Invidious

by Bianca Scardoni

  “If he leaves you then he never deserved you to begin with,” said Dominic, knowing what I was talking about—what I was sick about—without even having to utter the words.

  “He deserves so much better than what I am.”

  I was right the first time—I was a plague, and destiny just confirmed it for me. How could I even attempt to stand beside him now? He was a beautiful, loving, godly being, and I was the Daughter of Hades.

  Tears sprung from my eyes and fell, running endlessly down my cheeks.

  I should just disappear now—run away before he finds out the truth and tosses me out with the trash. And who could blame him? I was worse than trash. I was the walking Apocalypse.

  More tears fell.

  “Alright. Get up.” Dominic's hard tone snapped me out of my downward spiral of self-loathing. “The pity-party's over.”

  I crinkled my nose at him. “Actually, I'm just getting started.”

  “Actually,” he said as he reached down and grabbed my upper arm, pulling me up to my feet in one swift move, “you're done.”

  I looked at him indignantly. “I think I’m entitled to a few tears, Dominic. This might be nothing to you, being that you're a big black hole of destruction-loving darkness, but for a normal person, this is a pretty BIG DEAL!”

  “Firstly, you already had your moment. You cried and you retched and now you're done. Secondly, I take offense to that. Thirdly, it is a 'big deal',” he said, using air quotes, “and that's precisely why you need to keep your head on straight and start working on a way to save your neck, because trust me, angel, you're not going to do it drowning in a bucket of your own tears. Are you reading me clearly or should I go on?”

  My mouth dropped open to bark something back at him, but I quickly shut it, realizing he was completely right.

  “No.” I pulled my arm free and then swiped away the last, straggling tear. “I'm done.”

  “Good. Now, let's fix ourselves a couple of stiff drinks and figure out how we're going to save the world from you.”

  “Dominic!”

  He grinned back at me, a soft twinkle playing in his eyes. As blunt and inappropriate and downright infuriating as he was, I couldn't help but smile back at him. What else could I do? The guy had a demented sense of humor.

  Curled up on the sofa in the den again, I sat in quiet contemplation, staring into the fire pit as Dominic whipped us up something to take the edge off the dire circumstances. The wheels in my head were churning as determination began taking over. I had to figure out a way to stop this, to stop the prophecy and change my grim fate, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized Tessa was right. Lucifer was the key to stopping all of it.

  Of course, if I had any chance of bending the prophecy to my will, I first needed to fully understand my role in it. Only then would I be able to do anything about it.

  “You're going to chew a hole right through your cheek,” said Dominic as he placed two glasses on the coffee table and retook his seat beside me on the couch.

  “We need to find out everything we can about the prophecy,” I said, continuing my inner dialogue aloud. If we were going to take out Lucifer for good, we needed to figure out where he was being kept, and what exactly was needed to revive him.

  “You're plotting, love. I like it.”

  “If we can find out how this is supposed to go down, maybe we can figure out a way to stop it.”

  “As far as I know, the Council keeps all their old scriptures and texts down in the Vaults. However, you're going to have a difficult time gaining access to it. It's locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”

  “Do you think Gabriel can get in?”

  Dominic laughed as he picked up his glass. “Not since he Turned.”

  “What about the Dark Legion? If they know about the prophecy then they must have their own text, right? Maybe they have information that the Council doesn't have.”

  “Such as what?”

  “Such as the when, or more importantly, the how,” I said, scooting in closer to him. “They aren't just going to wing it. They need my blood for a reason, probably for some kind of ritual, right? We need to find out exactly what that is.”

  “And how to you intend on doing that, temptress?”

  “Not me, Dominic. You.”

  He laughed as though I weren't being completely and totally serious about it.

  “You must have a contact, someone from the inside that can tell us what we need to know.”

  “What makes you so sure of that?” he wondered.

  “Well, you're obviously not with the Order, so...”

  “So, if I'm not with the Order, I must be with the Dark Legion?” he surmised.

  “Isn't that where all Descendants go when they've turned against the Order?”

  “Let's get something clear, angel. I don't work for anyone. Not for the Order and not for the Dark Legion.”

  “So you're an independent contractor then.” I thought about it for a moment. “That might actually work in our favor.”

  “How do you suppose?”

  “Well, you don't have ties to either side.” I moved in a little closer, holding his gaze as I purposefully placed my hand on his knee. “You're in the perfect position.”

  His eyes snapped to my hand. “To do what?”

  “To play ball with the dark side.” It came out far more seductive than I had intended it to. “We need someone on the inside, someone who could gain access and find out what they know, and what they're planning.” I leaned in closer to him, holding his gaze. “Who better than you, Dominic?”

  “Reaching out to them is risky. I’d be putting myself directly on their map, and I'm not sure I’m prepared to stick my neck out that far.” A smug look came over his expression. “The Council's already looking for a reason to dust me. I'm not sure I should be giving them any more reasons.”

  “No one would have to know but us.” I bit my bottom lip.

  His eyes instantly glazed over with want as he stared down at my mouth. “That's not fair, angel. You're playing dirty.”

  “All is fair in love and war, Dominic.”

  “You truly are going to be the death of me.”

  “I'm going to be the death of all of us if we don't figure out a way to stop this.”

  Forcing his eyes back up to mine, he ran his fingers along his smooth jawline.

  “You're the only one who can do this,” I said, pushing harder. Alarm bells sounded inside me, warning me to tread carefully—to think this through. Thrusting Dominic towards the Dark Legion for recon work probably wasn't the best idea. Frankly, it was downright dangerous, but it was also the only idea I had at this point. “Please, Dominic.”

  “Very well. I'll play ball with the dark side, as you put it.” A wicked smile sprouted on his lips, letting me know there was going to be a price to pay.

  With Dominic, there always was.

  “Just know that you're going to owe me big for this, angel. Bigger than you've ever owed anyone in your life.” His onyx eyes took in every inch of me as if to survey his prize. “And I promise you...I will collect.”

  38. WHISPERS IN THE DARK

  It was well past midnight by the time I got back home. I tiptoed up the stairs with my shoes in hand, doing my best not to make any sounds that might alert my uncle to my presence. The last thing I wanted to do after everything that happened tonight was see him. I had no idea how much he knew or on which side of the enemy line he stood. Just being in the house made me feel uneasy, like I may have been sleeping under the enemy's roof all along and didn't even know it.

  Once inside my room, I carefully closed the door behind myself and released the breath I’d been holding since I got upstairs. I stood there for a moment, letting the quiet and darkness wrap itself around my tattered soul.

  A small light flicked on behind me, startling me. Panicked, I whipped around expecting to find an intruder—some unknown face from the Dark Legion ready to make good on the prophecy.

&n
bsp; “It's just me,” said Trace.

  He was sitting at my desk with his arms crossed over his husky chest, and a sexy half-smile on his lips. Lips that made me want to sell my soul for the chance to kiss them again. I smiled back at him and padded across the room.

  “I missed you,” I said, crawling onto his lap.

  He pulled me into his warmth and tightened his arms around my waist. “I missed you more.”

  “I seriously doubt that.”

  His dimples appeared and then disappeared. “How did your date go?” he asked as he leaned in and buried his face in my neck, taking in my scent like it was the air he needed to breathe.

  “Not good.” I ran my fingers through his hair and closed my eyes as he peppered my neck with soft kisses.

  “Did he try something?” he asked evenly, his breath tickling my neck as he swept another kiss below my ear.

  I sighed as his lips brushed against my skin like a paintbrush blessing a canvas with its masterpiece. “No, he didn't try anything. He was actually pretty decent,” I said as my mind unintentionally slipped back to the way he held my hair for me as I spewed my dinner into his toilet.

  He pulled back and met my eyes. “You got sick?”

  I nodded, wishing so bad that I didn't have to talk about tonight, that I didn't have to obliterate this perfect moment with the cold, sobering truth.

  “What happened?” His jaw ticked and I knew he was working hard to keep himself calm.

  “Tessa and Gabriel showed up.”

  “What for?”

  “Tessa found out about Engel, about my blood, the Amulet...she knows all of it, and a whole lot more.” Tears stung the corners of my eyes as I tried to summon the courage to speak the truth. “It's bad, Trace. Really bad.”

  “Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together,” he said trying to comfort me, but it was no use.

  There weren't any words in the English language that could erase the reality of what I really was, of the venom that was coursing through my veins or the target it put on my back.

  “We already knew Engel was curious about your blood,” he said, answering my thoughts. “It doesn't change anything. We're still going to waste him, one way or another.”

  “You don't understand.” I shook my head and looked away from his penetrating eyes. “It's not just about Engel anymore.”

  “Then who's it about?” he asked, picking up my chin and forcing me to meet his eyes again. “What's going on, Jemma?”

  “The Dark Legion knows about me, Trace. About my blood.”

  His head ticked back, fear and confusion warring in his eyes for supremacy. “What are you talking about? What does the Dark Legion have to do with this?”

  Deep down, I'd hoped I’d never have to utter the words to him, that I’d never have to see him look at me the way he inevitably would, but I knew that wasn't possible. He deserved to know the truth, no matter how ugly it was.

  “They think my blood is the key to raising Lucifer,” I said without pausing to think twice about it. “That I’m the girl from the prophecy.”

  “The Daughter of Hades?” he verified, obviously knowing his scripture well. “That prophecy is bullshit.”

  “It turns out that it isn't. The bloodline exists and the Order's been keeping it a secret for centuries.” I had a hard time meeting his eyes, but I forced myself to look up at him. “I'm one of his Descendants, Trace.”

  He didn't say anything as he stared back at me in utter, soul-shaking silence. As petrified as I was, I had to continue. I had to get it all out before I lost my nerve.

  “His blood is dormant in Tessa, like it was in my mother and all the women before her, but it's dominant in me,” I explained, trying not to choke on the words as they came out. “My dad tried to hide the truth by taking us away from here, by having me Cloaked, but the minute Engel tasted my blood, he put two and two together and tipped off the Dark Legion. And now they know the truth about me and they're not going to stop until they get what they want...until they fulfill the prophecy.”

  He stared back at me, still speechless. His mouth opened and closed as though he were going to say something, but decided against it at the last minute.

  “There's more.” I watched as his eyes flared, like he couldn't possibly comprehend how I could deliver this much bad news at once. “The Council has a sample of my blood and they've been secretly trying to figure out if the bloodline is dormant in me or not. If they don't already know the truth, it's only a matter of time before they do. And when that happens, they're going to come for me too.”

  He blinked quickly, trying to work through everything I was saying.

  “My blood could potentially raise Lucifer from his tomb, and they would never allow that to happen. You understand what that means, right?”

  His eyes went from blinking to staring straight ahead like a deer caught in the headlights.

  “Say something, Trace.”

  “I'm trying to,” he said, shaking his head. His eyes and voice seemed hollow. “I'm trying to process this.”

  I could see him struggling to take it in, to accept it. I couldn't imagine what he was thinking, what he was feeling, but I imagined it wasn't anything good.

  “I think it might be better if we stay away from each other for a while,” I said softly, trying to hold back my tears. The truth was, I wanted to give him an easy out so I wouldn't have to hear him tell me that he couldn't be with me anymore—that I was an abomination and I made him ill.

  He winced. “I would never say that to you.”

  Tears burned under my eyelids. “Never say never.”

  “Dammit, Jemma. Look at me,” he ordered, cupping my face and forcing me to look at him. “I would never say that to you because I would never think it. I don't want to stay away from you—not for a while, or a minute, or ever. Don't you get that?”

  Grabbing my hips, he lifted me off him to guide my left leg over his lap and then sat me back down so that I was straddling him. Being this close to him, this intimate, made my pulse quicken and my heart race.

  “Nothing else matters to me but this right here,” he said, pointing to the two of us, limbs entwined. “I don't care about Nikki, or Engel, or your bloodlines, or some stupid prophecy. I care about you, Jemma. I care about making you happy, and keeping you safe. I care about what's in here,” he said, running his thumb across my forehead. “And here,” he added, placing his hand over my somersaulting heart.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. A gentle hum purred under my skin, making everything seem a little bit better. A little more tolerable.

  I wanted to stay this way with him forever, to wrap myself in his love and let all of the bad fall away from me, and even though I knew I should have been trying harder to push him away, I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was dangerous for us like this, I knew that, and keeping him close to me was selfish, but I didn't know how to exist without him anymore.

  I didn't know how to let go of the only light I had left in my ever-darkening world.

  “Then don't,” he answered simply. “I know how you feel about me, and I hope you know how I feel about you, so why don't we just accept the fact that we're going to be together and move on to more important shit?” he suggested, grazing his thumb along my lips and then touching his to mine as if to drive home the point.

  When he pulled back, I found myself staring into his eyes, into his soul, never feeling closer to any one person before in my entire life. I could see the love he had for me—I could feel it right there in my bones—and it burned hotter than the heat of a thousand suns.

  “I'm scared, Trace. I'm so scared I don't even know what to do with myself anymore,” I confessed, my voice shaking as I spoke.

  “Everything's going to be fine. I'm never going to let anything bad happen to you.”

  “Don't do that. Don't make promises that are impossible to keep.” I grazed my thumb over his protesting dimple. “I don't want to pretend anymore. I don't
want to pretend everything is going to be okay because it's not. Not unless we find a way to stop the prophecy.”

  “Then that's what we'll do,” he said and then kissed the inside of my hand. “We'll do whatever it takes.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Good, because I already asked Dominic for his help,” I said, watching him carefully for any signs of an impending explosion. “He's going to try to dig up as much information about the Dark Legion as possible...from the inside.”

  “The inside?”

  “I need to know what they know about the prophecy, and if they have information we don't—like how, when, and where it's supposed to go down.”

  “Do you really think that's a good idea?”

  “What?”

  “Sending Dominic in there like that. He's kind of prone to turning on people.”

  “It's a risk I have to take, Trace. There's no one else.”

  His eyes shifted away briefly but he didn't say anything. “Alright. What else you got?”

  “I'm going to ask Gabriel if he can try to get in the Vaults at Temple. We need to find out as much as we can about the prophecy if we have any chance of manipulating it,” I explained, unusually calm. “Dominic thinks the Council might have some information or records in there. It's worth a shot.”

  “He'll never be able to get in there,” said Trace. “He's a Rev. They might let him into the building with a Guardian and whatnot, maybe even let him continue hunting for the Order, but that's it. He won't even make it into the hallway.”

  “Alright, fine.” I exhaled, refusing to let it get me down. “Then I’ll think of something else.”

  “I can do it.” His voice was as steady as a rock.

  My face squinched up at his outlandish offer. “You're not even with the Order anymore. They'll never let you in there.”

  “That's not exactly true.”

  “Which part?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I have a meeting with the Magister tomorrow.”

  My mouth flopped open. “What? Why?”