Samedi knew right away that his demon had died. Or appeared to have died. The magic connection between master and slave was stronger, and when Rygen sank into the swamp, his energy started to return to the summoning circle inside his shack.
But it would take some time before he could restore the demon's form, and due to the link between them, he realized not only had he failed to kill Angel, but that his partner, the strange female demon, was something far more valuable.
Well aware that he had to play his part well, Samedi called up Bible and briefed him on what had transpired. In response, Bible devised a new plan. Once Rygen was revived and at full strength, Samedia would order the hellhound to carry out the original instructions to eliminate Sims and Stefon, and then instruct him to hunt down and bring Angel to him at his secret compound. The demon princess would be sure to follow.
It was a well-calculated plan, and one that Samedi could work with for his own vile intentions.
Now, he just had to wait.
An hour later, with only a few black candles illuminating the room, Samedi sat cross-legged on the floor of his shack. In front of him lay the blue summoning circle used to bring Rygen from Hell. Whispering softly, he fondled the charm with his fingers, his free hand moving in a semicircular motion over the circle.
A soft, dim light began to outline the circle's edges. From the light, thick, suffocating black smoke billowed upward. The smoke grew larger and denser, gradually taking form and shaping into Rygen—pulled from the swamp just seconds before death claimed him.
Minutes passed as the body slowly took shape and gained physical form. Samedi stopped chanting and lowered his free hand until it rested on the demon's leathery skin. He leaned forward, his voice piercing the silence like a blade.
"Awaken!"
Gasping sharply, Rygen opened his foul-smelling mouth and coughed up thick swamp muck, spitting crud across the wooden floorboards. As his throat cleared, he frantically whipped his head around, expecting to see the demon bitch. Instead, Samedi's weathered face stared back at him.
Genuine surprise flashed across Rygen's face before he collapsed into unconsciousness again, as the summoning spell drained what little energy he had left.
Samedi's lips curved into a cold smile. His demon wasn't going to be that easy to kill.
Unfolding his legs with deliberate slowness, Samedi stood and moved to sit in the old, torn La-Z-Boy chair in the corner by the door. The summoning and revival spells had drained more energy from him than he expected. It was his first time healing a demon he summoned, and the taste it left was bitter.
Next time, I'll just let it die and call up a new one, Samedi groused silently as he settled back into the worn cushions.
He was under a tight schedule due to Bible's last call, and he needed the demon ready by morning for its next set of tasks.
Smirking darkly, Samedi leaned over the side of the chair and picked at a loose board, prying it from the floor. He hefted it briefly, then threw it at Rygen. The rotten piece of wood smacked into the sleeping demon's freshly healed shoulder with a satisfying thud.
Rygen's eyes snapped open like switchblades, and he roared. The sound rattled the flimsy walls of the shack as he tore at the floor with his claws, struggling to get his canine legs beneath him. Spinning toward the attack's source, he tensed his muscles to pounce.
Two realizations struck him simultaneously: one, that it was his master, Samedi, and two, which he voiced aloud in bewilderment: "I'm alive?"
"Indeed." Samedi's voice dripped with mockery as he settled deeper into his chair. "Alive and a failure."
If he intended to provoke the demon, it failed. Rygen cracked his neck, vertebrae popping like gunshots, and searched for the wounds the princess had inflicted. Finding none, he turned his burning gaze to Samedi.
"You resurrected me?" His tone carried both surprise and grudging respect.
"Revived," Samedi corrected, waving a dismissive hand. "You were not dead, and I only did so because it would have taken longer to find and summon a replacement." His voice continued to mock with each syllable.
Rygen, relieved at being alive, found it humorous to annoy his master by remaining silent. Instead, he pulled his power inward and shifted into his tall, elegant, well-dressed human form. With fluid grace, he offered a deep bow to Samedi, his movements deliberately theatrical.
"It seems you have more power than I expected, Master." Rygen straightened and grinned, showing teeth that remained slightly too sharp for any human appearance. "It will make tasting your flesh when I am free of your bonds so much sweeter."
"You may imagine it all you like," Samedi returned coldly, matching the demon's smile with one of his own. He leaned forward, fingers steepled. "Now, tell me what happened."
Rygen's expression darkened, but he followed the orders. His jaw clamped as if the words tasted bitter, and he detailed the night's events. The hellhound explained how he had wounded Angel so badly that the man should have died, only to be tracked down and attacked by the princess herself, who taunted him that Angel had survived.
Rygen's hands clenched into fists as he continued. "I have no choice but to admit that her insults angered me to the point of losing control." When those words escaped his lips, Rygen silently screamed in his mind, cursing Samedi's control over him.
Samedi waved his excuse away with uncaring indifference. "And this is why you could not subdue the demon princess? You let her nearly kill you?"
"I let nothing of the sort happen," Rygen snarled, taking a step forward before catching himself. "She isn't like the princess I've heard about. She had wings and powers I could not have imagined. She fought differently—less like a demon and more like a warrior." His voice grew stronger, more confident. "Now that I know what she is capable of, she will not have the upper hand next time. I will rip her to shreds for this humiliation."
Like a disappointed teacher, Samedi shook his head slowly. "You will do no such thing. I want her alive and unspoiled—if you can manage not to fuck it up again."
"What happened was not my fault, Master." The demon's voice rose, his human facade slipping as his eyes flashed red. "You should know that Angel used a powerful spell that nearly killed me. He has a sister, a Wiccan, and she—"
"I am well aware of the girl," Samedi interrupted, his tone sharp as a blade.
"Then let me kill her, too!" Rygen hissed, fangs extending as his control wavered.
"Perhaps you will get the chance." Samedi shrugged with calculated nonchalance. "But first, Bible has more orders for you." He paused, scrutinizing the hellhound's reaction carefully. "He wants you to eliminate a couple of nagging loose ends that could complicate things for us: an FBI agent named Amanda Sims—a close friend of Angel's—and her boss, Michael Stefon. Bible has arranged for you to carry both of those hits out in short order."
Rygen took a long, deep breath, his nostrils flaring. Samedi's control over him forced him to concentrate on the commands given, and despite his anger, the desire to feast overshadowed everything else. He needed the nourishment, anyway, to get all of his power back. His lips curled into a grim smile as he showed Samedi his compliance.
"Sounds delicious," he purred, already imagining the taste of their flesh on his tongue. Licking his lips, he inquired, "And then?"
Samedi tapped the chair's armrest with methodical precision, each tap echoing in the small space. "I've obtained word that Angel was never admitted into any hospital, so it is very likely he remains in the care of his sister and the princess at the witch's shop. You will go there, kill anyone who gets in your way, and bring him back to me. But you must do this without confronting or killing the princess."
"How?" Rygen's left eye twitched—a telling sign of his frustration. "He is injured, and she is not likely to leave his side."
"Bible is aware that this may require patience and time, so you may use any and all of your demonic tricks to accomplish the task, as well as rummage through my supplies for anything that may assist you." Samedi leaned back, steepling his fingers again. "When you have Angel, we will use him as bait, and the princess will have no choice but to come to us when and where we determine."
"Tricks?" Rygen's smile turned predatory as his form began to shift and blur. The air around him shimmered like heat waves, and when it cleared, Angel stood before Samedi—down to the last detail of stubble and visible scars. "Do you like this trick?"
Samedi blinked, genuine surprise flickering across his weathered features. "You can imitate others? This is one power I did not know demons possessed."
"Not all demons do," Rygen replied, his voice now perfectly matching Angel's tenor and inflection. "Aside from the likes of the Ars Goetia, we hellhounds are one of the few types who can freely change our form, specifically to imitate others. Even the Princess of Hell is limited in how much she can manipulate her appearance. And since I tasted his blood and inhaled his scent, I absorbed his mannerisms and pieces of his memories as well."
Samedi wouldn't give Rygen the satisfaction of validation, but inside, he was genuinely impressed. From this point forward, he would only summon hellhounds.
"Very good," he said aloud, keeping his voice level. "It will allow you to get close to the Sims woman."
"Yes." Rygen's grin widened, showing Angel's familiar smile turned sinister. "And once I feast on the Sims woman, I will be able to imitate her as well."
"It seems, for a hellhound, you may be more suited to subterfuge than outright attacks." Samedi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I had known this, we would have foregone the initial plan altogether."
"Who's incompetent now, Master?" Rygen laughed, seeing Samedi's face flush red with rage.
"Be careful, demon." Samedi's words came out as a low hiss, his hands gripping the chair's armrests until his knuckles went white. "Your value has limits."
"Be careful, Master." Rygen's lips curled upward in a way that Angel's never would. "My tolerance has limits as well."
The air crackled with tension. Both stared at each other across the small space, threats clear and promises silently made.
Finally, Samedi waved his hand dismissively. "I have called up demons worse than you, mutt, but none had your insistent attitude."
Rygen rolled his eyes—a gesture that looked odd on Angel's borrowed features—but he knew Samedi also held power he shouldn't test. He'd have to control his ego if he wanted to make it out of this binding alive. He forced his voice into a more conciliatory tone, "It serves neither of us to continue this, Master. I will obey your commands. When all is complete, send me back to Hell, and we can forget the other ever existed."
Nodding subtly, Samedi was well aware that the tug-of-war would not serve his purpose. "We shall see. You have hours before sunrise, so rest and regain as much strength as possible. Bible will send Stefon to Sims's hotel in the morning, and you must be in position before then."
Shifting his form back to his natural state with a sound like tearing silk, Rygen moved to the far end of the shack. The shadows seemed to welcome him, wrapping around his form like old friends as he lay down on the bare floor. He turned his blood-red eyes toward Samedi, who stared back with equal intensity.
It would be some time before either one blinked.