by Trina M. Lee
The nephilim could be born of either angels or demons, though lore often left the demons out of it, spinning the stories into tales of angels in love and lust with human women. That lust came from a dark place, so in my mind, they were all the same, all sinners who had allowed their offspring to bear the burden of their debauchery.
Dash nodded. “That he was. Rhine was a demon long before either of you were born.”
Arrow gave no indication that he was hearing this for the first time, but he didn’t look so good.
“Don’t let it get you down, kid,” Dash said with a sympathetic expression that looked so real I almost bought it. “Eventually, you all end up dark or dead.”
The torment in Rowen’s eyes was almost more than I could stand. I wanted to kiss it away, to hold him, to promise him that demons were liars and that everything would be ok. But the sad truth was that demons were just as good at speaking the truth as they were at twisting it.
Rowen’s face hardened into a mask of loathing. “Either way, death will catch me one day. The dark never will.”
Dash shrugged. “It’s too bad that you feel that way. I have goals. Plans. If you’re not with me, then you’re against me. I’m sure Rhine will understand. You leave me no choic—”
I didn’t let him get the last word out before I flung up my free hand and released the mix of nephilim talents I held inside me. A bright light struck the demon in the chest, paralyzing him in place. A shadow coiled itself around his body, squeezing tight so he couldn’t abandon his corporeal form. Flames started at his feet, licking their way up until he was ablaze.
I stumbled back a few steps, and Rowen reached out to steady me. As wondrous as my new talent was, I was still very much a mortal and starting to feel my limitations. My strength was quickly being sapped.
“Go,” I said to Rowen. “Get Arrow out of here. Find Cinder.”
He grabbed Arrow but seemed conflicted. “I can’t just leave you here with him.”
“He won’t kill me. Go. Now. You don’t have much time.”
Rowen and Arrow made it into the other room. They were almost to the stairs when Dash broke free. With the light out and the fire extinguished, he shook off the shadow, but sweat lined his brow. The effort left him temporarily flustered, meaning that the three of us together in one shot had managed to weaken him. Still I didn’t think it was enough.
Dash shoved me aside and went after the guys. Arrow used his waning strength to throw a hand up, freezing the demon in place. It would hold him for seconds at best, but he bought us enough time for Jett to appear at the top of the stairs, assess the situation, and jump into the fray.
With fangs bared she lunged at the demon. A deadly claw found his eye and dug deep. Those vicious wolf teeth ripped into the skin of his throat, not once but several times in succession. She tore his throat out, leaving a gaping hole, but it began to heal even as blood spilled over both of them.
Dash broke free of Arrow’s freeze and swung a fist at Jett who jumped out of reach. I didn’t waste a moment. Swinging the Midnight Star with all I had, I brought the blade down against the gaping wound Jett had made.
The blade buried itself in his neck, sticking so that I had to wrench it free to swing again. Even as I severed his head from his body Dash lashed out with a blow that threw me. I landed hard on my back, slamming the breath from my lungs. While I struggled to breathe, I watched Dash’s body fall to the floor and disappear on impact.
“Jett, what the fuck?” The first words out of my mouth were strangled and forced but accompanied by a grateful smile. “Nice timing.”
She helped me up before casting a scowl at her blood-soaked shirt. “I’m your best friend, Spike. Did you think I was going to leave these two to have your back?” She gestured to Rowen and Arrow who clung to each other in the next room.
I was exhausted and bruised but, for the most part, unscathed. I hugged Jett and said, “Thank you. But don’t ever do that again. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Hey, I don’t get a lot of chances to rip someone’s throat out. That was fucking great.” Jett peeled off her bloody shirt and wiped her face with it. She stood there in her black bra and eyed the guys. “Would one of you care to give me your shirt? I could go downstairs like this, but I don’t want to blow the crowd’s mind anymore than I already have tonight.”
Rowen stripped off the Crimson Sin shirt he wore and tossed it to Jett who slipped it on. “Thanks, dude. Damn, your cologne smells good. What’s with him? Did he get his ass kicked?” She pointed to Arrow who’d collapsed at Rowen’s feet.
“Yeah,” I said, dropping the sword. “Did you see Cinder downstairs? We need him.”
No sooner had I said his name than Cinder appeared. His violet gaze fixed on me first. Before I could brace for it, he pulled me into a crushing hug.
“You chose,” he whispered against my hair. “Oh, dear, precious child. You have no idea how relieved I am. Welcome to the light, Ember. You will be a valuable asset to our cause.”
I clung to him, enjoying his baby-powder scent. So much warmth and love emanated from him. Closing my eyes, I soaked it all in. Finally I pulled back and met his joyful gaze with my worried one.
“Cinder, you’ve got to help Arrow. Please. Dash tried to kill him. I don’t think he’s going to make it without help.”
Cinder gave me the wide-eyed look he often got right before telling me no. He gave a slight shake of his head, opened his mouth to speak, but merely sighed. Instead of denying my request, he went to Arrow. He had a hard time getting Arrow to make eye contact. The dark nephilim was fading in and out of consciousness.
“Arrow,” Cinder snapped in a voice that could reach through the foggiest brain haze. “Look at me. Now. I’ve been asked to help you. Ember has made this request on your behalf. But you must allow it. I need your consent. Do you understand?”
Arrow’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he mumbled something nonsensical. Rowen spoke softly in his ear. I watched with growing unease. My heart would break for Rowen if he had to watch his brother die.
“Don’t you dare die, you mother fucker,” Jett muttered. “Not before you hear them announce Crimson Sin as the winner.”
Cinder frowned at her vile remark, but it seemed to bring Arrow back to himself. He rolled his hazel eyes toward her and scoffed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he coughed.
“Arrow,” Cinder repeated. “Answer me if you consent to healing.”
“Fuck yeah,” Arrow said, his gaze sliding to me. “I didn’t come this far to let these bitches win so easy.”
Cinder frowned again at the foul banter we all seemed to share, but he didn’t hesitate. He took Arrow’s hand and pulled him to his feet. By the time Arrow stood, his bleeding had stopped, and his breathing had evened. Cinder stopped short of healing the bruises on his face. That would be too suspicious among humankind.
Arrow clapped a hand on Cinder’s shoulder, saying, “Thank you. Again. I know you’re not really supposed to help shitheads like me.”
Cinder smiled, genuine and warm. “That’s where you’re wrong. People like you are exactly who I’m supposed to help. You can thank Ember. She’s the one who keeps speaking on your behalf.”
“Where’s Koda?” I asked. I didn’t have the spunk to deal with another demon tonight.
“Koda won’t be bothering you tonight.” Cinder scrubbed a hand through his shaggy, blond hair. “He got the jump on me. I wish I’d realized he was sent to distract me while Dash cornered you. But it looks like you handled it on your own.”
He glanced around at the mess. Blood stained the floor, and the mirror was broken. The Spirit Room’s owner was going to be ticked. Oops.
“We couldn’t have done it without each other,” I replied. “All of us. Jett too.”
“Three nephilim and a werewolf,” Cinder mused, appraising us each in turn. “Interesting. You guys may really have something there.” He was thinking something—I could see it�
��but whatever it was, he kept it to himself.
“Ok, boys,” Jett clapped her hands together. Other than a blood smear on her chin, she looked like her human self again. “Put those wings away, Rowen. We have to get downstairs before they announce a winner and we’re all missing.” She was so peppy and unfazed by what she’d just done. I’d be having nightmares about this for weeks.
I stuck the sword back into the guitar case and gave Cinder another hug before following the others downstairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“You feel different,” Jett remarked when we were standing with the other girls to the left of the stage. “Like less human than usual.”
“I feel different to me too. Still feel pretty human though. Fuck, I’m tired.” I stifled a yawn and glanced over to where Rowen stood with Molly’s Chamber on the other side of the stage. “I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get wings like Rowen did.”
Jett nodded and slammed back a drink. “Yeah, those wings are pretty badass. Your turn will come.”
I clutched a beer bottle, preferring to take it slow. I felt like I needed to sleep for a few days. The emcee gave the five minute warning, and people crowded the bar, trying to get another drink before the big announcement. Despite the tiredness, I had enough energy to be nervous. We’d been working up to this moment for weeks now.
People kept coming up to us with wishes of good luck. This wasn’t about luck though; it was about talent and hard work. I smiled and said thank you so many times I thought my face would break. The good wishes were genuinely appreciated. I’d take all of the positive energy I could get. But if we lost, I’d still have to face everyone, have them gauge my reaction. I would still have to hold my head up.
Of course, winning a radio show contest wasn’t the defining moment of my life, not by a long shot. In fact, I thought I might have just had that moment upstairs despite feeling a lot less fanfare than I’d anticipated. But this contest meant the chance to see a part of my dream come true, so it meant a lot. We would always find other opportunities, but we’d fought hard for this one.
Tash grabbed us all in a giant group hug. Someone splashed beer on my boots, but it didn’t matter. “I love you ladies,” she said. “No matter what happens, it doesn’t end here.”
Feeling the weight of a watchful stare, I glanced up to meet Arrow’s eyes. He didn’t say anything. He just gave me the rock n’ roll devil horns and turned away.
I caught Rowen’s eye and gave him a nervous smile. He pointed a finger at me and mouthed the word, “You.” He seemed so certain we’d win and didn’t appear to be the least bit threatened or disappointed. With a saucy wink, I blew him a kiss, feeling incredibly satisfied when his smile grew.
The emcee returned to the stage. A cheer went up from the gathered crowd. My stomach tightened, and I felt a little nauseous. “Are you guys ready?” The emcee held up a white envelope, and the volume in the building shot up. “Someone is about to win a chance to record their debut album with Dark Mountain Records and open a show for an upcoming headlining act. Are you guys friggin’ excited?”
“Just get to it already,” Jett muttered, but I could tell by the way she was shifting from foot to foot that she was anxious too. This meant more to her than it did to anyone else here.
Rubi grabbed my hand, and I grabbed Jett’s. Resisting, she tried to tug away at first but then reached out to grab Tash. We stood there with heads bowed, holding tight to one another, as sisters united through the magic of sound.
“Both bands did fabulous tonight, didn’t they?” The emcee’s voice thundered in my ears. “But there can only be one winner.” He slid a card out of the envelope, as if this were some kind of awards show. “And the winner is…
“Crimson Sin!”
It didn’t sink in at first. The words echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t make sense of it until Jett grabbed me and shrieked. We won? We won!
My feet refused to move. Frozen, Rubi pushed me along from behind. Together the four of us climbed the stairs to the stage. The room seemed to spin, and I blinked a few times, trying to center myself. We fucking won!
Jett acted as our spokeswoman. She grabbed the mic and told the crowd how fucking awesome they were for being so supportive. After answering a few questions from the emcee about how psyched we were, we left the stage in a blur of camera flashes and encouraging shouts. It all happened so fast. My head spun.
We were shuffled around. First we were posed for the photographer from the radio station who would be taking our photo for their website. Next we were introduced to the well-dressed rep from Dark Mountain Records who seemed genuinely pleased to meet us. He congratulated us on our win and promised to have us into his office within the week to discuss the album we would record.
Lost in the whirlwind of excitement, I was almost able to forget about what had just happened upstairs.
Well after midnight, I was able to break away and go to Rowen. He sat at a table with the rest of his band. He looked up with a grin at my approach. “Congratulations. I knew you would win. You guys deserve it.”
I planted an eager kiss on him, squealing when he pulled me onto his lap.
Sam and Greyson mumbled their congratulations, which they really didn’t mean. I couldn’t blame them though.
Arrow placed an unlit cigarette between his lips and glowered. “Congrats.” The word was forced. The glower never changed. Arrow was as happy for me as he could possibly be.
“You guys know this is just one competition, right?” I tried to coax a smile from them. “It doesn’t mean shit. Besides, it’s usually the runners up on reality TV competitions who go on to have the most fascinating careers.”
Arrow’s glower became a scowl. Greyson chose to drink rather than respond. Sam shrugged and muttered, “Yeah, that’s kind of true.”
“I’m sorry.” I got up despite Rowen’s attempts to keep me planted on his lap. “I’m probably the last person you guys want to talk to right now. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Actually,” Arrow spoke up. “Jett is the last person we want to talk to right now. So keep her busy, will ya?”
With a salute, I turned to go. “Will do. Have a good night, guys.”
Rowen caught my hand and pulled me back for a kiss. “I want to see you later. Can I come by your place?”
Those fiery, amber eyes weakened me in all the right places. I caressed the back of his neck, trailing fingers through his ’hawk. I marveled at how I could touch him and feel the talents he possessed, knowing I could swipe a sample if I chose to. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Hey, Spike,” Arrow called as I started to walk away. “You’re really not so bad, you know.”
“I know. You could use a little work though.” He met my teasing grin with an eye roll. Arrow and I had reached some kind of understanding. Maybe one day we’d even be friends. Well, that was a long shot, but stranger things had happened.
My ears rang, my head spun, and I clung to Jett as we giggled about stupid shit we wouldn’t remember in the morning. The night had been a gong show, a shitstorm of rivalry, demons, and celebratory booze, but Crimson Sin had survived. I partied with my girls until almost three in the morning.
When the house lights came on to signify that it was closing time, management started ushering people out. Rowen had left already, but I hadn’t seen him go. Rubi, the sober one, rallied us girls together and led our way to the door. The van full of our gear was ready and waiting to chauffeur us home.
Then Cinder stepped in. He had my guitar case slung over his shoulder. “Car keys,” he said, hand extended. “Come on. I’ll drive you home. We need to talk.”
I hugged the girls and shared one last excited squeal. Then I let Cinder lead me to the Nova.
“I didn’t know you could drive.” I tripped on a concrete divider in the parking lot. When had I gotten so drunk?
“I can do many things if required of me, Ember.” He gripped my elbow until we reached the car. “I understand t
hat you had something to celebrate tonight. However, you seem to have imbibed a little too much. It’s not my place to lecture or to judge, but I must remind you that being intoxicated compromises your ability to defend yourself.”
I fumbled with the seatbelt. A yawn escaped me, and I slumped back against the seat and closed my eyes. “I know, Cinder. You’re right. You’re always right.” I reached out blindly feeling around for his arm, then patted it with drunken affection. “You’re so good.”
Cinder laughed in spite of himself. “You gained a new talent tonight. I can feel it. We’ll have to work on that. The skills of a replicant can run away with you.”
“More training. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“It’s better to be prepared for things you may never face than to be caught off guard. What happened tonight with Dash is just the beginning I’m afraid.”
I frowned. The movement of the car turned my stomach. The drinks Jett had plied me with threatened to make a reappearance. Somehow I made it home without getting sick. The elevator didn’t make that challenge any easier. I staggered down the hall with Cinder at my side.
Rowen sat on the floor, leaning against my apartment door, playing on his phone. He looked about half as drunk as I felt.
“I sure hope you didn’t drive.” Cinder’s greeting was typical. He never stopped being the concerned guardian.
“Nope. Took a cab.” Rowen pushed to his feet and stood back to allow Cinder to unlock the door.
Once we were safely inside, Cinder studied Rowen and me in turn. “Should I bother trying to speak with you both? Or would it be wiser to wait until you’ve slept off your poison swill?”
Rowen produced a crumpled joint from a pocket. “I’m sorry, but I really want to blaze this thing.”
“I suppose I have my answer.” Arms crossed and violet eyes narrowed, Cinder followed us to the balcony. “You two are going to make my job a real challenge, though I guess I should be grateful. Your choice of recreational activity could be far more dangerous. Still, try to keep the narcotics and alcohol to a minimum. Ok? It may seem like harmless fun, but anything that clouds your thoughts or judgment can be dangerous.”
