Eve of Darkness

by S. J. Day

Vanished into thin air.

  One moment he was pushing to his feet, his bare body sheened with sweat and high-velocity blood spatter. The next he was gone.

  Eve paused, unblinking, her body’s natural response seized by shock. Her gaze dropped to the dead man on the floor.

  Then she spun to the sink and wanted to retch, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.

  “Oh my god,” she gasped, hanging on to the curved granite edge to remain standing. As her mark sizzled within her skin, a sharp sound escaped from her throat.

  “Yeah, that’s where he went,” came a dry voice from the living room. The corpse on the floor rose to its feet, its disfigured head restoring before her very eyes, the dent slowly filling like a balloon. Wings sprouted from the man’s back and he shook them out, testing each side with a quick flap before retracting them.

  “Cain never learns,” he said, winking at her, once again looking like the Armani-clad businessman from Gadara Tower.

  “I’m insane,” she gasped. “Certifiable.”

  Alec’s brother laughed. “Don’t get your pan ties in a twist, babe. He’ll be back, and in one piece, too.”

  “You’re dead,” Eve muttered, “and I’m going to pass out.”

  “You’re too healthy for that. All the physical reactions you used to have to stress won’t happen anymore.”

  “What the hell are you?”

  He smiled, the arrogant curve of his lips a faint echo of Alec’s.

  Brothers.

  She could see it now. All the hints of Alec that had drawn her to him the other day were Alec. His blood. His genes. His traits. But all the warmth and love that shone in Alec’s dark eyes were absent from this man’s. His gaze was filled simply with mischief and male appreciation.

  Somehow that was easier to bear right now.

  “I’m the guy who fucked you into three screaming orgasms, babe.”

  “I see asshole runs in your family.” The full reality of talking to a stranger she’d screwed in a public place, on camera, a stranger who happened to be Alec’s brother, and had wings, and had been a corpse a minute ago, hit her hard and she leaned heavily on her countertop. “I could use a good bout of unconsciousness right about now.”

  “Reed,” he said more softly, his leer fading into something more sincere. “My name is Reed, Evangeline.”

  “What did you do to me?”

  “Did Alec tell you that you’re marked now?” Reed settled onto a barstool and picked an apple from the fruit bowl. “Damned to hunt the scourge of the earth and make the world safer for everyone?”

  “I got the damned part. Who’s doing the damning is a bit murky.”

  “Let’s just say you should reconsider being an agnostic.”

  Eve turned on the faucet and splashed water over her face. “Christ . . . Shit!” she hissed, as her mark burned.

  He grinned. “You’re getting warmer.”

  “Ha-ha.” Forcing herself to act normal, she retrieved one of the mugs she’d set out earlier and filled it with steaming coffee. “Why now? It’s been ten years.”

  “The wheels of justice turn just as slowly up there as they do down here.”

  “How does Alec fit into all of this?” She shot a worried glance over her shoulder. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. It’s not the first time he’s killed me. As for how he fits . . .” Reed shrugged. “He could have spared you if he’d kept his dick in his pants.”

  Grabbing creamer out of the fridge, Eve poured a liberal splash into her mug. “I understand that part. Is he under some sort of vow of celibacy?” She liked the thought of that.

  Reed laughed. “That’s rich.”

  Scowling, she returned the creamer to its spot in the fridge door and shut it with more force than necessary.

  “Sweetheart, your name may be Eve, but in this lusty tale, you play the apple. ‘Look, but don’t touch.’” Reed took at hearty bite of the Red Delicious in his hand.

  “That’s sick. Who tortures people like that?”

  “Free will,” he said, chewing with obvious relish. “You always get a choice, but sometimes it’s obvious which choice you’re supposed to make. If you decide to do your own thing, you pay the consequences.” Reed licked his lips. “If Alec had made the right choice, you’d be married now with two kids. Happy as a clam.”

  Eve stared into her coffee and wondered what that life would have been like.

  “So what’s the mark for?” she asked finally.

  Studying Reed over the rim of her mug, Eve noted that his hair was much shorter than Alec’s, his lips thinner, the air about him more intense. Unlike Alec’s grungy attire, Reed’s garments were perfectly tailored. Today he sported fitted gray slacks and a black dress shirt, worn open at the collar and rolled up at the sleeves.

  “Well, the mark has several uses. It originally put you in line for a hearing. The court docket is full and it’s important to get penciled in as soon as possible.”

  “A hearing?”

  “Everyone gets a hearing, babe.” His smile affected her; there was no getting around it. Fact was, it wasn’t just his similarities to Alec that were attractive. “Alec’s contribution to the mark waived the hearing and acts as somewhat of a plea bargain. Instead of arguing your case, you get to earn your indulgences in the field.”

  “Why doesn’t that sound as if he did me a favor?”

  Reed shrugged. “Depends on how you look at it. It was the only way to guarantee that he would be with you all the time. If you’d gone to trial, you would have been assigned to whichever position was next in the queue that you were best qualified for. Not all positions require mentors and not all positions are in the field.” His gaze narrowed as he considered her. “This way, he’s certain to be with you.”

  “And what am I supposed to do in the field?”

  “Hunt demons, feral fey, rogue interdimensional beings, warlocks, and various other nasties. You’re going to have to work for absolution just as Alec has been doing for centuries.”

  “Centuries?” She was in lust with a man who was centuries old? Eve set her coffee down before she dropped it again. “He’s immortal?”

  “Almost. Marks heal quickly, so it takes a lot to kill one. There’s no time limit on how long you have to prove your worth, and the whole ‘sevenfold vengeance’ protection has a way of scaring off most hazards to your health.”

  “Sevenfold vengeance?”

  “It’s mentioned in the book of Genesis. ‘And the Lord said unto him, therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.’ You’ve got the mark. You get the protection.”

  “How bad is that? The sevenfold stuff.”

  “Whatever the demon does to the Mark, they get the same in return. Seven times over.”

  Eve’s brows rose. “That could be bad, I take it.”

  “Usually so. As I said, it works as a deterrent most of the time. Only the most evil, wretched, and insane creatures don’t care.”

  “Lovely.”

  He stood and rounded the kitchen island. There was no mistaking the change in his focus.

  She lifted her chin. He caged her in with the counter at her back. “In addition to learning how to kill and dealing with a fear of all things evil, you’ve got Alec to manage, and your feelings about what happened to you because of his lust.” He held up the half-eaten apple between them. “Then there are the apples.”

  She arched a brow, hoping to hide how her body responded to his nearness. Her senses remembered him—his smell, the power and heat of his large frame, the near brutality of his passion. The orgasms he’d wrung from her body.

  “The apples?” she asked softly, focusing on his lips as they curved into a feral smile.

  Reed ran the bitten side of the apple from the hollow of her throat down to her cleavage. Shivering, Eve reached behind her and gripped the edge of the counter. He lowered his head slowly, watching her, giving
her time to pull away. His tongue touched her skin and slid up the trail he’d made in a long, slow glide. His teeth nipped at her chin, then he moved to take her mouth. She turned her head away.

  His warm chuckle filled the electrically charged air between them. Then he changed tactics, sliding his hand into her robe and cupping her breast. As his fingers found her nipple and pinched roughly, his tongue slid along the shell of her ear. “Apples, baby. Temptations. The exercising of your free will.”

  Reed’s hips pressed against hers, his knees bending so that the hard ridge of his cock notched into the softness of her sex. He thrust gently, nudging her. She gasped, but kept her hands on the counter. Her body was so tightly strung the slightest provocation had her ready to tear of her clothes. Anytime. Anywhere.

  “I wondered,” he breathed, his lips to her ear, “what you had that twisted Cain up in knots.” His other hand cupped her ass and urged her to rock into him as he tugged and rolled her nipple, sending shockwaves down to the aching flesh between her legs. “Now I know.”

  “Back off.”

  His tongue thrust into her ear and her knees buckled. “Hottest, tightest fuck I’ve ever had. Your slick pussy sucking on my cock. And those sounds you make . . . those little whimpers . . .” He growled. “I want to take you right now. Hard and deep. Pound my dick into you and watch you come until you can’t take any more.” His hand on her ass slid lower, lifting her leg to anchor it onto his hip. His thrusts grew bolder, more fervent, his chest rising and falling with his harsh breathing. “You’re a predator now, Eve. And predators like to fuck.”

  “Back off!” Eve’s hands went to his shoulders and pushed. He flew across the room and landed in a heap on her living room rug.

  “Oh my god,” she breathed. The damn mark seared her skin anew and made her dizzy.

  Reed threw his head back and laughed, rising to his feet with an easy grace. “See? You’re beginning to catch on already.”

  He reached down and adjusted himself, drawing her attention to the obvious wet spot on his pants where she’d been rubbing against him. “Watch out for the apples, babe.”

  With a rakish wink, he disappeared—vanished—just as Alec had, and a moment later Alec was back. Still naked, but minus the blood, his handsome face marred by a fierce scowl.

  Eve picked up the apple and threw it at him.

  CHAPTER 7

  Alec caught the apple and crushed it into a juicy pulp with his fist.

  He was a successful hunter because of his patience. Unlike most Marks, his goal wasn’t quantity but quality. Infernals were like all parasitic organisms. They learned, adapted, mutated. As they survived repeated attempts on their lives, they grew stronger and more formidable.

  When Alec was summoned to make a kill, he was prepared to wait for days, weeks, months, or even years to strike. Long, protracted battles were wearisome and drew too much attention. He preferred a quick assassination, and he bided his time until that opportunity presented itself.

  That was why he was frustrated by his inability to be patient with Abel. His brother was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Alec couldn’t ignore him or forgive him. The grudge he carried was too deeply ingrained.

  With a quick stride, he moved to the kitchen and opened the trash compactor. He unclenched his fist, releasing the destroyed apple to thud to the bottom of the lined basket. Sticky juice coated his fingers and he watched, detached, as it dripped. Drop after drop.

  Eve made a small noise and he glanced at her. She stood nearby, flushed and bright eyed. Aroused.

  Alec growled low in his throat. “Stay away from him.”

  Her chin lifted. She looked prepared to argue, then she turned around and lifted to her tiptoes, pulling open a cupboard and reaching for a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream.

  “If you’re looking for a buzz,” he bit out, “you won’t get one there.”

  She paused midmovement.

  “Your body doesn’t process alcohol—or any mind-altering substance—the same way it used to.”

  Her hand fell as a fist into the counter. She faced him, her sloe eyes narrowing with flaring anger. “Are you saying I can’t get high?”

  “You can orgasm from here to eternity,” he said roughly. “That high enough for you?”

  “Fuck.”

  “I’m happy to oblige.”

  “Oh, shut up!” she snapped. “This is entirely your fault.”

  “Is that all you’ve got?” he taunted, his blood hot and his temper high. He’d been punished for killing his brother again, which left Alec spoiling for a fight. Or a hard, raw screw. Since the latter was what had gotten Eve in trouble in the first place, he would be better off settling for the former. “Your life just blew up in your face and ‘shut up’ is the best you can do?”

  Her fists clenched, and he felt a surge of satisfaction. If she was pissed off at him, she wouldn’t be thinking about Abel.

  “I don’t know,” she retorted. “I’m feeling like a superhero. I might be able to kick your naked ass. Maybe we’d both feel better if I did.”

  Alec laughed and moved to the sink to wash his hands. “You can say that after watching me kill a man? You’ve got balls, angel. Thank God, ’cause you’ll need ’em.”

  “Don’t make light of this, Alec.”

  Turning off the tap, he crossed over to her. His hips pinned her to the cupboard while his wet hands caressed her cheeks. “I’m not.”

  “I feel like I’ve lost my mind.”

  “You haven’t lost anything. You’re still the same smart, sexy woman I remember.”

  “I wasn’t a woman then,” she grumbled.

  He smoothed her eyebrows and followed the curve of her cheekbones. “You gonna argue with me about that, too?”

  Eve sighed and rested her cheek into his palm. “You killed him.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Explain that to me.” Her dark eyes gazed up at him with a mixture of revulsion and wary fascination. “He said it wasn’t the first time.”

  “‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’” he recited softly.

  Eve blinked up at him, a frown marring the beauty of her face. “You’re going to quote scripture at a time like . . .”

  As her voice faded, Alec watched her confusion turn into a slowly dawning comprehension. She had never been able to hide anything from him, but she’d have to learn to don a poker face now. Infernals would take advantage of any perceived weakness.

  “The Mark of Cain,” she whispered. “Alec Cain.”

  “I know it sounds fantastical,” he began tightly.

  “I believe you.” She made an impatient gesture with her hand and barked a little laugh. “I’m not even all that surprised. Not after the last week.

  “Seven full days. Shit . . . I suppose that’s not a coincidence.”

  “There’s no such thing as coincidence.”

  “What’s going on?” Her hand covered the spot on her arm where the mark rested. “What does this mean?”

  “It’s a calling, angel. A—”

  “I thought it was a punishment.”

  “It serves that purpose, too.”

  The way she bit her lower lip was an added sign of her distress, but the inner core of steel that had first attracted him to her did not fail. “Killing demons and fairies? Look at me, Alec. Do I look like I can do that?”

  “You’re capable of anything that needs to be done. Far more so than most Marks.”

  “Most Marks?” Her eyes widened. “There are more?”

  “Thousands.”

  “Jesus . . . Ow, damn it! This thing keeps burning.”

  “Because you’re taking the Lord’s name in vain. You’ll have to get over that.”

  Her mouth took on a mulish cast. “This is bullshit. Why me? Why?”

  He exhaled harshly, his breath ruffling the hair atop her head. There was no way to deny his culpability in her downfall. But he wasn’t going to keep pointing it out.

  “After my father was created,” he
said instead, “the angels were commanded to prostrate before him, because he was created in the image of the Lord.”

  Eve snorted. “God’s not at all full of himself, is he?”

  “Watch it,” Alec warned, shaking her a little. “That mouth is going to get you in trouble.”

  “That’s not the only troublesome part of me.”

  “Some of the angels refused, insisting they were superior to man—”

  “I have a tendency to agree with them.”

  “Those who opposed God’s will were banished from the heavens. They fell to earth, where they mated with man and produced nephilim—half-angels who felt animosity toward the Lord. My family began to lose its position in the food chain.”

  “So God drafted you?”

  He laughed softly, humorlessly. “He said sin crouched at our door and it was my duty to master it. If I did well, I would be forgiven the death of my brother. If I didn’t, the Infernals would kill me.”

  “Why doesn’t anyone know this part of the story?”

  “It’s in the Bible, angel. The order of events is a bit skewed, but it’s mentioned.”

  “So you had no choice.”

  “We are always given a choice. It was my brother Seth who urged me to accept the offer. Since I had . . . experience, it made sense. In the end, I was grateful to be given a purpose. I’m good at what I do.”

  “You have another brother?” She was clearly horrified by the thought.

  “Thirty-two of them, and twenty-three sisters. Not all are still here on earth. Many have already ascended.”

  “Oh, jeez . . .” She winced. “Your poor mother.”

  “You have to consider that without television, radio, and sporting events, sex was the best form of entertainment there was.”

  “I’d abstain, if it saved me from birthing that many kids.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” he teased, achingly aware of her simmering state of arousal. Beneath Eve’s fear and confusion Alec scented the underlying spice of pure desire. Combined with the salt-tinged sea breeze coming through the open sliding glass door, it was potent and alluring. Eve, by nature, was a sexual creature. That proclivity would be enhanced now.

  “Go back to your explanation,” she said. “You started killing the nephilim?”