Opening the cell three spaces down, Cedric placed Violet in her new home. I followed them over.
“We will have blankets brought to you,” Cedric said. “But no pillow.”
“I won’t kill myself, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Violet looked about the space of her room, her gaze falling upon the small toilet and sink near the corner. Her brow shot up. “Although the plumbing might.”
Cedric continued. “Ava will bring you dinner as soon as it’s prepared.”
Her eyes consumed my face; a smile softened her features. “And a book.” She wrapped her hands around the bars as Cedric clicked the cell door closed. “Bring me a good romance novel, please, my dear.”
I nodded.
“What is she doing here?” The intensity of Zane’s voice brought everyone’s attention again. Leaning against his bars, he peered outward, trying to see past solid wall.
“Zane—” Elisa reached for him but stopped short when he took a step back.
“I don’t know if that cell is far enough away,” he warned. “What makes you think I won’t try and kill her?”
“You will not kill me,” Violet said, her voice confident.
I shook my head in warning, but she ignored me.
“After all, you did love her, didn’t you?” she asked.
His face reddened. “I loved her? What are you—”
“Zane,” Laith interrupted. “I know that you’re confused, but Charlotte is not here right now.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed, shooting a glance to Laith. “What are you talking about?”
“Like you, Charlotte has become possessed, but not by the shape-shifter that took you. She has been taken over by a Fallen. The woman that speaks is Violet.”
Zane’s head jerked back, his mouth working. “Charlie—Charlie was possessed this whole time?”
“No,” Violet said. Her voice echoed throughout the room.
Laith looked from Violet to Zane, speaking slowly. “We do not believe so, but Charlotte will not speak to us so we cannot verify if what the Fallen says is true.”
“It’s true.” I knew the moment I said it that it was true.
Zane’s eyes shifted to me. Heat warmed his face. “She said you were a fake, that the demons we let in would scare you away. That no one would be hurt. She told me she loved me.” He gripped the bars, his knuckles white. “I’m an idiot.”
“Love makes idiots of us all,” Violet said, her voice consoling. “Believe me, I would know.”
Zane groaned. “Did you tell her to stab me?”
Violet eyed her nails as she processed his question. “I’m sorry, human. No. She made those decisions on her own, but she did like you. I sensed she regretted it.”
“Zane, is there anything else you can tell us?” I asked, redirecting the conversation. I came closer to his cell, careful not to show my frustration. “Please. My friend has been taken by the Annihilator and we are trying to figure out how to help her, but we can’t until we know more about what is going on.”
Zane fell to his bed, the blood drained from his face. “There’s nothing to tell. Charlie talked me into letting that thing in. When I did…” He shuddered, as he relived the memory. “I tried… I tried to get it out, but it pushed me back. I had no control over my own body. I was shoved into some strange little corner of my mind and there was nothing I could do but watch everything like I was at some horrible movie I couldn’t leave.”
He grabbed at the fabric above his heart. “It was looking for the Defender, but it was disoriented and didn’t know where to go. When it came back for my thoughts, I fought it… kept it from getting that information. That’s when it came across Payton, and I…” He groaned, grabbing the sides of his head.
My face paled. “Come on, Zane. Please.”
He let out a sob that rattled me to the core. Sickness pulled at my stomach. “The only thing I know, the only thing I can tell you, is that whatever is about to happen will happen soon. The shape-shifter was waiting for her… for the Annihilator. It was the only one outside the veil. The others were gone.”
“What about—”
“That’s all I know,” he said. Fat tears leaked from his red-rimmed eyes as he shook his head. “Now, please. Please, just go.”
23
Trading places
“Three traitors.” Logan, the hothead of the compound, held up his fingers as if his loud voice wasn’t enough to carry his point. As if we didn’t understand the depth of the betrayal. “Three. And all trusted members of our sanctuary. That’s not exactly comforting.”
I rolled my eyes and growled beneath my breath, irritated at the knowledge that the longer we spent debating our next step, the longer Cheryl spent trapped with the Annihilator.
Laith raised his hand to silence the growing unease. “Logan, we understand your frustration, but this meeting was initiated to inform you of what has taken place. When we—”
“Great. You’ve informed us. Now what?”
“Logan.” Gerald placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Why don’t you sit down. We are all upset, brother.”
But Logan brushed him off, threatening him with a sideways glance. “Don’t you think we need to address what we are going to do about it?”
My head throbbed; my stomach churned. Warily I peered about the room, unsure whether my discomfort came from my hotheaded friend or from something else. Something was building. I could sense the ominous tension—like the thickness in the air before a storm.
Laith’s eyes narrowed, but Logan did not back down from his Herald’s warning glare. “What would you have us do?” Laith asked.
“Interrogations,” Logan said. “Obviously not everyone was being honest about their extracurricular activities. The Defender can read souls. She read mine. Have her look deeper.”
Frustrated, Laith rubbed his temples. “It doesn’t work that way.”
Or did it?
I pushed off my chair and walked to the windows. The conversation broke and I could feel eyes on the back of my head as I moved away from the council. Outside no one patrolled the grounds. Every single soul except for Madelyn and Yvette now sat in the crowded space, drawing more oxygen from the room than I was comfortable with. I wiped at the sweat beading on my forehead.
“Ava?” Laith’s concern was thick in his voice, but I waved it away.
“I’m fine,” I said. Logan cleared his throat, bringing the awkward attention back to him, but I ignored his useless ramblings.
I could read every soul in the room, even those that had passed on an interview with me in the beginning. Hector’s memories alone assaulted me, those that he had kept so closed off, and I found myself having to turn away from the emotions leaking from him and those of his compound mates. Maybe they weren’t aware of it, but they oozed fear. Fear and angst at the betrayal of their trusted friends.
A wave of dizziness struck and I leaned down, gripping the window ledge to keep upright, my breath shallow and constricted.
“Then we force them,” Logan finished, his voice firm.
“You can’t do that,” I said. I wasn’t sure if anyone heard me but I didn’t care. I rested my forehead against the cool pane of the window as my heartbeat accelerated.
“What is the matter, my niece?”
My head jerked up, but the movement was too quick and the room spun. I reached out to Fiona and found the sleeve of her shirt just as she grabbed me by the arm, drawing me to her. My heart rate spiked to a painful speed.
“What’s wrong?” Darius was at my side in an instant, but I couldn’t open my eyes to see him.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, my voice slurred and slow. Shadow overtook me. My eyes rolled back into my skull.
“Ava.” Elisa’s voice was alarmed.
“I don’t sense anything,” Fiona said. Fingers pressed into the flesh of my face, probed my body and my old wounds. “I do not feel she is injured.”
A strange noise sounded in my ears when I tried
to speak, but I couldn’t move my mouth. Hot tears swelled. The tightness in my throat intensified. Panic-stricken, I could only hear as commotion erupted within the room.
“Ava! What is going on?”
“Ava… Ava.”
“Cheryl…” A sickly-sweet voice called to me. “Cheryl, wake up, darling.” Fingers slapped at my face, and thumbed my lids open. Annie peered at me through the cracks of my eyes, and I lurched, squeezing them tight. A soft chuckle tickled my ears, her breath hot on my skin.
“No, no, no. I need you awake, my sweet.”
The smell of ammonia filled my nostrils. I inhaled sharply as my heart rate soared, beating an irregular cadence.
“There you go. Wakey-wakey, Cheryl. We need to feed you. We’re not complete monsters. Now, eat your food,” Annie commanded.
“No,” I murmured.
Her black eyes grew wide. Her mouth contorted in anger.
“Never tell me no!” she screamed. She struck me with an open hand.
I gasped, falling face first onto the ground. My cheeks stung from the blow of the Annihilator. I cried out.
“Ava!”
My eyes flew open. I was on the wood floor of the library. Darius lay on the ground in front of me, his face mere inches away, as Fiona held onto my shoulders. In a flash, I sat upright, searching the room for the Annihilator—but she wasn’t there. She never had been.
“Cheryl.” I grabbed Darius by the arms. “I was seeing Annie through Cheryl.”
“Slow down, Ava.” He placed a calming hand around my waist, but I brushed it off.
“The Annihilator. She has Cheryl. She has been drugging her. She hit her!”
Without taking his eyes from mine, he called to his remaining security. “Hector, you and Roman go to the borders. Report back, but do not engage, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“No,” I cried out, stopping them. “I’m going too.” I got to my feet, but my way was blocked as Darius grabbed me by the shoulders.
Frantic, I glared at him. “She will kill her, Darius. Move or I’ll move you.” My energy pooled into my core, ready and willing to blast anyone that tried to stop me.
“Ava is correct.”
The air from my lungs flew out in an audible whoosh. My eyes grew large, recognizing the voice that just couldn’t be in the same room… but was. Violet stood between Hector and Roman, their blades drawn and ready to attack if necessary. The room fell deathly silent as all attention focused on the demon who had infiltrated the second-in-command of security.
“Do not be afraid,” Violet said, smiling to the room. “I’m here to help.”
“How did you get out of your cell?” Laith asked.
Violet only shrugged. “The door opened right up. Someone must have not locked it properly.”
“That’s a lie,” Cedric said, turning color.
“Do we want to face the problem ahead of us or behind? Your friend is running out of time. The Annihilator is not a patient woman.”
Raised voices and a drone of murmurings pulsed from the crowd.
“She’s a demon,” one member cried.
“No. She’s a traitor,” another shouted. “Why should we listen to her?”
“Because I’m the only hope the mortal and Ava have of coming out of this alive,” Violet called out over the din, silencing everyone. She continued. “We have run out of time. Annie has called for reinforcements. At this moment, she has over a hundred demons at her location, and more may be coming. They plan on attacking tonight. She knows The Three are still weak or she would not try such an aggressive move.”
Laith beckoned Hector and Roman forward. Taking her by the arms, they escorted Violet toward the front of the room. Darius, Laith, and Cedric drew their knives. Elisa placed a soothing hand over mine as whispers of traitor and demon hissed throughout the tension-thick space.
They came to a stop several yards away. “How do you know this?” Laith asked.
“I have heard her call.” Violet smiled, a brutal, wicked grin. “The Annihilator seeks the Defender’s death to off-throw the balance once again, and she is certain of Ava’s response to her threat. Her followers I would assume to be mostly lower-level demons, easy to destroy, but I do not believe the Annihilator is the only Fallen among their numbers. Your mortal senses her maker, who is connected to the Annihilator somehow. I would guess him to be powerful as well.”
Laith angled his head, searching Violet’s demeanor. “What would you suggest we do?”
Tapping her chest, she said, “Your Charlotte is desperate, pleading with me to return her to him. If you wait for her to arrive at your gate, trade me for Ava’s friend. I can attack from within their ranks.”
More outbursts from the crowd caused Laith to call for silence. When the room was quiet once more he turned to the others.
“What if it doesn’t work?” he asked.
Violet tsked. “I’m not so sure it would, but I desire Ava to stay safe within your sanctuary.”
My teeth ground against each other, and I growled out my disapproval, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“With my plan, we might be able to discover who this traitor was working with and what we’re up against. I believe Zane has another idea that may tempt you, but I’ll let him explain. He seeks an audience with the Defender. I suggest she goes to him sooner than later. Your mortal is running out of time.”
“Again, why are we listening to this traitor?” Logan asked, raising his arms in frustration.
Violet only shrugged. “Of course, if all else fails and you do not respond, the only loss is that the mortal dies.”
I balled my fists at my side. “No.”
Violet looked to me; sadness pulled at her features. “The Annihilator is stronger than you are. She is sure of her victory and is relying on this very reaction. If she comes here, and you go to save Cheryl, she will kill you—as I suspect she did your mother.”
My heart dropped.
“You will leave mortality without a Defender once again,” she continued. “The Annihilator will gather more followers and humanity will suffer more than it does even now. Is one woman’s life worth more than countless others?”
“I—” My voice broke as I choked back an angry sob. Pleading, I looked to Darius, but he only looked away, resigned to agree.
“What do you care? You’re one of them.” Logan said.
I could feel my face turn red. We were wasting time.
Violet did not answer him, only scanned his rigid stance and his arms crossed tightly against his chest.
Keeping my voice in check, I answered his question. “Demon or not, it doesn’t matter. We must do something.”
“Why?”
“Because Cheryl is my friend!” I snapped. “The Annihilator has my friend, a good woman, and is holding her hostage, and I will not leave her out there to be murdered. This is my calling.”
“Which is why we should at least try and trade your Charlie first,” Violet interrupted. “You cannot allow Ava to go. Annie will kill her.”
“It won’t get to that,” Darius growled. “I will fight. I will fight to the death to protect my Defender. But I agree with the demon,” he said, his voice begrudging.
My face pricked as I avoided the intensity in his gaze, in his voice.
Violet cast a measuring eye upon him before redirecting her attention to Laith. “Let me help. Let me protect Ava in a way I couldn’t protect my Rachel.”
“I agree we must act, and quickly,” Fiona said. “But time is of the essence. When, Violet?”
“Sometime after midnight. But demons are not very punctual.”
Laith nodded. “We will go to the veil right after dinner. Everyone will return to their rooms. The compound is on lockdown until our return. Roman will remain—”
Logan’s voice rang out loud and calm. “We will go.”
“No,” I said through gritted teeth.
Laith pinched the bridge of his nose. “Logan, we do not
have time for this.”
“I wasn’t asking your permission, my Herald, or even yours, my Defender. It has been so long since any of us has had to fight for what we believed in, and that could be the problem. Let us repay you for what you have done.”
“You know there is no payment necessary,” Elisa said, her voice wary.
“We know that, my lady, but The Three don’t have to do everything alone.”
I patted my chest, trying to control the anxiety building within. “But I don’t know if I can protect you. You must stay here. This is my calling.”
“You keep saying that, but it is all of our callings to fight evil, no matter what form it arrives in.” I shook my head in disagreement, but he ignored me, turning to the rest of the room. His voice boomed. “None of us are weak. All of us have abilities, given by God, that evil has sought out for their own purposes. Because of that, we were brought here by The Three, and because we were brought here, our life became easy. A little too easy.
“We have become complacent. Forgotten what’s out there. Forgotten what they saved us from. That could be the reason why some have dissented—they’ve conveniently forgotten what they’ve been given. Well, maybe we need a reminder.” He looked about the audience, nodding to his friends. “Maybe I need a reminder.”
Gerald stood next to his friend. “And I.”
“And I,” another said in agreement.
Then another, and another, followed by a round of separate voices in agreement.
Less than fifty mortals volunteered to battle against a hundred or more demons.
I shook my head as tears burned, threatening to spill.
I searched the faces of all willing to sacrifice their lives for my friend, and my heart was overwhelmed. I swallowed back the raw sensation.
“We’re talking about the Annihilator. She killed the Defender. She killed my mother. She’ll kill you, too.”
I pressed my energy against them, trying to force them to accept my fated conclusion, but the link was severed. I jerked back, then tried the connection again, but the same reaction occurred. Aaron’s heavenly voice came back to haunt me.
It is God’s gift to his children that they receive the right to choose their path. It is not for us to make this decision for them.
Personal Guardians Page 30
