Ascending Passion

by Amanda Pillar

  Why is he scared of Azrael and not me?

  Best not to dig too deep into that one.

  Almost half an hour later they reached the Nile River. Washes of ancient magic broke over his skin as they crossed the waterway, but he couldn’t see any spells. In the back of the van, everyone was rubbing their arms, even Rowan.

  He had no idea what it signified.

  They then drove back over the Nile again, onto an island, but this time there was only a faint tingle of electricity. Apparently, the western bank of the river was significant for some reason. I should ask Raze to check that out after he finishes with Twosret.

  The guard parked the vehicle, and they climbed out into the road. Yael scanned the area, but it would be impossible to defend Rowan against attackers here. It was an open street, with a mosque to their left, and gardens to their right and ahead. Even with Dru and Azrael, they were short-staffed.

  At least there’s a guard and the other archaeologists. He doubted they’d let anything happen to Rowan, either. Their boss would have their heads. Despite that, he still felt uneasy as they walked the thirty feet to the restaurant.

  Lucifer was waiting for them, already seated at a round table. Demons patrolled the foyer, and Yael could sense more outside.

  Rowan paused. “Why are there only five chairs?”

  Lucifer flicked open the menu, although Yael doubted he was actually reading it. “Because there are five of us.”

  “There’s eight.”

  Lucifer lowered the menu. “It is your bodyguard’s job to watch over you, not sit at the table and share your food.”

  “I can’t eat while they stand there hungry.”

  It was a nice sentiment, although her concern was unnecessary. Yael could go days without food. And Lucifer knew it.

  “It’s their job.”

  “To starve?” Rowan looked incredulous.

  “To stand guard.” Lucifer was glaring at her over his glasses, but she didn’t seem to care.

  The woman has the balls of a giant.

  “I’ll go somewhere else, then. I won’t eat otherwise.” She turned to leave.

  “Fine.” Lucifer jerked his head and a waiter appeared at his side. Anger simmered from the fallen angel. “Get some more chairs.”

  Rowan smiled, but it wasn’t triumphant, just pleased, like she was proud of Lucifer for coming to the right decision. “Thank you.”

  The irritation vanished from Lucifer, as if it had never been. “You’re welcome. Now, come sit next to me.”

  Great. Now I have to watch the King of Jerks flirt with Rowan all night.

  Chapter 26

  Rowan knew she’d annoyed Luke by insisting the others sit with them, but she honestly didn’t think she could eat while Yael, Azrael and Dru watched. She understood their job was to protect her, but they were out to dinner. And she wasn’t about to get kidnapped while eating French cuisine in Luxor.

  Not with so many people in attendance.

  God, I’m becoming paranoid like Gran.

  But her gut was telling her there was something different about the people surrounding her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, aside from the fact that Azrael, Yael and Luke were far too good-looking to be real. They put Chris Hemsworth to shame, and that man had a god-like beauty. Dru was also super-attractive, but in a lethal kind of way. And then there were the other archaeologists. They weren’t unbelievably hot, but she’d overheard Colin talking to Dr. Campbell the other day about curses—they’d been discussing them as if they were real.

  She’d thought only her family talked like that.

  Luke raised a glass of red wine, drawing her back to reality. He was seated to her right, and Kayla to her left. Azrael, Dru and Yael had been placed on the opposite side of the table.

  “To discovering a tomb!” Luke took a sip of his wine, and everyone followed suit.

  After all the glasses were returned to the table, people started talking amongst themselves. Rowan kept her voice calm. “I thought you might be disappointed the tomb doesn’t belong to Twosret.”

  Luke turned to her, his eyes intense behind his blue-framed glasses. “There were more bodies in that tomb than just the pharaoh’s.”

  “True.”

  “You do not think any of the mummies in the tomb could belong to Twosret?” Luke asked, leaning closer to her. The scent of sandalwood reached her. He smiled, his movie-star handsomeness overwhelming.

  Rowan clenched her fingers on the linen napkin in her lap, begging her brain to work.

  “No, I don’t think so, but that’s only a gut feeling. I’m probably wrong.”

  She hadn’t had a chance to read the text on the other sarcophagi, so hadn’t gleaned any clues as to who was inside. But she wasn’t wrong.

  Despite her utter disbelief in superstitious nonsense, Rowan had always trusted her gut. It had yet to be mistaken—she’d even managed to discover a lost Japanese artifact through following a hunch. As far as she was concerned, Twosret was not in that tomb.

  She forced her fingers to relax on the napkin, smoothing it out over knees. Just because he’s handsome as sin doesn’t mean you have to lose your brain when he smiles. But her composure was a hard-won thing. It wasn’t that she wanted to jump his bones, or kiss him, or anything like that. It was as if her mind froze at the sheer inhuman beauty of him, like it had reached the maximum capacity for processing visual stimuli.

  “Well, time will tell us if Twosret is there or not. I have doubled my personal guard on the site, and the Egyptian government has also provided more guards. We want nothing to happen to our find of the century.” His expression was magnanimous generosity, but something felt off about it all.

  Why would a self-confessed antiquities hoarder care about preserving a site for the Egyptian public?

  It was the one nagging doubt she hadn’t been able to erase about Luke, no matter his assurances that his purchases were done in a legitimate fashion. It was illegal to buy artifacts in most countries—hell, Egypt had a standing policy that anything privately owned should be returned to the government.

  As the dinner progressed, however, Rowan found herself having fun. Luke was witty, Kayla funny in a sly way, and Yael would occasionally interject with the odd smartass comment that had her fighting back laughter. She was careful to keep her alcohol intake to a minimum as well. She didn’t need a hangover; not with so much text to translate over the next few weeks.

  “So, Azrael. Your parents gave you an interesting name.”

  The dark-haired minder paused, his dessert-filled spoon halfway to his mouth. “They did.”

  “It means ‘help from god’.” Luke gave him a slight sneer.

  It’s happening again. A conversation with a subtext she didn’t understand.

  Azrael finished his spoonful and smiled, his blue eyes almost glowing in the dimly lit restaurant. “In Islamic lore it also means ‘angel of death’.”

  Luke sat back in his chair. “Rather foreboding, isn’t it?”

  “For you, maybe.” Azrael placed a hand on Dru’s wrist. Her knuckles white as she gripped her butter knife. “For me, it is just a name.”

  Luke tilted his head, the sneer still firmly in place. He turned to Yael, as if ready to pick apart his name next, but a waiter appeared. “Would anyone like tea or coffee?”

  Rowan swore Kayla’s gaze turned lustful at the mention of coffee. Feeling slightly remorseful, Rowan said, “I’m rather tired, do you mind if we head home soon?”

  Luke’s smirk disappeared. “Of course. Let us leave.”

  The other archaeologists stood up immediately, their desserts largely finished, except for Colin’s. He cast a regretful look down at the half-eaten pudding.

  “We don’t have to go right away—”

  “Nonsense.” Luke flicked a hand through the air dismissively. “We should all get some rest.”

  Yael, Dru and Azrael also stood, their plates empty on the table. Ro
wan studied Yael’s face, and was surprised at the coldness there.

  Maybe Luke had been right in insisting she let him do his job.

  Worry gnawed at her, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from asking Yael if she’d done something wrong. We are not in a relationship. It doesn’t matter if I’ve offended him somehow. He’s only here because he’s paid to be.

  While the logic was true, it didn’t feel that way anymore. She thought they’d become friends of a sort.

  Outside, the night air was brisk and cool, the watery scent of the Nile strong. They were bare steps from the car when Luke stopped, his head tilted to one side, like he was listening to something. Even Kayla, Colin and Dr. Campbell looked like they could hear some distant sound. Rowan rubbed her ears—now what was she missing?

  Luke turned back to face them, his eyes nearly glowing in the moonlight. “I have to go. I will be back soon.”

  Then he strode off to the gardens, disappearing from sight.

  What the hell?

  He just…vanished.

  Maybe he’s standing behind a tree.

  Yes, that was probably it. He no doubt needed to take a private call and didn’t want everyone listening in.

  She unlocked the van’s sliding door, only to be shoved violently against the paneling.

  “What—?” The intense shock of electricity told her who was touching her.

  Yael.

  A scream shattered the air.

  Her bodyguard cursed. “Get down on your knees. And don’t turn around.”

  She dropped to the ground, confused but not stupid. Her knees protested the impact, pain shooting through her legs, making her hiss. Peering over her shoulder, her jaw dropped at the site of large, shadowy figures attacking Dr. Campbell and Colin. The assailants were huge with bulky, oddly shaped heads.

  Are they wearing masks?

  One of them got close to Colin, and the archaeologist jabbed out with the blade of his hand, striking the man in the throat. The attacker crumpled, hands clutching at his neck, but another two took his place, one pinning Colin’s arm behind him. A whoop sounded to her right, and something spun through the air, glinting silver in the moonlight. It landed with a thud, an agonized scream coming from one of Colin’s assailants, making Rowan clasp her hands over her ears.

  A knife. It was a knife.

  She glanced up at the sound of crumpling metal. A large figure stood crouched on the top of the van, the roof buckling under his weight. A long arm, complete with dark claws reached for her. She inched back, bumping into Yael’s legs. He spun around.

  I don’t understand—

  “Duck!” Yael yelled.

  She ducked.

  The air whistled over her head, and a wet fleshly thud followed. Warmth sprayed over her face, and she touched it, terrified because she knew what it was. Smeared on her fingertips, the liquid glinted black in the poor light.

  Blood.

  I have blood on my face.

  Bile rose in her throat and she vomited, her stomach cramping; her whole being directed to emptying herself out.

  Focus on what’s happening around you. But she couldn’t. She wiped her mouth before she remembered she had blood on her hand, and gagged reflexively.

  What if I got it in my mouth?

  She desperately searched to see if there was anything she could use to clean her face. Then she spotted it.

  The severed limb.

  Blood oozed sluggishly from the disembodied arm, its skin a gray-purple hue. She hadn’t thought flesh would turn that color after being amputated. Long, black nails curled from the fingertips, and strange markings were carved into the skin.

  I don’t—

  “Get her out of here!” Yael shouted, his voice strained.

  He fought three cowled attackers, wielding a gleaming sword that was licked with white fire. Where had he gotten that from?

  A hand was shoved in her face.

  She jerked back.

  “It’s me. Grab my hand.” Dru pushed Rowan closer to the road, and lashed out with a leg, catching another shadowy figure in the face. Her white hair flicked out behind her, her ponytail sweeping through the air.

  Obeying out of instinct, Rowan reached up and grabbed Dru’s hand.

  “See you back at the compound,” Dru shouted.

  Darkness descended, and she couldn’t see anything. A heartbeat later, she blinked open her eyes, to find herself in the compound’s familiar parking lot.

  “What—?”

  Then, for the first time in her life, she fainted.

  Chapter 27

  It’s like a fucking parade of Envio demons.

  Yael had never seen so many in one place before. The species was normally buried deep in Hell or working as mercenaries for some rival guild. They didn’t tend to spend much time in the Human Realm. Now, however, they were emerging from the surrounding gardens like psychotic gnomes on the warpath.

  Yael slashed out with his sword—he’d fucking conjured a sword!—slicing through the chest of a purple-skinned Envio that had tried to decapitate him with a clawed hand. Black blood spewed from the wound, and the demon stared down at his torso in surprise, before toppling over, dead.

  Seemed like his new kickass blade could slice clean through armor. Sweet.

  He lashed out with a back kick, taking the demon behind him in the throat. Gagging noises followed him as he moved on to the next group of attackers.

  More demons poured into the area, and it was all they could do to hold them off. They were outnumbered three-to-one, but with the incoming flood of new demons, that would soon change.

  Thank the skies Dru had managed to get Rowan out of here with her damned teleportation ring.

  At least the compound has wards and guards. The wards being the most important thing. Nothing could get in that wasn’t already approved. And he seriously doubted these bastards were on the invite list.

  “We need to get out of here!” Azrael shouted, cutting a deathly swathe through the demons, coming to stand back-to-back with Yael. The angel was even more lethal, if anything, since his fall.

  Maybe Dru’s bloodthirsty nature is a good thing for Azrael.

  No, I didn’t just think that.

  Yael scanned the area. Everyone in their team was still alive, with Campbell and Murdoch holding their own. But it was Kayla who shocked him. Her eyes glowing like emerald flames, she seemed to simply suck the life right out of anyone she could touch. Desiccated Envio corpses lay in her wake, and the demons were now avoiding her at all costs, almost tripping over themselves to get out of her way.

  He’d never heard of a Succubus who could do that, but damn, now he was worried about all those times the archaeologist had teasingly tried to grope him.

  However, he was more worried about how the Hell were they going to get a Devilsgate open in time, to get out of here? He didn’t have a spare hand to throw the spell, and he doubted any of the archaeologists had one stashed in their pockets.

  He and Azrael ducked as a blast of heat whooshed over their heads—a wave of raw burning power scorching the night. A piercing whistle made Yael’s eardrums ache, as magic built up in a blistering crescendo. Around them, the attacking Envio demons exploded in a gory shower of blood and viscera. Yael raised an arm over his face to protect his eyes from the debris, holding his sword at the ready with his other hand. But nothing further happened.

  The tide of furious magic receded.

  Dead.

  They were all dead.

  Almost fifty Envio demons, turned into a rain of flesh.

  Their enemy annihilated, Yael’s weapon vanished with an electrical sizzle.

  He groaned; he was covered Envio bits. Great. He didn’t think one shower alone was going to be enough to get rid of it all. And he was going to have to throw out the clothes.

  Now I am going to have to wear the slightly less-black pair of cargo pants I brought with me.

&
nbsp; “My lord, thank you!” Kayla bowed from the waist, her eyes locked on the ground.

  Campbell and Murdoch followed suit, genuflecting toward Azrael and Yael.

  What the fuck?

  Yael turned slowly.

  Lucifer stood on top of the van behind him, shadowy wings of magic blocking out the inky night sky, eyes glowing white. Ripples of lightning flickered over his skin, and the scar on his neck was visible to all and sundry, now he wore nothing but low-waisted leather pants.

  Fucking get some clothes on.

  The Hell-lord dropped the ground, landing with the grace of a hunting cat, the planes of his face stark in anger. Lucifer strode over to Yael, who fought the urge to back up. He’d never been this close to an enraged archangel before. And for fucking good reason. They were even scarier up close and furious.

  Okay, I haven’t gotten over my fear. Especially not now Lucifer looked like a Tesla ball gone wrong.

  “Where is Rowan?” the Hell-lord ground out, eyes sweeping over the gore-laden ground.

  “Dru took her somewhere safe,” Azrael replied, as cool and calm as if he spoke to lightning-cloaked archangels on a regular basis.

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know,” the dark-haired angel said. “But hopefully the compound.”

  “Hopefully the compound?” Incredulity dropped Lucifer’s anger a few notches.

  Thank the skies.

  Yael might needle and bait the Hell-lord, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to take on an archangel who was ready to kill.

  “Dru’s teleportation skills are somewhat unreliable. But she would have taken her somewhere safe.”

  Lucifer rubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t know Mortus demons could teleport.”

  Azrael shrugged. “She’s a cambion.”

  So, Azrael wasn’t about to admit to the Hell-lord that Dru herself couldn’t teleport, she just wore a magical ring that could. And the piece of fucked-up jewelry didn’t always take you to where you wanted to go.