Page 11 of Generally Hospitable (Good To The Last Demon #7)

CHAPTER SIX

The sun, sitting high in the sky, was beautiful.

Breathing in fresh air was glorious. Being out of the castle while still breathing was priceless.

Abaddon was on me so fast I didn’t see him coming.

Feeling his strong arms around me felt like home.

I had something very important to share, but it would have to wait. Duty first. Stunning miracle later.

“I died a thousand deaths while you were in there,” Abaddon said, checking me over from head to toe for damage.

“Do not die,” I said with a pained laugh. “I can deal with a lot of things. That isn’t one of them.”

“Roger that,” he said with a smile that made me tingle all over. My man took my hand in his and held it tight.

I was fine with that. His touch centered me.

Irma, Jonny, Moon, a naked Corny and a topless Stella stood behind me, marveling at the assembled army.

The army marveled right back at Stella’s legendary rack.

This was no time to be admiring boobs. Snapping my fingers, I conjured up a shirt for Stella.

After a brief bit of protest from both Stella and the rest of my people, she covered up her assets.

No one was marveling at Corny’s wrinkled junk, so I let him stay naked. I was nice that way.

It was time to party. And we were going to kick it off fast and furious. We’d all be hungover tomorrow, but that was the price to be paid for an excellent soiree.

The landscape around the castle looked like what it had become—a war zone.

Not a single one of Chub Chub Wang’s guards was alive.

The piles of dust everywhere were evidence.

My people didn’t fuck around. The entire outside area had been permanently cleared of danger.

That didn’t mean there weren’t more evil Demons inside the castle, but the direct threat had been eliminated.

The trees were charred and destroyed. The formerly pristine landscaping had been trampled and burned to ash.

My people looked a little worse for the wear, but their smiles were wide and real.

Tiny, Cher and Fifi stood in front of me.

Fifi held grenades in her hands. There was a profound look of relief that I was safe on her face.

Cher sipped on wine cooler. Vintage Cher.

She gave me a sly grin and a wink. My Angel agent also offed me a peach wine cooler.

I declined. It might be a party, but getting buzzed wasn’t on the agenda.

The only Demon who wasn’t smiling was Tiny. His expression was tight and his eyes darted wildly all over the place.

“Bitch Goddess Cecily,” he said with a respectful bow. “Where is Pandora?”

Closing my eyes briefly, I didn’t beat around the bush. It wouldn’t be fair to Tiny. It wouldn’t be fair to Pandora to sugarcoat anything. “Chub Chub Wang has her. She’s alive, but I’m not sure how much longer she can survive.”

The gasps from my army were loud and distressed.

The anguished and animalistic sound that left Tiny’s lips broke my heart.

My small and forced smile was sad and bittersweet.

Pandora would have been knocked sideways to see that the Demons were unhappy that she hadn’t made it out.

She only knew hatred from our kind. It hardened my resolve to get her back.

The hope inside her had bled out and was now part of who she was to become.

I would give her the chance to realize all the potential she had.

It was at the top of my goal list along with publicly killing Chub Chub Wang and ending the Higher Power’s reign of terror.

It was a lofty list, but I was here for it.

While it seemed all kinds of wrong to move on without Pandora, we had to do it. If we simply stood here and mourned her absence, she’d be absent for the rest of time.

I scanned my people. There were easily four thousand surrounding me. It was the dancing part of the party now. My commands were precise and non-negotiable.

“Chub Chub Wang’s real name is Decatalian. He’s not as powerful as I’d believed. The death magic isn’t coming from him. The Higher Power is the one behind the despicable crime. He’s the Higher Power’s puppet.”

The fury of my people was unmistakable. The shouts of anger were loud and clear. I concurred. Abaddon’s eyes blazed red, and his rage was palpable. I felt the same.

“Are you sure?” he ground out, looking ready to implode.

“I am,” I replied, squeezing his hand. “I have an idea of how to solve it.”

“Keep in mind that there must be two Goddesses of the Darkness or the end will come,” he reminded me.

“Front and center in my brain,” I assured him.

He nodded curtly. “I shall support you, Bitch Goddess Cecily. Always.”

I nodded back. The man made me whole. I was strong and capable on my own, but having the Demon’s love and belief made me stronger.

Thomas Moore’s quote came to mind—'A soulmate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communication and communing that takes place between us were not the product of intentional efforts, but rather a divine grace.’ My soulmate was Abaddon.

My overwhelming joy that we’d found each other was one of the greatest gifts of my life.

He was my touchstone. With him by my side, I could…

and would conquer the madness. There was no doubt that in the future more madness would come, but if I didn’t best the monster banging on the door, there would be no future.

And speaking of madness… we needed to get going.

“Tiny, Irma, Jonny, Corny, Stella and Moon will be in charge while I’m gone,” I announced.

“Where are you going, my liege Bitch Goddess Cecily,” Fifi asked, alarmed.

“Getting to that,” I assured my self-proclaimed Succubus bodyguard.

“My people, I need you to move and move quickly. Surround the castle on all sides. Protect each other and be cautious. If anyone who is not part of our army tries to go in, kill them. If anyone other than Pandora comes out, kill them. Am I clear?”

The yesses came immediately and the bows followed. All the bowing still made me uncomfortable. However, Demons loved pomp and circumstance. While I might never get used to it, I’d learn to accept it. I was their Bitch Goddess Cecily and a whole lot of strange baggage came with the title.

“Army, move now. Go, go, go,” I ordered.

They moved silently and stealthily into the distant tree lines surrounding the castle. Most moved so quickly, they seemed invisible. The speed in which Demons could run amazed me.

Tiny was reluctant to move away from the castle and the woman who was trapped inside, but he followed my command with the others. I was fairly sure that he would want the honor of shitting down Chub Chub Wang’s throat and I would let him have it.

The only people left were Abaddon, Cher, Fifi and me.

And us?” Abaddon asked. “What are we doing?”

“We’re going back to Venice,” I answered. “I need to talk to my mother about Decatalian. I have a gut feeling that the information we need to take him out is hers to tell. We’ll leave immediately so we can get back in time to save Pandora.”

“I’m in,” Cher announced, finishing her wine cooler and dropping the empty bottle into her bottomless Parada bag.

“As am I,” Fifi said. “Your wish will always be my command, my liege.”

“Where you go, I will follow,” Abaddon promised. “Everyone, take each other’s hands. I will transport us back. The transport will be bumpy, so hold on. Speed is the aim, not pleasure.”

We stood hand in hand. I spared a look at my castle before we left the Darkness. I wasn’t sure if Pandora could hear me, but I gave it a shot. “I’m coming back for you, Stinky Whore. You just have to hold on a little while longer.”

She didn’t answer. I hadn’t expected her to. But I’d hoped. However, through our connection, I could feel that she was still alive. It would have to do.

“Let’s go,” I said firmly. “There’s no time to lose.”

Bumpy was an understatement. It was the worst and most violent transport I’d experienced so far. I didn’t complain. We were home and that was what mattered most.

Dagon and Shiva were still healing. They looked better, but not a hundred percent. Didn’t matter. They were still standing. Candy Vargo was still recovering, but she was practically back to her old profane self. Her bestie Tim had gone back to Georgia since she was back on her feet.

“Well, would ya look at what the fuckin’ cat dragged in,” Candy said with a chuckle and a toothpick hanging out of her mouth.

The Keeper of Fate might be laughing now, but I was sure she wasn’t going to be laughing in about ten minutes.

“Fifi,” I said, all business. “I need you to bring Lilith to me. We don’t have a lot of time and I need answers.

And please let Uncle Joe know that Corny Crackers is alive and well.

Go now, please.” I was fully aware that I could command people without saying please.

It was my right as a Goddess, but I wasn’t going to roll that way.

If I wanted respect, I owed respect in return.

I would never be above or any better than the people who followed and believed in me. Period.

“On it, my liege Bitch Goddess Cecily,” Fifi said, disappearing in a blast of sparkling silver dust.

My tone had alerted my company that all wasn’t fine.

“Dagon and Shiva, can you remember anything about how you were infected with death magic? Anything at all?”

Both shook their heads. “It was chaotic,” Dagon said. “I’m not sure how we were hit or who did it.”

I was reaching, but it was worth a try. “Is there any chance you spotted a four-foot-tall-ish chain-smoking redhead anywhere when you were in the Darkness? Speaks with a wise-guy accent—very New Jersey?”

Shiva gaped at me like I’d lost my mind. She wasn’t too far off, but I was grasping at straws. I was certain that the Higher Power was at the root of the shitshow, but solid confirmation would be helpful. I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.

“No,” Dagon finally said. “We saw no one that fits that rather bizarre description.”

Candy Vargo stared at me with laser focus. Her expression was unreadable, but I was pretty sure she didn’t believe that I’d lost it. There was no time to reassure her. Candy would be filled in when Lilith got here. Repeating myself would be a waste of time I didn’t have. The clock was ticking.

“Cher, compile all you know about the Higher Power, please. You’re an Angel.

You might have different insight than a Demon,” I said in a clipped tone that verged on panic.

The reality of losing Pandora was beginning to feel more real by the second.

The image of her leaving me while collared and chained was sickening.

“Can do. Will do,” Cher said, pulling a notepad, a pen and a fresh wine cooler from her bag. “Not sure I have much to tell, but I’ll jot down everything I know.”

“Thank you,” I told her. “Anything is helpful now.

“Badass,” Candy said, eyeing me warily. The smile had been wiped from her face. “Talk to me. What in the actual fuck is going on? Where’s Pandora?”

“She’s in my castle with Chub Chub Wang,” I told her.

“Alrighty then,” Candy Vargo said, squinting at me. “What the fuck is a Chub Chub Wang? Sounds like a large vibrator or a defective rubber dildo from the dollar store.”

Her description made me laugh. Even Abaddon cracked a reluctant smile. She had no clue how spot on she was. “Chub Chub Wang is a nickname that my people bestowed. He’s the false God—real name Decatalian.”

“Got it,” she said.

Both Dagon and Shiva exchanged surprised glances. They knew who he was. It was likely that they’d been around when Pandora and Lilith had slept with him. I’d grill them as well. However, I was waiting for Lilith. Fifi worked quickly and efficiently. I expected her back momentarily.

“Cher,” I said. “Write what Candy just said down—the vibrator and dildo part. I need to remember it for future use.”

Cher cackled. “Done.”

Candy Vargo was still perplexed. Shortly, she would not be. “Give me a minute, Candy,” I said, holding up a hand. “I’ll get everyone up to speed once my mom is here.”

“Love me a good mystery,” she said, plopping down on my couch and putting her dirty and raggedy assed tennis shoes on my coffee table. “I can wait.”

I was tempted to knock her nasty feet off the table, but decided against it. A table was just stuff. Stuff didn’t matter. People did. If Candy Vargo wanted to be gross and put her stanky feet on my furniture, she could do it. Although, I made a mental note to get a new coffee table after she left.

“What do we do now?” Dagon inquired.

“We wait,” I replied. “We wait for Lilith. I think she might have the key I’m searching for.”

I crossed my fingers and gently touched my stomach.

Abaddon watched me and quirked an eyebrow in question.

I pointed to the bedroom. It was time to share the stunning miracle with the love of my Immortal life.

It wasn’t fair to keep the news to myself.

I didn’t make the baby alone, and I was positive that some good news would be welcome.