by Amy Braun
Drake laughed at me. “You’re not very smart are you, chica? I might love giving Warrick the runaround, but what makes you think I’m back for you?”
Harsh realization hit me. I whirled, and saw that I’d been fucking set up.
There was a reason that Dro hadn’t been running over to help me. Two Red demons had slipped through the broken bathroom window and were dragging her toward it. One of them had placed its clawed hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream. If I’d known, I would have said ‘fuck Drake’ and gone to save my sister.
But I’d been tricked, and now they had her.
Dro thrashed and tried to fight back, but couldn’t break free from the demons gripping her arms and hair. I could hear her trying to scream for me, but her cries were muffled. The air behind the demons tore open, revealing a black space instead of red. It might not look like Hell, but it would be just as bad. If not worse.
“Seph! Rori!” I screamed. The angels would drop everything to help Dro. Not that I intended to wait for them.
I rushed toward the demons, only to be jerked back by a strong hand that snared my shoulder. I screamed with fury and was spun, just in time to see Drake’s knife plunge into my belly.
Pain burst in my abdomen and I was suddenly paralyzed. Drake smiled and twisted the blade. A horrible, piercing agony filled me, unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It wasn’t the first time I’d been stabbed, but Drake was making the torture last. He liked seeing my face contort with agony as the knife shredded my insides to ribbons.
I choked on my scream as he shoved me off the knife. I wasn’t able to stand and dropped on the floor, landing on my back. Warm blood gushed through my hands as I tried to hold my wound shut, not that it was going to do me any good. I could feel the damage he had done. The torn intestines and the stomach acid eating away inside me. I’d seen enough of these wounds to know that once you twisted the knife, especially one with a serrated edge, there was no fixing it. You just bled out and died.
Everything was blurring and my ears felt clogged, but I could hear Dro screaming and felt the room getting hotter. She was about to explode, thinking she might be able to save me. One of the Reds stopped her by punching her in the back of the head and knocking her out. The pain in my stomach was so intense I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream my sister’s name or cry out for help.
I couldn’t do a single fucking thing when the demons hauled her away into the black portal behind them.
Tears of pain and failure slid down my cheeks. I winced again as agony continued burning in my stomach. It was starting to feel like someone had poured liquid fire onto me. It seared fiercely in one spot, but was moving up to the rest of my body. Every breath was strained and brutal. My shirt clung to my skin as blood soaked into it.
I stopped writhing as Drake knelt down next to my head. His eyes raked over my body, and then his hands followed. It was like being stroked by a slug. If I hadn’t been stabbed so fatally, I would have found a way to kill him.
“You know,” he purred with a smile as his fingers brushed under my breasts. “I wish Warrick was awake to see this. I did to you what I did to his sister. Stabbed her so she couldn’t move, then took my time.”
His black eyes met mine. His grin widened when he cupped my breast. “It’s better when they’re in pain. They fight you less.”
I winced as he straddled me. He pushed down on my stomach, white-hot agony coursing through me again. His fingers dug into my chest. My breath caught in my throat. More tears fell down the side of my head, but my anger was stronger than my fear.
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I rasped quickly, since it hurt to threaten.
He squeezed and pressed harder, leaning over my face so I could smell the stale mugginess of his breath. My stomach was being crushed, the wound howling under pressure.
“Shh, don’t make promises you can’t keep, chica.” He considered me. “Kind of a pity, though. I’d like to spend more time with you. The stronger ones are so much more fun to break.”
Drake slowly slid the knife into my side, just under my ribs. New pain swarmed me and made me gasp sharply.
This wound hurt even worse than the one in my stomach. The tip of the blade cut its way through my body, severing muscles and veins, and puncturing my lung. I could feel blood pooling inside it, drowning me. Drake was still smiling.
“But your sister will do just fine. I’ll take good care of her.” He grinned coldly. “I wonder what she’ll think when I fuck her with your blood on me.”
Drake dragged the knife out of me slowly, making sure I felt the entire length of the blade. It didn’t come out clean, so he gave it a couple vicious tugs. I gasped, choking on blood. The fierce edges of the knife ripped over my organs and severed more veins before pulling apart my skin. It took forever, and I thought I was going to pass out from the anguish of it all. If I had any air in my lungs, I would have screamed.
He stood up and smiled. The blood he’d been holding back suddenly flowed from my stomach in a rush so quickly and ruthlessly that I shuddered. He smirked at the sight of it.
“Sorry, sweetheart. Duty calls.”
Then he was gone. I didn’t even see him leave. All I could feel was pain. My entire body blazed with agony. Blood warmed the floor around me while my body shivered from the cold seeping into it. The edges of my vision were getting fuzzy. I couldn’t move. Someone was calling my name, but I didn’t know who they were.
I had failed. I’d been stupid. I hadn’t stayed with Dro, and now she was in the very clutches of the people I swore to keep her away from. There was absolutely nothing I could do to save her, because I was going to die.
I’m sorry, Dro. I’m so sorry.
It was my last thought before the world went black.
Chapter 14
I was aware of a lot of feelings when I woke up. The first was that I was still in pain. My side and stomach tingled with an icy burn, and my head was pounding. The next thing I felt was that I was in a bed with people close to me. One of them felt like warm sunlight, and the other smelled like pine. I groaned and rolled toward the one who smelled like pine. A warm, callused hand placed itself on my cheek and stroked my skin.
“It’s okay, Constance,” a deep, comforting voice rumbled. “Sephiel’s almost finished. You’re going to be all right.”
I nestled closer to him, then felt a heavy pain in my chest. It wasn’t because I was physically hurt. It was because I remembered everything that had happened.
I remembered that my little sister had been taken.
I pushed myself up and opened my eyes, wishing that I hadn’t. Dizziness hit and someone put their arms around me, holding me to their chest. It felt nice to be held like that, to feel warm and safe after so many terrible things had happened, but I couldn’t focus on that right now.
After the dizzy spell ended, I pushed myself away from the person holding me. I blinked my eyes open and looked around. Warrick had his hand on my back, supporting me and looking very concerned. Sephiel was on my other side, using his angel powers to heal my stab wounds as well as the other injuries I had gotten from the Shredder and Drake.
Drake.
His name was poison on my soul. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep my promise to Warrick about not killing him anymore.
Max was sitting across from me at the table, his head in his hands. He probably felt as wretched as I did. Next to him, Rorikel stood with his arms folded over his chest, a stormy look on his face. He clearly wasn’t happy. Not that I cared about his happiness. I had to find Dro.
“How long was I out?” I asked, trying to get myself off the bed.
Warrick wasn’t letting me escape that easily. His hand slid up to my shoulder and held me in place.
“You shouldn’t move,” he said. “Sephiel might have healed you, but you need to rest.”
I turned on him sharply. “I’ll rest when my sister is back here or I’m dead,” I snapped. “How much time did we lose?”
>
“About six hours,” Sephiel answered grimly.
“What the hell?!” I shouted. “What happened? Why did it take you so long to get in here?!”
“The Severance demon is a formidable enemy, and is not easily dispatched. It was clearly there to keep us occupied while–”
“There are two of you!” I screamed. “You should have stopped Drake then dealt with the Shredder after!”
“Do not blame us for your lack of preparation,” Rorikel retorted icily. “That man was human, yet two of you could not defeat him.”
I clutched the sides of the bed so hard I could feel my nails digging into the cheap wooden frame. “Don’t you dare blame me for Drake, Rorikel.”
He didn’t hear the warning in my voice. “You let yourself become distracted and grievously injured. Be grateful that Sephiel saw fit to heal you, though I cannot comprehend his reasoning.”
I tried to get up from the bed, but Warrick held me down.
“Get your hand off me, Warrick,” I growled.
“Constance, please, we haven’t been sitting on our asses doing nothing. We’re trying to find her. Max is reaching out with all his telepathy and the angels are trying to use a mental link to find her.”
“Then why isn’t it working?” I demanded. “It’s been six hours!”
“Max cannot appear to focus his powers directly,” said Rorikel with disdain. “His emotions are obscuring his concentration.”
Max lifted his head and slammed his fist on the table. “Fuck you, bird brain! I’m trying! Give me a fucking break so I can find my friend, okay?!”
No one said anything to that. I didn’t know Max was capable of such fury, and I wasn’t going to give him a hard time about it. It was obvious he cared deeply for Dro. I knew he would do everything he could to find her. I’d give him a break.
Rorikel on the other hand…
“What about you?” I asked, not wanting to turn my anger on Sephiel, since he saved my life. “What the hell’s stopping you from tracking her down?”
“There appears to be a spell blocking our mental link with the Nephilim. Unless she opens her power and lets us in, we will not be able to locate her. She has not been formally trained in her powers.” His pale eyes narrowed on me. “It seems someone has been shielding her from her full potential.”
“Are you putting that on me too? What the fuck is your problem?!”
“Constance, you need to calm down,” Warrick said.
I finally jerked free from his hand. “Don’t tell me to calm down! She’s gone!”
Warrick got up and gently took my elbow. I tried to shake him off, but he tightened his grip and refused to let go.
“Come on,” he said, “let’s give them some space to concentrate. You aren’t going to help anyone by shouting.”
I hated that he was right. I calmed down just long enough to stand up, shove Warrick’s hand away, and walk out of the room with him. The air was icy and dry, like the life had been stolen from it. I gripped the cold railing outside the motel door and tried to breathe as he closed the door behind me.
I want to say I handled it all with grace and strength. That I didn’t let my breaking heart get the best of me. That the pain digging into my soul wasn’t worse than being stabbed twice by a man who would have raped me if he’d had more time.
But then I thought about Dro’s face. How scared and desperate she had been to escape, to warn me of the trap. How horrified she had looked when I was stabbed.
I couldn’t hold it in. I gasped and choked out sobs that wracked my already strained body. I placed my hand over my mouth to get myself under control, but it didn’t work. My heart ached with every breath, like someone had wrapped it in barbed wire.
She was gone. My little sister was in the hands of the worst monsters I could imagine. It was my fault.
A careful hand placed itself on my shoulder and started drawing me back. Part of me tried to fight him, not wanting to be seen weak like this, but the other part was too damaged. The pain was too intense for me to fight. It clouded my vision and stripped away every ounce of strength I thought I had.
Somewhere along the way, I was turned around and pressed against Warrick’s chest. I tried to push away, but he wrapped his arms around my back and held me close.
That was when I let it all go. I couldn’t contain it. All the tenacity from years of fighting, struggling, bleeding, and promising I would never let anyone hurt my sister, had disappeared. It was stolen the moment I looked over my shoulder and realized my stupid mistake.
Keep her safe. That was the only thing I had to do right. And I’d failed.
I shook as violent sobs choked out of my throat. My face burned with tears. My screams were muffled against Warrick’s chest. I don’t know how he was able to hold the emotional storm I had become, but somehow he found a way.
He didn’t say anything as my tears soaked into his shirt. Warrick rested his head on top of mine. He made me feel safe, and almost tricked me into thinking everything would be okay.
But my safety and comfort didn’t matter. I had to pull it together, or I would never be able to save Dro. I jerked my head back and shoved Warrick away. This time he let me go. I wiped at my eyes, purposefully avoiding his face. I couldn’t handle whatever I might do if I looked in his eyes.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I mumbled.
“Yes I did,” he said sympathetically. “I’ve been there, Constance. You can’t be indestructible all the time.”
I thought about everything that had happened. Battling for my life and my sister’s life long before we knew what hunted us. Learning what Dro was and how much harder it would be to protect her. Losing a man who mentored me, and getting untrustworthy, supernatural allies. Not understanding how to deal with a man who wanted to keep me away one minute then hold me the next. Failing my sister and almost dying because of it. Feeling a grief that was strong enough to break me in half.
I pushed it all down, hid it away, and drew on all my anger. My rage was stronger than any pain. If anything could hold me together long enough to rescue Dro, that would be it.
When I looked at Warrick again, I let him see how unbreakable I could be. He held his breath.
“Watch me,” I said.
I walked past him and opened the motel door. The angels looked up when I came back in. Something awful must have been on my face because even Rorikel kept his mouth shut. Thank God for small favors.
I moved past them and sat at the table across from Max. The poor kid looked exhausted and distraught with worry. I didn’t apologize with words, but I gave him a heartfelt look and reached over to clutch his hand. Max squeezed my hand tightly. He must have felt the same remorse and pain that I did.
“Did you find anything?” I asked quietly.
Max sighed and dropped the hand that had been holding up his head. “All I’m seeing is Athens. I can’t really tell what’s happening.”
“Take your time,” I said, pretending to be calm. “Tell me what you see.”
Max blew out a breath and closed his eyes. “I can see the town. No one’s on the streets. There’s rooms filled with demons. There’s a lot of blood, and I hear someone screaming.” Max winced, hurt clear in his gentle, dark eyes.
“It might be Dro.”
We were both silent when he said that. I leashed my emotions so I wouldn’t start screaming and tearing down the wallpaper.
“Then there’s this guy,” Max continued once he was mostly composed. “He’s surrounded by shadow. I can’t make out his face, but he’s powerful, and definitely not human. He may be more powerful than Dro.” He opened his eyes, looking defeated. “It ends after that. I don’t see anything else.”
I kept my hand in his. Max was looking at me for guidance, to stay strong while we searched for Dro. He hadn’t seen the way I’d fallen apart on the balcony with Warrick. That meant I could lie to him as well as myself.
“Must have something to do with those underground tunnels in At
hens,” I gave him a weak smile. “That’s good enough for me. Let’s go.”
“We do not know for certain when his vision will occur,” said Rorikel. “His powers are sporadic at best.”
I glared. “This isn’t Max’s fault.”
Rorikel frowned. “He is human. His mind and emotional state are not trustworthy at this time.”
“Dude, I’m right here,” Max said impatiently.
Rorikel ignored him. “For all we know, the things he has seen have happened already.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I argued, my temper rising to a boil. “Dro’s missing. We have to get her back. If Athens is the source of all this power you guys are feeling and that’s where Max’s vision is leading him, then she must be there.”
“Perhaps it is a ruse to bring you into a trap.” He gave me a dark look. “It would not be the first one you fell into.”
I stared at him for a long time. Then I let go of Max’s hand and stood up and walked across the room. There was a lamp on the dresser, which I took and threw it at Rorikel’s head.
One more broken piece of furniture wouldn’t matter at this point. The only reason the cops hadn’t strolled in and hauled us out was because of the soundproof warding the angels had set up.
The lamp shattered against the wall, and a few shards of it scratched along Rorikel’s face. He swiped at his cheek, shocked when his fingers came away bloody. He looked furious, but his own temper was nothing compared to mine.
“You dare–”
“Shut up,” I snapped. “I am not in the mood to be picked apart by you. My sister is missing, and we can all share the blame for being tricked. So if you don’t have anything useful to contribute in the next five seconds, you can get the fuck out of my way. I’m going to Athens. And you are not strong enough to stop me.”
Maybe he was, but I didn’t care. My limited patience had been used up on Max, and now I was ready to hit anyone who breathed on me wrong.
The angry angel drew himself up to his full height and took a step toward me. Someone moved up to my side. Warrick. I don’t know what the hell he planned to do against an angelic warrior-asshole like Rorikel, but it was nice to have some support.
