by K.N. Lee
“You look different,” Tristan whispered with a perplexed look. Halston lowered his eyes. He was different now. He wished he could forget the past.
Tristan’s look of wonder was quickly replaced with alarm. “Halston! What are you doing out here in the open? Someone will recognize you.”
“Not likely,” Halston said.
Tristan’s lifted a brow. “Right…” He folded his arms. “So, what’s it been like up there with the humans?”
Halston stepped back. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Tristan clapped his hands together. “Let’s get on with it then! You’ve brought her back?”
Halston looked down at his feet. Koa. The child he had stolen.
Tristan let out a long breath. He shook his head with a side smirk. “Leave it to you, Halston, to get yourself in a mess like this, and to get me to go join you. What’s so special about that girl anyway? Why did you smuggle her out of the Netherworld anyway? You know you started this war.”
“I didn’t start the war. I just put the inevitable in motion.” Halston sighed at Tristan’s expression. There was so much that even the War-Breeder couldn’t know. The burden rested on Halston and his race of fallen angels. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“That girl is going to get us killed, isn’t she?” Tristan shook his head. “She almost got us killed the first time we dealt with this foolhardy plan.” He pointed to his chest. “I still have a nice scar to remind me.”
Halston wore an eerie smile, hinging on bitterness. “I can’t be killed. Remember?” If only he could, things just might be easier.
“Well lucky you, Halston.” Tristan’s eyebrows bunched. He nodded. “I just love how you flaunt that when you know that I can be killed!”
Halston lifted his chin. “So what are you saying? You’re no longer with me?”
Tristan rolled his eyes and shook his head. He hooked his thumb in his belt. “I’m just saying that this plan of yours better work. Farrow got killed shortly after you escaped with the girl. She got swept up by Greggan’s guard one night and decapitated in the citadel square.”
Halston just stood there, feeling numb. He felt a lump in his throat.
Tristan cleared his throat. “I haven’t kept touch with the others.”
Halston could still picture Farrow’s young face in his mind. She was one of the youngest in the crew, a Jem preparing for her final test to begin an eternity of patrolling the Netherworld. He had no idea that she was dead.
Tristan was silent for a moment. Halston straightened his shoulders when he noticed the War-Breeder staring at him. “At least it was a quick death.”
Tristan nodded. “It was.”
Silence. Halston felt a deep sadness for the Jem. Farrow was dead because of him. He couldn’t take her with him when they took Koa. A Jem couldn’t survive in the human world.
Halston shoved the guilt deeper inside the part of his heart where he kept his most valued emotions and locked it away. It would no longer bothered him until he returned to unlock the vault.
Tristan tried to ease the tension. “Well, let’s say we rebuild the old alliance then.”
Halston looked up at the Disc Moon. It clicked and cast a darker green glow onto the kingdom. Each click, and subsequent color, was a Netherworlder’s way of telling time here. It was getting later. “You’re pretty eager for someone that is afraid of his own mortality.”
Tristan took two steps over to Halston. His face brightened. “I never said all of that. You know me, I live for danger. I live to add another scar to my collection.” He traced a long scar that went from his brow to the flesh beneath his right eye.
Halston found it odd how much Tristan valued his ghastly scars.
“King Greggan is trying to invade the human world, put up a fight against those soft, squishy creatures you call vamps up there. I want a piece of the action. I’m just not ready to die yet, is all.”
Halston saw a flash of silver light and grabbed Tristan by his suspenders. “Shut up,” he growled. “Someone will hear you.” He pulled Tristan into a stone side street just as a royal guard stepped into the square. Halston caught a quick glimpse as they found cover in the darkness of an alley. The royal guard was comprised of Syths and Scayors. Halston felt his heart thump when he saw the Scayor step into the square. They were tall, metallic creatures, combining Syth bodies and technology. Scayors were horrific creations. Those silver eyes were always searching, always ready to snatch someone off the streets.
Halston breathed. That was close, he thought. It was not yet time to blow his cover.
A group of ghouls lurked in the dank alley. They were thin, skeleton like creatures with pasty gray skin and long, tortured faces. Hunched over and whispering, they looked up at Halston and Tristan with glowing green eyes.
Halston avoided making eye contact with them and pulled Tristan further down the road. They stepped through black puddles of oil and slime and swatted fruit flies in silence. Tristan kept his mouth shut, but glanced at Halston as they traveled to the seedy part of the city, where the lower ranked creatures tended to dwell. Tristan didn’t question him. Halston was, after all, the boss.
They ducked into a dark tavern. Two male vampires sat inside. Their faces were illuminated by the red overhanging lights as they looked up at the newcomers.
Halston looked up. A female vampire hung from an overhead light. Her black hair hung long as she tilted her head backwards and swung as if she were on a swing. She opened her eyes and looked at them with disinterest. She closed her eyes again, fell lightly to the ground, and landed on her feet. She stood tall and walked over to them.
She lifted a brow. “Blood? Or booze?” Her voice and expression was indifferent. She had a sleepy look about her.
Tristan waited patiently, although he seemed to be on the verge of cheering. Finally, something exciting was about to happen.
Halston shook his head. “Nothing. Thank you.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She jumped back into the air, back to her light, and continued swinging.
Halston shook his head. “Has this place gotten weirder?”
“No mate, you’ve gotten boring.”
Halston slid into a booth and Tristan did the same.
Tristan grinned. “You know, I’m glad you finally came back, Halston. I was starting to get bored, anxious for a new adventure.” He cracked his knuckles and Halston sighed. “I never thought you’d make me wait so long before I got to see some real action.”
Halston’s eyes scanned the room. “So you’re still in? No turning back.”
Tristan shook his head, still grinning. “Whatever gets me close to that Evina. She is still in on this, right?”
“She is.”
Tristan chuckled. “Done. You have yourself a top ranked War-Breeder. I’m in.”
“How quick can you gather vials?”
Tristan rubbed his chin. “The Alchemist works 24 hours. How soon do you need them?
Halston thought a moment. He considered going to the Alchemist himself. “I need them, like yesterday.”
Tristan shook his head. “Well you should have asked yesterday.” He cracked his knuckles. “I guess I can have them by second light.”
Halston nodded and thought about what Evina was doing with Koa at that moment. He shook his paranoia off and met Tristan’s eyes. “That’ll have to do.”
“Who do you have on the outside anyway? You’ll need someone to track Greggan’s thugs. You think Greggan is bad, wait until you meet his general, Bund.”
Halston grimaced. “I have.”
Tristan lifted a brow. “And?”
Halston shrugged. “He got away.”
“Getting sloppy as well boring, I see.”
Halston ignored the comment. “I don’t expect this escapade with Greggan to last long.”
“Look, Halston, you have an unlimited supply of blood up there. Human blood is expensive down here. Greggan is setting up his empire to put the other leve
ls of the Netherworld to shame.”
Halston frowned. He was surprised. Tristan knew much more than he let on. He wondered how much the general Netherworld population knew.
“I plan on doing this quickly. I will hunt the renegade tyrant, kill him, and place Jax on the throne. Done. My plan is quick and efficient. I just want to be done with this all so that I can go back to my life, with Koa.”
Tristan’s smile faded. His hazel eyes darkened. “Oh. I get it. You fell for her?” He began to stand. “I can’t do this if you make it personal. I’m not getting in between Jax and his girl. Have you lost it? We’re talking about Greggan’s son here…not just any vamp. He’s a damned prophet! You do know what he can do, right?”
Halston frowned. He grabbed Tristan by the arm. His eyes turned serious. “Sit down. I haven’t fallen for her,” he lied. He ground his teeth and Tristan stared down at him.
Tristan raised a brow. “What then? Why do this?”
Halston focused on the waitress that swung from the ceiling light. He kept his face straight, yet avoided eye contact with one of his oldest friends. “I just…care about her.”
Tristan looked skeptical. “Yeah. Sure. I don’t want to be around when Jax finds out you care. That little fact wasn’t in the original plan.” Tristan leaned across the table and spoke through clenched teeth. “You were supposed to watch and protect her, not fall in love with her.”
Halston hated to admit it, but there was a lot resting on Jax’s end. He wasn’t sure if Jax could really be trusted.
Halston folded his arms and leaned into the leather of the booth. “Drop it, or go on, walk away. Pretend you never saw me, Tristan.”
Tristan shook his head but said no more.
Halston knew he would. The War-Breeder was not likely to run from a fight.
“So, who do you have on the outside? Spoons? Maybe Reddit or don’t tell me…you found Glenda.”
Halston shook his head. “No, mate.” He met Tristan’s eyes. “I found Al.”
Tristan’s eyes widened. He sat back with an amused smile. “Oh.” He crossed his arms and let out a breath. He was impressed. “This is going to be good.”
Chapter 24
Raven saw the message carried along the wind and hopped to attention. She climbed out the window. She leapt across to a tree and dug her claws into the crusted bark. She glanced down into the darkness and her eyes reflected the light of the moon as she scurried down.
She had been a cat for far too long, and still, it felt odd to her. The black fur mimicked what used to be her beautiful, long, black hair.
Raven always knew that she was…different, still, she had never brought herself to reveal just how different she was. She only did what she had to do to survive. Now it seemed that she would have to do much more. She had to protect her child.
Her feline body did have its advantages. She could move around almost completely unseen. She bounded up and down hills and crawled across fallen logs to cross rivers and streams.
Raven had a mission. When Halston had come up with this plan years ago, she knew that he probably doubted her ability to follow through. She would not let Halston down.
Raven’s only regret was that she had let Koa run off before she could fully explain things. Koa only had half of the story. She supposed that Jax would tell her the rest. That fact made her worry.
Halston and Raven had been working together for years on the plan. She prayed that Koa didn’t ruin it. Halston had always watched over and protected her daughter. She hoped that he wouldn’t let her down now.
Greggan was loose, and it would take an army, or a team of specially selected individuals to track him down, and kill him. She wished she had her body back, so that she could be of more help. Only Jax could give it back to her.
Raven narrowed her eyes. She needed to stay focused. She supposed she shouldn’t blame herself too much. The nephilim had been trying for centuries to get back into the human world. Greggan would walk the earth, and all of humanity would suffer his wrath.
Raven paused and panted. She was tired. She had run for miles, for hours, and now, she had arrived. She needed to get things in order for Halston’s return. She needed to get the rest of the crew together.
Raven was nervous. She’d never met the others. Halston had intentionally kept her hidden from the other members of the crew. Now, Raven would have her introduction, to one of the most powerful of them all. There were rumors that this one had powers that rivalled even Halston’s.
Raven perked up when the wooden doors to the pub swung open with a creak. She heard loud laughing escape the swinging doors. She looked at the tall man. He had dark eyes, and wild black hair. He was big and intimidating, with a scowl plastered on his weathered face. He wore a black leather jacket and wrinkled slacks.
This can’t be him, Raven thought with a frown. She couldn’t help it. She felt a little let down. For someone with such a notorious reputation, Raven had expected someone a little more put together. Still, she could feel her senses drawing her to this place. It had to be him. It had to be the one they called Al.
Al pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and leaned against the wall outside the pub. His dark eyes looked around. Raven stood. She had to talk to him. She began to cross the street when a young woman came out of the pub. She was loud and clumsy. Her high heeled leather boots clinked along the slick asphalt with a deafeningly loud tapping noise that made Raven cringe.
Drunk, Raven thought with disapproval. Great. She willed the girl to go away. She had business to attend to.
The drunk girl stumbled onto the sidewalk and fell against the wall, trying to steady herself. Al gave her a sidelong glance. His gaze lingered on the young woman. She looked to be little more than a teenager. Her pale white skin was illuminated by the bright moonlight. It was a stark contrast to her short pink hair that ruffled in the faint breeze.
Raven frowned. Of course, things can never be easy. She urged the girl to move along. There wasn’t much time. The girl laughed loudly, at nothing at all, and fell. Raven could see her panties underneath her short dress. She shook her head in dismay. She hated to think that once, Koa had been that drunk party girl.
Al grinned. He could see her panties too. He looked around, checking his surroundings. Satisfied that no one was looking, he strode over to the girl and reached out a hand. “Need some help miss?”
The girl peered up at him and smiled. “Yes. Thank you.” She was American. Her voice was thick and sultry, with a slight slur from the alcohol. She took his hand and yelped when he pulled her into his chest. He held her by her thin waist. She gave a nervous laugh and tried to pull away.
Raven narrowed her eyes. Al brought his hand to the back of her neck and turned her around. The girl tripped over her own feet. Growing impatient, Al picked her up as if she weighed no more than a child and disappeared into the darkness of the alley with her.
“Whoa,” she said breathlessly. “Where are we going?”
Raven’s eyes widened. She ran across the street. What was Al doing? She peeked around the corner to see him holding the girl by her neck and pulling up her skirt.
Raven was horrified. He was supposed to be good.
Why is he doing this? Her hopes were dashed and she sat back and sighed. The girl tried to get away, but she was too drunk.
Raven shook her head. If only she could help the poor girl. She turned away. There was nothing she could do. Al was supposed to be a Warrior. She was no match for a Warrior, an angel from the ancient times, created to keep the creatures of the Netherworld from spilling out into the human world. Raven felt her stomach churn at the girl’s pleas. She begged for him to let her go, that she didn’t want any trouble. She pleaded for him to stop.
Raven sighed and began to walk away when she heard a surprising crunch. It was quick and sent a frightening chill through her body. Raven tensed. It wasn’t the crunch that surprised her… it was Al’s cut off scream.
Raven jumped and turned around. Her ey
es widened. The girl was on Al’s back. She had his head in her hands and twisted his neck. The girl held on as Al fell on his face. And then, she did something that made Raven catch her breath.
The girl…staked him. A thin, wooden, stake plunged into his back and scraped against the cold stone alleyway.
Al trembled and turned into dust.
Raven stared, stunned, as she watched that girl kneel in the remaining dust of a Warrior’s body. She couldn’t believe what she witnessed. It didn’t make sense.