Son of Chaos (Dark Provenance Series Book 2)

by Lexi C. Foss

  Alastor chuckled. “Nothing childlike about me, sweetheart.”

  She glanced upward, her patience clearly thinning. “The disturbance you seek is two blocks north.” She rattled off a few details, including an address of a sort that only those in Hell would understand. “Take some guards with you. She’s oozing malice.”

  “No guards required.” Alastor stood and fastened the solitary button of his charcoal-gray suit jacket. “I’ll join them.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll stay here and let them handle it.” Lucía’s tone brooked no argument, not that Alastor appeared to care. If anything, he seemed amused by the prospect of defying her.

  “Finding and killing a rogue demon with them sounds far more exciting than another moment in your company, Your Highness.” He mock-bowed with the sarcastic twist of his words and joined our party.

  Trudy had stood off to the side the entire time with a smirk on her face, clearly used to the banter between Alastor and Lucía.

  My expression likely held a touch of bewilderment, because wow. Whoever orchestrated this arrangement clearly hated one or both parties involved. Lucía and Alastor could not be any more different in their temperaments and personalities.

  “Fine,” Lucía replied. “I could use the peace and quiet.”

  “Oh, trust me, darling, so could I.” He gave her a wave and led the way.

  “Thank you for making the call,” Xai said to Lucía, his head tilted in slight reverence. “We’ll handle it.”

  “You’re most welcome,” she replied in that primly proper way of hers. “And feel free to kill Alastor in the process. On accident, of course.”

  “I heard that,” the Archdemon called from the exit.

  “I had hoped you would,” she returned, her lips curling in triumph. “Just trying to prolong the silence, darling.”

  “And I’ve given you several ideas on how to do that,” he tossed back at her. “Perhaps you should consider them while I’m away.”

  Crimson crept up her neck as she narrowed her gaze. “Never.”

  “I love when you lie,” he replied, winking. “Shall we?” he asked the rest of us, his hand already on the door handle. “I’m eager to kill something.”

  “Yes,” I said. “Me too.”

  He smiled. “Daughter of Death, how I approve.”

  Xai’s palm tensed against my lower back, his demeanor otherwise calm. “You mentioned leading the way?” he prompted, just a hint of a bite to his tone.

  Alastor chuckled. “Possessive, as you should be. And yes, follow me.” His dark chocolate wings touched the floor as he walked, an indication that, despite the elegant attire, he preferred casual environments.

  “Bye, Lucía,” Trudy called over her shoulder. “I’ll reach out to have lunch soon.”

  “Please do. I could use the break!”

  Trudy chuckled as she followed at my back, closing the door to the chambers behind us. “You’re friends?” I asked, surprised.

  “Somewhat, yeah. We bond over frustrating Archdemons,” she murmured, a smile in her voice.

  Alastor scoffed at that, his annoyance palpable. “I’m considering this a vacation. There will be no talk of the Divinity or that thing living in my palace, yes?”

  “A vacation,” I mused. “Shrouded in blood.”

  “And see, I knew I liked you.” He winked over his shoulder, which stirred a low growl from Xai. “Innocent flirting, Son of Chaos. Promise.”

  “Try not flirting,” he replied darkly.

  Alastor shrugged. “You clearly know nothing about me.” He opened the side exit, where a horde of blue-cloaked demons boasting Alastor’s seal was waiting.

  “She’s going to see us coming,” I muttered low, mostly to Xai.

  “I have an idea for that,” Trudy replied softly. “Alastor?” she asked, louder.

  “Yes, sweetheart?” he asked, turning to face her with a wicked grin meant to strip women of their common sense. “How can I help you?”

  She—like Lucía—appeared unfazed, probably because Ashmedai used the same tactics. “I’d like to discuss strategy. We have Kalida’s location, but we need to be smart about this, as she has a penchant for escaping.”

  He leaned against the doorway. “I’m listening.”

  Excitement brightened her expression as she dove into an attack plan that was impressive and detailed and put me exactly where I wanted to be—as the one destined to kill Kalida.

  “Seemed fair, considering,” Trudy added after noting that part.

  “I agree,” Xai murmured, his thumb tracing the top of my jeans at the base of my spine. “But I will be with her.”

  Trudy nodded and continued with two backup plans, just in case our original didn’t work, and finally looked to Alastor for approval. He merely shrugged. “I usually prefer a slower death involving disease, but I’ll settle for a bloody one.”

  “You can infect Grant with something,” I offered. “As a gift for your assistance?”

  He smiled. “Would you be watching?”

  “Yes.” My soul required the vengeance associated with the Nephilim’s death. If it was painful? All the better.

  “Then it’s a date.” He grinned at my scowling dark angel. “You’re welcome to join us. I don’t mind.”

  Xai didn’t reply, merely slid his palm down to cup my ass and pull me closer to him. I laid my head against him, reciprocating the display of ownership.

  Trudy cleared her throat. “I suggest we go before we miss our chance.”

  The notion of Kalida escaping sent flames through my veins, heating me to my very core with the need to seek revenge. Her black spirit had tainted the lives of others, my own included, and for that, she would die. Justice needed to be served.

  “Go,” Xai whispered. “I’ll follow.”

  I didn’t respond, my feet already moving toward my target, my soul craving retribution. Being the Daughter of Death didn’t mean I enjoyed killing. It meant I harbored the responsibility of delivering judgment to those who had wronged others, and Kalida was at the top of my list.

  It’s time.

  Yes.

  Her sentence must be served.

  Yes.

  Find her. Find her now.

  Yes.

  I jogged in the direction Lucía had described, growing more certain with every step that I’d located my mark. My senses stretched, seeking her aura and coming up empty.

  Grant.

  Punishment is required.

  I know.

  Xai’s feet were silent behind me, but I felt his presence like a brand against my heart. Mine in all ways. I’d hardly noticed being in Hell, my body feeling more alive and stronger than I ever remembered it feeling. No aches, no weakness, just solid power and energy thriving inside of me.

  Whether from my link to Xai or something else, I didn’t know. And I didn’t have time to ponder it now.

  The building Lucía detailed stood a dozen feet before me. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a standard two-story home with stucco siding and a glistening black roof. I leapt into the air with a beat of my wings and landed quietly on top of the house, just as we decided. Xai dropped beside me, his glorious feathers blending with our surroundings, his gaze vigilant.

  I listened for signs of life, conversation, anything to indicate Kalida was still inside.

  Nothing.

  I crept forward, eyeing the second-floor balcony and the billowy curtains suggesting someone had left the sliding door open.

  Too easy.

  A trap.

  Xai seemed to agree, his head giving a shake in the negative.

  The others around us were all getting into their positions—Trudy climbing the roof of the home across from us, a pistol I hadn’t noticed before in her hand. Alastor had taken to the sky with three of his Royal Guard members, pretending to be out for an afternoon flight. Two other Guards were in similar locations to Trudy, everyone preparing to ambush Kalida and whoever kept her company.

  I consi
dered the scene, our backup, the weapons we carried, and smirked.

  Yeah. Why bother with a sneak attack, really, when we clearly had the bitch outnumbered?

  We could have some fun.

  Xai arched a brow. What do you have in mind, love? he seemed to ask.

  I smiled and nodded with my head. Follow me. I jumped off the building and landed in the sand covered street.

  The home had no obvious entry point aside from the high windows—windows that I suspected weren’t actually as open as they appeared. We were in Hell, after all.

  Where’s the door? I wondered, studying every detail of the brown exterior. The varying patterns etched into the siding flowed seamlessly into one another, except for the spot on the corner.

  I gestured to it with my eyes and Xai grinned. Let’s go.

  Trudy had suggested an ambush. While I approved, I didn’t need the backup. Death craved vengeance and I would deliver.

  I moved with care over the ground, cognizant of potential traps. A tiny scrap of misshapen rock in the ground two feet before the entry had me nearly laughing.

  A sound bomb, I told Xai with my glance.

  He looked about as unimpressed as I felt.

  Seriously, Kalida could do better. It was almost as if she wanted to be discovered. And unless she had a gun pointed and ready inside, she stood no chance.

  I examined the wall pattern, searching for the trigger. Gotcha. I held my fingers out in a countdown. On one, I palmed a blade and kicked the spot as hard as I could.

  The entry formed, sucking me inside with Xai at my heels. It knocked me off-kilter just long enough for someone to leap up from the living area with a shout. Male, not female, but I didn’t care. My knife landed unerringly in his head, ceasing his yelling.

  I stepped inside, another weapon already sliding into my hand.

  Someone started down the stairs and froze upon catching sight of me in the entry. Starless eyes, black hair, scarred face.

  Kalida.

  I smiled. “Honey, I’m home.”

  She scrambled forward, her arm lifting, a pistol in her hand.

  I didn’t hesitate, my knife already sailing through the air to meet her wrist. The force of it knocked her backward, my blade going straight through her bone to pin her against the ground.

  “Beautiful,” Xai praised, pleasure evident in his tone.

  “Child’s play,” I replied. But it really was a spectacular throw, especially with the way it held my target captive. Kalida could extricate herself by tugging out the knife, but the pure silver handle made that particularly difficult for a demon.

  “Miss me?” I asked darkly.

  She growled, her free hand going to her jeans pocket.

  I tsked, palmed another blade, and sent it into her shoulder, effectively slicing her tendons.

  She screamed in agony, some demonic word falling from her lips.

  “I’m sorry.” I cocked my head to the side. “Did that hurt?”

  A gurgling reply was my answer.

  My lips twitched. “Good.”

  “Darling.” Xai held out his sword, hilt first. “Can you use this?”

  I cocked a brow at him. “Seriously?”

  “Humor me.”

  I sighed, accepting his oversized weapon. “This is only because I love you.”

  Anticipation swirled in his midnight irises. “Then make it bloody.”

  That I could do.

  I approached her trapped form, my steps light, my soul singing with the need for justice. “While I would love to know more about your relationship with Grant and how you’ve used him to conceal yourself, your death matters more, Kalida.”

  No way in hell was I going to draw this out and give her a chance to escape.

  Not again.

  And fuck asking questions.

  Fuck everything.

  I just wanted her dead.

  I nudged her chin with the sharp edge of the sword, needing to see her eyes. “Thank you, Kalida,” I murmured. “For trying to break me.” I knelt beside her, holding her horrified gaze. “Because of you, I’ve never been stronger.”

  She called out again, her demonic words gibberish as her expression morphed into the agony of betrayal. Had she really expected Grant to be strong enough to save her? Not fucking likely.

  It’s time.

  My soul ached, begging me to finish this, to rid the universe of Kalida’s black existence now, desiring the end to her cruel ways.

  Kalida had done enough.

  She needed to disappear.

  “Goodbye, Kalida,” I whispered, the lethal point hovering just over her heart as I stood. “May you rest in eternal Hell.”

  I applied more pressure than necessary, forcing the sword through her heart and into the floor beneath her. A sharp exhale shuddered from her lips, her body processing the silver in her heart and pumping it through her veins.

  Xai said nothing as I watched her life wither away.

  Did nothing as her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

  And smiled as her remains turned to ash.

  Her spirit lifted, that intoxicating energy turning toward me and joining the Soul of Death, just as all those who came before her. I closed my eyes, welcoming her home, morphing her negativity into positivity in an instant, and feeling peace settle in the atmosphere around us.

  Gone.

  Destroyed.

  Clean.

  Her sentence delivered.

  “You needed it to be quick,” Xai murmured, his movements whispering around me.

  I nodded.

  “The others will be disappointed, but I’m glad it’s done, even if she deserved a far harsher fate,” he said, the clink of metal indicating his retrieval of our weapons.

  “Justice,” I managed in a whisper, my eyes still closed as my soul continued to process Kalida’s demise. “Justice is served.”

  A slow clap sounded from above, followed by the creaking of stairs as a being I hadn’t seen in ages slowly descended, his gaze aged and cold.

  Dariel.

  The Archangel of Concealment.

  16

  Time for Chaos to Come Out and Play

  “The Archangel of Destiny always did enjoy her meddling,” Dariel murmured as he reached the bottom step. “Not that I’m concerned. Kalida had reached the end of her usefulness long ago, but Grant insisted on keeping her.”

  I moved to Evangeline’s side, her body tense in surprise. “Dariel,” I greeted flatly.

  “Xai,” he returned, his voice void of emotion.

  “When Ashmedai suggested you might be Grant’s patriarch, I said you’d be offended by the insinuation. Fascinating that he was right.” I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now I realized my error. “It’s good to put a face with the orchestrator of this madness, but you’re not working alone.”

  “I’m not,” he agreed, his lips twitching. “Perhaps you should ask your mother for more names? Oh, but that’s only if she survives.”

  My eyebrow lifted. “Is that a threat?”

  “More like an indication of current events,” he replied, his feathers flaring to blend in with the brown texture around him. Not many possessed the ability to change their appearance, but as the Archangel of Concealment, he could. In all ways. “See, I knew she would send you here,” he continued. “Actually, I guaranteed it.”

  An unsettling feeling stirred inside of me, one of foreboding.

  “Have a safe trip, but do come back soon. We need you.”

  What had my mother seen intertwined into those paths?

  “You feel it, don’t you?” Dariel took a final step, landing on the ground before us with a finality that shook my being. “Heaven falling. Those portals before were just a test of strength, and they served as a way to weaken the strongest of our kind. Now they stand no chance, not with their forces divided.”

  Because you’re not the only one who has chosen this path. The thought came from that foreign place inside of me that had only recentl
y awakened. There are more traitors in Heaven.

  “Why choose this path, Dariel?” I asked, curious rather than afraid. My instincts told me this was where I needed to be, and I trusted them.

  “Are you not bored by the peaceful divide?” he countered. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to manage our own territories on Earth? Obtain our own mortal subjects? Why are demons the only ones allowed to have all the fun?”

  I stared at him. “You believe consorting with humans to be fun?”

  He shrugged. “They die so often that I’ll have a constant supply of new toys. What isn’t enjoyable about that?”

  Age insanity, I realized. Dariel had gone mad with time. It happened—not often—when the most ancient among us forgot our core values and favored more lethal pastimes instead.

  “You’ve lost your fucking mind,” Evangeline said, her body tense with the need for retaliation. “Without the balance, Heaven will be destroyed.”

  His lips curled. “I know.”

  “He doesn’t care.” I tilted my head, eyeing him. “He wants Heaven to Fall, thus changing Earth for eternity. But what of Hell?”

  “What about it?” he asked with a disdainful look around. “It’s already crumbling from the imbalance. It’s an inferior realm. Let it destroy itself.”

  “The demons will move to Earth.” Evangeline’s tone suggested her impatience with this conversation, and the blade twirling between her fingers confirmed her proposed solution.

  But a knife wouldn’t take down Dariel.

  Only an Archangel of equal or greater strength could destroy him, but a lot of beings would be destroyed in the process, including—potentially—her.

  Which was why I didn’t react, merely stood with my feet braced, ready to protect her if necessary, but otherwise not engaging the clearly mad Archangel before me. I needed a better plan first.

  “Not if all the portals and Portal Dwellers are destroyed,” Dariel replied conversationally. “Why do you think I’m here, Evangeline?”

  “Because you’re insane and craving death?” she suggested sweetly.

  “Alastor’s portal,” I answered before he could reply to her sarcasm. “You’re here to destroy it.” It served as the primary gateway between Hell and Earth, heavily guarded on both sides. Demons with proper clearance were granted passage, and it was the only portal in existence that Heaven allowed to remain open at all times.