Iniquity (The Premonition Series Book 5)

by Amy A. Bartol

  Reed ignores Russell as he touches his hand to his chest. “I’m a Power—an assassin. I don’t need you to protect me. I’ve been hunting and killing creatures like Brennus for so long that you’d think it was forever. I won’t let him touch me again.”

  Russell chimes in, “Reed and Zee are Prostat Powers, Red. You didn’t get to see them stalk the Gancanagh while you were Brennus’ queen. They freaking owned those evil freaks. So can you be a little less ridiculous and start explainin’ what Brennus meant by ‘see ye tonight?’” Russell asks while doing his best Brennus impression at the end.

  “He’s not the same, Russell,” I say quietly. “Brennus is even more powerful now. His magic works on angels.”

  Russell walks to the bed and sits beside me on the opposite side from Reed. I push myself up on my pillow and wince as pain makes me dizzy. Russell frowns and reaches toward the bandage. His hand begins to glow. My eyes narrow as my hand leaves Reed’s arm to knock Russell’s away from me.

  “Don’t!” I prevent Russell from healing me with the magical power that we both share. I don’t want to watch him transfer my wound to himself and see his chest break open and bleed. “I’m fine. I’ll heal soon.”

  “I don’t like seein’ you in pain.”

  “I know, but just because you’re my soul mate doesn’t mean you have to take my pain from me.”

  Russell’s eyes soften. “What about because I’m your best friend?”

  “Nope. Not even then.”

  Russell sighs. “Then spill your guts and tell me what Brennus was doin’ inside you.” Russell pulls his hand through his tawny hair in agitation.

  “Here’s the short version. He drank my blood and wandered into my dream. I think he was a little surprised that he got there.”

  “And he had your blood because...oh yeah, that’s right! Because you gave it to him. You freakin’ let that vampire in!” He points an accusing finger at me.

  “Thanks, Russell.” Sarcasm drips from me as I frown, but I’m secretly grateful to fight with him. It prevents me from seeing how Reed is taking this. “I’ll deal with it.”

  “How?” Russell asks, not giving me an inch.

  “I don’t know yet,” I mumble, sitting up and dragging my feet to the edge of the bed so that my back is to Reed and Russell. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “What did he do in your dream world?” Reed asks.

  I glance over my shoulder at him before I look away. “He warned me that the Fallen plan to go to war over me. He thinks there’s another half-breed just like me...well, not just like me...a...err, a male...” I trail off, but the silence is short lived.

  “How does he know?” Reed asks and it sounds suspiciously like his interrogator voice.

  “Molly came across a fallen angel. Finn questioned him and found they’re planning a war.”

  “Over you?” Reed asks.

  “For me,” I affirm.

  “And Brennus is your ally?’ Reed asks.

  “I don’t know what he is. He’s my enemy one minute, and then he saves me from a fate worse than death in the next and I...” I look at Reed helplessly.

  Russell’s wings flair out in agitation. “You trust him!”

  My eyes narrow. “I trust that he wants me. I don’t trust him. There’s a difference.”

  “There is a difference,” Zephyr agrees. “Just make sure you know it.”

  Delayed shock sets in and I tremble. “I know it,” I whisper. My hand manages to gesture toward my sore chest. The wound has healed over now, but it’s still painful and raw. “I also know that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” And my “frenemy” is coming back again tonight when I close my eyes.

  My stomach clenches in fear, making me nauseated. With the bed sheet still wrapped around me, I stumble to the bathroom. I make it just in time to vomit most of what I’ve eaten recently into the toilet. “Uhh,” I groan the sick sound people make when they finish puking. My wings retreat into my back, refusing to remain out.

  Reaching for the handle, I push it down. As I rise from the floor, Reed’s hand grasps my elbow, helping me to my feet. Without a word, he leads me to the shower, turning it on. He pulls my sheet and bandages off before helping me into it, but he doesn’t join me. Instead, he walks to the sink, finds a toothbrush and smears a liberal amount of toothpaste on it. He hands it to me in the shower. Then, he closes the shower door and walks back to the sink, leaning against it with his arms crossed as he waits for me to finish. The loose-fitting pajama bottoms ride low on his hips. He’s obscenely handsome in a way that makes me feel weak for him.

  I let the water rain down on me, parting my lips to wash away the taste of fear in my mouth. I glance at the shower wall where the broken tiles spider in a seductive pattern. Reaching out, my fingers glide over their rough texture. At the memory of how Reed and I made that mark, a small glow warms me, chasing away the bitterness.

  The feeling is so unexpected, given what has already happened today. I turn the water off and open the glass door. Reed is there with a black robe. He takes the toothbrush from me and helps me into it. As I turn to look at him, I see his dried blood on his shoulder, the only remaining sign from where Brennus bit him, or I bit him, depending on how one looks at it. Frowning, I take his hand in mine and lead him to the sink. I wash away the blood from the bite and the other cuts that Brennus had made during the struggle. When I’m finished, I say softly, “I’m sorry.”

  “That wasn’t you,” Reed replies.

  “No, it wasn’t me,” I agree. “This is me.” I lean forward and kiss the spot on his shoulder where he was bitten, even though it’s gone now. Reed grows still. “And this is me,” I trail another kiss along his throat. “And this,” I say as my lips find his and kiss him gently, with love rather than passion.

  Reed’s fingertips touch my cheek and trail a line down the sensitive part of my neck. It grips my skin. I shiver again with desire. His eyes darken at my response to his touch. The silk of my robe glides over me and slips off of my shoulder at Reed’s urging. His hand moves downward, tracing the side of my breast before it travels to my hip. I gasp as Reed jerks me to him possessively. I feel the fire for him everywhere.

  He turns me to face away from him. My hands rest on the marble countertop next to the sink. I see him behind me in the mirror. He reaches around me, untying the belt of my robe and parting it. The slick fabric licks my arms as it slips to my elbows. I straighten them and the robe falls off of me to pool on the floor. My abdomen tightens as I yearn for him to touch me.

  Reed’s hand sweeps my hair aside before it goes to the drawer next to us. Something glimmers in the mirror. I watch as he reaches in front of me and places the red diamond necklace he gave me for my birthday around my neck. The pendant is cool against my skin. It lies next to the ring that I gave him for our first Christmas—my uncle’s ring.

  “Wait,” I breathe, stilling his hands before he can close the clasp. I work the ring off the necklace. It’s heavy in my hand. “Okay.”

  Reed fastens the clasp. He leans forward, kissing me just behind my ear, causing every molecule in my body to come alive. His arms wrap around my waist. My hand covers his as I slip the ring on his finger.

  “I missed my ring,” he murmurs as his hands move to my bottom. I find it hard to breathe; my wings shoot out of my back. They press against his chest, not to push him away, but more to seductively play against him. I’m not exactly aware of what they’re doing, they act in ways I can’t explain, but I think he likes it because it elicits a sexy groan from him. As soon as I hear it, I want to find a way to make him groan like that again.

  His reflection in the mirror smiles temptingly, while his wings spread out around him to mimic what mine are doing. His arm wraps around my waist as he pulls me against him. The deep green eyes in the mirror have my pulse racing. My arms reach up to thread my fingers into his dark hair. He bends forward, nuzzling my neck. My heartbeat is spinning. I want no other life than the one I have with Reed.<
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  Before I know that I’m saying it, I whisper, “Stay with me.” His threat earlier to leave me is still raw. I don’t know if he meant it, but it scares me.

  Reed’s voice is sexy and soothing as he speaks to me in Angel. His mouth is so close to my ear that his warm breath does crazy things to me. The tip of his finger finds the binding mark on my heart: his wings. He traces the shape while he whispers something to me that I can’t understand, but it sounds like another vow.

  “I could no more leave you than the earth could leave the sun. You’ll always draw me back to you,” Reed says as he switches from his language to mine. I close my eyes, savoring his words.

  I turn in his arms and kiss him in a way that will let him know that he means everything to me. “You’re my one true love,” I whisper.

  Reed picks me up and deposits me on the countertop. My legs wrap around his waist and we fit together as one. I lose myself in him and he in me, each completely vulnerable to the other’s cravings. My heart soars, all but the dark place between my heart and my soul; that place sorely rebels while it vows to make an enemy of me.

  “We need a strategy meeting, Evie,” Reed says as I rifle through my clothes. Finding a pair of designer jeans and a t-shirt, I shrug into them. I pull on leather boots that reach my knees.

  “Are you worried about our position now that Brennus knows we’re still in Crestwood?” I ask. I don’t want to leave here. This is the closest thing to home that I’ve had in a long time. We’ve only been here for a couple of days but we’ve been able to fortify it with spells that have kept evil at bay until Brennus hijacked me and took over.

  “I’m not worried about him knowing our location. It’s moot,” he murmurs. “Geography is irrelevant. He’ll find you now as soon as you close your eyes.”

  The reality of what he says sends chills through me. “What can our strategy possibly be? Assemble an army while we fight off Brennus so we can wait for the Fallen to attack? And that’s if Tau doesn’t find me first.”

  “An army is where we start,” Reed says with a smile meant to reassure me. He takes my hand and leads me from the closet into our room. The mess has been cleaned up. Russell must’ve used magic to reassemble the shards of glass from the broken window. It still looks shattered, but now it’s all back and housed within its frame.

  “You think we should bring them to Crestwood?” I lift my hand and murmur a spell, smoothing the glass of the window.

  Reed watches with interest. “It’s a decent position...” he trails off when he sees my face growing pale. “What’s wrong?”

  His eyes follow mine to the end of the long driveway, which happens to be where my barrier of magic that protects the house is located. Just beyond the closed gate is a parked car. Leaning against the vehicle with his arms crossed is Xavier. Snow falls on his bright, golden-blond hair. His deep-red Seraphim wings are hidden from sight. I can’t see his mismatched eyes very well from this distance, but the set of his jaw tells me that they’re stormy.

  Had this been high school, my heart would’ve thrilled at seeing Xavier outside my bedroom window. But, this isn’t and I’m not that girl who thought she was in love with him. I never even really knew him. He has been lying to me since the day we met. I refuse to consider anything beyond that—no past lifetimes before I was born when Xavier was my guardian angel...when he was my angel. I don’t remember it.

  I glance at Reed and see that he’s studying me. My frown deepens, “You knew he’d be here.” It’s a statement of fact.

  “If we wanted to avoid him, we should’ve left almost the moment we arrived here.”

  “I’d like to avoid him.” I look at Xavier again.

  “I would’ve done the same thing just a little while ago.” My eyebrow arches in question so Reed clarifies, “I would’ve tried to stop you from facing Brennus.”

  “And now?” I ask.

  He reaches for me; his shoulders cave in towards me with an air of protection. “Now, I’ll always find a way to help you.”

  “What’s changed?” I put my finger on his chest, absently tracing a heart over his heart.

  “You. You’ve changed.”

  “Me?” I lift my eyes to his.

  Reed’s hand cups my cheek. “You’re extremely resourceful, love,” his lips are firm against mine as he kisses me, “resolute,” he breathes before kissing me again, “intrepid. I trust your instincts.”

  “I couldn’t breathe without you. I had no other thought but to get you back.”

  Reed smiles as he looks into my eyes. “And you did. Here I am.” He kisses me again. My heart beats harder as I blush with pleasure at his touch.

  “What do I do about Xavier?” I glance out the window to see him still there watching the house.

  “Nothing. He’ll challenge me soon and I’ll take care of him,” Reed says as if the expectation has been there all along. He sees the worry in my eyes. Leaning down, he kisses me again. His lips are gentle, meant to reassure me, but our kiss quickly turns into more. I want him to kiss me everywhere and feel his skin against mine. My arms wrap around the back of Reed’s neck as I press against him. The butterflies that stir when he’s near are rioting, insisting that I get closer.

  Zephyr clears his throat. “Problem.” Reed reluctantly straightens and looks to Zee in the doorway with a questioning look. “The Reapers took it upon themselves to leave the house.”

  “Buns and Brownie are gone?” Fear races through me.

  Zephyr turns his icy-blue eyes on me. “They felt a soul in need of reaping.”

  “So you just let them go?” I demand.

  “I did not let them go. I told them no.” Zephyr answers. He turns to glare at Russell next to him who has managed not to say a word so far.

  Shamefaced, Russell says, “Ahh, don’t be mad, Zee! They told me it hurts them to ignore a soul who needs help ascendin’.” When Zephyr just glowers at him, his expression turns desperate. “They ganged up on me—you’ve seen them!” His hands extend imploringly. “They’re relentless. I had to let them past the barrier. They’ll call when they’re done and I’ll let ‘em back in!” He holds up his cell phone.

  Zephyr growls and it raises goose bumps on my arms. “That is if the Fallen haven’t set them up, Russell. You should’ve told me. I would’ve gone with them.” He’s seriously scary when he’s angry. I haven’t seen him like this since he tried to kill me when we first met.

  “I know,” Russell admits, scrubbing his eyes in frustration. “They have this way of workin’ on me—I can’t think when they team up. It’s brutal.”

  “Where’s Anya?” Reed asks, probably trying to lessen some of the tension in the air.

  Russell points his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s in the library ignorin’ the hell outta me.”

  Anya appears soundlessly behind Russell. “Now I’m here, continuing to ignore you,” Anya says with a slight raise of her eyebrow. “The hell is welcome to stay where it is.” She looks to Reed in question. “Do you need me?” Her long, black hair is swept back in a ponytail. Even in a pair of jeans and a loose sweater, she’s flawless. How she’ll pass as human, I don’t know. Her skin is luminous without one imperfection.

  Startled, Russell scowls at Anya, “Gahh! Don’t sneak up on me! You’re like a cat!”

  Anya’s eyes narrow to match Russell’s. “I’m a Throne. I sneak up on people—karmic retribution is what I do. It’s my job,” Anya replies with absolute sincerity, describing her angelic role in the universe.

  Reed smiles at Anya; he has a soft spot for her: not only because she was integral in saving him from Brennus, but also because they understand one another on a very visceral level. They’re each in love with corresponding mated souls. “Have you heard from Buns or Brownie?”

  Anya shakes her head. “No, but I know where they are.”

  “You do?” Russell’s eyebrows rise while his shoulders sag in relief. “Where are they?”

  Anya points toward the window. “They�
�re with Xavier.”

  I take a shallow breath. Buns and Brownie are seated on the hood of Xavier’s car. Their hands and wings are restrained, but they look like they’re unharmed. Zephyr is out of our bedroom an instant later. Reed and Russell follow him immediately.

  When I catch up to them, Zephyr’s standing just on our side of the barrier. Xavier is eye to eye with him on the other side. Zephyr growls low as his wings spread out menacingly. Xavier’s expression is blank. He doesn’t even display his wings.

  We’re all right, sweetie,” Buns calls to Zephyr from her seat on the hood of Xavier’s black Aston Martin. The car looks like Xavier: ferocious and beautiful. “Xavier’s just being a jackhole.”

  Snow falls lightly, covering us all in soft shapes of white. “Release them,” Zephyr says from between his teeth.

  Xavier’s stoic gaze shifts to me. “I’m not here to hurt them. I need to speak to you.”

  “Russell, let me out so he can speak to me,” Zephyr says, all business.

  Xavier’s eyes lock with mine as his jaw tightens. Slowly, he pulls down the zipper of his black leather coat. Snow catches on his elegant scarf as he reaches into his coat and extracts spade-like blades; they don’t have handles, but notch-like finger grips. They look very much like the weapons Reed used to kill Pagan.

  “Xavier!” I put out both my hands. My heavy breathing is evident by the white curls of smoky air coming from me. “I’ll talk to you. Just let Brownie and Buns go.”

  Reed is next to me in a second. With his back to Xavier, he says in my ear, “You don’t need to do this. I can take care of him.”

  I stiffen. My anger with Xavier is bone-deep. He crossed so many lines with me that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive him. Even with that, I’ll never welcome his death. I loved him in high school; a part of me knows I loved him way before that. “We have to try to sway the Seraphim to our side, right? If I can convince Xavier to help me with Tau, then we can build our army quicker.” Reed studies my eyes. “I’ve learned from the Gancanagh to never hold a grudge. Your enemy one day will be your ally the next.”