by S. A. Moss
I looked over my shoulder at Alex. “Up or down?”
“We’re looking for the Fallen, right? Down.”
I rolled my eyes, but he did sort of have a point. Making sure the door didn’t slam behind us, we stepped into the stairwell and headed down. I peered over the railing as we walked, trying to get a sense of how many floors were below us while keeping an eye out for demons coming up.
There were only two levels below the main floor of the club, apparently. When we reached the bottom landing, I hesitated briefly, then pulled the door open a crack and peered out. Another hallway. Couldn’t see any Fallen.
I gave Alex a quick nod, and we moved into the hall. The walls down here were a dingy, sterile white, and it took effort not to make sound as we crept along the hard tile floor. On our left, an open doorway loomed, and I peered around it cautiously. A kitchen. It looked abandoned—all the equipment was still there, but it was in disarray, as if someone had stormed through knocking things over and never come back to clean up the mess.
“What do you think—?” Alex started, but I cut him off with a raised hand.
“Did you hear that?” I whispered, my voice so low it was barely audible. My ears strained to catch the earlier sound.
Alex’s eyes darted aimlessly as he focused his hearing. Suddenly, they widened, and he nodded. Grabbing my hand, he dragged us both down behind the large metal table in the kitchen.
“Voices!” he whispered.
I nodded emphatically. I’d heard them again too.
Cautiously, we crept along the floor toward the other end of the kitchen and peeked around the doorframe. The door opened into a huge room that was almost identical to the dance floor above us. This must have been a secondary level of the club, clearly not open to the public anymore. Just inside the room, there was a bar area adjoining the kitchen. And further inside, lounging around tables clustered in the middle of what had been the dance floor, were Fallen. Lots and lots of Fallen.
Ah, crap.
I guessed I should’ve been happy. This was what I’d been hoping for, right? If we could get a little further inside the room, maybe we could eavesdrop enough to glean some valuable info. And we wouldn’t even have to expose ourselves to Boss Man to get it.
Pulling my head back around the doorframe, I whispered. “We gotta get behind that bar. If we move to the far end of it, we might be close enough to hear them while staying hidden.”
Alex bobbed his head and grabbed my hand.
I tried to ignore the sudden bubbly feeling inside my chest. There were very practical reasons for us to stay close together, so hand holding made sense.
And it did somehow make me feel a lot braver.
Crouching low, we darted out of the kitchen and behind the bar. Despite being out of use, it was still stocked with glasses of various shapes and sizes, and the shelves behind us were full of liquor bottles. As we crawled carefully toward the far end of the long bar, I could make out the voices more clearly.
“I doubt we’ll be able to round up many more tonight. They got wise to us quicker than I expected, sir. Figured out if they pair up, we can’t snatch them—or it becomes a lot harder anyway. We did get one pair of sweet little female Guardians last night. They tried to fight, but we had a hound with us,” said a scratchy voice.
“Good. And are the bonds holding?”
I perked up at that and leaned over to breathe in Alex’s ear. “Boss Man.”
The first voice responded. “The bonds are holding well. No one has even attempted escape.”
“Very good.” There was a slurping sound, and Boss Man sighed in satisfaction. “Bring me another whiskey, Dagon.”
“Yes, sir.”
Footsteps approached us, and I froze. Shit! Should we run? Try to fight? If he came behind this bar, we were screwed.
But the step stopped on the other side of the bar. There was a heavy thunk and a slight pop, and then the sound of liquid pouring. The whiskey must’ve already been on the bar-top.
I would’ve exhaled in relief, but I was too busy pressing myself up against the back of the bar and praying that the Fallen wouldn’t lean over too far and see an errant limb poking out.
“Have you ever had whiskey, Dagon?” Boss Man’s voice floated across the room.
“No, sir,” the Fallen scratched out.
“That’s too bad. It’s really quite good. It burns, of course, but the burn is why it’s so satisfying. There are a few things about being stuck in a human body that are quite taxing. But whiskey makes up for many of them. That and… pleasures of the flesh.”
Ugh. Gross.
The Fallen crossed back toward Boss Man, presumably to deliver his drink, while Boss Man continued to wax poetic.
“I think, when the Guardians are all gone, I will live in a new body every day. I’ll try different types, of course. Men, women. Large, small. I’m bored with this vessel.”
“Akaron said he needs you on Earth though, sir. In this body.”
“I know that, you idiot!” A chair scraped. Had the Fallen just sat down, or had Boss Man stood up? I wished I could see, but I didn’t dare peek around the corner of the bar. “I’ve been one of his most trusted servants on Earth for ten years now. You’re barely a foot soldier. Don’t lecture me. But this body is aging. I’d prefer to get out before it dies of old age.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Does Akaron have a new plan, now that the Guardians aren’t making themselves easy targets anymore?” another voice asked.
There was a thunk, and I imagined Boss Man had just slammed his glass down on the table. “Akaron does not have a new plan,” he growled. “He has a plan. And this is only one part of it. How about instead of sitting around questioning me like a bunch of morons, you go out and do your damn jobs. Round up as many additional Guardians as you can. If they’re in pairs, break them up. Do whatever you have to, just get them.”
After a chorus of “yes, sir,” the noise level rose as the Fallen started to take their leave.
Oh man, this is perfect.
If Boss Man was left alone down here—possibly a little tipsy too—maybe we could catch him unawares and get some answers out of him. Who was this Akaron guy? And what was his plan, beyond rounding up Guardians?
I couldn’t see the Fallen leaving, but I could hear their voices receding. They didn’t pass by us into the kitchen, so there was obviously more than one way in and out of this room.
After the last one’s voice faded, I tapped Alex on the shoulder and gestured around the side of the bar. He nodded. Agonizingly slowly, I peered around the corner until Boss Man came into view. He was sitting at the table, leaning back in his chair with his legs spread wide, pouring the last of his whiskey down his throat.
My muscles tensed.
Just as I was about to leap out from behind the bar, a new voice called out. “Whiskey again, Alran?”
Boss Man laughed hoarsely. “It cures what ails me.”
I froze. Alex shot me a quizzical look, but my brain had seized up and my body had followed.
“I’m sure it does.” There was a chuckle, and footsteps rang out as the newcomer crossed the room. “Akaron would like an update.”
No. No! No way.
My lungs felt like a lump of lead in my chest, and my stomach knotted.
I knew that voice.
35
The fact that I hadn’t heard it in twelve years did nothing to diminish the instant recognition. My body went cold, like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice over my head.
I was vaguely aware of Alex gripping my hand tightly, though my numb flesh could hardly feel it.
I didn’t debate whether I should look. I didn’t consider whether it was smarter to stay or flee or fight. There was no conscious thought, only a burning need, that drew my head around the corner of the bar.
My eyes locked on the figure standing over Boss Man at the table, and the smallest gasp fell from my lips.
But it was enough.
> His eyes snapped up, zeroing in on me.
I blinked.
“Dad?”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the man staring back at me. My father.
I’d known I might learn what had happened to him from Boss Man. I’d dreamed I might find my parents here, possibly locked in some secret underground dungeon or something.
But I hadn’t been prepared to see him stroll into Boss Man’s underground lair as if he belonged here. I hadn’t expected him to look so much like I remembered. The dark hair, the thick eyebrows, the strong jaw—he looked exactly the same.
The place where my heart had once beat felt like it was a black hole, trying to consume the rest of my body.
“Dad?” I repeated weakly. I was incapable of saying anything else.
I could see something similar to what I was feeling reflected on his face. He’d frozen in place, and despite the fact that his—friend? captor? underling?—had leapt to his feet with a snarl at the sight of me, my dad hadn’t made a move to act. He simply stared at me, a series of emotions shifting over his face, but each too fast and too subtle for me to interpret.
Finally, he spoke. “Camille? What are you doing here?”
Alex’s tugged on my hand, his voice a harsh whisper. “Cam? What’s going on?”
My mouth opened and closed like a fish. Words danced on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t force any of them past my lips.
I didn’t even know how to start asking or answering all the questions that crammed the huge room, filling the large space with echoing silence. But I was saved from having to say anything when Boss Man’s angry voice rang out.
“You!”
My gaze flicked to him for a second. He definitely recognized me. Which I guess made sense, considering he’d been the one trying to stop me from finding my parents.
“Yeah, me.” It wasn’t great as far as witty repartee went, but it was all I could manage right now.
“You stupid girl. You’ll ruin everything! I should’ve killed you when I—”
My gaze snapped to him, and I spat, “You did kill me, you asshole! Or one of your minions did.”
Dad’s eyes widened slightly at that. “Camille, are you—?”
I whipped my head back toward him. “Am I what? Working with the Fallen to overthrow Guardians and destroy the human race? No, Dad! I’m not. Are you?” I was standing behind the bar now, waving my hands wildly. I could feel myself sliding into a full-blown freak out, but I didn’t know how to stop it. “I don’t understand! Why are you here?”
“It’s very complicated, Cam,” Dad answered, his expression tightly controlled.
A sound halfway between a snort and a sob erupted from me. “Is it? More complicated than trying to piece your life together when you’re eight and both your parents vanish out of nowhere? Trying to wrap your head around where they went? Why they abandoned you? I spent the last twelve years on my own! Why? Because you thought helping the Fallen was more important than raising your freaking daughter?” A sudden thought stopped me short, filling my stomach with ice. “Where’s Mom?”
A dark looked passed over my dad’s face. “She is—”
Boss Man, or Alran, slammed his palm down on the table. “Shut your mouth, you little bitch!” He turned to my father. “Ignore her. Remember our cause.”
With a harsh laugh, Dad shook his head. “I will never forget that, Arlan, I promise you. But she is still my daughter, and I’ll ask you not to speak to her like that.”
“Dad! What is going on?” My head was spinning.
“If you’ll come with me, I’ll explain everything,” he said somberly.
“Screw that! I’m not going anywhere with you!”
A sudden terrifying thought occurred to me. Was this actually my father? Or had his body been taken over by a wraith like Boss Man’s? Which would be worse?
I licked my lips, my voice quaking when I spoke again. “What… what did Mom always used to tell me at night?”
My dad’s eyes softened, the unfamiliar harshness in his expression fading for a moment. “She told you she’d miss you ’til morning.”
A tear slipped from my eye and tracked slowly down my cheek. I could almost hear my mother’s voice as he spoke. Every night, she’d kissed me on the forehead and said those exact words.
This man was my father. Inside and out.
As I continued to stare wide-eyed at him, he walked slowly toward me. I hadn’t seen him in twelve years, and this should’ve been a joyful reunion. But instead, every fiber of my being urged me to run. I glanced down at Alex, who was still crouched behind the bar, watching me intently. I darted my gaze toward the kitchen, and he nodded.
Boss Man followed Dad and dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I kept her away from you for your own good. You left your old life behind for a reason.”
My dad whirled on him, smacking his hand away and snarling. “That was my decision. You shouldn’t have interfered!”
While they were momentarily distracted, I shouted, “Go! Now!”
Alex leapt to his feet, and we sprinted toward the door we’d come in through. Boss Man was no slouch though—we’d just barely made it around the corner into the abandoned kitchen when his whiskey glass shattered against the doorframe.
I skidded on the slick kitchen floor, flying toward the back exit. Alex and I barreled up the stairs, and when we reached the third floor landing I hauled open the door—
And almost ran smack into Pearl, who was racing toward us.
“The Fallen!” she shouted. “They were heading out and saw the bodies in the hall! Go back!”
36
Even as Pearl spoke, I saw a dozen Fallen rounding the corner after her. Probably the same ones who’d just been talking to Boss Man downstairs.
Shit. We were about to get boxed in.
“Come on! Hurry!” I waved Pearl through the door. “Up!” I called, and we all sprinted up the stairs.
“Where are we going?” Alex panted beside me.
“Roof! Maybe there’s a fire escape we can climb down.”
“Better be, or we’re screwed.”
Two floors up, I slammed into the exit door, pushing it open and letting Alex and Pearl slip through ahead of me. The roof was flat, except for the slightly domed skylight above the club’s main dance floor. I cast around for a set of escape stairs.
Dammit, where are they?
Then the door exploded behind us, forced open by a blast of energy. Seconds later, the Fallen poured out, followed by my dad and Boss Man. All of the Fallen looked different, and all were the stuff of nightmares. The one closest to me was humanoid and covered in angry red boils, as if his whole body had been dumped into a vat of scalding oil. He swung an arm toward me and an arcing blast of aether cut across my chest like a blade.
I stumbled back, pain tearing through my body. I ducked his next blast—damn, he was quick—and rolled away.
Pearl raised her hands to shoot a blast of energy at the man she didn’t realize was my father.
I screamed. Without thinking, I threw up a shield in front of my dad. He looked at me in surprise, the first time I’d seen an expression on his face that was anything like the man I remembered.
The red-faced demon lunged toward me, but I threw another blast. It caught him square in the chest and he flew backward, skidding off the edge of the roof. I didn’t have time to celebrate that victory because another a supernatural with sallow white skin and pale, stringy hair was gunning for me. Instead of hurling aether, he opened his mouth unnaturally wide, revealing a gaping, toothless hole.
Then he screamed.
The sound was like nails on a chalkboard amplified by surround-sound speakers. It seemed to cut into my brain, making flashes of white dance before my eyes.
With a loud crash, the glass dome behind me shattered. Shouts and screams echoed up from the club below. Shit.
With an answering scream that could barely be heard over the banshee’s wail, I hurled a blas
t at the creature, sending it flying across the roof.
As the banshee’s scream faded on the air, I swept my gaze around. Alex and Boss Man were locked in a fistfight, and although Alex appeared to be winning, all it would take was one hit from a nearby Fallen to change that. Pearl had just thrown a demon with scaly flesh over the side of the building, but another popped through the doorway.
And my father… He was just standing there, next to the open door, watching this all play out. I shoved down a wave of sadness. Was he really working for the Fallen? He must be, or they’d be attacking him. Had I done the right thing protecting him from Pearl’s attack?
No time to dwell on that now.
Boss Man swung a wild hook toward Alex’s face. Alex turned his head, but the blow still caught him on the cheek. Even though Boss Man was constrained by the human form he was in, that human form was built like a tank and obviously in pretty good shape. If I let this go on too long, Alex could get seriously hurt. Gathering my focus, I shot a narrow blast toward them, trying to hit just Boss Man—and then trying not to look shocked when it worked. Boss Man staggered to the side.
In what was becoming my favorite move, I launched myself toward Boss Man, catching him around the waist and bringing him down. He was so freaking huge I could barely get my knees around him to straddle him, but I did the best I could, keeping as much of my weight on him as possible while scrabbling to pull the knife from its hiding place at my hip.
“Alex!” I screamed, but he was way ahead of me, crouching down to grasp Boss Man’s shoulders as I pressed the knife to his neck. Around us, I was vaguely aware of the fight stopping—the demons were all watching, but didn’t seem to dare make a move on us while I held their master at knifepoint.
Boss Man made a strange sound. He was laughing, I realized.
“Is this supposed to scare me?” he boomed, his lip curling. As if to drive his point home, he jerked his neck forward, nicking it with the knife and drawing a thin line of blood. “If you kill this body, I’ll just find another one. Inconvenient, yes. But hardly a threat.”
