Alex was distracted only for a split second; his memories of too many battles over too many lives were still too clear to let too much of an advantage slip. Ba'al was rushing at him then, fast enough to bowl him over, but Alex had his weapon up. The young man was carried off of his feet as Ba'al came on, but his sword was turned perfectly to meet it. The blade sank deeply into Ba'al's gut, releasing soot and ash over Alex's arms and chest.
Ba'al heaved Alex up, slamming him down into the ground again, but Alex fought on. He dug around with his sword, gripping it with both hands even as the demon pounded and clawed at him from above. All the while, Ba'al roared with a fury that shook the land around them. Yet all the while, the demon lord was similarly wracked with pain.
Beyond them, Rachel pressed her advantage. She swung left and right against Harrow, driving him back as he tried with his remaining limbs to fend her off. She feinted with another thrust, causing him to lurch back, and then she drove the blade into his foot. His backward momentum arrested by his impaled foot, Harrow fell onto his back. Rachel rushed forward, yanking the blade out of his foot even as she jumped onto his torso. She swung in a broad, circular arc. Harrow let out one final howl that was abruptly silenced.
************
It was worse than being beaten up. Worse than being shot, and certainly worse than anything Lydia had done to him – at least, physically. But the pain that Ba'al inflicted as he battered and wrent Alex underneath him left Alex gasping and choking for breath. He had no idea how he could survive it, nor any clue how he could come out on top.
Drew had always taught Alex to be meaner than the other guy, but the other guy was literally a demon. Alex stabbed and kicked and tried to get free, but as his blood flowed and his body was slammed down against the ground time and again, his hopes of pulling that off dwindled.
Then something hit Ba'al. Alex saw taloned hands reaching around his shoulders from above, gouging his eyes on his toad and cat heads and pulling him back from Alex. Lorelei shrieked and bit at Ba'al's neck. The monstrous demon released Alex, reaching at his back to clutch at Lorelei. He straightened as he fought to grab her.
Something large, white and frightful slammed into Baal's chest. It knocked him backward, sending him tumbling to the ground. The object landed right next to Alex as the young man forced himself to get up. It was Harrow's head.
Rachel reached for Alex, gripping his leather jacket by the collar and heaving him up. She briefly touched his cheek sending her power into him, healing him. Even this small contact gave him some measure of reassurance, and more important, it gave him a little momentum. Without waiting for Rachel, Alex charged at Ba'al.
Their enemy had finally gotten his hands on Lorelei. He dragged her off of his back, holding her high as he slammed her down onto the ground. He stood and then kicked her hard enough to knock the air out of her as she gasped. "Not worth this trouble," Ba'al grumbled. He reached down preparing to crush her skull as Lorelei countered with a slash to his wrist but wouldn't release her. Something stopped him from the corner of his remaining human eye. The angel was running towards him.
Ba'al suddenly roared in pain and anger before falling forward to his knees in shock. His leg had given out and blood and soot sprayed everywhere. Alex had slammed into him from behind while stabbing his gladius through Ba'al's left thigh nearly cutting it in half.
Rachel took the opportunity to lunge for swinging her sword decapitating the toad head. At the same time, there was a sudden, startling "thud" in the center of his chest. Ba'al glanced down to see Alex's blade had sunk to the hilt right in the demon lord's heart. His grip faltered weakly as he grasped at the blade in disbelief. Lorelei fell from his hands, tumbling to the ground roughly but without nearly the force that he would have liked.
Ba'al staggered around on his knees, then fell onto his face with an impact that shook the ground around him.
Alex was carried along with him. He wouldn't release his hold on the sword. One moment he was virtually hanging from it, and the next moment he was lying atop the fallen demon lord.
A hand came over his. It trembled, holding onto him weakly, but it meant the world to him. Lorelei crawled over to her love, facing him without the slightest illusion covering her bruises or her demonic features. She was battered, inhuman, and every bit as beautiful to him as she had ever been.
She wasn't alone, either. Rachel stepped over to them, placing one hand protectively on Alex's shoulder. "We gotta get the fuck out, lover," she warned. As her healing touch gave him the energy to rise, Alex looked around and saw the hordes of demons closing in. Their moves were tentative, threatening but also wary, as if waiting for one or another of them to make the first move.
"Ba'al is dead!" Lorelei called out to them. "Harrow is dead! Slain in their own realm, never to return! Do not make the same mistake they made!" The mob of vile creatures paused at her words, but didn't look entirely put off.
Alex slipped his own arm around Lorelei even as Rachel got him to his feet. "They're gonna pounce as soon as they have a shot," the angel said.
"Yes," Lorelei nodded. "The portal is too far to run, even for you. Not carrying along the both of us in the state we are in."
Alex glanced around for something, anything to forestall them. Ba'al was good and dead, but with all the ashes that seemed to make up his insides, Alex doubted that their former master would make much of a good meal. Then he stopped, cocking his head curiously, and stepped away from Rachel's grip. "Wait," he grunted.
The angel released him, wondering if he had gone absolutely nuts. Then she saw him reach over Baal's head to pull the iron crown from the dirt and hold it aloft. As soon as he touched it, memories flooded his mind again of Ugarit. He gazed at it sadly before steeling his heart.
"You want this?" Alex called to the encircled demons. The mass stopped as hundreds of eyes were turned upward to look at the crown. He inhaled deeply, shouting as loudly as he could, "Last one of you standing gets it!"
The crown was flung into the air. Rachel didn't even wait to see the pandemonium that ensued; she flung her arms around Alex and Lorelei, turned and bolted. The portal was still open just a short distance away. There had been demons blocking it, but even they now rushed forward, oblivious to the angel and her charges, thinking only of the iron crown and claiming Ba'al's power for their own.
************
Onyx was about to collapse from the strain. Molly was made of sterner stuff, but she knew even her lover couldn't be much better off. They held the portal just long enough for Rachel to come flying through, stumbling to the ground with one arm around Alex and the other around Lorelei as she fell. The witches both dropped their hold on the portal, staggering backward as the warp in reality shrank into nothing before them.
A second later, the witches were both on the floor as well. It seemed like a pretty comfortable place for everyone.
"Wasn't..." Alex croaked, "wasn't the building on fire?"
"No," Molly said, waving a hand over her head. "No, I kinda blew all that out."
"Right," Alex nodded, "right." He was silent for a long moment again. "Where'd the SUV come from?"
"We don't know," Onyx panted. "We were gonna ask you?"
"Alex?" a voice called. "Hey, you in here?"
Alex forced his head up, looking down the hallway. Where the portal had been before, Alex could see Wade advancing warily with a rifle in his hands. Taylor was with him, armed with a pistol. "Hey, are all y'all a'right?" Wade asked. Seeing two strangers sprawled on their backs where Alex, Lorelei and Rachel were also on the floor, the young man opted to keep the rifle pointed more or less toward them.
"Woah, Wade," Alex waved wearily. "Put it down. They're cool. They're friends. They came to rescue me."
"We came to rescue you!" Taylor replied.
"Wow," Alex blinked. "You guys... really!?"
The succubus was on her back. Rachel was on her face. She pushed herself up, looking directly at Lorelei next to her. "I get him for Christmas and Valentine's," the angel said firmly. "We can work out whatever we have to, but I'm not negotiating on those."
"Now is not the time," Lorelei whispered weakly.
"Christmas and Valentine's," Rachel repeated. After a moment's thought, she said, "Maybe I'll share him, but I'm just sayin'. No cutting me out on those."
Lorelei sighed. "Done."
"Uh, hey," Taylor thought aloud, "shouldn't we get the hell out of here if we're all here? I mean, won't there be cops or firefighters?"
"Not at a party like this," Molly spoke up. "They take care of that shit in advance. We shouldn't just hang around, but no. Doubt there'll be cops."
"We can take care of cops," Onyx said. She smiled wearily at Molly, who smiled back. "And I'm not leaving 'til I've had a chance to talk to him," she added, waving a hand at Alex.
"Are we sure there aren't more bad guys?" Alex asked.
"Pretty sure," Wade nodded. "Drew and Jason were checkin' the perimeter of the house, though, just t' be positive."
Lorelei looked over to Alex. "Where is Lydia?"
************
"Come to me," the blonde succubus whispered, beckoning with one finger from behind the bush.
Drew blinked, looking to her with suspicion. He hadn't seen her before. She didn't look like a vampire, though; her skin wasn't pale enough, nor was she in black. "You okay?" he asked.
"Found something?" Jason said, looking around the corner of the house.
"Come to me," Lydia repeated. The battered, disheveled beauty lured Drew closer, his rifle turned low as her charms worked their magic. He was strong-willed, this one, and brave. It was all she could do to keep him mesmerized. If she could lure him in, though, and seal things with a kiss...
"Hey!" Jason yelled. He turned his gun on her. "Drew, what's up with this?"
"I think... I think it's cool, Jason," Drew murmured.
"Yes, Jason," Lydia smiled reassuringly. "Put down your gun. You have rescued me. Let me reward you." She reached out to Drew, gesturing for him to come near. "Let me reward you both."
Drew's eyes fluttered. He stepped closer. Jason lowered his gun. Drew moved in, his face leaning forward toward hers as his eyes closed and his lips parted. Then there was a sudden electrical sound, followed by a flump.
The kiss never came. He opened his eyes. Jason was standing there between Drew and the woman on the ground with his stun gun in his hands. "Bitch," Jason snapped, "I already got blondes hotter than you!"
"What the... what are you doin', man?" Drew blinked.
"Dude! You punched out a demon tonight! A fucking demon, man! And now you're gonna fall for this bitch?"
Lydia groaned, trying to rise. Jason frowned and zapped her again, leaving her sprawling out in the grass.
"Hey!" Drew protested. "You don't know she's a bad guy!"
"Bitch is that fine, wearin' a dress like that full'a bullet holes outside a broken window? That's a white devil, man!"
"You're a white devil!"
Jason's jaw dropped. "Yo, I thought you was my nig, man?"
Drew's eyes flared. Suddenly this wasn't funny anymore. "What did you just call me?"