Nephilim Falling (Trenton Investigations)

by Felicia Beasley

  Oh did I mention runes can only be activated with magical blood?

  I stopped him before he could waste the energy on my scratches. “Heal yourself so we can get out of here.”

  He closed his eyes and sighed. “Just leave me.”

  “Look at me, Lucas,” I demanded. “We are both walking out of here or neither of us are. Do you understand me?”

  “You’re so bossy,” he said.

  He rubbed his fingers across the wounds on his chest again. The bleeding stopped. The skin began to stitch itself back together. By the time the tattoo stopped glowing, most of the cuts were closed. But not all.

  Magic is limited by the amount of energy one uses to create or power a rune. The more energy used, the more powerful. Truly devastating effects required more energy than only one person could give. There were those who didn’t balk at killing to enhance their power.

  If Lucas had been a serial killer, he would have been able to heal everything short of death.

  Color was already beginning to return to his face. I helped him to his feet. This time he remained steady.

  “What is that awful noise,” he asked as if he’d just noticed it.

  “Our savior. Let’s go.”

  I felt like I had to drag him out of the room. Our luck held. The halls were still deserted.

  Unfortunately, I had no idea where the exit might be.

  Lucas sensed my indecision and took the reins, leading me further down the hallway. The numbers on the doors got higher.

  “I think this is the wrong way,” I said. “We came in the other way.”

  “Where do you think all the sentinels will be? We can’t go out the way we came in.”

  “What if that’s the only way out?”

  “There’s always another way.”

  I didn’t have the same optimism, but I wasn’t about to split from his side. So I continued to follow, more doubt creeping in by the time we hit door forty-seven.

  How many torture chambers did they need?

  Up ahead the hallway split in two directions. “Which way, Mr. Navigator.”

  He shrugged and turned left.

  I followed. About five seconds later, I regretted it.

  Sentinels rushed past us, yelling about an attack, barking orders at each other. None of them noticed the two beat up former prisoners.

  Another turn and we were in an open area. Beams of sunlight through glass doors beckoned us toward safety.

  One problem, though.

  Standing between us and freedom was about fifty sentinels.

  Chapter 13

  One of them, the guy in charge I assumed, herded the sentinels in different directions, shouting orders.

  “Ryaels, we’ve got fires in sector twelve, seven, and eighteen. Take your men to twelve. If you find any of the assholes responsible, kill them on sight.”

  Well, who do I know that likes to play with fire?

  It didn’t take long for us to be noticed.

  The leader glowered at us. “One time offer. Go back in your cells like good little beasts, and we won’t kill you.”

  “Wow. How can we say no to that?” Lucas said, pinching one of the wounds on his belly until a trickle of blood ran down his happy trail.

  It was both revolting and hard to take my eyes off of.

  He scooped up the blood with one finger and then traced the rune on his forearm until it gave off a dark red glow. Kinda like Darth Vader’s light saber.

  “When I say run, run, okay?” Lucas whispered.

  I nodded, but he wasn’t paying attention. One power-word later and the biggest fireball I’d ever seen hurtled toward the crowd of sentinels.

  Magic had never looked sexier.

  Most dove out of the way, but others weren’t as lucky. I thought Lucas said something, but I couldn’t hear over the screams. I watched, horror-struck, as faces melted like the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Only worse because the smell flooded the room with gut-churning wrongness and the agonized screams weren’t fake.

  I seemed to be the only one affected by the carnage. Lucas was already powering up another spell as the still living sentinels regrouped.

  “I said run, Lex.”

  With a fling of his hand, an invisible force crashed into the advancing sentinels, sending them back into the flaming ruins of their former comrades.

  Lucas didn’t even flinch.

  He wiped the sweat from his brow before digging his fingers into the flesh on his chest.

  “Lex.” His voice strained from the effort. “Please. I can’t hold them off forever.”

  I grabbed his hand and tugged. “I’m not leaving without you.”

  He smirked, fingers tracing yet another rune. This one glowed with blue fire. “Don’t worry, babe. I’m a one-man army.”

  Blinding white light created a halo around his head. Lightning crackled in the air. I had no idea what kind of spell this was, but I had no doubt it was deadly.

  “You’ll be a one-man corpse.”

  The sentinels were more cautious, eying the storm above his head with trepidation and outright fear. The leader barked out some orders and gestured wildly in multiple directions.

  “What does that do?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. I didn’t want to die without knowing.

  “Nothing. It’s just for show. Go before they figure that out.”

  What was the point of that?

  “That’s disappointing,” I mumbled, still trying to drag him out the door.

  The sentinels weren’t stupid. A line of them blocked the exit while two squadrons of four tried to flank us. They kept their distance but blocked us in none the less.

  “Got any more force push in you?” I asked, dropping into a front stance.

  “Out of juice.”

  I didn’t hesitate taking the hairpin out of my hair and piercing the fleshy part of my palm. I winced and blinked back tears as blood welled up out of the wound.

  He swallowed and gave me a look that made me worry he’d be throwing the next fireball at my head. It didn’t stop him from grabbing my hand and pressing my wound against the used up rune.

  I felt the pull immediately like someone was sucking out my soul. I tried to pull away, but Lucas kept my hand firmly against the blistering hot mark.

  We were vulnerable, and the sentinels knew it. I watched unable to do anything, growing weaker by the moment, as they continued to approach. The closer they got without getting a lightning bolt up their ass the more daring they became.

  Thirty feet became twenty. Twenty became ten.

  “How long does this freaking take?” I asked out of breath. I was worried if he took any more I’d faint. Maybe he could use my corpse as a battering ram.

  The sentinels had stopped moving forward. They struggled as if they’d run into a wall.

  “That’s cool,” I said, my voice strange to my ears. I sounded high.

  I didn’t feel high, though. All I felt was a burning itch all over like fire ants crawled over my body.

  “Lucas,” I said alarm in my voice.

  The sentinels pounded on the invisible barrier some with the hilt of their wickedly sharp blades, others with fists large enough to cave my face in.

  Lucas let go. A crack tore through the air. For a moment I thought his pretty lightning had done something, but then I realized it was our only protection starting to crumble.

  “I’ve got enough for two short bursts,” Lucas whispered. “As soon as the shield is down, we go, and we don’t stop.”

  I hoped he left enough in me so I could run.

  The barrier splintered, a spider crack making the invisible visible.

  “Soon,” he whispered, grabbing my hand.

  I squeezed. He smiled, eyes still glued to the widening cracks.

  “If we survive this, you’ve got to teach me some of your moves,” I said, lightheartedly.

  As a cambion, I might not be able to create magic like he did, but I wouldn’t mind getting a few tats a
nd having my own useless halo. I’d even be willing to keep him around to recharge me.

  The shield splintered more, creating holes where the magic died. One more good blow and it would shatter.

  An ear-splitting tinkle that sounded like billions of glass shards hitting the ground at the same time pierced my eardrums.

  “Red rover, red rover. Send Lex right over.”

  I ran, trusting Lucas to do his part. We crashed through the first wave of sentinels. Small cuts bit into my skin where flesh met blade, but we broke through in one piece.

  Hermes’ shoes would have been nice right about now.

  The sentinels directly in front of the door flew to one side. Bones crunched. People shouted.

  It was all a blur as we burst through the door and out into the light.

  It was probably close to lunch time. The streets around us were full of rubber-neckers pointing up at something behind us. We bulldozed our way through the crowd without the use of magic.

  I didn’t stop running, keeping pace with Lucas’ long stride. Risking a quick look over my shoulder, I was surprised to see that no one was coming after us. Lucas stopped suddenly causing me to crash into him.

  I wasn’t aware I was in his arms until later. I finally saw what had the crowd so mesmerized that they barely saw two escapees.

  Flames licked the sky in seven different places of the massive building. None of them had been Lucas’ handy work. I knew because I recognized the unique color signature of each.

  Only one person I knew conjured gold flames.

  “We’ve got to go,” I whispered, looking up at Lucas.

  He was as awestruck as the mundanes. His hands gripped my hips. He looked turned on watching the destruction.

  A chill went through my body. Lucas hadn’t hesitated in killing the sentinels that got in our way. Which meant this wasn’t the first time he’d used his magic for deadly harm. I was beginning to realize that I didn’t know this guy at all and my earlier assessment that he was harmless was way off.

  But right now all that mattered was getting the hell out of Dodge.

  I put my hands on his cheeks and pushed, forcing him to look at me. “I know it’s pretty, but we’ve got to go.”

  He stared at me as if this was the first time he’d ever seen me.

  You know those times when it feels like everything just stops? A second stretches to a millennium. The universe waits with bated breath for the next moment.

  But then the moment doesn’t happen, and the universe lets out a big disappointed sigh.

  Blue eyes blinked at me as time resumed. The tension evaporated, and I was left wondering if I just imagined the passion in his piercing gaze. He had probably still been thinking about the fire.

  “They aren’t coming after us,” he said, sounding relaxed for the first time. He smiled. “I can’t believe we made it out of there.”

  “It’s not them I’m worried about.”

  Firing squads were less scary than my brother. If he caught me here, looking like I had got caught in a fight with a gorilla and won by flashing my tits-I had just realized I was still sans shirt-I’d be the one packing to move to Australia just to outrun his wrath.

  Lucas still didn’t move or let go of my hips. He didn’t even ask what I meant. There was no lingering moment this time. No oceans of anticipation to drown in.

  One moment he looked like he’d won the lottery and the next his mouth claimed mine like a dragon with his treasure.

  Heat that had nothing to do with magical flames infused my body, weakening my legs more than the magic soul suck had.

  I leaned my body weight into him lest I fall to the ground in a puddle. He wrapped his arms around my body, keeping me locked against him until he decided he wanted to let go.

  A moan escaped my throat as his hungry mouth sucked and tugged on my virgin lips.

  Yeah, I had never been kissed before. Just like that movie with Drew Barrymore, only I really was a high school loser.

  I wrapped my hands in his hair, fingernails digging into his scalp as I pulled him down harder. Pressure began to build in my lower stomach. Tendrils of pleasant tightness fluttered like butterfly kisses up through my chest.

  Now, I wasn’t the only one moaning. His hot tongue glided across my bottom lip. Once. Twice. My mouth dropped open with a sigh, surrendering to his expertise. He closed his mouth around my lower lip and sucked.

  There was no drug on the planet more addictive than Lucas Zane. One taste and I knew that I’d do anything for another hit.

  I pressed my palms against his bare, bloody chest and pushed, jerking my face away from his.

  He looked down at me, eyes half-lidded, cheeks flushed, lips cherry red.

  “I thought you only wanted to be friends?” My voice cracked. My body was pissed at my mind for ruining her fun. The co-mingling guilt and desire turning my stomach threatened to make me throw up on his shoes.

  The only word to describe the way he looked at me now was smoldering.

  “I lied.”

  Chapter 14

  We found Lucas’ car parked a few blocks away, abandoned, keys still in the ignition. I guess the lime green bug hadn’t appealed to anyone even free. Didn’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to be judged either.

  He drove me home in silence, neither of us willing to be the first to break.

  I pushed down my raging hormones, cursing puberty, as houses blurred past my vision. My mind tried to convince the rest of me that this was all just chemicals in my brain, nothing special. Nothing worth blowing up the world for.

  But the memory of the sensations he could elicit with one touch taunted me, his claim of ownership a brand seared into my brain.

  This couldn’t be normal, could it?

  No wonder teen pregnancy was so high. How could anyone make logical choices when their ovaries were driving the car?

  He pulled up to a stop at the curb.

  I waited before fleeing, just in case he had something life changing to say.

  “Are you okay,” he asked, voice soft and full of concern.

  Nope, not life changing.

  I rushed out of the car without answering, cringing as I slammed the door too hard. I ran to the stoop, not looking behind me to see if he’d sped away yet.

  I was being childish and over-dramatic, I know. I don’t respond well to new experiences. And whatever you wanted to call all of this was definitely new to me.

  Nothing Damian had taught me had prepared me for the deliciously dangerous nephilim.

  I took the hidden key under the welcome mat and unlocked the front door, I cursed myself for not asking more about his battle prowess. If he’d had that firepower on him all along, why hadn’t he done anything before the two sentinels had dragged us to headquarters? It would have saved both of us some pain.

  And lives.

  How many had died during our escape? How many families had lost a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter? I know the world is cruel. That it’s kill or be killed at times. And hesitation ends with you or a loved one in a grave. I didn’t blame Lucas for what he had to do.

  I also didn’t have to like it.

  I shut the door behind me, leaned against the solid wood and let out a deep breath. My stomach rumbled. My brain needed food to begin processing everything that had happened.

  I peeked out the window before going into the kitchen to forage. His car was still parked at the curb, but the distance and light made it impossible to see inside. I was tempted to invite him inside, offer to fill his belly in exchange for some truth.

  But I’d probably just end up making out with him again and get nowhere.

  I shambled into the kitchen after putting on a clean shirt and made a sandwich. It was pretty good, so I made another. After showering, I plopped in front of the television ready for something mindless to distract me from reality.

  There’s never anything good on TV when you need it.

  My brain still hadn’t processed, and my body still h
adn’t stopped aching, when the front door opened and slammed shut. I clicked off the TV and bounded into the foyer, eager to see if my brother would cop to the theatrics at the sentinel compound. Former sentinel compound? How much damage had been done after we left?

  Damian shucked off his coat and hung it up. Wes pulled his boots off. Both had dark, moody expressions that promised violence at the slightest provocation.

  Whatever had happened at Casa de Sentinel wouldn’t be marked down as a win.

  Wes still had some bruising around his eye. He’d said earlier that it still hurt when he breathed deep, but there were no new injuries that I could see. My brother looked unscathed.

  “What happened?” I asked, not wanting to say too much lest I give away I knew what I shouldn’t.

  Damian said nothing.

  Something had happened, something bad, and he didn’t want to talk about it.

  Too bad.

  I stalked over to him. Examining his arms and torso, I looked for damage I may have missed. He let me inspect to my satisfaction but remained mute.

  I took a step back and caught his gaze. “Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, so talk.”

  His eyes narrowed as he drank in the damage to my face. I hadn’t bothered to hide it. I’m not that skilled with foundation.

  He’d ask his questions, but if he wanted answers, he’d have to give a little first.

  He brushed his fingers against the skin of my tender neck.

  I grimaced.

  “Who did this?” He growled, sounding more like a demon than an angel.

  There’s nothing scarier than a papa bear ready to defend his cub.

  “I like it rough,” I said, nonchalant. Answering any of his questions would set a dangerous precedent.

  Wes snorted, but Damian looked about as amused as a hornet.

  “Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine,” I said, brain scrambling for an explanation he’d buy.

  “That isn’t how it works, niblet.”

  We were at an impasse, both too prideful to give. Finally, he looked away, anger melting into weariness. He slunk past me and into the living room.

  I watched him go, then turned to Wes with a questioning look. Wes had always had looser lips.