Derick struggled against the ropes. If Alazar wasn’t going to help fight Maraquette, he had to find a way to warn Anjali about the assassination plot.
“That’s enough, mortal. When I get out of these chains, you’re first on my list to die. Forget about Maraquette’s little plan, I will kill you myself. At least I can be guilty of killing one of Anjali’s friends since the Council will hunt me either way,” Alazar locked his eyes on the boy, wishing that he could kill him on the spot.
Alazar let his anger take over and he willed his power to rise, but unfortunately the boy remained breathing. He took a deep breath. He needed to think.
Derick thought about Alazar’s statement. Anjali had mentioned informing a Council and letting them take care of Alazar. She said they would hunt him. That’s when the last piece clicked into place.
“Wait, Anjali accused you of killing Wedge and now this Council is after you. Maraquette planned this better than you think. She killed Wedge to make Anjali believe that you are, whatever you called it, Rogue. Maraquette seriously wants you dead, but why?” Derick was stunned. So much for being crazy, Maraquette had carefully planned everything out.
Alazar stared at Derick in disbelief. This simple mortal had figured it out. It took all of three seconds to realize that he was the biggest chump in the world. Maraquette had set him up, start to finish. She had put the doubt in his head about Anjali not trusting him and then gave Anjali the reason not to trust him. He was going to rip Maraquette’s head off.
“Because I’m the only one who knows what she’s done. She’s killed a lot of innocent people since becoming a Rouge. She knew our deal was over so the bitch changed tactics and painted a target on my head. Maraquette knew that I was planning to choose Anjali and accept her as my Master. She lied to me and said that Anjali would never trust me because she is the Keeper of Distrust. She put the doubt in my mind and then made the boy’s death look like a suicide so that Anjali would think I had refused her. Maraquette made it personal by choosing someone Anjali cared about. I am so stupid,” Alazar needed his head examined.
Balthazar and Aeries were the strategists; they would have seen this coming a mile away. Sacha would have come up with a counterplan and played Maraquette right from the start. Alazar had always been too impulsive to plot against someone, which was why the Destroyer was still alive after years of saying that he wanted to kill her.
He thought back to his conversation with Anjali. The fact remained that she hadn’t believed him when he told her that he hadn’t killed the boy. Alazar froze. Technically, he never denied the allegation. His anger and pride had gotten in the way. He had let her believe that he was guilty. What other choice did she have but to believe that he was guilty?
Alazar closed his eyes and thought about Anjali’s rage when she had appeared in the dungeon. Yes, she was angry about the boy’s death, but she was more upset that he had supposedly denied her offer. She really had wanted him to say yes and join with her. He could have accepted her as his Master that night, but instead he had allowed Maraquette to get inside his head. He had to find a way to fix this.
“Maraquette will use both of us to distract Anjali. When Anjali sees you tied up and finds out that I’m innocent, she will be so angry that she won’t see my dagger aimed at her throat. We’ll all be dead and no one will know that Maraquette was behind the whole thing. She planned this very well, though she really is crazy to believe that Lucifer will take her back. We have to find a way to stop her before she uses you to draw out Anjali,” Alazar cleared away the distrust of his Master and remembered the vow he had made to himself. He would do what he had to do to protect her and make Maraquette suffer for her betrayal.
“Agreed. Now, how the hell do we get out of here?” Derick knew that he’d just made an ally, even if he didn’t like the Angel of Death.
“Unfortunately, I’m stuck. These pretty blue bracelets bind my power and weaken me,” Alazar groaned. It had been a long time since he’d felt this much pain. “It will be easier to free you and then you will have to find a way to break my chains. I probably have about twenty minutes before I black out for a while. If we do escape, you had better not leave me for dead. Unless I lose my head or my heart, I will survive,” Alazar looked around the barn for something useful.
Derick hefted out a breath and looked around for something to work with. Maraquette was nowhere to be seen and Pete was standing guard outside the barn door, pacing. If he were smart, he would still be toting his shotgun.
Derick looked up at Alazar. “I have an idea.”
∞
Anjali watched Michael and his warriors leave the castle without their prize, which was the only lucky break she’d had. She thought about sending them off in the wrong direction, but she didn’t want to involve herself with Michael unless it was absolutely necessary. She knew he wouldn’t be receptive to her request to call off the hunt for Alazar and would probably confront her about the Rusalka problem. It might give Alazar more of a head start, but it would also prevent her from searching for him.
She had gone back to Alazar’s room, but it was exactly as she had left it. He hadn’t come back for any of his belongings, which saddened her. He was a fugitive and had even fewer comforts than before.
Looking out over the bridge of the castle, she tried to figure out where he might have gone. He could be thousands of miles away, but something made her believe he was still in Romania. She had let her power rise to the surface to look for him, but her call wasn’t answered. Still, she had a feeling he was close.
Watching Michael call out orders to the warriors gave her an idea. She saw them leave one by one in different directions and fan out. He would probably send them to the ends of the world to find Death, but she knew from Lucifer that Michael was guilty of pride. No matter who found Alazar, Michael would be the one to capture or kill Alazar. The warriors would understand the rules of engagement. Michael would probably demote anyone who didn’t follow the rules, or worse, kick them out.
She knew her best bet was to stay close to Michael. He would save the best territories for himself and let the rest search in Antarctica just to say that they covered all possible areas. All she had to do was wait for Michael to find Alazar. Even if one of the others found Alazar first, Alazar should be able to handle himself against the average warrior. Michael would pose the biggest threat if Gabriel and Lucifer were to be believed.
Lying low, she waited until all the angels disappeared, leaving only Michael. He looked out over the area and sighed. He disappeared and reappeared at the bottom of the ravine below the castle. The hunt was on.
She changed back into her tourist clothes and followed Michael, but made sure to keep a safe distance.
Quickly moving through the area, Michael searched the city and made his way out to the farmlands on the outskirts of town. Thankfully, he wasn’t too difficult to follow. She doubted that Alazar would be hiding in a barn or a farmhouse, but then again, he would choose the most unlikely of spots to avoid capture.
To pass the time, she practiced what she would say to Alazar when she saw him. She doubted that he would speak to her, if she did find him. At the first test of loyalty, she had turned her back on him. She was a crappy Master, just as Alazar had said. Despite being created as the one to wield him, she had no idea what she was doing.
She thought about Alazar’s reaction when she had accused him of murder. He had denied it at first, and then mockingly said that he was the only one who could have done it. Had he really done it, he would have proclaimed it to the Heavens. He enjoyed killing and took pride in his work. She needed to learn how to read between the lines when it came to Alazar. His sarcasm had been his downfall because she hadn’t taken all of his actions into account.
Ducking behind a group of trees, Anjali tried to be as convert as possible. She figured that Michael would take to the air once it was dark, which would cause a problem. He could cover more territory and possibly spot her in the process.
Anjali froze when she heard fluttering behind her. She closed her eyes and swore. She was in major trouble.
“I’m not sure why you are following me, but I can’t allow you to interfere, Lady Black,” Michael whispered in her ear as he quickly grabbed her from behind.
Before she could speak, a sharp pain tore through her neck and the world went dark.
Michael dropped Anjali to the ground. He would have to deal with Gabriel’s wrath later, but he didn’t care. She was the one spying on him. Though she had ordered Alazar’s death, he couldn’t trust that Anjali would allow it to happen. Even if they weren’t joined, she was still his intended Master. He knew their bond would be strong. He had anticipated her meddling, which was why had allowed her to follow him.
While snapping her neck wouldn’t kill her, it would afford him enough time to search the area and move on. The foolish girl obviously didn’t understand how dangerous Alazar was. He appeased his conscience by telling himself that he was keeping her safe and out of harm’s way. If she did try to stop Alazar’s death, Alazar could easily use her to fight his way out or maybe even kill her out of spite. She needed to leave Death to the professionals. Her time to deal with the problem was over. It fell to him to make things right.
Michael disappeared and reappeared with rope from a farmhouse that he had passed. He hoisted the petite Destroyer and tied her to a nearby tree. It wouldn’t stop her for long, but it would allow him to put enough distance between them.
Stepping back to admire his handiwork, he looked at the unconscious girl. She looked like the same girl he had known in Heaven, but more innocent in sleep. No wonder she couldn’t handle Alazar. It would take someone stronger to contain Death, someone like him.
∞
Pete ignored Derick’s taunts. He was supposed to be standing guard in front of the barn, not talking to the prisoners. It wasn’t easy listening to Derick accusing him of betraying him and leading him to his death, but he stood his ground and ignored him. What did make him pissed enough to confront his former best friend was Derick calling Maraquette a bitch and a whore. No one spoke badly about his Master.
Pulling the barn door open, Pete stormed into the smelly barn, marched right up to Derick, and punched him in the face.
“Go ahead, say another nasty thing about Maraquette and I will make you eat your teeth,” Pete glared at Derick, daring him to speak.
Derick recovered from the punch and spit the pooling blood in his mouth in Pete’s face. It took everything he had not to tell him to go fuck himself.
“Tell me why, Pete? Just tell me why,” Derick growled.
“Don’t you get it? She’s an angel, a real angel and she has all the answers. Imagine it Derick, every question that we’ve ever had, she can answer it. She doesn’t withhold any information from me. I get to live forever and I get to see my parents again in Heaven. I know that you’re mad because I’ve betrayed you, but the truth is I don’t care. I would sell out every person I’ve ever met to see my parents again. I have to tell them that I’m sorry, that I didn’t really want them to die. The last words I said to them were I hate you and I wish you were dead. I’ve had to live with that since I was eight years old. I don’t have to live with that guilt anymore. I can be with them again,” Pete spoke passionately about his parents. No eight year old should have to carry the burden of wishing that their parents were dead only to find out that they had died in a plane crash. The fight was petty and stupid, but it had seemed really important at the time. Now he could finally tell them how much he loved them.
“She’s great in bed too,” Alazar chuckled, waiting for the moron to turn around.
“I’m not supposed to talk to you,” Pete said over his shoulder. Maraquette had warned him that Alazar would play dirty to get free.
“I’m sure you think it’s heaven when you slide into her warm body and she whispers that she will take away your pain. She kisses away all your sorrows and makes you forget everything when her lips close around your cock. I know. I’ve been there, Pete,” Alazar smirked. He saw Pete’s shoulders shake with rage.
“Shut up. She told me that you would lie,” Pete growled. His hands tightened around the shotgun.
“Oh, I would never lie about a fantastic lay. She makes this cute little purring noise just before she comes. I’m particularly fascinated by the scar that she has on her lower back, just above her left ass cheek,” Alazar purred. He knew the mark had been left by Lucifer and was the final reason that Maraquette had left. He was banking on the fact that Maraquette would have omitted that detail.
Pete swung around and pointed the shotgun at Alazar. “How dare you speak about her like that. She told me that she never cared about you and that you would lie about having sex with her.”
“You can’t lie about something that you did. It’s really hard to get that sweet red patch of paradise out of your mind once you’ve been there. I should be pissed at you for fucking what was once mine, but honestly, I feel bad that you’ve had my leftovers,” Alazar straightened himself as much as the chains would allow. It wouldn’t be beyond Pete’s notice that he was better looking than the mortal.
“You say one more word and I will shoot you again, in the face this time. I don’t care what she said,” Pete stalked closer to Alazar, aiming the shotgun at his head.
Derick sighed. “You won’t do it, Pete. She’ll be pissed if you kill him. Now be a good little servant and lower the gun,” Derick sounded bored with Pete’s idle threat, hoping that they hadn’t pushed Pete too far.
Pete contemplated Derick’s threat. Maraquette would be mad at him for shooting Alazar. He needed to be functional enough to appear as if he killed the Destroyer. Furious and defeated, he lowered his weapon.
Alazar laughed. “He’s more whipped than I thought. Don’t you get it, asshole? She never told me to stay away from you. Where was your precious Maraquette when I had you dangling at the edge of the precipice, ready to jump? I had your ass. I owned you. Anjali was the one who saved your miserable hide, not the redheaded bitch. How can she love you and let you step off the ledge?” he needed to work fast since the world was growing dimmer by the second.
Pete glared at Alazar and took a step forward. He wanted to punch him, but was content knowing that he was a prisoner and would be dead soon enough. He lowered his gun, but kept his grip tight, in case he changed his mind.
“She would have caught me if I had jumped from the tower,” Pete snickered. Maraquette told him she had been nearby, ready to save him from the fall. She said that she had no way of stopping Alazar but that she would have saved him.
The second Pete’s eyes made contact with Alazar’s; Alazar capitalized on the opportunity and stared at him. “Remember the sky, Pete? Do you remember how simple things were there? You no longer held the guilt of your parent’s deaths. You no longer cared about the pain that burns inside of you. Maraquette doesn’t have all the answers, only I do. Death holds all the answers that you will ever need. Now, finish what we started,” Alazar tried to make his voice sound soothing without his power. If a temptee had refused his temptation, he was without recourse to tempt them again, but Pete had succumbed to the temptation the first time.
Derick had been kind enough to detail Pete’s struggle against the image of the blue peaceful sky and how he had wanted to kill himself all night long. The suggestion of death was still in his mind, just below the surface. His renewed hope of seeing his parents due to Maraquette’s lie was the only thing keeping him in this world. All Alazar had to do was remind him of how much he had wanted to die, or so he hoped.
“No, the sky was a lie,” Pete’s voice broke when he spoke about the beautiful sky with its bright sunlight and serene clouds. He dreamed of it every night, but Maraquette told him it wasn’t real.
“The sky is everything you have ever wanted, Pete. You no longer have to feel the pain or guilt over what happened to your family. It’s the release from a lifetime of sadness and regret. It’s so simple, Pete. You know wh
at you have to do,” Alazar held Pete’s eyes. He had to break the kid if he wanted to escape. He willed Pete to remember his experiences from that night.
Pete shivered when he saw the blue eyes in front of him. He would never forget them for as long as he lived. A cold sweat broke out over his body.
“All of this can be over, Pete. The misery from your adoptive parents ignoring you will slip away. The loneliness you’ve felt for so long will no longer weigh you down. You were so close before. All you had to do was step off the ledge and it would have been over, but instead you walked away. The pain is still there. You are still suffering. I can feel it. There is only one way to escape it, Pete. You know what to do,” Alazar had a hard time making the words flow without his power. It was difficult to paint the picture of death without feeling it. He’d never had to tempt someone while separated from his power. He’d certainly tried while in locked in the Hall of Torment, or Serena’s room, but he’d never been able to make it work. He prayed that Pete was deep enough into the vision to listen to him.
“No. I don’t believe you,” Pete whispered, sounding like a young boy.
“Come closer to me, Pete. Look into my eyes and remember,” Alazar concentrated on the boy in front of him, beckoning him to come closer.
Pete’s feet shuffled forward, the memory of those blue eyes haunted him.
Pete stopped and blinked. What was he doing? He needed to get away from Alazar.
Alazar cursed when Pete snapped out of his daze, still too far away to reach him.
“Shoot him, Pete! It’s the only way the nightmares will end. Kill the Angel of Death and he will no longer hold you in his power. Shoot him and end his hold over you!” Derick yelled out.
Alazar was shocked by Derick’s betrayal, until he saw Pete smirk and slowly raise his gun.
Alazar reached out, grabbed the metal barrel, and tugged the shotgun along with a surprised Pete. Pete tripped forward. Alazar head butted the moron with everything he had. Dropping the gun, he grabbed Pete’s jacket and head butted him once more for good measure.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 46
