The Devil's Soldier: A Paranormal Vampire Romance Novel (Devil Series Book 3)

by Raven Steele

  Rick reached up to a flat screen television and pressed a button. The reporter talking on the screen came to life.

  “…just announced that the person behind the Harvard-Johnson bombing has been captured. We now go live to the White House where President Russell will address the nation.”

  The screen switched over to President Russell standing behind a black podium. He looked young for being a President, but the way he stood straight and the way his hands gripped the sides of the podium, expressed a confidence not often found in the young.

  He wore a navy blue tailored suit with a red tie and his blond hair was slicked back meticulously. He appeared to be a normal human, but then he blinked and in that fraction of a second Lucien caught a glimpse of something old and powerful.

  Lucien and Henry glanced at each other. So Henry had seen it, too. There was something very different about this man.

  “Ladies and gentleman,” the President began. “Three days ago, an explosion rocked the Harvard-Johnson center killing twenty-seven civilians, thirty-one congressmen, and our beloved President. It was one of the worst attacks on US soil since 9-11, and intelligence has confirmed it won’t be the last.”

  Reporters shouted out questions, but the President motioned with his hands for them to quiet down.

  “Before any questions are asked, I want the American people to know that the group responsible will soon be brought to justice. The punishment will be swift and fierce. It’s time for the whole world to be reminded of America’s great power.” He stared into the camera for one intense second.

  A cold chill worked its way up Lucien’s spine. This President was not a man of idle threats.

  “Everything is about to change,” Charlie whispered.

  “Several years ago,” the President began, “our intelligence became aware of a new group of people, many very different from the rest of us. Not only do they have unique abilities, but their intentions toward the human race are sinister at best.”

  The room exploded again in questions with every reporter’s hand raised and waving. The President quieted them down.

  “We need to find out everything we can about this man,” Henry said. His hands were curled into fists. Lucien was too stunned to respond.

  “A security report will be released following this press conference. It will give you and the American people more specifics about this special group. Please read it first, and then you can direct any questions to a new department we have set up within the CIA.”

  The President swallowed a drink from a water bottle on top of the podium. “Before I answer any more questions, I want to alleviate any fears the American people might have by the revelations in this report. Your government is ready and prepared. We have created our own special group who are highly equipped to track down this new threat, and rest assured, they will be successful.”

  A man in a black suit walked up behind the President and whispered something in his ear.

  The President flexed his jaw, and his knuckles turned white from gripping the podium tighter.

  “I am out of time,” he said. “I’ll open the room for just a few questions.”

  Hands shot into the air.

  The President pointed to a woman in the front. “Yes?”

  “You said there are people with unique abilities. Could you be more specific?”

  “All questions related to this group of people will be addressed in the report, which you will have shortly. Next question.”

  Off to his left, a man spoke louder than the rest. “You seem confident that you are going to catch those responsible. Can you tell us how you found them so quickly?”

  “One of them was killed in the explosion. A woman.”

  Lucien glanced back at Charlie, his stomach sinking.

  “Do you have a name?” the reporter asked.

  “At this time, we only know her first name. Alana.”

  Chapter 30

  The color drained from Eve’s face. Is he crazy?

  “I will not spend the night with you!” she said and leaned away from him.

  Boaz chuckled. “As much as I would like that, I have never had to force a woman to be with me, and I’m not about to start now, especially with you.”

  “Then what?”

  “I’m going to do this.” He lifted his right arm and draped it around her shoulders. “And then I’m going to do this.” He pulled her up against his chest. “And now we are just going to sit and talk.”

  Every part of Eve tensed, and the bile in her stomach swirled a direction it wasn’t meant to. She moved to sit up, but he gripped her shoulder tightly.

  “If you want to keep your friends safe, this is what I require. I hardly see how this is a problem.”

  “But why?” she asked. “Why not just put that stupid necklace on me and be done with it?”

  “Because then you become Alarica. As much fun as she is, she’s not you.”

  Her mind spun a confusing web, giving her an instant headache. Something was wrong. Boaz had never felt any real emotions for her. It had all been an illusion so he could steal her powers.

  “You don’t believe me,” he said. “Despite what you may think, I am capable of feelings. The whole world is about to change, and, call me sentimental, but I’d like to hang on to the one thing that brought me true joy for just a day longer.”

  Eve exhaled the breath she had been holding. What was he saying?

  “Don’t get me wrong,” he said quickly. “I welcome the change and will not deter the course. You will be Alarica soon and will restore my power, but not quite yet.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “None of your feelings for me were real.”

  “There were times when they were real. I really do like you, but it’s just that … well, I like me more and always will.”

  There was the Boaz she knew. “Will you release me from Alarica after I’ve restored your powers?”

  He laughed and pulled her back into him. “And have to battle you as Eve? I don’t think so. Besides, you will be a powerful ally for what is to come. I’m going to need your abilities.”

  Her blood turned cold. “What’s coming?”

  He lifted his wrist to check the time on his watch. “In just a short time, the new President will be speaking to the American people about these great changes. You can see for yourself.”

  Boaz wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. Eve stiffened. Boaz was right. This was torture and probably the only thing he could do to her to cause her the most suffering. But if he took it any further, she would use magic against him.

  “You smell so good,” he said. He continued to touch her, smell her, and brush his cheek over her exposed neck.

  Eve put up with this for several minutes until she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Isn’t it time yet?”

  He slid his lips over her neck. “Perhaps.” He reached behind him and picked up a remote from off an end table.

  He brought the TV to life. The Press Secretary was speaking to a room full of reporters, telling them that the President would be speaking soon.

  Eve leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Something bad was about to happen. She felt it in her bones, and the way Boaz was smiling big only confirmed her suspicions.

  President Russell came into the room and began to speak. He was a tall man and well built. He looked younger than most politicians, with smooth skin and blond hair, but his presence was commanding, almost overwhelming. He held eerily still, not plagued by the need to express himself with his hands.

  “What is he?” she whispered.

  Boaz snorted but didn’t answer.

  The President was in the middle of speaking about a report he would be releasing soon giving details about humans with special abilities. If she didn’t know any better, she’d guess he was about to announce to the world the existence of supernaturals.

  She turned to Boaz. “Tell me he isn’t—”

  “He is.”

  “Do
you know how dangerous that’s going to be for not only humans, but supernaturals, too? A war is going to start over this.”

  Boaz leaned back into the seat. “Uh-huh.”

  Eve stared at him incredulously, but when a reporter asked the President about capturing those responsible, she turned her attention back to the television.

  “One of them was killed in the explosion,” he said, “A woman.”

  Eve stood up and moved closer to the TV’s screen.

  “Do you have a name?” the reporter asked.

  “At this time, we only know her first name. Alana.”

  Someone else tried to ask a question, but the President cut him off. “I’m sorry, that’s all the time I have.” He left the stage, only to be replaced by the Press Secretary.

  Boaz turned the volume down on the television.

  Eve whirled around. “She’s dead?”

  Boaz fisted his hands together, and exploded them outward, making the sound with his mouth as he did so. “Annihilated.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “Believe what you want, but I know that Alana was inside that building when the bomb exploded.” He frowned. “Crime never pays.”

  Using magic, Eve mentally squeezed Boaz’s throat tight. “Alana had nothing to do with that bomb, and you know it.”

  Boaz waved his arm once in front of him, breaking her invisible grip. “That’s not what the world is going to think once that report is out.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Boaz stood and walked in front of her. Her breathing quickened at their close proximity.

  “Let’s just say that the Deific’s name is mentioned,” he said. “Finally the holy shroud will be lifted from that place, and the world will see it for what it is — an organization that harbors dangerous supernaturals.”

  Eve raised her arm to slap him, but he caught it just as quickly. She stared into his eyes, fire burning inside her. He had to be stopped. Everything the Deific had built over the last two hundred years, all the good they had done, was about to be destroyed.

  “You want to go to them, don’t you?” Boaz said. His tight grip on her hand remained. “Help them, possibly even save them from what is to come.”

  “No,” she said.

  A flicker of emotion crossed his face. Was that hope?

  “I want you to change me into Alarica right now. No more waiting. Just do it.” As much as she wanted to go back and help the Deific, she knew that whatever she did would be temporary. There was only one way to stop Boaz and his followers. She had to make Boaz killable.

  “I know what you’re doing. You think that once I get my powers back, I can be killed.” He paused and smiled. “I’d like to see someone try, especially that Lucien.”

  “Don’t say his name.”

  Boaz narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “I’ll give you what you want, forfeit the remaining hours of our time together, on one condition.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to kiss me.”

  Eve reared back, yanking her hand away from his. “I won’t do that.”

  “Fine. Then let’s sit back down and talk. Just think of all that precious time you’ll be losing, but I sure will enjoy it.”

  She searched his eyes, wondering if she should put up a fight. She didn’t want to kiss him, not as herself. She had a pretty good idea that Alarica would do plenty of that on her own. A kiss with the devil. For what? An extra ten hours of time? Some part of her hoped that Lucien and Henry would find and destroy him that quickly. If there was that chance, no matter how small, she’d take it.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Eve said.

  Boaz snatched her hands surprisingly quick and yanked her to him. Her body collapsed against his, and she gasped at the suddenness. His arm snaked around her lower back just above her pelvis and pressed her even closer. His member stiffened and pressed against her stomach. He stared into her eyes with a familiar fierceness that used to drive her mad with passion. Deep down, she couldn’t deny that she still held some of those same feelings, but she recognized that they came from a dark place, one that was easy to give into if she let herself.

  He reached up and grabbed her behind the neck. She expected him to be rough, to force his mouth against hers, but instead he pressed his forehead to hers and breathed softly, his eyes closed. His brows knitted together, and jaw muscles flexed. Had he been an actual boyfriend, someone she cared about, she might’ve asked what was wrong, but Boaz was nothing to her.

  His eyes snapped open, and whatever he was feeling seconds ago, was replaced with a predatory glare. He took Eve then, his lips consuming hers. The kiss was desperate and needy, and she had the distinct impression that he was trying to steal something from her, but she had nothing to give. Even when his tongue forced her mouth open, something she would’ve welcomed a long time ago, it sparked nothing inside her.

  He broke the kiss and shoved her away. “You really have changed.”

  He reached inside his pocket and removed the necklace. Eve stiffened at the sight but didn’t step back. Her breathing quickened. I can do this.

  He inched toward her, a thin smile teasing the corners of his mouth. “There’s something you should know about this necklace. I had your mother modify it again, just a simple spell, not one that will harm you, but one you won’t be able to break. Would you like to know what it is?”

  She was too stunned to say anything. On its own, the necklace was bad enough. What more could he have done to it?

  “Once this latches, you will be under my command, whatever I say.” Boaz’s fingers brushed her neck as he brought the necklace around her throat. Icy coldness spread throughout her whole body.

  “No, Boaz, please—”

  “And when the moment is right, I’m going to order you to kill everyone you love, starting with Lucien.”

  The necklace came together.

  Chapter 31

  Lucien was on the seventh page of the document the White House had released twenty minutes ago. There were sixty-three pages. So far, he had learned that the new department the President had mentioned on TV was called the Department of Supernatural Research and Defense or DSRD. Its purpose was two-fold. The first was to learn and understand everything about the recently discovered group of people who possessed inhuman abilities.

  In addition, the DSRD would create a database of different supernaturals. This made Lucien wonder how the DSRD might uncover who was human and who was a supernatural. Would the government require everyone to be tested? A chill brought goose bumps to his arms.

  The second purpose was to create a defense system to combat any supernaturals who posed a threat. It didn’t go into detail on how they would do this. Most of the words were ambiguous and left open to interpretation, which worried Lucien. It didn’t seem the DSRD had many rules to follow.

  Lucien stretched out his legs beneath the table. Charlie sat across from him, reading his copy of the document on his own laptop. Henry was on his left reading on a digital tablet. The air was suffocating, the heat in the room intolerable.

  He stared at the laptop’s screen in front of him, unable to read anymore. They were wasting time. Eve was gone, if she was even Eve still. He needed to find her and save her from Boaz and possibly Alarica.

  To speed things up, Lucien opened a search window. He thought of which word he should type in first. He typed: VAMPIRE. The document brought up nine mentions. Lucien bit down, grinding his teeth together. The world as they knew it was about to change.

  He searched a few more supernatural creatures curious to know how many the DSRD already knew about. There were many. Finally, he typed in the word, hoping there would be no hits.

  D-E-I-F-I-C. He pressed enter.

  One mention. His chest tightened, and he quickly opened the page of the document with the word Deific. It was only one line, but that small sentence would cause irreparable damage to their organization. Not only that, but it could possibly
slow down their efforts on recovering Eve and stopping Boaz. Maybe that was the point.

  “We have a problem,” Lucien said. “Go to page fifty-three.”

  “How are you already there?” Charlie asked.

  “I searched for the word Deific.”

  Henry looked up from his tablet. “We were mentioned?”

  “Just read it. Tenth line down.”

  After a few seconds, Charlie read aloud, “It has come to our attention that an organization has known of supernaturals for decades — Deific, a company with offices across the globe. At this time, the amount of their involvement with the supernatural world is unknown. Further investigation is warranted.”

  The room was silent for almost a full minute as they continued to read further on the page.

  “It doesn’t say anything else,” Charlie said. “Why were we even mentioned?”

  Henry closed his laptop. “Boaz made sure of it. One tiny breadcrumb for the media. In a matter of hours, this place will become a circus.”

  “What do we do?” Charlie asked.

  A muscle on the side of Henry’s jaw feathered. “Shut down all covert operations, suspend any activity involving supernaturals. From now on, we are an accounting agency and that is all. We will need the other floors cleaned up to appear as normal as possible. No training rooms, no prisons. And Lucien and I need to leave. So does anyone else who can easily be detected as a supernatural. Charlie, you’re in charge now.”

  Charlie stood and paced the room. “This is happening too fast.”

  “What about Eve? Boaz?” Lucien asked, standing too. “They should be our number one priority.”

  “They will be,” Henry answered, “just as soon as we secure the Deific. It cannot be exposed!”

  Lucien slammed his hand onto the table. “To hell with the Deific! We must save Eve! Who knows what that monster is doing to her? Besides, the Deific and all the good it does will mean nothing once Boaz gets all his powers back.”

  “Calm down,” Henry said. “We need to act on the immediate threat, not what we think might happen in the future.”