by K.N. Lee
“Can we get on with it now?” Evina said. “I’m not a babysitter…”
Halston held his hand out toward the path. “Show us the way.”
Evina grinned. “With pleasure. Jax is probably shaking with excitement in there.”
Koa followed behind Halston and Evina and she looked in awe as the smothering, cavern-like path, opened into a large dome that buzzed with flying beings. There were so many lights that she was blinded. She shielded her eyes from the glowing palace in the center of the valley. She nearly tripped as the path became a narrow set of stairs.
Koa caught herself and she looked down to see the stairway plunge deeper into the dark depths below. She looked around to see that hundreds of other caverns opened up to similar stairways all around the dome. At the bottom of the stairs was a city.
There were skyscrapers and clustered buildings everywhere. This was the home of the nephilim, a safe haven for all that was inhuman. As they walked down the steep stairway, Koa examined the bright, gold-plated palace that stood in the center of the city. This was the place that haunted her dreams. Koa had been there before, she just couldn’t remember why.
Golden towers stretched upwards, taller than the contrasting black skyscrapers. Like a sunflower in a field of rubble, the palace stood out. Hundreds of clustered buildings littered the city, and yet Koa was certain that from wherever you were in the city, that you could always see the palace. There were what appeared to be thousands of windows that reflected more light onto the city around it.
Hours seemed to pass until they reached the bottom of that staircase. By the time they reached the cobblestone platform, Koa had gone over her own plan in her head a million times. She wanted to see Jax’s face as she lopped off his head.
Koa glanced at Halston. She was torn. She wanted to trust him and do as he said, but Jax had hurt her mother; how could let him live, even after he broke the curse? She would never be able to forgive him for what he did.
Cloaked beings walked past her. They almost knocked her off the platform at the bottom of the staircase and into the next level that waited underneath. She tensed when she realized what they were. They were Jems. Dozens of them. She could see the glow of their eyes.
Koa looked away. They ignored her as they hurried by with their pikes, ready to rip right through whoever dared try their luck at escaping the Netherworld. Koa related them to squads of police, patrolling the streets.
Halston whispered to her. “Just pretend like you belong here.”
Koa frowned. “What did you think I would do, Halston? Fly around screaming, I’m the bloody half-blood you’ve all been waiting for?”
Halston gave her a look and straightened his shoulders. “Very well. I don’t want to spend more time here than we have to, but there are preparations to be made. You’ll go with Evina and I’ll meet up with you two in a few hours.”
Koa put her hand onto Halston’s chest and grabbed the front of his shirt. “Wait a minute! You never said that I would have to be alone with that skank!”
Evina jumped off her disc and everyone within view gave a deep bow before hurrying off. She slid right up to Koa and bumped her with her chest. Evina was thin, tall, but solid muscle. She nearly knocked Koa backwards but caught her by wrapping an arm around her waist. She grinned down at Koa and locked arms with her.
Koa held her breath. She looked down at Evina’s large bosom as it rose and fell with her breaths. She looked back up at her grinning face. Evina was so close, that Koa could smell her breath. She smelled like summer rain. It was sickening how alluring the woman was. How could anyone resist her?
Evina winked at Halston. “I’ll take good care her.” She locked eyes with Koa and pulled her closer into her body. “I promise I won’t bite,” she whispered to Koa.
Koa swallowed. She was frozen in a mixture of shock, rage, and arousal. Her first reaction had been to upper cut Evina in the jaw, but now… she stared at Evina in confusion.
Halston shook his head and muttered something under his breath. “We don’t have time for games Evina, just take her to the docks and prep her for me. I’ll come back with the materials we need to get her into the prison.”
Koa’s eyes widened, and so did Evina’s grin.
22
Halston stood in the center of the crowd as he watched Evina walk away with the only person for whom he had ever had real feelings. Yes, he fought for the humans and vowed to protect them for an eternity, but there was something more when it came to Koa. She stirred something in him that he should not feel as an angel. Love and compassion he had been created with, but whatever he felt for Koa went much deeper. He experienced physical pain whenever she was hurt or upset.
Halston couldn’t explain it, not even after thousands of years of life on Earth. He watched the two women until they disappeared around a corner. His throat tightened as Koa glanced back one last time. Their eyes met, even though there was quite a distance between them. Like a bolt of electricity, her gaze burned into him. He was certain he saw a reflection of his own feelings within her eyes, but he could never be sure. He could never tell her. It would be the end of him if he did.
He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he stood there, alone, yet surrounded by the abominable spawn of his brothers and sisters. There was much to be done. Someone had to put the world back in order.
Everything rested on him. He waited. He kept checking his watch, as an hour passed; finally, he glanced over toward the direction that Koa and Evina walked and saw the signal.
It was done.
Halston cut through the masses and made his way to one of the staircases that led to the path toward the Gate. He paused at the bottom of those stone steps that had been built thousands of years ago. It was time to summon all those who had sworn secret allegiance to him and his cause.
He felt around in his jacket’s inner pocket. He felt something cool and gripped it. Halston took out a pen. It was long and silver, and caught the light that came from the Disc Moon. It was a dim disc that stood at the very top of the dome, shedding light onto each level of the world and regulating time, so that everyone within its range aged much slower.
Halston hoped that one day Koa might forgive him, for keeping so much a secret. It was all to protect her, Halston thought. He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. It wasn’t all for Koa. She was a big part of it, but he couldn’t deny that it was supposed to be for the human race, and Koa had somehow taken precedence over even that. Still, he had done what was right by bringing her back—at least he hoped he had.
Koa was returned to the place where she belonged. Now, it was time to set other events in motion.
Halston pointed the thin tip of the silver pen before him and narrowed his eyes. A tiny blue light blinked, then glowed steadily. He swept the pen up gracefully, and wrote along the darkness before him. The air tightened, examining the light that sliced into it. Halston tried again, drawing with a delicate curve of his wrist as if he was painting a masterpiece. The darkness accepted the script, upholding tiny blue text.
The soft wind whistled as if curious about this oddity. Like an inquisitive child, it gathered around Halston and made his jacket flap open. His infinity shotgun was revealed. Annoyed, Halston covered it back up with his free hand and continued his message. The wind seemed to shiver with glee and floated each word along. It carried his message up the steps and down the tunnel, back to the human world. It was time to notify his Netherworld agents that it was time to recruit.
Raven knew her role in this. She would be waiting. She was never human, nor vampire. She was something... different. Something that would change both worlds. Now, it was her time to shine.
Halston finished his message and lowered the pen. He hoped that Raven was ready, that she would uphold her part of the bargain. So much depended upon Raven and her daughter. They were like two secret keys that the evil of the world fought to swallow.
Halston tightened his jaw. He hated to think of what was ahead for Koa. He could imag
ine that she was afraid, and yet hiding it very well. She was good at that. He almost smiled. She would be all right. He had taught her well.
Halston looked up toward the cavern. It was a cool night in the Netherworld. It was always a cool night. Daylight didn’t exist here. Each level of this world led to more darkness and even more horrific creatures.
Vampires, demons, War-Breeders, ghouls, and fallen angels like himself buzzed by. They came and went up those stairs, returning to their homes in the maze-like city that was the Netherworld.
Halston shot a look at a flash of light. He let his guard down when Evina stopped before him.
“What do you think she’ll do when she finds out the truth?” Evina hopped off her flying disk and stepped before him. She had a serious face. She had put her life at risk for Koa, but she could never resist a little challenge. He had almost thought that Evina would ruin everything with her little show in front of Koa.
The creatures around fled. Vampire mothers grabbed their children and ran into the safety of the many alleys.
Evina was daughter of King Greggan, a very powerful vamp, and they feared her even when she was nothing like her father.
Halston put his hands in his pocket. He took them out and folded his arms. He couldn’t get Koa’s face out of his head. That beautiful little face haunted him. There was no way that he could forget the first time he laid eyes on her. He felt his insides twist.
“Everything will work out according to plan. It has to.” He raised a brow. “She’s already asleep?”
Evina folded her arms across her large bosom and tossed her hair out of her face. “Of course. I’m not a novice, Halston.”
“No. You’re a temptress, and you cannot resist games.”
“I don’t have another century to wait. I wouldn’t put the plan in jeopardy.”
Halston raised a hand, shushing her. He listened to something.
She frowned. “As I was saying… games. I don’t have time for them.”
“But you love them more than anything.”
She fought a grin. Instead, Evina sighed and turned her face. “You really think you know me. Just because I had a crush on you as a girl doesn’t give you the upper hand. I’m not a child anymore. I’ve been a woman for quite a while now.”
Halston smirked. “You had a crush on me?”
“You’re horrible, Halston.” She gave a soft laugh and looked at him with a warmness that she didn’t reveal to many. “I cannot believe that I am actually entrusting my life to you—and my brother’s.”
“You are a smart woman for doing so. You need me. Therefore you will follow me to the end. Right?”
Evina didn’t answer. She met his gaze and searched his eyes. She gave a slight nod and pulled her disc from her belt. Like a fan, she flicked it out and set it down. It buzzed and hovered.
With a quick hop onto the disc, she looked down at Halston. “I’m going back to check on things.”
“No meddling. You can ‘check,’ but that is all. Don’t use too much of your power on her. I don’t want her remembering things just yet. It’s best that we let Jax open Pandora’s box.”
Evina grinned. “Ah, don’t worry, love. I won’t harm her. I promise.”
Shaking his head, he watched her fly away, above the masses. His mind went to Evina’s brother. Jax was prince of the Lyrinia, the Central Dominance of the Netherworld and locked away for all eternity. He cringed. All of the things Jax would tell Koa could undo Halston.
Koa still believed that the night he found her drunk on a park bench had been the first time they’d met. Halston could never bring himself to tell her that he had known her since she was a child. Furthermore, he couldn't tell her that she had, in fact, been poisoned that night he found her and fed her the antidote while she slept.
At that time, telling her the truth had been out of the question. If she knew that he had been watching her for decades, secretly protecting her, she’d believe that he was some sort of stalker. It was ironic that their little joke, the nickname she had given him, was truer than she could have imagined. Somehow, Halston had become… her guardian angel.
“Halston,” a familiar voice called.
Halston turned. His message had worked more quickly than he had anticipated. Halston turned and his gaze went up to a man who was a descendent of the giants. His eyes widened at the sight of a familiar, welcome face.
23
“Holy shit,” the War-Breeder exclaimed. Seven feet tall and all muscle, the War-Breeder rubbed his eyes and stared at Halston in disbelief. “It is you! Is it time?”
Halston wasn’t sure how to react when Tristan, his oldest friend, beamed at him. He had expected him to show up.
Tristan looked the same. No one down here really aged, unless they went up to the human world, where the sun had its effects. Tristan’s bald head was tattooed, a common trend in the Netherworld, to display your social standing in its ancient hierarchy. His skin was a deep bronze, as if he had an eternal tan.
Scars covered almost every inch of his flesh. The scars didn’t come from battle. Tristan never lost a fight, or a war for that matter. No, those scars were from a ritual from his childhood. His own mother was forced to do that to him, to teach him about pain, so that he’d never experience it again. The ritual lasted as long as the child could stand it. The instant they started to cry from the pain, the mother could stop.
Tristan never cried. The ritual had gone on and on. He had become a legend, and his mother had become the proudest woman in the village.
To Halston, it just made Tristan look like a runaway slave who had been whipped too many times, but to the War-Breeders, it served as a reminder that this was the strongest of their clan.
Halston sucked in a breath as he was swept off his feet by the big man. His bones nearly crunched in Tristan’s abnormally strong arms. Once Tristan put him down, Halston couldn’t help but return the smile. Tristan held him at arm’s length. His thin brown eyes examined Halston with wonder.
“You look different,” Tristan whispered with a perplexed look. Halston lowered his eyes. He was different now. He wished he could forget the past.
Tristan’s look of wonder was quickly replaced with alarm. “Halston! What are you doing out here in the open? Someone will recognize you.”
“Not likely,” Halston said.
Tristan lifted a brow. “Right…” He folded his arms. “So, what’s it been like up there with the humans?”
Halston stepped back. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Tristan clapped his hands together. “Let’s get on with it then! You’ve brought her back?”
Halston looked down at his feet. Koa. The child he had stolen.
Tristan let out a long breath. He shook his head with a side smirk. “Leave it to you, Halston, to get yourself in a mess like this, and to get me to join you. You started this war for Koa. What’s so special about her? Why didn’t we just leave things be?”
“I didn’t start the war. I just put the inevitable in motion.” Halston sighed at Tristan’s expression. There was so much that even the War-Breeder couldn’t know. The burden rested on Halston and his race of fallen angels. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“That half-blood is going to get us killed, isn’t she?” Tristan shook his head. “She almost got us killed the first time we dealt with this foolhardy plan.” He pointed to his chest. “I still have a nice scar to remind me.”
Halston wore an eerie smile, hinging on bitterness. “I can’t be killed. Remember?” If only he could, things just might be easier.
“Well, lucky you, Halston.” Tristan’s eyebrows bunched. He nodded. “I just love how you flaunt that when you know that I can be killed!”
Halston lifted his chin. “So what are you saying? You’re no longer with me?”
Tristan rolled his eyes and shook his head. He hooked his thumb in his belt. “I’m just saying that this plan of yours had better work. Farrow got killed shortly after you escaped with the gir
l. She got swept up by Greggan’s guard one night and decapitated in the citadel square.”
Halston just stood there, feeling numb. He felt a lump in his throat.
Tristan cleared his throat. “I haven’t kept touch with the others.”
Halston could still picture Farrow’s young face in his mind. She was one of the youngest in the crew, a Jem preparing for her final test to begin an eternity of patrolling the Netherworld. He had no idea that she was dead.
Tristan was silent for a moment. Halston straightened his shoulders when he noticed the War-Breeder staring at him. “At least it was a quick death.”
Tristan nodded. “It was.”
Silence. Halston felt a deep sadness for the Jem. Farrow was dead because of him. He couldn’t take her with him when they took Koa. A Jem couldn’t survive in the human world.
Halston shoved the guilt deeper inside the part of his heart where he kept his most valued emotions and locked it away. It would no longer bother him until he returned to unlock the vault.
Tristan tried to ease the tension. “Well, let’s say we rebuild the old alliance then.”
Halston looked up at the Disc Moon. It clicked and cast a darker green glow onto the kingdom. Each click, and subsequent color, was a Netherworlder’s way of telling time here. It was getting later. “You’re pretty eager for someone afraid of his own mortality.”
Tristan took two steps over to Halston. His face brightened. “I never said all of that. You know me, I live for danger. I live to add another scar to my collection.” He traced a long scar that went from his brow to the flesh beneath his right eye.
Halston found it odd how much Tristan valued his ghastly scars.
“King Greggan is trying to invade the human world, put up a fight against those soft, squishy creatures you call vamps up there. I want a piece of the action. I’m just not ready to die yet, is all.”
Halston saw a flash of silver light and grabbed Tristan by his suspenders. “Shut up,” he growled. “Someone will hear you.” He pulled Tristan into a stone side street just as a royal guard stepped into the square. Halston caught a quick glimpse as they found cover in the darkness of an alley. The royal guard was comprised of Syths and Scayors. Halston’s heart thumped when he saw the Scayor step into the square. They were tall, metallic creatures, combining Syth bodies and technology. Scayors were horrific creations. Those silver eyes were always searching, always ready to snatch someone off the streets.
