The Belial War

by R. D. Brady

  “I’m not asking you to choose to become a god. I’m asking you to choose me. To be with me.”

  She placed a hand on his cheek. “And I choose to be with you. Until my last breath.”

  “But I want longer.”

  “That longing is what makes our time together all the sweeter.”

  He pulled her close. “I love you, Delaney McPhearson. And I want to spend lifetimes with you, not just one.”

  “But one is all I can give you. Will you accept that?”

  He sighed, wishing he could talk her into it. But he also knew that his inability to see what she needed, to support who she truly was, was how he had lost her before. And he had promised himself if he ever had the chance with her again, he would not make the same mistake. “I will take every minute you give me.”

  “Good.” She leaned toward him, and he met her halfway, sealing their pledge with a kiss, knowing he would cherish her for as long or as short as he had.

  A tingle ran over Drake’s skin, and he pulled away. “Gerard’s here.”

  “Again, ruining the mood.”

  Drake chuckled, taking her hand. “Come on. Let’s go see what your mad scientist came up with.”

  Chapter 87

  Laney took a shower before joining Gerard and Drake. She needed an extra few minutes to sort through her thoughts. As committed as she was to doing what it took to defeat Elisabeta, this next step was a big one. They weren’t entirely sure how the Omni would affect her. And she wasn’t even sure it was reversible. She’d told Drake the truth—she had no interest in being immortal, watching the people she loved, dying one by one—but she’d be lying if she didn’t think there was a little appeal in the idea.

  They’re dying anyway. Drake’s words crashed through her mind. She sat down heavily on the bed. Zach, Kati, Maddox—all gone. In one fell swoop, Elisabeta had torn three people from her life and left the others ravaged. The need for revenge burned through her. But more than that, she wanted to somehow turn back the clock. She wanted to save them or at least make sure they knew how much she loved them. How grateful she was to have each of them in her life.

  She pictured Zach. For some reason, his death was even more poignant than the others. Maybe it was because he was so young. Or because he had already been through so much at the hands of his father. Or because he had died protecting another innocent life. It was just such a waste. A precious life gone because Elisabeta needed more.

  Laney took a deep breath, pulling back her grief. She hadn’t had time to grieve yet. This wasn’t the time either. Grief was a luxury of the safe. And no one would be safe until Elisabeta was taken care of.

  Pulling her damp hair back into a ponytail, she stood and crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped out. Drake and Gerard both looked up. “Any problems?”

  “No.” Gerard held up a small test tube. “He only had time to make the one dose. He said he would make the other one when you needed it.”

  “And the instructions were destroyed?”

  “Burnt to a crisp.”

  “Good.” She hesitated for only a second before holding out her hand. “Then let’s see if this works.”

  The Omni was a soft blue color and almost seemed to glow in the glass container. Laney held it up, inspecting it. Such a small, innocuous-looking substance, and yet the power it held was awe inspiring.

  “The power of the gods,” Gerard said softly.

  Laney nodded. “And not a power to be taken lightly.” She thought about the government task force and knew they would give anything to have the abilities she currently held the key to. “The Omni must be hidden again as soon as we are done. And no one can ever know that Dom created it.”

  Laney had not wanted to draw Dom into this, but she could not create it on her own. With his memory, though, Dom would be able to recreate it even without the instructions before him. She knew he wouldn’t. But if anyone learned that he knew how . . .

  She straightened her spine in resolve. No. No one would learn, and he would remain safe.

  “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present.” She started to unstop the tube.

  Drake’s hand snaked out, grabbing hers. “Wait.”

  She looked up at him in confusion.

  “We don’t know what it will do to you. It’s meant for a normal, non-enhanced person. Or to nullify the effects on a Fallen. It’s never been tried on a ring bearer before.”

  He was right. They were choosing to believe that the Omni, if taken by the ring bearer, would make that person immortal. But the Tome didn’t specifically say that. It said it would grant the ring bearer the greatest punishment and burden. That’s how Laney thought of immortality. But there was always a chance she was wrong.

  She had to believe that it was not intended to hurt her. It was a leap, but the benefits far outweighed the risks. With Elisabeta immortal, they had no hope of defeating her. They needed to take this chance.

  “There could be another way,” Drake said as if he could read her mind.

  “The world doesn’t have time to figure it out.” She tipped the tube to her lips and drank.

  Chapter 88

  Washington, D.C.

  The drive from the airport to Matt’s home took longer than normal. The area outside D.C. had sustained significant damage. Telephone poles and electric wires seemed to be down on almost every block once he’d left the highway. Jake had had to backtrack four times to find another route.

  With each mile he drove, he questioned his decision to return even more. Mary Jane and her family were safe. Elisabeta had stopped the attacks when the U.S. President had conceded to her demands. And with Molly and Zane there, they should be fine. But he wanted to be there with them as well.

  But Mustafa had contacted him, insisting he return. Jake turned to Hanz, who sat in the passenger seat. Mustafa had sent Hanz to track him down and give him the message in person. He said Mustafa did not want to discuss anything over the phone. “Are you sure you don’t know what this is all about?”

  “No. Only that Mustafa insists it is critically important.”

  Jake wasn’t sure how that was possible. Elisabeta had won. The President had capitulated, and with Laney dead . . .

  The wave of grief flowed over him. He had been moving ever since Laney had died. First preparing everything in Baltimore, then rushing to Boston, then helping Mary Jane and her family. But on the plane ride here, he’d had time to think. He gripped the steering wheel. Dead. It didn’t seem possible. Part of him didn’t believe it yet. But then he knew, even if he had seen her die with his own eyes, he would have not believed it. Laney had literally become a force of nature. It was difficult to believe she could be snuffed out by such a cowardly act.

  Elisabeta’s act had confirmed one thing for Jake: They had missed something. If Elisabeta had been afraid to face Laney, that meant Laney somehow had the power to end her or at least stop her.

  But now we’ll never know.

  “Turn here,” Hanz said.

  Jake nodded, making the left. Three more turns and he was pulling to a stop in front of a small two-story house set on five acres of land. Two other cars were already parked in front of the garage. Jake pulled in right behind a Land Rover.

  He sat behind the wheel for a minute without saying anything.

  “Are you coming?” Hanz asked.

  “Yeah, in a minute.”

  Hanz nodded, stepping out and disappearing into the house.

  Jake just sat there, wondering what the hell he was doing there. He pictured Laney the first day he’d met her. She’d been scared and fearless at the same time. And in the intervening years, she’d just grown into that fearlessness. When they’d met, he’d taken care of her. Somewhere along the way, that had changed. They’d become equals, and then she’d stepped ahead. The ring bearer had been who she was. She’d embraced that role, sacrificing time and time again for the greater good.

  And I let her make the ultimate sacrifice. Guilt pulled him down
as tears rolled down his cheeks. I’m sorry, Laney. I never should have let you get on that plane. A car pulled in behind him.

  Glancing in the rearview, he caught sight of Henry in the driver’s seat and Cain in the passenger seat. Before he stepped out, he wiped at his eyes and cheeks. Stepping from the car, he waited for them to extricate themselves. “So, you were summoned as well?”

  Henry nodded, dark circles under his eyes. “Yeah. Apparently turning down the summons was not an option.”

  Jake extended his hand to Cain. “Good to see you.”

  Surprise flashed across Cain’s face before he returned the handshake. “You as well.”

  “How’s Patrick?” Jake asked.

  Cain shook his head. “Not well. I-I don’t know how to help him. When I realized Henry was heading out, I made sure he took me. I need to do something.”

  Jake recognized the need. The same one burned deep inside him. “I understand.”

  “Well, let’s see what is so top secret. I need to get back soon.” Henry headed toward the front door.

  Jake fell in step with Cain behind him and nearly walked into Henry when he stopped dead. “Henry, what are you—” His mouth fell open, and for a moment he thought he must be imagining things.

  Cain grabbed his arm. “Do you see her?”

  Jake nodded slowly. Then Henry sprinted forward, yanking Laney off the ground and into his arms.

  Laney had been recounting everything that had happened over the last few days since she had learned about Noriko’s vision, confirming the details of her own vision. Matt, Mustafa, Henry, Jake, Drake, Gerard, and Cain had stayed silent for most of the retelling.

  “And then I took the mortus.” Laney went quiet, waiting.

  “Did it work?”

  She nodded. “Yes. We did a trial run of sorts. I can heal. I have speed. And I still have my abilities.”

  “That’s why she needed you out of the way,” Jake said. “She was afraid you would be able to go toe to toe with her.”

  “I think so.”

  Henry crossed his arms over the chest. “Why didn’t you tell us any of this? Warn us? My God, Laney, we thought you were dead.”

  Drake’s voice whipped out. “Watch the tone, Henry.”

  Laney put a restraining arm on Drake’s hand. “No, no. It’s okay. He’s allowed to be angry.” She turned to Henry. “I couldn’t risk it. Everyone needed to believe I was dead. Elisabeta has spies everywhere, and we’ve all been tracked by law enforcement and the media. If even one person looked less than upset after my death, Elisabeta would know. And any chance of surprising her would be gone. Besides, there was no guarantee it would work. So now we just need to figure out a way to get me close to her. She thinks I’m dead. And she can’t sense me.”

  “But you can’t kill her,” Jake said.

  Laney looked at Cain. “Actually, I think I can.”

  “How?”

  “I can command her to not fight. Then we use the Omni on her. It should remove her powers.”

  “Should?” Henry asked, incredulous.

  “If not, I beat her into a pulp and we keep her drugged up forever. Either way, she needs to be eliminated.”

  “Whenever this last fight is, I will go with you,” Cain said quietly.

  Laney shook her head. “No, absolutely not. You’re not a fighter.”

  “Perhaps, but even without landing blows themselves, I can offer you protection. And I cannot be sensed.”

  “No. It’s too big a risk.”

  Laney looked around the room, but no one nodded their head in agreement.

  “You are going to need help,” Henry said. “And none of us with abilities can be nearby. Cain needs to go. And I’ll be there, too, far enough away that I can’t be sensed but close enough that I can get to you if you need me.”

  “What? No. You need to stay with Jen. And we still don’t know who planted those bombs.”

  Henry’s voice was grave. “Actually, we do. There was a gas company that was let in the day before the explosions. The two men who came in and the guard who showed them around were all found dead earlier this morning. I’m not letting you do this on your own.”

  “And Mustafa and I will be by your side as well,” Matt said.

  Cleo let out a roar. I will be there, too.

  “No. I can’t hide you.”

  You can. I will stay hidden until I am needed.

  “She wants to go?” Jake asked.

  Laney nodded.

  “Good.”

  Laney whirled on him. “Good? I’m not risking everyone’s—”

  “We are at war, Laney. This is the last battle. If you do not succeed, none of us will survive this. We need to make sure you get a chance to fight Elisabeta. Which means we need to put everyone that we can into play.”

  “But—”

  “It’s not just your fight, Laney. It’s not just your life. It’s all of ours. And none of us is going to sit back and let you fight it alone. So let that go and let’s come up with a way to beat this bitch.”

  Laney looked into Jake’s eyes, reading the commitment there. Then she looked around the room at everyone else. Jake was right. It wasn’t just her life at stake. If she failed and Elisabeta succeeded, all their lives would change, along with the lives of all those they cared for, and not for the better. She didn’t have the right to tell them to stay out of it. She nodded.

  “Okay. Let’s figure this out.”

  Chapter 89

  They strategized for the better part of an hour, but they kept running into the same stumbling block: How would they get everyone into place in Calevitnia? Elisabeta was undeniably taking careful note of everyone moving in and out of the country. There was no chance she wouldn’t notice a couple dozen heavily armed people moving around the country. They needed to take her by surprise. Until they figured out how to do that, any plan they had was doomed to failure.

  Matt’s phone beeped. He stepped back from the table to read the text. He made his way quickly to the TV in the corner of the room. “You guys need to watch this. The President is about to make a statement.”

  On the TV, President Rigley stepped to the podium, her face pale. But she looked straight into the camera. Her voice did not waver. “As you know, yesterday I bequeathed control of the United States government to Elisabeta Roccorio. She will rule the United States with strength and intelligence. We are lucky to be the beneficiaries of her generosity.”

  The President cleared her throat and took a sip of water. Laney thought she might be trying to swallow down the bile that was no doubt trying to choke her.

  “The countries of the world have joined me in embracing Ms. Roccorio’s role as liberator to mankind. To celebrate this magnanimous occasion, we will hold a coronation of Ms. Roccorio as the ruler of all humanity in two days’ time in Washington, D.C. She is to be celebrated. Those who embrace her will be rewarded. Those who do not will be punished. This is a glorious day for all mankind.” The President stepped back from the podium and strode from the room, ignoring the questions called out from reporters.

  The news anchor reappeared, but Matt muted the TV. The room was silent, everyone with the same expression on the face—disgust. But Laney smiled at the screen.

  “Why on earth are you smiling?” Jake asked.

  “Because Elisabeta just gave us our way in.”

  Chapter 90

  Invess, Calevitnia

  Elisabeta hung up the phone. The calls had been coming in over the last two hours. Once word spread that the United States had capitulated, everyone else fell like dominoes. Everyone wanted to make sure she knew they had given up. Of course, there were a few holdouts, but they would fall in line after the next deadline. She planned on detonating bombs in each of the countries that still refused to hand over control. And where she did not have bombs, she’d send her army.

  Currently, she had representatives stationed at each of the critical countries in the world, overseeing the exchange of power. But she h
ad not initiated anything. For once, she basked in the anticipation, waiting for the single moment when it all gloriously became hers.

  She looked at Artem, who sat patiently waiting for her. “Where were we?”

  “We were discussing the security protocols.”

  For the last hour prior to the phone call, she had been dictating her expectations to Artem to give to the United States in preparation for her coronation. It would take place in two days’ time. Enough time to clean up the streets in D.C. and get everything ready, as well as have the holdouts fall in line. She wanted this to be a truly victorious celebration.

  “Right. And make sure there are no Fallen anywhere near the celebration except for our people. If I sense even one Fallen or Nephilim, I will send my Fallen through the streets of their capital and right to the heart of their city to rip out its beating heart.”

  Artem nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She smiled. “Make sure there are balls set up for afterward. I like how the American President flits from ball to ball; I’d like to do the same. And a representative from each world government must be in attendance, and not some little nobody from the accounting office. The first- or second-in-command must be in attendance. That is not negotiable.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Am I forgetting anything?”

  “I do not believe so.”

  “Neither do I.” She smiled. “Get that out right away, and send me the designer sketches that arrived earlier.”

  He bowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Elisabeta smiled. Time to celebrate.

  Chapter 91

  Washington, D.C.

  The last two days had been an absolute flurry of movement. D.C. had been left in shambles after the Fallen had whirled through it. Electric lines were down. Water lines had burst. Fire had consumed about ten percent of the city. And everything along the parade route needed to be clean and in working order. On top of that, they had to set up for a coronation.