Genesis (The Legend of Glory Book 3)

by Devin O'Branagan

  )o( )o( )o(

  Rory called Jinx and didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Belle Starr’s brother, Jesse the demon, has kidnapped Glory. We need your help to rescue her.”

  “Let Zane rescue his precious Glory,” Jinx said.

  Whoa. Where did that come from? “Zane’s not in the game, Jinx. He’s going through the cure.”

  “The cure? So it works?”

  “Don’t know yet.”

  She was silent so long Rory thought they had lost the connection. Finally, Jinx asked, “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you need my help?”

  “Glory’s been taken to a place that is warded against angels. Nyx is there with them. We’ve got three witches here, but we can’t break in and take them on alone. They’re real powerful.”

  “I’m trying to keep Joy safe from Bo.”

  “Does it take all four of you to do that?”

  Jinx didn’t answer.

  Rory closed her eyes, reached out to try to feel what was going on with Jinx, and was practically knocked on her ass by the force of the vamp’s emotional storm. Wow. “Look, Jinx, this is important.”

  “Right, everything about Glory always takes center stage, doesn’t it?”

  “It’s not just about her. Remember the night Joy was born and said she heard two heartbeats in Glory? Well, she wasn’t being fanciful. Glory’s pregnant.”

  The storm got wilder, Rory grew dizzy, and she had to sit. Everything about vampires was so damn intense.

  “Dominic’s baby?”

  Rory didn’t really want to answer that one. “That’s not my place to tell—”

  “Cut the crap, Rory. If you want me to do this, I think I deserve to know what I’m risking my life for.”

  “The baby is Zane’s.”

  Jinx laughed. “Right. Not possible.”

  “It somehow happened during the time travel thing. She came back pregnant.”

  Silence returned.

  “You just going to sit there and breathe, Jinx?”

  “Does Zane know?”

  “No. Here’s the thing in a nut. Their baby’s DNA is vital to saving the world from another scheme cooked up by the NWO scientists down in Wonderland—the ones Zane’s been working with. We couldn’t let him know in case he accidentally tipped them off. See, the baby has to survive or very few people will.”

  Jinx’s sarcasm exploded like a bomb through the phone line. “So Glory’s got to save the world again?”

  “What the hell is your problem, Jinx? You’ve always liked Glory.”

  Jinx sighed. “Actually, I do.”

  Silence.

  “So, will you help all of us save the friggin’ world again, Jinx?”

  “You had me at ‘it’s Zane’s baby.’”

  “I don’t know what’s happening with you right now, but are you going to be okay with this?”

  “It’s the right thing to do,” Jinx said.

  * * *

  Nyx finally left Jesse and me alone. Light from a full moon streamed through the big windows during our magnificent candlelight dinner. Afterward, as we slow danced, he whispered things in my ear that were much better than the lame jokes he had recited the last time we danced tightly in each other’s arms.

  “If you don’t stop that, my knees will get too weak for me to stand,” I said.

  “Let go, babe. I’ve got you. I’ll always have you.”

  “You’re such a good dancer.”

  “A man who can’t move his feet can’t move what counts.”

  “Did you seriously just say that?” I threw my head back and laughed.

  He wrapped his fingers in my hair to keep my neck extended so he could nuzzle my throat.

  I moaned my pleasure. He felt so good. This felt so right. I shouldn’t be this happy. Surely, something was wrong. Surely, something would go wrong.

  It popped into my mind that he might be killed during the rescue attempt, and my emotions instantly became a wildly boiling cauldron.

  He stopped dancing and frowned at me. “What is it?”

  I panicked, and my brain struggled to come up with something to say. “Sorry. I get scared when I think of Nyx taking my baby. It hits me in waves.”

  He lifted my chin, making me look directly into his eyes. “If, after you go demon, you still want the baby, I won’t stop you from trying. That is, if you can find it and if you can slay Nyx. Those are monster ifs.”

  “What do you mean, ‘if I still want the baby?’ Why wouldn’t I want her?”

  He sighed and brushed a wayward lock of hair off my face. “When you go demon, priorities change. It’s part of the process. You become a different person. Look at me. I’ve done things I never could have imagined doing when I was human. Demons and humans think differently, feel differently, act differently. Rules change. Hearts change.”

  “You still wanted to be with me after you turned.”

  “Passion’s different than motherhood. Completely different hormones. Baby-nurturing just isn’t a demonic thing. Not part of our makeup.”

  “You really don’t know what Nyx is going to do with my baby?”

  “I honestly don’t, and I think it’s probably better if you never try to find out.”

  I began to tremble.

  He put his arms around me and held tight. “If you want the baby after you understand what this life is about, and are clear on who you are after the change, I won’t fight you on it. But, like I said....”

  Really big ifs.

  Suddenly, he let me go and stepped back with a startled look on his face. “I gotta go. Now. I’m getting a 911 from Nyx.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  I staggered, from both the unexpected release of me and his revelations. Challenges never intimidated me, so I wasn’t worried about the odds, but if I no longer even wanted Genesis? I sagged onto the nearest chair and buried my face in my hands.

  My mind reached out and tried to find Rory. Surprisingly, she was there.

  Is that you, Glory? Rory asked.

  I took a deep breath and my mind responded. Yes.

  Is the baby still in the oven?

  Barely.

  Good. We’re working on a plan, but Lailah wanted me to ask you if you still have that rosary Carmela gave you?

  I do.

  Thank Gods. Listen, Kaia’s been through some stuff lately that knocked her on her ass, so we’re going to team up on the Nyx vanquish. Of the two demons there, she’s the bigger threat. If Jesse can be powered down long enough for us to do that and get you out of there, we’ll consider it a win.

  I was so relieved they weren’t going for a Jesse vanquish. How do we power him down?

  Lailah says if you can wrap the rosary around his neck, that should zap his powers until he can get it off. Then there’ll be a delay before he completely powers up again.

  Is it just going to be the two of you?

  No, I’m working on gathering the troops. Not yet sure who all will step up, but I’ll let you know when we have an ETA. Tell Genesis to stay put, guard that rosary with your life, and figure out how to get the job done. Over and out.

  I took off the rosary and hid it in the pocket of my jeans. Jesse either hadn’t ever noticed it or didn’t think it important, but I wasn’t going to take any risks now. Lailah had once said the rosary wouldn’t help me if I didn’t believe in it. But if she said it would help me now, I chose to believe in that.

  I paced around the empty penthouse while my emotions rode the Superman: Escape from Krypton roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I was a mess. Maybe it really was Stockholm syndrome. Or demonic influence. Perhaps everything I’d been through had finally pushed me over the edge of sanity. Because, despite the absolute conviction that I needed to go through with this, I felt angst over how broken it would leave Jesse. Part of me would break, too.

  I needed to get a grip before Jesse and Nyx returned, or they would surely know something was up.

  Plop
ping into my easy chair, I closed my eyes and used my imagination to run plays. I figured that if I could get Jesse to the piano, he would zone out as he always did while making music, and I could perhaps get the rosary around his neck before he could stop me. I practiced the move over and over again in my mind. I practiced it again. Then, to push through the guilt that created, I thought of Dominic and how wonderful it would be to get home to him. Finally, I considered that if this worked, Gen could be born in the arms of angels instead of demons. I stayed with that one until my emotions came to rest.

  * * *

  I dozed off and Nyx’s giddy voice awakened me. “That was wicked!”

  I opened my eyes to see that Nyx and Jesse had appeared in the middle of the living room, both coated with blood.

  Startled, I stood. “Oh, my God.”

  “God had nothing to do with it.” Nyx laughed and raised her hand to Jesse for a high-five, but instead of returning it, he shook his head. His expression was harsh and raw.

  I scrambled to his side and reached out for him. “Are you hurt?”

  He pushed me away. His icy glare froze me in place. “Not now.”

  “Get over it, Jesse,” Nyx said. “We were freaking wicked.”

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “We raised some hell,” Nyx said, then issued a loud whoop and pumped her fist in the air.

  I looked at Jesse. “What happened?”

  “Bad things happened, Glory. Just leave me alone for a while.” His hand swiped blood off his face, then he paused to stare at it for a few moments before rubbing it onto the side of his jeans. He walked into our bedroom and closed the door.

  Nyx was wild. Her eyes flashed, and she danced around like a crazy woman while blood and gore dripped from her hands and arms. “Brains splattered, Glory. They splattered all over.” She reached out to me.

  I dodged.

  Nyx twirled. “The screams were musical, and the humans begged. Oh, how I love it when they beg.” Giggling, she advanced as if to capture me in an embrace.

  I evaded her. She was like an insane something out of a bad horror movie. “Back off, Nyx.”

  She stopped and her glowing eyes captured mine. “Chaos is underrated. There’s such freedom in chaos. You must let me turn you.”

  I stumbled but managed to put the couch between us. “Not now, Nyx. And when the time comes, I want Jesse to be the one who does it.”

  Nyx looked at Jesse’s closed door. “He was amazing tonight. He’s so masterful.” Her glazed eyes returned to mine. “The air was perfumed by fear. It’s the most exquisite smell in the world.” Her arms waved about in the air, and chunks of bloody flesh flew. “Celebrate with me. I know you want to wait to open your legs to Jesse, but we can have all kinds of fun together in the meantime.”

  Nyx was grotesque, like something reflected in a supernatural fun house mirror.

  Terrified, I evaded her grasp and raced into our bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me.

  I turned to see Jesse standing naked, a pile of bloody clothes at his feet. “I told you to leave me alone,” he said.

  Our eyes met. I saw sudden hunger arise in his, and knew I had made a terrible mistake. He exuded a cool, forbidding air that scared me even more than Nyx’s wildness had. I turned to leave, but before I could open the door he grabbed my arm, swung me around, and pushed me toward the bed. I staggered, and he pushed me again. I tripped, struck the back of my head on the edge of the nightstand, and blinding pain ripped through me. Jesse caught me before I hit the floor, lifted me up, and threw me onto the bed.

  Despite the shock and the pain, complete disbelief ruled. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I want every inch of your body and every beat of your heart.” He knelt on the bed and ripped at my clothes.

  I tried to fight him off, but he restrained me as easily as if I were a kitten.

  I sobbed in terror and pain. “Don’t.”

  His looked at my face, but it wasn’t the demonic Jesse I knew. I had only seen the fire. This glacial frost was much more sinister.

  He straddled me, then bent and crushed my lips with his in a harsh kiss that hurt. I struggled to turn my head, but he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back to face him. Pain from the head wound made me scream.

  “Jesse, no. Please.”

  “Please? Did you say please?”

  “Please stop! I’m begging you to stop.”

  His hand released my hair and then covered my mouth. “I told you before never to beg.”

  His chilling eyes captured mine and I felt the immense threat behind them. I managed a small nod to let him know I would surrender. In that moment, I believed if I didn’t, he’d kill me.

  He removed his hand from my mouth, leaving my lips sticky with the blood from my head. When he saw his blood-smeared hand, he froze and stared at it. Then his eyes turned to look at my lips. After a few moments he blinked, recoiled, and rolled away from me. His voice was hoarse. “Run, Glory. Get away from me.”

  Dizzy, I scrambled off the bed and ran into the master bathroom. Gasping, panting, I locked the door behind me, leaned back against it, and slowly slid down to the floor. Then I crawled into a far corner and curled up in a ball, hugging my cramping belly. Moonlight through the window fell on the streak of blood my head had made on the door when I slid down. That was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  * * *

  I am fire and ice. As a human, I had loved too deeply. Men, family, friends. It was a ridiculous tendency that served to steal my personal power. Now that I am a demon, I no longer cave to that concept of love, but my passions are magnificent and my strength glorious.

  Jesse and I are a team to reckon with. Most of our fellow demons steer clear of us and let us do our thing. Nyx is the exception. Word in the shadows is that she reports back to Lucifer himself about our antics. Rumor has it that we make him proud.

  We demonize self-loathing humans—the ones who celebrate weakness and depression, who wallow in their misery and use it as an excuse to fail and to hurt others. Even the Gods are disgusted by weakness, so why shouldn’t we be? The whole system, from evolution onward, was created around the concept of survival of the fittest. We work with that system and make sure the weak survive by giving them strength. If they can’t shake it off themselves and rise above their narcissistic self-indulgence, we give them a reason to be strong, to stop whining, to push back the pain. We grant them no quarter to waste the life gifted them by squandering it in self-pity. Since coming to know Lucifer, I now understand that God is real and I imagine that even He gives us an occasional, “Way to go!” We turn humans by the droves. It’s our best thing. I like to look at myself as part of God’s hit squad, getting the really hard work done, fulfilling the undeclared will of Heaven. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

  I often consider the fact that God allows evil and that my work might fit into His grand plan. Oddly, I never feel like I’m betraying Heaven. I figure I’m in service to creation in ways I can’t understand. How many remember that Lucifer is actually an angel—and God’s most beautiful and beloved one at that? The cosmic significance doesn’t escape me for a second. I also remember the religious belief that souls in Hell can be redeemed if God sees fit. So I perform my work with a strange type of honor and don’t think I burn any critical bridges along the way.

  Of course, Jesse tells me I’m naive, deluded, and reminds me I can’t serve two masters. Admittedly, the longer I live in Hell, the more he’s starting to make sense.

  I wonder why I resisted becoming a demon for so long. It is the greatest rush imaginable. I am fearless. Just like my former friends, the Goth Girls. There is nothing I can fail at now. No one I can let down.

  And Jesse? Time and again I melt into his mastery over my body, and he takes me places I could never even have imagined. We are like one being riding a tidal wave of sensation so high it feels
like it’ll never crash. We are consumed by each other. When I invite him inside me he whispers, “I don’t live on Earth or in Hell, I live in you.”

  I can’t believe how romantic I used to be in my choices. Now the object of my heart has to earn my devotion. Strength, power, and excellence are what get my demonic juices flowing. Jesse is always up to the challenge. He is awesome. Always has been, always will be.

  Besides being an amazing lover, Jesse also rocks at being a demon. His only weakness is his abhorrence of blood. I think it has something to do with when he was a human child, but I never ask him. And I don’t hold it against him—we’re family. So, when those kind of things come up in our line of work, I’m more than willing to take over. In turn, he’s always got my back when it’s needed. Admittedly, there are some things I still can’t bring myself to do, so he covers for me. We are Hell’s most impressive power couple.

  Blood is easy for me. After all, it had been my blood that saved humanity. My blood saved Zane. Blood is vital. It is life.

  Nyx appears and hands me a blade. “There’s someone that Dad wants you to kill.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I know you can.”

  I am fire and ice. I am an iceberg with ninety percent of my essence hidden below sight. It buoys me up. It holds my power. And no matter how hot my passions become, they are never enough to melt that solid foundation of ice upon which I rest. I am invincible.

  Nyx takes Jesse and me to a medical laboratory. There is a toddler in a cage. Blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful, she looks up at me with innocence.

  “They use her like a lab animal,” Nyx says. “She needs to be put out of her misery. She’s too young to turn, so the only solution is to take her out.”

  “I’ll wait outside,” Jesse says and disappears.

  “Why does Dad care about her?” I ask Nyx.