Hallows: The Golden Viper

Next Time We Listen

The Offspring- You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

Delilah

"James," I call out as soon as B.B. and Jimenez are out of the house. It takes him a minute to come out here. f*****g B.B. simp.

"Miss?" he stops at the door frame.

"What are the other phases of her plan?" I ask standing up to face him.

"Forgive me, Miss Del but I am not at liberty to discuss the plan with you," he levels his gaze on me and while it's not a threatening one, I still want to kick him in the teeth.

"James-"

"Delilah," Ash stops me. "Be on your way, Jamerciel,"

"Don't call me that, Ashmedai," James growls at him.

"Excuse me, servant. You don't speak to my prince like that," I growl at him. He turns his attention back to me and smiles.

"He's not my prince," he says and bows slightly before disappearing.

"Why would you let him speak to you that way?" I turn to face Ash.

"Don't mess with him, Flower. James is not what he seems and he serves Lucifer. He's one of his favorite dogs. You don't know what kind of powers he has," he comes down the stairs and pats my head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm fixing the audio on this video," I motion my laptop. He takes a seat where I was sitting and pats his thigh. I take a seat and show him what it sounds like.

"It sounds that way because of Beelzebub," he says as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean?"

"He's the one holding the camera, correct?"

"Yeah,"

"His aura tampers with the audio. He's a demon. We can hide what we are to the naked eye but our reflection doesn't lie," he tips my chin with his knuckles.

"Why did you tell my parents, Ash? I asked you not to,"

"I never said I wouldn't," the light above us catches the reflectors in his eyes and shine really pretty. I lean into him missing his actual body. He wraps his arms around me.

"I don't want B.B. to know. I don't want anyone else to know, Ash,"

"You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are, Flower," he sighs. I sit up looking at him like he's lost his mind.

"Ashamed?" I shake my head.

"I don't understand why you're choosing to hide what you are. That seems like the most plausible explanation,"

"Based on what evidence?"

"Your personality," he smirks. "You seem to be under the impression that everything you are is wrong,"

"It is but I'm not ashamed of that," I scoff. "I'm not ashamed of being a demon princess. I just don't want B.B. to know I'm-"

"I see," he nods when I can't finish. "I still do not regret telling your parents. You don't speak to me about this one matter, I wanted you to be able to speak to someone,"

"Why would I bother with mortal nonsense?" I laugh and press my lips to his.

"Please, don't f**k in here," I turn around to see my Dad sit up on the couch. "Your sister forgot Jimenez's room is right next to mine,"

"Dad, what the f**k? How long have you been there?" I growl.

"You said hey Dad when I walked in," he glares at me.

"That was like two hours ago. You've been here the whole time?"

"I was asleep through most of it. I woke up when your sister started talking about phases," he stands up and stretches.

"Do you know anything about that?" I ask.

He puts his index finger to his lips and shuts his eyes. I listen. James is in the kitchen talking with Ruth. He's about to leave. Lucien is singing to himself in B.B.'s room and no one else is home. I put my hands on my laptop when James comes back into the room to address my dad.

"Sir, I will be stepping out for a few hours. Is there anything I can do for you while I'm here or anything I can get for you while I'm out?" he asks him.

"I'm still good on wraps," Dad says tucking his hands behind his back. "Do we still have that minty tea from Tuesday?"

"We are out. I'll be sure to bring some back with me for tonight," James bows.

"What are you doing?" he asks him.

"Running some errands for Miss B.B.,"

"What kind of errands?" he presses. James smiles.

"Have a good evening Master Dante. Miss," he turns his glare to me before walking away.

"Why is everyone like that about B.B.?" I scoff.

"She's Merciful Death," Dad answers and waves me over to my sister's desk. I get off Ash's lap and follow him. He breaks into her computer as if he himself had set it up for her.

"How did you do that?" I ask.

"I saw it on the reflection of her glasses. Then I did it backward," he says. A bunch of private files comes up on the screen.

"Why does her browser and screen look like that?" I ask looking everything over.

"B.B. has her own network. One only she and your little boy toy in New City can access it," he laughs. "They use it for the craziest s**t,"

"You're f*****g lying," I look back at him.

"Nope, and she's actually had it for a while now. It's how she built that f*****g lab without any of you knowing. She has hidden accounts, private servers, and her collection of failed experiments, and dangerous ones. That little tripod with the Ghost Face doll at the top that's sitting on her balcony is the antenna. Damian has one with a Jason Doll on it on Victor's roof,"

"How do you know that?" I laugh.

"I got into her PC upstairs. I like poking around and she never disappoints," he smirks. "I can't believe how far she is willing to go to get her way. That is a diabolical level of dedication,"

"Do you go through my s**t too?" I glare at him.

"You have access to the greatest oven on earth in that lab and you're squandering it by keeping that little devil b***h alive," he says mockingly. "You don't have to be using magic to scratch that itch. I'm glad you're being safe. You could have used that before,"

"That box gets hot?" Ash asks pointing towards the lab.

"I didn't think of that," I turn my attention back to the screen. "And I kind of learned my lesson by sending myself to Purgatory for more than two hundred years,"

"Sweetie, why are you dressed like a bumkin?" he asks. Ash bursts into laughter.

"Umm, screw you, Dad," I glare at him. "And f**k you, Ashmedai. It's ironic. The guys think I should see a shrink because I'm a mess so I am playing my part and it pisses the guys off. Ro just called me a disgrace to the Fallen image,"

"You're feeding off their disappointment," he laughs. "I didn't like that one,"

"No? Why?" B.B. has files and files of crap on here. Christ, don't you ever stop? Can you do this in your sleep?

"I don't know. I didn't like how it made me feel," he says. I glance back at him to see he's watching me go through the files.

"Maybe 'cause your dad was an asshole," I shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, he made you, Dante, feel like a disappointment. So, you didn't like it coming from others either. Look at that. You're capable of empathy. I wasn't sure you were,"

"Why do you like it?" he rolls his eyes.

"Promise not to judge?" I laugh and go back to the computer.

"I promise,"

"I find it stupid that you are just now realizing that B.B. was crazy. I've been telling you guys this since we were little. And a lot of it was your fault. I kid and say that she's your favorite but I'm glad I wasn't. There's so much f*****g pressure that you put on her. You gave her all this attention and she didn't want to disappoint you. So when she did, her f*****g disappointment fueled my hate for you. So, now I love taking it from other people. It feels good. It gives me motivation,"

"Del, are you going to therapy?" he asks.

"No, the Demon Prince, Sin of Lust, takes care of that. We have a contract and one of the rules is I can't go to anyone else for counseling because my thoughts and emotions belong to him and only him,"

"What the f**k?" he looks over at Ash.

"She's doing a lot better than when we first started our sessions," Ash grins. "I know everything about you, Mr. Blackstone. You are a real piece of work. I'd be happy to include you and the rest of your family if you are interested,"

"Delilah, did your demon just ask me if I wanted to include the rest of our family in some kind of s*x thing you two have going on?"

"What?" I laugh. "What are you talking about? s*x thing?"

"You said you had a contract and he's the sin of lust,"

"You're an i***t, Dad. It's a soul-bound one. s*x isn't included in that. He's a shrink. Like a legit one. Ash used to be in charge of reforming souls from eternal damnation. That's one of the forms of treatment that was used. He said if I was going to be bound to him forever that I needed to get my s**t together and when I told him to bite me he threw me into the pit. When I told him I wanted a divorce he brought up the contract that states he can do that. He's literally inviting you to family therapy,"

His mouth falls open.

"You got him to shut up," Ash applauds me.

"It only took me almost three hundred years," I laugh. "Oh, here. Eastside,"

"So, you're dating two doctors?" he asks after a while. I pause for a moment and then look back at him.

"Holy s**t, Dad. I'm dating two doctors," I laugh.

"f**k, yes. Dude, that's what I'm talking about," he holds his hand up for a high five. I nervously tap my hand to his and he laughs. "That's f*****g cool. Your standards are way higher than B.B.'s,"

"Ouch," we both look up to see Lucien standing in the doorway.

"Aww, s**t. She forgot one," Dad laughs. He hits something on the keyboard and the computer shuts down.

"Dad, why?" I look back at him.

"Lucien is standing right there," he points at him. "He tells her everything. He always has,"

"Again, ouch," he shakes his head. "I told you to stop f*****g with B.B.'s stuff. If she catches you we're all going to pay,"

"Lucien's cool. Ever since Carson was like "You're a boss you should be doing your own s**t", and then started letting her do whatever she wanted he went rogue,"

"Mmm, I don't trust him," he shakes his head.

"Lucien, go away," I wave him off. I really want to see what's on those files.

"I figured out the problem on the video. It's f*****g Beezy. It's not the first time it happens either," he points at my laptop.

"You called?" his demon appears at the doorway looking sloppy as hell.

"No, I didn't. Go away," he sits down across from Ash and takes my laptop. "I'm going to upload the software B.B. made to hide the supernatural stuff. She said it should clear it up,"

"What? How does- How did she know how to do that?" I ask.

"She said something about the frequency. She says a lot of big words," he shrugs.

"She found a way to cancel out the frequency?" Ash gets up and comes around the table to sit next to him. "Show me,"

My dad and I go over to them. Lucien pulls out a thumb drive and inserts it into my laptop. A little black window pops up on the screen and pink letters start uploading. My dad and I both roll our eyes. She would make it f*****g pink. It takes a moment to load and then a sound bar comes up.

"You should play it," Ash says.

"B.B. told me not to," he looks back at us.

"Why not?" I ask.

"She didn't say why and I didn't push it cause we were doing stuff,"

"You're a f*****g i***t, Kid," Dad laughs. "You definitely are Anthony's son,"

"Play it," Ash nods.

"Mmm, what if something bad happens?" he asks.

"We can handle it,"

"Wait," Dad stops him. "The i***t has potential. He could be right,"

"Or she could be f*****g with him. She does that," I disagree.

"Not about stuff like this. It took her a few tries to get it right and she never tested it on her PC until she was sure it could handle it," he shakes his head. "Before I forget. Carl wants to know if he should put you on the t****k contract. You should say yes and post about your horse when you get it,"

"She gets here on Saturday. We've been bonding and I'm pretty sure we're in love," I smile.

"Your girly side is showing," he laughs. "That is adorable,"

"I'm not adorable. I'm a f*****g nightmare. How dare you," I growl at him.

"He's right," Ash smirks. "It's almost as cute as you plotting to move into Dormesiel's territory. She had maps and these little chess pieces she carved out of bone. It was great,"

"Did she do the nose twitch thing?" Lucien laughs.

"Yes," Ash laughs. "Don't compliment her in front of me. I don't like it,"

"Oh, sorry," Lucien puts up his hand in surrender.

"Eww, I was covered in blood rain. You and I have very different ways of remembering stuff," I wave him off. "So is that a no on the audio then?"

"I want to know what it is," Ash looks over at me. "Are we really scared of what's on an audio file? In the computer?"

"f**k yeah," Lucien nods. "She invented a f*****g chip that functions as a tracker and a wire. That's like next-level FBI surveillance conspiracy wild. Only it's not the Government listening. It's Belladonna f*****g Blackstone,"

"I remember the day your mom dropped you on your head," Dad smirks. "How insane do you have to be to fall in love with the girl that can do that to you?"

"She wouldn't do that to me," he shakes his head. "Rule number one is the law of yes, please. Agreed upon by all seven involved parties,"

"You guys have a f*****g contract too?" Dad laughs.

"Yeah, Delilah trained Carson that way and he has this whole kneel before Zod complex. B.B. thinks it's cute and it's gotten a lot worse,"

"Yeah, because she has a f*****g complex too," Dad shakes his head. "She pissed Chance off the other night. I thought he was going to f*****g kill her. I almost s**t my pants and I s**t you, not she enjoyed that,"

"Why did you let her do that?" Lucien asks and his tone is almost accusatory.

"That thing says jump and you ask how high," Dad sighs. "He has a really bad f*****g temper. He heard this guy talking about him falling at this bar and he ripped like sixty dudes apart. He turns into this-" he shrugs. "I don't know. Calling it a devil would be a miss,"

"Lilim dwellers," Ash nods. "His mother did too. I used to wonder what Lucifer saw in her. All they did was fight. Until one day some imbecile tried to challenge him. They were in mid-argument when she shifted and killed him along with his followers. It took her no more than fifteen seconds. Then she went back to her normal self as if nothing had happened. It's better than having a Hellhound around. I still can't believe that moron went on and gave one of those things his grace. Chance tore his way out of her. You're right to fear him. Even Lucifer tiptoes around the kid,"

"Jesus," Lucien shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "So, yay or nay on the audio?"

"Put it on the lowest volume setting and work your way up," I suggest.

"Okay, let it be known I was against this," Lucien lowers the volume. "If you have chipped me, baby. I was against this. I swear,"

"Just do it, Tony Junior," Dad smacks him on his head.

"Whatever, man," Lucien hits the play button.

My body locks up as the sound coming from the speaker slams into me. A loud ear-piercing screech explodes in my ears as if all the screams of hell were being directly injected into my eardrums. My vision goes black. It only lasts a moment. My head swims violently as my senses try to right themselves. I gasp for air desperately. My vision starts to come back with each lungful. I look up to see the others on the floor around me. The only one not moving is Lucien.

"What the f**k?" I growl. "Holy s**t,"

My ears are ringing, my body feels like I was just electrocuted.

"Delilah," I look up when my dad's hands find my face. "Are you okay?"

"Lucien-" I point at him. I jump when the front door is kicked open.

"Lucien!" B.B. screams and runs over to us. "Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Why would you do that?" she growls angrily as she lifts him up into her arms. "Okay, okay. Wake up,"

I watch as she rips his shirt open and places her hands on his chest. Her body quickly turns pale and she begins compressions on his chest. Black smoke comes out of her mouth and makes its way into his body. She jumps back when Lucien sits up gasping for air.

"Del, are you okay?" she crawls over to me. "Is everyone okay?"

"What just happened?" Lucien groans.

"I told you not to play that!" she shouts. "I trusted you!"

"It was my fault," I sit up feeling dizzy. "I pressed play. He told us not to. I just wanted to see what it was,"

"It's a high frequency to cancel the demonic energy in the audio. You lay it over the sound on mute and it's fixed. It could have killed you," she cries fussing over him.

"Why would you make something like that?" Dad shouts.

"To fix the audio. Ever since Beezy began to man the camera it makes the sound and we couldn't figure out why until Lucien told me it was because Beezy mans the f*****g camera. Get a new f*****g cameraman," she cries hysterically.

"Oh, f**k," I burst into laughter. "We need to delete that. Delete that right now. Get f*****g rid of it, B.B.,"

"Not a fan of the phrase but it's the only way to describe the situation," Ash laughs. "Holy s**t,"

"You made my demon swear," I point at my sister. "I've never heard him- I've never heard him swear,"

"Lucien almost died, Delilah," she screams. "Come on, baby. Get up let's get you cleaned up and in bed. You're having a sick day tomorrow. We both are,"

"I'm going to throw up," he shakes his head.

"Come on, man," Ro helps him up.

"f**k, she is going be mad at us for days," Dad groans. "Okay, the kid was right. Next time we listen. Let's go check for other casualties. Where is the little blonde one?"

"Ruth, s**t," I scramble to get to my feet. I find her on the kitchen floor. I run over to her. "Hey, Ruth? You okay?"

"What the hell was that?" she groans.

"My body feels like it's glitching," I fall on the floor with her. "She wins. I am never playing with her things again,"

"Good idea," she laughs. "I'm so glad I didn't have anything on the stove. James would have killed me. Someone check the cat. I'm convinced he's one of us,"