I stared at the doll’s house fork, whilst the vampire court stared at me.
I clenched my fists.
Was this whole thing a windup?
‘You missed the playing with dolls stage by about fifteen years,’ I hissed. ‘Plus, if you knew me at all, then you’d get that I was the geek you’d impress with a comic, computer game, or…’
Lucifer flicked his wrist. The fork grew in the instant. Living bone, it twisted outwards: long, thin shimmering bone, with three forked prongs at one end and at the other, a point as sharp as a shank.
As tall as Lucifer, it was a bastard of a weapon.
It was also the killer fork that’d been inked onto the Blood’s back, which I held aloft, whilst I destroyed the world.
Yet I wanted it.
Awoken, the ancient powers crackled as they crashed against each other, disturbed. They smelled my inheritance and they craved it: a sweet yet sulphurous, charcoal-like musk that spoke only of death. It was so rich, I could taste it, coating my tongue. It didn’t choke me, however, it liberated the monster inside. Even though, buried beneath the haze of want want want, I shook at what it meant.
‘Your Devil’s Trident,’ Lucifer breathed. ‘I just call him Devil. Take him.’
‘Yours, always, touch me…’ The Devil’s Trident whispered, insidious and yearning.
I raised my shaking hand towards the shaft.
‘Stop with the Percy Jackson action: it’s death.’ Ash’s bellow from behind me, sliced through the silence, which hummed with only the honeyed murmurs from the bone trident.
Shocked out of my haze, I spun round.
In the shadows at the back of the Crypt, Ash…and Rebel…had been chained side by side to a column, as if it was an ossified tree, and they were waiting for the dragon to barbecue them.
I didn’t miss the way their hands were linked.
Trick watched them from the gloom. His long hair swung loose, and he played with it, as if imagining playing with my blokes.
I stiffened.
‘The Brigadier’s not fibbing,’ Rebel pleaded, torturing his lower lip with his teeth. ‘On all that’s holy, don’t touch that bleeding thing. He’s after changing you…’
Trick slunk away from the wall at a nod from Wild, sliding a strap from his belt. He hefted it over his shoulder, before whacking it down over Rebel.
Whish — crack.
It caught Rebel’s cheek.
Rebel let out a broken sob. The leather had split his skin; scarlet teared down his face. ‘Battle it. Whatever the gits do.’
I flinched.
Why wouldn’t Rebel stop talking? Why was he always…walking into the fire for me…?
Hell, I wasn’t like my dad, was I?
‘Princess…don’t…’
Whish — crack.
Rebel keened.
Devil was calling to me again; I was already lost to him. I quivered as I turned back, reaching out my hand.
Bones, Devil whispered, feathers and blood…
The tips of my fingers almost grazed the bone.
‘Don’t touch him,’ Rebel gasped, ‘please…’
Whish — crack.
Rebel’s cry, and Ash’s murmured comfort, were muffled by the pounding pulse in my ears and the carolling of my new weapon: I’m yours…hold me…
I closed my hand around the shaft, my fingers sparking static-light next to Lucifer’s, and touched death.
I gasped, throwing back my head in a wild howl.
Lucifer’s smile was triumphant, as he beat his wings, rising with the trident between us like a war standard. I rose next to him. Dad and daughter in the thrall of death, and it was better than the moment when a shank sliced through skin or the taste of candy blood.
It was coming home to my birthright and it was glorious.
‘It’s a lie,’ Ash’s voice was haunted. ‘Devil latches onto your desires. Twists them, so you’ll follow like a good puppy. You can fight it, Violet.’
‘Says the green-eyed Seducer who’s only having a tantrum because I took away his toy,’ Lucifer smirked.
Devil had been Ash’s weapon?
My fingers loosened on the trident, but a burst of light snaked out, wrapping them back around with a warning zap.
‘Free, strengthen, save you. Never abandon. Yours…’ My hand tightened at Devil’s pleading whisper.
‘Listen up, you gorgeous Fallen: see how the Devil’s Trident chooses your Bone Princess?’ Lucifer struck a pose for the audience, hand on hip.
And he’d called me dramatic.
Awed murmurs.
‘Let it be known on Lucifer’s Light that if my daughter passes the tests, then she’ll win the trident and reign by my side as Queen of Chaos!’ Lucifer grinned, his wings and helmet leaping with flames.
Cheers, beating of wings, and stamping of feet.
As the vampires leapt up and twirled each other round in savage celebration, my heart thundered at the crazy arsed coronation with my name on it: Queen of Chaos.
And yet…for the trident to be mine? For dad to want me to rule not as his shadow but by his side…?
It was my every desire. And that terrified me.
When Lucifer shrunk Devil back to toy size, I panicked.
‘Help, I need you, take me,’ Devil begged like fire blazing over oil.
I snarled, snatching for the trident, as Lucifer tucked him back under his leather outfit and sharply zipped it up.
When I grasped the zip, ramming Lucifer against the roof, I almost missed the instant silence in the Crypt.
Almost.
Lucifer’s eyes twinkled. He gave a high laugh, as he prised me away from his zip with an ease that shook me. ‘I’m just bursting with pride. Look, I’m positively glowing. See what you can do, when your darkest desires are brought into the light?’
I squirmed. I couldn’t help the thrum of joy that he was proud of me. Yet also the rush of fury that it was only because he’d dragged out my inner monster.
He didn’t know what he was messing with: my fire had blasted whole battlefields, and I hadn’t been the bitch in charge of the power. I was the monster that even the King of Hell should fear. If he let me out of my cage, none of his illusionist tricks could put me back. I remembered then in a shocking rush that in the prophecies inked on Ash’s sisters those monsters ended the world.
‘You don’t know me,’ I muttered. ‘Dark isn’t the way to go.’
Lucifer cocked his head. ‘That’s why I’m testing you with pain to really get to know the heart of you. After all, Devil desires you for a reason.’
‘That’ll be because he’s feeding from you, Violet,’ Ash banged his head — crack — against the column; the sound cut across the tripped-out daze that’d connected me with Lucifer, and I glanced over at him. ‘Dark thoughts, power, killing. He’s taken you on a date, and you’re the dinner. An all-you-can-eat buffet since you’ve been sparked with the king’s light.’
Lucifer growled, clutching my arm, as he swooped us down to Ash. He landed lightly, stalking towards him. ‘Tsk, bite your tongue, Seducer.’ He touched his hand to his helmet, before tripping sparks off his palm and across Ash’s flinching lips.
I shifted because how many times had I burnt others with my fire…even their lips?
‘Are you done gagging him? What do I have to do to win Devil?’
Lucifer wagged his finger at me. ‘I love it: straight and to the point. But first, you need to keep up your strength.’ He swept to Rebel, wrenching back his head to expose his long white neck. ‘Feed.’
First my sister and now my dad? What was up with the angel blood fetish?
‘Not happening, moving on, and a kick in the balls for the first person who gets fangy around my angel.’ I paced closer.
Lucifer sighed like I’d broken curfew. ‘You have to eat, champ, to grow up big and strong.’ He grinned. ‘Seriously, angel blood is the magic ingredient to your super mix. Just sprinkle in a dash of Fallen blood as well and…voila
!’ He shook Rebel’s neck at me again with an encouraging grin.
‘No way on your little horned head.’
Lucifer touched his helmet self-consciously, then frowned.
I suddenly remembered just who I was sassing.
Hell…literally.
Crunch — skeletons exploded out of the ground beneath me.
I screamed, but they clung to my legs and arms. My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I bit my tongue to stop myself shrieking again.
The skeletons moulded around my limbs, pulling me down as they shaped themselves into a chair, wrapping their bony fingerbones around my throat to hold me still.
I drew panicked breaths through my nostrils, catching the skeleton chair’s musty stench. ‘Let me bastard go.’ I struggled against the bones, and the skeletons’ fingers tightened.
Lucifer crossed his arms as if in thought. ‘That’d be a no way on your little violet-and-black-eyed head. My patience is like a flame.’ He crushed his fist, and the lights dancing over Ash’s mouth died. ‘Soon put out. But I’m all in favour of puppies learning tricks. So…’ He yanked the chains away from Ash and caught him in his arms. ‘Show my daughter how to be a good puppy.’
Lucifer knew how to make your own words bite you in the arse.
Ash cast a desperate look at me, before forcing himself to relax into Lucifer’s hold. I tensed, hating that Lucifer was touching him. ‘Don’t ask me to do this, Your Majesty. Not in front of—’
‘The angels stole our light,’ Lucifer’s agonized howl ran a shiver of dread through me, even as his sparking glare — flaring with cold light — met Ash’s. That they’d saved each other and fought in battles for centuries was unexpectedly real and raw. ‘They stole me. Just because we wanted to be free. You remember, right?’
‘It’s hard to remember anything when you’re a whore,’ Ash spat, his eyes glistening.
Smack — Lucifer slapped Ash across the cheek but he was shaking too.
Then he thrust Ash away, backing up a step, as if realising they were putting on a Soap Special for the rapt vampire audience. ‘If you don’t obey me, whore, then I’ll do it.’
What the hell were they talking about?
Ash startled, before shaking his head; his mouth set in a grim line.
Wild shoved through the vampires to drag off Rebel’s chains. Rebel collapsed to his knees, curling over. The purple welt stood out across his cheek. Ash dropped down next to him, fiddling with the belt of Rebel’s jeans. Rebel scrabbled at Ash’s hands in alarm.
My eyes widened; I fought against the skeleton chair. ‘No playing without permission.’
Ash patted Rebel’s shoulder: two soldiers about to go into battle. ‘We’re to put on a show, mate. Let me, and I’ll take it easy on you. This is for Violet. Pretend we’re alone.’
Rebel nodded, but his head was turned away, his arm over his eyes to hide his face. His voice, however, was tear-tinged. ‘Just do it, muppet. And don’t say you’ll make it good because there’s nothing bleeding good about this.’
Ash wet his lips, before sliding his hand down again to the waistband of Rebel’s jeans.
Outrage, fear, humiliation: they shrouded me through our bond. I retched at the sticky shame of it.
‘Jesus Christ, please…just my wings…’ Rebel begged.
Ash pulled away his hand, dipping his head to feather kisses along Rebel’s fluttering neck. I could hear both their harsh breaths even bound in my bone chair.
I curled my toes, as my jaw clenched. If Ash bastard touched my Mark on Rebel’s neck…
But Ash skirted around it. Instead, he placed a single chaste kiss on Rebel’s trembling lips: two men-at-arms.
‘Gather round! Here’s a special spectacle: our Seducer showing off his tricks.’ Wild gestured to the FF who flanked the vampires, trapping them closer.
Hoots, guffaws, jeers.
Bets called out on me: how many minutes before the Champion pulled her wrists bloody against the chair (already happened), stopped watching…cried. Even though my eyes already burnt with tears, I gritted my teeth together: they were all bastard losing that one.
The vampires were addicts to gambling and pain.
I caught a glimpse of Harahel’s brunet curls; he’d hidden his face on the Master of Misrule’s shoulder. Misrule’s expression was carefully blank. Shouldn’t he be leading the show? Except, the vampires around him all wore the same shuttered expressions and stiff shoulders. They weren’t betting or laughing.
Maybe not all of the Under World revelled in the pain of Seducers and angels. Or were as loyal as Lucifer thought?
Rebel gasped, as Ash caressed his wings, circling each feather. Mortified shame wept through the bond at the forced pleasure.
I closed my eyes, but Lucifer whispered with shocking intimacy into my ear, ‘Naughty naughty, you’re missing the performance, and when I went to such lengths to have it put on in your honour. Are you bored, huh? Are the boys not being…adventurous enough?’ My eyes shot open, and he chuckled. ‘There you are. And today’s lesson? Look how willingly they’ll walk into the fire for you. They’re just begging to be sacrificed.’
What…?
I startled; my skin tingled.
He’d set me up. Yet here my fam were, acting just like Lucifer had known they would. I’d reckoned it was because they loved me.
But…now?
No one was winning that bet about me crying.
Ash kissed Rebel’s wingtips, sucking, as Rebel arched and purred. Then Rebel shuddered, stilling. His head lolled back, as he blacked out.
Ash crouched over Rebel, wiping away the tears underneath his eyes. Then he juddered, licking Rebel’s neck: an addict coming back for his next taste of heaven.
Hell, Rebel’s blood was mine. What would happen if Ash Bonded with my angel?
Ash turned Rebel’s head to the side, lowering his fangs to his neck…
‘I’ll bastard do it. I’ll feed from him,’ I hollered.
Silence.
The vampires had been well trained, like kids in school assembly.
Ash’s star sparking eyes were cold. ‘You couldn’t have had this revelation before we…?’ He hung his head. ‘Before I did this? Before you made me feel…’
Lucifer drew in a mock shocked breath.
Ash glowered, cradling Rebel to his chest, before carrying him to lay on my knee; he held Rebel’s throat up to my lips.
I hadn’t realised just how much larger Ash was than Rebel, until I saw him carry him in his arms. I couldn’t meet Ash’s gaze.
Awkwardly, I worried at Rebel’s skin with my blunt teeth. Then the candy blood hit.
Slam.
Sugary copper heaven hit me in a tsunami wave: life, strength, mine. I zinged with the new world opening before me, written in my angel’s blood.
I gulped, sucking down my own addiction.
‘This is your home,’ Lucifer’s voice broke through my blood daze. ‘But you still need to pass the test. Rescue a Fallen from a human hunter’s lair. Prove your loyalty’s with me, rather than the human world. Consequences: a test can be failed, see? No one wants a trip to the Bones. You’re my daughter, however, so…if you fail, you’ll be Bonded to the Supreme Commander. He’ll keep you on a tight leash.’ I jolted, spitting out a mouthful of blood. It sprayed over Lucifer’s face; he wiped away dripping scarlet. ‘My, you truly don’t wish the honour of my most trusted fighter’s fangs…? That’s not the spirit I like to see. Here’s the bonus: if you fail, Wild will also get your pet angel and Fallen as playthings. Large appetite, know what I mean?’
‘I’ll gank the bastard first.’
‘Then here’s a novel thought: pass the test.’ Lucifer patted my head.
My dad wanted to turn me against the human world.
Even as Rebel’s blood buzzed through me, I knew it wasn’t enough that I’d violated my angel by drinking from him and forcing him to become my Blood Lover. Now I had to risk fighting human hunters and if I failed, I’d lose
everything to the Feathered bullies.
12
When I’d trained as a vampire huntress, I’d wondered what would happen if humans worked out that supernaturals shared the shadows of their world. Would they become hunters too?
What I’d never guessed? That the human hunters would be the Big Bads.
I curled on the ripped seat of my carriage bedroom, with Blaze and Spark both resting their heads in my lap. I stroked their satin ears like stress relievers.
No throb of drum-and-bass or roared punk from Misrule’s next-door: my performance in the Bone Palace had killed the music.
Our performance.
I peeked at Rebel, who was clutching onto the central pole like it was all that was holding him up. His wings were hidden again underneath his studded leather jacket; I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed that.
Would he think it crazy stalker territory if I buried my nose in his shoulder just to sniff the familiar leather and metal?
Considering the way he wouldn’t even lift his scrutiny from his boots — either to me or to Ash — I’d go with a stalkerlicious: hell, yeah.
Publicly seduced by one of us, then changed into a Blood Lover by the other…?
I was waiting for the explosion of killer angel.
As was Ash, who sprawled on my foam bed. His gaze was wary, as he shielded his huddled sisters. He ducked his head. ‘It’s a trick—’
‘Holy Mary will you stop it, you great muppets,’ Rebel said softly. At last, he raised his head. His eyes were red-rimmed; the kohl smudged. ‘Treating me like I’m the lion about to eat off your idiot heads. We’re all prisoners. And after how I was treated in Angel World: Addict, Imperfect, Marked…’ I pinked. ‘I understand between bad choices and worse. You both…tried. Now we have to get ourselves out of this trident bollocks. Human hunters are vigilante gits.’
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