The Lord of Darkness

by Kim Richardson

  “What is she talking about?” Sabrielle’s voice hitched in her throat. She held on to the table for support. “My lord?”

  “Tell her,” drawled Willow. “Tell her why. Tell her what will happen if you spill my blood while I’m holding this?” She gave a wave of the staff.

  Lucifer’s face was thunderous. “I’ll give you anything you want. Power? A new body? It’s already done. You want to be an angel again? I can make that happen. I can give you anything you want. Anything.”

  Willow huffed out a breath of laughter. “I made a mistake, see. I wanted out, but I didn’t know how I was going to do that. But when I saw Alexa, I knew she was up to something—because she always is. I saw how she was protecting that staff of hers. And when she dropped the oracle’s note, I knew what I had to do. What I was meant to do. So, I followed her and hid in your castle.” Willow looked at Alexa and rolled her eyes. “Of course, Alexa, being as conceited as she is, wanted to be the star of the show again.” Willow shook her head. “Having the soul channeling power apparently wasn’t enough. She’s insufferable, you know. I’d kick her if she wasn’t already down. She thought she was the one—the chosen one—but it’s me. It’s always been me.”

  “If you do this,” hissed Lucifer, his eyes widening in the realization of what was happening, “you will die. You will never be reborn!”

  Willow sighed, nearing Lucifer. “Maybe. Maybe not. But it’ll be a hell of a lot better than living like this.”

  With a sweep, the girl demon brought the staff over her head. Her black blood gleamed as she rubbed the top of the staff in it.

  “NO!” cried Lucifer as he ran towards the door.

  And then with a powerful swing, Willow slammed the staff on the ground.

  The room suddenly resounded with a peal of thundering noise. Alexa’s ears popped. Shards of stone fell from the ceiling and the walls. Where the staff touched the ground was a black hole.

  As Alexa watched, she felt the staff’s power rip through every fiber of her being. The hole grew. It grew until it became a black ring, pulling Lucifer and Willow towards it.

  Lucifer struggled and shrieked, but the ring bound him. Alexa’s hair lifted around her as she watched in wide-eyed terror as Lucifer thrashed on the spot, waving away things she couldn’t see. Capering madly, he threw himself from side to side, seeking to cast off the black band that held him but only causing it to grow bigger, wider, until it was large enough to fit two people. It was a distinct hemisphere, as black as coal. Alexa saw a strange smile appear on Willow’s face, just as the black ring rose up like a wall.

  With a thump and a hiss, the mound of darkness that had been the vacuum rift was gone. The Staff of Heaven glinted as it rolled to a stop on the stone floor.

  Alexa felt her death was near. Her last thoughts were of Milo’s soft, luscious lips on her and his strong body holding her warm and close.

  There was a faint crash and rustle, and then the darkness swept in to tear her apart.

  CHAPTER 27

  SUMMER SEEMED TO HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED. The evening was warm and full of spices. Alexa sat outside on the terrace of Amore Ristorante, staring at couples and families as they ate and drank happily, a warm breeze brushing against her cheeks.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” said Alexa as she folded her napkin on her lap with trembling hands.

  “You don’t like it?” Milo’s voice was calm, but a muscle jumped along his jaw. He sat across from her, looking like a fairy tale prince with his high cheekbones and golden skin. He looked different without his spirit sabers across his back—softer somehow and less intimidating, surprisingly more like a mortal. Still, before they had made the jump, Alexa had spied two soul blades hidden under his jacket.

  Alexa looked at her glass of ice water, wishing her fingers would stop shaking so she could have a sip. “Of course I like it. I’m just… it’s just… very modern of you. It’s really nice. Thank you.” Her eyes met his. “I can’t believe we’re out on a real date. It’s insane.”

  Milo’s lips curled into a smile. “With all the changes that are happening with the Legion, this is the first of many.” He began to cut into his filet mignon. “Although we still don’t need to eat, it’s refreshing that we can at least… pretend.”

  Alexa stared at her plate of mixed green avocado salad. Two weeks ago, she was lying on the cold stone floor of Lucifer’s castle, dying. Even now, she couldn’t shake off the shock that she had made it out of Lucifer’s castle alive. But most of all was the shock of Willow’s sacrifice.

  “You think Willow’s still alive? In purgatory somewhere?” Alexa chewed on a slice of tomato. “I mean, she’s not my favorite person in the world, but after everything she did, it would be cruel if she didn’t make it.”

  “I don’t know, but if she is, I hope she’s giving my father a hard time.”

  Alexa smiled. During her recovery in the Healing-Xpress, she’d learned from Lance who’d visited every day, that with Lucifer back in purgatory, the angel integration with the mortals failed. Whatever hold he hand in the mortal world went with him. The angels could no longer remain in their human hosts and were cast out, to return to Horizon where an army waited to escort them to the newly repaired Tartarus. Nathaniel had cried like a baby all the way. Her only regret was that she hadn’t been there to see it.

  Alexa’s smile grew. “I heard Sabrielle was released into Metatron’s care. What do you think he’ll do to her?”

  Milo leaned forward in his seat, his muscles barely contained within his tight shirt. “Well, for starters, he stripped her of her archangel powers.”

  “You can do that?”

  “He can. And he did.”

  “What does that make her now?”

  Milo gave her a sideways smile. “An angel, just like us.”

  Alexa sat stunned for a moment, imagining Sabrielle’s face when she got the news that she’d be reduced to a mere, unremarkable angel.

  “This is the happiest day of my life,” she said with a smile.

  When Alexa reached out and grabbed her ice water, she saw a good-looking young guy two tables over and wearing a black leather jacket lift his beer to Milo in way of greeting. The young woman sitting with him turned in her seat and waved, a large smile on her pretty face and her citrus scent rolling off her like a sweet perfume.

  Milo gave them a smile and returned to his dinner, as if he were a regular at the restaurant.

  Alexa put her elbows on the table and lowered her voice. “Who are those angels? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.” The male angel caught her staring and flashed her a grin. Alexa quickly looked back at her plate.

  “David and Kara,” said Milo as he put down his fork. “Great guardians, these two. They have the most successful rate of closed rifts and solved demonic cases between them than the rest of the Counter Demon Division combined. David’s always been a little colorful in his demon hunting methods… but he’s a great guardian. I should introduce you sometime,” said Milo. “She’s a lot like you.”

  “Hmm.” Alexa moved her food on her plate, her eyes flicking back to David and Kara, who were now absorbed in their own conversation.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” said Milo. “Give it time. You’ll break some records too.”

  “Now that I’ve been pardoned and reinstated in the Counter Demon Division,” said Alexa. She thought to lower her voice at the strange look she got from the mortal woman sitting at the next table to her right.

  “How’s your mom? You didn’t tell me about your visit.”

  “She’s good.” Alexa took a sip of water, careful not to spill any. “Well, she thinks I’m her long lost cousin, thrice removed. I told her I was researching my ancestry and found out that we both lived in the same city. Anyway, she bought it. I asked her if I could come and see her sometimes, and she said yes. It’s a really nice change, the Legion allowing us to visit our families.”

  Milo’s stare cut into hers, and he smiled. “A
nd allowing us to have real relationships.”

  Alexa’s face flushed. “That too.” She felt as though she was about to burst. She could feel Milo’s nervous wiggle across from her.

  They could be together. Finally, together.

  Shivers raced along her skin. Milo was here with her, and she wasn’t delusional. They’d come through death and fire and shadow and found each other again.

  “Well,” said Milo, his voice soft. “We better get used to it because it’s happening. And we’re never ever going to be apart. You’re mine, fledgling.”

  Alexa reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. She would never let him go again.

  Once she was the hunter, but now she is the hunted…

  Demons and half-breeds rule the darkness in a mortal world rampant with dangers beyond imagining. It’s where they hide, prowl, party… and feed. It’s Rowyn Sinclair’s job to track and hunt them.

  Rowyn is a Hunter and angel born; a mortal with angelic essence flowing in her veins, and she’s going after demons with a vengeance.

  When the Council offers her a job to hunt a human killing demon, Rowyn must work with Jax, the sexy and dangerous warrior, who has a vendetta of his own.

  But Rowyn is hiding a dark secret… something that’s always been there… a secret that could change everything…

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  KIM RICHARDSON is the award-winning author of the bestselling SOUL GUARDIANS series. She lives in the eastern part of Canada with her husband, two dogs and a very old cat. She is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series, the MYSTICS series, and the DIVIDED REALMS series. Kim's books are available in print editions, and translations are available in over seven languages.

  To learn more about the author, please visit:

  Website

  www.kimrichardsonbooks.com