Sharen took a deep breath, deciding on a tactic none of them would ever have expected. “He didn’t overestimate my love for them. No one could. I love them more than life.”
She said the words confidently, but gently, as if speaking to someone other than her enemies.
The blonde angel’s brows drew together. “Demons? How could you love such violent creatures?”
“Violent?” Sharen shook her head, forcing herself to remain calm and speak honestly. “Everyone is capable of violence, but the demons I’ve known have been kind... even gentle.”
“That must be a lie.” The angel said. “Caine told us—“
“Why are you talking to a demon-lover?” A male angel shouted behind her. “Caine forbids it.”
The blonde whirled on him. “Information isn’t dangerous unless we’ve been lied to.”
The male angel punched her, sending her flying back against a box. The wood splintered beneath her, and she lay half inside the box, her limbs sprawled around her. When her eyes opened, shock and horror filled her gaze.
Sharen held the hilt of her sword more tightly and moved to stand in front of the injured angel. “I’ve never seen a demon hit a defenseless woman before.”
The male angel smiled. “Perhaps your demons don’t know how to demand respect. We take the respect we're due. Now, Sharen, it’s time you come with us. If you don’t, we’ll kill your people, starting with your precious demons.”
He had to be bluffing. If she went with him, they would all be doomed. The only other solution was to make sure these angels couldn’t report back to Caine.
Clenching her fist, she thought of Marval’s words. She must embrace hope. She must feel the support and love of her demons and her people. Even as she thought of all of them, she felt herself growing stronger and more powerful. She knew magic surrounded her fist before she saw it.
Without waiting, she punched her hand out, sending the magic toward the collection of angels. To her shock, the magic struck them like a wave, lifting them into the air and cracking them down onto the ground.
Her legs shook as she stared, waiting for an attack. None of the angels moved. It’s like before, but this time I didn’t hear the voices whispering to me. So was I able to do that because others made me stronger, or was that just me?
“Shit,” the female angel muttered, gingerly climbing out of the broken box. “You have magic?”
“I guess so.”
There was an awkward moment of silence. “May I ask you something?”
Sharen nodded.
“Caine is The Judge. The most powerful person in all the realms. How do you intend to defeat him?”
“We have a plan.” Sharen held her gaze. “There’s a war coming, and you’re on the wrong side. You had better start thinking about whether or not you want to keep blindly following Caine.”
Turning, she headed for the door.
“I can’t let you leave.”
She looked back. The angel had her glowing soul-blade in hand.
Disappointment flared to life. “You know there’s truth to what I’m saying. Caine is corrupt. He’s putting innocents in the demon-realm and allowing thugs to become angels.”
She looked uncertain, but her blade didn’t waver. “I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be.”
Sharen held her sword out before her, ready to fight. She didn’t have to wait long. The woman’s sword struck her own, sending a vibration through her arm. The angel was powerful as she rained blow after blow. Sharen staggered beneath the attack, but met each strike without wavering.
When the angel rushed her, she moved with lightning reflexes, leaping from the ground and flipping over the other woman.
Whoa! How did I do that?
The angel was panting. “Can’t you just fucking stay still? If I return without you, Caine will have my head!”
Am I getting stronger and faster? Or is this angel weaker than the other ones?
“Grow some fucking balls then! Stop working for an asshole!”
The blonde glared. “Haven’t you ever seen those damned posters with the cat saying, Hang in there? That’s my life right now, except I have a boss who likes to torture and kill people. So, excuse me if I’m not just willing to jump ship!”
“We all have problems, but sometimes we got to grow a pair.” Sharen lifted her blade again, waiting.
The angel frowned. “Sorry, but I have to do this.”
“You don’t have to do anything but be a badass chick.”
To her surprise, the blonde laughed, her blade lowering ever so slightly. “This is the most bizarre fight I’ve ever had in my life.”
Sharen shrugged. “That’s because you’re fighting for someone you’re afraid of, and I’m fighting for the people I love. But in another life, I think we would’ve been friends.”
The angel’s smile wavered. “I never did have a lot of friends.”
“I just had a few, but they were everything to me.”
Lowering her sword to the ground, the angel shook her head. “I think I must have eaten some crazy soup this morning. But here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to go lay in that pile of unconscious angels and pretend you got me too. But if we ever meet again, you’re going to keep this to yourself, and understand that I’m not switching sides. I’ll fight you to the death right then and there.”
“Agreed.”
Her sword vanished, and she went to the pile of angels, wrinkling her nose but finally lying down.
Sharen didn’t put away her sword, but she inched around the bodies and headed for the exit.
The angel’s voice made her pause. “But you know, if I thought you had a chance of succeeding, I would go with you. The problem is, your enemy is expecting you, and you have to go straight to them if you have any chance at saving the people you love. In other words, right now, they’re holding all the cards, and you’ve got nothing.”
She looked over her shoulder. “I don’t have nothing. I have the knowledge that I’m fighting for the right side. I have people worth dying for, and I have hope. You might not believe it, but that’s a hell of a lot more than your side has.”
The angel said nothing more.
Sharen turned and raced for the car still parked somewhere outside. Today she’d gotten an angel to show her mercy. Anything was possible.
Chapter Nine
Sharen sped towards the farm in the sportscar, pushing it to its limit. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she sensed time ticking away. A strange sensation fluttered in her heart, one that made her think her demons were running out of time.
But her thoughts moved faster than the car. What the hell were the angels doing? Why had they come to collect her, just to bring her here? Caine didn’t plan to kill her, so what did he want?
It didn’t make any sense. The shapeshifter. The Immortal Ten. Even the angel. None of it was adding up. And she had a feeling if she didn’t get good at math really quickly, she’d get worse than a failing grade.
Turning off the main road, she moved down the bumpy dirt road but stopped long before she reached the farm. Even from this distance, she could see the specks in the sky. Angels circled the farm.
Hiding her car beneath a massive tree, she climbed out and raced through the woods toward her destination. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in reds and oranges. For some reason, it reminded her of all the blood in her life. Of all the death. Her parents. Too many friends to count. The wounds her foster family inflected. And little Brian and his family.
The truth was, she sensed secrets deep within her. What she was. And why The Department had spent so much money paying every person in her life. All of it was tied to what Caine wanted from her, but she couldn’t understand what it could be. A being as powerful as him couldn’t possibly care so greatly about her.
Unless you are his child, as the fae Hunter suggested.
Her stomach twisted. No, there had to be another answer.
The smell of pine
invaded her senses as she ventured further and further into the woods. There were no sounds other than the pounding of boots against the earth and her own breathing filling her ears. The birds and creatures of the woods remained silent, as if afraid.
She stopped as she reached the edge of the treeline. There it was. The farm. Within that barn, her lovers and her people waited to be rescued.
A movement caught her eye on the hill just beside the barn. People were moving about. Something large was set on top of the flat, grassy hill.
She lifted her hand to cover her eyes from the glare of the setting sun. What was it?
A guillotine? She slid through the shadows, moving away from the barn and closer to the hill. Dread built within her. A body was hauled and tossed beside the deadly contraption. A big body.
She felt sick. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.
Alec? Ryder? Kade? Don’t worry, I’m coming!
Unsheathing her sword, she held herself still, counting her enemies. There were only three of them: two who had carried the body and one who stood looking out over the sky.
A second later, a white winged angel flew to the hill. It took Sharen a second to recognize the blonde. Fuck. It was the angel who had let her leave. She had no doubt the woman was warning the people of her approach.
Why the hell did I trust an angel?
Her demons always said she trusted too easily, and yet again, they were right. She’d made a mistake. Now, she just needed to make sure no one but her paid for it.
A minute after the angel arrived, the people on the hill began to move frantically. Grabbing the body on the ground and putting it on the guillotine.
Sorry, assholes, but no matter how fast you move, it won’t be fast enough.
Sharen clenched her sword more tightly and started up the hill with measured steps. She no longer had the benefit of surprise, but she couldn’t wait and risk one of her demon’s lives while coming up with a better plan.
For several long seconds, no one saw her. Eventually one pointed to her, and then the others turned to face her. No one made a move towards her. They didn’t need to. She was coming straight at them.
A dark cloud moved above her, hovered above the hill, and then stretched out. The sky above the farm grew as dark as night, and a frigid wind blew. The air stunk of powerful magic.
She shivered and rounded her shoulders, trying not to let the wind cut beneath her jacket. But the wind was unlike anything she’d seen before. It plucked at her clothes and flesh, leaving her in pain. What kind of magic is that? And why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like it?
She continued until she was halfway up the hill and then she paused. Grey and black clouds spread out above the sky, and a tunnel of black rose up just above the hill like a slowly moving tornado. She spotted Darla standing next to the guillotine, or at least the shapeshifter who wore the young woman’s face.
Her teeth clenched together. Unable to help herself, her gaze slid to the man whose neck rested in the guillotine. Alec.
Tears stung her eyes. With the smallest movement, they could take his life. They could easily send him back to the demon-realm, where it would be years before they had a chance to save him again. Perhaps longer without his brothers to help.
How could she stop his death?
And then, she knew.
Two big angels with cold eyes shifted to stand on either side of her Alec. One rested a hand on the handle of the guillotine.
She refused to look at the blonde angel, afraid to waste her energy on the spineless woman who had helped her only to ruin her anyway. Instead, she focused on the bastard pretending to be the witch.
“Sharen,” the creature called, its voice eerily similar to the young woman.
“Shapeshifter.”
Its eyes widened. “I—I’m not—“
“Let’s not play this game. I know what you are, and I know Darla is dead.”
The creature stared, then, at last, something came over its face. “Fine. No games then. Today this demon is going to die, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. "She stared. “You didn’t lead me up here to kill him. You brought me here because Caine wants me.”
His expression gave nothing away.
Her voice rose, taking on a slight desperation. “I’ll give myself up willingly in exchange for his life and the lives of the others.”
The shapeshifter smiled. “That would be so simple, wouldn’t it?”
Her palms sweat as she held her sword. Why wasn’t he agreeing to the trade? This is what they wanted, right?
“None of this makes sense if it wasn’t to lure me here. Not taking my people or trying to capture me.”
“That’s because Caine is much smarter than you are.”
She glared. “If he doesn’t want me, what does he want?”
“He wants what’s inside of you,” the shapeshifter said, shouting over the wind.
“Inside of me?”
He nodded. “And do you know how he can get it?”
“I’m guessing if he’s the psychopath we all know he is, he plans to cut it out of me,” she said, striving to hide her fear behind bravo.
The shapeshifter tilted his head. “No, I’m afraid Caine has something worse for you planned.”
Worse than cutting something out of me?
And then everything happened so fast. One second they were talking, and the next the angel had moved. The blade in the guillotine was a flash of silver, and then Alec’s head was severed.
Her scream tore from her lips.
The female angel screamed.
Rage blinded her. Raising her sword above her head, she ran toward her enemies. A male angel grabbed the shapeshifter, and they all lifted into the air, just out of her reach.
“Get down here and fight me!” she screamed, her voice filled with tears.
“Afraid not,” the shapeshifter said, and then, the male angels began to carry the treacherous creature away.
She collapsed onto her knees beside Alec’s body. The female angel stared at her with terrified eyes.
“Fight me,” Sharen said, but instead of it coming out a threat, it was a desperate plea.
The angel shook her head of blonde hair.
“Renata!” the shapeshifter shouted. “Come!”
“I’m so sorry,” the angel whispered, and then she too flew away.
Sharen watched them leave. Her sword tumbled from her fingers and she turned to Alec. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her breathing came in and out.
She climbed across the grassy hill top, her knees sinking into the bloody grass, and gathered his big body into her arms. Beneath her hand there was no heartbeat. Nothing. Just a stillness that seemed to echo through her own soul.
And the demon whose skin was always warm? It was cold.
“No! No!” She held him close, moving him, shifting him, as if it might somehow not be true, as if she could somehow turn back time.
Rubbing at her face, tearing at her hair, she couldn’t seem to stay still. It was as if her body was no longer in her control. This was Alec. The man she loved. Her husband. A demon who changed her life forever.
And he was dead because of her.
He was dead because of her damn cause. Her selfishness. Her need to change the world.
He hadn’t wanted any of this. He hadn’t deserved any of this.
And he’d been killed. To get to her.
It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be true.
And then, his body began to fade away, turning to ash within her grasp.
“No!” she tried to grab for it, to hold onto any part of him. But the ash slid between her fingertips, swirling around her as every last part of him changed.
At last, even the ash was gone.
She stared without seeing on the hilltop. The wind tearing around her. The dark cloud looming above her. There was no hope left. No goodness remaining in this world. Not with him gone from it.
Her sobbing grew hysterical, ripping fro
m her belly as she collapsed onto her side. He was dead. Her Alec was dead. The man who made her laugh. Challenged her at every moment, and who made her feel like life was worth living was dead.
Dead.
It was impossible. Impossible that he died while she would continue living.
She sobbed harder. Her hope was gone. Her joy and love were gone. She was alone.
Who knew where Kade and Ryder were? Who knew if they had already been sent to the demon-realm?
I’ve lost them all.
Time slipped away from her. She didn’t know how much when she realized that the wind had picked up speed. That it was swirling around her.
Suddenly, a man appeared before her. He had dark hair, cruel eyes, and an inhuman beauty that made her skin crawl. He stared down at her with a gaze as cruel as the wind. It seemed to slice into her flesh, with a possessiveness that made every hair on her body stand on end.
“Sharen,” he whispered her name, but the sound seemed to come from all around her, repeating over and over again in the wind.
He moved toward her, and she watched him closely.
Her heart ached. Her emotions felt numb, and yet, she feared this man so instinctually that it shook her from her grief.
“He’s dead, Sharen. And he will not return.”
“He will,” her voice shook.
“Only one person decides where a soul goes when it dies. And also which souls are too dangerous to return to any realm. Alec is simply too dangerous.”
“No.” Her heart caught in her throat.
“Yes,” he said, and the word seemed to seal her demon’s fate.
Her grief suddenly had no end. No break. It swallowed her, never to free her again.
She blinked as more tears filled her vision. Alec would never return to her.
Someone tilted her chin up. It was the creature. Her skin crawled beneath his touch, and his eyes bore into hers. “There is no hope.”
And she felt it. Something being pulled from her. Something shimmering and golden. It swirled in the wind. Releasing it didn’t hurt, but it felt like the end of something. Something important.
Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 27
