Broken Souls (Primani Book 4)

by Laurie Olerich

  The two guys came back a few minutes later. Sean took one look at his godsons and beamed a real smile at them. It had to be so hard for him to spend Christmas without his boy. What kind of woman was Aisling? She sounded like a piece of work. After everyone found places to sit down, Killian went over the rules with the boys while Mica and Rori talked. Rori was jealous. Pure and simple. Mica’s face was soft with love for her boys. Her happiness was so obvious. Man, she wanted kids too. She wanted a family of her own.

  If Mica noticed her envy, she graciously overlooked it and nodded at the Primani standing together by the tree. “They don’t really celebrate Christmas like we do. For them, it’s a human tradition. I’ve convinced them to humor me, so they let me do all the traditional things. I’m warning you now; this place will be overrun with people in a few hours. I thought you might be more comfortable knowing that ahead of time.”

  Dec asked, “Who’s coming?”

  “Everyone minus Monica. She’s spending the holiday break with her boyfriend down in Cancun. Other than that, the whole family will be here, including Trevor’s pretty new girl, Helene.”

  “Did Raphael say he’d be here?”

  Mica shook her head. “Killian says he’s in Thailand on family business. No idea how long that will take.” Handing Rori a mug of coffee, she explained, “Monica and Abby are my step-sisters. They’re twins. Fraternal, not identical. Monica models in The City. She’s busy with some new guy, as usual. The woman goes through men like bottled water--thirst quenching disposables.”

  Mica wasn’t kidding. By 2:00, the house was swarming with people. Rori vanished to the kitchen, using that as an excuse to hide from the crowd. Dec watched her from the corner. She stood at the sink, up to her elbows in sudsy water, cleaning up some pots and pans from lunch. Most of Mica’s family was in the dining room, setting the table, getting food positioned, and rounding up the kids. Ten minutes ‘til it was time to feast. Rori stared out the kitchen window for so long he knew she didn’t see the snow. Her mind was definitely someplace else. He let her daydream while he scoped out her butt. Once upon a time, he would have thought this was disrespectful. Now? Not so much. She was like a work of art. How could he not stare? She’d filled out some more; finally rounded in all the right places, all of her bones covered with a layer of muscle now. She was convinced he found her ugly before, but that wasn’t true. Sure she was too thin, but she would never be ugly. She was perfect. She looked over her shoulder, cat’s eyes gleaming with mischief.

  “Are you ogling my ass?”

  “Guilty. You can’t blame me though. I know what it looks like naked. My imagination won’t shut up.”

  “Mmm, hmm. Come and kiss me. I’m too wet to move.” She held up both soapy hands as proof.

  Standing behind her, he took full advantage of her order, kissing her until she swayed and gripped the sink with both hands. “Better?” he murmured. “God, you taste good.”

  “Really? In the kitchen?”

  Her man jumped like he’d been hit with a cattle prod. He jumped away from her so fast she nearly fell into the sink. Two strangers stood just inside the doorway. A young woman, close to her age maybe, crossed her arms and scowled. The scowl wasn’t serious. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she shook her head in mock disapproval. She had pink hair. Well, most of it was pink. Some of it was platinum, which went with the hardware gleaming from her right ear and her face. One, two, three, four… how many studs did she have anyway? She had a hoop in one eyebrow too. An elegant angel flowed up the side of her neck. Nice tat. Odd place for it, but nice all the same. Her tight, lithe body was stuffed into skinny jeans and a black sweater that would’ve been classy except for the scissor slashes that gave everyone a good look at her abs and lower back. Uh…

  Dec’s face went through a series of fascinating expressions. Shock, horror, guilt, then finally embarrassment… he was blushing? Cute? Maybe. But not right at this second. She didn’t need to be psychic to know he’d hooked up with this girl. The girl smiled cynically, but the pain in her eyes was easy to see. She was in love with him.

  “Hey, Abby. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Obviously. I wanted to introduce you to Josh.” She looped her arm around the huge hunky man at her side. “Josh, this is my old friend Declan. He’s another of Killian’s brothers. You met Sean already.”

  To say he was cute… well, cute wasn’t the exact word she would’ve used. Rugged? Interesting? His nose was crooked. He had a pale scar running from the corner of his eye to the side of his ear. His jaw needed shaving, and his blond hair needed trimming. Definitely rough around the edges. The guy’s height and bulky muscle made up for the tiny imperfections of his face. He wasn’t classically cute, but he was ruggedly sexy. He gave off a cocky vibe, too. Good replacement for Dec. She’d bite her tongue off before saying that out loud though. Dec was already giving her the stink eye.

  Rori dried her hands and offered one to Tall and Hunky. “Do you play hockey?”

  The missing front tooth confirmed it. He even had dimples. Nice ones too. He gave her hand a shake and said, “Every chance I get. I just got pulled into the Rangers’ farm team.” He dropped a kiss on Abby’s head, adding with a huge smile, “We’ll be on the road a lot this year.”

  Twenty minutes later, the beautiful table was a warzone. Plates, bowls, and platters were empty. There was nothing left other than a couple of olives drifting around the relish tray. It was shocking how much food they went through. There were a lot of people, but still. They’d killed a ham, a turkey, too many side dishes to count, and four bottles of wine. Mica and Killian sat beside each other at one end of the table. While conversations ebbed and flowed, they were lost in their own world. They shared an intimate look that caught Rori’s eye. No one else was paying attention, but she couldn’t help staring. She was fascinated.

  Killian pressed his cheek against Mica’s to whisper in her ear. Whatever he said made her tear up, and he tenderly thumbed away the moisture. He murmured something else with a wink, and she nodded, eyes brimming again. Completely ignoring their guests, he lifted her chin and caught her mouth in a soft, sweet kiss. Rori felt her own eyes sting in romantic sympathy.

  Killian turned to face the family and said proudly, “We’re having a girl.”

  All conversation screeched to a halt as his words sunk in and spread down the table. As quickly as it stopped, it started up again with a vengeance. Everyone spoke at once.

  Abby squealed, “Awesome! When did you find out?”

  Her step-mom Janet asked, “When are you due? How are you feeling?”

  Several ‘congratulations’ were tossed out too. Mica glowed. Killian practically strutted with pride. Strangely, Dec and Sean couldn’t stop laughing…

  Mica noticed and froze them with a wicked glare. “Don’t even think about it! She’s already growing!”

  Dec tiptoed out of the boys’ room and carefully eased the door closed. There would be hell to pay for waking the kids up. It was way past their bedtime. He couldn’t resist reading one last story and had shooed Mica out a little while ago. Poor thing was dead on her feet. She didn’t hesitate when he offered. She gave him a grateful kiss and bolted. After 30 minutes, the boys finally crashed. He loved those little angels. And now he would have a goddaughter. He hoped she’d look exactly like her mother. One of these days, he wanted his own little princess.

  Rori caught his eye when he came into the living room. The love in her smile warmed him from the inside out. He’d found his queen. They’d work on the princess later. For now, he only wanted to know her, to see the world through her eyes, to bask in her love. Waxing poetic? Maybe. Nothing new for him. Hell, she’d been moving him to poetry since she tried to die in his arms. Was he in the right place at the right time? He thought so at first, but not now. There were still a few mysteries to puzzle out, a few secrets to keep, but he was wrapping his brain around it all now. No way they met by coincidence. No. Not a coincidence. Who was pulling the s
trings?

  File that train of thought under ‘to be continued.’ He had one more important thing to do before Christmas day officially ended. The love of his life was curled under a quilt on the couch. Sean sprawled across the other end, boots off, feet planted on a footstool. He was sound asleep; beat down from faking happiness all day long. Mica sat on Killian’s lap on the recliner. They spoke softly, eyes only on each other. Killian’s palm rested protectively on her belly. The music was turned down, the fire burned low. The lights were off except for the tree. Standing in the doorway, he drank them in and burned this image into his memory. This was his family. He wouldn’t trade his existence for anything. He was the luckiest soul on the planet.

  Rori scooted over so he could sit her on his lap and brushed his bangs away from his eyes, soft fingers lingering on his skin. He kept thinking about cutting his hair, but she couldn’t keep her hands off… why ruin a good thing?

  “I have a surprise for you.”

  She stopped brushing. “Don’t tell me you’re pregnant too?” she whispered.

  “Not that, wench. I didn’t give you your special present.”

  “You bought me perfume. It’s divine. I love it. You don’t need to give me anything else.”

  “Yes, I do. I want to do something cool with you. Let’s go to the penthouse for New Year’s. It’ll be wicked. We’ll go to Times Square to see the ball drop. We’ll go clubbing where ever you want. I’ll even dance with you. We’ll go shopping too. You can pick out a slinky dress that’ll turn me on. Maybe get some lingerie that I can tear off with my teeth. Oh, and tall boots too. Whatever you want. You’ll be beautiful in anything.” He paused to suck in a breath. “Say yes!”

  She practically bounced up and down the entire way to Manhattan. Her butt barely touched the seat. This was the best road trip ever. Of course, she had very few to compare it to… Still, Dec’s plan for New Year’s totally rocked. He told her to forget their problems for a day or so; live in the moment, soak up the world. They would take care of her demon stalker after the holiday. When had she given over all faith to him and his crazy friends/brothers? She couldn’t pinpoint a date, but somehow they’d wormed their way into her heart. This was a chance at life after so many years of wishing it was over; now she couldn’t wait for it to begin.

  Dec captured her hand and lowered the volume on Concrete Blonde. “Happy, love?”

  “Delirious! I feel like my life is just now starting. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!” Leaning across the console, she kissed his cheek. “And it’s all your fault. Did I ever thank you for saving my life? For giving me life?”

  The wicked grin was a surprise. “Um, let me think… no, I don’t think you did. You can thank me now if it makes you feel better.” His eyes dropped to his lap.

  Manhattan. The sun had just set, leaving a few pale shimmers of light lingering high in the sky. Almost instantly, the lights flickered on in the high-rises across the river. They were coming in on the Brooklyn Bridge. It was one of her favorites. The soaring arches caught her imagination, and she always loved the sight. It was especially stunning at night. This was the first time she’d crossed in a car though. She craned her head to see the top of the window-like structure. Was that a person up there? Crap. Not another jumper! She peered more closely, but the bridge lights winked on, chasing away the shadows. When she looked again, the silhouette was gone.

  “Shit. Look at that traffic.” Dec frowned at the line of taillights snaking ahead of them. From what she could see, the line was endless. Guess they’d be sitting a while. No problem. They had plenty of time.

  He kept a smile on his face for Rori’s sake, but the fact was he was picking up a bad vibe. Traffic on the bridge wasn’t unusual. No, that was pretty common. He scanned the bridge for demons. The cars were clean, full of humans, no demons riding shotgun. Still, the crawling feeling of doom slithered over his neck. Something was up.

  Azrael smiled. The Brooklyn Bridge was one of his favorite watching places. From its highest point, he arched his wings to absorb the human energy swirling around him. Millions of souls… many of them already promised to him, inhabited this city. He inhaled deeply, letting the bitter odor of those broken souls saturate his senses. So many damned, too many to count; it was a demon’s paradise. Immune to the cold, he folded his wings and crossed his arms. Watching. Searching.

  The traffic below slowly ground to a halt thanks to his help. The dump truck full of garbage stalled without warning. A cement truck had an unfortunate brake line rupture. Between the two of them, they managed to obstruct the entire end of the bridge. No one was moving. The resulting chaos was just what he needed.

  She was with her Primani protector, her lover. The word burned his tongue. Lover? She had no right to that. She hadn’t asked his permission. He owned her, body and soul. He wanted her untainted by the scent of man, of Heaven. The stink of the archangel’s pet turned his stomach. It would take time and patience to purge the smell from her blood. He’d seen them naked, wrapped together by their useless saols, bound. Bound? That binding wouldn’t save her, wouldn’t keep her from him. He would sever that bond with one thrust of his cock. She’d scream, cry, beg… but in the blink of an eye, she would forget her lover. Once her soul was his, there would be no room for memories. No room for regrets. She would only serve him. See only him, until he got bored and sent her to the pit to rot for a million lifetimes.

  On the bright side, she would be reunited with her mother. Just the thought of that stupid bitch pissed him off. She thought she could set conditions. Dictate terms. With him? Arrogant bitch. He’d seen right through her little games. Annalisa hadn’t done well in his personal toy box. Her soul withered almost as fast as her human body bled out when he stuck a blade in her gut. He tapped the tips of his claws together and released his fangs at the memory. She thought she had 25 years. Surprise!

  The Dodge Challenger was nearly directly in the center of the bridge. Stopped dead, the car wasn’t going anywhere. As an added insurance, he sent a thought that ruptured the gas line. Time to move. There was hell to pay.

  Landing silently beside Rori’s door, he hesitated just long enough for her to notice him. The second her eyes went round with fear, he shattered the glass into a million projectiles.

  Chapter 22: The Devil’s in the Details

  TIME STOPPED FOR NO MAN. But it sure as hell did for one woman. Every detail was crystal clear as her world moved in slow motion. The sound of smashing glass rang in her ears; glittering chunks peppered her face, clinging to skin, drawing blood. She was too shocked to scream. Before she could throw her hands up, Azrael dragged her through the busted window by her hair. Her jacket snagged on the broken glass, bunching to her armpits, baring her skin. One shoe fell off. Using her as a shield, he moved around the front of the car. Someone screamed. A car horn blared, then another. The sounds finally burst the bubble of shock. Frantically looking for Dec, she struggled to get free. If he thought she would make it easy on him, he had another thing coming. She’d claw his fucking eyes out!

  Everything went red. Pellets of glass shredded Dec’s face, clawed at his eyes. But the red in his vision wasn’t from the blood. It was pure rage. Rage he’d never felt before. Rage that sent adrenaline coursing through him so fast he nearly exploded with the need to move, to destroy, to rip that demon’s head from its body. Instantly his saol burst to life, filling him with strength and power. That power gleamed through the tips of his fingers as the energy coiled, ready for whatever Dec needed. The sonofabitch had his hands on Rori! Had damaged her, hurt her again. She struggled to free herself, but Azrael was twice her size, even without demonic strength. The bastard didn’t even bother to hide in a human façade. He stood in full glory, wings and all. Azrael bent his head and ran his tongue across her forehead, lapping up the drops of blood.

  “Mmm, sweet. Can’t wait to bring her home.”

  Over his dead body.

  Correction: Over Azrael’s dead fucking body!

>   Starting with his forked tongue. He’d rip that thing out by the roots.

  Dec sent a get-your-ass-here-now message to Sean and Killian even as he willed himself to calm down. Every instinct screamed to tackle Azrael to the ground, but he knew better. The demon wouldn’t bother to fight with Rori’s soul so close. He would simply vanish with her. So he stalked around the car, fists clenched, ready for anything. He moved slowly, carefully. The last thing he wanted was for Azrael to shimmer with Rori. They’d never find her; at least not before she was damaged beyond their help. Oh, hell no! That wasn’t happening. Not now, not ever.

  Azrael cocked his head and said silkily, “You look upset. Careful now, your halo’s showing. Going to go all ‘avenging’ on me? That works. I could use the exercise. Bring it if you think you can.”

  “Let her go!”

  “Or what? We both know you can’t hurt me.” He swung his eyes around the bridge, taking in every detail before adding, “Your friends can’t help you either. A deal’s a deal. Her soul is mine.”

  As they circled each other, people craned their heads in curiosity that ranged from a bored peek out the window, to full video mode on their cellphones. There were calls of encouragement from bloodthirsty dumbasses. Did they not see the friggin’ massive black wings? Really people? That didn’t set off any alarm bells? Someone screamed. Someone announced they were calling 911. Yeah, that’ll help. All hell is about to break loose. You might want to duck. Or run. Or kiss your ass goodbye.

  Starting now…

  Against the backdrop of the center stone structure, three demons dropped from the sky. They wore matching black hooded sweatshirts that shielded their ugly faces. After landing on the hoods of parked cars, they kicked in a few windshields on their way to the ground. All carried the usual athames in their fists. Dec had no doubt they had side arms tucked in their pants too. One of them carried an AR-15 slung over a beefy shoulder. Great. There were a hundred humans still stuck on the bridge. Leave it to a demon to bring automatic weapons to a knife fight.