Bash repositioned Mal on his back with his head cradled in his lap. I placed my hand over Mal’s, to push some calming magic through him so he’d stop shaking and relax. Bash had searched my mind before, and the more someone struggled, the more painful it was. Bash placed one hand on his forehead and the other on his temple. He spent the next several minutes concentrating as he searched Mal’s mind for answers. Frowning, he grabbed Ares’ hand.
“Ares, grab Desmond’s hand, and get ready for a mindfuck.”
The entire room around me spun, refocusing again on an office desk. This had been when Satan asked to see him alone, after I made him leave the steakhouse.
Mal sat across from Satan, the memory playing out from his point of view. Red wore his usual red robe that completely hid his face in shadow.
“I know she’s alive, hiding in your house. You all betrayed me. If you bring her to me Malcolm, I can spare your life,” Red drawled in a sinister voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mal replied with an even tone. “I haven’t seen Diana since Ares burned her alive in the fire. I can assure you she’s dead because I saw Ares do it myself.”
“Lies!” Satan shouted as he grabbed Mal’s hand, sending an electric shock through him. His body convulsed in pain as the electricity crackled all over his skin, shaking the view. He cried out in agony as his entire body bowed off the chair. Satan inhaled a deep breath, then blew out a red cloud of smoke that floated straight into Mal’s mouth; presumably that was the entity that possessed him. When Satan let go of Mal’s hand, the electrical current stopped.
“You will obey me, Malcolm Knight.”
Mal nodded his head. “Yes, Satan.”
“You will wait until the time is right, and then you will kill Diana. You’re going to murder her. You’ll kill her out of rage, because you hate her. Then all of your friends will leave you, and I’ll pick them off one by one.” Satan’s dark, evil laughter filled the air. “When you complete your task, my possession will end. Because you lied to my face, I’ll keep you on a second leash with Asmodeus. I’ve seen the way you stare at him out of the corner of your eye… I always have room for another pretty pet.”
“Yes, Satan,” Mal agreed, his eyes wide, filled with panic.
“When Desmond asks, you’re going to tell him I talked to you about assisting another crew of mine in teleporting moonstones. You don’t know the details because it’s a top-secret project. Tell him I’ll contact you later with specifics. Sit still, pet.” Satan got up and rounded the desk, standing somewhere behind Mal. “Hmmm, what a long, graceful neck you have. It seems you’ll take the same sized collar as Asmodeus. I’ll make sure yours is blue, so it matches your eyes.”
He patted Mal’s cheek, then walked in front of him and placed his hands on either side of Mal’s head. Mal’s eyes snapped shut, and when he opened them again, he seemed confused.
“I apologize, Satan. I momentarily lost myself. What were we discussing?” Mal asked, bowing his head in deference.
“Pay attention, Malcolm.” Satan barked, sitting on the edge of his desk, slightly further away from Mal. “I’ll be in contact with you about the moonstone shipment. It will be abrupt, so I’ll come to collect you myself. Be ready.”
“Yes, Satan. I look forward to assisting your team.” Mal shook his hand, and red and yellow sparks flew from their joining.
“My guard can see you out now,” Red said as he returned to his seat behind the desk.
The entire room spun again, coming into focus at the airport. The scene was tinted the same shade of red as the entity that possessed him.
Mal stabbed Diana in the heart. Then he twisted it for good measure, ensuring her death. Watching the scene from his point of view sent chills down my spine. Her face contorted with fear and shock. When he released the blade, the red tint disappeared. I ran toward Malcolm and picked him up, throwing him into an airline kiosk. The memory blacked out.
I felt Ares’ hand leave mine, and Mal’s bedroom came back into focus. He laid on the bed, sobbing into Bash’s lap. “She's dead. I killed her,” Mal whispered, just loud enough that I heard it. He sat up, hanging his head in his hands. “Iama fucking murderer.”
“Mal, Diana is still alive. Bash can feel her through their bond,” I said, rubbing his back and sending more calming magic through him. “You didn’t do this willingly… We know you’re not to blame.”
“Where is she?” he asked, sniffling punctuating his words.
“We don’t have her with us. She disappeared. She either time-hopped somewhere, Red recalled her, or Azazel could have her. Those are our leading theories anyway,” Bash replied.
“She’s alive?” Mal’s face lit up with hope. “You know Azazel; contact him. Maybe he’ll see something that can help us!”
“It’s not that simple…” Bash added. “He keeps his home magically concealed like we do. The last area I know he lived in was completely off the grid. We won’t be able to find him, and I don’t know where he lives now.”
“How do you know that?” Ares asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.
“I like to keep a tab on my exes…” Bash trailed off, glancing around the room nonchalantly as he ran his fingers through his hair. “And maybe toward the end of our relationship with him, I got suspicious and tracked him for a while…” he said directly to me.
I sat there for a moment, staring at Bash in astonishment. Even for an incubus, it was extra as fuck of him to stalk our ex-boyfriend and keep tabs on him after we supposedly ruined his life and left him. He took creepiness to a whole new level sometimes.
“Possessive much?” Ares laughed. “You’re fucking psycho, Bash. Do you have a little treasure trove of trophies from him too?”
Bash looked away from us, avoiding the question. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.