Make yourself like an arrow, he instructed. We want to go as deep as possible or else Kane will be able to track us.
Deep? In that? But even as she questioned him, she quickly straightened her body, her hands by her sides, her toes pointed. Ian wrapped his arms around her. He anchored her against his chest, mimicking her pose so that their bodies were pressed together into a single torpedo ready to plunge into the ocean.
The ocean will hide us. It’s our only chance. Even as he said the words, he heard Kane’s shout from the rock above, and he knew that Kane would teleport into the water and try to snatch them out of it. Unless he couldn’t find them. Now!
Their feet hit the water, he sucked in his breath, and then violent purple waves consumed them. As they were yanked beneath the surface, Ian was shocked to see dozens of pale white faces appearing around them, like mist in the depths of the ocean. A silent screaming filled his mind, so shrill that Alice hunched over, covering her ears to fight off the pain. The faces swirled in and out, misty arms striking at them, drawing blood with each swipe.
The brands on Ian’s arms burned as his weapons strained to be released so he could fight back, but he and Alice were moving too fast through the water. If he loosened his grip on her at all to free his hand for fighting, she would be torn out of his grasp.
So, he simply locked his legs and arms more tightly around her, using his body to shield her from their attackers. As their blades dug into his back, as their screams battered his sanity, as he and Alice plunged further and further into the depths, Ian eschewed six hundred years of training as a warrior and didn’t fight back. He didn’t defend.
He simply protected the woman in his arms.
*
Alice burrowed deeper against Ian, her body bowing under the agony of the piercing screams. Pressure built in her ears, until it felt like they were going to burst. The pain was beyond what she could survive, more than what she’d ever endured from the demons. The water streamed past, feeling like a thousand daggers slicing through her skin. Ian!
Ian tightened his arms around her, his legs trapping her and drawing her into his body. I’ve got you.
She felt his warm strength reaching out to her mind, and she quickly dropped her mental shields, knowing instinctively that she needed his help. His power flooded her mind, coating it with a protective shield. The pain from the screams lessened ever so slightly, blocked by whatever he was doing. Gratefully, she clung to him, to the respite he was offering, accepting the window he’d created to allow her to think, to react, to process.
Still holding tightly to him, Alice lifted her head, then went still with shock when she saw the faces of the Mageaan surrounding them. Oh my God, Ian. They never show themselves. Their mouths were open in gaping screams, their lips no more than white mist slashing through the water. Their eyes were bottomless pits of torment. Their souls broken and empty. Their faces contorted in fury and hate and the promise of death.
There were so many of them. Hundreds of them, as far as she could see, filling the ocean with an endless swarm of apparitions. The ones nearby moved closer, slashing at them with short daggers made from what looked like oyster shells. She realized that the stabs of pain on her back weren’t from the ocean. It was the Mageaan, trying to kill them.
What are they? Ian adjusted his grip on her, keeping her tight as they plummeted downward, still moving at a rapid pace.
These are the Mageaan. Welcome to your first sighting of fallen angels, sentenced to eternity beneath the sea.
Damn. I thought angels were the good guys.
Alice thought of Catherine, and she knew that was so far from the truth. Not so much— A massive Mageaan, twice the size of the others suddenly streaked across the ocean toward them, a glittery blood-red blade in her hand. Um, Ian—
I’m on it. You need to hold onto me.
Alice quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her arms around his neck. Ian locked his left arm around her waist, and then let go with his right. There was a crack and a flash of black light, and then Ian’s mace appeared in his hand.
He swung just as the apparition struck out, knocking the dagger out of her hand. She screamed and spun toward them, her mouth expanding in a macabre scream of rage. She lunged for them, and Ian reared back to plunge the mace down her throat. But just as he was about to make contact, Alice saw a flash of light blue in the Mageaan’s eyes, a glimpse of the angel that this creature had once been. Recognition surged through her for this apparition who had once been a woman. This wraith had once been like her. And now, were it not for the pearl of Lycanth, this could be Alice in a week, a day, or even an hour. How could she cause it more pain? “No!” She grabbed Ian’s wrist. “Don’t hurt her!”
“What?” He looked at her like she had just lost her mind.
“Don’t!” She stayed his arm, and for a split second, she thought he would strike. Then he let his arm fall, lowering the mace just as the Mageaan’s mouth consumed them both.
Chapter Seven
Ian swore as the Mageaan sucked them into her gaping mouth. What the hell was he doing, letting them be taken? But even as he questioned it, he didn’t strike. There had been an urgency in Alice’s voice that had touched him, and he’d instantly backed off, her will somehow able to affect his own.
But as he watched the teeth coming down toward their heads, he had a bad feeling about it. This feels like one of those rash decisions I’m going to regret later, he muttered as the darkness closed down around them. Well, darkness except for the few thousand glittering fangs that lined the mouth of the creature.
She’s an angel, Alice said.
Yeah, I got that. So? Does that mean she’s not a meat eater? ‘Cause I’m feeling like she is.
It means we have to believe in her. In them. No one ever believes in them anymore.
Well, I can see why. Adrenaline burned through him as the Mageaan’s mouth continued to close. He tightened his grip on his mace as he rapidly calculated the seconds until the poisonous fangs made contact. He might give Alice the leeway of trusting the Mageaan, somewhat, but he wasn’t going to let it get to the point of risking actual death. Those fangs weren’t going to get to the point of no return, end of story.
Closer and closer they came. Alice was staring at them, her chin lifted and her throat exposed, as if she were trying to communicate her complete willingness to surrender to their mercy. But the secure hold she had on his neck told him she wasn’t quite as convinced as she wanted to pretend.
Ian raised his mace as the teeth descended. “Don’t do it,” he warned it, his voice carrying through the water. “Just don’t do it.”
Alice gripped his arm. Ian. Have faith.
I have no faith, sweetheart. I’m fresh out. But he didn’t strike. He still had time. He could take it down with one blow. Something about Alice’s unwavering faith made him want to believe. She made him want to see that there was some good in this hellish existence and crazy world.
“You stole the pearl,” Alice shouted into the water, the ocean swallowing up her voice. “It won’t work for you. It has to be freely given by one angel to another. What do you really want? Are you really a monster, or do you want more?”
The teeth stopped descending. Two fangs pressed against the side of Ian’s temple, and hundreds more were suspended a fraction of an inch from Alice’s exposed throat.
Ian raised his mace, muscles straining with readiness for a sudden attack. One breath. One ripple from the ocean. One millimeter further with the fangs, and he would strike it down. “Give the girl a chance to be right,” he said. “Make a good choice, or death will be your next date.”
Ian. Be nice. Alice was still in his arms, but her fingers were digging into his neck, and he could feel her heart racing against his chest.
You want me to be nice? I have a fang in need of some serious fluoride and breath mints digging into my temple. I think I’m being incredibly tolerant and charming given the situation. “Back the fuck
off,” he warned again. “Despite my boyish good looks, I’m really not that nice of a guy.” The creature didn’t back off, but it didn’t go for the jugular either. It was poised and waiting, as if trying to decide whether this snack would go right to the hips or whether it would be worth it for the pure enjoyment of crushing some skulls.
“Time is almost up,” Ian gritted out, readiness humming through every cell of his being. “Leave the party, or we’re going to do some serious dancing with you.”
For another long second, there was no response, and then suddenly, the thing simply dissolved into white mist.
The sudden influx of vapor obscured Ian’s vision completely within milliseconds, cutting him off from being able to see or defend. Shit! He opened his preternatural senses, sending energy waves into the white foam, immediately locating every creature that was around them. He knew precisely where each one was. He could hear the beating of their hearts. He could feel the darkness of their energy swirling around them.
And he could tell that not one of them was moving into an attack position, despite the fact that he’d just been momentarily blinded. They were close, too close for any kind of comfort, but they weren’t lining up for the final attack. Was Alice right? Was it over?
Then the mist dissolved, giving him a full view of what lay before them, and he knew that it had all just begun.
*
The sight that greeted Alice when the mist dissolved was not in the top ten of “things she wanted to see before she died.”
Apparently, the news of their arrival had gone out, and then some. The welcoming party had just gone from dangerously intimate to a public free-for-all with the potential for really bad fallout. There were dozens of Mageaan encircling them, women who seemed to be mere ghosts, slivers of white mist floating in the ocean.
Alice and Ian had stopped their downward descent. They were now standing on the edge of a vibrant pink and turquoise coral reef that seemed to glow from within, casting light out into the dark water. Alice instinctively sucked in her breath, then stopped in shock when she felt the ocean water slide harmlessly through her lungs. I’m breathing under water.
Me too. I’d comment that it’s a pretty handy development for us, but given our situation, I’m thinking maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to rejoice. Gifts come with a price. Keeping Alice locked against him, he spun them slowly in a circle, his mace still out as he surveyed their situation.
There were Mageaan on all sides of them, including above and below. There wasn’t even a small patch of green ocean. Just white, misty figures encircling them. They weren’t armed, but she and Ian had already experienced how quickly that could change.
She gripped Ian, not daring to let him go, knowing she had no tools to protect herself against them. Could you stop all of them?
Yeah, no problem. A hundred to one odds are totally in my favor. He raised his mace. But I might need both my hands this time. If I need to go to battle, find a place to hide in the coral ‘til I’m done.
She wanted to look at him to see if he was serious, but before she could turn her head, the Mageaan directly in front of them parted. Their ethereal bodies eased to the sides, opening a pathway between them.
Gliding down the channel were two Mageaan. They were identical, both of them tall and lean. Their aqua-colored hair was streaming out behind them. They were not the pure white mist of the others. Instead, their bodies had a faint blue tint, as if they were glowing. Their breasts were covered by what looked like a crisscross harness of seaweed that matched the elbow-length dark gloves that were their only clothes. Their lower bodies seamlessly transitioned into a scaled tail that glittered even deep under water. They were so lean and fleshless, so devoid of shapely curves, it was as if their very essences as women were slowly dying.
As they passed by the legions of white misty women, the other Mageaan bowed low, prostrating themselves to those who were clearly their leaders.
Alice stood taller as they neared, and Ian moved slightly in front of her, keeping his shoulder between her and the approaching women.
The women floated to a stop just above them, looking down at Ian and Alice in a clear statement of who was in charge: the ocean dwellers, not those from the land above. Their faces were angular and defined, giving them a look of ancient royalty, haughty and brutal. “Who are you?” They asked the question in unison, two voices mingling in the water.
Ian answered for them. “My name is Ian Fitzgerald, Order of the Blade,” claiming allegiance to the organization that Alice knew had cut him out. Habit? Or did he not consider himself divested of his role? “Who are you?” he asked sharply. He made it clear he wasn’t deferring to them, his voice demanding their response.
Now that the leaders were closer, Alice could see slight differences between them. One of them had delicate red streaks in her hair, and her eyes were a brilliant blue. The other’s hair was simply turquoise and green, and her eyes were a bottomless gold that seemed to glitter from within.
The one with the red streaks raised her eyebrows, giving an almost flirtatious look at Ian that made Alice want to be the one to claim him. “We are the Empresses of the Underworld,” she said haughtily, her tone making it clear she was answering his question only because it suited her. “To you, we are simply Your Majesties. You have not earned our names.”
Ian didn’t back down. “The tattoo across your throat says Jada, and hers says Esmeralda. I assume those are your names?”
Jada hissed and bared her fingers, as if claws were about to burst free.
Alice took a step back. Don’t make them mad, she advised Ian. We need their help. Their names are tattooed on them so they don’t forget who they are. They lose their humanity with each passing day in exile. No one is allowed to say their names anymore. They are no longer individuals.
“I have not heard my name in too long,” Esmeralda said, her voice soft with awe. She was not the one who had first spoken. “Say it again. I want to hear it.”
Ian met her gaze. “Your Majesty, Esmeralda is the name of royalty. It befits you.”
She preened under his attention, and Alice stiffened. It couldn’t be a good thing to have the leaders of the Mageaan looking at Ian as if he were dessert, because they could turn him into that with a snap of their tainted fingers. They might be fallen angels, but their powers were considerable, only they were now twisted and deadly, morphed into hate and pain.
The leaders circled closer, their hair wafting around their heads like the halos they no longer deserved to wear. “You are a strong warrior, are you not?” Again, they spoke together, two voices as one, though it was clear that Jada was the one whose thoughts they were voicing, because only her mouth was moving.
Ian didn’t hesitate. “I am.”
Alice almost laughed at his arrogance, but at the same time, she was a little jealous. Do you sell that self-confidence by the case?
He glanced at her, and she felt his surprise. You’re willing to dive off a rock into murderous ocean after a pearl, with no way to protect yourself, and you think I’m the one with self-confidence? Sweetheart, you’re a hell of a warrior.
She was startled by his assessment, but at the same time, it felt good. Really good. Even if he was wrong, it still was amazing to have someone look at her like she was worth something.
He narrowed his eyes. You don’t think you’re worth anything? You’re an angel, Alice. How is that not worthy?
I’m a really bad one, she admitted.
Ian raised his brows. A bad angel? Sweetheart, men dream of having one night with a bad angel.
Heat flushed her cheeks, and she glared at him. Sex? You’re turning this into a sexual tease? I was serious.
I know. That was my awkward guy-attempt to table the conversation until I could give it the attention it deserved. I’m pretty focused right now on the fact that these two slightly bitter ex-angels are getting closer to us than I want them to. He shrugged apologetically. Just so you know, I’m warning you now that I
’m probably going to suck at the male-female relationship thing.
She almost laughed at his comment, so self-deprecating coming from a deadly warrior, but there was a sudden surge in the current that pulled her attention back to their surroundings.
Esmeralda was swimming down toward them, making a slow circle around them. Ian turned with her, his mace still ready. He kept Alice behind him the whole time, making it clear that he was ready to defend her, and that he was not at their mercy.
The Mageaan clucked her teeth, her golden eyes bright with interest. Her eyes and hair were the only strong color she carried, as if they were the last things that were going to fade into oblivion. The legions of women surrounding them had pale blue eyes and white hair, and their names had faded into dark, illegible scrawls across their chests. Were Esmeralda and Jada more powerful, or were they simply newer and therefore still able to retain some connection to their humanity?
“You will suffice, warrior.” Again, with the two voices, even though it was clear that it was Esmeralda’s sentiment that was being voiced. She looked at Alice. “We accept him as your sacrifice. You may live.”
“Sacrifice?” Alice immediately moved in front of him. “I’m not offering him—”
“No.” Ian’s voice was hard and instant, yanking Alice back behind him so he could block her with his body, even though he was the one they wanted to hurt. Hello? Didn’t he realize that they’d just said they wouldn’t hurt her? “I belong to her, and no one else. I do not leave her side. Ever.”
Oh… how sweet was that? Excitement trilled through Alice at his words, and she had a crazy urge to smile. Yes, her response was slightly insane given their current situation, but it wasn’t every day that a man who other women envied publicly aligned himself with her. Or even a man that other women didn’t envy. Or, quite frankly, even a mold infested mushroom. The list of people who had hoisted pompoms on her behalf was depressingly short, especially given that her angel status should normally come with some amount of built-in popularity.
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