by K.N. Lee
“There he is!” A gruff male voice shouted from behind.
Infinity gun cocked, Halston swirled around, identified four armed enemy vampire soldiers in light armor, and pulled the trigger.
A blast, and then a shrill sound, filled the hall. The infinity bullet flew at full speed, hungry, needy, thrilled to be free to fulfill its craving. Like Koa’s Lyrinian sword, Halston’s infinity gun had a soul and a mind of its own.
Halston bent to his knees and watched as in seconds, the bullet shot through the heads of all four vampires like a heat missile. Silently, he watched, waited, as the infinity bullet, satisfied by the kill, reversed its course and returned to the gun. Halston held the gun ready and with a click, the bullet re-entered. Secure in its home, the bullet was silenced.
Koa.
With each kill, Halston felt a little better that she was closer to freedom. Years had passed and Halston had kept his promise to her father, King Alsand. Many had been killed in the process. He would never forget the day he first laid eyes on the half-blood princess. Nor would he forget how his feelings had grown throughout the years serving as not only her protector, but her boss. He cringed. The screeching that came from afar filled his ears.
The walls and floors vibrated. Rocks and rumble popped and jumped as the Wraith trampled and destroyed everything below. Halston came to his feet and flew to the end of the hallway. He looked both ways at the fork and chose the hall with a door at the end. He flew to the door, opened it, and saw darkness and a staircase leading to the main floor where he could find the path to the vaults. What a maze the Ivory Tower was. Each floor looked the same.
Halston paused at the bottom of the staircase. The Wraith growled like a dog.
Halston braced himself. Energy collected around his body as he saw the large eyes of something unnatural.
Halston stood near the main exit, prepared, waiting. He could not let that Wraith leave and go after Koa. Blood dripped from the ceiling and onto his forehead. Halston wiped it off and glanced up at the gore that was stuck to what was left of the ceiling.
Halston was calm, calmer than he should have been, but at least he knew that Koa was safe. That was all that mattered. He knew that Jax would protect Koa until he could return to her.
Halston didn’t reach for his infinity gun. It would not work against this beast. Even as the Wraith thundered down the corridor, Halston examined the damage that Koa had done with the vial that he had given her.
Stone and debris littered the carpet, along with the bodies of countless Syths and goblins that resembled vampire children.
He frowned at the ghastly sight. It was no secret that he never liked the nephilim, but it was his race of fallen angels that had created such abominations.
It was up to the fallen angels to get rid of their spawn.
Halston clenched his jaw.
The things I do for you, Koa. He thought of her face as he sent her away with Jax and his frown deepened. Jax had better get her to the Gate safely.
Halston waited. He was patient, even as he was unsure of what he would do to stop the creature. The Wraith was furious, with puffs of smoke coming out of his slime-covered nostrils.
Like a snake with legs, it had a scaly body and a head like a troll with a single horn at the top of his huge head. “Ugly” didn’t begin to describe the monstrosity before him.
Two bulging eyes caught sight of Halston, and the red veins of his eyeballs seemed to deepen and stretch as he charged towards the angel before him.
Halston’s rank as an angel meant nothing to the creature. Starved for who-knows-how-long, the Wraith knew only that Halston might taste delicious... and that he stood in the way of its main target.
Halston lifted his arms and sent his body into the air. He hovered as the Wraith picked up speed. Halston held his arms out before him and with a push of air, he sent a powerful blast towards the creature.
The Wraith squealed as the shock of the cold air slapped it in the face. It fell to the ground and looked up at Halston with a perplexed look in its eyes. Like a rabid dog, it snarled and came to its stubby feet. With an ear-shattering screech, the Wraith leapt into the air, reaching for Halston with his sharp claws. Halston dove out of the way and sent another blast of air.
The blast sent the Wraith through a wall, and into another corridor. Halston growled and went after it, but paused when he heard robotic voices drifting to his ears from afar. Halston thought a moment. Scayors were coming. He glanced at the creature as it shook its head, trying to regain its senses, and he reached for his infinity gun.
“Put that away, Halston.”
Halston’s brows rose as he turned to see a little boy peeking over the rubble that was once the front door to the Ivory Tower. Halston flew over to him.
“Roderick? What are you doing here?” Halston was stunned. “You never leave your lab.”
Roderick put a finger to his lips. “Quiet down, loudmouth!” he whispered.
Halston landed on his feet. He ran his hands through his blonde hair and shook his head. “What are you doing?”
Roderick grinned. “I told you I wanted to be included in your little games.”
Halston glanced over his shoulders. The Wraith was looking through the hole that it had crashed through. Its eyes landed on them. Two quads of Scayors entered the corridor. The tall creatures had black or silver metal covering every inch of their bodies. Halston cocked his infinity gun.
“Put that away!” Roderick ordered. “You know it won’t work on that thing.”
Halston furrowed his brows and secured his infinity gun in its holster. “Listen, I know what I’m doing.”
Roderick huffed and came to his feet. He barely reached Halston’s chest and had the face of a ten-year-old, but Halston knew all too well that looks can be deceiving. Roderick was none other than the Alchemist, the one who had helped him rescue Koa and break Jax out of this very prison only minutes ago.
“You know how to make a big mess. That is all.” Roderick narrowed his eyes up at Halston.
Halston began to protest, tell the Alchemist that he needed to go back to his lab and leave matters to the angels, when Roderick spoke quick words, threw two vials and vanished.
Halston looked around, mouth agape as the vials hit the floor. He fell back as a blast of light filled the corridor. As Halston landed with his back against the wall, he saw Roderick reappear behind the Scayors.
Whatever the boy had done sent the Scayors into erratic chaos. Their bodies were electrified. Robotic screams filled the room as they writhed and trembled.
Roderick stood behind them, smiling.
Halston raised a brow. The boy looked evil standing there, enjoying what he liked to call “games.” Halston pushed himself off the wall and sent more air to the Wraith. The walls and floor vibrated with its intensity.
While the Scayors were convulsing, the Wraith didn’t seem to be affected. Halston closed his eyes and sent more energy into the force of air. The air tightened, collected energy, and turned blue. The instant it hit the Wraith, the creature let out a shrill cry and burst into tiny particles, swirled in circles, and faded into the air.
Halston went to his knees and tried to catch his breath. Lights flashed behind his eyelids as he willed the pounding headache to subside. He’d used a lot of power in such a short amount of time: even angels needed to use caution.
All Halston saw when he tried to calm his breathing was Koa’s little face. Those green eyes looked at him lovingly. The corners of her mouth lifted into that small smile that she only gave him.
He felt at peace, and when Halston opened his eyes Roderick was standing before him, his arms holding his red suspenders. Halston leaned to the side to look past the boy. The Scayors lay in a heap of what looked like scrap metal in a junkyard.
Halston lifted a brow and looked at the Alchemist.
Roderick grinned. “That was fun.” He dusted his hands and folded them behind him. “What’s next?”
6
Tears soaked her cheeks. Only days had passed and nothing could dull the heartache. Nothing could soothe her fears and worry for her only child.
As she looked out the window at the sky, the sun vanished behind the mountains in the distance.
Alsand. She could feel his presence. He was returning, and she knew he would be returning alone. Koa was trapped in the Netherworld for all eternity.
Eunju balled up her fist and pounded the window. The thud wasn’t satisfying enough. She wanted the glass to crack and break with a loud shattering sound. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass and squeezed her eyes shut.
Too many emotions. Too much anger. Eunju feared what would happen if Alsand came to her now.
“Lord help me,” she whispered. Her heart was broken and in the past, only bad things happened when Eunju was hurt.
She feared what she might do to the vampire king that had taken her daughter from her. She had fallen in love with him, but none of that mattered when it came to the love she had for her daughter.
“Calm down, Eunju,” she whispered to herself in a soft voice.
She took a deep breath. Air sparked around her. Green and gold sparks crackled around her. She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred by shadows. She bit her lip and sucked in more air.
The sound of the doorman opening the door for her husband made her heart thump. The quiet of the manor was all too loud for her ears. The whispers of the staff invaded her mind. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it all to end. Koa was her only reason for living. Without her, everyone should fear for their survival. Without Koa, Eunju might do something… horrible.
Eunju shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body. She needed to control herself. Such thoughts needed to be suppressed. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, least of all Alsand. She didn’t think anyone else could harm that powerful man, but she knew that she could.
Eunju’s hands balled into fists once more. Her eyebrows furrowed. She did not want to hurt him… but if he spoke the words that she was fearing. She would not be able to control herself. That much was a fact.
No one was safe from her power. No man or creature.
It was her blessing. It was her curse.
Eunju loosened her fists and smoothed her long, black hair. She let out a long sigh. Some of the anger escaped with the air from her lips. The sparks faded into the air and all was quiet, except for the sound of Alsand’s footsteps coming up the main staircase of the manor.
Eunju fixed the collar of her white buttoned shirt and smoothed her gray skirt once more. She rolled her neck and closed her eyes.
She wiped her cheeks of tears and turned to face her husband. She looked at him and knew that she could not be angry at him anymore. She still loved him.
She held her breath when she looked upon his face. He looked tired. There wasn’t an ounce of vigor in his eyes. She knew then that he was as distraught by the loss of Koa as she was.
After all, it wasn’t his idea. It was that angel’s. Halston’s. He had devised this plan. Eunju hoped she could trust him.
Before Eunju could stop herself, she was running to Alsand. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. He put both arms around her small body and lifted her into a tight embrace. He sucked in a breath and buried his face in her hair.
“My raven-haired queen… I’m sorry,” Alsand said in a cracked voice.
Eunju sucked up her tears and looked into his face. She wrapped her legs around his body and held on. “No pet names today, Alsand. It will not work. Tell me what you’ve done.”
Margot, the housekeeper peeked into the library. “Do you need anything, madam?”
Eunju shook her head, but kept her eyes locked on her husband’s face.
“And you, monsieur?”
“We’re fine, Margot, please leave us.”
Margot nodded, bowed, and closed the door softly behind her.
Eunju held his face in both of her hands. Her brows furrowed. “What happened? Tell me everything.”
Alsand carried her over to the sitting area, by Koa’s writing desk. This was Koa’s favorite room in the entire manor. Eunju pictured Koa sitting in that mahogany chair with her feet crossed on the desk before her and her face in a large book.
Alsand put Eunju down on the ivory chaise lounge and sat beside her. Eunju could still smell the Netherworld on him. Coal, embers, and a scent that she couldn’t describe, but knew it only to be a Netherworld smell.
Eunju wanted to scrub that scent off of him. She didn’t want to think about that horrible place.
He wiped his face and shrugged. He was completely beaten down. There wasn’t a shred of happiness in his green eyes. There was no doubt that he loved Koa as much as she did. That comforted Eunju.
Eunju sat up straight and folded her hands on her knees, waiting.
Alsand sighed and clasped his hands. “I did everything like I was told. I took her to the Netherworld, presented her as agreed, and…”
Eunju frowned. “And what?”
Alsand looked away. “And King Greggan married her.”
Eunju shot to her feet. “What?”
Sparks.
Alsand slowly stood. He held his hands out, urging Eunju to calm down.
Eunju narrowed her eyes. “What?” Her hair blew back as the sparks crackled all around. Alsand gulped and backed away.
“Darling,” he said softly. “You must calm yourself.”
Eunju knelt and held a hand out. “Why did you give my daughter to that bastard?”
Alsand’s voice wavered. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“I agreed to her marriage to the young prince. Not to the very vampire that started this war.”
Alsand’s eyebrows rose. He looked up.
Eunju didn’t realize that she was floating. She didn’t care.
“My love, come back down to me. Let’s talk about this calmly.”
Eunju shot a green glow, grabbed him with it, and pulled him into the air. Her face was twisted in rage. Alsand was shaking.
“You bring my daughter back or I will banish you all.”
Alsand reached a hand out to her. She growled and used the green glow to toss him into a corner. All the tenderness and love in the world could not calm a mother fearful for her child.
Alsand was on his feet in an instant. He did not run, like she expected him to. She glared at him from under her brows.
“Eunju, listen.” He spoke calmer than she’d expected considering she’d just thrown him… a vampire king… like a piece of rubbish across the room. He knew the extent of her power, and still, he stayed.
“It did not matter which of them she married. It is not meant to last. Halston has a plan, and I trust him.”
“If that vile creature touches my daughter…”
Alsand nodded. “Yes, I know! I thought of that too. And so Halston helped Jax acquire a potion from the Alchemist.”
Eunju frowned. “What kind of potion?” She began to slowly lower herself to the floor.
“One that will keep Greggan from touching Koa. He will never have her in the way he intends. It will give Halston enough time to execute the plan.”
Eunju landed softly on her feet. The carpet was soft beneath her bare feet, but it was warm, heated from her power. She closed her eyes and stretched her neck. The sparks faded, and her blurred vision subsided.
She calmly sat down, crossed her legs, and looked across the room to Alsand. “Go on. Tell me everything.”
7
Raven closed her eyes and sighed.
Eunju.
She missed hearing her real name. To be free from her curse to live as a cat. To have her beloved daughter back. Those were the things she now fought for.
The carnage before her was sickening, but she had to remember why she was there and what they were up against. Still, days of tracking Bund’s crimes were beginning to wear
on Raven. She only hoped that soon Koa and Halston would return from the Netherworld with the one vamp that could reverse her curse.
“This is awful,” Alice said to Raven as she knelt over the little girl’s body. “For someone so young to suffer this way.”
Alice covered the girl’s mangled face up and stood. She had to be careful not to step in the puddle of blood. She shook her head. “It’s fairly fresh. I’d say this was probably his first kill of the morning.” Alice let out a long breath. “What a damn shame. He’s certainly not trying to be discreet about any of this.”
Raven followed behind her, saddened by what she had seen. “How are we going to stop Bund?”
Alice flicked a hand and the two detectives who had been investigating the murders woke up from their trance. She sidestepped them and disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk before they even realized what had happened.
“First, we should tell everyone to keep their children inside, lock their doors, and pray that Bund doesn’t become bold enough to start snatching little girls out of their bedrooms.”
Raven squeezed her eyes closed. She hated to imagine what happened to the girls that Bund chose. Just thinking that Koa had been harmed by him brought back terrible feelings of sorrow and worry.
Alice glanced back at her. She smoothed her short pink hair with the palm of her hand. “But we can’t exactly tell the humans about the existence of vampires and psychotic demons, can we?”
Raven sighed. “I suppose not.”
Alice made a face. “You know, I sometimes think ignorance isn’t quite as blissful as it seems. Maybe the humans wouldn’t be so foolish if they knew that supernatural creatures were targeting them.” She gave Raven a look. “What do you think?”
“Don’t some of them know though? The kids that go out and become pets know.”