Chapter Eleven

"Little lamb... Wake up..."

This was followed by the gentle, lulling hum of whatever song it was that Asmodeus favored. I didn't want to open my eyes, but I knew I had no choice. I always had to wake from a dreamless paradise to a reality full of nightmares. I opened my eyes sleepily to see Asmodeus standing by the bed, surprising me as he wore a pair of leather black pants that hugged his long muscular legs tightly.

I felt my cheeks darken at the sight and I felt like my eyelids were heavy with lust, but I quickly reminded myself who I was looking at. I yawned sleepily, rolling over partially to stare up at Asmodeus as he leaned a hand on the wall.

"It's time you woke up for a lovely breakfast before we commence the ceremony." He announced, sounding a bit bored. I was wide awake now, sitting upright stiffly and gripping the blankets.

"Ceremony?" I asked uneasily, inching toward the other side of the bed. Asmodeus smirked, amused, and grabbed me back, jerking me toward him, making me hiss past clenched teeth in pain. He literally forced me out of bed and started to push me toward the door.

"Why can't I get any clothes?" I asked, staring enviously at his pants. I missed feeling warm. Being underground, it was colder than it was on the surface and judging from the temperature changes I had last felt above ground, it was freezing.

"Because I like looking at you," Asmodeus answered flatly, still holding me tightly by the back of my neck as he opened the door slowly before smirking, "And I like degrading you." I felt my cheeks scald as I glared at him, but he smacked me hard on the ass, making me gasp as he wheeled me to the small underground cafe.

I prayed none of the cult members were inside and thankfully, no one was present, just Asmodeus and myself. This seemed to visibly disappoint him, but I actually almost smiled in relief. I didn't let myself, though, in case Asmodeus decided to come up with another way to torment me.

He led me to the kitchen where he piled food on a plate for me, then forced me to sit down as he leaned on the back of my chair, watching me pick at the food. I wasn't exactly picky about what I ate anymore, as anything in my stomach would do, but today, I had a bad feeling in my gut.

"What ceremony is going on?" I decided to ask, hopefully getting a response this time. Asmodeus frowned for a second, then shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's none of your concern." He answered flatly. I didn't bother to hide my anger at his response as I glared at him, clenching my fist around a bagel, thoroughly crushing it to crumbs that scattered on the plate.

"It is if it involves my death or the death of innocent people." I snapped in irritation. Asmodeus laughed as if I had made the funniest joke in the world. He actually had tears in his eyes for a moment before he slowly sobered, allowing himself to chuckle as he spoke.

"Oh, my precious little lamb, you're a riot," He smirked, ruffling my hair and making me wince, "Non. It's not your death, but it shouldn't matter if others die. There is no such thing as an innocent human, little lamb."

"What're you talking about?" I seethed in aggravation, running a hand through my hair to fix it, making Asmodeus' eye twinkle with interest. I had a feeling he was enjoying this conversation topic.

"Humans are not innocent. They are corrupted, each and every one of them. Man, woman, child, infant. All are a product of good and evil. It's their choice what path they decide to follow, but there's always the stones of evil mixed amongst the stones of goodness." He explained simply. I frowned.

"That's not true," I protested, turning halfway in my seat to face him, "I thought the Bible said that the Devil tempts us with evil."

"Lucifer isn't evil," Asmodeus snorted as if it was the most ludicrous idea in the world, "They tell you that because they want an excuse for their misbehavior, for their mistakes. Humans are the ones who are evil. Lucifer only waits for them to come to him when their evil has become too great. Lucifer punishes as well as rewards. God also punishes and rewards."

For some reason, everything he said made sense, but I wasn't going to let myself be convinced.

"God isn't evil." I snapped, irritated with the comparison. Asmodeus whistled in surprise, cocking a brow.

"Choosing the enemy side now, little lamb?"

"Well, seeing as God doesn't have me locked up in a windowless room twelve feet underground with a psychotic sex demon, yes. I am choosing His side." I muttered dryly. Asmodeus laughed and shook his head, stroking my cheek with his knuckles before I snapped my head away from him to nibble on a strip of bacon.

"I suppose that's a good choice then," Asmodeus replied, surprising me enough to look up at him, seeing him staring off somewhere else thoughtfully, "You're free to choose whichever path you wish... However, every path is obscured by obstacles laid out by both sides. It just depends which ones you are willing to climb over and which ones you're willing to let stop you."

"How come you're so cruel and so wise?" I asked bitterly. Asmodeus' eyes glowed at the semi-compliment, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint smile.

"I'm a god. We're like that. Just as Zeus. The old fart is pretty testy too, unless you touch the right places." He winked. I made a face of disgust and turned away from him as he laughed quietly, then fell silent, which meant he was thinking hard about something.

I hated that.

Asmodeus was like fucking Yoda half the time.

A really horny, good-looking Yoda.

I shuddered at the thought and took my time eating, trying to avoid whatever ceremony Asmodeus was talking about, but he seemed to catch onto my plan and threw my food out, dragging me to my feet by the back of my neck, which was starting to ache from all this roughhousing.

I expected to go back to Asmodeus' room, but instead, he wheeled me to the fourth and final door in the main chamber. I actually started to feel anxious, hoping that there was some sort of escape route inside.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Asmodeus approached the door and placed his hands on my shoulders, his lips brushing my ear and giving me goose bumps.

"Cape sanguinis." He whispered, making me squeeze my eyes shut and shiver. I blinked my eyes open again when I felt something heavy fall on my shoulders. I was surprised to see a deep red velvety cloak hiding me from my shoulders to my ankles. The sleeves were loose and baggy and a hood weighed down the back. I looked at Asmodeus, surprised to see him looking irritated by his own move.

He grabbed me by the back of my neck again, though, and pushed the door open.

Inside, it was like walking into a Satanist's dream lair. The walls were covered in tapestries. The one across the room was obviously Lucifer. On the other walls were several others I didn't recognize until my eyes landed on one of Asmodeus, only he was sporting a pair of huge, but graceful black wings and in his hand was a black whip that sparked with electricity.

At the center of the room was a large inverted pentagram and around it sat each member of Satan's cult. Each one of them wore only their white uniform shirts and black pants, some wearing ties and others with their shirts partially buttoned.

"About time," Cain snorted from his spot, his arm resting across his knee as he leaned back on one of his hands, "We figured you abandoned us to deal with him on our own." Asmodeus snorted at him, but said nothing as he forced me to sit down in the circle of boys, furthest from the door.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"You didn't tell him?" Stephen asked, sitting to my right, making me frown at him, then at Asmodeus, who shrugged.

"He's about to find out. Where are the black candles?" He asked, changing the subject and making me scowl at him. Stephen merely smiled now as he rose to his feet to one of the four pillars in the room, reaching behind it and withdrawing a large black velvet bag.

"We also have his sigil prepared for you." He added, obviously kissing up. Asmodeus smirked at him, but snatched the bag without so much as a thank you. Stephen seemed accustomed to it and took his place again.

"Watch the angelus." Asmodeus ordered him, casting me a quick, terrifying look that dared me to make a run for it. I wasn't stupid. I would never get away here and Asmodeus had scared me enough after I tried to escape yesterday, so I sat stiffly in place, watching as Asmodeus got to his feet and began to place the candles at each of the pentagram's points.

He placed a larger pillar candle at the center before withdrawing the paper, studying it to make sure it was worthy before he nodded. He tucked it into his pocket, then tossed the bag aside, turning to the cult with an air of superior power that practically glowed around him.

"All right, lapsus," He began, his voice taking on a firm, commanding tone that had all the boys in the room jerking their heads up to attention like a group of dogs, "We must take great care here. Summoning him will be far more taxing than it was summoning me. We're not called the Seven Princes of Hell for nothing."

"Firstly, rearrange yourselves. Circles, even if not drawn, are insulting. We're not Wiccans here, people. We're servants of Lucifer." He ordered. The boys shared looks, but obeyed and scooted into different places within the pillars of the room, keeping the pentagram at the center of it all. I stayed in place, which seemed fine by Asmodeus as he continued.

"Next, you must all concentrate hard. You will only speak and think one name and that name is Beelzebub." He explained calmly. I frowned, cocking my head at the unfamiliar name.

"Who's that?" I asked, confused.

"None of your business." Cain responded smugly, folding his arms over his chest. I glared at him.

"Shut up or I'll rip your head off." I spat. Cain stuck his tongue out, only to be smacked upside the head by Asmodeus, who growled at him threateningly before casting a disdainful glare at the rest of us.

"Beelzebub. Speak the name slowly and clearly. Do not command him, plead him, call to him, but do not order his appearance. He's not as forgiving as me. You ought to be thankful you summoned me first and not one of my brothers." He snorted, rolling his eyes as he came over and sat beside me.

"Begin." Asmodeus announced. All the boys closed their eyes in concentration, relaxing. Then, all at once they began to murmur this mysterious name. Their voices were all seperate at first before they melted together, creating one hum of voices.

Beelzebub, I thought with a frown. He was one of Asmodeus' brothers. No doubt he was probably a psychotic demon too. Fantastic, just what I need. Another bossy demon. I grimaced at the thought, my eyes scanning the room.

Asmodeus was just staring at the center candle intensely, his eyes narrowed and turning blacker by the second as the flames on the candles flickered sharply, like a whip snapping.

Everyone, including Dustin, Zeke, and Stephen, were vehemently concentrated on summoning this demon. At first, I figured we'd be sitting here all day, listening to each other breath deeply the name of Beelzebub, until I felt it.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, the air suddenly grow cold, but electrifying. The air crackled with a cold power that made me hold my breath as I stared at the center candle. I felt a lump form in my throat, choking me as my eyes widened.

The smoke from the center candle curled and writhed through the air, coiling around the candle that birthed it before it grew thicker. The smoke from the other candles began to seep toward the center, coiling until the cloud of smoke grew thick and black.

Asmodeus smirked suddenly, making me snap my head to glance at him quickly, then back at the candle at the center, watching the smoke tighten around something inside of it before it dissipated slowly.

Standing over the candle was the mysterious demon, Beelzebub.

His wavy hair was deep black and coarse, slightly shorter than shoulder length and parted to the left over a handsome, lightly stubbled face and the most stunning part was that his eyes were silver. Not blue, not green, not gray, but silver like the crosses we had in the chapel.

Like Asmodeus when I first met him, he was completely naked and unashamed of it. Why should he be ashamed? His body was gorgeous and it actually made my cheeks turn red. He noticed immediately, silver bullet eyes landing on me instantly.

"So. You're the angelus they spoke of." He stated aloud, voice void of emotion. Asmodeus rose to his feet, putting a hand on his hip and looking at his brother as if he was simply an insect. All I could do was just stare at them. It was obvious they were brothers. Not just the dark hair and similarly shaped jaws and strong cheekbones, but their cocky postures, their powerfully threatening aura that made the other boys share quick looks of intimidation.

"And he'll be of service to you once you've assisted us in our endeavors." Asmodeus promised his brother smoothly. I stared at him in disbelief.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I cried, distressed. Don't tell me this guy was going to do the same stuff Asmodeus did. If that was the case, I might as well bite my tongue off right now and get it over with.

"Ssh." Stephen tried to soothe, but he was ignored as I glared at Asmodeus and Beelzebub, who frowned in distaste.

"He's not been trained." Beelzebub stated, his tone dark as he glanced at Asmodeus with narrowed eyes belonging to that of an older brother. Asmodeus dismissed it swiftly to smirk.

"I like them like this. I'm like a cat. I prefer to play with my food before going in for the kill." He replied, making me shudder in repulse. I felt like I was just a pet being talked about. It irritated me beyond belief, but I wasn't going to speak anymore because Beelzebub was giving me a dirty look before looking at Asmodeus.

"By endeavors, you're referring to Lucifer's desperate wish to seek out Michael and his brothers to destroy them before taking down the rest of Heaven." He explained at last, going all business-like. Asmodeus nodded, folding his arms over his chest.

"We need thirteen people to do his summoning ritual on the next full moon. So, I thought, since we haven't seen each other in such a long time, why not catch up? Besides, I by far prefer you over Mammon or Leviathan. They'd steal what belongs to me without hesitation." He added with an obvious bitterness that made some of the boys shift uneasily.

Beelzebub studied Asmodeus closely for a moment, eyes narrowed before he averted them to scan the boys. His eyes paused on me and I resisted the urge to glare at him, just dropped my eyes to the floor instead. At which point, he turned to Asmodeus again.

"Denique. Fine. I will help you, brother, but mind you that I always demand payment for the time I need to waste." He decided, folding his arms over his chest. Asmodeus shrugged, gesturing to all the fallen angels, who visibly stiffened.

"Take your pick, brother. None of them matter to me." He replied carelessly. I glared at him for it and for some reason, quickly glanced at Zeke to see his reaction.

He sat with his hands on his knees, his eyes locked on one of the candles intently as he avoided Beelzebub's wandering eye. I saw Dustin clench his fists and his teeth grit as Beelzebub's eyes landed on Akira, who sat quietly with his hands on his knees, his legs folded up underneath of him.

"Kitsune," Beelzebub spoke loudly, making Akira glance up emotionlessly, "You will do. I've yet to taste your type of soul." I saw Dustin stiffen and for a moment, his sea blue eyes turned darker and redder before Beelzebub snapped his gaze to him.

"You best watch yourself, lupinotuum. I have no interest in keeping company with disobedient dogs." He threatened coldly. Dustin ground his teeth together. Akira just smiled coyly, tilting his head for a moment as Beelzebub's eyes flickered with interest, then it vanished as quickly as it came, his attention on his brother again.

"Seeing as the full moon is three weeks away, it would be nice to have somewhere to stay within that time frame. Somewhere comfortable." He added sharply. Asmodeus smirked at him as if they were sharing a secret joke before nodding, gesturing for Akira to rise to his feet.

Akira did so gracefully, his hands clasping innocently behind his back.

"Yes, my Lord?" He asked calmly, like the obedient little servant he was.

"Seeing as you're Beelzebub's gift, show him to a nice, comfortable room, then stay there until he orders you to do whatever he wants. In the mean time, the rest of you must be alert. With Beelzebub and I, as well as the angelus, pouring this much energy into one concentrated area, it's bound to attract the attention of the Archangels. Be on the look out for all three of them, particularly Michael." Asmodeus informed firmly.

The fallen angels all nodded as one, rising to their feet. I frowned, slowly getting to my feet, then wincing as Cain slammed his shoulder into mine. I whirled around to glare at him as he smirked, then slid an arm around Abel's shoulder to tug him close. Abel scowled at him, but cast me a pitiful stare before walking out. I rolled my eyes, turning, but pulled up short as Stephen smiled at me, blocking my path.

"Everything is going according to plan, Matthew. Soon, you'll be with your rightful owner." He promised, making my blood turn to ice in my veins. I stiffened, glaring at him in disgust.

"What'd you mean?" I asked in angry confusion. Stephen laughed, then did that thing where he put his finger under my chin to lift my face. I glared at him defiantly, my fists clenched so tightly, I felt my nails cutting into my palms.

"Me, of course," Stephen breathed, licking his lower lip as if thinking about it was driving himself bonkers, "Asmodeus is only taking care of you, training you. Once he's finished sucking the life out of you, and once Lucifer has ripped your powers out, your soul will be mine for the taking."

"I hope you choke and gag on it." I seethed hatefully. Stephen pouted for a second, brushing his hand against my cheek and through my hair. I slapped his hand away harshly, listening to the slap of it echo in the room before Stephen smiled, more amused than offended.

"You don't understand just yet, Matthew, but you will. After Lucifer gets his revenge and we're once again allowed within the gates of Heaven, you will realize that all of this was worth it." He promised, lowering his hand. I scowled.

"I hope God kicks your ass." I spat. Stephen suddenly smirked in a dangerous way that had my heart thumping nervously in my chest. He grabbed the front of my cloak, jerking me closer so our noses were touching.

"You better. Because when he fails, I'll crush your last sliver of hope so you'll have to depend on me." He murmured, baring his fangs in my face.

"I'll kill myself." I blurted venomously. Stephen laughed, shoving me away from him so I stumbled. He folded his arms over his chest for a moment.

"You can't kill what's already been dead." He responded, then brushed past me out the door. I watched him go, feeling cold and hollow instead and it only intensified when I turned to see Zeke staring at me. I frowned.

"I'm still not giving up." I told him tightly. That seemed to piss him off because his face grew dark and he clenched his fists.

"Why do you keep fighting it, Matthew? I told you why this has to happen. I told you why things are the way they are, and yet you still fight the Fates." He seethed, sounding more agonized than angry. I scowled.

"Because I refuse to let people use me and get away with it. When I escape, I'm not running away to hide from you. I'm running away to kill you and everyone else, including Asmodeus and his stupid brothers." I spat acidly. Zeke blinked, caught off guard for a moment at the bite in my voice before he narrowed his eyes, his expression bitter.

"You can't. There's too much goodness in you. You'd never kill any of us, especially me." He responded coldly. I glared.

"Zeke. I love you so much I'll kill you." I replied just as frigidly. Zeke's eyes seemed to glow with an unreadable emotion before he rushed past me, the sound of the main chamber door slamming shut loudly behind him. I watched him go, my eyes narrowed before I felt a hand fall on my shoulder, making me snap my head to glare at Asmodeus, whose eyes had followed Zeke out before looking at me.

"My, my, little lamb. You're growing up. I don't know if I should be proud or concerned." He smirked, obviously having just witnessed my argument. I scowled, shrugging his hand off my shoulder and stepping away from him.

"Whose side are you on anyway?" I demanded, annoyed as I folded my arms tightly over my chest.

"Whatever do you mean, angelus?" Asmodeus asked, feigning innocence very badly. Enough to have Beelzebub cracking a smirk on his supposedly rigid face. I glared harder at him, clenching my fists.

"You keep telling me all sorts of information and secrets. It's like you're trying to push me onto Michael's side. You're obviously tricking me and setting a trap for me, and for Michael." I snapped, making Asmodeus cock a brow. Beelzebub tsked, lowering his hands onto his hips.

"You still have an obsession with Michael?" He asked. Asmodeus rolled his eyes, but didn't turn to face his brother, which only made him sigh in frustration. I looked at Beelzebub curiously as he shook his head.

"Oh, Asmodeus. You stupid, stupid devil. You pick the most impossible of lovers. You have a perfectly ripe virgin angelus right in front of you and you prefer the archangelus?" He asked in a chiding tone. Asmodeus scowled, then plastered on a fake smirk that he threw over his shoulder at his brother.

"Non, brother. I have no intention of having that kind of relationship with Michael. Now, run along with your kitsune before I decide to call Lucy and send you back." He answered threateningly. Beelzebub gave him a pinched expression.

"He'll kill you if he hears you mocking his name again." He scolded, sounding surprisingly concerned about the idea.

"Lucifer's better than Beelzebub. Lucifer just makes me wanna sing out Lucy, I'm home while your name just makes me think of toilet bowl cleaner."

"Yea, well, your name reminds me of ass."

"A nice firm ass that I was so graciously blessed with." Asmodeus replied, wiggling his eyebrows and making Beelzebub scowl before departing with Akira following dutifully at his heels. I frowned, then looked at Asmodeus, who seemed particularly pissed now.

I could tell by the way his muscles flexed and the pentacles down his cheeks seemed to twitch.

"Bad brotherly relationship?" I asked, my tone snide. Asmodeus glared at me pointedly.

"You have no place to speak now, angelus. We're going to my room." He stated, then grabbed me by the back of my neck, making me gasp in pain as I reached back to claw at his wrists. He hummed in amusement at this sudden attack before he swept me up under his arm like some kind of rag doll.

"Get off! Stop carrying me around like a doll!"

"Oh, but you are a doll, angelus. A fragile China doll that I just love to break into pieces." Asmodeus crooned as he walked out of the ritual room, the door slamming shut behind him. As he moved for his room, the doors to the main chamber room came into view. They were open and beckoning my name. I gasped and writhed in Asmodeus' grip.

Then Stephen's face came into view, blocking the exit and he smirked at me from outside the doors before shutting them. I gritted my teeth.

I hope Michael rips your intestines out and chokes you with them, I thought bitterly as Asmodeus stepped into his room, taking the door in his free hand.

Once again, shutting the doors of freedom on my face, plunging me into my familiar prison.