Val grasped blindly for something to say to stop him. “You know, now that I think about it, Nathaniel did mention you to me.”
His head whipped around in her direction. “What was that?”
Oh goody, she thought. He had Nathaniel issues just as she thought he might. But, really, who didn’t?
She shrugged. “Just that you were jealous of him. How hard to resist he is. How he’s going to become a really important demon and you’ll just toil away in obscurity for all eternity.”
Julian frowned. “He said that?”
She nodded.
“Hard to resist?” he sputtered. “Perhaps when he’s not wasting time feeling sorry for himself.
I always see my tasks through to their inevitable conclusion. That’s what I do. I’m much more reliable, important . . .” He trailed off and looked at her. “And now I have the Key to Heaven.”
Val glanced down at his hand, which was tightly clenched around the key. “Well, yes, you do have a key. Whether or not it’s the Key to Heaven is another story. Mr. Barlow, didn’t you say you were having doubts about whether it was even real?”
Barlow just stared at her, the ashtray clutched in his hands.
She gestured with her head. “The key. Didn’t you say you tried it and it didn’t work? Just a couple of sparks and then nothing?”
“Oh . . . yes, yes, I did say that, didn’t I? Yes, that’s right.”
She watched the doubt cloud Julian’s arrogant expression.
She smiled, shakily. “So that’s too bad. That it’s not the real Key to Heaven. Real shame that you couldn’t figure that out for yourself. Nathaniel probably wouldn’t have made that mistake, but he’s . . . you know, special.” She peered at him. “And I guess I do see what he means about being much better looking than you.”
“Better looking? He said that?”
Val held up her hands. “I shouldn’t say any more.”
Julian looked weak and self-conscious then, just for a moment. Val wracked her brain to think of something else to say to distract him, but came up blank, since she was actually completely terrified. Her mouth was working but the rest of her had almost completely shut down. If he’d been able to destroy Alexa so easily, she didn’t even want to think about what he might do to
Barlow or herself.
Slowly, a smile began to spread across his face. “Stalling me, aren’t you, fallen one?
Nathaniel said nothing of the sort.”
“Sure he did.”
“An excellent try. Now where were we?” He took a menacing step toward her.
“Wait! What do you want with the key, anyhow?”
“Why should I tell you?”
She thought about that. “Why not?”
He grinned. “Very well, fallen one. I’ll tell you because it pleases me to. Whoever holds the
Key to Heaven, holds the balance of the universe in their hands. While I enjoy that feeling of power, I’d much rather sell it to the highest bidder. I know of one who will be quite interested in possessing it for himself.”
“But I told you that it doesn’t work. It’s a fake key.”
“Fallen angels are such miserable liars. It’s a true talent to deceive one as adept at deception as myself. You may save your breath in telling me any more of your tall tales.”
Valerie felt cold.
Julian stared with reverence at the golden key in his hand. “Can you just imagine what will happen when a demon walks into Heaven?”
Julian strolled away from her and toward Barlow who held his ashtray so tight as the demon approached that his knuckles whitened. “You know, I was thinking about killing the old man.
But now I’ve changed my mind. Ask me why.”
She just stared at him.
“Come on. Ask me.” He waited, then sighed with impatience. “Fine. I will simply tell you. I would have killed him because that would have been enjoyable, but he’s already dead.
Disease is eating him up from the inside. I can see it as clearly as I can see your poorly disguised fear, fallen one.”
Her gaze shot to Barlow.
Julian continued, “He has only days left. Pain-filled days. So why would I want to deprive him of that? And now that I have the key, he has no choice but to die as a human, and face what waits for him on the other side. Although I can guarantee that it won’t be your precious pearly gates. You should have given yourself over to Alexa long ago, old man. Do you know what happens to a fallen angel who enters Hell without the guidance of a Tempter Demon?”
He grinned. “Imagine a prison filled with vicious, hardened murderers . . . and one day the cop who put them all behind bars is thrown in to join them. A lamb to the slaughter. A slab of meat thrown to the lions. Only there is no respite. There is no mercy. It is forever. An eternity of such vileness is what you can look forward to.”
“Shut up,” Val heard herself say. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Julian slipped the key into his pocket and cast his cold, blue-eyed gaze completely on her.
“However, I will still enjoy taking care of you, fallen one. Just for kicks.”
He came at her before she had time to register what was happening. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to his face to stare into his now fiery eyes.
“Tell me I’m better looking than Nathaniel and maybe I’ll show mercy.”
Val blinked. Was he serious?
But before she could say anything, to either confirm or deny his request, he flinched, and looked down. “Ouch.”
A rat had bitten his ankle through his leather pants, and was holding on tight.
Val raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Reggie?”
Julian’s eyes widened and he let go of her. “A rat! Ahh! Oh, get it off me! Get it off me!”