Denying the Watcher

by Kim Loraine

  “You only have a few weeks remaining, Devin.”

  His words hit me like ice water. I’ve known it was coming, but I’d stopped focusing on the time, instead trying to get my affairs in order. “I know.”

  “Are you going to hold up your end of this deal you made with Sariel?”

  “You know I am. I promised.”

  “Promises are worth little in a world full of liars and thieves.”

  Anger burns in my chest. “I’m no liar. I gave Sariel my word. I won’t go back on it.”

  “And what about Willow?”

  “She … She left.”

  “You know she would be a strong asset to our fight.”

  “No. No fucking way. I’m not bringing her into this.”

  He frowns, picking up a paperback romance novel Willow left on my end table and flipping through the pages. “She’s already in it. Honestly, Devin, I thought you were smarter than this. The question is, are you going to leave her alone, unprotected, with a bound Watcher that Lucifer could easily release? Or will you be a man and get control of your emotions to bring her in to fight for our side?”

  Fear sits in my chest, cold and unforgiving. By letting her leave, have I really made her an unprotected target? Lucifer got to her once before. “She’s safe at Galen’s.”

  “No.”

  Nausea claws at my stomach. “What do you mean, no? Her Watcher is bound. She should have been able to get past the wards. Please tell me she’s not been wandering the city night after night.”

  “She has been safe at Galen’s. But after binding Sean, we had to have the wards lifted. The house is just a house. Anyone can get in, and Lucifer will come for her as soon as he figures out what we’ve done.”

  Dragging my fingers through my hair, I let out a growl of frustration. I’ve brought her nothing but heartache and trouble since we met.

  “I promised I wouldn’t come for her.”

  Gabriel lets out a long-suffering sigh and rolls his eyes. “Now you decide to be noble and worry about what she wants? This isn’t the time. She might not want to see you, but she’ll be a mindless minion of Lucifer if he gets to her. All it will take is unbinding Armaros. He’ll break her mind, and the Watcher will take control. You’ll lose her, and she’ll lose her soul.”

  “What do you suggest I do?” Anger burns in my words.

  For the first time, Gabriel’s emotions betray him. His nostrils flare, his eyes flash a bright silver, and I swear I can see an aura in the shape of wings spread behind him. He’s fucking pissed. “Get off your ass and go get her.”

  Anxiety makes my heart ache. I don’t know if I can handle seeing her. She keeps leaving me, breaking me. But I can’t leave her vulnerable to attacks from the other Watchers. Even if she’s not mine.

  “Fine. I’ll get her. I can’t promise she’ll come with me.”

  “Make her.”

  I laugh so loud, it startles the angel. “She’s not the kind of woman who’ll do what she’s told. I used to be able to sway her with orgasms. That’s not going to work this time.”

  A disgusted look crosses his face. “Do whatever you need to. She can’t get in the hands of the fallen.”

  “Fine. I’ll fucking toss her over my shoulder and chain her to the bed. Happy?”

  “I don’t care how you get her here. Just do it.”

  If I murder an angel, I’m pretty sure I won’t get my soul back. But he can’t die anyway. Maybe I’ll feel better if I pummel him a little bit. Pursing my lips, I think back to the moment he turned my mentor, Andrea, to dust. Better not.

  “Gabe, I’m going to need you to get the fuck out of my house now.”

  He’s gone in a flash of light, and with a disbelieving laugh, I notice he took Willow’s romance novel with him.

  This isn’t working out like I thought it would. I’ve been without Devin for weeks and I don’t feel any better. I haven’t healed, haven’t moved on, haven’t stopped thinking about him. If I could dream, it would be of him. The swoony bastard isn’t even here where I want him to be. I’ve tried so hard to avoid him, even gone hunting, but chickened out. Even the idea of sinking my fangs into another man’s neck makes me sick. The only time I’ve ever been able to feed without Devin was the first time. And then I hadn’t known what I was doing and got myself drugged. Damn it, but I think I need Devin to help me through it. I need to know he’ll be there to wash away the scent of my prey.

  I’ve decided to stop using Galen’s house as my daylight hideaway. I hadn’t been able to take waking up smelling Devin on the sheets for one more night. So, I’ve spent the last two nights in my apartment, creating a lightproof room in the same walk-in closet Devin spent the day in once upon a time.

  Loud hammering on my front door startles me from my project. My senses on high alert, I listen before heading to the door. The crackle of static, the shuffling of feet, and the thrumming of two nervous hearts have me panicking. Police. What the fuck are the police doing outside my apartment?

  “Seattle Police Department, open the door. We have a warrant.”

  Shit.

  If I answer, I may have to kill them. But, fuck, I can’t do that. Just because I’m a vampire now, that doesn’t give me carte blanche on murder and mayhem.

  “Willow Collins, open the door or we will break it down.”

  How did they find me? I’ve been careful, never staying in one place too long, never sharing my identity with anyone … except Alanna. But she’d never betray me. Biting my lip, I sigh and work through my options. I could escape out the window, but then I can never come back here. If I answer their questions, go in with them, probably get arrested for murders I didn’t commit, maybe I can convince them I’m innocent.

  As I open the door, my heart races. “What’s this about?”

  They don’t waste any time. The two men exchange a glance and nod. “Willow Collins, you’re under arrest for the murder of Mark Langley, Yvette Collins, and Terrance Collins.”

  The sound of their blood rushing through their veins drowns out the rest as they read me my rights and slap a pair of handcuffs across my wrists. I chuckle as I think of how easily I could break the metal. Giving the bindings a cursory tug, I wince in pain. What? I should be able to break out with no problems. But then reality rears its ugly head. I haven’t fed in three weeks. Devin told me two was the longest he’d ever been able to hold out, but by that point, his strength had dwindled to almost human proportions. Oh, sweet Lord. I just offered myself to the police, willingly put myself in restraints, and I have no way to get out.

  They push me toward the stairs, and fear takes hold in my chest. If I don’t get this taken care of in the next four hours, I’ll be toast. Quite literally.

  An hour later, I’m sitting in the interrogation room. The walls are dingy with grime and chipped paint, and the chair wobbles every time I move. Why didn’t I feed? If I had just given in, told Devin I needed him to help me, maybe I wouldn’t be in this predicament. Unease grips me as I run through every cop show I’ve seen. This is strange. Why haven’t they taken my prints, offered me a phone call?

  The door opens, and a surly officer fills the frame. He’s staring me down like I’m a dangerous criminal. I suppose in their minds, that’s exactly what I am. A woman who brutally murdered both her parents and her fiancé in cold blood.

  “We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Ms. Collins.”

  “You’re looking for the wrong person,” I admit. No point in lying. “I didn’t kill them.” Except I did kind of kill Mark, at least, I killed the vampire version of him.

  “Your prints were all over the bodies. You left a trail a mile long. So, why don’t we stop all this and you can tell me why you did it.”

  “I didn’t. Just like I told the officers years ago, I found Mark in his apartment. My mom called me and told me someone was in their house. When I got there, the man was leaving. He was white, with a shaved head, a dark hoodie, and jeans. His mouth was covered in blood.” My stom
ach churns as I relive that horrible night. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  “The marks on their bodies were consistent with repeated puncture wounds. The ice pick you used to kill them was on the floor next to your father’s body. It had your prints all over it.”

  “I didn’t kill them.” I keep repeating it, but he’s not listening. The excitement of being the cop to catch me seeps from his pores.

  “That will be decided in court. For now, we’re booking you unless you can post bail, but I’m damn sure you won’t be able to afford it.”

  I try to muster up the same kind of vampire hypnosis I’d seen Devin use, but all it does is make my eyes water. Fuck. I’m done. As soon as the sun rises, I’ll go up in flames. Unless I get a cell with no windows. As I walk into the small room, I curse. No such luck. There’s a goddamn skylight. What kind of asshole puts a skylight in a jail? The vampire-hating kind.

  At least he removes the cuffs after the bars are slammed shut. My wrists hurt from the metal. As the hours pass, my panic turns to full-blown terror. Am I really going to die right here? Like this? Up in fucking flames in a jail cell?

  A loud crash fills the air, followed by screams. My heart lightens. Devin. He’s here for me. He’s not going to let me die. But the man who strolls down the short hall of cells sends a bolt of fear through me. His eyes blaze a fiery gold.

  “Ah, little Willow. There you are. This is quite the mess you’ve made for yourself.” His smooth British accent slithers over me in a wave of discomfort. “Don’t worry about them.” He gestures down the hall. “Such weak-minded humans. Easy to control. Easier to dispose of. They’ve served their purpose and got you here. I don’t need them any longer. I’ve cleared all record of your name in their files. No one will know you were here.”

  Tensing, I step back, not wanting him to touch me. “Who the fuck are you?”

  He cocks his head before gripping the bars and pulling the door from its hinges. “My name is Azazel. I’ve been looking for you.”

  Terror grips my heart, sending me on a mad dash through Galen’s house as I search for Willow. I know she’s not here. I can’t feel her presence. Fuck. I can’t feel her at all. I should be able to sense her no matter where she is. Unless she’s …

  No. She’s fine. I can’t entertain the idea that Willow is anything other than fucking fine.

  Tearing through the room she should have used, I search for any kind of clues that might lead me to her. No clothes litter the floor, no shoes, or even a hairbrush stand out. It’s as if she wasn’t ever here. I pluck the pillow from the bed and crush it to my chest, inhaling deeply. There it is, juniper. Her scent is the only indication she was here.

  Sitting on the end of the mattress, I rest my head in my hands. If anything happens to her, I don’t know how I’ll forgive myself for letting her go. My pocket starts vibrating as my phone comes to life against my thigh. Who the fuck is calling me? No one calls me, not even Galen.

  Pulling the damned thing free of my pants, my heart lurches when Willow’s name flashes across the screen.

  “Willow? Where are you?” My voice breaks as soon as I begin speaking, the desperation impossible to hide.

  A low masculine chuckle comes through the line. “Try again, vampire.”

  “Who is this?”

  “I suppose we haven’t been formally introduced. My vessel’s name was Camden, but you will probably be more familiar with my true name.”

  “Stop fucking monologuing and tell me.” I let out a sigh, trying to pretend I’m not affected by this asshole.

  “Azazel.”

  My blood runs cold as soon as the name hits my ears. No. If he’s got her phone, he’s got her. “What have you done to her?”

  The asshole laughs. “Nothing … yet. But she’s a fighter. I knew she was tough. It takes some serious balls to go after vampires as a pitiful little human. She hid so well for so long too. I’m almost sad to have found her. I honestly wouldn’t have caught up to her if I didn’t have the police under my thumb. And of course, your constant need to be near her put a target on her back. Did you enjoy your time at that den of sin? Max and Lyla were quite upset when they filed the police report after you two assaulted them. Why, I’m sure the police would never have found Willow if not for that.”

  “Why can’t I sense her?”

  A heavy sigh filters to my ears. “So suspicious. Fine, do you need proof?”

  I expect to hear her voice, have her plead for me to stay away. Instead, a text message comes through, and I’m brought to my knees by a photo of her, bound, gagged, bleeding, but definitely conscious. This is my fault. I let her leave.

  “What do you want?” I bite the words out, clutching at the remaining threads of my self-control.

  “I thought that was obvious. Bring us Sariel. Then you and she can be together.”

  Sariel flares to life, a warning pulse of energy. No. Don’t you fucking dare, Devin.

  I can’t leave her to them. Gabriel warned me about this very thing. “Where?” I ask Azazel.

  “Green Lake. Be there in one hour.”

  The line goes dead, and my phone falls from my shaking hands, hitting the ground with a startling clatter.

  Motherfucker.

  Rushing back to my house, I gather the things I’ll need. If I’m going up against Azazel, I don’t want to be caught without a few weapons. Tucking a short blade in my boot, I assess my arsenal. With two wooden stakes in the hidden inner pockets of my leather jacket and my katana holstered across my body, I’m ready to draw any weapon I’ll need. I’m going to take down this asshole if it’s the last fucking thing I do.

  “Gabriel.” I shout his name, waiting and hoping he’ll grace me with his presence. I need the big guns for this. As much as my weapons will help, Feathers has to be ready to intervene, and I don’t want to waste time calling him when shit gets hairy.

  “What now, Devin?” He’s draped himself over my couch, and he’s … reading. “I’m busy. This novel is so enthralling.”

  “You’re reading a fucking romance novel. The world is falling apart, and you’re lying there, reading smut.”

  He sets the book on his chest and cocks an eyebrow at me. “Smut? I’ll have you know, they’re in love. It’s not smut if they love each other.”

  I can’t tell if he’s joking, but from past experience, I doubt it. The angel wouldn’t understand a joke if it bit him on the ass. “Willow is in trouble. I need your help.”

  Sitting up, he rolls his eyes. “Why is it that you’ve gone years without needing or wanting anything from me, but now, you call me every few days?”

  “Azazel has her.”

  His face turns to stone. “I warned you. They’ve got her now. She’s lost to you.”

  Rage has my fists clenching. “No. She’s not lost. I’m meeting him in less than an hour.”

  “Devin—”

  “Shut up and listen. In one hour, I’ll be at Green Lake. I’ve got a plan. It might be a stupid one, but I need you to be prepared to jump in. And … if something happens to me, you need a vessel ready for Sariel.”

  “I can’t just serve up a willing host. I might be an angel, but I’m no magician.”

  “Just be ready. I’m not letting them have her. And, Gabriel?”

  His eyebrows lift.

  “Save her soul, not mine. In the end … hers is the one that matters.”

  The angel looks conflicted, confused, and maybe a little sad, but he nods. “I understand.”

  Then he’s gone. I’ve done everything I can to prepare. As I head toward Willow, I’m positive that I’m doing the right thing. Even if I don’t come out of this alive, she’ll be saved.

  “Load her into the car. We’re leaving.” Azazel tosses his instructions over his shoulder as he leaves the room of the house where he’s keeping me chained to a chair.

  My heart trips an erratic beat as two vampires approach, men with glowing eyes and feral smiles. They want to hurt me, but for some reason, they won�
�t. A sick feeling claws at my belly. Maybe it’s because once my mind is broken, I’ll be just like them. I’ll be an asset.

  “You get the chains off her, I’ll take care of putting on the zip ties. But for fuck’s sake, leave the gag on. She talks too damn much.” The taller man stares at me with murderous glee in his eyes.

  Hope peeks its head out at the word zip tie. I can escape those. I’ve done it countless times as practice for self-defense demonstrations. It’s hard, but I know it can be done.

  “I don’t see why she needs so many fucking chains. She’s tiny, and weak as shit. Look at her eyes. She’s starved.” The one with eyes the color of honey kicks me in the shin before leaning down to unlock my chains.

  I’m going to kill him first.

  The instant the heavy links of metal lift off my body, I heave a sigh of relief. I’m not strong enough to escape these two, not while they’re focused on me. The idiots restrain my wrists in front of my body rather than behind, and I send up a silent prayer of thanks. This just makes it easier for me.

  Tall guy grabs me by the elbow, wrenching me from the chair and shoving me forward so hard, I fall flat on my face.

  “Azazel said not to hurt her. What’s wrong with you?” Honey eyes has his hands under my arms and is lifting me with ease before I can force myself to my feet.

  “She tripped.”

  Honey eyes shrugs. “Your funeral.”

  Before we reach the door, my vision goes dark as a black hood falls over my head. Panic threatens to take control as the space closes in on me. But, closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths, willing myself to calm down. I keep my eyes shut tight as we walk. Gravel crunching under my feet, the sound of the wind rustling leaves, and the whicker of a horse catch my ears. Where are we? Breathing deep, I try to catch the scent, commit it to memory. If I get out of this, I’m coming back and burning this motherfucker to the ground.

  A car door opens, and I’m shoved inside without ceremony, falling onto supple leather seats. I’m not alone. I can smell Azazel. The bitter scent of sulfur and wood smoke burns my nose. Another scent fills the car as we begin to move, and it sets my stomach growling with need. Blood. With a groan, I shift in my seat.