The Rising Darkness (Ascendancy Legacy 5)

by Bradford Bates

  “Can I grab you some coffee and maybe something to eat?”

  Damn, did I really look that bad? I guess I did. Shaving while I was trapped in hell hadn’t exactly been a priority, and it wasn’t like they had barbers, so my hair was a mess. The clothes I was wearing weren’t much better off. If I had seen me, I would have thought I was homeless as well. “Just the coffee would be fine. I’m waiting for someone.”

  The man ran into the store and came back out moments later with a piping hot paper cup of coffee. Was everything disposable now? Where did all the trash go? When I had left, coffee was still served in actual mugs. I was going to have a lot of catching up to do. “Thank you,” I said as the man handed me the coffee.

  “You’re welcome. Finding my phone was a real lifesaver.”

  He looked me over again, and I knew that he wanted to go but felt obligated to stay and chat for a minute. “You don’t have to stay. Like I said, I have a friend coming to meet me.”

  The young man smiled and picked up his backpack and headed off down the street. Maybe things hadn’t changed so much. A kid was still a kid. I sat down at the table he had vacated and leaned back, sipping my coffee. Even at the late hour, the store was doing pretty constant business. When did people sleep?

  Five minutes later, Henry appeared. I stood up and made my way across the street toward him. As soon as I reached him, I pulled him into a tight embrace. Despite my feelings about Adam and his methods, Henry had always been on my good side. He was a great man to have in your corner, and it was nice to see him now.

  “What is it with you Blackthorns and being in trouble? Not only that, you always come back to us in dire need of a bath.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Henry.” It was nice to see a friendly face. I missed those. In hell, all you had were enemies. “Let’s get back. I’m dying to see Sarah and this April that I’ve heard so much about.” Henry made a face, and already I knew the news wasn’t going to be good. Seriously, all we needed was just one break. Why couldn’t we get that? “Tell me what happened.”

  “I’ll let Adam tell you,” he said, placing an arm around my waist and guiding me back in the direction he had come from.

  I let him guide me back toward the building in the distance, but I wasn’t going to let him off that easily. “Henry, don’t you think I deserve to know?”

  “There has been a situation with April. We just got Marcus back to base. He is with Sarah right now.”

  That was all I needed to know. If April was in trouble, then as soon as I got some blades in my hands, we were going to go and save her. My son wasn’t going to come back and find out that we didn’t do everything in our power to help her while he was gone. Henry noticed the look of resolve in my eyes and started to hurry us along. This time, I didn’t really care what Adam had to say. I wouldn’t let her suffer for a moment if I could prevent it.

  Henry placed his hand against the doorframe, and the portal flickered to life. I stepped through and came out in a stone hallway. For a second, I thought I was back in hell, but then Sarah slammed into me and almost broke my ribs with a fierce hug. She tilted her head back, and I could see the tears on her face. I wanted to cry, but I just couldn’t do it yet. It was going to take me awhile to believe having her in my arms again was real.

  I tilted my head down to hers and kissed her. It was just as I remembered; she tasted as sweet as the last day I had seen her. I hadn’t been with her for eighteen years, but now with her in my arms, it felt like only yesterday.

  Henry skirted around us and tried to walk away. “What’s our plan, and where is Marcus?”

  “I sent Marcus back to his room so we could be alone tonight,” Sarah said, taking my hand and starting to lead me away. “Adam is getting some things together. We attack in the morning.”

  “Henry?” I called out after him. He stopped and turned around. “Thank you.”

  “Just try and save some energy for tomorrow,” he said with a sly grin.

  “No promises.” I pulled Sarah tightly against me. I couldn’t get enough of just having her in my arms. All I wanted to do was keep her as close to me as possible. I never wanted to let her go again.

  Henry started to walk away and Sarah pulled my head down so I was looking in her eyes. “So where is our son?”

  “Adramelech tricked us. We thought once Jackson completed a task for him that he would let us go. Instead he kept Jackson and sent me home.”

  “How could you just leave him there?”

  “He told me to let him go. He knows that we won’t rest until we get him back.” The thought of the simple action still almost brought tears to my eyes. My son had come to save me, and he had at the cost of his own freedom. I would never stop fighting until he was back with both of us.

  “Damn straight we won’t.” Sarah said with a fierceness that only a mother can show for their children.

  “I promise you we will get him back.”

  Sarah looked up into my face and smiled. She rubbed her fingers through my coarse beard. “I know we will, but first let’s see if we can’t do something about that face,” Sarah said, pulling me down the hallway.

  “What, you don’t like my new look? I’ve grown awfully fond of it over the years,” I said, stroking my tangled beard.

  “Well, you’re not going to keep it; at least, not if you’re planning on getting lucky tonight.” She winked at me. It was almost as if we had fallen into that delusional state that teenagers often found themselves in. The world around us ceased to exist, and for now, there was only us.

  “I wonder just how fast I can shave the damn thing off.”

  She gave me a wicked little laugh that promised so much more than laughter. Sarah opened the door into our son’s apartment, and I couldn’t help but smile. The place made me think of him. We were going to get him back. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be back with us soon enough.

  It surprised me how much I missed him after getting to spend a month with him. Seeing him every day had been a blessing, one I wasn’t ready to relinquish just yet. Being here now was like the same torture I had endured for the last nineteen years, except in reverse. Now I was here, and he was trapped in hell. Jackson just had to wait it out and play his cards right, and we would be there before he knew it. First, we had to get April back. No homecoming would be complete without his woman.

  Sarah dragged me into the bathroom and started the shower. Seeing her stripping off her clothes made me forget about my own worries for a moment. It was like seeing my fantasy made flesh. Nineteen years apart could do that for you. She slipped past me and into the shower.

  She stuck her head out and smiled. “Now shave that thing off and get in here.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I shaved my beard off faster than I ever had before. I wasn’t sure if it was the new razors they had or if it was my desire to be with my wife. Either way, my hand moved like lightning, and less than a minute later, I was stripping out of my clothes to join her. Sarah smiled as I came in, and then hit me in the chest with some kind of poofy thing. It smelled great as she rubbed it around on my chest.

  I leaned into her touch, wrapping my arms around her. I almost still couldn’t believe it. That I was back, and that we could be together again. Her head moved into my chest, and I felt her body shudder. When she started to cry, I felt the dam of emotions I had been holding back since getting out of hell break. I was so happy, and yet I felt helpless. My son had risked everything to save me, and now he was trapped.

  I let the sobs work their way through my body, and held Sarah against me until they finally subsided. The water had grown cold, and I was starting to shiver. Sarah looked into my eyes, and I knew she wanted to ask about Jackson, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. I brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her. “He’ll come back to us. He’s stronger than I ever thought possible.”

  “He is pretty special.”

  We sat there for a moment, and I turned off the chilling water.
Still shivering, we helped each other dry off. There was a silent energy flowing between us now. We had shed our grief and were ready for tomorrow. April was out there, and she needed us. All we could do for now was focus on what we could change. That was the warriors in us. A lifetime of battle had prepared us for the worst and taught us to keep moving forward when it happened.

  Sarah took my hand and led me into the bedroom. She slipped into bed, and I still couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I remembered back to when seeing her naked had left me feeling flustered and speechless. It was different partnering with a Lycan, and back then, she liked to push my buttons. She knew when she strutted around naked it made me uncomfortable, so she did it all the time. Slowly but surely, we had fallen in love, and the rest was history. Looking at her wriggling into the sheets now brought the same feelings of lust that I had all those years ago.

  She held up the corner of the sheet, and I peeked under it to catch a full glimpse of her body. Yep, it was exactly how I remembered it. Her tan skin and dark hair sent my body into overdrive. When she patted the bed, I dove in and rolled on top of her. She spread her legs, and I held myself just above her.

  Looking into her eyes, I said the only thing that came to mind. “I love you.”

  She smiled back at me. “I love you too.”

  We kissed as I entered her for the first time in nineteen years. Our bodies didn’t need any help remembering each other. We fell into an almost instant rhythm as if no time had passed between us at all. She clawed at my back, and I trailed kisses down her neck. When she cried out in pleasure, I lost myself in it. This was what I had been waiting for, to be back in the arms of the woman I loved.

  Time seemed to fade away, and then it snapped back into place, and our bliss was replaced with ragged breathing. I rolled over on my side, keeping Sarah in my arms. I was never going to let her go again. She was the best part of me. Without her, I was nothing. She stroked my arm with her finger, and I fell asleep for the first time in years without a scream on my lips.

  THE MORNING CAME FASTER than I would have liked, but with it came the pleasures of the woman beside me. After we satisfied our carnal urges, another urge quickly rose to the surface. I was hungry, and if I didn’t get some food quickly, I was going to snap. Sarah had the same half growl on her face, and I knew she was feeling it too.

  The fridge was empty. Just our luck. Sarah grabbed my hand and led me out into the hallway. I felt a little weird wearing some of my son’s clothes, but he had a thing for T-shirts and jeans, so it wasn’t that bad. I still needed to get some shoes, so for the moment, I was barefoot.

  Heads turned as we walked down the hall and into the cafeteria. At first, I thought it must be my wild hair or the fact that I didn’t have shoes on, but half the kids in here were rocking some pretty outrageous looks. Some of them made mine seem rather dull. Word must have already spread about my return, and all of them wanted to get a look at the man who returned from hell. I got it. Shit, if it was me on the other end of things, I’d want to get a look in as well.

  Sarah pulled my hand into hers and gave it a little squeeze. The tension I had been feeling washed away as if it had never been there in the first place. We loaded up a few trays with some food and headed off to the back of the cafeteria to sit alone. The stares stopped as we walked. I got it. I just looked like a normal guy. There wasn’t any immediate sign that I was anything special.

  A black kid with dreads had a tray in his hand and made his way over to our table. His dreads bobbed up and down with the easy motion of his stride. I hated this part, but I wasn’t ready for other people just yet. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take it personally when I rejected his offer to join us.

  “Mind if I join you?” He said it with an easy smile, but there was steel under that playful exterior.

  I opened my mouth to say yes, and Sarah spoke. “Of course you can, Marcus.”

  Ah, so this was the famous Marcus I had heard so much about over the last month. I couldn’t wait to get in the ring with this kid and check out his magic. Jackson had told me about the innovative nature of his spells, and I had been intrigued by it. I wasn’t above learning new tricks. We couldn’t do it today, but it was going to be fun when we got the chance.

  Marcus must have seen my expression soften, because he pulled up a chair and took a seat. Smart kid waiting until he had been invited and received the ok from me. Jackson had a way of surrounding himself with good people. I could already tell this kid was going to be an asset.

  “Sarah, I’m not sure what you did, but thank you. Without you, I’m not sure if we would be going to get April today, at least not with everyone behind us,” Marcus said.

  “Wasn’t me,” Sarah replied, stuffing a muffin into her mouth. “It must have been whatever John said to him last night.”

  Marcus turned his head toward me and waited for a response. “I just reminded Adam of a few things he had forgotten.”

  “Well, whatever it was, it worked.”

  I patted him on the shoulder. “Jackson’s told me a lot about you. It must have been hard for you to leave her there.” He searched my face. At first I could see the anger building as if I was accusing him of something, but slowly his look softened as he read my face. There was no accusation in my words.

  “I wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t want me to.” He slammed a fist against the table. The conversations around us stopped. “I wish she hadn’t asked me to do that. I would have rather stayed by her side. The demons only wanted us as a bargaining chip. What they really want is Jackson.”

  “Seems they might be a little behind on the times considering where he is now.” I let the words hang there for a moment. All of us knew where he was, and all of us wanted him back. “Either way, we will get April back today. There is nothing that can stop us.”

  Sarah gave me a grin, and Marcus smiled. I knew what it felt like to leave a partner behind. It shredded your insides with guilt until you got them back. If they died, the guilt became a permanent part of you. It was hard to let go of something like that. Most of the time, you wondered why you got to live and they had to die. After a few years, the guilt slipped away, but the anger never did. That was why we hunted them, why the demons needed to be destroyed.

  Adam walked into the cafeteria. He moved to the center of the room and jumped onto one of the tables. When he spoke, his voice boomed across the giant room. “The demons in Las Vegas have taken one of our own. Today we go to get her back. Everyone who is healthy enough to fight is required to come with us. We leave from the motor pool in twenty minutes.”

  He jumped down from the table and shot me a look. It spoke of redemption. I thought for a second that maybe I had been wrong, that he wasn’t so far gone down the path of prophecy that he couldn’t be redeemed. I shoveled the rest of the food on my tray into my mouth and then stood up. We’re coming for you, April.

  CHAPTER 24

  JACKSON

  I kept moving as word of my escape spread through the city. Adramelech hadn’t been loved, but his father was feared. I had no doubt that any of these demons wouldn’t hesitate to turn me in if they could earn a little coin from it. I kept my head down and stole what I needed to survive.

  Moving through the streets had been easy at first. I ignored the sights and sounds around me as I tried to put a little distance between me and the castle. Soon it became too much to bear. I heard people screaming, followed by the laughter of others on almost every street I passed. Finally, the beast inside of me called out, and part of me agreed with what he wanted to do.

  A woman’s scream ripped through the night, and three men laughed at the sound. A fourth man grunted, and I could hear the slap of flesh against flesh. The woman screamed again, and I’d had enough. I kicked open the door, and the man behind the woman didn’t even turn to face me. Two of the demons that stood watching quickly tucked themselves back into their pants and turned my way. The fourth demon was too busy gnawing the flesh off the woman’s arm even to notice
that the door had opened.

  Something inside of me snapped at the horror that I was seeing. The demons that had turned toward me were just standing there waiting to see what I was going to do next. That’s when my eyes fell on the cages lining the back wall. They were full of children. None of them were dressed, and all of them were covered in filth.

  One of the demons stepped forward. “You’ve got the wrong house, buddy.” His friend moved to stand behind him.

  The biter finally realized something was going on, but the rapist was too busy to care. When I didn’t turn around and leave, the two men charged toward me. Ducking under the first punch, I kicked out at the second man, sending him sprawling to the floor. I ripped the cloak off of my shoulders and pulled my swords free. The man started to stand up, but I buried a blade in his chest. Pulling that blade free, I spun around behind him. I used my other blade to lop off his head.

  The biter laughed. “It’s the one they are looking for. We’re going to be rich.” His friend ignored him, still fixated on the woman. “Damn it, Hoblik, pull your dick out. When we capture him, we’ll have enough money for a hundred whores just like her.”

  The first demon that attacked me rushed forward as the rapist finally realized what was going on. The charging demon made it three steps before his life ended in the same manner as his friends. The biter wiped the blood away from his mouth and pulled two daggers from his belt. He came at me, expecting a fair fight, but none of these bastards deserved anything resembling fair treatment.

  He swung the dagger toward me, and I let it bounce off my shield. The rapist was struggling to get his sword belt back into place. It took him several tries to get it tied back around his waist. Once he had the blade free, he slammed the pommel into the side of the woman’s head before turning to face me. She fell into an unconscious heap. He hadn’t meant for it to be kind, but it was better than what she had been enduring when I walked into the room.