Corin, knowing Boldor planned to go after her, flew at him with superhuman speed. With fangs and talons lengthening, he aimed for the charm hanging around the fiend’s neck, managing to grab the chain and snatch it free with a powerful yank, sending the piece hurling away from them.
“Oh, I sense you now,” Corin told him, the sensation strong. “Without that charm, you have nothing to hide behind.”
Boldor let out a thundering roar and retaliated, ramming Corin with all the force he could muster, his fangs tearing into Corin’s right shoulder.
The battle was on! Till death.
* * * *
Tomes tried to stop Angelique, who rushed to claim the Heart. But she was determined to beat the female immortal to the mark, and being closer, succeeded.
“Hand it over, sweetness,” Lehndra demanded, eyes locked on the charm.
“Careful, Angel,” Tomes warned, taking aim with the staker, ready to fire.
“I’m only asking once more, girl. It means nothing to you,” she growled.
“I don’t think so. If this is the charm you told me about, it should be returned to the guardians you stole it from.”
Lehndra’s demon emerged. “Then you leave me no choice.”
She assailed, fast and furious, thrusting her talons deep into Angelique’s chest, the charge happening so fast no one had time to react.
“No! God, no—” Tomes cried out.
“Sorry, my sweetness, but you did force my hand.” Lehndra pulled her talons free, allowing Angelique to collapse like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.
Sheriff Pierson fired several shots into the immortal, but the bullets only had a momentary effect on her. Unhappy with his attack, she tossed him a warning hiss before bending and claiming the charm from Angelique’s clasped hand. And now in possession of her long-awaited prize, she retreated, but was forced to stop a short distance away to tend her wounds.
“What on earth?” Pierson watched in disbelief as she repaired the damage with healing hands.
Tomes rushed to his sister’s aid, sharing her pain, fearing the severity of her injury. Lifting her into his arms, she gasped, struggling to breathe.
“Angel. No, this can’t be happening.” He could feel her slipping away, her life force fading.
“I c-can’t b-breathe.” Her body trembled as shock overtook her.
Angry and blaming himself for not taking a shot at Lehndra when he had the chance, Tomes went for the immortal who remained in sight, distracted by the charm. Slipping up behind her with the staker raised, he now stood close enough to see that she was in possession of not one, but two charms, and was attempting to connect the pieces. Whatever she was planning, he knew it wasn’t good.
For Angel.
He held a steady aim and fired off his three remaining blackthorn nails into the immortal’s back. Expelling a horrific screech, she buckled over in agony, unable to pursue him.
“I hope they’re killing you,” Tomes took his revenge and rushed back to Angelique.
Even though he knew blackthorn was a terrible agony to nightwalkers—a fiery torment burning them from within—it didn’t seem enough.
The charms.
Tomes caught sight of both pieces hurling from her hold as she flung about in a violent fit, trying to rid herself of the searing nails. Crying out, she used an index talon in an effort to extrude a nail by pushing it on through her body, but before she could finish the job, a great, black wolf lunged in attack.
Tomes clutched Angelique close, not knowing whether the canine was friend or foe, relieved when it went for the female immortal. It took her to the ground and pinned her down with a ruthless growl before shape-shifting into Jordon.
“Thank God. Jordon, I need you here!” Tomes called for the daywalker’s help. “It’s Angel. She’s been stabbed. It’s bad!”
Jordon left Lehndra huffing and squirming and rushed over to examine Angelique’s injury.
“Can you heal her?”
Jordon ran his hands over Angelique’s chest, but the small amount of healing he was able to offer made only a minor difference. “The wound is too severe.”
“Why won’t it work?”
“We can only do so much with mortal’s injuries. I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do for her now.”
“I can’t accept that,” Tomes fought back tears. “I won’t.”
“Corin should know,” Jordon observed the two nightwalkers engaged in a fierce battle.
“Yes…Corin,” Tomes looked at Jordon, realizing their only hope. “There is a way to save her.” He knew what had to be done, and lowering Angelique, he stood and sought Corin’s position. “Corin, It’s Angel. She’s dying!”
* * * *
Corin whirled, the words striking him like a bolt of lightning. Releasing a hellish wail, the evil entity dwelling within him crawled forth from the depths of his being and overtook him. Transmuted beyond nightwalker to that of a full-fledged demon, he was more monster than man.
“W-what power is this?” Boldor stammered and backed away. “I’ve never seen this kind of change before.”
“I’m going to send you to hell,” Corin’s voice deepened. “We end this now!” He charged with a deafening roar, taking Boldor down with demonic force.
Boldor’s bones cracked beneath his weight as they hit the ground, rendering him immobile long enough for Corin to flip him face up and straddle him.
“You are no ordinary nightwalker,” Boldor uttered.
Corin’s mind burned as he glared into his opponents eyes, not able to control what he was becoming. He felt himself turning savage, thirsting for blood…for the kill. All humanity was fading, leaving nothing but the demon. Until this moment, he had never allowed his monster full release, only now discovering the full magnitude of the hellish entity he harbored.
“You.” He clutched Boldor’s head in his hands, still retaining enough of himself to know he wanted the nightwalker dead. “To hell!” His voice was unrecognizable…fearsome.
Boldor struggled, but he was no match for Corin’s demon. “You win, von Vadim. Don’t kill me. I’ll walk away and you’ll never see me again.”
“Too late,” Corin slowly rotated Boldor’s head, and in one barbarous movement, decapitated him with a strength he never knew he had.
Boldor’s remains instantly disintegrated. Their fight was ended, once and for all, the morbid game finally over.
During the final moments of the battle, the Order of the Clythguard had moved in—a pack of wolves—their howls echoing as they encircled the cemetery. Shape-shifting into their human forms, they were an impressive-looking group of immortals.
“You’ve been fully consumed. You must bring yourself back.” Galvar rushed toward Corin. “Regain yourself, before it’s too late.”
“Angel needs you, Corin,” Tomes called out to him. “We’re losing her.”
Even though his human part had plummeted to the darkest depths of his being, he heard his friend’s words, and comprehending what it meant, fought to take back control. Collapsing forward, he thrashed about, engulfed in an internal battle to climb to the surface.
“Fight harder,” Galvar yelled. “Take back control.”
Finally, overpowering the demon, he bridled the evil and confined it deep inside.
“You play a dangerous game,” Galvar leaned over him. “Your physical changes were frightful. The demon you harbor is one to be feared. The strength it took to sever that head with nothing but your bare hands…a powerful monster to behold.”
Corin breathed hard, lying motionless, exhausted from the fight.
“We each carry our own monsters within us that arise from time to time, but yours is of a different rank—a match for the devil himself.” Galvar pulled him up to a sitting position. “Take my advice and keep it caged. You may not be able to bring yourself back next time.”
“I’m all right now,” Corin pushed himself up. “Angelique.” He rushed toward Tomes who called out once again.
Right now, she was all that mattered.
* * * *
With the immortals focused on Corin’s possession, Lehndra managed to slip into the woods, valuing her existence over her aspirations. However, with her body still searing with the embedded blackthorn nails, she found it difficult to concentrate, and therefore couldn’t shape-shift.
Needing to do something, and fast, she grabbed a sturdy stick, and with one strong thrust, rammed it through one of the wounds, pushing the nail out through her back. It was pure agony, but she withheld her cry by sinking her teeth into her arm, muffling any sound that might escape. Then doing the same with the two remaining nails, she finally freed herself from the tormenting fire, and regained the ability to shape-shift. Without hesitation, she quickly turned to vapor and fled before anyone became aware of her escape. She was once again on the run.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Changed
Corin fell to his knees alongside Tomes and took Angelique from his hold. He pulled her close and looked into her ever-dimming eyes.
“Do you s-see him?” she said through gasps.
“See who, my love?” Corin brushed away a tear trailing her right cheek.
“The a-angel.” She struggled to talk, her body trembling. “He’s h-here.”
“What is she talking about?” Tomes looked at Corin.
“It’s the Angel of Death.” Corin couldn’t bear her suffering. “She’s teetering on the brink and Death is here to collect her soul.”
“I’m so sorry.” Jordon knelt next to Corin, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder.
“You all act like there’s no hope, but she can be saved,” Tomes said. “Corin, you can save her.”
“The only way would be to change her—make her immortal,” Corin told him. “And I won’t damn her to that fate.”
“We can’t just stand by and watch her die. God forgive me for this, but I’d rather have her changed than snatched through death’s door.”
Tomes’s words surprised Corin, knowing how he despised the undead. He’d fought so hard to save his sister from the very thing he was now asking for.
“You saw what I was just now, Tomes, how can you ask me to condemn her with such a curse?”
“With you, I know she’ll be fine. You haven’t lost your humanity, and she won’t either. I know what she means to you, Corin. What you mean to her.”
“Yes.” Corin caressed Angelique’s face with the back of his fingers. “I don’t want to let her go.”
“We don’t have to lose her,” Tomes pleaded.
Corin couldn’t deny wanting to keep her with him. But the Angel of Death stood among them, lingering, ready to collect her soul and guide her to her afterlife. Heaven awaited. A beautiful heaven. And if he changed her, she’d never see that paradise.
“I would be robbing you of the light…of heaven,” he whispered to her. “Of your soul.”
“Ch-change me, m-my love,” Angelique made her own request in a faint voice. It’s w-what I want.”
“I promised you anything. Anything in my power to give.”
With those words he lifted her and sank his fangs into her neck. Jordon backed away, giving him space, pulling Tomes with him.
Corin released his bite and lowered her to the ground, making a cut across his left wrist with an extended nail. “Drink of me.” He pressed his bleeding wrist to her mouth, stroking her throat, making sure she swallowed enough for the exchange.
Tomes turned away. “Forgive me, God, but I couldn’t bear to lose another loved one.”
Corin sealed the slash on his wrist then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll be waiting.” He swept his hand over her eyes, helping her fall into a trance.
“She won’t come back like Louisa, will she?” Tomes feared.
“Her body isn’t damaged to the extent Louisa’s was due to the autopsy. I believe the transformation will take nicely. But only time will tell.”
“How long will it take?”
Galvar stepped in. “Some say seventy-two hours, but the metamorphosis actually differs from person to person. It can take longer, but the quicker the better.”
Tomes reached for Angelique’s hand. “What will happen to her now?”
“With the virus upon her, she will face Death,” Galvar continued to explain. “The angel will take her soul, but in the end, she will retain the memory of who she was in life. With the miracle of transformation, her body will undergo repair and she will eventually awaken, immortal.”
“I won’t be able to rest until I know she’s Okay,” Tomes agonized.
“Nor will I,” Corin said. “Forgive me, Tomes.”
“I asked you to change her,” Tomes reminded him.
“Not Angelique. Boldor. I promised you vengeance and I took the kill from you.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Just as you were consumed by that monster, I was overcome by my own rage. Besides, in my condition, I couldn’t have taken him on and survived it. I’m satisfied and grateful that you avenged Louisa for me.”
With Corin and Angelique settled, Galvar turned and addressed the Order. “What do we know of the charms?”
“The Heart has been recovered but the Body was not found.” A nightwalker stepped forward with the Heart of the Clyth and handed the charm to Galvar. “Lehndra must still be in possession of it, and she’s gotten away.”
“Unfortunate, but we have the Heart, and it will never leave our watch again,” Galvar declared.
“What about these?” An immortal approached with the amber gemstones Boldor had possessed. “They didn’t disintegrate with Karlot.”
“They are charmed,” Galvar held one up and viewed the insect inside. “We will take them. They may be of use to us.”
“You should know, Galvar, I disclosed the secret of the Order to Corin,” Jordon confessed.
“This was a special circumstance. And because of this immortal, the Heart is returned to us. But I suppose I shouldn’t let you go without punishment, something to fit the crime—Lehndra.”
Jordon groaned. “With her on the run, I guess my job isn’t finished yet.”
“You still have work to do,” Galvar replied.
“I suppose the fact that she’s of ancient Delghorlin blood is still an issue, even after all of this?”
“Everything remains the same. She mustn’t be killed, only captured,” Galvar stressed. “Leave her fate to the Order, Jordon. Remember what I told you about repercussions. Think of the consequences before you act.”
“I can’t say I’m happy about it, but I understand.”
Galvar pressed a hand against his shoulder. “Keep us informed.”
Jordon nodded. “I’ll report soon.”
Galvar called out to the Order. “Prepare to depart as we arrived— wolves.” The immortals shifted, but the commander held off changing form. “My friend,” he spoke to Corin, “the monster inside of you is a rare power, but remember, your human side has proven to be stronger.”
“The girl will give him all the strength he needs,” Jordon said.
“Yes.” Galvar nodded. “Love is a mighty power in itself. Use that.”
Standing next to Jordon, Corin extended a hand to the leader of the Order. “I will.”
Galvar shook it. “Good life to you.”
He then bid them farewell, transformed, and took his place at the front of the pack. Releasing a howl, he led the Order of the Clythguard into the woods, gone as quickly as they’d arrived, a passing wind in the night.
“Who were those guys, anyway?” Sheriff Pierson emerged from the backdrop, the manner of his question causing Tomes, Corin, and Jordon to burst out laughing. Amid all of the chaos, they had completely forgotten about him.
Jordon approached him with a slap to his back. “Those were the good guys, Sheriff, and they were with me,” he bragged. “It took two years, but I finally got my man. I always do.”
“I think Mr. von Vadim got your man, Marshal Black,” Pier
son busted his bubble.
Jordon cut his eyes at Corin with a wry grin. “If we have to get technical.”
“Since the agency doesn’t seem too concerned with the measures you take when it comes to ‘getting your man,’ I suppose all of this will just be added to your growing list of presumed dead reports,” Pierson said.
“What other kind is there?” Jordon boasted.
“I sure wish I knew how I to explain this one,” Pierson fretted. “I don’t even have a body to produce.”
“There’s no explaining the truth, Sheriff. Don’t jeopardize your position by spouting stories of immortal shape-shifters. Just make something up. Create a death. Have him burned up in a fire or lost in that black river of yours,” Jordon suggested.
“It’s hard to believe you work under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice. You make it sound so easy.”
“After two years of hunting a killer, this is the easy part,” Jordon told him.
“I’ll come up with something. I have no choice.” Pierson looked at Angelique. “Is she going to be okay?”
Corin nodded. “She’ll go through transformation and will awaken immortal.”
“Well, I’d best get moving,” Jordon faced Corin. “I don’t want my new assignment to get too far ahead of me.”
“Can I ask that you show me your true appearance before you go,” Corin requested.
“Why not.” Jordon’s age melted away revealing a younger version of himself.
“What the…. You’re just a kid!” Pierson exclaimed.
“Precisely why the aging is necessary,” Jordon said to Corin.
“Will we see you again?” Corin asked. “I’m interested in learning more about your world. Maybe even make that visit we talked about.”
“When this job is done, I’ll drop in for a little RNR. I’m sure I’ll need it after dealing with Lehndra.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” Corin let him know he was welcome. “Don’t you have a car? Do you need one of us to pick it up?”
“I’ll have someone take care of it.”
Corin & Angelique (After the Fall of Night) Page 29
