Devil Possession

12

It was never supposed to have gone this far, Shide thought. And now he was even having doubts about continuing the war. It had intensified as the months passed, and Shuyi kidnapping seemed to have put the other Angels  on edge. They'd begun striking on Creature's strongholds specifically rather than the creature's lairs that were far easier to take.

He'd never breathe a word of this to Shuyi—never mention the other angel Ohm that lead these clandestine attacks . . . ones not sanctioned by the Heaven . The higher-up in heaven were growing increasingly frustrated with the fracturing of power and control within the Angel  hierarchy. Many of their warriors and leaders no longer directly followed their orders.

The Heaven  had little in the way of power to back up their edicts, and now the one Angel  who had followed their decrees to the letter was missing. The Angel  knew he was alive, of course. The Soulmate angelic mark still remained burned into Shuyi side—a glaring reminder of another that lived within Shuyi heart. It chafed at Shide every time he saw it, but for now, he allowed it to remain.

The uncertainty of Shuyi safety—the precarious and altogether ominous nature of his continued captivity coupled with a lack demands in exchange for his return . . . And Shide —ever the exhibitionist—had not once even gloated over the battlefield. His silence on the matter seemed to worsen the morale even further.

Which had been precisely the point.

He couldn't help but think back to the meeting he'd had earlier in the day. The leaders of the Creatures  had converged on his palace seeking his council—his permission to take the war in another direction. The other demons  were growing tired of the fighting—not that they really did much of that, anymore. After the heavy tribute required by Lucifer , the vast bulk of battles were fought using hell  demons.

They'd all sat around the wide table in Shide strategy room. He'd admit to finding most Creatures  rather tedious—their ceaseless and pointless demands had long since lost their ability to move him. And so his mind had drifted to Shuyi rather than the meeting. Perhaps that evening, he would summon the Angel  battle armor and fuck him in it.

"We wished to remove the Heaven  power over us, not kill every single Angel ," Alex had said softly, and Shide  blinked slowly as he realized that they were all looking towards him for an answer.

The werewolf's brow was raised as though he knew that Shide hadn't been paying attention, while the the vampire empty gaze was plastered to her glass. He didn't agree—at least outwardly—on the matter, but her silence spoke volumes.

Shide had heard these rumblings in recent months, but this was the first time that any of the leaders had actually said something to him about it. "We are on the verge of winning this war. Heaven will fall in but a few short months."

Which was true. The Demon  that served him were already well underway in their efforts to take down the protective magics around Heaven . Once those last shields fell, there would be nothing standing between his forces and the complete destruction of the Angels . That had always been the goal, but now those who'd signed the contract were attempting to change the terms.

The vampire spoke up. "If we destroy Heaven  and kill them all—We're no better than God—or what he claimed us to be."

It always came back to that dead Angels . Shide had never had the pleasure as God had been long dead by the time Shide had joined the fray. The Devil  did, however, remember seeing the body strung up outside the gates of heaven , spells cast upon the corpse to keep it fresh and unmovable for centuries to come.

A reminder to the Angels of what their own hubris had wrought.

Still . . . Shide did not like to renege on a deal. "You should know that the pact you made with my father—it is binding. You were backed into a corner by the Angels , your clans and packs scattered as they threatened to overwhelm you, and in your moment of desperation, you asked us for our help."

His tone was light—unconcerned—but they all heard the threat that lay beneath the surface.

"Things have changed," the vampire  said. "Our positions are not as they were. The Angel can still be of use to the Creatures."

Shide pursed his lips, his thoughts trailing to Shuyi. He never spoke of the war to the Angel , but Shuyi had to know that his people were losing . . . badly. It was only a matter of time before the Angels  were all completely annihilated.

All but Shuyi, anyway.

"I will . . . consider your words," he'd said carefully before bringing the meeting to an end. It was not the answer they sought, but it was all they would get from him . . . for now.

As Shide  stared at the partially open bathroom door and listened to the rush of water just beyond, he felt a conflict brewing within himself. Shuyi was the type to seek death because life was unbearable for him.

Which meant he would almost assuredly seek to end his own life when he learned that everyone he loved was dead. When that Soulmate mark vanished from his skin, he would break. The angel cared so much. His loyalty and devotion to his family would not allow him to continue his relationship with the Devil responsible for their deaths—no matter what he felt for Shide.

But then . . . if he called off the war . . . An end to the war would mean the end of their relationship. What cause—what right —would he have to continue to hold the other man captive?

Shide got up and walked to the open door, pushing it open. Shuyi was facing away from him, but the Devil  could see the entire stretch of his naked body as he washed his hair beneath the spray of the over-head shower.

Mine, he thought, jaw clenching at the thought of ever releasing the Angel .

The Devil backed away before Shuyi noticed him and opened a portal. He stepped into his strategy room once more and looked over the plans for Heaven . While he hated it when deals and favors were squandered, he was not entirely inflexible.

Heaven swirled inside his mind as he contemplated the direction of the war. It would have to end with a favorable outcome for the creature, and even now, Shide still had more souls to gather to appease Lucifer , but the Demons  would have their truce . . .

In time.