by Misty Evans
She. Hmm. “This little bird wouldn’t happen to be Brianna, would it?”
His eyes stayed pinned on the road. The hand on the wheel tightened. All the answer I needed. “Dru doesn’t trust Rad, and had her follow him.”
If that was true, Alexandru and I were going to have a discussion. One that involved me shoving a stake up his ass. “Did Dru tell you that or did Bri? Have you considered she’s lying and using you to get to me?”
An incredulous snort. “How exactly would that work?”
“It’s no secret Brianna doesn’t like me. It’s also no secret that she’s deeply connected to her Master. A Master vampire who wants me.”
The finger caressing the gun trigger stopped. “Before Damon left, he told me to cover your ass at all costs. I’ll shoot first, ask questions later whether it’s Guitar Boy or someone else. Got it?”
Oh, I got it. “I don’t want to do this now, but you haven’t left me much choice. Brianna’s in love with Dru.”
“I know.”
Wait. “You know? Then why are you hooking up with her?”
Belligerent. “Why is that your fucking business?”
“Because you care about her and I care about you. I won’t stand for her using you.”
He turned right, accelerated around a car lying on its side. Gave me a quick, assessing glance and a renegade grin that said he knew jealousy when he heard it. “Maybe I want to be used, ever think of that?”
To my astonishment, I realized I was enjoying our argument. It was like old times. Good times. “You’re right. It’s none of my business, but I know vampires like Brianna. She’ll turn on you in a heartbeat. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He exchanged his hands on the wheel, used his right one to make a fist and punch me in the arm. “Stop it.”
“Ow.” I rubbed the spot. “What the hell was that for?”
“You’re getting all mushy.”
He was right. But it felt okay to get a bit mushy. “Me? Nah. I’m a hardass vengeance demon. Not a mushy bone in my body.”
“Good, ’cuz you need to face facts. Guitar Boy isn’t telling you everything.”
Paranoia is so ingrained in my system, I spent half a second on Cole’s suspicions before shaking them off. One thing about Cole, he called it like he saw it, and I knew he was worried and trying to look out for me. I appreciated that. No way I believed Rad was screwing me over, but to make Cole feel better, I nodded my head. “Just don’t shoot his male parts. If he’s double-crossing me with Parker, those parts belong to me.”
“Good.” Cole accelerated onto the interstate. “That’s more like it. I knew you were wearing that distracting shirt for a reason.”
Besides entertaining Rad? “Something like that.”
He glanced at my chest out of the corner of his eye. “No male in his right mind wouldn’t be mesmerized by those babies. If it is a trap, he’s going down.”
I chuckled under my breath. “Did Damon say anything else before he left?”
“Just to look out for you, and, you know, be there for you when the shit hit the fan.”
“No words of wisdom? No secret messages?”
“Nope, sorry.”
Ten minutes later, he took the turnoff to my place and then past my block and parked in the shadows of a vacant lot. Cole’s idea was to come at the church from the backside like we’d done before when we found Kirill on my kitchen floor.
“I hate that damn cemetery,” he said, “but so does every other supernatural creature. It’s our best cover while we stake out the place and make sure Parker and Maria aren’t lying in wait for you.”
Someone was waiting for me. Lights blazed in all the downstairs windows. Music blared through the walls. The curtains and blinds were drawn, but shadows moved here and there behind them.
“I count at least three,” Cole murmured as we took cover behind a mausoleum on the east side.
I checked my phone. Rad hadn’t responded to my earlier text and there was nothing showing up in missed messages or calls. Was he already in Maria’s and Parker’s hands?
Anger gelled inside me. I opened my senses, going through the same routine I’d used before to locate entities inside my house. What I picked up was a mixed bag. Whiffs of Maria, Parker and Rad, but suppressed. Vague impressions of other creatures. A shifter, maybe and someone else.
I strained harder, sending out a light dose of magic along with my five senses. Slowly, it bled through my security system and into the church. I closed my eyes and let my inner eye travel with the stream of energy, picking up impressions as I went.
A weight pressed in on my chest making it hard to breathe. Astral projection caused that sensation. Trying not to fight it, I imagined my bones were light as a feather, the way Lucifer had made them feel. As my astral being passed through the stone wall and into the kitchen, I was enveloped by a mystical fog. It swirled around me, cutting off my sight and dulling the voices I heard coming from the living room.
Rather than fighting the fog that dulled my senses, I stood still. No point in giving away my tactical advantage, and although I wanted to rush in and attack, I wasn’t sure what I was facing. Better to remain immobile and see if I could feel Parker’s and Maria’s auras.
The loud music dulled even as my nose went to work. Blood. Sweat. Overripe fruit. The scent of decay, rotting flesh, beeswax candles. Damp, ocean air.
Someone was in the throes of sex. I could smell the tang of desire, hear the moans. I felt the moment of release, a tiny death. My heart skipped uncomfortably. Parker and Rad?
Don’t go there.
I forced myself to move on.
Someone was eating. Gorging themselves. But the more they ate, the hungrier they became.
Maria?
None of it fit. Everything I came in contact with was off.
Next, I detected the split personality of a shifter. No wait. Two shifters. One canine, the other feline. Their animalistic selves were fighting, snapping and hissing at each other. What the hell?
The air around me changed suddenly, raising goose bumps up and down my arms. A different kind of magic struck me hard and a figurehead of a bearded man appeared in front of my astral self. The scent of dead and decaying flesh stole into my throat, choking me. “Join us, will you not, Ms. Sweet?”
Jerking out of the projection, I flew backwards through the kitchen, stone wall and yard, tumbling to the ground at Cole’s feet when my astral body snapped back into my physical one.
Snow puffed around me as my ass hit the ground and I sat there, stunned. “Holy shit,” I whispered to no one in particular.
The cemetery’s ghosts huddled around me, stroking my back, massaging my magic. Still crouching behind the marble façade, Cole offered a hand. “What happened?”
On my feet again, I brushed snow off my backside, not bothering to hide any more. With a flick of my hand, I sent the ghosts and their black magic back to their corners. “We’re made.”
“Maria?”
“She’s in there. So are Parker and Rad. But there’s something else in there. Something I don’t understand.”
Cole double checked the gun’s clip, a nervous habit he’d completed no less than three times already. “Evil?”
“Oh, yeah, but not in the normal sense of the word. Necessary evil is more like it.”
His forehead creased. “What are you talking about? What did you see in there?”
“Death.” I removed Parker’s dagger from my cape pocket, gave it a couple of turns in my hand. “And he’s waiting for me.”
Chapter Forty-seven
I was right on all counts.
Death, Pestilence, and War waited for me inside.
A quick inventory of the room showed Parker writhing naked on top of Rad in front of the fireplace, their eyes unfocused and glassy. Maria kneeled between Death’s legs, servicing him, her head bobbing hard and fast as he urged her on with one beefy hand buried in her hair.
At a large wooden table someone had dragge
d into the room, Pestilence was being fed by Arman. At least I assumed it was Pestilence. He didn’t shift into a rat or flea, but he was shifting. He and Arman both kept switching between human and animal forms so fast, they were a blur. Pest would shift to a wolf, reach out and bite Arman’s neck. Arman would shift to werecat and scratch him, making him laugh. Like Parker, Arman’s eyes were glassy.
The wolf seemed vaguely familiar in human form.
Ranulf?
No way. Now I was really pissed I hadn’t busted his ass sooner.
I almost missed War standing in a shadowed corner by my office door. The seven-foot giant was sharpening a wicked looking knife as long as my arm. The blade sang under his ministrations. When our eyes met, he grinned, displaying a wide gap in his front teeth. Over the thumping music—the Chaos Demons, no less, he asked, “Where be your friend the War demon?”
He knew Cole was there. Not good. It shouldn’t have surprised me. He could probably sense Cole’s blood, like Pest could sense Kirill’s.
“Which one?” I asked with a touch of flippancy and I shut off the music with a snap of my fingers. My communication link was open, so I knew Cole heard his question. “I have so many.”
He pointed the end of the knife at me. “I shall enjoy drinking his blood before the sun rises.”
Cocky. Perfect. Under my cape, I rubbed the dagger’s handle. Nothing better than taking down a Goliath who believed he was invincible.
Cole on his end said nothing. He was there, though. I could feel him. Planning. Strategizing.
I couldn’t see Maria’s eyes as I crossed the room to face the bearded form of Death. He seemed to be the leader, watching me with an evil smile as I drew closer and climaxing when his gaze landed on my double D’s in all their glorious height.
Since I’d been spotted by him in astral form, there’d been no point in hiding. Believing the Horsemen didn’t know Cole was there, I’d left him to send out a call to the troops and sneak in after I had the Horsemen’s attention.
Attention captured.
Death needed no time to recover from his climax. Still eyeing my breasts, he used Maria’s hair to lift her off, twisting her around so she faced me on her knees. “The vitium graces us with her presence. Gaze on her beauty. Fairer than you, she is.”
The Horsemen’s accents were hard to place. Maria’s glassy-eyed stare connected with my boots first, then traveled slowly up my legs, over my stomach, never pausing before it reached my face. Her head tilted as if curious, but not an ounce of recognition showed in her face. Her succubus magic was muted, lifeless.
Ignoring Parker pounding away on top of Rad, I met Death’s forceful stare. My plan was to keep them distracted until reinforcements arrived. Then we’d divide and conquer. “Have to say, I like Maria better this way. What’s your secret?”
Death shoved Maria away and sat back, spreading his knees wide. “Come sit on my lap, demon.”
I sensed Cole’s distress on the open comm even though he was silent. My code word was Mouse and Cole knew I wouldn’t use it to bring him in until I had to.
Death’s pants were unzipped and he was ready to go again, standing at full attention. The sight revolted me; the idea of getting anywhere near him, instantly rejected. Sensing my hesitation, he slammed me with a wave of the foggy magic. Hot, clammy, disgusting against my skin. My blood warmed, my limbs tingled.
Was his magic supposed to mesmerize me like it had the others? Seemed to be his plan. It had worked on Maria after all. Parker, Rad, Arman…why not me?
My demon shivered and my vampire blood went on the attack. On its own, it might not have repelled his magic, but combined with my blood, it absorbed the energy he sent out and dissolved it without any trouble.
Death cocked his head, sent another wave of magic crashing over me.
Sucking the ew factor, I decided it was best to play along. Nothing like getting up close and personal when taking down an enemy. Not my favorite way to fight, but still effective.
Swaying on my feet, I let my eyes go dull and flat, pretending to be under Death’s spell. Then I walked past Parker—the bitch—who couldn’t seem to finish the job with Rad and crawled onto the couch.
I didn’t just sit on Death’s lap like an errant schoolgirl. I straddled him so my breasts were in his face and my legs went on either side of his. He was big. Not as tall as War, but wide and thick-muscled. His stiff member poked my butt and I shifted to press it down and away from me, trying not to gag.
Death pawed me and I went to my happy place. Happy place for me translated to the moment when I yanked Parker off Rad and used her as a shield when I went vengeance demon on a couple of Horsemen’s asses.
“Where is the other Horseman?” I asked Death as he sucked at the soft mound of my left breast. “I thought there were four of you.”
War was watching us, so I made sure to keep the flat affect in place as I ground my hips into Death’s lap. His hands went up under my cape and I held my breath, praying he wouldn’t find the weapons stashed there. He didn’t notice, his hands busy gripping my hips and groping my ass cheeks as he tried to position me where he wanted me.
Good luck with that, buddy boy.
“All four are here,” he muttered against my neck. The scar on my neck from Dru burned when Death’s tongue trailed over the silvery outline. “You’ll get your chance with each of us, that is a promise. But then you’ve already experienced a thorough fucking from the Prophet, now, haven’t you?”
Dread slammed into me. “What?”
Death drew back, frowned. Females under his spell weren’t supposed to ask questions. I stared at a mirror on the far wall, keeping my face impassive. In the mirror, Rad’s three awards gleamed like glass soldiers on the mantle.
Seemingly satisfied I was still fog-happy, Death pinched my nipples through the leather bustier and bit the sensitive skin over my clavicle, drawing blood. “Radison Beaumont. The White Horseman.”
My blood froze on the spot. It couldn’t be true.
Emotions were for the weak. Logic, a welcome friend, came to my rescue.
If Rad’s a Horseman, why is he under Death’s spell?
Was he? I resisted the urge to look at him.
Death grabbed my panties and ripped them in half. The demon in me hissed.
“Unfortunate he be half human.” Death grabbed Mr. Winky and rubbed him against me. “Humans be weak. Not of use to us.”
I threw up a little in my mouth at the feel of Death’s hot skin against mine. I calculated my next move as he continued, licking his lips as he spoke. “Leading the masses be a worthless skill, unlike infecting lowly humans with plague. We watch them die slow, tortured deaths.”
That does it.
Logic didn’t have time to talk me out of my next move. Parker’s dagger was in my hand before Death nipped the top of my breast again.
I slammed it home, going up under his ribs and driving it into his heart.
Chapter Forty-eight
Fighting three of the four Horsemen on my own was akin to juggling chainsaws.
A dagger to the heart wouldn’t kill Death. Cutting off his head with it would take too long. Time was the one thing I didn’t have.
Okay, I didn’t have my army either, but they’d be here soon.
I hope.
War was watching from his corner when I drove the dagger into Death’s hearth. The back of the couch hid us from War’s direct view, so I kept the trance-like look on my face, grabbed Death by the back of his neck with my left hand and tightened my legs around his lower body. Shifting my weight backwards, I toppled us off of the couch, making it look like Death was throwing me to the floor and driving Mr. Winky home.
The bearded Horseman was a limp noodle by the time we landed. His body on top of mine jerked a couple of times and then went still. I rolled him to the left where Maria still lay in a fog. How long did I have before he came to? Minutes? Seconds?
Having never fought a Horseman before, I went with worst case
scenario. Thirty seconds, Kali. Make it work.
Out of War’s sight behind the couch, I came up on hands and knees. I was only a few feet from Rad and Parker, who were still going at it like rabbits in a daze. There was no kissing or fondling. Just a lot of endless, meaningless humping. The fact Rad was indeed the White Horseman gave me pause. Had he been lying to me all along about his False Prophet status?
My gut told me no. He’d been used unwittingly. Why, I wasn’t sure, but there’s no way he could have kept that kind of secret from me all these months. I would have picked it up in his aura if nothing else.
Of course, I hadn’t realized he was meeting Parker on the side until he confessed.
The ziiing of War sharpening his knife snapped me back to the present. Deal with War and Pest. Then figure out what to do with Rad.
War’s knife was nearly sword-length. Sharp enough from his meticulous whetting to cut through bone, I’d bet. If I could get it away from him, it might do the trick to cut off the Horsemen’s heads. But would they stay dead?
Kirill claimed a weapon forged by a Horseman wouldn’t kill one. Guess it was time to find out if that was true.
To my left, Death came back on line, moving a bit and moaning. It was a moan of pain, but I hoped War would think it was a satisfied sex moan.
I would only have one chance to take War and Pest by surprise. Pestilence was still entertaining himself with Arman and my protective instincts wanted to take him on first and save my blood slave.
But Arman would have to wait. War was my next target. I needed that knife.
Parker sat on top of Rad. She didn’t take notice as I crawled the couple of feet to her side. I held her dagger in one hand, Death’s cold blackish blood covering my skin and making my grip slippery. Volante curled around my waist, trembling and wanting in on the action.
Soon, my pet.
I toyed with the dagger, turning its handle around and around in my palm. The demon in me wanted to drive the dagger into the base of Parker’s spine and use it to shred her intestines. Instead I switched the dagger to my free hand, took a centering breath and grabbed Parker by the back of the hair.
