Let Sleeping Demons Lie: Godhunter: Book 25 Read online

  Let Sleeping

  Demons Lie

  Amy Sumida

  Copyright © 2018 Amy Sumida

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9781790406586

  Legal Notice

  This book is copyright protected. It is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote, or paraphrase any part of the content within this book without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached.

  More Books by Amy Sumida

  The Godhunter Series(in order)

  Godhunter

  Of Gods and Wolves

  Oathbreaker

  Marked by Death

  Green Tea and Black Death

  A Taste for Blood

  The Tainted Web

  Series Split:

  These books can be read together or separately

  Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest

  Into the Void & Out of the Darkness

  Perchance to Die

  Tracing Thunder

  Light as a Feather

  Rain or Monkeyshine

  Blood Bound

  Eye of Re

  My Soul to Take

  As the Crow Flies

  Cry Werewolf

  Pride Before a Fall

  Monsoons and Monsters

  Blessed Death

  In the Nyx of Time

  (Let Sleeping Demons Lie)

  Beyond the Godhunter

  A Darker Element

  Out of the Blue

  The Twilight Court Series

  Fairy-Struck

  Pixie-Led

  Raven-Mocking

  Here there be Dragons

  Witchbane

  Elf-Shot

  Fairy Rings and Dragon Kings

  Black-Market Magic

  Etched in Stone

  —Completed Series—

  The Spellsinger Series

  The Last Lullaby

  A Symphony of Sirens

  A Harmony of Hearts

  Primeval Prelude

  A Ballad of Blood

  A Deadly Duet

  The Spectra Series

  Spectra: A Cynical Superhero

  Fairy Tales

  Happily Harem After Vol !

  Including:

  The Four Clever Brothers

  Wild Wonderland

  Pan's Promise

  Beauty and the Beasts

  The Little Glass Slipper

  Other Books

  The Magic of Fabric

  Feeding the Lwas: A Vodou Cookbook

  There's a Goddess Too

  The Vampire-Werewolf Complex

  Enchantress

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  Pronunciation Guide at the back of the book.

  Chapter One

  It had been a few months since time had gotten screwed up by the Greek God, Aion. Chronos had put everything back to normal, but the memories of those altered timelines had been tenacious and were starting to haunt me. One, in particular, was causing me a bit of anxiety. Correction: Odin and me.

  “I think we should try to get pregnant,” Odin said.

  I appreciated the whole partner-solidarity thing where men claim the pregnancy along with their women—very commendable—but it didn't sit right with me. Yes; I understood that Odin was trying to take responsibility for his part in making our baby, but he wasn't the one who'd be carrying that child in his body. Or pushing it out of a tiny hole.

  “You mean; you should try to get me pregnant,” I corrected him.

  Odin grimaced. “Vervain, we lost a child to that other time. Don't you want to get our baby back?”

  “I do, and we will,” I said gently, “when the time is right. That was the wrong timeline, which means that this isn't the time for our child to be born That's why we are here and not there.”

  “How can you be sure this isn't the right time for it?” Odin asked. “It was our present.”

  “I'm sure because I'm married to more than you in this—our true present,” I said. “And Trevor would throw a werewolf temper tantrum if I had a child with you before I did with him.”

  “Because you and Kirill skipped ahead with Lesya,” Odin huffed.

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “I'm sorry, but with multiple husbands, I have to make sure that I treat everyone fairly, and having your baby right now just wouldn't be fair. We already have a son, Odin—two, if you count Vali. Please, just be patient.”

  “All right,” he gave in. “I understand, and I was fine with waiting; it's just these memories.” He rubbed absently at his chest. “They hurt my heart, Vervain.”

  “Let's enjoy each child in their proper time,” I said softly. “There will be lots of love in this home.”

  “You're right.” His expression lightened as he smiled. “We're very lucky.”

  “Vervain! Where's Azrael? I expected him to be here!” Lucifer Morningstar declared as he burst into the dining hall where Odin and I were sitting before the fire; trying to have a private conversation.

  I don't know why I bothered with trying to find privacy anymore. Between motherhood, five husbands, and two boyfriends—one a fiance—there weren't a lot of private moments to be had. Not outside of the bathroom at least. Hmm... the bathroom; that might be a good option. It certainly was big enough.

  “And then the Devil walked in,” Odin muttered; obviously as annoyed about our privacy issues as I was.

  “He's upstairs,” I said as I stood. “Why? What's wrong?”

  “Someone is killing my demons!” Luke cried.

  “What?!” I ran over to him. “How? Why?”

  “I don't know!” Luke wailed.

  “Dad?” Azrael came rushing into the room. “I could feel your anxiety as soon as you arrived; what's happened?”

  “Alan and Mark are dead,” Luke said as he hugged his son.

  “No,” Azrael whispered. “How?”

  “I don't know,” Luke said again. “I don't understand it. They were possessing a human, and I was looking after their bodies as usual, but then they started to convulse.”

  “Convulse?” Odin asked as he joined us.

  “Like they were having a seizure.” Luke nodded. “And then their demon forms disappeared, and they shifted back to their human appearances.”

  “This happened to both of them at once?” Azrael asked.

  “No; one at a time,” Luke said. “First Alan went, and while I was trying to figure out what was happening to him, Mark began to shake. I summoned the others home at once, but you know I can't just stop the possessions.”

  Demonic possession served several functions. First, it was expected—by humans, I mean. Second, it kept the myth of Satan alive while other gods faded into the pages of dusty history books. Luke had stayed right at the forefront of human religion and it was due in part to his demons. Third; the possessions gave demons the energy they needed to sustain themselves without any humans having to die. Yes; Satan is a softy. Finally; if demons don't possess humans, the strong belief of certain—usually unstable—individuals would simply suck demon souls into their bodies and force a possession on both parties. This could lead to emotional trauma for the demon and fatalities for humans (some people aren't strong enough to survive possession). It was far better to control the process and the choice of host rather than have demons randomly pulled into possession; leaving their bodies to drop in unconscious
and indecorous heaps all over Hell.

  Which is what would start happening if Luke prevented the demons from possessing people for too long.

  “But how did they die?” I asked. “You said they shifted into human form; then what?”

  “Then”—Luke swallowed roughly—“they shriveled up and turned to dust.”

  Luke pulled out his cell phone and brought up a few pictures to show us. There were shots of a man's dehydrated corpse; sunken eye sockets and tight, leathery skin like a mummy. Then there were pictures of piles of dust in the shape of a body.

  “This isn't possible,” Azrael whispered.

  “I know!” Luke shouted. “It simply can't happen!”

  “Dad, calm down,” Azrael laid his hand on his father's shoulder. “We'll figure this out. Our people are safe for now, and we'll do whatever we have to do to keep them that way.”

  Luke hung his head and cried; just wept like a broken man. Azrael gave me a horrified look before he pulled his father into a hug. I was as astounded as Az; I'd never seen Luke this way. In fact, I doubted that anyone had ever seen Lucifer Morningstar like this. Maybe Holly had; back when Luke decided to surrender to Jerry and become the Devil in order to save his friends. But I had a feeling that Lucifer had faced that decision bravely; knowing it would save the people he loved. This was the opposite; he was faced with the possibility that he wouldn't be able to save anyone.

  “Alan and Mark were my friends,” Luke sobbed. “I've known them since I first joined the pantheon. For them to be taken in such a way—without even the chance to fight back—is horrifying.”

  The Devil found something horrifying. Whoa.

  “Could this be an exorcism gone wrong?” Odin asked.

  “No,” Luke said as he sniffed and eased out of Azrael's arms. “Exorcism simply releases a demon's soul, and the soul is pulled straight back to its body. The possession is a type of astral projection; it can only be done on a believer. The demon convinces its host that it doesn't hold the power to expel it, and then human will takes over and holds the demon soul captive. If an exorcist intervenes—which is usually the case—the priest convinces the possessed human that he or she has been saved, and the human will releases its hold on the demon. If one of my demons are gone too long, I just call them back using our link.”

  “Did you try calling Mark and Alan back?” Azrael asked.

  “I was too late with Alan, but I tried with Mark,” Luke said. “I couldn't find him.”

  “You couldn't find him?” Odin asked in surprise.

  “His soul wasn't there,” Luke whispered.

  “Let's think about this another way,” I suggested before Satan started sobbing again. “Forget the fact that they were astral projecting at the time; what could do that to a demon? What could do that to any of us?”

  “Make us look like a mummy and then turn us into dust?” Luke asked. “I have no fucking idea.”

  “Dad!” Azrael gaped at his father.

  The Devil never cursed.

  “I'm sorry,” Luke said and sighed. “I'm distraught, but that's no excuse for foul language.”

  “It's fine,” I said. “The children are upstairs; swear all you want.”

  Luke smiled wanly at me.

  “The only time I've ever seen anything like this is...” I let the sentence trail off as my attention turned inward.

  “Yes?” Luke urged.

  “It was in one of those altered timelines; the ones we just experienced because of Aion,” I said. “I had taken Blue's magic and became the Vampire Goddess.”

  “Why do I find that so sexy?” Azrael asked as he blinked in surprise.

  “It was, kind of,” I admitted.

  “You killed Blue?” Odin asked, and then prompted. “And then what?”

  “Sorry,” I said quickly. “I killed Blue's priests too, but I didn't do it physically; I just cut them off from the magic. They died like that.” I pointed to Luke's phone.

  “Cut off from your magic,” Luke murmured thoughtfully. “That would explain why I couldn't find Mark.”

  “Vampires are technically demigods,” Odin said with squinty-pensive eyes. “They're dependent on their god for magic; as the Froekn and Intare rely on Fenrir and Vervain for theirs.”

  “Intare don't die like that,” I said. “Neither do Froekn.”

  “They might if you killed them by cutting off their immortality,” Luke said. “But I feed my demons; I would never do that to them.”

  “Not when they're possessing a human, you don't,” Azrael reminded Luke. “That's the one time that they gather energy for themselves.”

  Luke went very still; his gaze unfocused and the area around his eyes twitchy.

  “Dad?” Azrael asked.

  “During possession, my connection with my demons is at its weakest,” Luke said. “I sustain their bodies for them while their souls wander; this divided attention thins my bond to their souls.”

  “It looks as if someone has found a way to exploit that weakness,” I pointed out.

  “But why?” Azrael asked. “Why kill demons?”

  We all looked at him with bland expressions; even Luke.

  “Yeah, all right,” Azrael huffed. “But only humans think of demons like that; the Gods know that Demons are just Atlanteans—no different from themselves.”

  “Then it's either a god who wants to hurt Luke,” Odin said.

  “Or a human,” I finished. “A really, fucking powerful human.”

  I wasn't sure which would be worse.

  Chapter Two

  “Should we call the God Squad?” Azrael asked.

  “Let's do some investigating in Hell first,” I suggested. “Then we'll have more information for everyone to help us sort through.”

  “Good idea,” Odin agreed. “In fact, why don't you two go home with Luke, and I'll go upstairs to let the others know what's happening. We'll contact the Squad while you're gone and, hopefully, they'll all be here by the time you return.”

  “Thank you, Odin.” Luke shook the Norse God's hand.

  “We're family; we take care of each other,” Odin said. “It's going to be okay, Lucifer.”

  “I dearly hope so,” Luke said softly. “But if it's not, there will be hell to pay.”

  No one could laugh at his choice of phrase. It was too horrible a situation, and there was far too much venom behind Luke's declaration. The would, indeed, be hell heaped upon whoever hurt the Devil's friends. Satan himself would rain down fire and brimstone once he found the culprit... if I didn't get to them first.

  Odin headed upstairs—using the gilded-cage elevator instead of the grand staircase that spiraled up the center of Pride Palace—and the rest of us went straight to the tracing room. The elevator was set within the curve of the stairs—a column of gold and gears within the ribbon of stone—directly across from the tracing room. Both elevator and tracing room were within the foyer that was just outside the dining hall so it wasn't a far walk for any of us.

  Odin went into the elevator just as the rest of us hurried into the small, stone tracing room. Luke held hands with his son and me and took us through the Aether; directing our journey to one of the paths into Hell. There were no direct routes; no tracing rooms in Hell itself. Even the Devil had to walk in like your average demon. Luke liked it that way.

  “Where are we?” I asked as the blue sparks of the Aether faded away, and I got a good look around our new location.

  We stood on a mountain ledge overlooking a glittering expanse of land. The sheer rock cliff dove into lacy clouds below us and then swept outward into a sparse forest of delicate trees. The land continued into gently rolling hills that undulated around a quaint, Medieval town. In the center of the town there was an enormous building that I would have labeled a cathedral; judging by its architecture. But there was no cross adorning the steeple, and the bulk of the building spread and branched off into a compound that looked more scholarly than spiritual. My dragon-enhanced vision was able to see
men and women striding through this complex; carrying books and cups of coffee.

  “Zebul,” Luke said.

  “Excuse me?” I looked back at Luke.

  “This is Dad's private entrance to Hell,” Azrael explained. “We're in Zebul, the Sixth Heaven. That is the Angelic University.” He waved toward the cathedral-esque structure.

  “University?” I asked in surprise. “What exactly do Angels study?”

  “Anything they wish,” Luke said simply but with some irritation in his tone.

  “The Realms and the Universe,” Azrael got more specific than his father. “There are classes on Atlantean technology, magic, and human cultures. Any angel may attend at their convenience, but all of us are required to take refresher courses on how to interact with and assist humans.”

  “Stop it,” I said with a smile. “You do not.”

  “They do.” Azrael nodded. “Most use it as a time to reconnect with old friends and recommit to our original agreement with humans. They find it enjoyable.”

  “You said 'they,' not 'we,'” I noted.

  “My son is not allowed to attend.” Luke glowered at the University.

  “Why not?” I asked angrily.

  “His ties to Hell,” Luke said. “Proper angels don't live in Hell, according to them.”

  “I'm so sorry, Az,” I whispered. “I imagine you would have liked to have gone.”

  “I would have,” he agreed. “But I was very busy and didn't have time for classes anyway. I learned directly from humans, and I think I benefited from my experiences.”

  “You're not busy anymore,” I pointed out. “And Jerry has been more inclined to be nice to you lately.”

  Luke lifted his brows at his son. “You're friends with most of the angels who attend. It's not as if you wouldn't be welcome if you were given permission.”

  “You want me to go to Angel School?” Azrael asked his father in surprise. “After I've retired?”