‘Believe what you like,’ she spoke with a heavy breath. Her back was already aching, her shoulders felt like they were being wrenched from her shoulders and her wings throbbed painfully from being forcibly extended and cruelly clamped at such awkward angle.
This was not going to end well for her. She had no reason to lie to them, to keep anything from them, but no matter what she said they wouldn’t believe her.
Ash had been lucky. Her half-brother came from a strong bloodline, born within the confines of marriage and that, coupled with the protection of his father, had shielded him after the betrayal of their mother and afforded him a legitimate place amongst the angels. He’d been forced to watch his mother’s punishment, just as she had, as a deterrent. After that he’d been returned to his father’s care where he’d been raised and eventually given a place as custodian of the archives.
Unlike Scarlett; with her mother gone and no father to offer her protection she’d been outcast, mistreated by both the angels and Sentinels alike. They’d watched her carefully, convinced she knew where her mother had hidden the book. But they’d had no cause to arrest her and question her, especially given how young she’d been at the time, so they’d bided their time until an opportunity presented itself.
An opportunity, which Ash himself had handed them on a platter, his supposed death and the theft of an ancient artefact from the archives known as the Sphere. She’d been blamed of course; Ash had gone to great lengths to implicate her. He’d been so clever, there was no way they would believe her.
‘Well?’ Thomas spoke firmly.
‘I don’t have the Sphere,’ she repeated tiredly.
‘And you expect us to believe that?’
‘I know you won’t believe a word I say,’ she looked up at him rebelliously. ‘I have no reason to lie, but let’s be honest here you’re going to torture me regardless, for no other reason than you want to.’
Her head snapped to the side as pain exploded along her cheek bone. Her hair still tangled up in the claw-like clamps tugged viciously, making it feel as if it was being torn out at the roots.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she stared back at Thomas hatefully.
‘It doesn’t matter what you do to me,’ she whispered, ‘it won’t change how he feels about me.’
His teeth peeled back in an almost animal-like snarl as he gripped her chin, digging his fingers in so tightly she heard the bone grating.
‘My son,’ he whispered close enough for only her to hear, ‘will be dealt with when the time comes. As I said before, you would do well to be more concerned for yourself.’
He released her face so suddenly her head sagged forward as she drew in a shaky breath. Her stomach jumped and shook but she refused to show them how terrified she was.
She raised her head insolently, staring first at Thomas before her gaze slid to Azariel.
‘I am under no illusions about what is going to happen here,’ she spoke clearly. ‘I’ve seen your kind so many times, you’re nothing special. Small men, grabbing at power, thinking you can abuse anyone who stands in your way. I have nothing to hide, I don’t know where my mother hid Caelum, I didn’t steal the Sphere and I sure as hell didn’t kill Ash.’
She caught Azariel’s expression when she mentioned her brother and just for a micro second something sparked in his eyes and a not so startling realization settled upon her.
‘You lie,’ Thomas replied coolly.
‘Ash isn’t dead, he’s still alive and in hiding on earth,’ Scarlett’s gaze firmly fixed on Thomas. ‘Why don’t you ask Azariel?’
‘What is she talking about?’ Thomas turned his sharp gaze to his enemy.
‘He knew Ash was alive all along,’ Scarlett continued, hoping to plant a seed of doubt in his mind. ‘Azariel is playing you, you must know that.’
‘Tell me what you mean?’ Thomas grasped her throat, tight enough to cause her pain but not to cut off her air supply.
‘Let go and I’ll tell you,’ she grated, her smoky eyes flashing angrily.
Thomas slowly released his hand.
‘Speak,’ he commanded.
‘You are aware that God himself declared my mother’s bloodline the protector of Caelum, the Book of the Heavens, before he himself disappeared.’
‘I am aware,’ Thomas replied tightly as if it galled him that God had declared an angel and a female at that, protector of one of the most powerful books in existence, rather than entrusting its safekeeping to the Sentinels.
‘Ash believes that as her firstborn he is the one destined to find Caelum, that our mother hid it for him specifically to find. He doesn’t just believe he is to be its keeper, its protector as my mother was, he believes he is to be its guardian. He wants to use the power of the book. He took the Sphere, for what purpose I don’t know, then he faked his own death, implicating me to get me out of the way. As long as you all believed he was dead, it gave him free rein to search for the book mother had hidden and you played right into his hands. You’ve spent so long chasing me, you missed what was going on right under your nose all along. Azariel knew Ash was still alive, he’s been playing you.’
Thomas turned to Azariel, his eyes blazing, his body held rigid with suppressed anger.
‘What an entertaining story,’ Azariel’s mouth curved in amusement as he clapped slowly, ‘however I am not the one on trial here. There is not a scrap of evidence to suggest your brother still lives. You are trying to set us against each other, but it will do you no good.’
Thomas stared at Azariel silently.
‘We made a pact,’ Azariel told Thomas smoothly, ‘to find and return Caelum and the Sphere to their rightful place in Heaven. After which we shall end Aurelia’s bloodline once and for all.’
His eyes fell on Scarlett, glinting maliciously.
‘May I suggest you continue your questioning Thomas; the girl is obviously lying to try and save her own worthless skin. Let us wring the truth from her and be done with these games.’
Thomas turned away from Azariel, his jaw still tense and his eyes never losing the wariness. He didn’t believe Azariel, Scarlett realized with a sinking feeling, but it wouldn’t matter, he was going to torture her anyway.
Thomas reached out and grasped Scarlett’s shoulder, probing with his fingers until he felt the joint between her shoulder. He set the needle point of the long thin screw against her skin guided between his fingers so that the screw angled down from the top of her shoulder toward her armpit underneath.
‘Now,’ Thomas glared at her darkly, ‘let’s start again. Where is the Sphere…?’
As he began to screw down slowly and deliberately the only sound echoing through the deserted corridor was the sound of her screams.
4
Theo sat bolt upright with a pain filled gasp, clutching his head in his hands. The sheets tangled and wrapped around his sweaty trembling body as he stumbled from the bed, staggering into the bathroom. He didn’t even flip the light on as he sank heavily to his knees and vomited violently into the toilet. The nausea flashed bright and sharp as his stomach tumbled and clenched. He heaved until there was nothing left, his body trembling and the pain in his skull still banging relentlessly like a three year old with a cooking pot and spoon.
He reached up and flushed the toilet, leaning his head tiredly against his arm as he draped it over the toilet seat.
He could still hear the relentless screaming in his mind. So much pain… he dragged in a shaky breath, and then another, trying to calm the jackhammering of his heartbeat. Suddenly he felt a cool soothing hand against his back, stroking comfortingly and he felt a nudge against his arm. He lifted his head a fraction, making out a glass of water in the darkness of the room.
He took the glass gratefully, sinking back into a seated position against the wall, the tiles cold and hard against his naked back. He drank the cool water, allowing it to soothe his ragged throat as he looked up into the concerned eyes of his wife.
Olivi
a sank to her knees on the unforgiving floor, her dark, sleep roughened hair tumbling over her shoulder. Two of her fiery dragonflies hovered over her head. Borne of her magic and comprised entirely of the warm red and gold of her earth fire, they bathed them both in a soft soothing light rather than the harsh glare of the artificial bathroom light.
‘They’re getting worse, aren’t they?’ Olivia spoke quietly into the stillness of the room as she cupped his cheek gently.
Theo nodded slowly. There was no point in trying to hide it from her. Even if they hadn’t promised each other there would be no lies between them, she would have known anyway, the same way he could feel her pain and her presence. Ever since she had become the Guardian of the Hell book Infernum, and he her protector, as well as her husband and lover, they had been connected, bound to each other in a way that could never be broken, and that connection only grew stronger with time.
‘What did you see?’ Olivia asked in concern.
‘The woman,’ Theo breathed heavily, ‘the red-haired woman with Sam… she’s in pain Olivia, so much pain.’
‘Is that all?’ Olivia shook her head. ‘Did you get any kind of sense where she was, or if Sam was with her?’
‘No,’ he shook his head, wincing as another bright stab of pain lanced through his head and pulsed painfully at the base of his skull.
‘Here,’ she leaned forward and reached for him, ‘let me help.’
She placed her hands either side of his head and he felt the soothing warmth of her magic pulsing through it, and a low buzzing in his ears. When she finally let go, he felt a little light headed but the worst of the pain was gone.
‘Thank you love,’ he murmured as he placed the half empty glass on the floor with a little clink.
‘We need to do something about this,’ she breathed worriedly. ‘These visions are getting stronger; I know what they’re doing to you.’
‘I’m okay Livy,’ he grasped her hand gently, ‘besides, I have no control over them. It’s not like I could stop them, even if I tried.’
‘There must be something we can do, someone we could go to for help,’ she frowned, pulling her lip thoughtfully between her teeth as she nibbled. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing in your mother’s journal?’
Theo reached out and cupped her jaw softly, soothing her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb to stop her from chewing it ragged with worry.
‘No,’ he sighed. ‘I’ve been through that journal a dozen times. Whatever is happening to me, she either never foresaw or she chose not to tell me about it.’
‘Theo…’ she frowned.
‘I know, love,’ he soothed her the same way she’d comforted him; he understood her fear because it was the same fear which gnawed slyly at the edges of his mind.
‘You should get back to bed, try to sleep,’ Olivia stood, holding out her hand for him.
He took her hand and pulled himself up from the floor, dropping a sweet kiss on her forehead before turning and heading back into the bedroom.
Olivia leaned down and picked up the glass of water from the ground. Emptying it out, she rinsed out the glass and set it at the side of the sink, before following her husband into the bedroom.
In the darkness of the room she could make out his large form, now huddled under the covers. As she slipped in beside him, he reached for her, wrapping his arms around the solid warmth and softness of her body. He rested his head against her breasts as she soothingly stroked his dark curls, needing the comfort only she could give him.
‘I love you,’ she whispered as she placed a soft kiss to the top of his head and held him against her.
She faintly heard his whispered reply as he slowly sank back down into an exhausted sleep. She continued to hold him, running her fingers through his dark silken hair, as much to soothe herself as to soothe him, even though his slow measured breaths and the gentle rise and fall of his chest told her that he’d fully succumbed to sleep.
Sleep wouldn’t come so easily to her. She lay in the semi darkness watching as her dragonflies danced above her leaving little trails of light in their wake. Suddenly they shimmered, hovering in the air almost expectantly as the warmth and sparkle of their gold and red flames shimmered into a cool timeless sapphire blue edged in black.
Olivia felt the wards surrounding her home twitch and ripple. Her skin tingled and the tiny little hairs on her arms rose.
Sliding out from underneath Theo carefully so as not to disturb him, she reached for her robe and wrapped it tightly around her. She crept out of her room into the hallway, not in the least bit surprised when her little firedrake Manny appeared in the doorway of her children’s nursery. He trotted over to her and clambered up her body until he was settled firmly on her shoulder, blinking at her with shiny orb like eyes.
‘You feel it too, huh?’ she watched him closely.
He snorted quietly, tiny little puffs of smoke from his nostrils, as he kneaded her shoulder restlessly with his claws, flicking his wings.
With Manny firmly seated on her shoulder Olivia padded down the stairs on silent feet, passing by the heavy old grandfather clock which no longer ticked. Seeing a light on that she knew she’d switched off before going to bed, she headed purposefully toward the kitchen.
The first thing she saw as she entered the room, was a familiar figure. Tall, broad across the shoulders and powerfully built, he sat calmly in one of the kitchen chairs with his back to her.
‘Hello Olivia,’ he didn’t bother to turn around as his voice rumbled through the kitchen.
Olivia walked softly into the room her mouth curving as she turned to face him.
‘Hello Hades.’
His dark eyes fixed on her, flickering for the barest hint of a second to the little firedrake perched atop her shoulder, before settling back on her face. His jet-black hair shimmered with the faintest trace of blue flame as he tapped his signet ring thoughtfully against the pommel of his ever-present black cane. He once again wore one of his elegant Savile Row suits effortlessly, a far cry from the armor he’d worn the last time she saw him.
‘I like the suit,’ she smiled as she headed toward the kettle.
‘Things are settling in the Underworld for the moment; we’ve rounded up most of Nathaniel’s followers and they’ve been dealt with accordingly,’ he sniffed disdainfully.
‘I do hope Sabine and Saffire are among them,’ Olivia’s gaze hardened. ‘In fact, I hope you flayed them both.’
One perfectly arched brow rose as a small smile played on his lips.
‘That’s rather savage coming from you.’
‘After what they tried to do to me and my children and everyone I love,’ she turned to stare at Hades, ‘mercy is the last thing on my mind when it comes to those two.’
‘Unfortunately,’ Hades’ lips pursed thoughtfully, ‘they were not among them and as demons, unless I catch them within the boundaries of Hades, I technically have no jurisdiction over them. They belong to Hell.’
‘Well,’ Olivia lifted down two mugs and filled them, ‘they’d better hope I don’t catch up with them then.’
Hades chuckled quietly.
‘What?’ Olivia carried the mugs to the table, sliding one in front of him as she took a seat beside him.
‘Nothing,’ he replied in amusement. ‘I’m finding I rather like this dark side of yours.’
‘Why are you here Hades?’ Olivia asked bluntly. ‘It’s not because you like the taste of my coffee at three in the morning.’
Hades regarded her carefully as his long fingers tapped restlessly against the table top.
‘First tell me what troubles you.’
‘There’s nothing troubling me,’ she lifted her mug and took a sip.
‘Olivia,’ his brow rose again, ‘you have a crease between your brows as deep as Tartarus. Something is obviously going on in that busy brain of yours.’
Olivia stared at him silently for a moment before finally sighing as she placed her mug back down on the table.
‘His visions?’
‘How did you know?’ She scowled again.
He ignored her question, gesturing impatiently for her to continue.
‘They’re getting stronger, much stronger,’ she stared down into the swirling caramel colored liquid in her cup. ‘I’ve never experienced anything like it. The power…’ she murmured, ‘we’re connected Theo and I,’ she shook her head. ‘I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like I can feel him inside me.’
Hades’ brow rose once again, this time accompanied by an amused smile.
‘Yeah okay,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘that sounded dirtier than I intended…’ she huffed out a quiet laugh, ‘and they say you don’t have a sense of humor.’
‘Olivia,’ he leaned forward, ‘the bond you speak of is not so unusual.’
‘What do you mean?’ She tilted her head as she studied him.
‘It is the bond of soulmates you speak of,’ he whispered. ‘You once asked me if I’d held my wife Persephone against her will, if I’d bound her to me. But you have to understand that I am as much a slave to her as she is to me. We are bound together by ties far greater and deeper than merely love. Without her, my soul would be irrevocably damaged, missing its most vital part… do you understand?’
‘I think I do,’ Olivia whispered, knowing that he’d just described exactly how she felt about Theo.
‘Most souls wander through lifetime after lifetime, never complete, always seeking and unable to understand what it is they’re missing, but for a rare few of us we are lucky enough to have found the other piece to the puzzle of our everlasting souls. The only key that will fit the lock.’
‘That’s very poetic coming from you Hades,’ Olivia’s mouth curved.
‘I try,’ he replied dryly, causing her to laugh fondly. ‘The point I am trying to make Olivia is that you and Theo are bound to each other, but you are no ordinary human, you are a Guardian. We haven’t even begun to explore what you are capable of. Your power could be near limitless for all we know and because of that power it is not unreasonable to assume that it would somehow effect Theo.’
The Veritas Page 4
