by Trina M. Lee
The door jerked open with a whoosh followed immediately by a snide, “What are you doing here, Arrow? How did you get through the gate without using the intercom?”
Arrow’s response was to throw both hands up, effectively freezing the owner of the female voice who’d answered. “Come on,” he said, waving me over. We shoved past the woman, whom Arrow had temporarily frozen, and almost knocked her down in the process.
I cast a frantic glance back at her as he dragged me into the house. It wasn’t Skylar.
The house was relatively quiet, which made it extra creepy. I followed Arrow from the large living room to the kitchen, the throne room, and then the library only to find them all empty. He stared at the spiral staircase, considering it before his gaze strayed to the closed basement door.
“Hate to say it, but I think we go down.” Arrow started for the basement, and I hurried after him.
“How long will that hold her?” I asked, worried that we were going to be facing a coven of witches.
“A few minutes, but I’ll hit her again if she comes after us. Be ready to use that fire of yours. We’re going to need it.”
The stairwell was dark. Arrow gripped the railing, taking each step with care so as not to alert anyone who might be down there to our descent. When we reached the bottom, the stairwell opened into a spacious entertainment room with a large screen TV and a bar off to one side. A desk laden with computers and various tech items lined the opposite wall. It was so dark that I was forced to create a small flame in my palm to light our way. The hallway stretched out straight ahead, and we continued on.
We passed a few closed doors that appeared to be bedrooms or storage rooms. A furnace hummed behind one of them. A set of heavy wooden double doors marked the end of the hallway.
Arrow said, “This is where the magic happens. Literally.” Gingerly taking hold of one of the door handles, he inched it open.
At first glance the room appeared to be empty. A long, blocky table lined the wall to our left. It had a pentagram etched into the surface with a goat head inside. A gavel at one end indicated it was used for meetings of the evil kind. I shuddered at the black vibes coming off it. The walls were covered in tapestries and paintings depicting various scenarios of demons doing horrible things to humans of all genders and ages. My gaze passed over them, and my stomach turned. It was history, true stories on canvas. Sickening.
Arrow gasped, “Oh, my God.”
His words were so surprising that I spun to see what had elicited such a statement from him. My lungs were crushed beneath the weight of the sudden shock. My brain needed several tries to accept what my eyes were seeing.
A large upside down pentagram had been painted on the tile floor. In the center of it stood a crucifix. Hanging from that crucifix was Rowen.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The shock was overwhelming. However, it wasn’t merely that Rowen was on the cross that was so astonishing. The silver wings spread out behind him choked off my breath and momentarily stole my voice. Unconscious and half-naked, he slumped there with his head limp and his eyes closed. Blood and bruises marred his tattooed skin. Someone had carved an upside pentagram into the flesh over his ribs on the left side beneath his heart. Only the subtle movement of breathing told us he was still alive.
“Arrow, is he…? What do we do?” I whispered the words and still they sounded too loud.
“We get him down and get him the fuck out of here.” My question seemed to snap Arrow into action, and he lunged forward toward Rowen.
Rowen’s eyes snapped open, and his lips moved in a warning that came too late. Arrow’s foot hit the side of the circle causing an explosion of light that threw him back. He narrowly missed me, instead landing flat on his back on the table.
“Are you ok?” I asked, voice low, watching as Arrow rolled off the table with a series of F-bombs.
“Those bitches have nothing on me,” he said, stalking back over to the circle with extra venom in his step.
He bent down beside it with a hand out, drawing small circles in the air. His brow creased in concentration. At first nothing appeared to be happening, but then the shadows gathered close to Arrow. Something in the atmosphere shifted with an audible pop.
“Is that so?” came a female voice from behind us.
Skylar stood in the doorway. The light from my palm cast a fiery glow on her face, illuminating her black eyes. That was a bad sign; her demon husband was possessing her, using her body as his own during the daylight hours. We were so fucked.
“Fuck you, Ransom,” Arrow said, addressing the demon by name. “Spike. Fire.” Having disabled the curse on the circle, Arrow crossed it freely.
Staring into Skylar’s demon eyes, I didn’t need any further prodding. Palms tingling, I blasted her with the angelic flame. Flames licked up the doorway, climbing the frame until the entrance was encircled in fire.
Ransom jerked back out of the room, escaping the touch of flame. He looked out of Skylar’s face with enough sinister intentions to shrivel my soul.
I held up the sword and said, “Back the fuck off, or your wife gets this in the guts.”
“Do it, and I will make the rest of your short life a living hell.” The voice that came out of Skylar was gravelly and terrifying. “Cinder’s seal isn’t going to protect you, undecided.”
Despite Ransom’s claim, he made no move to cross my fire or retaliate. I looked to where Arrow was untying the ropes that held Rowen in place, grateful that they hadn’t used actual nails. I was torn between helping or manning the door. A clatter on the basement stairs announced the arrival of the woman who Arrow had frozen, so I stayed by the door, sword held ready.
She was a red-haired beauty with piercing, green eyes. On her heels, a frazzled-looking blonde wrung her hands and muttered to herself. They both jerked to a stop outside the door and looked to Skylar, who swayed slightly, blinking a few times. Her eyes went from black to blue in a blink. Ransom had left her.
Her focus turned to me, and she let out a shriek. “You! You ruined our wedding, and now you think you’re going to steal our nephilim? Well your angel’s seal doesn’t mean shit to me.”
The curse she threw was precise, her aim true. It hit me in the chest, choking off my air. The sword in my grip vibrated as it neutralized the effects, allowing me to draw a breath.
As she passed through the doorframe, the fire went out. The other two were quick to follow, and they surrounded me, chanting something I couldn’t make sense of.
Arrow grumbled, “Oh, Skylar, really? Get bent, you bitch. This isn’t your fight.”
He paused his rescue of Rowen to come to my aid with a creeping shadow that slithered across the floor to wind itself around Skylar’s ankles. Like a boa, it cinched her tightly before it wrenched her feet out from under her. It didn’t stop there. With a screech, Skylar clawed at the tile as she was yanked out of the room and up the stairs. Her wail grew farther away, followed by the slamming of the basement door at the top of the stairs.
I would have gawked at Arrow in surprise if the other two witches weren’t pressing in closer. So much about him remained a mystery to me. The extent of his abilities being one of them.
Lady Red uttered, “Away!” and waved a hand. It wasn’t directed at me, however, but at Arrow. She succeeded in knocking him aside, which caused Rowen to collapse to the floor.
I dove toward him as he fell onto his hands and knees. A blanket of silver covered him as his wings spread wide. I needed to ask so many questions if, er, when we got out of here.
“You stupid witch!” Back on his feet, Arrow flung out both hands. Red was frozen in place, her mouth open to throw another curse. The shadows swirled around the blonde. Guided by Arrow, they flung her against the wall where she kicked and screamed as the shadow grew into a frightful, black mass.
I whispered to Rowen, “Come on. We have to get you out of here.” I slung Rowen’s arm around my neck and hauled him up. “Did Dash do this to you?”
A large silver wing brushed against my back. Sure, I’d seen Cinder’s wings and even Koda’s, but this was blowing my mind. So many questions.
“Dash did… a lot of… things to me.” A cough racked Rowen, and he spat blood. “He thought… he could force… my choice. So I had to… prove him wrong. I had to… choose.”
Arrow shouted, “Get your ass moving, Spike!” He grabbed hold of Rowen’s other side. “And stop being so scared to fight these broads. They sure as hell aren’t scared to hurt you. They’d sacrifice you to the fucking devil if they could.”
We dragged Rowen from the room, careful with his wings as we passed through the doorway. The stairs seemed so far away. Knowing that Skylar was upstairs shook my confidence, but she was not yet our biggest concern.
A low, guttural voice behind us caused my quickly flagging courage to disappear completely. “I’m not done with him yet,” the voice hissed in a low timbre that I recognized as Dash, albeit a much more sinister sounding Dash.
I turned to find Red standing there, her body held at an odd angle. Her eyes were redder than her hair. Dash commanded her form in an awkward and unfamiliar way that made the possession so much creepier.
“Keep going,” Arrow instructed before turning to face the demon. “I’m not going to let you have my brother, Dash. You already have me.”
“Brother,” Rowen echoed, the word escaping on a rush of pained air exiting his lungs.
I urged Rowen on to the staircase though I didn’t feel good about leaving Arrow to face the demon alone. But really, what could I do? The sword dragging along in my right hand began to grow warm.
“You were just a means to an end, Arrow. I used you to get to him. He’s the one I really want. He’s the child that should never have been born. The rarity. But you, there are so many more where you came from.” Even though I couldn’t see it, I knew the tone Dash used conveyed the condescending expression Red’s face wore. What he said was despicable, and I didn’t know which brother I felt worse for.
Hearing a grunt from Arrow, I risked a glance back to find him on his knees. Red stood over him while Dash’s ugly power poured out of her. Arrow clutched his head and sunk down even closer to the floor.
“Your loyalty is sadly lacking, Arrow,” Dash proclaimed. “You know what happens to those who betray the coven.”
“Keep moving,” I whispered to Rowen. “Get to the top of the stairs and wait for me. I have to help Arrow.”
I didn’t have a plan. Maybe this was a huge mistake. Arrow was a supreme asshole, a drug dealer who used blackmail to get what he wanted and took blowjobs for payment. Still I couldn’t rush away and leave him to die. Was this what Cinder saw in me? The spark that made him believe I was capable of more than I’d dared believe.
Leaving Rowen clutching the handrail, I turned back toward the demon and said a prayer that this wasn’t how I would die.
“Walk away, girl.” Red eyes found me and glimmered with danger. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Yes, it does.” Slowly I inched closer. If Dash focused on Arrow and me, then maybe at least Rowen would get away.
Arrow rolled a pained gaze my way and shook his head, just once. “Spike, don’t.”
I stared at Dash, seeing him within the red-haired witch. The longer he possessed her the more she seemed to become him. Every second that passed caused my heart to pound a little harder.
“Had I known that you were one of Cinder’s, I’d never have wasted a second look on you. However, if you interfere, I will do everything short of killing you. I promise, you don’t want that.” As he was speaking, Red’s hand drifted to Arrow’s shoulder. She barely touched him, and he was screaming. Blood welled up in Arrow’s mouth and trickled down his chin. Dash had no intention of letting him leave here alive.
“No, I don’t want that,” I said, raising the sword. Could I really do this? Harm Red in order to drive Dash out? I didn’t want it to come to that, but it already had.
“What is that you’ve got there?” Dash caught sight of the weapon I held, and he recoiled. “But you’re an undecided. You’re not worthy to wield that blade.” He recognized it. I hadn’t anticipated that.
“Well, you’ll have to take that up with Cinder.” I gripped the hilt tight with both hands.
“Do you even know what that is?” Dash’s voice thundered out of Red. Distracted by the sword, he seemed to momentarily forget about Arrow. “That is the Midnight Star, a blade forged for the flame bearer. Every generation there is one who comes to liberate the nephilim from darkness. I suppose that’s you then, honey. I never thought it would be a woman.” Dash threw a lot at me with that declaration. No way, I can’t be the flame bearer he spoke of. If anything, that was all a damn lie meant to distract me while he killed Arrow.
“Back off, Dash. We leave, and your witch lives. I don’t want to hurt her, but I’ll do what it takes to get out of here.” The sword seemed to hum in my hands or perhaps that was the tingle of my palms, itching to throw a fireball at the witch. The flame bearer. Could that be me? I was only one of many who possessed power over the element of fire.
“There’s always more where she came from. Not you though. You and that one,” Dash nodded to Rowen who sat slumped on the stairs under his blanket of silver. “You’re both mine.”
Nothing got my hackles up like possessiveness. I wasn’t an object. My mother had invested much time into ensuring that I believed that because she’d known eventually one of these assholes would tell me otherwise. Thanks, Mom. I growled, “Like hell we are.”
Though my arms were trembling, I held the sword as if I would use it. And I hoped that I could follow through if it came to that. For a strained moment Dash and I stared at each other, waiting for someone to make a move.
Instead Arrow flung up a hand to freeze Red as the shadows swarmed her. Dash’s greater power enabled him to fight back with much success, but Arrow’s effort bought us a few precious seconds.
“Go!” Arrow demanded as he dragged himself to his feet.
I turned and ran for the stairs with Arrow right behind me. His movements were stiff and pained, but he didn’t falter. Suddenly he was ripped away by an unseen hand and smashed into the floor so hard I thought for sure he was dead. But he was a fighter. He waved a hand at me to keep moving. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t let Dash have all of us.
“Run,” I urged Rowen, who blinked bleary eyes at me. His wings sagged heavily, and he struggled to get up.
The next thing I knew I was airborne, flung down beside Arrow like a sack of meat. My teeth smacked together before I managed to catch myself with a hand. With the other, I clung to the sword for dear life.
Red stood over us as Dash used her to pour his darkness into me. A million little knives buried inside me, sawing and slicing, cutting me down until I was too weak to fight back. A human could only conduct so much demonic power before burning out, but Dash never let up.
With great effort I tried to lift the sword, but it lay plastered to the floor. My strength was quickly sapped.
With a brilliant flash of light, Red tumbled back into the big screen TV. Both it and she toppled over, crashing down behind the television stand.
After a moment I realized that the blast of light had come from Rowen. He lay collapsed on the stairs, watching as Red began to rise.
Neither brother was in good enough shape to fend off a further demon attack. I had no other choice but to lay Red out.
With a grunt, I stood up. This time I didn’t hesitate. I rushed her with my sword held ready. Dash saw it coming, and he smiled. Maybe he didn’t believe I’d do it. Or maybe he enjoyed the fight. But when I plunged the blade into Red’s middle, his smile crumbled.
He gripped the blade before I could shove it in deeper, but it was already deep enough. Blood began to drip from the slices on the witch’s hands, but neither she nor Dash seemed to feel it.
“You’re making a grave mistake, girl. You can’t kill me.” As Dash spoke, blood fi
lled Red’s mouth. He was fighting to hold on.
“I don’t need to,” I said. “I just need to stop you.”
The blade gleamed as a brilliant silver light engulfed it. Dash roared, an anguished sound. Demons might not die, but they feel pain. Right then that pain was enough for me. I wanted the asshole to hurt.
Dash fought to remain in Red, but it was useless. She was seriously wounded, and he was weakened by the silver buried inside her. With an angry cry, he let go, forced back to the other side where he would regain his strength and, at sundown, his body.
The crimson color faded from Red’s eyes, returning them to their natural green, but they were dull and unfocused. I jerked the sword free, and she hit the floor.
I stared at her, feeling a strange sense of surreal detachment. I hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but my self-defense had been vital. We’d never have had a chance to escape if I didn’t do it. Still, I felt horrible.
“Don’t feel bad,” Arrow said, holding his head. “She was a willing vessel. She knew the risk she was taking.”
I held out a hand to him, ignoring the parts of me that hurt. He was in much worse shape. We still had Skylar to deal with once we emerged from the basement.
Arrow’s bruised face had some new additions. He looked like shit. Wiping the blood from his face with the back of his arm, he headed for the stairs with an awkward limp.
“Come on, buddy,” he said to Rowen. “Let’s get you out of this shithole.”
“Let me go first.” I paused to wipe the blood from the blade on the arm of the couch. “If Skylar’s waiting for us up there, I can distract her while you two get out.”
Arrow didn’t argue but said, “We’re not going to leave you behind, Spike.”
I squeezed by the two of them and hesitated with my hand on the door. When the two of them were as ready as they were going to be, I turned the knob and flung the door open.
Silence met us. The quiet was eerie despite the sunlight streaming through the main floor. I stepped out of the basement and turned in every direction. Nothing. Where was Skylar?
