Free Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) by Randall Morris

even worse being slowly defeated in front of his own. He put the gun back on his belt and charged again. Agrat blocked his axe swing again but he was able to aim one of his guns while still on his belt and fire. His bullet only caught Agrat in the foot but he got immense pleasure from watching her hop around on one leg while clutching her foot and screeching like a wounded animal.
    While Leech laughed at her hopping around, she put her foot down and acclimated herself to the pain. Then she grinned back at him.
    “You should be feeling it in a few seconds.”
    Leech had no idea what she was talking about but her army was grinning at him like they knew exactly what she meant. Then it hit him. His back started stinging worse than his arm. As he reached a hand back to check the extent of his injury, he realized that she had slashed him with both claws. He attacked her one more time, full of rage. Agrat sidestepped the blow, grabbed his axe from his hands and tripped him so he fell to the rocky floor of Hell. Agrat moved in slowly, holding Leech’s axe in both hands and treasuring the knowledge that he would be in pain for his final moments.
    “You know we could have worked something out. You had a chance to be with someone much better than my bastard sister. After all, you’re a cutie. After what you tried to do though, it’s time for you to die, angel slayer.”
    Agrat slowly lifted Leech’s axe over her head and looked down at him. Leech flipped her off and she laughed.
    “Goodbye, Leech.”
    As she started to bring the axe down, Leech shot her through the throat. She thought Leech was too weak to shoot anyone after the damage she had done to him. Then she saw Lilith lying on the ground, within range of Leech’s parasitic touch. The last thing she realized was how she was killed. Leech stole some of Lilith’s life force and used it to shoot her. Victory had been stolen from her by her illegitimate sister.
    “Gangrene!”
    “Lord Leech?”
    “Kill them all. Only spare those that will forsake Vixen and Agrat and swear an oath of allegiance to me.”

CHAPTER 12
     
    “Any ideas yet, Azazel?”
    “Nope. Give me time. It’ll take something ridiculously brilliant to fool the great, old lizard that lives at the bottom of Hell.”
    Azazel looked over at Muan and noticed that he was still frowning. He hadn’t said a word since Shadow broke him out of the ice.
    “What’s with your little tribal warrior buddy? Are you still mad at Shadow, little guy?”
    Without turning to look at him, Muan placed a dart in his blowgun, put the blowgun in the side of his mouth, and shot a dart at Azazel.
    “Ow! Do you have any idea who I am?”
    Muan still didn’t look at him, but he finally decided to speak.
    “You’re Azazel, the asshole that the angels cast out. Now I guess you’re some kind of asshole demon with a poisonous dart in his leg.”
    “Shadow, your pet furball is pissing me off.”
    “Leave him alone, Azazel. He has a right to be angry.”
    Azazel opened his mouth to retaliate but realized neither one of them much cared what he had to say. As he had no desire to kill either of them just yet, he remained silent. Nessus the centaur approached them as they made their way back towards the river Phlegethon.
    “There are three of you now.”
    “Hello again, Nessus. The army that pursued me is fallen. We need to go further in so I can receive my appointment as major demon of the department of murder. Where can we cross the river?”
    “You bring war to the circle of Hell that deals with violence. I guess it has its place here, but you nearly interrupted us in our duty to keep the violent suffering in the river. So I’m still deciding whether I should kill the three of you.”
    Azazel snickered and went to remove the sword from his belt. Shadow caught his arm and shook his head.
    “We apologize. What can we do to make you rule in our favor?”
    “A long time ago, a poet was guided through these circles. I led him