Wicked Omens (Cursed Coven Book 5)

by Patricia D. Eddy

  “I do not know that name,” she said, but the hitch in her voice belied her words.

  Maddox shrugged out of the leather jacket, then pulled his t-shirt over his head to unfurl his wings. “My brother, Sinclair, tells me Mist is always here after dark.”

  “Sin. Is he all right?” Mist was in front of him before Mad could blink, and her cool fingers gripped his upper arms. “The darkness is coming. Something so vile, it could destroy the entire world.”

  “Sin’s fine. Out in San Francisco and working for a human-paranormal investigative firm.” Maddox drew his wings back against his body, extricated himself from Mist’s grip, and pulled his t-shirt back on before he gestured to the table Mist had been sitting at. “I need your help.”

  “Anything. Sin saved my life ten years ago. I would have met the sun without him.” The vampire brushed her blond hair away from her face, revealing three long scars down her right cheek.

  “What do you know about a witch named Jezebel?”

  Killian

  He wouldn’t go to Magnolia House. That would be suicide. Instead, he asked the cab driver to take him to Lafayette Cemetery No 1. This time of night, well after dark, the sacred burial grounds would be closed, and the only beings that he could hurt with his magic would be the ghosts. At least they couldn’t die a second time.

  Once he arrived, he pulled out the box of salt he’d picked up at a local convenience store a few blocks from the row house. Drawing a large circle in a patch of grass in the center of the grounds, Killian breathed deeply three times. Standing at the center, he closed his eyes. “I summon a circle of protection. May only love reside within.”

  With his right index finger, he pointed east. “I call the Air and the Guardian of the East to protect this sacred circle.” Bowing to the air elemental he knew would be hiding in the mists, he then turned south. “May the element of Fire and the Guardian of the South protect this sacred circle.” Water in the west and earth to the north followed, and when he finished drawing the perimeter, Killian turned his gaze to the sky. “May the Divine watch over this sacred space, fill it with love, peace, and protection.”

  A beam of light shone down upon him, spreading through his entire body, and sinking into the earth under his feet. The protective bubble carried the scent of his magic, and for the first time in a decade, it didn’t smell like blood, fear, and burnt flesh. Instead, the scent of the sea, fresh and clean, surrounded him.

  Holding out his left hand, Killian drummed the fingers of his right hand over his palm. “Light meets dark, wrong meets right. I will atone for all my sins this night. Find the witches I seek, call them to me, so this curse shall break and all be free.”

  A spark formed, growing steadily brighter, until it grew to the size of a marble. Picturing Jezebel and Delphine in his mind, he sent his charm to seek them out and bring them to him.

  Killian sat in the center of the circle for an hour. Jezebel and Delphine obviously didn’t care about punctuality. Or, he was a pitiful witch and couldn’t cast a spell worth shite.

  For what felt like the fiftieth time, he checked his phone. No messages. Nothing from Maddox, Jezebel, Delphine, or Beatrix. Though, it’s not like Maddox had a phone of his own.

  “Shut it,” he muttered to himself. “He’s gone. Back in the celestial realm where he belongs. He’ll be safe there. And you...you’ll move on. Someday.”

  “Killian Wade!” Jezebel shouted from beyond a row of gravestones to the east. The fog was so thick he couldn’t see shite. “You will pay for your crimes!”

  “Show yourself, Jeze. I have committed no crime save being young and reckless,” Killian said as he pushed to his feet.

  “And what about stealing the celestial sand?” This from Delphine, and Killian spun around to the west, where a heavy rain had started to fall, a curtain that shielded the High Priestess from view.

  “Are the two of you proper cowards?” Killian called out. “Face me. Just outside the circle. Let us talk like civilized people.”

  The two witches approached, though Killian could see nothing but the rain and the mists. Still, he felt them. Their magic pulsed with every step, pressing in on him, almost crushing him.

  The circle held, barely, and Killian struggled to breathe, to stand tall as the two most powerful witches in New Orleans stalked closer.

  A spell bounced off the circle, sending sparks raining down onto the wet grass. The salt would soon wash away, but the circle would remain as long as his own magic held.

  “What happened to a proper discussion?” Killian asked as he clenched his fists, the magic sparking all along the tips of his fingers. “Jezebel, I was a sodding idiot when I was twenty-three, scared out of my mind, and half in love with your brother. I tried to save him.”

  “And yet you staked him and set his heart to flame. That isn’t love, Killian.” Jezebel started a low chant, and the ground under him started to rumble. A crack in the earth opened a few feet beyond the circle, widening slowly and heading right for him.

  “You will pay for your crimes, witch,” Delphine said from right behind him. Killian whirled around to find her flanked by a trio of her coven royalty and two of the burly guards who’d bound him in iron only this morning.

  “I offer up only the truth.” Killian stepped to the very edge of the circle. “You know of the blood oath, yes?”

  “Of course.” The rain slowed to a trickle as Delphine inclined her head, her black curls falling over one shoulder. “You willingly take the oath?”

  “I will. If you call off your hell-cat.”

  Delphine snapped her fingers, and Jezebel swore under her breath. “You promised me revenge,” she growled.

  “And you will have it. After Killian takes the oath.”

  Jezebel took her place at Delphine’s side and stared daggers at Killian. If she could kill him with looks alone, she’d do so, happily.

  Killian pulled a small silver knife from his pocket and slid it across his palm. Blood welled, a deep crimson, and he made a fist, letting his life force drip onto the grass at his feet.

  “I pledge my life, here and now. Let this be my final vow. If I lie, if truth I hide, may this circle fail and die.”

  Killian’s entire body seized, and he strained against the spell. “Ask...me...anything,” he managed.

  Delphine pressed her hands against the circle, but it resisted her, to Killian’s relief. “Did you steal the celestial sand from the crypt?”

  “No.” The answer flowed easily, truth the only option he had.

  “Who did?”

  Killian tried to protect Maddox, but the spell forced the words from his lips. “An...angel.”

  The whoosh of wings had to be all in his head. Maddox was back in the celestial realm. But then, he could see nothing but white feathers, a toned, muscular back, and dark, wavy hair.

  “I stole the sand, witch. If you have a problem with that, you may deal with me, personally.” Maddox’s wings tucked against his back, and he tossed a quick glance over his shoulder. “I understand now, baby. What I need to do.”

  Mad stepped from the circle, and Killian’s entire world went white.

  Chapter Twelve

  Maddox

  He’d thought flying was a fast way to travel. That was nothing compared to Mist carrying him halfway across the city in all of two minutes. By the time they reached the graveyard, Killian was surrounded by half a dozen witches, his hand bloody, and his body rigid.

  Mist had warned him. “A blood oath. It compels him to utter only truths. Go to him. I will do what I can with the witches. Without killing them.” She rolled her eyes, clearly unhappy with the promise Maddox had elicited from her before they’d set out.

  Now, Maddox spread his wings, shielding Killian as he approached Delphine, Jezebel, and three other witches flanking them. “The sand didn’t belong to you. I attempted to return it to its rightful place in the celestial realm.”

  “Attempted?” Delphine took a step closer, her eyes narrowin
g. “Where is the sand, angel?”

  “Scattered to the four winds.” He shrugged, his feathers rustling. “I suppose a few grains may have found ill humans to cure, but most were likely washed away by the afternoon rains. Killian had nothing to do with the theft. I broke into the crypt. Killian’s only crime was rescuing me outside of Magnolia House with the broken vial in my pocket.”

  Delphine sidestepped Jezebel so she could see around Maddox to Killian. “Does the angel speak the truth, witch? Tell me where all of the grains went. Tell me everything.”

  Killian groaned and staggered under the weight of the spell. “I found him. Outside. The vial...was broken.” Each word seemed to take more effort than the last, and Maddox turned and met Killian’s gaze. Sorrow lingered in the blue-gray depths, and he whispered, “I’m sorry,” before continuing. “Some of the sand fell...onto Maddox. The rest, I scattered.”

  “Onto the angel?” Delphine chuckled. “Well, then. They can be recovered.”

  “Maddox, get back into the circle!” Mist shouted, but at the same time, two large men leapt forward and grabbed Maddox by the arms. He struggled to free himself, but they were too strong, looping chains around his torso, binding his wings to his back and his arms at his sides.

  “No. Delphine. Please,” Killian begged, but the elder witch laughed, shoving her hands out in front of her and sending an arc of blue light into Mad’s chest.

  Agony overtook him. Burning, twisting, breaking bones and rending flesh. Blood dripped down his bare chest as the grains worked their way out of his body, and he screamed, thrashing within his chains.

  All of his injuries from being hit by the car came back with a vengeance, made worse by the chains and Azrael’s warning in his ears. “You will eventually become mortal.”

  A percussive force slammed into him, and Maddox was launched high in the air, back over Killian’s head, and when he came down, his body bowed over a tall grave marker. His spine shattered, and his legs went numb, but still, the grains fought their way free, and through his tunneled vision, he saw them float on the wind towards Delphine.

  “Killian,” he whispered. “Help...me...”

  Killian

  No. He’d tried to bring Maddox back into the circle, but the spell had been too powerful, and now the angel lay bent over backwards, blood staining his lips, pouring from a dozen wounds in his chest, and still bound by those bloody chains.

  “No more,” he growled and stalked towards Delphine and Jezebel. “You are killing an angel. One of the Divine.”

  And the man I love.

  He would not consign Maddox to Oliver’s fate. Jeze charged him, but Killian held the memory of Maddox’s touch, of his voice, his scent, and his kiss as he deflected Jezebel’s magic, tossing her into a soft pile of dirt twenty feet away. She landed with a dull oomph, and Killian turned, using one hand to shield himself from Delphine’s attack while the other loosened the chains from his angel and sent them wrapping around Jezebel.

  The other witches were currently occupied fighting a pale, petite blond woman who moved so quickly, she could only be one thing—a vampire. With Jeze rendered temporarily unable to cast a spell, Killian turned to Delphine. The words came to him, words he’d never learned but somehow knew would break the curse if he could just control his magic long enough to send the spell right where it needed to go.

  “What is taken with vile intent will now be used to end torment. I face my truth, claim my rights, I will fear no more this night. Dread’s cold embrace will let me be, that I may save my love from thee.”

  The crevasse just beyond his circle snapped closed, the tremor rolling through the ground all the way to Delphine. The High Priestess lost her footing and dropped to one knee, a bright ball of magical energy spinning in one palm, the vial half-full of celestial sand in the other.

  Fear snaked icy fingers around his heart, but he had no choice. If he didn’t release the spell gathering inside him, Maddox would die, and Killian...he might as well die then too. Already the angel’s whimpers were so weak, he had to strain to hear them.

  “I warned you, Delphine. What happens next...it is on you.”

  With his love for his angel burning brightly inside him, he let go, flinging his arms wide.

  Purple and blue light swirled around him, faster and faster until he could see nothing but a tornado of colors. And then the eddy widened, spreading out in all directions. Jezebel screamed, and in front of him, Delphine disappeared into nothingness.

  “Killian.” The single, whispered word sent terror flooding him, and Killian raced over to Maddox, now lying on the ground next to the gravestone.

  His bare chest was covered in blood, his left wing twisted, and his back still bent at an unnatural angle. “Mad, you’re going to be okay,” Killian said as he cupped the angel’s cheeks and leaned down to kiss him.

  “No. Too...far gone,” Maddox choked out as tears streaked down his temples. “Even the sand...can’t help me now.”

  “No, but I can.” The vampire knelt on Maddox’s other side, bared her fangs, and slashed at her wrist. She held it close to his lips. “Drink, angel. This will hurt. Worse than anything you’ve ever imagined. But it will keep you alive until your body heals on its own.”

  Maddox shuddered as the first drop of vampire blood spilled onto his lips. “Love you,” he mouthed, then his eyes fluttered closed.

  “No! Do something, vampire!” Killian said as he took Maddox’s hand and held it to his lips.

  The woman arched a brow and shoved her bleeding wrist harder against Maddox’s mouth. “What do you think I’m trying to do, witch? If he’s dead, I can’t force the blood down his throat.”

  “He’s not dead. He’s not.” Killian rested one hand over Maddox’s heart and the other on the vamp’s shoulder. “Mark this place and stop this time.”

  A subtle warmth infused him, and as Killian cast his gaze around the cemetery. the blades of grass were perfectly still, droplets of rain hovered in the air, but at his side, the vampire swore softly. “Drink, angel. By the ancient gods, drink.”

  Killian pressed his lips to Maddox’s temple. “Please, angel. My angel. Come back to me.”

  The woman pulled her wrist away and licked the wound. It healed before Killian’s eyes. “Vampire—?”

  Maddox sputtered and coughed, then curled onto his side towards Killian. “Fuck, that...hurts, Mist.”

  “I told you.” Mist patted his shoulder. “Release the spell, witch. And tell me what to do with the one you called Jezebel. She is the only one still conscious.”

  Killian looked from the vampire to his angel. “Leave her. Let her spend the night here to think about what she’s done. Mad?”

  With a groan, Maddox wrapped an arm around Killian’s waist and tried to raise himself up, and Killian fell back on his arse and pulled Maddox against him.

  “You’re a bloody fool,” Killian said sharply. “Don’t risk yourself for me again.”

  “Had a whole plan. Didn’t know she could pull the sand back...out of me.” Maddox shifted his legs, then sighed. “Thought I was a goner.”

  “You almost were.” Killian cupped the back of Maddox’s neck and kissed him. “You taste of vampire blood. We are going to have to fix that.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Stronger now, Maddox almost managed to get to his knees, then scanned the cemetery. “Fuck, Killian. What did you do?”

  “I saved you. And broke the curse. The rest...I think the rest needs whiskey.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Killian

  The vampire, Mist, spat on Jezebel before vanishing into the night muttering something about finding her sisters before the entire world went to Hell. Maddox let Killian wrap an arm around his waist as they made their way out of the cemetery.

  As soon as they were outside the gates, Killian stopped and looked down at his angel. “I can get us somewhere…safe—if you trust my magic.”

  “I always trusted your magic,” Mad said with a weak sm
ile. “Do you?”

  “Now, yeah. I do.” Guiding Maddox’s arms around his neck, Killian held his love’s gaze as he whispered the spell that carried them across the ocean, back to the English countryside, where they reappeared in Killian’s bedroom at sunrise.

  It had felt so...right to protect his angel, to have Maddox in his arms. He wanted this one day. He couldn’t think about what would happen when Maddox went back to the celestial realm for good.

  “Where are we?” Maddox asked as he trailed his fingers over the duvet.

  “My home.” Killian tugged Maddox’s hand and led him into the bath. Though he’d never admitted it to anyone, the bathtub was his favorite part of this house. Stripping his angel of the bloodstained pants and briefs as the tub filled, Killian couldn’t find the words he so desperately wanted to say.

  Maddox sank into the hot water with a groan, and though Killian ached to join him, Mad looked like he’d been run over by a train. Now was not the time to indulge his dick, even though it strained against his trousers.

  “I’ll make us a pot of tea,” Killian said as he pressed a kiss to the top of Maddox’s head.

  “Uh huh.” The angel was half asleep, his head resting on the back of the tub, arms draped over the sides. He’d hidden his wings, and as Killian headed for the stove, he wondered just how that worked.

  Tiny padded into the room as Killian arranged mugs, a bowl of sugar, and a small pitcher of milk on a tray. “So, you survived,” the cat said and yawned.

  “No thanks to you.” With a flick of his wrist, Killian summoned the milk from the cold box and poured some into a bowl for Tiny.

  “Magic?” His familiar crept closer to the bowl, as if she were convinced the milk had to be poison. “This is new.”

  “Found a spot of clarity in New Orleans.” Another spell shut the back door, and Killian arched a brow. “Perhaps now, you’ll consider being a proper familiar.”