Page 69 of Anathema Codex

"Sure is," I answer, sucking on my teeth as I turn the car off and shift in my seat to look at them both. Aftyn is frowning, Daphne has that wide-eyed shit that is starting to rub me the wrong way, and neither of them are likely to be much help inside with getting information—but I've always been a giver. "Your Aunt Beatrix used to be the number one bitch here. Head Priestess, or whatever they fucking called it, but if anyone has an idea where she's moved on to… it'll be these little wannabes."

"They worship Satan?" Red asks, and I click my tongue against my teeth as I turn to stare at her, waiting for her to sink back in her seat before I face forward again. She's been a decent little follower today, but that doesn't mean I'm in the mood to play twenty stupid questions with her.

"Anyway… we're going to go in and say hi. I'll grace their sanctum with my presence again, and we'll see what info they'll share. Then we’ll go and find your auntie." Reaching behind the passenger seat, I drag my fingers over the floorboard, searching for my hatchet, but I can't reach it. Leaning between the seats, I angle myself back and realize the damn thing is gone. "Okay. Where the fuck is my hatchet?"

"What?" Daphne says, but I'm looking at Aftyn. He's got that goddamn smirk on his face, his arms crossed.

"Well, kid?" I prompt, and he glances over at me.

"Missing something?" he asks and I slam my forearm into his throat hard, wiping that fucking smirk off his face as he chokes, wheezing in air through an injured windpipe, and I let my grin spread as his face turns redder than the crazy bitch's hair in the backseat.

I light up a cigarette while he sputters, cracking the door to let it drift outside where a few random denizens of the night are moving toward the entrance to the church. Cracking my neck, I wait for him to manage a few halfway decent breaths before I continue. "Last chance, where's my hatchet, kid?"

He jerks a thumb at the back of the SUV and I barely have to glance at Daphne before she unbuckles her seat belt and bends over the backseat to dig around in the trunk space. Tilting my head at her wiggling ass, I decide that fucking her isn't completely off the table. Maybe the kid just needs some help figuring out how it all works. Needs a little fatherly advice—insert dick into useless cunt, repeat until done. Dispose as needed.

"Found it!" Red calls out cheerily, lifting it up with a manic smile before she sits back down and I rip it from her fingers, checking it over to make sure the fucker didn't mess it up. I've got other toys at home, but there's something special about this one. It always justfeelsthe best. Plus, on this trip it has some real goddamn meaning.

Once I'm satisfied that he didn't damage it, I reach over and bring the blunt side of it under the kid's chin, lifting his head up. "You know how we were talking about rules before? Here's another one. Touch my fucking hatchet again, and I'll bury it in your spine. Got it?"

Aftyn clears his throat, barely nodding his chin. "Yeah."

"Great!" I swing the hatchet over my shoulder, grinning again. "Let's go meet the children of the night."

Grabbing the keys, I hop out of the truck and tuck them into my pocket, stretching out my back as I grin at a blonde bitch dressed all in black who is eye-fucking me from the walkway. She smiles back, and I chuckle to myself as the two kids finally get out.

Sometimes shit is just too easy for me.

"Don't forget our present," I call out, not waiting for them to respond as I lead the way inside, stalking after the little blonde devil lover. I don’t bother paying attention to whether or not the kid or Red are following me. If they want to learn something, they'll stick close. Just as the last reddish rays in the sky start melting into dusk, I swing the door open to the Light of Lucifer and swagger inside. I haven't made it more than a few steps before someone yelps and some big asshole turns around to point at me.

"Hey! You can't bring that in here, and there’s no smoking," he shouts, marching over to me, and I swing the hatchet off my shoulder and point it at him.

"Not a good idea, Lucifer boy." I grin, moving my eyes over the new interior of the church before I rest the weapon against my collarbone again and take a drag off my smoke. "Damn, you guys didn't really put much effort into improving this place when you rebuilt it. Looks just as shitty as it used to."

"Are you a member?" a female voice asks, and I look over at her in her fancy robe and tilt my head to the side.

"Old acquaintance," I reply, looking the black-haired chick over and trying to figure out what kind of body she's hiding under that robe. "I just wanted to see if you knew where one of Lucifer's favorite bitches might be hanging out these days."

"Well, who are you looking for?" she asks, a hint of a blush in her cheeks as she takes a step closer to me.

"Beatrix St. Germain." The name summons a few gasps from the gathered idiots nearby, conversation picking up again, but goth girl's eyes just go wide for a second before a wide smile takes over her face.

"My name is Allisandra, and I'm the High Priestess here at the Light of Lucifer. Why don't you come in and talk with me?" She waves toward the interior, and I glance back over my shoulder to see Red holding the Tupperware container.

"Sure thing," I reply, grabbing the gift from Red to tuck it against my side. Chicks are always a sucker when it comes to flowers and hearts, and while I didn't grab any flowers on the way over, I have to hope the heart makes a good enough impression to get the info we're looking for.

TEN

Beneath the Depths of Hell

AFTYN

I blow out my breath and walk away from Lakyn, Daphne, and whatever her name is when I realize he already has another one wrapped around his finger.

It’s easy enough to do because once Lakyn realizes that he has another groupie drooling all over him, he tunes out everything else. Hell, he seems to get high off it. The same kind of high that one would usually have to come for, Pops gets from being adored.

‘Maybe Mom was wrong,’I think irritably as I walk down the hallway and take in the art.

This place isn’t so bad.

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