He smiled mysteriously. “We thought you should be prepared for anything, just in case. There’s… a faction in Hell that might want to… hurt you, since you’re my friend. I mean, if they show up, you run like Hell and pray for us, but… We’re going to teach you, just in case.”
I nodded. The idea of demons coming after me was sobering. I considered the arse kicking Sebastian had handed to me, and suspected that he still hadn’t used his full strength. “How strong are you guys?” I asked curiously.
Sera tilted her head back and looked at the stars, before glaring at me. “How long have we known you? And you’re only just asking us now? Maybe you should have considered that before teasing us and provoking us.”
I shrugged. “The way I see it, if you kill me, I’ll end up in Hell and you’ll have to put up with me full time.” Everyone laughed at me. “Seriously though. How strong are you?”
Sebastian picked up a rock, just small enough to fit into his fist. He held it up to show me, and squeezed. It cracked right down the middle. Lucifer grinned and took the pieces from him. With a sly smile, he squeezed the parts of the rock in his hand into dust. I swallowed hard. “Fair enough then. How about a drink?”
I ended up seated next to Sera, and she was talking me through the different knives and the situations they were designed for. I must have fallen asleep, because I found myself with my head in her lap, and her absentmindedly stroking my hair. It was nice. I pretended I was still sleeping.
“We have to tell her, my Lord.” Seth’s voice was resolute.
Lucifer sighed. “I don’t want to, Seth. I don’t want to take that innocence from her.”
“That innocence could get her killed, Lucifer.” Sera spoke quietly so as not to ‘wake’ me. I’d never heard her call him by name before.
“Let’s just give her a while longer.” He sounded like he was begging. Weird thing for the King of Hell.
Sera sighed. “You’re the King. I’m going to take her home and put her to bed.”
Seven.
The next time I saw them was in a shopping centre. I was walking, lost in thought, when I heard Sera’s voice. “Hiya, Katie.”
“Hey guys!” I gave Sebastian a quick hug, and nodded at his more aloof sister. I turned to Seth, who smirked and drawled,
“Do I get a hug?”
“I’m not hugging you, you creepy old man.” I scolded. A middle aged woman walking past jumped, looking quickly from me to the unusually good looking teenaged boy I was talking to, and shook her head in confusion. We all laughed at her.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Asking you if you want to catch up tonight. And getting snacks if the answer is yes.” Sebastian grinned at me.
“Absolutely!”
Night had fallen as we made our way out of the shopping centre, my friends walking with me to the spot where I was meeting mum when she finished work. We were laughing and joking, when a woman’s scream cut through the night, from the alleyway we were approaching. Sera eased a knife in its sheath, glanced at us, and disappeared. She reappeared in a moment, and said curtly, “Get her out of here.” Seth reached for me, but I danced out of his grasp and ran to the alley.
“Fuck that!” I yelled over my shoulder. I’m sure all three of them growled as they ran after me.
Inside the alley, I stopped short. There was a woman, beaten and bruised, her clothes torn, her face tear stained. She was surrounded by no less than six leering men, one of whom had his cock in his hand. My friends passed me, and stood arrayed across the mouth of the alleyway. Sera casually flipped a knife up into her hand, and said, “Dear one, how about you take this lady somewhere safe.”
The woman pushed past the men, and bolted towards me. I held out my hands to her, but she shoved me to the ground, hissing, “Stay the fuck away from me” as she ran on by. Sera glanced back at me, and said gently,
“You probably don’t want to watch us work, dear one.”
I did, though. I wanted to see these arseholes punished with all the fury of Hell.
The guy with his cock in his hand swaggered closer to Sera. “You wanna play, pretty girl?” Gross. Sera gave him a cold smile, and started to grow. Her talons appeared as she slowly dropped her glamour. Her skin resumed its familiar red hue, and her sky blue horns appeared to erupt from her head. The world was silent, and the air felt thick. The creep looked to Seth in panic, who grinned widely at him and dropped his glamour all at once, looming to match his sister. When the rapist looked at Sebastian, he was already looming above him, his true form revealed.
I grinned savagely as the creep went white and staggered backwards. “Hey now, we don’t want any trouble!” He mumbled nervously.
Sera tilted her head, and regarded him in the same way a bird of prey regards a mouse. “Neither did she.” Her voice was emotionless. He giggled nervously. Almost casually, she stepped forward, coming down to her regular size, reached out, and tore his cock off.
Pandemonium broke out. He screamed and screamed. His companions tried to run past him, but Seth and Sebastian blocked their path, snapping necks and crushing spines. One guy managed to get past them. As he ran past me, ignoring me, I stuck my foot out and he went sprawling. Sebastian looked at me questioningly, then laughed gleefully when I gave him another savage grin. Seb crushed the guy’s skull.
It was over almost before it began. My friends shooed me away to meet my mother and get home, saying that Lucifer was summoning them and they had to go, that they were in big trouble. They looked guiltily at the carnage surrounding them. “I mean it’s not like they were getting in, anyway. We haven’t messed with history too badly.” I heard Sebastian reasoning as I left.
I told mum I had a headache when we got home, and went straight to bed. I didn’t sleep much, though. I didn’t feel at all bad about witnessing the gruesome demise of those six guys, and that worried me. I should feel something other than a savage euphoria, right? Around three am, I prayed half- heartedly to Seth, not sure if he’d be able to come to me. I just wanted someone to bounce those thoughts off.
To my surprise, he appeared immediately. He looked tired, though. “Are you ok?” I whispered concernedly. He stared at me in surprise, then clapped his hands over his mouth, trying to hold in laughter. He quickly took my hand and we teleported to the same park bench where I had met Sera and Sebastian, where Seth gave in to his mirth and roared with laughter.
“What’s so fucking funny?” I demanded.
He brought himself under control, wiping his eyes, and replied, “Oh, nothing. It’s just that Lucifer is ready to tear my horns out- and the others, too- because he’s worried that we’ve scarred you for life. Yet you summon me to ask if I’m ok!” And he burst into peals of laughter again. I rolled my eyes at him, and gave him a moment.
Eventually, I snapped, “Are you done?”
He wiped his eyes again, and said “Yes”, with a little snort. Then more seriously, “Yes. Are you ok, Katie?” He looked at me questioningly.
“I don’t know.” I spread my hands. Seth nodded.
“I bet that was pretty confronting. I’m sorry we showed you that side of us.”
“That’s just it, though!” I exclaimed. “I’m not bothered at all! I don’t feel at all bad for them. Does that make me a monster?”
He looked at me thoughtfully. “What about her?”
“What?”
“The woman. How do you feel about her?”
Tears pricked my eyes. “I feel terrible for her. I