by Rene Lyons
The area was also desolate—something Seth had said was essential. None of the Seraphim would risk having this play out where humans might end up caught in the fray.
As they drove past her house, Sabrina barely spared it a glance. She felt no connection to the place. She was no longer part of the normal world. She was part of something more—part of the Seraphim. Daniel’s blood flowed strong in her now and she felt ready to do anything to prevent Bryce and Colin from getting to the stones. She wondered if this was what Seth experienced, this burn in her body to protect humanity even at the cost of her own life.
Her confidence in Seth kept her calm as they drove to St. Mary’s. She wasn’t afraid, even knowing how fragile the thread of control she had on this situation was. If she were only dealing with Bryce, that would have been one thing, but Colin was another story entirely. He wasn’t someone who was going to go down without a fight.
Staring out the window, Sabrina was met with near blackness. With no streetlights here up in the mountains, dark blanketed the area, making it almost claustrophobic. She
looked up at the sliver of moon hanging in the deep blue sky and wondered if her father was watching her. Of course he was. Closing her eyes, Sabrina concentrated on the sensation of her father all around her. Tears gathered in her eyes as his soul moved through her.
Opening her eyes, Sabrina looked at the back of Bryce and Colin’s heads and wondered if they heard it, too. That they hadn’t turned around or questioned the whisper told her they hadn’t. That soft male voice saying her name had been solely for her.
Once they arrived at the church, Colin pulled the car into the overgrown parking lot. As soon as Sabrina climbed out of the car, she sensed the Seraphim were already here. Glancing around, she saw no trace of them, but they were there. She felt Seth watching her from the shadows, sensed Kael and Bath. Their warrior spirits burned bright, cutting through the darkness with a light only Sabrina saw.
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
Bryce’s question brought Sabrina’s attention to the two-hundred-year-old church. With no upkeep, the harsh winters had taken their toll on the building. The doors had long since rotted off the hinges, leaving a gaping black opening. The windows were shattered and the wooden shingles had all but rotted away.
Though the spire still rose up from the roof, the cross that once topped it was long gone. Even the headstones that marked the graves in the small cemetery beside the church were broken. The piles of stone were a sad sight. There was nothing left to indicate that this was once a house of God.
“I’m positive this is the place. This is the only abandoned church in the area.”
A frisson of fear worked its way through her as Colin reached around to his back and pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. She hadn’t known he was armed. He aimed the weapon at her and Sabrina actually felt the air thicken with Seth’s fury.
“Shit, Colin, what are you doing? Put the damn gun away.”
“Your girlfriend better be right.” Colin’s icy glare cut through her as cleanly as any bullet. “Because if you’re not, you die.”
She had no doubt he meant to do exactly as he threatened.
Sabrina rolled her eyes and pretended she wasn’t scared out of her mind. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, Colin. I want those stones as much as you do, so there’s no need to threaten me.”
Colin stalked over to her, getting so close she saw the flecks of gold hidden in the depths of his otherwise brown eyes. Sabrina resisted the urge to shove him away, to put some distance between them. “That’s not a threat. It’s a fact. Now get in there.”
“Come on, Sabrina.”
Bryce grabbed her hand and tugged her away from Colin. They walked toward the church with Colin following them. Sabrina dreaded having that cold-hearted bastard behind her holding a gun. Nevertheless, she sucked up her fear and went with Bryce into the church. Thankfully, Bryce had a flashlight, which allowed them to see as they made their way up the short aisle.
Many of the pews were still intact, though some of them were nothing more than a mess of splintered wood. Graffiti marred the walls. The confessional was crammed with garbage. Dead leaves, crushed beer cans, and crack vials littered the floor. Among the debris were syringes. The danger of what contaminated those bent and rusted needles scared her almost as much as Colin did.
The church was a wasteland of misery. The gloom seeped into her, spreading through her. She had to fight to stay focused and not succumb to the desolation all around her.
Bryce set the flashlight down on the altar. The meager light barely lit the church. It cast long shadows that seemed to move with a life all their own. Though she wasn’t a person easily disturbed by the thought of things that went bump in the night, even she was a little chilled at the creepy feel of the old church.
If she didn’t know better, Sabrina could swear she felt Hell’s hot breath at the nape of her neck. It was enough to send a shudder racing through her. She was so on edge that the scurry of a rodent had her nearly jumping out of her skin.
“Scared?”
Sabrina wanted to smack the smirk off Colin’s face. The arrogant prick really thought he was intimidating her. He was, but she’d be damned if she showed it. “No. Are you?”
His smile was pure ice. He walked toward her, grabbing her and pulling her up against him fast enough that she had no chance to stop him. The feel of him against her body was revolting. “Nothing scares me, Sabrina.”
She shoved away from him, resisting the urge to swipe at herself in a sad attempt to remove his touch. “Good, because from what I’ve learned about the stones, they are the key to opening Hell.”
Sabrina had to make them admit that was their plan. Once the words were said the Seraphim could step in and do their thing and she would be free to get the hell out of there. Unfortunately, Colin merely grunted and disappeared into the shadows behind the altar.
“Where did the scroll say the stones were hidden?”
Sabrina looked at Bryce, who stood in front of the first row of dilapidated pews. In order to keep this believable, Sabrina had to leave out exacts. Too many details might make it seem too set up.
She motioned to the altar. “Over there somewhere. It wasn’t too specific.”
Bryce walked past and followed his brother into the shadows. The weight of the darkness crashed down on Sabrina. An odd sensation crept up around her. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear she sensed Hell.
As much as she wondered how she could sense Hell in a place that had once been holy, one look around her told her exactly how that could be. The church was now a place of broken dreams. It had been stripped of any statuary and other art, leaving bare walls and barren pedestals. The only decoration was graffiti, done by the local kids who used this place as a hangout.
Sabrina feared how Seth would take seeing his Father’s house desecrated in such a way.
Looking over the altar, she peered into the dark but couldn’t see either brother. Swallowing hard, Sabrina tried to calm her nerves. “Find anything yet?”
God, how she hated the way her voice shook.
“Not yet.”
Like a disembodied voice, Bryce’s words came at her. It was followed by plenty of shuffling around, the only indication of where the brothers were. Colin cursed—a lot—as he snooped around looking for nothing. Given his frustration, he must have realized that fact and strode back toward her.
Taking hold of her upper arm, he yanked her around like a rag doll. “So, where are the fucking stones, Sabrina?”
“I told you, the scroll said they were hidden near the altar.” Her futile attempt to wrest her arm free only had Colin’s fingers biting harder into her flesh.
He narrowed his eyes on her, his cutting gaze seeming to go right through her. Sabrina was sure this time it wasn’t her imagination but Hell’s breath she felt blowing across her neck. Balian obviously wanted out and his freedom lay in the hands of the Mathers brothers.
“If I don’t find the stones, you’re dead.”
Colin gave her the perfect opening to coax him into admitting what he and Bryce planned to use the stones for. “Like you’re not going to kill me anyway? I know you need my blood, Colin. You can’t break the stones without it.”
He roughly dragged her close enough so that his lips grazed her ear. “Now why would I want to break the stones?”
“Let her go and stop scaring her.”
Colin released her arm and Sabrina stepped away from him. “We don’t have all night. I’d suggest you stop trying to intimidate me and get back to looking for the stones.”
“She’s right,” Bryce agreed. “We still have to perform the ritual.”
Sabrina gasped and jumped back, watching in shock as Colin smacked Bryce in the mouth. “You idiot. I warned you to keep your fucking mouth closed.”
“I’m sorry, but I thought…”
“And who the hell told you to think?”
Bryce wiped the blood from his mouth. “What harm would it do to tell her? She’s bound to figure it out once we get the stones and need her blood to break the stones.”
“Sorry, Bryce, but that’s just not going to happen,” Seth announced from the entrance of the church. Sabrina almost wept with relief at the sight of Seth. With him were Kael and Bath. “I hate to break up the party, but I think it’s about time we settled this matter once and for all.”
Chapter Thirteen
“You fucking bitch,” Colin snapped. “You set us up.”
Sabrina couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Oh please, are you really surprised? You knew I wasn’t going to lead you to the stones.”
The smack caught her off guard. She stumbled back, but thankfully didn’t fall. Seth went to charge Bryce, but Kael held him back. Bryce pulled out a gun he had hidden beneath his coat. Her blood ran cold when he aimed it at her.
Whatever sympathy Sabrina might have had for Bryce went right out of her when she saw the hatred blazing in Bryce’s eyes. As much as she wanted to believe he wasn’t as ruthless as Colin, that simply wasn’t the case.
“I warned you she was one of them.” Colin’s words dripped with contempt.
“Shut up, Colin. Just shut the fuck up,” Bryce stammered.
Though Sabrina heard Kael hiss out a warning to Seth, it was drowned out by the sound of the cocking of a gun.
“I trusted you.” The accusation in Bryce’s tone had Sabrina swallowing the lump of terror that lodged in her throat. Sabrina went numb, believing he was going to murder her. Too much of a coward to turn to him and be forced to look down the barrel of the gun he aimed at her, she kept her gaze focused on Seth. If she had to go, it was his face she wanted to take with her into death.
“I couldn’t let you open Hell.”
“Bryce.” Seth’s voice was smooth and calm, though Sabrina felt his rage.
Finally, Sabrina looked at Bryce. Sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip at the sight of the gun he held trained on her. The hand that gripped the gun shook. Slowly, Bryce turned his attention to Seth. Sabrina then noticed Bath had her sword free and held it directed at Colin. Colin, however, just stood there aiming the gun at them with a cold and calculated smile playing upon his scarred lips.
“You knew this had to happen, Bryce. Take the gun off Sabrina and let her leave. Don’t stain your hands with more innocent blood.”
The “more” startled Sabrina. It indicated Bryce had taken a life before. Why she was surprised, she didn’t know. He’d certainly made her believe he was desperate enough to kill for the stones. She had just been holding on to the hope he hadn’t gone that far off the deep end of things. Turns out, her assumptions had been correct. And now she was very likely going to be the last person he killed in his mad quest for power.
Bryce turned back to her. He was sweating profusely and trembling so badly Sabrina was terrified he’d pull the trigger without meaning to. “Where are the stones, Sabrina?”
“She doesn’t know where they are,” Seth ground out.
Bryce didn’t take his gaze from her. “Then you tell me or I’ll kill her.” He moved in toward her, close enough that the gun was now only inches from her face. “I swear to God, I’ll put a bullet in her head.”
Sabrina held back her whimper at Colin’s taunt for Bryce to do it.
“I said, shut up,” Bryce snapped. He licked his lips nervously, though his hand was steady. The gleam of hurt in his gaze over her betrayal and determination chilled her worse than staring down the barrel of the gun.
In her peripheral vision, Sabrina saw Colin move. He leveled the gun at her—only he didn’t hesitate to use it. The crack of gunfire deafened her to all else but her own scream. For a moment, Sabrina thought she’d been shot, but there was no pain. Bryce gasped, and for a second, moved the gun off her. Sabrina looked to the Seraphim and saw Bath on the ground, a bullet wound in her head.
Colin drew first blood. No longer fettered by God’s law, Kael attacked. His roar had Bryce jumping back. His finger tightened on the trigger and the bullet whizzed by Sabrina’s head. Gasping, she dove to the side.
In a blur of movement and an explosion of sound, Colin and Kael clashed. Though Colin was no match for an angel, he managed to draw a dagger and drag the blade across Kael’s stomach. Kael growled, faltering in his attack. Sabrina watched in horror as Colin gained the upper hand in the fight.
Seth reached Sabrina just as Colin dropped Kael to his knees. The fact that Colin felled Kael proved he wielded no ordinary blade. Seth had no time to wonder how the brothers managed to get hold of such a weapon, since a bullet caught him directly in the chest. Grunting from the impact, he shoved Sabrina away and lunged for Bryce, knocking the gun from his hand. Bryce backed up, hitting the wall. Seth smiled as satisfaction ran though him. Now that Bryce had made the same mistake as his brother, Seth was free to strike deadly.
He grabbed Bryce by the neck and lifted him off of his feet. Bryce’s eyes bulged as Seth slowly squeezed, restricting his air. Kicking his feet and gasping, Bryce fought wildly in a futile attempt to break Seth’s hold. With the memory of seeing Sabrina sprawled on the ground with Bryce towering over her fresh in his mind, that wasn’t about to happen. Seth was going to kill him and take much pleasure in the act of sending the bastard to Hell.
All that saved Bryce was Sabrina screaming Kael’s name. Turning, Seth saw Colin stab the blade into Kael’s heart. Growling, he tossed Bryce aside and lunged for Colin. He hit Colin hard, the two of them crashing to the floor. Grabbing Colin’s wrist, Seth snapped the bone, causing the bastard to drop the blade. As they fought, Seth lost sight of what was going on around him.
The fight took only moments to end. Seth, stronger and faster, broke Colin’s neck. By the time Seth gained his feet, Kael was facedown in a pool of blood and Sabrina was once again facing down the barrel of Bryce’s gun.
Seeing his brother dead, Bryce let out a yell that echoed through the church. He moved with surprising speed, grabbing Sabrina and slamming her against his chest. He jabbed the gun into her ribs, stilling Seth’s attack.
Bryce’s scream woke Bath, who sat up slowly, blood seeping from the bullet wound in her head. Seth hissed a warning not to strike, since neither of them were close enough to get to Bryce before he’d be able to fire a shot into Sabrina’s side.
“It’s over, Bryce. Let her go.”
“Give me the stones,” Bryce demanded.
“That’s not going to happen.”
Bryce pressed the gun deeper into Sabrina’s side, pulling a whimper from her that cut clear through Seth. Never had he felt as helpless as he did then, knowing there was no way he could barter the stones for Sabrina’s life. More importantly, Sabrina knew it as well. She’d agreed to risk her life to set this trap, believing he’d not fail her. But fail her was exactly what he’d done.
“Then she dies.” There was no remorse in Bryce’s tone.
Sabrina stiffened, her panic rolling over Seth like
an icy wave. “Don’t do this. Please.”
“Because of you, my brother is dead. You brought this all on yourself, Sabrina.”
“Colin is dead because of your obsession for the stones. Let it go, Bryce, and you can still make it out of this alive.”
Seth was willing to offer Bryce the sun and the moon if it meant she’d make it through this with her life. “It’s over. Put down the gun and I’ll let you walk away.”
Bryce’s gaze shifted to Bath. Seth would have struck but Bryce moved the gun to Sabrina’s head. “Do you think I’m stupid? I put the gun down and you’ll kill me.”
Seth’s growl reverberated throughout the abandoned church. Bath stepped up, though Seth noticed how she swayed on her feet. Blood continued to trickle from the wound in her forehead. She stepped in front of him and he saw the remains of the exit wound at the back of her head.
“You have one chance to make this right. Release Sabrina and salvage some small part of your soul.” Her slurred words, spoken in her rich accent, barely made what she said discernable. Nevertheless, by the look on Bryce’s face, he understood her. Seth noticed how the hand that held the gun lowered a fraction of an inch. A light of remorse flashed in the depths of his eyes.
“My brother’s dead.”
Seth cocked a brow, remaining outwardly calm in the face of Bryce’s sudden anger. “As is Kael. Don’t add another death to the madness of this night.”
Bryce shook his head frantically, as if trying to dispel voices only he heard. “Her death will be on your hands.”
Seth roared and lunged forward at the same time Bryce fired the gun. If he had been any slower, the bullet would have hit her. Seth shoved her out of the way, causing her to trip and fall. She was knocked unconscious when her head hit the floor.
But she was alive, and that was all that mattered.
With the fires of fury fueling him, Seth choked Bryce until he dropped the gun.
