Nephilim's Hellhound: Dealbreakers

Demons are real. And they're ready to make a deal.

In this unjust world, demons run an infamous pact industry among desperate humans. Anything you could wish for: riches, fame, success, and even happiness. It's yours for the taking.

But there's a catch. To make a deal with a demon, you will have to wager your soul.

One soul for anything you could ever want in life.

So, do we have a deal?

THEMES: supernatural/urban fantasy, angels vs demons, thriller romance, soft horror, closed door/soft nsfw, some humor

Book cover art by yours truly :>

It was getting dark as Angel headed home. Absolutely exhausted from her shift at the diner, she couldn’t wait to get out of her greasy uniform. She glanced at the rear view mirror, her fringe was in disarray and her braid was coming undone. She needed a shower and her Nan's homemade stew.

Her old, rusty bucket of a car sputtered as she shifted gears. The diner was merely a twenty minute drive from her house, yet her car protested that she’d been driving for more than an hour.

She should stop taking extra shifts at the diner. With her pre-med exams coming up, she should really be spending more time with the books. But she needed money more than ever. For the car, her college fees — and her Nan, who hadn’t been feeling well since her birthday a week ago. It could be that she’s nearing the end of her nineties, but her Nan had always been strong for her age.

Nan had been in her sixties by the time Angel was placed in her care. She remained strong and determined to raise her, always the healthiest, ever got sick — until now. Angel, having been studying medicine and nursing in college, dutifully check her Nan's vitals and it hadn't been looking good. Nan might be knocking at death's door.

Angel shot the idea down. She was not ready to say goodbye. Losing her mom at a young age, her Nan was the only family she’d ever known.

Not much was known about her father. She didn’t care much for him because he never cared to look for her after her mum passed.

Her mind ran rampant with worries until she reached home. A quaint house in half an acre of a land, the kind an old lady like her Nan would live in. The house wasn't huge, but enough for her and her Nan. A little garden at the back served them lettuce, cucumber, radishes, and carrots for dinner. Her Nan loved to garden, she always seemed to have such a high energy for it until recently.

She parked in the shed, which was a good five minute walk to the house. Turning off the loud engine, she got out of the car.

It was a chilly summer night, colder than most. Angel thought it odd to see her breath fog in front of her. Surely it’s not that cold in the middle of July?

She fumbled to unlock the door, trying to be quiet as possible so as not to wake her Nan. Although, the annoying bursts from the car’s engine would have already announced her presence. Nan would always stay up and wait for her in front of the TV.

Tonight, the TV was off and the little house she grew up in was eerie and cold. It was like she didn’t grew up under the same roof. It felt too still, ominous. She can’t quite explain the dread rising up to her throat. Maybe her Nan was too tired and went to bed without waiting up for her on the sofa.

“Nan? I’m home,” Angel called out.

Nothing.

The cold crept up her spine, tapping her neck three times. They were not alone.

Immediately Angel rushed to her bedroom — and found a man standing next to the bed.

“My dear...” Nan’s voice was barely loud enough to hear. She was sitting on her bed.

Angel charged after the man.

Her keys still in her hand, she tried keying him in the face. He was undoubtedly faster than her and evaded the keys going for his eye. Angel managed to struck him in the torso. He took the blow but showed no signs of pain. Angel struggled to punch his neck. He was too tall.

“Angel, please stop! I can explain,” Her Nan said.

"Nan, what's going on? Who is this –"

“Angel,” The intruder snickered, making fun of her name.

Asshole. Angel started aiming for his groin. He seemed to be able to predict all her moves to efficiently block her. She tried to tackle him, using all her weight but he was much too strong and much too tall. Angel, however, was relentless. But the man was growing bored of her assaults.

"Enough, my dear. Please, come here," Nan begged, her grey locks were tied in a bun. She had on one of her favorite blouse and trousers. It just occurred to Angel that she wasn’t dressed like she was going to bed like she should be around this hour.

The only light source in the room was the small bedside lamp, casting a feeble glow on the corner where her Nan sat on the bed. Her Nan looked... at peace.

"Nan? Did you go out just now? You're wearing your best blouse," Angel backed off of the intruder. Without turning her back from him, she rushed to her grandmother’s side.

“You're a week too late, boy! Now I have to explain all this,” Nan stood up just to slap the man’s arm. He flinched, not from the pain but from unexpected hit from a dying, old woman.

Angel steered her body as if to shield her Nan from reiteration, but he only receded into the corner where the lamplight couldn't reach. When they were both sure he wouldn't try anything, Nan reached for Angel.

“My dear, it’s my time,” Tears welled up in her eyes, Nan held Angel’s face in her frail hands.

"I don't understand..."

“A long time ago, I sold my soul to the devil. Her name was Loviatar. This man is here to collect my soul,” Nan side-eyed the stranger.

Surprisingly, he’s been patient throughout this ordeal. Angel was too focused on processing what her grandmother meant that she didn't notice he’d been staring at her the whole time.

“How is this all… real? Demons? A deal? Why did you sell your soul?” Angel was undoubtedly overwhelmed with all this little piece of information. Demons are real? Are angels real too? Is God real? Her grandma and this strange man gawking at them thought so.

“I had to. For you, my Angel. When I took you in after the accident, I was already diagnosed with stage four cancer. Now that my time us up, the cancer is coming back—"

"Cancer? Why didn't you tell me this before?" Angel interrupted.

"You needed me, darling. I made the deal to give me more time to raise you and be with you. I made a deal to be physically strong and stop the cancer, even if it's only for a few decades, in exchange for my soul. Every contract has an expiration date. Mine expired a week ago. I don’t regret my decision one bit.”

Her Nan's birthday was exactly a week ago. The cancer has been spreading for a week and Angel couldn't even see the symptoms. Or refused to see it.

Angel couldn’t believe it. She refused to. The reason why her Nan had been so strong this whole time. She was in tears before she knew it and Nan gave her a hug one last time. She clung on to her Nan's graceful embrace, still wishing this was some kind of dream. She was only tired from work. She was only hungry and needed a snack and a nice steamy shower. Her eyes wandered at the corner of the room where a pair of glowing amber eyes met with hers. This wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare.

Angel, still in disbelief, hugged her grandmother until she couldn’t feel her arms. It was her fault. Her fault her own grandmother’s soul will be taken by a demon.

But Nan was only grateful the strange man allowed her this time to say goodbye to her granddaughter.

The intruder shuffled around the background, trying to blend in with darkness. Angel felt him awkwardly standing there, but she didn’t want to let go of her Nan.

Eventually, Nan released her. Her eyes said so many things. Sadness. Grief. Longing. But still, there were no regrets present in those grey eyes of hers.

“I’m ready, boy,” She huffed.

"Nan, please. You can't leave me, I need you. Can't I make a deal to..."

"Hush up now. I won't allow to make deals with any demons. You won't even be able to do it!" Her Nan said.

Before Angel could ask her what that meant, the man stepped out of the shadows.

This was the first time Angel got a good look at him. She didn’t even realized he was wearing a mask, concealing the lower half of his face. His icy ember eyes cut through her very soul. He wasn't glaring, however, just... fixated at her. His hair was sandy blond and clipped with no effort, possibly cut by himself. The cuts on his eyebrows and nose bridge told Angel that he's probably rough around the edges.

He wore a dark shirt and pants, his shoes a similar shade but looked worse for wear. His shoulders were definitely his defining features, broad and menacing. It made him seem like he was always hunched over. Deep but healed scars wrapped around his sculpted arms. Too many to count. He looked taller than six feet, his thick neck made his shoulders look larger than they already were. Angel thought he must be a demon too. A pretty one, despite the scars. But a demon nonetheless. A grim reaper, perhaps?

He closed the gap between them in one stride. He was swift, but not precise. In one move, he took out a necklace from his shirt. It had an empty vial attached to it. The vial was pointed at the bottom and had a label that was too minuscule to decipher.

Angel looked on, still on the fence about believing in demons, still doubting everything because she hadn’t seen it for herself yet. Like waiting for a catastrophic miracle to happen. Angel couldn't help but hold her breath.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, dear,” Nan said.

She took Angel’s hands once more.

“You’re a Nephilim.”

The man opened the vial. Nan’s teary eyes and and smile glowed. An apparition of her soul manifested into the air for a brief moment before it disappeared into the vial.

Her Nan fell.

Angel screamed.

The soul was collected.