by Anne Hope
She could tell this was an important milestone for them, a monumental step forward in their relationship. By agreeing to join the Watchers, Adrian was putting his faith in Marcus, and the man appeared both shocked and moved by the unexpected gesture of trust.
“You do realize what’s involved here?” Marcus finally recovered his voice.
“I have a pretty good idea.” Adrian slumped in his chair, the doubt he felt scrawled all over his face. “A promise of obedience, some kind of ancient blood ritual, but I draw the line at the vow of celibacy. That one’s a deal-breaker.”
Marcus cracked a smile. “Cal’s had to reconsider that one recently. I think it’s safe to say it’s off the table.”
“Good.” Adrian gave Emma a heated smile, and a violent flush crept up her neck to scorch her cheeks.
The waitress returned, and this time they hastened to give her their orders, waiting until she padded away before resuming their conversation.
“So when do you want to do this?” Marcus asked.
“Tomorrow. There’s something we need to take care of first.” Adrian’s cryptic statement puzzled her. What could possibly be more important than saving the world? “Do you think there’s any way your boss would agree to let us use the catacombs?”
Marcus gave Adrian a curious stare, but he didn’t probe his son for information. Emma, on the other hand, was dying to do just that.
“I’ll see what I can do,” the Watcher said.
Silence enveloped them again. Marcus twirled a fork between his thumb and forefinger, casting ghostlike shadows on the table. Their meals eventually came, and the unnerving quiescence persisted. Emma barely touched her food. Grief and anxiety had conspired to rob her of her appetite.
When the table was finally cleared, Marcus looked up at Adrian, his eyes glittering with affection and a spark of pride. “I’m glad you decided to join us. It’ll be great having you at the complex. Regan’s going to be thrilled. She didn’t think much of you at first, but you kind of grew on her.”
The hint of a dimple hollowed Adrian’s cheek, and his mouth twitched at one corner. “Nice to hear it. I’m really curious to meet this brother of mine.”
“You already have.” Marcus shot Adrian a meaningful look. “It’s Ben. He was reborn, same as Angie.”
Adrian’s features lost their sharp edges. “I’ll be damned.” This time his grin was wide and heartfelt. “I really liked that kid.”
“He really liked you, too.” Marcus cleared his throat, and Adrian shifted his weight in his chair. Apparently, this was too much emotion for them to handle all at once. “Cal’s going to make me eat crow,” he groaned.
“Why’s that?” Adrian recovered from his discomfort. His expression held nothing but raw interest now.
“Ever since he learned your soul survived Kyros’s attack, he’s been convinced you’d join us someday. That’s why he afforded you and your community all those privileges. I can’t tell you how many times I warned him that he was deluding himself, but he’d just give me that calm, all-knowing look of his and smile.” Marcus shook his head in awe. “He knew. He knew all along that you were meant to be one of us.”
Marcus gripped the back of his neck, and the gesture reminded her of Adrian when he was anxious. “Guess it makes sense given what he is,” he whispered, more to himself than to anyone in particular.
“The Watchers’ leader?” Adrian supplied.
“No.” Marcus leaned back in his chair, his hands braced on his knees. “That’s right, you don’t know.”
Both Adrian and Emma waited for the Watcher to elaborate, and he didn’t disappoint. “Cal’s no Hybrid,” he told them. “He’s an angel.” His incisive stare stabbed into Adrian. “Your great granddad, to be exact, on your mother’s side.”
Out of everything Emma had witnessed recently, the catacombs had to be the most mind-blowing. After making a phone call, Marcus had led them through a copse of trees to a cluster of rocks. A series of unsightly cracks had marred the stone, like wrinkles on a weathered face.
To her amazement, Marcus had slid between the rocks and disappeared through an opening she hadn’t even realized was there. She and Adrian had followed him through the stone façade into absolute darkness.
“You have until tomorrow morning.” Marcus’s voice had echoed through the cavernous space. “Jace opened two doors at my request, but they won’t hold for long.”
“Why not?” Nothing about this subterranean world made sense to her.
“The entrances are constantly shifting to keep the Kleptopsychs from gaining access to the catacombs,” the Watcher had explained. “This opening will be gone by sunrise.”
Then he’d left them alone in the belly of hell. Thick, black fog congealed around them, and the tunnels reeked of abandonment and neglect.
Emma clutched the boot with her mother’s ashes to her chest—Adrian had insisted she bring it along—and penetrated deeper into this creepy maze. “You really grew up here?” Disbelief resonated in her voice and bounced off the stone walls.
“It’s not so bad when you venture farther inside.” Adrian led the way, his wide back blocking her view. Just as well. The idea of what might lurk within these walls made her flesh crawl. “There used to be a whole city down here.”
Their soles scraped the grimy floor as they advanced, making strange hissing sounds. “My grandfather’s quarters were fit for a king,” he told her. “Flames used to flicker from sconces, lighting the narrow passageways.”
His tone took on a somber quality. “Then there was the execution chamber. Dozens of copper tanks lined the walls.” He gestured with his arm, as though he could actually see the instruments of death standing erect on either side of them. “Whenever someone disappointed my grandfather, he’d have him imprisoned in one of those tanks, where the offender would slowly drown.” He kept plowing forward into the damp, vaporous mist, and Emma fought not to lose him. She could see surprisingly well in the dark, but the tenebrous shadows still unnerved her.
“Did he ever try to execute you?” Her heart cringed at the possibility.
“No. I escaped before he realized I still had a conscience.” He took a sharp turn to the right, and she pivoted on her heels and darted after him. “My uncle told everyone he killed my soul. Kyros didn’t want the others to know he’d failed. He was proud that way. He thought if he could track down my soul and extinguish it, he could correct his mistake before anyone realized he’d screwed up.”
Angie’s memories were now as real as her own, and the puzzle came together for her. “That’s why he attacked me in Manhattan.”
“Yes.” He flicked a glance back at her. “Thankfully, he failed again.”
He stopped abruptly, and Emma nearly crashed into him. “What’s wrong?”
Adrian stood frozen in place, his shoulders stiff, his head turned sideways. If Emma didn’t know better, she’d think he was feeling the atmosphere.
When his posture finally relaxed, she clutched his arm. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah.” He flashed her a reassuring smile. “For a second I thought I caught a whiff of dark energy in the air, but it’s gone now. Guess after everything we’ve been through, I’m a bit on edge.”
She couldn’t blame him. Each time they turned a corner, she expected to find an army of soulless creatures waiting for them, led by none other than the grotesque Diane.
They passed through a tall arch, and the tunnels morphed into something right out of a movie. Emma momentarily forgot about her anxiety as the shadows parted and she caught a glimpse of the world Adrian had described. Intricate columns stretched toward a vaulted ceiling, mosaics adorned the pebbled walls and numerous tall, cast-iron doors with strange engravings flanked the circular chamber.
“What is this place?” Her tone tinkled with awe.
“The heart of the catacombs.” He slid his arm around her waist and guided her to one of the doors. “The place where all points meet.”
Her p
ulse sped up, her palms dampening. “Are you saying, depending on which door we choose, we could go anywhere in the world?”
“Yes.” He gripped the thick metal handle of the door that loomed before them.
“Where does this one lead?” she asked, hugging her mother’s ashes tight. When he failed to answer, she grew antsy. “Where are you taking me, Adrian?”
Nostalgia flickered across his features, slowly giving way to anticipation. He swung the door open, and Emma squinted as sunlight spilled over them. “Home,” he said, right before he propelled them into the blinding day.
Diane retreated to her secluded corner of the catacombs, her hands shaking violently.
She’d come so close to discovery. Too close.
Kora had warned her not to venture beyond the hidden network of tunnels she’d given her access to, but Diane had decided to press her luck, and she’d nearly revealed her presence to the Rogue and his freak of a girlfriend.
What were they doing in the catacombs? As far as she knew, only the Watchers had access to them. Unless…
The truth dawned on her, cutting her off at the knees. Adrian and the girl must’ve agreed to join Cal’s group of traitors, which meant the Watchers had another piece of the weapon they were building against their own kind.
The threat had increased tenfold. From now on, she swore she’d keep to the shadows, where no one could find her. Going after one of the Sacred Four herself had been a grave mistake. By failing to realize the kind of power these souls wielded, she had nearly brought on her own destruction, a mistake she didn’t care to repeat.
No life-force—no matter how appealing—was worth the risk of annihilation. She had too many goals to accomplish, too many dreams to fulfill. Her reign had only just begun. With Kora dead, the world was hers for the taking, the Kleptopsychs hers alone to rule. All she had to do was stay alive.
Relief swept through her when she dove into her lab and slammed the door shut behind her. She pressed her back to the cool metal and forced herself to breathe. With each lungful of air, her disquietude eased. She was safe. No one knew she was here. In this small corner of the catacombs, she was queen. Queen of the Shadows. It was here, in this secluded lab, that she would shape the future.
When her heartbeat steadied, she approached the tanks and inspected her specimens—three embryos on the left, another four on the right, and in the center, the longest-surviving fetus.
Something was different about it today. The fetus didn’t simply float, it emanated energy. A soft, white glow pulsed around its misshapen body. She leaned forward to take a closer look, her breath as still as a cloud. As though sensing her gaze, the specimen turned and looked straight at her. The act startled her so much, Diane scuttled back. The fetus continued to stare at her for a few seconds, blinking. Then it grew bored and began to suck on its thumb.
Amazed, Diane released a jubilant laugh. There was no mistaking what she saw. The halo of light the fetus emitted was a soul.
A beautiful, human soul.
She’d done it. She’d artificially created life in her lab, which meant humans—once a necessary annoyance—were now dispensable. She twirled around the room, laughing, dancing, the souls she’d ingested earlier fueling her euphoria.
The era of the Kleptopsychs had finally arrived, and this time, Diane would be the one to lead them into the New World. A world where humans no longer roamed free and her name was a thing of legend.
Chapter Forty-Four
Traffic roared as they stepped out onto a bustling sidewalk from what looked to be a subway entrance. The familiar scent of honey-roasted nuts laced with car exhaust teased Emma’s nostrils. Skyscrapers brushed concrete fingers across a steel-colored sky, and a sea of yellow cabs flooded the surrounding streets.
Déjà vu crashed over her. “Manhattan? You brought me to Manhattan?”
A sly grin was his only response.
When she’d told him she’d always wanted to come back to her birthplace, she hadn’t realized he’d take it upon himself to see her wish fulfilled. Bittersweet happiness unfurled within her. A myriad of memories clung to this city, both beautiful and heartrending.
She took in all the commotion—the buzz of conversation, the roar of motors, the constant honking of horns—and smiled. Once, long ago, this had been home. She’d walked these sidewalks every day, had ridden the subway like a true New Yorker, had breathed in the polluted air and felt the comfort that came with belonging.
For a short while, her life had been blessedly normal.
And then she’d met Adrian.
She felt his penetrating gaze and realized he was watching her for a reaction. Turning into him, she trapped his hand in hers. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Know exactly what I need, even when I don’t?”
That dimple bit into his cheek again, and her heart thundered. “It’s a gift.”
The streets were alive, the sidewalks teeming with bodies. Everyone hustled forward, as though trying to outrun time itself. Her mother had often complained about the city’s wild pace, but deep down she’d loved it here. “Now I know why you insisted I bring this along.” She indicated the boot she still clutched.
“I thought this would be the ideal place to scatter your mother’s ashes.”
She inhaled sharply, savoring the familiar taste of home. “You thought right.” Gazing up at the thin, metallic strip of sky, she reflected on the time when her mother had been the pampered wife of an up-and-coming young lawyer. “She loved him, you know.”
“Who?”
“Angie’s father. They were as different as two people could be. He was the dreamer, an idealist who was determined to save the planet. She was the pragmatic one. All she wanted was to live a quiet life as a wife and mother, but fate had other plans.” Warmth bloomed inside her. “In the end, she was the one who helped save the world.”
Adrian cradled her face with his free hand. “Her struggle is over now. Her spirit can finally be at peace.”
That was a definite consolation, knowing her mother’s soul lived on and would someday be reborn. She could start over, be the wife and mother she always longed to be. A painful lump formed in Emma’s throat, and she swallowed hard to dislodge it. This life and everyone in it would be wiped from her memory.
“How did you stand it?” She finally understood the hell he must’ve gone through. “Being around me when I didn’t remember you. Knowing who I was, when you were a virtual stranger to me.” A pedestrian jostled them as she arrowed by, and Emma’s fingers clenched around the boot.
“I won’t lie to you,” he said. “It wasn’t easy. But being with you—with or without your memories—was a million times better than living without you.”
She didn’t think it was possible, but the lump in her throat grew even bigger. “I love you.” She smiled up at him. “With or without my memories.”
“And I love you.” He planted a chaste kiss at the top of her head. “With or without your memories.”
She knew then that whatever the future had in store for them, they could handle it, as long as they stood together. Together, they were greater than the sum of their parts, stronger somehow.
“So have you decided?”
She scrunched her brows in confusion, questioning him with her eyes.
“Where you want to scatter your mom’s ashes,” he clarified.
Emma bit her lower lip and thought for a second. Sunlight slashed through the clouds, just as the answer dawned on her. “Central Park.”
He secured a stray curl behind her ear. “Central Park it is.”
They stood on the bank of Turtle Pond, beneath a shivering canopy of interlaced trees. Fall painted a breathtaking picture, with red-, gold- and orange-hued leaves hanging precariously from outstretched branches. The last time Adrian had been here with Angie, it had been spring. Newborn buds had rained down all around them, to be carried away by a swift breeze.
Now it was autumn, and the tre
es would soon be bare, signaling the end of another summer. But in the meantime, an explosion of color surrounded them, nature’s final attempt at beauty before the frost came.
Emma kneaded the rim of the boot with reluctant fingers. “I didn’t realize how hard it would be to say goodbye.”
He did. He understood all too well. There was no word more painful than goodbye. It had a way of sticking to the back of your throat until it turned rancid.
He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. Straightening her back, she dipped into the boot and pulled out a handful of ashes, which she then tossed to the wind. “I was blessed to have you as my mother, not once, but twice.”
Grief strained her voice, but she fought to hold herself together. “As Angie you loved me unconditionally. As Emma, you kept me safe and helped me find my destiny. You protected me when I was weak. You encouraged me when I was down.” Her voice fractured. “You fought the monsters when all I could do was hide under my bed.”
Adrian drew her back against his chest, hoping to give her the strength and support she needed. He felt the shudder that coursed through her, the tension hardening her limbs.
“You gave up everything for me,” she whispered, “and you never once asked for anything in return. There are no words that can describe how grateful I am or how much I’ll miss you.”
With a final jerk of her hand, she released the last of the ashes into the atmosphere. “May you finally find peace.”
Tears fell from her eyes to dampen the arm he had clasped around her. Together, they watched as the fall breeze carried away Tina Paxton’s remains. He wasn’t sure if he imagined it—perhaps it was a trick of the light—but he could’ve sworn they glowed white as they swirled in the wind.
“Did you see that?” Emma broke free of his grasp and went to stand at the very edge of the pond.
