“No ‘father’ anymore? No ‘daddy dearest’?”
“Pfft. When did I ever call you ‘daddy dearest’? You and I both know you’ve never been my father. You’ve only ever been Bruce Urser to me. This whole Game is a sick ruse and the fact that I landed in your House surprised you as much as it did me.”
His eyebrow twitch was the only sign my words made any impact. His aura flatlined, and his face deadpanned. Like I said: Control.
“When are you going to understand that you can’t beat me?” he asked. “I’m always two steps ahead of you and I don’t even try.”
“Gloating isn’t an attractive look on you. Besides, the Game isn’t over yet.”
He laughed. “You think I care about the Game?”
I folded my arms but didn’t take my eyes off him. Damned if I let him stare me down.
“Please, Roo, take a seat.” He waved at the seat he’d vacated. “I’m sure we can be civil about this.”
“Civil? You’ve stabbed my friends with loaded syringes. Your men beat me.”
“A small price to pay for compliance.”
“Hasn’t anyone told you terrorists aren’t negotiated with?”
He sighed. “And as long as they stay still, they’ll be fine. Please, sit.”
A quick glance at my soldiers had them waiting patiently for instructions. I didn’t want to reveal my secret command, so chose to ignore them and hoped they’d stay waiting.
“Are you okay?” I mouthed to Wren and Lincoln as I sat down.
Wren’s red-rimmed eyes stared back, and when I glanced over at Lincoln, I noticed his were red too. I frowned. Wren’s gaze darted to her arm where a line connected her wrist to the syringe. If she made a sudden movement, the liquid would deploy into her blood stream, flooding her veins with the dark serum. The same contraption was rigged on Lincoln’s arm. They had to stay completely still.
Bruce smiled.
Inside, I seethed. He knew I wouldn’t be swayed by their deaths, so a simple death threat would be wasted on me. They were Players. Their souls would travel to Purgatory and Marc would transport them safely home. But this… the serum would turn them into darklings, meaning he could control them, and worse, if he killed them, they would die a true death if I couldn’t purge the infection out of their systems first.
“How did you get the recipe for the serum?” I asked, eyes burning. “I thought it was original sin extracted from souls. It was destroyed years ago when the prince died.” It’s what Cash sacrificed his life for. “How did you get it back?”
“Despite what the myths say, the serum was never destroyed. It never really existed in the first place. Granted, what we have now took us some time to perfect. We lost a lot of subjects in our efforts to control Seraphim, but the Nephilim Players proved to be the perfect bridge between human and god.” Bruce casually walked to join Eve near the kitchenette. He picked up a knife from the counter and then moved to the window sill where a small pot plant sat. He sliced his palm with the knife until a black welt appeared. Black ink bled in drops and spread to cover the leaf in a silent dark plague. The plant turned gray, the leaf withered into ash and scattered to the bench. He slid a glance to me. “You might be life, but I am death. Sin is my specialty.”
A chill traveled down my spine. There was nothing left of the plant. Could he do that to everything, people included? I thought back to what they'd told me about the prince and the queen. The story was that she extracted original sin to make perfect beings. The prince stole this extraction, and mutated it for his own purposes to create the plague that twisted people into monsters. But Urser said, Sin is my specialty.
He laughed, supreme satisfaction dawning on his face. “Finally. You see.”
“It all came from you,” I said. “It was never something the queen extracted. It was never something the prince had twisted. It was always something you put in. You wanted to control Seraphim all along, and the darkling Players are only the beginning. Do your Watcher pals know what you’re planning to do to them? Do they know they betrayed the queen for another death sentence?”
The ground rumbled and a storm shadowed Bruce’s face. “You,” he spat. “You keep calling her the queen to distance yourself. But you can’t run from your own mistakes.” He stepped toward me. “You can’t hide from yourself, and soon you’ll see everything you created turn to dust, starting with your friends. And then finally, Ursa Constellation will have its day—like it should’ve in the beginning.”
If I ever had any doubt, I knew now that he hated me with a passion. I must have done something terrible to him to deserve his malice. If he wanted me dead, he could’ve killed me a long time ago with a simple touch. No, there was something more.
I studied him. “I must have pulled one over you for you to go to this much trouble. What was it, did I steal someone you love? Your best friend? Your brother?” His control cracked. Little slivers of energy slipped through tiny fissures in his aura. “Oh! That’s it.” There had been a flicker of emotion in his eyes when I said the word brother. Was it Envy? Pride? I kept pushing. “I stole your brother, the king, and then he had no time for you after we married? Did he spend too much time with me and forget about you?” Another crack in the fissures. This time when I said the word me. “No. You didn’t want your brother. You wanted me … but… not for love. Your brother got me instead of you which meant he married into the royal family. He got to be king, while you—”
The ground shook beneath us. Plates and dishes fell from the sink. And I shifted in my seat. Still, I smiled.
“You know nothing of my relationship with my brother.”
“The shaking walls might beg to differ.”
The ground shook again, this time, the syringes wobbled so much Wren and Lincoln whimpered and winced.
“You’re a bastard, you know that?” I shot Urser daggers.
“Perhaps to you, but to others”—he jerked his chin toward Eve—“I’m a saint. A god. The Almighty.” He stepped to a window and peered through the blinds. “Now, all we need is for your knights in shining armor to turn up, and then I’m done with you.”
So Marc was alive, as was Cash. At least that was good news.
“What do you need them for when my blood will open your gate?”
He spared me a look, eyes narrowed. “So you know.”
“Of course I know.” I glanced at Eve. She also widened her eyes a fraction. “I also know what you’re planning to do once you get the gate open.” I didn’t, but let them think I did.
Urser turned to Eve. “If she knows, then the others will too. They might think this is a trap and come prepared. There may be more coming.”
Eve closed the gap between them and lowered her head to talk to Bruce discreetly.
While they were distracted, I took the chance to get the attention of my friends.
“Hey,” I whispered.
Lincoln’s baby blues widened.
I made a show of looking at the needle in his leg. He frowned at it then back at me.
I inched my hand his way and sent my energy forth in a whisper to connect with the syringe, testing for weaknesses. But before I acted, I needed to power up. It had been a long time since I’d eaten and, after healing a crushed skull and casting a couple of hexes, my reserves ran low. I considered siphoning straight from Urser and Eve—weakening them at the same time as energizing myself—but dismissed the urge. They were too practiced and would sense me before I took enough to attack. Instead, I sought out the soldiers. I let their energy trickle down through our connection. The surrounding world grew clearer, brighter, more alive. I felt a pulse beat in each body. I smelled the blood crusting on Eduardo’s blade, and I tasted the last meal cooked in the microwave. The animals were alive in the forest behind the windows. There was more energy out there for me if I let it in, but nature was wild, raw and unrestrained.
All three soldiers faltered, stumbled as I drew on their essence. Life-force flowed into me like my own personal brand of ecsta
sy. It was hard to stop, but I need the soldiers functional. I needed their protection. I cut my line of fuel and, slowly, surely, surrounded Lincoln’s hypodermic needle with my power. I squeezed until the needle compacted, collapsing in on itself. There was no way the black liquid would make its way through the cavity now. Lincoln caught wind of what I was doing and nudged Wren with his shoulder. She met my eyes, swallowed, and then gave me an almost imperceptible nod.
Quickly, I checked that Urser and Eve were still preoccupied, then concentrated on Wren’s needle and did the same. It bent oddly to the side. Wren winced.
Sorry, I mouthed from my spot on the couch opposite her.
Soon I had both blocked and ready for extraction. On second thought, it was best I released their harnesses to give them access to remove the syringes themselves. Squeezing solid air was one thing, but slicing was another. At this distance, I worried I would miss and end up hurting them, especially after I was juiced up with soldier energy.
It would be better if one of us pulled the needles out manually.
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my thighs and checked Eve and Urser one last time. Eve was explaining something to Urser. I slowly stood. He reached to activate his shoulder mic, depressed the button and spoke into it. Then his gaze swept my way.
Shit.
In one fluid movement, I yelled “Protect me” to my soldiers and launched over the coffee table separating the two sofas. Each of my hands landed on one of my friends’ legs and pulled the needle out. Then I let my power zip through my fingers and sliced the bonds apart.
A wave of invisible power hit me and I was thrown backwards. My back skidded across the coffee table until I hit the soft cushions of the couch behind. I stood but was hit by another wave. The momentum sent my legs flying over my head in a flip and soon I found myself sprawled on the floor behind the couch, trying to catch my breath. I blinked, staring at the tiles under my palms. Wow. So fast.
As the soldiers rushed to my side of the couch, I struggled to comprehend how I’d been thrown across the room.
Air?
I shook my head. Unless Bruce had some power I wasn’t aware of, it must have been Eve with her telekinesis.
Double shit.
My hand found my stomach. It was wet. The second I became aware of the wound, pain swamped my brain. I glanced down. Red sticky mess oozed through my fingers.
It was okay. The wound was closing. I was okay.
Hiding behind the sofa, I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on breathing through the pain. A couple more seconds and my insides wouldn’t fall out. Just another breath. And another.
I tested my stomach and breathed a sigh of relief. Intact.
Slowly, heavily, I got to my feet, ignoring the pinch at my gut.
When I straightened, Eve stood behind Lincoln and Wren’s couch. Each had a hand still secured. I’d failed in releasing them completely. Eve had a controlling hand on Lincoln’s shoulder, and Urser had his palm on Wren’s cheek, tilting her face back toward him. He stared into her eyes, speaking, mesmerizing her.
“No!” I screamed. “Get away from her!” I spun to Eduardo. “Shoot Urser and Eve. Save my friends.”
Eduardo aimed his rifle at Bruce but, before he could shoot, the doors burst open and a horde of darklings swarmed in. Each having once been human or Nephilim, was humanoid in appearance, but their eyes were black, their hands were like claws, and they gnashed their sharpened teeth with feral appetite. Urser had injected his darkness into them, and now they were evil incarnate, ready and willing to do their master’s bidding.
“Attack her,” Bruce called and pointed at me.
“Shoot them,” I cried and pointed at the darklings. “Shoot them.”
My three soldiers swiveled their weapons and fired. The roar of rifles discharging filled the small room and then a different sort of rumble shook my feet. I looked down. The ground shook.
Urser watched me with a crazy glint in his eye and his hands flexed toward the floor. From where I stood I could feel his power pushing into the ground, disrupting it. The walls trembled around me and the blinds on the windows rattled. He could bring down the building if he wanted to.
The ground shifted and the windows shattered, showering my back with broken glass. A surge in life-energy behind me was my only warning before a mass of bats and birds swooped inside.
I screamed and dropped to the ground. It was chaos. The animals torpedoed in through the open windows and flapped around the room, creating a dark mass of wings and fury. My heart squeezed. Fear locked my muscles. Wren. He’s got Wren doing this. I had to save her.
There was one thing Urser didn’t count on. More life in the room meant a bigger power supply for me. But tapping that source meant I would tip the balance of nature. I’d be killing innocent creatures to save myself. A snarl near the darklings had me glancing that way. The soldiers had run out of bullets and the feral beasts breeched the room. I was running out of time. I pushed away the fear locking my joints, and opened myself to the hurricane of electrical life-force. A silent tsunami hit me, lighting me up, but I pulled on the source until my hair lifted with static electricity, strands floating in a gravity defying response.
I needed to defeat him. End this now. Once and for all.
I removed all traces of reticence and opened myself wide, screaming as electricity burned and ripped my insides, stretching my half-human vessel to the brink. My body bowed under the pressure. Birds and bats dropped, one by one, depleted as their energy flew from them to fill me. I was power. I was life.
Eventually quiet descended. Naught but the sound of rain falling beyond the open windows could be heard.
Pitter patter. Pitter patter.
And the click of the soldier’s guns as they tried to shoot with empty magazines. They’d followed my last directive to a T. Shoot them. Shoot them, I’d cried. And they kept shooting darklings with no ammunition.
Bruce and Eve stood behind Lincoln and Wren, eyes like globes as they took me in. They knew what I had done. They knew what I could do. But Bruce wasn’t afraid. He cocked his head as he watched me, silently assessing.
Near the door, more darklings clawed their way in over their fallen comrades. They saw the soldiers clicking their weapons, aimed at the fallen monsters. They howled in some sort of pack grief mentality then swarmed on my soldiers. Flesh ripped from bone and, in a bloody mess, the soldiers were no more. One by one, the darklings raised their heads, lions feasting on an expended gazelle, and locked awareness onto me. Hungry.
“Get her,” Bruce roared. “Bring her to me alive.”
My body trembled. Fuck.
With no time to hone, or craft the purpose for the power inside me, I released in the direction of the darklings heading my way. An eye-watering missile of raw energy shot from me. I screamed as it ripped away, shredding my being. Agony hurtled through my skin and the darklings in the front line vaporized into red mist. My energy surged through the next line of darklings. Just like the time I pushed a familiar’s essence out of a horse, the darkling bodies were separated from their essence. Unlike the horses, their bodies fell limp to the ground and the souls didn’t dissolve into the Earth’s atmosphere, they ceased to exist. Most of the energy I’d gathered from the birds was gone as suddenly as it arrived and dizziness overcame me. I dropped to one knee, glass crunching painfully under my skin.
I knew now what Marc meant when he said human bodies weren’t strong enough for Seraphim souls. My instincts kept sucking more life into me, filling up again, but my body crumbled from the inside. I felt it withering. The wrongness inside… it made me sick. Made me want to gag. My hand gripped the back of the sofa to steady myself. I looked over the edge.
Wren swayed in her seat, still under the influence of Bruce, and Eve stood behind Lincoln with her fingers wrapped around his throat.
Chapter 16
Wet wind whipped my back through the open window, painting my skin with rain and soaking me through. Pain radiated at my knee
from the broken glass. Cold fingers slid down my spine, but I didn’t shiver. I felt the heat of life in that rain. In every damned drop of water falling from the sky, blowing through the window and landing on my flesh. Pure, unadulterated energy. It was the warm ocean in Margaret River lapping around my ankles. It was the frosty breeze in Budapest kissing me goodnight. It existed in the wildlife in the forest, in the plants, the trees, deep underground in the crawling insects, and it knew me. It connected through me and vibrated, alive and sentient, happy to be recognized. It called to me. It pressed down and I hurt with blissful awareness. I knew if I took anymore into me, my raw senses would overload. Nerve synapses would fry. But, like a junkie the day after, my blood sang for more even though deep down, in some distant part, I knew it would kill me.
I pushed the awareness to the side, where it waited in my periphery, eager and willing. I would not be pushed into anything, by anyone. Even nature itself.
I could do this—save my friends and survive with my mind and body intact. I locked onto the scene before me and calculated. I still stood between the sofa and the open window. Urser and Eve were behind Lincoln and Wren and the pile of dead darkling bodies blocked the exit. I did’t want to risk burnout, so had to avoid using energy. One option was to get to the remains of Eduardo and retrieve his machete. It was somewhere nearby. It had to be.
No. It was too far. Too impossible. No time.
And the energy inside me rolled like the tide, insistent. It hurt to hold. I almost laughed manically, for how could I hold the ocean? Instead it came out as a whimper and a burst of electricity shot from me prematurely. Smoke curled from my fingertips, sizzling and searing.
Eve still stood behind Lincoln with her talon like grip on the fragile flesh of his neck. Urser stood behind Wren, her mind completely under his control. She stared vacantly, swaying.
My bones were tired and alive at the same time. My body blistered from the inside. More energy simmered beneath the surface of my skin. I was breaking. I had to do this now.
The Game of Gods: Series Box Set Page 83