Luxure_The Cardinal Brotherhood Book One

by Sienna Parks

  “Luxure. Why are you here?” She turns her gaze from me mumbling under her breath. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted Selma to keep her mouth shut.”

  “Are you serious? Did you think I would let you sacrifice yourself for me?”

  “It’s not your choice to make. This is my life and my decision.”

  I grab her arms and force her to look at me. “How can you say that? Don’t you feel this connection?” She shies away from my knowing gaze. “You can’t deny it. Yet you were willing to die and for what? Do you have any idea what your death would do to me?”

  “You survived Abi’s death… you’ll survive mine.”

  “No, I fucking won’t! You just don’t get it, do you?”

  “Get what?”

  I forget about the fact that I’m supposed to be discreet standing in the middle of the street. “That I’m fucking head over heels insanely in love with you. Abi never held a candle to what I feel for you. Our connection is the stuff of legends. When are you going to realize that you are a part of me?” My lips crash down on hers in a desperate kiss. I need her to feel how I feel. When I pull back, her heart is racing, her breathing erratic. “If you die… the best part of me will die with you.”

  She showers me with kisses—my lips, my face, my neck. “I didn’t want to leave you. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But, I couldn’t watch you die like my dad. His face haunts my dreams. His death was my fault, and I can’t have any more blood on my hands.”

  “Gabriel’s death was not your fault. You have to believe me. The man that… killed him… his name is Azazel. He’s one of my biggest foes. He killed Gabriel because he could see how much you mean to me. He hurts you, he hurts me. I’m so sorry.” She stays in my arms for the longest time holding on for dear life. I have no words to explain how sorry I am for the death of her father. He wasn’t my favorite person, but he kept her safe until the very end. I admire him for that.

  When she finally speaks, her pain is unbearable. “I have to tell my mom he’s gone. How do I do that?” Her eyes fill with tears at the very thought.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” She slowly nods as I wipe away her tears. If only I could wipe away her pain so easily.

  She takes a moment to compose herself before we make our way up the front steps of her mom’s house. She can’t bring herself to ring the doorbell, so I hold her close and knock on the door. It’s as if she was waiting for us, the door opening almost instantly. “Sirena! Darling, I’m so happy to see you.” She pulls her daughter into her arms as only a mother can. Sirena bursts into tears, her pent-up grief flooding out, raw and unbridled. “What’s wrong? Let’s get you inside.” She ushers us in closing the door behind us. I can feel her apprehension, but she hides it well.

  I take a seat across from Sirena and her mother giving them some space to be together… before everything changes. I watch them carefully, the bond between them so pure and good. She waits patiently for her daughter to calm herself rubbing her back and holding her close to her heart. “Speak to me, sweetheart. You seem to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Tell your momma.”

  When Sirena opens her mouth, I’m surprised by the words she speaks. “But you’re not my mom, are you?” Her mom’s face is one of absolute heartbreak. “Dad told me everything.”

  “Sirena…” She takes her daughter’s hands in hers shaking with fear and apprehension.

  “It’s okay, Mom. You may not have given birth to me, but you’re all I’ve ever known. You and Dad loved me, not because you had to, but because you wanted to. There’s no greater gift you could ever have given me.”

  Tears fall from her mom’s eyes slowly dripping down her cheeks. “I love you so much. We both do.”

  Sirena’s head drops at the mention of her father. “Mom, I have something to tell you.”

  “Okay.” Trepidation is evident in her voice. She’s been waiting for this day since she met Gabriel and found out who he was.

  “He… he came to help me. As far as I know, that’s been his ‘job’ since the day I was born. We were ambushed by some very bad people.” Sirena’s voice breaks, and she struggles to continue. “He fought bravely to keep me safe, but he…” She can’t even look at her mom as she says the words. “He didn’t make it.”

  Mrs. Sovende stands from the couch pacing the room. Deep down she knows it’s true, but I can see her fighting it so fiercely, desperate to hold on to the man she loved. “No. He’s immortal. You’re wrong. He can’t die. He’s just laying low for a while. It’s happened before. Don’t you worry. He’s okay. I know it.”

  “He stopped being immortal when he chose to give me a mother—when he chose you. He loved you enough to give up his immortality.”

  She looks to me for confirmation. “She’s right. Gabriel was a mighty warrior and a respected Archangel. He loved you and Sirena so much, he sacrificed that life for one with both of you. He died defending what he loved—his daughter. He was courageous even in death.”

  They both scream out in pain finding each other’s arms again before falling to the floor in a heap, together and yet so very alone in their grief. Sirena’s broken heart overwhelms me. I’ve never experienced such intense desolation in all my years on this Earth. I need to let them do this on their own when everything inside me wants to scoop Sirena into my arms and hold her until she can breathe again. All I can do is sit back and watch—helpless.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom. It was my fault.”

  She takes Sirena’s face in her hands. “It was not your fault, sweetheart. Your dad loved you so much. He died knowing you were safe. That’s all he ever wanted for you. You need to remember that. Guilt that’s not yours to bear will kill you. Don’t let your dad’s death be in vain. You fight to stay alive, you hear me?”

  “I don’t have any fight left. I can’t let anyone else die for me.”

  “Then you fight for them and for you. I raised a strong, fierce woman. You were born for greatness, Sirena. Your dad never told me the full story, but I’ve always known you’re destined for so much more than this world.” Sirena breaks down, her mother’s unconditional love too overwhelming to bear in the face of her father’s death.

  It’s then that her mother looks to me. “I know you’re not of this world. I’ve learned to recognize it over the years.” She beckons to me to take Sirena into my arms. “You take care of my baby girl no matter what. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then get her out of here before they come.”

  “We need to get you somewhere safe, Mrs. Sovende.”

  “Please, call me Gilda.”

  “We need to move quickly… Gilda.”

  “I think we’re already too late, Luxure. They’ve been watching me for days waiting for Sirena to come. You need to take her and go. Now.”

  Sirena suppresses her grief—the strong woman I love fighting her way to the surface. “I’m not leaving you, Mom. You told me to fight to save those I love, and that includes you.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m human. I don’t stand a chance, and without your father, my job is done. You’re ready to change the world.”

  “No!”

  “Lux, take her.” I can hear the Guardians outside ready to pounce at any second. If it was the Vollstrecker, we could stay and fight, but I’m sorely outnumbered, and the last time that happened, I was lucky to leave with my life. I won’t risk Sirena. The doors begin to shake with the celestial power that surrounds this house—once a home to a happy family, now destroyed. “Take her now!”

  I grab hold of Sirena and Gilda. I’m strong enough to jump all of us out of here to Cole and Kade. Kade can jump them to safety and Cole can stand and fight with me. Together we’ll stand a chance of fighting off the Guardians. Sirena’s whole body is shaking, her hand violently thrashing against mine. I have to fight to hold on garnering all of my strength as the doors fly open, and the Guardians descend.

  Sirena’s tattoos begin to emanate the brightest l
ight, and as I hold onto her with everything I have, my tattoos start to glow. It’s blinding even through our clothes. The energy builds between us threatening to erupt at any second. Her eyes are on fire—the darkest red I’ve ever seen them. Her fear and anger are a physical force field around us. I try to focus on her heartbeat frantic to find the calm I need to get us out of here.

  Just as I’m ready to jump, Sirena locks eyes with one of the Guardians, and a wave of energy pours forth from us like a sonic boom blasting everything and everyone around us, knocking them clear across the room, including Gilda. I need to get to her, but I can’t loosen Sirena’s grasp. I can’t tell if she’s lucid, her rage is a tidal wave engulfing her in its midst. I shout to Gilda to get up and grab onto me. I can’t wait too much longer before Sirena drains me of the strength I need to get us to safety.

  Gilda looks around us as the Guardians are closing in again. She finds me in the chaos, her words a mere whisper. “Go, now! Save my daughter from those that would harm her, and most importantly, from herself.”

  I feel myself weaken as Sirena throws out another blast of energy. The walls of the house around us are beginning to crumble. It’s now or never. I glance to Gilda one last time, asking her forgiveness. She smiles, nods… and then we’re gone.

  The silence is unbearable as we jump to where my brothers are waiting for news from me. When we appear in Kade’s room, he and Cole are ready to fight sensing something supernatural. Sirena is limp in my arms, the force of her power is too much to handle.

  “What the fuck?” Cole takes her from my arms, my limbs shaking under the strain.

  “The Guardians. She had some strange power surge and drained me of my strength.” Both he and Kade look shocked. We’ve never seen anything like this before. “Kade, get her and Selma out of here. You need to jump around until you are sure you’re not being followed.” He goes to work taking Sirena from Cole and then making his way over to Selma resting in the bedroom. I take one long, last look at the woman I love praying to a God who doesn’t care to listen to me to keep her safe.

  When she’s out of sight, I turn my attention to Cole. “The Guardians will certainly follow me. Will you stand and fight with me, brother? I don’t have the strength to do it alone.”

  He holds out his hand. “It would be my pleasure.” I take his hand, feeling my strength return, the power that we share together getting stronger. “Let’s kill these arrogant, holier-than-thou assholes.” We stand firm ready to fight for our lives. And for me, I’m ready to avenge the woman who sacrificed herself to save her daughter—Gilda Sovende.

  When they come, we’re ready for them. We show no mercy striking down every one of them until there is nothing left but a pool of white celestial blood and a heap of dismembered limbs. We are savage in our victory tearing the wings from every angel before setting them alight.

  I have unleashed the darkest part of myself in defense of the woman I love, and I will stop at nothing to ensure her safety. I no longer lust for carnal pleasures but for blood—the blood of anyone who threatens Sirena’s life.

  18

  LUXURE

  Cole and I have been sitting in the midst of our angel bonfire for hours now watching the white flames licking up into the night sky. It took a long time for us to clean up the mess we made at the hotel convincing everyone we saw that they weren’t, in fact, seeing us cart body parts out through the lobby. By my count, it’s been twenty-one hours since I last saw Sirena. I’ve had no word from Kade or Selma, and I’m starting to worry. Sirena was out cold the last time I saw her, and as far as I’m aware, she doesn’t know we were unable to save her mom. I don’t want her to hear it from anyone else, especially not Kade. He’s not the most tactful of demons.

  As I sit entranced by the flames, I think about what I’ve done here. When Abi died, I thought I had discovered the depths of despair. I thought I had felt rock bottom. I now realize that it was a drop in the ocean. I ran from it and from the people who took her life in front of my eyes. I hid in the shadows for a thousand years abandoning The Brotherhood for my selfish ends. Now I see what true misery is. Just knowing that the Guardians and Vollstrecker have robbed Sirena of her parents has turned me into something I don’t recognize. I daren’t imagine what I would be capable of if any of them harmed so much as a hair on her head.

  I have lived through many battles in my lifetime leading thousands of demons to war against any threat that Lucifer deemed too close for comfort. I have seen more death and loss of friends than anyone ever should. I’ve witnessed torture, and I’ve been tortured. I’ve fought alongside all of my brothers garnering the strength that comes from our unity, and yet nothing has ever compared to the surge I felt when Sirena took hold of me. Even the strongest of demons and angels have been unable to siphon my power like that. With my brothers, I gain nothing but strength from them, but they cannot take strength from me. I’ve killed more supernatural beings than I can count, but I’ve never killed for sport. I was always clean and concise, just enough force to kill—no emotion, no investment. I’m concerned by the extent of my brutality toward the Guardians. I lost sight of the task to kill them fast, so they no longer pose a threat to Sirena. Bloodlust blinded me. I enjoyed every moment of pain I inflicted on those celestial beings. I ripped their pure, untainted hearts from their chests with a smile on my face. I delighted in watching the light fade from their eyes.

  My mind is consumed with thoughts of Sirena, where she is, and how she will react to the news of her mother’s death. I wonder if she is in control of her growing power, and most of all, I wonder if she will forgive me for becoming as savage as Lucifer himself. I won’t be able to hide it from her. She’ll feel it as soon as we’re in the same room together. I look to Cole who is hypnotized by the burning mound of angels. “I see the concern etched in your brow, brother. Speak to me.”

  “What happened in San Francisco? I’ve never seen you fight with such raw emotion before. In truth, it scared me a little, and I’m not one to be fearful of anything or anyone.” He walks around to stand next to me, his eyes searching mine for an answer… or a glimpse of the brother he once knew.

  “Sirena’s mom was killed by the Guardians.”

  “Fuck. She must be devastated.”

  I take a deep breath, enjoying the cold night air filling my lungs. “She doesn’t know yet.”

  Cole looks almost as distraught as I feel. “Holy Shit! What the hell happened?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it. Sirena took hold of me and somehow siphoned my strength. I was holding onto her and her mom trying to jump us out of there. Then, out of nowhere, there was this immense wave of energy… I don’t even know how to describe it… like a fucking sonic boom or something. It knocked every one of the Guardians on their asses. It also sent her mom flying across the room. I had to get her out of there before she drained all of my strength, otherwise we were dead. Her mom told me to take her and go. She sacrificed herself to keep Sirena safe.”

  “Sounds like Sirena can hold her own.”

  “That’s just it, Cole. She has no control over it. Right now, she’s dangerous. I think whatever it was, she was fueled by anger and fear and grief. I don’t know what she could be capable of when she finds out about her mom.”

  “Fuck, Luxure. This is a bad situation that just got worse. We need to talk to Kade as soon as possible. I can track him if I go back to the hotel. Once we know where they went, we can make our way there without jumping. The Guardians will be out for blood soon enough. and we don’t want to lead them right to us or Sirena.”

  Within the hour we have a location and are back on the road. I feel like I’m always chasing after Sirena, and as soon as she’s in my grasp… she’s gone. Cole took her, she left to martyr herself, and then I sent her away with Kade. As we drive into the cold, dark night, I promise myself one thing and one thing only… I will never let Sirena go again. It’s a physical pain in my chest when we’re apart, a burning desire to be in her presence an
d an aching need my soul must fulfill.

  By the time we reach them, I’ve just about lost my mind going over all the awful things that could have befallen Sirena in my absence. It’s beyond frustrating having to travel by human means. I can jump to different planes in the blink of an eye, and yet I’ve been stuck in a car with my brother for more than a day, every minute feeling like an hour, every hour equivalent to a day, and we still haven’t heard anything from Kade. He should have been in touch by now. I hate that I question his motives and his loyalty. Unfortunately, he has always been ruled by his power. He never learned to control his envy. Instead, it consumes him. I want to believe he only has Sirena and Selma’s best interests at heart, but a voice inside my head tells me not to entrust them to him ever again.

  Cole interrupts my thoughts, the car coming to a stop. “We’re here, brother.”

  I was so busy concerning myself with Kade that I wasn’t focusing on the feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that tells me Sirena is close by. “I can feel her.”

  Unaware of our surroundings when I was lost in thought, I take a look. We’re not at a seedy motel or a plush hotel. Instead, all I can see for miles is lush green fields, a fortress of trees surrounding the perimeter, and in the distance a little cottage. It looks deserted but for one solitary, dim light in the upstairs window.

  Without a word, I get out of the car and run through the field toward her, Cole following closely behind me. “Wait, Luxure! It could be a trap. We need to make sure the building is secure before we enter.”

  “I don’t care. Sirena’s in there!” There’s nothing he can do to stop me. I’ve always been the fastest. I’m at the door in seconds, but it’s bolted shut. I don’t shout for Kade, not wanting to give him time to jump out of here with Sirena. I kick the door in and follow the light upstairs to a bedroom. I’m distracted by the noises coming from within. A woman moaning in pleasure, Kade grunting with each thrust of his hips.