by C. S. Wilde
A breath stopped midway in Liam’s lungs. “We didn’t open our beaks.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “Regardless, someone in this party did.”
Liam held the relieved breath that pushed out. Hauk still trusted him, at least for now.
“Finding who did it will be hard,” Pedro grumbled. “News travels fast. Tell someone today, tomorrow the entire block knows.”
“Ain’t that right.” Hauk raised one eyebrow. “But I had an idea. See, all our demons are gathered downstairs to celebrate. Let’s not forget the Possessor is also here. I find it a great opportunity, don’t you?”
A cold sweat broke out on Liam’s skin.
“When our friend finds out who did it,” Hauk fisted his hand slowly, “I will end them.”
Liam pretended not to care about the threat looming over him. “Fine by me, but I assumed we were meeting Master tonight?”
Hauk shrugged. “We can kill two birds with one stone.”
What the Hells did that mean?
“Let’s go.” The demon tapped the table and stood. He then motioned for his wife to come.
Dhalia rushed through the room, her black dress swinging behind her until she snuggled against Hauk’s left side. He lay one arm over her shoulders. “The night is young, gentlemen. Let’s get this sorted so I can continue enjoying my wife.”
The couple led the way, followed by Pedro.
Liam stood there for a moment, his mind spinning as he tried to figure a way out of this. His blood froze solid in his veins as he realized this was the end game.
Even if he could block the Possessor, that thing would still read Archie’s mind.
“Hey, puto, you coming or not?” Pedro called out.
“Vai se fuder,” Liam countered, flipping him the bird as he followed them down the stairs.
His steps drummed through his bones, from his soles up to his skull. His body felt heavy, and a continuous pitch rang in his ears, muffling other sounds.
Why had he tried to help those ungrateful wolves?
They’d doomed him.
From the last row of stairs, Liam found Archie in the crowd and glared at him. The message was clear: We’re beyond fucked.
The old man pressed his lips together and walked discretely to the base of the stairs, halting on the second step to meet him.
A sea of a hundred demons parted to make way for Hauk and Dhalia, who strolled toward the center of the warehouse. The music faded.
When the couple stopped, the demons around them stepped away, making a round clearing for them amongst the forest of bodies clad in black. They left the way to the circle open, though.
The Possessor stepped out from the crowd and walked the path toward them, its stride slow and labored, almost as if that thing was coming down with a flu.
Pedro placed himself in the crowd and watched. Archie and Liam stayed on the stairs, far from the center but high enough that they could see what happened.
The Possessor halted at the edge of the circle and bowed slightly to Hauk. The demon bowed his head to him in return, as did his wife.
The thing pointed a bony finger at the first row of demons. It touched each of their foreheads and waited a moment or two before going to the next.
It would take a while to examine each demon in this place, so Liam had time to think of a getaway plan.
“You have to run, Archie,” he whispered. “I might be able to block the Possessor, but he’ll see right through you.”
“Might?” He chortled. “Kid, if that thing wants to see into your head, it will.”
He glared at his father, his eyes stinging with tears. Liam didn’t care what would happen to him; he just wanted Archie out of here. “I lost you once, old man. I can’t lose you again.”
Archie scowled at him. “I’m not leaving my son to die. That’s final.” He craned his neck left and right in a preparation for battle. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. “Before we found out about the wedding, I warned Jophiel something strange was happening today. Hopefully he’ll come to the rescue.”
“The Legion can’t help us.” Liam pointed to the crowd ahead, trying to control the anger in his tone. “There are a hundred demons here, most of them second-tiers.”
“The Legion won’t fail us again, kid. Jophiel is a Seraph.”
He blew an exasperated breath. “Archie, you will run, or I swear to the Gods—”
A piercing shriek broke through the warehouse; a hollow, shrill sound that belonged to a dying animal. Liam watched as the Possessor jerked and writhed inside the circle like an invisible force was trying to break it.
Well, snap it in half was more accurate.
Eventually, the attack ceased and the creature hunched over, taking wheezing breaths. All was silent until its hooded face snapped up toward Liam and Archie.
The Possessor walked down the path it had just followed, leaving Hauk and Dhalia behind.
Liam and Archie stepped down from the stairs and waited. When the creature halted before them, two blue orbs shone from the darkness underneath the hood.
“Interesting,” the thing said without its normal hiss. It spoke with a low baritone that belonged to the depths of the Hells; something ancient and beastly.
Blue eyes instead of yellow. Different voice.
Different demon.
Liam frowned. “Master?”
The Possessor craned its neck in a curious manner. “Smart, are we not?”
All demons ahead immediately dropped to their knees, Hauk and his wife included. The hooded figure looked back at the warehouse, surveying the scene.
Holy shit. Master had possessed a fucking Possessor.
Liam swallowed back the mass of fear climbing up his throat.
“You do not bow?” Master asked without turning to him and Archie.
“Forgive us.” Liam bowed his head. “We’re in awe of you.”
The demon pivoted on his heels to face them, wrapping his bony hands behind his back. When his burning blue orbs focused on the old man, Master said, “Defiance is not a habit I appreciate.”
Archie bowed his head at once. “Forgive me, Master. We do not defy you.”
“A wise decision.” He gave out a low chuckle. “When I heard two Archangels had become demons, I couldn’t believe it.” He nodded back to Hauk. “None of my factions harbor a Fallen, let alone two, but Hauk guaranteed me your obedience, and I trust him. Do tell me, my children. Why did you fall?”
Liam didn’t think twice. “The Order betrayed us.”
“Their hypocrisy is amusing,” Master agreed. “Their blindness will be their doom. It’s no wonder you came to my side.”
Liam knelt on the floor. “We have proven ourselves over and over, Master. We are with you, now and always.”
Megalomaniacs liked thinking they had all the power. Maybe if Liam showed respect, the bastard’s ego would swell and he would lose interest.
“You choose them smart, Hauk,” he said without turning to the leader of the Gorge.
“Thank you, Master!”
“Not a compliment,” he countered curtly, his tone growing deeper.
All demons still bowed at Master as if he were one of the devils himself, their foreheads pressed on the floor.
He spun around and addressed the creatures across the warehouse. “My children, the time is near. The Order will soon fall. Follow my command, and I’ll deliver you our promised land! Rise, sons and daughters of the dark!”
“Deliver us!” The demons said in unison before jumping to their feet. The warehouse exploded in cheers and huzzahs.
This asshole had them by their fucking balls.
“Tonight, however, we must celebrate.” Master snapped his attention back to Liam, his blue eyes burning. “Also, we must find a traitor.”
He felt a piercing pressure into his mental wall and immediately shot his light into it, blocking the rumbling power that pushed from the other side.
“Oh, remarkable.” Master licked his
own lips. Liam couldn’t see it from underneath the hood, but he could feel it. He couldn’t sense much else, though. “Your darkness is indeed exquisite.”
Was he supposed to be flattered?
“All my children give themselves to me without hesitation, and yet you resist,” Master said. “Why?”
If Master were really here, Liam would’ve drawn him closer and slashed his throat. But if he attacked this thing, he would only kill the puppet, not the monster on the other side.
He had to be smart.
“I’m not the traitor you seek,” he stated while his wall did something strange. It retreated and bent in on itself, quickly surrounding only what mattered right now: Ava, Archie, his undercover mission, and the fact that he was the wolf who had betrayed the Gorge.
The wall stood around those pieces of him, uneven but strong as a fortress.
He let Master inside the rest of his mind, his presence a heavy wave of void and dark. “My thoughts are mine to have,” Liam said, “but you’re always welcome.”
Master observed him. “Why do you hide, Liam Striker?”
He analyzed the Possessor from top to bottom. “I could ask you the same.”
An amused grin came from underneath the hood; Liam could feel it in his essence. “It seems we’re not so different after all, my child.”
The heavy presence that washed across his mind faded. Liam let out a relieved breath.
“Thank you, Master.”
Flaming cold eyes watched him with a mix of curiosity and surprise. The creature before him laughed loudly, bordering on hysteria. His shoulders heaved as he cackled laughs, and soon enough, some demons chuckled awkwardly after him.
Kiss-asses.
Master’s laughter stopped at once. “A long time ago, I met a man who deemed me a fool. So I let him believe it, day in and day out, and when my moment finally came, I opened him up, scooped his entrails like a pumpkin and fed them to him. Do you think he still fancied me a fool then, Liam Striker?”
“Of course not, I—”
“I don’t need to break into your wall to read your mind.” He leaned forward, and Liam realized the blue orbs inside the hood had no lids. “A tiny hole does the trick.”
Fuck! Liam could feel it now, a microscopic puncture at the base of his uneven wall.
“He was the wolf,” Master told the demons in the warehouse. “End him and his father. I’ll take care of the Seraph outside.”
30
Ava
Ava knocked on the white wooden door to Ezra’s room. Silence replied, so she stood there, stubbornly waiting. She had left twice this morning after no response from him, but she wouldn’t budge this time.
“Come in,” he finally conceded.
She gingerly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her head still thumped with the remnants of the greatest migraine of her life, but it felt better now than when she had woken up. Ava could’ve easily healed her hangover, but she decided she deserved the pain after her monumental screw-up.
Ezra stared out the window as she approached, his arms crossed and his silky hair loose.
“I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday.” Her tone was almost a whisper.
He didn’t turn to face her. “Later.”
“Later will never come, and we need to solve this.” She motioned to the space between them. “You’re the best angel I know, and you don’t deserve—”
“You want to explain? Fine.” He pivoted on his heels. His nostrils flared as he locked eyes with her, their placid blue now consumed with annoyance. “Why did you call me by his name?”
“I was drunk,” she said quietly. “I care for Liam, and I care for you as well. You both mean so much to me.”
“I know you care for us both,” he spat. “I’m the Messenger, Ava. I’m not blind. But love and care are very different things.”
“You demand too much from me.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t give you what you need.”
“Yes, you can.” He raised one silver eyebrow. “You’re confused, I understand. But the best for you isn’t him, and deep down you know it.”
There was truth to his words, but she ignored it nonetheless.
Ava slammed both hands on her waist. “Don’t tell me how I’m supposed to feel.”
“Never.” He bowed and placed an apologetic hand over his heart. “It’s logic, Ava. Think back on how you feel when you’re with me. Do remember I’m a child of the Goddess of Love and Life and a high angel, so I already know the answer.”
“Then why make me say it?” She rolled her eyes, knowing there was no running away from this. “It’s peaceful with you.”
“Is that why you agreed to become my mate?”
She had to face the truth that had always been there. Yes. She’d become Ezra’s mate because she needed him as much as he needed her. Once, Ava was kind and pure like the Messenger. As much as she hated to admit it, she wanted to be that Guardian again, or at least meet her halfway.
Only Ezra could show her how.
He smiled, sensing the answer in her emotions. “And how is it with him?”
Ava gulped. Liam was fire, chaos and adrenaline.
Unsettling. Unravelling.
Ezra must’ve sensed her emotions again because he gave her a proud smirk. “As I said, a matter of logic. You’ve changed, Ava. You’re not the meek, peaceful Guardian you used to be. Now you burn, and so does he. He can’t give you the balance you need.”
And still, she longed for chaos over peace, fire over water.
Being with Ezra was the wise and the right thing to do. He was good for her. If Ava gave herself to him, she would be happy.
Well, not exactly happy.
Content.
“You ask me to make a decision I simply can’t.” She cleared her throat. “Not right now.”
He gave her a knowing grin. “Later, then?”
“Later.” She inhaled deeply. “We must go. Kevin called us for an urgent meeting. He’s in your office.”
Kevin was sitting behind Ezra’s marbled desk. Atop the table was a single file folder.
On the left side, near the open window, Justine lounged on Ezra’s white couch. She basked under the orange hue of sunset, a soft smile stamped on her lips.
“Glad to know you’ve made yourselves comfortable in my office,” Ezra grumbled.
Kevin laid back on Ezra’s white leather chair and wrapped both hands behind his head. “Oh yes, it’s lovely here.”
“You guys will want to hear what Kev has to say.” Justine kept her eyes closed as fading sunlight graced her perfect features.
“Then go on already,” Ezra urged, impatience swirling in his core.
Kevin looked at Ava. “I was close to giving up. So much so, that I considered asking Agathe to read your mind.”
She gasped. “Absolutely not! If she does, she’ll find out about the Legion.”
“Unlikely, since Jophiel blurs our memories to invasive mental forces. Agathe could still decipher them, though, which would make it an enormous risk.” Kevin shrugged. “So, you see how desperate I was.”
Ava narrowed her eyes at Justine. Her friend had told her she’d seen the Legion in Ava’s mind, but if Kevin was right, that was impossible.
Justine gave her an apologetic smile, a certain fear imbedded in her features.
“Kev was the one who told me about the Legion—with Jophiel’s permission, of course,” her voice rang in Ava’s mind. “I was so worried, dear. I needed an open channel to you, and I couldn’t have it if I faked ignorance about the Legion.”
To her own surprise, Ava wasn’t angry. If anything, she appreciated the lengths her friend had gone through to help her.
“I understand,” she said through their mind channel.
“Well.” Ezra shrugged, having missed their exchange completely. “Agathe would never do it without evidence of misconduct first. So, it wouldn’t matter if Ava asked her to read her mind or not.”
Justine rol
led her eyes. “The Throne is a good leader, but she’s such a stickler for the rules.”
“I call that blindness,” Ava countered.
“You’re both right.” Kevin tapped the table and stood. He grabbed the folder from the surface. “Are angels allowed to own properties?”
Ezra frowned. “No. They may use them, but the ownership belongs to the Order.”
Kevin strolled in slow circles with hands—and the file folder—behind his back. “Do you know how the police caught Al Capone?”
Ava narrowed her eyes. “The Mafioso? What does he have to do with anything?”
“How did the police catch him?” he insisted.
Ezra raised his shoulders. “He killed someone?”
“Many, actually. But that’s not what got him arrested.”
The white, taffeta curtains fluttered with a soft breeze. Realization dawned on Ava.
She remembered the reports from when she was still human. It had been everywhere in the papers. 1931, the year the police finally caught him but not because of a murder.
A wide grin spread across her face as Kevin handed her the folder.
“Tax evasion,” she said as she read through the pages. “It’s also how Kevin caught Talahel.”
Agathe sat behind the obsidian table in her office, tapping her fingers on the surface. Her long inky nails ticked loudly, making for the only sound in the room.
Ava didn’t need her Dominion instincts to notice the Throne’s impatience.
Tick, tick, tick.
Twilight had begun by the time Ava and Ezra requested an urgent audience with her, and night had already fallen when they finally got it.
“What is it that couldn’t wait until morning?” she asked.
Ezra stepped forward and dropped the folder on her desk. “He fooled us, Agathe. All of us.”
She frowned, then fixed the lamp on her desk over the papers. She read through them, and her skeptical demeanor only increased. The Throne flipped the pages back and forth, as if she failed to find an answer in them. “What am I seeking?”
“These documents prove Talahel has properties all around town,” Ava said.
