by Trina M. Lee
“Shya, I can explain. It isn’t what it looks like.” With his hands raised in surrender, Brook fell to his knees. Genuine fear shook him as he begged for mercy.
He should be afraid. I’d seen him be tortured because he’d pissed Shya off. Evidently demons didn’t learn from that.
Shya uttered something that I guessed to be Latin. Brook’s pleading grew to an irritating level. Pathetic. Shya pressed a hand to the other demon’s forehead and repeated the Latin phrase. Smoke rose up between them and a shadow appeared. It moved as if it were a person though it took no shape. Creeping closer to Brook it pulsed with a heavy, dark essence.
Brook’s wide eyes shone with terror. All of his shrieking and flailing did nothing to help him. Shya stepped back and watched as the shadow devoured Brook right in front of us. Wherever it took him, I knew I never wanted to see that place.
Both Brook and the shadow disappeared, and Shya turned his attention to me. Great.
“This is exactly what I’d hoped would not happen,” he said, shaking his head as if scolding a child caught disobeying yet again. “Look at you, Alexa. At death’s door, and I still have yet to find my scroll. I simply can’t have you up and die on me.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I gasped out through the pain that shook me. “I guess you can’t always get what you want. Life’s not fair. All that crap.”
Shya gazed down at me with anger burning in his crimson orbs. “Oh, you’re not dying on me. I won’t allow it.”
Something in the way he said that struck a nerve. I looked to Willow for help, but he stood uncertainly aside. Being in between the way he was, neither angel nor demon, he didn’t have the power Shya had.
Shya followed my gaze and chuckled, but it lacked his usual amusement. “Don’t expect your guardian to step in now. He has no power here. Let’s not turn this into something it doesn’t have to be.”
He extended a hand to help me up. Suspiciously, I glared at him. “Don’t touch me.”
Owen and Jenner stood on either side of me. They too seemed to know they were no match for the demon. I turned to them and whispered, “Go.”
I couldn’t blame Owen when he listened. Turning tail, he fled into the night. Good. Having him leave here alive was important.
Jenner stood his ground, and in that act I knew he really did love Arys since he certainly didn’t love me. And yet, he stayed.
“Come now, Alexa. Don’t make this difficult. I’d hate to have to torture your vampire in order to gain your compliance.” A hateful smile tugged at Shya’s lips. It was so typical of him to threaten harm against others in order to control me. The conniving monster knew what worked.
“Shya, stop. You reek of desperation. Have you really sunk so low as to torment lesser creatures to appease yourself?” Willow drew close, standing protectively over me. He faced the demon with a challenge on his face. It would have made me weep if I hadn’t been so damn exhausted.
His interference was met with a slap of demon power so strong I almost threw up. Willow took the hit like a champ. Rolling along the hard ground, he got back to his feet and brushed himself off.
“You know this was cute at first,” Shya said. “The fallen angel willing to risk it all for love while fighting to uphold his duties. Great story. Really. But we’ve already played this hand. And you lose, my friend.”
“I won’t let you do to Alexa what you did to Christina,” Willow vowed, hatred giving him a hard edge I’d never seen before.
“You say that as if you have a choice. You couldn’t save your whore, and you surely can’t save your Hound.” Shya advanced on Willow. The evil rolled off him like fog off the ocean, filling the atmosphere with a thick, stifling sensation. It burned, and I tried to shield against it but lacked the strength to do so.
“Don’t touch him,” I managed to say.
Shya ignored me, having eyes only for the one that defied him. My gaze landed on the Dragon Claw, and I used everything I had in me to reach for it. Jenner kicked it toward me, and my hand wrapped around the smooth black jade hilt. With a shaky hand I positioned the blade over the artery in my forearm. It wasn’t supposed to end this way, but I couldn’t allow Shya to take this any farther.
“Shya,” I said, waiting for him to look my way. When he did, I flashed him a feeble smile. “Fuck you.”
Sliding the blade through my flesh, I grimaced as it bit deep. It stung as the demon magic within the blade recognized me as the one it belonged to. Having been made with both demon magic and a piece of my hair, the dagger was bound to me. Tasting my blood made the dagger quiver, as if it sought to escape.
Willow was forgotten as Shya watched the blade he’d given me end my life. Wings spread wide, he uttered more Latin and promptly descended on me. He ripped the dagger out of my hand and threw it. With a hand on the bleeding gash, he spoke a series of words I didn’t understand. I wanted to pull away, to fight him off, anything. Instead, I slumped against him and demanded that death take me. Oblivion was quick to claim me, and I welcomed it. I didn’t care where it took me as long as it took me away from this place and away from this demon.
Chapter Nineteen
Everything ached. My body was stiff and sore but much better than the last time I’d been conscious.
Aches and pains meant that I was alive. Didn’t it?
Cracking my eyes open I found myself in a room I’d never seen before. It smelled weird, like everything was brand new. Even the bed I was on creaked as if it had barely been used. Sitting up seemed to be more work than it was worth so I laid there staring at the ceiling. The room was dimly lit, casting shadows on the ceiling above me. The walls were painted a pale yellow. It was ugly.
When I could no longer stare at nothing, I turned my head to find a nightstand with a lamp and a bottle of water. A couch and television also occupied the room. A door on the far side opened into a bathroom. I knew where I was. Shya’s house. As a prisoner.
“Son of a bitch,” I swore. “I can’t even succeed at dying.”
“Nor should you hope to.” The voice came from the couch. Falon sat there watching me.
“What are you doing here? Babysitting?” I did sit up then, finding that I wore nothing but one of Shya’s soft kimono-style robes. That was alarming. Immediately I was pissed.
“Something like that,” Falon said, sounding bored. “You really don’t know when to stop antagonizing, do you?”
“Where’s Shya?”
“He’s busy with Gabriel.”
“How long have I been here? Where’s Arys?”
Falon leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “You’ve been here since last night. You almost succeeded in your ridiculous suicide attempt. Lucky for you, Shya saved your ass. Again. Arys has been here to the house. Kale as well. Shya won’t let anyone up here to see you.”
“He plans to keep me here until he finds the scroll, doesn’t he?” A bitterness coated the back of my tongue. I really needed to brush my teeth.
“He does.” Falon nodded, regarding me with keen interest. It was suspicious.
“Let me guess. I’m under suicide watch.”
“You are.”
I was furious. The demon thought he could keep me a prisoner, like some pet tied up until he was ready to look at it. Fuck that.
Suicide wasn’t an issue. It had been a desperate ploy to free myself of Shya, a rash decision in the heat of the moment. At the time it had felt like my only way out. I was still here, and that meant something to me. It confirmed the vision of my death in Arys’s arms. It would happen as it was meant to.
A quick examination of my body revealed that I was healed, for the most part. Stiff muscles and a few aches and pains were the worst of it. I could breathe without pain. A vast improvement.
“Did you volunteer for this job, or did you just get stuck with me?” I asked, hoping it was some kind of punishment for him.
“A little of both I suppose.”
Falon watched me intently as I got out of bed.
It took a moment for my brain to catch up with my body. I sat there trying to will the room to stop spinning.
“Jenner and Willow? Tell me what happened to them.” I shoved away from the bed and headed for the bathroom, clutching the robe tightly about me. “And where’s my dagger?”
“Not a damn thing happened to them. Your dagger is back in its box in the trunk of your car. Which isn’t here.” Falon rose and followed me. “I’m waiting outside the door. Don’t try anything.”
I swallowed my rage. As much as I detested Falon, I loathed Shya. I had to save what little energy I had for him. This was so far from over.
“If you barge in on me, I’ll castrate you with claws. Got it?” It wasn’t the best threat I’d ever mustered, but it would have to do.
Falon smirked and nodded. “Whatever you say.”
I was relieved to find some basic toiletries awaiting me. A toothbrush and toothpaste had never looked so good.
‘Arys?’ My silent plea was fearful, reluctant.
‘What’s he done to you, my wolf? I came for you. He threatened to harm your sister if I didn’t leave.’
‘He plans to keep me until he finds the scroll. So I can’t up and die on him.’ I let Arys feel the despair that racked me. ‘I need you.’
He tried to keep me from sensing the depth of his concern but failed. ‘Stay strong, Alexa. You have to.’
The simple connection to him empowered me in a wonderful way. I might be trapped in the dragon’s lair, but I was still here. My purpose continued to exist and so would I.
After using the facilities and dragging myself through the shower, I stared at myself in the mirror. Dark circles beneath my eyes gave me a deathly appearance. A few faint bruises still marred my left side where my ribs had been broken. Otherwise, I looked relatively well, all things considered.
My hand went to the black teardrop onyx hanging from my neck. Shya had never seemed overly interested in the amulet, but I was thankful to see it just the same.
A bang on the door was my only warning before Falon burst in. I clutched a towel against my naked frame and scowled.
“Get out!”
“Oh please, it’s not like I haven’t seen it before,” Falon said with a roll of his eyes. Leaning against the doorframe, his silver gaze slid over me.
A memory surfaced, a brief but poignant flash of the not so distant past. In front of a room full of witnesses including my own sister, Falon had stripped me naked. Lilah had then forced me to shift.
Falon’s appraising stare wasn’t sexual in nature. At least, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like he was searching me for weakness, finding my flaws and enjoying each one of them.
“I said get out.” To emphasize my demand, I grabbed the bottle of hand soap from the counter and hurled it at his head. It wasn’t my finest moment, but I was seething. Falon was Shya’s way of torturing me. I was sure of it.
He caught the soap bottle and erupted into laughter. “The great, fearsome vampire queen fights her battles with a bottle of hand soap. I wish they could all see you right now.”
“I wish you would get out.” I didn’t have the energy to engage with Falon. My stomach growled, and a caffeine withdrawal headache lurked behind my eyes.
“I just came to make sure you were still breathing. And to tell you that some of your things are here. In the dresser.”
“My things?”
I shoved by him, clutching the towel around me. Jerking the dresser drawers open, I was both happy and distraught at seeing some of my clothing and hygiene products. I pawed through the drawers, finding clean underwear, jeans, and a racer back tank top.
With a zebra print bra in hand, I turned to Falon with a raised brow. “Did you go into my bedroom and touch my underwear?”
“That doesn’t sound like thank you.”
“I hate you.”
“And I love that you do.”
We stood there staring at one another, me with loathing and Falon with grim amusement. It wasn’t worth letting him get me all worked up. Taking a deep breath, I stormed back into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face.
The urge to cry tears of frustration gripped me as I dressed. Willing them away, I bit my lip until I tasted blood. If Shya brought me to tears so easily, I wouldn’t be worthy of stopping him. I was a Hound of God. A little imprisonment couldn’t shake me. Maybe it would even be beneficial.
When I emerged with restored confidence, I found Falon staring out the window. The delectable aroma of food snagged my attention. He waved a hand toward the coffee table in front of the couch. A tray of steak and pasta sat there, steaming.
“Eat something. Then do something with your face. Shya’s hosting a party tonight to celebrate Gabriel’s rising. Now that you’re awake, he’s expecting you to be there.”
“What’s wrong with my face?” I asked, incredulous. “You know what? Shut up. I don’t want to hear the answer to that.”
A stubborn part of me wanted to refuse the food, but I was starving. When I discovered the carafe of coffee, I wasted no time devouring all of it. I looked up between mouthfuls of steak to find Falon watching me. “Don’t make me throw food at you. I don’t want to waste any.”
“He wants you to be comfortable here. Shya aims to keep you happy for as long as it takes to find the scroll. I’m sure he would be willing to meet your other needs as well.”
My jaw dropped. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I meant your blood hunger needs, you filthy animal. What did you think I meant?”
“You know what? Let’s not talk anymore.”
The familiar sound of a cell phone had me up off the couch, searching the dresser for the source of the noise.
“Oh, right,” Falon said, still staring out the window. “That thing has been making noise. I assume your lovers are calling to console you with words of false comfort. How incredibly pointless.”
I fumbled Arys’s phone out of the drawer as it stopped ringing. The missed call was from Kylarai along with at least a dozen texts from both her and Jez. There was just one from Shaz begging me to be careful and reminding me to keep a lid on my temper so I would come home to him safely.
The many messages from my loved ones meant the world to me. But it was the message from Kale that tore my heart in two. It said only: Crazy is easy. Sanity is hard. I have a promise to fulfill. Stay sane.
As much as I hated to do it, I deleted the message. It wouldn’t do to leave it on Arys’s phone for him to find later.
“What does that mean?” Falon asked, having rudely read the message over my shoulder. “That vampire is head over heels for you, huh? He’s either completely mad or unbearably stupid.”
I whirled around, hiding the screen from his view. It unsettled me how he could approach like that. Being unable to sense angels and demons really sucked.
I was fumbling for a witty retort when a noise from outside drew me to the window. It was then that I realized my prison looked out onto the backyard. From the second floor I could see part of the patio with its couches and tables. The pool was also in view. It held my attention, and I stared with mouth agape.
The swimming pool was filled with naked people engaged in a full on orgy. Candles surrounded the pool along with wine bottles and elaborate trays of fine food. From my vantage point it was hard to tell where one body ended and the other began so entwined were the limbs of so many people.
From what I could see almost every one of the seven deadly sins was party activity. A huge table laid out with food and drink catered to the gluttonous needs of creatures who didn’t need to eat to survive.
Wrath was in full swing as several demons engaged in some form of blood sport on the lawn. They were fighting one another, shedding blood and tearing limbs. It was all for the entertainment of the rest. How very demented.
“Demon only? Or human as well?” I asked, hoping unease did not show in my voice.
“Both. Gabriel’s first feed is tonight. He rose at sun
down so Shya is going all out.” Falon too seemed to be controlling his tone so I wouldn’t read into it. Somebody wasn’t a fan of Shya’s new little vampire prodigy.
I stared past the pool to the large expanse of yard beyond. A huge pentagram was burning there. The flames were low, a foot high or less, but steady and constant. In the center was a naked, bound, and blindfolded man.
“What if I don’t want to attend this twisted party? I think I’d rather stay in and catch up on some TV.”
Falon chuckled, a sound that filled me with hate. “Get ready. It’s almost midnight. That’s when Gabriel will make his first kill.”
I turned away from the window, unable to wipe the images below from my mind. “Why do you work for him? Really. What do you get out of it?”
“I’ve never openly pledged myself to anybody. You just perceive it that way.” Falon’s expression was a mask of stone. His poker face was impressive.
I considered what he’d just said. He was right. I’d made my own assumptions based on his actions. But I’d learned that nothing ever was as it seemed with demons, and Falon was as dangerous as any demon I’d met so far.
As long as I was in the enemy’s home, I might as well make the most of it. Perhaps I would learn something I could use against Shya later. The demon party below scared the hell out of me. However, despite the dark parts of me, I was a creature of light. I must tread in dark places to make that light shine.
That’s what I told myself as I got ready to walk into the fire. When Falon led me from the room thirty minutes later, I prayed for the strength to face down the demon who dared to use me as a pawn in his vile game.
“I’m sure you’re smart enough not to run,” Falon said, gesturing to the dragon on my forearm. “You won’t get far.”
I followed him down the hall that overlooked the living room and descended the stairs. “Did you just call me smart? Hold on while I file that away. I want to remember it later.”
Falon ignored me. Strutting along with his long trench coat flowing behind him, I could easily forget what he was. His human façade was so convincing at times. No wonder people were so easily misled by these creatures.
