Page 99 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

The demon’s initial reaction was to freeze, fighting against the compulsion. But then, as if struck by a sudden revelation, his face filled with understanding. He removed the gloves and handed them to Constantine.

“Thank you?” Constantine’s eyes widened.Too easy.

He was just about to compel the demon to lead him out of Hell when he spoke in a deep voice, “It is an honour to serve.”

Constantine furrowed his brow.Too strange.

“Hmm… Thank you again?”

Belphegor folded his muscular arms across his chest. Bare, his fingers seemed ordinary except for the sharp black claws, which could probably inflict as much damage as his hooves and horns.

“Would you do something for me, necromancer?” Belphegor wrinkled his nose, the movement causing his nostril ring to twitch. “Amelia…”What?“The Oracle,” Belphegor clarified. “Would you tell her it would be my honour to wed her?”

“To marryyou?”

“Tell her that here she will have every comfort – far more than anything she’s used to.”

Constantine scratched the back of his neck. Rarely did anyone surprise him to this extent. “Fine, I’ll pass it on,” he said. “Now, would you help me safely leave Hell?”

“I insist you relay my request, necromancer. If you do not, I will find you even in the farthest dimension and—”

“I understand. In case she declines, I hope you won’t hold me responsible.”

The demon raised his bushy eyebrows. “Why would she decline?”

Constantine shook his head. “Women can be odd sometimes… Friend, I really need to go. I promise I’ll deliver your proposal to Amelia.”

The demon nodded. “Thank you. Walk to the square, take the third ring, and after ten paces, you’ll see the fire. Tell it that Belphegor sends you on an errand to another world.”

“Tell…the fire?”

Belphegor vanished much the same way as he had appeared – with a flash.

How theatrical. And what an odd conversation…

Constantine grasped the gloves, hoping that he’d communicate with the fire as well as he had with the demon, and headed back to the square.

Now that the gloves were in his possession, uncertainty gnawed at him. What would happen once he handed them to the Queen? No path to saving Diana appeared viable – each one seemed to risk both their lives. He could only hope a solution would dawn on him before he returned to the palace.

“Constantine?”

He pivoted around. The voice had come from the shadows to his right. He strained to distinguish the outline of a female figure leaning against the wall. Gradually, she gained more colour and detached herself from the shadow.

Glossy chestnut hair flowed like a waterfall over her elegant shoulders, with strands forming two horns on her head. Surrounding them shimmered a crown of sharp teeth resembling golden flames. The creature had the most perfectface and the most sinful body, barely veiled by red lingerie.

She drew closer to him, her black wings unfurling from her back. They snapped forward, enveloping both of them in a cocoon. Constantine was pressed against Gretchen’s body.

“You’ve grown,” he said.

“So have you.”Her tongue slid along his neck.

“Let me go, Gretchen. I’m not here for you.”

Her wings withdrew with a hiss.“A thousand years have passed since we last saw each other, and that’s all you have to say?”

He stepped back, examining the creature who’d once helped him escape Hell.“I assume you’re no longer captive?”

She pursed her alluring lips.“I killed the Magician. Then I rose through the ranks. Now I’m one of Hell’s architects. I design nightmares for sinners.”