Crave (Tainted Angels Book 1)

by D H Sidebottom

  Sadie slowly turned. Sgt Miller stood by the rear door, his gun trained on the dredgen that his bullet had taken down; the dredgen that had had Sadie in its sights.

  Everyone turned to study the policeman and his next move. But Sgt Miller only had eyes for her. Lowering his gun, his eyes scanned the room before they came back to an apprehensive Sadie. For a moment he seemed unable to speak, his disbelieving gaze once again roaming over the beasts that were disintegrating before his eyes. Then his narrowed, angry eyes landed on Sadie. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Before she could answer, Willa’s mother ran into the bar. Her frantic eyes scanned the room before they found Sadie. “Willa’s missing.”

  Lincoln pushed through everyone to get to Elizabeth. “What?”

  Elizabeth panted, pushing her glasses up her nose as she tried to catch her breath. “I called round to take her a casserole I’d cooked. Herb was hurt. It looked like someone had thrown him at the table. There … there was blood – Willa’s blood. It was on the carpet, lots of it. I’ve searched Empyrea, and David summoned Diablo. She’s not anywhere in Gehenna either.”

  “Fuck!”

  Jaron looked around the room, clicking his teeth together. “I can’t get a sense on her if she’s in the human realm.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I think someone has taken her and they’re keeping her away from the spiritual realm so we can’t locate her.”

  “Shit,” Sadie hissed, her heart pounding. Turning to Delilah she asked, “Can you trace her heartbeat?”

  Delilah shook her head. “It doesn’t work like that. The only one who would be able to do that is Rax. Lincoln’s blood is too weak to sense her due to the virus.”

  Sadie turned to look at Miller as he stepped forward. “I need a description. Was she here earlier?”

  Sadie nodded quickly and filled him in on Willa. Five policemen barged into the building and almost immediately Sgt Miller barked out orders. “I need the CCTV from across the road. Stat. I need an alert out for the following person ….”

  Sadie watched in both awe, dread and respect as Miller got to work. As his colleagues flooded out to follow their orders, the room stilled when the air rippled.

  Everyone dropped to their knees when the most stunning woman breezed in. She shook her head and made an up gesture with her hand. “There’s no time for reverence. Willa is in danger.” The Almighty turned to Sgt Miller. “You.” His eyes widened but Miller wasn’t stupid – that was one of the reasons Sadie was so taken by him. Although when she’d asked him if he believed in God and he’d said no, Sadie had sensed an open mind in the man who made her heart beat quicker and her belly warm.

  Miller’s eyes widened but he nodded. “Your men are of no aid to my granddaughter. Call them back or they will be killed.”

  He blinked at her. “That may be but she is Sadie’s best friend so that makes her my concern.”

  Sadie struggled to contain the gasp that wanted so much to pop out of her mouth.

  The Almighty nodded, a small smile lifting her lips. “Your devotion to one of my children will not go unnoticed, however, you are still needed.”

  Miller gave a firm nod.

  “War is coming,” she said bluntly making Sadie’s stomach twist. “You need your world to be prepared.”

  “War with who?” Miller questioned. Sadie was amazed how well he was taking everything. His liberality was allowing him to be accepting of the facts being laid before him.

  “My granddaughter will do her best to take the first battle but whatever happens, the beginning is coming to an end. Your world will feel the force of the spiritual realm in the upcoming years. Your relationship with Sadie will grant you knowledge yet you are the only one who will be capable of leading your men.”

  Miller frowned, as did Sadie. Nothing was making sense. The Almighty was talking of the upcoming years and right then Sadie couldn’t think past finding Willa.

  The Almighty then turned to Delilah. “You need to hurry. He has taken her.”

  Delilah held her hands out in irritation. “Who,” she grated through frustrated teeth. “Who has taken her?”

  Sadie was growing frustrated herself when The Almighty ignored Delilah’s question and turned to Dexter. “You are Rax’s bond brother. You need to sense your brother then you will find Willa.”

  Sadie stilled, dread heating her chest. “Why would finding Rax find Willa?” Her voice was low, apprehension and an unwanted instinct restricting her throat.

  The Almighty turned to Sadie. “Because Rax is the one who has taken my granddaughter.”

  The atmosphere in the room thickened with rage and shock. “Rax did what?” Lincoln hissed.

  The Almighty simply blinked. “Rax Torres stabbed my granddaughter in the chest. And he has taken her somewhere I cannot gain access to. The only person capable of finding Rax is Dexter.”

  Dexter swallowed deeply, his Adam’s apple grinding along his throat. Closing his eyes, Sadie and her friends waited with bated breath until he reopened his eyes. Blinking he looked at The Almighty. “I’m not sure. It’s too unfocused. It’s like his mind is … I don’t know, I can’t figure it out.”

  “Try again!” Sadie demanded desperately.

  “Wait!” Delilah cut in. “I know where they are! There’s one place that I used to meet Strauss. It is undetectable to the spirit world, that’s why we would always meet there.”

  “Where?” Lincoln asked quickly.

  “Black Heath. There’s a clearing through the forest.”

  Lincoln and Elizabeth gasped. “We would always go there when Willa was a child, she used to love it. She always said she felt like she was coming home every time we went.”

  Delilah smiled, a small sob echoing from her. “It was mine and her father’s special place. She would have sensed our souls there.”

  Sadie took a fortifying breath when Jaron grabbed her hand and pulled her through the ripple of air. Dexter and Zak took her friends through their own hatches and it wasn’t until Sadie and her friends burst into the dense thickness of the forest that she realised Sgt Grant Miller was holding her hand as tightly as she was holding his.

  On opening my eyes moments before, I tried desperately to take in my surroundings. At first I’d been stumped as to where I was, the large stretch of grass surrounded by a strip of calm water baffling me, but then on recalling Delilah’s dream I knew I was in the very place my parents met in secret.

  I was already weak, the silver dagger Rax had used had been enchanted and the poison it had infused into my bloodstream had eradicated all my mystical powers. I was hanging from a chain suspended by nothing but magic, and without my own abilities there was no way of getting free or healing the wound in my chest.

  Rax was suspended from his own chains, his face to the floor in slumber, but his chest moved up and down so for the moment I wasn’t too worried about him.

  “Nice of you to join us, Willa.”

  Gritting my teeth at the anger that stormed me with the sound of her voice, I dragged my eyes to her, my lip curling in disgust. “Don’t speak to me, bitch.”

  She cackled, the sound angering me further. If I didn’t calm myself down I knew my heart would start to struggle with the amount of adrenaline racing through me but I was too full of fury to compose myself.

  “Listen to the high and mighty. You’re not The Almighty yet. You don’t get the right to bark orders at me, halfbreed.”

  Swinging my gaze to Rax, I shook my head sadly. “All this because he chose me. Really, Tabitha? I thought you were more original.”

  Tilting her head to the side to look at Rax, she sighed. “When this is over, he is promised to me.”

  I nodded. “And does Rax know that?”

  “Once I deliver his child you will be a distant memory.”

  “Let me guess. Damon will enchant him to love you like he did to hurt me?”

  Tabitha shrugged, appearing bored as she pulled out a nail file and started to grate it across her talo
ns. “Damon won’t need to charm him. Rax loves me and when you’re gone he’ll realise that. You were just an interim fuck. It was just a matter of waiting for him to screw you out of his system.”

  “An interim fuck,” I mused out loud. “That’s why he coupled with me, huh?”

  Her face darkened, a furious glare spitting at me with venom. “I know you just bewitched him, Willa. There was no way he saw anything in you apart from an easy slut.”

  I chuckled, shaking my head. “I almost feel sorry for you, Tabitha. That you have to bow to someone and do their bidding just to cop yourself a man is really quite sad. We usually use our best attributes to make a guy fall for us but I can see why you had a bit of trouble there, not having any to use.”

  “You fucking bitch.”

  Blood splattered across her face with the upsurge of air from my lungs when a shadowed silhouette hit out at my stomach. I hissed, knowing I was bleeding internally.

  “Oh, Tabitha.” Damon spoke in a sing-song voice as he stepped out from some trees. “Please try to contain yourself. I need every drop of her blood. It’s not good to waste it.”

  Tabitha turned to Damon as he slowly approached her. She dipped her head in both reverence and apology. “I’m sorry, Master.”

  He stopped in front of her and lifted a hand to her face, softly cupping her cheek. “You have been a perfect disciple, Tabitha.”

  Her smile was huge, her eagerness to please really quite sad. “Thank you. You know I would do anything for you.”

  I froze when, as if in slow motion, he morphed into his wispy green demon and pulled her to him, embracing her at the same time as he pulled out a long silver blade and thrust it through her heart.

  “No!” I screamed, writhing in the chains as I tried to get to her.

  The surprise on her face was horrific, her mouth and eyes wide and stunned. Her dying eyes moved to Rax, her gaze softening with love before she fell to the floor.

  “She was pregnant, you bastard!” Although I hated her for what she had done, she was still pregnant with Rax’s child. “What kind of monster are you?”

  Damon shrugged. “She is no longer useful. I have what I need.”

  “Why?” It came out choked, the blood in my lungs starting to ride up my throat.

  He squinted at me. “You really need to ask, Willa? I thought you were brighter than that.”

  “So, all this just because you want the throne? You will even use your own son and kill your own grandchild to get it?”

  Damon slid his eyes to Rax. He sighed and shook his head sadly. “Such a fool, that boy. I’m almost ashamed to call him my son. I did try and warn him to stay away from you but he was too duped by your charms. ”

  “So you manipulated him to kill me?”

  “Not kill you, Willa. That’s my job after you give me your blood.”

  “Give you my blood? You are as crazy as I thought.”

  He smiled as he dragged a hand down the front of Rax’s bare chest. “Still, he came in handy. He managed to ensnare you before the others got to you.”

  “Others?”

  He tutted. “Really, Willa? Do you know nothing?”

  “Obviously not,” I mumbled. It was becoming difficult to talk, my system starting to shut down. Inability to heal myself due to the toxin in my blood was the main problem, and the fact that Rax still hadn’t woken was starting to worry me.

  “The council, Willa.” Damon meandered around Rax’s body and I tensed when he spun the blade he had used on Tabitha in his hand.

  “What about the council?”

  The silver blade mocked me, the glint of moonlight catching it, making it difficult to concentrate on anything but that, my eyes practically ordered to follow the route Damon was tracing over Rax’s bare torso. “The eight council members. What exactly do you think they are?”

  He wasn’t making sense. “The council are there to make the rules. A government.” Well that’s what we had all been taught anyway.

  He laughed, his head tipping back with amusement. “Dear Lord, all this time I’ve been dealing with delinquents. The eight council members have been tracking your whereabouts for thousands of years, Willa. Your existence was foretold to us all many years ago, and greed can be a dangerous emotion.”

  He reached up to Rax’s face, tracing the contours of his cheekbone with the tip of his finger. “As time passed and The Alpha’s death became imminent we were all starting to get desperate. And then, as luck would have it, my son decided to fall for a seraph. A seraph whose scent on him was unmistakable. Well.” He smirked. “You can imagine my delight. Years we’ve searched for you, many long years. Once he led me to you I did try to get him to back off but the stupid boy never could handle orders.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  He rolled his eyes. “You really don’t know, do you? Have you no idea what power you are granted as The Alpha? This earth will be ripe for the taking, Willa. The humans are so weak that taking their realm as well as both spiritual realms will be so easy.”

  I stared at him in frozen horror. “You’re insane!”

  “Maybe so.” He shrugged as if he agreed with me. “But imagine just how powerful I will become once it’s all mine. I’m tired of this conversation. Your stupidity is boring me. Time to get down to business.”

  The pump of fear in my chest brought a whimper up my throat when, very slowly, he dragged the tip of his knife along Rax’s stomach. A line of blood followed in its wake, the crimson liquid and the pain it brought bringing Rax out of his slumber.

  He frowned, confusion on his face. His eyes scanned the scene before him, his gaze snapping from me to the island we were on and then to his father before they swung back to me. “Willa? Shit, Seraph. Are you okay?”

  I smiled at him, trying to soothe him but as his eyes swiftly took in the state of my dying body, his own heartbeat identifying that mine was struggling, he started to struggle in his bonds. “Hey, shh,” I soothed him. “I’m okay.”

  He growled at Damon, yanking at his restraints as he tried to get free. “You son of a bitch! How can you do this?”

  Damon chuckled. “It’s quite easy when she has what I want.”

  “Her blood will kill you, you fool. She’s useless to you!”

  “Dear fucking Christ!” Damon practically shouted, his frustration tinged with anger. “Every single one of you is stupid. Her blood isn’t toxic if it’s gifted. Have you learned nothing?”

  “But it can only be gifted to her mate,” Rax said as he still struggled in the chains, his eyes frequently coming to me as my mind started to waiver.

  I cried out, yanking at my own bonds when Damon pierced Rax’s stomach with the knife. “That’s what Chinese whispers does for you. It was originally thought that her blood could only sustain a mate, but in reality it’s just a matter of her gifting it.”

  “I will never give it to you!” I cried out, wincing at the flow of blood oozing from the wound on Rax’s stomach.

  Damon turned back to me and smiled. “We’ll see.”

  Rax screamed when Damon lifted a hand and tormented him with a veiled spell. Damon was a mage and skilled in the powers of magic; dark magic his speciality. I bit my lip when Rax’s body thrashed in agony. I couldn’t think properly, the lack of my own abilities leaving me unable to help. “Stop it!” I screamed when Rax started to go into shock at the pain his own father was forcing into him.

  “Gift me your blood and I will stop, Willa.”

  “No!” Rax shouted. “I would rather die than allow you to give this bastard your essence, Willa.”

  Another torturous scream brought tears to my eyes when Damon subjected him to another bout of torture, his body whipping uncontrollably as his back arched and scream after scream tore from him.

  “STOP!”

  My brain was throbbing with anguish as I watched my mate take Damon’s cruelty because of me, the incessant hum in my head lacerating every bone in my body until the pain in my chest became unbe
arable. “Stop it, please,” I begged.

  Damon paused, Rax’s body going lax for a moment. I knew he had passed out with the pain that surged through him.

  “Well?”

  I shook my head, the pain causing me to heave.

  “Oh, fucking hell, Willa. Really?” Damon muttered when I vomited.

  I squeezed my eyes closed when a high pitched hum hurt my ears and my skull felt like it was squashing my swollen brain.

  Damon turned back to Rax when I denied him what he wanted. But watching Rax take so much pain broke my heart. I could feel the beat of his heart slow, its once strong rhythm now just an infrequent whispered murmur.

  “Please,” I wept. “Please.”

  When Damon forced an almighty shock of agony through Rax, his brain going into shock and his body shaking violently when a seizure ravaged him, I cried out, my soul splintering inside me.

  “Stop it! You can have it! You can have it all, just leave him alone!”

  Instantly Rax’s body slumped as Damon turned to me with a grin. “I knew you would see sense.”

  My whole body was rattling, my head banging as my body started to jolt with the pressure inside me.

  “It will almost be a shame to watch you die,” Damon taunted. “It’s been quite fun playing with you. But I promise to tell the world exactly who saved their mate at the expense of everyone else.”

  I gritted my teeth, holding on to my sanity for as long as I could. As Damon pounced, my eyes slid to check on Rax. He was still breathing and I used the relief to calm myself.

  Once I felt his teeth pierce my neck I stopped fighting with the vibration in my brain and allowed it to set itself free.

  The roar fractured every single atom in the atmosphere. Goosebumps broke over my skin with the terrifying sound and slowly I lifted my head.

  Shock froze my body, the trembling aftereffects of the seizure that had just ravaged me instantly ceasing as horror rolled over me.

  The thing, whatever it was, was huge. It was majestic and magnificent yet gruesome and chilling. Its massive dragon-like body rose into the skyline and my eyes followed its length until they came to a stop on its head.