by Susan Illene
For thousands of years, they had been taking the nerou away shortly after their birth and confining them in Purgatory. Some of us—including my mate’s brother, Micah—had disagreed with that practice and found a way to get them out. Everyone involved in the rescue operation had been punished one way or another, but my individual penalty was a three-month sentence in Purgatory. I was rather certain the guards wished I’d been sent elsewhere.
“Go to Hell,” I growled at Dannia. “There’s nothing wrong with us talking.”
She narrowed her eyes. “There is if you’re plotting something.”
“I’m not plotting anything,” I said, glaring at her. Thankfully, she didn’t have a way of telling truth from lies the way I did. “You’re just paranoid and delusional.”
She jerked the whip, dragging me forward on my knees. I freed my hand from it, but I didn’t have time to move before her fist swung out. Pain exploded in my jaw as it drove into me like a battering ram. I crashed into the tunnel wall and bounced my head against the hard stone.
Stars clouded my vision. I blinked until the worst of them went away, and I could see again. This wasn’t my first round with Dannia. I was getting better at taking the beatings she inflicted on me every chance she got. Lucas had survived Kerbasi—a much crueler guardian than her. I always reminded myself of that whenever she took a few swipes at me.
“You’ll learn how to show some respect, sensor,” Dannia said, hovering over me.
I spit a mouthful of blood at her feet. “Respect that, Bitch.”
Rubbing at my bruised cheek, I noticed Eli giving me a pleading look. Most of the nephilim here were hardened and uncaring, but he was a psychiatrist back on Earth. He genuinely wanted to help people, supernaturals in particular. I’d become his newest pet project, whether I wanted to be or not.
“Guards!” Dannia yelled, calling them from down the tunnel. “Take the prisoners back to their cells.”
Half a dozen of them came marching toward us, wearing dark gray robes. One by one they freed the male and female nephilim from where their shackles were fixed to the floor and bound them together like a chain gang. It was meant to be demoralizing. Some held their heads up high, but the looks in their eyes told a different story. On Earth, they were powerful beings who commanded fear and respect from everyone around them. Here, they were treated worse than animals. It got to you no matter how much you tried to fight the feelings of helplessness.
When the guards reached me, Dannia shook her head. “This one is going to solitary…again.”
I gritted my teeth. In the seventy-six days I’d spent in this place—not that I’d been counting—ten of them had been in solitary confinement. Dannia hadn’t thought of that as a punishment right away, but once she realized its effectiveness she used any excuse to throw me in there.
“How long this time?” Aldous asked. He was shorter than the other guardians at only five and a half feet tall, but he had the thick muscles and stocky shoulders of a linebacker. Though he rarely smiled, he didn’t act cruel, either. That was a good thing, considering he ran the mining operations and watched over us during the day. If you had to work hard labor, you wanted a guy like him in charge. He did his best to look out for us.
Dannia straightened her shoulders. “Three days.”
“I don’t have much time left with these prisoners,” Aldous argued. “I could use her help here before they’re gone.”
He was lying. For reasons I hadn’t figured out, he often protected me the best he could.
“We both know you’ll be fine without this one. She hardly works, anyway.” Dannia unlocked my chain from the floor and yanked me to my feet. I couldn’t help wincing as a fresh wave of pain ignited in my head and blackness dotted my vision. There had to be a crack in my skull from where she’d slammed me into the wall.
Aldous’ eyes flashed with annoyance. As he watched the female guardian drag me away, I sensed his impotent rage. He didn’t care for Dannia’s treatment of me at all. As much as I wished I could appreciate his anger on my behalf, I couldn’t. It only made things worse. In this place, kindness was harder to take than cruelty. It was a subtle reminder that you were an actual person and should have the right to more humane treatment.
My heart was heavy as I shuffled down the corridor, moving as fast as my leg shackles and aching head would allow. Dannia brought me to the solid metal door that led to the solitary chamber. There was no fighting going in there. I’d already made my stand and wouldn’t push for a second round. If Lucas was sleeping right now, he might suffer another beating with me through his dreams—a side effect of our mating bond. It was only to protect him that I didn’t fight more often. I estimated that as long as I didn’t get hurt too much, he might not experience it. The last thing I wanted was for him to worry about me.
“Enjoy your stay,” Dannia said, shoving me into the dark room.
I fell onto my hands and knees on the frozen ground, waves of dizziness passing over me. Before I could turn around and get to my feet, she slammed the door and slid the lock into place. Everything went black. Not a hint of light entered the room, though I’d already memorized its dimensions from previous visits. I had about ten square feet to move around—larger than my other cell, but far too lonely. Without others nearby, I couldn’t sense anyone’s emotions. Somehow, even the anger and bitterness coming from my prison mates was better than the empty feeling I got in solitary.
Crawling to the far corner, I slumped against the wall and pulled my knees up against my chest. The frigid air in the room seeped into my bones. It had to be the coldest place in Purgatory. Every breath of air felt like it crystallized in my lungs and made me shiver. Immortality would keep me from getting pneumonia, but I’d still suffer. I ducked my head down and curled into myself as best I could. It would be three very long days.
Chapter Two
Lucas
Lucas pulled up to the high school and searched the crowd of teenagers leaving campus for a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes, and a perpetual scowl. Emily usually waited for him on the sidewalk, but he saw no sign of her today. If she had detention again, he would not save her this time. No matter what argument she gave him.
At some point, she needed to push past her anger and resentment. She still had a bright future ahead of her. Lucas couldn’t keep intervening or else she’d never overcome her problems. Not to mention her math teacher, Mrs. Blackburn, had a way of treating him as if he was a schoolboy rather than a twenty-five-hundred-year-old immortal who had seen civilizations rise and fall. In all his existence, he’d never met a human who could look down on him even while he compelled them. He couldn’t entirely blame Emily for getting into trouble with her so often.
Shouting across the street drew his attention. Through a throng of adolescents, Lucas caught a glimpse of a red jacket the same shade as Emily had worn that morning. He left his SUV and marched over to the crowd, coming to stand at the back. He was nearly a head taller than most students and had no trouble seeing over them. What he found at the center of the circle left him cursing.
“Get out of my way,” he growled, squeezing past a couple of kids shouting encouragements.
Lucas had been in a bad mood since two nights ago. In a dream, he’d witnessed Melena getting whipped and beaten by one of the guardians. He’d woken drenched in sweat, feeling the haunting effects of her pain and knowing there was nothing he could do about it. If he could have found any way to get her out of Purgatory, he would have done so already. Unfortunately, every plan he and his brother devised would leave Emily alone and vulnerable.
Lucas had promised to take care of her seventeen-year-old adopted daughter, but the task had not been easy. Emily lost her boyfriend, Hunter, a matter of days before Melena left. He’d died in battle not far from where the girl lay in bed recovering from a plague infection that had spread through their community. The death of her first love devastated her enough, but losing Melena shortly thereafter made matters even worse.
Emily shut herself away during those first weeks, leaving her room only to go to the kitchen or bathroom. Lucas and others who cared for her took turns each day trying to talk to her. But she just lay on her bed hugging her pillow and hardly acknowledged them.
He’d faced immortal warriors who had an easier time opening up, though to be fair, they were usually drunk when they did. After two weeks, Emily finally left her room one morning and announced she was going back to school. Lucas had recognized the look in her eyes. She’d found a way to block the pain and let anger take over instead—resentment at the entire world, including everyone in it. According to others who knew about such things, this wasn’t unusual for a teenager. Lucas hadn’t been certain whether to be relieved or worried. Until today.
The teenagers closest to him parted like the Red Sea after taking one look at his glowing gold eyes. He marched past them, heading toward two girls slapping and punching each other’s faces. One of them was Emily and the other her close friend, Gabrielle. Emily’s brown hair had fallen from its ponytail, and her red jacket hung halfway off her shoulder. Blood ran down her chin from a cut on her lip, and her right eyelid was swollen.
Her opponent wasn’t faring any better. Gabrielle, a female werewolf with ebony skin and long curly hair, had a broken nose and half the buttons on her shirt were ripped off. A snarl escaped her lips after Emily punched her in the stomach. Gabby’s eyes narrowed and she leaned low, charging into her shorter opponent. They crashed onto the ground and fought for the highest position.
Lucas considered stopping them, but centuries of experience had taught him it was best to let them burn some of their energy off first. It might even help Emily get some of the rage out of her system. The two girls had been close friends for several years. Whatever made them fight, they wouldn’t kill each other over it—he hoped.
He might have worried about Emily battling a werewolf, but that wasn’t much of a concern anymore. She’d gotten a dose of Melena’s immortal blood a few months ago to save her from the plague. It didn’t make her invincible, but it did make her strong enough to handle her supernatural opponent.
With a critical eye, he watched as they rolled across the ground slapping and punching each other repeatedly. They lacked any proper training. Lucas made a mental note to teach Emily a few fighting techniques to help improve her skills. He was surprised Melena hadn’t done so already, but she probably thought that would only encourage the girl.
Several minutes passed without any sign of them tiring. Lucas winced when Emily gained the higher position and pressed her thumbs into Gabrielle’s eyes. Who knew girls their age could be that malicious? It was probably time he put a stop to it. Melena would have his head if she ever found out he let the fight last so long. He sorely missed her constant criticism of his morals and would gladly listen to all of it if he could have her back now, if not sooner.
“Enough!” Lucas shouted, grabbing Emily by the arms and pulling her to her feet.
She struggled to free herself. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her still. Lucas hated to resort to such a method, but he didn’t know what else to do. He’d never seen her behave this violently before.
“Let me go,” Emily demanded.
“What is this about?” he asked, turning her to face him.
She glared up at him. “Nothing.”
He studied her pale features and the stubborn set of her jaw. “You are not very convincing.”
“It’s none of your damn business!”
He was getting nowhere with her. It was time to try a different tactic. Lucas turned his attention to Gabrielle, who stood a few feet away dusting herself off. “What happened?”
Unlike Emily, fear shown in the other teenager’s eyes. He had a tendency to inspire that in most people. It was only with those he cared about that he softened, though he wouldn’t actually hurt the girl unless she became a real threat to those he loved.
“Emily was talking with some strange guy,” Gabrielle answered, dropping her gaze to the ground. “He smelled human.”
“Shut up!” Emily dove for the other girl.
Lucas almost lost his grip. His fingers slipped on the fabric of her jacket, yet he did not want to rip it. “Stop.”
“Then don’t make my friends spy on me!” Emily swung her fist up, connecting her knuckles with his chin. “How could you?”
The blow had little force behind it, but his breath caught on her words. “How could I what?”
“You know what.” Her blue eyes were full of accusation.
Lucas had been cautious when he compelled Gabrielle. With supernaturals, he couldn’t erase their memories the way he could humans, but he could force them to do his bidding under whatever guidelines he provided them. Emily shouldn’t have been able to figure it out.
He’d have to choose his words carefully, but perhaps he could still salvage the situation. Gabrielle had been the only method he could use to watch over Emily when he wasn’t near her. The female werewolf reported all her movements and plans. It had been an ideal setup so that he could protect her. The last thing he needed was to lose that now when Emily had strange men coming around. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her.
“You must be mistaken,” he said. Lucas couldn’t outright lie, or the young sensor would know it.
“That is such bullshit. Why else would your number be in her phone?” Emily asked.
This was going to be more complicated than he thought. He glanced at Gabrielle. “Go.”
She gave Emily an apologetic look, then took off down the street. Most of the students who’d gathered to watch the fight had already left. He gave the few remaining stragglers a menacing glare and they took the hint. In less than a minute, only he and Emily stood there.
“I gave her my number so that if anything happened to you she would know how to contact me,” Lucas said after considering his answer carefully.
She stopped struggling and stared up at him. He couldn’t quite read her expression, but she didn’t appear enraged anymore. “And that’s the only reason?”
“Who was the man you were talking to?” he asked, deciding the best course of action was to change the subject. Teenagers were more astute in this day and age.
Emily averted her eyes. “No one.”
“I don’t need your abilities to recognize when you’re lying,” he pointed out. She wasn’t half as good as she thought.
She set her chin into a stubborn tilt and said nothing. This was going nowhere. Whether he liked it or not, she wouldn’t tell him anything until she was good and ready. Lucas had tried every tactic he could devise—short of harming her—on previous occasions with no positive results. Emily was every bit as stubborn as Melena, perhaps more so.
“Why attack Gabrielle if you think it was my fault?” he asked, taking her arm to guide her back to his vehicle. He didn’t want to keep standing in the open where they might draw further attention. They’d already created a big enough scene.
She clamped her lips shut and didn’t look at him. Lucas picked up the pace. He decided there needed to be a special realm far from Earth where all kids should go from ages twelve to eighteen to save their parents and guardians the grief of dealing with them. He had no idea how Melena managed to raise Emily and deal with all the supernatural problems they faced at the same time. It increased his admiration for her even more, along with the pain he felt at her absence. The world was a much better place when she was in it.
“Are you taking me home?” Emily asked after they got into the SUV.
“No.” He didn’t dare leave her alone in her mood.
She stared out the window as he drove down the street. “The nerou compound?”
“Yes.”
She’d been there a few times when he thought she needed closer observation. The compound was a facility they’d built where Lucas and other supernaturals trained the nerou so they could become acclimated to life on Earth. He didn’t mind the job all that much. I
t was the only way the nephilim-sensor hybrids could remain, rather than going back to Purgatory. The archangels had mandated the hybrid race must eventually take up the role of policing the sups of the world. They had a lot to learn before they could do that, but at least they’d eventually be allowed to live semi-normal lives.
Emily took some tissues from the glove box and cleaned the blood from her face. She hadn’t been wounded as badly as he’d originally thought. The swelling was already starting to go down, and the cut on her lip was closing. Melena’s blood must have quickened the healing process. By the time she finished wiping her face, you almost couldn’t tell she’d been in a fight.
“I want to go home.”
“I think not,” he said, shooting her a dark look.
She was quiet for the next few miles and didn’t speak again until they were leaving the Fairbanks city limits. It would take almost an hour to get there. They’d built the training facility in a remote location to reduce chances of human detection, though it had magical protections concealing it as well.
“I miss Mel,” Emily said, breaking the silence. Her voice came out soft and sad.
He understood her pain, though he tried to hide his for her sake.
“She’ll be home soon,” he replied, attempting to sound optimistic.
If only he knew the exact date, but Remiel refused to answer that question as of yet. Lucas’ chest tightened at the thought of what Melena must be enduring. He had known her for more than a decade, but he regretted the fact he’d spent much of that time despising her. Not just because she was a sensor or that he’d been forced to protect her, but also because she beguiled him. Melena was beautiful, strong, and brave. Perhaps he’d known on some subconscious level that she would be his undoing if he ever let her get too close to him. Lucas had done everything he could to keep his distance and make her hate him. Yet the attraction always lingered.
For many years, he fought and denied the pull between them, but over time she’d broken past his defenses. After he’d finally given in, every force imaginable conspired to keep him and his sensor apart. Their relationship was both the best and most difficult period of his very long life. He wished he could whisk her far away from all their troubles.