In short, I had the power to free him completely.
The stones in my forehead began to warm, and the ancient power of the Old Gods began to thrum over my body as I prepared to pull the curse off him.
Except—another, otherworldly power was mingling with my own. A deep, uncontrolled rage built in my chest, making it hard for me to focus. My stomach growled as hunger joined in with fury, starvation and wrath mingling together into primal hangriness.
This meant only one thing. Aereus and Johnny—our enemies—were nearby.
I should’ve known Kratos would betray us.
I whirled around, meeting Adonis’s gaze. “They’re here. The others.”
Already, Adonis was pulling the sword from his scabbard, the blade glinting in the torchlight. I unslung my bow, nocking an arrow, my grip tense on the bowstring.
Except, as I lifted my bow, my skull filled with a cacophony of voices—angelic voices that echoed inside my mind, confusing my own thoughts. I couldn’t remember what I needed to do. The arrow clattered harmlessly on the ground.
From one of the tunnels behind Kratos, angels rushed into the cavern, swords raised. Each of them was chanting in their infernal Angelic language. As they did, rock began to rain from the ceiling. The ground shifted and jerked beneath my feet, and the carvings on the walls seemed to come to life, snapping through the air.
Angelic was the language of creation, and they were using it to mess with us, big time.
Chaos rampaged through my skull until I could no longer hear my own thoughts. Flanking me, Adonis and Kratos were adding their own Angelic chants, bending the universe to their wills. Unfortunately, they were bending my mind with it. Drakon swooped above us, his screeches reverberating in the cavern, adding to the tumult.
For a moment, we were horribly outnumbered. Then, a low growl rumbled across the cavern, and darkness fell. Adonis’s dark magic whispered around us, and shadows consumed the cave.
Shouts rang out and light sparked as angels tried to fight the darkness. I dropped to my knees, my hands over my ears, dimly aware of the sounds of clashing swords clanging above the Angelic clatter. Something slithered against my skin, and I opened my eyes to find vines from the walls—come to life and curling around my body like pythons.
The stones in my forehead began to warm up. The magic of the Old Gods simmered in my body, giving me a little strength. I just couldn’t let them overwhelm me…. For just a moment, the chaos in my skull went quiet as the light inside me built. Sweet relief.
Then, with a burst of strength, I ripped the vines off me. My canines began to lengthen, hands twisting, becoming claws, adrenaline racing through my veins. Feral Ruby was coming out to play, and she was angry as hell.
An angel was upon me, his perfect features twisted in hate, wings spread wide. His sword arced down. I shifted sideways, fast as a snake. I let out a bestial snarl as I pulled my dagger from my belt, thrusting, moving with the blade. It plunged into the angel’s belly. His eyes widened in surprise and fear. When I pulled out the dagger, I felt it scrape the angel’s ribs. He fell, his wings twisted and broken underneath. He struggled to raise his sword, blood trickling from his lips. I licked my dagger’s blade, then kicked him in the face. He gasped, the sword dropping to the ground.
A wild roar escaped my throat, and I snatched his sword from the ground. The next thing I knew, I was carving my blade through the vines that had trapped another fae—an important one. My sister? Instinct compelled me to free her. The hacked vines dropped from her limbs, and I watched her run away from me.
I tried to think clearly through the haze of my mind, and I whirled to look for my enemy. Wrath consumed me, and I wanted blood. My sword clashed with an angel’s, and the music of the Old Gods whispered through my blood, urging me to slaughter the invasive species. Drive the angels from the earth. Reclaim it for us.
Somewhere, under the fog of fury, the real Ruby screamed. She wasn’t quite in control anymore.
Chapter 3
I scanned the cavern. Among the chaos of warring angels, I was looking for my prey—one of the leaders. It took a moment until my gaze landed on the starving one—the one who filled my gut with a gnawing sense of emptiness. The Horseman of Famine.
His eyes widened at the sight of me. Scared. Good. My hunter’s instincts roared at the smell of his fear. I needed to cut my way through the other enemies in order to get to him.
I pushed my way through the throng. The angels surrounded me, but they didn’t fight well in the cramped space of the cavern. They tried to swing their swords, to spread their wings, impossible moves when bodies are squeezed and mashed together. This was a place to fight dirty. To claw, and bite, and scratch. To fight like a beast. Perfect for me.
I left the sword behind me, carving with the knife. Somewhere along the way, I found a jagged rock, dripping blood. Not mine.
Someone was laughing hysterically. Me, I thought. The death of angels brings me joy.
Or was it … The Angel of Death brings me joy…? I wasn’t sure which thought made sense.
The Old Gods’ light beamed from my ribs, blazing over the cavern. Their magic wanted me to reclaim Paradise. Kill them all….
Only problem was, the light magic wanted to drive me from the earth, too. As the magic built inside me, I could feel it tearing cracks in me. It was splintering my ribs, power rising in a wild crescendo. My body was going to explode.
The Horseman of Famine lifted a bow and arrow, but his hands were shaking too much to aim it properly. My magic was affecting him. He shrieked, smoke rising from his starved body. He was trying to save himself, screaming something at me.
Still, I couldn’t hear him over the screaming in my own mind. This wasn’t right. A creature like me—a beast—was never meant to use divine magic, and it would kill me to use it.
An arrow pierced my flesh, and the sharp stab of pain snapped me out of my haze.
With the agony, the Old Gods’ magic began to dim, and I clutched my chest. Even with the pain gripping my body, I was relieved to be free of that powerful force. That shit did not feel right.
Johnny loosed another arrow, but I knocked it off its trajectory with a surge of light magic. Instead of hitting me in the heart, it struck me in the shoulder.
I slammed against the rocky earth. Agony rippled down my body. I gritted my teeth, trying to block out the pain. And yet the pain was doing its job, sharpening my mind further as I lay on the ground, clutching my shoulder. I tightened my jaw. Now, the whole situation was crystal clear to me, and it was not ideal.
Johnny was aiming another arrow at me. If it hit my heart, I’d die. I tried to summon the concentration to unleash another surge of light magic, but the fucker had used iron-tipped arrows, and the metal sapped my powers, poisoning my blood. Our eyes met, and I saw death.
A shriek pierced the air, and Drakon swooped down, knocking Johnny off his perch. I grunted with agony and tore one of the arrows from my body, nearly fainting from the pain. But I couldn’t have the iron poisoning my body further. Blood gushed from the open wound. From the ground, I glanced around frantically, looking for my lover.
There!
He was standing up, searching for me. My movements were sluggish, I was dizzy from pain. I couldn’t hide, couldn’t rush to him. At any second—
Just then, I felt a tingle on the back of my neck. Adonis’s dark magic whispered over my skin, soothing the pain. The shadows became thicker around me, giving me cover from the arrows. Shaking, I pushed up onto my hands and knees, sucking in ragged breaths. I crawled away from Johnny.
A burst of light flashed in the cave—one of the angels fighting back against Adonis’s shadows. A volley of arrows soared overhead before darkness fell again. Like an animal crawling off to die, I dragged myself into a dark corner of the cave. Pebbles bit into my palms and knees until I leaned against a wall.
Johnny’s voice echoed off the cave—Cockney-tinged Angelic spells—and Adonis’s dark magic dissipated like smoke
.
Raw pain arced through my body once more. I fell back against the wall. Flames rose all around the cave—the angels trying to smoke us out.
In the dancing light of the fire, I could see Adonis locked in a swordfight with Aereus, but I couldn’t see my sister through the flames.
“Hazel!” I shouted.
I tried yanking the remaining arrow out of my shoulder, but my hands were shaking too badly. I can’t stand up.
“Hazel!” I shrieked, panic rising. I couldn’t find her.
Flames rose around me, illuminating the cave, and high-pitched screams echoed off the cavern walls. In the smoky haze, I blinked at the sight of an angelic mob pulling Muriel though the dirt—her body beaten, bloodied. A broken bone jutted from her chest, and her head lolled. If she was human, she’d be dead.
I could hear Kratos roaring with fury, glimpsed him briefly slicing his sword through an angel.
Through the chaos of blood and flames, I caught another glimpse of Adonis. His sword clashed with Aereus’s. I gasped as I caught sight of Johnny—an arrow trained on Adonis from behind.
“Adonis!” I shouted, trying to move across the cave.
I tried standing, but a stray arrow slammed me in the leg. I screamed, certain my femur was splintering.
When I looked up again, Johnny had already unleashed an arrow, piercing Adonis’s heart. Drakon’s shrieks were ear-splitting, as if he could feel his master’s pain. Horror slammed into me. We were losing.
Get up, Ruby. Godsdamn it, get up.
Pain shot through my body, but I pushed myself up. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t let them take Adonis from here. The Devil’s Bane on Johnny’s arrow had already worked its way into his system, blood staining his clothes, his eyes losing focus.
I shuffled forward, determined to get to him. Aereus—Horseman of War—lifted Adonis from under his shoulders and began dragging Death’s body from the cavern. The poison-tipped arrow protruded from Adonis’s chest.
I let out a scream of anger and bloodlust, and rushed after them, but a cluster of angels blocked my way. No, not a cluster. A legion. I would plow through them all. I would.
Someone grabbed my wrist. Snarling, I raised my dagger, about to thrust it into the bastard’s neck.
“Ruby!” Kratos roared at me. “We’re pulling back!”
“No!”
“Your sister needs you.” He waved at her. Hazel was lying on the ground, blinking, confused, blood running from her temple.
Tears of frustration blurred my vision as I hurried to her, helping her stand.
“Through there!” Kratos shouted at me, pointing to a side cavern.
I began to shuffle in the direction of the opening, stumbling, Hazel groaning with pain. A group of angels detached from the host, rushing for us. There were at least a dozen. I was dizzy, weak, desperate.
Kratos raised his sword, his wings spread wide, and lunged at them. The Horseman of Conquest laid waste around him, his sword carving through wings, limbs, and bodies. I turned away, pulling Hazel through the small opening.
And then—darkness.
When I woke, an angel stood over me, his head haloed by the moon. It took me a moment to realize it was Kratos. Anger slammed into me. The bastard had betrayed us.
Hadn’t he?
I pushed myself up onto my elbows, and my chest felt like it was fracturing. It took me a moment to realize the screaming I heard was my own.
Kratos held up a hand. “Easy there. I only took the arrows out a few hours ago.”
I clutched my collarbone. Kratos might have pulled the arrows out, but the iron had worked its way into my bloodstream. I felt like I’d been run over by a train. “What’s happening, you traitorous fuck?” I gasped. “Where’s Hazel?”
“Calm down. She’s sleeping.” He nodded to his right. “She’s fine.”
Wincing, I turned my head. She lay in the dirt, curled up by a bonfire. Her chest slowly rose and fell. Elan slept next to her, his gentle snores floating through the air.
“I’m not the enemy,” said Kratos.
Maybe. Unlikely.
I’d seen the other angels drag Adonis and Muriel out. What had become of them? A sharp pang of protectiveness welled in my chest. Adonis was the Angel of Death, but I still wanted to keep him safe, and I’d failed. If anyone hurt him, I’d smash their heads into the rocky earth. And right now, Kratos seemed like enemy number one. Probably.
I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t exactly in a position to fight right now, but it didn’t stop the fury. “You led us into a trap. Johnny and Aereus took Adonis, didn’t they?”
His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “I have no idea where they came from. If I’d planned this, do you really think you’d still be here? You were their target. It’s why they brought iron. You’re the only one who can kill them. The capture of Adonis is just a way to get to you.”
None of this made sense. “So how did the other horsemen know about this specific location, then? They knew exactly where we were.” As much as I hated Muriel, I didn’t think she’d been the leak. I’d seen them drag her battered body out of the place.
“I don’t know,” said Kratos. “Spies, probably. Watching your movements.”
I shook my head. “We took a secure route here. I didn’t see any sentinels or cherubs, and believe me, I’m conditioned to notice them.”
“I traveled underground, so they wouldn’t have seen me.”
I glared at him. I was almost certain he’d betrayed us, but I wasn’t going to get him to admit it right now. I needed to keep a level head. “Where’s Drakon?”
“I have no idea.” He didn’t really seem to care, either.
Blocking out the sharp pain, I scanned my surroundings. We had camped out in an oak grove. Of the six of us who’d met in the cavern, only four remained. I had a hard time believing either Hazel or Elan had given up our location, which meant Kratos was just playing along with this charade, concealing his real plans.
For now, I’d keep my suspicions to myself. If I was going to uncover the truth, I’d need Kratos to let down his guard.
A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me, and my head fell back against the earth. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness again was a faint gleam of moonlight silvering Kratos’s unearthly copper wings.
Chapter 4
I woke in a four-poster bed, moonlight streaming through the windows. I had vague memories of a journey: the scent of cedar wrapped around me, wings rhythmically beating the air as the wind rushed over my body. I’d been flying in Kratos’s arms.
Pain still pierced my body. I wanted nothing more than to lie flat on the pillows, minimizing the pain, but I needed to figure out what was going on. When I was a kid, I’d competed in gymnastics tournaments. My dad had been a little intense about it—the only parent screaming on the sidelines. Now, whenever I had to push myself, his voice boomed in my head. Don’t get complacent, Ruby.
Grimacing, I pushed myself up to look around me. Stone room, tapestries glorifying war, the four-poster bed—I was back in Kratos’s castle.
One of the tall, peaked windows was open, and wisteria vines had climbed through it, spreading across the floor like an outstretched hand reaching for me. I lifted my arm, and the vine seemed to strain for me. For the first time, I felt as if I could hear the music of the vines—a faint humming. The sound of the spirit that lived within it.
I strained my eyes in the dim light, examining the rest of the room. Faint, golden light glowed around the doorknob. Angelic magic. If I had to guess, Kratos had locked me in here.
I clutched my chest. This was the first time I’d been here without Adonis, and his absence felt like a hole between my ribs.
Could he still hear my thoughts? I had no idea, and I’d never been able to hear back from him. I breathed deeply, trying to think calmly.
Adonis? I’m going to come for you. Wherever you are.
That was assuming I could get past Kratos and get out of here. Wha
t the hell was his plan? Maybe he wanted to take the Bringer of Light out of the equation and join forces with the Heavenly Host. Maybe I was supposed to be his first sexual conquest after I pulled the curse from him.
I had no idea. Whatever the case, I had to get out of here. I might have to kill Kratos, break Hazel free from her imprisonment, and get us the hell out of Hotemet. Find my way to Adonis.
But before I could piece together anything resembling a coherent plan, the doorknob began to turn.
The door creaked open, and my body tensed.
When Hazel’s crown of wild black hair poked into the room, I loosed a breath.
“What the hell is going on?” I whispered.
Hazel didn’t look particularly concerned about anything. In fact, she was holding a tray of steaming food. My stomach rumbled. Already, my gaze was roaming over the roast chicken and mashed potatoes.
“I’m bringing you dinner,” said Hazel. “Thought you’d be hungry.”
“Yeah I am, but … why am I locked in this room? And why don’t you seem concerned about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I can see the magic on the door.”
Hazel glanced at the golden light pulsing around the doorknob. “Oh, that? It’s not locking you in. It’s keeping out anyone but me and him. He doesn’t want Johnny coming in to pick your bones out of your body.”
I grimaced. “Does everyone know about this bone picking thing?” Despite the topic of conversation, my muscles began to relax. I still didn’t trust Kratos, but at least he hadn’t trapped me in here against my will. At least, not this time.
I tried to sit up completely, but the ache in my chest had me flat on the pillows again within seconds. “Hazel. This is serious.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna need you to feed me that chicken,” I said. “And the mashed potatoes, too.”
“Ugh, fine.”
I heard the sound of a knife scraping against the plate. The next moment, a speared piece of chicken hovered above my mouth. I chewed it thoughtfully, trying to figure out what the hell had happened to us in the Templar cave. A silence fell over the room.
Rogue Fae (A Spy Among the Fallen Book 3) Page 2
