Chapter Twenty Four

Two days before Lacey’s eighteenth birthday, Dad arrived from the farm. He bore gifts - a new laptop for University, iTunes vouchers and an eReader that he’d found on the net. He had no idea how it worked but Lacey was an avid reader. If it meant saving a bit of the pocket money she regularly used to buy books, he was positive she’d figure it out in seconds. He also brought a ring that had belonged to Mum. It was dainty and silver, with a blood red ruby at its centre. He’d had it cleaned especially. Lacey put the ring on her third finger and twisted it back and forth, studying the engravings. As soon as Dad had gone back home, that ring was going in the box. It was nice that it had belonged to Mum and she’d keep it for that reason but she wasn’t going to wear it. Something about it gave her the creeps.

After a chatty dinner around the kitchen table, Lacey sat in the living room watching Dad lounging in the chair with a beer. His ankle was crossed loosely over his knee and foot was tapping to the music coming from the iPod dock. His face was animated as he talked to Aunt Beth. He seemed happier than he’d been since Mum had died.

Ever since Cam had told her the truth about Lucifer’s Mark, Lacey had been wondering how to broach the subject with Dad. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings if he wasn’t the one responsible, especially now that he looked so at peace, yet she had to know the final piece of this perplexing puzzle.

At half past seven, Aunt Beth announced that she was off to her Book Club. With her gone for a couple of hours and Cam nowhere to be found, Lacey braced herself for a tough conversation.

“Dad?”

“Yes, Lace?”

“Um… Well.”

Dad sat up straight. Suddenly, he looked nervous. “Yes?”

“Look. It’s like this. Some weird things have been happening lately and I’ve found out some stuff about the past and… and… well, do you know anything about this mark on my neck?” She leaned towards him, lifting the hair away from her neck to reveal the purplish tattoo.

Dad moved his beer, from where he’d been resting on his knee, to a spot on the floor. He sidled to the front of the seat and gave her his full attention. “Why? Has something happened?”

Lacey swallowed. “If you call being almost killed by a big fat demon ‘something,’ then yes, I guess something has.”

Dad went a funny shade of green under his tan. “I never believed it, you know. Your mother said it was real but I thought it was just a stupid game.”

“So you know about Lucifer’s Mark?”

“It was such a long time ago, before you were conceived. Fiona and I were just kids. And your mother was adventurous, she used to get me involved in all sorts of ridiculous hijinks.”

Like what? Drugs? Wild orgies?

“We used to have séances sometimes,” he said, “tried to contact the spirit world. It was silly stuff. Linda, that’s Abbie’s mum, she used to love it when the glass swished around on the board and supposed spirits spoke to her. I’m sure you know kids who’ve tried it.”

“Not really Dad, but anyway…..” Lacey urged. She wasn’t going to go down the route of some of the things she’d seen since she’d been in Angel’s Bend.

“Well anyway, we got married and we wanted a child desperately but your mother had problems. The doctors all said that she’d never conceive and we never had enough money to think about things like IVF or adopting or whatever. She was so sad, Lace. I thought, at one point, that she might try to take her own life.”

He picked up his beer and took a long deep swig. Then he spoke again. His eyes had filled with tears as he remembered the beautiful girl that was Lacey’s mother and the sadness that had filled their lives before Lacey arrived. She had been their shining light.

“Then, one day, Linda told Fiona about a book she’d seen in the library. She told her all about how you could have a wonderful life if you pledged your allegiance to Satan. You could get anything you wanted. The book showed how to invoke the devil - the incantations, everything. Your mother hounded me for weeks about it. She was obsessed, said it might be the only chance she ever had to get a baby.”

“But you didn’t do it?”

“Lacey, its one thing to play at ghosts, another entirely to be conjuring up the Devil. I told your mother to leave well enough alone and after a while she stopped talking about it, so I figured she’d gotten over it. Then one day, about six months later, she told me she was pregnant.”

Lacey sat quietly studying her father. Nervous, her hand reached for the sigil around her neck. She rubbed it between her fingers, feeling the healing power of the quartz infusing her body. She knew what was coming next but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

“Then you were born. The labour was a dream, like the stork had dropped you into our arms. We brought you back here soon after and everything was fine for a few weeks or so, until the day I was playing with you, tickling and blowing raspberries on your cheek. I saw the mark on your neck. It had never been there before. When I asked Fiona about it, she told me it was Lucifer’s Mark. Lucifer had given her fertility but in return she had to give him her first-born child on the child’s eighteenth birthday. The child would be sealed with his mark, so that when the day came, he would know where to find it. She would then have other children and be able to keep them all. That, of course, turned out to be a lie.”

Lacey began to laugh. It was the only thing that would stop her from bursting into fits of hysterical tears, or hitting someone. This was unbelievable.

“Oh, and did he dance around a fire and shout ‘my name is Rumpelstiltskin’ while he was at it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Lacey. This isn’t funny.”

“And you think I think it is? In case you haven’t realised, I’m the one who’s going on a trip with Lucifer in a couple of days. And it’s not by choice!” Angrier than ever, she picked up her glass and threw it into the fire. The flames crackled and spat in the grate, then died down. “Surely, there must be something you can do? Isn’t there some way to reverse what Mum did?”

“As soon as your mother told me what was going on, I moved the family away. I thought if I put some distance between Angel’s Bend and us, Lucifer would never find you….”

“So why did you send me back here? Why now, so close to my birthday? Geez, Dad.”

Lacey’s father gave a huge sigh. His face suddenly seemed older than its years. Watery tears slid down his sun weathered cheek. “It was my only option. If I’d let you be, you would have died too, Lace. The drugs had created a whole new demon that I couldn’t deal with.”

Lacey stopped and looked down. The hurt in her father’s eyes was enormous. He blamed himself. “So why not send me to boarding school in the city? I could have been just as anonymous there as on the farm.”

“There would have been no protection. Here, in Angel’s Bend, you have a host of people looking out for you. The very place where you are to be taken could be your only salvation. It was a gamble but also the only card I had left to play.”

Lacey frowned. “You know about Cam being an angel then?”

“Yes, and Ty and his ‘family’. They were the ones who convinced me to send you back. They said they could protect you, God had given them the task of doing so and being here was the best place. It may seem like I handed your life over to Satan but I didn’t have another choice. I can’t save you. I tried and failed.”

Lacey paced in front of the fireplace. The orange glow from the flames licked around her ankles and spread through the fabric of her jeans stinging her calves. Stepping away, she rubbed at them, distracted.

“I hate Mum. I hate that she could do this to me, to us!” she cried.

“She didn’t think Lucifer would call in his part of the bargain. She didn’t understand the seriousness of what she was asking.”

“He’s the freakin’ Devil, Dad, what did she expect?”

“All she wanted was a baby. Without Lucifer, you would never have existed.”

“I need to know how I can get Lucifer off my back.”

Lacey’s father pursed his lips. His voice was low and serious. “There’s only one way that I know of. If you don’t go with him, you can face him and offer another soul as a trade.”

*****

Lacey paced back and forth in her bedroom. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t knowingly trade her life for someone else’s. It wasn’t right. She couldn’t expect anyone else to go and give up their life so that she could live. She could just imagine the conversation…

“So, I was wondering if you’re busy on Saturday?”

“No, why?”

“Would you be interested in selling your soul to the Devil? You see he wants mine, but he’s willing to take a trade and I thought…”

“Oh, what a great idea, I’m at a loose end, I’d love to…”

Not.

After telling her the story, Dad had mysteriously disappeared to bed, citing tiredness from his trip but Lacey knew the truth. He was weak. He didn’t want to sort out the mess he’d gotten her into before she was even born and he certainly wasn’t about to offer his own soul. Not that she would take it. She’d caused him enough pain. Eternal fire and damnation wasn’t what she wanted for him.

She paced until her feet were sore. She sat and looked at old photos; conjuring up memories of the past, back when Mum had been alive. Things had been so easy then. She wondered if the Devil would have found her if she’d stayed on the farm or if he’d have given up and looked for another victim. She thought about Cam. Her love for him was something she didn’t want to give up. Not for anybody. She prayed he’d be able to save her that he’d kill Zac or Lucifer or both. He was her only hope.

Then there was her mother. Zac had said she’d be able to see Mum again if she surrendered. Mum had made a pact with Lucifer and was waiting for Lacey in Hell. Jesus. Her mother was in Hell as consort to the devil. Waiting for her. If she gave her life to Lucifer, she could see her again, run into her motherly embrace, tell her she was sorry for all she’d done. Of course, she’d be dead too, so nothing could change but at least her conscience would be appeased. Did you even have a conscience if you were dead?

Her head thumping with indecision, Lacey threw herself onto the bed and did the only thing she could that was guaranteed to make her feel better, in the short term at least. She sobbed. All this mulling over stuff was irrelevant. The plain fact was that nobody could save her from her fate and if she didn’t go, in thirty-six hours, Lucifer would make a meal of someone else she loved. Cam would try to save her, of course, but chances were he could be killed in the process and she certainly didn’t want that. And if he did survive and she was gone, he only had one more soul to save. He could find another and go back to Heaven. He would have done his penance.

From whichever way Lacey looked it, the answer was always the same. She had no choice. She had to surrender. With resolve greater than any she thought she possessed, she picked up her mobile and sent a text to Zac. If she was going to give herself up, she might as well get it over with. There were only hours till her birthday, after all.

*****

Lacey kissed Aunt Beth and Dad goodbye early the next evening and went to her room, closing the bedroom door on her life. This was the last time she would see her family but, at least, if she did this they’d be safe. The same couldn’t be said for her. As she folded her clothes and put them into the drawer, an uncharacteristic move, she thought about what was coming next. It was going to be bad, she was aware of that, but she hoped Lucifer was nice enough to give her something so it wouldn’t hurt. She was going voluntarily, after all. A choked laugh escaped her lips. Who was she trying to kid? Lucifer wouldn’t be kind to her. He was the freakin’ Devil. If anything he’d relish her pain.

She dressed carefully. She spent ages with the curling tongs adding extra waves to her long raven hair and even put on makeup. There wasn’t a point to the exercise; she was only wasting time, trying not to think about what was going to happen. And if this was to be her last night on Earth, she may as well go out looking at least half way decent. Especially if her mother was there. She wouldn’t like Mum to think she’d not been cleaning her nails or washing her hair.

She took a final turn in the mirror. Tomorrow, she would be eighteen. She didn’t feel eighteen. She didn’t know what she felt. All she knew was that, she was doing this of her own free will. She gazed once more at the girl in the reflection. As far as death outfits went, she supposed she looked fairly okay. Zac had told her to wear black, but she’d disregarded him, choosing her favourite denims and top. Just because she was giving the Devil her life didn’t mean she had to employ his taste in clothes. He could go jump. Around her neck the sigil was clearly on display. The white flannel bag was hidden in her pocket, out of sight. She didn’t know why she bothered, though. When the time came Zac would more than likely make her get rid of them.

As she climbed out the window, Lacey cast one last look around her room. Her eyes came to a rest on the photo of Dad, Mum, Aunt Beth and her taken at Christmas a few years back. A tear welled in her eye and she dabbed it away, not wanting to spoil the carefully applied makeup. Hands trembling, she jumped down onto the lawn and pulled down the window, keeping the night out. Then she ran out through the open gate.

It was only minutes until she was across the bridge leading to the farm. Trepidation oozing from every pore, she made her way along the darkened trail that would take her to the house. It was easier to find her way this time but it didn’t make her feet want to move any faster. They became heavier with every step. It was as if someone had filled them with concrete.

By ten o’clock, the moon was high and Zac gathered the group to him, ready for the ceremony. Welcoming Lacey, he placed a chaste kiss upon her lips.

“You look beautiful, Lacey. Lucifer will be pleased,” he remarked. An absent finger reached up to straighten a wayward curl near her face. Why hadn’t he chided her for not following the dress code? This was not the Zac she knew. This Zac was soft. The cocky confidence was gone, replaced by the persona of some wacky spiritual leader. It was as if he’d had a personality transplant. She looked up at him in confusion.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, reaching into his pocket and opening his palm to reveal a small white tablet. “Take this, it will mellow you out.”

Lacey paused momentarily before taking the offering from Zac’s hand. She didn’t know what it was and she was still feeling the effects the vodka she’d downed to calm her nerves before she left home. Drugs on top of that, could send her completely over the edge and with her senses dulled; she would be in real trouble. Then again, she was in real trouble already. She was about to die.

“It’s fine, Lace, it’s just a Xanax,” Zac soothed.

Lacey nodded reluctantly. She didn’t want to be mellowed out. She wanted to stay alert but she took the tab anyway and put it on her tongue, quickly flicking it down her throat.

Zac handed her a shot, which she drank. His outstretched hand stroked the skin along her backbone. Through the thin fabric of her top, she felt the heat of his desire for her. Yet, his smile was serene, not passionate. “You’ve made the right decision. It will be over soon and then you’ll see your mother again.”

“I don’t believe you, you know. You do nothing but lie.”

“Then, maybe you’ll believe me.” A tall, auburn haired woman lifted a curtain in the doorway before her. She looked very much like an older, more mesmerizing version of Abbie. Her face, long and thin, was friendly yet somehow, sinister. Curved brown eyebrows framed large dark eyes. Chiselled cheekbones led to a lush mouth that widened in a knowing smile. She was devilishly beautiful and she knew it.

“This is Linda, but I believe you’ve met,” Zac said.

“Welcome, Lacey.” Linda took Lacey’s hand and moved to press her lips upon her cheek. Her third finger bore a ring exactly like the one Dad had given to Lacey. Mum’s ring. Lacey’s skin crawled but she wasn’t certain if in desire or revulsion. Oh God, surely she wasn’t having lustful thoughts about a woman? Not Abbie’s mother? Bile rose in her throat.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Linda said.

Lacey pulled her hand away. “So I gather.”

Linda led her into the house, turning at the door to a small chamber. “We will wait in here, until the time is right. You will need to get undressed, including your… jewellery.” She lifted her hand and waved long painted nails in the direction of the sigil.

“What, naked?”

Linda leered. “Some prefer to do it that way and I would have no objection but you may feel more comfortable in this.” She handed her a robe with long bell sleeves.

“It’s see-through!” Lacey gasped.

“All the better to see you with, my dear. We would not wish to miss a millimetre of your incredible beauty. Your mother is a beauty too. Her skin is the colour of cream and as smooth as the skin of the new born babe.”

“Enough!”

Snatching the robe from Linda’s hand, Lacey put it on the chair beside her and began to undress. It was bad enough she was going to die half naked. She didn’t need to hear what her mother looked like without clothes. And she wasn’t taking the sigil off, either, damn her.

After Lacey was changed, Linda took her down a narrow corridor. Through the muted light on the other side of the curtain, Lacey could see the gathering assembly.

Oh God. Oh God, she thought. Let me die now.

Linda placed a firm hand upon her shoulder. The touch burnt her skin and she shivered.

“You will stay here for a time. The ceremony is about to start. Zac will come to collect you and I will see you shortly after. I need to prepare myself.”

Then she disappeared.

Lacey looked around her in the dark. This couldn’t be possible. Abbie’s mother was the Devil? No. She’d looked so normal the times Lacey had been to her house. A ball of lucidity bounced in her brain, squashing the haze of the drugs Zac had given her.

Of course, it all made sense now that she thought about it. All those years ago, Linda had tricked her mother into having a baby for the specific purposes of using that baby to fulfill a Demonic plan. Whether her mother had known or not, Lacey’s birth had been no accident. She had always been meant as a sacrifice. That was why Linda had kept Abbie closeted all these years. Linda hadn’t wanted her to be involved. Geez, she must have freaked when she found out Abbie was headed along the same dangerous path. Or did she even care? If Linda were a demon or even Satan himself wouldn’t she want a daughter that followed in her footsteps? Lacey didn’t know and it made her head hurt too much to keep on thinking about it. For now, Abbie was safe. She had Ty.

On the other side of the curtain, Lacey heard a humming sound and she peered through a gap in the curtain. Zac and the gang had gathered in a small anteroom, located through a covered doorway off the living room. Decorated in the same sinister style as the living room, the room was illuminated by blue candles. A long table covered with a navy blue cloth stood, like an altar, at one end near a large fireplace. In it a huge fire had been built, and a branding iron lay amongst the coals.

As they entered, each member of the group took a small pill from Zac’s hand, swallowing it with a shot of vodka. Walking to the altar, they lit a candle from the black ceremonial one that stood adjacent and took their positions at the points of a pentacle that was traced onto the floor. Through the crack between the curtain and the wall, Lacey could see the candles they had placed at their feet and hear the chant they sang in some strange language that was entirely new to her. Swathed in black robes, similar to the one she wore but with hoods to drape their faces, she didn’t recognise any of them. But she knew who they were - these were the people she had innocently called her friends a time back.

As the chanting grew more frenzied, members of the circle began to sway, as if in a trance. Some held hands, others kissed. Candles spat through the darkness, someone screamed. It made Lacey’s head swim to watch, though it could have been the effect of the tablet Zac had given her. Under the gauzy robe, goosebumps spread up her arms and onto the cold skin of her chest and torso. Her knees wobbled, unsure if they could hold her weight anymore. Shit, oh shit. Why was she doing this?

At the height of the chant, Zac turned to the archway to face her and lifted his arms high above his head. The others in the circle, quietened and mesmerized, waited for her to emerge.

Zac’s voice rang out, around the tiny room. “We welcome tonight, our newest member Lacey, come to join this sacred group, ready to give her pledge to the Dark Lord, in return for an eternal life.”

A curtain swung back and the twins took her hands, one on either side. Lacey stumbled into the room, her transparent red robe glowing in the candle flame, her nakedness clearly apparent beneath. A fat crystal tear fell from her cheek landing on the robe; its salty liquid spread across the fabric making it cling to her skin. Please God, let it be quick, she prayed. Just let me die now.

Bringing Lacey forward to the altar and pushing her to kneel before it, the twins took a step back. Zac took up a silver dagger, richly carved, and held it in position above her chest. With a swift motion that caused gasps from his enthralled audience, he sliced the gown in two down the front, uncovering Lacey’s naked skin and the sigil dangling between her breasts. His eyes gleamed with menace at the sight of it but he did not touch.

“Come, oh Lucifer,” Zac shouted. “Welcome Lacey to your fold. Bring this Child of the Pentacle to her final resting place among your followers.”

The walls of the tiny room shuddered and a wind rushed through it. The candle flames licked and jumped. Lacey’s eyes scanned the assembly. Not one familiar face. Not even Ty. Not that that would have been possible now that he’d been exposed a slayer.

“We call upon you, Oh Dark Lord, to come among us and welcome, this, your daughter.”

Again the room shook, this time as an almighty roar resounded around its walls.

Reaching over and taking a crimson candle from the altar, Zac tilted it sideways, spilling hot liquid wax down Lacey’s breast and causing her to flinch. Her eyes, glued shut with fear, flew open and she whimpered but did not cry out. Zac poured again and she tilted her head to the ceiling, raising her eyes aloft. She watched the knife lowering to trace the river of wax that flowed down her abdomen and between her thighs. The blade stung as it pierced the top of her skin but she did not cry out. It hurt, but it was as if the pain were welcome. In her mind, she could see images of all the people she loved. They were telling her not to worry, to let it go. She felt her head grow dizzy but she knelt rigid, refusing to fall. Only the tears gave any indication of her fear.

“Come, oh Lucifer,” Zac bellowed, again. “Welcome Lacey to your fold.”

The room filled with smoke. Clouds of billowing grey swirled through the air and around the feet of the assembly. An acrid smell of death permeated every corner. A tall celestial creature entered from another corridor and stood in front of the altar. Her presence permeated the walls, her evil settled over them like a blanket. The assembly fell to the ground as one, bowing before her, chanting the Dark Lord’s name . Lacey watched as she raised her arms to the flock acknowledging their loyalty.

Linda. Linda.

Their frenetic chant rang out around the room. Their glassy eyes were filled with the joy of seeing their leader.

Linda was Lucifer. Lacey trembled. Even with the drugs she was petrified. Linda was huge, her body transformed into something unholy. Her satanic presence was narcotic, begging Lacey to sip from the cup, the pressure to bow to her so strong Lacey felt as if the muscles would burst from her skin if she did not obey.

Linda walked to the altar and picked up a silver bowl and knife. She held them aloft, her lips moving in silent prayer. She turned to Lacey and waited. Zac came forth, and grabbing Lacey’s wrists pinioned them, holding them steady for Linda. On the other side, Lola slid an arm around her, keeping her still. What were they going to do to her? Oh shit. Was this the end?

“Before the Almighty and Ineffable Lucifer and in the presence of all his demons and minions here, renounce your ties to God and Jesus, Lacey. Renounce your ties to His son, the Holy Spirit.”

Linda slashed at her wrist. Zac held her firm allowing the blood to drip into the bowl. The stench that filled the room was unbearable, swirling like an acrid fog around them, sending the candle flames to jump and spit. Lacey felt her legs giving way underneath her and she struggled to stay erect. Tears ran down her ashen face. Her lip trembled of its own accord.

Oh God, Cam, she thought. If you can hear me, I’ve changed my mind. Oh God. Please don’t let me die.

She knew she’d done the stupidest of things. There was no way Cam could save her. She was here of her own free will.

Please Cam, please. I take it back. I don’t want this. SAVE ME!

On her chest, the heartbeat of the sigil came alive. A series of tiny electric shocks exploded inside her. Her brain filled with voices that cried ‘Don’t do it, Lacey. Don’t give in to the power of evil.’ Then an image of Cam came to her. He was surrounded by an aura of love, a rose coloured light shone out of his chest illuminating an image of her face.

“I love you, Lacey. Fight,” he whispered. “Fight.”

Lacey shook her head. Steaks of hair swept across her face, plastering themselves to her tears. She wriggled against Lola’s binding hands. What was going on around her was evil. She had no place being there. If Linda or Lucifer or whoever he-she was wanted her for a sacrifice he would damn well have to fight. She wasn’t giving in that easily.

Linda slashed a second time.

Zac screamed at her again, “Before the Almighty and Ineffable Lucifer and in the presence of all his demons and minions here, renounce your ties to God and Jesus, Lacey. Renounce your ties to His stinking son, the Holy Spirit.”

“NO!”

A fist connected with her jaw.

Lacey grew faint; the words were trapped on her tongue. Drops of her blood were filling the bowl. She didn’t want to renounce anything but her mind couldn’t function with Zac screaming like that.

“Renounce him, NOW!”

“I…I…”

“Now! Now!” chanted the group.

The room moved closer, the smell was getting stronger. Next to Zac, Lola was forcibly holding her upright, baring her semi-naked body to the assembled group, ready for branding. Kat’s eyes had turned blood red, her face set in a demonic smile as she waved incense from a brass container over the heads of the group. The chanting grew louder, the smell thicker. Lacey tried to block it out but it was smothering her, choking her. She wanted to vomit. She couldn’t breathe. She had to save herself but she couldn’t breathe. If she didn’t get out of here, she was going to die.

Where are you, Cam? Where are you? Help me. I didn’t really do this of my own free will. I’ve changed my mind.

“Cam,” she screamed. “Help! Save me!”

From the fire in the grate, Linda took up a branding iron and began to chant as he came closer. Closer and closer.