“He was thinking that he wanted to kill you.”
“I’m sure. He’s upset with me but Schmitty would never hurt me.”
Zarmina had tears running down her face while she kept her eyes locked on me. Even though she didn’t have the gun pointed at my head I was still afraid of her. Something I had never felt before. Zarmina is the sweetest, kindest person I’d ever met, but here she was ready to kill me to protect Kiriana. No, not Kiriana, the baby. She wanted KK to have her baby.
“That’s not the only reason,” she said, and I remembered she was a mind reader.
“I beg to differ. You just tried to kill me.”
“She’s not the only selfish one in the house.”
“Okay, Z, remember the conversation we had about not having conversations when one of the people in the room can’t hear all of it,” KK said.
“I thought that was about speaking Swedish and Arabic?”
“No,” KK said.
“I won’t let him do it.”
“He’s not going to.” Her hand slid into Zarmina’s and she placed it on her belly. Finally I was released from the cold glare of Zarmina as she turned to KK. “See, the baby’s not even upset.”
“They aren’t.” Z sighed.
“They aren’t.” KK shook her head. “Schmitty loves me like he loves everyone in this house. I did something very foolish and now I need to find a way to fix it.”
“You’re not going out. I’ll take Nye, but not you.”
“Nye is me. LaDressa will only speak to me. I need to go.”
“Then we’ll all go.” Lars came into the room and had Zarmina fall into his arms. Nye was behind him with Dilana and Kiyoshi who were still awake.
“I miss fighting at night anyway,” Dilana said.
“I miss you coming home after you’ve fought at night,” Kiyoshi added.
“I heard there was an issue,” Esther approached the door in full battle gear. “Can I be of assistance?”
“She might as well know too,” Nye added and Kiriana scowled at him. “My Other’s been in negotiations with Lucifer’s daughter.”
Esther audibly gasped, then steeled herself.
“What was the result?”
“She kidnapped Schmitty’s…” Kiriana stumbled to find the words.
“The woman I plan on sealing with.”
Kiriana jerked her neck toward me.
“What? Just because I let her walk out doesn’t mean I wasn’t going after her.”
“We’ll save her. I’ll get the ashes right now.”
“I will,” Nye growled. “You shouldn’t be wielding a shovel right now. Not in your condition.”
“Nye, wait…” Kiriana called, but he was already halfway down the hall.
They hadn’t reconciled yet, but I couldn’t concern myself with that. Instead I needed to figure out how to locate the coven and rescue Trish.
“Yosh and I have narrowed it down to three locations where the coven might be,” KK said when she turned back.
“We can’t let them have the ashes,” I conceded.
“I doubt having Damarion around is less important than Trisha’s life.”
“Trish could already be dead. Coming with our hat in hand will only result in us losing the ashes. We need to go in on the offensive.”
“Then you need to lead, soldier,” KK said. “I need you to come up with a strategy. Closing Hells Mouths is a long-term thing, but keep Trisha alive in your scenario.”
Flashes of Trish’s smile when she’d see me enter the bar hit me. The feel of her hands on me. I could hear the moans she made when I entered her and the way her core convulsed around me. Her smell filled my nose and I gripped the edge of my dresser for strength. The thought of never feeling her curves against my body sent a shot of pain straight through my heart.
A scream tore through my mind and Zarmina’s fingers dug into my arms.
“That was real,” she panted.
“What?”
Her eyes became frantic, looking left and right. “I can hear her screaming.”
“How? I thought the people had to be in close proximity to you.”
“Or really loud.” Tears streamed down Zarmina’s face.
“How can I hear it too?”
“Schmitty, you have to save her.”
The screams were pained and soon contained my name. She was crying for me to save her. The rest of the room was staring at Z and I.
“Give me a map with the locations,” I ordered and Kiyoshi pulled up an electronic tablet.
I listened to the screams in my head to get a direction. They weren’t just in my head; there was a location and I could hear it. Wiping wetness from my eyes I figured out the direction.
“Here,” I said with certainty. “We’ll start here.” I pointed to a street on the south east part of town. “Wait.” I held up my hand and searched for her voice, but there was nothing. No scream, no crying, just a deafening silence that made every nerve in my body go off in fear.
Chapter 14
Her Royal Holiness, Princess LaDressa, Daughter of Lucifer the IV
“CAILEAN, I expect this from Pivane, but you?” I scolded as I entered the bed chamber that housed my bargaining chip. “If you damage her they may no longer want her.”
The woman’s head lolled to the side. Her brunette hair dangled over her shoulder. Blood on the side of her head caught loose strands, sticking them to her cheek. Her lips were swollen, but it did not appear from pleasure. Yes, Pivane still hadn’t learned to please a woman with a knife. Pity. Instead, this woman had beads of sweat on her forehead and seemed to be having problems breathing. Her shallow breaths had wetness to them.
“Did you give her the sickness too?” I asked as I knelt in front of her and took her chin between my thumb and index finger. She let out a groan as I turned her head from side to side. “Are you in pain? Or recovering from a climax?”
A tear streamed down her cheek from her absent eyes. When her head lolled again to the side as if holding it up would require too much effort, her tears dripped on my floor. One of her arms had a thin cut from her shoulder to her wrist. If it were not for the drops of blood I wouldn’t have even noticed the thin line. On the other Pivane had made short cuts from the outside to the inside of her arm.
Her blood wasn’t right. A gurgling noise came from her throat and her eyes finally registered my existence.
“Help me.”
“If your soldier loves you, truly loves you, he will bring me what I want.”
“What does he have?”
“Nothing, his partner does.”
“KK…” She coughed.
“Yes, my dear sweet cousin Kiriana has something very precious to me.” I cocked my head to the side. “Let’s hope you’re just as precious to him. Would he kill Kiriana to save you?”
The woman let out a few whimpers then raised her head. “Maybe, but he will kill you to save me.”
“What is that odor?” I stood and turned to Pivane.
“She soiled herself, remember?”
I turned and slapped her hard, leaving three marks from my nails…strange I inspected my hand to figure out why my smallest finger didn’t scratch her. Maybe I will try again later. Now I must wait for my Damarion.
“Pivane, pour water on her. No need to wash her yet, but at least get rid of some of the smell.”
“Yes, Yahweh.”
“And try to control your urges.” I turned sharply and listened on the wind. She was near. “It is time.”
Stepping out of the home into the circular area between them I waited. My coven surrounded me, each facing a different direction. There was no fear in me, no satisfaction. I was numb. I wasn’t even sure what I truly wanted. Damarion had been a singular focus for so long, but the face of the woman kept distracting me. She was in such pain. Why did I care? She was nothing to me. Oh God. My back ached and I knew my wings would emerge whether I wan
ted them to or not.
I strained against the emotion and my arms began to burn. The vines circling my flesh throbbed as the sound of motors cut through the night.
“Mother,” I called and she stepped next to me. “How am I to fight when my blood betrays me and burns through my body? My skin is on fire and I cannot focus on anything but the agony of it. Is it because she is near?”
“Yes, but there is something else pulling at your body. What was clouding your mind? Did you fear for this battle?”
“No, I was thinking of that woman. The one Pivane is…” A pain shot between my shoulder blades and my wings unfurled. The members of my coven all jumped away.
A sharp pain crossed my cheek as my mother struck me.
“We do not have empathy for his creatures. They are less than us. We do not care if they are harmed. All we want is entrance back into our kingdom.”
Blood dripped down my face from my eyes leaking.
“Quit being such a child. This is your time. Take what is yours. This creature took your love. Obtain his ashes then tie her to you if need be to help you resurrect him.”
“What of the woman?”
“If she perishes, so be it as long as you can be with Damarion and sire me a new royal line.”
Wind tore through our circle as vehicles arrived and a half-dozen Frozen stepped out, including my dear sweet cousin and her mate.
* * * *
PFC James Schmitt
The whole damn coven was waiting like they’d been expecting us. So much for the element of surprise.
“Where is she?” KK asked the princess with a commanding voice none of us knew she had.
“She?” the princess asked and extended her wings…wait…the princess has wings? “Who would that be?”
“Leave the sarcasm to the ones who were raised on Earth,” KK said. “It doesn’t really work for you, dear cousin.”
“Cousin?” I snapped. “She’s fucking family to you?”
“She’s Gabe’s niece, snap at him.”
“What the fuck?” I shook off the new information. “Where’s Trisha?”
“The barmaid? Being pleasured by our male…well, “pleasured” may be a stretch. He doesn’t have Damarion’s skill in the bedroom.”
I tore off at the princess, only to fly backward and crash on top of my car with a spine-shattering crunch. The pain shot through my back to my stomach and reminded me I was held together with duct tape and super glue. Flopping on the pavement I rolled and somehow adrenaline took over and I was able to push myself up.
“That all you got?” I spat. “Because, lady, my love is still alive, unlike yours, and I will get her.”
“But will it be in time?”
Fear caused an early frost as I heard a weak scream from one of the homes. My head was swimming from the rush and I became blurry-eyed. Wobbling, I reached out and was caught by Esther.
“Schmitty, you’re bleeding.”
Placing my hand on my shirt I felt the wetness seeping through. Damn it.
“It’s not bad. I need you guys to distract them.”
Bright lights flashed in my eyes as Berlin’s car came barreling between two of the houses. She was driving at full speed when she turned a hard left and the tail end of her car knocked down half of the circle of Deumos. The princess shot up into the air and screamed into the night. Swooping down she knocked over KK and Dilana shot her crossbow into the air, clipping the princess’ heel.
As the world slowed I took in the situation. Four Deumos were down, having been hit by Berlin, and the princess was gone on the wind. Soon the Deumos stood and Nye and Lars jumped to fight them off.
I tore off toward the house where I'd heard Trish's scream come from and found her tied up in a living room. There was nothing but a hard backed wooden chair and her. She looked so frail tied to it. Her head fell to the side. Blood was dripping from her arms and mouth. It stained the carpet around the chair in an almost perfect circle.
“Baby,” I cried and brushed her hair back. “Come on, Trish, I need you to wake up.”
“Jim.” She gasped and her eyes fluttered. “Behind—”
Her warning came too late as my head exploded with pain from the back. I fell to Trish’s feet and rolled on my back. Above me stood the male demon who’d stabbed me.
“I guess I didn’t use enough toxin last time.”
“That felt more like a Louisville Slugger than a knife.”
“Good read,” he said, bouncing the baseball bat against an open palm. “I never understood America’s fascination with this game, although it’s growing on me.”
He raised the bat above his head and swung straight down. When I rolled out of the way my boots hit his ankles and flipped him on his back.
My head rang with pain, but I knew if I didn’t get Trish out of here she’d die. I couldn’t lose another person, not when I was this close to her. She needed to live and if that meant I was sending this asshole to the great beyond so be it.
I turned quickly and reached for my claustranimia. Swinging, I slammed my knife down only to find the floor. The room was empty except for Trish gasping for air.
“Where did he go?” I asked, but Trish couldn’t respond; she’d fallen to the floor as if the binding had been stripped. I looked for the rope, but there had been none. Shit, where was the princess?
Wood and shingles answered my question as the roof crashed down around us. I covered Trish with my body as two by fours and insulation fell. Trish stayed motionless beneath me. I tossed off the bits of roof and scooped Trish into my arms.
“No, no, little soldier. You don’t get to take her without paying the price.” The princess stood before me with her wings expanding to fill the whole of the room. They were black with tips that dripped blood. A snarl tore across her face while her white hair whipped around. “My ashes.”
“Don’t have ’em. Neither does she. At least let her go and I’ll fight for yours.”
“You mean my blooded cousin dared to come here without them?”
“No,” KK yelled from the doorway. In her hands was the coffee can with Damarion’s ashes. At least I hoped it was the same can.
The princess swiped her hand back then growled at KK.
“He’s been teaching you?”
“Nope, I learned that one all on my own. Either that or you’re not as powerful as you think you are.”
A hard flap of the princess’ wings sent Trish and I flying into a wall as she crossed to KK.
“Schmitty, get out of here,” Nye said as he came through the dining room behind the princess. “You have to get her to safety.”
“What about KK?” I asked. “She’s—”
“Fighting, it’s about damn time, right?”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“That happens when you learn your wife is half archangel. Being around the princess brings out her powers. As long as she doesn’t sprout wings I think I’ll be able to deal. But her…” Nye indicated Trish whose breaths were shorter with every passing second. “She’s a hundred percent human and needs to be taken care of.”
“I know I should take her to the hospital…”
“We don’t know what was on the knife or if he fed her something. Take her home. Dr. Ashworth can help.”
“I want to seal with her, to take away her pain.”
“Then Gabriel won’t let you,” Nye said solemnly. “If you want to seal with her because you love her and can’t live without her, he’ll have no objection.”
The air around us was quickly turning into gale force winds and I had to cover my eyes to avoid the dust. With Trish in my arms, Nye led me out the back of the home. I came around the edge of the house to see that bantlings had joined the battle. All were in different stages of development from gray gargoyle to men with horns. Everyone was fighting, even Berlin who had one of Zarmina’s new toys.
I needed to help them. I was being selfish. It wa
s my duty.
“Jimmy,” a soft, pained voice spoke from below. How I heard it over the noise of battle, I don’t know. When I looked down, I saw Trish straining to look up at me. Her eyes heavy-lidded as her swollen lips mouthed, “I knew you’d save me.”
* * * *
Trisha O’Driscoll
Jimmy kicked in the door to the compound and screamed for Gabriel. I was barely breathing in his arms. He fell to his knees and screamed again.
Gurgling in his arms, I opened my eyes just enough to see his ice-blue ones mournfully looking at me.
“I guess it was good…” I coughed roughly to loosen the stabbing pain in my side. “I didn’t marry you, huh?”
“No, it wasn’t.” He brushed my hair back. “Stay with me. We can still be sealed.”
“If we do you die.” I strained and lifted my hand to his cheek. “Your hair is longer.”
“I’ll cut it, just stay with me.”
“I so want to.”
“You do?” a deep voice called from across the room. “Is that just because you are seconds from death? If I healed you, would you still wish to be his mate?”
“Yes, I’d still want to be with him.”
I dropped my arm and felt myself fall. Jimmy was on the floor, but my travels were too far for me to catch myself.
“Are you sure, Trisha?” I heard Gabriel ask as he reached a hand out and righted me. I was bathed in white. “I’ve never taken a soul who was moments from ascension to Heaven and pulled them back.”
“Where am I?” I asked, noticing my pain was gone. Looking down at my arms, I saw I was healed fully. “Colin’s pain is gone, isn’t it?”
“Your child? Yes. He has no more suffering.”
“If I say no, I’ll be in Heaven.”
“Yes, for a time.”
“And if I say yes?”
“You will be with James for all eternity. He will no longer be able to work off his sentence. He will have to hunt for all eternity…or if Kiriana has her way, a few hundred years.”
“KK’s trying to end the world?”
“Ha, what a concept. No, she’s trying to…you know what; I’m done telling you more about the Frozen. We are here to discuss James and you. Now you did not have the traditional ceremony, but there is one part we have to discuss.”
Redemption of Blood Page 20
