Strife: Hidden Book Four

by Colleen Vanderlinden

  I shrugged. “Well. Let’s find out. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  He nodded and turned back to the window, lost in thought, and I visualized the loft and rematerialized right where I’d been when I’d left.

  Nain was sitting at the kitchen counter. Asclepias was gone. The rest of the main part of the loft was empty.

  “So?” he asked.

  “My dad’s helmet is gone,” I said, and he cursed.

  “Okay. What do we do now?”

  “Now, we go talk to my demons, because Elsoloth had access to it. That, and wait to find out what my father learns from his ex-wife.”

  Nain raised his eyebrow. “Ex?”

  I nodded.

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  He took my hand, and we headed out of the loft again. We walked the few blocks to the old house Nain had purchased for my demons. It was still dilapidated looking. The windows were still boarded over.

  “I should have been watching them more carefully. I haven’t checked in with them since right after I got back. Stupid to just leave a bunch of Nether demons on their own for so long,” I muttered to Nain.

  “Relax. We don’t even know it’s him yet,” he said. I pulled my hand out of his, knowing he wouldn’t take that personally. Holding hands when I needed to look like a badass in front of my demons would just ruin the whole effect.

  I knocked on the sagging front door, listened. There wasn’t a single sound from inside the house. “I don’t feel any demons here, other than you,” I said to Nain, and he nodded.

  “Well, it’s my house,” he said. Then he backed up and put his shoulder into the front door, and it splintered in. Then he pushed it open and walked in, on alert, ready for an attack.

  The house was filthy. Trash strewn around, a musty, urine smell permeating everything.

  “It wasn’t like this when I bought it for them. Fucking demons,” Nain muttered.

  We walked through the house. In the kitchen, food rotted in the refrigerator. The expiration date on the milk was two months ago.

  “This doesn’t make any sense,” I said.

  Nain looked around. “I don’t think the stink is all coming from the refrigerator. Stay here.”

  He opened the kitchen door and headed down the basement stairs. As soon as the door opened, the stench hit me. Decay. Putrid. I covered my mouth and nose and within seconds, Nain was back in the kitchen. He closed the door behind him.

  “Seven dead demons,” he said.

  “Elsoloth?” I asked, still hopeful that he hadn’t betrayed me.

  Nain shook his head. Then he took my hand. We looked through the house again, looking for any sign of what had happened, but the rooms all had that same dead, abandoned feel. We checked out the small backyard, then walked back around to the front. We’d just made our way to the front walk when my dad materialized in front of us.

  “So?” he asked me.

  “No sign of Elsoloth or the other demons. Other than the dead ones in the basement,” I said. “You?”

  “Demeter wouldn’t tell me where Persephone is. And then she started throwing flower pots at me,” he said. “Those hurt more than you’d expect them to.”

  I took a deep breath. “Okay. So it could be either of them. Or both of them. I really don’t think it’s Persephone, though.” I remembered the night I’d realized Brennan’s son had been cursed by his mother. Strife’s witch. And how she’d removed the curse and reassured me. Told me that it was him, not me, and that it had made me feel better. I remembered the way she’d loved my father, despite her words to the contrary, and I felt bad for her. She’d taken a chance on love and it had made her bitter and angry. That, I could relate to, remembering Brennan’s betrayal, Nain’s lies.

  “Why not? She hates you, right?” Nain asked, dragging me back to the present.

  “She isn’t a fan of mine, but she’s always been straightforward. She doesn’t lie, she doesn’t backstab.”

  “Maybe she didn’t, but if she’s upset you don’t know how she’s responding to it,” Nain argued.

  I shook my head. “She sees herself as above all that shit.”

  “Until someone gives her a reason to sink to that level,” Nain pressed on.

  “What? Do you want it to be her? Just because someone gets cheated on and screwed over, it’s supposed to turn them evil? Is she less somehow because he broke her?” I asked, gesturing toward my father.

  “We’re not talking about you and me. Or you and Brennan,” Nain said and I could feel the irritation from him.

  I snarled, hating that he’d seen past my words. That he knew what was really bothering me. Angry at him, screwed up over the emotions running through me. “No? Maybe we should. Don’t you wonder what it was like? What made me turn to him? What he did for me while you were gone?”

  He glared at me. “I’m pretty sure I know the answers to all those questions. You’re pissed off. Don’t try to start a fight with me over it, Molls.”

  “You brought it up.”

  “I didn’t fucking bring anything up,” he growled. “It could be her, right?” he asked my father, who looked like he wanted to be just about anywhere else at the moment.

  “It could have. I think it was,” Hades said. “And it has nothing to do with hurting you and everything to do with getting back at me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Full of yourself much, dad? Maybe her world doesn’t revolve around you.”

  I glanced up at Nain and my father to see them exchanging a glance.

  “If you’re talking about me I’m gonna kick your asses,” I said. Then I stalked away, back toward the loft. A couple of minutes later, Nain caught up to me, walked beside me in silence. We turned a corner where an abandoned factory stood on the corner, and he grabbed me and pressed me up against the wall, using his body to hold me there.

  I shoved at him, and he lowered his lips to mine. I didn’t kiss him back at first, still pissed at him and not even really knowing why. Eventually, I gave in and kissed him back. He kissed me hard. Angry. And it left me needy and breathless. I clung to him as he ravaged my mouth, crushed my body between himself and the rough side of the building. He pulled back and lowered his lips to my throat, nipped it with his teeth, and I gasped.

  “Don’t do that anymore. You can fight with me all you want, but don’t throw Brennan in my face like that. I don’t give a fuck what you had with him, or what you thought you had with him. All that matters is you and me.”

  I stared up at him. I’d hurt him. I’d been deliberately cruel. He was glaring down at me, his heart pounding, need and anger flowing from him.

  “I get that you’re pissed at me still. I get that you’re scared about what’s happening between us. It’s going to take time for you not to be. And I have that coming to me. I’ll take it. But we’re not gonna fight dirty. And bringing him into it when you get pissed off at me, using that threat of hinting that maybe you want him more than me is beneath you. Like I said before: you want him, go to him.”

  “You don’t have any room to make demands, demon,” I said, shoving at him. He stayed put. His gaze was intense, and trying to push him away from me was like trying to shove at a mountain. Then he leaned down and kissed me again, gently this time. When he pulled away, it was only to press his cheek against mine. We stayed, and I let him hold me, needing it as much as he did.

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly, pressing a kiss to his jaw, then another one. “I was pissed and that was a shitty thing to do. This whole thing is just too much right now.” I reached up and put my arms around his neck, and he picked me up, held me tight in his arms as I buried my face against his neck.

  “Me too,” he said, kissing the side of my neck. “And I’m doing a bad job of giving you time.” Then he released me and backed away. I took a steadying breath, missing his touch the second he pulled away. “Tell me to get the hell away from you when you need me to. I won’t like it, but I’ll do it anyway.”

  I no
dded. I pressed my fingers to my swollen lips, tried to ignore the way my body ached for him yet again. Then I tore my gaze away from him and started walking toward the loft again. When I got there, I got into my car instead of going up into the loft.

  If nothing else, I could cover some ground and look for Elsoloth. Bash and Dahael climbed into the car with me, and we drove off. I felt okay. Nether wasn’t raging too hard, even with all of the insanity of the day. I drove all over the city, going to places I knew Elsoloth had spent time. Restaurants and bars the team had said he’d liked. The house of the woman he’d been dating. The woman was there, but said she hadn’t seen Elsoloth in over a month. And she was hurt by it. She’d been falling for him.

  I hate feeling people’s emotions sometimes.

  It was pretty hopeless, and I knew it. If he was hiding, I wouldn’t find him until I had a lead, and I’d already told my imps to start scouring the city for him. They were much better at that kind of thing than I am. Really, I needed a little more time alone. The fact that I’d done that to Nain, that I’d deliberately tried to hurt him… that bothered me. And I knew I could easily blame all of the stress in my life. I knew he’d forgiven me for it. I knew that it had been brought on by fear. I was in love with him again, and it scared the hell out of me. Well. I say again. I probably never was out of love with him in the first place. Angry at him, sure. Determined to never let him hurt me again? Hell, yes. I kind of wanted to smack myself for admitting to him that I wanted him, that I wanted us. If I could have kept acting like I didn’t want him, maybe he would have backed off. And I would have been alone, but at least I wouldn’t be risking losing my mind again when we end.

  Brennan had made me believe in happily ever afters, and look how that ended.

  I drove, and I thought. And every once in a while, Nether put her two cents in.

  You are pathetic.

  So afraid of everything.

  If only everyone knew what a coward you really are.

  The demon will die right after the shifter.

  Love is a waste of time. Take it from someone who knows, Fury.

  And every time she piped up, I’d push her back down.

  When I ran out of places I felt like driving to, I headed toward home. I felt better after some time alone to think, even if I did feel guilty for not actually saving anyone while I was out. I pulled into the parking garage and took the elevator up to the loft. I was kind of relieved to find that Nain and Brennan were out on patrol together and I wouldn’t have to deal with either of them just then.

  Ada and Stone were watching TV, Stone cradling Sean in his arms. Levitt and Heph were eating. I glanced at the clock. Shanti was supposed to be coming over that night, and I’d be glad to see her. We hadn’t managed to really talk since the night my house had been torched and I missed her. We were going to patrol together, which I was looking forward to. We always talked during our patrol time, and it gave us a few solid hours to reconnect without anyone else (other than those whose asses we were kicking) interfering.

  I headed into Nain’s room to change into my black cargo pants and black top. I braided my hair, and was just finishing up when my phone rang. I glanced at the clock. Shanti should have been there by then, but snow had been falling all day and the roads were a mess. Probably her, telling me she was running late.

  I glanced at my phone, and it showed an unidentified number.

  “Hello?”

  “You really should take better care of your team members, Angel.” A feminine yet powerful voice.

  “Who is this?”

  “Oh, I think you can guess. You’re not as dumb as I once believed you to be.”

  “Strife.”

  “See there? Nice job, Fury.”

  “What did you do, Strife?”

  “Me? Oh, nothing. But my men rid the world of one more vampire tonight. You took one of mine when you killed Terror. Now I took one of yours. I’m sure she won’t be missed.” And the line went dead.

  I was shaking. Barely able to breathe. Telling myself she had to be messing with me.

  But Shanti was never late. Ever.

  I ran out of my room, dialing Nain’s number. I told him what Strife had said, and that I was going out to look. Levitt and Heph overheard me and started moving too. They were going to check out Shanti’s old neighborhood. I tried Shanti’s number and got her voice mail, and I felt myself starting to lose it. I focused and rematerialized at Rayna’s front door.

  Ronan answered. “Angel!” he said, smiling.

  “Please tell me Shanti is here,” I said, hoping it had been a cruel joke.

  His face sobered immediately. “She left right after sunset to see you.”

  I couldn’t do it. Couldn’t say what was happening. “Call Nain and he’ll tell you what’s going on,” I said, and then I took to the air, kicking off from the ground and rising into the sky. I flew lower than I would have liked, tracing the route Shanti would have taken between Rayna’s house and the loft.

  She had to be out there. She had to be alive.

  And even if she wasn’t, I had to know for sure that Strife wasn’t holding her somewhere.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I knew Shanti sometimes took a more leisurely route through the city on her way from Rayna’s, so I looked along that route first. As I was flying, I felt my father’s presence somewhere nearby, and glanced around. I saw him to my left, flying toward me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, still flying, looking down at the streets and buildings below.

  “The demon told me what was going on. We’ll find her, Mollis.” We split, me looking at the buildings and alleys on one side of the route, Hades doing the same on the other.

  I couldn’t answer him. I felt like I was going to puke. Felt like I wanted to scream.

  This. Exactly this. This is why I shouldn’t have people in my life. They get targeted because of me. The assholes who are my enemies know they can’t actually hurt me physically, so they go after the people in my life. Every. Damn. Time.

  I gritted my teeth and blinked the tears back from my eyes. My girl. The strong, gorgeous young woman who’d come to me because she’d feared herself and ended up being one of the most steadfast, disciplined supernaturals I’d ever known.

  And I did scream then, unable to contain my fear and anger any longer. It echoed over the city, and I didn’t even care.

  Hades came to me and took my hand. Trying to calm me down.

  “Mollis. This is not the time to lose it. Losing control now won’t help you find her,” he said softly. “Calm down.”

  I nodded, swiped my hands over my eyes. After a moment, we moved on, flying further along the route.

  “Is that her car?” Hades asked after a couple of minutes. I flew toward him and looked in the direction he was.

  And then I flew as fast as I could into the alley where the car was parked. A glance at the license plate told me it was definitely Shanti’s little red convertible.

  It was still running, the headlights illuminating the alley.

  Hades landed beside me, and we started looking through the alley. There were several dumpsters. This strip had several small stores, a few restaurants.

  “Please be here. Please be alive,” I whispered as I opened the nearest dumpster. Hades was doing the same thing further down the alley. I swore I could feel her presence, or at least some vampire’s presence nearby, but it was weak.

  I checked another dumpster, then another. Hades started looking through the windows of the buildings, rose into the air to look at the area from up above.

  I was losing hope. Her car was there, but they’d taken her. If they had, I had zero chance of finding her right away. The imps were looking already, but we were likely already too late, based on what Strife had said.

  I was crying again, my fear overtaking me, the feeling of helplessness in this situation nearly overwhelming me. All I wanted to do was fall into a heap and wail.

  I opened the last dump
ster along that strip of alley, and the first thing I saw was a high-heeled black boot.

  I rose into the air and opened the dumpster the rest of the way.

  Jeans.

  White top.

  So much blood.

  Shanti.

  Still alive, I realized, but not for long.

  “Dad,” I called, and Hades came to me. I pulled Shanti into my arms and flew her out of the dumpster. I laid her on the ground as gently as I could.

  She’d been stabbed several times, and the burnt look of the wounds made it clear they’d used a silver blade. She had to be in agony. Her eyes were closed. Unconscious.

  “Will my blood work on her?” I asked Hades, getting ready to slice my wrist. Hades put a hand on mine, stopping me.

  “It will. Mine will work even better. And you need to stay strong. Let me.”

  I nodded, prayed to I don’t even know what as I watched Hades slice his wrist with my knife, letting his blood flow into first one of Shanti’s wounds, then another.

  They had definitely tried to make sure they killed her. They’d gone for the chest, the stomach. The throat. She was close. She’d likely lost consciousness from the torture the silver had caused to her system, and they’d left her for dead.

  “They were careless. Thankfully,” Hades murmured as he sliced his wrist again. “And she is strong.”

  “Stupid of them not to make sure,” I said. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “They were likely afraid of you appearing before they were finished,” he said.

  “I am going to find them. I am going to rip their guts out and make them watch. I am going to—“

  “Mollis,” my dad said.

  “What?”

  “Calm. Remember what you’re supposed to be doing.” His gaze met mine, and I took a deep breath. He was right. Me getting all berserker now would be a bad thing. I was tired. Stressed out. Pissed off. Perfect conditions for Nether, who was already fighting me again, sensing my weakness.

  “You’ll get your chance,” Hades said.

  I watched as he let more of his blood into Shanti’s wounds, watched as they started closing up, as the burnt skin around the injuries started repairing itself.