“I don’t know, but you need to go visit your lord and master and find out.”
“Satan’s not my lord and master anymore.”
“Still.” There was a thump as Dani sat next to her on the sidewalk. “I think you need to go see him.”
Paige grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if he won’t let me go?”
Theresa waved her blackened stump. “A risk worth taking, don’t you think? You’re turning into poison, sweetie. This has to be dealt with.”
Dani nodded. “You know, I agree with Theresa. There’s something seriously wrong here, and you need answers. I mean, you killed an angel, Paige. That’s a very big deal.”
Paige pressed her lips together, trying not to think of the angel’s shocked face before he’d disintegrated. Satan had barely released her from her bonded servitude to him the first time. If he’d done something to turn her into his ultimate weapon and it was working . . . he really might not let her go this time. But what choice did she have? She could feel a pulsing evil stalking her, urging her to reach out and grab Dani around the throat and choke her to death . . . Crud.
Dani wasn’t immortal and, somehow, Paige knew for certain that if she touched Dani, her friend would die. Instantly. Like the angel. “You’re right. I need to talk to Satan.”
“I’ll go with you,” Theresa announced as she sat down next to them.
Dani winced. “You’re going to see Satan with her? Aren’t you afraid of him?”
“Not at all. He’s no danger. You just need to know how to play him, and I’ve got his number.” Theresa looked at Paige. “Can you do that fade-to-black thing to get to hell?”
Paige shook her head, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I dropped out of the Rivka apprenticeship program before I learned how.”
Theresa pulled out her cell phone. “Then we’re going to have to call on our favorite Rivka to take us down there.” She grinned. “I hope she’s involved in something really important. It’s such fun to harass her.” Theresa put her stump in her mouth and began to suck on it. “This really hurts, by the way. If you run into my ex, will you fry him? He so deserves it. I’d love to see him taken out in such a brutal and painful way.”
“Yeah, sure.” Paige tensed as a passerby glared at them for camping out in the middle of the sidewalk. She hissed and held her fingers up like a claw. The dude paled and bolted to the other side of the street, and her leg pulsed in anticipation of a hunt. Of prey. Of death. I need to kill him.
Dani sucked in her breath and scrambled backward. “You stay away from me, Paige.”
Dani’s shocked face snapped Paige back to reality. Oh, God. What was happening to her? She was getting out of control.
No. She wasn’t out of control. She could handle this.
First thing, remove the temptation. Get away from her friends. She rolled onto her stomach to push herself up, her hand landing on a patch of grass poking out from a crack in the sidewalk. It turned black instantly, sizzled and exploded in a pile of ash. Satisfaction at the destruction thudded deep in her soul, and she felt the blackness inside her feed on the death.
Holy shit.
She glanced up and saw both Dani and Theresa staring at the remains of the grass.
“You kill anything that’s alive,” Dani whispered, her voice harsh with horrified awe. “You can’t touch anything.”
Theresa spoke into the phone. “Becca. It’s your favorite dragon. Call me as soon as you get this message. Your apprentice is eyeball deep in you-know-what.” She slammed her phone shut and whistled softly. “You be careful, girlfriend.”
Paige stumbled to her feet, wincing at the pain in her leg. “I gotta get out of here.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Be alone.” Dani jumped up, taking several quick steps back.
Paige felt her throat tighten at the sight of Dani cringing from her, but she whirled away and started walking down the street, terrified by the knowledge she couldn’t promise not to hurt her. Or kill her.
“I’ll be by with Becca to pick you up as soon as I hear from her,” Theresa called after her.
Paige didn’t even bother to turn around, her fists clenched against her urge to hug her friends. To feel their support? Or to kill them? She didn’t want to know. She just had to get away.
Two
Jed Buchanan paused on the dark terrace, listening for any sounds that might indicate he’d been spotted, but all was quiet in this ghetto of the Afterlife.
He jimmied the lock on the double doors and slipped inside, carefully shutting them behind him with a quiet click. He paused inside the door, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light.
The living room was small, furnished with secondhand couches. The floors were old linoleum peeling up at the corners, the plant in the corner was nylon, and the chandelier had wires covered in duct tape to prevent it from setting the place on fire.
Jed walked silently across the dusty floor, his steel-toed shitkickers making no noise as he moved through the room and down the narrow hallway toward the bedroom in the back.
Outsiders weren’t welcome in the Afterlife, even in this slum.
Especially outsiders who had sold their souls to the devil’s spawn.
Jed carefully turned the bedroom doorknob and eased the door open . . . and felt the prick of a blade on his neck. He immediately faded into a gray shadow and speared for the heart of his assailant, then stopped when he realized he was wrapping himself around his brother’s heart. He withdrew instantly, reforming as his brother dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as the knife clattered to the floor next to him.
“Hell, Jed,” Rafi gasped. “What was that for?”
Jed cursed and squatted next to his brother, lifting his hand to pat him on the shoulder, then dropping it before he made contact. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was you.” He hadn’t meant to become the shadow warrior, but it had been instinct to slip into his killing form when he’d felt the blade at his neck.
“It’s the middle of the night. Who else would be in my bedroom at this hour?” Rafi took a shuddering breath and sat up, his palm still pressed over his heart. “You almost killed me.”
Jed scowled and stood up. “I screwed up. Get over it.” Despite his words, he was as shaken as Rafi by the mistake. He’d known his job as Junior’s assassin was getting to him, but he had no idea he’d become strung out enough to accidentally murder someone. His own damn brother? He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.
“Since when do you kill first and check ID later? Hell.” Rafi coughed and rubbed his chest with his palm. “Damn, you moved fast. I had no chance to stop you. You’re getting good at that shit.” There was both envy and resentment in Rafi’s voice.
As brothers, both of them had the lineage to become shadow warriors, but only Jed had come into his powers. Rafi had died, been tortured by Satan Jr., and then locked up in his metaphysical prison ghetto instead. Oddly enough, he’d never forgiven Jed for getting him such a raw deal. Go figure. It bugged the hell out of Jed too.
Jed walked over to the window and changed the subject. “Satan Jr. ordered me to kill a woman named Becca Gibbs a few weeks ago. I failed. I’m going back tonight to finish the job, but I started thinking . . .” He nudged apart the broken slats of the venetian blind with two fingers, checking the neighborhood to make sure Satan Jr. wasn’t lurking outside. The yards were overgrown, dandelions roaming freely, and there were several potholes in the street. He could hear the screeches from a nearby cat fight, and caught a whiff of stale garbage. Only one streetlight was working, but from what he could see, the psychotic son of Satan wasn’t lurking in the area. “I was afraid he might decide to punish my failure by coming after you, and when you threatened me, I thought it was him and reacted before I could think.”
“Junior? Here? Shit.” Raphael vaulted over his bed, yanked a contraband gun out from under a floorboard, then leapt to his feet, aiming his gun at the door. Beads of sweat appeared on
his brow and he swung his gun around to cover the windows, and then back to the door in a frenzied, unfocused motion that bespoke of a trauma so deep that it had shaken him to his core.
Jed cursed at the frantic glaze in Rafi’s eyes and grabbed for the gun, missing as his brother whirled back around to aim at the window. “Raphael! Calm down.”
“Calm down?” Rafi’s eyes were raging, his body vibrating, his gun dangerously uncontrolled. “I won’t let him take me. Not again. Never again.”
Jed ducked under the gun, then slammed Rafi against the wall so hard the wall crumbled with the impact, his forearm lodged under his brother’s throat to immobilize him. “Raphael. You’re free. Look at me.”
Rafi blinked, and Jed saw his brother’s eyes slowly focus on his face, saw the sanity return. “Get your hands off me.”
Jed released his brother and reluctantly stepped back, gritting his teeth at the anger on Rafi’s face.
Rafi let his head drop back against the wall, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his temples as he fought off memories. “I can’t take this anymore. I have to get out of here.”
Jed locked his jaw and shook his head once. “The deal I cut with Junior to get you here is binding. There’s no way out.” Otherworld contracts had a power of their own. The contract controlled them both.
Rafi flicked his hand in disgust. “Screw that.” Cold determination gleamed in his eyes. “I’ve been paying for your mistakes for eighty-five years, and I’m done.” Rafi paced across the room and slammed his hands on the windowsill, staring out into the dark neighborhood.
Jed felt the tension radiating from his brother; it was like a humming. A rapid vibration with a tune of its own. Almost like the beating of an insect’s wings. It felt . . . familiar. He frowned and moved closer to his brother. “What’s going on?”
Rafi turned to face him, his eyes haunted. “Something’s happening to me. It’s like I’m being ripped apart inside. I have to get out. I need to get free.”
The humming coming from Rafi increased in volume, and suddenly Jed felt an answering vibration deep inside his gut, and he knew. God help us both. “It’s happening.”
Rafi stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“A shadow warrior is moving on. It’s your time.” There were twelve shadow warriors in existence at any given time. But when an existing warrior had maxed out his time as a shadow warrior and was slotted for retirement, a replacement shadow warrior was chosen. The spirit of the departing one picked the strongest receptacle and gave the power to them. But Rafi was in the Afterlife. How could he be tapped?
Rafi stared at him in disbelief, eager anticipation licking at his eyes. “I’m . . . in?”
“Well . . .” Jed glanced around the room keeping his brother hostage. “I don’t think the spirit can get into this part of the afterlife. You’re sealed off.”
Rafi clenched his fists. “The call will rip me apart if I can’t merge with it.”
Jed nodded, not bothering to state what they both knew. That if Rafi died once he was in the Afterlife, he’d be truly dead. His spirit would cease to exist on any plane.
Rafi cursed and swung away, slamming his fist into the wall. Then he rested his forehead against the wall, his breath coming heavy. “My own destiny is going to kill me.” Rafi lifted his head, his eyes hard. “You took your destiny and abused it. You’ll pay for your choice forever, and so will I. Get out.”
Jed hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked out. For the first time since he’d pulled Rafi out of Satan Jr.’s torture chamber, his brother was no longer safe.
He cursed as he swung over the balcony railing, landing with a quiet thump on the crabgrass. He hadn’t been Satan Jr.’s assassin for the last sixty years just to have his brother die because some shadow warrior had the hots for him. He might not be able to free either of them from Junior’s clutches, but there was no way the shadow warrior was going to take his brother down.
Paige hadn’t even made it three blocks from Starbucks and the site of her angel decimation when an inky black spot appeared on the sidewalk in front of her. A relieved smile broke out on her face as the blob rose up out of the cement, became solid, and turned into Satan’s former favorite Rivka, Becca Gibbs. Theresa was hanging onto Becca’s arm, catching a ride.
Theresa grinned. “Hi, sweetie. Killed any angels since I’ve been gone? I brought your favorite evil soul-harvester to visit. Kisses and hugs for all.”
Becca was wearing a black power suit, and she looked like exactly the kind of tough chick Paige needed on her side right now.
“Oh, my God. I’m so happy to see you guys.” Paige threw open her arms to hug Becca, then froze when Becca held up her hand to block her.
“You know I love you, Paige, but let’s hold off on the hugs until we know exactly what’s going on, okay? Not that Theresa’s burned out stump isn’t very cool,” she added quickly. “I just like to get all the info first, you know?”
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine.” Paige’s throat tightened, and she shoved her hands into her pockets. Becca was being smart. Strategic thinking by a warrior who’d stayed alive for two hundred years despite being Satan’s minion. It wasn’t personal or anything like that.
But it still made her feel like a leper.
Becca gave her a sympathetic smile. “Did you really blow up an angel just by touching him?”
“Apparently.” Paige took a deep breath, then pulled back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “But I’m cool. Not freaking out or anything.”
Theresa snorted. “You’re like one big hair trigger, ready to collapse in hysteria. But that’s okay. We’re here for you. Break down. Sob. Hyperventilate. Whatever you need to do. I have your back.”
Becca rolled her eyes at Paige. “The dragon just likes to feel needed. Ignore her and she’ll go away.”
“I am needed,” Theresa announced. “You both would be lost without me.”
Paige couldn’t help but smile, and some of the tension eased from her chest. “You rock. You know that, don’t you?”
Theresa pursed her lips in a kiss. “Stop flirting with me. We have an issue to sort out, don’t we?”
“Yeah, we do.” Paige and Theresa both looked at Becca. “Any ideas?”
“Not specifically, but I’m sure it’s Satan’s fault. He’s always screwing things up with his plans for a better hell.”
Paige couldn’t help but wince. “Well, that’s kind of a problem if Satan’s really involved, isn’t it? I mean, he is the ruler of the underworld. The big kahuna and all that.”
Becca snapped her fingers in front of Paige’s face. “Hey! Snap out of it, girl! You don’t work for him anymore. He has no control over your life, remember? And even if he did, you could still outsmart him anytime you wanted. Have you learned nothing from me?”
Theresa leaned over Becca’s shoulder to nod her agreement. “Even I managed to outwit him, and I’m not even related to him. You can so manage him. Don’t be intimidated. You rock. We rock. We’ll kick his ass to the far reaches of hell and laugh while we’re doing it.” She raised her hand for a high five, then lowered it right away. “Sorry. Temporarily forgot you’re deadly killer girl.”
Paige wrinkled her nose against the urge to plop down on her butt and cry. “I’m not deadly killer girl. I have a few issues, is all.”
Becca grinned. “That’s the right attitude. See? You’re learning already. He’ll have no chance against you.” She glanced at her watch. “We’ll have to be quick. I have a meeting in Amsterdam in about ten minutes to discuss expanding Vic’s Pretzels to Sweden.” She grinned. “Nick’s coming with me to visit Markku in the area. I think we’re going to stay for a few days after we’re done with business. We both agreed not to bring our cell phones. Total privacy.”
Paige couldn’t help but smile at the look of happiness on Becca’s face. Then she realized what Becca had just said and her stomach tightened. “You’re going out of town for a few days? Now? When I’
m having a crisis?”
Becca gave her a dismissive wave. “No worries, hon. You can handle this no problem.” She held out her hand. “I’m going to fade us to hell. Grab my sleeve, making sure you don’t touch my skin, and do it at the very last possible second.”
Paige bit her lower lip. This is only temporary. Don’t freak out. “Yeah, sure. Minimal risk and all that.”
“Exactly.” Becca grabbed Theresa’s arm and they both began to fade through the sidewalk. At the last instant, Paige leapt up and grabbed Becca’s sleeve.
She heard Becca’s howl of pain even as they all faded into the asphalt.
Three
They came up through the floor of Satan’s main ballroom, surrounded by hundreds of scantily clad women milling around, all of them clutching what looked like résumés and a photo layout of themselves adorned in a wide assortment of jewelry and not much else.
Becca jerked out of Paige’s grip the instant they reformed, frantically trying to shrug out of her coat. “Ow ow ow ow ow.” She threw the jacket on the floor and yanked up her sleeve.
Her arm was solid black, and looked like a piece of kindling that had been through a ski lodge’s wood stove. She hissed and bared her teeth as she probed her arm, making little pieces of ash flake off and flutter to the white marble floor. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Oh, hell. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think—” Cold horror crept up Paige’s arms as she stared at the shriveled black twig that used to be Becca’s arm. “I didn’t even touch your skin.”
“Thankfully.” Becca grimaced. “I need to go find a way to deal with this before the meeting. I’m never going to be able to explain it away. The dragon will back you up.” She flashed a smile at Paige. “Be strong. Satan’s really a pansy and he just wants someone to tell him what to do.”
“But—”
Becca held up her hand to cut her off. “Paige, you don’t need me for this. I know you can handle it. It’s time for you to step up.”
“What? You’re the one who manipulated him for two hundred years!” She pointed at Theresa’s stump. “I’m a rookie, and now isn’t exactly the time for me to go solo, you know?”
Sex & The Immortal Bad Boy Page 2
