by Jaime Rush
Pilar moved slower, too. But she seemed as determined as Kade to win. While the two fought, Violet climbed over the broken parts of the walkway behind Pilar. The shards of wood bit into her skin as she used them for handholds. Kade drew his dagger and sent an arc of lightning at Pilar’s throat. Pilar blocked it with her black cloud, now using it as a shield. Kade’s bolts shredded the shield, but he wielded his magick dagger as though it weighed fifty pounds.
Violet was only inches from Pilar when she lost her footing as one of the boards shifted with her movements. Before Violet could get a solid grip on the boards, she spotted an insidious black stream snaking its way over the thrashing water toward Kade’s feet. It started to wrap around his ankles. If it knocked him off-balance, he’d fall into the bay on the other side, where the largest alligators lived.
Violet reached out with her cuffed hand and grabbed Pilar’s wing, the only thing she could reach. Pilar’s magick evaporated because of the Lucifer’s Gold, and she became a naked human holding on to the top of the slanted walkway. The gash on her tail translated to a deep cut at her tailbone. Violet gripped her upper arm to keep her from falling.
“Drakos, save me!” Pilar screamed, looking up.
“Don’t be stupid,” Violet said. “I told you what happened to Ferro.”
The air shimmered, and Drakos’s image appeared a few feet from them. A pissed-off Drakos, given the sour expression on his Dragon face. “You have both failed me. Though you carry the essence of gods, you are but weak humans.”
“Weak? I am strong! I hold the power of many.”
“You are weak of spirit and mind. You would do anything, believe anything, to get your fondest desire. But it was your fear of dying that gave me the most power over you…and made you gullible.”
Pilar’s expression contorted in a pain much harsher than the physical. “Are you saying you lied about giving me immortality?”
His chilling smile was her answer. “And now I shall take what you have been gathering for me.” His image moved closer.
Violet wasn’t about to let him take Pilar’s power. Nor was she going to take it. As Drakos began to suck in Pilar’s life essence, Violet pushed her into the water. The gators were faster than Pilar, tearing her apart before she could Catalyze. Drakos tried to finish pulling in her essence, but Pilar’s death was too quick. The gators had waited long enough, teased by the blood and food.
A hand on her shoulder made her jerk, nearly dislodging her from her position. Kade gripped her, barely keeping his own balance. “You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, unable to get any words out to describe everything she felt. Horrified. Shocked. Relieved. Together they made their way back to the solid portion of the walkway.
Violet’s mother raced forward and clutched her. “Vee, you were foolish to put yourself in danger for your old ma.”
Violet held her tight. “My old ma means a lot to me.”
It was the first time she’d seen her mother express any kind of emotion. Tears streamed down her face when she pulled back and whispered, “Thank you.”
Sounds from the doorway drew her attention to Jessup, Ryan, and Mia. Behind them several members of the other clans pressed close, rage on their faces.
“We heard a woman talking about killing our Kaitlyn,” Bren said.
“Pilar Garza,” one of the Murphys said.
Violet merely pointed to the pit where gators were still fighting. Several of the men raced forward and looked where Violet could not. After a few moments, they backed up with expressions of grim satisfaction. They all walked out into the fresh air. Violet helped her ma outside. Those gathered peppered Violet with questions, and she tried to answer them the best she could.
“Never heard of a dying god before,” one said.
Kade took the keys from Jessup and unlocked Violet’s cuff. “He lied to Ferro and Pilar about their just rewards. He was probably lying about that, too.”
No one apologized for the murders. One by one the other clans trailed off, their anger and bloodlust still simmering. When the last of them were gone, Jessup turned back to her. “You did good, thinking of the speakers.”
“And you did good getting them to listen.”
He shook his head. “Wasn’t easy. I wanted to kill ’em. But sometimes…sometimes peace is better.” He gave her a begrudging smile.
She’d take full credit for bringing her brothers around to that reasoning. It was nothing shy of a miracle. “I want to live my life not being afraid. I want to raise kids who can run free without fear.”
“Kids?” Jessup and her mother said at the same time.
“In the future.” Far in the future, she hoped. She resisted the urge to put her hand to her belly. Not ready for that yet.
Jessup pointed to Kade, but his gaze was on her. “Now that this is over, is he going?”
She turned to Kade, who stood so close beside her she could feel his body heat. Are you?
His hands squeezed her shoulders. “I’m her husband. I’m not going anywhere.”
Had he slipped into his pseudomemories again? He had that content expression he’d worn when they nuzzled and cooked together as husband and wife.
“He doesn’t remember…” Jessup let his words trail off meaningfully, the question clear.
Violet wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t going to risk losing Kade by telling him. She moved into his embrace. If he wanted to stay, she wouldn’t kowtow to her clan’s prejudices. “I love who I want.”
Jessup rolled his eyes, then shifted them to Mia and Ryan. “What about her?”
Ryan ran his fingers down her arm. “Hey, if Vee gets to keep him”—he gestured to Kade—“I can keep her.”
Mia swung around, looking both indignant and intrigued.
Ryan lifted his hands. “Kidding. How ’bout we have lunch and see what’s what?”
Well, what d’ya know?
“Hell, no,” Jessup said, but Ryan wasn’t paying him any attention. He and Mia were already wandering away. He gave them a look of disgust and turned back to Violet. “Want to grab a bite at the house? I’m starved.”
Violet did put her hand to her stomach this time. “I can’t even think about food right now. We’ll come up later and check on everyone.”
Jessup looked like he wanted to force her to go with him, but he merely gave her a nod. “Ryan and I will come back later and get your wrecked wall fixed proper.”
“Thanks.”
She and Kade started back toward her house, coming up on the barn. He was taking in their surroundings. Not in a worried way, ready for attack, but almost in an admiring way. “I thought it was marsh and bugs and snakes, but it’s beautiful here.” His gaze moved to her. “Really beautiful.” He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek.
Her heart twisted. He was once again caught in that fake memory, still living the lie she’d fabricated. She took his hand, stopping him. “You know we’re not really married. Right?”
He gave her a pulse-pounding smile. “I know. I was just tweaking your brother.” He looked up toward the tops of the trees. “Teach me how to swing on those ropes. I have this bit of memory where your brother swings down at me from up there.”
She remembered when he talked about how she tugged at his wild side. “You don’t remember everything, do you?”
Kade rubbed his head. “It feels like rubber bands snapping inside my brain. With every snap, something else fills in. But there are still a lot of blank spots.”
“Let’s swing on the rope.”
They kicked off their shoes, and she led the way to the tall live oak. She showed him the crevices for footholds and mounds that were once branches and now served as handles. He kept up easily, and soon they were stepping across the thick branch to where the ropes hung. She pulled one up and handed it to Kade, then brought the other one up for her.
His fingers wrapped around the rope, but he was looking at everything around him. She could see that wild side he’d talked about;
it sparked in his eyes, shone in the way he seemed so natural up there.
She felt as precariously balanced inside as she did standing on that branch, her toes curled over the rough bark. She tightened her lips, but the words needed to be said. “Kade, we’ve been wrapped in a bundle of lies since you came here. You’re investigating, you’re in love with me, you’re not in love with me, we’re married.” Trying to have a baby. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She would tell him about that later. “I feel things for you that don’t make sense at all. And the thought of losing you made them even stronger.”
He released a soft breath. “But you didn’t lose me. I’m here.”
“But do you even know who you are? What you feel? What’s real, Kade?” She let out a breath of exasperation. She was about to get herself all tangled up in her words and emotions. Instead, she grasped the rope with both hands, jumped, and swung down. Speed tickled her tummy as she flew through the air. All too soon, her feet touched down on the earth.
He clapped, the rope shaking in his hold. “Nicely done.” He mirrored her moves and flew down. She stepped out of his trajectory, but he came in at a slightly different angle. She put her hands out to slow him, he tried to shift, and they both ended up in a pile of limbs on the ground.
He hovered over her. “You okay? Sorry about that.”
“You’ve been knocking me on my ass since that moment our eyes met across the pit at Headquarters. Figuratively and literally.”
“Ditto.” He lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, and he studied her for a moment afterward. “You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you…break your heart. Because someone else did.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to recall something obviously. “Bren.”
“No, I never loved him. I never felt like this with him.”
“Like what?”
Crazy, madly in love. “Like I’d break into the Guard prison to save him.”
“Which astounds me that you did it. And succeeded.” He brushed her hair from her face. “But he hurt you anyway.”
She shook her head, but the truth prickled through her. No more lies between her and Kade. “I guess he did. I thought I was in love with him, that he wanted me for who I was. I know I’m in love with you, and I’m scared that you don’t feel the same way.”
He sat back, pulling her hands up so they faced each other, their knees touching. He didn’t let go. “Vee, when I shot you down—gods, I’m sorry I did that—I knew you’d been lying about us being married. I started getting pieces of memories, a flash of me coming up behind you, about to terminate you—”
He shook his head. “It was damned confusing because I remembered loving you. It was like I was two different people. Then Ferro appeared, and I slipped into that Vega role I’ve been in for most of my life. That felt more familiar than being a husband, further confirming that you were lying to me. But as Ferro was about to finish you, it was the devastation I felt at the thought of you dying that started snapping everything together. You reached into my dark shattered mind because of what I meant to you. And I pulled the shards back together because of what you meant to me.”
He braced his hand against her cheek. “So no matter the lies and illusions, what we feel for each other is real.” He planted another of those devastatingly tender kisses on her mouth. “That’s real, Violet Castanega.”
The Tryah closed the window between their dimension and the Earthly plane. Drakos sagged into the chair. He had been so close to escaping this place of gray hopelessness.
“Don’t give up yet,” Demis said, looking smug. “My Caido minions are powerful and dedicated, and they have been working on gathering power in their own way. They’ll have enough to see our plan through.”
Fallon huffed out an impatient breath. “But they’re using children. How much power can they really gain from them?”
“They may not possess the power of a Breathed Dragon, but they hold the purity of their emotions: love, hate, fear. My minions have been harnessing and storing these emotions for just this time.”
“And they, too, have hit snags before,” Drakos said, taking some gratification in that. “When the two young Caidos escaped many years ago, nearly exposing the whole operation.”
“And the woman who escaped and accused your minion of kidnapping her,” Fallon reminded him. “I’ve had to intervene twice to save your godly asses, giving Purcell Black Bore Orbs.”
Demis raised his eyebrow at the usage of Earth plane language. “We work toward a common goal. Let us not nitpick. In the end, I will be the one to carry the plan to fruition. Then you will both give me the respect I deserve.”
Drakos would never respect one of the fallen angels. But he would play along, if it meant their freedom at long last.
Violet lay cradled in Kade’s arms. They’d figured out how much was real, like the way their bodies fit each other’s so perfectly and how right it felt making love now that they were in a place of truth. She lay next to him, her leg slung over his thighs, tracing her fingers over his stomach.
“Purcell!” he said, sitting up abruptly.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t call out someone else’s name while we were making love.”
He chuckled. “Silly girl, Purcell is a man.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Even more so.”
He shook his head, but his smile faded as he obviously returned to whatever thought had made him spoil the mood. “Purcell is the son of a bitch who put the Black Bore Orb in my head.”
“And you’re thinking of him now…why?” But now that she was thinking of him, she wanted to sink her talons into his throat.
Kade’s Crescent mist darkened in his eyes. “Right before you went to the Guard, an old Vega buddy called me out of the blue, asking who could create a star orb. That’s an orb like an intelligent missile, remote controlled by the Deuce who created it. And only a very powerful, very old Deuce can create such an orb. Someone who could also create a Black Bore Orb. Cyntag and a woman brought me a book to decipher, and they were obviously involved in something.”
He leaned down to the floor and fished his phone out of his pants pocket, affording her with an exquisite view of his bare ass. But she could hardly enjoy it, as Kade sat right back and dialed, putting the phone on speaker. “Hey, Cyntag, it’s Kade. I think I know who’s behind that star orb. A Deuce named Purcell—”
“Way ahead of you, bro. Purcell is dead, as of this morning. He was involved in a plot to manipulate the Deus Vis and starve us of the energy we need. But according to Brom, there’s more to it than that.”
“A hell of a lot more. Like the Tryah.”
“The Tryah? But they’ve been dormant for centuries.”
“Not anymore. Drakos was working with my boss. He and a female were killing Dragons and stockpiling their power. I thought that’s all there was to it until I realized Purcell was powerful enough to produce your star orb.”
“The Tryah,” Cyntag said, as though absorbing the implications. “The three-headed monster Brom saw in his prophetic vision. We fought and defeated one head, and Brom said there were others fighting the remaining two heads. You’re one of those others, obviously. Need help?”
“We stopped Drakos’s plan. Ferro and his cohort are dead. How do we find the third head?”
“Unfortunately, Brom doesn’t know, though he assures me that the ones fighting are capable. I felt one of the gods trying to help Purcell. Probably the Deuce god. Can’t remember his name. So the third is Demis, the angel who was supposed to watch over Lucifera. Whatever it is that they’re trying to do involves the solar storm and how it’ll affect the Deus Vis. And I have a bad feeling it involves a lot of Crescents dying.”
Kade put his arm around Violet. “We have to find a way to help. Standing by doing nothing is unacceptable.” His Vega was talking now. “Going to the Concilium or the Guard is too risky. There’s obviously corruption in the system.”
“Let’s get together and see what we can figure ou
t.”
“Sounds good. I’ve got a lot to fill you in on. Will I finally find out why you left the Guard?”
“Yeah, but I can tell you now that it has everything to do with the woman I brought to your boat.”
“I thought so.” He squeezed Violet closer. “I have a feeling I’m going to understand your motives a lot more than you think.”
Get set for dragons,
angels, and dark magic—
in the next sexy Hidden novel!
Please turn this page for a preview of
Angel Seduced.
Chapter 1
Kye Rivers bypassed the velvet rope that corralled the line of people waiting to get into the Witch’s Brew. Too bad the handful of Mundane humans didn’t know that this exclusive Miami nightclub only allowed in Deuces like her. Of course, they knew nothing at all about Crescents, humans who carried the DNA of a fallen angel, a Dragon, or sorcerer god.
Kye traded a greeting with the bouncer and went into the jam-packed cave of a building. One guy was clearly using a little sex magick to get the girl across the table into a nearly orgasmic state. A woman was casting an attraction spell on the guy she was talking to. Kye snapped her finger as she passed them and broke it. Get him to like you on your own terms, chickie.
Sarai raced over, her serving tray tucked under her arm. “Kye, wait ’til you see the new bartender! His name is Kasabian. He’s totally hot. And”—she gave her the wait for it grin—“he’s Caido.”
“No way. Maybe it’s a Deuce illusion, like his gimmick.”
“He couldn’t hold it for two whole shifts. Plus, he’s healed a couple of people.”
All three classes of Crescents traced their ancestry to a mysterious island in the Bermuda Triangle, where humans had procreated with gods, but none intermingled much. Caidos, half fallen angels, were downright reclusive.
