They lingered for a moment, but when I took a step toward them they scattered.
I stared at my scythe’s crimson blade and then down at Uriel’s unconscious form.
Fuck this place.
It was time to go home.
Chapter Four
Luckily it was nighttime by the time we got out of Purgatory and back onto the train. People steered clear of the large bleeding man and the woman with the lethal glares – yeah, that was me. I was done with the celestials’ bullshit and lies.
So fucking done with the lot of them.
Uriel could have died back there, and I…I had no idea what had happened in the Edge, but I did know that Cassius hadn’t given me all the information I needed to free the souls.
How the hell did Mal do this job? How did he control the malignant? How did he maintain such a chilled attitude when Purgatory was his domain? His shitty moods and his acerbic tongue when we first met made even more sense now. Fuck, working in Purgatory would sour anyone.
I’d ejected the malignant before we left Purgatory because there was no way I was carrying that fucker around with me, and now my focus was on Uriel.
He was pale from blood loss, but he was healing, thank goodness. Still, he needed Petra’s attentions to speed things up.
The train rocked on the tracks, and I supported Uriel, slipping under his arm to take his weight and hooking my free arm around a pole to keep us upright. The contact felt strangely intimate and yet perfectly natural, and it hit me again how close I’d been to losing him.
I’d known him for as long as I’d known the guys, but we’d only had a handful of moments together, and yet the thought of losing him had panic blooming in my stomach. There was something pure and good and compelling about Uriel. He soothed my soul. And it wasn’t just his aura that was addictive.
“Fee? Are you all right?” he asked.
Was I all right? Fucking hell. He was the one that had been hurt. I’d hurt him. “I’m sorry.” I looked up, and my nose brushed his jaw.
“You saved me,” he said. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I stabbed you. Twice.”
His chuckle ended in a cough. “Worth it.”
I couldn’t help but smile. His attention dropped to my mouth before flicking away quickly. There was something in that gaze, something new, and it made my pulse pick up.
I covered my fluster by clearing my throat. “Let’s hope someone hasn’t called the police.”
“In this part of Necro? Unlikely.”
I’d forgotten how well he knew the city, and how much he loved parts of it, but there was no forgetting the fact that he’d been possessed.
“Uriel, we need to figure out why the malignant was able to possess you.”
He gripped me tighter and rested his chin on my head. “I know. I know.”
Cassius, buddy, I’m going to be paying you a visit. Soon.
Grayson picked us up at the station, bringing the van and Petra with him. Thank goodness for the mobile phone Dean had picked up for me a day ago. By the time we got back to the house, Uriel was unconscious, and Dean and Bastian had to carry him into the house. Keon stepped out of the lift with Cora as Grayson and I entered the lobby.
“What happened?” Cora asked.
I flopped down on the sofa. “So much shit.” I filled them in on the trip, the archive, and how I’d been ejected without knowing how.
“Poor Uriel,” Cora said. “He hasn’t had the best luck, has he?”
“But he lives,” Keon said. “Thanks to your quick thinking.”
Quick thinking that involved stabbing him with my scythe.
“I guess not just any Dominus can navigate Purgatory freely,” Cora said with a grimace.
“The scythe chooses its wielder, and each scythe comes with a domain,” Keon said.
“Malachi was chosen specifically for his resilience to that accursed place. However, you were able to siphon a malignant, even though it isn’t your calling. That takes great force of will. The fact the malignant inside Uriel didn’t kill you means the celestial was fighting it, which also takes immense force of will.”
There was respect in Keon’s eyes as he looked down on the celestial. “The mander root the shaman is using will speed up his healing. He will be back to normal in the morning.”
Petra tutted. “And what do you know of herbs, boy?”
Keon blinked at her. “I could teach you a thing or two, old lady.” He smirked. “If you ask nicely, I may even bring you some medicinal roots from the Underealm.”
She sucked in her cheeks. “Could you now? In that case, maybe I’ll brew you some sincture tea.” She shrugged. “To be nice, of course.”
Keon looked confused.
It was Petra’s turn to smirk. “A little concoction that will mask your true appearance to the human eye, at least for a few hours.”
Keon’s eyes narrowed to slits, and I wasn’t sure if he was offended or considering her offer.
“There’s nothing wrong with his appearance.”
Cora stared at me.
Wait, had I said that?
Now everyone was looking at me. I cleared my throat. “He’s a daemon. That’s what daemons look like.”
God, what was wrong with me? He didn’t need me to stand up for him, especially not in this situation where it was obvious Petra was trying to do something nice for him.
My brain was obviously fried from my trip to Purgatory. A wasted fucking journey where I’d only been able to save one core and almost got my backup killed. Urgh.
“The tea could come in handy,” Cora said. “Allow Keon to come out with us during the day.”
Keon’s brows shot up. “Yes, I want this tea.”
“It’s a deal then,” Petra said. “I’ll make you some tea, and you bring me roots from the Underealm the next time you go.”
We fell into silence, and my attention went back to Uriel, sleeping peacefully on the sofa. The guys had stripped off his jacket and shirt, and his side was swathed in bandages. Someone had slit his jeans, and Petra had bandaged his thigh wound.
He looked like a designer angel with his mussed dark hair and unwittingly stylish stubble. The knot in my stomach loosened as the last of the adrenaline that had flooded me dispersed.
It could have been so much worse, but, “It shouldn’t have gone down like it did. Uriel shouldn’t have been possessed. The fact he was means that he isn’t full celestial.”
Grayson padded over and handed me and Cora each a mug of coffee. “I have to head out on patrol,” he said. “We got a lead on a vamp nest, and we’ve been staking it out in the hope that the super vamps will attack.”
Yeah, we needed to make sure business as usual didn’t slide. I nodded wearily. “I’ll down this and get changed, then we can go.”
He smiled and leaned in to kiss my forehead. “I think you can sit this one out.”
I didn’t even have the energy to argue. “Thanks.”
He left with the pack a few moments later.
“The celestial didn’t know,” Keon said. “He wouldn’t have risked your life by going with you if he thought he could be possessed.”
“I know.”
“So, what now?” Cora asked.
“First thing tomorrow, I pay Cassius a visit.”
Grayson wasn’t back from the stakeout yet, and the bed looked too large and empty without him. I was bone-weary, and if I was going to face Cassius in the morning, I needed to be on form.
I changed into my sleep shorts and vest and was about to climb into bed when Cyril slid into the room.
“Where the hell did you come from?” I glanced about. “Don’t tell me this place has nooks and crannies too?”
“You’d be sssurprised,” he said.
There was movement behind him and then Delphine joined us. She was smaller than Cyril, but her body shimmered pink and coral with an inner glow that was pure magic. She was beautiful.
“I wanted you to meet Delphine,” Cyril sai
d.
“Nice to meet you officially.” Delphine’s voice was a sibilant purr.
“Likewise.”
“Cyril speakss highly of you.”
Strange to think they chatted about me. “Um, thanks.” I sat on the bed, suddenly curious about this creature that lived on a daemon’s back. “So, Delphine, how does this work? You and Keon? Are you real?”
Delphine flicked out her tongue. “That would depend what your definition of real is. I belong to Keon, and I live because he livesss. We are symbiotic, and we are autonomous.”
Interesting. I guess she was as much his eyes and ears as Cyril was mine. I made a mental note to ask Keon about her. “And how are you liking Necro City.”
“It’sss noisy and the air is always wet,” she said. “But we are adjusting.”
We? Was she talking about Cyril and her, or Keon and her?
“We’ve found a nesting nook,” Cyril said. “The acoustics are optimal. Ssso if you need me, just call. I’ll hear you.”
Nesting? “Um, okay.”
They slid away into the shadows and were gone. Nesting…why did that ring a bell… I was too tired to think right now.
I climbed into bed, ready for sleep to take me.
I was in my Vista, running through the trees. The air was filled with the fragrance of the forest after rainfall, but my paws left no prints in my wake. I flew over logs and wove between tree trunks.
A mournful howl filled the air, and my step faltered.
I knew that tone.
Not Grayson.
Hunter.
I altered my path and headed toward the sound, heart pounding in my chest. This was it. This was a way to communicate with him and let him know it was okay to come back. My way to tell him we needed him back. I broke out of the tree line into the huge clearing where the lake gleamed with a thousand shards of the huge full moon.
Hunter sat on his haunches, his dark silken coat kissed by silver rays of the moon.
I stopped, afraid to get too close, afraid I’d spook him.
You came, he said. I didn’t know if this would work.
Hunter, you need to come back, there are things you don’t—
No time, Fee. Listen, you need to—
Hunter’s body bucked, his golden eyes flaring wide for a second, and then he vanished.
What the hell?
I woke to Grayson’s arms around me and the scent of an impending storm in my nostrils. I turned to face him, snuggling against him as I surfaced from the dream. The pulse in my throat was beating hard, and apprehension was a coil in my belly.
“Fee, what’s wrong?” Grayson held me tighter and smoothed back my hair. “You’re shaking.”
“I think Hunter’s in trouble.”
“So, Hunter just vanished?” Petra asked.
We were gathered in the kitchen as dawn broke. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was heavy in the air, and someone had pulled out a box of breakfast muffins. Normally I’d have devoured at least two by now, but my stomach felt all squiffy, and my appetite was gone.
Dean, Grayson, Petra, and I sat around the island, speaking in hushed voices so as not to wake Uriel, who was still asleep on the sofa. He’d be fully healed in a few hours, and I wanted to have answers for him by then, but now I had Hunter to worry about too. My mind was engaged in a tug of war, part of me wanting to focus on finding my mate, the other adamant I needed to stick to finding a power source for the Beyond.
Yes, okay, so the Beyond was logically more important, but fuck, it didn’t feel that way right now.
“Hunter was trying to tell me something urgent. He said there was no time. He was going to tell me I needed to do something, but he never got to finish his sentence.”
Petra sucked in her cheeks. “A Tribus Vista is accessible only to the Loup who are a part of it. You have control of when you enter and when you leave. If he vanished abruptly, it means that his connection to you is being both interfered with and disrupted.”
That’s what I was afraid of. “We have to find him.”
“We will,” Grayson said. “I’ll speak to Eldrick and borrow some Loup to track him. We’ll start back at the cabin and take it from there again.”
Impotence writhed in my belly. I wanted to be out there looking for my mate too, but with Mal and Azazel gone, I was the only one who could get into the Beyond to speak to Cassius about Uriel and the potential power source hidden in the Underealm.
“You need to focus on the Beyond’s problem,” Grayson confirmed. “Leave Hunter and the super vamp issue to me.”
Cora and Keon exited the lift together and joined us in the kitchen.
Dean poured my best friend a mug of coffee, and she took it with a smile. “You off to the Beyond?” she asked me.
“Yes.”
Keon didn’t look pleased. “You keep going to places I can’t follow.”
I knew what he was thinking. That he could be in the Underealm helping with the search for Lilith, but instead, he was stuck here with me, making sure I stayed alive.
Something scratched at the back of my mind, a thought I tried to latch on to, but it was gone too quickly.
I wanted to tell him I’d be safe there, but heck if I knew that to be true. “I’ll be fine. I’ll get the information we need and head straight back, then you can come to the Underealm with me.”
He nodded. “I’ll go to the Academy and continue training the cadets.”
“Good call.”
He made a sound of exasperation. “Dammit, I’ll need to wait till the sun sets.”
“No, you won’t.” Petra pulled a pouch of herbs from her pocket. “Not once I’ve made you some of my special tea.”
Keon’s eyes lit up, and he inclined his head. “Thank you.”
My comm beeped, and my heart shot up into my mouth because only Azazel or Mal ever contacted me on the comm.
Forwarded message from Azazel comm
Missing humans in sector 3 Necro City, contact me ASAP Ursula.
Crap, Azazel’s outlier role still needed to be filled while he was gone. I was supposed to contact his deputy, some guy named Dillon, but I hadn’t had the chance, and I didn’t have access to his reaper team via my comm.
“What is it?” Cora asked.
My head ached. “Missing humans flagged by Magiguard. Outlier liaison business. I need to go find Azazel’s deputy, Dillon, and let him know what’s going on.”
Cora shrugged. “I’ll deal with it. Forward me the message and go. I got this.”
“Really?” The weight in my chest eased a little.
“Yes, really. We’re all gonna have to chip in. I’ll contact Dayna and get her to help me track down this Dillon guy.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” Another thought occurred to me. Something I’d promised to do and forgotten. “Cora, there were ghosts at the underground station. Unregistered, lost. Can you please tell Dayna to organize pickup?”
Her expression was serious. “Yes, of course. Now go.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the celestial,” Petra said.
I drained my mug. It was time for a tête-à-tête with a Dominion.
Chapter Five
Celestia greeted me at the Beyond’s reception desk. Her face was empty of expression, as usual, mercury eyes fixed straight ahead. The forest around us flickered and wavered like a picture on an old television with bad reception.
“Welcome, S-Seraphina D-Dawn. How may I-I assist you today?”
Fuck, had she just stuttered? “I need to speak with Dominion Cassius.”
Silence.
“Celestia?”
“How m-may I-I help you, Sera—”
I stared at her frozen form. And then she flickered too. Oh, fuck. This was bad. This had to be a power issue.
“Celestia, can you hear me?”
“Seraphina Dawn.” She said my name in a drawn-out way, her voice warped and deep. The forest flickered and went dark for a moment before coming back online.
�
��I need to see Cassius. Celestia, send an urgent message. Can you do that? Do it now.”
For a moment, nothing happened, and then her mercury eyes began to flicker, rainbow ripples moving across the surface of the orbs. She was doing something.
And then the forest vanished, and I was standing in absolute darkness. My breath came out in shallow gasps as I waited for my eyes to adjust, to see something, but there was nothing but the blanket of oblivion pressing in on me.
“Celestia?” My voice sounded reedy and warped. “Celestia, let me out of here. Now.”
A blinding white light split the dark, widening a fraction. I rushed toward it, afraid it would close at any moment, and then I was squeezing through the gap and falling into light.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. I was in a corridor that ended in a set of double doors. A red light blinked above it in warning. This was some kind of access route to the reception and into the Beyond proper. I’d asked Celestia to let me out, but she’d let me in.
There was no going back now. I strode down the corridor and tried the door. It opened without resistance.
Fuck. This place was totally falling apart.
I made to step through, then stopped as Azazel’s voice filled my head. His words from a week ago. He’d said we couldn’t go into the Beyond properly as it would burn us up because we weren’t pure celestial, but…Uriel had lived in the Beyond, and he was definitely not pure celestial. Unless the celestials lied about whether they could be possessed or not.
Fuck.
Okay, think.
If I didn’t go forward, I’d have to go back into the darkness and be trapped there. There was no guarantee that I’d find my way out of the portal. If I went back, then I’d be leaving without answers. Time was ticking by too fast. What if Cassius had met the same fate as Uriel when he’d demanded answers?
No, I had to go forward.
And what if you burn up and die?
You have to try.
The thought pierced through everything else.
Reaper Unhinged (Deadside Reapers Book 6) Page 3