by Larissa Ione
“Well, there’s one piece of the puzzle. You’re a cambion. Half-breed. Which is why we can’t sense you.” He looked down the hall where two Aegis slayers weren’t even attempting to be covert as they watched them. Shade flipped them off and turned back to Lore. “So your human mother named you Lore?”
“Loren,” he mumbled.
Shade eyed him with sympathy. Because, yeah, Shade was such a great name. “When were you born?”
“Eighteen-eighty.”
“Then you were one of our father’s firsts. Idiot either didn’t know any better than to impregnate a human, or he was already off his rocker.”
“You know, I’m not feeling the love here.” Lore shifted, wincing at the tingles shooting up his leg, which had fallen asleep.
“Our father got off on fucking things he shouldn’t.”
Lore had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Shade’s tone didn’t invite questions, and really, Lore had more to worry about than his deadbeat dad’s choice of bedmates. Besides, Lore didn’t have a lot of room to judge.
“Where is he?”
“Dead.” He gestured to Lore’s dermoire. “What’s your gift?”
“Gift?” Lore laughed. “Is that what you call it? Can you kill everything you touch, too?”
Shade cocked an eyebrow. “I can kill with my gift, but I have to make an effort to use it that way. Its primary purpose is to force ovulation in females.”
Since Shade was an incubus, that made sense. “Can all Seminus demons do that?”
“Wraith can get inside female heads and make them receptive to sex. Eidolon can ensure an egg is fertilized. You said you kill everything you touch?”
“Yeah. Except it didn’t affect Eidolon.”
“Could be the brother thing… or it could be because E had activated his own gift, and maybe they countered each other.”
It had to be the sibling thing. Lore had never hurt his sister with his touch, either. “So why is my gift all fucked up?”
“Probably has something to do with the cambion thing. We’re not meant to breed with humans. Stuff tends to go wrong with the offspring. Obviously.”
“Is there anything else I should know about? You know, that might go wrong?”
Shade appeared to consider that. “Oh, hey, you’re probably sterile. You know how when a donkey and a horse or a water sprite and a fire sprite—”
“I got the picture,” Lore snapped. For some reason, the sterile thing annoyed the shit out of him, but he had no idea why, since he couldn’t fucking have sex without killing his partner. Having kids was a moot point.
Shade said something under his breath about him being high-strung. “So why did you think killing me and Eidolon would be a good idea?”
“Some dude named Roag paid me.”
“And you didn’t know who he was?” Shade threw back his head and laughed, but the sound wasn’t one of amusement. “That sick sonofabitch.”
“Can I get in on the joke?”
“He was our brother.”
“Brother? As in, that sick fuck, too?”
“Yep. No doubt he knew who you were all along. I’ll bet he had it arranged so that when you got the money for killing us, you’d learn the truth.”
Fun guy, his insane brother. Of course, the one in front of him didn’t strike him as a load of laughs, either. “I’m glad he’s dead.”
“Well, he’s not exactly dead. But he’s suffering a fate worse than death. Trust me.”
A commotion in the front room brought Shade to his feet. The pounding of heavy footsteps and hushed curses heralded the arrival of something… not good.
Wraith stalked into the hall, his arms cradling a body. The human male, Kynan. Oh, cool.
Gem’s scream pierced the silence, and his feeling of satisfaction shattered.
“No… no… no!” She’d been in the room with the sick woman, and now she stood in the doorway, disbelief and horror etched on her face. She backed away, hand over her mouth, shaking her head, and as Lore watched, she stumbled and fell to the floor.
Wraith moved slowly down the hall toward the bedroom, his eyes closed, but his aim never wavering. Shade uttered a soft curse and moved aside as Wraith took the body to Gem and laid it before her.
“No, Wraith… no!” She grabbed his hand, pleading with him to make Kynan not be dead.
Shade and Wraith both bowed their heads until Gem collapsed on top of Kynan, her sobs wracking her body.
Wraith seemed to weigh a thousand pounds as he went to Serena.
No one in the room seemed to know what to do, but Gem’s cries lanced Lore’s heart. He should use this opportunity to comfort her, to take advantage of her loss. Had he been the one to kill Kynan, that’s what he would have done.
But seeing her suffer wasn’t pleasant.
“Shade.” The guy didn’t move. “Shade!”
“What?” He was still standing, head bowed.
“Release me.”
“Fuck off.”
“Shade.” Lore swallowed, knowing this was crazy and that it might not work because he didn’t know how Kynan had died, but he had to try. “I might be able to help.” He kept his voice low, not wanting to give any false hope.
Shade turned, slowly, eyes bloodshot and narrowed. “If this is a trick, know that I have no problem killing a sibling.”
Lore gave a single nod, and Shade crouched, released the chains holding him.
With Shade on his heels, he moved to Gem and Kynan. She was draped over him, her face buried in his throat.
Drawing a deep breath, Lore crouched at Kynan’s feet. He grasped the human’s still-warm ankle. He concentrated, let his “gift” work its way down his shoulder to his fingers, until his markings glowed. A wave of energy spread up the human’s leg, into his torso, his chest, his extremities.
The heart sparked. But the body was drained of blood, and it took several precious minutes for his marrow to start churning, creating new blood to fill his veins.
Gem turned to Lore, her eyes nearly swollen shut, but possessive anger shone through her misery. “Get away from him!”
Shade knelt next to her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and went back to sobbing.
There. The heart beat. Once. Twice. It shuddered as though unsure what to do next… and then it started up in a strong, steady beat. Kynan’s chest rose, and his lips parted as he took in a giant, choking breath.
“Kynan?” Gem scrambled off him. “Kynan?”
“Yeah,” he rasped. “Fuck. Yeah.”
Gem shrieked with joy and threw herself around him. Lore stood and backed away. A hand came down on his shoulder. Shade’s.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Lore said. “Really.”
Fuck, that was a stupid thing to do. Lore rubbed his hand across his chest, over the hand-shaped scar over his heart. These guys might have the answer to who he was, but really, did it matter? He could pretend to be his own man, could pretend to be a free agent. But the truth was that he was on a short leash connected to the fist of a demon who could—and did—call him to service at any time, on short notice, and for truly vile jobs.
He’d feel the life Lore brought back, and there would be punishment. On top of the punishment for not fulfilling the contract to kill the brothers. If there was one thing Detharu couldn’t abide, it was reneging on a vow.
That, and being cheated out of his cut of the death money.
So Lore was in for a shitload of pain.
Good thing, then, that he liked it.
Chapter 29
Wraith ignored the Guardians who gawked at the state of his clothes, at the blood dripping off him, and yeah, maybe at the sight of the little piece of Heaven in his hand. Only Val wasn’t staring. He was sitting quietly in a chair next to Serena’s bed, head bowed, holding her hand.
Relief that Kynan was alive was tempered by the fact that Serena lay deathly still on the bed, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths
. Shade gripped her wrist and channeled some of his gift into her.
“She’s okay,” he said softly. “I’m just keeping her asleep to slow down the…” He didn’t need to finish.
“Well, demon?” asked the Elder named Juan.
“Yeah, yeah. I got your precious amulet.” Wraith let the necklace slide through his fingers, totally getting off on how everyone—everyone except Val—was on their toes, holding their breath, waiting to see what he’d do.
“You need to hand that thing over, demon.” This from the one female Elder, Regan.
“To you?”
“Yes.” She held out her hand. “The Aegis is the best qualified to keep it—”
Wraith laughed. “Seriously, you people are so full of yourselves.” He stepped forward. “I’ll give it to Tayla then.”
“No!” Juan looked like he was going to stroke out. “She’s… she’s…”
“Half demon?” Wraith offered. “But she is a Guardian, and aren’t they the best qualified to keep it?”
Serena’s rattling breath reminded him that he needed to stop fucking around. Remembering what Reaver had said, he crouched next to the only human in the room besides Serena who was worthy of breathing the Earth’s air.
Kynan was still sitting on the floor, sweat beaded on his pallid skin, being held up, as far as Wraith could tell, by Gem.
Kynan tensed. “Wraith, no—”
Wraith looped the chain around Kynan’s neck and stood. “It’s yours, man. The fate of all humankind is in your hands.” He winked. “No pressure.”
While the humans gaped at Kynan, Wraith caught Lore by the shoulders. “You. You can bring back the dead?”
The guy watched him calmly. “Sometimes.”
Wraith shoved him into the wall. “No half answers. I want to know that if something happens to her—” he pointed to Serena “—you can fix her.”
Lore’s gaze was flat and black. “What’s killing her?”
“Demon infection.”
“Then no. Has to be a natural cause.”
Wraith gestured to Kynan. “Having his blood drained by a vampire isn’t exactly a natural fucking cause.”
“But bleeding out is.” Lore shrugged. “Your female’s problem is supernatural. Nothing I can do except make it happen faster.”
The casually spoken suggestion that Lore could put her down easily flash-seared Wraith’s temper. But before he could rip the guy limb from limb, Shade put an arm around his chest and dragged him away.
“Not the time, bro,” Shade said. “Not the time.”
Shade was right, but that didn’t stop Wraith from shooting Lore a “you’re mine later” glare as he scooped up Serena. “We’re taking her to UG. Now.”
He’d wanted her to be around people she knew while he was battling Byzamoth, but now he wanted her to have the best medical care available in an environment he thought of as home.
Home. Actually, he’d never thought of it that way. Until now. Because he’d just realized that home was the place you returned to when things were bad.
And this was as bad as it could get.
Kynan sat there, unmoving and in shock as Shade and Wraith whisked Serena toward the door. Val tried to interfere, just once, but Wraith said something that froze him right to the floor
As they were leaving, Reaver entered, looking like he’d been through a meat grinder, but at least he was alive. The last Kynan had seen of him, he’d looked about one breath away from his last. Then again, right after that, Kynan had taken his own last breath.
Wraith held Serena against his chest, but he paused long enough to give Reaver a respectful nod, which was returned, and then the two brothers were gone.
Gem still hadn’t let go of Kynan, was wrapped around him like a blanket. Tears had left black streaks down her cheeks, but he’d never seen anything so beautiful. If he’d known he had to die to get her back, he’d have done it sooner.
And wait—how had he come back?
Juan turned on Kynan. “This was a huge mistake. Hand over the necklace. The Sigil will guard it.”
Regan shook her head, making her long, dark ponytail swish around her thighs. “Once the necklace is donned, it cannot be removed except by an angel.”
“Only if he’s charmed,” Reaver said, “which he’s not. But if anyone tries to take it, they go through me.”
The Elders appeared less than thrilled about that prospect.
A curious warmth emanated from the cloudy crystal at the end of the chain, heating his skin. How could something so small—about the size of a marble—have caused so much trouble? It looked innocent enough, but it was a freaking piece of Heaven. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around that, around the fact that he was touching it.
Wraith had obviously made a huge mistake by giving the thing to him. The Sigil would be the best guardians for it. He reached for it, prepared to hand it over.
A blinding flash caught them all off guard. When the light faded, Kynan nearly swallowed his tongue.
Standing in the middle of the room, bathed in a pale glow, was an angel. Female, with spun-gold hair and dressed in a white tunic that fell to the knee. She wore a sword in a scabbard at her hip, and in her hand was a golden scythe.
She looked at everyone in the room, and they pretty much gaped in awe right back. “Aegi. Guardians of the human race. You humble me. I am Gethel. Greetings.”
She moved toward Kynan, her footsteps silent, her stride graceful, and he felt like a mouse caught in a cat’s sights. He wanted to kneel or something, but he couldn’t move even though his heart was hammering so hard he thought his rib cage might crack. She smiled as though she knew what he was thinking.
“You honor your race, human.” She touched him on the shoulder, and an odd, amazing energy shot through him. “You are charmed.”
Stop gaping. “Why?”
“You gave your life to save all that exists.” She smiled. “And you hold the amulet.”
“You should give it to someone else.”
“Why is that?” There was a fierce intelligence in her eyes that told him she knew his answer.
“Because,” he said, bowing his head, “I’m not worthy.”
“You feel you aren’t worthy because you strayed from the path you were on?”
That about covered it. He’d lost himself for so long, and he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was back.
She touched him lightly on the face. “You were tested. You fell and returned to your path. Only someone with extraordinary strength can set their lives right again. Those who have never fallen have not proved their resolve by finding their way back.”
“But… why me?”
“You are descended from Sariel.”
“Grigori,” Kynan breathed. “A Watcher.” The Grigori were angels sent to Earth to watch over the human race, but they’d eventually succumbed to lust and mated with women. The Army was right.
And he born of man and angel shall die in the face of evil and may yet bear the burden of Heaven…
Heaven… he touched the amulet. Heofon. My God.
“Indeed.” She smiled at him. “You will play a vital role in the Final Battle, as will your offspring. They will be born charmed—the first to have the charm passed on in such a way—and you will raise them as warriors. For someday, they will fight for all humankind.”
“Okay.” Okay? An angel had just told him that the future of mankind was in the hands of him and his offspring, and he says okay?
She laughed, a light, musical sound. “Okay.”
Hand dropping to the hilt of her sword, she swung around to Reaver, who had propped himself against the wall. His hair hung in ropes around his face, he looked half-wild, but he pushed away from the wall and faced Gethel, shoulders back, pride in his eyes.
“Reaver.” She moved to him, halting a foot away. “You interfered where you were forbidden. You associated with demons and revealed divine secrets to them.”
“I did.” Reaver bowed his head
, and when he raised it, his eyes glowed with defiance. “And I would not change a thing.”
Her fingers caressed her broadsword’s ruby pommel, and Kynan’s pulse went tachy. Gem feared for Reaver as well, her fingers digging into Ky’s chest as she tensed up.
“Strange, isn’t it,” Gethel said, “that alongside humans, demons and a fallen angel saved the world.” She leaned in and said softly, so softly that Kynan barely heard, “You did well.”
A shell-shocked look glazed Reaver’s eyes as she stepped back. Light enveloped the ex-angel, and suddenly, he appeared as he must have before he fell. He was… golden. No blood, no injuries.
A smile of ecstasy split his face as he tilted his head back and spread his arms wide. A sense of peace flooded the room, and then Reaver was gone in a fading shimmer.
“He is home,” Gethel said softly. “He is home.”
Gem couldn’t believe this was happening. An angel—a real divine being—was gliding around the room, speaking to every human for a moment before moving on to the next
Gem figured she’d be ignored, but then Gethel was before her, smiling kindly, as if Gem wasn’t a demon. Gem stood, because she couldn’t very well speak to an angel from the floor.
You are not a demon, the angel said, though her lips hadn’t moved. Gem heard her in her head.
But I am. My father—
Raped your mother. You were born of a human woman, by no choice of her own. Your soul is human.
Seriously?
The angel nodded. Yes. How you treat that soul is up to you.
But… Kynan. If he is to have charmed children, I can’t… I mean, I couldn’t…
Gethel’s eyes seemed to blaze. You can. And as long as you are with Kynan, you will share his immortality. You, too, have a role to play.
Gem blinked, and then she was standing in the room that had been crowded with people, but she was alone with Kynan, who pulled her into his arms like he was never going to let her go. Not that she’d let him do that.
“So,” she murmured, “you’re some sort of immortal prophecy guy now, huh?”
“Looks like.” He looped a finger in a lock of her hair. “I always wanted to save the world. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.”