by Trina M. Lee
“You’re not going to be able to get most of these people out,” Falon said. “They may be human, but the wards were made for their abilities. You’re going to have to cut your losses and leave them.”
“All of them?” I asked, my mind racing. The thought of leaving these people behind was unacceptable.
“You don’t have a choice. If you waste anymore time here, you won’t get out either.” Falon reached for my arm, and I jerked back before he could touch me.
I turned away before he could grab for me again. “Help me find Juliet. If she’s not here, we can leave.” To the werewolf hovering at my side, I asked, “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Izzy,” she said pushing the untamed mane out of her eyes.
“Alexa,” I said, then pointed at the fallen angel moving swiftly from door to door. “That’s Falon.”
Izzy nodded. “I’ve heard your name before. They asked me if I knew you when I first came.”
That didn’t surprise me. Briggs seemed to think every vampire and werewolf in the city knew me. They didn’t. Not yet. I hoped to change that, if only to rally them all together for the greater good, whatever that happened to be.
I continued to peer in windows, seeking either my sister or someone I could free. I found myself looking in at the same little girl I’d seen during my last basement visit. Unlike last time, she was awake and carrying on a conversation with someone I couldn’t see. The animated way she chattered along, her hands gesturing wildly, gave me the creeps.
“Not that one.” Falon appeared behind me, looking in over my shoulder. “Never that one.”
Before I could turn away, the little girl glanced up and flashed me a huge smile. At first it seemed so innocent, so child-like. Until she blinked solid black eyes at me and waved.
I backed away, straight into Falon. Jumping as if I’d been burned, I put distance between us so fast I almost lost my balance.
“I’m not sure if I should be amused or insulted,” he said. “I’m part of you now, in some way. Accept it. Or get over it. Either way, settle the fuck down. Oh, and Juliet isn’t here.”
His words chilled me. I’m part of you now. He wasn’t wrong. That’s how it worked. But I’d already broken my heart into four pieces and given them all away. There was nothing left for Falon. Yet, the lack of love didn’t mean that I was untouched by him. I’d learned early on that giving myself to a man in the throes of passion didn’t leave me unchanged. It stole a part of me. Every fucking time. My heart had already been claimed, but this encounter had reached into my soul, stealing a piece of my very being, changing it forever. I hadn’t known myself for some time now. I felt more detached, like I’d given away something I would never get back.
“What do you mean she isn’t here? Did you check every room?” Panic seized me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Where the hell was my sister?
“There’s a vampire in the room at the end. He’s clearly out of his fucking mind because of this place. We leave him. Everyone else down here is human. We leave them too.” Falon awaited my reaction, showing more patience than I knew him to have.
There was so much of the building left to check: the lab, the interrogation room, the torture chamber upstairs. But we couldn’t. I was starting to suspect that Briggs had deceived me.
Falon frowned and glanced down the hall. He seemed to be sensing something. “Have you considered that this entire thing was a trap? Maybe she was never arrested at all.”
I felt like a fool. Briggs had outsmarted me. Regardless of where my sister was, she sure wasn’t here. But I was. If I’d had any resistance to handing Briggs over to Shya, it was gone now.
“Let’s just go.” I motioned toward the end of the hall that curved away from the main entry. I’d escaped the building that way before.
We’d only taken a few steps before I felt what Falon had felt. The air rippled, announcing the arrival of a demon. This wasn’t going to be good.
I tensed, expecting Shya or maybe Brook or any number of black winged beings. So when Willow appeared between us, I was both shocked and delighted. Until he grabbed Falon and flung him against the concrete hallway wall. Over and over Willow banged Falon’s head off the solid surface. His red eyes shone with an inner light that was so evil, so suffocating.
“How dare you put your hands on her,” he seethed. “How dare you defile her like that!”
Black wings spread wide, Willow oozed a dark, murky force that stank of sulfur. It was strong, stronger than anything I’d ever felt from Shya. For the first time since we met, I was afraid of Willow.
Izzy gave a small cry and clapped a hand over her mouth. I dragged her back, away from the fight. My delight shriveled, killed like a flower in a drought.
“Willow, don’t!” My shout echoed in the empty hall. It went ignored.
He didn’t use power, choosing instead to use his fists, which made his assault uncomfortably personal. What exactly had Willow seen?
Falon didn’t fight back. It was a battle we all knew he couldn’t win. He took the beating Willow dished out, and he might even have enjoyed it in some twisted way.
Falon smirked through the blood smeared on his face. “How much did you see, Willow? Did you watch? Because if you did, you’d know that she fucking loved it.”
My heart seized, or it would have if it had beat at a pace that matched my panic. All I could do was watch as Willow beat the hell out of Falon. I winced as each blow landed. This was a fight that never should have happened.
“You took advantage of her,” Willow hissed into Falon’s face, a hand around his throat.
“I didn’t have to,” Falon grunted. “She wanted it. If anything, she took advantage of me.”
I wanted to hit him myself then. Being a succubus gave me a manipulative edge. There was no denying that. But Falon was strong enough to withstand it if he wanted to. Wasn’t he?
My horror grew when Willow produced a silver-coated dagger and plunged the blade into Falon’s heart. Blood seeped from the wound, staining his shirt. Silver eyes wide, he gaped at Willow like he wanted to throw out one last smartass remark. He never got the chance. Willow jerked the blade free, and Falon dropped, disappearing as he hit the ground. He’d been weakened to the point of being forced back to the other side.
I stood frozen beside Izzy. When Willow shoved the dagger into a sheath in his coat and turned to us, I trembled. There was no real way of knowing what kind of shape he was in. He’d gone dark for me, and still I was a mental case. How much worse would Willow be?
He gathered me in his arms and hugged me close, smoothing a hand over my hair. “I’m sorry I left you to face this alone. I should have been here for you. But why, Alexa? Why him?”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I blinked them back. He smelled like sulfur and tequila, and he felt like the absolute black that only existed in the absence of light. But he was still Willow, and I held tight to him.
The last time I saw him was when he’d taken my darkness. His sacrifice had allowed me to keep both the light and the dark powers I possessed. Shya and Falon claimed it was making me crazy, which I didn’t doubt for a second, but I knew how much worse it would be without Willow’s sacrifice. It was an act of love, and I could never thank him enough.
“Where’ve you been?” I asked, pulling back to gaze into his gold-flecked, red eyes. “Are you ok?”
“I’ve been… adjusting.” Willow touched my face. It was the affectionate caress of a dear friend. “I know you have been too.”
“Trying,” I said. “And failing.”
The concern in his eyes was reassuring. I’d been afraid that the darkness would change who he was, but I could see that he was still there behind the red demon eyes and the black wings.
He continued to smooth down my hair. With a sad smile he said, “There is no failing as long as you’re trying.”
Dear God, how I had missed his perfectly timed wise words. I threw my arms around him and squeezed tight. “I’ve been
so worried about you.”
“Don’t worry about me, Alexa. I’m playing the role I was created to play. And so are you. I’m here. I won’t leave you.” The warmth and genuine care in his words broke what was left of my heart. It reminded me that I couldn’t let his sacrifice be in vain.
“You smell like tequila,” I said with a laugh.
His laugh was the laugh I remembered, and it put some of my worried mind at ease. “I’ve changed, but I’m still me. You’re still you. We’ll get through this.”
Izzy shifted uneasily from foot to foot beside me. “I think we should get going. Someone’s coming.”
I followed her gaze to the main end of the hall. I could hear the tread of footsteps and the murmur of voices. We turned to continue on the way we’d been headed only to jerk to a halt when we heard footsteps approaching from that direction too. They’d discovered Falon’s frozen cameras, and now they were coming for us.
“Willow, get Izzy out of here please. Take her to Doghead.” My frantic gaze darted from one end of the hall to the other. We were going to be surrounded in a matter of seconds.
“I can’t leave you here,” he said. “If you don’t make it out soon, the sun will rise, and you’ll be stuck in here all day.”
“That’s ok. I need to find out what happened to my sister anyway. If I don’t get out before dawn, then I’ll see you after sundown.” Between the two of us, Willow and I had more than enough power to take on a group of Feds. But there had already been so much recent death, and I wanted to avoid adding to the blood on my hands if possible. I just wanted to locate my sister and get my hands on Briggs.
Willow was reluctant, but the quaking werewolf at my side convinced him. “I’ll be waiting in my usual spot.”
With a reassuring smile, Willow took Izzy by the hand and led her down the hall toward the agents approaching from the rear. She shot me a questioning look, wondering perhaps if it was safe to go with the demon she’d just watched lose his mind all over another. I didn’t doubt that he would get through the agents without issue. I sure could’ve used Falon’s help right then, but I couldn’t fault Willow for doing what he’d done.
I turned to face the oncoming agents as they swarmed around the corner into the hall. Briggs was leading the pack. He held up a hand to bring everyone to a halt. A dozen Feds stood there with weapons held ready. Most of them were tranquilizer guns but not all of them. With a snap of my finger, a protective energy barrier surrounded me.
Briggs consulted his watch. “Almost six hours before you broke out. I’ve got to admit, I underestimated you. But I wasn’t expecting an angel to help you get out.”
So he saw the video feed. Oh goody. “Did you really expect me to sit there and wait for you to figure out what you wanted to do with me?” I dropped the keys and swipe card I still held, letting them clatter to the floor beside me.
From a fair distance away, several shouts echoed. Then all was quiet. Willow must have met and subdued the agents coming from the other side. Briggs didn’t react. His expression was hard set, the lines in his forehead furrowed in thought.
“I never planned for this,” he said, indicating that the plan had changed. “Unfortunately, now you know things I don’t want you to know, and you’re proving to be much too difficult to contain.”
“What did you do with my sister?” I cut right to the chase, choosing not to play his game of words and threats.
Briggs smiled, just a little, just enough to make me think he’d done something terrible to Juliet. “We’ll talk. I trust we can do this without any violence. I won’t even cuff you. But I do need you to accompany me upstairs. I’d like to show you something.”
Of course I was suspicious. I was also going to play along for now. I needed to know where Juliet was. Briggs knew something, and I was going to get it out of him.
“All right. Let’s go.” I walked toward him at a normal, human-like pace, hands held palms out to show him I wasn’t going to try anything. As I approached, I dropped my barrier, confident I could defend myself against them should I need to.
Once again his minions surrounded me and herded me along like a rabid animal that needed prodding. This time I caught the telltale tingle of power among them. There was a witch in this crew of agents.
We followed the hall, branching off the main corridor and curving around through a series of halls back to the elevator the agents used. The place was a fucking maze. I doubted many escapees made it far before being caught. It had to have been designed that way on purpose.
“It’s going to snow soon,” Briggs announced, as if this was normal conversation for us. “It seems like winter may come early this year.”
I frowned and crossed my arms, leaning against the wall of the elevator as it took us up to the top floor. Why did I get the feeling I was walking willingly to my demise?
“Time to get the winter tires on before the mad rush.” The agent next to me joined in the mindless conversation.
Briggs caught my eye. “How does your car do in the winter? That rear wheel drive must be a pain in the ass. They come in all wheel drive, don’t they?”
My frown deepened, and I sighed. “It’s a muscle car. All wheel drive on a car like that is blasphemy. It fish tails like a bitch on snow and ice, but I didn’t buy it to be practical. I bought it for the power.”
“Of course you did.”
Agent Briggs, with his easygoing nature and casual chatter, heightened my distrust. This jackass was proving what I’d always suspected about him. He was a power monger, harboring a grudge for anyone who had more than he did. He was more like Shya than I think he knew.
The elevator door opened into the admin area on the top floor. I’d been up there once before, when I’d come for Kale the first time and found him being tortured. Briggs led the way, and I fell into step beside him, refusing to walk behind.
A wry smile crossed his face. I could reach out and snap his neck in seconds. We both knew it. Yet he trusted that I wouldn’t do it. Killing him would be satisfying, but taking on every Fed in the building would be difficult. Not worth the risk.
We strode down a hall with blinding fluorescent light guiding our way. I’d been here before. He was taking me to the security room. Sure enough, he opened a door and led me into the room filled with screens and a panel filled with tech stuff that was foreign to me.
A man with wild, unruly hair and large, black glasses glanced up at our entry. The room was too small to fit every agent accompanying us, but half a dozen crammed in behind us with weapons ready.
“Andy, bring up the video from room eight,” Briggs ordered.
Ah, fuck. He was going to make me watch my own sex tape in a room full of men. The lack of women in this place was bothersome. There were female agents, just not many. I guess men were more blood hungry by nature.
“Is this really necessary?” I asked, doing my best to look unimpressed.
With utter disdain, Briggs nodded. “I think it is.”
Andy tapped a few buttons on the panel in front of him and pointed at one of the many screens. It was hard to focus on that screen when my gaze was drawn to the others, all of them showing a different room with various occupants, until the video started to play. Then my attention was stolen by the harsh image of Falon and me.
There was no audio, but the video was enough. My face grew hot at the sight of Falon standing between my legs while I clawed bloody lines in his back. I couldn’t look. Dragging my gaze away, I stared at another screen, one that showed the little demon girl happily playing with her dolls.
“Aren’t you glad there’s no audio?” Briggs asked with a chuckle.
“Fuck you, Briggs.”
“Now that’s not very nice. We can be professional about this.”
My fingertips tingled. With just a thought, I could drop every man in this room. Resisting was damn hard when my instinct said to kill them all. No, Briggs was going to be Shya’s. I just had to get through this without incident.
&nbs
p; “Are you calling this professional?” I gestured to the video, unable to bring myself to look again. “Do you like to watch, Briggs? Are you taking a copy home?”
His grin faded. “Copies have been made. Not for me though. Come. Let’s go sit down and speak in private.”
He ushered me across the hall to a small office. It looked more like an interrogation room. Just a desk sat in the middle with a chair on either side. The rest of the room was bare.
Much to my surprise, Briggs closed the door on the others, leaving the two of us alone. I hated that he was so sure I wouldn’t kill him, but did he know why I would rather spare him?
He motioned for me to take a seat, then he sat across from me. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here, O’Brien. I want you to know that, the moment anything happens to me that you are in any way connected to, that video will be sent to everyone in your inner circle. Something tells me that you wouldn’t like that so much.”
I almost choked on the rage that welled up. So badly I wanted to hurt him. Wait. Soon.
“So what?” I tried for flippant and failed. I was just too angry.
“So this is your chance to have that video destroyed.” He leaned on the table, clasping his hands together. Studying my face, he said, “Join us. Work with me, not for me. Help me cleanse this city of evil.”
“Are you blackmailing me with a sex tape?” My laugh promised horrid things. “Is that what you have to resort to when you can’t find any other way to control someone?”
“No, it’s my way of being nice. Offering you a chance to make the smart choice. We both know what a rarity you are. Why not use your abilities to serve your city? To make a difference.”
I searched his brown eyes, finding them hard and lacking emotion. “You sound like an afterschool special, Briggs. I’m not going to fall for that shit. You’re part of the evil in this city.”
“Let’s not argue. We don’t need to agree in order to work together. I want you on my team, and I’m willing to be very generous in order to achieve that.” He sounded like a politician, spinning nonsense into what he thought was a worthy argument.
