In truth, she was getting worse every day. And no matter how much she strived to hide it from those around her, they didn’t buy her attempts to play it down. In fact, it only made them pissed at her, so she’d stopped trying to kid them.
“I feel like crap, but I’ll be fine,” she told Raini. “We just need to get some angelic assistance.”
“Has Vivian seen anything of the angel who frequents the hospital where she works?”
“Not yet, but she said she was expecting him in a week’s time. It’s only been four days since then. To be honest, I thought we’d have managed to locate another angel by now, but finding one is proving to be a lot harder than I’d anticipated.”
“I honestly thought Knox would have located one. I mean, the guy has contacts everywhere.”
“Yeah, but he’s a seriously powerful demon, Raini. Not the sort of person who’d attract angelic attention. They’ll naturally prefer to avoid him. Enoch, the bastard, is making it just as difficult for us all to find him. It’s driving my grandmother insane. She called each of the guy’s siblings, but they all claimed they’d still heard nothing from Enoch. Ciaran’s been helping the sentinels try to track the fucker, but there’s been no sign of him.”
“I saw Ciaran yesterday,” said Raini. “He didn’t look anywhere near as bad as you do, which is probably because you were infected much earlier than he was, but he looked drained … like someone had sucked all the energy from him.”
Khloé swallowed. “I know.” She felt her hands flex on the steering wheel. “I hate that I can’t do anything to help him.”
“He said the same thing to me about you. He’s super worried about losing you. Keenan seems just as worried. Knowing how incredibly impatient he is, I’m guessing he’s seriously wound up that the angel hunt isn’t getting us anywhere.”
“‘Wound up’ would be an understatement. I keep trying to distract him with sex, but it only works for a little while.”
Raini snorted. “He’s no doubt very aware you’re trying to distract him. I’ll bet the only reason he hasn’t called you on it is that he’s enjoying reaping the benefits.”
“Probably.”
“Things seem to be going good between you two.”
Hearing the questioning note in the succubus’ tone, Khloé said, “They are. He doesn’t seem to get as annoyed with me these days. Which I’ll admit is disappointing.”
Raini snickered. “I don’t think you ever truly annoyed him. I think he just didn’t do so well with battling all his sexual frustration. Will you be seeing him tonight?”
“After he’s back from accompanying Knox, Harper, and Asher on a mini outing, yes. He should only be a few hours at most.” Khloé cast the rearview mirror a swift glance. “You may have noticed that two members of his Force now follow me everywhere. It doesn’t matter to him that Jolene already has people tailing me—Keenan’s determined to put his own people on me.”
“Well, of course he is. He needs to feel that he’s actually doing something to protect you. That’s only natural for someone like Keenan.”
Which was one of the reasons why Khloé didn’t give him shit over it. The other reason was that she didn’t want him distracted worrying about her all the time. A lot of risk and danger came with being a sentinel—she wanted his mind on the game.
Raini fiddled with the sleeve of her top. “I actually think that—” She cut off so abruptly that Khloé frowned.
Stealing a quick glance at the succubus, Khloé noticed her eyes seemed unfocused and her jaw had tightened. “Is Maddox telepathing you again?”
Raini sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Yes. He’s been doing it a lot more since all the trouble started with Enoch.”
“He’s worried you’ll get caught in the crossfire?”
“Maybe, I don’t know.” Raini gave her head a quick shake. “But we’re not going to talk about that or him. We’re going to go to your place, have some margaritas, and watch a feel-good movie. Like I Spit on Your Grave.”
Khloé brightened. “Ooh, I like how you think.”
They went ahead with Raini’s plan with only a minor modification—they also ordered a Thai takeout to spice things up. By the end of the fun evening, they had a real good buzz going on, and Khloé’s stomach hurt from laughing so much.
Feeling all warm and tingly, she escorted Raini to the door and said her goodbyes. Walking pretty well for a tipsy girl, the succubus sang as she made her way home. Khloé remained on her doorstep until Raini was no longer in sight.
Returning inside, Khloé headed to the living area. She needed to clean up the mess. Humming to herself, she righted the cushions on the sofa, switched off the TV, put the glasses and cutlery into the dishwasher, and dumped takeout containers and other rubbish into the trash. There were a few other things to do but, desperate to pee, she dashed to the small downstairs bathroom.
She’d no sooner sat on the toilet when a male mind touched hers. Hey baby, I’m on my way to your place now, said Keenan.
Her demon stirred, pleased that he’d contacted them. ’Kay, Khloé replied. It was a telepathic slur.
A chuckle echoed through her mind. I take it you and Raini had a few drinks. Drunk sex with you should be an adventure.
She was about to ask how the hell he knew Raini had been here, but then she remembered he’d assigned two demons to watch over her. We only had one or two drinks. Ha, such a lie.
You sound out of it. You sure you’re awake?
Yup. But she was sure she could quite easily fall asleep right there. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before.
Good. What you up to right now?
Peeing.
A vibe of pure male amusement touched her mind, but the vibe quickly faded. You’re not serious, are you?
Yup.
He broke the connection so fast, she snickered.
Having done her business, Khloé washed her hands and stumbled out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Coffee. She should drink coffee and sober—
A door burst open and slammed into a wall.
Khloé sharply turned. The bottom fell out of her stomach as partly decomposed corpses began to slowly and unsteadily file through the back door and into her kitchen, their eyes wide and vacant, their skin pale and dirty.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
For a mere moment, her thoughts blanked as her fuzzy mind struggled to process what she was seeing. Her demon stared, equally stunned. Then reality slapped them both hard, sobering Khloé in an instant. Panic quickly kicked in, and with it came a shot of pure adrenaline.
She planted her feet as power hummed in her belly, eager to be released. She gladly gave it what it wanted. The flickering blue/ amber electric flames crackled and hissed as they sliced through the air and lashed the intruders like whips.
Three corpses collapsed, their bodies jerking as shockwaves coursed through them. Even so, Enoch was able to make them conjure hellfire orbs and throw them Khloé’s way. Bastard.
Wicked fast, she slammed the orbs with a wave of electric fire that sent them crashing into the wall hard enough to make the plaster crack. A picture frame crashed to the floor, and glass shattered.
Keenan! she telepathically yelled, remembering her promise. I could use a little help here, she told him, slinging balls of hellfire at the intruders, aiming to blind them so she could cut off Enoch’s ability to use them. More of his puppets stumbled past the fallen and began to shuffle out of the kitchen, their steps slow and awkward.
Keenan’s mind brushed hers, vibrating with urgency. What’s happening?
Short version: dead people broke into the house through the back door. I took out a few of them, but there’s at least half a dozen still here.
Keenan swore. I’ll have someone teleport me to you; sit tight.
Oh, there’d be no sitting. She needed to deal with these fuckers. Her demon was furious that its enemy had not only penetrated its home and launched an attack, but that said enemy wasn’t physically within reach.<
br />
Khloé ducked as a series of hellfire orbs came flying at her at an incredible speed. The first two missed. The third grazed her temple; it was like the slice of a hot blade. The fourth orb rammed into her thigh and, fuck, the searing hot pain almost sent her to her knees.
The hellfire ate the denim of her jeans and scorched the skin beneath, making it sizzle and blister and burn like a motherfucker. Her demon’s fury hit a whole new level.
She could smell her flesh burning, but that horrid scent was nothing compared to the nauseating smell of dead flesh burning. It was like someone was roasting rotten meat. Her stomach rolled, and she would have gagged if she wasn’t so busy fending off Enoch’s puppets.
She swiftly sidestepped another orb, gritting her teeth as the move aggravated her thigh wound. Seething as much as her demon, she tossed a succession of hellfire balls at the heads of the corpses, aiming for their eyes, blinding some but only wounding others.
Fuck, I can’t get inside your house, growled Keenan.
She tensed. What?
There’s a translucent shield surrounding it—my teleporter can’t bypass it.
Shit, shit, shit.
Collapse the shield, he added.
I can’t unless I can see it. Right now, I need to knock down the people coming at me. She sent out a wave of electric fire strong enough to knock all the corpses down like bowling pins. Those she’d blinded stayed down, but the others awkwardly struggled to stand.
We’ll keep trying to get inside.
Okay. But she had absolutely no confidence that they’d manage to penetrate it.
Khloé fired a series of electric-fire “bullets” out of her hand. Skulls burst and brain matter splattered on the floor as corpses toppled to the ground. But others only jerked as the bullets sank harmlessly into non-vital body parts.
As she’d already learned, it wasn’t so simple to incapacitate people who were already dead. Especially since, even while they were jerking with electric shockwaves or suffering from horrific burns, Enoch—completely unaffected by their injuries—could still use them to attack her.
Khloé inhaled sharply as a hellfire orb smacked into her chest, almost winding her. She hissed through her teeth at the blazing pain. “Fuck this shit.”
Shelving the pain as best she could, she kept on fighting. Enoch upped the ante, using his puppets to throw balls of hellfire and even a few psychic slaps that stung like a bitch. But it wasn’t much longer before all the corpses were flat on the ground, to her demon’s utter satisfaction.
Walking toward the only body that was still moving, Khloé said, “And then there was one.”
Enoch glared at her through his puppet’s eyes. He couldn’t attack her again, since the corpse’s arms had all but disintegrated, courtesy of the amount of hellfire it had been hit with. “It is only a matter of time before you are dead,” he said, the words weak and garbled.
Her demon hissed, but Khloé gave him an “oh you’re so cute” smile and said, “Sweetie, you don’t get to be so cocky when you’re too chicken shit to come out and face me yourself. Hiding behind corpses? I guess I should feel flattered that you fear me.”
His upper lip curled. “I fear no one.”
“Yeah? Prove it. Come face me.” With that, she sank a bullet of electric fire into the corpse’s head.
Sighing, Khloé glanced around. What a fucking mess. Her hallway floor was littered with pieces of skull and brain, and blistered, battered bodies—many of which were leaking slushy brain matter out of their noses, mouths, and ears.
The front door flew open, and Keenan rushed inside with several others hot on his heels. He went to grab Khloé, but one look at her injuries made him halt. “Jesus, fuck,” he bit out.
Khloé peered down at the ugly wounds. “I’ve had worse. The hellfire isn’t eating at my skin anymore.” The pain was still unreal, though. “If Enoch popped his shield up around my house, he couldn’t have been far away.”
“Which is why I have several members of my Force searching the area,” said Jolene, her eyes scanning the space. Power rippled through the air. The windows rattled. The walls shook. Vibrations hummed through the ground.
“Grams, please don’t huff and puff and blow my house down,” said Khloé.
Her grandmother turned to her and exhaled heavily; the disturbance slowly eased off. She strode toward Khloé, her face creased in concern. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“No, she’s fucking not,” Keenan snapped. His gaze, so cold and hard, swept over the remains of the corpses. “It’s a good thing you’re so damn powerful, because the bastard sent a small goddamn army. Were the corpses already here when I first telepathed you?” His unnaturally calm voice was coated in so much ice she was surprised the air didn’t fog.
What, he thought she’d tried battling them herself for a short while? “No. They burst through the door after I finished in the bathroom. I telepathed you mere moments later. But thanks for assuming I broke my promise.”
He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I didn’t assume that, I just—”
“Forget it, it’s not important right now. Grams, I don’t recognize any of these people. Do you?”
“No, none.” Jolene licked her lower lip. “You know, I’m glad Enoch’s not easy to kill. Because it will be glorious to hurt him badly over and over and over … and not have to worry that he’ll die too soon. Don’t you agree?”
Khloé pursed her lips. “Actually, I kind of do.”
Since no one could stand the putrid stench a moment longer, they all got the hell out of there and walked to Jolene’s house. They gathered around the Prime’s kitchen island as she barked orders down the phone to her sentinels. Ciaran, Beck, and a few others soon arrived.
Khloé almost fell off her stool when Harper, Knox, and Levi showed up. Apparently, Keenan had telepathically filled them in on what had happened—something he hadn’t cared to share with the rest of the class. She shot him a glare, but he only stared at her, his jaw clenched so tightly shut she figured he had to be in pain.
He was being uncharacteristically quiet, which was a tell-tale sign that his black temper was riding him hard. He never trusted himself to speak when he was so exponentially pissed.
Knox and Levi kept flicking him looks, as if waiting for him to blow, while Harper launched into an “Enoch needs to die” tirade. The whole time, the sphinx patted Khloé’s back gently … like she was traumatized or something.
Khloé batted her hand away. “I’m fine.”
Harper glowered at her. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
Khloé rolled her eyes. “All my injuries are healing, so stop stressing.”
“Did anyone think to try stabbing Enoch’s shield with the blade?” Knox asked no one in particular.
Having ended her call, Jolene said, “I tried. It didn’t work. Are you sure it will permanently kill him?”
“Absolutely positive,” replied Knox.
“But it’s useless to us if he won’t surface,” Ciaran pointed out.
Beck began handing out steaming mugs of coffee. “He’s going to keep coming after you, Khloé. And he’ll probably send even more corpses next time.”
“Maybe,” she said, cradling a hot cup with both hands. “I challenged him to come at me directly.”
“He won’t do that,” said Beck. “Using corpses is a low-risk method of attack for him—he’ll keep on doing it until you’re dead.”
“You shouldn’t be alone at your house anymore, Khloé,” said Ciaran. “He’s attacked you there twice now. Either I move in with you, or you move in with me.”
Not going to happen. “We’d kill each other within forty-eight hours. You know that. And I’m not staying with anyone else either. I can think of something better.”
Harper folded her arms across her chest. “Such as?”
“Staying in one of the Underground hotels.” Khloé sipped at her coffee. �
�Enoch doesn’t seem willing to come after me in person. If he sends corpses to the Underground, they’ll be destroyed by the doormen. He could pay someone to teleport them down there, yes, but they’d be seen and obliterated by any demons who came across them. Enoch will have to then come for me himself. So not only will staying in an Underground hotel help keep me safe, it’ll help bring him out into the open.”
Levi blinked. “That is a good plan. And it might just work. If nothing else, you’ll be safe from his zombie friends there.”
“Knox and I have a penthouse suite in the hotel across the road from Urban Ink,” said Harper, her arms slipping to her sides. “You could stay there until all this blows over.”
“Works for me.” Khloé had been to the penthouse several times. She and the girls mostly went there just to change from work clothes into dresses-worthy-of-a-bar-crawl before having a girls’ night out.
“I’ll be staying there with you,” Keenan told her, his voice still glacier cold.
Yeah, she’d figured he’d say that. She’d have demanded the same if their situations were reversed. “Fine,” said Khloé. Sex on tap sounded good to her.
“I like the idea of you staying in the penthouse,” said Jolene. “Even if Enoch manages to slip past the doormen guarding the entrance of the Underground, he’ll have a hell of a time bypassing the hotel’s security and gaining access to the penthouse. Even I had trouble breaking into it.”
Harper glared at Jolene. “You broke into my penthouse?”
Jolene gave an unapologetic shrug. “I was merely testing the security measures.”
Harper opened her mouth wide, looking like she might verbally lay into the woman, but then she shook her head and turned back to Khloé. “Knox and I will get you settled there before we head home. I won’t be able to relax until I know you’re safe.”
“I’ll teleport you back to your house so you can pack some stuff.” Ciaran stood. “Are members of the Force still there cleaning up the mess, Grams?”
Omens (The Dark in You Book 6) Page 20
