Wicked Revelations and Brimstone (Legacy of Sins Book 2)

by J. N. Colon

  A prickle crawled across my neck.

  That was never a good sensation to feel out in the woods. Virtually alone.

  A massive, shadowy shape stirred between the branches. Two luminous crimson eyes popped against the autumn backdrop.

  A stifled gasp tumbled out of my mouth, and I slid back. My mind was whirling with terrifying images of monsters in the cemetery.

  Was a freaking demon down there?

  I took a deep breath, gathering the strength to glance back over the ledge. I peered into the valley—and nothing but a beautiful scenic view greeted me.

  “Are you ready to eat?”

  Jessica’s voice startled me, and I shot back.

  “Yep.” I choked back the rising panic. I was only paranoid. Why would a demon stomp around the woods in the middle of the afternoon? That didn’t sound diabolical at all.

  After hanging out for a while, we packed up and headed back down the trail. The sun hung lower in the sky, barely penetrating the tree canopies. Darkness settled in the forest, spreading long, thick shadows.

  I chewed on my bottom lip, the eerie atmosphere sending goose bumps across my flesh. “Is it usually this dark?” I asked, my eyes sweeping the ground for bits of forest debris that could trip me.

  Jessica made a humming sound. “Not if the sun is out.” Her head rose toward the sky. “Maybe rain is coming.”

  Chills wriggled down my spine that had nothing to do with the crisp autumn weather. “I hope we make it to my car before it starts raining. A cold Lena is a mean Lena.”

  “I’ve noticed.” Jessica gave a halfhearted chuckle.

  A sharp keening suddenly pierced my eardrums.

  “What the hell was that?” My voice trembled right along with my knees.

  Jessica scanned the woods. “Um, I think, maybe a bear.”

  Crap on toast. “There are bears?”

  Jessica shot me an incredulous expression. “What did you think would be in a forest?”

  “Bambi.”

  Thrashes and guttural roars reverberated. My heart jumped in my throat, tapping out a frantic beat. Of all the ways I thought I’d go out, getting eaten by a bear was not one of them.

  “Let’s quietly continue down the path,” Jessica whispered, pulling me with her. “I doubt the bear is even interested in us.”

  If it really was a bear…

  A trickle of cold sweat ran down my nape, melting into my shirt. What if a demon was out there? Should I call Jayson?

  My foot slipped on a pile of leaves, and I reached out, grabbing a trunk to keep from falling.

  “Are you okay?” Jessica was by my side, helping me regain my balance.

  I pulled my unsteady hand away from the trunk. Thick, black goo marred the surface of my palm.

  Every ounce of warmth drained from my face.

  Jessica grimaced. “Yuck. What is that?”

  Blood from an upper-level demon. And it was fresh.

  Frack.

  I wiped the slick, oily substance on my jeans and slowly slipped my bag around to retrieve my phone. I needed Jayson. A.S.A.P. “Let’s keep going.” Maybe the demon had moved on, and he or she wasn’t looking for any tasty human souls.

  Jessica nodded, her brown eyes showing white. Her instincts were telling her danger was near.

  She had no idea.

  I quickly sent a text to Jayson and shoved my phone back in the bag. He’d be able to find me. Hell, he might even feel my fear right now. He could already be on the way.

  A girl could hope, right?

  Jessica moved a tree limb aside, and we stepped around the thick trunk. My heart shuddered to a stop at the scene we stumbled into. A man laid on his back, his lifeless eyes staring up at the darkening sky.

  My stomach clenched. A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair held a stocky woman by the shoulders, her hiking boots swinging in the air. Her mouth twisted open in a silent scream as white mist spilled out, entering the man’s gaping maw.

  But this wasn’t a man at all. He was a demon.

  Chapter 15

  “Oh my God.” Tremors riddled Jessica’s hushed voice. Her fingers curled into my arm hard enough to bruise.

  Could she see the woman’s soul being sucked out by the upper-level demon?

  His crimson eyes rolled into the back of his head as he relished his meal. Ebony claws tipped his fingers, digging into her flesh, and pale gray scales spotted his neck and arms.

  My hand fisted in the back of Jessica’s jacket. “Jess, we need t—”

  The demon’s head snapped around, those horrible slitted eyes finding us within the foliage.

  Effing fudgesicles.

  A scream tore from Jessica’s mouth. We spun around to run, slamming into a hard, scaly body.

  Every ounce of air was siphoned from my lungs as I stared into the devilish eyes of another demon.

  She was even uglier than Lariat. Neon yellow hair curled around red horns and spiked shoulders. A feral smile twisted her thin lips, revealing sharp, lethal teeth. “I’ll eat your souls, and then I’ll kill Radgar.” Her rumbling voice still managed to carry a feminine cadence.

  Jessica yanked me to the left just as the demon lunged. “Run, Lena!”

  We took off, sprinting down the trail as the female beast barreled after us. My lungs burned right along with my legs. Hot, fetid breath brushed my nape.

  She was close. Too close.

  Adrenaline urged me faster. Jessica was in front of me, her brown braid whipping over her book bag.

  And then it happened—the inevitability that was my life.

  My foot slipped. I tumbled forward. Pain ripped open my right arm, and I gasped, choking on a pile of dead leaves.

  “Lena!” Jessica pulled me up, her movements surprisingly strong and deft for such a waifish girl.

  I spit out the bitter forest bracken as we ran. Her hand kept a firm, steady grip on my jacket. I stumbled a few more times, but she made sure I remained standing.

  A hot tingle shot over my spine as we sprinted through a thick patch of underbrush. I smacked into something warm and solid.

  A giant hand muffled my scream.

  “It’s me, Lena.” Jayson’s frantically surveyed me, searching for injuries.

  He didn’t get much time to look. The demon crashed through the forest, demolishing the underbrush with her heavy steps. Jayson spun me behind him and yanked out his sword, slashing at the beast’s scaly chest.

  “I know you.” Her gaze flicked between Jayson and me, a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re Astaroth’s little pet avis.”

  A snarl rumbled through Jayson. “She isn’t Astaroth’s anything.”

  Her laugh shot ice across my limbs. “Your soul is off-limits, Lena Raven.” She jabbed an onyx talon at Jessica. “But yours is free game.”

  “Fat chance.” I darted out from behind Jayson and stepped in front of my friend, trying to block the demon. “Why don’t you go back to Hell and choke on brimstone?”

  “She’s a lively one, son of Nithael.” She chomped her razor-sharp teeth. “I’m sure Astaroth wouldn’t mind just a little taste.”

  Jayson lunged forward, ramming his shoulder into the demon. “Lena, stay back.”

  Jessica grabbed me and pushed me behind a tree as Jayson fought the demon. “What is happening right now?” she squeaked, her eyes so wide they threatened to pop right out of her head. “What is that thing?”

  Before I could answer, the other demon, Radgar, smashed through a wall of thick leaves. He’d torn out of his partial human form, revealing the seven-foot gray monster. His lips curled back, baring jagged, yellowed teeth.

  “I got him!” Seth appeared, swinging his blade at the sickly-gray demon. He slashed at Radgar’s chest, tearing open a long gash. Thick black blood arced across the forest floor.

  Jessica’s face turned green, and she threw her hand over her mouth, muffling her voice. “What are they?”

  Was she referring to the demons or the Nephilim? She didn’t n
eed to see Jayson and Seth’s smoldering gold eyes or their misty halos to realize they were more than human.

  Seth slammed his sword into Radgar’s chest, twisting the blade further. The crimson radiance in the demon’s irises faded before he hit the ground.

  Jayson was still battling with the female. He slammed his foot into her leg, the crunch of bone reverberating. The demon’s howl shook the entire forest. Every single animal must have scurried far away.

  “You’re going to pay for that, Nephilim.” Her claws lifting to swipe at Jayson. She missed. “I’ll flay Lena’s skin off while you watch. Astaroth didn’t say anything against that.” Eerie laughter spilled out of her.

  I shrank back behind the tree, bumping into Jessica.

  “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do,” she whispered, her body trembling.

  I couldn’t meet her gaze. What would she think of me after finding out an evil fallen angel wanted to use me for something horrible? Would she be afraid to be near me?

  Maybe she should.

  Jayson moved too fast to track. He was suddenly clutching one of the demon’s horns, twisting it. He gritted his teeth, the tendons in his neck popping. A feral growl tore from him, and he ripped half the horn right off her head.

  The demon roared and swatted him away.

  My jaw dropped. Holy shitzu. How strong did you have to be to break a horn off? I glanced at Seth. His mouth hung open.

  “Touch her, and you’ll find out what happens to demons who come after what’s mine.” Danger dripped from Jayson’s low voice.

  My lips tilted down. I didn’t appreciate being branded as his.

  The she-demon tried to spit at him, but he dodged out of the way. “Filthy half-breed,” she hissed. “Your father is just as pathetic as you.”

  Jayson slammed his foot into her chest, and she stumbled back. He lunged, tearing her other horn off.

  Ice sank through my gut. This was brutal. Jayson was brutal. Did he need to toy with her?

  “Jayson!” Seth barked. “Finish her.”

  “I’m just getting started.” He sliced his sword across her chest. The shallow cut oozed black blood.

  Seth’s nostrils flared as he marched toward the other Nephilim. “End it. Lena doesn’t want to watch this. She’s seen enough bad things lately.”

  The visions were a million times worse. That didn’t mean I wanted to see the guy I was tied to torture a demon.

  Seth’s words penetrated the dark, angry haze around Jayson.

  The demon laughed. “Is son of Nithael letting another Nephilim give him orders? I never thought—”

  Jayson lifted the sword and chopped the demon’s head off, finally silencing her. My stomach churned as the head rolled closer. Two sharp nubs were all that remained of her horns.

  Jayson’s eyes still smoldered with gold as they found mine. “Are you okay?”

  I gave a quick nod even as my heart violently assaulted my ribcage. Running into a couple of demons while hiking had been the last thing I expected. Watching Jayson begin to rip one apart with his bare hands hadn’t been on today’s agenda either.

  “Will someone tell me what those things were?” Jessica screeched, pointing to the demon Seth had dispatched. “They’re definitely not bears.”

  Seth chuckled. “No, darling. Bears are cuddly compared to these creatures.”

  “Understatement,” she mumbled, her gaze traveling over the gore before landing back on me. “You’re not as normal as you seem either, are you?”

  My chest tightened, and I glanced at the Nephilim. What the heck were we supposed to do now? We couldn’t tell her the truth, could we?

  The two guys shared a knowing look.

  Seth sighed and casually stepped toward us, his sword gone. “It’s okay, darling.” He lifted his hands. “I’m going to explain everything. I’m going to make it all okay.” His voice had turned buttery smooth like expensive chocolate melting over warm cake.

  “Hey, wait.” I tried to grab for Jessica, but Jayson blocked me.

  “It’ll be fine,” he mumbled as Seth took her hand. “It’s the only way.”

  She followed him through the woods, entranced. “What’s he doing to her?”

  “Like Brenna, Seth has a special ability.” Jayson inspected my face, gently wiping off a smudge of dirt. “He’s going to make her forget what happened—with us and the demons.”

  “What?” Keeping secrets was one thing, but screwing with someone’s mind…

  “We can’t have humans knowing this unless it’s necessary.” He motioned toward the grotesque demons. “Some can’t handle it, and some shouldn’t have to.”

  I choked back the unease. He was right. I didn’t want Jessica thrust into this world if she didn’t have to be. I, on the other hand, never had a choice. “Why didn’t Seth take my memories after you healed me?”

  “He couldn’t once we were bound.” He lifted my arm, sucking in a sharp breath. “You’re hurt.” He peeled the ripped clothing away to reveal a nasty cut on my forearm.

  Now that my body was no longer running on fear and adrenaline, hot pain throbbed across the area. “I’ve had worse,” I gritted out. “This fast healing can kick in any day now.”

  “I agree,” he muttered. “You shouldn’t have been out here in the first place.” His nostrils flared as he looked around. “You said you weren’t going anywhere near the mountains.”

  I shrugged. “Plans changed. And how was I supposed to know demons were wandering around the woods looking for souls to eat?”

  The tendons in his jaw flexed. “I almost didn’t make it in time. If something would have happened to you…” He shook his head as if he couldn’t find the words to express his emotions.

  I swallowed a lump rising in my esophagus. “I’m sorry.” Once again, I remembered how he felt when he found me on that haystack. I’d never seen him so scared.

  He gave a quick nod. “We better get you stitched up.”

  My brows rose. “I thought you didn’t want me going to the hospital.”

  “I don’t.” Jayson put his arm around my waist and gently pulled me down the trail. “I’m going to do it.”

  Chapter 16

  Jayson handed me a bottle of whiskey while I stretched out on his bed, my wounded arm resting on a pillow.

  I stared at the amber liquid sloshing against the glass. “Are you joking?”

  “Do you want me to steal some pain pills from the hospital?”

  My brows dipped. “Of course not.”

  “This is the only kind of pain reliever I have besides Tylenol, and I don’t think that’ll cut it.” He shrugged. “I won’t let you drink too much.”

  I shuddered as I took the bottle. “Won’t it make me bleed more?”

  Jayson dragged a chair to the edge of the bed. “You’ve already stopped bleeding mostly, but you still need stitches.”

  Lucky me.

  I swished the bottle around. Last time I’d indulged in some liquor, I got into an argument with an old army vet on the beach over who the best guitarist was. “If I start ranting about how much better Jimmie Hendrix is over Eric Clapton, I’ve already had too much.”

  A ghost of a smile curled his lips. “You got it.”

  I twisted the cap off and tipped it to my mouth. Bottoms up.

  Holy fracken chicken gizzards. “How do people drink this stuff?” I could have breathed fire.

  “It’s an acquired taste.” He dabbed a cold rag to my wound, cleaning off the blood. The cut stretched two inches down my forearm. “It’s not that bad.”

  I took another swig. The hell it wasn’t. “Do you drink whiskey?”

  His gaze remained on my arm. “Sometimes. The alcohol burns out of my system relatively fast so there’s not much numbing of anything.”

  My stomach clenched. He didn’t mean numbing any physical pain. Jayson had emotional scars that ate away at him. I glanced at the picture of his mom on his dresser. I still didn’t know what happened.

  H
annah knew.

  I shook the bitter thought off and took another sip. The fire was a little tamer this time.

  Jayson worked fast, and he’d already started stitching my arm. It wasn’t as painful as I’d expected.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice a rich, husky tenor. “Does it hurt?”

  “It’s fine.” I licked my lips. They tingled. “It would hurt even less if you did this without a shirt.” Flames licked at my cheeks. Did I really say that?

  A snort slipped out.

  The hint of a smile crossed his face. “I think you’ve had enough whiskey, lightweight.” He wiggled his fingers for the bottle.

  I handed it over. I could only imagine the things I’d say if I drank any more. I might even bring up my fantasy of him, me, and whipped cream.

  He set the whiskey on the floor by his chair and continued stitching my cut. His fingers were fast but gentle. Dirty blond hair fell in his face, framing those intense hazel eyes.

  He was so shmexy. Looks ran in the family because his dad was a Mr. McHottie. His mom was gorgeous too. In the picture, the sun set her vibrant auburn locks on fire and kissed her skin. A barely visible smattering of freckles dusted her nose. Of course those two had a beautiful son.

  “What happened to your mom?” I blurted.

  Jayson’s body stiffened. Several long, heavy moments passed as he sat frozen. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

  My cheeks felt hot, and I swallowed thickly. “I just want to understand you,” I mumbled under my breath.

  I didn’t mean for him to hear it, but with his Nephilim senses, he did.

  He sighed and finished placing a bandage over my stitches. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and downed a huge gulp. He remained still, his expression pensive. “She was killed by a monster when I was six. I was too weak to stop it, and Nithael wasn’t around.”

  A hole tore through my chest. Oh, God. A demon killed his mother. Did he witness it?

  I bit my lip to stop the trembling. Did he know the walls around his emotions had crumbled again? Pain flooded out, drowning him. If I could take it away and make it my own, I would. In a heartbeat. “I’m so sorry, Jayson.” I tried to reach for him, but a sharp throb sliced through my arm, and I winced.