by Kelly Oram
I bent down to close the eyes of an attractive black girl whose neck was obviously broken, and was knocked over as Dani pushed me out of the way with a startled cry. “Gina!”
Dani fell to her knees and pulled the girl into her arms, sniffling as she tried to heal the girl with magic. No magic in the world could bring a life back once it was gone. “Gina, no.”
At the sight of her overwhelming grief, my chest seized up until I couldn’t breathe. Duncan crouched beside her and ran his hand through the woman’s braided hair before slipping his arm around Dani. “Dani, she’s gone.”
Dani furiously shook her head and squeezed the girl tightly again, rocking her lifeless body in her arms. “She was my only real friend here at the consulate, besides you and Gabriel.”
“I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. I’ll miss her, too.”
Tears flowed down Dani’s cheeks as she stared at the woman. “She was so fun and such a good person.” She looked up helplessly into my eyes, as if searching for an answer to this tragedy. “Alex isn’t a monster. How could he let this happen?”
I had no idea. It didn’t even feel possible that the man who raised me and taught me right from wrong, the man I’d looked up to and loved my entire life, had caused the destruction around me. I shook my head, as much at a loss as she was.
Dani fell against me and I held her for a minute, unable to do anything else until Marcus muttered a curse from across the room. “I’ve found Councilors Torres and Medina.”
Dani pulled her head out of my chest with a gasp, and looked over at Marcus. I recognized the werewolf councilor next to Councilor Torres, not the least surprised that the nephilim and werewolf had tried to fight when trouble came. “Anyone else?” I asked, forcing myself to focus as I climbed to my feet.
Dani wiped her tears, determined to pull herself together as well. There would be time to grieve later, but first my father had to be stopped and we were probably the only two people who could do it.
Duncan looked around the room and shook his head.
“Maybe they escaped,” Dani whispered. The tremor in her voice gave away her lack of hope.
“If they weren’t here, then they were probably upstairs in their private quarters,” Duncan said. “He’d have to go after them, one by one. It’s possible he hasn’t found everyone. There may still be time, if we hurry.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice. I headed toward the hallway that led to the conference room, and Simone grabbed my arm. “We can’t just leave Logan like that.”
I was caught off guard by Simone’s red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. I hated the woman, but my new heart forced me to respond to her grief with compassion. I took her shaking hand and squeezed it. “He’s with the angels now, Simone, and he died with honor. Michael will take good care of him.”
“We can’t leave his body like that,” she whispered again.
Marcus stepped up and wrapped an arm around Simone, grieving just as much for the loss of his friend. “We’ll come back for him,” he promised. “But right now, we have to stop Devereaux before anyone else dies.”
Simone pulled Marcus into a tight embrace that had Clara and me blinking at one another in shock. Simone was so puzzling. She was a downright icy witch, but she was loyal to those she cared about. She may have been severely misguided in her decisions, but she always acted with her heart. She was just like my father. Except with a few more morals and restraint. And maybe a little less crazy.
“Stay here and take care of him, if you need to,” I said, glancing at both Marcus and Simone, “but I have to go find Grace and Ethan.”
Simone pulled herself together, and with a nod, urged me to lead on. I stepped into the hallway, daggers at the ready, with Dani on my right and Clara on my left. Almost immediately, I felt a pull toward the conference room. The doors were spell-locked with the same powerful dark magic that the elevators had been disabled with. Now I could recognize the difference in the magic for what it was, and the knowledge was unsettling. “He’s working spells with my blood. That’s why they’re so powerful.”
I hated that this darkness was inside of me somewhere—that my blood could be used as a source of such evil. Dani’s hand slipped over my wrist, as if she knew all of my thoughts. She probably did. Nobody understood me like she did. I tried to soak up whatever goodness and light the Creator had blessed her with.
“It’s not you, Russ,” Dani whispered. “You didn’t do this.”
I knew that, but I still felt responsible.
Dani gave my wrist a squeeze, forcing me to focus. “I’m going to break the spell. Be ready.”
I readjusted my knives in my hands, and Dani looked behind me, making sure the rest of our party was ready. After taking a deep breath, she held her hand toward the door. The magic surrounding it quickly dissolved into nothing. She silently counted to three on her fingers, and then flung the wide double doors open.
We burst into the room, ready to fight whatever came at us, and stopped short when we heard the frightened gasps and screams. Dozens of supernaturals huddled in small groups around the room. Some were crying, others were in shock, and some looked pissed enough to start World War Three. A tiny necromancer woman with white hair and pale, wrinkly skin that I recognized as a council member was the angriest of all. She was older than dirt, but she looked mad enough to take on my father. She sprang to her feet with a spryness I would have thought impossible at her age. “Miss Danielle! It’s Alexander Devereaux!”
“I know, Maggie.” Dani pulled the old woman into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Maggie ran her eyes over our rescue party, pausing momentarily on me and shocking me with a genuine smile—albeit a small, sad one—before turning her attention back to Dani. She was shaking a little, so Dani guided her to a chair at the conference table. “Maggie, what happened?”
“He came out of nowhere with those things.” She shuddered, but her face hardened in rage. “I don’t know how he got past the new wards on the building. He never even set off any alarms.”
“That’s Grace,” I mumbled. “She’s immune to magic. If he was touching her, the wards would have no effect on them, because he would have been human.”
Maggie blinked, trying to wrap her mind around the impossibility of Grace. After a moment, she nodded. “He had her handcuffed to him. The poor thing was terrified.”
An explosion of heat ripped through my body as I imagined Gracie chained to my father while Deputy McHale and Sheriff Guston waged war on the consulate. I thought of all the bodies broken and torn apart in the front reception area, and felt sick to my stomach. Grace was strong, but she was fragile at the same time. She’d already seen enough violence for one lifetime. How could my dad make her witness that?
Once again, Clara was at my side, touching my skin and whispering words to keep me calm. I’d never been more grateful for her presence, and thanked the Creator that my curse had been broken. The darkness in me was getting harder and harder to keep at bay. I wanted to let it out. I wanted to unleash my power on my father for what he’d done. But I couldn’t help Grace if I did that. I knew if I gave in, I’d only hurt even more people. I snapped out of it when Maggie began to tell her story.
“He walked into the main office with the girl and his demon soldiers. He said that the council was being disbanded and that if the council members gave themselves up to him, no one would have to be hurt. He said he didn’t want bloodshed, and he urged us to surrender peacefully.”
Maggie swallowed and shut her eyes against a wave of tears. “Councilors Torres and Medina attacked first. Those demons held them down while Devereaux did something to them.” She looked up at Dani and grabbed her hand again, needing the support. “He stole their essences.”
Up until this moment, I’d still been praying he hadn’t been successful with the relic. A fool’s hope for sure, but I’d wished it all the same.
“When we all realized what had happened, Devereaux released Torres and Medina.
He told them that they were human now and free to either leave or stay, but that they weren’t in charge anymore.”
“They attacked him?” Dani guessed, and Maggie nodded, more tears streaming down her cheeks.
“His demons made quick work of them and anyone else who tried to fight.”
“Gina.” Dani choked on the name. “Of course she tried to fight.”
Maggie hugged Dani tightly. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“He didn’t take your essence,” Simone pointed out, voice dripping with suspicion. “You still have your aura. How do we know you aren’t working with him?”
Ah, Simone. Always the charmer.
Dani whirled on Simone, rage flashing in her eyes, but she was distracted when Maggie started to cry. “He couldn’t do it,” Maggie whispered. “He was going to, but he couldn’t. He was like a grandson to me when he was here at the consulate. He said I was always his favorite. He asked me to join him and help raise you kids.” Her tear-filled eyes slipped from Dani over to me. “He wants to groom you two to be the new supernatural leaders. Like some sort of king and queen.” She closed her eyes again and started to shake. “I told him I would help him. He bound me to the oath with blood. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want him to take my gifts, and I couldn’t fight him.”
The woman started to cry again, and Dani scooped her up into a tight hug. “It’s okay, Maggie. No one blames you. You did the right thing. And there’s nothing wrong with agreeing to help raise Russ and me up right. Honestly, with the two of us, Alex needs all the help he can get.”
It was a weak attempt at humor, but it made me smile. If we couldn’t stop my dad and Maggie was held to her oath, she’d have her work cut out for her. Dani and I were the two most stubborn, rebellious, defiant, snarky delinquents on the planet.
“How did you all end up in here?” Marcus asked, eyeing all the people in the room.
Maggie wiped her cheeks and met Marcus’s gaze. “When we surrendered, Alex locked us in here to keep us safely out of the way.” She glared at Simone, as if daring her to disapprove. “We had to do as he said. We couldn’t beat him, and there was no point in getting ourselves killed.”
“Of course not, Maggie,” Dani said. She patted Maggie’s hand, and then addressed the entire room. “You did the right thing, not going against him. No one will think less of you. I certainly don’t. I’m only sorry I was not here to help when he arrived. I promise there will be justice for the friends we’ve lost today.”
It was strange to see everyone in the room perk up at Dani’s speech. She’d only been at the consulate for half a year, but the people in this room were looking to her for comfort and protection.
Even stranger than that was the way Dani squared her shoulders and put on an air of confidence I’d never seen in her before. For all that they looked up to her, she considered herself responsible for them, as if they really were her people. She’d accepted her role as their Chosen One. The thought made me proud and sad all at the same time.
I had been so angry with her for choosing to stay at the consulate with Gabe when we’d finally parted ways, but I’d only been thinking of myself. I hadn’t been able to accept her fate, couldn’t see the bigger picture. As I watched her give comfort to those heartbroken and terrified people in that room, promising to stop my dad and fix this nightmare, it all made so much dense. Dani was the perfect person to lead—strong, brave, and so, so stubborn.
As Dani walked around the room, checking on people, whispering to them, hugging and grieving with them, I was finally able to let go of the last of the bitterness I harbored toward her. She had a destiny. She hadn’t asked for it any more than I chose to be the Scion, but she had accepted it and was trying her best to live up to the task appointed to her, even if it meant leaving me behind. Once this was all over, I knew it would be my turn to accept my fate. I was going to have to make the same impossible choice she had made, and let her go. I kept telling myself that Dani and Grace needed to move on, but I would have to do the same, too.
I cleared my throat against a sudden onslaught of emotion, and bent down to Maggie’s level. “What about Ethan?” I asked. “The guy I was with the other day? Grace’s warrior?”
Maggie shook her head. “I’m sorry. He wasn’t with them. I don’t—” Gasping, Maggie jumped to her feet and trained her eyes toward the door. “Alistair!”
Dani’s head whipped around. “Where!”
Maggie stumbled across the room, gaping at the open air, wracked with a new wave of grief. I began to think the old woman was insane, until I remembered she was a necromancer and realized she was looking at someone’s ghost.
“Dear, Alistair, you can’t be gone, too.”
Dani rushed to Maggie’s side just as the old woman collapsed. She pulled the distraught woman into her lap. Maggie looked up at Dani with wide, fearful eyes. “Danielle, Alistair was fey.”
Dani dropped a curse and I groaned. “Fan-freaking-tastic.”
“What’s wrong?” Deputy McHale asked. “What does that mean?”
I was a little impressed that the guy could think straight. He was pale and shaking and had urine stains down his pants, but some of the haze was clearing from his eyes. Time to award a few cool points to my old lawman. The guy had to be freaked out of his mind, and I was sure the force of everything he’d been through would hit him after he was safe, but for now, he was keeping it together. His surprising strength is what convinced me to tell him the truth.
“The guy was a faerie,” I explained. “And I don’t mean the smoking hot Tinker Bell kind. The fey are vicious creatures—the stuff nightmares are made of. They have strong magic and a streak of the devil in them, and they like to mess with humans for fun.”
“Or eat them,” someone in the crowd muttered. Idiot. I was going to keep that little gem of information to myself.
“And they’re immortal,” I said over the panicked murmurs. “My father just hijacked himself some everlasting life, unless we stop him.”
“We will,” Dani insisted again, and then turned to Maggie. “Is he still here? Can you speak to him? Can you ask him about the others? Constance? Robert? Does he know where Alex is? Or Russ’s friend?”
Apparently, ghosts can see and hear the living just fine, because Maggie didn’t repeat Dani’s questions. She listened a moment and nodded along to instructions none of the rest of us could hear. “Constance and Robert are still alive. They used their magic to hide from Devereaux. They’ve gone out on the observation deck, hoping that the magic of the garden would hide their cloaking spells, but Devereaux is out there looking for them.”
“Clever, but Alex is a strong warlock. He won’t be thrown off for long. If he gets close enough to them, he’ll feel their magic.” Dani sucked in a breath and jumped to her feet. “We’ve got to hurry.”
“What about Ethan?”
Dani was halfway out the door already, but I stopped and looked to Maggie for the answer. After a moment, the old woman sagged in relief. “He’s alive. He’s being held in the white room, but he’s been turned human.”
I nodded. I knew Dad wouldn’t kill Ethan. He’d need him alive to keep Grace in line. Plus, Dad may be crazy, but even he knew better than to kill the son of the Destroying Angel. I was on my feet in an instant. “Which way to the white room? We need to get Ethan first.”
Dani joined me at the door and pointed down the hallway. “To the left and around the corner, near the back of the building. It’s on the way to the garden.”
Dani helped Maggie to her feet and passed her off to one of the other supernaturals standing nearby. “Maggie, get these people out of here. The elevator is working now. Get everyone downstairs. Counselor Sena is down there with Gabriel and a lot of the guardians. They’re waiting for word from us. Explain to them what happened, and tell them we’ve gone to the garden.”
Maggie grabbed Dani’s arm. “Maybe you should wait for them to join you.”
“They can’t stop him,
Mag. With half the councils’ essences, he’ll be untouchable. They’ll just get themselves killed. I might be the only one powerful enough to fight him.”
Several people in the room gasped. “Miss Danielle! You can’t!”
I understood their fear, but Dani was right. “He won’t hurt her,” I promised everyone. “My dad loves Dani. He wants to keep her safe.”
“But you can’t be sure,” someone called out. “She’s the Chosen One! We need her!”
Another burst of pride exploded in my chest. These people loved Dani as much as I did. “Exactly,” I said. “She’s the most supernaturally awesome being in existence. Who else should fight for you if not her?”
Smothering any further arguments, I grabbed Dani’s hand again, ready to drag her from the room. I was done wasting time. Everyone followed us into the hallway. As our little group split off from Maggie and the other supernaturals, Maggie took both Dani’s hand and mine. “He’s not alone. He has demons with him. Half a dozen, at least.”
I gritted my teeth. That was seriously going to complicate things. Dani and I would never get to my father if he had playthings to keep us busy.
“We’ll stop him,” Dani promised.
Yes, we would. I just had no freaking clue how we would do it.
Even as a human, Ethan could do some serious damage. Just ask the holding cell my dad locked him up in after turning him human and kidnapping his charge. The room was wrecked. The padded walls were shredded, the bed was in pieces all over the room, the shelf with the games and books had been ripped apart and scattered, and Ethan looked like he’d just stepped off the bus from Psychoville.
When Dani dissolved the magical wards on the door and blew it open, Ethan shot straight at her as if he intended to tear her to shreds with his bare hands. Dani had to cast a binding spell before he killed her, and Mr. Usually-Immune-to-Magic didn’t like that one bit.
“Whoa! Ethan! Dude, it’s us!”
It took Ethan a minute to come out of his craze and recognize us as friends instead of foes. “He’s got her, Russ! He’s killing people!”