Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 90

Bella's P.O.V.

It's been almost fifteen minutes since I heard John Henry or Skylar Schmidt yell out in surprise. I wonder what is taking Lucien and his father so long? I guess I'm not that anxious to meet my assailant, but at the same time I'd like to get this over with. I sit in the car, trying to find a radio station. Reception is pretty sparse out here, so maybe I should try AM radio since I cannot seem to get my bluetooth connected to the car. Out of my peripheral vision I see movement in the trees, but when I turn to focus on it, I don't see anything. My heart starts racing and I start to sweat. "Take it easy, you have two literal God's here, they won't let anything happen to you," I say out loud, continuing to fiddle with the radio.

Out of nowhere a large man with wild eyes comes racing at the SUV with a large rock held over his head. He smashes it against the drivers window and it shatters, breaking into a million pieces. I yelp in astonishment, and then when I notice who just broke in, I take a deep breath and scream with every muscle in my body. In an instant, Lucien is there. He grabs the man by his collar and pulls him away from the car. I know I've started crying because I'm finding it hard to catch my breath. I can hear Lucien hissing something at the man he's holding in his hands, and I look at him gratefully, but...but it is not Lucien. His eyes are red and furious, his skin is blackened and peeling, and there is a gaping hole in his face. This is not the loving man who pulled me out of my own personal Hell, this must be his demon. Lucien has to be in there somewhere because he seems to know what he's doing, grabbing that guy before he could get access to me or the car. 'Get it under control girl, trust that it is Lucien behind that demonic mask,' I mumble to myself. In another moment, I see the Devil walk casually out of the forest carrying a man over his shoulder. When he gets close to the car, he unceremoniously dumps him onto the ground, and the man immediately tries to crawl away. The Devil looks at him and growls, "Stay," his voice so lethal and deep that the guy freezes. Okay, now I'm not sure I'll ever get my heart rate back to normal. The Devil is just as terrifying as I thought he would be. I look briefly at his red eyes and skin, his muscles so large they've torn through his shirt. He has talons on the end of each finger, and at the tips of each bone in his bat like wings. He has large black horns curling around his head, but I don't see a tail anywhere, not that that is a comforting thought. I know I'm never going to be able to erase this image from my memory. I hear myself whimper, and shut my eyes to avoid seeing any more of this horror. 'Get a grip,' I say to myself. 'This is Lucien and his father, that's all. You can do this.' I take a deep breath and look out of the car again. Lucien still has the shirt of the man who smashed the window fisted in his hands, is still murmuring something to him, and his father is looking at me expectantly. I take another deep breath and open the passenger door, getting out of the car.

I walk slowly toward the man the Devil threw to the ground. He's just an ordinary guy in blue jeans and a dirty white tee shirt, I don't see the evil I imagined would be in his eyes. "Your rapist," I hear Luciens Dad say quietly. I nod once, and stop in front of the man cowering on the ground.

"Your name is John Henry?" I ask. When he nods, I squat in front of him. He has his hand up to try and ward off the monster behind me, as if that small gesture is going to stop the Devil from torturing him. I shake my head in disgust. "You're pathetic. You're not a man, you're a coward. You rape because no woman will have you." I sense Lucien's father coming closer to us, and see the terror in John's eyes when he looks over my shoulder. I stand up and find the courage to say, "I used to be terrified of just the thought of you, but you don't have power over me anymore. I will never think of you again after today." Lucien's father puts an enormous red arm gently around me, and I choke a little on a sob when I think about what he's done for me. I put my cheek against his chest, staring down at the pathetic asshole who ruined my life three years ago. When I pull away and look up at Lucien's father, his red eyes search my face and then a small smile blooms on his mouth. His teeth are straight and white, no monstrous fangs or forked tongue, and I relax a little further when that incongruous fact filters through me. "Are you ready to face the other one?" he asks me softly.

I bite my lip and nod, but before I step away I ask him quietly, "What did he do to me?"

The Devils eyes harden and narrow when he looks at the man Lucien is roughly holding. "He knocked your friend, Thomas, out when he tried to intervene, and proceeded to strangle you once this miscreant was done with you," he says, indicating the man on the ground.

So Tommy wasn't involved. A weight I wasn't aware I was holding suddenly lifts from my shoulders. This piece of shit, not only did he try to kill me, he hurt my friend who attempted to help me. I nod and step away from Lucien's father, stomping over to my restrained attacker. Lucien glances at me, and then arranges the man so he can see me and feel my anger.

This guy looks like the ring leader of a gang. He's got tattoos etched over all the exposed skin of his body, including his neck and a few on his face. He's got a nose ring of a skull in his left nostril, and stud earrings depicting a pentagram and the Devil. Hilarious. Bet he never thought he'd meet his idol. Despite being roughly manhandled by my boyfriend, he doesn't look contrite. His brown greasy hair is plastered on his head, his wild brown eyes look at me, then behind me, then back at me with a glint of anger in them.

"You little cunt," he sneers at me, his voice sounds like he smokes too many cigarettes. "You won't get away with whatever circus act you've hired to try and threaten me." Lucien, taking offense to how he addressed me, flaps his wings and hangs him ten feet off the ground by his torn shirt. I shade my eyes and watch him flail in the air, a look of terror settling on his face. Lucien lets go and the man plummets to the ground, landing in heap. He is still for a moment, then groans as he sits up, shaking his head as if to clear it.

I walk closer to him and scoff, "Circus act? Yeah, remember that when you find yourself in Hell. I think, perhaps, you're finally beginning to realize who you are dealing with because the sooner you understand who my friends are, the sooner your torture will be over."

"Fucking bitch you're going to pay for this!" he snarls, trying to stand up.

I hear strumming on a metal surface, and we all turn to see Lucien's Dad fingering his talons over the hood of his car with John sitting on the ground next to him. "Oh?" the Devil hisses, "and who's going to come collecting that debt, hmm? You?" He scoffs, pulling John to his feet by his collar. "Run," he whispers in his ear. Lucien yanks Skylar to his feet and hisses the same instruction. The two men look at each other, then look at us, and take off into the woods.

"How much of a head start should we give them Bella?" Lucien asks me.

"Mmm, enough time to think they've gotten away. What do you think, ten minutes?"

Lucien's Dad chuckles, "That sounds about right. Nicely done my dear. Are you okay?"

I look at him standing in his demonic form and nod, making my way over to him. When I get close enough, I hug him. "Thank you. I didn't think facing them would help, but I feel lighter somehow, like the last three years never happened."

"You are very welcome," he says softly and steps away as Lucien walks over to us.

I turn and wrap my arms tightly around Lucien's waist. "You are incredible, you know that?" I ask him.

He tsk's and shakes his head. "You are the amazing one. Look who's not afraid of a few demons from Hell or the assholes responsible for her assault anymore!" He smiles at me, but it looks more like a grimace because half his face is missing. "I am so proud of you Bella."

I scoff. "Oh please. I'm not afraid of you guys. The two of you have more humanity in your little fingers than those two fuckers have in their entire bodies!"

Lucien chuckles slightly, and his father smiles. We stand in companionable silence for a few minutes, my head resting on Lucien's chest. After a while, I glance over at his Dad, and laugh out loud. He's leaning against the car, still in his demonic form, ankles crossed, picking at his talons. What an incongruous sight. "Fuck it," I say, standing up straight. "Go get them." They both look at me, smile viciously, and then disappear.