Declan was crouched over a body. He stood, but a deadly dagger remained behind, embedded deep within Cormac’s chest.
Libby was at his side as they stared down at the writhing man who was their father.
“You are pathetic. I will not let you win.” He spit up at them, his voice hoarse, filled with hatred.
Libby looked down at Cormac and pointed the Glock she held in her hand. “Beat this, asshole.”
And then she emptied the entire magazine into his body.
Cormac’s body spun over as the force of the shots hit him hard. The floor still shook, and an unearthly scream fell from his mouth as he crawled several feet away. Blood spewed from his wounds, trickled from his nose and mouth. He clutched his chest, ripped the dagger from within and tossed it aside.
“I will not end here . . . at your hand.” Cormac’s voice was raspy, vibrating thickly.
Declan took two steps, his hands turning in the air as he spoke. “That would be the wrong answer.”
Cormac’s body rose in the air, a grating scream falling from his mouth as his body trembled. His form stretched and twisted in a macabre dance, and Jaden, turned away, horrified.
Silence fell, and when she chanced a look, Cormac was no more.
Julian’s warmth was around her, his hands cupping her face as his dark eyes bored into hers. He pulled her from Azaiel, deep into his embrace as he cuddled her against his chest.
“Why did you . . .” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
“It’s not that bad,” she whispered and smiled, though the lie was blatant. She knew the wound wasn’t fatal. Not for her, but, still, the pain was killer. “I couldn’t let him die. He’s your only chance at finding the portal.”
She rested her head against his shoulder, wanting to drink in his smell, his warmth. “I’m so tired.”
“I say we separate the bastard’s head from his body and be done with it. He dies, and the location of the portal goes with him.” Ethan was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with anger as he challenged Julian.
You will not touch him.
A blinding light pierced the darkness, illuminating the entire room. It laid bare the carnage and the loss. Julian tightened his arms around Jaden as she struggled to sit up in his embrace, to stay conscious.
The center of the far wall liquefied, the gray swirling into diamonds as the light continued to evolve into a hole. Out of it stepped a man. He was small, round, and less than ordinary.
“Bill.” Julian spoke quietly.
The little bastard elf was right on time.
“Who the hell are you?” Ethan glowered and moved forward. Bill held out his hand, and the wolf froze.
“Seraphiel,” Azaiel whispered, and struggled to gain his feet. His abused, bloodied body was weak, but he pressed on.
“Surely you knew we’d find you one day?” Bill said, a jovial smile gracing his features. “It took two half-broken men to get it done, and I’m not certain anyone really believed they could do it, but I’m very pleased.”
He winked at them all as if he were sharing a secret. “Once Azaiel was liberated from the hell realm, we lost touch. We are limited in our abilities to track each other, the original seven.”
“We?” Jaxon asked, though his eyes never strayed from Libby. She was bent over Ana, her face wet with tears.
“The Seraphim.”
“Angels,” Skye whispered as she moved closer to Jagger.
Bill smiled and walked around the hellhounds, who lay in grotesque shapes upon the floor. He was careful where he placed his feet, and Julian held tightly to the woman in his arms as he approached.
“Stay back,” Jaxon warned.
Guess my time is up. Julian glanced back at his brothers and shook his head, telling them it was all right.
And yet it wasn’t. He didn’t want to leave her.
Bill bent over. “She’s beautiful, your lady.”
Julian nodded but didn’t speak. What the hell was there to say?
Bill righted himself, his hand scratching his head as if he were slightly confused. “Too bad she’ll be left incomplete for the remainder of her days.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Nico had shifted back to his human form and clutched his midsection, several large bruises already forming to join the older scars.
“Well, Nikolai, it means that Mr. Castille and Mr. O’Hara made a deal with me. We needed to get our hands on the portal, but with no way of tracking Azaiel, we had to outsource.”
Bill paused and looked back to Declan, but the sorcerer’s eyes were held by Ana’s still form. “They had the motivation we needed. A man cannot live with only half of his soul. Without light to give him salvation, he will fall into the abyss. It’s only a question of time. In exchange for handing Azaiel back to us, we agreed to return the missing bits and pieces of their souls that were left behind, and, well, they’ll have to serve our organization for the next little while.”
Julian snorted. Next little while? A thousand fucking years?
Jaden’s eyes flew open, and he couldn’t bear the look that lay there.
“You were never coming back?”
“No.”
“Oh,” she whispered, then took a deep breath. “It wouldn’t have worked anyway. I was never a white-picket-fence kinda girl. Besides, Castilles and DaCostas don’t mix.” She sounded flip, but he knew her pain.
Her bottom lip trembled, and, in that moment, he knew that if he could he’d change everything, he’d live with only half a soul. It hit him then.
Jaden DaCosta was his light. She was his salvation.
“You have to know you are everything to me. Your strength and courage, your passion . . . I’ll never forget one second of the time we’ve spent together.” Her dark eyes glistened, and his heart cracked as a single tear fell from the corner. “I love you, Jaden. I always will no matter where I end up.”
She touched him, a gentle caress full of sadness. “Ditto,” she whispered.
The bitterness of regret and the weight of his mistakes punched him in the gut. He looked away from her and into the hard eyes of Nico.
“Take me instead,” the warrior whispered.
“It’s not that simple, my friend,” Bill said, his tone still jovial, though his eyes narrowed as he studied the other jaguar.
Nico glared at the small man, his teeth exposed as he snarled in anger. “Let’s make it that simple. I’ll do whatever you ask. Something good has to come out of this entire mess.”
Bill puckered his mouth. “I suppose—as long as I return with the two bodies I promised.” He glanced down at Julian. “Are you willing to live in limbo?” he asked, and nodded to the woman in his arms. “She is your true path to salvation and is the only thing that will keep the darkness from claiming you whole.”
Julian didn’t speak. He looked at Nico, saw the determination, and knew his sacrifice was for Jaden. Nico’s dark eyes were focused, clear. He knew what he was doing.
He turned his attention to Bill, tried to be strong, but his voice broke as he spoke. “I will never leave her.”
Bill glanced up at his brothers. “If he strays, the darkness will corrupt. I will destroy him.” The small man’s true face was revealed, only for a second, but there was no doubt his stature hid great power.
Jaden stirred in Julian’s embrace, and he knew she was weak from her wound. “Let me . . .” He let her go and stood as she stumbled toward Nico. She wrapped her arms around the warrior, but Nico hesitated, before pulling her close. She cupped his face and kissed him softly, whispering words not meant for anyone other than the jaguar.
“All right, Azaiel. It’s been a long time, old friend. Lots to catch up on.”
Azaiel stretched out his long limbs. The blood had finally stopped flowing, and his features were sharp as he nodded at Bill.
“I’m ready.”
“Where the hell is the portal?” Crane exploded.
“I am the portal.” Azaiel turned to them, his golden eye
s clear of the darkness that had bled into them earlier. “It is inside me.”
Bill clapped his hands together. “This is good. We’ve taken care of some nasty business, recovered a fallen. Good times, my friends, but it’s time to go.”
Julian looked at Nico and nodded, unable to articulate his thanks.
“I’m not doing this for you,” Nico said roughly. “Take care of her. She tends to run first without looking.”
Julian nodded and welcomed Jaden back into his embrace. Inside, the cat that had long hungered for a mate was finally at rest.
“Mr. O’Hara?” Bill nodded toward the sorcerer. “You ready?”
The sorcerer knelt by Ana’s still form. His hand grazed her pale cheek, traced the lines of her mouth, then he stood. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. His eyes were still fully black, and, when he looked at Julian, he was shocked at their dead countenance.
“There’s nothing for me here.”
Bill winked at Julian, as if they were sharing a beer or a joke, then a blinding light swallowed them whole.
For several long seconds, there were no words, and Julian was content to cradle Jaden as she breathed against him. Her heart was beating like mad, and he found the rhythm intoxicating. It meant that she was alive, and, after so many months of darkness, so was he.
“You gave up peace to be with me?”
“I gave up nothing,” he replied. “In fact, I gained more than I deserve.” His mouth lowered, and he caressed her lips softly. “Nothing will part us. That’s my promise to you.”
Jaden snuggled against his chest. “That man, Bill. I’ve met him before. He was the drunk at the bar who said I’d find something of value in your penthouse. It’s why I went there, or I might never have . . .” She shook her head. “I thought he was a shifter, but he was a freaking angel.”
She looked up at him, and his heart constricted painfully. “I mean, isn’t it a sin for them to booze it up?”
Julian snorted. “I think the Seraphim have their own rules and don’t give a damn about anything else.”
“So that’s it? We done here?” Ethan Crane arched a brow.
Jagger glanced around. “Our objective was to destroy the portal. With Azaiel returning to the upper realm, I think we’re good.” He slipped his arms around Skye’s midsection and pulled her in close. “We’re headed back to Jersey. As for the rest of you, I really don’t give a damn.”
Crane nodded toward Julian. “No hard feelings. I wasn’t aiming for your lady.”
“Let’s take Ana home.” Libby’s soft voice drew their attention.
“I can’t believe she’s dead,” Jaden whispered. “And Declan, did you see his face? How can he recover from that? He loved her. I hope she knew.”
Julian watched as Jaxon scooped up the vampire’s lifeless form and turned toward the door.
“Will Declan be all right? Will we ever see him again?” Jaden murmured.
Julian shook his head. “I have no idea.”
“Let’s go. I’ve got operatives near the kitchen entrance. We can make our way out with the least amount of visibility.” Jaxon’s voice was wooden. Ana had been a member of his team for years. He’d just lost family. “Good work, everyone. We’re done here.”
Julian nodded. “Jaden needs a doctor.”
“You coming back to base?” Jaxon asked.
“For now, but once Jaden’s been looked after . . .”
“We’ll head home . . . to Mexico,” she finished.
“You’ve still got brothers out there, members of the DaCosta organization who will be gunning for your ass.” Jaxon frowned. “I think the compound in Canada will be safer.”
“No,” Jaden said firmly, “my home is in the jungle. They will not defeat me.” Her voice shook, and Julian’s heart turned over.
“We’ll be fine,” Julian said. “And if needed, I know you’ve got our backs.”
Jaxon nodded. “Always.”
He watched as Jaxon disappeared. Home. Funny that thought, one that wasn’t solitary but included the lady in his arms.
The jungle. Hot nights and a woman who completed him.
It was so simple . . . and it was all he needed.
Epilogue
The darkness pressed down on her. She felt it, along the edges of her mind and didn’t want to open her eyes. But the hunger inside was near consuming and, in the end, forced her awake.
Layers of blackness had to be dealt with, and she worked feverishly to tear them down. Satin, wood, concrete, then the cool touch of earth.
Within minutes, moonbeams caressed her face, and she inhaled great gulps of air deep into her lungs. Which hurt, as if ill used.
In fact, her entire body ached.
And there was the thirst. It was constant and pushed her on until she clawed her way out and fell upon the cold, frozen ground.
“Hello, Ana.”
She jerked up, her head twisting to the side as she sought the voice that slid from the darkness.
“Who?” she croaked, her vocal cords sore.
“Ah, I’m not surprised you don’t remember, but do try . . .”
She peered into the dark and her eyes widened as a small form fell from shadow.
“Bill.” She answered, confused and afraid at the same time. She knew him. As fuzzy as her brain was, she knew him and she knew what he was. “I’m . . . I don’t . . .”
She shook her head and closed her mouth. She couldn’t articulate the madness inside her mind. It was overshadowed by the hunger.
He sat down on the ground beside her and smiled. “You were dead.” He tapped her on the shoulder. “And now you’re not.”
“First things first.” He motioned toward the shadows, and she watched silently as a young man walked toward her. He was so very pale. Moonbeams emphasized the thin blue veins that carried what she so desperately wanted.
The man stopped and sat beside Bill, who promptly withdrew a sharp knife and plunged it into his jugular. Blood spurted everywhere, and her fangs exploded painfully as her world of darkness became drenched in crimson.
Bill wiped his hands, a look of distaste crossing his face. He nodded toward the dying human. “Feed.” And then he turned away though his voice drifted back toward her as the night enveloped him.
“I’ll be back. We have lots to discuss.”
Ana was awash in fire and consumed with need. She hissed, and everything faded away until there was nothing but pain.
A groan fell from the young man. His life was leaving him. Ana pulled him close and fed.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people involved in this process, and they need to be thanked. It truly is a team effort.
Laura and Esi, again the keepers of my dreams. Thanks for being there and helping when I need it. Pam, you rock the publicity department and introduced me to Steri-fab. New York was so much fun, thanks for the opportunity to come hang in your awesome city. I look forward to a return visit!
All the wonderful authors who write for HarperCollins, especially those on our paranormal loop who are always keen to answer questions, offer support, and give advice. You’re all incredibly cool, talented, smart ladies, and I’m humbled to be included in your group.
Amanda Vyne, you’re the best. That is all.
Elisabeth Naughton did a quick read for me as I was about to panic, thanks for being there in a pinch.
I want to thank everyone at HarperCollins who worked on this book, there are a ton I don’t know by name, but please rest assured everything you do is so appreciated. Tom, once again thanks for giving me a smokin’ cover. Adrienne, you are one cool lady, and, well, you love Bruce.
Friends and family for your support and enthusiasm, especially Terre, Crystal, Tracy, Shelli, The Mudslides, The Sirens and Scribes, and Aunt Wendy.
Finally, a quick thank-you to the readers who’ve e-mailed and brightened my day, with your kind words and love for my jaguars. Please don’t stop. Ever
Last but not le
ast, special thanks to Andrew, Kristen, and Jacob, just because you all belong to me.
For millennia the struggle between light and dark has been policed by a secret group of warriors culled from every fabric of existence. Their pledge: to protect the line between the two realms and ensure neither side grows too powerful. If they fall, so shall the earth, the heavens and hell. The covenant shall break apart and there will be no more.
Wicked Road to Hell
THE FIRST BOOK IN
The League of Guardians
JULIANA STONE’S BRAND NEW SERIES
DESCENDS SUMMER 2012
FROM AVON BOOKS.
DON’T MISS THE PREQUEL NOVELLA COMING
FROM AVON IMPULSE, FEBRUARY 2012.
About the Author
JULIANA STONE is a writer, mother, and rock star. She lives in Canada with her family.
www.julianastone.com
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By Juliana Stone
His Darkest Salvation
His Darkest Embrace
His Darkest Hunger
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HIS DARKEST SALVATION. Copyright © 2011 by Juliana Stone. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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