Incendiary (The Premonition Series (Volume 4))

by Amy A. Bartol

His eyes close briefly. “I may need you to help me kill him,” Zephyr admits. “I may hesitate. I cannot be sure,” his tense voice stops abruptly, while he fights with emotions he’s completely uncomfortable ‘bout havin’.

  “I can heal him,” I say, reachin’ out and puttin’ my hand on Zephyr’s shoulder for a second before I let it drop.

  “Reed is a killer, Russell,” Zephyr states softly. “He can move faster than any angel I’ve ever seen. You have to get close to him—touch him. The second you enter the room with him could be the last one you have.”

  “Then, I’ll make sure that I don’t waste any time,” I reply with exaggerated confidence.

  Zee doesn’t smile. “If it comes down to it, you will need to kill him for your own survival. He will hunt you with the precision of billions of years of experience. There will be nowhere on Earth for you to hide,” he utters, and goose bumps rise on my forearms. “You have to think of Evie.”

  “I am thinkin’ of her. She won’t survive it, Zee,” I reply with absolute certainty.

  “She is stronger than you think,” Zephyr replies. “Buns and Brownie will keep her alive until she can recover herself...if Reed and Brennus are both destroyed, she will pick up the pieces in time.”

  “You forgot to consider how your death would affect her,” I say softly. “You’re like a brother to her.”

  Zephyr’s chin raises a notch as his fists ease. “You are right, she may never recover,” he says arrogantly.

  The reluctant smile on my face fades as I face the portal across the room. “I’m ready to go, just say when,” I murmur, thinkin’ ‘bout all the weapons in Reed’s private armory. Then, I think of Anya again. My face falls more.

  Readin’ my mind, Zephyr says, “The Seraphim will keep them safe until you and I end this.”

  “You think Anya failed?” I ask him with a tight voice.

  “I think she should have been here already,” he replies agitatedly.

  My teeth grind together while my leg bounces uncontrollably. “I should’ve been nicer to her…I was awful when I left. She doesn’t even know how I feel ‘bout her. Maybe that’s better…maybe she shouldn’t know since I may not be comin’ back…”

  “You believe that she would not grieve for you if she was unaware that you love her?” Zephyr asks in a calm tone.

  “Well…I don’t know—” I begin, before I see him shake his head.

  “You are stupid. Love doesn’t work that way,” Zephyr replies. “She loves you in spite of your feelings for her.”

  My frown deepens. “I’m stupid?” I inquire wide-eyed. “When did you become an expert on love, Zee?”

  “Buns is a very good teacher,” Zephyr replies with a half-smile.

  I run my hand through my hair in agitation, ‘cuz the thought of never seein’ Anya or Red again is doin’ evil things to me. My heartbeat races faster, while guilt pushes down on me.

  The dust motes near the portal jump abruptly, floatin’ into the air and spiralin’ in a wild, tangled dance. My leg stops bouncin’. I shoot to my feet at the same time as Zephyr. Holdin’ my breath, I exhale when a small, fat ladybug crawls from the portal. Zephyr holds me back while a swarm of them flitter out, flyin’ into the air and castin’ tiny shadows on the floor and walls.

  It takes only seconds for the little bugs to merge together in a sexy silhouette, implodin’ into the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. A moment after that, I have Anya in my arms, pressed tight to my chest while I breathe in the sultry scent of her thick, black ponytail. The crickets that I get when she’s near are back full force, bouncin’ ‘round inside of me and makin’ it seem like I can’t get close enough to her.

  Not thinkin’, I trail kisses over the slender column of her neck, followin’ the soft contours over her cheek to her soft, full lips.

  “Russell—” Anya protests, but my mouth ends whatever it is that she was gonna say.

  I kiss her with the intense desire that I’ve been holdin’ back since I met her. The passion she evokes chews through me, raw and unabated. I stand with her wrapped in my arms, with the sunlight from the glass panes pourin’ down on us, and my soul soars with a new lightness, like the wings of a moth released from a deadly web.

  “Where is Evie?” Zephyr inquires next to us, causin’ me to lift my lips from Anya’s.

  I stare at Anya, watchin’ her takin’ ragged breaths as she stares back at me hazily.

  “What?” she asks, while a rush of blood stains her cheeks.

  Zephyr asks again, “Evie?”

  Anya’s expression turns startled as she looks away from me to Zephyr. “Let me down, Russell!” she says in a panic, which causes my arms to tighten ‘round her. “I have to pull Evie through the portal! She’s holding off Xavier and Tau!”

  Zephyr moves quickly to the portal on the floor. He lays it down on its back before spinnin’ it with a wild twist of his hand. The portal whirls swiftly as it gains momentum on its own. It lifts up to hover a few inches from the ground.

  As the portal continues to spin in perpetual motion, Zephyr stands right beside it, tensin’ as a soft, crimson feather ejects from the portal. The plume dances wildly above it, before makin’ a slow descent and comin’ to rest on the floor near the wall. Zee glances at Anya in my arms.

  “She’s coming,” Anya assures him, her fingers curlin’ tight on my sleeve while she watches the portal for signs of Evie.

  Almost on cue, Evie pitches out of the portal like a newborn filly bein’ birthed from a mare—except without all the slimy, gross stuff. Her arms flay near the portal, tryin’ to reach for it.

  The portal stops movin’ when her fingers grasp its edge. Without much dexterity, she tries to close it by smashin’ the two sides of it together. ‘Cuz of the way it’s still drawin’ matter through it, the halves of the portal resist each other, like two polarized magnets.

  Turnin’ her pale face up to ours, Red pleads, “Help!”

  In an effort to close it, Red leans all her weight on it to push the two sides together. She almost closes it, but then her body lurches upward, like someone is pushin’ it open again from the other side of the portal. She holds on and her body slams back on top of the portal when it falls back to the floor again.

  “HOLY CRAP, ZEE! HELP ME!” comes Red’s desperate plea as she holds on to the portal so it won’t ratchet completely open.

  Zephyr grasps the edge of the portal near her hands, wrenchin’ it closed with a decisive SNAP.

  “Who was that?” Zephyr asks in awe.

  “Xavier. He was right behind me!” Red pants in exhaustion.

  Zephyr takes the portal from Red, beginnin’ to crush it when she gasps, “DON’T!”

  “Why?” Zephyr hesitates.

  A dark shadow enters Red’s eyes. “Will it hurt them?” Red asks while her face twists in fear. “Will they be trapped in there?”

  “No,” he replies, “they can exit back the way they came.”

  Red blows out the breath she was holdin’, “Okay, trash it,” she wheezes.

  Smilin’ broadly, Zephyr doesn’t hesitate again. He walks to the dust-covered desk near us, placin’ what’s left of the portal on it.

  Doubled over, Red continues to pant, her eyes adjustin’ to the bright light as she looks ‘round the room bewilderedly.

  My attention returns to Anya in my arms. She, too, has a bewildered look as her green eyes stare back at me. “Are you okay?” I manage to ask her, even though my throat feels tight. God, I want to pull the tie in her hair away and watch her hair spill over her shoulders, I think, breathin’ harder in an attempt not to do that.

  “Hmm?” she mutters, like she’s in a trance.

  Leanin’ my face nearer to hers, I press my lips gently to her temple, just where her soft, black hair sweeps back from her porcelain skin. A light, sweet scent lingers in her hair, and in my mind the fragrance is what Paradise must smell like. “Are you hurt?” I murmur against her skin when I recover my voice.

&nb
sp; Her skin blushes pink, warmin’ beneath my lips, while she shakes her head, almost numbly, not speakin’. Pullin’ her closer to me, I touch her silky wing. My fingers trail a gentle line down it, seein’ how her glossy feathers shine almost blue in the sunlight. Her cheek rests against my shoulder while her arms move tentatively, almost timidly, to the back of my neck. My heart contracts painfully in my chest, ‘cuz I realize that she is not holdin’ me tight, like I’m holdin’ her. Her embrace is much more cautious, much more unsure.

  “I’m not all right,” I whisper near her ear and I feel her stiffen. “I’ve been goin’ out of my mind worryin’ ‘bout you.”

  “But…didn’t Brownie and Buns tell you our plan?” she asks, soundin’ confused.

  “Yeah, they told me—” I begin.

  “Then, there was no need to worry,” she says blankly. “I merely had to execute it.”

  Adrenaline filters through my system as every possible scenario for what could’ve gone wrong tortures me again. My brow furrows, “You could’ve been killed by the Gancanagh or any one of those angels if they caught you!”

  “That is why I didn’t let them catch me,” Anya says in a quiet tone.

  Her brash statement does nothin’ to calm my racin’ heart, in fact, it’s like salt in a cut. “You shouldn’t’ve been the one executin’ the plan,” I reply, breathin’ harder.

  Her arms go slack ‘round my neck while she stiffens more. “It had to be me. I’m the only one among us they trusted.”

  “Anya was brilliant, Russell,” Red’s voice quivers. I see her lookin’ around Reed’s library as she’s realizin’ that we’re back in Crestwood. Any color she had in her face before is gone as she strains to say; “We have to keep her away from Tau and Xavier. They’re angry that she helped me.”

  More adrenaline is released in me, makin’ me want to smash somethin’. “What can they do to her, Zee?” I ask, turnin’ to see his eyes hood a little.

  “We can discuss that later, Russell,” Zephyr says evasively.

  My hand stills on Anya’s wing. “You're not tellin’ me—that means it’s bad.”

  “They can remand me to Dominion and put me on trial for treason,” Anya says in a dull voice with her cheek still restin’ lightly on my shoulder.

  “The HELL they can!” I roar. I pull her away from me, holdin’ her at arm’s length with her feet danglin’ off the ground so I can look into her eyes. “There’s no way I’m lettin’ them near you! Do you understand me?”

  “Put me down. I can take care of myself,” Anya says in a calm tone.

  “Naw, you can’t!” I retort hotly.

  “Yes. I. Can.” Anya counters, enunciatin’ every word.

  I frown. “You’re no bigger than Red—you can’t do magic—no one’s trained you to fight—you’d probably have a hard time even passin’ as human!”

  Her face is bright red when I’m done pointin’ out all of her flaws. “Yes, all of that is probably true,” she admits, “but unlike you, I have a plan that will work.”

  “You have a plan?” I ask as my eyebrows shoot up. “A plan to do what?”

  “A plan to kill your evil, undead Faerie,” she replies with a frown.

  “Ha!” I fake laugh like she made a bad joke. “I’m not even gonna discuss the undead freaks with you! You’re not goin’ anywhere near them. But, I hope you have a plan to get outta trouble with the red-winged egomaniacs.” I reply while my emotions boil over. “Those guys tend to be grudge-holders.”

  She waves her hand like she was swattin’ my worry right out of the air. “Xavier will eventually forgive me—especially when the, uhh...undead freaks?” she asks and then goes on, “are, well, dead.” I lower Anya to her feet, but I don’t let go of her.

  “ANYA! EVIE!” Buns and Brownie say in tandem as they burst into the library. The Reapers flitter to them, group huggin’ them like teenage girls do when they run across each other at the mall.

  “We have lunch ready in the kitchen,” Buns says, strokin’ Evie’s wing. “You need to eat so we can discuss the plan.”

  “I’m fine,” Red says immediately. “What’s your plan?”

  “Sorry,” Buns replies, shakin’ her head. “We can’t discuss it unless you’re chewing on something.”

  “Buns!” Evie begins to argue, but when she sees Buns’s eyes narrow, she knows it’ll be quicker if she does what Buns wants. In a flash, Red is out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. She’s back a second later with a wad of food stuffed in her mouth. “Mmm, griiilll cheesh,” she mucks with pieces of grilled cheese sandwich spittin’ out of her mouth. “Whaass da pllaan.”

  Anya seems a little disgusted when she says, “It’s you and me on the inside, Evie. We go in together. You’re going to pretend that I’m your prisoner—another ‘tie that binds’ that Brennus will believe will make Russell come to him—”

  “WHAT!” I yell in irritation.

  Red stops chewin’ as we both stare at Anya, shocked.

  Anya ignores me, continuin’, “Brennus must have something planned for you and Russell—something that he thinks will render your magic benign—something like the melody he used in the garden. You’ve both become very powerful, and he can’t be sure that he and his men can contain you, especially since Russell beat him by keeping Evie from him in the garden. He will most definitely execute his trap on Evie when we arrive, so she can’t fight back. But, since Russell won’t be coming in with us, he won’t be hit with the…uhh, magic...eraser…”

  Anya trails off as her leafy-green eyes dart to me. It takes me a second to realize that there are deep, rumblin’ snarls comin’ from me, almost like the sound that a jungle cat makes when it’s wardin’ off other predators from its kill. I stop growlin’ abruptly, but I can’t stop myself from askin’, “You’re plannin’ on walkin’ into the same room with Brennus?”

  “All of his men will probably be there, too,” Anya adds, like it's an overlooked detail, before she continues. “He’ll be intrigued by this new twist in his revenge—possessing the aspire of his bitterest enemy will thrill him. It will at once placate him as it distracts him. That is the key to this plan, if we can distract him for long enough, Russell can sneak in and steal their energy, take away whatever magic they’ve been using to camouflage themselves within that evil, little church on their estate.”

  Evie manages to swallow her mouthful of food. “You know where they are?” she asks Anya, her eyes wide and waterin’.

  “Of course,” she says with a nod. “I can’t be sure what kind of magic they’re using to hide there but it's there,” she says. Anya explains, “I sensed them there while I was exploring the church. It was like a shade had been drawn between two planes of reality—theirs and ours—but it was thin, like they occupied the same space that I did, just not in the same reality or dimension…does that make sense to you? Am I explaining it well?” she asks us.

  I see Red nod before she says, “Yeah, it’s like there’s a hazy veil between us, and if you listen you can hear them through it—in their version of the Knight’s Bar.”

  “Yes,” she agrees slowly, while her eyes look dreamy, imaginin’ the parallel world.

  I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer, or my cool. “So, let me recap the play, coach. I’m supposed to let you walk into Brennus’ den of torture so that you can distract him for me to come and annihilate them with magic?” She wrinkles her nose at me, probably ‘cuz I get more and more agitated when I highlight the STUPIDEST points of her plan.

  “You will not be alone—” Anya starts, but I cut her off.

  “Oh, right,” I continue sarcastically, “you’re comin’, too, aren’t you, Zee?”

  Zephyr gives me a pensive look.

  “Not just Zee,” Anya says between her teeth.

  “What? THE REAPERS!” I hiss, pointin’ at Buns and Brownie angrily.

  They both gasp, offended, while crossin’ their arms huffily.

  “NO!” Anya retorts, “I already coord
inated a signal with Preben so he can lead his team in. All you need to do is take out the magic that keeps them hidden. Once you do that, the Powers will have fun tearing them open and whittling knife handles from their bones.”

  “And what happens when Brennus touches you before I can unweave all the ancient magic he’s got layered around that place?” I glare at her, pointin’ heatedly in the direction I think Ireland might lie in. “I don’t even have the remotest clue ‘bout that kind of magic. What happens if he runs his cold fingers over your cheek?” I ask, feelin’ so edgy that I may have to smash somethin’ with my fist soon.

  “I’m not afraid of his thrall anymore. You can heal me,” she replies with amazin’ calm.

  “IN THEORY!” I shout at her. “I can heal you in theory!”

  “I prefer to have faith,” she counters.

  “THAT’S ‘CUZ YOU’RE AN ANGEL!” I yell, completely losin’ my head. “He’s gonna try to snuff you out like a candle!”

  Anya stills for a moment before deep-seated anger registers in her lethal stare. “I’m not a candle, Russell, I’m a fire—a raging, pissed off inferno! Brennus has threatened something that belongs to me so he’s getting retribution—paid out tenfold, but I need your help to do it.”

  “Thrones,” I hear Zephyr say under his breath, shakin’ his head ruefully.

  I run my hand through my hair in agitation, tryin’ to calm down. Then, I direct my next question to Zephyr, “Okay, what’s plan B?”

  Before Zephyr can respond, Red says quietly, “I’ll go in alone and offer Brennus something else.”

  Anger engulfs me again at the thought of Red goin’ in there at all. “Naw!”

  “What else would he want?” Zephyr asks her in a low tone.

  “I could offer to heal him…” she says, palin’ more, “to take away the stain of the Gancanagh.”

  “YES!” Anya says excitedly. “When we go in together, you could offer him that! It will take him by surprise! Then, Russell can steal his energy and the Powers can come in and…”

  “You can’t do that, Red! You can’t take his sickness—you could lose your soul! You’re NOT goin’ in there!” I reiterate tersely, feelin’ like she’s deliberately ignorin’ me.