Death eBook 9.8.16

by Lila Rose

  I was surprised when the souls showed back up so quickly. The man wore a frown upon his face. He shook his head and said, “We couldn’t get in.”

  The teen nodded in agreement, shifting from one foot to the other. “It didn’t feel right in there. Usually I can get in any place, but not there.”

  My eyes went to Warren just as he said, “Kayne was the first to learn how to block out your gift.” He was right. At an early age, Kayne had found a way around my gift. This involved how to stop souls entering their homes because I used to enjoy scaring the fuck out of them. It was a mixture of lavender and white sage, which cast out or blocked a soul.

  “Which means he could be in there,” Connor said.

  “Time to move in,” Warren snarled. He adjusted his leather vest before pulling his katana from his back sheath.

  Turning to the souls, I offered, “Thank you for trying.” Looking at the teen, I asked, “Are you sure you’re not ready to move on?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “But, you know, if you ever need help with anything, just call my name, Amanda, and I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

  “He’s mated,” Warren barked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t mean I can’t admire the view.” With a giggle, she disappeared.

  “My prince?” the businessman asked.

  My eyes went to him. “Enjoy your rest, my friend.” With a wave of my hand, a portal opened up beside me. Whether it would take him to hell or heaven was up to him and how he’d been as a person on earth.

  “Thank you.” He bowed before taking those last steps in. A white flash of light surrounded him, indicating he would be on his way to heaven. If the portal had been taken over by black fog, hell would be his new place of existence.

  “Ready?” Connor asked.

  “Let’s do this.” My eyes hardened. My adrenaline kicked up and I removed my own sword from my back sheath.

  With our speed, we were in front of the warehouse in seconds. Warren jerked his chin at Connor and then to the right. Connor moved quickly around the side. Before Warren could order me to the left, I made my way around.

  Everything was too quiet. Kayne couldn’t block out sound. If this was where Kayne was, then wouldn’t his minions be in there with him? No, it wasn’t right. The Order were human; they made noise.

  He wasn’t there.

  I knew it deep down.

  Still, for all our sakes, my feet lifted off the ground and I floated up to the window, opening it. No alarm, nothing.

  “Fuck, there’s nothing here. I just opened a window and nothing happened,” I sent out to Connor and Warren.

  “Same,” Connor replied.

  A boom followed my first steps into the pitch-black warehouse. Warren had just kicked in the door. Nothing, he snapped.

  “I knew something wasn’t right, but why keep the souls out?” I asked as I walked through one of the rooms, making my way to Warren at the front. Thank fuck we could see well in the dark.

  “Dean.” Connor’s worried voice stilled me.

  No. Fuck no.

  My heart dipped and then tripled its speed.

  “Dean,” Warren bit out low.

  “It was a ploy to get us out,” I whispered.

  Julie.

  I had to get back to my mate. I bolted to the front door. Warren tried to grab for me, but I dodged him and flew out the front. Jumping, I landed on the first roof. The SUV was long forgotten, since I was faster on foot with all the roads busy. Just as I made the jump to the fourth roof, a sudden burst of Julie’s emotions caused me to stumble and took me to my knees.

  Fear.

  A violent wave of fear.

  Connor was at my side in seconds. “Is it Julie?”

  “She’s scared. Fuck, Connor.”

  He helped me to my feet. “We’ll get there in time.”

  “Connor—”

  “No, brother,” he clipped. His jaw then clenched; he was as worried as I was. “We will get there.” He gave me a shove and off we flew over the rooftops. My gut was in turmoil, fear riding me hard.

  Christ. We’d better get there in time.

  Chapter Eighteen

  JULIE

  “Please wake up, Fallon. Please, I need you. I can’t do this without you, please.” My heart ached. It felt as if it were a hollow pit while my body trembled. It had been hours since Dean kissed me good-bye with a promise that everything would be okay. And then a group of Decay’s followers, in those stupid robes, somehow made it through the reduced security and up to the thirteenth floor.

  There had been too many of them.

  The last thing I’d seen was Fallon in a heap on the floor bleeding from her head, and brave, fierce Falcone being run through with a broadsword. I would have most likely fainted when I was done screaming the anguish that ripped through my heart if the real-life He-Man in a monk robe hadn’t stepped in my line of vision, and I assumed, stun gunned me. One second I’d been standing there, and the next my body had convulsed, and I’d dropped to the floor, passing out.

  It seemed like such a long time between that moment and waking up lying bound on the floor of an old work van. After checking on Fallon, who they’d grabbed as well, I turned my face away from the goons in the front and pretended to still be unconscious the rest of the long ride. Tears formed in my eyes, so I took the time to remind myself over and over that Falcone was immortal. He was stabbed with a sword, not the dagger thing they were all looking for. He would heal. He had to heal. In the meantime, I had to be strong. Fallon was still alive and safe, for the time being, with me. And I knew, without a doubt, Dean would save me. We hadn’t found each other for nothing. He would shift anything and everything to find me. To help me.

  After an uncomfortable, jolting ride, the truck slowed to turn. My attention went to the surroundings outside the dirty back window, until we stopped and I needed to close my eyes again. Not that there was much to see from the floor. As far as I knew, it was either early morning or late afternoon from the low sun. I couldn’t work out how long I’d been unconscious for, so it was hard to guess. Though, my mini recon of the exterior had not done enough to prepare me for the horror that awaited me when I next opened my eyes.

  As we were carried from the van, through squinted eyes I saw the sign Clown Motel. It was enormous, with a freaky clown head behind the words. The place was where nightmares started.

  I was soon dumped on the floor alongside Fallon and surprisingly unbound. As soon as the goons left, I cracked my eyes wide and wished I hadn’t. There were clowns on every surface, the desk, dresser, and walls. Even the night table had a clown lamp upon it.

  Shuddering, I moved to Fallon and begged her to wake through the tears I’d been able to hold off in the van. God. There was so much blood. I had once read head wounds bled a lot, but it just looked like too much. My panic threatened to overwhelm me, to take hold and swallow me whole. She was too still. A sob caught in my throat. And then she moved. My eyes widened as my sob finally broke free, relief pushing it out and spilling tears from my eyes. My Fallon was coming to.

  “Crap, shitting motherfucking bitch! Who the fuck backed a truck over my head? It’s fucking killing me.” The sheer joy to hear her voice left me dizzy and giggling, easing my tears. I brushed the lingering ones from my cheeks and fell back to my ass in relief, wiping the boogers from my face.

  She was already sitting up as I answered her question, “Think less truck and more defensive lineman. I believe He-Man clocked you with something before he zapped me with a million volts.”

  She had yet to open her eyes. Boy, was she in for a shock in three, two, one…. “Yeah, he was a dead ringer fo— Ah… it….” Not ever, in the decade I’d known her, had I seen Fallon speechless. It had me wishing the circumstances were different so I could enjoy the show. Just as she looked like she was about to say something, we heard people outside the door.

  We made it to our feet as the door opened and Decay entered. He looked different, more Voldemort, less The Wa
lking Dead. It looked like most of his face had healed, except his nose was still missing and, after it hit my senses, he still reeked of lilies.

  “Ah, it is so wonderful to see you again, sister. You are looking well, and this must be your friend. Do forgive the mix-up. Good help seems to be just as difficult to find as ever. My followers were not sure which of you was the Julie I sought. So they decided to err on the side of caution.” He drifted forward a few feet but stopped when Fallon braced for attack. She took my hand in hers and shifted slightly in front of me. Decay smiled. “I think proper introductions are in order.” He bowed his head slightly, and continued, “I am Lord Decay, or as my brothers know me, Kayne Apocalos. The fifth horseman, of Decay and Rebirth. Though, sadly I never did make it to the rebirth part. And you are?” He lifted his head and gave a somewhat encouraging smile to both of us.

  Licking my lips, I thought the nice approach would be good. So before Fallon could say anything, I stepped up beside my bestie, and with my chin raised, I said, “I’m J-Julie Michaels, and this is my friend Fallon Station.” I gestured next to me.

  Fallon was still in a defensive stance, never letting her guard down, yet she answered, “Yo.”

  Decay, I still refused to think of him as Kayne, an actual brother to my mate, glanced at Fallon with a twitch of his lips, as though her behavior amused him, and asked her, “Are you kin to one of my brothers? You look so like someone, but I cannot place you.”

  Fallon, never one to be shy, even when it would be in her best interest not to antagonize the bad guy, answered, “Wonder if that’s ’cause you have scrambled eggs for brains.”

  Decay threw his head back and laughed. “Scrambled eggs!” He calmed and noted, “I know them. They are quite good, fluffy. The food has been very good. Much better than I remember. I guess my mind is a fair comparison to the scramble of eggs.”

  This was not the man from the train. Even though I assumed he still had more loose screws than a hardware store, the person in front of us seemed more together than the monster from the train. Both physically and mentally.

  However, it didn’t mean I thought he wouldn’t end us in an instant if he wished.

  As if reading my thoughts, Decay said, “I must apologize for the dreadful way we met, dear sister, but it was unavoidable.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” It was Fallon who voiced my exact thoughts. “Since when is mass murder unavoidable?”

  He gasped, throwing one crepey hand over his heart, as though our disbelief had caused him pain. I realized that Decay had a flare for dramatic responses. My lips twitched because I wondered if his minions had him watching daytime soaps.

  “I did not want to hurt those innocents, but my brothers’ poor planning left me with no choice. They left me with no means of nourishment. After a few years in that black hole, I began to mummify. Upon finding me, my poor followers inadvertently reactivated my powers. I was so far gone I had zero control over my body’s natural survival process. I killed those who released me instantly, but it wasn’t enough to regenerate centuries of decay. Unfortunately, the mind is always the last to heal. Those life forces on the train were enough, for now, to allow me to regain my faculties.” Something shifted in his demeanor, almost like he was completely lucid. It scared me. “In the future, I shall have plenty who will be willing to give themselves to the cause. It will never happen again.” His eyes bored into mine, and then he whispered, “Never again.” I wasn’t sure, but it seemed as though he were vowing more to himself than us. For the first time, I thought I caught a glimpse of the real Kayne. He seemed truly upset with what he’d done. Still batguano crazy, but maybe a glimmer of someone that could be related to the group of men I had quickly come to love and see as my family.

  Fallon snorted. I squeezed her hand, but it was too late. Words spewed from her mouth. “Are you fucking kidding me with this bullshit? Poor broken horseman. Please, don’t make me vomit in your nose hole. If you’re looking for sympathy, check shit and syphilis in the goddamn dictionary, ’cause we’re fresh out of give-a-fucks today.”

  If we survived, I was going to kill Fallon myself. As I suspected, Decay was still a few cards short of a full deck. His demeanor swung from honest remorse to pure fury. He took a step forward. I watched in wide-eyed panic as his hand shot out, but in the next second, it was beside him again.

  Suddenly, the smell of lilies, which I had adjusted to since he’d entered, grew stronger as Fallon fell to her knees holding her hand out in front of her as she screamed. I came down beside her, searching for the source of her agony. That was when I noticed her pinky finger melting away. Layer after layer of skin, muscle, ligaments, seemed to separate and dissolve away as I watched.

  That was it. I’d had enough. The dreams and memories about what Decay was truly capable of already haunted me, but watching him do the same to someone I loved snapped something within me. In my own blind rage, I found myself up and across the room. Then I did something I would never have thought myself brave enough to do. I slapped Decay across the face.

  It worked. Fallon was no longer screaming; instead, she lay on her side panting. Ironically, I was badass enough to slap the real-life version of the devil across the face, but I could not bring myself to see how much of her hand she still had.

  I turned back to Decay, who looked down at me with confusion and held his hand on his face. Being this close, I was able to watch as he gained control. His ice-blue eyes looked lost and sad as he looked beyond me to my friend on the floor.

  So low, I almost missed it, he whispered, “Sorry.” Then as quick as he came, Kayne was gone again. The sanity bled out of his eye; it became cold and distant as he stepped away from me. It looked like Lord Decay was back in the house.

  He looked over my head to Fallon. She screamed again. My heart leaped into my throat and nausea swirled in my gut. I shifted, staring at her, until Decay said, “I may not wish to harm my sister, and even if I did, she’d be immune as she’s my brother’s mate. You, on the other hand, mean nothing to me and are not as blessed. I suggest you learn not to speak unless spoken to.”

  Fallon’s screams lessened. My eyes widened as I watched her finger regenerate, knitting itself back together. Quickly, I shook the shock off and moved back across the room to comfort her.

  When her whimpering stopped, she once again showed me why I was so proud to call her my best friend. Strong and seemingly unfazed, she wiped her face and glared at Decay.

  He returned her gaze with an empty, emotionless grin. “Well, this has been mighty fun, but I did bring you for a reason. I need the Records of Departure from the library. It has the last known locations of the final few Navah before they died off. There was a particularly gifted swordsmith who married an alchemy master I met during my studies as a teen, that I need to find. The best way for any sibling to get what they want from the other is one of two ways. To tell Mother, which is a lost cause in this case, or barter for it. That’s what I plan to do. I have something they want, and they have something I desire. I’m trading you for the book. If you can both behave yourselves, you’ll leave with all skin intact.”

  There I thought the nefarious-plan-to-take-over-the-world monologue carried out by the villain only happened in movies. I was glad to be wrong; I had just gleaned two very important facts. One, he wasn’t planning to kill us. If Fallon could keep her darn trap shut, we were going to survive. And two, I knew who most likely made the athame. If we discovered his last location before Decay, we’d have a starting point for finding it. I made a side glance to Fallon, who seemed to have come to a similar conclusion and kept her mouth shut.

  Decay straightened his cloak and brushed imaginary lint away, then said, “Now, if you will excuse me, I must learn the tell-e-fone. I need to speak to my brothers. Please behave and bear with us. It may take a little longer while we wait for them to arrive with my belongings.” He gave us a jaunty wave and left.

  “Are you okay?” Fallon asked as soon as the door latc
hed closed.

  I scoffed and threw my hands in the air. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? What the hell were you thinking? Did you think I was lying when I told you the bastard could melt people with a touch? Now it seems he doesn’t even need to touch to kill since he’s almost completely healed. He could have fucking killed you!” I had built momentum and was shouting by the end.

  “Did you just cuss and stomp your foot?” she asked, a smirk touching her lips.

  I looked down at my foot. Huh, I guess I did. “I was scared, Fallon.”

  Her smirk turned into a sad smile, and then she gave me a hug. “I know, I’m sorry. Guess we’re even now.”

  I squeezed her tighter to me. “Not even close. Me not text messaging is nothing compared to watching your best friend mouth off to the bad guy and him melting her freaking finger off. I love you, but your smart mouth is going to be the death of me.”

  She moved back, so she could look at me. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

  “Goodness, I hope there won’t be a next time.”

  Looking around the room, she asked, “So, now what?”

  Meeting her gaze, I answered, “Now? Now, we wait.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  DEAN

  Agony filled my heart as we made our way from the roof to our floor, which held our apartments. Pain turned my blood cold and broke my soul a little more because what was in front of me, the destruction surrounding us, told me all I needed to know.

  Julie was gone.

  I knew it all the way down to my toes.

  I couldn’t feel her, sense her.

  She was either unconscious or somehow Kayne was able to block her from me. Clenching my jaw, I looked around at the mess. Everything seemed to be broken.

  Was Julie?

  Motherfucking hell. No, she wasn’t.

  She goddamn wasn’t.

  “Keep it together, brother.” Warren’s voice was low and deadly. His hand came to my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.