The Belial Sacrifice

by R. D. Brady

  They immediately got to work, checking Cleo over with an array of instruments. Henry stepped back, slipping his arm around Laney’s shoulders. She buried her face into his chest.

  No one said anything as Dom and Gina worked. Laney held on to Jen and Henry, wanting to know but not wanting to at the same time. It was Schrödinger’s cat all over again. Right now, Cleo could be alive or not. Until Cleo and Gina spoke, Laney could choose to believe she was alive. But once they finished, that choice would be ripped from her.

  So she prayed Gina and Dom examined Cleo forever. But of course, that was impossible. Henry leaned down. “Laney.”

  She shook her head, not wanting to hear it.

  His voice was gentle, but at the same time, the cruelty of his words was world-shattering. “Laney, you need to say goodbye.”

  The breath burst from her lungs in a gasp. Say goodbye? How could she say goodbye to Cleo? Cleo wasn’t some friend, some pet. She was the other part of Laney. How could this be happening?

  Gina stopped in front of her. Laney looked up at her, wanting to hear something different. Something that would not shatter her world. “I’m sorry, Laney. There is no brain activity. Sometimes when someone breaks a bone, a small piece of the bone can fracture off and cause an embolism, a blockage of the blood. I think that’s what happened, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

  Laney gripped Jen’s hand. If she’d been a normal human, Laney would have crushed it. But Jen said nothing, just held her tightly. “What happens now?”

  “The machines are keeping her body functioning. We can continue that, but eventually her body will break down and the machines won’t be able to compensate. I’m sorry, Laney, but she’s already gone.”

  Laney swallowed hard. “Everybody . . .” She swallowed. “Let everyone else say goodbye first.”

  Gina squeezed her forearm. “Okay.”

  Henry and Jen helped Laney over to the side as Lou, Rolly, and Danny made their way to the table. Each of them placed a hand on Cleo, bowing their heads, their tears dripping onto the table and into Cleo’s fur. The three of them moved to the side as Jake stepped up. He kissed Cleo’s cheek, resting his hand above her eyes for a moment before wiping his own eyes and moving to the side. Dom shuffled up to Cleo’s side, tears raining down his cheeks as sobs wracked his frame.

  Henry walked up then, saying his goodbye quietly before joining Jake. Jen and Laney walked to the table together. Laney angrily wiped away the tears that were running as if from a faucet. She needed to see Cleo.

  She laid a hand on her friend, her whole body shaking. I love you, Cleo. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being in my life. I will miss you forever.

  Jen kept a tight grip on Laney as Gina spoke. “Are you ready?”

  Laney took a shuddering breath. She grabbed Cleo’s paw and nodded even as her heart threatened to crack in two.

  Gina hit a switch on the heart monitor, and the beeps slowed, coming further and further apart until they went silent. And that was it. Laney’s legs gave out. Jen gripped her, keeping her from falling, and then it was Jake who pulled her into his arms, carrying her from the room. He carried her to the couch, curling her up in his lap.

  She sobbed for Cleo. She sobbed for Drake. She sobbed for herself and everything she’d lost.

  Chapter 64

  The heart monitor slowed. Her throat tight, Jen tightened her grip around Laney, feeling her friend’s strength leave as Cleo’s did. Jen could not believe this was happening. Cleo had been fine. Hurt, yes. But not badly. How could it have resulted in this?

  Laney’s legs gave out, but Jen gripped her to her to keep her from falling. And then Jake was there, pulling Laney into his arms and striding from the room. Jen walked to the threshold of the door, her heart breaking as she watched Laney sob. Grief threatening to overwhelm her, she looked back at Cleo, who was so still. Henry stepped next to her, wrapping his arms around her. She looked back at her best friend, whose heart had been shattered twice in as many days.

  Jen leaned into Henry, tears rolling down her own cheeks as she shared her friend’s pain.

  Laney stood up suddenly, her face pale, tears overflowing her lashes, her eyes wild. “I need to go. I need to run.”

  Jake reached out a hand for her. “Laney.”

  She shook her head, stepping out of his reach.

  Henry stepped forward. “I’ll go with—”

  Laney just shook her head and blurred out the door. Jen grabbed Henry’s arm before he could follow. “Let her go.”

  “But she needs—”

  “She needs to cry. She needs to run. And the only people she needs right now aren’t here.” Jen’s eyes filled with tears. When she had lost her baby, in the immediate aftermath, the only one she wanted near her was Henry. Drake was the only one Laney would want right now. But he was the other part of her tears. “We can’t help her right now. We need to be there for her when we can.”

  A crash had everyone whirling. Jake had slammed a chair into the wall, anger and grief slashed across his face.

  Jen’s own anger began to rise. It was too much pain for one person. Jen felt like doing exactly the same thing. Henry tried to hug her, but she pushed him away. “It’s not fair! Cleo, Drake, and now what? We’re just supposed to ask her to save the world one more time while her whole world crashes down around her? How much more can we ask of her?”

  “She’s strong, Jen.”

  “She’s strong, yes, but she’s human, Henry. Even she has a breaking point. Cleo, she wasn’t just her pet, her friend. She was part of her. And with Drake gone . . .” Jen’s words choked off, the pain her friend was facing robbing her of words.

  Jake started for the door. “I’ll go see—”

  “I need everyone to be quiet!” Gina yelled as she stood hunched over Cleo’s body, a stethoscope to her chest. Jen’s gaze flew to the heart monitor, but it was still flatlined. What was Gina doing?

  Gina frowned as she shifted the stethoscope around Cleo’s chest, moving lower and lower down her torso. Her eyes grew large. She all but shoved Henry out of the way as she started CPR.

  “Get the oxygen mask on her!”

  Jen was too stunned to move, but Danny sprang into action, grabbing the mask and securing it over Cleo’s mouth.

  “Henry, take over compressions,” Gina ordered.

  Henry placed his hands over hers and began compressions as soon as Gina slipped hers out. Gina hustled over to the defibrillator and rolled it to the table.

  “What’s going on?” Jen asked. “Is Cleo alive?”

  Gina shook her head but didn’t answer her question as she placed the paddles on Cleo’s chest. “Clear!”

  Henry raised his hands. Cleo’s whole body shook as electricity passed through her. A blip appeared on the monitor. Gina nodded. “You guys need to get out. I need room.”

  Henry turned Jen around. Jen glanced over her shoulder at Gina frantically working on Cleo. What on earth was going on?

  Chapter 65

  Laney sprinted up the stairs, away from Dom’s shelter. Thank God someone had left all the blast doors open, because if she had had to open them, she would have lost her mind.

  She blew through the last door, bursting out into the fresh air. She sprinted away from the shelter, away from Sharecroppers Lane. She didn’t think. She just ran. Without conscious thought, she vaulted over the fence. A car braked as she landed in the street, but Laney didn’t stop. She kept going. She ran as her heart shattered inside her chest. Her legs felt like they’d been weighed down, and as her mind ran with so many thoughts, she wanted more than anything to yank it out.

  The world around her was a blur as she sprinted down streets and across fields. She wondered if maybe she could just do this, run, and keep running until there was nothing left of her. She pictured Drake, the lack of emotion in his eyes. He was gone too. There had been nothing of the Drake she knew in the body of the archangel she had seen in David’s living room. Her Drake, the man w
ho somehow, despite his arrogance, his flippancy, his ego, had not only slipped into her heart but plunked down roots and declared he would be the last one who did.

  Ahead, the tall concrete walls of the cats’ old preserve came into view. With a giant leap, Laney’s fingertips reached the top. She hauled herself up and rolled over the side. She didn’t even try to get her feet under her. She slammed into the ground on her side.

  She stumbled to her knees, sucking in a lungful of air. Cleo.

  The animal preserve was a skeleton of its former self. Dead, scarred trees covered the area. No signs of life burst from the ground.

  Laney crashed onto her hands, sobs wracking her body. No, Cleo, no. She pictured Cleo when she’d first met her. Yoni had thought she was crazy. Laney hadn’t been sure he wasn’t right. But the minute she had connected with Cleo, everything had changed. Laney had changed. A whole new world had opened up to her. From that point on, she’d never been alone. Cleo had always been with her, even if she hadn’t physically been there. The bond between them, it was beyond friends, beyond family.

  And now she’s gone. Laney struggled to breathe as the hole in her chest grew even wider. She panted on her hands and knees, desperate for air but part of her wondering if maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be better, or at least easier, if she was never able to get any.

  She fell to her side, taking small panting breaths as the panic attack receded. She lay there, feeling as weak as a kitten.

  All this power, all these abilities, and I can’t save the ones I love. Visions of Cleo, Drake, Drew, Kati, Maddox, Rocky, Zac floated through her mind. How many more would be added to that list in the days to come?

  It was too much. Too much pain, too much death, too much loss. How much more was she supposed to take? How much more could be asked of her?

  She knew the answer to that even as she thought it. Everything. Everything would be asked of her. And everything she had would be needed for the fight ahead. But right now, she knew that everything she had wasn’t very much. The Delaney McPhearson who had taken on Samyaza, the Delaney McPhearson who as Helen of Troy had defied the armies of the world, was a shell of her former self. She curled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself.

  The Delaney McPhearson who existed right now was broken. And she wasn’t sure if she would ever be whole again.

  Chapter 66

  Laney didn’t awaken until noon the next day. She had lain in the cats’ preserve for hours before stumbling back to the estate. She had avoided everyone, not wanting to talk. She’d collapsed in bed, seeking the oblivion of sleep. Now she pried her eyes against the brightness. But the sunlight wouldn’t give her any peace. As soon as she opened her eyes, she remembered saying goodbye to Cleo. She rolled over, buried her face in her pillow, and sobbed.

  Two hours later, she managed to force herself from her bed. She wanted to pull the blankets over her head and just let the world burn. Or at least, she did for a moment. But the faces of all those counting on her played on a carousel through her mind. She needed to get up. She needed to see what the government had arranged. So even though she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, she forced herself to her feet and into the shower.

  The shower woke her up a little, but the blanket of grief she was wearing didn’t get any lighter. She opened the door to her bedroom, smelling food from the kitchen. She frowned, not getting a read on anyone.

  Must be Jake.

  She headed down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen.

  Yoni turned from the stove, an apron tied around his waist. “Hey, kid.”

  Laney flew across the room and hugged him tightly.

  Yoni’s arms crushed her to him. “I am so damn sorry, Laney, about all of it.”

  The tears she’d thought she’d run out of ran down her cheeks yet again. Finally, she pulled away, wiping at her cheeks, noticing Yoni do the same. “What are you doing here? How’s Sascha and the baby?”

  Yoni smiled, even as he used the apron to mop his face. “They’re both good. And Noel, she’s beautiful. Dov and Max can’t seem to get enough of her.”

  Laney smiled. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

  Yoni’s smile dimmed a little. “You will. When this is all over.” He handed her a plate. “Here. Go eat.”

  “You joining me?”

  He grunted. “Of course I am.”

  Laney headed to the table. She took a seat and poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot already on the table. Yoni joined her a few seconds later with his own plate. Laney hadn’t been hungry when she’d gotten up, but after the first bite, she realized she was starving. Focused on her food, she didn’t say a word to Yoni until she’d done everything but lick her plate clean. She pushed back from the table. “Thanks. I needed that.”

  “Apparently you did. When’s the last time you ate?”

  “Um.” She frowned, trying to remember. “Maybe yesterday morning?”

  “Well, let me get you more, then.” He grabbed her plate and refilled it. Laney wanted to say no, but her stomach had other ideas. After a few bites, she asked, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Arizona with that beautiful family of yours.”

  “Did you really think I’d miss this?”

  She paused, eyeing him. “What do you know?”

  “I told Danny to contact me whenever the final battle came.”

  “You knew there’d be one?”

  He nodded. “As soon as we learned Elisabeta had left the Omni behind, I knew it would come to this. Jake told me the plan. I’m in.”

  Laney shook her head. “No. You have a family to think of.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m here. I need to make sure I do everything in my power to secure their future. And that means making sure that enhanced abilities are gone. Nothing good comes from battles between mortals and the gods. I need to be part of this.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I’d rather you stayed behind.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “I think we’d all rather sit this one out if we could. But that’s not an option, not if we’re going to ensure your success. All of us need to do our part. You can’t do it alone.”

  “No, I can’t.” Her lips trembled as she thought about Cleo and Drake. Right now, she felt alone.

  “You’re not, you know.”

  “Not what?”

  “Alone. Cleo’s with you. And I don’t know what exactly happened with Drake or Michael or whoever he is, but I do know that he loved you. You need to hold on to that, Laney. At the end of the day, who we love, how we love, it’s what pushes us forward. It’s why I’m here, and it’s why even though your heart is shattered right now, you’ll do what needs to be done. It’s kind of the people we are.”

  She sniffed. “Is it wrong that I really wish we weren’t those kind of people right now?”

  “It’s not wrong. It’s just not us.” He stood up and kissed her forehead. “Now finish your food. I’m getting seconds too.”

  Laney watched Yoni head back to the stove. He had a family he adored, and yet he was still here. If Cleo was here, she’d be pushing her forward. And Drake, if he were still here, would be standing by her side. She took a breath, closing her eyes. One foot in front of the other. She could do this. She opened her eyes, and Yoni smiled at her. She could do this because even if her world had collapsed, there were others who still had love to fight for.

  She picked up her fork. And they need me to fight for them as well.

  Chapter 67

  A short while later, Laney, Matt, and David headed to the Pentagon for one last briefing. It seemed there was some troop activity around the globe that was worrying the analysts. But by the time she left the Pentagon, there was no indication that their plan to go to Egypt had been uncovered. They would leave tomorrow at noon.

  That night, Henry hosted a dinner for all the fighters at the main house. Laney passed on the dinner, not up to chatting with a large group of people, but Jen and Yoni had shown up with some
food. The three of them had had a quiet meal before turning in for an early night.

  At first, Laney had tried to sleep in her cottage. But she couldn’t. Memories of Cleo and Drake were everywhere. Her chest felt like it had been ripped open. After struggling for hours, she walked down to her uncle and Cain’s cottage. Letting herself in, she curled up in her uncle’s bed and sobbed.

  All day she had been focused on the task at hand, locking her grief away. But at night, in the dark, there was nothing to distract her from it. And it came roaring over her in a tidal wave of pain and anguish.

  It was wrong. It was all wrong for Cleo to be gone by something so simple. How was that possible? She hadn’t wanted Cleo to go with her into this final battle. She had planned on making sure she did not go with them. But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Cleo was supposed to stay here, with Dom. She was supposed to be safe. How could she be gone?

  Laney clutched a pillow to her chest. And Drake. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he still inside Michael, trying to get out? Or had Michael erased everything that had made him Drake?

  She had pictured him being right by her side as she climbed the Great Pyramid. She didn’t want to endanger anyone, but Drake, he would never have listened to her if she tried to keep him away. He would have stubbornly stayed at her side, no matter the cost to himself. And part of her had been counting on that. They were a team. Could she even do this on her own? Right now she felt like she was half of who she normally was. Drake and Cleo—they were the other pieces of her. It was like someone had cut an arm and leg off and then expected her to step into a boxing ring.

  Tears trailed down her cheeks. She couldn’t do this. It hurt too much. Drake’s face floated through her mind, his green eyes intense as his words came back to her. You will dust yourself off and you will jump back into the fight. Things go wrong, Laney. You can’t prepare for everything. But you can choose to keep fighting.