Devil's Bargain by Christine Warren Read Free Book Online Page B

the room at a dead run. He would have very much liked to follow it. Straight into a boiling hot shower. The idea of Samael, Prince of Hell, Lord of Deception, and Master of Depravity, teaching him anything about women held even less appeal for him than apprenticing at the hands of de Sade. He didn’t think immersing himself in a vat of full-strength bleach until his skin melted off would be enough to remove that kind of filth.
    God, he thought suddenly, how the hell would he ever get this kitchen to feel clean again?
    Now that he thought about it, Aaron couldn’t understand how the devil had even gotten into the house to begin with. Uncle Alistair had the place warded from attic to building site. Aaron remembered teasing him years ago about his paranoia. After all, Alistair was just researching the darker forces, he wasn’t offering to show them a good time. All the wards and charms and spells and blessings that encircled the house and gardens had seemed like overkill. Now, he couldn’t have been more grateful for them.
    Fixing his eye on Samael, Aaron studied the devil closely, looking for a clue as to how he’d gotten past the guards. He didn’t appear to be harmed in any way, and he knew several of those wards were strong enough to burn a body to a crisp if they were tripped. He might have suspected that the devil had used magic of his own, but that would have been impossible. No creature could take down a ward specifically designed to keep his kind out. That was what made them effective. So how had he gotten inside?
    Aaron craned his head and tried to look around the demon. That was when he noticed it. Despite the uneven light in the kitchen, Samael cast no shadow. The floor and refrigerator behind him remained blank and well-lit, which would have been impossible if the devil were actually in the room. He wasn’t; the figure Aaron and Lilli were seeing was a projection, a kind of magical hologram that looked and sounded exactly like the real thing, but had actually been created to be used as a sort of live-action attendee at a supernatural conference call. He could speak to them, and his presence could still cause them the same physical symptoms as if he were in the room, but the projection was essentially powerless. It could not touch them, and more importantly, it could not use magic against them.
    Aaron let himself relax. Just a little.
    â€œUnfortunately, your luck doesn’t seem to be holding out so well, does it?” Samael continued. He smiled, and Aaronmarveled that a face so beautiful could be so chilling at the same time. “Of course, you are doing better than your dear uncle, but considering he’s dead, I don’t suppose that takes all that much effort.”
    His chuckle made Aaron’s blood run cold. Something tickled at the back of his mind, something he’d heard about the
Praedicti
, or something he’d maybe even included in his thesis. Something about the coming of an apocalypse . . .
    Lilli just continued to glare at her client.
    â€œI think we’re doing just fine without your help,” she snarled.
    What had it been? Aaron wondered frantically. Images flitted through his mind—a burning tower, the crack of whip, long lines of rattling chains. Was that why Samael wanted to get his hands on the codex? Did he think it would help him to bring about a war between humanity and the powers of Hell?
    â€œIf that were true, he’d already have fucked you, wouldn’t he, my dear? But then, I’ve always found that those who try too hard to resist temptation have the hardest time giving in to it. Or rather, the softest, to be frank.”
    Something about an offering. Not raised up to the Gods, but lowered into the abyss.
    No, not offerings, Aaron realized, feeling himself stiffen. Sacrifices. Three deaths were required to bring about the war foretold in the
Praedicti
. The one who possessed the book had to sacrifice three people