by Mandy Lee
Nyx reached the mouth of the alley and turned into the darkness. She dropped her purse into a puddle with a splash. Samael stopped cold and spun to face her.
“Hello, Lover.” She smiled coldly. “You didn’t call, you didn’t write. You just blew up my brother's castle and left without saying goodbye. Bad boy.” Nyx twirled a length of her blond hair around her finger.
Samael gave her a hard look. “Keres, how did you get access to the human realm.”
Nyx pouted. “That’s not nice now. You didn’t even bother to remember my name. I feel so used.”
“I guess I really should figure out which sister you are so I can send your brother a personalized condolence card.” Samael stepped toward her and drew his own dagger from a sheath at his waist.
Nyx sauntered toward Samael, swinging her hips, her eyes flashing a bright red. “So what’s your plan, Sammy? You just going to sweet talk me to death?”
Flipping the dagger round and round, catching and releasing, he smiled back at her. “What, cute nicknames now? We’ve really hit a high point in our relationship.”
Nyx made a show of examining her expertly painted nails. “I don’t know about that, Sammy. I’m not really a relationship kind of gal. I’m more of a rip-out-your-lungs-through-your-throat babe.” She gave him a saucy wink. “I guess you’ll have to let me know if that floats your boat, Lover.”
“You know what doesn’t do it for me, Darling? Chicks that bleed black.” He replied, catching the dagger and examining the angelic charms etched on the blade.
Nyx laughed. “You’re one to talk about what does or doesn’t do it for you. Baby boy, from what I hear, anything with tits and legs should do it for you. Aren’t you the thousand-year-old virgin?” She licked her lips. “I can help you out with that before I shred you to ribbons. Would be a shame to let that body go to waste.”
“I’d rather be your brother’s bitch again for eternity.” He took another step toward her.
Nyx let her eyes trail down Samael’s body from head to toe, her smile turning downright evil. “Sweetheart, there’s one part of your anatomy that begs to differ.”
Samael narrowed his eyes at her. “Maybe it’s just the idea of sending you back to good ole Satan for some sibling bonding.”
“Sibling shit. Kinky.” Nyx winked again. “Enough pillow talk, Boyfriend. Time’s up.”
Nyx let the mask of humanity slide, her eyes glowing a brighter red, nails elongating into claws, her perfect smile revealing sharp white fangs. “Now that I’ve slipped into something more comfortable, let’s get down to it.”
She launched herself toward Samael, claws on one hand raking across his face as he underestimated the speed of her attack. Her dagger flew at him but he blocked her, stumbling toward the building beside him. Ignoring the blood that slithered down his face, Samael grabbed onto her arm and spun her around, slamming her into the wall so hard the brickwork cracked. Nyx laughed as she kneed him in the groin, dropping him to the ground like a sack of flour. Taking advantage of the upper hand, she kicked him under the chin with her glorious pumps. The cracking of his jaw was like music to her ears. Samael heaved himself to his feet and backhanded her across the cheek. Nyx’s head snapped to the side, a loud ringing setting off in her ears. Before she had a chance to right herself, Samael had grabbed her long hair and wound it around his wrist, jerking her head back and exposing her throat. Nyx licked at the trail of blood that seeped out the corner of her mouth and looked him in the eye.
“Foreplay, good boy.”
Samael raised his free hand and tore the glove that covered his cursed skin free with his teeth.
Chest heaving, Nyx gave a sultry laugh. “Not that I’m averse to some touching here, big boy, but do you really think that’s going to do shit to me?”
Samael shook his head. “Don’t know, but it’s worth a shot.” He brought his hand down and pressed it against her forehead. Nyx screamed and writhed in his grip, her eyes rolling back in her head. She shook and shuddered, her body nearly slipping out of Samael’s grip with the force of her convulsions.
“Say hi to your brother.” Samael smiled as he pressed down harder on her forehead, success within his grasp. Suddenly Nyx began to laugh again, her eyes connected with his. “I don’t have a soul for you to reap, you big dumb fuck.”
Nyx jerked herself out of his grasp and spun away, slicing with her blade as she went, the tip raking across Samael’s rib cage. As she spun, the heel of her beautiful shoe got stuck in a crack in the paving, snapping it off like a wishbone. She stumbled just long enough for Samael to regain his bearings. Her eyes widened as she watched his charmed blade bury itself in her chest, the angelic charms burning their way into her black heart. Nyx grabbed at Samael’s strong shoulders, pulling his ear closer to her as she collapsed. “I hope it was good for you,” she said as the lights went out.
Chapter Ten
B stared up at Mara’s face wondering if he’d managed to somehow die and find his way back to Heofon. He reached out his hand and brushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear. The soft, crimson curl clung to his finger as he drew his hand away. B wanted to stay in this moment forever, his fiery angel rising over him like a phoenix from the ashes. In the hazy place between waking and sleep, B’s heart clenched. Something was shifting and falling into place, the unfamiliar feeling that was both nerve-wracking yet terribly right. Her delicate hand stretched out and stroked over his cheek leaving a cool, electrified trail in its wake. A sensation of peace that he hadn’t experienced in centuries stole over him. The gems on the stone ceiling glinted and shone above Mara’s face throwing rainbow prisms of light.
“Are you real or am I dreaming?” B whispered, hope warring with doubt in his voice.
Looking down at him, her green eyes glimmering like the jade gems twinkling above her, Mara gave a soft smile. “I’m real. You were badly injured, but you’re going to be okay.”
B lifted his head slightly to get a look around. “Where am I?” he asked, his voice scratchy and cracking as he tried a slightly higher volume. The skin around his throat burned as though it had been touched with a lit match. Closing his eyes against the pain, he felt the bed shift as Mara got up and moved across the room. He threw out his arm in an attempt to catch her and keep her close.
“Stay.” He croaked.
“Shhhhh. I’ll be right back.” Her voice floated around him, bouncing off the stone walls and surrounding him like a blanket.
As the fire in his throat died down, B cracked open his eyes and got his first good look at his surroundings. The small cavern’s gems winked and reflected the light from a tiny pool. The bed he lay upon appeared to be one of the few pieces of furniture in the spare but beautiful room. Mara was crouched down beside an icy glimmering pool. She passed her hand over the frozen water, muttering an incantation that immediately thawed a portion of the liquid, and dipped a sparkling crystal decanter into the violet waters. B was struck by how much Mara looked like an elfin princess, delicate but strong. Standing there in the glittering cave holding the glowing decanter she could have stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale full of magic and enchantment. She moved toward him, the otherworldly smoothness of her gait made it seem like she was floating just above the smooth stone floor of the cave.
B closed his eyes against the beauty as she made her way to his side. He heard the soft tinkling noise of the brightly glowing water being poured into a goblet. B knew the exact moment Mara set the decanter down on the bedside table from the pure ringing sound of the crystal. The bed depressed beside him as she climbed in, the coolness of her body bringing him some relief from the incessant burning pain of his wounds.
B felt her hand slide around the back of his bare shoulders, guiding him upright toward the sparkling goblet of enchanted water she held in her free hand. His skin suddenly began to crawl. Other hands had cradled him like this once before when he was injured, giving him life-sustaining liquid before re-embarking on their torturous quest. Those ha
nds had been rough and calloused, hot and sweaty. Mara’s were pure, soft, and cool. B’s past and present realities crashed together in his mind. He jerked away from her roughly. The sudden violent movement pulled at his stitches, causing some to pop and small tears of blood to fall. Desire to bask in her kindness warred with his need to remove his filth from her presence. Mara reached out to calm him, placing her free hand on his chest as she held the crystal goblet aloft. As her hand touched his chest, B struck out, sending the goblet flying into the far wall of the cave, smashing into glittering shards that tinkled down to the stone floor.
“Don’t touch me!” He shouted as he shrank back from her against the mattress.
Confused, Mara leaned toward him. “You’re popping your stitches. Just lie back and relax.”
B slapped her hand away. “Don’t touch me. I’m going to be sick.” His face was a mask of disgust.
Mara leapt off the bed. “God, I’m such an idiot!” She shouted. “Why do I always do this to myself? I’m risking my life to save you and this is what I get in return.”
B felt sick. He was hurting her, but couldn’t seem to stop. His inner demons were doing battle with his better intentions. Mara didn’t understand, she couldn’t understand his shame and humiliation. He had been used and abused by demons; he was dirty and broken. He had to do this for her benefit, no matter what the cost to himself.
“Just get away from me.” He shouted, shoving his feelings down to the bottom of his black soul.
Mara’s face fell. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving. I just can’t believe I deluded myself into thinking we had some kind of connection when I helped you with Sergei.”
A pink tinged blood tear tracked down her cheek, and Baal felt his damaged heart crack in his chest. Spinning away from him, Mara moved like a blur, bending down and snatching up a dagger lying beside the mystical pool. She sliced into her palm, dripping crimson blood into the frozen waters. Moments later the ice cracked, the lavender water boiling up. With one last pained look back at him she stepped out over the water’s edge and disappeared beneath the surface.
Left alone in the magical cavern, B balled his fists until he felt they would forever lock in place, his soul howling in pain worse than anything his physical injuries could cause.
Chapter Eleven
The door of The Advocate burst open, drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. There stood Sam, a wild look in his eyes, rain pouring down in the street behind him, lightning sparking up the sky. Even through his shock at the sudden appearance of his friend, Gadreel couldn’t help musing that this all seemed like something out of a bad Hollywood horror movie.
Samael strode over to their table, his coat and hair dripping rivers of water all around him. Theo came rushing over with a bar towel.
Theo tossed the towel at Sam’s head. “Yo, my man! Dry off a bit. You’re raining all over my bar. I’m not interested in having a slip-and-fall hazard here, dude.”
Sam snatched the towel out of the air and pointed it at Theo. “A little water on your floor is the least of our worries at this point.”
Gadreel let out the breath he’d been holding. “Did you find him?”
Sam rubbed his sopping head with the towel and blew out a frustrated breath. “No, but I did find Satan’s little sister, so we know we’re dealing with a bigger issue here.”
“Sheol’s rings.” Gadreel muttered as he dropped his head into his hands. Unbidden, images of torture and imprisonment began to click through his brain. Gadreel knew there was no way he could survive another round of that, and he had emerged without a raging drug problem. What were B’s chances if he’d been taken captive again?
Stroking his goatee, Belial gave Sam a confused look. “What the fuck is Satan’s sister doing here? Never mind that, how the fuck did she even get here?”
Sam tossed the towel down on the table. “I think the bigger question is how did Nyx know where to find me?”
Belial narrowed his eyes at Sam. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”
A heavy silence settled on the group. One by one they began shooting suspicious glances across the table at each other. As the awkward silence stretched, Sergei began to fidget. The only non-angel in the group, he was getting the majority of the shifty eyed looks.
“Seriously guys?” he said, slapping his hands down on the table. “I died to help you!” He shook his head, disappointment written all over his face. “How could you even start to suspect me of being Satan’s spy?”
Sam narrowed his eyes at him.
Shoving his chair back, Sergei jumped to his feet. “You know what? Fuck you and fuck this! I don’t need this shit in my life.” He spun on his heel and strode toward the door.
Sighing, Sam made a choice. “Sergei, don’t go.”
Sergei stopped in his tracks but he kept his back turned. “Why shouldn’t I.”
Sam made his way over to Sergei’s side. “Look, you’re new to Team Fallen, so you’ve got to cut us a bit of slack when we find out there’s been an information leak. We’ve all been together for so long that it’s hard for us to even imagine one of us betraying the crew. We’ve been through an epic amount of shit together.”
Sergei turned to face Sam. “I get that, but you’d think after everything I’d have earned a bit of trust.”
Gadreel held his breath as he watched the standoff. It had been such a long time since anyone had managed to get close to any of them they seemed to have forgotten how to behave. If anyone had given them a reason to trust, no matter how hard it was to do, it was Sergei. He’d proven time and again over the last weeks that he had the chops to handle life in their crazy, violent world. He’d also proven his loyalty to those he cared about. It had been a long time since they’d seen someone willing to die for a friend. It may just be time for all of them to take a chance on someone new.
Sam nodded and clapped Sergei on the back. “Well then, let’s get working on fixing this new disaster.”
Sergei sighed and nodded, turning back to face the group. “I’m not sure how to smoke out a mole, but I might be able to work some kind of locator spell to find B.”
Sam frowned. “Do you think you can make it work? You said your magic was a bit off since you turned.”
The two men headed back toward the table. “Yes, but I’ve been trying to use light magic. What if I use dark magic — blood magic? I mean, I’m a vampire-witch, if I can’t use blood magic who can right?”
“True.” Sam pulled out his chair and plopped down.
Suddenly Sergei was center stage as all eyes at the table fixed on him, everyone waiting on his next words with bated breath. Looking slightly uncomfortable, Sergei cleared his throat and went for it.
“There’s an old locator spell that I was taught about years ago. We were generally encouraged to use light magic in my family, but we were taught the dark stuff too so we’d know about both sides of the balance. I’m figuring I’ll have better luck with dark blood magic at this point. If we go down to the portal room, I’ll have enough space to set up.”
Before he could finish, chairs scraped back and fallen angels stood to their feet and moved toward the door at the back of the bar that led down to a stone basement housing the Sheolic Portal. They headed down the stairs that were well-worn by hundreds of demons making daily trips to and from the Netherworld city of Outer-Sheol to the human realm.
As Gadreel made his way down the stairs into the massive stone room, he was struck by the majesty of the space. No matter how many times he saw the gothic ceiling covered in demonic runes, the massive sconces with their pillar candles, and the large rectangular portal with its eerie swirling darkness, he always marvelled at how much the humans were in the dark about this mysterious world in which they existed. Gadreel continued to the portal, passing the rest of the group that huddled in the middle of the room. As he neared the dais, a pulsing red light flickered within the swirling blackness, moving faster and faster with his approach.
&nbs
p; Since he’d first seen it, he’d been fascinated by the Portal. There was something both hypnotic and regal about it. The massive stone sentry guards stood in all their glory, swords resting tip-down on the floor, and the bejewelled inverted pentagram winked at all who approached. The incessant turmoil inside his mind seemed to dissipate as he stared into the void.
“Gadreel! Yo, dude!”
Gadreel turned on a dime toward the sound of the shout. The guys were all staring at him like he should be fitted for a strait jacket.
“What?”
Azazel piped up from the middle of the room. “My man, you’ve been standing there staring at the portal like a mental patient for five minutes.”
“Really?” Gadreel replied with an amazed look.
Sergei rolled his eyes. “All right, enough screwing around. Can you fuckers help me set up here? And can someone text Amir just in case we need to Shadow Walk to some freaky emergency rescue scene.”
“Hello, hello! Did I just hear my name?” Footsteps sounded descending the stone staircase and Amir emerged.
“Well, speak of the Devil.” Sam stepped forward to clap Amir on the back. “Nice to see you again, my friend.”
“Likewise!” Amir smiled and made the rounds of fist bumping and man-hugs. “I just got here. Theo gave me the heads-up that there was some kind of cabal going on in the basement. So, what are we up to?”
“I’m about to try my hand at some blood magic.” Sergei passed his eyes around the group. “So, which one of you has a knife on them I can borrow?”
In a split second, all five guys had whipped out an impressive array of cutlery. Sergei’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead to his hairline. “Ok, I think we’re good.” Shaking his head he reached out and grabbed the butterfly knife Azazel had on offer. “Very nice.” Sergei said as he inspected the mother of pearl handle and well-polished blade.
Azazel shrugged. “It’s important to have pride in one’s weapons…plus, it’s pretty.”
