The men dropped their weapons and turned and ran leaving Banner standing alone in the debris of his warehouse empire.
Hunter leaped forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shock the hell out of him, “What in the name of all the gods are you playing at Banner?”
“I work for the Tribunal and you would be well played to let me go. I am one of their Inquisitors, I have a Reaper at my beck and call,” Banner stammered.
“About that, where is he?” Hunter asked shaking him one more time.
Banner laughed, “I won’t tell you until you promise me I won’t be killed.”
Hunter shook his head and looked over his shoulder at Tabitha. “Your mortal death is not mine to claim. However, your soul belongs to Dante. Tabitha, what say you?”
Tabitha shook her head and brandished the knife Elle had given her. “He’s life’s blood belongs to me and my sisters,” Tabitha said.
Hunter shook his head and turned back to Banner with a tsk of his tongue, “It’s too bad, the Daughters of Eve want their blood. So looks like you’re going to die. And I know for certain Dante wants a soul for all the bullshit you’ve put the mortals through. Plus the Reaper business.” Hunter shook him again until his teeth rattled. “Now give me the Reaper.”
Hunter heard footsteps and new his brothers had finally arrived. Victor was the first one in the cell, he looked around and grabbed Elle.
“You ever do anything like this again and I swear to the gods I will lock you up and throw away the key do you understand me?” Victor shouted.
Elle kissed him on the chin. “Yes.”
“Wait,” Banner said.
Skylar had pulled himself to his feet and Falcon barreled in and into him. Hugging the other Tracker, he probably broke a couple of ribs in the process.
“See I told you he wasn’t dead,” Bowen said, right behind Falcon. “If you had died. I was so going to kill you.”
“Not dead, we’re immortal remember?” Sky said rubbing his chest, he looked over at Tabitha.
“What are we going to do with him?” Victor asked of Banner who was still being held by Hunter.
“His death is mine,” Tabitha said.
“Yes,” Hunter nodded to the Tabitha. “But first he is going to lead us to the Reaper.”
“Fuck you,” Banner said. Which had Hunter shaking him again. When he was done, Banner glared at him. “Tell me where he is.”
“Why should I?” Banner asked.
Tabitha lunged at him and pressed the knife at his throat drawing a bead of blood from him. “Because if you don’t your death will be so much worse, you son of a bitch. You have much to atone for and I have no problem making you bleed for it.”
“This place is about to be swarming with firemen and cops we need to move,” Bowen said.
“Tell them where your sick ass Reaper is,” Tabitha demanded.
“Kill me now because I’m not telling you anything,” Banner said.
Tabitha gave him a sickly sweet smile, “Oh you will pray for death once I am I done with you, you have many, many deaths to repent for. And much blood to atone with.” Tabitha tossed the knife she was holding into her opposite hand with grace you wouldn’t have expected from a women who had been held captive. And backhanded Banner with a strength anyone of the men in the cell could appreciate. Banner staggered, but remained on his feet, “Now start speaking.”
“As much as I want to watch Tabitha make him cry. We need to move this,” Bowen broke in. “Like now.”
Tabitha didn’t even hesitate, “Tell us where the Reaper is.” She pushed Banner until he was pressed against the bars. The knife was pressed against his crotch. “Or I’ll cut your balls off right now.”
Banner’s eyes rounded and he looked over Tabitha’s shoulder to the others. “You’re not going to let her do this are you?”
“Oh, in a heartbeat,” Victor announced.
“I keep him in a room above this floor,” Banner stammered.
“MOVE!” Bowen yelled at everyone. “We have incoming.” Everyone took off “We will be meeting at the Staten.”
“Wait, where?” Lailah asked.
Hunter grabbed her, “I’ll explain when everyone is safe. Victor, you’re with me.” Victor grabbed Elle as Hunter moved and started jogging from the cell.
“Falcon we may need you,” Victor said. And the Tracker was on his heels. The others were heading to the exit with Banner and the Daughters of Eve. Hunter took the stairs two at a time, still holding onto Lailah’s hand.
Lailah had to run to keep up with him, and he was throwing doors open on the next level. She knew what he was looking for and she was about to tell him it was the third door down, she could feel the darkness emanating from the room when he threw the door open.
It sat on the only piece of furniture the room had to offer. But the moment Hunter threw the door open it lifted its head and opened its eyes. Lailah thought she would be ready for it. She had seen it on the camera but the camera had not prepared her for this… this horrible thing. Lailah ripped her hand from Hunter and staggered back sucking in a breath.
“God above, what the hell is that?” Lailah gasped a hand going to her mouth.
It was topless, with black jeans on. Pale as death, with paper thin skin. Still that wasn’t what was so horrifying. It was what was moving just below the skin, the faces pushing just below the surface of the skin, the expressions of horror. Trapped and screaming. Lailah backed away, shaking her head.
“Fuck me!” Victor swore.
“Kill it,” Falcon said pulling out a gun he aimed it at the thing sitting in the chair.
Victor jumped in front of Falcon, “Don’t.”
Elle stepped up to the thing, “So unholy. You are unholy.”
The thing extended its arms and tossed his head back, faces contorted in his neck and moved around his chest meshing and swimming around under his skin in a macabre dance, “I am a Reaper, THE ultimate Reaper,” He laughed.
“You are an apocalypse waiting to happen,” Victor said.
“Are you going to come with us willingly?” Hunter asked.
The thing looked at Hunter and laughed. His voice echoing in the cell painfully to listen too. Everyone covered their ears and moved away from him, “Yes take me to Dante and show him what the Reapers should be.”
“Oh we will take you to him,” Hunter said. It stood and took the cloak draped, over the back of the wooden chair and wrapped it over his shoulders.
“We can’t Flash him,” Victor said. “We can’t risk it if something goes wrong he could go up. Or puncture him, it could go wrong real fast.”
“I’ll take him to the van,” Falcon said. “We can drive him back to the Staten.”
Hunter looked from him to Lailah, “I’ll go with them, and you take Lailah and Elle.” Hunter still had Lailah by the hand and pulled her close. Lailah thought Hunter was going to comfort her or kiss her but he grabbed her hand and looked at her palm.
“You can Flash her now,” Hunter said to Victor.
“No, wait. I’m going with you,” Lailah said.
“No, I won’t have you exposed to him,” Hunter said. And then nodded to Victor. Victor grabbed Lailah and before she could say anything else Victor Flashed her and Elle out of the room.
Lailah ended up flat on her ass in a library somewhere she had never been before.
“What the hell? I said I wanted to stay with Hunter?” Lailah screamed at Victor.
Victor glared at her, pointing a finger at her. “You are on my list, so don’t start with me, Angel.” Then he turned to Elle. “Now as for you.”
Elle backed away from Victor. “I will not explain what I did. Tabitha is my best friend. And you were taking too long.” Lailah almost felt bad for her friend as Elle was explaining she backed away from Victor.
“You won’t explain?” Victor practically bellowed the words.
“Um no?” Elle stammered.
“It wasn’t her idea,” Lailah said t
rying to help her friend out.
Victor turned to Lailah and shook his head, “You are not helping her.” Victor turned back to Elle, “How many times are you going to let other women lead you into doing stupid ass shit?”
Elle lifted her hands and shrugged her shoulders. “Peer pressure is a bitch, I’m such a sucker,” Elle said and threw her arms around her mate and kissed him thoroughly making Lailah wish she were somewhere else. They finally separated. And Elle gave Victor a radiant smile, “But it all turned out for the best. We should go find Tabitha and help her torture that horrible, awful man and then we can go find a quiet room in the Infernos and lock ourselves away for a month or eight.”
“You say it but I doubt it will happen,” Victor grumbled.
“Will it make you feel better if I bought you a cheeseburger and fries before doing any of that?” Elle asked giving him a big smile and another kiss on the cheek.
“It might,” Victor grumbled.
Chapter 9
Lailah had been watching Hunter carefully since he had gotten to the Staten, Hunter had avoided Lailah, and she wasn’t sure why. But the fear that now she had completed her transition into an Angel, and Hunter didn’t want her was making her sick.
Lailah tried to push those thoughts aside but as everyone debriefed, and Banner and his Reaper had been placed in cells in the basement. And by the time Hunter found a room and showered then found his brothers again and spoke with them about what to do about the Reaper Lailah had worked herself into a frenzy over the entire situation.
Finally, Hunter took Lailah by the arm, “Where are we going?” Lailah asked. Hunter had a determined look on his face.
“Someplace we can talk,” Hunter said not looking at her.
“Take a breath.” Lailah was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about but then he was wrapping his arms around her, and she took a breath, and he was Flashing them. The experience of being Flashed still new and weird. It didn’t hurt, she knew from talking with the Trackers and Eric when they Flashed they experienced pain. Her only explanation was because she was an Angel it didn’t hurt her.
When Hunter released her Lailah took several breaths and looked around, “Where are we?” From the looks of things, she was standing in an apartment, a man’s apartment. Strong rock walls and masculine furniture surrounded her.
“My apartment in the Infernos,” Hunter explained.
Lailah felt her mouth sag open, “Seriously?” she rushed to a large door and tried to push it open. But it was made of rock and stone and even with her improved strength as an Angel she couldn’t get the damn thing open.
She turned and looked at Hunter, “It’s enchanted, so only I or one of my brothers can open it,” he said.
“Well, that’s a good way to keep out unwanted visitors,” Lailah said. “Wish I had known something like that existed. I could have kept Jimmy out,” Lailah said laughing, but the look Hunter gave her said he didn’t see the humor in her words.
Hunter walked over to her and reached past her and pushed against the door, it grated against the hinges but swung open. Lailah caught her breath at the sight before her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before and not like anything she had ever imagined. Lailah had expected fires and ash, pits of souls the sounds of souls screaming for mercy. But what she got was something totally different.
The sky was a combination of orange, reds, blues, and purples. To the right there were dark rolling hills and to the left just a stretch of land leading to a set of dark gates in the distance. They looked menacing but they were so far in the distance she had to squint to even see them, she pointed to Hunter. “What are those?”
Hunter raised one eye brow. “Do you really want to know?” he asked.
Lailah took a breath and then nodded, “Yes.”
He pulled her back into his apartment, “Those would be the Gates of Hell, Lailah.”
Lailah felt her eyes round, “You live nearly in the shadows of the Gates of Hell?”
Hunter shrugged, “It keeps the world in perspective.”
“Why are you being so cold?” Lailah finally asked saying what she had been wanting to say since pulling him out of the warehouse Hunter had been in for the last several days.
Hunter’s jaw tensed, and he turned from her. He walked a couple of steps and his hand ran over his short hair. Then he turned and his eyes were dark and fierce, “What in the name of the gods made you and Elle think it was a good idea to come after Tabitha and I without the others? Do you have any idea what could have gone wrong? You could have been hurt, or worse.”
“Yes, we were aware of the dangers but we did it anyway. Because we didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. We are the least likely to get injured, the least likely to be mortally wounded. We are immortal or did you forget?” Lailah said in their defense, “Last time I checked Elle is a goddess and I am an Angel. It was the lesser of two evils. We didn’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
Hunter ran another hand through his hair, “Really not the point. And for the record, you’re immortal, that doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt. You should have waited.”
“Waited for what? For Banner to torture you more, for him to kill another helpless Daughter of Eve?” Lailah asked. “Waited for another innocent soul to be taken into the horrible Reaper the Tribunal has created?”
Hunter’s mouth opened and closed several times, “No.” he turned from her and walked away but Lailah wouldn’t let him get far. she could feel his frustration, his irritation. And she rushed to him wrapping her arms around him from behind. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing you were there helpless. Being tortured by Banner, I had to act.”
Hunter froze, “I couldn’t do anything to help you, I was helpless. And that’s the point.”
Lailah finally understood why Hunter was so upset. He was hurt because he had been impotent to change the outcome. Not releasing him Lailah inched around him until she could look into his eyes.
“I’m okay,” Lailah whispered. “I wasn’t hurt, Hunter.”
“But you could have been,” Hunter said, and Lailah could see the hurt in his eyes, saw pain flash through his gray eyes that he tried to hide from her. But she saw it there anyway.
“Feel me, Hunter. I’m safe, for once you needed saving. It’s okay I promise not to hold it against you.” Lailah gave him a small smile.
“Don’t joke, Lailah.” Hunter wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. “If it were up to me I wouldn’t allow you to be in any type of danger ever again. Do you understand me?” Hunter squeezed her to emphasize what he was saying.
“I can’t promise you anything,” Lailah said sadly. “I think my job as the earthbound Arch will put me in the line of danger. But you’ll be there for me won’t you?”
Hunter growled. Which made Lailah giggle, so he kissed her. Hunter’s warm lips surrounded her and anything else she was going to say flew out the window as he pressed against her. Hunter’s lips moving against her, his tongue delving into her mouth to play against her own. Lailah had worried she would never be this close to Hunter again and Lailah clutched him to her taking a fist full of his shirt in her hands.
Lailah needed to feel Hunters skin, “Get this off.” Lailah leaned back and pulled his shirt over his head. Lailah leaned back so she could look into his eyes, those beautiful gray eyes. Lailah reached out and cupped his face. “I was so afraid I would lose you forever,” her voice hitched. “Do you have any idea what I would do to get you back?”
Lailah knew she would destroy the world for him, and the thought scared her a little. Lailah wrapped her arms around Hunter holding him tight to her. “I don’t ever want to feel so helpless again,” Lailah whispered.
Hunter ran his hands over her back making small circles until Lailah was able to release him, “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” Hunter promised.
This time, when Lailah reached up and pressed her lips to Hunters it wasn’t frenzied but soft and thorough. Hunter�
��s lips covered hers and explored hers he dropped small kisses along her lips, his tongue dipping in to taste her and then following the line of her lips. He took his time and Lailah did the same memorizing each touch, each taste, Lailah felt her body grow heavy against Hunter.
Hunter must have read her mind because he bent down and swung her into his arms. “We need a bed.”
Lailah smiled, “Do we really have the time to spend here in the Infernos?” Lailah asked.
“Fuck the rest of the world,” Hunter said, pressing kisses along her neck. Lailah couldn’t agree more and let her head fall against his arm giving him better access to her neck, Hunter ran his tongue along her collarbone causing chills to race along her entire body.
Lailah felt a shiver work through her, “Hunter,” she whispered his name. Lailah desperately wanted to give him as much pleasure as he gave her. Wanted this coupling to be about them coming together and never being separated again. But Lailah didn’t want to scare him off.
Hunter kicked in a door, and Lailah got the impression of a dark room and dark wood accented furniture before she was placed on a dark four postered bed with black bedding and black silk sheets. Hunter placed her in the center of the bed and stood back, he looked at her and the look he gave her made her hot in all the right places. Lailah was pretty sure her underwear was about to go up in smoke at the look Hunter was giving her.
“Fuck.” Hunter moaned. “You look so hot right now.” Hunter said climbing onto to the bed.
Lailah looked down at the clothes she was wearing, “I might be overdressed,” she said with a secret smile.
Hunter shook his head, “Trust me right now. If you were naked? This would go way too fast.” Then he was kissing her and it was a hot kiss burning her from the inside out. His tongue was doing crazy things with hers, and then it was licking her throat, and her ear, and his hands seemed to be everywhere at once. Lailah couldn’t think with him touching her, and she bowed up, trying to get him at her. And Hunter chuckled from where he was at her throat.
Reaper Dreaming: A Reaper Novel Page 24
