I was looking into Kian's eyes and they were filled with tears.

Why? What the fuck was happening?

Then I felt it. The sword as it made its way into my chest. I gasped, my eyes meeting his as I died.

Shit.

I woke up, darkness enveloping the room I had been allocated, but I could feel something else was there, just hiding in the shadows. Then there was movement and I sat up as Belph's face appeared from the dark.

"Belph?'

"Quiet. We don't have a lot of time, kid." he said, glancing back at the door. I knocked out the Guard standing outside. You're going to have to trust me."

Okay, this was bloody weird.

"Trust you? What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Things are not good down here, not good at all. Before Lord Lucifer was released he and Lilith were fighting."

Okay, that's intresting...

"About what?"

"Nick." Belph replied, "He's in line to rule Heaven and Hell. Lucifer dosen't want him anywhere near the throne. He wanted him to remain a kid for as long as possible, Lilith on the other hand... she wanted him to claim what she saw as his birthright."

I nodded. That made sense. They both hated each other, so why was Lilith trying to keep Nick safe now?

"So, what happened?" I asked.

"Nick disappeared. Lilith took him, then Lucifer was pulled into the mortal realm."

"She just hid him away until Lucifer was gone." I realised.

"Bingo," Belph said, "Once, I realised I decided to play up to Lilith so I could keep an eye on Nick."

A creek just outside the door made both of us turn and look.

"No harm must come to that boy, can I rely on you, Alec?" Belph whispered.

"Sure," I replied, hearing footsteps, "We are so going to talk about this tomorrow."

Belph nodded and melted back into the shadows. I lay awake for a while unable to sleep.

*

The next morning, I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I groaned and sat up.

Yep. I was still in Hell.

I pulled on a fluffy red dressing gown that had been hanging on the back of the ensuite door when I found it. The knocking was becoming more and more erratic as I reached the door it disappeared, revealing Nick who was already dressed and fully awake, which I was not.

"Hey, Wolfie." he smiled.

"Hey, Nick."

"How was last night?" he asked, walking in and sitting on the bed.

"Uh, good," I paused, "Really good actually."

Yeah, I wasn't going to mention Belph's unannounced visit, not when I had no idea what to make of it yet.

"Awesome!" Nick beamed, "I thought I'd come and get you for breakfast. Derek made bacon rolls."

"Great," I replied, "Just, uh, let me get dressed first, yeah?"

"Sure."

The clothes I had taken off the night before, the ones I had died in, were gone. In their place was a brand new yellow t-shirt and jeans. A box containing a pair of blue trainers had been left on the side. With no other choice I grabbed them, headed to the wardrobe and opened it. It led through to a large spacious ensuite, all decked out with black and gold fittings.

The clothes fit a treat, although, I wasn't sure if I should be happy, or creeped out by the idea that they had my exact size.

Once I was ready I joined Nick back in the bedroom, and then followed him through the door into a large room with a huge wooden table in the center. Their were paintings of various landscapes hung around the walls. A lush green forest, a desert with the sun blazing down and the familiar London skyline all caught my eye as Nick led us to our seats.

Two places had been set up next to each other, golden plates held a generous pile of steaming soft rolls, all stuffed full of crispy bacon. I felt my mouth water as the smell hit me. My stomach grumbled in response and Nick laughed.

"Hungry much?" He teased, poking my ribs.

I was.

I sat down and immediately started eating. As did Nick. The bacon was just as delicious as it looked.

"So," Nick said once we were finished and I was wiping away the grease from my face, "What do you think of Hell so far?"

"It's not what I expected," I replied truthfully. "I pictured more blood, torture, that kind of thing..."

"You've only seen one side of Hell." Nick said, "There are worse things out there."

I could imagine...

Just as I was about to reply a loud pop sounded and Belph appeared standing up behind us. He smiled at Nick and nodded at me.

"Morning, boys." he said, "Sleep well, Alejandro?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Belph winked at me. He was wearing black trousers tucked neatly into matching leather boots that reached his knees and a long grey coat over a white shirt with the word 'Flamethrower' etched on it in large red letters.

"That's good," he said, "Now, Nick, I believe that your mother is looking for you. She's in the Throne Room waiting."

Nick jumped up, "Just me?"

"Yes," Belph replied, "Don't worry, I'll look after Alec for you."

Nick nodded and headed to the door, once he was gone, Belph turned to look at me.

"I know that you want to talk about last night," he said, "We can talk in here, but not for too long. Lilith has eyes and ears everywhere."

"How can I trust what you say?" I asked him, "Your a demon. I've met your kind before."

"Yes, my brother, Kaicius." Belph said with a sigh, "He is the worst of us. We demons are children of Hell, but despite what you might think, not all of us hate humans."

"Your whole MO is possession and torture." I retorted.

"Not mine, I assure you," Belph replied, "Trust me, most demons are either too stupid or too scared to run around possessing people."

"Scared of what?"

"You already know the answer."

I did. Lucifer. Now that he was gone, there was nothing to stop Lilith's plan to put Nick on the throne. Fuck. If Belph was right it might already be too late to stop her.

"My contacts in Heaven are not bringing good news," Belph sighed, "God is missing. I mean, nobody has seen him for centuries, but his presence could always be felt by his children. Apparently, that presence is gone, and the angels are in uproar."

"Wait." I said, "God is... missing?"

"Apparently so." Belph replied, "And that's not the worst of it. Lucifer is ripping through the multiverse trying to find his son. There's a lot of casualties."

"He doesn't know where he is still?"

"No," Belph replied, "My contact has reason to believe that Lilith hired an angel to help her hide him, and herself, of course. The last place anyone is going to come looking for them is here."

He had a point.

"Do you know who the angel is?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Belph replied, "But, they are powerful enough to keep Nick and Lilith off Lucifer's radar."

"Is Nick in danger?" I asked.

"Not yet, as long as Lilith stays in hiding Lucifer won't bother him, but that won't be forever. I need to get you both out of here before that happens."

How the fuck was I going to get out of here? I was dead, right?

"How can I leave?" I pointed out, "I'm dead."

"Yes, and no." Belph replied, "You were sacrificed, and Lilith took possession of your soul before it could be processed. She also has your body kept somewhere. I've not found it yet, but I know she had it brought to Hell. There is a spell that can put you back. It'll be like nothing ever happened."

That sounded too good to be bloody true, but I wanted to believe I could go back, that I could see Kian again.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We play the game," Belph replied, "And just hope that we score first."