Salvation in Darkness

by Nicole Edwards

  When they finally hit the main road, Orianna turned her attention to Eclipse. Part of her wondered if this was some elaborate scheme to kidnap her. Would she wind up in some dark dungeon, that evil woman waiting for her?

  “You’re safe,” Eclipse said, his voice firm.

  “Are you reading my mind?” she asked.

  “Not intentionally.”

  She stared at him, jaw unhinged. No way was this really happening. Vampires didn’t exist. Nor did angels. Although she would believe the angel thing was probably more likely.

  No.

  They didn’t exist.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Eclipse exhaled slowly. “Do you seriously need a recap? Or is that rhetorical?”

  Orianna frowned, then stared out the windshield. “No way is this really happening. I’m gonna wake up.”

  She would. Any second now, she would open her eyes and see her shitty apartment.

  One…

  Two…

  “You’re not asleep,” Eclipse said softly, his hand sliding over to hers.

  Orianna watched as he linked their fingers, felt the warmth of his skin. Oddly, the gesture soothed her, and she got the strange sense that she could take him at his word. He wouldn’t hurt her.

  Or was he making her feel that way? Could he project the way the vampire did?

  She shook her head, not giving those absurd thoughts a chance to take root. This was not real.

  “I have to be asleep,” she mused, unable to look away from his big hand. “I’ve dreamed about you enough these past few weeks. Plus, I’m under a lot of stress. So it makes sense I’d have some fucked-up nightmare about fanged creatures. Definitely stress.”

  “Those weren’t dreams, sezari.”

  Her eyes shot to his face. “What does that even mean? That word? Sezari.”

  “It’s lost in translation,” he said simply.

  “Translation? So what? It’s Spanish or something?”

  He chuckled. “Or something.”

  Yeah, okay.

  It really was time for her to wake up.

  Chapter Nine

  When Winnie told him she was going to hang with Penelope, Asmia, and Acadia for movie night, Reidar decided it was time to hit the streets.

  Truth was, he was feeling a bit claustrophobic these days. Ever since he’d brought Winnie back to the mansion, everyone was treating him as though he was made of glass. Sure, he knew they were simply trying to keep him with his amsouelot rather than out fighting demons, but Reidar could only handle so much. Not only was he feeling as though two thousand pounds were riding shotgun on his chest, he needed some time away, a few minutes of fresh air to clear his head.

  Whatever was going on with Winnie … with both of them, actually … well, it was more than he could take. Not for the first time, he wondered if he’d jumped the gun in assuming Winnie was his amsouelot. Something was seriously off between them, and he couldn’t imagine two souls destined to be together could end up with a disconnect the size of Texas.

  So here he was, out of the mansion, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and looking for a fight. Exactly what he needed to clear his head.

  “Not sure how I drew the short stick,” Rinc grumbled as they strolled through the empty downtown area. “What exactly are you hoping to find out here?”

  Reidar had no idea how to answer that, honestly. For the past few weeks, the fiestreigh had been patrolling the streets of Darkness and the surrounding small towns, looking for any signs of Perfidious only to come up with nothing. The mesonneir had gone to ground, likely biding his time after he’d pulled that stunt with Asmia. As for what he was waiting for … well, that was the million-dollar question. Now that Penelope’s soul was safely ensconced in Heaven alongside Obsidian’s, she couldn’t be their target.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Zadok huffed, the lieterra’s attention scanning the group of people who sauntered down the empty street, seeming to have ventured too far off the beaten path.

  Being that it was a couple hours after the rowdy Friday night crowd had called it a night, Reidar hadn’t expected to encounter any humans. This tiny town was usually locked up tight. The only humans out were usually of the adolescent variety, attempting to wreak a little havoc.

  “Is it just me or does something feel off? By this point in a night,” Rinc stated, “we would’ve encountered a couple dozen impietans already. Where the hell are they?”

  “This isn’t the big city,” Reidar told the male. “Be grateful for the reprieve.”

  “Reprieve? I’m starting to think Perfidious and his band of merry assholes are on vacation,” Zadok uttered.

  “Maybe.” He wished they could get that lucky, but Reidar doubted the demon was off on some island, sipping margaritas and enjoying the atmosphere.

  A shrill sound from behind him had Reidar pausing, allowing his senses to sweep out over the area.

  “Demon.” Finally!

  “Three of them,” Zadok corrected.

  Rinc grinned as though that was good news. “One for each of us.”

  Working as a cohesive unit, they reversed their path, heading down the darkened street that ran parallel to the main thoroughfare through town, leading deeper into what passed for an industrial section.

  “Make that four,” Reidar noted as they turned the corner to see a cluster of demons making a beeline to the humans on the next block over.

  Great.

  “These aren’t impietans.” Rinc’s frown denoted his confusion.

  “Neillohs?” Zadok asked, referring to demons sent to Earth from Hell, rather than humans who were turned.

  “Definitely not,” Reidar answered. The question was, who the fuck were they? It had been eons since they’d encountered any without the IQ of a bag of rocks.

  Rinc went to the right, Zadok to the left, allowing them the opportunity to surround the demons, hopefully get the humans to safety.

  “Look at this one,” one of the female demons said as she surveyed a human male. “So handsome. The attractive ones always taste better.”

  “Taste?” The male laughed, then peered over at his buddy with a grin. “Honey, I’ll give you something to taste.”

  Fucking lovely. The idiot was taunting the thing.

  This was going to be fun.

  The problem with demons was that they didn’t care to fight. Though they were a worthy opponent when engaged, it wasn’t easy to redirect their attention once they’d set their sights on their goal. And this female was already in pursuit of the human male who hadn’t quite realized what she was.

  “Don’t mean to crash the party,” Rinc announced, “but we’d like to have a word.”

  Several high-pitched growls sounded as the demons spun to face the oncoming threat. All except the female. She was taking full advantage of the distraction.

  “What the fuck?” one of the humans shouted. “Come on, Joe. Let’s get outta here.”

  “Yeah, Joe,” Reidar muttered under his breath. “Listen to your buddy.”

  Unfortunately Joe didn’t listen, but his friends had the sense to scatter. While Rinc and Zadok distracted the other three demons, Reidar chased after the female. Tossing up a barrier to keep both her and the human from straying any farther, he snagged one of his trusty push-daggers from its holster.

  “He’s not much of a challenge,” Reidar told the female.

  She offered a momentary glance in his direction. Enough time for him to shift the barrier between it and the human. He sent the command for the male to run. A second later, Joe’s Nikes were getting acquainted with the pavement, carrying his ass far, far away.

  There was something off about this one. Reidar had encountered thousands of demons in his time, but this one wasn’t the average, everyday demon. Not an impietan, no. Something else.

  “Well, I guess you’ll have to do,” the demon hissed, black eyes locking on him.

  Finally a worthy opponent.

  “Sorry, I�
��m already taken.”

  Though demons generally only wore the skin of a human, this one seemed to have a human form. Sure, Reidar could see beneath to the hideous creature slithering inside that epidermis, vile and evil and reeking of death, but it seemed more animal than demon. Again, this one was unlike any he’d ever seen before.

  When it lunged toward him, Reidar pivoted, drawing it closer.

  A growl erupted from the thing.

  “Here, Fido,” Reidar taunted. “What’re you waiting for?”

  A snarl was the response, followed by a flash as the thing shifted into…

  “Fucking hell,” he grumbled.

  Before he could lunge at the beast, it returned to its human form, moving closer.

  Never one to back down from a fight, Reidar headed right for it. Rather than collide, the instant it was within arm’s reach, he shot his fist forward, right into the chest, impaling it with the dagger he clenched in his fist. He waited for the flash, the tar-like sludge, the stench, but it never came.

  Instead of blue light, the demon offered a sinister grin and a snarl.

  “Uh, Reidar, my man, I think we’ve got a problem.”

  No sooner were the words out of Zadok’s mouth than Reidar understood what he meant.

  Rather than turn into sludge, the demon spawned another, the new one forming directly beside it, identical in appearance.

  Son of a bitch.

  He risked looking over to see the three demons Rinc and Zadok had set out to eliminate had pulled that multiplying shit. Now there were six swiftly circling the males. Reidar locked his sights on the two females, his brain skimming through history to come up with a plan to defeat these assholes.

  “Fucking hell!” Zadok shouted. “They’re multiplying again.”

  Of course it was never easy. Lucifer was always coming up with new ways to fuck them over, and it appeared the devil got the credit for creativity this go-round.

  “How the fuck do we kill them?” Rinc shouted.

  “Trial and error,” Reidar told them, conjuring one weapon after another in an attempt to waylay the demons, who were multiplying rapidly.

  Didn’t seem to matter the weapon or the delivery, every attempt they made created a new one until they were surrounded.

  “Now what?” Zadok asked, shifting so his back was to Reidar and Rinc.

  “Fuck if I know,” Rinc muttered.

  Clueless as to how to get their asses out of this fire, Reidar shot a telepathic message to Obsidian: Now might be a good time for you to lend a hand. And I mean right now.

  A second later, the warrior appeared at his side.

  “What the fuck?” Obsidian’s head swiveled as he took in the scene.

  “Exactly,” Zadok quipped.

  It only took a few words for Reidar to relay the situation and how they’d gotten themselves into it.

  “I want you three to leave,” Obsidian ordered.

  “Leave? What? So you can get your ass kicked?” Reidar snorted. “Not a chance.”

  “I said leave,” Obsidian growled.

  Reidar was gearing up for an argument when Stygian appeared.

  “Go,” the male ordered.

  Reidar got with the program, dematerializing out of the circle of demons and reforming on the other side. Rinc and Zadok did the same.

  From his new vantage point, Reidar watched as Obsidian and Stygian held the demons’ attention. Their enormous wings appeared—one black, one white—stretching out as far as they could go, creating a feathered barrier while the warriors’ faces lifted skyward, arms outstretched, palms up. They were summoning energy from the universe, he realized. Their combined powers drew the demons and their duplicates into a mishmash of limbs. The hissing and screeching increased as the things were overwhelmed by pain.

  “Now!” Obsidian ordered.

  The wind picked up, the powerful force sending Reidar back a couple of steps. A bolt of blue lightning struck down from the sky, silencing the demons, their ashes scattering on the wind.

  “What the fuck was that?” Stygian asked, his eyes scanning the shadows for more.

  Right before Reidar’s eyes, Obsidian stumbled, his knees buckling, wings retracting.

  “You two have to get back,” he shouted, knowing that the weaker they got, the less of a chance they’d be able to. “Now!”

  Stygian nodded, then vanished, Obsidian not far behind him. Reidar followed their lead, reforming on the front steps of the mansion.

  Holy fuck.

  The two warriors were laid out on the gray stone, flat on their backs, their bodies temporarily taxed from the use of so much power. After all, summoning lightning from the sky wasn’t something that could be done easily.

  Reidar threw a palm up on the reader, waited for the door to unlock. When it did, he swung it inward and shouted for some assistance.

  “What’s going on?” Basker—one of the male Fae who’d been summoned back to the mansion—came running, stopping at the sight of the two warriors laid out on the cold gray stone. The instant he realized Obsidian was laid out flat, he dropped to his knees beside him. “We need to get him to Penelope.”

  Yes, that was probably wise. The warrior would mend faster with the blood of his mate.

  “What the hell happened?” Kaj asked, appearing in the mix.

  “We’ve got a serious problem,” Reidar told them as the group gathered.

  “What he said,” Obsidian muttered, eyes still closed.

  Kaj stared down at the warriors in concern.

  “Shadow beasts.” Stygian groaned as he attempted to sit up.

  Shadow beasts? Seriously? That explained why Reidar didn’t recognize what they were. He’d never had the pleasure and now he wasn’t sure he wanted to again.

  “Aw, hell,” Kaj rumbled.

  “We have to help them,” Basker stated, his tone cool and collected, eager to do his duty.

  “They’ll be fine,” Zadok assured the Fae. “When they combine their powers, it drains them. They’ll need about twenty-four hours to recover. Then good as new.”

  “What can we do for them?” Basker asked.

  “For starters, we can get them in the house. Preferably upstairs,” Kaj said, his tone full of authority. He turned his attention to Reidar. “You need to get the word out to the others.”

  “Will do.” Reidar glanced down at Obsidian. “You good, boss?”

  Obsidian nodded, though even that looked like it required too much energy.

  Perfidious lifted his glass to his mouth, took a long swallow. He stared out the grimy window into the night and did his best to ignore the noises coming from Seraphina as she slurped and sucked Sirius in the far corner. Never before had their lack of discretion bothered him, but it looked as though he’d finally had his fill.

  “Rumor has it the vampires are pledging their loyalty to the angels,” Perfidious said absently.

  Sirius grimaced. “That’s absurd.”

  As far as Perfidious was concerned, it was a smart move. With the vampire numbers dwindling thanks to Lucifer’s unleashing of the shadow beasts, it benefited both parties to team up. Not that it would do them any good in the long run, but it would definitely extend the war. Luckily for them, there were always those who weren’t quite sure where to pledge their loyalties. Those traitors were now in the employ of demons, doing some of the dirty work and getting none of the credit.

  “Yet it’s true.” Perfidious cleared his throat. “Would you get him off already?”

  Sirius grunted and groaned, mumbling obscenities at the bitch kneeling before him.

  Perfidious was two seconds from disappearing them elsewhere when Sirius howled his release before shoving Seraphina off of him.

  Exhaling heavily to ensure they understood his frustration, Perfidious got to his feet and strolled across the room, turning his attention to Seraphina. “Do you have an updated count on the dead vampires?”

  She shrugged as she wiped her fire-engine-red lips with the back of her
hand. “Last I checked, they weren’t my problem.”

  Perfidious was tempted to set her ablaze, send the vicious bitch back to Hell. In the past couple of weeks, he’d grown tired of her. Then again, he’d grown tired of everything. Ever since he’d lost his connection with Asmia … nothing seemed to matter anymore. Well, nothing except finding her.

  “Then what exactly is your problem?” he snapped at the demon, reminding himself he did have a job to do.

  Seraphina had the audacity to glare at him. “Cleaning up your mess seems to be my main focus.”

  His mess?

  “You did blow off your orders to eliminate the human,” Sirius remarked. “Seems you’re both showing your incompetence.”

  Perfidious would show the little shit incompetence.

  “It’s true,” Seraphina said, purring as she scanned Sirius from head to toe. “He’s too focused on other things to care that the female’s now immortal.”

  “Doesn’t mean she can’t be killed,” the distorted rumble of a demonic voice said.

  Spinning around, Perfidious found himself nearly toe to toe with Eevuhl. Instinct had him taking a single step back. It wouldn’t behoove him to show fear, but when it came to this particular demon, it was a natural response. The only thing more deadly than the males of the trielair was Lucifer himself.

  It took effort not to cringe or, hell, to run from the fucking room. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Eevuhl stood before them in the human form he’d obviously acquired recently. From what Perfidious could tell, he’d picked up the husk somewhere in Texas, complete with cowboy hat and belt buckle. He looked like a dumb ass.

  The demon’s gaze cascaded over him, critically judging before he smirked, his black eyes glittering with menace. “Good to see you, too, underling.”

  Taking another step back, Perfidious managed to keep a decent distance between him and the evilest creation to have ever traversed the human realm. Aside from Eevuhl’s brothers, Aguhnee and Mizuhree, that was. The trielair were Lucifer’s top-level, the demons responsible for eliminating entire civilizations since the dawn of time.