by G. K. DeRosa
“I guess I’ve learned a little something about surviving in this new world.”
Declan tugged on my hand and steered me toward the door. “First things first. We have to get you out of here.”
I dug my heels into the tile, which didn’t really work as I’d planned. “Wait. If I mysteriously disappear, Zeke will know something’s up. It’ll be obvious it was you, and it might screw up the summit.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Go to the house in my place. Meet Azazel and make sure Trinity’s safe, get the daggers, and give them to Jayse.” Easy peasy.
“I’m not leaving you here unprotected.” He reached for my hand, entwining his fingers through mine.
“It’s the only way. Zekiel won’t do anything to me with Nathanael and you under the same roof. And he won’t find it odd if you leave. I’m sure you can come up with some sort of excuse. As long as I’m here, he knows you’ll be back.”
“Right. Because you have feelings for me.” He said the words in a singsong tone, and I rolled my eyes.
“Oh please, dealing with your uncle’s teasing is bad enough.”
He shot me a smirk, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Okay. I’ll go tonight then.”
A little twinge of hope fluttered in my chest. This was it, the beginning of the end of the angel and vampire reign of terror.
Chapter 14
I followed Declan out into the corridor, my heart heavy at the thought of being parted once again. The hallway was empty—my guards gone. I scanned both sides of the dark passageway to confirm as I tiptoed behind him.
“Zeke called his dogs off?” he asked, his brows raised.
“That’s odd.”
“Liv, whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it.” He grabbed my shoulders and spun me back toward my room. “Stay put and I’ll be back tonight, hopefully with good news.”
“Fine.”
He brushed my lips with a gentle kiss, and I rose to my tiptoes to meet him. “Be good.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned up against the doorjamb, watching him as he sauntered away. I could totally get used to that view. I remained in the doorway until his perky butt turned the corner. I couldn’t help the disappointment that unraveled in my chest at his disappearance.
Down the hall, the elevator ding confirmed his departure, and I scurried two doors down. Lifting my knuckle to the door, I quietly knocked twice. Nothing. I waited another minute and knocked again, a bit louder this time. Pressing my ear to the door, I held my breath hoping to catch something… anything that indicated my best friend was still alive.
Nothing but dead air.
What if Drusilla was still torturing Asher in the basement? Just because I’d been spared didn’t mean he had been too.
I crept by my room, steeling my nerves. Darting inside, I grabbed the dagger from underneath the mattress and tucked it into my jeans. Declan was going to kill me, but I had to make sure Asher was okay. I sprinted past my door and didn’t stop until I reached the elevator. Jabbing my finger at the B button, I held my breath as the elevator descended.
The doors slid open, and I wound my way back to the torture chamber portion of the underground level. It was all dark corridors and winding passageways, but somehow I made my way back to the grisly room.
I slowed as I neared the metal door, flattening myself against the cool wall. Voices seeped through the cracks in the doorway. I crept closer, and a sharp groan rang out through the quiet space. Asher! My heart lodged in my throat.
My worst fears came true. That crazy Drusilla was still torturing him because of me. I had to stop her.
I pulled the dagger out of my jeans, the sleek onyx blade glinting in the dim halogen lighting and tucked it into the long sleeve of my shirt. I inhaled a deep breath and opened the door.
Drusilla spun on me, her gleaming white fangs extending over her bottom lip. As terrifying as she was, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Asher. He looked ten times worse than this morning. Both eyes were swollen, and there wasn’t an inch of his face that wasn’t black and blue.
I still couldn’t understand why he wasn’t healing.
“What are you doing here?” Drusilla’s shrill voice tore me away from my friend and back to the black widow.
I plastered an expressionless mask on my face and stared just over her shoulder. “I don’t know. I can’t remember how I got down here.” I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead. “Zekiel came to talk to me, and that was the last thing I remember.”
A sick smile spread across Drusilla’s blood red lips. “He must have broken through your compulsion barrier,” she muttered to herself.
I kept my face impassive as my fingers brushed the hidden dagger’s hilt. She moved nearer, like a lion stalking its prey.
Just a little closer…
“I’m so happy you could join us,” she purred. “I’m sure Asher would be too if he could muster the energy to speak.” She took a final step and lifted her perfectly manicured finger to my cheek. Trailing it down my face, I suppressed the urge to cringe.
With her left arm up, her chest was exposed. The hilt slid down into my palm, and in a move so fast I was certain Declan would’ve been proud, I plunged the black dagger into her heart.
The evil harpy lurched back, her eyes widening until only the white showed. She clutched at the weapon and collapsed to the floor. Within seconds, her body caved in on itself and shriveled to ash.
Grabbing my dagger, I sidestepped the pile of sooty dust and went to work on Asher’s bindings.
“Ash, are you okay?” I was scared to touch him, scared I’d only hurt him. There wasn’t an unmarred spot on his body.
His lids fluttered open, his green eyes straining to focus. “Liv? What are you doing here?” he croaked.
“I’m breaking you out.” I helped him to his feet, hoping he could walk because there was no way I’d be able to carry him.
He stumbled forward but at least we were moving. I draped his arm around my back and tucked my shoulder under his armpit hoping to bear some of his weight.
Before we reached the door, Asher stopped, dragging me down with him. My knees smacked the cold cement floor, sending a sharp pain up my thighs. I winced, grounding my teeth to keep from crying out.
“Liv, please just leave me,” he panted. “I’m too weak, and I don’t want them to catch you.”
“No! I left you once, and they turned you into this,” I choked out. Tears stung my eyes as I attempted to haul him back to his feet. “I’m not leaving you. No matter what.”
“My leg’s broken. I can’t walk.” He pointed at his lower leg and it was only then I noticed the gruesome white bone poking out of his bloodied jeans. Oh, God. A bout of nausea crawled up my throat.
“Why aren’t you healing?” We needed to get the leg fixed ASAP. Who knew when Zekiel or his minions would show up to check on their prisoner.
“Drusilla shot me up full of vervain, and I haven’t fed in days.”
Vervain—the one plant toxic to vampires. We’d been told it had all been destroyed during the war. The vampires had gotten to it before the angels could use it against them. Or that’s what they’d wanted us to believe.
There was nothing I could do about the vervain, but the feeding I could help with. There was no time to think. Gritting my teeth, I slashed the dagger across the underside of my wrist and held it up to Asher.
He sucked in a breath, turning his head away. “No, Liv. I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You can and you will. It’s our only way out of here.” I positioned my wrist under his mouth, and his fangs slipped out. He pushed my arm away. “I almost killed Trinity.”
“What?” I hissed through clenched teeth.
“The first time I fed from a human… Zeke chose her for me. I lost control and she almost died.”
Why was he telling me this now?
I shook my head. I wasn’t letting him convince me he was some monster that didn’t deserve
to live. “I owe you, Ash. I couldn’t save you from the angels before, but this I can do.”
His eyes darkened and with a growl, he latched onto my wrist. Twin needles pierced my flesh, and I winced, suppressing a scream. The pain only lasted for a moment, then a pleasant feeling of weightlessness washed over me. It reminded me of the time Asher and I hid behind the barn and drank a whole bottle of hard apple cider.
My mind swam as the warm memory flitted around in my mind. Asher and I sure had some fun times before the world went to hell. A sharp sucking sound drew my foggy brain from the haze. I glanced down at my wrist, and the growing trickle of blood dripping down Asher’s chin.
“Ash. Ash! Let go!” I knocked him on the side of the head when he wouldn’t release me.
His jaw unlocked, and his eyes glazed over as they met mine. “I’m so sorry. I was just so hungry. It’s hard to control…” Crimson flooded his cheeks as he wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
“It’s okay. Are you better?” I ripped my sleeve off and wrapped it around my wrist, then hazarded a glance down at his pant leg.
The bone had magically snapped back into place.
“Much,” he said, inhaling a breath. He stood and helped me up. “Now come on, we have to get out of here.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. The farther away from vamp Marriot the better. Now we just had to escape unseen, make our way back to the tunnels, get Sammarah’s car and hightail it back to the suburbs.
If Azazel and Trinity had the daggers, and Jayse and the boys made it back safely, we were home free.
Fingers crossed.
Chapter 15
The sedan rolled to the end of the driveway and sputtered to a stop. The last few miles we’d been driving on nothing but leftover fumes from Trinity’s solar magic. I’d expected Sammarah’s car to splutter and die at any moment, leaving us stranded on the desolate highway.
I patted the steering wheel and turned off the engine, then glanced over at my sleeping co-pilot. After the escape from vamp headquarters and subsequent hike to the tunnel to find the car, Asher had passed out and slept the entire way.
His head rested against the window, a few bruises still marring his face, but most of the cuts were healed. I checked the white cooler in the rearview mirror. Still there. We’d managed to snag a few liters of blood for Ash. I didn’t regret giving him mine one bit, but I didn’t plan on making it an everyday thing either. I turned my wrist around and examined the two puncture wounds.
Declan would not be happy about that.
“Are we here?” Asher’s gruff voice surprised me.
“Yup. Safe and sound.” I shot him a smile. “I was about to wake you, but you looked so peaceful.”
He arched a brow. “Sure...”
We got out of the car as a white vehicle turned up the road. Asher whirled toward the rumble of the engine, and his fangs popped out.
“Relax. It’s Jayse and the twins.” I placed my hand on his arm, and his incisors slid back into place.
“Perfect timing.”
Jayse pulled up behind us, a big grin on his face. “Nice to see ya, little lady.”
“You too.” I peered into the car, noticing one of the twins was missing.
“Where’s your brother?” I asked the one sitting in the front. It wasn’t until he turned to me that I saw the scar across his brow. Rex.
“We left him at the new outpost in Buffalo with the rest of the recruits.”
“You found more people?” My tone went up a notch. I was sure the north had been deserted.
“Yup.” Jayse cut the engine and unfolded his massive body from the compact car. “We’ve got almost a hundred newbies.”
“In three days?” Even Asher sounded surprised.
Jayse’s bright green-eyed gaze landed on Asher. “Who’s this guy?”
I could feel Asher stiffen beside me. “This is my friend. The one I’d gone into Arx to get out.”
The crease between his light brows deepened. “Isn’t he a vamp?”
“Stryx, actually,” Ash muttered.
Jayse and Rex exchanged wary looks. “I don’t like it,” Jayse finally gritted out.
“Neither do I.” Asher crossed his arms against his chest.
The stink of unbridled testosterone swirled in the air. Before these three idiots started brawling, I moved between them. “Listen, Asher is the one who warned us about the vampire strike. If it weren’t for him, the humans at Arx would’ve been caught in the middle. It would’ve been a bloodbath. You should be thanking him.”
Where was Declan? I needed him to back me up on this.
Rex grunted, still eyeing my friend.
“Look at him. They tortured him for two days, and he didn’t break. He didn’t give us up.”
Jayse finally stopped scowling and met my gaze. “Maybe he’s alright for a vampire, but what if he gets hungry?”
The image of Asher’s fangs clamped on my wrist flashed across my mind. “We’ve got blood bags. He’ll be fine.”
Jayse shook his head and huffed. “Let’s take this discussion inside. We’ve got lots to catch up on anyway.”
I led the way up the stone stairs to the entrance and excited whines filtered through the door. Duke!
After a few quiet knocks, Stavros opened the door and peeked through. The poor man seemed to have a constantly terrified expression on his face.
“It’s me.” I softened my voice making it as non-threatening as possible.
He gave me a half-smile and opened the door all the way. Once he saw the guys behind me, he scurried around the corner, disappearing toward the back of the house.
“Nice to see you and thanks for taking care of Duke,” I called out behind him. I had a feeling he was too busy fleeing to hear me.
Duke jumped up on his hind legs and covered my face in slobbery kisses. I squeezed his big furry head and scratched behind his ears. “It’s good to see you too, buddy.”
The guys filled the small living room, their big frames swallowing up the furniture.
“Did you get the daggers?” Jayse asked as soon as we were all seated.
“Not yet. My contact should be here soon.” I hope.
A flash of light caught my eye through the glass. I was shocked Stavros had removed the plywood that covered one of the windows. Declan’s brilliant wings folded behind him as he landed on the front lawn.
He made it out. The tension in my shoulders released, and I darted toward the entryway with Duke on my heels.
Before his knuckles reached the wood, I opened the door and popped my head out. Declan staggered back, his eyes widening. “What are you do—”
I pressed my lips against his, swallowing up the rest of his sentence. It only took a second for him to reciprocate. He wrapped his hand behind my neck and pulled me closer, tilting my head to deepen the kiss.
Much too soon, he released me, taking a step back. “Seriously, Liv, what are you doing here?”
Dang it. I knew the kiss wouldn’t distract him for long.
He peered over my shoulder into the living room, and I felt his body tense the moment they landed on Asher. He barreled by me, heading straight for him.
“What the hell happened?” He glared at my beat up friend.
I finally caught up to Declan and yanked his arm. “Calm down. Everything’s fine.”
Declan whirled on me, his maroon irises twin fiery pits. “You were supposed to stay in your room where it was safe.”
“I couldn’t. Not without knowing if Asher was okay.” I squeezed Declan’s hands, my eyes pleading with him to understand. “They were torturing him because of me. Because of my plan. I couldn’t live with that.”
Declan snarled and blew out a frustrated breath. “You were the one that said it would look worse if we were both missing.”
“I’m sure we can figure out an excuse as to why we were both gone.” I winked at him a couple times, but I wasn’t sure he got my drift.
Asher groaned. I guess
he did.
Jayse cleared his throat and squirmed on the sofa. “Now that that’s been settled, when do you think your friend’s going to get here?” He glanced at his watch. “We’re cutting this pretty close.”
Anxiety fluttered in my belly. What if Azazel had failed? Worse, what if he and Trinity were stuck in hell forever?
“They’ll be here.” Declan’s calm voice centered me, and I gulped down the nervous jitters.
“They had to go pretty far to get the daggers,” I added. All the way to hell. “I’m sure they’re on their way back.”
Chapter 16
The old grandfather clock in the sitting room ticked painfully slowly. My leg bounced up and down in time to the rhythm as I glared at it. It was nearly midnight, and Azazel’s time was almost up.
Declan strolled back in from outside, his palms aglow. “The car’s all juiced up for the guys’ trip down south.”
I nodded, gnawing on my lower lip. Fear had begun to swallow up the disappointment filling my chest. What if Trinity really was stuck in hell? All because of me.
For the past few hours I’d been sliding down a shame spiral. I never should’ve let her go with him. I’d acted beyond stupid and reckless.
Declan sat beside me and scooted in close. His warm fingertips grazed my thigh and his healing energy flowed through my skin, immediately quelling the rising panic.
I groaned as a wave of tranquility lapped over me. “God, I wish you could bottle that stuff.”
He chuckled and wrapped his other arm around my shoulder. “They’ll be okay, Liv. Even if they don’t make it back in time, they will make it back. Azazel’s smart, and there’s no way he’d get stuck in hell. Lucifer would send him back before long anyway. They have a complicated history.”
My jaw almost hit the floor. My nephilim boyfriend’s uncle was on a first name basis with the king of hell, and they didn’t like each other. How had this become my life?
Declan dug his thumb into the base of my neck and pressed soothing circles. I leaned my head back and allowed my eyes to close. The clock wasn’t going to move any faster with me watching it. His other hand found mine, sending pulses of soothing heat up my arm.
