Page 9 of Dearly & Lovesick Lorraine (Dearly and The Departed #6)
Chapter Eight
Dash
We stepped into the hotel lobby, and I was bombarded by voices to the point I wanted to stick my fingers in my ears like the mature demon I was turning into. I quickly snapped my fingers and the cacophony of sound was silenced.
Keir scanned the ornate lobby, possibly looking for an aggressor due to my suspension of all activity, but I put down the cooler and took his arm, turning him to me. “Am I really hearing everyone’s thoughts, all at once? How is this possible?”
“It’s okay, my friend. I’ll explain.”
Keir pointed to Michael the Archangel casually strolling through the lobby in his usual sneakers, faded jeans, and vintage band T-shirt—Grateful Dead, which would have made me laugh if I wasn’t so fucking freaked out already. His long hair hung loose on his shoulders, and he wore a warm grin.
Michael approached us, hugging Keir, then me. “I got the Celestial Council to gift you the ability to read the minds of the living and the dead. Keir can hear them speak, but you can now hear their thoughts. It will be helpful with what’s coming next. You’ll need to learn to block out some of the noise, but we’ll help with that.”
“Did Jonas come to see you?” Keir steered the three of us toward an intimate seating area beside a large stone fireplace with a glowing fire.
Michael exhaled. “He did. He was quite upset that anyone would suggest a Celestial would allow harm to come to a child and not intercede. Unfortunately, there may be some merit to the idea. I don’t believe it’s anyone on the Council at the moment, but there are lesser beings who attend the Council meetings, and they may be more susceptible to temptation by Nyx. I’ve got Raphael looking into it since Jo is in hiding. We’re running out of Celestials, you know.”
Keir sat forward to address Michael, not appearing to be happy at all. “What do you know about my ancestors? I need to talk to someone to determine whether I’m the last Dearly. Dad did some research and—”
“Hang on a second, Gatekeeper. I don’t know the answers, but maybe we can ask someone who is well-versed.”
Michael stood and retrieved his phone from his back pocket. He walked toward the exit, staring at all the folks frozen in the lobby, including Vale standing in line to check into the hotel.
Seconds later, Michael returned with a smile and a hooded being behind him. The large hood was daunting, but when it slipped off, excitement pulsed through me.
Keir shot off the couch we’d been sharing and ran over to the being—the one and only David Dearly, Keir’s father and a member of the Angel of Death Collective.
“Dad!” Keir threw his arms around David’s shoulders. I teared up as Keir and his father embraced, my guy bawling his eyes out.
I walked over, joining their hug uninvited. It was the most beautiful reunion I’d ever seen, and if anyone could make sense of the dumpster fire about to consume us, I was sure it was David, my father-in-law.
I wiped my eyes before I turned to Michael. “How’d you swing this?”
He chuckled. “It wasn’t me.”
That was an odd thing for him to say, but I let it go. It was a happy time. David was here and my Keir was smiling.
Keir was reluctant to let go of his father.
It will be okay, Dash, though it might not seem like it right now.
A knot formed in my gut I was sure wouldn’t go away anytime soon. When Michael said I could hear the thoughts of the living and the dead, he hadn’t included the others. I was stunned at hearing David’s thoughts.
“How long can you stay, Dad?”
“Not long, son. I’m here for a reason.”
Suddenly, David touched my chest and the room began to spin. Sometime later, I opened my eyes and was on a fucking boat, gliding across the river of fire once again.
I sat up, my head still spinning. David was nowhere to be seen, but the small being wearing a black robe operating the rudder was there. It took a minute to clear my head, and then I heard his thoughts.
Nyx isn’t here. I don’t know why you’re here. I was told to bring you to Hades.
The ferryman glanced over his shoulder as though he knew I could hear him.
When we pulled up to the dock on the other side, the ferryman got out of the boat and tied it off. He moved the gangplank and motioned for me to get off.
I stopped in front of him. “Where do I go?”
He pointed toward the street where Brok and Er’on were waiting, and I nodded before turning to him. “Thank you.”
He lifted his hand to wave before he shoved the plank into the boat, untied it from the dock, and jumped aboard before pushing off with a long oar. I turned and took the stairs two at a time until I got to the top where Brok was waiting for me with a huge grin. Er’on hurried over to me and bowed. “The prince is waiting. This way, please.”
I shook Brok’s hand, trying to hear his thoughts about what the fuck was going on. I heard nothing, but he did grin at the confused expression I was sure had appeared on my face.
We walked down the street by a park, stopping in front of what used to be Beelzebub’s favorite pizza place. It was now a Mediterranean restaurant, and the prince himself was holding court.
Across from Beelz, another Brokorol—the real one, maybe? The hellhounds could replicate themselves into as many guards as was needed—nibbled like a chipmunk on the massive lamb shank, while the prince of Hell gnawed on the bone like a rabid jackal having its last meal.
In a measure of time—I had no idea how long because I wasn’t in the Human Realm, and I knew time passed at a different rate downstairs—the Brokorol tossed his napkin on the plate in defeat and the crowd cheered as Beelz stood and held up the huge meatless bone in victory. The personification of gluttony had once again persevered.
After the crowd dispersed, a server brought Beelz a steaming towel and cleared the table in front of him. The opponent, another Brokorol, bowed to the prince of Hell before disappearing just as Er’on brought a chair for me, placing it at Beelz’s right.
I could have done without the demon prince picking his teeth with what looked like a needle-sharp bone, but it gave me a moment to gather my thoughts—and listen to his.
Welcome to my new favorite restaurant, Shish Kabob Grill. Are you in need of sustenance?
I chuckled. “I’m good, thanks. Why am I here? And why can’t I hear Brok’s thoughts?” The Brokorol who escorted me from the dock was standing guard in front of the table with Er’on by his side.
He has no thoughts unless I give them to him, so his head is empty and silent. You’re here for pointers, my friend. Dear Old Dad has mandated that we princes do not join the fight because of his bet with Nyx, but nothing was said about giving our representative some insider information. He continued to pick his teeth before he scooped up the large chalice of wine and downed it, the liquid running out of the corners of his mouth and onto the red and green tracksuit he was wearing.
“You, uh, you got a little something—” I pointed to the front of his tracksuit. “Why are you wearing Christmas colors? That seems odd for a prince of Hell.”
Beelzebub laughed. “I like to keep up with what’s trending upstairs. Besides, Pagans celebrated Yuletide long before Christians co-opted it for their religious celebrations. Contrary to popular beliefs, we’re not only about fire and brimstone. We like to have some fun too, like wiping out entire civilizations. Anyway, my tracksuit is fire. Let’s take a walk.”
Beelz grabbed a red beanie from his back pocket and situated it on his head so it sagged just so before he picked up a walking stick that had a huge ruby on the end. He waved to the servers in the restaurant, and we were off, walking down the street decorated with a mix of Halloween and Christmas. They were unlike anything I’d ever seen.
“Look, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’ve got questions. Am I dead? Did I just leave a husband and unborn child to come to Hell to cruise the hood?” My voice was sharp because I was pissed, now that the enormity of the situation had landed on me and sunk in.
The giant demon laughed. “Of course not. You’re just on loan for a bit, so we can help you save the Human Realm. I hope you didn’t have your heart set on being at that wedding, though. Oh, here comes my shiny, new brother.”
I glanced behind me, seeing Jay—Prince Jameson—with a hellhound of his own. They stopped in front of us, and Jay embraced me. “Dash, this is Appollin, my guard. Appollo, this is my friend, Dash. He’s the Key to Keir’s Gatekeeper.”
The hellhound bowed, and I nodded in return. “Why am I here?”
Jay’s laughter echoed throughout the underworld. “Still short on patience I see. Well, we want to put you through the paces so you can keep the Gatekeeper alive. I know Lilith gave you a preview of how demons fight, but she was only one demon. You’ll face an army of them, and you need to be ready.”
Appollin had dark-brown hair like Jay, whereas Brokorol had flaming red, much like Beelzebub. It was unclear why it made sense to me, but maybe their guards were built in their images?
“How will I miss Trent’s wedding and not be noticed?” I addressed the question to both princes.
“Scotty will be filling in for you at the wedding. I hope Keir doesn’t get handsy with my mate. Anyway, Beelz, shall we proceed to the battlefield?" Jay flanked me on one side while Beelz was on the other. The hellhounds and Er’on walked behind us.
I glanced around as we passed spirits. “Why can’t I hear their thoughts?”
Jay grinned, and suddenly, my head was filled with noise. “Okay, okay!”
“We’re going to teach you how to narrow your focus and what to ignore. This will be important, so pay attention.”
I exhaled. If this lesson was necessary to keep my family safe, I was on board.