When Heaven meets Hell

Chapter Seventeen

The park was crowded with people strolling about under the clear blue sky. Young children raced around while mothers fussed and gossiped, umbrellas held aloft to shield their faces from the brightly shining sun.

A smiling couple strode along the winding path, both clutching the hands of a little girl who was constantly trying to break free, skipping along so energetically that her parent's had to struggle to keep up. The girl's fair,almost white hair waved freely behind her, drawing curious glances, but she did not seem to care.

"Mum can we go to the pond now please?" She chimed. "I want to feed the ducks. You did bring the bread crumbs right?"

"Slow down Joan!" Her mother huffed. "Really, young ladies are not supposed to be so unruly."

"Oh come now Luce, let Joan enjoy herself." Her father chortled as his daughter pouted at her mother.

"Then I'm not a Lady." She said before freeing herself from her mother's grasp and running ahead.

"Come on you two! Don't be so slow!" She giggled as both her parents chased after her. The two of them eventually managed to catch up to her, which resulted in the little girl being scolded by her mother while her father pretended to agree with his wife, all the while grinning at his daughter's antics. A few minutes later the three of them were off again, strolling down the path and smiling as though nothing could put a damper on their day, although both parents made sure they kept a firmer grip on their child this time.

Déjà vu.

That is what Joan felt as she sat under the shade of a tree, a book held up to cover her face as she watched a couple pass by, a young girl with black hair between them. Her gazed followed them closely, lingering over their smiling faces as they chatted animatedly among themselves. If she closed her eyes, she could still see herself walking down the very same path with her parent's all those years ago.

Her focus on the job at hand must have slipped, because at that moment Avander chose to remind her of why they were here.

"That's the one." He whispered in her ear. "Shall I get to it then?"

Joan did not answer. Instead she scowled at the obvious relish in his voice and continued gazing after the couple and their daughter, feeling something strange stir inside her. But the feeling did not last, for Avander once again interrupted her train of thought.

"Don't tell me you're hesitating?" He asked mockingly. "I didn't think you would go soft after all you've done."

Her eyes narrowed and she spared him a look of disgust. "Would it kill you to keep your mouth shut for once? I do not plan on backing off. I merely want a moment to observe them."

"And why is that?"

"That does not concern you."

The demon seemed to grow bored of the conversation, because he did not question her further, although she could sense his impatience. She however was in no rush, watching the family with something close to amusement, and envy.

The father, whose name was Sir Arthur Penhearth, was an Amaki target. Joan had been given the job of taking care of him. He was actively involved in politics and had connections in Scotland Yard. Apparently, he had people investigating various cases which traced back to the Amaki, which made him a threat. No one outside the organization could know of their existence or activities, and since Penhearth had been sticking his nose in business that had nothing to do with him, he had to be eliminated. He was just one of the few people Joan had been given to kill ever since she joined the Amaki two weeks ago.

She had been initiated into the cult at once. It hadn't been anything spectacular, not like it should have been. Amaki members usually forged an Alliance with a demon during their initiation, a pact that was slightly different than the one Joan had made with the Devil and Avander. In an Alliance, the human did not necessarily have to give away their soul to the demon; rather they could offer the demon something else in exchange for every job they had to do. This could include victims to feast on, materialistic possessions or even sexual favors. The Hales had found this method to keep their souls, while still being able to use demons to carry out their nefarious wishes.