The Devil's Angel (Devil Series Book 2)

by Rachel McClellan

  He walked back to Eve and removed a knife from a sheath hooked to his belt.

  The woman spoke, “You should be careful. She knows magic well.”

  “Not well enough. She’s already expended all that she has. She’s as weak as a newborn babe.” He drove the knife into her leg and pulled it back out just as quickly.

  Lucien flinched when Eve whimpered.

  “I don’t think Boaz would appreciate what you’re doing to her,” the woman said.

  “Nonsense! He said I could do whatever I wanted to her until he arrived—as long as I didn’t kill her.”

  “I don’t think he meant you could treat her like a lab rat.”

  “How could I not? I’ll never get this opportunity again.”

  He placed the bloody knife against Eve’s arm. With one quick movement he sliced it wide open. Eve screamed.

  “No!” Lucien rushed Aiden, but he went right through him and fell to the floor.

  “Did you feel that?” the woman said, wrapping her arms around her.

  “Feel what?” Aiden cut Eve’s arm again, making a “V” on her bicep.

  The woman walked around. “There’s something in this room.”

  “You’re crazy.” Aiden dug his finger at the bottom of the V until he took hold of Eve’s flesh. With one hard tug, he stripped the skin the length of Eve’s arm. She screamed in agony.

  Lucien lunged at Aiden again.

  “I’ll kill you!” he yelled. He swung at him several times, but his blows were futile.

  “There it is again!” the woman said. She stepped back toward the door.

  “Go find something to do, you old hag. I’m busy!” he shouted over Eve’s tortured cries.

  The woman glared at Aiden and then slammed the door behind her.

  Aiden moved close to Eve’s arm and watched as her skin slowly repaired itself. He inhaled deeply. “Remarkable!” He traced the contours of her skin, moving up and down the length of her body. “I could have so much fun with you.”

  Aiden lowered his face to hers. His tongue came out of his mouth and licked her tight lips. “You are so beautiful. I can see why my brother likes you so much.”

  Eve’s eyes snapped open wide.

  “Oh! You mean my dear brother never told you?” Aiden shook his head. “Families aren’t what they used to be. I gave him the rare gift of immortality, and how did he repay me? He tried to kill me.”

  “Too bad he failed,” Eve whispered after taking a painful breath.

  Aiden shoved the knife into her stomach, but Eve stifled the scream.

  Lucien cradled her head the best he could. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what to do,” he whispered in her ear, tears welling in his eyes.

  Aiden lowered himself into the chair. “You know, your Lucien is not what you think he is. Did you know he murdered our father?”

  Eve gritted her teeth through the pain and said, “If he did, he had good reason.”

  Aiden stared at Eve, then he placed his hands on his thighs and hoisted himself back up. “Yes, I’m sure he had good reason for stabbing a feeble old man in the back repeatedly.”

  He removed the knife from Eve’s stomach and proceeded to cut another long “V” in her leg.

  “Lucien’s changed,” Eve grunted, her eyes bulging.

  “After what he’s done? Impossible!” Aiden ripped the skin from her leg.

  The terrified scream that escaped her throat tore at Lucien’s heart. The tears spilled from his eyes.

  “Eve,” he begged.

  When her screams finally died down, Aiden said, “Let me tell you a bedtime story. It’s about two brothers who loved mischief and adventure. They were naughty vampire brothers who were tired of scrounging for food like dogs.”

  Lucien straightened, shaking his head. “Aiden, stop. Please stop. Not now, not like this.”

  Aiden continued, “The smartest of the two brothers went to a faraway land where he found something that would save his brother and others like them. The dumb brother was very excited when he saw the present his older brother had brought him and was eager to share it with others. Together they took the precious gift and unleashed it in the grandest city of its time—London.”

  Aiden traced the knife up Eve’s body and to her neck. He knelt at her side and whispered, “Our gift scurried to and fro, anxious to spread its disease to dirty, rotten humans.”

  Eve pursed her lips and closed her eyes tight. Lucien paced the room, desperate to find something that might help him find her location.

  Aiden’s lips brushed her ear. “One by one, people died. Our gift spread like a human pyramid scheme. And when London was finally closed off to the rest of the world, the two brothers became kings, feasting on the blood of those who remained. Soon, others like them joined in the grand feast. It was the greatest party of all time, one that would go down in the history books. We called it the ‘Perfect Pandemic’, but humans remember it as—the ‘Black Plague’.” Aiden smoothed her hair. “What do you think of your precious Lucien now?”

  Eve was silent, her jaw clamped shut. She kept her eyes closed, but Lucien saw the tears escape. He slid to the dirt floor in the corner of the room, wishing he were dead. His hand touched the cold earth and … something else. It was small and hard. He looked closer. It was a piece of grain. Using his night eyes, he scanned the ground. It was everywhere—the border of Aiden’s shoes held most of it.

  They were in a granary.

  “I’m coming for you, Eve,” he said just as Aiden drove the knife into her left shoulder.

  Before Lucien faded back to the cemetery, Aiden asked, “Tell me, Eve, what would it take for you to die?”

  43

  Lucien’s eyes snapped open. He jumped up and ran, pushing his legs harder and faster than ever before. All he could think of was getting to Eve. He cursed—he wasn’t moving fast enough. His car was at least a mile from the cemetery. He pushed harder still, forcing every muscle to work together.

  The onset of darkness gave him more power as he pushed forward, using his mind to focus solely on getting to Eve. The cold air rushed into his mouth, as if it were an entity all its’ own, and then to all parts of his body, giving it new life. His mind cracked and expanded into something new and powerful.

  He concentrated harder on the sensation and used this new energy to propel forward even faster until he could no longer see his own legs or hands. Then, without warning, he lifted off the ground, up and over the trees and past his parked car. He didn’t stop to question where the power was coming from him. All that mattered was saving Eve.

  Lucien tore through the night sky, looking like nothing more than a streak of black fog, back toward Charlie. He needed the resources of the Deific to find which granary Eve was being held captive in. He stopped on the rooftop and scanned the parking lot for Charlie’s car. When he couldn’t find it, he lifted back up, practically bursting into smoke in the process, and flew toward the Deific.

  Charlie’s car was in front. Lucien hurried inside. Charlie was talking to Alana and several others who had been there at the warehouse. Upon Lucien’s arrival, they grew silent. Charlie quickly moved something behind his back.

  “Anything?” Charlie asked.

  “She’s in a granary. And probably not far from here. I need help finding which one.”

  “How was she?”

  “Let’s just find her as quickly as possible.”

  “There’s no need,” Alana said. “Show him the note, Charlie.”

  Charlie handed him a paper from behind his back. “This was on our door.”

  The note was in Aiden’s handwriting; he’d recognize it anywhere—the long dramatic swoops of the L’s and C’s. Perfect calligraphy.

  Lucien read it under his breath: “Lucien for Eve. Come to the cliffs at midnight. Alone. The Dark Prince.”

  A few of the words were spelled wrong, despite the perfect penmanship. Spelling was never Aiden’s specialty.

  Lucien glanced down at his watch.
“We have four hours. It will take at least two to get to the cliffs. Can we find her before then?”

  “You say she’s in a granary of some kind?” Charlie asked.

  Lucien nodded.

  Charlie turned to a Scott, a Paul Bunyan-looking man, with a belly that hung far below his belt. “Marshall, how many granaries are there in Ireland, within, let’s say a hundred mile radius?”

  “Maybe ten,” he answered.

  “Let’s divide up and search them all,” Lucien said.

  Charlie stopped him. “No, we need a plan.”

  “Our plan is to find Eve.”

  “And what if we can’t?”

  “Then I’ll go and exchange myself.” He glanced at his watch again. They were wasting time.

  “It’s a trap,” Charlie said. “They aren’t going to release Eve, and they’ll kill you!”

  Lucien grabbed him by the throat. “He’s ripping the flesh from her body, torturing her, while we stand around speaking as if my life means something!” He lowered his voice. “If there is the smallest chance we can save her, then we have to take it.” He released his grip.

  Charlie gasped for air. He stared into Lucien’s eyes; panic replaced his normally calm demeanor. “We focus all our energy on finding Eve. Marshall, get me a map and a list of all nearby farms that might have a granary.”

  Ten minutes later, Marshall unfolded a map on a conference table. His large head loomed over it like a giant orange sun. Both Lucien and Charlie had to step to the side of him just to see it.

  One of Marshall’s assistants read addresses from a list while John marked X’s at certain locations on the map.

  Marshall said, “There are twelve farms within a hundred mile radius, all with grain silos. Six of those are being used and are inspected yearly. The remaining granaries are marked by X’s.”

  Lucien studied the map closely.

  “Take this one off the list,” Alana said, pointing to an X on the map.

  “Why’s that?” Marshall asked.

  “Too close to the city and a main road. Vampires would never hide out there.”

  “She’s right,” Lucien agreed.

  “Let’s divide up to search the rest,” Charlie said.

  “Wait!” Lucien looked at Charlie. “Which one do you think she’s at?”

  Charlie shook his head. “I told you, my gift isn’t working.”

  “This is Eve we’re talking about. Make it work."

  Charlie peered down at the map. After a short moment he pointed at an X. “There. I think she’s there.”

  Lucien straightened. “Charlie and Alana, come with me. The rest of you inspect the others.”

  Loaded with weapons, they all headed outside.

  “Where’s your car?” Charlie asked.

  “Not here,” he said, jumping into the backseat of Charlie’s vehicle behind Alana.

  Charlie closed the door. “How did you get here?”

  “I’ll figure that out later.”

  Charlie drove while Alana guided him through the narrow streets of Dublin, street lamps lighting the way. Once they were outside of the city, he sped up and raced down an old highway. Lucien stared out the window and up into the starry sky. The moon’s smile was bigger as if it was preparing for the punch line of a joke.

  Alana played with a map and a small flashlight. “It should be up here, slow down.”

  “Does this feel right to you, Charlie?” Lucien asked.

  “Actually it does. My skin’s starting to crawl.”

  Alana pointed up ahead. “Turn left here.”

  Charlie turned left down a dirt road and past a small farmhouse that looked abandoned—the windows were smashed and the porch had collapsed. In the distance was the silhouette of a tall grain silo attached to a barn-looking metal building. Charlie turned off the headlights.

  “Leave them on,” Lucien said. “They already know we’re coming.”

  “How?”

  Alana answered for Lucien. “They could hear this beast from miles away.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Charlie asked. “If they know we’re coming, then they’ll be waiting for us.”

  “Leave it to me,” Alana said. She stuffed the map down at her feet.

  Charlie stopped the car not far from the entrance. Everything was still; there were no lights and no movement.

  Charlie leaned forward over the steering wheel. “I don’t think—”

  “Shhhh!” both Lucien and Alana hissed.

  Alana jumped out of the car and walked toward the entrance. Two vampire guards appeared out of nowhere. They were the same ones who had guarded Aiden’s door the night Lucien had attacked them. Lucien turned his head to better hear their conversation.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the large one asked Alana.

  “To see the Dark Prince. I brought him a gift.” She motioned her head to the car.

  “The human?”

  Alana nodded.

  “What are they saying?” Charlie whispered.

  Lucien motioned for him to be quiet.

  “What of the other one?” the vampire with the high voice squeaked.

  “He’s one of us,” she told them. Lucien kept his head slightly down so they wouldn’t recognize him.

  The guards looked at each other nervously. Finally, high-voice said, “You just missed him, about ten minutes ago.”

  “But you can leave the human for us,” the other one said and grinned.

  Alana motioned for Charlie to get out of the car.

  “Go.” Lucien told him.

  Charlie pulled a stake out from within his jacket and hid it in his hand. He stumbled out the door.

  “So where’s the party you promised?” he shouted at Alana, his words slurred.

  The two vampires laughed.

  “Over here,” they called.

  With the guards distracted, Alana made her move. She withdrew two stakes from behind her back and stabbed the tall vampire directly in the heart. She attempted to stab the other one, but he was too quick. She missed and hit his arm instead.

  Lucien stepped out of the car. Squeaky Voice recognized Lucien and turned to run. Charlie tossed the stake in his hand. It stabbed the vampire in the back, and he exploded into a thousand particles of dust.

  “Nice shot,” Alana said.

  Lucien slid open a thick metal door. A sharp chemical smell accosted his senses. “I think we found the lab.”

  “Should we rush in like this?” Charlie asked. “What if there are more of them?”

  Lucien walked in. “There won’t be. They weren’t expecting us.”

  Inside was a fully functioning, modern lab. Bright florescent lights shone on several white countertops lined in rows. At the end of each aisle were bulky machines, each with a long conveyor belt. Bodian Dynamic boxes were stacked in the corner of the room. Lucien guessed they were full of glass vials.

  Charlie phoned in their location to Marshall, and then walked around in obvious awe of the facility. “I had no idea vampires could be so smart.”

  “Excuse me?” Alana snapped.

  Charlie turned around. “I mean, of course they’re smart, but who knew they liked science?”

  “Why wouldn’t we like science?” Alana asked, folding her arms.

  Lucien didn’t stick around to hear Charlie dig his way out. He moved around the metal building, looking for the room he last saw Eve in. He didn’t have to walk far before he picked up her scent.

  44

  “Over here!” he yelled to the others.

  Lucien jogged down a short hall and into the same small room that had held Eve less than an hour ago. She was no longer there, but her blood covered the wooden table and floor.

  “This is where she was tied up,” he told Charlie and Alana when they approached from behind. His stomach turned over forcing him to look away from the grisly scene.

  Alana moved past him into the room.

  “There’s so much blood!” Charlie cried. He put his
hand against the doorframe to steady himself. “Is there any way she could’ve survived?”

  Alana found the video camera and removed a tape. “We’ll know soon enough.”

  “She’s alive. We don’t need to watch that,” Lucien said, his voice quiet.

  He took the tape from Alana’s hands and looked down at his watch. He only had three more hours before he had to meet Aiden at the cliffs. It was highly unlikely he would get to her before then while Aiden was on the move.

  Charlie seemed to be thinking the same thing. “We need a plan, Lucien."

  “Then there’s only one thing to do—I have to go.”

  “He’ll kill you,” Charlie said.

  “Whose life means more, mine or Eve’s?”

  Charlie didn’t hesitate. “Obviously Eve’s, but you dying doesn’t mean we’ll get Eve back, and you know it.”

  Charlie was right. They needed to find a way to ensure Eve’s safety.

  Charlie looked down at the tape in Lucien’s hands and cocked his head to the side.

  “What?” Lucien asked.

  “The tape. I bet Eve left us something we could use.”

  “Why would she do that? She couldn’t have known we would find this tape.”

  Charlie smiled. “Remember how you felt a presence, an entity, when Eve visited you in her dreams, but you didn’t recognize it as Eve?”

  Lucien waited for Charlie to continue.

  “Fortunately for us, Eve’s a lot smarter than you. I have no doubt she knew you were here. And if I’m right, she also knew we’d come here and find this tape. We need to watch it while there’s still time.”

  Lucien stared down at the small video. He wanted to smash it, destroy it, remove its existence from the earth. It held his darkest secret. But ultimately, Eve was more important.

  Lucien left the small room and walked toward the lab. “Is there a TV here?”

  “Over here,” Alana said.

  Lucien turned to face them. “Before you watch this, there’s something you should know.”

  He paused as if waiting for a large boulder to fall out of the sky and crush him, sparing him from revealing his secret. But no boulder came. They looked at him expectantly.