His Soul to Hold (The Dark Knights of Heaven Book 2)

by TW Knight

  "What— what makes you think these are, were, once angels like you?"

  "For one, you couldn't tattoo a skratar if you tried. Their skin is like that of an alligator or crocodile, and twice as hard. Like scaled armor. Yet the markings are there, imbedded within the scales. Part of the skin beneath the armor. When I studied the samples and pictures we've procured, I found four sets of tattoos that I personally inked on warriors ages ago. It's only logical to believe that our lost brothers and sisters have become the very demons we hunt." He rubbed his eyes. "God, I wish we had noticed these markings sooner, like, years ago."

  Bass grunted.

  Worried, Bree clasped his hand. "And the symbols you're looking for?"

  "I found three symbols I don't recognize, but seem familiar, on all of the samples. Like a lost memory. I can only presume that they are from the Arcana. I tested the ink and they are fairly new. Relatively speaking. All of them are within a thousand years old; one was less than a hundred years old."

  "You think someone has these lost symbols and is using them to change you guys into monsters," she asked, swallowing her rising dread.

  He shook his head. "Not just anyone. Lucifer. I think the symbols bind the minion to their master before he or she turns skratar. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to control them and force them to hunt the Aktura."

  "But you said..." Bree's voice hitched.

  "Eventually, all of the Knights will become minions, and then monsters."

  Confused, she turned to Bass. "But—"

  "You've seen what we become when we fight, babe. Demons. We didn't do that until after we were kicked out of Heaven. We didn't do that until we started the whole death and resurrection thing. It's like, without our souls, we're vulnerable to the Darkness. It's only inevitable that eventually we'll take the last Fall. Become one of Lucifer's bitches. We've fought Minions who we once stood alongside in battle." Bass lifted his big shoulders and let out a defeated breath. "Zach thinks that after the Minions give themselves fully to the Darkness—"

  "—Lucifer binds them with those symbols," Zach finished.

  "And they begin to devolve into the skratars."

  "But why them?"

  "Who better to hunt our soul-keepers than someone who used to be able to feel the resonance," Bass answered solemnly.

  "That makes no sense! If they are no longer, well, good, they shouldn't be able to feel that resonance anymore. They shouldn't be able to leave Hell," Bree snapped. "Besides, Cassidy and Rail said you guys can't hunt for your soul-keepers. You have to trip over them. If these things came from you guys, then they shouldn't be able to either."

  "Exactly. Why can they find you?"

  "Ugggh." She grumbled in frustration.

  "This theory is still a work in progress. There are just too many variables right now." Zach took his glasses off, cleaned them with his shirt, and put them back on. "We didn't even notice these symbols on the skratar before. Then again, we weren't looking, so they obviously always had them if the age of the ink is any indication. If Rail hadn't noticed one of the larger tattoos, I wouldn't have requested photos or skin samples for further research."

  "Have all of you always been tattooed?"

  Zach shrugged. "Sure, but they faded. I only developed the permanent inks about two thousand years ago— good God!" He rummaged through the scrolls in front of him.

  "What?"

  "Many of our brothers and sisters gave their allegiance to Lucifer within a hundred years after we were expelled from Heaven because he promised to help them." He stopped talking and stared at Bass as if the other warrior should understand his line of thinking. "Their tattoos would have faded."

  "This has you all excited, why?"

  "I need to talk to the others. We need to start looking for the symbols on every skratar we can. If all of them have the arcane symbols, but no other markings, that will prove my theory."

  Bass ran a hand over his face. "So what? Even if you're right, we can't reverse it. They'll still be lost and all we'll have is a reason to permanently off ourselves to keep it from happing to us."

  "I know," Zach admitted as he gathered up his papers. "But maybe we can find a way to break Lucifer's command so they can no longer hunt the Aktura." Without a backward glance or another word, he flashed from the library.

  "Well," Bree started, still trembling a bit. "That was interesting. What scary things did you discover?"

  "Nothing scary."

  "Then..."

  "Not here." Bass took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "This place gives me the creeps."

  Bree giggled at the thought. Her big, bad warrior freaked out by a room filled with books. Until she remembered they were basically in a tomb. Maybe being buried reminded Bass of his first death and waking up under tons of stone.

  She sobered thinking about Bass dying.

  Did he really suggest they would find a way to permanently kill themselves to keep from changing?

  Ice filled her heart.

  No. She wouldn't allow it.

  With a kiss, Bass distracted Bree from her dark thoughts. Hand in hand, they climbed the stairs, into the light of the corridor above. They turned toward the living quarters. A rumbling voice filled with displeasure stopped them.

  "You two. In my office. Now."

  "Shit," was all Bass said as he directed Bree down the hall in the Moroccan wing.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The moment they crossed the threshold into Kaz's domain, Bree's memory flashed back to being called to the principal's office.

  Kaz leaned back in a big leather chair behind the equally humongous wood desk and regarded them with the look of a disappointed father. "Zach tells me that you were down in the library."

  "So?" Bass slouched like an irritated teenager in the chair he'd parked himself in and pulled Bree to his side. "I was looking for something that relates to our soul connection. I thought she should be there while I looked for information."

  "Yes. I know."

  Bass growled like a beast, but quieted when Bree laid her hand on his arm. "Are we in trouble," she asked. It had been a long time since she explained her actions to anyone but Sam.

  "No." Kaz stood and came around the desk. "I would have just appreciated it if my rules regarding the subterranean library had been respected." He leveled Bass with a fiery gaze. "Or have you forgotten that our barriers were breached by the Darkness just a few hours ago? A Darkness that infected her brother."

  "Would you have let her in the library if I'd asked," Bass snapped.

  "After a thorough cleansing, yes. But you did not give me that option."

  Bass actually looked guilty. "There's no Darkness in her," he said. "I would know."

  Kaz nodded. "What were you looking for?"

  Bass relayed his dream, Breanna's dream, and his theory regarding their connection.

  "Did you find anything helpful?" Kaz returned to his chair, leaned back with his hands behind his head, and propped his big boots on the desk.

  "According to the book Zach found, the knowledge of souls was given to the Sumerians by the "golden children of the Annuanaki", which tells me some angel explained things to them pre Anallis and Savor." When Kaz moved to interrupt, Bass cut him off, "Don't know why and don't care." Bass glanced at his notes. "Anyway, per these messengers, a human soul who lives in goodness will go to the fields of forever harmony where they exist for eternity living out their dreams; and those who live lives of evil will go to Sheaeol, the underworld. However, those who die in a life of unbalance will be given the chance to learn what they need to in order to find harmony and move on. They also said souls that are connected in life will move on together. They will meet each other again and again over time until things become balanced." His gaze moved from Kaz to Bree. "I think the girl on the river bank was my first Aktura and somehow she knew it. That's why she was reaching out for me. She felt the same connection I did."

  "But she was killed before you made the connection physically. D
o you think that when your soul moved on to the next keeper, hers tagged along," Kaz asked dubiously.

  "I don't know. Possibly. I think part of her knew we were supposed to be together." Taking Breanna's hand and placing it on his chest, Bass gazed into her eyes. "I know I'm the last guy to be romantic and this is going to sound corny as shit, but I think we've been trying to find each other. Trying to complete the connection."

  Kaz nodded sagely and dropped his feet to the floor. "All of these pairings." The big man rubbed his eyes and stared out the window behind his desk. "Something is coming," he said more to himself than the pair in the room.

  "Are you done with us?" Standing, Bass put his arm around Bree's shoulder, readying for a quick escape.

  "One last thing." Kaz returned his attention to them. "Zach said you want to continue your education."

  Bree moved forward, a slight tremble in her step. "Yes."

  "There are rules." His gaze hardened, daring her to argue.

  "Okay. Fine." She wasn't going to back down.

  "First, you can only be online in the computer lab under supervision by one of us. Not Cassidy, or Serephina, or any of the other Aktura. You get access for classes only."

  "Done."

  "Second, all correspondence with the school will go through whatever Hacker sets up for you."

  "Fine."

  "If there are any study materials that you need, you will have them delivered to one of our P.O. boxes."

  Bree smiled. "Wouldn't it be easier to leave the P.O. box Sam and I have set up in Alaska as the address? You wouldn't have to go there very often. They were used to us only coming once a month."

  Kaz bristled. "I'll think about it." He turned back to the window. "Tuition—"

  "Is being paid out of our trust fund. It's all done online—"

  "Trust fund?" both men asked cutting her off.

  Bree shrugged. "Apparently our parents and grandparents invested well and had large life insurance policies. The funds were set up for us to live off of, pay bills, and go to school. Some of the dividends get automatically reinvested each month and some lawyer manages it. Each month, Sam takes some of our monthly stipend and squirrels it away in banks in Arizona and in South Dakota, I think. You know, in case the lawyer does something bad with the trust. We've been living modestly, staying off the grid, so we really haven't had to worry much about bills. Plus, online college is much cheaper than a four year college."

  Kaz waved her quiet. "My concern is security. Work it out with Hacker. He already has your laptop."

  "Thank you!" She bounced, barely able to contain her excitement.

  "Maybe you and Gina can schedule time together. She's getting her GED so she can assist with research."

  No longer listening, Bree pulled Bass toward the door before Kaz stopped them again. Out in the hall, Bass let out a laugh and Bree joined him.

  "Let's find out what Hacker's done to your laptop."

  "Wait." Guilt washed over Bree. "I should really go see if Sam is awake now."

  "Are you sure?" Bass tilted her chin up so she looked at him.

  She gave a halfhearted lift of her shoulders. "It wasn't his fault, but..."

  "You're scared."

  Bree nodded.

  "I'll be right there with you," Bass whispered. His arms engulfed Bree in an embrace. "I'll always be there for you."

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The soft swishing fabric and hesitant footfalls roused Hogart from his doze. His body no longer hurt, but he was still healing inside and out from his ordeal. He lifted his head to see who approached, but the weight was too much. He couldn't lift his hands from the bed to his chest without effort. "Who's there?" he asked, forcing his eyes open.

  "Just us," Cassidy's sweet voice greeted him. "Sorry if we woke you."

  "I was not asleep. It just hurts to keep my eyes open." And to speak. His throat burned like he'd swallowed fire and glass. "The boy?" He inclined his head slightly to the left, indicating the form curled up asleep in the next bed. "I did this to him." Twice now Sam's injuries, and near death, resulted from Hogart's lack of control.

  "No, you didn't," Rail countered with a snarl. "Lucifer did this to both of you."

  Cassidy placed a hand on Hogart's and squeezed. "Rail is right."

  "But Sam— I heard the others talking, he tried to kill his sister, his twin, because of me." Tears crept from his eyes unbidden.

  "No. This was not your fault. Somehow Lucifer found a way past our barriers and into both of you."

  "It was me." Hogart twitched. "I let the Darkness in long ago. I brought it here. It used me."

  "None of us are pure anymore," Rail offered with a self-deprecating half smile.

  "But you have not given in." Hogart moaned.

  "Honestly, I don't think you have," Rail countered. "Yes, you are insane, but does that mean you're evil? Not necessarily."

  "You were strong enough to fight the hold Lucifer had on you. You didn't kill Sam. You turned the killing blow to the side," Cassidy reminded him.

  "And," Rail interjected. "Sam was able to fight back, as well. Breanna is fine."

  "The girl is alive, but she is not fine. The bond with her brother—"

  "Is going to be fine." Bree stood in the doorway, shadowed by her warrior.

  Hogart felt the guilt, trepidation, and love swirling around Bree as if she stood in the center of a summer dust-devil.

  Standing by her brother's bed, she sighed. "Is he okay?"

  "We won't know until he wakes. Zach and Tucker sedated him pretty heavily. But whatever infected him and Hogart appears to be gone."

  Inside, Hogart wasn't convinced he'd been fully cleansed, but to help the girl, he nodded in agreement to Rail's statement.

  Bree shifted uneasily. "What happened out there? With them? With you?"

  "Best guess?" Rail asked.

  Bree nodded.

  "Whatever Darkness lives in Hogart, driving his madness, created a crack that allowed Lucifer, or one of his aspects, to get his claws in him. Our hubris was thinking the energies here would purify that darkness and keep him in check." He took a deep breath. "We were wrong."

  "But how did Sam get infected, or possessed, or whatever? He's not connected to any of you."

  Hogart opened his mouth to comment on the darkness he saw in Sam, but Cassidy cut him off.

  "My theory is that when Lucifer ran from our light, that aspect of his power jump to the closest opening it found." Cassidy's pained expression didn't go unnoticed. "I'm sorry, but it seems that Sam's susceptible to possession."

  Bree wept, sniffling. Bass looped an arm around her. "I picked on Sam about how much he was like Hogart. Always angry and wanting to fight. I didn't realize..." She turned to Hogart. "Do you remember what happened?"

  "I think the fighting triggered something. With each swing, the aggression grew. I could not stop it. The voices, the voices tempted me. Pulling me deeper into the Darkness. I could hear them taunting me to hurt Sam. Beat him. Kill him. In the voices, a presence touched my mind. The dark part of me embraced it." Hogart took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I fought against it. My strength waned. But there was still the Light." He coughed, relishing the pain. It focused him. "I honestly do not know how I managed to not kill Sam. In my mind, I saw, felt, the blade pass through his heart."

  Pulling away from Bass, Bree moved to Hogart's side and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Thank you for fighting the voices." With a sigh, she moved a chair closer to Sam's bedside and sat. Taking her brother's hand in hers, she kissed his knuckles and brushed the hair from his face. "Do you think it would be okay if I sat here with him for a while?"

  "We were just leaving." Cassidy gave the injured warrior's hand another squeeze, nodded to Bass, and pulled Rail from the room.

  Bass hesitated. "Do you want me to go?"

  "Yes." Bree shrugged, tears tracing down her cheeks. "No."

  ***

  Bree barely felt Bass' kiss on the top of her head or heard
the swishing curtain or the scrape from another chair. All she could concentrate on was the tiny movements Sam made.

  His eyes moved under his lids. His chest rose and fell with slight hitches. His shoulder twitched.

  "I don't know if you can hear me, Sammy, but I love you. You're my brother. My blood. I don't blame you for what happened. I could never hate you. Please come back, you're all the family I have left. Don't leave me alone."

  ***

  Sam wanted to tell his sister that while the sedative kept him in a fog, he'd heard every word. He just wasn't ready to face anyone yet. The pain in his heart outweighed anything his body endured.

  Still, his fingers curled around hers. Bree laid her head next to his arm and choked back a sob.

  Each tear she shed stabbed his heart.

  Eventually, Bree stopped crying.

  I'll make it up to you, Sam promised. With a sigh, he finally slipped into the oblivion of sleep.

  ***

  Bass rubbed his chest. Hearing Bree beg her brother not to leave her alone landed like a sledgehammer to his heart. Bree would never be alone; he'd make sure of it. Without her brother, she would never feel whole.

  Despite his anger for the one who'd created him, Bass sent a silent prayer to the heavens to watch over the boy and help him heal.

  Turning his attention back to Hogart, he pulled up a chair and eased into it. "You and I need to talk." Bass kept his voice low so as to not disturb Bree.

  "Ready to admit you recognize me." Hogart shifted in the bed. "Do the others?"

  Bass stared at the other warrior, as anger swam through his veins. "The hair, the eyes. Yeah, we know."