I was sound asleep when I was suddenly assaulted by the smoky smell of demon in my bedroom.
I jolted awake instantly. As the pack alpha, I’d trained myself to sleep lightly. It was my responsibility to be able to be awake and functioning at any moment in case of a threat.
I sat up, prepared to shift and fight. But I relaxed when I saw Azazel standing in the center of my room—with Sage by his side.
I smiled upon seeing my sister.
Then I noticed that Azazel’s fingers were wrapped around her wrist, and she stared ahead emptily.
She looked traumatized.
What had Azazel done to her? She was supposed to have arrived with Thomas, or with one of the other vampires from the Bettencourt coven. I’d expected her to come kicking and screaming.
I certainly hadn’t expected this… emptiness.
My sister was usually warm, vibrant, and fiery. But looking at her now, I saw only a shell of who she normally was. If that.
Her body was there, but it was like her soul was gone.
“Sage.” I said her name calmly, not wanting to alert her or Azazel to my alarm. “I’m so glad to see you.” I rarely touched anyone—I was a guy who appreciated my personal space—but I walked forward and enveloped Sage in a hug.
She tensed, not returning my embrace.
I dropped my arms to my sides and took a step back. “What caused you to come to your senses?” I asked, looking back and forth from her to Azazel.
I really wanted to ask what Azazel had done to her, but I knew better than to anger him. We were so close to forming an alliance and ensuring the survival of the Montgomery pack. I couldn’t mess that up now.
“Complacent potion.” Azazel grinned, stroking Sage’s arm. “You were right when you said your sister is strong and determined. It’s a good thing I knew, so I could be prepared.”
Sage’s eyes looked pained at his touch, but she stayed where she was.
I hated seeing her like this. “I see.” I nodded, focused on Sage. “Are you able to speak?”
“She was causing a commotion, so I told her not to,” Azazel answered for her. “Thanks to the potion, she’s abiding by my command.”
“Well, she’s here now, and she’s not going anywhere,” I said. “Surely you can give her the antidote?”
“Once the binding ceremony is complete, the complacent potion will no longer be necessary,” he said. “But first, my witch needs to create a perimeter spell around your complex. I’ll be back with her in a flash. Once the perimeter is made, I’ll let you know so you can gather your pack in the backyard. Then, the ceremony can begin.”
He teleported out, leaving me alone with my sister.
The moment he was gone, she removed her cloaking ring from her finger and dropped it onto the floor.
I’d rarely seen complacent potion in action, since it had been illegal since the Great War. But I knew how it worked. The person under its effect would do whatever they were told to do by the person standing closest to them.
With Azazel gone, I was that person.
“Put your cloaking ring back on,” I commanded. I had no idea who she thought was going to come for her—Noah was supposed to be dead by now—but it wasn’t worth the risk. “And keep it on.”
She glared at me as she leaned down to pick up the ring and slid it back on her finger. She shook the entire time, like she was fighting against the potion. But while my sister was strong, the potion Azazel had given her was stronger.
It forced her to obey me, but she still looked at me like she hated me.
I felt better knowing she wouldn’t hate me for long. Now that I could properly explain what was going on, I’d get her to come to her senses.
I’d been readying myself for this conversation for days.
“You can speak,” I said, bracing myself for the onslaught I knew was coming.
She stared up at me in horror—like she didn’t know me anymore. “What have you done?” she asked, the four words making far more of an impact than the full-blown rant I’d expected.
“I did what I needed to do to keep you alive.” I crossed my arms, standing my ground. “To keep our pack alive.”
“You’re working with Azazel.” She spoke slowly—timidly. Like she wanted me to deny it.
I couldn’t.
I hated the disappointed way she was looking at me. But when the Montgomery pack survived this war and came out on top, she’d be grateful. They all would be.
She didn’t see it now. But she would then.
“Why?” she asked.
I supposed she took my silence for what it was—admittance that I was doing what she accused.
“Hundreds of demons have been released onto the Earth, and they’re more powerful than shifters, vampires, and witches combined,” I said. “They can’t be injured by our weapons. Our teeth and claws do nothing to them. They want to rule the Earth, and they plan on exterminating all supernaturals that stand against them. We can’t beat them. Our only option is to join them.”
“That’s not true.” Sage raised her chin defiantly. “Heavenly weapons can kill them. I’ve seen it myself.”
“Noah is the only supernatural in possession of a heavenly weapon,” I said. “For all we know, it’s the only one of its kind. One blade cannot defeat an army of hundreds, no matter how skilled its wielder.”
“There are more,” she insisted. “The Earth Angel is at Avalon now. She’s training an army as we speak.”
“The Earth Angel hasn’t been heard from in months!” I clenched my fists, wanting to shake some sense into my innocent, idealistic sister. “If she’s leading this so-called army, where is it? Why aren’t they doing anything to help?”
“They’re not ready yet,” she said. “They’re waiting—”
“For what?” I interrupted. “No one who has gone to Avalon has ever returned. We can’t even be sure that Avalon exists. For all we know, it’s a plot created by the demons. Lure the rebels to a mysterious island with an unknown location and kill them before they become a bigger threat than they already are.”
“It’s not,” Sage said. “The Earth Angel exists. Avalon exists.”
“You’ve been there?” I raised an eyebrow, already knowing her answer.
“No.” She bit her lip, although she held her gaze with mine. “But it exists. I know it does.” Her eyes shined with so much conviction that I knew she believed it down to her core.
She was so sweet and naive. I needed to protect her now more than ever.
“Your blind faith is humbling, sister.” I placed my hands on her shoulders, hoping to get through to her. “But in times of war, faith won’t keep you alive. You know what will? Alliances. Family. Pack.” I looked at her, willing her to understand. “I need you to trust me—as your brother, and as your alpha—to make the alliances necessary to keep our pack alive. Can you do that? For me? Please?”
Flint
For a moment, I thought I’d gotten through to her.
I was wrong.
“I’m not the one with blind faith.” Sage stepped back and scowled, as if she couldn’t bear to have me touch her. “You are. You’re the one who’s trusting a demon—a creature you admitted yourself wants to kill our kind—to stay loyal to a so-called alliance.”
“I know it must seem crazy to you,” I said. “I get that. But you don’t know the whole story.”
“Then tell me.” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, clearly doubting me. “What’s the whole story?”
“Azazel has a daughter,” I said. “Her name is Mara.”
“Demons can have children?” She sounded beyond skeptical.
“They can,” I confirmed. “As can angels. It’s harder for immortals to reproduce than creatures on Earth, and their pregnancies last much longer than ours. But yes, they can have children.”
“Azazel told you this?” she asked.
“Mara did,” I said. “After we imprinted on each other.”
“You what
?” Sage’s eyes widened, her horror growing. She looked like she couldn’t believe what I was telling her.
I couldn’t blame her. Before it had happened, I would have had a similar reaction myself. “I know it sounds impossible,” I said. “And I don’t have an explanation for how it happened. But when I first saw Mara, I was drawn to her. Then, when we kissed, I imprinted her. And she imprinted back.” I watched my sister, waiting for her to say something—anything. Waiting for her to say she didn’t believe me.
She didn’t. She was still looking at me in horror, but she didn’t deny my claim.
“You believe me?” This part was going better than I’d expected.
“The rules are apparently changing,” she said. “Noah and Raven imprinted on each other, too. And I…” She paused and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, looking more conflicted than ever.
“You what?” I probed.
“Nothing.” The indecision in her eyes disappeared. “I just don’t understand why you and Noah were able to imprint on other supernatural races. It shouldn’t be possible.”
“It certainly has never happened before,” I said. “But it’s happening now.”
“I understand this must be… confusing for you,” she said cautiously. “But just because you imprinted on one demon doesn’t mean you can trust all of them. It doesn’t even mean you can trust her. Maybe the demons are behind us suddenly being able to imprint on other races. Have you ever thought about that?”
“Mara was just as surprised by our connection as I was,” I said.
“Or she was pretending to be.” Sage rolled her eyes.
I took a few deep breaths, fighting off the urge to protect Mara’s integrity. Once Sage met Mara, she’d understand.
Until then, she needed to know about the rest of the deal I’d made with Azazel.
“The alliance with Azazel is thanks to Mara—thanks to our imprinting on each other,” I said calmly. “She went to him and asked him to work with us. Once our pack binds ourselves to Azazel, he’s given Mara and I permission to mate. We’ll join their family. Azazel will protect us like we’re his own.”
Sage nodded, resolution entering her eyes.
For the first time since she’d arrived, I started to breathe easier. She was finally starting to see things clearly.
“You’re really going to go through with this, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice small.
“I am.” I nodded. “We are. This alliance will be legendary. It will save our pack. You’re my sister, and I might not say it enough, but I love you, Sage. I’ve always promised that I’ll do anything to protect us, and I have. A war worse than anything the Earth has ever seen is coming. Thanks to this alliance, we’re going to survive it. And we’re going to come out stronger for it.”
“I understand,” she said slowly, although she looked like she was about to break down where she stood.
“Good.” I smiled and reached for her, so she could take my hand. “I knew you’d come around.”
“No.” She stared at my hand, not taking it. “I understand that you believe you’re doing the right thing. But the right thing for you isn’t the right thing for me. If you truly love me like you say you do, then let me go. Please.”
“Go?” I lowered my hand, anger rushing through my veins. “Where?”
“I’ll take one of the cars and drive to Amber’s,” she said, sounding desperate now. “She and the others in her circle will get me to Avalon. You might not believe Avalon exists, but I know it does. I’ll be safe there. Away from all of this.”
“No.” I shook my head, unable to believe this. “Even if I wanted to allow it, I couldn’t. Azazel would know I’d let you go. It would ruin everything I’ve built for us.”
“Azazel’s a demon!” Hatred flared in her eyes. “Imprinting on Mara has blinded you, but it hasn’t blinded me. Once Azazel’s gotten all the use from you that he needs, he’ll destroy you. He’ll destroy us all.” Her voice was dark—haunted. She believed what she was saying with every ounce of her soul.
I backed away, realization setting in. Sage was brainwashed by Noah’s fantasies of the Earth Angel saving the world from a magical island that probably didn’t exist. An island that no one who had gone to had ever returned from.
The truth was that the angels weren’t going to help us. If they were going to, they would have come already. Instead, they were hiding out in Heaven, doing nothing. The angels didn’t care about us. They never would.
But Sage wasn’t going to understand any of that. At least not until the binding ceremony with Azazel was complete.
I was starting to see why Azazel had commanded her not to speak. I’d always admired my sister for speaking her mind no matter what, but it was too painful seeing her refuse to face reality.
“Azazel will return soon with Mara and their witch,” I said, keeping all emotion from my tone. “Sit down while we wait for him. And no more speaking. I see now that there’s no getting through to you, and I can’t listen to this idealistic nonsense any longer.”
She did as I said, shaking and glaring at me the entire time.
I tried to hold on to the hope that once the blood binding ceremony was over, she’d forgive me.
But from the way she was looking at me—like I was the enemy instead of her brother who loved her and was doing everything to protect her—I was starting to wonder if she ever truly would.
Flint
Azazel teleported back to my bedroom an hour later. This time, he was accompanied by Mara and a dark haired witch.
Mara hurried to my side the moment they arrived. “It’s time,” she said with a knowing smile. She glanced at Sage and asked, “Is this your sister?”
I also glanced at Sage, who was still sitting in the armchair I’d commanded her to. Her arms were crossed, and while she couldn’t speak, her eyes fumed with revulsion. “Yes,” I said. Wanting to show a united front, I reached for Mara’s hand and took it in mine. “This is Sage. Azazel found her and brought her back home so she can take part in the ceremony.”
“Welcome, Sage.” Mara smiled warmly. “I hope you find as good of a fortune with one of my brothers as I’ve found with yours.”
Sage’s eyes widened, and she shook her head in horror. Her eyes begged me to release her.
But of course, I wouldn’t.
Mara turned to me, confused. “You didn’t tell her?” she asked.
“I told her about you and me,” I assured her. “As for the rest… I thought it best to wait until after the binding ceremony is complete.”
“I understand.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sure she’s still mourning the loss of the shifter she imprinted on and ran off with.”
That was the cover story I’d told them, since I doubted Azazel would have taken too kindly to knowing Sage was on a hunt with the First Prophet to kill demons.
“As discussed, her boyfriend has been taken care of,” Azazel said simply.
Shifters never referred to the people we imprinted on as boyfriends or girlfriends, but I dared not correct Azazel.
Sage’s expression collapsed in devastation, a few tears running down her face.
I looked away from her, unable to see her in such pain.
The only relief I had was that once the blood binding ceremony was complete, her pain would feel like it was from a lifetime ago.
“Wonderful,” I said, although I said a silent prayer that Noah would have an easy transition to the Beyond. “I have faith she’ll be as lucky as Mara and I have been.”
“She better be.” Azazel twisted a piece of Sage’s hair around his finger and smiled down at her. “How come you never told me she has such an… agreeable appearance?”
I swallowed, not liking where this was going. “She’s my sister,” I replied, remaining as neutral as possible. If Azazel suspected that the thought of his being attracted to Sage disgusted me, we’d have a problem on our hands. “I don’t look at her that way.”
“Of course, of course
.” Azazel released the strand of her hair, although he remained close to her. “Anyway, I’ve been quite rude, as I still haven’t introduced you to Lavinia here.” He motioned to the witch he’d brought with him, and I turned my focus to her.
With her pale skin and jet-black hair, she looked like a ghost. Especially given the long white nightgown she wore that touched the floor. Apparently she wasn’t the only one of us here who’d been woken from a slumber. And like all dark witches, her magic smelled sickly sweet, like syrup that had been sitting out for too long and was starting to coagulate.
“Lavinia comes from a long line of dark witches,” Azazel continued. “Like you, she also recognizes a great opportunity for an alliance when it presents itself.”
“Pleasure.” I nodded at her.
“Likewise.” She didn’t move as she spoke.
Azazel watched the exchange with pride—like a pet owner when two of their animals took a liking to one another. “While you were in here watching your sister, Lavinia cast a perimeter spell around the complex,” he said. “Until the blood binding spell is complete, no one will be able to leave the property.”
“That’s some very powerful dark magic,” I said.
“I’m a very powerful witch,” Lavinia replied.
Mara stepped closer to me, apparently not liking the way Lavinia was looking at me. I couldn’t blame her—Lavinia looked like she wanted to eat me alive. However, I suspected the witch looked at everyone that way. It was just the nature of her features.
The humans had a name for that look.
Oh, right. Resting bitch face.
Azazel looked at each of us and smiled, apparently pleased by the outcome of this meeting. His gaze lingered on Sage’s for extra long before returning to mine. “Now that the perimeter spell is up and we’re all introduced, it’s time for you to wake your pack,” he said. “Because we have a blood binding ceremony to complete.”
Flint
As planned, Azazel, Mara, and Lavinia waited in my room with Sage as I woke the pack and brought them outside. My pack mates weren’t thrilled to be woken up in the dead of night, but since it was a command from their alpha, they grumbled and dealt with it.
The Angel Trap (Dark World: The Angel Trials Book 3) Page 14