He stepped back. “How long before the lust drives you insane? Makes you do and say things you would never do in your right mind.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Celeste promised. “I will be the Reaper that sends your soul into the pits of Hell its self, those years spent in that box will look like Heaven when Lucifer is done with you.”
Calliope actually threw his head back and laughed. The sound buzzed across her skin, making her feel as if she had been staked out on a fire ant hill. Celeste glared at him knowing she might be eating those words before this was all said and done.
****
“What do you mean you can’t feel her?” Marcus stormed at Victor picking him up and slamming him against the wall.
“The moment I lost contact with her I immediately came from the Infernos,” Victor snarled. “Explain to me why she is no longer with you?”
Christian and Garrett both grabbed Marcus by the arms but he wasn’t about to let the Reaper go. “You sent your sister here to die?” he accused.
“It was never my idea to send her here, allow her to be put in any type of danger. We entrusted her with the only species on this plane we thought could protect her,” Victor snarled. “And she was plucked off the top of a church like a sacrificial lamb. While you just stood there. Who is guilty here?”
Marcus threw an elbow into Christian’s face and a fist into Victor’s.
Garrett slammed a fist into his ribs making him double over. He fell to his knees, but he was far from done. He slammed a fist into the bundle of nerves in Garrett’s thigh, and the Reaper hit the floor howling in pain. Lunging to his feet he barreled into Christian planting his shoulder into the Reapers stomach he nailed him into a bookshelf.
Victor swore and pulled him off Christian throwing a punch into Marcus’ face that actually picked him off his feet and sent him backwards. When he hit the floor all the air was pushed from his lungs.
“Dammit.” Cameron swore from somewhere to his left, and then he was in the fight as well.
Within seconds everyone in the room was fighting including Kyra who was just protecting her mates back because not even a Reaper would strike a woman especially a woman mated to a Tracker.
It was Aiden who actually stopped the fight when he entered and threw a severed head into the fray.
Everyone scrambled back. “Freak’n hell.” Cameron kicked the head away.
“What the fuck is that?” Marcus snarled.
Aiden smiled; flanked by Stephan and Ash he placed his hands on his hips. “That would be a Demon, the last one that was attacking in the city. I did my job, and now we will need to get Celeste back.”
“And exactly what does the head have to do with it?” Kyra asked, she looked slightly queasy.
“Two points,” Aiden started. “First, it stopped the fight. Second it had some interesting information for me before I ripped it from its body.”
“And what exactly does that have to do with my sister?” Victor snarled. “And why the hell are you all working with Vampires? That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“The deal was to retrieve the Touched and kill Calliope. If we call in help from our allies to get it done what does it matter?” Marcus snapped spitting out blood.
“We don’t work with Vampires.” Christian glared at the trio standing in the doorway.
“Then go back to the Infernos because we do,” Ryder threw in.
Victor glowered. “What information do you have?” Marcus asked Aiden.
Aiden glared back. “I am doing this for Celeste, and not for you or your brothers, understand that now. I will not bow to you or your father.”
Victor stepped forward so he was nose to nose with Aiden. “Get anywhere near my sister, and I will happily wipe your ass from this world.”
“You and what army?” Aiden taunted.
“Just give us your damn information and get out,” Victor demanded.
Aiden gave him a deadly smile. “I will not be locked out of the search and rescue. You may not approve of me and mine but Celeste has become a friend, and I will not stand by and let that Reaper spawn hurt her.”
Marcus was so shocked he couldn’t speak for a moment. Despite the jealousy he felt it was obvious the King of Vampires had bonded with Celeste, and they all wanted the same thing.
“We all want her safe return,” Marcus said. “We will work together for that outcome.”
“Calliope is a Reaper and knows how to block against Reaper senses. Celeste is half Reaper and half Demon, if you were to get another Demon preferable one related in some way to Celeste that Demon would be able to sense her,” Aiden said, obviously willing to work with them to get Celeste back regardless of what Victor and the other Reapers said or did.
Victor started to swear up a storm. “Dammit why didn’t I think of that? But the female Sex Demons were banned to the level of Lust centuries ago.”
“Her mother,” Marcus said. “She said her mother was in Lust.”
Victor looked at him like he had lost his mind. “Do you have any idea how many Sex Demons are in Lust?”
Marcus shook his head. “How many could there be?”
Christian snorted. “You have no idea.”
“Dante can pull her,” Victor announced.
“But will he?” Christian asked.
“Why the hell wouldn’t he? It’s to get Celeste back.” Marcus couldn’t even understand why they were discussing this.
Victor turned to Christian. “You and Garrett stay here and start searching. Marcus and I will speak with Dante.”
“Why do I need to go? I am staying here to search for her,” Marcus stormed.
“Because Dante entrusted her to you.” Marcus’s back twitched at the thought he had failed and was going to have to pay in a pound of flesh again.
“Ready?” Victor asked.
“You’ll take care of things here?” Marcus turned to Ryder and Cameron.
“Of course,” Ryder promised.
“We will find her Marcus,” Kyra promised.
He nodded and turned back to Victor. “I’m ready.” As the Reaper reached forward Marcus remembered what Celeste had told him, and he sucked in a deep breath. As the Flash started, he exhaled.
He landed on his knees again, but this time at the foot of Dante’s dais. It hadn’t hurt as bad but dammit all to hell it didn’t feel good either.
Bare feet appeared in his site as one swung back and slammed into his face. Marcus flew back and landed on his back several feet away.
“Where is my daughter?” Dante stormed advancing on Marcus.
Marcus held up his hands. “We are working on getting her back.”
“Working on and doing are two separate things, Fallen.” Dante wasn’t a large man but he didn’t need to be. He held more strength and power than any creature on this plane or any other for the matter, and Marcus was sure he could rip him limb from limb.
“Dante, the King of the Vampires had information.” Dante swung from Marcus at Victor’s words.
“Now you’re working with the undead?” he bellowed making the rafters above shake and dust floated down.
“Not I, Father. Marcus and the Trackers.”
Marcus had to give it to Victor swinging the punishment back toward Marcus.
Dante swung back. “And what untrustworthy information did he have?”
“We need Celeste’s mother,” Marcus said pushing himself to his feet.
Dante’s expression didn’t change but a muscle ticked in his temple. “Calliope can protect against Reapers, he can’t protect against a blood related Demon. We need her mother.”
Dante stood looking at Marcus for several minutes and then turned and walked over to one of the large columns it was made of marble, and Dante slammed his fist into it. Shattering it, pieces fell, and the ceiling started to collapse. Victor swore and scrambled to Marcus grabbing him they Flashed out.
When they reappeared they were in the courtyard at the bottom of the hill that led up to
the Fortress.
“Never actually seen him that angry before.” Victor and Marcus watched as part of the Fortress above collapsed.
“Is he going to help us?” Marcus asked. Victor shrugged.
“Not good enough,” Marcus said and started up the path toward the Fortress.
“Why do you care so much?” Victor asked falling into step with him. “She is our sister, our responsibility.”
Marcus stopped and turned to Victor. “I have no idea, but she is my partner, and I will not let Calliope win by taking her. And every second we spend here is an hour there. She can’t die Victor.”
Victor blanched.
“How much torture do you think she can stand before she breaks?” Marcus asked. “Do you want to see her broken?”
Marcus asked the question only to realize he didn’t want to see that, he would give a pound of flesh and then some to not see the bright spirit that was Celeste be extinguished. They fought like hell, but he didn’t want that.
“Interesting,” Victor said as he started walking back up the incline. “Marcus, did you know she cared for you?”
Marcus was so stunned he didn’t move for a moment and then had to run to catch up with Victor. “What are you talking about she hates me.”
Victor shook his head. “Not in that sense, every time you gave your pound of flesh she cared for you.”
“How long?” Marcus asked.
“Couple of hundred years, she said it was the least she could do. You were a warrior and deserved to be cared for by a warrior,” Victor said it offhandedly. “Personally I think she just liked being with a man that wasn’t one of her brothers.”
Marcus didn’t have anything to say to that. He didn’t remember much from his times of being whipped. But he knew he was cared for, that someone sat with him until he slept without pain. He had imagined that person as Jessica. And now to know it had been Celeste made him rethink who the woman was and explained why sometimes when he looked at her something in his mind clicked.
“But she hates me,” Marcus repeated.
“Yeah well, she didn’t like to see you suffer.” Victor shrugged. “It was the good in her, I don’t have that weakness,” he announced proudly.
They both stopped as the mountain rumbled. “Damn he is pissed.” Victor looked up and then turned around.
“Where the hell are you going?” Marcus snarled.
“You know what?” Victor said over his shoulder. “I would rather search through the Sex Demons myself than deal with him when he is that mad.”
Marcus looked from Victor to the Fortress and then followed Victor.
As they swung through the large gates Dante appeared with a woman clinging to his arm. The woman had short red hair that spiked out in several different directions and looked so much like Celeste that Marcus took a step forward before he realized her eyes were different, they were a dark purple almost black, and her skin had an orange hue to it. Fingernails like talons scrapped across Dante’s chest.
“Get me my daughter back or I will have your soul on a spit over the River Sticks.” He thrust the woman at Victor. “She is your responsibility,” he said as Victor took the woman by the arm, and then he was gone.
She looked at Victor and then at Marcus. “I want neither of you. I want Dante, take me back to him.”
“As soon as we find Celeste,” Victor lied.
The woman swung on Victor, her eyes brightening, “I can see Celeste? My Angel?”
“Yes,” Marcus said this time.
“I don’t want to speak with you,” she said over her shoulder. “How is she? I’ve missed her so.”
“She has been kidnapped, and we need you to locate her.” The woman screeched and clawed at Victor.
Victor tried to push her away. “No, please god’s no. Not my Angel,” she wailed.”
Victor shoved her away as blood started to trickle from the wounds on his chest. “This is going to be a lot of fun,” he said to Marcus grabbing him by the shirt front and the woman by the arm.
They were back in the dining room; Kyra was pacing in the corner, and the sun shone down through the window.
“How long have we been gone?” Marcus asked.
“About twelve hours,” Kyra said. “They haven’t found anything, not even a trace.”
“Where is my daughter?” The woman screeched.
Kyra took a step back. “You are Celeste’s mother?”
“Yes.” She looked around the room in horror. “I feel her but she is in pain, where is she?”
“What’s your name?” Kyra asked.
The woman snarled at Kyra. “If you must know, it is Lexi, now get away from me.”
Lexi turned and left the room. “Pleasant woman,” Kyra said.
“She is insane,” Victor explained. “She fell in love with Dante, and Dante didn’t not return her affection. It made her mad.”
The woman screamed from somewhere in the house, and everyone ran, she stood in the foyer holding her stomach. “She is in pain, why is she in so much pain?”
Lexi clung to Victor. “Get the car.”
****
Celeste spit blood out, she was bleeding somewhere internally, and a rib had punctured a lung making it difficult to breathe, and she kept spitting out blood. But she took some joy in the fact Calliope was getting frustrated.
“Bring it on you son of a bitch,” she taunted. All she was really hoping for at the moment was that he would knock her out so she could at least take some comfort in oblivion.
Calliope had turned from her but swung back, the tip of one wing slashing just below her collar bone and across her chest, the talon sunk deep scraping across her breast bone, Celeste screamed out in uncontrollable pain.
She was seeing stars at this point and hoped from either blood loss or a hit she would pass out already. Calliope might be getting frustrated but even she was surprised at what she had been able to stay conscious through.
“Don’t you want it to stop?” Calliope said calmly. He switched moods so quickly one second he was furious and pummeling at her like she was a punching bag, and the next he was stroking her cheek and whispering he wanted to stop the pain.
“That would be nice,” Celeste said between swollen lips and gurgling gasps of air.
“All you have to do is open a portal,” he said calmly.
“What part of ‘Dante has locked all the portals’ don’t you understand?” he side kicked her in the stomach, throwing her back against the cement wall behind her. She couldn’t breathe, and she was sure this was the point where she would surely pass out but then she sucked in a breath, pain radiating throughout her entire body. “I couldn’t open one if I wanted to. Does that make enough sense to you? Or had being locked in the box make your brain so messed simple explanations like it’s out of my control our beyond you?” Her head fell forward she was just too tired to even hold it up for the moment.
“Celeste,” he said she lifted her head and looked at him. She had decided he slightly resembled Dante, had some of his features the shallow face, and the shape of his eyes and mouth. It hurt her to look at him and see her father in his face.
“I know you can get into the Infernos, I know you Flash in and out. I feel it whenever any of you Flashes. I feel the small flicker it shivers through me letting me know that the Infernos are close. You can take me there; know more mortals need to be harmed. No more souls need to be collected.”
Celeste laughed but her voice was dry as paper. “Until you reach the Infernos. Then the souls will feel the levels to bursting.”
“Sacrifices will have to be made Celeste, do you want to go down in the notes of history as a casualty of the war or sit on my right side as the Queen of the Infernos and of Hell?” he asked caressing her cheek.
Celeste laughed again. “So now it’s the Infernos and Hell? Good luck with that one. You do not cross Lucifer.”
It was Calliope’s turn to laugh. “I fear nothing.” He threw his head back and screamed making the
walls shake. He pounded on his chest. “I am one of the first, and the last survivor of the Original Reapers, and we were feared and worshiped.”
“I feel sorry for you,” Celeste said honestly. Calliope whipped around, a winged tipped talon slicing across the soft part of her underarm. She sucked in a breath. “You could have been all of those things, and could have had all of that if you had just followed some simple rules.”
“And exactly what were those?” he asked quietly leaning in he rubbed his cheek against her softness.
Celeste pulled away. “If you had just shut up and listened instead of taking the power you were given by a man greater than you. Because no matter how strong you get Calliope, no matter what delusions you have that tell you you will eclipse the power of the one that created you? You never will, that’s the thing about creation. You were created by something bigger, something more powerful, and in the end your self-importance and believing you have overcome your creator that is what will destroy you.”
Calliope growled and slammed a fist into her stomach, she bounced against the stone wall behind.
“Don’t you ever ask yourself why?” she asked when she had her breath back.
“What?”
“Why he locked you and your brothers away?” she spat more blood out.
“Because he was jealous,” Calliope said with lofty regard. “He couldn’t stand the way the mortals quaked at the thought of the Reapers, his creations becoming more powerful than the creator.”
“Dante is many things Calliope, but jealous of the power of his sons is not one of them.”
Calliope made a mulling noise before leaning in and rubbing his cheek against hers again. “You know so little? You the protocol child, a girl, in the army of male offspring. Do you really know what your father is capable of?”
Celeste shook her head. “I know him a great deal better than you, I would think.”
“Really?” Calliope leaned back and stabbed her with his black eyes. “I am one of his creations, one of his sons. And he locked me away in a box and threw me away in a cave.”
Lost In Time: A Fallen Novel Page 15
