Dark Deceit

by Imani L Hawkins

  Peering around the corner, she saw a woman pressed up against the wall, her hand reaching around the Fallen before her trying to reach for her daughter.

  "Please, she meant you no harm. I just want to take my daughter to school," the woman begged.

  The Fallen, a tall man with sun kissed skin, brown eyes, and dark hair held his hand against her chest, holding her against the wall. He brought his face close enough to hers he could have kissed her, had it not been for the look of disgust that contorted his features. He wore a police uniform, modified to show his arms and the tattoo that swirled around his wrist.

  "She threw a rock at me," he sneered.

  A wave of energy passed through him, electrifying her. Her body trembled violently, her head smacking against the brick hard enough to daze her.

  Weakened, she continued to reach for her child. "She's a kid. She doesn't understand..."

  "Then you've failed her as a parent."

  Another wave of energy flowed between them and Myleah could see how hard the woman had to fight to keep herself awake. Her desperation grew and she began clawing at the man's hand, trying to hurt him enough he'd release her.

  Before he could assault her again, Myleah pushed forward. She grabbed the angel by his arm and tossed him away from the woman who scrambled across the alley to collect her child.

  His brown eyes met hers with a furious stare. "What do you think you're doing?"

  Ignoring the question, she turned toward the woman and her child, gesturing for the woman to leave with a pointed finger. The woman gathered up her daughter in her arms, and exited the alley after nodding her thanks. Content they were safe, Myleah moved to exit the alleyway.

  A hand snatched at her shoulder, spinning her around. She could feel the shock of electricity flowing between them, but her ice, acting freely, kept it at bay. She glanced down at the offending hand, a smirk playing on her lips.

  "If you don't want to lose that hand, you'll remove it," she threatened.

  With his other hand, he flicked at the badge prominently displayed on his chest. "I give the orders around here and you will answer me before I take you in."

  She cut her eyes at him and flashed him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. A challenge? It's been a while since she'd been challenged so boldly. Most knew she wasn't one to be messed with, even with the loss of her wings. Her powers swelled within her, welcoming the chance to flex muscles of their own. Icy tendrils ripped from her back, wrapping themselves around her arms. She felt the chill of them as they made their way to her hands she'd balled into fists.

  The man's eyes widened when he'd realized his mistake. "Myleah?"

  Yes, she responded mentally before pushing thoughts of what she'd do to him if he didn't release her into his head.

  He cowered away from her, slinking back what he must've felt was a safe distance from her. Whimpering an apology, he begged for forgiveness, which she would have given. She would have let him go, but she couldn't. He'd attacked the woman openly, asserting his power over her for the actions of her child. Myleah pressed into his mind, searching for a reason to let him carry on with his duties. All she found was a man drunk with power, taking advantage of those he felt weaker than him. His mind was littered with the broken bodies of small men, women and children. The coward never picked a fight with anyone who'd be able to fight him back.

  She thought of Cyrus, out in the world alone, far from her protection. He could easily be one of those bodies. Anger thrummed through her at the thought of it. Jasper was right. No matter where she took him, he wasn't safe as long as the council was able to see their plans to fruition. And this man wasn't safe from the wrath of the tendrils that flowed through her fingertips, slicing through skin and bone as blood trailed down his body to pool beneath his feet.

  She left him there in a puddle of his own blood.

  She entered the council's building, a block away from the burnt remains of what used to be City Hall. She could still smell the putrid stench of sulfur, ash, and decay as she made her way to the meeting room Mykael had taken her to days before. Shoving the doors open, she walked into the room with purpose, commanding the space around her. Lydian jumped from her seat as the doors crashed against the wall, bouncing off them and slamming themselves shut.

  "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Lydian demanded, leaping onto the mahogany table and releasing her wings.

  Myleah raised a brow at the attempt of intimidation. "We need to talk."

  "Then make an appointment. I'm busy."

  "Too busy to hear what I've discovered about Gemma's death?"

  It was the reason she'd been collected from her home and brought back into the fold. Gemma was found dead, her head ripped from her body by a Fallen. They needed someone with the gift of sight to figure out which Fallen had broken the cardinal rule of killing another, and Myleah was the only one they could turn to.

  Lydian removed herself from the table and recalled her wings. She ran her hands along her clothes to smooth them before reclaiming her seat. Poised and proper, she crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap. She sat up straight, her shoulders pushed back with her breasts pushed forward. She exuded sex, power, and eloquence all at the same time in clothes with a price tag Myleah knew she'd cringe to see.

  "Well?" Lydian raised her brow and even that action screamed expensive. She thought herself better than anyone else, seated at her own personal throne of power and deceit.

  "First, tell me about the explosion."

  In all the chaos, she'd nearly forgotten about the explosion that took the lives of dozens of humans and a few of the Fallen. From what she'd been able to gather, a human woman had planted a bomb in City Hall. It was detonated days before claiming the lives of others along with the woman. They had her boyfriend, thought to be her co-conspirator in custody and Myleah found herself wondering what would become of the man.

  "What would you like to know besides the details played over and over on the news? A human tried to take us out. She thought the council met in that building and thought by blowing it up, she'd rid the city of our kind. The girl died in the explosion and the man is scheduled to be publicly executed the day after tomorrow." Lydian waved a dismissive hand. "There's nothing more to be said about it."

  Myleah shook her head. "Why don't you tell me the parts others aren't privy to?"

  Lydian grumbled something unintelligible before rolling those ice blue eyes. With a flip of her hair, she asked, "What makes you think I'd discuss anything with you. You are no longer a member of this council and..."

  "That's just it," Myleah interrupted. "According to the original rules, no one could be expelled from the council unless the member breaks one of the cardinal rules and all members of the council agree. Both situations must apply."

  Lydian feigned a yawn at that. "Your wings are clipped. We can't be sure you didn't do that to yourself and, without evidence, we had to take that into consideration. Every single member of the council voted you out, including your dear friend Jasper. By the way, how is Jasper? I have't seen him poking around here in some days."

  "He's with Cyrus."

  "That human boy you've been coddling? And you trust him with Jasper?" Lydian asked, incredulous.

  Myleah pressed her bridge of her nose between her finger, closing her eyes. Dealing with Lydian had always given her a headache and this time would prove no different. She'd thought of returning to her original plan and slicing her blade through Lydian's neck, severing her head from her body. The lengths to which the woman would go to save her own skin was abhorrent and Myleah didn't want to give her the chance. But with Cyrus depending on her to keep him safe, she had to at least try to maintain her composure.

  Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she returned her attention to Lydian. "Regardless, I have evidence I didn't clip my own wings."

  She watched as Lydian's eyes widened at the news, confirmation Mykael had told the truth. Lydian's expression went blank, something she'd always done to
hide her emotions. If only she'd learned to do so before she betrayed herself.

  "Its also come to my attention that not all members of the council voted that day."

  "Myleah, you were there. You know, as well as I, everyone was present and accounted for that day. The vote was unanimous. Even if you were able to prove you didn't clip your wings, there is no way you can question the validity of the vote."

  Myleah smiled, a mischievous grin that tugged up only one corner of her lips. "That's where you're wrong."

  "How so?"

  "You see," Myleah began to pace the room, her hands folded behind her back. "There is a council member who wasn't present that night. Remember Tyrin?"

  She didn't need to look at Lydian to know she had her full attention. The very mention of Tyrin's name was enough to tell the woman Myleah had meant business.

  "I know Tyrin is alive. I also know that you've ordered Aria's death and sent Mykael and Gemma to carry out that task. Isn't that the reason you had me captured and tortured in that dungeon?"

  "You have no proof..."

  "Of what, exactly? Of the fact you set me up? Thanks to Mykael I have footage of me being tortured at the hands of that monster, and he didn't hide the fact he'd gotten the footage from your office." She waited a moment for Lydian to deny it. When she didn't, Myleah continued on. "Of Aria's death? I knew there was a reason Mykael kept himself from me throughout the investigation but I was able to see everything he had hidden through the minds of others. Isn't that why you brought me here? To use my sight to find out who killed Gemma? Or was it also to keep me close, to use me as a pawn in your attempts to thwart Tyrin's ambition to take you all out?"

  This time, she studied Lydian, hoping to see a crack in her resolve. On the surface, Lydian was perfectly still, relaxed. But on further inspection, she could see the slight tremor that passed through her.

  "So, here we are, Lydian. With the proof I hadn't clipped my own wings and your failure to obtain a unanimous vote from every other member of the council, I reclaim my seat at the table. With evidence you've broken the 'cardinal' rules, I could challenge your position but we all know Daniel and Damien won't vote against you."

  Myleah began to pace again. It was the only thing keeping her from attacking Lydian and knocking her from her 'throne.' Even with her seat reclaimed, there was nothing she could do to stop the council unless she was able to get help from the Originals, just as Gemma had planned. First, she had to find Tyrin. She had to get to him, to convince him to help her find a way to take down the council without tearing apart the rest of the Fallen. From what she'd seen so far, the Fallen were out of control, drunk with the power the council had given them and she was certain a good number of them would fight against her to keep that power. Unless she was able to convince them the council had been working against them all along. It was a tall order but maybe...

  "I want to see the prisoner."

  Lydian gawked at the request. "Why?"

  Myleah thought about it for a moment. The words had spilled from her lips before even she could figure out how it could be useful to her, but the deed was done and the request was made. If this man had been a co-conspirator in the bombing, perhaps he knew of a group of humans who would be willing to help her take down the council and maybe, through them, she'd be able to find Tyrin. Even thinking about it, it made no sense to her, but something told her she was on the right track. It was as if someone were whispering instructions into her head, leading her.

  "Have you been able to figure out why they'd blown up the building?"

  "I told you. They must have thought we would be there."

  Logical but she knew they'd also considered there was something in play that was much bigger than that. Without the gift of sight, they could only rely on torture to get the truth out of the man and humans have proven to be resilient enough to withstand it, especially if they were protecting the people they loved.

  "Did he tell you who he was working with?"

  Lydian shook her head. "We've come close to him spilling it out a few times but..."

  "Torture isn't as reliable a device as you'd thought."

  Another shake of the head answered that question before Lydian's expression changed. A light bulb flicked on in her head, giving her that ah-hah moment. She looked up at Myleah quizzically at first before her expression turned hopeful. "You could use your sight."

  Lydian agreed, perhaps thinking there was no harm in Myleah's request and Myleah couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to it. Either way, she'd gotten what she wanted. She turned to exit the room before Lydian's voice called her back.

  "You didn't tell me what happened to Gemma."

  "Tyrin killed her," Myleah lied before exiting the room.

  Twenty-One

  "Why did you tell her it was Tyrin?" Jasper questioned.

  She couldn't understand it herself. There was no good reason to give Tyrin's name as the culprit but she'd done so anyway. If the council knew everything Gemma had done to bring her back into the fold, they would do everything in their power to take her down. At least if they believed Tyrin the culprit, they would have reason to believe she'd work with them to keep him at bay. Maybe. With Lydian leading the council, there was no telling how they'd take the news but she had to hope something good would come of it.

  "It doesn't matter. All that matters now is figuring out how to bring the council down without creating more chaos between the Fallen."

  Jasper seemed to consider it for a moment, but didn't say anything. Instead, he stood from the couch and walked toward her. Grabbing both of her hands in his, he rubbed his thumbs across her knuckles. "You're going to have a hard time getting anyone to follow you if you continue to attack them."

  She'd purposely withheld that piece of information in the retelling of the events that day, but, as always, Jasper had been able to uncover the information in the short time she'd been gone. She wanted to ask him how, but she knew better. He'd never tell her his secrets.

  She thought of the man in the alley. The careless way in which he'd assaulted the woman was evidence enough of their fall from grace. Never before had they'd treated humans with such violence unless in self defense. On her walk home, she'd noticed the differences within the city. The sidewalks were clear of humans, most traveling by vehicle to avoid interacting with the Fallen. Others? She wasn't sure. With the high population of the city, she'd think the place would alive with commuters on their way to carry out their activities. Instead, the city was dead.

  "Leah?"

  Pulled from her thoughts, she focused her attention on Jasper. He was closer than usual, his body inches from hers as he held her hands. The proximity made her uncomfortable but she wouldn't show it. Having him at her side, willing to help her in her battle against the council and protecting Cyrus meant a lot to her, even if she didn't fully trust him. It was far better than taking on the world on her own.

  "I need you to watch Cyrus for me again."

  He muttered his agreement, but she knew his reaction had nothing to do with Cyrus. She was going to see David, the alleged co-conspirator in the bombing, and was afraid she was placing herself in unnecessary danger. She pulled back a hand and pressed it to his cheek. Bridging the connection, she poured into him everything she'd had planned. If Tyrin was in the city, it would make sense he'd work with anyone wanting to rid the city of the Fallen, including humans. She didn't know why, but she felt meeting up with David could lead her to him.

  She felt a tinge of jealousy hit her at the thought of Tyrin. The feeling left her just as briefly as it had appeared, and her connection to Jasper was severed. Her purple eyes, filled with questions, gaze into his. She searched within those dark depths, but nothing showed. Jasper had closed himself off to her before walking away. He reclaimed his seat on the couch.

  "When are you coming back, Mya?" a small voice sounded behind her.

  She turned to face Cyrus. The worry in his eyes was prominent, slipping past her barriers.
She couldn't imagine how he felt to him, watching her walk away from him with no certainty she'd ever return. She could give him that promise but she'd always been honest with him. He deserved it, more than anyone she knew.

  She crouched low to meet him eye to eye. "I plan to be back tonight, but you know I can't make that promise. There are things I need to do, now, to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

  "Can't we just leave?"

  She smiled at that. Just hours before she'd thought the same but the realization of what that would mean for him had her doing the opposite.

  "If I'm successful, I promise you, we'll leave this city and never come back. For now, I have to go."

  He accepted the response with a nod and hugged her before returning to his room.

  ~*~

  Myleah was greeted by a Fallen who was a few french fries shy of obesity. A burly man standing at around six feet, four hundred pounds of fat and muscle blocked her entrance to the building. How he was able to stuff himself into the small space of the doorway, she had no clue, but she itched to pick a fight with him should he refuse to move.

  "No one told me to allow you access, ma'am."

  Ma'am? She couldn't imagine she looked much older than him, considering he'd chosen to die what little hair he had left a cool gray that contrasted brightly against his dark skin. She frowned at the ridiculous lengths the Fallen would go to, just to fit in with the humans they so despised. It made absolutely no sense to her.

  "She's with me, Eric," Lydian called from behind him.

  Eric stepped to the side, allowing Myleah entrance. She shoved past him, forcefully, laughing as he flew back into the wall behind him. His body crashed through the drywall, landing in a crumpled heap in the opposite room.

  She followed Lydian to a tall wooden door. Lydian fumbled around with her keys, until she found the one she was searching for. Placing it into the lock, she turned it before opening the door and ushering Myleah in. Myleah stepped into a small dark room, empty except for a metal chair placed directly in the center, chained to the floor. A man, she could only assume was David, sat on the chair, his hand shackled behind his back and his feet chained to the floor.