Page 37 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 14
Bartol
Of all the places in the world Bartol would rather not be, Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles reached near the top of his list. In the late afternoon, it was crowded, stifling, and the traffic was heavy. Too many people filled the sidewalks, making him want to run far and fast. The myriad of human scents crowded his nose, and the noise from their chatter made his head hurt.
He wished he could leave and would have preferred to be with his mate, but he didn’t have a choice. Poor Cori had been more than upset when he’d given her the news he’d be going away for a while. The guilt clawed at his heart. Bartol needed to be there for her more, but he was at a loss as to how to be the man she required. He was being pulled in too many directions. Part of him wanted to hide away from everyone in the remotest place on Earth he could find, another wanted to stay at his mate’s side and be there for the baby, and the last recognized he must work for the archangel if he was to keep the deal with Jeriel. How had his life become this complicated? It had been terrible in Purgatory, but it had also been simple. There were no responsibilities other than to endure and survive.
He narrowly sidestepped a group of tourists taking up most of the sidewalk. So many people happily made their way along with no idea the danger they faced. In the last two days, he and Raguel captured more than two dozen demon hosts. It was far worse than they’d imagined, and the problem continued to grow. It had to stop, but unfortunately, none of the ones they found were the three who had opened the portal to Hell. They needed to find that portal and eliminate the demons who’d opened it.
Bartol’s senses picked up a target just down the street by the Hollywood Wax Museum. “Over there.”
“I sense it as well,” his father replied.
Using an alcove so as not to alarm the humans, they turned invisible and then flashed directly in front of the demon. It was flirting with a young woman. Even though she couldn’t see him, Bartol could still compel her. He suggested she go elsewhere while his father grabbed their target and flashed to a nearby alley. A moment later, he joined them. Bartol and his father could employ invisibility and keep-away spells, but they had to use them conservatively, which was why they didn’t go far and made use of the alley. It took a lot of power to track and kill each demon, and they were trying to avoid weakening themselves any more than necessary. The alley was mostly empty, which made it as ideal as it could get in such a crowded area. Both let off their invisibility cloaks and focused on their target.
Raguel held the demon against a brick wall. “Tell us where The Trio is!”
The young man they’d captured couldn’t have been more than eighteen years old. He had a lean body, shaved head, and wore knee-length shorts with a blue tank top.
“The Trio?” The demon’s eyes widened. “Sargith not see them since he got to this human city.”
Bartol startled, and he and his father exchanged looks. Most of the time, the only answers they got were curse words and slurs from their prey. No matter what tactics they tried, demons wouldn’t tell them anything useful. They only knew about the moniker “The Trio” because one of the hosts they’d captured had slipped and called them that. This demon was giving his name and not fighting them. In fact, he was shaking in fear instead of spitting and clawing at them the way the others had done.
“Where did you arrive?” Bartol asked.
Sargith gulped. “On a beach.”
Bartol whispered to his father. “Why is this one talking easier?”
“You can’t sense it, but this demon made the mistake of possessing a man with an eighth of elf blood in him. They can’t fully capture the mind or destroy it like they can with a regular human. From what I can tell, the two have bonded.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We can’t separate them.” Raguel’s lips formed a grim line. “They are living together in accord, so if we kill one, the other will die as well.”
“Sargith don’t want to die,” the demon said.
Bartol ignored it. “Then what do we do?”
“Take us to the beach where you arrived,” the archangel addressed the demon. “And we’ll let you live.”
Bartol’s jaw dropped. “We’re going to let him go?”
“This is a rare opportunity.” Raguel stared hard at their prisoner. “None of us should waste it.”
Sargith nodded hard. “Yes. Will do as you ask if you let us live.”
“Good. Now tell us about the beach.”
***
After hearing the demon describe where he’d arrived, they determined he must have come from a point south of the Santa Monica Pier. They arrived at the beach, finding it already crowded. It was the end of April with a warm sun shining down. Of course, the locals and tourists were taking advantage of the ideal weather. Bartol spotted quite a few people in the water with many more spread across the beach. A group played the drums, their beat rhythmic and loud, and another man played his guitar.
There was a time long ago when he would have found this to be a ripe opportunity to hunt for female companions. One of his favorite places to search had been beaches across the world, but now Bartol hardly noticed the women despite their swimwear being much more revealing than before he’d gone to Purgatory.
“Which way from here?” Raguel asked.
Sargith studied their surroundings and pointed to the south. “That way.”
