by K.N. Lee
“Ah, I see. Well done.”
He shrugged. “I suppose. She liked to split her time between Rezinger and I, and I didn’t mind. I could have done worse than live in a castle and have literally everything and anything I ever wanted. Beats living in a caravan camp with the other travelers.”
“I see,” Halston said. “You’re Romani.”
“I am. Proud of it, too. Though, I prefer to be called a Gypsy. Sounds less ordinary.”
The front door of the church creaked opened and Tristan stepped outside.
“Boss,” he said, and both Halston and Oren looked up to the top of the stairs. “I managed to get information on Lera’s contacts in the Netherworld. Might give us an idea of where she is.”
Finally, some good news that might actually be useful.
15
The sun set and the dawn of vampires arose. Koa and Halston packed up one of his black SUVs with weapons and equipment. Tristan would stay behind and watch the church in case any of the others came back while they were away.
She leaned against the passenger side door as he held his infinity gun to his lips, closed his eyes, and whispered something to it.
His weapon of choice had saved her many times, and like her sword it was enchanted by angels.
She thumbed the hilt of her sword, now in its baton form on her hip. Koa knew what that gun could do, and was grateful that Halston was bringing it along. She hoped they wouldn’t need it, but doubted they’d obtain the dagger without incident.
Untitled
“I hope Ian is all right. There is so much I didn’t get to teach him.”
“He’s a clever young man. I’m sure he’s fine. If he can be out in the sun like you and has an arrangement with a human pet, you have nothing to worry about. Lexi will take care of him until you return.”
“I know. I just worry.” Her brows furrowed. “I hate not knowing. After my last pet was killed…I can’t let that happen again.”
Images of Lindley’s dead body being dumped onto the streets of Brighton returned to haunt her. She’d loved Lindley, and would have given her anything she wanted or desired if she had lived.
“You can’t think like that. Think about what we have to do to return to those we care about.”
That’s what she didn’t want to think about. She didn’t know what she would do if Lera harmed her mother.
“I will try,” she said, swallowing. “At least I have you by my side.”
With that, Halston looked away. He didn’t say another word as he went to finish loading the trunk with supplies.
Koa watched him, put off by his sudden silence. She furrowed her brows and covered her head with the hood of her jacket as a light sprinkle of rain began.
Oren approached, his hands in the pockets of the old tweed sports coat he’d found in one of the rooms of the church where people had once hidden from soldiers during the war. His long hair was pulled into a bun at the top of his head. He stood beside Koa and looked to the sky.
“Full moon,” he said, giving her a sidelong gaze.
Uncomfortable, she moved an inch away. “Indeed, it is.”
“People always say a full moon is magical, and mysterious, bringing all forms of wicked activity,” he said. “We both know what creatures lurk in the shadows.”
“At least we know werewolves aren’t real,” she said.
“Aren’t they? Look at me—a wolf shifter. The moon does have its role in my biochemistry. I’m stronger, faster, and heal as quickly as any vampire when its rays shine on the earth.”
“I wasn’t aware.”
“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his chin. “I can rip a vampire in two on nights like this.”
She looked to him. Was he joking? If he was, she couldn’t tell. His face was serious, with no traces of a smile. Now to think of it, she’d never seen him smile in the time she’d discovered he had a human form. Then, there was the way he looked at her, as if he could eat her alive. Feral, and lusting.
She faked a laugh, and turned away.
Halston put the gun away and glanced at them. He’d barely spoken to her when they’d awakened, and seemed to keep his distance. After years of secretly falling in love with him, Koa had thought she’d finally claimed her soulmate. Now, he couldn’t even look at her for longer than a few seconds.
“Ready?”
“Yes.” Koa nodded, anxious to end her odd conversation with Oren. She opened the door to the passenger’s seat.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Colleen said, emerging from the church. She’d changed out of her clothes and now wore a pair of jeans and vest under a leather jacket. With her hair long and wavy over her shoulders, she looked like a normal young woman, and not the aristocrat Koa was used to seeing. She got into the back seat, and Oren sat beside her at the passenger door.
The Vangelis Estate wasn’t far, but Koa had a feeling that they were running out of time. The easiest way to get there was by train, and the last thing they needed was to find Viktor there waiting for them.
She sighed, closing the door behind her as she sat inside. Halston pulled off down the overgrown road, and she leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the dash. She wished they had time to go to her mother, so she could say goodbye.
The last two times she’d gone to the Netherworld, she had to do so without her. For once, she wished her mother could be by her side. During the years that she’d been forced to stay in the Netherworld as Greggan’s third wife, she’d thought of her mother every day. Being away from her was like a punishment for a crime she didn’t commit. They were close, as if their souls were intertwined somehow. And, something nagged at her that things were not right.
Nothing was.
“So,” Colleen said with a yawn. “Is someone going to acknowledge the elephant in the room?”
Koa and Halston exchanged looks.
“What do you mean?” Koa asked.
“Come now,” Colleen said. “Are we supposed to just pretend Halston is still an angel? Go on, why did you make the big leap to the dark side?”
His jaw clenched, and Koa noticed how his grip tightened on the steering wheel.
She looked back at Colleen and shook her head. Putting her finger to her lips, she urged the brazen Netherworld vamp to keep her mouth shut.
After years of working alongside angels in the Netherworld Division, they were still a mystery to even her. Their morals and the dynamics of their hierarchy were incredibly intriguing. Once, only days ago, Halston was at the top of the hierarchy alongside Viktor.
How quickly things could change. Still, she knew better than to bring up how serious it was to transform into a demon.
Halston continued to look ahead, ignoring Colleen. Dressed in a knit sweater and dark slacks, he was starting to look like himself again.
Sort of. Koa tried not to focus on his differences, but the familiar qualities she’d fallen for. She looked out the window at the passing trees of the forest until they drove out to the main road, where lush fields stretched far into the horizon.
“Fine,” she said. “I just never pegged you for that sort, Halston. I remember you always coming to the Netherworld and showing up in the palace court in your white suit, looking like the poster boy of the entire angel race.”
“What does it matter?” Koa asked. “He’s helping you. He’s helping all of us when he doesn’t have to. So, drop it.”
Lifting a brow, Colleen pursed her lips, but kept silent.
“Not all angels want to work for the Division. And, not all want to go to the dark side. Some are left in limbo, forced to live out their immortality alone or as humans. I made my choice to save the woman I love, and I wouldn’t take it back for anything,” Halston said, surprising Koa.
Halston took her hand into his and gave it a squeeze.
She placed hers above his, and turned toward the window, hiding her smile.
16
The train ride to Paris went smoother than Koa anticipated. Three hours
of riding through the night, and they arrived safely on the other side of the canal.
Maybe she was wrong—that they’d make it to the Vangelis Estate without incident and simply pluck the dagger from its hiding spot.
Silly girl.
As they drove in a rental through the gates set outside her father’s estate, her heart sank.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
They came to a stop and Koa shoved her hood off her head. She stretched and took her legs off the dashboard. Halston parked in front of the main courtyard in front of the manor which stood in the center of a large field set between two mountain ranges.
“This is it?” Colleen asked as Halston turned off the ignition and looked ahead.
Halston didn’t answer her. He simply leaned forward and narrowed his eyes, his jaw clenching at whatever he saw.
“Halston?”
All was quiet, and still. The moon cast an eerie light over the old, stone, castle. To Koa, it was just how she and her mother left it. It was beautiful, with two towers on either side and several windows lining the front of the castle. The east tower was completely covered by deep green moss. The ground was paved white, and the front entrance was partially hidden by a wall of shrubbery.
Koa sat up in her seat and narrowed her eyes at something glittering in the air. “What is that?”
Halston followed her gaze and muttered a curse under his breath. “We need to get out of here. Right now.”
Alarmed, Koa looked to him as he turned the car back on. “What is it?” She glanced back to the strange mist as it floated through the air, and right toward them.
“Halston,” Koa whispered, sitting back in her seat. Dread washed over her as she realized that whatever it was floating in the air had noticed them, and with a sniff of the air, Koa smelled something vaguely family.
Death.
She gasped as the light flickered and sparked in the air, gathering more energy and doubling in size. A deafening whistle filled the field and the inside of Halston’s car.
Her breath caught in her throat. “It’s coming.”
Halston pushed the gas and—while sending dirt and debris into the air—backed away as fast as the car would take them. The wheels screeched. She gripped the handle on the car door as the light increased speed and shot toward them like a lightning bolt.
Koa screamed and flew through the windshield as the light slammed into them. Glass sliced through her face and arms as she was catapulted out and the SUV went flying through the air. It happened so quickly that it took Koa a moment to control her body as it was flung out of the car and toward the ground.
Her heart raced as she landed in the dirt with a thud that was followed by the loud crash of the car. She cried out as her left wrist broke beneath the weight of her body. Pain shot up her entire arm, ending at her shoulder. Struggling to catch her breath, she pushed herself up and looked back toward the wreckage.
“Halston!”
Shots fired as Halston flew from the wreckage and into the sky, putting up his demonic shield of black and gray smoke and sparks of red embers. Colleen and Oren pulled themselves free.
“Agents,” Colleen growled, and Koa’s heart raced as she watched her pull her bow and arrows from the car.
A group of soldiers ran from inside. Why they had been in her home was a mystery, but she was certain she was about to find out.
Armed, in military uniforms, they weren’t going to let Halston get away.
“Should we kill the demon or bring him back to the Division?”
“What do you think?” the female leader asked. She pointed her machine gun at Halston’s figure as he hovered in the air. “Kill him?”
Koa frowned as she looked their uniforms over. What were the Americans doing here? Even more perplexing, was who she saw leaving the castle from the front door.
“Nicolai,” Colleen shouted. “You traitorous bastard.” She pulled an arrow from her quiver and pointed her bow at Nicolai’s pale, white face.
“We aren’t here for you,” Nicolai said, calm and collected. He nodded to Koa. “We just want the half-blood. And, leave the demon to Viktor. He’s too strong for any of us to take on,” he said to the agents.
“All of you need to leave,” Halston said. “Or I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Nicolai gave Halston a look. “Come, now, Halston old boy. You’re not going to kill these innocent humans, are you? You aren’t that far gone…yet…are you?”
It pained Koa to see the look in Halston’s eyes. He landed beside her, and before anyone could react, Nicolai threw a silver ball at Halston. It hit him, and exploded, wrapping him in silver wire that burned into his flesh. Enchanted chains. He fell backward and struggled to free himself. Koa looked to Nicolai who grinned.
“Sorry, mate,” he said with a laugh. Then, he looked to Koa. “This will only take a second.”
Enraged, she shot to her feet and unleashed the Lyrinian blade from its baton state. The sword lengthened to its full size and she held it ready. She backed away from what she counted to be five humans.
The sword did not burn or glow.
There was no evil here, not the kind the sword wanted.
Still, they looked back at her as if she were the monster. Guns pointed at her face and the men and women knelt before her, ready to shoot.
“Get down on the ground,” a woman shouted. She held a machine gun. Her long ponytail swung in the wind. Even under dark glasses, Koa knew she was staring at her.
“What is she, Jenna?” the man beside her asked.
“Don’t worry about what she is,” Nicolai said. “All you need to know is that Viktor wants her.”
“I don’t trust her,” Jenna said.
“You don’t have to. I’ve called in reinforcements.”
The light stopped, abruptly. And, out of its bright glow appeared a man. Tall, well-dressed in a pair of black slacks and a sweater over a collared shirt, his dark skin and short-cut hair were familiar. It wasn’t until he placed his Scythe into the dirt and turned it into a golden cane that Koa knew just how much trouble they were in.
“Judge,” she whispered, and swallowed. As if he heard her, he turned his gray-eyed gaze her way and flashed a perfect white grin.
Koa wasn’t ready, and came to her feet and walked backwards, and away…from the Grim Reaper.
17
While the sun reflected off his eyes, Judge walked toward her, with a casual strut much like a man off to the theater. Calm. Collected. Calculating.
Nicolai approached him. Under the light of the moon, his silver hair seemed to glow. He was an intriguing individual, but Koa sensed fear radiating from him. And, she didn’t blame him. She was shaking in her boots just being in the same country as the Grim Reaper.
“So,” Nicolai said. “Our deal is done, correct?”
“What deal would that be?” Judge asked with a southern drawl that would have been sexy if Koa wasn’t in fear for her life. He stared at her as though he’d just stumbled upon the Holy Grail.
Nicolai seemed torn, as if he did not want to reveal what deal he’d made with Death. He swallowed, but straightened his shoulders. “You will stop pursuing me in exchange for the half-blood’s soul?”
“Sorry to crush your dreams,” Judge said. He flickered a glance to Nicolai, and with a swipe of his golden cane, he ripped Nicolai’s soul from his body. “But, no.”
A scream came from one of the human agents as the soul swirled and flew into a black vortex that sucked it in and closed faster than Koa could blink twice.
Shaking, Koa fell to her knees just as Nicolai’s lifeless body fell before her. The quiet night suddenly became very loud as her heart’s beat thumped in her chest.
Nicolai was dead. The real life Dorian Gray had lost his quest for immortality.
Paling, she watched Judge lower his cane and point it right at her face.
All it took to separate a soul from a body was that very golden cane.
Not exactly
the way the legends foretold.
“Koa,” Judge said, kneeling before her. “Get up, princess. You’re getting yourself dirty.”
“What do you want?” Her palms were slick with sweat as she pushed herself up to her knees. The pain in her back throbbed, but she didn’t take her eyes off him. She wanted to keep track of his moves and what he did with that golden cane of his.
She knew him to be as old as the beginning of time, but his disguise was that of a handsome man in his late twenties. Like a vampire, or an angel, he was immortal.
There was just one difference between the Grim Reaper and a vampire.
He could not be killed.
“Not you,” he said. “Don’t worry yourself. It is not your time. I hope you know I would never take your soul in replace of another’s. Nicolai’s time had long since passed. Yes, I used him on many occasions, but never took another soul as payment.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.
Thank God.
“You’ll know when I’ve come for you,” he said with a small smile on his lips. “But, like I said. Not yet.”
He scratched his chin and glanced over his shoulder toward the direction of Halston’s wrecked SUV. “What has Halston done to himself? He stinks of evil.”
Koa held onto the hilt of her sword and kept quiet. She watched him, not prepared to let him go after Halston. A fight with death would be something she’d never attempted. But, for Halston, she’d do anything.
“Tell me. What has possessed the golden boy to cross that line and become a demon?”
“Why do you care?”
“I’m intrigued. Isn’t that enough?”
Koa chewed the inside of her bottom lip. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always?”