by Liz Schulte
Dizziness licked the edges of my mind; Olivia took a couple steps back.
“Why have you been looking for Julie? Are you going to kill her?” Phoenix asked.
I ignored him, watching Olivia out of the corner of my eye. She shook her head, breathing hard. Her jaw clenched at the sound of Phoenix’s voice. Dread filled me. If she lost control, I had no idea what she’d do. I saw it in her mind before she charged. The image of Juliet hanging in front of her like a pendulum flashed through her thoughts then she moved forward like bull. Pain and loss engulfed her. Rage boiled over the surface. Her mind went blank. We were in trouble.
“Let her go,” she growled, flying at Phoenix, her hands glowing like damn spotlights.
I dropped Juliet’s face and caught Olivia in my arms as gently as possible. She pretty much ignored me, struggling to get to Phoenix, who looked on with somewhat frightened eyes and stood planted to the ground. I lifted Liv off the ground and slung her over my shoulder. She beat her fists against my back. “Put me down! He’s hurting her,” she ranted as I carried her to the bedroom. She never hurt me with her light as she did Mears. Either she wasn’t capable, or she was still cognizant enough not to want to. I locked the door behind us and dumped her on the bed. She glared up at me, rage still rolling from her. “Calm the hell down. What’s your problem?”
Her breathing came in shaky gasps. Power surged around her and through me making the darker parts of my nature stand up and take notice. The heady excitement of the energy coursing around me and beneath my skin was tempting, too tempting. The potential Olivia and I had together teased my mind. We had mission. Power wasn’t what we wanted. I reminded myself until I knew it was true.
Olivia. I broke into her mind, and her fury started chipping away. When her eyes found me, she looked drained, sad, and confused. My mouth twisted in irritation that she overreacted to such a degree and almost pulled me with her. To have that sort of power at my fingertips was something I was better off not knowing.
“You knew this was going to happen.” I tried to keep my tone measured and even, so she could feed off of my calm.
She massaged her temples. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “I couldn’t bear the sight of Juliet being hurt. I saw her, so fragile, so alone…” Her big, blue-green eyes swam as she looked at me. “Then something in me snapped. It was like it wasn’t me at all.”
I struggled against sympathy. She needed to learn a lesson because she’d never be able to live with the guilt of killing someone. “We’ve talked about this.”
“I know. I know. I was caught off guard.”
I knelt in front of her and took her hands. No matter how strong and stubborn she was, she was still my Olivia. I didn’t care what she was—human, angel, or guardian—she belonged with me. I turned one of her palms up and traced a finger down the center. Light grew out from my fingertip against her skin. “You’re much too powerful to lose control. You could’ve killed them.” She frowned, but continued to watch the light, mesmerized. “You could’ve killed me,” I told her softly.
She flinched. I could never kill you. Her head shook in denial, not wanting to hear my words.
“We don’t know what you can do.” A tear trickled down her cheek. “You’re stronger than any of us. You cannot fly off the handle no matter what. Juliet is a threat. She will be treated accordingly.”
“I didn’t make you,” she grumbled. “I freed you. It’s different. You were already here.”
“Semantics.”
“I want to talk to her. Alone.”
“It’s a bad idea. You can’t let her use your past to manipulate you. And she will. Remember she knows everything about who you were. She could kill everyone you ever liked—your fifth grade teacher or first boyfriend or whoever. She could find your mother.”
She hissed. “She wouldn’t—”
“She would.” My voice remained calm and serious.
“It’s still Juliet. She hasn’t gone after my mom yet. Why would she now?”
“She didn’t know you were alive before. She hates you.”
“Alone, Holden. I want to talk to her alone.” Determination shoved all her other emotions from her mind. She wasn’t going to give up.
I wanted to make her listen to reason, but nodded instead. “You can talk to her while I figure out where we’re going to keep her, but Liv, if she tries anything, I will not hesitate.”
Her jaw clenched and she looked away. “You’ll kill more than her,” she said quietly.
It was very possible this could turn into the one point we couldn’t get past. I would be damned if I let Juliet use, hurt, or manipulate Liv, no matter what she wanted. I didn’t respond and walked out of the bedroom. I told Phoenix to put Juliet in the dining room. He shoved her into a chair, and I was glad Olivia hadn’t come out of the bedroom yet or I would’ve had to break up another fight. When she did I ventured back a few steps toward the dining room. Femi shot her a questioning look that Olivia nodded to, looking much calmer. Juliet didn’t acknowledge her presence, but Phoenix never took his eyes off. I squeezed her shoulder then ushered the others out of the room.
“Sy cracked the code. I don’t know what it means, but it sounds bad,” Femi told me when we were in the living room.
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled unable to pay attention, trying to listen to what Olivia was saying while I texted Baker that we needed him. A bloodcurdling scream ripped through the apartment and nearly stopped my heart. I got there faster than humanly possible to find Olivia pressed against the wall, her jaw slack, her eyes wide and unblinking. Juliet sat clutching the chair, screaming. I stepped between the two of them and Juliet stopped. I glanced at Juliet. Her face was blank. Was she faking? Was this a ploy to get under Olivia’s skin? I took Olivia by the arm and dragged her from the room.
“Stop yanking me around.” She struggled to free herself to no avail.
“Did she say anything at all?”
She pressed her lips together.
“Do you think she’s faking?” I pressed.
Olivia glanced toward the dining room and frowned. “No.” She whipped her head around to locate Femi. “What happened to her? Where did you find her?”
“She was headed into a crowded theater to do her thing. I had a tip. You’re lucky it paid off. If it hadn’t, you’d be dealing with bodies right now.” Femi’s hand flourished in the air.
“I don’t understand. Where has she been between times?” Liv asked.
“I don’t know. A van brought her, but no one was in it when I searched it.”
“She wasn’t like this before. In the warehouse she was mean and horrible, but she could talk. What happened to her?”
“I don’t know,” Femi said.
Olivia started back for the dining room, but I caught her arm. “If she keeps screaming someone’s going to call the cops.”
“I have to talk her.”
“She’s gone, Liv. She hasn’t said a word since Femi picked her up. Juliet isn’t in there anymore.”
“We need to know what she knows, who she’s working with. She’s our best lead Holden.”
She was right. Finding Liv’s traitor would be much easier if Juliet told us who it was, but I doubted she had any cognitive function left. Whatever was left of her mind was gone. “Maybe not. Femi has information.” I spoke cryptically to remind her that Phoenix was still in the room.
Olivia blinked. “I want to talk to her.” Her voice grew more stubborn by the second.
“Phoenix will take her somewhere safe, and you can try again tomorrow.” I brushed a small soothing circle against her wrist with my thumb. The gesture was small enough not to draw attention, but Olivia eased her stance slightly. Let’s find out what that code said before we question her.
She nodded slowly. He won’t hurt her?
I promise.
She took a deep breath and sat beside Femi. Phoenix’s gaze followed Olivia across the room and made me want to knock him out. Baker w
alked through the door not bothering to knock. He glanced over at Juliet, but didn’t pause. He stopped in front of me. “You found the rotten tomato.”
I hooked a thumb at Femi. “She did. Go with Phoenix. Make sure nothing happens to her.”
Baker nodded, and Olivia breathed easier. She trusted Baker would keep his word, and I appreciated the pressure that took off of me. Baker winked at her before he and Phoenix left with Juliet. I sat in the chair and blew out a long breath. It had been a long fucking day. I had too much to think about and didn’t relish adding more to the list, but it had to be done. I asked Femi for the translation. She handed the familiar piece of paper to me. When I didn’t read it out loud, Olivia moved behind me so she could see.
“The names and locations of guardians (amount determined by the signee) will be presented once a fortnight in person at a mutually agreeable location. All contact outside of said arranged time will be strictly prohibited. In return, the jinn will collect and return the power of the guardians to the signee.”
“Animaphagist,” Olivia whispered my exact thought. They were using the room to steal the guardians’ power then selling the helpless shells to the demons.
“I take it the elders make the location assignments.” She nodded. “No one else?”
“Not that I know of.”
“And the animaphagist goes back to them?”
“Yeah.”
The leaders of her whole fucking race were corrupt. Grand.
“Thank you, Femi,” I said with a finality that Femi didn’t miss.
“That’s it? No celebration. No ‘Good work Femi, thanks for busting your ass’?”
I willed her to leave without me having to be rude. “That’s it for tonight,” my voice came out tired and strained because that’s what I was.
“Thank you, Femi.” Olivia hugged her. “I do appreciate your help.”
“You kind of flipped out earlier—” She wrinkled her nose. “We cool?”
“Yeah, we’re cool. Sorry.”
“No worries. Call me.” She held her thumb and pinky like a phone to demonstrate her words as she left.
Olivia locked the door and leaned against it for a moment, eyes closed.
“Why are we doing this?” I asked, anger rippling through my mind. Why were we risking our lives for a group of people who were killing their own and putting Olivia on trial for her efforts to help? I wasn’t in the habit of sticking my neck out for people, and if I was going to, I damn well expected those people to be worth the effort.
Olivia’s eyebrows knit together. “Because people are dying.”
“Olivia, they’re being killed by your own leaders. You have to see that.”
“Elder—or, yes, maybe more than one. Not all of them though. I don’t think they could all be corrupt. Heaven would stop it.”
“Apparently Heaven is as out of touch as Hell.” I scrubbed my hand over my face and scratched at my jaw. “I don’t want to do this, Liv. What do we get from helping them? They hate me and they’re intent on turning you into a scapegoat. For what? For nothing.”
She caught her plump, pink lower lip in her teeth and gazed at me from across the room. I felt a familiar stirring at the gesture. She made her way to me, never breaking eye contact, sat on my lap, curling her hand against my chest. “You’re doing this for me.” Her voice was soft and soothing in my ear, melting away the irritation.
“And is it worth both of our lives, Liv? Yes, I’m doing this for you, but why are you doing it?”
Olivia was quiet, her chest rising and falling against mine as she fidgeted with my shirt. I breathed in the warm, sweet scent of her and enjoyed the moment rather than thinking about the future. A year ago I would’ve given anything for this, but I wanted more. I wanted forever, not just today.
“Okay.”
The word vibrated in my ear and my heart stuttered. Did I hear her correctly? I pulled back, so I could see her face. “Okay?”
She nodded and I probed at her mind, but she was in lockdown.
“You will leave?” I wasn’t so naïve to believe Olivia meant what she was agreeing to. She’d been against running away with me from the moment we met. Why would she change her mind now when we were close to answers?
She studied me. Her words were measured and careful when she spoke. “If it’s what you want and we can find somewhere safe to keep Juliet, I’ll come with you.”
“Why?”
“I realized something today. I’m happy with you… and Femi… and even Baker. I don’t need to go back even when the traitor is caught. If you don’t want to be a part of that life, then I want to stay with you.” Her hand brushed against the stubble on my cheek. “I know this is dangerous. It was selfish to ask you to come back. If you were to die…” She looked down and swallowed hard, dread creeping beneath her walls. “I couldn’t live with that.”
I pulled her back against me, not certain what to do with her admission or emotion. It was what I wanted, but something nagged at me. I didn’t want this to be a black mark hanging over her high ideals for the rest of our lives. She’d blame herself for every guardian who died, and it would tear away pieces of her until I lost my Olivia forever. It was a slow death. One that, much to my surprise, I couldn’t live with. “We’ll finish what we started,” I said, flabbergasted about the words escaping my mouth.
She smiled. “I knew you’d make the right choice.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but the warmth of making her happy spread through me and prevented it. “Did you even mean half of what you said?”
She sat up, the smile still gracing her plump lips. “I meant every word of it, and I would have left, but I had confidence in you.”
“Hmph. Promise you won’t go back for their trial though. We’ll finish this and be done with it. We’ll find that boring life you keep dangling in front of me.”
She pressed a tender, distracting kiss to my lips and reinforced the desire to protect and possess her. Gripping her tighter, I leaned in, changing the texture of the kiss from innocent to hungry. She gasped at the sudden change, but responded in kind. I pulled away as our want swirled together until hers was indistinguishable from mine, her swollen, heart shaped mouth urging me back to her.
“The trial?” My lips hovered over hers as I waited for the words I wanted to hear.
“I won’t go.”
Twenty Eight
Holden, Femi, and I headed for the warehouse. Too many thoughts weighed on me to attempt any sort of conversation. Holden had said enough for both of us this morning. The initial horror and sympathy at seeing Juliet so vacant from her body had eased overnight. Over breakfast Holden pointed out that we had other goals and getting through to Juliet wasn’t the most important one on the list. We had a traitor to catch, my name to clear, my mother to talk to, the jinn to break contact with, lives to start, and abilities to figure out. All in all he didn’t believe saving someone who wanted to kill me was that important—and when he put it like that, part of me agreed with him.
Nevertheless, I insisted I should get one more try. He wasn’t moved by our friendship, but he did agree that she had information we needed so he and Femi escorted me to the warehouse where they’d kept Juliet overnight. Phoenix sat inside the door, looking bored and tired. Baker slept with his chair leaning back on two legs next to the closed cell door. Holden and Femi stopped to talk to Phoenix about what Juliet had said or done since they left last night. I made a beeline for the door. I reached for the handle without waiting for Holden; Baker caught my wrist between snores.
“Not until the boss man says so, angel.”
“Come on, Baker. You know he’s going to let me go in.”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine.” I pulled my wrist away from him and crossed my arms over my chest. “How was she last night?”
“Quiet. Too quiet for someone who was acting like what I heard she was acting like.”
“Huh.” I stared at the door while Baker watched me.
“What are you thinkin’?” His eyes flickered to my left, and I glanced over my shoulder to where Holden stood.
I looked at the door, thinking back on all the years I had known her.
“Don’t let me stop you. I always want to know what you’re thinking.” Holden’s voice came from behind me.
I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. “She’s not that good of an actress.” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Can I go in?”
He motioned me forward. My hand clasped the cold metal latch and I took a deep breath before heaving the door open. Juliet sat cross-legged on the floor staring past the opposite wall into oblivion. Holden and Baker followed me in wordlessly. I scowled at them, but Holden’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t going to leave me alone with her again. I didn’t understand. It was like she was a different person—one that I didn’t know at all. I stared at her for a long moment not sure what to do. I moved closer to her, but didn’t make the mistake of trying to touch her again. Perhaps if I sat with her she would warm up to me. Some trickle of feeling would seep through. I was about to lower myself to the ground when her head snapped up. My heart thudded in my chest, and I froze. Her eyes had a crazed, manic look to them.
“Do you think this puny room can hold me?”
I ignored the icy fear running down my spine and sat in front of her. “You’re still here.”
“Waiting for you.”
I forced a smile that felt ghastly stretched across my face. “Here I am.”
Holden’s tension mingled with my own. I opened my mind to hear his thoughts, wanting his impression on the situation. Careful, Liv. His voice was soft in my mind and relaxed me though he didn’t relax at all.
“We have your mother. She begs for mercy as we peel the flesh from her body and salt wounds. She screams and cries for you, but we tell her you’re being fucked in hell,” she spat.
I had no idea how to respond. Trails of blood ran between her teeth that looked more pink than white. My stomach turned. Holy crap. What was wrong with her? A seed of doubt fought to root itself. Mom was fine. She was fine. But a nagging voice in my mind reminded me that Baker left her to come help me and Holden. What if they had found her?