by E. A. Copen
I shifted my focus from keeping the blade away to letting it hit somewhere less fatal than my throat. The blade shifted to the right and shook as we fought to control the last vital inch, then sank into my shoulder. I gritted my teeth and clenched my jaw, but it did little to stop the pained cry from coming out. Maggie let go of the knife’s handle and struck it with her palm, hammering it farther in.
Fire flared around us. Wood groaned and more timbers came down, crashing through the compromised floor. The floor fell away and we crashed into darkness, hitting solid concrete together.
Chapter Twenty-One
Khaleda
I tried to pull myself off the floor, but winced and fell over when I put weight on my right arm. A quick look told me it was bleeding and badly. Dammit all. Without the use of my arm, I was in no shape to do any fighting.
A vampire hissed in my ear and I jerked away, only to bump into another one. Sharp fingers pushed me toward Remiel. I rose, spinning toward the vampires, and spotted my sword just a few inches away. I dove for it, but Remiel stomped on the blade before I could grab it.
He grinned down at me. “You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you?”
I let go of the sword and clamped a hand around his ankle. He might’ve been a Fallen, but the body he was in was still human, so maybe…maybe my power would work. I unleashed everything I had, hitting him hard with it.
Remiel’s body crumpled, falling limply to the floor, limbs twitching.
Yes! I crawled on top of him, hands closing around his throat. “You should’ve thought twice before jumping into a human body!”
He stopped twitching and his head rolled to the side, white foam dripping from his mouth. What the hell? That’d never happened before. They weren’t supposed to die, and I hadn’t been choking him long enough for him to suffocate.
A chain jingled behind me. I rolled forward and spun just in time to avoid having a metal collar close around my neck. A control collar. So he did have a real one after all.
The copied body smiled and laughed. “Come now, Khaleda. This is all over. I’ve won.”
Remiel? No, it couldn’t be. He was just in that body. Didn’t he have to make sacrifices to swap bodies? It wasn’t something he could do at a whim.
He smirked. “You seem surprised. Submit, and I’ll tell you how I’m doing it.”
“Kiss my perfect ass.” I swept my fingers over the burning debris on the floor and tossed it at his face. While he tried to wipe it away, I found a length of broken wood about four inches long, and sharp at the end, with several embedded nails. It was no knife, but it would do. I brought it up under his chin, hitting him with the blunt end first, then dragging the sharpened edge and nails against his throat just below the ear. It might not have been as effective as a knife, but I only needed to penetrate one to two inches to rip open the carotid. With the help of the nails, that was easily manageable.
His hand went to his throat, but there was no way to stop the spurting arterial blood. The body fell over, and another stepped out of the shadows.
I raised the board. “How many bodies do you have down here?”
Remiel charged me. I stabbed him in the eye, then hammered the stake in until the orbital bone cracked. He fell over, and vampires rushed from the sidelines to tear into the body while yet another copy of Remiel ran at me. He threw a punch that I deflected with my right forearm despite the pain of impact. Then I threw a punch with my left, hitting him in the throat, then stepped in to strike his chin with an elbow. He tried to grab my left arm and twist it, but I came down with a fist that snapped his clavicle. A kick, and he fell back to be impaled on an upward-pointing beam.
A moment later, wire closed around my throat from behind and another Remiel copy twisted it, cutting off my air. I reared back to head-butt him, but he kicked the back of my knee. I went to the ground, still choking.
“You know,” Remiel rasped through clenched teeth, “just because I can come back doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. You’re really starting to piss me off.” He pulled the wire tighter.
Blackness closed in on the edge of my vision, and tears dropped from my eyes as I strained to try to catch a breath.
Remiel kicked me in the upper back and let go of one end of the metal wire. I fell forward, gasping and coughing. “I could kill you. It wouldn’t even be that hard, but where’s the fun in that? And the minute I do, you become a martyr. All the armies that’ve opposed me would unite under Leviathan’s banner as he drove them forth in the name of avenging his fallen queen.” He grabbed me by the hair and yanked my face up to whisper in my ear, “I think he’s got the right idea. Why kill you when I can use you to legitimize my rule?”
I threw an elbow back, but the lack of air slowed my response time. He caught my arm, twisted it, and snapped the bone. I screamed. Remiel tossed me to the floor like trash. All I could do was hold my arm and roll back and forth, grimacing from the pain.
Cold metal closed around my neck and tightened.
I let out a defeated scream of frustration and tried to kick Remiel, but I could barely move. The control collar sapped all my strength and left me as weak as any human woman.
Remiel yanked on the chain, lifting my head from the floor. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Your Highness. After I take care of a little personal business, I’m going to gather the last of my forces. Then you and I are going to go straight to Hell, where you will publicly bow at my feet and renounce all your claims to the throne your father vacated.”
I swallowed. “I’d rather die.”
He tightened his grip on the chain. “Unfortunately for you, that’s not an option. But if you refuse, I think you’re familiar with the sort of punishment I had in mind. Except this time, it won’t be a bunch of demons having their way with you. It’ll be me. I can promise you I’m far more creative when it comes to sex as a weapon than they were.”
I blinked, and another tear fell. I’d been so close to winning, only to have it all taken away from me. Not only had I lost my bid for the throne, but now I was a prisoner again. I was back where I started before I’d been rescued from Hell.
Remiel turned and handed the end of the leash to someone else. “Xalith, take her outside and await further instruction. No matter what happens in the house, remain at your post. Do you understand?”
The demon inched into view, a towering specimen of nearly seven feet with sharp fangs and arms the size of tree trunks. Arms that had held me while the other demons my father had assigned to my torture tore off my clothes. Arms that held me down until I learned not to struggle. The sight of him was enough to send terror cascading through my body. Despite my broken arm, I tried to crawl away from him.
He just scooped me up with one arm around my waist. “Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll take good care of you.”
“Don’t spoil her, Xalith,” Remiel said, adjusting his shirt. “Restrain yourself for once, would you?”
“Yes, master,” said the demon. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of taking your prize from you.” He leaned in as he carried me away to whisper, “But that doesn’t mean you and I can’t have other types of fun, Princess.”
I closed my eyes tight and tried to quiet my surging stomach at the thought of what he might do to me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Josiah
The impact jarred the knife in my shoulder and I rolled away, gasping at the pain. Burning debris piled up around me. If we stayed there, we’d be buried in the rubble.
“Maggie!” I tried to reach for her, but moving my arm was too painful with the knife still in there. I’d probably bleed out if I removed it. Didn’t know what she’d hit, but I couldn’t just lie there and let us both die. Better me than her, I thought, and ripped the knife out of my shoulder. Hot blood raced down my chest in thick drops, but at least I could move again. I felt around in the dark until my hand hit something fleshy. “Maggie!”
My eyes adjusted to the dim light, and I found her lying undernea
th some thin pieces of flooring. I moved it aside and touched her unconscious face, pushing away some hair. She had a few cuts and bruises, but she was breathing, at least. “Now, I just have to get you out of this bloody hole before…”
A vampire hissed and crawled out of the darkness, perching near the burning debris. More quickly followed, surrounding us.
I pulled Maggie’s head into my lap and held her against me, calling a ball of angel fire into my other palm. “Come on, you fanged fuckers. Come at me!”
They stayed where they were while a slow clap emanated from the darkness. “Bravo, Josiah. Once again, you’ve managed to hurt someone you were trying to save.” Remiel stepped out of the shadowy ruined basement wearing the same meat suit he’d been wearing the last time I’d killed him, except he’d somehow grown his head back.
“That’s a neat trick, growing back body parts. A bit much even for you, isn’t it?”
Remiel smirked. “Why regrow body parts when you can grow a whole body? You see, Josiah, when you refused to host me, I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands. No matter what body I jumped into, it rotted and died in a few days. The only viable solution was to create a near-endless supply of bodies. Well, at least enough to keep me going until Maggie was ready for me.”
I slowly lowered Maggie to the floor. “I don’t care what she says. I won’t let you have her.”
Remiel shrugged. “Fine. I’ll leave her alone. Let her go back to her life. I’ll even cure her of her addictions and erase her memory. Things can go back to the way they were before. All you have to do is agree to be my host body.”
I looked down at Maggie. It was a good deal, the best Remiel was going to offer me and far better than anyone else would give me. It was also the only way Maggie might escape the situation unscathed, albeit temporarily. There would still be the end of the world. Remiel’s deal with Spyder would still go through, giving the vampires dominion over the Earth. And who would they hunt first, just because they could? Maggie. She was screwed either way, and it was all my fault. I should’ve protected her better.
Remiel held up a finger. “Wait, before you decide, let me sweeten the pot a little. I know Maggie’s not the only one you care about.” He whistled.
Chains rattled. A vampire came forward and handed the end of a leash to Remiel. Remiel jerked the leash, dragging a naked and bloody Stefan into view.
“Stefan!” I ground my teeth and glared at Remiel. “What did you do to him?”
“I did nothing.” He touched his fingers to his chest in feigned innocence. “This is the work of Spyder and his people. Not that I don’t approve, mind you. Turning your lover into a vampire was my idea. My help failed to implement the plan properly back in New York. I think you’ll find the West Coast vampires were much more successful.”
My chest felt like someone had driven an ice pick into my heart. “You what?”
“See for yourself.” He kicked Stefan forward.
I let go of the spell I was holding to stagger toward him. “Stefan?”
“Don’t!” he growled in a voice barely his own. Stefan ducked his head and slid back toward the dark. “Stay away, Josiah. There’s blood all over you, and this monster...this thing they’ve put inside me? I can’t stop it!” He ran suddenly toward me, stopping only because he reached the end of his chain. Stefan’s stunning dark eyes had changed, becoming a red perversion of their former selves. His skin had grown pale, almost corpse-like, but that wasn’t the worst part. The most disturbing thing about his transformation was the look in his eyes as he snapped at me and snarled like a rabid dog. Stefan had been reduced to little more than an animal.
But there was one thing missing.
“He’s got no fangs,” I hissed at Remiel.
Remiel sighed. “Yes, he will have to feed on human blood for the transformation to be complete, but he’s bound to Spyder. That much is true, and he won’t be able to fight his nature forever. Look at him, Josiah. He wants to bite you so badly, he’s drooling on himself.”
So it was too late. There was no way to free him, no matter what I did now. Killing Spyder would also kill Stefan, but letting him live like this? He wouldn’t want that. There was a chance, a blood ritual that might’ve worked, but the price… It would cost me everything.
“Agree to my terms, Josiah, and I’ll give you what’s left of your boyfriend back.”
I closed my eyes and turned away. I’d have done anything for Maggie or for Stefan, but this was too much. I couldn’t just hand myself over to save them. Stefan would not want me to, and Maggie? She’d die anyway, no matter what I did. But maybe accepting Remiel’s deal would buy me some time to find a way out of this mess. It would give her a chance at life. What kind of father would I be if I sacrificed my child to save myself?
I’d be like him. I glanced back at Remiel and made a fist. Killing your own flesh and blood to cling to life was what twisted fucks like Remiel and Christian would’ve done. Christian murdered his own wife after whoring her out to me and abused the young boys he’d taken in and promised to protect. What kind of man was I, that I was considering doing the same to my own daughter? I couldn’t just let him destroy her, and this wasn’t going to end until Remiel got what he wanted.
I released my clenched fist and spread my arms wide. “Go on then. Take me. It’s what you’ve wanted all along, so do it and leave them alone.”
A smile slowly spread over Remiel’s face. “No.”
A cold feeling settled at the base of my spine. “What?”
“I said no. Why would I want you, Josiah, when I already have Maggie?”
I lowered my arms. “You cunt!”
He took two steps forward and patted my shoulder. “I just wanted to see if you’d do it. You’re a far cry from the man you were when we first met, Josiah. Back in Astoria, you’d have gutted your mother and strangled me with her intestines if it’d give you the satisfaction of watching me die. You’ve gone soft, and I’ve got no use for a soft, broken old man.” Remiel shoved me forward as he passed.
I stumbled a half-step toward Stefan, almost getting my neck torn out as a result. I spun and raised my hands, calling power to me.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Remiel grabbed Maggie and lifted her in front of him as a human shield. He caressed her swollen belly. “Not unless you want to murder both mother and child. Go on, though. Prove to me you’re capable. Kill them both, and there’s still a chance for Stefan to go free.”
Magic swirled in my palms, blood and light and sheer rage coalescing into expanding crimson discs. My whole body shook with the effort of holding back the blast. Releasing it would destroy everything in my way—evaporate the vampires and Remiel’s current body. Maggie and her unborn child would be dead before they could even feel pain.
Do it, I urged myself. It’s better than what he’ll do to her, you know that. But I couldn’t. Remiel was right. Love had made me too weak to do what needed to be done.
Remiel suddenly jerked, his eyes widening. Maggie’s eyes snapped open, and she opened her mouth as the point of a sword tore through the front of her dress. Crimson drops fell, staining the front of her dress. Her eyes went to the blade and she gripped it, tears falling from her eyes.
“No!” I shouted as the sword retreated. I rushed to catch her before she fell.
Remiel went to his knees, revealing a bloodied Leviathan behind him. He’d killed them. My little girl… He’d killed Maggie.
I held Maggie to me and put my hands over the bleeding wound, knowing it’d do no good.
Leviathan kicked Remiel, then lifted the sword and drove it into my father’s neck, twisting the blade to snap the spine. He spat on his decapitated body. “For my queen.”
Maggie’s mouth moved, but the only sound that came out was a small whimper. Her hand shook as she reached for my face. “Daddy?”
“I’m here, Maggie. I’m right here.”
Her jaw quivered. “It’s so cold here.”
“
Help her!” I shouted to no one in particular. “For God’s sake, help her!”
Leviathan stalked past, his focus on the vampires closing in on us. Why couldn’t he see that the vampires didn’t matter? Maggie was dying!
I bowed my head, placing my forehead against Maggie’s, and squeezed my eyes tight. In all my life, I’ve never asked you for one damn thing, God. Not one. But please, not Maggie. Take me instead. Please!
Maggie’s fingers closed around mine, squeezing tight. “Something’s happening. Oh, God! I can feel it. Don’t let it! Don’t…” She made a low, guttural sound like someone drowning. Her hold on my hand relaxed.
I looked up and shook her. “Maggie! Stay with me, Maggie! Don’t go.”
Leviathan cut through a vampire and sent its head tumbling across the floor to land at my feet. “Josiah, have you seen Khaleda? Have you seen our queen?”
I pulled Maggie’s head to my chest and pushed her hair away from her face. “Get Stefan and go.”
“Who?” He tried to pull me to my feet.
I shoved him away. “I said, get him and go!”
Leviathan frowned, then turned and stabbed another vampire through the chest. It exploded like all the rest, splashing us with blood and gore. “But what about the vampires?”
Slowly, I lowered Maggie to the floor and stood. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to kill you.” Blue fire sparked in my fists and quickly spread over my entire body. “The only reason I’m letting you walk out of here is so you can take Stefan out. He doesn’t deserve to die.”
Leviathan took a step back. “I know she was your blood, but Maggie was the enemy. She would’ve destroyed everything.”
“I said, get the fuck away from me!” I lifted a hand and sent a concentrated blast of fire at him.
