Derick quickly pulled her close. He put his forehead against hers and held her close. “That was the single greatest experience of my life, to this point, no exaggeration. You are so incredibly sexy and seductive that you made me burst in my pants. That has never happened to me before. I’m breathless at the thought of having you completely,” he kissed her before she could respond.
Annie was downright giddy. For a moment, she thought about keeping him forever, regardless of the cost, until she remembered the consequences associated with staying with him. She scolded herself for her weakness. Placing her hand on his face, she studied his carefree features and told herself that she would never forget him.
Derick made his body move away from hers and walked over to the camera on the offering table. “Damn, the battery’s dead. It sometimes happens when there’s an energy field or a spirit around. They tend to drain the batteries. Maybe it caught whatever was hiding in the doorway before it died,” he tried the spare battery pack from Annie’s belt and swore when that one didn’t work either. His handheld camera was his last resort, but that one was a goner too. “We need to head back to base. Everything’s dead,” Derick sighed. He grabbed the walkie-talkie, which was flashing its low battery light too, and called for Wedge to get more battery packs ready.
Annie had a feeling she might have been the reason for the battery drain. Her power tended to slip out in moments of passion. She was surprised she hadn’t caused the room to quake and the walls to crumble. Perhaps, she was getting better at controlling herself.
“I’m kind of glad since I think I need a bathroom,” she chuckled.
He chuckled when he thought about his own reason to clean up.
They gathered their gear and set off for home base.
Chapter 8
Alazar awoke from his fitful sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face. It was ingrained into his subconscious. After years of wondering what she might look like, it was strange to know every line, every curve of her face. He no longer had to guess her eye color, or hair color. The face of his greatest enemy was now known and there would be no more hiding from her.
He kept thinking about her outstretched hand. The look of surprise on her face when he cut her proved that she believed he would go willingly with her. She thought that he would roll over and let her take possession of him. How wrong she was. He was going to do more than cut her palm the next time he saw her.
Giving up on the idea of sleep, he tested his body for any lingering pain. Mercifully, he was healed. He rose from his bed to find that he actually felt good, better than he had in centuries. He didn’t want to ponder the reasons, but was grateful since he didn’t want to face the Destroyer with a handicap. It was only a matter of time before she found her way to the castle, once she exhausted her search of the city. He had been duped by her beauty and surprised by her strength. He wouldn’t allow himself to be fooled by her again.
He leaned over the wash basin and splashed water on his face. He needed to be ready to confront his Master again, and find a way to kill her.
“It’s a banner day when someone can sneak up on Death,” a voice called from behind him.
He looked over his shoulder and saw a perky brunette in a bright skintight blue dress and ankle-twisting heels standing in the entryway. Her blue eyes were cold and calculating as she cocked her hip and waited to be acknowledged.
“Rough day. Consider yourself lucky that I didn’t shoot first and ask questions later. I don’t like intruders,” he sneered at her. He wiped his face with his sleeve and turned to face the woman.
“That’s no way to greet a friend,” Cassie strolled across the bleak room, carefully avoiding the broken floor.
“We aren’t friends. Never have been, never will be and so help me Heaven above, if I have to call you my friend, then it’s truly a worse day than I thought,” he grimaced. He squared his shoulders and approached her.
“You’re hurting my feelings on purpose, and after everything I have done for you! You are a monster,” Cassie pouted. She relaxed against the cracked wall, putting her flawless body on display for him.
“I hope you’re trying to seduce me looking like that. The last time you seduced me, we made a deal that I still haven’t seen a return on. Wouldn’t you agree, Maraquette?” Alazar spit out her true name as he backed away from her stunning body, before that body threw him in front of a moving bus driven by Michael and the Celestial Warriors. “Why the change in appearance? I don’t like brunettes.”
Maraquette shook out her long dark hair, returning it to its original dazzling red and blinked causing her blue eyes to turn back to jade green.
“I’m trying to make good on my promise right now, hence the disguise. I just need a little assistance,” she battered her cat-shaped green eyes at him, waiting for him to calm down. She knew he was mad that their deal was taking longer to fulfill than expected.
“I refuse to strike another deal until you make good on the first one. Need I remind you that you promised to kill my Master, the Destroyer, the Bringer of the Apocalypse, Anjali, and above all, Lucifer’s little whore? I assure you that she is very much alive, so don’t lie to me. If you think that I’m going to kill our dear brother Michael before Anjali is dead, you’re deluded, so don’t ask. Why haven’t you killed her yet? On second thought, I don’t care. I think I’ll deal with Anjali myself and call Michael here to take your head,” he licked his lips at the thought of watching her lose her head, from a distance, far away from Michael. He didn’t trust Maraquette any more than he trusted Anjali.
“I’m not asking for another deal, I just need your help. You won’t regret it,” she smiled, pushing her bountiful breasts toward him to distract him.
“I already regret it. Whatever you want will probably get me killed, so the answer is no. You made the deal, so you can deliver on it, if I let you survive the day,” Alazar knew she was trying to weasel out of their pact by pretending to need help so that he had to personally get involved. Ultimately, she would betray him and he would be the one missing his head. “You have until midnight to make good on our agreement, or I will kill you myself,” he moved closer and locked his eyes on hers.
Maraquette flinched and lowered her eyes. “I need more time,” fear slipped into her voice, but she didn’t retreat. While Alazar’s power couldn’t hurt her, he was more than capable of killing her in more traditional ways.
She needed more time. How convenient since he was out of time. It was an interesting coincidence having Maraquette reappear after months of being away just as the Destroyer made her presence known.
He whipped around and grabbed her by the throat, nearly knocking the washing table over. He threw her against the wall and pressed against her windpipe. “You brought her here, didn’t you? You thought you’d trick me. You couldn’t kill her, so you brought her here to take possession of me, or kill me, so that you wouldn’t have to honor our deal. Clever, but it won’t work. I’ll take your head now and avoid any further problems,” he growled in her ear.
Maraquette tried to pry Alazar’s fingers from her throat. It was difficult to speak but she managed to choke out the words. “Bring who here?”
“Like you don’t know that Anjali is here and hunting me. Your plan almost worked,” he snickered as his fingers dug into her soft flesh.
Maraquette quickly unfurled her black wings and propelled herself off the wall. Using her forward motion, she took Alazar by surprise and pushed him away from her. She stumbled, but tried to keep herself from falling on her face. Coughing and gasping for breath, she steadied herself against the bookshelf.
“You’ve finally lost your mind. The Destroyer isn’t here. The city is still standing. She would have torn the city apart if she knew you were here,” she rubbed her throat, trying to soothe the nail marks.
Alazar caught himself on the bed frame and stood up. “I guess you haven’t seen downtown yet. The bitch threw me through a wall, but I’m sure you already knew that. Don�
��t play stupid darling, it’s not becoming.”
Maraquette was stunned by Alazar’s accusations. He had no reason to lie about his Master’s appearance. “Oh dear Lord above, apparently my plan has worked faster than intended,” she shook off the pain and stood up. If Anjali were already in town, then she needed to work fast.
“What are you babbling about? You know what; I don’t care. I want you gone,” he was done with Maraquette’s crap. It was time for her to go, permanently.
“Give me 24 hours, Alazar, and your Master will be taken care of,” she pleaded as Alazar’s face grew cold and he hunched lower to pursue her. Knowing that she was cornered, she pulled the wash table with her power and threw it at him.
Alazar smashed through the wash table with his arm, splintering the wood and glass. He grabbed Maraquette when she tried to dart in the opposite direction, toward the bed. He pulled her by the wrist and hurled her through the bookshelf, demolishing the old wooden case. He caged her against the wall by pressing his body against hers before she could rebound from the hit. Pinning her shoulders, he held her off-balance over the broken pile of wood and books.
“I’m done with you,” Alazar positioned his forearm against her collarbone and held out his free hand to summon his dagger.
“I brought you a peace offering,” she spoke quickly, hoping to piqué his interest.
“I don’t believe you,” he knew better than to trust her, but was still intrigued.
“There’s a group of mortals in the castle running around in the dark. They are all yours. I figured that you might want fresh blood. This town is on to your shenanigans. This crew has no idea who you are and how dangerous you can be. Besides, most of them are Heaven-bound, just the way you like them,” Maraquette tried to make her proposition sound enticing, but it was difficult with her back bent over the bookshelf, cutting her breath in half.
“Whenever you open your mouth, it gets me into trouble. Why should I care about these mortals? I can leave this place any time I want and find my own temptees. Why are they so special that you had to bring them here and how will they help you to kill Anjali?” Alazar knew there was more to this game. Maraquette was wily and smart. She wasn’t telling him everything.
“Don’t worry about the details; just know that your Master will die. Admittedly, my first plan failed, but I swear that I will kill her this time. I know what to do, just grant me the time. Please Alazar; you know that I want her dead as much as you do,” she begged, avoiding his icy stare.
Alazar knew how much Maraquette hated Anjali. It was the only truthful thing to come from her conniving mouth. It might be worth using Maraquette to distract his Master so that he could issue the deathblow himself, if needed. Changing his strategy, he backed away and let Maraquette stand up. “What do you need help with?”
Dragging air into her lungs, she regained her composure and straightened her dress. She hated when he wasn’t in the mood to play. It was best not to show Death that she was afraid of him, so she did her best to tempt him with her body, though his painful attack hindered her A game.
“I just need you to play with the mortals and keep them busy, but leave the marked one alone. I promise that I will not only kill your Master, but I will make her suffer greatly,” Maraquette purred as she brushed her fingers along his defined jaw. She hated flirting with Alazar, but it was the only way to redirect his rage into something safer.
Alazar was numb despite her warm fingers on him. He tried to feel aroused by her touch and her splendid breasts pressed against his chest, but he couldn’t muster anything other than disdain. He had never cared for Maraquette. Despite letting her get past his defenses from time to time, and reminding him why Father made men and women different and connectable, he knew that he was playing with fire when dealing with her.
“Fine, I’ll take care of the mortals and I’ll leave the marked one alone, for now, but I swear to you, if you fail to kill Anjali, or if you even think about double-crossing me, I will end you, my way. It won’t be pretty,” Alazar growled and took a step back. He maintained his distance so that she couldn’t touch him again.
“I won’t fail. I know what’s at stake. Take care of the mortals and let me do the rest,” Maraquette swung her long red hair at him and marched out of the room.
Alazar watched her storm away. He was happy to see her go, though he should have demanded that she blow him, like last time, but didn’t want her teeth anywhere near him.
Whatever Maraquette had in store for his Master, she’d better finish the job this time; otherwise, the world would be safe from one more Rogue.
Alazar waved his hands and put on fresh clothes. He had a group of mortals to entertain, provided that Maraquette wasn’t setting him up, which was entirely possible.
∞
Annie headed back to home base after her trip to the ladies’ room. She had excused herself so that she could hide for a minute to regroup. She should have disappeared and left Derick before it became even more difficult, but she just couldn’t make herself leave.
While she was busy thinking about how Derick’s mouth had felt on her body, she nearly collided with Cassie, who ambushed her at the entrance to the foyer. Cassie stepped into her path and locked her eyes on Annie. Cassie looked her up and down and frowned as if she were trying to figure something out.
“Is there a problem?” Annie asked sarcastically. The woman never failed to piss her off.
“Where did you say you were from?” Cassie’s eyes shrewdly watched Annie’s reaction to the question.
“New Jersey,” Annie replied without skipping a beat. “Where did you come from?” Annie’s question mimicked Cassie’s hostility.
“Oh yes, the Constitution State, known for its flowers,” Cassie smiled and nodded, ignoring Annie’s snipe.
“No, that would be Connecticut, though I don’t know about the flowers. Jersey is the Garden State, known for its tomatoes, but nice try. I would suggest skipping the Jeopardy tryouts,” Annie smiled politely and quickly stepped around Cassie. She had no idea why Cassie would quiz her on her hometown. It was possible that she ran a background check on her, which wouldn’t go well.
Derick looked up at her when she entered the foyer and seemed relieved to see her. The feeling was mutual. No matter how many times she saw him, she couldn’t help but be undone by his beauty and charm.
Josilyn’s swearing behind Derick caught her attention and made her focus on something other than Derick’s mischievous eyes. The sight of Josilyn holding a stark white bandage made her freeze.
“What happened?” she asked Derick, fearing the worst.
Josilyn answered before Derick could speak. “Morgan gashed his arm on a rock when he tripped over some debris,” Josilyn replied quickly as she fussed over Morgan’s arm.
Annie peered around Derick and saw Morgan sitting with his arm on one of the tables. He had a bloody gash on his forearm.
“Is he okay?” Annie calmed down when she heard that it was an accident.
“Yes, but the problem is he didn’t drag Pete back with him. Morgan knows better than to leave him behind. Pete just doesn’t know when to give up. He should have lied and told Pete that he needed help getting back,” Josilyn ranted. She roughly squirted ointment on the cut.
Morgan snorted. “You know how stubborn he is. He said it felt like someone was in the room. Nothing was going to make him leave,” Morgan protested as he tried to pull his arm away from Josilyn.
“I swear to God, if anything happens to him up there, you’ll be bleeding from more places than just your arm. You know the rules; you don’t leave anyone behind, even if it’s Pete,” Josilyn yelled. She snatched his arm back and taped the bandage on.
“He’s up there alone?” Annie couldn’t hide her dread. He was an easy target by himself.
Morgan quickly stood up and walked away from a frantic Josilyn. “He said he would be back in ten minutes. He didn’t want me bleeding all over the equipment, so I left. God only knows what k
ind of germs are in this place. Besides, it wasn’t a rock; I told you it could have been metal. It might have been rusty,” he groaned loudly.
“Has anyone heard from Pete?” Annie looked at Derick and Josilyn, hoping that Pete wasn’t in trouble.
Derick shot a look at Josilyn, who shrugged and grimaced. Derick rolled his eyes and grabbed Morgan’s walkie-talkie.
“Pete buddy, give me your location. You’d better be on your way back to base,” Derick said, sounding annoyed.
He waited, but there was no response.
“Pete, I swear, if you’re screwing with me, I’ll kick your ass. Answer me, where are you?” Derick’s voice got louder as he spoke.
No response.
“Derick, I think we should go look for him,” Annie hurried over to him and put her hand on his arm.
“I think you’re right. He might have dropped his walkie-talkie along the way, which has happened before. Morgan mentioned a lot of missing steps and doorways that lead to nowhere. Stay here and I’ll go get him. It isn’t safe on the upper levels,” Derick replied. The thought of seeing Annie hurt nearly crippled him.
“I’m not letting you go alone. Come on, we’re wasting time,” she grabbed two flashlights and headed for the entry to the main hall.
Wedge grabbed an extra walkie and handed it to Josilyn. “Here, give this one to Annie; she and Derick might have to split up to search for Pete,” Wedge looked concerned, but acted calmly.
Josilyn handed Annie the walkie. “Good luck,” she whispered.
“Thanks. Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” Annie nodded and looked down at the walkie to turn it on.
Derick smiled at Annie’s tenacity. He grabbed Morgan’s map and made him point out the route they had taken to the upper floors. Morgan circled the room where he had left Pete and warned Derick of the pitfalls.
Annie turned to see Cassie standing in her path, yet again. “I don’t think either of you should go. Josilyn is in charge of tracking down investigators when they take a wrong turn. That’s her job. I need Derick to finish his investigation since we are very behind. We can’t waste any more time. As it is, I think we need to speed up our timetable. Derick should investigate the dungeon tonight instead of tomorrow. Josilyn and Morgan can help Peter finish his investigation. Douglas and I will stay in home base and keep track of everyone. You can continue filming with Derick, or you can leave,” Cassie narrowed her eyes, challenging Annie to leave.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 21
