by G. K. DeRosa
I tilted my head up, imagining the hundreds of pounds of dirt suspended above us. Just great. We hurried over the rocks, Trinity and I hand in hand.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked her.
“Yeah, just a wicked headache. Declan is pretty useful to have around with that angel healing power, isn’t he?”
I nodded. “He’s saved my life more times than I can count.”
A knowing grin parted her lips. “That’s why you’re perfect for each other.”
Rolling my eyes, I climbed over the last boulder and tugged her along behind me. Now was not the time for a relationship talk.
The tunnel opened up into a massive chamber. Dozens of white marble tombs littered the space. A chill skittered down my spine. Why did I feel like a bunch of zombies were going to jump out of their graves and attack us at any moment? I slid my hand to my back and fingered the cold metal dagger tucked in my jeans. Hopefully it worked for the living dead too.
Declan weaved between the crypts, searching. What exactly he was looking for, I had no idea. The sword could be in any one of these things or none at all. Grave robbing was so not what I wanted to add to my list of credentials.
“Any idea which one it could be?” I asked Declan.
“I’ll know it when I see it.”
Great.
Trinity and I each took a row and began the search. “No visions that could lead us to the right one, Trinity?”
She shook her head, chewing on her lower lip.
“What’s that?” Pointing my flashlight, I could just make out a rusty spiral staircase in a dark corner.
“Must be the underground entrance up to the Cathedral,” said Declan, barely lifting his head from the task.
This could take hours. I didn’t think I could last down here that long. This mausoleum gave me the major creeps. Plus there was Zeke and his crew. Just because it was daylight, didn’t mean the stryx weren’t on the prowl. How long could we go undetected?
After walking by dozens of identical white structures, I was about done. We didn’t even know what we were looking for. I threw my hands in the air and grunted. “This is hopeless.”
Declan zipped over and lay his hands on my shoulders. “We’re going about this wrong. You should be the one to find it. You’re the one that was chosen, Liv.”
I shook my head as dread mounted in my gut. “I’ve looked. There’s nothing.”
“We promised my mom, Liv.” His maroon eyes pinned mine, and I hopelessly lost myself in his gaze. “You can do this. She believed in you and so do I.”
“Me too,” said Trinity, sidling up beside us. “Try to open your mind and your heart.” She pressed her palm to my chest, right over my heart birthmark.
“Okay,” I huffed. “One more time.” I left my friends and walked between the countless rows. Inhaling a deep breath, I cleared my mind and tried to focus inward. White tomb. Another white tomb. And still another.
I glanced up and met Declan and Trinity’s anxious stares. Ugh. Everyone was counting on me, and I couldn’t let them down. Lowering my gaze, I refocused my energy.
I passed by a massive white tomb I’d been circling for the past half hour and stopped. Swirls of silver streaked the thick marble lid. There was something beautiful about it. I inched closer. A series of vaguely familiar characters marked the tombstone.
“Declan, look!”
He raced over with Trinity on his heels. He bent down and peered at the scrawling. “It looks like the same language as the divina sanguine emblem.”
Blood thrummed through my veins, roaring across my eardrums.
“What does it mean?” asked Trinity.
“No idea,” answered Declan as he tried to pry open the lid. “All that matters is that it’s the best lead we’ve got.” His muscles strained, his knuckles whitening but the thing wouldn’t budge.
A strange buzz hummed in my ears. The white slab called to me. “Wait.” I grabbed Declan’s arm. “I think you were right before. I need to be the one to do this.”
He backed up to give me some space. I focused on the words engraved across the tombstone, and the weird buzzing intensified in my head. “Do you guys hear that?”
Declan and Trinity looked at me like I had three heads. “Hear what?” His brows furrowed.
“Nothing.” I crouched down beside the silvery slab of marble and stared at the foreign squiggles. Taking a breath, I ran my finger over the text. Just like last time, the characters came to life, twisting and shifting until they formed words I recognized.
Blessed Peter was a brave human soul,
He was the first to encounter the devil and the first to fall.
May his courage and honor be forever remembered,
This blade, his gift to wield in the heavens.
After reading the dedication, I spoke the words out loud. A loud whooshing sound pierced the silence, and the lid slid off.
“You did it!” Declan wrapped his arms around me as I stared slack-jawed.
A perfectly preserved human body lay in the crypt. Rosy cheeks and a contented smile graced the face of a handsome man with jet-black hair. His big hands were closed around the golden hilt of a sword.
Trinity sucked in a sharp breath. “He looks like he could be your brother.”
Goose bumps ravaged my skin, a chill coating my flesh. Could this guy be my ancestor? “How does he look so perfect?” I choked out.
Declan dipped his head. “I have no idea. He’s probably thousands of years old. If the inscription is true, this was the first human to battle Lucifer—the first fallen angel.”
I hadn’t put the meaning together, but what Declan said made sense. “How did he end up here? This cathedral was only built in the mid-1800’s.”
“It’s not our place to question the divine.” Trinity peered over the edge of the tomb, then turned to me. “This man, this human man, and the sword of honor were placed here for you to find.” She tugged on my hand and pulled me closer. “Take what is yours.”
I lifted my shaky hand and inched toward the sword. The man’s fingers were still wrapped around the hilt, which meant I was going to have to pry them off. That was not something I was looking forward to. My heart thundered against my ribs, and I was scared it would explode at any moment, the intensity too much to bear.
I paused, my hand only a few inches from the corpse’s fingers.
“You can do it, Liv,” Declan whispered.
A trickle of sweat dripped down my back. I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed the sword by the blade. A jolt of electricity slammed into me and I was thrown back, suddenly weightless as I flew through the air.
Chapter 29
I smacked into the hard marble of another tomb. “Son of a—!” I clenched my jaw before the curse slipped out as pain seared up my spine. I glanced down, my fingers still clutching the sharp blade. How was my hand not bleeding right now?
“Are you okay?” Declan slid down to my side.
“Yeah, fine.” I grabbed the sword by the hilt and examined the ornate gold handle. The divina sanguine crest was etched into the metal, but nothing else. I flipped it over a few times, feeling its weight in my palm. “Did we miss something?” I pushed myself up to my feet and walked back to Peter’s tomb, peering inside. “Where’s the next clue?”
Declan ran his hand along the inside of the crypt—a task I was thrilled I’d gotten out of. Peter’s eerily preserved state made my skin crawl.
“Nothing,” he huffed.
“Maybe—” began Trinity, but a loud shuffle from above cut her off.
Screams rang out, piercing the dead silence in the catacomb.
Declan tilted his head up and scowled. “Vampires—in the church.” He turned to me his lips twisting. “There are humans up there.”
My heart sank. I glanced down the dark passageway we’d come down then at the staircase in the corner of the mausoleum. My fingers tightened around the sword. I couldn’t let the vampires kill those poor humans. “We have to
help them.”
Declan’s blazing maroon eyes fixed on mine. “I don’t recommend it. We’ve got the sword, and this is the perfect distraction to make our escape.”
“Declan. What’s the point of saving the world if there aren’t any humans left to live in it?”
He nodded, determination setting his jaw. “You’re right.” He seared my forehead with a quick kiss and pulled away. His angel sword sparked to life in his hand, and he darted toward the spiral staircase. “I’ll hold them off. You two get out of here.”
“Declan, no!” I raced after him, taking the stairs two at a time. I reached the top as a thick metal door slammed shut. Pounding on it with both fists, I shouted for Declan, anxiety churning in my stomach. “Let me out!”
Trinity finally caught up and grabbed my hands. “Stop. He’s not going to let us out. You’re only going to hurt yourself.”
“That stupid, stubborn…” I muttered the rest in my head as I scurried back down the stairs. “We have to find a way out of here.”
“We can go back through the tunnels,” said Trinity. “There has to be another way up to the streets.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.” I tightened my grip on the sword and ran back the way we’d come earlier with Trinity on my heels.
When we finally reached the subway tunnels, I was completely winded. Damn, I was out of shape. Bracing my hands on my knees, I sucked in a few deep breaths then straightened.
We climbed up to the subway platform, and my heart leapt for joy when the flashlight beam landed on a ladder. I shone the light upward to a shaft, which I hoped led to the street.
“Come on!” I jumped up, reaching for the bottom rung and pulled myself up with one hand. Climbing and holding a sword was harder than I thought it would be.
I emerged onto the street, gently lowering the manhole cover so it wouldn’t clatter on the asphalt. The last thing we needed was to attract more vampires. Squinting in the murky light of day, Trinity crawled out behind me as I scanned the desolate avenue.
The towering gothic spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral loomed only a block away. There was something odd about it. It took me a second to realize the historic church remained in perfect condition. Not a single stained-glass window had been shattered, each and every turret spiraling up to the heavens untouched. Weird.
Snapping myself out of it, I grabbed Trinity’s hand. “Let’s go. Quick!”
She nodded, her chest rising and falling rapidly. We sprinted the short distance, rushing up the cement stairs. I yanked at the handle of the massive door, but Trinity smacked at my hand stopping me.
“You can’t just run in there guns blazing.”
I lifted my sword and smirked. “How about sword blazing?”
“Liv, be serious. Whatever’s going on in there, we have to be careful. If the sword were to fall into the wrong hands, we’d be screwed.”
“Okay.” I dropped the blade to my side. “We’ll be stealthy.”
She nodded and took a breath.
“Oh, wait.” I grabbed Sammarah’s dagger from my waistband and handed it to her. “Just in case.”
“Thanks.”
Gently, I pulled the door open, cursing every creak of the old metal hinges. The sound of fighting quickly drowned out the squeaks and sent my heart flying up my throat.
Vicious snarls and growls filled the immense atrium, echoing off the vaulted ceiling. My gaze darted toward the altar. Five vampires surrounded Declan. He circled, his impressive wings extended and angel sword ablaze. I lunged forward, but Trinity’s firm hand stopped me.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
I strained to listen, but I couldn’t make out anything over the roar of my pounding heart. Declan was in trouble, and it was hard to focus on anything else.
“Over there.” She pointed to the last row of pews on the far right. Huddled under the wooden bench were five dark forms. Ten anxious eyes shone in the dimly lit room, their gazes intent on us.
My chest tightened as indecision swirled in my gut. I glanced back and forth between Declan and the frightened humans. “Trinity, get them out of here. I have to help Declan.”
Her dark eyes widened, fear lacing her tone. “What am I going to do with them?”
“Take them to the tunnels. Declan and I will meet you there as soon as we can.” I paused. “If we’re not back in ten minutes, start walking back to the house. And please, take care of Duke and guard the Book of Salvation.” My voice hitched, but I swallowed down the sudden emotion. Get a grip, Liv.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak and get choked up.
“Take this back then.” She held out the black dagger.
“No. Keep it safe for me.”
Trinity pulled me into a hug. “Be careful.”
She tiptoed toward the humans, and I crept down the outer aisle, hugging the pews and staying low to the floor. As I got closer, an icy chill surged through my veins. Bloody gashes marred Declan’s shirt and arms. His cheeks were flushed and his breaths came in ragged spurts.
I took a step toward the altar and barely avoided tripping over a dead vamp. Eew. Another one of his comrades was splayed out beside him. At least Declan had gotten some good hits in.
I was only a few yards away, but now I had to move away from the cover of the solid oak benches. Glancing up at the altar, a ray of light filtered in through the stained-glass windows. It cast a dazzling rainbow of colors over the gold cross suspended above.
Warmth filled my chest, and tingles shot through my body. Through my thin t-shirt, the outline of my heart birthmark appeared. It pulsed with a brilliant blue light. My fingers tightened around the sword, and I lunged forward.
Chapter 30
The blade plunged into the nearest vampire’s back, burying itself right through its non-beating heart. The creature shrieked and then disintegrated into a sooty pile of ash.
“Liv, watch out!” Declan shouted.
I looked up just in time to see another vampire leaping toward me. Without thinking, my arm shot up and thrust the sword into its chest. A blood-curdling scream echoed across the vast space before the guy crumbled to dust.
My jaw dropped as I stared at the gleaming sword clenched in my hand. Then my gaze traveled to the smoky mound of ash soiling the mosaic tile floor. I just killed two vamps!
The remaining three stryx circled Declan. He swept sweaty hair off his forehead and pierced them with a fiery glare. “Who’s next?”
I stepped closer, still not happy with the three-to-one odds. Two of the guys were about Declan’s size, but the third was a giant. Internally, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I confirmed none were Asher.
The big guy stepped forward. Platinum hair fell over his crimson eyes, and a snarl twisted his lips. “The only reason you’re still alive is that Zeke mandated it so. If it were up to me, your head would be rolling on the tile right now.”
I gulped.
“Good to know that you can’t kill me,” Declan shot back.
“It doesn’t mean that Zeke won’t when he gets here.” He ticked his head toward me. “She’s the one he’s interested in. I’m sure he’s already on his way. As soon as you showed up, we figured she wouldn’t be far.”
Crap!
Did Zeke know about the sword? We still had no idea how much information he’d gotten out of Trinity. He’d compelled away all her memories after he’d tortured her. My fingers curled into tight fists. Zeke hurt her to get to me.
The whoosh of a sword cutting through the air yanked my attention back to the altar. The big vamp dodged out of the way, missing the brunt of the angel blade. The other two joined in the fray, and I followed.
“Liv, no! Stay back.”
“No way. This is my fight too.” I slid in between the two stryx and backed into Declan. The feel of his taut shoulder blades against mine gave me a courage I didn’t know I possessed. We fought back to back, our swords dancing in the dim light. “Plus, I’m really
good at this.”
Did I mention I’d never picked up a sword in my life? Not unless you counted Declan’s angel blade that I drove into the vampire’s heart back on the farm. And yet, here I was matching strokes with Declan—a trained nephilim warrior. This weapon was amazing!
The crash of metal doors breaking free of their hinges rang out across the atrium. We spun toward the sound, and my heart stopped.
At least a dozen hooded figures engulfed the doorway. A bitter chill swept through the air in the cathedral. The hair on the back of my neck rose. The group parted and a figure moved forward, lowering his black hood.
Declan grabbed my arm and tucked me into his side as the remaining three vampires stood in attention. “Zekiel,” he hissed.
“Dear nephew, please, no need for formalities. Uncle will suffice.”
A second hooded figure moved to his side. The man dropped his onyx cover, and I felt Declan waver beside me. “Uncle Azazel? What are you doing here?”
A pair of mismatched eyes bored into mine, igniting a swell of goose bumps. I shuddered and diverted my gaze, tightly clasping the sword.
Azazel turned to Declan. “I’m sorry, Dec. I had to.” His expression hardened, and I could’ve sworn a flash of hatred infused his pupils as he glanced back at Zeke.
Fury radiated from Declan’s maroon eyes, lining them in a terrifying crimson glow. A deep growl reverberated in his chest.
His uncles and their entourage moved forward like a black wave of death.
“We have to get out of here,” I whisper-yelled into his ear.
“I know,” he ground out through clenched teeth.
“Don’t even think about it, nephew.” Zeke stopped and ticked his head to the choir stand above his head. I followed his line of sight to a pair of vampires armed with crossbows, the weapons trained at my head. “One flap of those wings, and Liv dies. And none of us want that.”
“Then what do you want?” Declan growled, a tremor rolling through his chest.
Zeke’s icy gaze fell on me. “The sword for starters.”
I tightened my fingers around the hilt. No way.
