The Blood Bracelets #3: Soul Scarred

Chapter Twenty-One

Do we need to be concerned here?

Fury regarded Taryn's question as she watched Gluttony, who was just as content to watch her from across the room. All of Lucifer's incarnations should be a cause for concern, but Gluttony's ability to entice indulgence will have no effect on me. He did well to find himself here, where he could influence like-minded people.

'Our master is very disappointed in you, Fury,' said Gluttony as he began to meticulously remove his gloves, one finger at a time. 'He placed all his hopes on you, and even after all he has done for you, Fury, you turned your back on him.'

'I wouldn't bother guilting me. It is not your forte, Gluttony, and nor is it my weakness,' Fury replied flatly, her eyes on Gluttony's hands. The last time she had seen Gluttony was almost during the twenties, when the world was indulging in wealth and excess and Lucifer had decided to indulge himself by sending Gluttony out. Back then, however, Gluttony had occupied the body of an overweight businessmen with a penchant for cannibalism.

So as Gluttony's gloves dropped to the ground, Fury wasn't surprised to find the palms of his hands were adorned with mouths. Like the mouths of legion demons, they were round and lined with hundreds of tiny, glistening teeth that Fury knew would chew through even her body armour. When she lifted her gaze back to Gluttony's face, she found his own mouth had changed to match those on his hands; wide, with hundreds of sharp teeth like a shark's that glinted as he grinned at her.

'Lucifer doesn't want you dead yet, but he said nothing about you missing a few limbs,' said Gluttony hungrily.

I swear, Fury, if you let him take even a single chunk out of my body—

I'll ensure he chokes on it, Fury replied.

Gluttony moved like a wraith, darting toward her with his feet hovering above the floor as if suspended by ropes. Fury spun nimbly out of the way, the sound of Gluttony's chattering, hungry teeth at her ear, and she snapped up her leg in a roundhouse kick that saw the heel of her boot slamming into Gluttony's back.

Gluttony hit the ground, but rebounded easily into an elegant flip that had him right-side up again, his feet still dangling inches above the ground. Fury took a step toward him – and stopped as she felt a surge of demonic energy rush over her, almost like a wave of water pushing up against her. She held her ground in the face of it, but the intensity was strong enough to make her head spin.

Fury instinctively looked to Gluttony, though she knew it hadn't been his energy which she felt. It had been something else, something familiar and yet she couldn't place it. Gluttony's brow quirked, his mouth curling in a little smile of satisfaction, and then he flicked out his hand to send a whip of yellow-gold magic lashing through the air toward her.

Ducking around it, Fury sliced her nail down her palm and formed five small blades of blood that she sent soaring through the air with a wave of her hand. Gluttony pulled his whip back, jerking it through the air to intercept the blades flying toward him.

But Fury had shot forward like a dagger herself, and Gluttony couldn't readjust his whip in time. Fury caught a length of the whip in one hand, which had been fully covered in her organic armour to keep it protected, and then conjured another blade of blood in her other hand. She slammed it into Gluttony's chest, just as Gluttony bit down on her shoulder like a beast.

Fury grunted at the pain, Gluttony's teeth sharp enough to pierce her armour – but not do too much damage to Taryn's body, at least. She'd be able to use her powers to heal herself soon enough.

Fury drove the blade in deeper and then ripped upward, forcing Gluttony to release her as he howled in agony. Fury took the chance to put some distance between them, leaving her blade to remain in Gluttony's chest, and pressed a hand over her wounded shoulder. The armour knitted back together, stopping any blood-flow and infusing her power into Taryn's flesh to help the healing.