by Susan Illene
It came to Lucas then what the archangel meant. How he hadn’t seen it sooner, he did not know. No wonder they shipped Yerik off to a distant planet where he could not interfere.
“Let it go, Melena,” Lucas said in a warning tone. “They will not free him this soon no matter what you say or do.”
Remiel’s gaze met his. They exchanged a look of understanding.
She shook her head, still not seeing the ramifications, and pleaded with the archangel once more. “I don’t care. Do whatever it takes to get me a meeting with the council—please.”
Remiel was quiet a moment. “It would be better for you if I didn’t, but I will do as you have requested. We will convene again in three days. If they are willing to hear your petition, I will return for you then.”
“Thank you.” Melena swept her foot against one of the rocks, breaking the circle.
“Do not thank me yet,” Remiel said. A moment later he flashed away.
She turned to Lucas. “What did he mean about Yerik?”
There was no way he’d provide her with such damning information. “Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Lucas,” Melena warned. “You know I’ll figure it out eventually.”
She would, but knowing the truth would only make her more desperate to free Yerik. Lucas could see the chain of events now. Melena would have to put her life on the line if she continued down this path. He leaned down and stared into her eyes, showing her his own desperation. “Leave it alone. If not for me, do it for Emily.”
Cori snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it.”
“What?” Melena swung toward her.
Lucas hoped the human hadn’t managed to put it all together.
“An archangel doesn’t become a demon overnight, right?” Cori waited until Melena nodded. “It probably takes many months or years to fully darken their soul, so Ariel’s not evil yet. If Yerik is half demon…”
“He could break into Hell to save her if he comes back in time,” Melena finished, excitement in her voice.
“You’re missing one important part,” Bartol said, glaring at the human woman.
“What?” She threw her hands up. “Convince him to go down there and get her? Weren’t they friends before?”
“If that was all there was to it, we might support the plan.” Lucas cast a hard look at Melena and Cori. “The problem is that new arrivals to Hell are placed in a segregated place with heavy wards around it. As a half-demon, Yerik can get her into Hell, but he cannot access the secure part.”
Bartol picked up one of the summoning circle stones and tossed it into the woods. “The only person on this planet that we know of who could possibly survive entering Hell and get past those wards is Melena, but she’d have to go into the new arrival area alone because the protection magic on it is too strong for her to break. Yerik won’t be able to join her on that part. Do you think the demons guarding the place are going to let her waltz right in there and grab a prize like a former angel? Never mind what Melena would have to do to get Ariel back out—which will be another difficult task altogether.”
“Also, if she’s captured or killed, she’ll never be able to leave,” Lucas added. Melena might not be considering going yet, but he knew her. She’d talk herself into it and with the band around his ankle keeping him confined to Alaska, he wouldn’t be able to go with her.
“Oh, shit,” Cori said.
“Exactly,” Bartol replied.
Chapter Eighteen
Melena
Demons chased me. They all looked similar to Kerbasi except their skin was burnt-orange, and they had black horns on top of their heads. My heart raced as their growls grew louder and more ferocious. I had to get away from them before they reached me, but how? The barren landscape I sprinted across only had rocks and dust. No mountains or forests where I could hide. Lightning flashed in the sky, practically shining a spotlight on me.
My legs seemed as if they’d been weighted down with lead. No matter how much I pushed, I couldn’t go any faster. If anything, I was slowing down. I dragged in a breath of air, but couldn’t seem to fill my lungs. The heavy footsteps came closer. What was I going to do? I looked to the left and right, but the flat terrain offered me nothing.
Hazy figures appeared up ahead. As I drew closer to them, their faces came into sharp focus. More hellish beings, except these looked like demon versions of Dannia. I skidded to a halt, swinging my arms to keep from falling. They blocked my path. I twisted around in circles, finding myself surrounded. The demons closed ranks, growling and reaching out for me with razor-sharp claws.
I woke up screaming. Lucas was by my side in an instant, pulling me into his arms. He whispered words of consolation I could hardly understand. The images from my nightmare still flashed in my mind and I had the near-overwhelming urge to run as far away as possible. When I began to shiver violently, he held me even tighter.
“It’s okay, Melena. You’re safe now,” he said, rocking me gently.
The deep timbre of his voice was comforting, but it was hard to believe him after what I’d just seen. For a few minutes, I lay in his arms soaking up his strength. There were no demons, and I was back in Alaska now—home. I reminded myself of this over and over again until the terror ebbed away. This wasn’t me. I would not let bad dreams incapacitate me or rule my life. Given enough time, I would conquer them.
Lifting my head, I caught sight of the dark landscape outside the window. “It’s already nighttime?”
“You slept the entire day. The sun set a few minutes ago.” I could sense his worry and concern. He ran his fingers through my hair, continuing to soothe me.
“Is this what it was like for you every time you came back?” I asked.
He was quiet for a moment. “Yes, but it does get easier. The first few days are always the most difficult, especially when you return to circumstances such as ours.”
I remembered tossing and turning the night before. Thoughts of Ariel kept racing through my mind. I could hardly blame Lucas for insisting I not rescue her. Invading Purgatory had been dangerous enough, but Hell was an entirely different matter, and he wouldn’t be able to go with me. The demons would have no mercy, and I’d risk losing my soul.
As soon as I’d decide against it, though, Ariel’s ethereal face would pop into my head. A moment later it twisted into a demonic version. How could I continue living a long immortal life knowing I hadn’t at least tried to save her before it was too late? The guilt would eat at me every day. If the archangel council did decide to release Yerik, I needed to consider my options.
All those thoughts and more prevented me from sleeping until sometime in the early morning. My body must have shut down after that. I was still recovering from my stay in Purgatory and my injuries from the forest fire. It would take time to return to fighting shape.
I rested my head against Lucas’ chest and listened to his heartbeat. There was something ridiculously comforting about hearing it. “Did anything happen while I was asleep?”
“O’Connell stopped by. I sent him away.”
I tilted my head up to meet his gaze. “How many broken bones does he have?”
“Regrettably, none.” Lucas scowled. “We need him whole too much.”
“Why?”
He worked his jaw, and I admired the faint stubble growing there. Lucas was usually well-groomed, but he’d let himself go in my absence. He’d had to slick back his hair just to keep it out of his face because it had grown so long. In a weird way, I found his recent grunginess rather endearing. No one was perfect—not even him.
“I believe your missing brother has formed a cult—one that is targeting supernaturals. O’Connell has more resources than I do at the moment to track him down,” he finally answered.
“What?” I pulled away from him. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” He’d updated me on the recent attacks and the fallen peace spell, but not this.
“You had enough to handle without adding more before you were ready.” He r
eached out and traced the line of my jaw.
Normally, I loved it when he did that, but this time I grabbed his hand and shoved it down. He was not going to distract me with soft touches or tender looks. “How do you know my brother is behind it?”
Lucas sighed. “I believe it is best you question Patrick about that yourself. You must come to your own conclusions.”
“Patrick? What does he know about this?” Here I was questioning him the other morning, and I didn’t even have all the facts. If Emily’s father knew about this cult, he could be involved. I was half tempted to kick Lucas for keeping me in the dark.
“He is the one who told us about the group and its activities,” Lucas replied. By the expression on his face, he must have wished he could have put this conversation off a little longer. “I provided O’Connell with the details, but he will only work with you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” I rubbed my face. Couldn’t the world have just paused while I was gone? If it wasn’t one thing hitting me, it was another.
“What was that screaming?” Kerbasi’s voice came from the doorway. “I heard it all the way in my modest little dwelling and thought someone must be dying.”
I stiffened. He was the last person I wanted to see at the moment—aside from Dannia.
“Your twenty minute response time is certainly encouraging,” Lucas said, dryly.
“Emily said you were handling it,” the guardian replied, clearly annoyed, “but I grew impatient. What has happened?”
I turned to face Kerbasi, a shudder running down my spine. The images from my nightmare still lingered and seeing him brought them back into sharp focus. “I dreamed of you. Your image tends to inspire that kind of reaction.”
“I am pleased I have not lost my touch.” He polished his fingernails against his shirt.
Grabbing a pillow from the bed, I threw it and struck him in the face. Even though it couldn’t have hurt, it made me feel better. “Go away.”
He gave me a wounded look and wandered off. There were times when I wondered if he really did care, but pretended he didn’t. Looking back now, I had caught a whiff of concern coming from him. I’d just been too caught up in the remnants of my nightmare to notice.
“Perhaps you should get dressed and come downstairs.” Lucas slid off the bed, his expression grim. “There is much we must discuss.”
“Shower, coffee, and then we can talk.” I had to have my priorities.
***
The house was crowded when I came downstairs. A couple of new arrivals had gathered in the living room, but I found Patrick and Emily playing chess at the dining room table. He was alternating between glancing at a laptop set up next to the board, chatting with his daughter, and moving his pieces across the game board.
They were laughing as I walked up to them, though I’d missed the joke. I sensed the bond developing between them and it worried me. What if he turned out to be a bad guy? Had we made the wrong decision by allowing Patrick to stay and let Emily get attached to him? I needed to question him again before making any solid conclusions, but that would have to wait a little longer. I desperately needed coffee, and I had guests in the other room.
“Isn’t this a school night?” I asked, pausing at the table. It had to be around midnight.
Emily moved one of her pawns. “I couldn’t sleep.”
I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. It seemed like forever since I’d been able to do that. “Don’t stay up too long.”
She lifted her head, concern in her gaze. “Is everything okay, Mel?”
“Oh, yeah.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “It was just a bad dream.”
“What was it about?”
The long, hot shower I’d taken had allowed me some perspective on what happened. It almost seemed comical now—almost. “Demon versions of Kerbasi were chasing me.”
“Wow. That would have made me scream, too.” Her lips twitched.
I headed for the kitchen and found a fresh pot of coffee waiting. Lucas must have made it for me while I was in the shower, which made me love him that much more. I fixed myself a cup and stood there sipping it. The kitchen was empty and quiet, allowing me a chance to wake up and center myself. Considering who’d come to visit, I felt bad for not greeting them right away, but I needed some fortification before I faced the world again. It seemed like every time I thought I was getting back to normal something else came along to throw me off course.
It took a second cup of coffee, a banana, and a bowl of cereal before I felt strong enough to head toward the living room. Lucas met me in the foyer.
He studied my face. “You look better.”
“I feel better, too. Where’s Micah and Bartol?” Neither of the nephilim had been in the house when I woke up
“At the nerou compound. We thought it would be good for Bartol to get out for a while and Micah needed to do a security check anyway. They should be back later.” The gold in his eyes deepened and he cupped my cheek. “You have visitors, but if you’re not up for it, I can send them away.”
“I’ll be fine.” I gave him a pleading expression. “If we could just pretend my little incident didn’t happen, it would help.”
Sympathy reflected in his eyes, and he lowered his hand. “I understand. We will not speak of it again—unless you wish.”
“Thanks.” I released a pent-up breath. As much as I appreciated his concern, I didn’t want to dwell on my nightmares any more than Lucas did when he had a bad dream.
“I’ll join you shortly.” He squeezed my hand and walked away.
I entered the living room, and two women flew at me—Aniya and Lisette. They were my best friends since high school back in California, though I rarely saw them much these days. Each of them gave me a bone-crushing hug. It was all I could do to maintain my composure. They reminded me of a time when my life was normal and the supernatural a distant thing I hardly ever worried about.
Then Aniya had decided to come to Alaska three years ago and got kidnapped. I came here, intending to save her from a witch-vamp hybrid and her gang, but things didn’t go as planned. She was fatally shot by a police officer who’d been compelled to do it. As she lay bleeding to death, I’d begged Nik to turn her into a vampire. It was that or let her die. She’d been through a lot since then, but when I’d left for Purgatory she’d seemed to be doing better.
The reason for that sat on a couch nearby—Cage. He was a sixty-year-old vampire who appeared about forty. He had that older surfer guy look with short, blond hair and semi-tanned skin. It took a few decades for vampires to turn pale unless they were that way already.
Cage had worked with Aniya earlier this year at a make-shift clinic where they tended patients who’d been affected by an outbreak of the black plague spreading amongst supernaturals. Vampires weren’t affected, so they’d made the best nurses. In the midst of that, romance had bloomed between my friend and Cage. I’d witnessed the beginnings of it, but I’d missed being around for when it fully developed. Now, she appeared happier than I’d ever seen her.
“When did you fly up here?” I asked Lisette. She was a pixie. I’d known that about her since we first met due to my abilities, but I’d hidden my knowledge until after Aniya got turned into a vampire. It had been safer for no one to know about my sensor background. She hadn’t been very happy when she discovered I’d kept that from her, but with time we worked past it.
Lisette smiled. “Late last night. I would have come by sooner, but Lucas asked us to wait a little longer.”
I grabbed a strand of her shoulder-length hair. “Blond? Isn’t that a bit too normal for you?”
“I ran out of colors and decided to go natural.” She shrugged.
In all the time I’d known her, she’d always had it dyed some sort of bright shade. The short, energetic woman had a passion for life and loved to display it outwardly in her hair and her clothes. Today she wore leather pants, a skimpy pink sequin top, and an open jacket. The heels on her shoes had t
o be at least six inches. There were very few times I’d seen Lisette in anything that she couldn’t wear to a nightclub.
“It looks good,” I said, letting go of her hair.
“So how are you?” Her brow furrowed. “I’ve heard horrible things about Purgatory. Do they really do things like flay the flesh off of you?”
Lisette always lacked the ability to use tact. Coming from her, it didn’t bother me at all. “Only on Fridays. The rest of the week they stuck with the tried and true method of drawing and quartering.”
Aniya’s mouth dropped open. “You’re joking.”
She was always the most serious one among us. Her parents were originally from India and raised her to be studious and hard working. Aniya’s coming to Alaska was the first time she’d done anything remotely rebellious—despite mine and Lisette’s influence. Becoming a vampire hadn’t changed her personality. If anything, she was more withdrawn and quiet now than before.
“Don’t worry. It was bad, but it wasn’t that horrible.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay.”
Aniya swallowed. “Was it as bad as when Variola held you in her basement and had you tortured?”
“Sweetheart,” Cage said, putting an arm around her. “Maybe it’s not a good idea to dredge up those old memories.”
That period had been bad for Aniya as well because she felt responsible for what happened to me. After being captured by Variola’s people while trying to rescue her, I’d been chained up and beaten within an inch of my life. It was difficult to be certain how many of my bones were broken in the process, but to say the pain had been unbearable would have been an understatement. I didn’t have immortality to help me at that time. The only reason I’d survived was because they fed me vampire blood—after letting me suffer through the pain for a while first. I hadn’t had Lucas on my side then, and I’d been all alone with no hope of rescue.
“To be honest, I think the Variola experience was worse than Purgatory,” I replied truthfully.
What I didn’t add was that being captured by my father the following year and held by him and his minions for several days actually made the number one slot for worst experience. He’d brutalized me physically and psychologically. Betrayal by family—even members you’d never met before—was the worst kind of torture. It might take some time to get over my stay in Purgatory, but I’d built up a rather strong defense mechanism against that sort of suffering. It also helped that I’d acquired a mass of friends and loved ones over the last few years who would always be there for me.