by J. J. Dean
The urge to scream tears at me. We spent two hours looking for her after she used her powers on us, refusing to believe she would be at the hotel since it would be the first place we would look. When we came back, it was to find a small note from her.
I'm sorry. I hope you know how badly I wanted things to be different. You aren't safe with me, and I won't risk your lives. You're all too important. Forgive me when you can.
- Nevaeh xo
Using her name on the note was a big deal, especially since she hates it. He gave her that name, and He abandoned her. I suppose in some way she might feel like she's abandoning us, but for different reasons. She's a complicated angel, and I'm still working her out, so what the hell do I know?
Eli is pacing the hotel with his hands in his hair, thinking of anywhere our runaway could be and coming up empty. We're not in New York anymore. We don't know shit about this place, and Luna just went off on her own trying to do the right thing.
I'm going to throttle her when we find her. Then I'm going to spank her and lock her away in a bedroom, chain her to the bed and make sure she never pulls a stunt like that again. I'm pretty sure my brother has the same idea.
We just have to find the little shit first.
"I don't know where the hell she could be! If we were back home, I'd have found her by now," Eli growls, just as aggravated as Noah and me.
"Wouldn't be very hard. She would either be at Frenchie's drinking her body weight in coffee and eating cookies, or she'd be at the library where we met," Noah chimes in, sitting on the bed with his head hanging low and his hands clasped in front of him. He sighs deeply and looks up at the two of us. "Why do I feel like I've completely failed her? I'm supposed to protect her, not the other way around."
"We're all feeling it, bro. You're not alone," Eli comments, burning a fucking hole in the carpet when his power slips from frustration. "I'm going to handcuff her to me. That's the only logical step forward, right? Handcuffing her to my own arm so she literally can't get away."
Fuck me. She's completely unhinged us all.
"Any idea where she could have gone? You're the most observant of us; you watch Luna closely, so you know her. Do you have any idea where she would go?" Noah asks, worried eyes training themselves on me.
He's right when he says I watch Luna closely. Watch her like a fucking hawk, and for good reason. These stupid ass reasons. I knew what she was going to do the moment she pushed herself out of Eli's arms. Knew it down to my bones. Apart from Eli, Luna is the only person I know better than myself, and she's an idiot if she thinks she can get rid of us that easily.
Determination fills my veins, the need to get my woman back so strong that I'm just about ready to tear my damned hair out. "Alright. We know where Ms. Frenchie is being held. If Luna would do anything, she would be heading there. Noah, check how far that address is. Elijah, stop pacing a fucking hole in the floor and stay still for a minute."
Eli stops and turns to glare at me, his eyes flickering between their normal deep brown to the bright ruby color they glow when he uses his power. Being an angel of fire and destruction makes for a nasty temper, though Eli's done a great job of controlling it over the years. It only takes a lot to trigger his anger, and the thought that our girl is now in more danger than before is setting him more on edge than I've ever seen. It's a strange reversal in roles. I'm usually the hot head, and Eli is the laidback guy who's always there to rein in my temper. How things have changed.
"Look, I know you're worried. I'm scared out of my damned head for that pain in the ass, okay? But losing your cool is not going to help her right now. And that's what she needs, even if she thinks otherwise. Alright? Cap it before you blow the room apart," I tell him, keeping a level head and cool tone to make sure my brother hears every word I'm saying.
He clenches his teeth but nods, his eyes fading back to normal and hands unclenching from their tightly wound fists. "I'm handcuffing her to me. You've all been warned."
"Fine. Handcuff her. Just quit pacing because it's making me dizzy," I retort.
Eli rolls his eyes, but Noah finally speaks up, looking away from his phone and at us. "Francis is being held only half an hour away, if not a few minutes more, from where we are. I also searched for motels or hotels in the surrounding area and found a few that Luna could possibly have gone to. She won't go in guns blazing; she's smarter than that, so she'd go somewhere to stay while she planned, right?"
"Sounds about right," I answer, already snatching my bag off the floor and stuffing clothes inside without paying much attention to what I'm picking up around me. Pausing, I look at the others and tell them, "Get your shit together. We're going hotel hunting."
In a matter of seconds, all three of us rush around, packing shit haphazardly into a bag, raring to get out of here and go get our girl from wherever she is. I throw my bag over my shoulder, turning to leave when I spot something strange seeping under the closed door of the bedroom. I don't even know why we ended up back in here. Guess since it's the last place we all had some peace with Luna, we were magnetized to this room. But it's the thin wafts of smoke that's creeping under the small gap under the door that makes me pause. It's the color of dirt, a dirty-looking smog rolling over the floor in slow tendrils.
"You guys see that?" I ask, never taking my eyes off the substance. A memory pops into my head and right back out again too fast for me to hold onto it, but a feeling of recognition sparks the more I look at it. Where have I seen that before?
"Oh, shit," Eli says, gripping the back of my shirt and tugging me back so hard I almost land on my ass.
"What is it?" Noah asks, moving towards the window to let the fresh air in and the disgusting smoke out. Only, it doesn't budge. I walk towards him, giving him a hand, but the pane still doesn't slide up as it should. Noah leans closer to the windowsill and inhales sharply. "The window has been tampered with. It's stuck."
I curse under my breath, turning to see the fog beginning to fill the room, thickening over time. "Eli, you remember what that is because I've got nothing."
"Yeah. I know what that is, and it ain't fucking good. Lucifer is around here somewhere because only his power looks as foul as that," he answers, turning his nose up at the gross stuff. He lifts his shirt over his nose and speaks through the material instead. "That's one of his powers. Inhale too much of that shit, and it'll knock you out with an added hangover when you wake back up."
Noah and I quickly yank our shirts over our noses, backing away further from the fog. How did I forget Lucifer has that power? The cunt used to bottle that shit and use it in battles on the regular. Can only put it down to getting too comfortable on Earth, letting Luna fill my head with everything that is her. Not that I'd have it differently. Would be great if I knew what the hell it was sooner, though.
"Eli, blast the window," I yell through my shirt, turning my eyes on him before watching the smoke slither closer.
Quickly, his eyes glow red, and he pelts a giant ball of fire at the window, only succeeding in torching the curtains. His frowns, looking confused when the glass doesn't even so much as crack. Pulling his fist back, he draws on his more destructive power, slamming his clenched fist at the window. Nothing. It doesn't fucking splinter or web, remaining as intact and pristine as it was before.
"If that doesn't say charmed window, I don't know what will," Eli grits through his teeth, pulling back another punch and pummeling his fist through the wall. It has the effect we were hoping for, leaving a reasonably sized hole in its place. Just as he rears his knuckles back to knock the hole bigger again, the whole thing closes up, new bricks replacing the old and looking as good as new by the time the hole fills completely.
"We're trapped," Noah summarizes, looking seriously pissed off for the first time since I met him. My anger is bubbling to the surface pretty rapidly, too, so I can relate. Lucifer is pulling the tricks out of his sleeve on us, and I'm not one bit surprised. If anything, it only fuels the anger more.
The
fog begins to cloud the room in a dirty mist, the thick smoke clogging the room so much that there is not a snowball’s chance in Hell that we're not going to be sucking down that nasty shit in the next couple of seconds, even with our shirts covering our noses and mouths.
"Think he planned this?" Eli asks, his words already slurring. Noah's started swaying on his feet, the fog taking effect quicker than I remember it ever taking. That's just what we need. Lucifer with enhanced abilities. Shit!
"Yeah, no doubt about it. Luna even said he's been watching us this whole time, so it would only make sense if he already knew where we were staying and bugged the fucking place," I growl, the mist thickening until it starts to take effect on me too, my vision growing hazy and my head feeling muddled and unfocused.
Eli stumbles, falling into the wall with a loud thud and then slides to the floor, landing hard on his ass. His head drops back to the wall, eyes fluttering like they can't stay open. Shit, shit, shit.
Noah isn't much better, pressing his hands against the wall, his head hanging between his shoulders. He's unsteady on his feet, swaying every now and then, but fighting against the effects of the mist. It's a losing battle, and he suddenly collapses to the floor, falling in a heap only two feet away from my brother.
Slurring and not making much sense, Eli mumbles, "Well, that's fucked up."
My mind can't seem to keep up with his words, hearing them echo inside my skull on repeat until they fade away. Well, until everything starts to fade away. Everything begins to grow blurry and sway in front of my eyes. The floor suddenly seems like I'm walking in a pool of Jell-O, and a low humming sounds in my ears. My mind gets hazy before everything tilts sideways, and I feel my body fall to the floor with a hard thud.
I try to blink through the distorted images, giving it one more attempt to find a way to get the hell out of here and away from Lucifer's clutches, but there's nothing. My head grows too heavy, and it drops to the floor. I roll until I'm on my back and look over to my brother, who's still sitting upright in his position.
Eli blinks some more, his head lazily rolling to face me. And then he passes out, falling sideways until he drops to the floor next to Noah. I'm quick to follow, the mist growing too strong to stave off. Everything grows sickeningly hazy until colors blur into one another and then... it all goes dark.
***
The clanking of chains wakes me, a headache building behind my eyes as soon as the unconsciousness wears off. Sickness roils in my stomach, my throat feels raw, and there's a sting behind my eyes that resembles sandpaper scraping against my eyelids. In short, I feel like shit.
A groan beside me forces me to pick my head up, my movements slow and sluggish. My eyes open, forced to blink away my tears when they water from how dry they've been for however long I've been down for. As soon as the blurriness fades, I turn my head, all too aware of the pain that's rushing through my entire body.
Focusing on what's before me, my body turns to ice, and my anger rises to the surface faster than a race car, burning through my veins with such force I hear metal scraping against metal, quickly realizing I'm chained the very same way as my brother.
It's too dark to really see much of anything, but the slowly swaying light above Eli shows me enough. He's slumped against a wooden post crudely shaped in a cross. His wrists are chained to the outer pieces of wood, holding his arms out beside him. His chest is bare, bruised, and dirty, as though he was dragging in here roughly before being pinned to the cross in the middle of the dank room we've found ourselves in. Legs tied tightly to the wooden beam that's holding him upright, his head lolls awkwardly, copper hair hanging limply on his head.
Trying to move my hands causes too much noise, my own chains rattling against the wooden beam I'm attached to. My legs aren't tied like Eli's, but I feel something sharp digging into my back, directly into the points where my wings should be. It's painful, and if I lean back more, the sharper the sensation gets, so I push my body out to get away from the stabbing pain.
"Eli?" I whisper with a hoarse voice and a rasp that conveys how long I've been out of it. I clear my throat and try again. "Elijah!"
My brother groans again, a noise filled with pain and exhaustion. What the hell have they done to him? Where are we, and where the fuck is Noah?
Loud applause causes me to jerk my head up just before blinding lights above switch on, and I'm forced to snap my eyes shut, blinking over and over until I can see through the light. I wish I was still blinded.
"Good to see you both awake," Lucifer drawls, his graveled voice giving off the same effect as long nails scratching down a blackboard. "I've been terribly bored waiting for you all to finally fall like dominos, and it's all unfolding as we speak. I already have three of the four of you. Now we wait for the last one to trip and fall before our darling Nevaeh joins us in this little reunion."
He walks further into the room, dressed in a tailored suit with cuffs and a red tie. He has a red handkerchief sticking out of his pocket, and his white shirt matches his teeth. I'd love nothing more than to smash the fucking things into his mouth and ram them down his throat. As it is, I'm pinned to his torture machine and can do nothing but sneer at him.
"Now, now, Asher. Don't look at me like that. You should have known this was coming. Why would I allow two of my best angels go without any repercussions for their betrayal?" he mocks, his mouth raising in a smirk.
"Taking our wings wasn't enough?" I spit, snarling at the bastard.
He takes a dangerous step forward, his smirk turning into a menacing grin. He suddenly looks crazed, entirely different to the poised expression he usually wears. "You never did learn. Your wings were only the beginning, Asher Ryan. I won't be satisfied you and your brother learned a lesson until you're screaming in pain and bleeding over these concrete floors."
I try to dive at him, but the chains hold strong, keeping me from breaking the asshole's neck. Just as I make another attempt, the chains tighten and draw back, bringing my back closer to the sharp points that had been brushing my scars.
"Now, shall we get started? I think we shall. Let round one begin," Lucifer announces in a giddy chortle, seconds before my entire body is yanked backward by the chains and the spikes stab into my wing scars, piercing the skin and burying deep in the tissue of my back. A yell rips itself free from my mouth, the shock of the pain loosening my vocal cords.
Lucifer claps, more amused than a kid in a toy store. I'm pulled back again, the pain searing through my entire back. I grit my teeth against the urge to cry out, my eyes watering with the effort. The spikes dig deeper, the feeling of metal grinding against the muscle in my back turning my stomach.
I hear a pained cry from beside me, and my eyes raise to see Eli suffering the same fate. Anger coils around my veins, and I sneer through the next wave of pain, the slick pulse of blood running down my spine steadily.
"Round one, Asher. How long do you think you can hold onto your defiance? I truly can't wait to find out. You're all going to learn the hard way what happens when you betray the Devil. Happy suffering," Lucifer quips before striding out of the room and leaving my brother and me tied up, bleeding and in agony all for his own enjoyment. I hope with every drop of blood in my body that Luna doesn't come looking for us because fuck knows what that psycho cunt has in store for her.
Chapter 35
Elijah
I think chaining her to the bed isn't enough. I'm going to have to chain her to my side. Heavy-duty chains. Maybe some rope. I don't care what it is as long as that woman can't escape or ditch us again. I knew she didn't quite understand what I meant by stuck with us. It'll come to her later rather than sooner, I guess. Hopefully much later since it looks like we're going to be occupied for however long it takes Lucifer to grow tired of this little game he's playing.
Right now, I’m glad she had the stupid idea to leave us. At least I know she isn’t going to be under Lucifer’s thumb like we’re no doubt going to be. It’s times like these I really hate
how unobservant I am. I should have known Lucifer wasn’t done playing games with my brother and me. What a cock.
"Well, that's fucked up," I mutter, referring to my plan to practically sew Luna to my hip.
Asher's hazy face looks confused, but it's unfocused and I can't be sure I'm not seeing things at this point. The smoke fills the entire room, and I'm nothing if not sure we're all royally screwed since Noah's already passed out, and my brother isn't faring well. Hell, I can't even see straight, and my head feels like it's floating in a sky full of muddy clouds.
Before I can mutter anything else, lost in the dizzy spell that rancid smoke has put me under, I feel myself fading. Thoughts become jumbled, my vision becomes too blurry for me to see a damn thing, and my hearing gets muffled.
The very last clear thoughts I have before I finally fall unconscious are how secure I'm going to make the ropes that I'll use to tie Luna to me, a flash of her beautifully sharp face with all its gorgeous features and sharp angles, and that silver hair she hates.
I'm going to need to stock up on chains, ropes, and handcuffs after we get out of this shit.
Chapter 36
Luna
"What are you doing here?" I ask Devon, brushing his hand off my arm and walking past him, heading down the hall and to my room for the night.
He follows behind me instead of taking the hint that I don't exactly want him around right now. I've already suffered enough for one day. He waits until we reach my door before speaking up. "I just needed some time to adjust. I like keeping my thoughts to myself, and your new ability means that you can pry whenever you want."
The key card I'd been holding just above the scanner pauses, and I send Devon a dirty look. "You think that little of me that you believe I would purposely look into your head to figure you out? Thanks for that."