Winged Reaper

by Shelley Russell Nolan

  ‘If you have come to see if we are honouring our part of the deal, you can rest assured my men are keeping watch over your brother, his wretched mother, and your detective.’

  The tightness in my chest eased and I let out a sigh. Sam wasn’t alone.

  I walked over to him. ‘We came to help you fight Almorthanos. He needs to be stopped, now.’

  ‘We will call upon you when we are in a position to move against him. We need time to regroup, heal, before we face our ancient enemy again.’

  ‘We can’t wait. He’s taken hundreds of people hostage and he’s going to kill them if I don’t surrender to him before midnight tonight.’

  Killian raised his eyebrows. ‘A regrettable set of circumstances, certainly, but hardly our concern.’

  I stared up at him, stunned he could be so callous. ‘How can you say that? You promised me Cade would kill Almorthanos as soon as he was released from Demania, and it never happened. You let him get away, and if you don’t help me do something about it innocent people are going to die.’

  He glowered over me. ‘Many of our people died that night, some of them while protecting your family. Don’t you dare tell me this hostage situation is our fault.’

  I put my hands up in a placating manner. ‘I’m sorry, I know you lost people. I did too. Malia killed my cousin, just after I got her back.’ My eyes stung and I rubbed at them to forestall tears.

  ‘You reaped her soul. That’s how this happened, isn’t it?’ He indicated the body I now inhabited. ‘You took over her body, just like Malia did.’ His lips thinned and his eyes bored into mine.

  I dipped my head, breaking eye contact, guilt digging acid tipped nails into my stomach. ‘It was an accident and I would give anything to go back, to stop this from happening,’ I said. ‘But I can’t so I have to focus on what I can do, and that is making sure no one else dies because of me.’

  He rubbed his chin, eyes narrowed. ‘If you are so determined to save your fellow humans then perhaps you should turn yourself in. Your surrender could even prove to be useful. While Almorthanos is occupied with you, it would give us more time to prepare. Cade has returned to Angellin to rally the rest of our forces. When he gets back we will have the advantage of superior numbers and be able to pick a time and place of our choosing for the final battle.’

  ‘Tyler surrendering will never be an option.’ Chris strode forward and gripped the front of Killian’s shirt. ‘You hear me?’

  ‘She might not have a choice,’ Killian said, a smirk curving his lips. ‘Not if she wants the hostages to live.’

  Chris let Killian go and turned to me. ‘Don’t listen to him. There’s still time for Lockwood and his buddies to save the day.’

  I shook my head, knowing it was wishful thinking, and seeing from the desperation in Chris’s eyes he did too. To free the hostages, we needed Killian’s help. If I couldn’t convince him I would have no choice but to give Almorthanos what he wanted.

  ‘The longer you wait the stronger Almorthanos will become,’ I said. ‘You’ve been stuck on this plane long enough to know there are many humans who will flock to join him. You need to move against him now, before he gets too strong.’

  Killian shook his head. ‘I will not move against him until I am ordered to do so by my clan leader. You can either sacrifice yourself to buy the hostages’ freedom or remain here until Cade is ready to lead our army and help us wipe out our enemy once and for all.’

  I glared at Killian. ‘I am not going to sit back and let them slaughter more innocent people. There has to be a way to stop him.’

  ‘Good luck finding it.’

  Angry words crowded my mouth but before I could let them out Rhonda and Connor were led into the room. I shook my head at them. ‘It’s no use. He won’t help us.’

  ‘Then it’s time to leave town,’ said Rhonda. ‘We need to get as far away from Easton as possible.’

  ‘I’m not leaving. Not while innocent people are in danger.’

  Rhonda tossed her hair. ‘Grow up, Tyler. People are always in danger. You don’t owe those people anything. We need to save ourselves. Leave the fighting to Cade and the rest of his clan. If we’re lucky they’ll all kill each other and we can finally get our lives back.’

  I glared at Rhonda. ‘You can leave, but I’m staying.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Connor as he moved to my side.

  Rhonda threw her hands in the air. ‘You’re going to get us all killed. Do you even have a plan?’

  I sucked in a deep breath. ‘No, but I have to do something.’

  I headed for the door, with Rhonda and Connor at my back. When I reached the end of the hall I realised Chris wasn’t with us. I walked back into the room and found him deep in conversation with Killian, both with their backs turned to me.

  ‘Can it be done?’ Chris’s deep voice thrummed with hope.

  ‘It is possible. I will have to converse with Cade. If he agrees, there will be a price.’

  ‘Understood.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ I asked.

  Both men spun around. Before Killian could say anything, Chris strode towards me. ‘It’s nothing, a personal matter, one between me and my … father.’ His mouth screwed up in a grimace.

  I looked passed him to where Killian stood watching us, a thoughtful expression on his rugged face. He gave me a slow nod and walked over to the desk and sat, seemingly dismissing us from his mind as he perused the papers scattered across it.

  Chris took hold of my elbow, steering me out the door. ‘We need to get hold of Lockwood, see what help the police will be in freeing those hostages.’

  I let it drop for now, though surprised Chris was willing to call Cade his father. Not that he’d looked happy about naming him as such. But he was right, now was not the time to worry about family relationships.

  As we walked down the hall my mobile phone rang, and I fished it out of my pocket. ‘Sam?’

  ‘SERT just radioed in, there’s no one guarding the hostages. The Tr’lirians locked them in the pavilion and left.’ Sam’s voice was tight, troubled.

  I stopped walking. ‘Wait, no, that doesn’t make sense. They must be watching them from the astral plane.’

  ‘If they were, why would they let us free the hostages?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ I rubbed my eyes, struggling to understand why Almorthanos would let the hostages go after all the effort to capture them, the video, and the ultimatum he’d sent me. ‘Maybe something went wrong, and they had to leave.’

  ‘The whole set up stinks. Are you still at the compound?’

  ‘We were just about to leave.’

  ‘Don’t. It’s the safest place you could be right now. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.’

  ‘Okay,’ I said, ‘but don’t take –’

  A loud blast rocked the building and I fell to my knees, still clutching the phone to my ear. Shouts sounded in the distance quickly followed by another explosion.

  ‘Tyler, what’s wrong?’ Sam asked, voice tight. ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘They’re here,’ I said as black winged Tr’lirian’s flooded into the hall from every direction. One of the invaders ripped the phone out of my hand and dropped it on the ground, while another held a syringe that he jabbed in the side of my neck.

  I dropped to the ground, dazed, drifting in and out of consciousness as I heard cries of pain from all around me. I fought to keep my eyes open, willing myself to stay awake, to protect Chris and the others. But I couldn’t hold back the darkness. It swept over me, and the last thing I heard was Sam calling my name.

  35

  I groaned, head pounding, thoughts sluggish as I struggled to open my eyes. They felt so heavy, like they’d been clamped shut. I eventually opened them. Then wished I hadn’t.

  Almorthanos loomed over me, satisfaction in his heavy lidded gaze. ‘Ah, my sleeping beauty wakes.’

  I struggled to move, to get away, fear spiking when I realised I lay on a bed, wrists and ankles ti
ed to the corners. I twisted my body, pulling on the ropes, breath coming in gasps, barely registering the pain as the ropes bit into my skin.

  ‘Shhh, Tyler.’ He caressed my cheek, deep brown eyes never leaving mine. ‘Don’t be frightened. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to make you mine, forever.’

  I froze, staring up at him, horrified by the desire that lit his gaze. Never breaking eye contact, he sat beside me and I shuddered as wave after wave of his will poured into me, seeking to dominate, to mould me to a shape of his liking. I resisted, tried to turn aside but his hands shifted to grip either side of my head, holding me immobile.

  He lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine.

  I clamped my mouth shut, tried to pull my head away, but his will continued to batter at my defences even as his tongue forced its way between my lips. I was drowning, senses reeling, as he bombarded my body both physically and emotionally. He was all I could feel, his desire, his overwhelming need to possess me as he plundered my mouth.

  I sucked in air when he detangled his lips from mine.

  ‘I own you,’ he said.

  ‘No.’ I shook my head, marshalling my mental defences as I felt for the reaper inside me. This time I would not hesitate. I was going to rip out his soul and watch it burn. But I couldn’t connect, couldn’t feel that part of me anymore. My focus drifted, vision blurring as I failed again and again to summon my powers.

  ‘What have you done to me?’ I forced my eyes to stay open, using anger to keep the fog at bay.

  ‘Just a little something to keep you relaxed. Make you more pliable. It wouldn’t do to have you reap my soul while we’re in the middle of getting acquainted. By the time I’m done, the drug will no longer be necessary and you will have no thought but to serve me whenever and however I want.’

  He captured my mouth again, his will pounding into me even stronger than before. He lowered his body onto mine, settling between my thighs, his weight pushing me deeper into the mattress. Unable to escape, I acted on instinct.

  I shut down, tuning out what was happening as I delved deeper into my consciousness, focusing on the beat of my heart and nothing else. My body went slack. Dimly, I felt Almorthanos shift off me. He gave me a shake but it was as if it was happening to someone else.

  His will still slammed into me, but with no resistance, nothing to fight, it had little effect. All I could feel, all I could hear, was the beat of my heart as it gradually grew stronger, louder, drowning out everything else.

  Minutes, hours, I have no idea how long it took before cruel fingers pried my eyes open, harsh light drilling into me. Tears formed as I fought to blink and was stopped from doing so. I wrenched my head free, coming back to myself, my immediate anxiety soothed when I realised I could still feel the steady rhythm of my heart, even if the sound of it no longer filled my ears.

  I was on my side, relieved beyond measure to find I was no longer tied to the bed. I now lay on a hard surface, but that was all I had a chance to realise before someone kicked me in the stomach. Air whooshed out of my lungs and I curled into the foetal position to try to alleviate the pain.

  ‘Leave her alone, you bastard.’

  Sam’s shout and the sound of a scuffle that followed it forced the last of my air to be expelled. What was he doing here? He was in town, at the show grounds, when the Tr’lirians attacked the compound. He shouldn’t be here.

  Wheezing, cradling my stomach, I shuffled into a sitting position and looked for him.

  Sam, a Tr’lirian holding him back, was part of a large group stationed in the middle of the compound’s main room. Chris, Connor, Rhonda, Killian, they were all here, as well as many of the men and woman who had been patrolling the grounds. But they were not going to be able to help me.

  Two rings of black winged Tr’lirians surrounded them, one in the astral plane and one outside of it, cutting off the main route of escape for Killian and his men.

  My eyes sought Sam’s, still struggling to understand how he could be here. How any of this could be possible.

  ‘The hostages, they were a diversion.’ Weak, thready, my voice wavered as it all fell into place.

  ‘And a fine one at that.’ Almorthanos’s smug voice came from behind me and I shifted around, still not willing to trust my legs on an attempt to stand.

  He sat at Killian’s desk, feet up on the blotter, dark eyes filled with derision. ‘You ran straight to Godden, begging for help, and all I had to do was follow you.’

  I wanted to close my eyes, to pretend none of this was happening and I hadn’t led my enemies to Killian’s compound. Instead I got to my feet and faced Almorthanos.

  He swung his feet to the floor and stood. ‘You and I will finish what we started later. Right now I need you to help me prepare the warmest of welcomes for Cade. I’m sure those I allowed to flee have made it to Angellin and informed him of the situation. He’ll be winging his way here, but he’s going to be too late.’ He shifted his gaze to Killian. ‘All he’ll find will be bodies and my army ready to bury him alongside them.’

  Almorthanos waved his hand and his men swarmed over the captives, plucking Sam, Chris, Connor and Rhonda out of the crowd, dragging them forward, forcing them to kneel in front of me. In a repeat of what happened at the cemetery, men took up positions behind them with swords held to their throats. Two others came to stand either side of me, their swords ready to plunge into my body if I made a wrong move.

  I sucked in a breath, digging my nails into my palms to steady myself. Letting panic overtake me would help no one.

  Before I could do anything, the double doors were flung open and Malia sauntered in, decked out in a flowing red gown made of a gossamer fabric that revealed more than it concealed. The V-neckline dipped down almost to her waist while thigh-high slits exposed her legs with each step she took. She frowned as she took in the line of people kneeling on the ground in front of me.

  ‘I gave specific orders Detective Lockwood was not to be harmed.’ She glared at Almorthanos. ‘I told you, he’s mine.’

  I’m sure my nails drew blood from my palms at the possessive tone of her voice. Sam would never be hers. I reached inside me, searching for the part that made me a reaper, hoping the drug I’d been given had worn off enough for me to reap hers and Almorthanos’s souls. Surrounded by the enemy, outnumbered, I knew I wouldn’t live long after killing them, but the confusion might give Sam and the others a chance to get away.

  ‘Relax, sister dear. Your man will not be harmed, as long as Tyler behaves herself.’ He smiled at me. ‘You will behave yourself, won’t you, my love? You will do exactly what I ask of you, when I ask it, or those you hold most dear will be the ones to pay the price.’

  ‘What do you want from me?’ Warmth blossomed in my chest and I stamped down my relief at being able to access my power to reap, not wanting to give away my intentions.

  ‘I want you to reap their souls.’

  Eyes wide, breathing speeding up, I stared at him. ‘No. Wait. You said Sam would be safe, and the others, if I did what you asked.’

  ‘Not their souls. Theirs.’ He pointed at Killian and his men. ‘I want Cade to arrive and find his people dead at the hands of my pet reaper, their souls obliterated.’

  My eyes found Killian. He stood tall and proud, despite the new bruises adorning his face. He hadn’t given in without a fight, none of his people had. His steady gaze showed no sign of fear or defeat as he waited to see what I would do.

  ‘Well, my love. Who dies today? Your friends or those you so foolishly put your trust in?’

  I took several deep breaths, calming my nerves as I drew on my power, feeling it answer my call, filling every part of me. My heartbeat sounded loud in my ears, accompanied by a softer echo. An echo I recognised.

  The necklace. Destroyed when I’d freed Almorthanos from Demania, yet part of its power had remained with me, and I closed my eyes as I focused on its gentle beats. If I could merge with this last piece, add its power to mine, maybe I�
�d have a chance of saving them all.

  A hard shove jolted me out of my trance and I stumbled, hissing as the point of a sword dug into my side.

  ‘Now, Tyler, or they all die.’

  Out of time, I put a hand on my chest, fingers splayed across my collarbone. I gave Killian a nod, hoping he understood what I was trying to tell him. He tipped his chin in response and I almost smiled.

  I wanted to look over at Sam, to see his face once last time, but knew I would go to pieces if I did.

  This was it. Time to make everything right. Time to join Emily.

  36

  ‘Godden is here.’

  The shout caused a flurry of movement,

  Malia raced to Almorthanos’s side, clinging to him as he barked orders. Dozens more black-winged Tr’lirians flooded into the room, taking up defensive positons around their master and his sister, while others reinforced those watching Killian and his people.

  I gasped, sagging in relief as Cade and a large contingent of white winged Tr’lirians appeared in the astral plane seconds before their forms became solid. Cade’s eyes roamed around the room, shrewd and assessing.

  ‘You’re early, Godden. I was just about to have my pet reaper rip out the souls of your people.’

  At Almorthanos’s words, Cade’s eyes met mine. He stared at me for a long moment, and then, surprisingly, gave a loud booming laugh. ‘If you think this one would ever do your bidding, you are sadly mistaking. She’s no one’s pet, and from what I just observed I’d say it is your soul that is about to be reaped. Yours, and that treacherous bitch you call sister.’

  Almorthanos frowned, and I felt the heavy weight of his gaze and his will slammed into me with staggering force. I straightened my back and glared at him, fighting off the almost overwhelming urge to give in to his mental onslaught.

  I dug deep into my senses, desperate to find the echo I’d heard earlier, searching for the necklace’s heartbeat. There, softer than before, its beat stuttered, smothered by Almorthanos’s will. The sound if it grew fainter and in desperation I wrapped my will around it, hope buoyed when it began to beat louder, stronger, until it was almost a match for my own.