Crimson Sin (Rebel Heart Book 1)

by Trina M. Lee

  A call to Jett went unanswered. She was still pissed at me for breaking our cardinal rule. I could have sent a text reminding her that she’d ditched me at the bar to go home with a guy last year, leaving me to cough up money for the cab ride we’d planned to split. Because I was a good friend who chose to forgive, I didn’t. Once that feisty wolf temper finally simmered down, she would forget the whole thing.

  I talked to Rubi and Tash who were bouncing with joy at having made it to the final round. Their enthusiasm was infectious. I couldn’t help but get excited.

  Part of me kept waiting for Cinder to pop by. His appearances could be quite erratic, though he tried to come by regularly. I was overdue for some training. It wasn’t like him to go too long without scheduling a session, but in the past he had gone several weeks without coming by. “Angel stuff”, he always said, but I knew he either didn’t want to or couldn’t tell me what he’d been doing.

  As the afternoon faded into evening, I traded my computer for my guitar. I spent some time jotting lyrics into a notepad while strumming out a new song. It was nice to just chill. Alone time wasn’t something I had a lot of these days.

  I started yawning not long after I finished supper, which consisted of Chinese leftovers. I considered making coffee but decided an early night would be best. Catching up on sleep would be beneficial. Jett was likely going to insist on meeting for practice every night this week.

  “What do you think, Seth? Should I just go to bed? It’s not even nine o’clock yet. Would that be lame?” The little tortoise climbed over a throw pillow I’d tossed on the floor. He continued on his way, oblivious to the conversation I was trying to have with him. Seth was a surprisingly social creature really. I could always count on him to be a good listener.

  My gaze strayed to the notepad. I studied the last line I wrote for a few minutes before picking up the pencil and erasing it. Something wasn’t clicking.

  I thought about Rowen and the song we’d played together the first night he’d spent at my place. Playing it warmed me, and I smiled a goofy smile all to myself. Inspiration filled me like a magic all its own. I kept playing and writing, pausing only to check up on Seth.

  When I finally took a break to grab a snack, it was well after midnight. Amazing how creating makes time cease to exist. I was in my zone and loving it—

  —until a bang on the window scared the shit out of me.

  My heart pounded, and the roar of adrenaline was loud in my ears. I made my way to the window and peeked out the blinds.

  “Is this a fucking joke?” I muttered upon spying Arrow down below. Alarm turned to anger, and I stormed out onto the balcony. “Dude, are you serious right now? What the fuck?”

  His expression was pinched, shoulders held taut. Something was wrong. I felt it as soon as our eyes met.

  “Rowen never came home,” Arrow said. “I think he’s in trouble.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “It was Dash. I know it. Fuck. This is all my fault. I’m such a fuck up.” Arrow scrubbed a hand over his face and streamed a few more obscenities all directed at himself.

  He sat at the kitchen table. I stood nearby, leaning against the kitchen counter, facing him. Letting him into my apartment hadn’t been much of a choice. Though I’d have preferred not to, the haunting fear in his eyes had convinced me. Of course, since demons were good liars and being dark made Arrow a natural liar too, I was worried but treading carefully.

  “Wait, just calm down. Tell me everything. Slowly this time.” I’d offered him something to drink, but he’d been too caught up in his panic to answer me. A close look at Arrow showed signs of drug use. He’d gotten high before coming here. That didn’t earn him any points. I remained wary.

  “I told you. He texted me and said he’d be home after work, that he wanted to sit down and have a talk, man to man. I was freaking out because I knew I had to tell him we’re brothers. So I snorted a line, had a drink, and waited for him. But he never came home. He should’ve been there around eight or nine.”

  Arrow tugged the hat off his head and flung it on the table. His hair was a mess of long, raven black. He shoved a hand into it and regarded me with hollow eyes. Fuck, drugs were scary.

  “And you tried calling him?” Even as I spoke I was selecting Rowen’s number from my contact list. Putting my phone to my ear, I listened as it went straight to voice mail, an indication that his phone was off. Unreachable. My heart began to beat a little faster.

  “Of course I tried calling him. Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? Ah forget it. Of course you do.”

  Of course I did, but I was nice enough not to say so. “What about his work? Did you try calling them? Maybe someone there will know something.”

  Arrow turned a sour gaze on me, and I had a hard time meeting it with his messed up pupils. It made him feel otherworldly, more so than usual, and I didn’t like it. “They said he left at eight. Nobody there has heard from him.”

  Seeing Arrow looking so defeated should’ve brought some satisfaction. Instead, it scared me. I didn’t know him well, but I knew it took a lot to rattle him. “So what do we do?” I asked, needing a goal, a plan of some kind.

  Arrow’s gaze dropped to the table, and he picked at a mark in the wood. “We don’t do anything. I’ll go to Dash. That house you tailed me to, I think that’s where he might be.”

  “I’m coming with you. You can’t come here and tell me Rowen’s in some kind of trouble and then expect me to wait around to find out if he’s dead or something.” My temper was still cool but ready to ignite if Arrow fought me on this.

  “He’s not dead,” Arrow said, his voice dull. “Dash doesn’t want to kill him. He wants to recruit him. And if he’s forcing Rowen’s choice, there’s no telling what he might do. It could get pretty nasty.”

  Sudden panic threatened to choke off my air supply. The thought of Rowen at the mercy of a demon made me break out in a cold sweat. “I wish they would just leave us alone.” My voice cracked, and I had to pause, to focus on deep, even breaths.

  Arrow was quiet for a moment before saying, “That’s never going to happen. They need us to be their eyes and ears during the day.”

  Demons couldn’t take corporeal form when the sun was out though that didn’t make them any less dangerous. It just gave them limitations, proof they were not the gods they believed themselves to be. They too were subject to a higher power. Using the dark nephilim as their daytime bodies was clever and frightening.

  “What do we do, Arrow? We can’t just go to that house and expect everything to go fine.” I needed Cinder’s help. Surely he would have some kind of guidance.

  “We go there during the day and look for him. We’ve got to start somewhere, and I can’t think of a better plan. It could be dangerous for you, you know. Being undecided and all.”

  Not for a moment would I be fooled into thinking Arrow really gave a damn about my well being. Though it did appear that he felt guilty for leading Dash to Rowen, so perhaps there was hope for him after all.

  “I’ll take my chances.” A glance at the clock revealed about five hours left until the sun rose. “So we meet at sunrise? On second thought, you shouldn’t be driving like that. You’re fucking wrecked, aren’t you? I’m going to make you some coffee. You’ve got to try to sober up.”

  Busying myself in the kitchen gave me a task, which made me feel like I was doing something other than waiting in limbo for morning. Part of me couldn’t believe that Rowen was really in danger though I felt the truth of it. I wanted it to be a bad dream. Cinder had warned me against getting involved with him. Could any of this be my fault? Or was it all on Arrow? Could any of us really point fingers?

  “Or you could do a line with me. Just to take the edge off.” The slyness of his tone was almost convincing in its smoothness. It was persuasive and dripping with darkness.

  I stalked over to the table and held my hand out, shaking my head, unable to hide my judgment of his stupid decisions. “Hand it over
. We can’t help Rowen if you’re high. Fuck your brain up on your own time.”

  The lights flickered as he stared at me, unmoving. Refusing to be intimidated, I thrust my hand closer. Finally he pulled a small bag of white powder from his wallet and flung it down on the table. I swiped it before he could rethink his decision and tucked it into my bra. With a brow raised, he smiled, so I moved it to my purse.

  Making coffee helped me to hone my focus. The mundane task let me think things over. Was it possible that Arrow was purposely baiting me? No. I didn’t believe that though I knew he was certainly capable of it. Something else was going on, and we couldn’t sit back and do nothing while Dash tried to force Rowen’s choice.

  “Here.” I shoved a cup of organic coffee at Arrow. He rolled bloodshot eyes at me but took it anyway. “I’ll be right back. Don’t leave and don’t touch anything.”

  I retreated into my bedroom where I dug the dagger that Cinder had given me from my closet. It was designed to be easily concealed though the blade was still over a foot long. The sheath was designed to lie against my back where a hoodie and my hair would keep it hidden. I tossed it on the bed. My own gifts would give me a chance against any other nephilim though I hoped like hell it didn’t come to that.

  I sat on the end of the bed, gazing longingly at the place where Rowen and I had so recently made love. How could he just be missing? I spoke Cinder’s name aloud, knowing that he’d hear but also knowing it didn’t mean he would or could come. Please.

  After waiting a few minutes, I returned to the kitchen, surprised to find Arrow standing over Seth’s habitat. I froze, watching him gently stroke the back of the tortoise with a small smile on his face.

  “You like animals?” I asked, announcing my presence.

  He turned quickly and yanked his hand back. “Yeah, sure. Only a heartless dirtbag doesn’t like animals.”

  “You know, some might say you’re a heartless dirtbag, Arrow.” It was a mean thing to say, but I didn’t feel bad. That raised an alarm for me. Being shitty to him just because he was dark didn’t make it ok. It only made me as bad as he was. I knew better.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m sure that’s one of the nicest things people say about me.”

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Naw, it’s cool.”

  Feeling awkward, I perched on the arm of the couch. It made me nervous to have Arrow in my apartment. I was even more nervous when he wasn’t sitting down.

  “Relax, Spike,” he finally said, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. He’d abandoned his coffee. “I don’t expect you to trust me, but I wouldn’t let any harm come to my brother’s girl. He means a lot to me.”

  “So you believe that he’s your brother?” I was skeptical. He’d seemed so resistant.

  Arrow shrugged and pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. “I did a little digging. Found some signs that back up your claim. I should’ve believed you. You don’t seem like the lying type.” He studied me for a minute, the unlit smoke between his lips. “Why don’t you choose the light already? I mean, you’re going to eventually, right?”

  “What makes you so sure?” Was I so transparent? True, I was close with the light. I was just afraid of making such a commitment to anyone or anything. Hell, even falling for Rowen scared the shit out of me. The fact that he knew already what side he wanted to choose made me feel even shittier about it. He’d had much less time to consider it.

  “You’re not cut out for the dark,” Arrow mused. “You’re too pure.”

  “Thank you.” That was a compliment to me whether he’d meant it as such or not. “You know, you don’t have to be one of them.”

  He regarded me with a strange expression, as if he wasn’t sure if I was fucking with him or not. Then he gave a short, sharp laugh and twirled the cigarette between his fingers. “Trust me. I do.”

  “You can smoke that out on the balcony.” I pointed to the glass door just off the living room. This conversation was odd, and I didn’t really know how to wade through it.

  With a head nod, Arrow let himself out, giving me a moment alone to figure out what the hell I was going to do with him until dawn. I didn’t have much time to consider it. Cinder’s voice in the kitchen had me almost collapsing in relief.

  “Ember? What’s wrong?” Tonight Cinder was channeling his inner geek with an X-Men tee. His shaggy, blond hair was disheveled. A smudge of something darkened his cheek. His expression was pinched and distracted, as if he’d just come from something chaotic.

  “Rowen is missing. Arrow thinks that Dash has him. Can you help?” I went to him, casting a glance at the balcony, ensuring Arrow was unaware of the angel in the kitchen.

  Cinder’s face showed no surprise. He nodded as if he’d expected this news. “You’re all right, though?”

  “Yes.”

  Cinder’s violet gaze went to the balcony where Arrow was leaning over the railing, staring down below. “You shouldn’t have let him in here. He’s dangerous. And now he can pass the wards. Because you allowed it.”

  Cinder’s angelic wards would have worked on Arrow, if I hadn’t given him an open invitation. That was all it took for a dark entity to get into your space, your life, your head. An invitation. The kind one usually doesn’t realize one has issued.

  “I know who he is, Cinder. But he’s the one who told me about Rowen, and I really don’t think he’s lying.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  Cinder strode over to the balcony door and flung it open. With one hand he grabbed hold of Arrow and dragged him back into the apartment. The lit smoke fell from Arrow’s hand onto the carpet, and I rushed to grab it.

  Arrow knew better than to fight an angel. Cinder slammed him down onto the couch and stood over him, preventing him from trying to rise. Arrow stared stonily up at the angel, unflinching. He had a certain readiness to him, as if he were accepting of potential death.

  I properly disposed of the cigarette before standing awkwardly beside Cinder. I felt like I should interfere somehow but was afraid to do so.

  “Tell me what you told Ember,” Cinder demanded. “Look into my eyes and tell me.”

  Arrow clasped his hands and took an audible breath. Then he repeated what he’d told me, word for word. He barely blinked, and he certainly didn’t move. Cinder studied him for a minute before nodding, satisfied.

  “You’re telling the truth. Impressive. Also suspicious. You could be speaking the truth because it serves a purpose. Are you trying to lure Ember into a trap?” Arms crossed, Cinder tapped a foot impatiently. I’d never seen him so harsh and aggressive.

  “No.” One word. Arrow’s stare became more of a glower.

  The angel and dark nephilim maintained their eye contact. A silent battle ensued as Cinder sought truth and Arrow awaited his verdict.

  Turning his back on Arrow, Cinder fixed me with a fierce stare. I wondered what I’d done to get his temper turned on me. For an angel, he had a short fuse.

  “I assume you mean to look for Rowen.” It wasn’t a question. When I nodded, he continued. “That is incredibly dangerous, and I would highly advise against it. However, should you choose to go after him, please know you’re putting yourself in jeopardy.”

  “Does that mean you won’t come with us?” I’d known it was a long shot. Angels couldn’t simply be everywhere at once, and a Dominion like Cinder had many tasks, all of them of great importance.

  He shook his head, his expression revealing nothing. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Why the hell not?” Arrow spoke up with a sneer. “You’re a guardian, aren’t you?”

  “You ignorant child,” Cinder scolded. “You don’t have any idea how this all works, do you? They’ve taught you nothing. All mortals have a guardian, even you. They protect, guide, encourage, and love. But they are not genies in a bottle ready to grant your every wish. They cannot protect you from all things. Some things are meant to happen, no matter how bad they se
em at first. All things have meaning. Even death. And no, I am not merely a guardian. I’m a Dominion. So watch your tone and show some respect, demon.”

  Arrow’s eyes flashed, and he came off the couch with anger spurring him on. “I’m not a fucking demon.”

  “Oh no? You chose the dark. They are your kin. With them you spread darkness and evil. What makes you any different than the rest of them?” There was such raw truth to Cinder’s accusation that Arrow sat back down, averting his gaze by staring at the tortoise habitat.

  I held my breath until I couldn’t hold it another moment. The tension in the room had my palms tingling. Needing to break the tense silence, I said, “We have to do something, Cinder. We can’t just leave Rowen. He told me that he wants to choose. If Dash knows that, there’s no telling what he may do to force Rowen’s choice.”

  Cinder nodded gravely. “That is true. The dark has already secured one of Rhine’s children. There will be some urgency in ensuring they secure both.”

  “Rhine?” Arrow echoed. “Like the river? Is that my father’s name?”

  Without looking at him, Cinder nodded again. “It is.” To me, he said, “I wish you would reconsider. But if you really must go, take this.”

  He produced a sword with beautiful wings on either side of the handle and a deep purple amethyst centered between them. The inscription engraved in the blade was in a language I couldn’t read. I expected it to be heavy but found upon accepting it that it was surprisingly light and manageable.

  “What is it?” I asked, ignoring Arrow’s eye roll. Obviously I knew what it was, but coming from Cinder, there had to be more to it.

  “It’s a safety net,” Cinder said. “Use it if you have to. But try not to have to.”

  Cinder pulled me in for a hug. He kissed my forehead before whispering something against my skin in a language that sounded very old. I felt a warmth there, beneath his lips, the sensation of something primordial taking hold. Something far older than me. Power.