The Final Countdown [Beyond the Angel Pack 5] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Maggie Walsh

  “It’s good to see you again, Thaddeus.”

  Chapter Three

  “I’m not quite sure this application will work, Sammy. These samples look off. Almost as if they are repelling each other. Come and take a look, and tell me what you think,” Aaron said as he sat hunched over the microscope, his eyes pressed to the eyepiece.

  Sammy walked across the lab and stopped next to his twin brother. Aaron slid off the stool so Sammy could sit. He placed his eyes to the ocular lens, peering down into the sample that Aaron was questioning. The purple round cells of the dragon mixture sample were all on the right side of the slide, while the long blue wormlike cells of the phoenix mixture were pressed against the outside rim of the left side. Aaron was right—it looked like the two were doing everything they could to actually stay separated. He pulled back with a heavy sigh and met Aaron’s gaze.

  “You’re right, Aaron. I don’t get it.”

  “Placing one sample drop over the other didn’t work as we just saw, so what if we put the two samples in a shaker at top speed to see if it can help infuse them?”

  “It’s worth a try,” Sammy replied as he shrugged.

  Aaron went to the table and carefully picked up the vial with the sample of dragon blood. Then he tipped it over an empty vial, allowing it to fill almost halfway. Carefully, he replaced the little glass tube and grabbed the one that held the phoenix mixture, which was phoenix blood mixed with phoenix tears, and added some of that to the tube.

  “If dragon blood can kill a vampire and make shifters’ powers increase, but then make them go insane, and that phoenix mixture can take a fae’s powers away momentarily, there is a good chance that this is what we have been looking for in taking away a demigod’s powers. I mean, it may make his powers increase like the shifters or take away his powers for a little while,” Sammy said as he watched Aaron.

  “Or it may do nothing at all. But if we can find a way to take Minos’s powers away even for a minute, that would give Jesse, Micah, Noah, Lucifer, and Demi a chance to attack while he’s weak, thus killing the fucker.”

  Sammy giggled from Aaron’s words. He loved being here in Aaron’s lab. Well, it was their lab now. Since he moved out of the cells in the basement two months ago, he had started working with Aaron. They showed each other what they had each been doing on their own and how they each came up with the successes they had. He was so impressed with Aaron’s brilliance and was really happy for once in his life to have someone around that understood him. And he was extremely grateful to have family again. Finding Aaron, his identical twin brother, after thinking his whole life that Aaron was dead, was the second biggest shock. The first was finding his mate.

  His fae warrior, Sasha, was the best, most patient, and understanding mate in the world, and Sammy didn’t know how he would have made it through the past three months without Sasha. His mate helped him adjust to his new life, with this new family, and never left his side until he was comfortable. And Aaron and his mates, along with Aaron’s brother Storm and his mates, had welcomed Sammy with open arms and accepted him right from the start. Storm telling him that because they were both Aaron’s brothers that made them brothers, and meaning it, was another great surprise in his life. After all this time getting to know them, he felt like they all were truly his brothers, his family. Sammy would forever be grateful to Sasha, Nicco, Ryx, and the others for finding him and bringing him to the Angel Pack.

  “Okay. The sample is ready. Look at this—even in the tube they are separating. I hope the shaker will help bring them together.”

  “If not, maybe we could ask Jesse for a sample of his blood, seeing as he’s a demigod, and see if that helps bind the two together,” Sammy suggested.

  “That’s a great idea, but we don’t need to ask Jesse for a sample just yet. I still have a little left from his last sample in the fridge.”

  “That’s great. Okay, let’s see what happens,” Sammy said.

  Aaron inserted the tube in the shaker machine and turned it on full speed. They sat and watched for the next five minutes as the machine did its job. Aaron stopped it and pulled the vial out, and a smile crossed his lips. “They mixed!” he exclaimed excitedly.

  Just as Sammy was about to join in Aaron’s celebration, he watched as the two samples once again separated. “Shit.”

  “You can say that again,” Aaron mumbled.

  “Shit,” Sammy said and gave Aaron a smirk.

  Aaron chuckled. “Smartass.”

  “Yup, just like my twin.”

  “Okay, let’s give it a whirl with some of Jesse’s blood. Can you get that please?”

  Sammy nodded and went to the fridge, grabbed the sample, and brought it back to the table. He took a dropper, drew out a small amount, and then added it to the vial Aaron held out to him. Again, Aaron placed the rubber cap into the top of the tube and put it in the shaker.

  They both sat staring at it for the next ten minutes, and then Aaron shut off the machine and pulled out the vial. A smile slowly crept across his face. Aaron looked up, meeting his gaze, and Sammy looked down at the vial, a smile coming to his lips, too.

  Aaron grabbed a fresh slide and dropper. Taking some of the mixture out, he dropped a few drops onto the slide and then replaced it in the microscope, taking out the other sample. Aaron sat on the stool and looked into the eyepiece as Sammy stood by his side, patiently waiting. After a few minutes, Aaron sat back and moved off the stool, then waved his hand for Sammy to take his place. Sammy sat and peered into the microscope. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The samples were mixed perfectly together, but the cells from Jesse’s blood lay dormant. He could tell from their color that they were still alive, but the cells just lay there, unmoving.

  Sammy sat back, looked to Aaron, and they both started laughing. Once they quieted down and caught their breath, Aaron said, “Now we just have to see if we can get one of the demigods to be a guinea pig.”

  Sammy’s face fell. There was no way any of them could risk one of the demigods losing their powers. “I say we get more samples of all of their blood and test it here. I think we need to make sure it won’t kill their powers forever before we try it on a living subject.”

  “I agree. Let’s go get those samples,” Aaron said as Sammy stood to join him, and they left their lab.

  * * * *

  The man in the long white robe with dark green sash and leather sandals scurried through the heavy, dark wooden door, quickly shutting it behind him and praying no one would come across it while he was gone. He had always managed to keep the door hidden in the far reaches of the library behind a bookshelf, but now with no one to watch his back, he was afraid the door would be discovered. But he had little choice—he needed to get the book he found to his master. Leaving the brightness of the library with white lights and clear blue skies behind to enter the world of darkness always made him nervous.

  His master bid him that once he found the book that he was to report to him immediately. As the head record keeper, it was up to him to keep all the books of time safe. If the gods knew what he was up to, they would punish him to the very pits of hell to be tormented for eternity, but he was a loyal and faithful servant to only one god. The one deity that he knew to be the true ruler of all creation. Hades.

  His Lord Hades was the oldest son of Kronos, the king of the Titans and the god of time. He ruled the cosmos during the golden age after castrating and disposing of his father, Uranus. In fear that the prophecy that he had been told that he would be overthrown by his own son, would come true, Kronos swallowed each of his children as they were born. His wife, Rhae, managed to save their youngest child, Zeus, by hiding him away on the island of Crete and feeding Kronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.

  When the god Zeus grew up, he forced Kronos to disgorge his offspring and led the Olympians in a ten-year war against the Titans, driving them into the pit of Tartarus. Then the conquering brothers Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon decided to divide the creations am
ong themselves. They drew lots to see who would control what. Hades got the Underworld and all the dead folk, Poseidon got the seas and oceans, and Zeus got the skies. Because Zeus was god of the skies, high above any other gods, he also became king of the gods.

  But Hades, as the oldest son of Kronos, was the rightful king of the gods. It was through Zeus’s cunning ways that he had convinced his brothers that because they had fought side by side, and he being the one to give them their freedom, that they should draw lots to choose. His Lord Hades knew his brothers had tricked him once he drew the darkness of the Underworld and the dead, and he swore that he would have his vengeance against their trickery some day and claim his rightful place as king of the gods.

  Those who followed Hades and were loyal to him, knowing he was the true leader, have helped him for many millennia in his quest to return to the heavens, but all their work had failed, until now. Ever since the prophecy of the war to be led by the paranormals was told, Hades had been scheming and planning. Like a general in war, he had carefully chosen his players and moved them around the board doing his bidding. Unfortunately, Zeus and the other gods have also been moving their pieces around the board and setting up their own carefully chosen players.

  The paranormals of earth had far exceeded Hades’s conclusion of them. He thought of them as normal humans, but with a little extra gift from the gods to help them fight and protect themselves, but that had not been the case. These creatures who have been slowly coming together have proven smarter, stronger, and more powerful than Lord Hades had given them credit for.

  Once they destroyed his kingdom in the Underworld, Lord Hades was forced to concede that these creatures were a lot more than he bargained for. So with most of his loyal heavenly followers now being gone, like Malachi and the skinwalker Genesis spending eternity in Hell, and Minos being thwarted at every turn, Lord Hades has now had to turn to his last and greatest plan, which was placed in his hands to accomplish. It had taken him, the head record keeper of Heaven, a lot of time and plenty of lies and being cunning, but he finally found what his master needed to escape the Underworld, destroy them all, and become ruler of all things.

  Making his way down the dimly lit corridor of stone toward his destination, a chill set into his bones, causing him to shiver, but through the darkness, the large metal door finally came into view. He knocked once, and immediately the door opened. He walked inside, confident his master would be pleased and reward him greatly.

  Stepping into the vast chamber, he made his way to the end of the grand room to where his Lord Hades sat upon his throne made of cedar, pine, and cypress. As he approached, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head. “My lord.”

  “Seeing as you have come here, I am assuming the news is good, Phanuel. Rise and speak,” Hades ordered.

  Phanuel stood and met Hades’s gaze, and then held up the book he carried as he smiled. “Very good news, my lord. I have found it.”

  Hades’s eyes widened and filled with delight. He slowly rose to his feet and stepped down the three steps to the floor, then approached Phanuel, his gaze locked on the book. Once standing before Phanuel, Hades reached out a hand and gently ran a finger over the spine. “Can it be? Are you sure this is the right one, Phanuel? I thought it was a scroll?”

  “Yes, my Lord Hades. I am positive. Here, you can see the seal of the lamb,” Phanuel replied and faced the book to Hades for his inspection.

  Tentatively, as if just touching the book would kill him, Hades slowly reached out and grasped the book. As he brought it up to his face to gaze upon it, a smile formed across his lips, and his eyes filled with triumph. “Do you know what you have done, Phanuel? All my followers, so many stronger and more powerful than you, have all been defeated, but you, a simple record keeper, have done what none of them could do. You have found the one thing that will destroy them all and finally give me my kingdom back. Once I rebuild, you will be held high among all my new creations. Your name will forever be praised by the heavens as the one to return its rightful king to his throne and place all of creation back in its proper order. I will make you a god to stand beside me, Phanuel.”

  Phanuel bowed his head as he replied, “Thank you, my Lord. I live only to please you.”

  “You have been a wonderful and loyal follower since before my descent into the Underworld. Thank you, Phanuel. Now return to the heavens before my brother knows you are gone and wait for my return. Let no one know what you have done and stay on course. I will find you when it is done, and I reclaim what is mine.”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Phanuel said as he bowed lower, then turned and left the room.

  Hades walked back to his throne and sat, placed the book on his lap, and then ran his fingers over its surface, stopping on the seal that held it closed.

  “The time has come for you all to suffer greatly for going against me. I am coming for you, brothers, but first I will destroy all of your creations, and I will do it using your own power.” A bright smile came to his lips as he snapped the seal, unbinding the book. The cover flew open on its own accord, and the pages began to ruffle and scroll by quickly. A thunderous voice from somewhere within his hall yelled out, “Come!”

  Hades looked up to see a very large white horse with a rider upon its back carrying a bow and wearing a crown. The horse lifted up on its hind legs and neighed so loud the room shook. As the beast dropped back down on its front hooves, a clap of thunder, followed by a bright flash of lightning, rocked the room, and the horse and rider were gone. Another loud voice called out, “Come!” and the smile on Hades’s face grew wider.

  * * * *

  “This just in, there has been an eruption at Kilauea, the volcano that has been continuously erupting since 1983 on the island of Hawaii. A new vent has opened up, and officials warn that the eruption could grow or the vent could collapse at any time. Lava and ash have started spewing a hundred feet in the air from this new vent, and members from the USGS have been called in to investigate. So far there have been no injuries or deaths, but we will keep you updated on any changes as word comes in.”

  Vik lifted a remote and hit a button, shutting off the TV. “Come on in, Thaddeus,” Vik said as he walked down a hall, then opened a door, and strolled into the room.

  Dax stepped inside, looking around at the office that housed a wall of windows against the back wall looking out over the ocean. Dax’s gaze shifted around the room as he took everything in, confused at how a vampire like Viktor could walk around in such bright daylight. The last time he had seen this man, Vik, along with Nicco, Dante, and the others of Dante’s coven, couldn’t be in sunlight.

  “How…” Dax stopped, frozen in his spot as his gaze fell on a beautiful naked Asian man with long silky black hair kneeling in the corner of the room with his hands bound behind his back, a ball gag in his mouth strapped to his head, and a blindfold covering his eyes. “Um…Vik?” He asked, motioning toward the man in the corner.

  Vik gave him a big smile, and Dax noticed his eyes filled with happiness, something Dax couldn’t remember seeing before when he once lived with the coven many years ago.

  “A lot has changed since you were last here, old friend. Please have a seat and just ignore my pet. He’s being punished for running along the beach in broad daylight with nothing on. One of the others could have seen him without my permission, and that is against the rules.”

  Dax’s brows rose high on his forehead, showing his surprise. “You’re a Dom, Vik? I had no idea,” Dax replied as he took the offered chair across from Vik where he sat behind his desk.

  “How would you? Back when you were here, that is something we kept hidden from you. Nicco thought you were a little too young to see any of that.”

  “So now you have a sub, wow. I’m guessing that’s a good thing?”

  Vik chuckled. “That is a very good thing, Thaddeus. My pet is no ordinary sub though. He is Adam, my mate, and the heart that gives me life. He is everything I have always wanted in a mate, a sub, and so
much more.” Vik turned to face Adam. “You may stand, pet, and come to me. Follow my voice,” Vik said.

  The gorgeous man stood gracefully to his feet, without the use of his hands to balance him, and turned toward them. Dax noticed that he wasn’t actually naked—he did wear a small black G-string, the V in front covering his groin, but the outline of what lay beneath was still clear. Dax averted his eyes and looked at a spot outside over Vik’s shoulder.

  Once Adam reached Vik’s side, Vik held out a hand, placing it on Adam’s stomach, stopping him. Then he reached up and took off the blindfold. Adam blinked a few times before he focused on Viktor. He never looked anywhere else. “Kneel, pet,” Vik gently commanded, and Adam immediately dropped to his knees beside Vik’s chair. Vik then unlocked the straps around Adam’s head and gently removed the gag from his mouth. Vik ran his hand along Adam’s jaw as if massaging it, and then he leaned in and kissed Adam softly. “Such a good pet. For that you may stay here by my side while I talk to Thaddeus. You may rest your head if you please, but first say hello to our guest.”

  Adam turned his head, but kept his eyes looking down. “Hello, Thaddeus. Welcome to our home,” Adam said in a soft voice, then looked back toward Vik and laid his cheek on Vik’s thigh.

  Vik carded his fingers through Adam’s long black hair a few times before he looked up and met Thaddeus’s gaze. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me. So where would you like to begin?”