Fire Cursed Trilogy Box Set

by J. E. Taylor

  Kylee’s voice rang through the air as if she were speaking, but her lips didn’t once move. “I am no longer a true siren. Yes, I still hold the capability of siren song, but what you see today is what Fate turned me into after I escaped from Lucifer with my brother. The brother I was later commanded to kill. I’m enslaved by Fate, obligated to hunt down creatures that escaped from hell during a breach. But, as I learned recently, I am only obligated to hunt down those that cross the line. Therefore, my contract will truly never end. I’m bound to Fate’s whims for eternity.”

  Her face reddened and her fists clenched. “This was not my choice. I’m the best at what I do, but it is not my choice to live an eternity alone. You asked about Alex. I made the mistake of letting him in, and he died because of it.”

  CJ, Valerie, and Tom stared at Kylee.

  “I see ghosts. I never asked for that,” Tom said, and bitterness threaded through his voice. “I never asked for my tongue to be cut out or my dead wife’s to be sewn back in. I never asked to choose between my best friend and my daughter, either.” He gave me a shrug. “Unfortunately, neither my daughter nor my best friend survived. So, you’ll find zero sympathy from me.” His hard gaze locked with hers.

  Kylee climbed to her feet and started towards the door.

  CJ stepped into her path, stopping her.

  “Move.” Her hands moved fluidly in sign language. “You don’t need to be part of my shit show.”

  “Sorry, not happening,” CJ said.

  Kylee jumped into the air and spun like those old kung fu movies, but her entire body froze with her foot just an inch away from CJ’s face.

  I gasped and covered my mouth.

  The Kylee on the plane with me rolled her eyes at my reaction.

  “Are you quite done with your little show?” CJ asked and pushed her leg away.

  Whatever suspended her in the air released, and she crumpled to the ground next to the couch.

  “I can’t stay.”

  “Yes, you can. And there is a way to fix this,” CJ said.

  Kylee clenched her hands in frustration.

  The soft expression on CJ’s face hardened, and his focus moved away from Kylee’s face in an arc. A blade made of pure light slashed through the cords, Kylee fell to her knees, and Valerie clamped her hand over Kylee’s mouth.

  One of the ghosts thundered, “No!”

  The image of Kylee passed out.

  However, the Kylee on the plane with me had her gaze locked on the handsome ghost. “Alejandro,” she whispered from the other side of the time jump vision.

  A host of ghosts with broken tethers rose above her as she sank to the ground, and then her body began to shake. The ghost threaded his hand through hers in a tight grip while the rest of the dead were ushered out of the room. His severed tether waved on the air above them.

  “You’re killing her!” the ghost yelled, his ghostly essence turning red with aggravation.

  “No, we’re not. We’re trying to save her,” Fate said as she stepped through the door.

  Death waited on the back lawn with a very unsettled Leviathan pacing back and forth.

  “You want to bring her back to hell!” the ghost argued, trying to block Fate’s advance, while he clung to Kylee.

  Tom stepped in front of Fate, blocking Alejandro from her. “Trust me, we are trying to save your wife and child, but we need your help.”

  “You’re out of your fucking mind!”

  “Alejandro, I know she never trusted me. Not fully, but I never wanted to hold her to the insane contract she signed. I had no choice. If I don’t deliver her siren to hell, I will be in breach of contract. You don’t want that on your head,” Fate said.

  “I don’t give a damn. I’m not letting you take her.” He squared up in front of Kylee without letting go of her hand.

  “I do not want to take Kylee. The angels gave me a way to save her. It’s a little unorthodox, but it will make it so none of us are breaching the contract,” Fate said, articulating carefully with her hands out like she was trying to calm Leviathan instead of the ghost of Kylee’s dead husband.

  Alejandro stared at her. “You’re serious.”

  “Yes. I need her siren. Now, will you help me save your wife?” She held a small glass bottle out to him.

  He gazed down at Kylee with a nod and took the vial in his hand. “I don’t know how to do this,” he said. “Fate, the one before you, yanked it from her throat.”

  “That bitch didn’t take her siren. She took her voice. It’s different. The siren is actually a part of her. It was used to anchor all those soul tethers. You need to pull it out and shove it in that container.”

  Tiny worry lines formed around his eyes. “What will happen to her?”

  “She will become mortal.”

  Alejandro’s eyes widened, and he looked at the cluster of tethers floating above Kylee’s head. “Mortal?” His mouth worked around the word. He licked his lips, glancing back at Fate and then at the only other person in the room who could see him.

  Tom nodded. “It’s not going to be pretty, but she will survive.”

  “You can guarantee that?” Alejandro asked.

  Tom pointed at Valerie. “She will make sure of it.”

  Valerie glanced up at him with a tense smile.

  Alejandro crouched down next to Kylee and unclasped his hand from hers. He swept the lot of tethers into his hands as close to her head as possible.

  He looked over his shoulder at Tom. “What happens if she lets the siren loose before I can get it out?”

  Tom gave a nervous laugh. “Then I think we are all doomed,” he said and shrugged. “The key is to not stop once you start. No matter what.”

  Alejandro gave a nod and took a deep breath, wrapping the tethers around his fist until they were taut. The muscles in his arms contracted. “Here goes nothing,” he said and yanked.

  Kylee’s body jerked. Her eyes flew open, shimmering like a true siren, and the tethers pooled together to form a scaly gray circle on her forehead.

  “Hold her!” Alejandro said, trying to rise to his feet with the tethers grasped tight. The muscles in his back and neck flexed.

  The ghostly bellow that followed made me shiver.

  Tom’s hand shot out, grabbing the tethers below Alejandro’s hand, and he added his strength to Kylee’s husband’s.

  The sound of wet flesh bursting filled the room.

  “Jesus Christ,” Alejandro cried, but the vial disappeared behind his ghostly essence.

  Tom stumbled backwards, catching the edge of the couch with a bloodstained hand. Alex turned, giving Tom a full view of Kylee’s body and the hole in my forehead. Valerie’s lips landed on a clean spot next to the tear in her skull, and light danced across Kylee’s form, pooling around the gaping wound.

  Alejandro shoved the vial at Fate and then fell to his knees next to Kylee. “I’m so sorry, baby.” His hands cradled her face and his lips brushed hers. “I’m so sorry.”

  The light surrounding Kylee faded, and her ragged breath evened out. Valerie checked her pulse and glanced up at Tom.

  “She seems to be stabilizing,” she said.

  “Good. I will be right back. I have a siren to deliver,” Fate said and gave Tom a nod before she disappeared.

  * * * *

  The image faded, and Kylee stared at the spot the ghost of her husband had occupied a few moments ago. Then her gaze swiveled to mine. Mixed emotions resided in her eyes and in her mind. She fought to remain calm.

  I braced myself for another weird onslaught, but when nothing happened, my tightly coiled muscles relaxed.

  “I’m sorry,” I said when I thought my voice wouldn’t crack.

  “What are you?” she whispered.

  “I’m Lucifer’s daughter,” I said. “And these stupid time jumps are what opens breaches.” My chin trembled. “I don’t know how to control them,” I whispered and put my face in my hands. Hot tears dripped on my palms.

  Levi’
s head pressed onto my lap, and an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

  “I’ll help you figure this out,” Kylee said in my ear. “And as far as your question, I do have your back. Tom had it, so I need to trust his judgement.”

  I looked up at her. “Tom sacrificed himself, and it was all for nothing.” I swiped at the tears heating my cheeks in drizzles, but I couldn’t staunch the flow.

  “Men do that sometimes,” she said with a sad smile.

  “Really?” I sniffled.

  “Yeah. They can be royal idiots.”

  Somehow, her wildly inappropriate comment made me want to laugh despite the building turmoil inside. It made me start to trust her the way I trusted Tom. I knew he had my back when he was alive. I just didn’t want to be the cause of another senseless death.

  Chapter 12

  The plane landed, and I stretched to get the stiff ache out of my limbs. Kylee did the same from the couch near the back. Levi did an upward facing dog followed by a downward facing dog. It was the damnedest thing to see a dog doing yoga, but there it was.

  I headed back to the bathroom to freshen up a little. The washroom was a little bigger than mine at Tom’s house. The plane itself amazed me with its luxury. Of course, I didn’t know any different.

  When I came out, Kylee took her turn.

  She came out a few minutes later and opened one of the duffel bags. From within the canvas, she pulled out an oversized tote and dropped some weapons inside before shifting it to her shoulder. She stood and glanced around the interior as we slowed to a full stop.

  “This is the way to travel,” she said and smiled when the cockpit door opened, and Josh stepped out.

  He looked at the sheet in his hands. “I am going to get some rest before our next jaunt. The plane will be here in this hangar for whenever you are ready.” He looked at Kylee. “You have the number to contact me if the plans are changing, correct?”

  “Yes. I do. I don’t know how long this will take, but we will let you know when we are on our way back,” Kylee said.

  Josh folded the paper and slipped it in his shirt pocket before he undid the door and unfolded the stairs. He stepped aside and smiled as we passed by.

  Just outside the hangar sat a town car, and Kylee led me to it and opened the door for me. I slid inside and scooted over so she could get in.

  “Freedom Tower, please,” Kylee said, looking at the coordinates on her phone. She glanced at me and sighed.

  Just from her expression, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I opened my mouth, but she shook her head and sent a wary glance at the driver. I got her meaning immediately. No talking about the mission in front of strangers. The drive from the hangar at LaGuardia took a little better than a half hour.

  I climbed out of the car, awed by the tall buildings that strained my neck when I tried to see the tops. Glass and metal monsters surrounded us, and I didn’t know where to look. It was as magnificent as it was scary.

  Kylee smiled as she caught me staring. “Never been to a city before?”

  “I’ve been to Augusta,” I said louder than I anticipated. The massive din of strangers’ thoughts assaulted me all at once. I focused on Kylee, and the rest of the world faded into the background.

  She snorted a laugh. “Honey, that’s not a city. This is a city.” She waved her hand at the hustle and bustle around us. “And this is calm compared to midtown.”

  I scanned the crowds. It was more people in one place than I had ever seen before. Both discomfort and excitement drilled through me. If I didn’t remain focused on Kylee, I wouldn’t be able to think straight.

  I prayed that I would be able to block out the noise around me because I had a feeling I would need to concentrate to close whatever breach was here in the city.

  Kylee led me toward a stairwell that went down. On the side of the railing was a sign for a subway. When she continued down the stairs I stalled at the top, and the noise overwhelmed me. The idea of going underground really threw me and the echo of voices just left me cold.

  She stopped halfway down and looked up at me as people passed by me with little more than glances, even though their thoughts, emotions, and aura’s screamed annoyance.

  “It’s okay,” she said, too soft to hear above the din, but I heard her in my head. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder and turned back toward the underground path.

  I inhaled and tried not to shiver, focusing only on Kylee yet again. The thought of releasing my angel fire in such a constrained place scared me. I could almost envision… I stopped and closed my eyes, stifling any possible preconceived notions. I didn’t want to be responsible for the next televised disaster.

  When I got to where Kylee had been standing, the stench of the subway hit. Sweat, pee, and grime combined together to create a smell that I wanted to avoid at all costs. I covered my nose with my hand, and forced my feet to continue moving until there were no more steps.

  I looked up, and my heart leaped into my throat at the sea of people. No wonder I was nearly unable to drown them out of my head. Their auras melded together into swirls of color. I could tell those who were upset in some way from those who were content just by way of the pulses in each person’s aura.

  “Faith.” Kylee’s voice broke through my momentary panic.

  I turned to her, and she ushered me through the turnstiles and down another set of stairs, bringing us deeper into the bowels of the station where the scents were riper, and the sea of people thickened.

  I froze at the subway platform, freaked out by the crowd.

  Kylee touched my arm, and I turned, catching sight of her in the tight space beside the stairwell. She nodded for me to follow, and I gladly slipped into the darkness with her, going away from the crowd. She glanced at her watch in the dark, following whatever directions that kept sputtering on the screen.

  When we reached the end of the ramp, she muttered under her breath and turned to me in the darkness.

  “We need to go into the tunnels.” She sounded exasperated, and she ran her hand through her hair, staring into the blackness.

  Her natural turquois and purple aura had threads of navy pulsing through it. I didn’t need to be a genius to see she was nervous. Hell, I was shaking at the thought of going into that blackness, too.

  “We need to be very cautious and try to stay close to the walls. Hopefully there will be places to slide into if a train comes.”

  “And if there aren’t?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at me and just shook her head. “I just hope this thing isn’t on an active track,” she said and pointed to the red dot on her watch.

  The display showed we still had a way to go in these underground tunnels to reach that red dot. I swallowed hard. The minute we dropped onto the tracks, one of the indicators turned green.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means we are at the right depth for the location of the breach.”

  “Fabulous.”

  She pulled out a flash light and glanced at her watch. Thankfully she headed away from the subway ramp we’d come down. “Don’t touch the tracks.” She jumped over the one nearest and crossed to the other side where the tunnel opened up into multiple tracks.

  We crossed into a section between tracks wide enough that it looked like it was meant to be a walking path. Kylee’s shoulders relaxed, and she exhaled loud enough for me to feel the tension melt away.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin when a train barreled by on the track to my left. Kylee looked back at me.

  “We are lucky there is a breezeway between tracks here, but up ahead, there isn’t any. And it looks like the breach is at an intersection of three tracks, so be prepared to dodge trains as well as whatever is escaping.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” I said over the sound of another approaching train. “I am not sure if what I need to do will compromise this.” I waved at the iron surrounding us.

  She slowed down and glanced at me. Real fear reflected in her eyes
and her mind.

  “I could bring it all down on us.” I swallowed and wished that Alex were with me. At least if he were here, I had more of a chance to do this right rather than create a world-class disaster.

  Kylee closed her eyes, and when they opened, hardness appeared in them. “You can do this.” She seemed to be willing me not to think the worst. Willing me to man up according to the words forming in her mind.

  I bit my lip and nodded, because what else was I supposed to do?

  “I’ll take care of whatever obstacles are coming at us. And you take care of closing the damn breach. You’re a Nephilim. Embrace that shit.”

  I stopped short and narrowed my gaze at her. She was trying to make me angry. She was trying to get me to take control of the situation. I hated to admit it, but the way she spoke the word Nephilim—it worked. She had an aggravated and reverent tone, and I did need to start to live up to my heritage. I needed to be badass, as Alex had put it. Like I had been in Maine when I closed the first portal.

  “Then let’s get on with it.” I waved for her to continue. As she turned away, I caught a hint of a smile.

  The sureness in my step faded as the walkway we had been traversing ended and dual tracks sat side by side with very little space between them or on the outer edges. If two trains came at once, we would be mush, unless one of those man-trap alcoves was within reach.

  “Damn it,” Kylee whispered.

  The dot on the map on her watch was still far enough away to dry the spit in my mouth. We exchanged a glance. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She attempted to pull up the subway schedules, but she had no service this far below ground.

  “Left or right?” she finally said and looked at me.

  Both were equally daunting, but on the right, I saw a dim yellow light on the wall. The left side was bathed in black.

  “Right,” I said, pointing to the light.

  Kylee nodded and then hopped over the electrical rail that emitted a constant buzz. I followed her. When we got to the wall, she gave me a nod.

  “Keep an eye out for a train,” she said.

  The closer we came to the light, the more it looked like the small area near the tracks that we were walking widened. It almost looked like a deliberate walking path like the one we had left behind. But it wasn’t nearly as expansive as the one between the tracks had been. But at least in this small section of track, if a train came, we could press our backs against the wall and not be hit.