by Tessa Cole
I tried to pry his fingers from my arm but couldn’t make them budge. “Jacob, wake up.” I wrenched against his grip, making the room spin, proving just how much blood I’d already lost. “Wake up.”
His eyes flashed open and his dark, intense gaze locked with mine.
“Essie.” He breathed my name against my skin, sending a shiver of desire sweeping through me. One little word, and it was as if a switch had flipped and the pain melted into yearning. Even the buzz was muted.
I shuddered and grabbed Kol’s closest wrist, trying to avoid the bleeding, oozing burns on his hand.
Jacob glanced at the connection then recaptured my gaze with his. His grip on my arm, both hand and teeth, loosened a bit, and the heat from his lips threaded into the ragged wound, staunching most of the bleeding but not all of it with a whisper of his healing magic. He took a long pull on my vein and another shiver swept over me.
The desire low within me erupted, hot and needy and insistent, and I focused on that. Not the pain. My pulse sped up, my breath suddenly ragged, and my whole essence throbbed. Need teased, taunted, strained within my skin and across my lips, and my thoughts jumped to the kiss with Marcus and his ferocious passion. The ache swelled low within me, tightening, trembling. I concentrated on the memory of Marcus’s hands capturing my face, his lips forceful, commanding, taking control of me, body and soul. Just like Gideon was doing with his brand. Just like every cell in me craved from Jacob, right now, please, God.
I let a moan of pleasure escape my lips, not trying to fight it, not that I could. I needed to embrace all of it and not hide from any of it if I wanted to help Kol, but I also didn’t want to give myself fully over to Jacob. If I did, I knew I’d rip the clothes from my body and beg him to take me. I was barely resisting the urge as it was, but I knew neither of us would be happy once the moment was over… well, I had a feeling I’d be incredibly satisfied, but Jacob wasn’t the one I wanted to have a relationship with.
My pulse stuttered. Did I actually want a relationship with Marcus?
Jacob sucked on my arm and all thoughts of relationships melted into a need for Jacob. I needed him inside me, needed to please him, needed—
No. Focus on Marcus. Just hold out. Think about his kiss. I shuddered. His kiss had been everything I’d thought it would be and so much more. I yearned to be back in his arms, to have his powerful body moving against mine. To hell with having Gideon’s brand. The thing between Marcus and me had been sizzling long before Gideon, and time away hadn’t changed it. Whatever lay between us, I wanted more, craved more. If he was alive—
I jerked, my eyes opening. A chill swept away my aching desire, and the buzz flared back to life. The room darkened and spun and I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus.
Kol had broken free from my grip and now held my knuckles to his cracked lips. His face still looked burnt and painful, but his skin no longer bled or oozed, and his eyes were blazing with hellfire. Jacob had stopped feeding and stared at the partially healed wound he’d ripped through Gideon’s brand, his expression stunned.
“Can you stand?” I asked him. He needed to touch me, satisfy me— Jeez. He needed to help Marcus… who had to be alive. He just had to be.
Jacob’s piercing gaze shifted to me and my heart lurched.
Tell me what to do. Anything. Please.
“Essie.” His low voice rumbled through me, sending my essence into sympathetic vibration with his.
“Yes,” I said, my voice breathy. Anything.
Footsteps pounded behind me, and I was suddenly struck by the fact that someone had turned off the fire alarm because I could hear footsteps. But I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Jacob to see who’d arrived. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amiah kneel by Kol’s head. She said something to him, and his grip on my hand tightened, keeping it pressed to his lips.
More people rushed past, heading toward the cafeteria steps and Marcus. I still couldn’t tear my gaze from Jacob.
Someone called out, but the words muddled in my head.
Jacob groaned and sat up, his attention turning to the pile of massive rocks.
By looking away, the pressure of Jacob’s claim squeezing in my chest eased just enough for me to notice the hint of desire curling from Kol’s lips and trailing up my arm.
A panicked conversation with raised voices erupted from the rock pile. Was Marcus still alive? Please let him be alive. But the room kept spinning and my essence was trapped between Jacob and Kol and I couldn’t concentrate on looking for Marcus.
“Save him,” I gasped to Jacob. “Please.” Except I wasn’t sure if I was begging for Marcus or Gideon.
“I’ll try.” Jacob stood, my attention locked on him as he headed to the rock pile.
Then Amiah shifted in front of me and my mind stuttered before my gaze slid past her shoulder back to Jacob. Behind her, Jacob and another man — an angel by the glow of his eyes — heaved a stone aside, revealing more of Marcus’s body.
“Is he dead?” I asked, my voice too small for Jacob to hear across the cafeteria. Please don’t be dead. I couldn’t handle it if he was dead.
“Essie.” Amiah gripped my shoulders. “Where’s Gideon?”
I couldn’t tear my attention from Marcus and Jacob.
Please be alive. Please.
Jacob and the angel lifted the stone pinning Marcus’s legs and another man and a woman pulled him free, smearing his blood, too much blood, on the floor.
“Essie!” Amiah shook me, making the room whirl. “Where’s Gideon?”
“He’s alive,” one of them said.
The fear clutching me shot me to my feet to rush to him, but the world heaved and darkened and I stumbled.
Amiah grabbed me, sliding me back to the floor.
“Amiah, we need you,” Jacob said, his tone urgent. My pulse pounded and the buzz burned through me. Jacob needed help. No, Marcus did. No—
Amiah captured my chin and forced me to look at her. “Where’s Gideon?”
“Taken,” I gasped.
Fear snapped frozen across my skin, but my thoughts were too muddled to figure out who it had come from. Best guess was Amiah.
“By that monster?” Amiah asked, the cold fear bleeding from her fingers onto my cheeks. “Why would he take him?”
“Torture,” Kol said, his hand snaking out to capture mine again.
Horror widened Amiah’s eyes and the cold deepened.
“But that means he’s still alive,” I said, and while the archnephilim might torture Gideon, his main target was me.
And it was torture. Even with the dizzying blood loss, the ache for Jacob, and the shiver of desire from Kol’s enthrallment, my soul screamed to go to Gideon. Nothing else mattered.
“Amiah,” Jacob barked.
Her expression hardened. “We’re not done here.”
“Amiah.” Jacob sounded desperate.
My heart clenched and I fought to rise, but Amiah shoved me back onto my butt.
“Jacob, tell her to stay,” Amiah said as she hurried to him and Marcus.
Jacob frowned. Guess someone had told her about Jacob’s claim on me.
“How much blood did you take from her?” Amiah shot him a dark glare and knelt beside Marcus. “How much life force did Kol? She’ll hurt herself if she moves.”
“Fine.” Jacob locked gazes with me and his claim sang with joy at the attention. “Stay there until someone helps you.”
The compulsion swept through me and a part of me was grateful. There wasn’t anything I could do to save Marcus, no matter how much I wanted to be by his side. That, and the need to save Gideon was twisting tighter and tighter within me. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out, not with the buzz tearing at my concentration. Jacob’s command gave me time to pull myself together and think.
Except that was the hardest thing in the world to do at the moment. I was dizzy and exhausted. I didn’t know if that was because of healing Jacob and Kol or something else. Maybe it was
from resisting the archnephilim’s possession. I was also cold with Amiah’s fear.
“He’ll be okay,” Kol said, squeezing my hand and sending desire shivering through me. “Amiah is the best.”
My throat tightened and I forced myself to look at him and at the damage I’d done. Hellfire still burned in his eyes, although the fire was banked to a low glow. He looked like he’d been set on fire and ugly red scars covered most of his face. But they looked like scars, not fresh or even partially healed wounds like they’d been moments before.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.
“It was smart of you to use Jacob’s bite to help me.”
“I can give you more if you need.” I’d give him everything, but not even that would make up for what I’d done.
His gaze dipped to Gideon’s brand on my arm and he release my hand. “I’ve got enough to get me through.”
Light flared, dragging my attention back to the steps. Amiah sat at Marcus’s head, her palms pressed to his temples, and the power of her healing magic radiated around her, growing brighter and brighter, forcing me to look away.
Then it vanished and Amiah sagged back onto her heels, her shoulders slumping forward.
Marcus groaned and his eyelids fluttered open. His face was still tight with pain and his breath a little too short, but he was alive. Thank God, he was alive.
“You have to finish the rest by shifting,” Amiah said. “Cassey, help him undress so the shift doesn’t destroy his clothes.”
“Let’s clear the room and give him some privacy,” Jacob said. “Reassemble in the triage waiting room.”
“We won’t be long,” Amiah said, sounding exhausted.
With the exception of a woman, who I recognized from the team that had taken care of Zella, the others headed back to the patio and around the side of the building.
Kol staggered to his feet and offered me a hand to help stand. I gingerly took it, afraid I’d hurt him, and rose. The room twisted, and he stepped close, wrapping his arms around me and holding me up. His body was almost too hot for comfort, but I leaned into his embrace anyway, hoping his heat would melt some of the cold. I still couldn’t stop shaking, but most of that wasn’t the chill. My legs were weak, and I throbbed with pain and unsatisfied sexual desire.
“Jeez, Essie. You’re freezing.” Kol’s embrace tightened as if he could hug the cold out of me.
My throat constricted. How was I going to help Gideon when I could barely stand? Even if I was going to go to the warehouse to make the trade, I was too weak to walk. I’d need help getting there, certainly within my one-hour time limit, but if I asked, the guys would refuse to help me.
“I can take her,” Jacob said as he approached.
Kol opened his arms, and Jacob swept me off my feet and cradled me against his chest. His shirt was sticky with blood, but there wasn’t a hole in his chest any more. His claim soared through me. He was touching me. He wanted me. And I didn’t try to fight it because it was stronger than the buzz and the pull to Gideon. The sensation was a lot stronger than before. Before I’d needed him to tell me what to do. Now I outright needed him, to think, to breathe, to live. I could only hope Jacob wouldn’t take advantage of that and I could control myself long enough for the effects to ease off. Except I had no idea when that would be now that he’d bitten me twice.
“We need a plan,” Jacob said, his voice rumbling through me, making the claim thrill at the sensation.
Have sex—
No, save Gideon.
That’s right. I had to save Gideon. But that wasn’t a plan, that was a desire born from a mating brand I didn’t want to have.
Kol grabbed the vampire’s shoulder to help keep his balance, and we left the cafeteria, stepping onto the patio and heading around the side to a plain metal door.
“We need to go down to the armory and grab that ring imbued with divine light from the war that still has its charge,” Kol said.
“You said the archnephilim took Gideon,” Jacob said, and I realized — thank God — he, Kol, and Marcus had probably been unconscious for the archnephilim’s ultimatum. That meant if I could find the strength to move, I could go to Gideon and kill the archnephilim without having to fight the guys about it. “Why wouldn’t it kill him outright like it had with the rest of the squad?”
I pressed my hand to Jacob’s chest. His skin was cool, which meant we were far enough from Amiah’s fear for me to warm up, but I couldn’t feel a heartbeat. Of course, he was undead. He didn’t have a heartbeat. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t alive in a magical sense or couldn’t be killed. God, they all could have been killed. And now I had less than an hour to meet the archnephilim’s demand.
“Gideon was the squad leader,” Kol said. “The archnephilim also made a point of killing Zella in front of him. He wants Gideon to suffer.”
We entered the side door and stepped into a narrow hall that looked like all the other halls in the building — white walls, gray floor — except this one was about two feet narrower and only had one door in the middle of the left-hand side.
“Except Zella wasn’t his mate.” Jacob’s grip on me tightened.
“But he didn’t know that at the time,” I said.
Jacob shook his head and sighed. “He would have known once the bond had gained more strength. You wouldn’t have been able to hide it forever. Why didn’t you tell him?”
The compulsion to answer him twisted in my chest and the buzz ate away at my willpower, but I couldn’t just tell Jacob it was because I didn’t want the bond with Gideon to be real and I didn’t want to break his heart. He loved Zella and knew her. She’s been a member of his squad during the war, and she was an angel like him. I was, as far as everyone believed, just a powerless human he didn’t know.
“Our wolf makes it complicated,” Kol said.
Among other things.
The claim twisted tighter. I needed to say something but I couldn’t tell the whole truth, that I was the thing Gideon and everyone else hated and feared the most.
And I needed to save Gideon. Save him.
“I’d hoped we could kill the archnephilim before my bond with Gideon fully formed,” I said, the words blurting out, easing the compulsion from Jacob’s claim. “If he didn’t know the truth, my death might not have killed him or driven him insane.”
Except it was too late now. The electricity from his bond tingled up my arm, told me he was alive, and that we were permanently connected.
Jacob led us around a corner into a wider hall with more doors, which I soon discovered was the main hall. We reached the sliding frosted-glass doors where Amiah and her team had taken Zella when we’d first brought her in and entered. To the right was a waiting area with a padded leather couch, two matching armchairs, and a TV — currently not on. To the left was a miniature version of a hospital emergency room, packed with equipment and three beds, while the hall continued straight ahead with more doorways leading to other areas of the miniature hospital.
The others who’d rushed into the cafeteria to help — one girl and four guys — sat on the couch and chairs. They’d been talking when we entered but had fallen silent.
“I’ve lifted the lockdown, sent the research team home, and called in Chris and Jasmine to help us with clean up,” the angel who’d helped Jacob move the rocks said as he stood and offered his chair.
“Good.” Jacob sat me in the chair and Kol perched on the wide arm. “Grab a body bag for Zella and go help Amiah.”
The angel jerked his thumb. The three other guys stood and they left.
“Summer,” Jacob said, and turned his attention to the petite woman with a hint of divine glow in her soft brown eyes. Her brown hair was cut into a short bob, accentuating her cherub-like face, but her expression was anything but innocent and childlike. “Call in a specialist to reinforce the wards, and then take stock of what we have in the armory that can kill a wraith or an archangel.”
Summer’s eyes widened, but she nodd
ed and hurried out the door as well.
“So that leaves us with what?” Kol asked, still sitting beside me even though the rest of the seats had opened up.
Jacob eased onto the couch across from me, easily taking up half the space with his massive frame and making me lean forward, the claim urging me to move and join him.
He ran his hands over his face, looking exhausted. “I have no idea. Now if we kill the archnephilim, we not only kill Essie but Gideon as well.”
Not if I kill him before—
Fear squeezed around my heart. The bond was fully formed. Jacob was right. How the hell was I supposed to save Gideon now?
“Can we please stop talking about killing the archnephilim?” Marcus said from the doorway. Blood stained his gray T-shirt and blue jeans, but other than that I wouldn’t have known he’d almost been crushed to death. His gaze slid from Kol, sitting close to me, to Gideon’s brand on my right forearm. His expression darkened and he took the seat beside Jacob on the couch, facing me but farther away than the armchair beside me. His churning mix of hot and cold emotions fluttered through me, adding nausea to my spinning head and grating buzz.
“You need to call in backup,” Amiah said, entering after him. She dropped my shirt in my lap and sagged into the empty armchair, her complexion gray, the skin around her eyes pinched with tension.
“The closest team that’s bigger than two people is over four hours away in Los Angeles,” Kol said. “Do we think he’ll let Gideon live that long?”
Jacob sighed. “We’re going to have to hope he will, because we nearly got slaughtered.”
Except Gideon didn’t have four hours and time was slipping away. And if the archnephilim killed him, that would kill me and ruin any chance of using his unnatural bond with me to stop him. I already knew he was willing to give up the extra power I gave him. Killing Gideon was part of his vengeance. I’d only been a surprise bonus in all this. He didn’t need me, hadn’t wanted me, but was more than happy to use me to achieve his goals.
