Sera struggled to her feet, each breath racking her body in agony. The blade hummed, calling to her, singing like the tinkling laughter of a child. Marie was in the sword now. She wanted to fight, to stop the evil. She wanted to stop the fake angels. Sera didn’t know why, but she reached for the blade. Her hand, covered in the child’s blood, slid around the hilt. Slowly she lifted what should have been a heavy weapon and felt a sudden rush of cooling energy sweep through her. Instantly she could breathe easier, and the pain receded. Lifting the softly pulsing blade to her forehead, she closed her eyes, pressing the metal to her heated skin.
“Let’s finish this, little one.” The sword replied with another rush of power through its new master.
Sera could feel her strength returning as she ran from the house and out into the yard. Two battles raged in the darkness: Ze and Michael, and Rusaeus against those other two so-called angelic beings. Ze could hold his own, but Rus was fighting alone. She would help him first. Sword in hand, she headed toward the ball of darkness like a void against the black of the night. As she neared, it suddenly fell, like glass being shattered. One solitary hellhound struggled to remain standing against his two much more powerful opponents.
Sera could hear their mocking tone, “Look, Zadkiel! An injured puppy. I think we should put it out of its misery.”
They should talk! They were not looking too good themselves, bites and cuts marred their flesh. They were both missing feathers, and one was limping badly from a tear to his calf muscle. One hound against two angels—she knew he was no match, swaying on his paws as weakness threaded through his body.
Rus suddenly let out a chilling howl that cut through the night, dropping the temperature of the air. Sera watched in awe as glittering spears of iridescent ice erupted from the ground. Unfortunately, the pair of arrogant angels managed to avoid being impaled by them. The hound sank to his belly on the grass, and Sera lifted the blade. She wouldn’t let him die. Not one more person.
“Last Hail Mary? Good, time to die, hellhound.” The one with the sunlit eyes stepped forward, power gathering in his open palms. Rus lifted his head. The angel hadn’t noticed the green glow gathering from her blade, and his asshole angelic brother was too slow to warn him.
Pure shock registered on his face as a shaft of green light pierced his upper chest. Blinking, he looked down at the hole in confusion. His mind had not caught up with the fact he had just been impaled. He turned, his eyes widening. The sword sparked angrily, humming with new energy, the light gathering for another strike.
Michael was losing this battle. He could heal damned fast, but even he was having trouble with the gashes in his throat. The bleeding had stopped finally, but he was now weak from blood loss. Panting, he leveled his gaze with the demon. The fucking bastard was still standing! How was this even possible? He could not lose—he would not lose!
He made a move to charge once again, his hands sparking with righteous power. If he could just get the demon in the head or the heart, he would kill the fucker. A green glow caught his attention. It lit up the darkness like a sun and Michael knew he had just lost this battle. Raphael, it seemed, had completed the ritual, but he hadn’t been the first to hold the blade, and now that bitch had it. He could feel her energy rolling over the earth as the newly forged weapon willingly gave her all the power she needed to vanquish her foes. The smile on that fucking demon’s face turned his blood to acid. The bastard knew they had won the night. One day Michael would tear that smirk from his face.
“Looks like Sera is finishing off your brothers. I do believe you’ll be next.”
Michael roared into the night, his voice fading abruptly into silent rage, blood welling in his torn throat. Shame bit at him. He’d been bested by a damned woman and a pathetic Sin. Gathering his remaining power to him, his body shattered into a million glittering lights. He launched himself into the air, the view of the battlefield telling the story of the loss.
Chamuel knelt on the grass and Zadkiel was pinned to the ground by the hellhound who looked ready to deliver the killing bite. Gabriel, he knew, was still unconscious within the house and Raphael had run. The cowardly sonofabitch would be punished for that. He watched the Seer leveling the sword at Chamuel’s throat. Bitch. That blade should have belonged to him!
“It’s over.” The Seer’s voice held too much damned power. He would have to do something about these females. Twice now they had bested him, and it was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
Never in his vast experience and battle planning had Michael expected to find his forces almost destroyed by a Seer, two hounds, and her pet Sin. Hurling himself against the ground, he landed with a driving power that flung the hound and the female from their feet. His body reformed, wings raised to the sky as he glared at the Seer of Hindsight.
She, too, knelt in the grass, the blade held in her hand. She might just be a mortal, but with that sword answering her command, Michael knew he couldn’t survive a direct hit. Her eyes burned with rage and guilt, and he knew she would fight until her last breath. Grudgingly, he had to admit that he respected the fire he saw within her. The Malakhim had lost. For now.
“It will not be over until I have wiped your species from this earth, starting with you.” His promise hung in the air ominously. Bellowing in rage, he summoned the link between his brothers and his own soul, pulling them from the mortal world and back to their realm. Sometimes retreat was the best battle strategy, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be angry retribution. They would pay, the Seven Deadly Sin and the Seers. He would see them all dead. Once the box was opened, he would wipe them and the human race from the face of the earth.
Sera watched as Michael disappeared and the other forms vanished into sparkling golden mist, the cursed vow from their leader still hanging in the air like poison. The silence stretched in those first moments until it was almost painful. She could hear her blood coursing through her veins. Her heartbeat hammered loudly in her ears, accompanied by the soft panting of the hellhound close by. She became aware of Ze’s presence as he ran to her. Sera stared at the spot where the Malakhim had vanished.
Her body had no strength left, and the sword fell from her grip to the grass. The second it did, the pain returned in a tsunami that swamped her, flinging her into the blackness of her broken body. She collapsed to the grass, each breath a struggle. She heard her name roared into the silence of the night.
“SERA!” That was her name, right? She couldn’t remember. God, she hurt so much. Everything was lost to the endless agony that held her body captive. Then there was nothing, just blissful black.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“Why isn’t she awake yet? I swear, Lucifer, if you don’t get out of my way, I'm going to beat you into the ground.” The raging voice of an angry male woke Sera from her blissful sleepy state.
She turned her head gingerly, forcing her eyes open. She could see Lucifer’s back, his hands raised. And there was Ze, his skin flickering with silver fire. His usually well-kept silver hair was disheveled and messy, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. A small smile pulled at her lips. The stupid man was ready to lay into his brother for no other reason than the fact that he stood between them. Stupid, foolish, utterly endearing, overbearing caveman.
“Ze, if you don’t calm yourself, I’ll remove you from this room. I healed what I could, but she’s going to need rest. You won’t help by losing your cool and barreling around like a bull in a china shop.” Lucifer is remarkably calm, Sera thought as she watched his back.
Ze opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes met hers over Lucifer’s shoulder. Yeah, there was no stopping him now. He literally shoved his brother halfway across the room, as if he weighed nothing, and dropped to his knees beside the bed. He reached for her cheek, his fingertips stroking her skin gently.
“Sera, can you hear me? Are you okay? No, of course, you’re not. I’m an idiot. You nearly died, and I’m asking if you’re okay. Do you want me to leave you to rest? I can d
o that. I should leave you to rest. Lu was right, I’m such a dumbass…” Foolish, perfect, endlessly charming idiot. He was tripping over his own words and Sera had never loved him more.
With a smile on her lips, she interrupted his tirade. “Shut up, Ze and kiss me already.” Her voice sounded hoarse. She needed some water, but that could wait. What she needed most was to know that he was alive, breathing, and in her arms.
Ze gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth like a fish before he covered her lips with his and kissed the living daylights out of her. Despite the desperation in his kiss, he didn’t grab her or pull her to him, for which she was thankful. Lucifer may have helped her healing along, but she was aching all over and in dire need of a bath.
His tongue swept into her mouth, sending her body temperature rising and her mind floating on a sea of erotic sensation. Her toes were tingling by the time he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. He studied her with an intense gaze that made the butterflies in her stomach take flight.
“I love you. You hear me, Pixie? I love you. Don’t you ever think about facing off against three angels again, or I will take you over my knee. I swear to Hades, you took a thousand years off my life. Seeing you taking on Michael and his lackeys like that…” He was rambling again. He kept blathering as if he hadn’t just said the three words every woman wants to hear.
She lifted her hand and covered his mouth to hush him. “Ze, shut up. Enough words. Please get in this bed and hold me.”
He blinked at her, uncomprehending at first, then nodded and pressed a kiss to her fingers, before climbing in behind her. He lifted his arm and closed his eyes as she pressed herself against him. Just his presence helped with the bone-deep ache that her body was still experiencing. She lay her head on his chest, his scent wrapping around her, calming her torn nerves and soothing the pain. She felt his lips against her hairline.
“Oh, and for the record, demon. I love you, too.” A satisfied purr rumbled in his chest, the soft sound lulling her back into healing slumber.
Sera didn’t know how much longer she slept. It was all a blur, but she remembered Ze helping her to the bathroom. He’d been there, holding her when she sank gratefully into a hot bath. He’d carried her back to bed, and she slept again. When she finally woke, she was alone. Frowning, she slowly sat up, wincing at the residual pain. She glanced around the dark room, then swung her legs off the bed and reached for the robe that had been left for her. The last time she’d awakened, her mind had been on two things: making sure Ze was okay and having his arms around her again.
Now less preoccupied with the pain, her mind started to race over everything that had happened—how many nights ago now? She didn’t even know how long she’d been in this bed. Come to think of it, she didn’t even know where she was. She looked around the room, then frowned and moved toward the door, opening it to peek into the room beyond. There was a large open landing with couches and a TV against one wall. Confusion mounted as she moved into the room, her toes sinking into thick carpet.
“Ze?” She could hear voices coming from somewhere else within the house. A woman’s voice lightly scolding someone and then soft sobbing from that same gentle voice.
Sera moved to the landing balcony, which overlooked a huge lower room with dark mahogany walls lit by a huge bank of windows, revealing an impressive spectacle of falling snow and rich mountains in the distance. Against one wall was a massive stone fireplace, a large fire roaring in the hearth, and around it gathered five Sins and the hellhounds. Her eyes were drawn to the silver hair within their ranks.
The large men surrounded a small woman, positively swamping her with their size. They seemed to be providing the petite blond with strength, letting her cry while maintaining a wall of protection around her. Sera wondered about the identity of this woman who inspired such loyalty in the Sins. Even Lucifer, whom she considered the most distant of the brothers, was pressed in close.
“You’re awake.” Sera found Isabelle exiting one of the many rooms on the balcony floor. She held a small tray of partially eaten food in her arms, her violet eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“Where am I?” This was all so disconcerting. Last she remembered, she had passed out in Sandra Marshall’s backyard. She’d failed to save little Marie from being a sacrifice to the Malakhim’s plans, and as far as she knew, the whole town could have turned into half-crazed puppets with guns. Pain bloomed in her heart as the memories washed through her mind. She had to remind herself this was Michael’s doing, not hers.
“We’re in Alaska, at the home of Persephone and Hades. We didn’t know where else to bring you after the battle. You almost died on us a few times. Thank Hades you’re okay. Ze was about ready to lose his mind and single-handedly hunt down the Malakhim himself.” Isabelle placed the small tray on a side table and leaned on the balcony, watching the scene below them.
Sera didn’t know what to think. She’d almost died? It was hard to fathom. The idea that she could have left Ze against her will tied her stomach in knots. Sera felt the driving need to feel Ze’s arms around her, to know that she was alive, and this was not some dream. Focusing on the group below, she observed the little woman wiping her eyes, a small smile on her lips. She held such strength—Sera could see it in every movement the woman made. This must be Persephone. She shooed the men away from her, sucked in a deep breath, and left the room.
“She’s strong. I don’t think I could be as strong if Mammon were dying.” Isabelle’s voice almost broke on her withheld tears.
“Hades?” Sera looked toward the door from which Isabelle had exited. That tight feeling was spreading up into her chest.
“Yes. He was stuck with an angelic blade during their first run-in with the Malakhim. He survived the strike, but since then, his power has slowly drained away.” Sera could feel the pain in Isabelle’s voice. “We’re doing all we can for him, but even Apollo with his powers can’t heal the wound, though he’s managed to extend his life, for now.”
Sera let out a shaky breath. If someone like Hades could be struck down, then she needed to be stronger. She needed to learn to fight. Turning back to the scene below, she met the liquid gaze of the man who held her heart. He headed toward her, bounding up the stairs two at a time. She was in his arms in a second, enveloped in his powerful embrace. Closing her eyes, she just held him, needing him with her. With his scent around her, she felt calmer, more grounded.
She tilted her head and looked up at him. “Is she okay?”
“As well as she can be. I never knew she was so strong. To be honest, before all this happened, we didn’t have much to do with Hades or Persephone, but that’s changed. I guess we consider her like a mother to us, and having us around to boss about and coddle seems to make her happy, so we will do all we can. Even Lucifer lets her baby him. I have it on camera—it’s hilarious.”
“You’re all good men, despite what Abbadon says about you. And I get the feeling that she loves you all as if you were her children.” Isabelle winked at Sera with a smile.
“What does Abbadon say about me? Izzy?” Ze frowned as Isabelle pushed away from the balcony and headed down the stairs with a smile on her lips. Sera watched Mammon meet her at the bottom, and the pair of them vanished toward the kitchen.
Ze mumbled something about beating it out of his brother later. “You sure you should be up?” The change in subject made her chuckle. His concern was sweet, but she had too many questions she needed to be answered before she could rest comfortably again.
“I'm all right, Ze. How long have I been out of it?”
“About four days, maybe five now. Lucifer is a gifted healer, but he can only encourage your body to heal faster. He can’t actually heal the wounds. You broke a lot of bones. Michael will pay for each fracture tenfold. So, Pixie, you will be taking it easy until I’m sure you’re pain-free. Understand?”
She gave him a droll stare, which earned a small chuckle. “Where are the boys? What happened after M
ichael left? The town—what happened?”
“That is a long story, my girl, and one you can sit your little butt down for.” Odin’s rich, thick voice came from behind her. Sera spun around and let out a sob of joy before rushing to the old man, wrapping her arms around him. He held her close. “Easy now. You will make an old god cry. Very unsightly. Your man will fetch you food, and I’ll fill you in. Get me a bourbon while you’re at it, boy.”
“I’m not your servant, you old goat. Besides, if Persephone catches me sneaking you liquor, she is going to make me cut onions for a week.”
Odin snorted and waved him off. Ze grumbled something about sending the old bastard to a retirement home but went to do as bid. Sera watched him go with a smile. For all their bickering, she knew Ze respected the old god. Following Odin to the sitting area, she joined him, sinking onto the buttery soft leather couch.
“Much better. These old bones have been through a lot this last week.” From his slightly gaunt appearance, he had driven himself to the brink.
“Tell me, please. I need to know what happened.”
“Oh, Sera. Are you sure?”
Sera swallowed hard and nodded.
Odin rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “About half the town died, not just from attacking the Sins, although they did try not to cause lethal damage. Most of it was just the madness of having their minds opened to the other world living alongside theirs. Many killed themselves or each other. A few were strong enough to fight back. They alone know the truth of that night. As far as everyone else is concerned, it was a massive poisonous gas leak. I owe Lucifer more than I can ever repay for rewriting their memories. He is one scary Sin.” Odin seemed lost, staring at his gnarled hands, his eyes forlorn.
It was distressing how broken he had become. “Odin…I couldn’t save her. I tried. I’m so sorry I failed.” She dropped her gaze, tears instantly spilling down her cheeks. She would never forget the actions of that vile bastard, taking Marie’s life as if she were nothing.
Envy's Kindness (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 26
