“Yet!”
Eli stopped his pacing and stood before me, his posture at its most rigid. “We can still stop the mark from continuing.”
“No, we can’t.” My voice broke.
“We’ll figure out how to prevent Lucifer from completing it.”
“How? I haven’t slept in days as it is.”
His face grew cloudy. “I don’t know, but we will.”
I made a sound of disgust. “Alright, well we can’t waste any more time here. We need to find Anna.” I turned to walk out of the room.
Eli grabbed my shoulder. “I’m serious, Zy! We’ll find a way. Quit singing your death song! Even if Lucifer finishes his mark, you won’t succumb the way Anna did. Not you.”
I threw my arms up. “Not me? Why? Why do you keep insisting on my goodness? You saw Olga, saw what I was made from.” I was yelling now, and I didn’t care. He needed to hear this. “I have to eat souls. And yeah, I eat the bad ones. But every day I battle with myself not to take an innocent. Every fucking day, okay?”
Eli had resumed his pacing somewhere in my tirade and he stalked toward me now, until our faces were inches apart. He looked furious. “I don’t care. I know you, and you are not the same as Alexander and Anna, and you never will be. Why the hell can’t you see it in yourself?”
“Your soul,” I said, watching his eyes light up in surprise. “Your soul I want most of all. How do you think that makes me feel, being with you every day, wanting to…” I trailed off. “And you think I’m so saintly.”
“Goddamn it, Zy,” he growled, and then he was kissing me.
His lips pressed against mine like I was the soul he wanted to take, not the other way around. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he lifted me, and my back hit the wall behind us, not gently. I ran one hand through his hair, the other along the muscles of his shoulders, clinging to him like we stood at the gates of Hell, and he was my last anchor to humanity. Our torsos pressed together, heat rising between us, sweat beading up between my breasts. He lowered his head, running his lips along the tops of them, then kissing along my collarbone and up my neck. I moaned, squeezing my legs tighter around him.
And his soul sang its song, weaving in and out and around us, silver and sunlight and flame. I wanted it, but not more than I wanted his body. Not more than I wanted him, as a whole. His lips found mine again, crushing, yearning, as if we couldn’t be close enough. And we couldn’t. Not with clothes on, not with the world crumbling around us. Our cadence slowed. He felt it, too, knew our time was up. With a final deep kiss, he pulled away, his eyes searching mine. I unhooked my legs and slid down the wall, our hands intertwined.
“I told you,” he said, his voice rough and breathy. “You can overcome it, Zy.”
“Was that all just to prove your point?”
“No.” He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine, eyes closed. His fingers worked their way up under my shirt, and rested below my heart. “No, though I did.” He laughed, kissing me again quickly.
I laughed, too. “Pompous know-it-all.”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Now children, don’t start arguing again,” came a voice behind us.
We spun. Lucifer stood on the other side of the room, a smirk on his beautiful face. “I need your help with something. Come along,” he said, and the room around us vanished.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
We reappeared in a cavernous room. A table stood in the center, made of rough-cut smoky quartz crystal. Eight chairs surrounded it. It took me a moment to realize they were chairs. They looked more like giant clusters of amethyst, and they were large, as if made for giants. The floor beneath us was some sort of milky white stone, slightly translucent, and glowed as if a light shone up from beneath it. Above us, high above us, something sparkled, but it was too high for me to determine the source. The overall effect was awesome. I had to hand it to Lucifer, the dude had a flair for drama.
“Welcome,” our host said in a melodious voice. “I’m so glad to finally have a chance to speak with you both together.”
I cast a glance over at Eli, who eyed Lucifer with a mix of puzzlement, fear and amazement. I’d met the lord of darkness before, but Eli hadn’t, not really. Just for the briefest of moments when Eli had snatched me off of Mt. Rainier during Lucifer’s last attempt at invading Earth.
As if listening in on my thoughts, which he probably was, Lucifer said, “We haven’t met officially, Elijah, but I’m glad we have the chance now.”
“Why?” Eli asked, furrowing his brow. His tone held curiosity with an undercurrent of anger. After all, he was standing before the sworn enemy of the angelic forces.
“No doubt Zyan told you about my attempt to persuade her over to my side. Now you’ve caught my attention as well. Anyone she values so highly must be a real gem.”
He smiled, and it was overpowering in its affect. You just wanted to smile back and agree with whatever he said. I gritted my teeth and kept my face neutral.
“She did. And I also know you tried to forcibly bond her to you, and have continued this attempt through her dreams.” Eli scowled and took a step closer to me.
Lucifer shrugged and raised his hands. “What can I say? I don’t usually take no for an answer. It’s not in my nature.” He smiled again, with roguish charm. “I won’t lie to you—I’ve brought you here to make another attempt at that persuasion. But this time, I want the pair of you.” I was struck by his raw, unearthly beauty. He glowed from within, like the stone beneath us. “And what a beautiful and talented pair you are. Quite the power couple.”
“We’re not—” Eli and I both started to say.
“Oh, but you could be!” Lucifer looked each of us in the eyes. “I don’t care who loves who, like the forces of Heaven. Love whomever you want is my motto.”
I fought an eye roll. Yeah, regular Saint Valentine over here.
Lucifer’s eyes locked onto Eli. “You know they won’t let you be with Zyan. Ever.”
Eli clenched his jaw. “While I do find our old-fashioned views on relationships upsetting, I’m not joining you. You weave chaos and disorder. You take pleasure in pain, and death, and evil.”
“Think about it, Eli.” Lucifer’s eyes sparkled. “How stifled you feel with the other angels. A square peg shoved into a round hole. No freedom. Always pressure: conformity, duty, responsibility. And for what?”
Eli was trying to keep a neutral face, but I could see him thinking it over. That was Lucifer’s gift: to look within someone’s heart and soul, and offer them what they most wanted. Master of deception, prince of lies.
Lucifer pushed on. “Michael’s out there now fighting against all the other supernaturals, holding half of Europe hostage, and I’m the creator of chaos? They’re not who you thought they were. You aren’t fighting for the good guys anymore.”
“But that won’t change if I join you,” Eli said.
“Maybe not.” Lucifer turned and sat in one of the giant amethyst chairs, his gaze never leaving Eli. “But if there is no force of goodness in the world, then who do you choose as your allies? The ones that keep you on a choke collar, or the ones that offer you a loose rein?”
“There is still good in the world,” Eli said, though his eyes flickered.
“But is it powerful enough to make a difference? You need strong allies, not weak ones. Don’t be a martyr, Eli. You’re fighting a losing battle, and there’s no need to waste yourself like that.”
Eli was silent for several moments in contemplation. “Who says I have to choose either of you?”
“Ah, the lone wolf.” Lucifer grinned. “Sounds glamorous and daring. But it’s not. Just ask Zyan. That’s been her game for over two hundred years.”
“Actually, it is pretty glamourous and daring,” I said with a sharp smile. “And yes, sometimes tough and sometimes lonely. But I wouldn’t trade it. So don’t try to use me as a pawn, Satan.”
“Ouch! Such bite, that one. That’s why I love he
r so much.” Lucifer’s eyes grazed over me possessively for a long, uncomfortable moment before returning to Eli. “And what are you going to do, Eli, when Michael and his extremists hunt her down? She’s far too powerful to be allowed to roam free. A ticking time bomb. Especially with my demon mark. They’ll take her out first chance they get.”
I cleared my throat in protest, but Eli was already speaking. “If you promise not to complete Zyan’s mark, I’ll owe you a favor. One favor.”
“What? No!” I growled.
“An interesting proposition,” Lucifer said, his eyes glowing.
“It’s not on the table,” I said.
“Be quiet, Zy. It’s my choice,” Eli said, his voice low and hard.
Lucifer looked back and forth between the two of us for several moments. “I accept.”
I felt as if someone had ripped my heart out of my chest, bloody and still beating. “Eli…” my voice was a rough, desperate whisper.
“It’s done,” he said, smiling bravely and squeezing my hand. He looked up at Lucifer. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. We need to be going now.”
“Well, I got part of what I wanted,” Lucifer said.
Eli frowned. “That’s all you’re getting today. We’re not joining you. So, if you’re going to torture us or something…”
Lucifer laughed, and it echoed up to the far reaches of the room. “Oh, my, my. How dark. Well, fortunately for you I’m not in the mood right at this moment. I’ll take my small victory. Just one small battle in the war, which wages on.”
“Then we’ll be leaving,” Eli said, stepping up next to me and preparing to step through the interdimensional pathways.
“I’m afraid you can’t jump between realms from this location,” Lucifer said. “But I’ll escort you if you’d like.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And why exactly would you do that?”
Lucifer chuckled, which was extremely unsettling. “I want to be on your good side, Zyan. I’d rather coax you with honey than torment you with thorns. When you come to me, and you will come to me, I want it to be your decision. Like Eli’s decision today.” His lavender eyes were terrible and glorious for a moment, then he smiled again. “So are you ready?” He stood from his chair.
“No,” I said.
Eli’s head whipped in my direction.
“I want you to release my sister.”
Lucifer looked thoughtful. “And what makes you think she wants to be released from my service?”
“I never said she did.” I met Lucifer’s eyes and held them, though it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. “But if there’s ever a chance of me coming to work for you, even a tiny sliver of hope, I won’t do it as long as she is.”
“Intriguing.” Lucifer pursed his perfect pink lips. “I’ll take that into consideration.”
The room shimmered, and we stood inside the water plant again. Lucifer bowed deeply. “Keep me in your thoughts. And do say hello to Ambriel and Kara for me.”
Eli stiffened. “How do you know Ambriel?”
A smirk crossed Lucifer’s face. “Let’s say I may have influenced their union just the slightest. It’s amazing how powerful love can be, wouldn’t you say? No force on Heaven or Earth is stronger.”
With a final soul-wrenching smile, Lucifer disappeared.
I clenched my fists together. Of course he’d had his hand in orchestrating the whole thing. He’d known just what would tip Michael over the edge.
My anger at Lucifer, however, quickly transferred to Eli. “Why did you do that? Make a deal with Lucifer?” I demanded.
“I solved a problem. A major problem.” His eyes caught mine. “I couldn’t let you continue to carry such a weight on your shoulders when I could do something about it.”
“But now you owe Lucifer a favor, jackass. Lucifer.”
“Did you just call me a jackass after I saved your butt?” A slight smile played over his lips.
“You know the whole thing’s likely to backfire.”
“Would it kill you to say thank you?”
I sighed. “Thank you. Though nothing I could say could possibly be adequate for what you’ve done.”
“Well, then you’ll just have to save my butt when my plan goes south.”
“Deal.” I grinned. “Now, let’s find Alexander. We still have a planet to save.”
I pulled out my phone and called Quinn. “Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I whispered. No luck. “I need Quinn to track Alexander and Anna to wherever they really are. We’re going to have to hope we can find them in the midst of the battle.”
Eli nodded and stepped up next to me before pulling us through the pathways. We emerged on a building top in Ballsbridge, overlooking the battle. It spanned several blocks, a blot of ink on the city, dark and writhing. Screams and war cries rose up into the sky, and fires dotted the landscape here and there. The smell of ash and magic and blood permeated the air. Bodies littered the streets.
I shuddered, and Eli wrapped his arms around me. “What do we do? How can we leave this?”
“If we let the city be turned into demons, their first order will be to destroy every last supernatural on this battlefield,” Eli said. “Stopping Lucifer has to be priority one.”
I nodded. “I know, it’s just horrible.”
“I’ll fly down and find Quinn.”
Eli dove off the building. I paced back and forth as a minute passed, then two, then five. Finally, he swooped back up, carrying Quinn under one arm. She pulled me into a hug, and for once I let her.
“So, any luck with the video feed?” I asked.
“Scorch and Riley are still working on it,” she responded.
“Okay. It’s up to us in the meantime. Anna didn’t show. I need you to track Alexander.”
Quinn nodded and immediately the hum of magic filled the air around us. Sixty seconds later she said, “I’ve got him.” Puzzlement made her mouth tighten and her eyebrows crinkle together. “It’s not far from here, but I don’t recognize it.”
“Just give me directions,” Eli said, reaching out an arm to each of us. We each tucked under a wing and he sprung from the building into the night sky.
Quinn called out to Eli as he flew, and within five minutes we landed on top of a tall building. The battle still raged behind us, but the fires looked small enough to be innocent. An icy breeze whipped around the building, and voices carried on it. Voices chanting something that sounded ominous and, well, quite demonic.
“Sounds like they’re on the other side of the roof,” Eli whispered.
“What’s the plan?” Quinn asked.
I pulled my katana out with a cool hiss of metal. “We stop their Lucifer-loving asses.”
Without further discussion, I strode forward. My quick steps took me around a small cupola to the other side of the building, and sure enough, there stood my ex and about a dozen demons, all tenth level or higher. A few more swords would be helpful in a situation like this, but what the hell. We kinda had to make do with what we had.
Alexander turned around as I approached, a small flicker of surprise passing over his face before he masked it. “Ah, how nice of you to join us, Zyan.”
His jet black hair and sea blue eyes were gone, that face I used to love so much. He’d shifted into demon form, which was far less attractive, and by that I mean not attractive at all. Glowing red skin, a forked tail and reptilian eyes didn’t really do it for me.
“You had to know I’d show up at your little turn-Dublin-demon party. It is my old stomping ground after all.” My sword glinted in the moonlight as I stopped, one hip cocked.
Alexander smirked. “Well, I didn’t have to guess. Anna told me.”
“Where is she?” I demanded.
“Right here, sis,” she said, strolling up from behind the clump of demons.
Alexander positively glowed with smugness. “Yes, she told me about your valiant efforts to save her as Meziphestas’ lair, and your deep sisterly conversations after, and how a
stoundingly easy it was to make you think she was trying to leave me.”
I looked over at Anna and she smiled, a cruel twist of her lips, as she snaked an arm around Alexander’s waist. It felt like I’d been run through by a thousand swords. I’d been worried they’d found out she was double-crossing them. Worried they were torturing her somewhere. But no, here she was, safe and sound. It had all been part of her game. She’d played me. Just like Riley and Eli had said.
I kept my eyes off Anna and pasted a smile on my face. “What can I say, I have a weak spot for family ties. But that isn’t going to keep us from stopping you, just like last time. In fact, if you want to call it in now and avoid an ass-kicking, no one will think any less of you.” I shrugged. “I can’t think any less of you than I already do.”
I expected a sharp response from Alexander, but Anna answered me. “I’m afraid it’s not going to work this time.” She waved to the demons flanking them. “Not only do you have to get through them before we finish our spell to make the drug airborne, which will be less than sixty seconds after we stop talking, but we have a dozen other drop points set up across the city. All set to simultaneously release at the same time we do.” Her eyes locked on mine, and she smiled shards of ice. “You’ll never make it in time.”
Anna turned away from me dismissively, walking through the ranks of demons to stand near the edge of the building. “But have fun trying,” she called over her shoulder. Alexander grinned and followed her.
The demons closed in behind them, forming a solid wall. Fury rose up within me like a tsunami. I wanted to scream and cut them down with my blade as if they were paper dolls, but that wouldn’t get us anywhere. My demon mark flared and glowed bright against the inky sky.
“Zy,” Eli said, placing a calming hand on my back.
I spun to Quinn. “Can you channel the power of both of us together?”
She bit her lip, her expression puzzled. “Like, take over your power and combine it with mine, like we did for the location spell with the cauldron?”
“Exactly. I have a supernova’s worth of power buried within me, but my problem is control. You’re powerful as hell, too, and maybe if we joined together…”
Whiskey and Angelfire Page 21
