Once he was over solid ground, he put his legs down and stood. His eyes opened, and I bit my inner cheek. His eyes were glowing purple.

Not one for pleasantries, especially with this man, I cut to the chase. "I need your help getting a Widow demon out of a human. Consider it retribution for your indiscretions." I tried to keep my voice from shaking, but it was damn near impossible as images of my arms being sliced up came back to me.

"Retribution would mean I had a choice. I owed a debt. That was my payment." His head tilted slightly. "This human, do you love her?"

I kept my mouth shut. The last thing I needed was for him to know my feelings. Feelings were weaknesses. "Will you help, or not?"

"Help comes with a price."

I lunged for him and grabbed him by the throat. He blinked as if he were bored as I lifted him off the ground.

"Your price means nothing to me. You almost cost me my daughter. My life. That is your price." My jaw ached as I clenched my teeth with each word that left my mouth.

I shoved him away from me, and he landed perfectly on his feet. He rubbed his neck and cleared his throat. "I will help you."

I let out the breath of air I had been holding in, relief flooding my body.

"A Widow possession in a human, though?" He shook his head slightly. "I am capable of a lot, but if the woman has allowed the Widow to take over too much control..."

“Do it.” I could read lips. I knew what she was telling him to do. I knew why she had looked at each and every one of us and said, “I love you.”

The shaman rose to his feet. He was gathering energy in the palms of his hands. Lia rolled over onto her back. She squeezed her eyes shut, and her mouth opened in a wail.

My heart broke. Over and over again, it broke. It was painful being so helpless.

Ric started pounding on the side of the protective barrier again. His knuckles were already bloodied. I wanted to scream for him to stop, but it was no use. There was nothing we could do.

I kept my eyes on her.

The shaman formed a perfect ball of energy and sent it to her chest. She jerked on the ground before falling still, her face relaxing. A small wisp of white light left her and hovered near the top of the dome, waiting to get out. Her soul.

The shaman stood over her. Watching. Waiting. And then the Widow slowly worked its way out of Lia’s body.

I put my hands on my knees and retched. Nothing came up, but bile burned my throat. Kai stood silent next to me, a blank expression on his face.

I turned my head toward the shaman as he sent another ball of energy at the spider. It was over in a heartbeat. She shriveled in on herself, rolled over onto her back, and she was gone.

They were both gone.

The shaman bent down and closed Lia’s eyes. He hung his head for a moment and then stood. He turned towards the three of us and dropped the barrier that had closed them off from us. Lia's soul floated up and away.

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