Death's Door (Supernatural Security Force Book 3)

by Heather Hildenbrand

  Ugh. “Nothing.” I dragged my gaze back to Adrik’s and nodded. “Milo’s right. If you can track her down, that would be really helpful.”

  I dared anyone to say I wasn’t a mature, independent woman secure in her own worth. If they did, I’d punch them like I wanted to punch Faith Burkhart right now.

  “I’ll see what I can find out,” Adrik said. “Don’t go anywhere or do anything until I get back.”

  He meant me. And Selaphiel. But I pretended not to get it.

  “In the meantime, we’ll rest.” Jax cut me a look.

  Adrik nodded. “When I return, we can figure out how to approach Selaphiel.”

  Good. They’d moved on from Starla. But then Adrik started for the hall again, and I freaked out. Turning to Gran, I blurted, “You. Go with him.”

  “Me?” Gran sounded utterly confused. “Why?”

  “Back him up,” I said. “In case he runs into trouble.”

  It sounded stupid even to me, but there was no backtracking now.

  “Fine, but when I get back, I want that double-stack you promised me.”

  “When you get back,” I said, silently adding, and if Adrik keeps his clothes on, “I’ll buy you an entire bag of them.”

  Gran whooped. “Hot damn, darlin’, you got a deal.” She rose into the air on buzzing wings and shot out of the room behind Adrik. “Hang on, Nephy-boy, I’m your wingman—literally!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I woke to an incessant buzzing. When I realized what—or who—it was, my face pinched in a grumpy scowl. “What the hell, Gran?”

  “I’m back, and we need to talk, girl. Wake up.”

  I propped onto my elbows and looked at Gran, who’d flown away from my ear to hover in front of me. “You interrupted my dream of Bruno Mars giving me a private performance, so this better be good.”

  “Was he naked?”

  “What? Who?”

  “Bruno Mars.”

  “No, he wasn’t naked.”

  “Then it’s no great loss,” she said. “Now, listen, Adrik found Faith, but there’s a problem.”

  At the mention of Adrik, I instantly became more alert.

  “What problem?” I asked.

  “Come see for yourself.”

  Wary now, I double-checked that Fergie slept soundly—she did, except that her head hung off the side of the bed and drool had leaked out, leaving a trail to the floor—and then silently slipped from the room. Gran led the way as I followed her down the hall and into the main living space. A slender figure stood near the floor-length window, facing the nighttime view. Definitely not Adrik.

  “Tony?” I said uncertainly, but the body shape was all wrong.

  Way too small.

  Blue as hell, though.

  The figure turned, and I gasped.

  “Faith? What the hell happened?”

  “I stepped in some paint,” she snapped. “What do you think happened?”

  I winced. “Raguel?”

  Her expression twisted. “Selaphiel.”

  “But—” I shot Gran a questioning look. She stared blankly back at me. “Isn’t Raguel the one doing the experiments?”

  “This wasn’t an experiment,” Faith said tersely.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Selaphiel sent her little goon after me.”

  “Goon?”

  “Some little prick of a warlock. He spent half the time making douchey comments about my ass.”

  “Rourke came after you?” My eyes went wide.

  “Four nights ago. He waited until my mother left and I was alone in the clinic. Then he attacked me. I had him handled, but someone came up behind me and stuck me with one of the injections meant for Raguel’s test subjects. The venom knocked me out. When I woke up, Selaphiel was hissing at Rourke that an “undead” wouldn’t be enough of a sacrifice to activate the portal she needed. Then they left together, and I’ve been like this ever since.”

  A portal requiring a sacrifice.

  And when Faith wouldn’t work, Selaphiel had sent Rourke looking for my mom.

  I turned slowly to Gran. “Mom,” I whispered, horrified. “She was going to be the sacrifice.”

  “Oh, that Neph-heifer is going down,” Gran vowed.

  I nodded, numb except for the rage welling inside me, but I forced it aside. Later, I’d think through what that meant. Right now, I needed to know everything Faith knew.

  The blonde vampire stared back at me, unflinching. I wondered what lay behind the expressionless mask she wore now. What did she think of her current state? These days, being a vamp was bad enough. A scarlet letter in some circles. Now, on top of that, she had to contend with blueberry skin. Empathy tugged at me.

  “We looked for you,” I told her.

  “I didn’t exactly want to be found,” she pointed out, gesturing to her skin. I didn’t know what to say to that. At least now I knew she hadn’t been trying to ghost me on her promise to help Tony.

  “Is there a treatment?” I asked. “Something that can be done.”

  “Nothing,” she said flatly.

  “But you said—”

  “Raguel’s been working on something with my mother. Top secret. Either they know I’m a double agent or they’re just assholes, but they haven’t shared the details with me. I did some digging the other night. After, you know,” she gestured to herself again. “Decided to risk it and injected myself with the sample they keep whispering about being a reversal serum.”

  “And?” I asked hopefully.

  “Does it look like it worked?”

  I blew out a breath, her temper starting to grate on me.

  “Anyway, I’ve been holed up in my apartment ever since. Well, until earlier when your Nephilim boyfriend found me and told me everything you’re dealing with.”

  “He’s not my—”

  “I wouldn’t have believed him if she hadn’t been there.” Faith nodded at Gran, who looked way too proud of herself.

  “I convinced her we were on the same side. That she could hide at our safe house. That’s some Jason Bourne shit, right?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “I remember her with you that day you two snuck into the clinic,” Faith explained. “Figured she was trustworthy where you’re concerned.”

  “And Adrik’s not?” I wondered.

  “He’s a Nephilim,” she said with a blue-shouldered shrug.

  “Okay, back to the part about the sacrifice for the portal,” I said, shaking off her dismissal of Adrik. I might have been tempted to argue, but Faith barely tolerated me, so I had a feeling winning her over to Adrik wasn’t likely. “What kind of sacrifice did they want?”

  “No fucking idea.”

  “Well, did they say anything else that you remember?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know. I was a little preoccupied with not dying.”

  “Faith, this is important.”

  “Look, all I know is Rourke thought he was going to use me for some dark magic situation, but when Selaphiel realized I’m a vamp, they changed their minds.”

  She huffed, clearly out of patience. I glared back at her, feeling the same.

  “Did you tell Starla what happened?” I asked finally.

  “I would if I could find her.”

  “You haven’t seen her either, huh?”

  “I haven’t exactly been looking, but no.”

  I frowned. “That’s strange. I expected her to turn up.”

  She shrugged. “Figured she was busy elsewhere.”

  “Any ideas where?” What exactly did Faith know about the mysterious woman we worked for? Or the Nephilim she served?

  “If you’re asking how much I know about Starla, the answer is basically nothing. That woman’s slippery, and up until now, I haven’t had time to care.”

  “So long as she gets you a promotion in the end, right?” I couldn’t help the sharp tone, but Faith’s brow rose in challenge.

  “Oh, and I’m to assume you’re doing it all
out of the kindness of your heart? That you stand to gain nothing for your service?”

  My patience evaporated.

  “You can’t help Tony. You don’t have clinic access anymore. What do you want, Faith?”

  She hesitated only a moment and said, “I want to help.”

  “Hell, no.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “That prick of a warlock tried to kill me.”

  “He’s dead. You’re welcome.”

  She eyed me dubiously. “You’d say anything to get me to leave.”

  “It’s true.”

  I turned at the sound of Jax’s voice and watched as he walked in, dressed in slacks and a dress shirt with the top two buttons of his shirt undone like this was a board meeting.

  “It’s two in the morning, Jax.”

  “So it is.”

  “What are you doing up?” I asked as he stopped beside me.

  “And why do you have to look so damn crisp?” Gran put in. “Makes the rest of us look bad.”

  “Gran, you look ravishing as always,” Milo said as he followed Jax into the room.

  My eyes zeroed in on the smoking jacket Milo wore over flannel pajama pants. “Hugh, eat your heart out,” he whispered to me as he passed.

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Hello, Faithless,” Milo said sweetly. “Are you sad? You look a little blue?”

  If looks could kill.

  “Selaphiel injected her with the demon serum Raguel’s been using,” I explained.

  Milo’s brows crinkled in confusion. “I’m sorry, are our villains confusing their roles? I thought Raguel was the one who turned people blue.”

  “A warlock attacked me and was interrupted by his Nephilim partner,” Faith said through gritted teeth. Before Milo could come up with a bantery response, Faith turned to Jax. “Is the warlock truly dead?”

  “Truly,” he assured her. “I ripped out his throat myself.”

  “Nice,” she said, and resentment flared at the way Jax warmed to her approval.

  “You’re a vampire,” he said, studying her now. “With access to the Delta building?”

  “My mother works for the Nephilim council. Dr. Burkhart. Her credentials were enough to vouch for my getting the job.”

  “Yes, of course, I’ve read her research on single-cell supernatural organisms,” Jax said, surprising me. “She’s brilliant. You assist her?”

  “Not by choice,” Faith said.

  Jax looked like he wanted to ask more but held back.

  “Maybe now you’ll be motivated to get us that cure for Tony,” Milo put in.

  Faith didn’t answer.

  Milo’s gaze sharpened.

  “Right?” he prompted.

  “There’s no cure,” I said quietly.

  “Motherf— Seriously? Of course. You lied.”

  “I didn’t lie,” Faith snapped. “My mother’s smart. If she says she’ll find a reversal serum, she’ll do it. But she’s in new territory. They’re missing some key ingredient.”

  Milo muttered something about truth being a key ingredient to friendship.

  “Whatever you’re doing about Selaphiel, I want in,” Faith said, looking at me again.

  “We’re not doing anything,” I said at the same time Jax said, “we’re happy to have you.”

  I shot him a look. He shrugged.

  “Uh-oh,” Gran said not nearly quiet enough to ignore. “Trouble in paradise.”

  “Speaking of which, where’s Adrik?” Milo said.

  Without waiting for an answer, I stalked to the liquor cabinet, intent on washing down this painful moment with a nightcap.

  “He said he had an errand to run,” Gran said.

  I kept my back to them as I poured a double-shot of Jax’s best whiskey. My shoulders tightened at Gran’s word. Errand. I thought of Selaphiel. And Adrik’s determination to take care of her before I could.

  “What sort of errand?” Milo asked.

  I braced myself for some lie.

  “He said he figured out the piece Z mentioned,” Gran said. “The last ingredient.”

  “The sacrifice?” Jax asked.

  I turned, gripping the glass with white knuckles. “He went to retrieve someone we can kill?”

  “I sure as shit hope it’s not another virgin,” Gran said.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Rise and shine, mother clucker!”

  I sat up, nearly knocking Gran’s little bug body into the next room. She darted out of reach just in time, and I ran a hand through my bedhead hair, glancing around the bedroom.

  “I need a different alarm clock,” I grumbled, trying to get my bearings.

  Muted sunlight streamed in through the closed blinds. At the end of the bed, dust particles danced in the filtered light. Beyond that, the room was still and empty. After a couple of hours of pacing and still no sign of Adrik, I’d fallen asleep with Fergie tucked underneath one arm; that much I remembered clearly. More fuzzy was the memory of her waking shortly after and tapping on my forehead while babbling incoherently in some sort of song-story. At some point, Jax tiptoed in and carried her out.

  After that, I’d passed out again.

  A quick glance at the bedside clock had my eyes widening. “It’s after ten. Is everyone awake?”

  “Milo’s in the living room, smoking a cigar and wearing some ridiculous housecoat,” Gran said.

  I ran a hand through my rumpled hair. Of course, he was.

  “Jax?”

  “He was up with Fergie for a while. They just went back to sleep.” I nodded, glad she’d let him rest again. His devotion to Fergie did make me wonder, though. Was she his idea of some sort of redemption? A chance to show he could be the parent his mother wasn’t able to be? Or did he see himself in that little demon child? His darker self?

  I couldn’t be sure if it was her innocence or her penchant for murder that drew him—and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know.

  “Faith?” I couldn’t help that my tone sharpened a little.

  “Still sleeping. Or whatever it is vampires do.”

  I didn’t bother to answer. Vampires did some weird sleep-waking thing where they went into a stasis that allowed their immortality to regenerate their cells every night. I wasn’t sure what the demon blood would do to that whole process, but I had more important curiosities to solve right now.

  “Adrik’s on the balcony,” Gran added.

  I looked up sharply, and despite the bug eyes and exoskeletal membrane around her face, I could read her expression clear as day.

  “Did he ask for me?”

  “Darlin’, I’ve seen his eyes. They’re always asking for you. Now go.”

  I tossed the covers back and made it halfway to the door before Gran’s voice rang out with a snarky lilt, “Maybe put on some pants first.”

  I stopped, looked down, and realized I’d crawled into bed in nothing but a tank and panties. Not that I didn’t want to show Adrik my current look sometime. But walking through another man’s penthouse like this probably didn’t send the right message.

  “At some point, you know you’re going to have to choose one,” Gran said.

  I nearly missed my pant leg and tripped.

  When I looked up at her, the tiny bug expression she wore made it clear she’d enjoyed throwing me off.

  “I’ll choose when you do.”

  She frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I see what you’re doing. As long as you’re a June bug, you can come and go as you please. No one expects anything from you. And as long as your brain is the size of a freckle, you don’t have the mental capacity to face your grief.”

  “I’m stuck like this, girl. You know that. Why are you sassin’ me over it?”

  “We both know that if you wanted to find a way back to your body, you could.”

  “Is this about me not telling you about your dad’s wishes?”

  “This is about you meddling in my life while you avoid yours. When you deci
de to face your own problems, I’ll face mine.”

  Gran didn’t answer, and I hid my self-satisfied smile. For once, I’d rendered her speechless.

  With quick, jerky movements, I pulled my pants on and then headed for the balcony.

  Milo looked up when I walked into the living room and blew an O-ring of cigar smoke at me. “Good morning, Ms. Hawkins.”

  His voice was deep and stiff. The impression of prim-and-proper broken only by his silly-ass grin.

  “Pleasant day to you, Sir Mercer,” I said, curtsying.

  He laughed, and I slipped out the door and onto the balcony. Adrik’s presence drew me like a magnet, but I resisted the urge to close the distance. He’d made clear his worry for my body’s capacity to handle, well, his body. I wanted to prove I was strong enough. Not that I felt sure that I was strong enough. But I had to try.

  For a brief moment, I simply admired the view. Adrik stood with his back to me, his wings tucked out of sight for the moment. He wore the same gray tee and dark jeans I’d last seen him in. His hair was dry now and smoothed back. Much neater than it had been last night—a fact that constantly tempted me to run my hands through it until it looked properly mussed.

  His shoulders, stiff when I’d first opened the door, relaxed slightly.

  “Did you sleep well?” he asked without turning.

  I joined him at the railing, barely glancing at the view of the city below. Skyscrapers rose up around us, making the sunlight shine brighter with the reflection off the windows despite the gray cloud cover it hid behind.

  “I slept,” I said with a shrug. “It was enough.”

  He didn’t look at me.

  I placed my hands on the railing and gripped it like he’d done, sliding my hand until it hovered close to his. Bravery or stupidity; I wasn’t sure.

  “Thank you for locating Faith,” I said when the silence stretched.

  “She wants to help. With Selaphiel.”

  I couldn’t quite keep the bite from my voice as I said, “You told her what’s going on.”

  He glanced at me. “Selaphiel tried to kill her.”

  I wanted to argue that her being a victim of the same Nephilim that was trying to murder me didn’t automatically put us on the same side. But all that would do is help him evade the real explanation.