Marek: Guardians of Hades Series Book 4

by Heaton, Felicity

  The sensation he had seen this one in particular before, stayed with him though as the Messenger glanced at the gate.

  Or where it had been.

  Marek couldn’t feel it anymore.

  And that was unsettling.

  It felt as if he had lost something. A part of him.

  “Who do you work for?” Marek closed ranks with Esher, forming a wall before the Messenger.

  The male’s gaze darted to his boots. “No one.”

  Marek frowned at that. “Messengers work for someone. All of you have owners. I’ve never heard of one of your kind not having one.”

  His words slowed as a reason the male might not have a master hit him.

  Esher beat him to it.

  “You were one of Calindria’s.”

  Marek looked the Messenger over again, this time noticing how he kept glancing at where the gate had been, his mismatched eyes holding something surprising.

  Emotions.

  Pain was there. Sorrow too. And anger.

  Marek had never seen a Messenger with emotions.

  And he had never considered what had happened to the ones who had been in Calindria’s service when she had died.

  “We had to close it.” He caught the flare of hurt in the male’s eyes just before he shut them.

  “I know. I felt it.” His words were quiet, a bare whisper that Marek’s heightened hearing struggled to catch.

  He could understand the male’s reluctance to talk. Messengers were only supposed to relay whatever had been told to them, and no more. They weren’t meant to feel, or speak their own thoughts. It was part of the reason they had always made him feel uneasy.

  They had felt soulless.

  An automaton.

  But this one was different.

  “Where have you been since Calindria died?” He had an inkling he knew where.

  The Messenger confirmed it when he snapped, “She did not die. She was murdered.”

  And it had sent this male off the rails for some reason.

  He turned away from Marek and stared at where the gate had been, his perfect features darkening for a heartbeat before sorrow swamped them.

  Marek knew that feeling. He felt as if they had just lost her all over again too.

  “Who do you serve now?” Marek braced himself when the male turned on him, his green and blue irises bright in the darkness.

  “I serve Calindria,” he barked and curled his hands into fists. “I will only ever serve her.”

  It dawned on Marek that he and his brothers weren’t the only ones searching for a way to bring her back.

  The rage Marek could see building inside the Messenger deflated again as the male looked back at the empty ground where the gate had once been hidden.

  “She was the only person who viewed me as something with worth,” the male murmured, his voice distant and quiet. “She was meant for me. We were meant to be together. We will be together.”

  The male disappeared before Marek could stop him.

  He looked at Esher.

  Esher’s black eyes remained fixed on where the male had been and Marek could easily read his thoughts in them.

  How was a Messenger going to achieve that?

  And like hell would they let one end up with their sister.

  “You think he stands a chance?” Esher’s blue eyes slid to him.

  Marek shook his head.

  “But what if we could do more for her?” Those blue eyes began to brighten, turning the colour of a summer’s sky.

  “If we can somehow do more than just find her soul and see it safely to the Elysian Fields, then she won’t be allowed out of the house for at least a century, and even then, either me, you or one of our brothers will be going with her everywhere.” Because Marek was damned if he was going to let anything happen to her again.

  He took a step towards the fractured ground where the gate had been and froze when he felt a tug in his chest.

  “Not now.” He reached for his pocket, intending to fire off a message to one of his brothers, asking them to deal with the Seville gate for him, and stopped as a feeling went through him.

  “What is it?” Esher closed ranks with him again.

  “The gate is calling.” He lifted his head and locked gazes with his brother, seeing in them that he’d had the same thought.

  It wasn’t a Hellspawn wanting to travel to or from the Underworld.

  It was a trap.

  Light flared across his vision, dimming as Esher turned his phone towards him. It cast a cold glow in his brother’s eyes as his thumb danced over the screen, the charms that hung from one corner of the device swaying with each word he typed.

  It took Esher only a few seconds to finish his message, send it and pocket his phone. His brother had become an expert typist over the last few weeks, since meeting Aiko. Apparently, when the full and new moon had him in its grip and Esher was confined to the house, Aiko often stayed with her parents.

  And they messaged each other like it was a competition to see who could send the most during their time apart.

  Esher gripped Marek’s wrist before he could say anything and stepped with him. Marek appreciated the assist. He needed to conserve his strength in case his gut feeling was right and they were heading into a battle. His pulse picked up pace as the darkness whirled around him, adrenaline pouring through his veins as he steeled himself, attempting to prepare for whatever lay ahead.

  Even the worst he could imagine.

  His boots hit solid ground and the darkness evaporated to reveal the shadowy park and he was glad Esher had chosen to teleport them into a corner of the square, away from where the gate was hiding. At this distance, it wouldn’t respond to him.

  He looked beyond Esher.

  Relief and dread hit him in equal measure.

  Caterina stood beside the elegant low octagonal fountain in the middle of the open square in the Parque de María Luisa, her back to it and the palms and deciduous trees that enclosed the large space.

  She wasn’t alone.

  Guillem stood beside her, clutching her arm so tightly that her skin blanched where his fingers pressed in to her flesh.

  Her eyes were puffy. Her cheeks glistened with tears.

  On her forehead, some bastard had carved a ward.

  Her dull gaze remained fixed on the golden path at her feet even as Eli moved around her, his long black coat swirling around his ankles as he paced.

  Who had done this to her? The wraith or her brother?

  Marek was familiar with betrayal, could spot when someone else was feeling it. Guillem had turned against her. It was the only reason she would look so crushed.

  So… broken.

  So ready to give up on life, and accept death.

  Her brother lifted one booted foot to rest on the brown and white chevron tiles that covered the base of the fountain, leaned close to Caterina’s ear and brushed the tangled strands of her caramel hair from it.

  She tensed and flinched as he hissed into her ear.

  “Be thankful we aren’t killing you now you’ve outlived your usefulness and failed us.”

  It took all of Marek’s strength to resist the urge to sprint along the path that led to the fountain, one of many that formed rays coming from it, and attack him for that.

  Esher laid a hand on his arm. His brother had sensed Marek’s rising fury and meant to hold him back. Well, it wasn’t going to happen. Sense told him to wait for his brothers, but his heart roared at him to save Caterina.

  He shirked Esher’s grip and stepped out onto the broad box-hedge-lined path that cut straight towards the fountain. Esher muttered something and followed him, and he appreciated the backup because he was going to need it.

  Eli slowed to a halt and casually turned to face Marek as he approached.

  “You know how this will go.” The wraith shifted his gaze to Caterina.

  Guillem squeezed her arm so hard she cried out, the sound echoing around the park and ripping a hole i
n Marek’s chest as he fought the instinct to lunge for her and tear her from her brother’s grasp.

  Eli’s cold smile said he had seen through Marek’s façade and knew he wanted to save her.

  That he would do anything to achieve that.

  The wraith’s violet gaze drifted from her to Marek.

  “Open the gate, or she dies.”

  Chapter 34

  “Open the gate, or she dies.”

  Caterina’s dull eyes suddenly widened and she came to life, going from a compliant doll to a fierce tigress in the blink of an eye.

  “Don’t do it.” She kicked forwards and glared over her shoulder at Guillem when he yanked her back. She struggled against his hold, her heart racing in Marek’s ears as she turned her wild gaze on him and his brother. “There’s no saving me. It’s too late. We can’t reverse what was done.”

  He stared at her in disbelief as those words sank in and he saw in her eyes that she meant them.

  She truly believed that she would be a daemon forever.

  He could also see she believed it meant that whatever they had together was now over.

  What poison had Eli been dripping in her ears since she had interfered with his plans and teleported him and Lisabeta away from the battle at the twin gate?

  Whatever it had been, it had had the desired effect on Caterina, stealing all hope from her.

  “It’s pointless.” She shook her head, her hazel eyes pleading him to listen. “They want to ruin this world… your world… I can’t let them do that.”

  Her brother slapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her back against him. She wrestled with him, but her eyes quickly glazed over, her cheeks reddening as she struggled for air. She slumped against his chest and Marek bit back a growl as he focused all of his senses on her to check she was all right.

  “The female will do much to protect you it seems… even lie… and I can see she means something to you. Are you really willing to sacrifice her to protect the gates?” Eli’s baritone rolled over him like thunder.

  A storm built inside Marek in response.

  His mind ran at a million miles per hour, calculating outcomes and looking at the situation from every angle imaginable. Where he stood now was far away enough that the gate wouldn’t open. The daemons needed him closer so they could attack the gate once it appeared.

  They were banking on him or his brother attempting to take Caterina.

  He guessed the ward on her forehead prevented her from teleporting, but she had other powers at her disposal, ones that could provide her with protection in a battle if he could get her free of her brother.

  Esher was already on edge beside him, probably because the illusionist was nowhere to be seen. Marek, like his antsy brother, refused to believe that meant she wasn’t going to be involved in the fight and remained on guard, ready for anything she might construct to use against him and Esher.

  As soon as it looked like he or his brother would attack or the daemons were in danger of losing, Eli would build a portal for her to appear through and take them down with an illusion.

  Or was Eli waiting for the gate to appear before he did it?

  Illusions would keep him and Esher occupied, and his proximity to the gate would keep it visible.

  Vulnerable.

  The sensible thing to do was leave.

  But he couldn’t.

  He stared at Caterina, across the distance that felt vast between them.

  The wraith was right—she meant something to him.

  And he needed her back in his arms.

  It would happen, but she wasn’t going to be happy about his means of getting her there.

  He shrugged, aiming for casual. “She’s a daemon now. What do I want with a daemon?”

  He couldn’t bring himself to call her filthy, not when his gaze met hers.

  Her eyes widened and tears lined them, and he cursed himself, hating having to do this to her. He would make it up to her when he had her safely away from his enemy. He would make her see that this was all a lie, a ploy to keep her and the gate safe.

  He took a step back. “The only reason I came here was to open the gate for someone worthy of being in my presence, but now that you are in my way, I think I will make them wait. They will probably go to another gate.”

  Another step.

  Unless whoever was waiting on the other side was in on things, of course. It was tempting to open the gate to see if anyone came through. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the gate had summoned him, and Eli had been waiting here. The suspicion that they were working with someone on the inside, someone who could move through the Underworld with ease, deepened.

  He took another step backwards.

  Eli’s violet eyes brightened, anger flaring in them. Marek wanted to grin at the fact he had finally provoked a response, was on his way to tipping the scales in his favour by making the daemon lose his temper.

  The air behind Marek cooled.

  The hair on his nape rose in response.

  Or maybe he was only tipping it more in the daemon’s favour by forcing his hand.

  Darkness built around him, a black mansion constructing itself stone by stone before him, blotting out the park and Caterina.

  And his enemy.

  Before the final stone could fall into place, an unholy shriek pierced his ears and it exploded. He flinched away, bringing his arms up to shield his face as he twisted, waiting for the rubble to hit him.

  When it didn’t, and another black snarl pealed through the air like thunder, he lowered his arms and looked at Eli.

  The daemon’s eyes were bright violet as he bared his fangs, his eyes fixed on something to Marek’s right.

  Marek looked there.

  Esher held Lisabeta to the floor, pinning her beneath him, his left hand closed around her throat. Her cheeks were red and blotchy as she struggled, legs kicking wildly, heels tearing at the satiny material of her black dress. Her silver eyes swirled, wide and desperate as she clawed at Esher’s arms and battered his face, trying to force his brother off her.

  Esher didn’t even react.

  He bore down on her, pressing more weight on her throat, his expression devoid of emotion as he grinned, flashing his own long fangs as his black eyes gained a crimson corona.

  Esher lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Eli.

  “I can see she means something to you.” His brother parroted Eli’s words. “Are you really willing to sacrifice her?”

  Lisabeta’s struggles increased, her legs thrashing as she raked claws down Esher’s arms, drawing blood.

  Eli stared down at her, his face slack and eyes empty.

  He was going to let Esher kill her.

  She seemed to sense it and started kneeing Esher in the back as her silver eyes brightened. Pieces of scenery built and collapsed around Marek as she desperately tried to conjure an illusion, none of it holding as she desperately tried to breathe.

  Eli was suddenly behind Esher, digging claws into his shoulder and hauling him off the dark-violet-haired female. She gasped in air, her chest bowing off the dirt as her arms fell to her sides.

  “Kill her,” Eli snapped.

  Caterina cried out.

  Marek burst into action when he realised the daemon had been talking to Guillem. Trusting his brother would keep Eli and Lisabeta distracted so he could save Caterina. He turned towards her, intending to sprint to her, cursing the fact he couldn’t muster another teleport right now, not without dramatically weakening himself and making himself vulnerable.

  He froze when he caught sight of her, his heart aching as fiercely as hers must have been.

  Hurt shone in Caterina’s eyes. “Please, don’t do this.”

  She struggled against her brother’s hold, and Guillem looked down at her, hesitation etched on his face and something flaring in his eyes. Something that looked a lot like regret.

  For a heartbeat, Marek felt sure her brother wouldn’t go through with it.

  “I sai
d kill her!” Eli barked, more force behind those two words this time, enough to jolt Guillem into action.

  Guillem tensed, swallowed hard and gripped her caramel hair with one hand. He pulled her head to her left as she frantically fought him and raised his claws to strike.

  Marek’s heart lodged in his throat and he kicked off.

  Esher appeared behind Guillem in a swirl of black smoke and tore him backwards as he shoved Caterina forwards, separating the two and sending her stumbling towards Marek. Both Esher and Guillem disappeared.

  He heard them land behind him.

  Caught Caterina as she sank to her knees and eased her down.

  “Stay here.” He smoothed his hand across her forehead, over the ward, the fire burning in his blood blazing hotter at the sight of it.

  He risked a teleport just as a bright purple light pierced the darkness, stepping away from the gate so it wouldn’t have a chance to start opening.

  He appeared in front of Eli as the daemon looked in the direction of the gate and used as much of his power as he could spare to summon a dome over it. The baked earth walls were thin as it went up, weak enough that the daemons could break through it given the chance, but it would protect the gate and might stop it from reacting to him if he got too close to it.

  Esher held his hand out and the pipes beneath the park burst. Water shot into the air all around them, saturating Marek in a heartbeat, soaking the ground and turning the path to slippery mud. The water droplets swirled together, gathering into one long stream that suddenly sped towards the dome.

  And Caterina.

  He cursed his brother as icy claws sank into his heart and looked over his shoulder, taking his eyes off Guillem and Eli as his chest tightened.

  The fear pounding through him eased as he saw the water curving around Caterina, avoiding her as it formed another protective wall around the gate. Using his powers in such a way and having to constantly control the water would drain Esher. They would have to end this fight quickly, before Esher ran out of strength or his focus shattered and the water dropped to hit the earth dome, weakening it.

  Caterina crawled away from it and it lowered to cover where she had been, sealing the dome in completely. The water picked up speed as it grew deeper, ripped at the blue and white chevron tiles on the benches set into the box hedges. Debris swirled within the water, the dirt it picked up turning it murky.