Page 50 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
“Asmodeus,” the deep, husky female voice hisses.
A chill enters my bloodstream. Beneath the barmaid’s unremarkable visage, I glimpse the face of a sinfully beautiful woman with olive skin and red hair.
“Lilith,” I purr. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit from Your Highness?”
“To congratulate you on your escape, of course.”
Unlikely. I stare at her and wonder what the real reason is. Why now? After all these centuries, why finally reach out when she refused to answer any of my dark prayers? She left me to rot in that prison. I should kill her, just as I intend to kill this world. But now I’m curious.
“I must admit,” I drawl. “I’m a little disappointed there was no welcoming committee.”
“Well, as you can see, it’s rather difficult to come topside these days.”
My lips curve on one side. So it is as I suspected. The gates of Hell are still shut too tightly for anyone else to enter this realm. I may have been captive in a stone prison, but it seems that most of my brethren are also locked away.
“What do you want?” My tone darkens with the knowledge of my advantage. “If you’re asking for help crossing to this side, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait... perhaps as long as you made me wait.”
“Oh, come now, Azzy. You’re not angry about that still, are you? As you can see, I’ve been rather locked up too.”
My growl is a low rumble I don’t think she can hear. We’ve always had a precarious relationship. I scratch her back, and she scratches mine. I tempt her into original sin, and she... my memory blurs as I try to recall how she retaliated.
“How did you get out?” she asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I bite my forked tongue and weigh whether to reveal the truth. It’s not like she can use the same method without Raphael’s staff. I settle on, “I simply appeared here on this plane after your darling Leviathan took my place in the prison. Speaking of that... you wouldn’t happen to know why these Sinner people believe Leviathan was the Horseman of Pestilence, would you? Or that I’m War?”
Preposterous. Why in damnation would I ever be denigrated by such a label?
The smell of rancor bleeds through her host. “It’s because youarea horseman. The apocalypse has started.”
Laughter roars from my mouth before I can stop it. I laugh so hard that tears spring to my eyes. “Darling,” I chide. “I think theactualhorsemen will beg to differ.”
“They are... indisposed.”
I still. “And Lucifer?”
The barmaid’s blue lips stretch into the parody of a self-satisfied smile.
“Oh, you naughty queen,” I say, silently impressed. “You’ve gone and locked them up, haven’t you? Or killed them.”
Her shoulder lifts on one side. “They reigned for too long. Always gloating, never doing.”
“And now you reign, I suppose.”
“For eons,” she confirms. “Since you were imprisoned.”
My eyes narrow. What a coincidence. I try to recall details of the circumstances leading up to my downfall. There was Sarah. There were her seven husbands. There was my anger and hatred... and there was... Lilith, spurring me onward.
She and I were always competitors. The fact I had to be imprisoned for her to gain leadership grates. Just imagine where I would be now, what power I would hold, if I’d evaded Raphael’s wrath. If I’d let go of my obsession with Sarah. My fingers twitch at my side. If Lilith crosses into this realm, she’ll be a thorn in my side.
“The seal is still holding the gates of hell closed,” I point out.
“Not for long. The cracks are growing. Soon, we will all be out of our cages.”
My eyes narrow.Allout of their cages?
“Who else is here?” I ask. “Abbadon? Balthazar?”
“In the flesh like you? I’m afraid the answer is rather abysmal.” She pouts.
