Lord of Hell (Alex Holden) by Devin Harnois Page B

his posture placating. “My lord, perhaps you would like to torture a few souls? Lord Satan found great pleasure and relief in causing the souls pain when he was in such a mood.”
    I growled as I lunged at him. He was only able to make a squeak of surprise before I had him pinned against one of the columns. “I am not my father!”
    “I…I didn’t mean to… say you were.” It was hard for him to talk with my hand around his throat. “Please… please don’t kill me.”
    With another growl, I let him drop and stepped back to let him have some room to get up.
    He stood, rubbing his neck. “I was only trying to help. Many of us take our anger out on the souls of sinners.”
    And what was I trying to do? Take my anger out on the demons. “Son of a bitch, I really am one of you.”
    I swallowed and took a few more steps back. “I have the same anger you do, but I don’t hate humans, I hate—” Jehovah. I caught myself just before it could come out of my mouth. A little chill went through me, but it was true, wasn’t it? “I hate suffering, and cruelty. I hate bullies. I hate spoiled, rich jackasses. I hate animal abusers, any abusers.” I glanced between both sides of the room. “And you know what else? I hate being in charge of Hell and I hate all of you. But you know what? I’m willing to let you change my mind. Are you more than human-hating creatures of evil? Can you change?”
    Naamah might be changing, and Semiazas. A few others had approached me over the last few weeks, cautiously, awkwardly. Possibly just trying to kiss my ass and do what they thought would make me happy, but they might actually be taking the opportunity to make a change.
    “I was an angel once,” Astaroth said quietly. “I hate humans because I’m jealous of them. If they sin, they can accept Jesus and be forgiven. Where is my forgiveness?”
    “But that happened way after the Fall, right? The forgiveness part?”
    “Yes. I didn’t hate humans before then. I followed Lucifer in the rebellion because he warned us that humans would be raised to our level. That they would be favored above us in the eyes of God,” he said. “I… feared them. But after God gave his Son to the world, I knew Lucifer had been right. Then I hated them. I hated all of them.” His eyes blazed.
    “Did you ask for forgiveness?”
    “I begged for it!” he shouted, his words echoing off the columns.
    My hand twitched toward Animus and he saw the movement. Astaroth dropped his gaze. “I apologize, my lord.”
    “You’re blaming humans for something they didn’t do. Something they have no control over.” I searched for the right words, but how could you change the mind of a demon who had hated humans for thousands of years? What could you say to a hatred that vast?
    “I was created first. Why are their sins washed away and not mine?”
    Sins. Like the souls sent here because they’d disobeyed Jehovah’s rules and not because they’d actually done anything wrong. “So you did something you regret, that Jehovah disapproves of? And now it’s too late for you to be forgiven and taken back to Heaven?”
    “Yes,” he said. So much hurt and bitter anger in that word.
    “Just like the souls I freed from the Swamp of Suicides, and all those other souls who died without accepting Jesus as their savior. You think they didn’t regret that when they ended up here? That maybe some of them begged for forgiveness?” I stared into his eyes. “I went up to Heaven and asked for them, because I know they deserve better, and Jehovah refused.”
    “You think I should sympathize with them?” He sneered.
    “Yeah, I do. You sound like a kid throwing a tantrum because Mommy and Daddy brought home a new baby. Aren’t you a little old to still need Daddy’s approval?”
    The crowd of demons tittered.
    I glared at them. “Don’t pretend like some of you aren’t acting the same way. It’s time to get over it. Seriously .”

Chapter 11
    I got home and a few