by Jenny Allen
If she was being completely honest with herself, her concern for Cohen’s survival wasn’t entirely self-less. She empathized with Cohen and she knew he never deserved this, but he was also their only shot to escape the death sentence that awaited them. Without the book and cipher, Luminita and Farren going rogue was the only bargaining chip they had. Without Cohen to corroborate their story, it was their word against Farren and Luminita. She was betting that the word of three vampires didn’t mean much to a tight-knit clan of demons.
Of course, first they had to escape this endless maze of sterile hallways and locked doors. The morgue style torture chamber and continuous tile floor seemed to indicate it was an old medical office of some sort. There couldn’t be that many of them in New York City, could there? Who was she kidding? This was the world post-Obama-care. There was an empty medical or insurance building every few blocks. Besides, it was entirely possible they weren’t even in the state much less the city.
She started to ask Chance where they were, how he had found them, when suddenly she heard a crackle of electricity behind her and then felt all of Cohen’s weight. She swung back to look at Timothy and instead found a guard with a tactile knife pressed against Cohen’s throat, pulling him away from the wall. Her eyes moved from an open door just behind them that had definitely been closed before to Timothy, twitching on the ground, and finally rested back on Cohen.
“Inside.” Growled the guard, jerking his head back toward the morgue style room they’d just escaped. There was no way in hell she would ever set one pinky toe in that room ever again.
“It’s ok. We’ll cooperate.” Lilith dropped her 9mm and held her hands up, hoping Chance had a plan. When she glanced over her shoulder, the look on his chiseled face said it all. His gut reaction was to lose the dead weight, aka Cohen. The only thing stopping him was Timothy still twitching at the guard’s feet. It shouldn’t have really come as a surprise. The look on Cohen’s face, however, came as a complete shock leaving Lilith truly bewildered. He was smiling, which was more than a little disturbing with the deep slashes on either side of his mouth.
“Idiot. I thought they would have trained you better.” Cohen’s voice was broken and raspy but there was a confidence beneath all the physical trauma. Instantly his hands shot up, grabbing the guard’s arms with a desperate, iron-clad grip. The knife bit into Cohen’s neck, blood welling around the blade, but he didn’t care.
Chance leapt at the distraction, pulling Lilith behind him and tugging Timothy to safety. After a few sharp slaps, Timothy looked up groggily, his eyes catching on Cohen and the guard. “Jesus. What the hell is he doing?” Blood trickled down Cohen’s neck in a steady stream as the guard continued to struggle, digging the knife deeper. But what truly caught Timothy’s attention wasn’t Cohen. There was a scream frozen on the guard’s face as the color seemed to leech out of his skin with every movement.
Suddenly, the dry wall above them erupted into a shower of shrapnel sending Chance, Lilith and Timothy skidding around the corner. “Cohen!” Lilith screamed his name, but all she heard was the sound of boots sprinting down the hall. She tried to slide around the corner to grab Andrew, but Chance looped his arms around her waist and pulled her in the opposite direction.
“Run, Lilith!” Chance screamed the words over fresh pops of gunfire. She was about to argue, turn back, something, anything to help Cohen, but then she felt it. Not one blast of frustrated anger belonging to a single pair of boots, but four. Shit. She knew Luminita still wanted them alive, but the Romanian demon had pointed out, there were plenty of body parts she could live without.
She stared at the corner as if she could force Cohen to appear by sheer will as the sharp bangs of gunfire sounded grew louder. Her entire body was frozen with indecision. If she ran the council would kill her, if she didn’t Luminita would.
Suddenly, Chance’s handsome face filled her field of vision, looming inches from hers. There was a calm panic intensifying his hazel eyes that was almost hypnotic. “Lilith. I need you to run. He’s as good as dead.”
In one brilliant instant his hand gripped her neck, pulling her in as his lips crashed against hers with a kiss that burned through the dark fog in her mind. Abruptly he pulled away, his eyes searching hers for something. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to have found it. His lips spread in that old familiar Cheshire cat grin that she loved so much.
Chance was right. Cohen was out of time. She couldn’t wait any longer. Dammit. Lilith tore off down the hall, her bare feet slapping against the tile, with Chance just behind her. They rounded a corner, still trailing behind Timothy and a bright Exit sign pointing left lit the darkness in brilliant red. The relief that flooded over Lilith almost made her knees buckle. They were close. With renewed strength, Lilith sprinted forward, passing Tim as she raced for the next corner. It wasn’t the best idea, since she was the only one not armed, but her instinctual need to escape was over-riding her logic.
A few feet from the exit sign, a sound lit the air that sent crippling chills down Lilith’s spine. Every muscle in her body suddenly seized to a halt sending her crashing butt first on the tile. The loud clicks of high heels on tile echoed ominously off the walls and Lilith started scrambling backward panting for each breath as true panic lit her nerves. No. Not her. Shit. She tried to call out, to warm Tim and Chance, but the terror gripping her throat let nothing escape.
Peisinoe’s round face loomed into view, like a slow motion scene straight from her nightmares. Not even the bullet wound in her shoulder couldn’t distract from the toothy smile of vindictive glee lighting her face. There was no one here to restrain her this time, no master to tug on her leash and her ocean blue eyes were fixed pointedly on Lilith.
Pure dread knotted in Lilith’s chest as she desperately clawed at the tile, trying to get on her feet. Peisinoe’s lips opened slowly, savoring the palpable dread coming off Lilith in waves like it wasn’t the finest wine. Lilith finally forced her panicked muscles move, shooting to her feet and ran for Chance and Timothy. “Run!!!” She screamed the words with everything she had, but she knew it was already too late.
Peisinoe released one shrill note that stabbed into Lilith’s brain like a white-hot poker, sending her crashing to the floor again as her hands instinctively covered her ears. She waited for the sound to tear through her and finally kill her this time, but instead it settled into a low hum like a buzz saw. Lilith was truly confused as she slowly uncurled, her hands falling away from her ears. The siren had almost killed her earlier with one screech, why was she holding back now?
Her eyes moved to Peisinoe as her heels clicked closer, the most satisfied look of triumph plastered across her pouty face. She moved right past Lilith and came to a stop in front of Chance and Timothy. That’s when she saw their frozen looks of blind adoration and Lilith’s heart fell right into the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak as all the fear from her nightmare roared over her. She knew what was coming.
Peisinoe’s ocean blue eyes looked over Timothy thoroughly, inspecting him, weighing his usefulness. “Hold her.” Tim immediately moved forward as Lilith’s eyes widened. The movement broke her trance and she skittered to her feet, but it was too late. Tim’s arms clamped around her from behind like iron bars, swinging her back around to face Peisinoe.
The siren’s eyes slithered up the long line of Chance’s body possessively, a hungry smile curling her full lips. Her delicate fingertips skimmed over the smooth skin of his chest, savoring the moment. A flicker of anger began to burn in Lilith’s stomach, growing a tiny bit bigger every time she touched him.
“Ah…Karma.” Peisinoe walked her fingers up over Chance’s shoulder as her eyes swung back to Lilith. “If you’d just played Luminita’s little game like good little minions…” Her fingers lightly guided his face towards hers, a smile lighting her lips as she studied every line. “No. I definitely prefer things this way. Fuck Luminita.”
Peisinoe flashed a malicious grin
at Lilith and then casually leaned up on tip toe to whisper into Chance’s eager ear. A blush crept over his cheeks as her teeth slowly nipped his earlobe, the siren’s eyes darting over to drink in Lilith’s reaction. Lilith forced herself to look away, tears already stinging her eyes, but the scene kept replaying in her mind. It didn’t matter that Peisinoe had total control, it still felt like gut punch to the heart, like a betrayal.
The sharp clicks of Peisinoe’s stilettos echoed off the bare walls, coming closer. Lilith’s body screamed for her to fight, but she just stood there limply in Timothy’s stiff arms. She knew what was coming. She knew what she would see when she opened her eyes and she just couldn’t bring herself to face it. Of all the times she thought she was about to die in the past couple days, she’d never felt so completely defeated and heartbroken. It wasn’t just her life that would end. The Chance she knew would die tonight leaving a tortured, empty husk behind.
Warm fingertips caressed over her cheek as Chance’s Cajun-flecked voice rumbled in a soft whisper. “Cherie.” Immediately Lilith’s eyes flashed open to see his warm hazel eyes flecked with green staring deep into hers. How was it possible? Could he really be strong enough to fight off Peisinoe’s influence? The razor-wire tone of her control still buzzed through the air, but there he was with that familiar smile pulling at his lips.
“Chance?” There were tears in her raw throat as he carefully brushed the hair back from her face, his eyes falling to her lips. He leaned closer, his lips just barely grazing hers in a trembling kiss as his warm breath trickled over her cool skin. He pulled back with the happy grin she loved so much and Lilith was so wrapped up in the moment that she didn’t even see the blush pink nails curl over Chance’s shoulder.
Lilith’s smile began to falter as the light in his eyes slowly slipped away like grains of sand in an hourglass. Little by little Chance became less like himself and Lilith’s heart began to sink. The siren’s brilliant, icy blue eyes appeared over his shoulder, studying her, memorizing every ounce of pain in Lilith’s face.
“Good boy.” Peisinoe’s fingers caressed affectionately through his chestnut hair and he nestled toward her hand like a faithful lap dog. She should have known better. Cohen had flat out told her there was no denying the siren when she wanted control, but she couldn’t help grasping for that brief glimpse of hope.
“Fuck you, you jealous, soul-less, pathetic bitch!” Lilith snarled the words through gritted teeth as the anger blazed suddenly bright. It was almost too intense to contain, like she would just erupt in an explosion of fiery hatred leaving only ash behind.
A melodic tinkling laugh lit the air like acid rain as Peisinoe grinned at Lilith. “Now there’s the feisty bitch! It’s no fun if you just roll over and play dead.” Her grin stretched impossibly wide, her blue eyes practically radiating. They stayed locked firmly on Lilith as she leaned in to whisper in Chance’s ear again.
For a moment, Lilith watched Chance, hoping against hope that somehow he’d snap out of it. His hand was moving, rising up. Lilith swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing what was coming. She threw her shoulder against Timothy’s arms, trying to break his bear hug grip but she might as well have been strapped to a table again. There was no escape.
She felt soft fingertips trace along the collar of the T-shirt and then brush against her pale skin. Her body craved his touch, melted beneath the warmth of her fingers, but her brain screamed in protest. She couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stand to look at the vacant eyes in his handsome face or the adoring smile that curved his lips when Peisinoe touched him. That was no more Chance than the corpse in Gloria’s kitchen was Alvarez. She forced her eyes away, staring at a crack in a tile on the floor.
His fingertips danced along the delicate features of her neck sending flutters of heat down her body but she stayed focused on that lone cracked tile. If she was going to die, she wouldn’t give that bitch an ounce of satisfaction. Lilith went completely slack, forcing Timothy to hold her up. A hand caressed over her throat, the fingers slipping around it smoothly. Tim was leaning forward now as Lilith refused to support any of her own weight. The fingers at her throat slowly tightened and then just rested there.
“Do you want to kill her, my pet?” Peisinoe’s voice slithered from between her lips and the hatred broiling in Lilith’s stomach seemed to seep into her bones.
“Yes, of course, my love.” It was the deep tones that comprised Chance’s voice, but it wasn’t him. The warm flecks of Cajun were gone, there was no real feeling behind his words. It was Peisinoe’s voice emerging from his lips, or at least that’s what Lilith repeating silently to herself.
“Why?” It was a question Lilith hadn’t expected Peisinoe to ask.
“Because she’s weak.” Lilith’s eyes flashed to the angry look on Chance’s face. Why would she have him say that? She’d expected some automatic response like ‘because it would please you’ or ‘so we can be together’, but this?
“Go on.” Now that Lilith was watching the show, Peisinoe rested her cheek against his arm, her nails slowly trailing up and down his bare chest. As always, her eyes were firmly fixed on Lilith.
“She runs. She forces others to fight for her, to die for her.” His fingers began to tighten around her throat as the muscles around his eyes twitched angrily. “She risks the lives of people she loves to save a monster.” Lilith could only stare at him in shock. Did he really feel that way somewhere deep down or had she underestimated Peisinoe’s intelligence?
The siren’s delicate fingers caressed over the stubble on his cheek as her eyes shifted from Lilith to Chance. She drew his face toward her and his eyes lit up, a lazy smile replacing the scowl on his face. For a moment, Lilith couldn’t breathe and it had nothing to do with the hand around her throat. Peisinoe nudged her pouty lips against his and Lilith’s stomach lurched. “Squeeze.” She whispered the word against his lips just before his free arm pulled her in for a deeper kiss.
Lilith forced her eyes closed as she choked on tears, one or two escaping to roll down her cheeks. Her face burned hot and the pure loathing she felt consumed every inch of her, blocking everything else out, even the growing pressure around her throat.
With a sudden burst of anger Lilith coiled her legs beneath her and jumped up as hard as she could, her head cracking against Tim’s face. She heard a crunch, most likely his nose, and felt his arms go a little slack. She kicked her legs out at Chance, catching him in the knee cap. He howled in pain as his fingers fell away from her throat. Then Lilith dropped all her weight, catching Tim by surprise and slid right out of his arms to the floor.
She scrambled past Chance, who was still gripping his knee cap, and leapt at Peisinoe, aiming right for her throat. An arm slammed Lilith down to the tile floor with bone-crunching force, stopping her short of her goal. The siren just stood there, grinning like a fat cat as her lips parted. Lilith pressed her face against the cold tile waiting for the inevitable shriek that would scatter every shred of hope she had like ash in the wind.
A harsh gagging sound rang in Lilith’s ears and her head jerked up sharply. Peisinoe’s bright blue eyes were wide with shock, her blush pink nails clawing at something around her throat. The firm hand on Lilith’s back started to relax and she took full advantage, shoving her hands against the floor. Her bare feet slid on the tile before catching and then Lilith shot forward.
“You okay?” In that moment, Nicci’s Italian-New Yorker accent was the most beautiful thing Lilith had ever heard. The belt around Peisinoe’s neck jerked backward, forcing her to bend down as she chocked and coughed, fighting for any wisp of air she could manage. Lilith skirted around the siren to see Nicci with her foot shoved against the demon’s back, her fists wrapped around the belt, pulling it tight.
Without a second’s hesitation, Lilith snatched the gun in Nicci’s belt clip and jumped to her feet. The siren’s wide, panicked eyes fixated on the gun as Lilith grabbed a handful of her blonde tresses. A hatred even more intense than she’d f
elt for Farren burned through every pore in her skin as she stared down into Peisinoe’s terrified face. Lilith shoved the barrel against her temple and felt every tremor that rippled through her body.
“You wanted the feisty bitch…” She spat the venomous words at her through clenched teeth. Peisinoe tried to speak, her mouth moving uselessly as only gargled noises emerged. Lilith’s finger twitched against the trigger as her arm began to shake. Every ounce of her wanted to pull that trigger, erase every power, every threat with one little bullet. So why wouldn’t her finger move?
Chance’s voice kept echoing in her head. ‘It wouldn’t be self-defense, it would be murder.’ Was she willing to cross that line? Would she ever come back from it? Lilith’s arm stiffened, her hand tensing around the grip as the dark hatred coiled around her. This was self-defense. If she didn’t kill Peisinoe now, the siren would use Chance to kill her. Maybe not now, but one day. No way would she just slink back to the shadows never to return.
A small smile crept across Peisinoe’s lips and it was growing larger by the second. Suddenly, something hardened inside Lilith. Her finger slammed against the trigger, blood splattered against the bright white tile as the loud bang seemed to echo through the entire building. The siren’s body went limp, her head flopping to one side, blood pouring down her blonde curls. It was over, but it didn’t feel over. Lilith stared down at the 9mm in her blood-splattered hand and just tried to breathe.
Nicci shoved the body away from her like a dirty sack of garbage and rushed over to Lilith. “It’s over. The guards are all taken care of. Your friend is just down the hall. He’s in rough shape but I think he’ll make it.”