Apocalyptic

by Trina M. Lee

  There was nothing about fucking her that I didn’t love. Listening to her talk though? Now that I could do without.

  And yet, even though I often found myself wishing I could be rid of her, rid of wanting her, I couldn’t let him get to her. Bane. Underworld prince. Godless scum. The curse of my existence.

  He’d taken the only woman I’d ever loved from me. Now he wanted the one woman I most loathed as well. What had cut the deepest was that Winter had let herself be taken. She’d chosen him in the end. Deceitful bitch.

  Evidently that had not been enough for Bane. The underworld liked to talk. Bane had heard about Alexa and my tie to her. That had been enough to pique his curiosity. He didn’t really want her any more than he’d wanted Winter. The thrill of the conquest enticed him, winning a rarity such as they were. Winter had been nothing but a prize to him. Being able to destroy me in the process had just been a nice bonus for him.

  All in a day’s work for those demon types.

  Some might consider me among them. I don’t bother to argue that. I am not one of the good guys. Although from time to time, I still fight the good fight. From the inside.

  “Do you ever annoy yourself with that voice?” I asked with a smirk. “Maybe you don’t hear it the way I do. It’s kind of a nails on a chalkboard sound. You know?”

  Alexa jerked to a stop in the middle of the walking path we followed. Hands on her hips, head tilted to one side, she oozed attitude. “You don’t seem to have a problem with it when I’m begging for your cock.”

  The organ in question twitched at her mention of it. My gaze fell to her full, pouty lips. I wouldn’t say no to having them wrapped around me right now.

  “Well, no.” I smiled dryly. “That’s because you’re begging for my cock. Would you like to beg for it now? I’m sure we can spare the time.” I reached to pull her closer, knowing she’d fend me off with a defensive move.

  Which she did, precisely as anticipated. Throwing an arm up, she deflected my touch, smacking my hand aside. “Better dial down the ego a bit, Falon.” She strode on ahead, scanning our surroundings for any sign of a threat. “You’ve been on your knees begging me for more than an orgasm. You’ve fucked me until your soul bled. Isn’t that what you said?”

  The truth was… Alexa’s voice was sexy as hell. A smooth, sultry sound with an occasional rasp of a wolfish growl that grabbed my balls and squeezed but went much further. Deeper. To a place I didn’t like to share with anyone.

  Not anymore.

  Her lashing out at me, that seductive voice carrying on the light breeze, it did something to me. Something that made me hate myself and hate her. A little more every night.

  “Look, I don’t care who gets on their knees as long as one of us is doing some begging. Preferably you though. You’ve got more experience than I do, and it shows.” I laughed when she flipped me a middle finger and stormed ahead.

  I watched her walk in front of me, admiring the way she held herself. It had changed in the time I’d known her. She’d been somewhat of a yappy little dog when we first met. Lots of bark. A little bite. Her confidence had grown since then, as had her ability. Alexa had started to settle into her role as a leader among supernaturals. The regal wolf and the dynamic vampire, crammed inside the most annoying woman I’d ever known.

  Now that her twin flame balance with Arys had been restored, she’d become the final version of herself. The true queen of light and dark.

  She would need to embrace all that entailed in the battle ahead. With Lilah and Salem going full dark side, we were all going to find out what we were made of.

  Terms of power and rank are a dime a dozen in the underworld. Princes like Bane are often born or recruited into their role. Others, like Lilah, rose to their ranks by taking out everyone who stood in their way. But for the most part, labels like that are self-appointed by bigshots trying to intimidate through name alone.

  The night Alexa had turned Willow human, I’d watched her struggle. Doubt and failure had taken hold. It had been a good excuse to slap her, so I did. But the words had tumbled out, dredged up from somewhere beyond me.

  I’d called her the queen of light and dark, effectively giving a name to what she’d become. A very rare few were permitted to command the powers of both light and dark. For the rest of us, it was a pretty cut and dried one or the other situation.

  It was my job to know things. I went to great lengths to obtain information, and then I stored it away, using it only at the right time and never a moment too soon. The right information could make or break a person or situation. Getting close to Shya and others like him came at a price, but more often than not it was worth it.

  I’d done a lot of terrible things to earn my place within The Circle of the Veil. Naturally, they expected me to keep it up. And I did. I was convinced that being paired with Alexa had been a punishment for screwing up with Shya. However, it gave me a reason to check up on her often, sometimes without her knowing. Although I didn’t make a habit of that. It made me feel like a creep.

  Alexa came to a sudden stop. She stared off into the dark, between the rows of headstones. “There’s something here.”

  I followed her off the path, weaving between graves. One grave had an especially large headstone. Right in front of it was the remains of a salt circle. A quick perusal of the circle and it was obvious this had been legit magic. It left a residue behind, one that could be felt.

  “Ritual magic,” I observed. “Almost feels like someone was trying to summon a demon.”

  “Someone specific?” Alexa’s eyes were wide as she jumped to conclusions.

  Getting closer, I hovered a small fireball in my hand before releasing it over the circle. It allowed us to see the hastily kicked salt line, like someone had destroyed it in a hurry. Most likely when they’d been discovered.

  Studying the inverted pentagram that had been scuffed into the earth, I walked around it from the outside. Demon summoning was pretty standard witchcraft. The majority of the time it didn’t work, usually due to lack of experience and genuine power.

  At first glance I almost missed it. Something small and shiny glinted in the light. I picked up the small, triangular talisman. Three snakes crisscrossed in the middle, their heads and tails creating six points within the triangle.

  My skin crawled. “Yeah, someone specific.”

  I held the talisman up for her to see.

  She took one look at it and swore, shoving a hand through her blonde and black locks. “It’s hers, isn’t it? Lilah.”

  “It’s one of the talismans her followers used to wear to show they belonged to her,” I explained, pocketing the thing for proper disposal later. “Word must be starting to spread that she’s out of her cage. They’re seeking her out.”

  “It’s only a matter of time until she shows up.” Alexa leaned heavily against a headstone and stared at the salt circle. “Maybe I shouldn’t go to Vegas. Arys can go and I’ll stay here.”

  I made a noise of disgust that had her glaring my way. “Don’t be stupid. Right now is not the time for you and your twin to be apart. You may have restored the balance, but you’re still strongest together. Do not divide yourselves.”

  With a sharp nod she grudgingly accepted my logic, which was how she always accepted my logic. On those rare times that she did.

  “Go to Las Vegas,” I continued. “I’ll go between both cities. If anything happens here we’ll know right away. I’ll be here to deal with it until you catch a plane home. But I intend to be with you there as well.”

  Her mouth tightened into a fine line. She tossed her hair, revealing the mark on her neck. My mark. Why the hell had I done something so fucking stupid? I still didn’t know.

  Alexa was a Hound of God, more than capable of holding her own against the average demon. Bane was not the average demon. My mark was not enough to keep him from coming after her either, but it would lend her extra protection should she have to face him again. Though I planned to be there should th
at happen.

  “How the hell are we going to deal with twin flame immortals who’ve gone dark side?” she muttered, staring absently across the cemetery, lost inside her thoughts.

  “Oh, we’re not,” I assured her with a sadistic snicker. “You are. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” I couldn’t resist making things difficult for her.

  The glare she shot me smoldered. She took the bait. “You’re a real asshole, you know that? Why do I still put up with your crap? With allies like you, Falon, nobody needs enemies.”

  Chuckling to myself, I moved fast, appearing right in front of her. She gasped and punched my arm. Tipping her head up, I leaned in to kiss the silver feather decorating her skin.

  “We’re lovers, not allies. Don’t mistake them for being remotely the same.” Following the feather down her slender neck, I murmured, “And you know damn well why you put up with my crap. Same reason I put up with that god-awful voice.”

  Alexa surrendered to the night pulsing around us. To the fear that she needed to purge with me inside her. With her fingers in my hair, she hit me with that succubus aphrodisiac. My lips moved faster on her neck, a hand seeking out the warmth between her legs.

  I’d come to know many things about her, both as an outside observer and from the inside, as her lover. I knew she was hot tempered but usually reasonable. New to so much power and authority but willing to learn how to handle it. I knew how to piss her off and how to make her plead my name.

  But of all the fascinating, curious, and despicable things I knew about Alexa, of one thing I was especially certain.

  The Queen of Light and Dark had yet to play her biggest role.

  ~~~~

  Alexa’s story continues in Alexa O’Brien Huntress Book 15, Carnival of Sins.

  ~~~~

  ALSO BY TRINA M. LEE

  Rebel Heart Series

  Angel blood runs through her veins.

  Half human and half angel, spunky guitar goddess Spike is a rare female nephilim. Like all nephilim she’s caught in the middle of a war between the light and the dark.

  All Spike really wants to do is play human and chase a rock star dream with her band, Crimson Sin. She’s got a werewolf best friend, a penchant for partying and a problem with commitment. So she’s doing her best to avoid choosing a side.

  That all changes the night she meets the ridiculously hot Rowen Cruz and sly devil Arrow Lynch. Nephilim like her, they are rarities in their own right as the only pair of siblings to exist among their kind.

  These two brothers, as different as night and day, will challenge Spike to discover where she belongs in this battle. They’re about to turn her world upside down.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Trina writes urban fantasy that is dark and gritty with a twist of romance and horror but which is ultimately about people in dark places discovering who they are and what they’re made of.

  A lover of rock music, vampires and muscle cars, Trina is a dreamer who always secretly wanted to be a rockstar. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her bass player husband, ukulele playing daughter and small herd of cats.

  Trina loves to hear from readers so don’t hesitate to drop her a line.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  Bonus Epilogue