Demon's Fall Read Online Free Page B

demons.
    The conversation was subdued after that, and the ale tasted bitter in his mouth. He tossed back the last of it and rose with abrupt farewells.
    He stalked through the market, even the colorful sights making little impression on him. But then he caught a whiff of a familiar smell that distracted him from his gray mood. His mouth quirked as he remembered how the pies had tempted Jahel earlier, and so on a whim he bought one made with apples and brought it with him to the dressmaker’s. He rapped on the door, and it opened to reveal Jahel.
    She wore a light blue that utterly suited her. The drape of the fabric eased the lines of her thin body without falling too loosely, as the robe had. She wasn’t beautiful, but he wouldn’t have turned to look at a woman who was, not while she was in front of him.
    “It has buttons! And openings for my wings,” she said in delight, turning around to show him. He was disappointed not to see her bare back exposed by the robe anymore, but he smiled when she faced him again. He couldn’t do otherwise, not when she was near-glowing with simple pleasure.
    “I’m glad you like it,” he said. “Are you ready to go, then?”
    “Don’t you want to go in and thank the dressmaker?” she asked, her eyes very round.
    “I already paid her,” he said evasively. The truth was that he didn’t want to deal with her flirtations.
    She laughed and he realized that she was teasing him. “Are all women like that around you?” she asked.
    “Not all,” he said. “But many. The blessing of being an incubus. Come on, gutter-wing.”
    But she didn’t move. “Earlier, you called me your slave,” she said.
    Of course she wouldn’t have forgotten. “You’re not.”
    “Then what am I?”
    “Hungry?” he asked, offering her the pie.
    Her eyes lit up. He handed it to her, and she bit into it eagerly. The filling oozed out. She licked her fingers, and he restrained himself from offering to help, or asking for a taste from her mouth.
    “This,” she said. “This is the best part about the mortal plane.”
    “The food?” He laughed. He could think of other pleasures of having a physical body. “If you want more, we can pass through the market on our way.” This time she began to walk alongside him. “How long were you in that cage?”
    “A couple of days,” she said after swallowing her latest bite.
    He blinked. “I thought it was longer.”
    “Because I looked so unkempt?” She laughed. “I didn’t like the filth, but I thought it would keep anyone from wanting to buy me. The market seemed a good public place to be, and I would be staying in one spot in case anyone came to find me. I didn’t realize that someone might come who would help me track down Lisha’s soul.” She looked up from the pie. “Did you find out where the hellhound is?”
    “I was told to talk to Edom.”
    “Who’s Edom?”
    “He’s a demon-horse, one of the most powerful.”
    Her nose wrinkled. “I thought demon-horses were used as steeds by other demons.”
    “No one’s ever ridden Edom,” Kenan said, “or will, until the world’s end is nigh.”
    “Oh,” she said. “One of those four. And we’re supposed to talk to him?”
    “It won’t trigger Armageddon,” Kenan assured her. “I’ve dealt with him before.”
    The stable was in a nearby neighborhood of Hellsgate with few humans. Demons eyed Jahel uneasily. One looked at Kenan and growled. “Are you trying to start a war?”
    It would take too long to explain, so he simply said, “No,” and moved on, ignoring Jahel’s questioning look. The last thing he wanted to do was tell her about the recent angelic activity in the city. If he wanted to seduce her into giving him her soul, he had to keep her focused on her goal. He was relieved to arrive at the stable shortly afterward.
    A stallion walked out to meet them, easily nineteen hands tall, his hide and mane red as blood. He whinnied a challenge at Jahel, whose wings opened as she