The black cloud that is Emil collects and forms a gigantic, shadowy angel with sharp, pointy wings that tower above me. His skeletal mouth widens as he emits a horrible scream that sounds like a hundred thousand voices crying out at once. I cringe as my hair blows back from my face. His elongated, claw-like fingers cut a hole in the very air, tearing it open. It folds back to reveal an orange glow from the night skyline of a city on fire. Achingly elegant, gothic buildings rise up out of the darkness. Gargoyle-like creatures patrol the air with long, albino wings that swoop and cluster above the shrouded streets and the midnight river that runs crookedly through the ancient metropolis.
For a moment, the sight of it mesmerizes me; it’s gruesomely lovely and soul crushingly frightening all at once. I’m aware of its scrutiny as well. It’s as if a thousand eyes have turned towards me, hunting me. While the pungent scent of offal assails my nostrils, my heart contracts in a futile attempt to hide from it and the eyes watching me. I strain to get away from Emil’s essence because this is worse than the 7-Eleven on the night Freddie tried to kill us. It’s Sheol.
An invisible force yanks me toward the opening. Xavier gets between Emil and me. He wraps his arms around me, spreading wide his scarlet wings, shrouding me from evil. Xavier opens a compact in his hand. The world around me distorts, swirling in a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors as I whirl into the iridescent glow of his portal.
REED
I rest my bound wings against the damp, brownstone wall at my back and listen to the sound of water lapping against rocks. I don’t need to study the cell; I know every inch of my cage by memory. It’s similar to the one they kept me in the last time I was at Dominion’s château on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Still, my eyes follow the mortared slabs of rock, reinforced with layers of metal stronger than steel. It’s Trictofite, an oar mined from magma deep within the Earth, farther down than humans can dig and, unfortunately, the solid metal door is made of it as well.
My bare feet nearly freeze to the bedrock floor. I ignore their numbness as I gauge my position to be somewhere beneath the arena where the Powers had put Evie on trial and judged her. Anger over that thought warms me before I shiver; the last time I was here it was summer. Winter comes with a new set of hardships. My muscles are beginning to cramp from the frigid air. I bring my bound wrists closer to my chest as I draw my knees in. Closing my eyes, my mind moves through each hall that I’d cataloged while last in this stone prison. I study the intangible map as a means of doing something constructive and to repress the ache associated with the loss of butterflies—the loss of my proximity to Evie.
Centuries of control and ability to live in the shadow of emotion collapsed within me today when Tau blew the boatswain. Within inches of ridding myself of Xavier from our lives forever, everything changed in that moment. Seeing Evie fall, pale and nearly lifeless, to the ground was like having the light cut out of my life. It had affected Xavier in the same way. We were both rendered powerless in that moment. It’s apparent how much I need her; she’s my air. She’s what’s keeping me alive. Without her, I’ll suffocate.
I exhale, trying to compartmentalize my rage. I failed to kill Tau. Cole and Xavier pulled me off of him before I was done. I only managed to slit his throat open; I didn’t go deep enough. He’ll live. He’ll heal.
In the minutes after he blew the boatswain and I attacked him, a swarm of Dominion Powers amassed to help the Seraphim. A dark hood was thrown over my head. My wings were tied along with my wrists and legs. I fought them to try to get to Evie, but I was overwhelmed and dragged off.
She was still breathing when I was beaten nearly senseless, shoved into a trunk of a vehicle, and driven off. I felt the attraction of butterflies even through the pain. I’m certain that she’s alive; it’s the only reason why I’m able to hold onto a semblance of calm. I’m clutching the invisible thread that binds me to her. I won’t let go, not for anything in this world.
A soft, golden glow appears in the corner of my cell, dispelling the gloom. Russell takes shape as his head peeks through the wall. When he sees me, the light from Russell’s illuminated clone pushes through the cold stone. His leg steps through next, followed by his arm and shoulder, and the rest of his tall frame. As he emerges, he takes a look around at the walls before his eyes return to me crouched on the floor. I don’t bother to hide my bleak expression. It unnerves him; his clone runs his hand through his hair, mimicking his normal reaction to stress.
“You in a time out?” Russell asks with his slow, southern smile that attempts to hide the growing anxiety in his clone’s eyes.
“It’s more like a time in,” I reply.
“They catch you jay walkin’ again? I’ve told you to wait when the orange blinkin’ hand—”
“I tried to kill Tau.”
Russell’s clone’s playful grin evaporates in an instant. “How come you’re not dead then?” he asks.
“They need me alive as leverage against Evie.”
“Where are ya? We’ll come get ya out.”
“Dominion—the chateau, but you can’t come here, Russell.”
“Huh?” he asks without humor. “Where’s Red? Is she here, too?”
My stomach clenches involuntarily. He would’ve sent a clone to her first. The fact that he’s asking me means he failed to locate her. “No, she’s not here—I can’t feel her. You couldn’t find her?”
“Naw,” his clone’s brows come together in confusion. “There’s no connection. I tried to send her a bunch of clones, but none of ‘em would move. It’s like she’s not here to find—I can’t feel her anywhere either. Where did you last see her?”
“Xavier had her—the last I saw of her, she was at her childhood home—unconscious.”
“You lost her to him? What’s wrong with you? You were supposed to take him apart!” Russell’s messenger glows brighter with raw emotion, as if it’s fueling the clone.
“They have something, Russell,” I reply.
“What? What’ve they got?” His clone comes nearer, squatting down in front of me so he can look into my eyes.
“What I’m going to tell you doesn’t get relayed to anyone else. Not Zephyr, not Anya, no one. You understand?”
“No,” he replies with a scowl. “What the hell are ya talkin’ bout? We’re a team here. We work together—”
“Not for this! This is too dangerous for them to know. The only reason I’m going to tell you this is because I think it will concern you as well.”
“All right! You’re freakin’ me out! What is it?” Russell asks.
“They have a key to Sheol. It opens a doorway to Hell.”
“Fffffaaaaaa—for what? Why would they need that?” Russell asks with a grim look.
I ignore Russell’s questions. “She used it.”
“WHAT? Evie’s there—in HELL?”
“Shh,” I look over Russell’s clone’s shoulder to the door before I glance back to him. “Evie took the key from Tau—she used it to open a doorway to Sheol. It tried to drag her into it, but Tau closed it before she could enter it.”
“Why would she open it in the first place?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think she knew what she was doing.”
Russell growls. “What happened after she opened it?”
“Tau took the key back from her and closed the opening, but he nearly destroyed her doing it.”
“Destroyed her how?”
“It was like a kill switch to her, Russell. It acted like a weapon that completely overpowered Evie.”
“What does it look like—the key?”
“It’s looks like a boatswain—a whistle that naval—”
Russell holds up his hand, “I know what that is—it’s used to call out orders to sailors at sea. Different tone sequences mean different things like: weigh the anchor or time to eat—I’ve lived before, remember?”
“Tau has one that has a different purpose—one of the high-pitched sounds incapacitates your kind—half-angels. It’s li
ke a whistle that only your kind can hear—the frequency hurts you—or maybe it’s the particular tone he used on her. She bled, Russell, from her eyes—her ears—her mouth—it came through her pores...”
“Why would he do that? He’s her dad!”
“I don’t know, but he did it. I tried to kill him for it—I failed.”
“Which explains your new accommodations,” Russell says without humor. “They beat the snot outta ya,” he states, indicating the fading bruises that still haven’t healed. “We’ll have to come up with a plan to get you out.”
“No,” I say flatly.
Russell sighs heavily. “Whaddaya mean no?”
“I’ll get myself out after I recover the whistle from Tau.”
“And you’re gonna do all that on your own?” Russell asks skeptically. “You’re gonna need help. Lookatcha, sittin’ there all tied up and twisted. I can see your breath, so I know ya must be freezin’.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine! We’re comin’ to get ya.”
“You can’t come here. Dominion wants you—wants to control you. They’ll arrest Anya—they see her as a traitor. You have to protect her.”
Russell’s humanity rebels at the notion of leaving me here. “I’ll make Anya stay behind—the Reapers will find her somewhere safe—”
I shake my head. “Tau can use that weapon on you with less remorse than on his daughter. He may just decide that he wants you gone and send your soul back to Paradise. In his mind, you’re not supposed to be here. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you—an extra man cluttering the board.”
“That was until I busted into Brennus’ lair and helped free his daughter. Tau promised me anythin’ if I helped save her and I’m gonna collect: immunity for Anya.”
The wind howls through the panes of the barred window above us. “I can’t leave here without that whistle, Russell. He can’t be allowed to use it against her again.”
“Why do they even have somethin’ like that? Were they afraid they weren’t gonna be able to control her?”
I hesitate.
Russell snorts in derision. “And Tau used it on her? Just like that?” Russell asks in a hollow voice. “It doesn’t make sense to me. I saw Tau’s eyes when he knew his daughter was with Brennus. He was afraid for her—he was half insane with it. He’d never kill her; it’d destroy him. Trust me. I was a father—many times over. He’d die first before he’d let that happen.”
“Then the weapon is not for her,” I deduce.
“If it’s not for her, then who is it for?” Russell asks. “They didn’t plan on me. Evie changed the game plan by savin’ me accordin’ to Anya—I’ve always kind of known that since it happened.”
“Brennus intimated to Evie that you’re not the only one of your kind—there is another male of your species.”
Russell’s clone rises from his crouch and kicks the air in anger, his arms spreading wide. “We’re relyin’ on the undead freak’s intel now? That vampire is like a hundred car pile-up waitin’ to happen!”
“We can’t deny that he has connections—his allies align with the Fallen. He knows what goes on in dark.”
“It’d be nothin’ to him to feed us false information!”
“Us, but not Evie,” I reason. “It’s in his best interest to keep her well out of the hands of the Fallen. She’s his treasure; the only place his heart can beat is within hers.”
“So this key thing—this weapon the divine Seraphim have isn’t for Evie; it’s for the fallen version of Evie?” I nod. His clone paces my cell, sometimes disappearing briefly into a cell wall before reappearing again. “Do they know who it is—the evil half-breed?” Russell’s clone pauses and looks at me.
“No, or the army that Tau has amassed would be at war with him. They need Evie to draw him out. She’s their lure. Bait. I think we’ve already met him Russell—at the house today.”
Russell’s clone loses some of its golden glow. “I have to get the girls outta Crestwood. Now.”
“Zephyr should already have a new location.”
“He does, it’s—”
“Don’t tell me—I shouldn’t know where you are. Keep looking for Evie.”
“What do I do when I find her?”
“She’ll tell you what to do.”
A smirk forms on Russell’s lips despite everything. “You know her pretty well.”
“I do,” I nod.
“I should go then,” he says with a reluctant look.
“You should.”
“Alright then.”
“Russell,” I say, as his clone nears the wall.
He turns back and says, “Yeah?”
“How are you with knots?”
“I suck at ‘em.”
“How about magic?”
His eyebrows rise as he pushes out his bottom lip. “I’m better at that.”
“You think you can break this angel hair knot tying my wings together?” I ask.
He frowns. “I never tried to use magic through a clone before.”
“First time for everything.” I rise from the floor, showing him my back so he can assess the problem.
“I’ll have ya outta that in no time.”
Despite everything, I smile. “I’m glad I didn’t kill you.”
Russell laughs. “Yeah? Me too.”
RUSSELL
“We have to go!” I warn Zephyr the moment I allow my clone to evaporate and my consciousness to return to my body.
Zephyr stares back at me from his position on an overstuffed chair in the library.
“Did you find them?” Zephyr asks, his calm eyes scannin’ me.
“I found Reed. He’s screwed, like always. Dominion Powers have him at their château. He tried to kill Tau, which didn’t work out so well for him.”
“Have they harmed him?”
“I don’t think he beat himself up, so I’d say they haven’t been very hospitable.”
“And Evie?” Zee asks with a grim look.
I shake my head, pretendin’ not to be completely freaked out. “I don’t know. She’s not with him. Reed thinks she’s still alive. She’s an ass kicker; she’ll find us when she can. Reed told me to stay away. He said he’d free himself and find us.”
“They’ll kill him,” Anya says quietly.
“Huh?” I turn ‘round to Anya’s lithe body leanin’ against the doorframe of the library. She pushes away from it and prowls in, her graceful steps makin’ me lose my train of thought as I stare at her. Her dark wings move with her in a seductive, dangerous flutter, like she could chase down the devil without much trouble.
Her soft, full lips say, “Dominion. They’ll kill Reed. If he harmed Tau in any way, it’s a death sentence. We have to rescue him before he’s shredded.”
“He said not to come there.”
“Of course he did,” her lips spread in a cynical smile. “He’s a Power; they think they never need anyone’s help.”
“Prostat Powers don’t need to be rescued from other angels,” Zephyr says gruffly.
Anya lifts her hand towards Zee, “See? We need to free him.”
“Who’s we?” I ask with a scowl. “You’re not gettin’ within a hundred miles of that place. Right now, you’re public enemy number one to them.”
Her perfect chin lifts as she smiles like I gave her a compliment. “I’ll be fine. Xavier won’t let them kill me.”
My eyebrows slash together in a flare of jealousy. “Naw, I won’t let them kill ya ‘cuz you’re not goin’ there!”
“We have to get him back. He’s not the one that was born to die.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your girl won’t last the year.”
The wingback chair next to me makes a crackin’ sound as my hand squeezes it too tightly. “You’re my girl. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt ya.”
She looks confused for a second. “I meant Evie,” she says, uncertainly.
Her glance my
way only feeds my desire for her. “You don’t know the future, and Anya, you’re my only girl,” I state again unequivocally.
“Once maybe, but now...”
I lift my eyebrow. “What’s that above your heart then?”
Her fingers glide unconsciously over the bindin’ mark on her skin. “A mistake,” she replies.
Her words make my heart contract painfully. It’s a feelin’ that I know comes from missin’ a life that I’ve left behind—from missin’ her. “You have to stay with me for now, Anya. That’s non-negotiable.”
“You don’t even remember me.”
“I may not remember everthin’, but the crickets that I feel whenever you’re ‘round mean somethin’.” My eyes shift to Zephyr who has been watchin’ our exchange with fascination. He stands as I say, “We gotta move. This place is feelin’ downright creepy, Zee.”
He frowns. “What do you feel?”
“My flesh is crawlin’. It’s like they’re peekin’ at us through the shadows, gatherin’ in the crevices of this place. Whatever it is, it’s here—under the bed, tryin’ to get inside my head.”
“It?”
“The evil that just kicked our asses out in the snow. It’s back.”
“Then I won’t say aloud where we’re going, should it be listening.” His assurance that I’m right makes me uneasy. “Brownie, Buns...” he says in a tone that hardly rises at all.
Buns wobbles stiffly through the door of the library with Brownie not far behind. They’re both twice their normal size because they’re wearin’ several layers of clothes, givin’ them the appearance of bohemian Eskimos.
“Buns,” Zephyr’s tone is admonishin’, “we discussed the need to travel light.”
Buns gives him a petulant look. “Do you see me carrying luggage?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Her chin juts out.
I clear my throat. Zephyr’s sharp eyes pierce me. I shake my head, hopin’ he picks up what I’m layin’ down.
Zee turns back at Buns and murmurs, “You seem uncomfortable.”
“I’m really hot,” she admits with annoyance, “but what do you want me to do? I have to plan our wardrobes without even knowing what SEASON we’re heading into because NO ONE has let me know where we’re going!” She stabs her finger at Zephyr.
Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5) Page 10
