Page 131 of Soul of a Witch

Lucifer and Leaina stood in the center, both of them dressed in red from head to toe. Leaina’s gaze was as sharp and observant as ever, but Lucifer’s expression was unreadable.

If that dramatic bastard was still angry with me, we were going to have it out right here and now.

We stood for a moment in silence, facing each other across the courtyard. Then Everly stepped forward, without dropping my hand, and inclined her head. “Council, it is an honor to be granted an audience. I am Everly Laverne, daughter of Heidi, granddaughter of Winona. Grand Mistress of Laverne Coven.” She lifted her chin, looking as calm and confident as a witch well beyond her years. “I come to ask your permission to execute an enemy of Hell.”

It wasn’t Lucifer who spoke, but Caim.

“It’s been a long time since a witch set foot in this courtyard,” he said. The other council members nodded. “That is strange enough. But even stranger is that you do not come alone and are accompanied by a demon who is not in your thrall. A demon who is regarded very highly by all of us.”

“An unusual witch indeed,” Murmur said, her voice sweetly soft. She stepped forward, although she kept her distance, circling us as she tapped her chin with a long white claw. “Callum, our Magni Deicide. How very long it’s been since I last had the pleasure of seeing you. It gives me joy to see you return so healthy. So strong.”

The difference in my strength since claiming Everly was doubtlessly obvious to them. They would feel it when they looked at me, sense it when they smelled me.

Silently, Bael took a step forward, leaning toward Paimon. They whispered in the other demon’s ear, far too softly for me to hear. Paimon nodded, and without removing their veil, said, “Why does a mortal witch seek to destroy one of Hell’s enemies? Given the fraught history between our kinds, Lady Witch, it could be argued you are an enemy of Hell, yourself.”

“I am bound for Hell,” she said. She laid her palm over her scarred stomach. “My soul will rest here for eternity. When Earth is done with me, Hell will have me, and I intend to protect my second home.”

Leaina gave a small nod as she looked at Lucifer, who sighed heavily. Murmur suddenly stepped closer, extending her hand toward Everly.

“How very brave you are,” Murmur said, clasping Everly’s hand. Lucifer looked disgusted. Caim appeared intrigued. “A mortal woman, facing a God...and under such unusual circumstances. You are risking so much.” Her black eyes narrowed slightly as she let Everly’s hand go. When she touched my witch again, it was to trace her fingers very lightly across the scars on her body. “An archdemon gave you his sigil and you did not use it against him. By the actions you’ve chosen, you’ve bound yourself even more tightly to our world. You are a witch of Hell.”

Murmur stepped back, clasping her hands before her as she looked back at the other council members. “But perhaps, Lady Witch, you do not understand how dire the situation has become.”

The warning in her voice alarmed me. “What do you mean?” I said. Lucifer had averted his eyes from me, but looked back when I took a step toward him.

He said, “Last night, a Reaper tore through the Veil and arrived on Earth. It was summoned.”

It was Everly who spoke up and said, “Summoned by who?”

“By the God,” Leaina answered. “It has infected a host. A second sacrifice was made, and the third is in the hands of those who call themselves Libiri. She, too, will be offered soon.”

Everly gasped, grasping her chest in alarm. Ripples of anxiety poured over her, although she struggled to keep her expression neutral.

“Raelynn,” she choked out. “Did they —?”

In a voice like gravel, Paimon said, “That woman still lives. It was one of your bloodline that was consumed by the God, and it is your brother who now carries part of It within his flesh. His body cannot sustain It for long.”

“The God is desperate,” Caim said, fingers stroking slowly over his feathery robe. “It knows that It is under threat. It has become more aggressive in response.”

Everly’s emotions had gone cold. Her hands were clenched at her sides. “My bloodline…you mean my sister. Victoria. They killed her?”

Her words were steady, but her heart was pounding erratically. Lucifer, ever-so-slightly, inclined his head toward her. “Yes. Your sister Victoria was killed, consumed by the God.”

For a moment, Everly closed her eyes. Heat rolled off her, the air shimmering faintly around her until she took a deep breath and opened her eyes once more.

“The Libiri have Raelynn?” she said, and Lucifer nodded. “Then there is no time to waste. Once more, I ask for your permission to kill our enemy.”

Lucifer said, “And if I refuse?”

Everly clasped her hands in front of her and said calmly, “I have my own free will. I ask for permission as a gesture of respect. But with or without your consent, Council, this God will die by my hand.”

For a few long moments, the only sound on that cold mountaintop was the howling wind.

Then Murmur said, “I approve her request.”

“If Murmur approves, I do as well,” said Caim.

Leaina spoke up, “As do I.”

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