Unforgiven: A Soulkeepers Novel (The Soulkeepers Book 3)

by Lori Adams

  He looks frantically around the room, all the masked faces staring back. Time has run out.

  “The spy!”

  It’s not Lord Brutus who calls out but Lord Giano. Dante’s head snaps around and, for the first time in centuries, he looks at his father.

  Lord Giano slowly turns and looks at his son. Wordlessly, they glare at each other, at the destructible memories of their past. Too many memories. Too much torment. A mutual, burning hatred that refuses to be extinguished, even after all these centuries.

  Lord Giano pulls his eyes away and addresses The Order with an attitude that suggests he has grown tired of watching the maleficent display. He is ready to be heard.

  “Lord Brutus is withholding the name of his spy, is he not?” he asks in a pleasantly deceptive tone. Clearly, he knows the answer, but playing the game will best benefit his purpose.

  “That damned spy!” Lord Malachi glares at Lord Brutus because it had truly slipped his mind. “You lost your seat on the High Throne just to protect it!”

  “And now, you may bargain for it,” Lord Giano prompts with an innocent smile. “The spy in trade for Dante.” His offer is clear; he has no compunction about betraying Lord Brutus, and openly ignores the old man’s aggressive snarl.

  Lord Malachi’s mouth drops open. It’s an insulting proposition, bargaining a common demon spy for a Demon Knight, let alone a prince of the Royal Court. Before he can blast out an obvious objection, Lord Giano places a cherry on top.

  “And, of course, with Dante gone, you will have the lovely Sophia here, needing guidance. Perhaps you can look after her transformation yourself? A future spirit walker in Hell must be handled delicately. Personally. At the highest level. Don’t you think?”

  Lord Malachi’s gaze falls on Lovaria. His eyes soften and his lips curve into a smile as she trembles with renewed fear. Lord Giano’s line of thinking matches too closely to his own. And the invitation is just too tempting to resist. He has wanted her for too long. Wanted to spread her thighs, to plunge in and break her. Forcing her to turn dark and bond with him has been his plan all along. The wedding to Dante he was willing to allow if only to appease the demon. But it’s on the wedding night, this very night, that Lord Malachi plans to take her for himself. At this moment, his guards are waiting to ambush the happy couple the moment the ball is over. And now he has been presented with a far better option. Officially and permanently removing Dante from the fifth kingdom.

  But accepting a bargain this offensive to the practicalities of their purpose of reaping souls must appear to be properly vetted. He must not snatch up the offer greedily. Instead, he’ll give a show of weighing his options.

  “What can you reveal about this spy?” Lord Malachi asks Lord Giano.

  “Only that Lord Brutus has used it to keep track of Dante, at my behest. When I was Taken and delivered into the third kingdom many centuries ago, I began inquiries about my son. Lord Brutus was a new member of The Order back then and I approached him for assistance. As a grieving father, I was desperate to locate my only son.” He pauses with a painful expression to amplify his lie. “In time, Lord Brutus discovered Dante in the fifth kingdom. Then he recruited a reaper, turned it into demon, and enlisted it to spy on Dante each time he resurfaced.”

  Dante doesn’t react to the news of his father keeping track of him. It’s the name of the demon spy that comes as a shock.

  “Diavolessa,” Lord Giano says.

  Dante flinches as though he’s been struck. Diavolessa is the reaper that Took his soul; the one who failed to Take Lovaria’s. All this time, Dante believed he had sent the reaper to suffer in the Nether Region for betraying him.

  Dante looks back at Isatou standing next to Vaughn. Her face is hidden behind the imp mask but she is clutching her hands nervously.

  “Yes! Yes!” Lord Brutus says. “Diavolessa was a reaper then but I made her into a true demon to aid my cause. She watched Dante for centuries, noticing a pattern to his madness. It was Diavolessa who discovered that Dante was not reaping souls for the Dark Master. Nor for the fifth kingdom, as he should have been. He was tracking one soul in particular. The soul of his lost lover, Lovaria Cappelletti.”

  Lord Giano bristles at the name but it’s Dante who finally speaks up. He is fueled by all the hatred brewing inside him. All the loathing and spite against his father.

  “It is true. I confess to The Order that the woman standing before you has the soul of Sophia St. James, our future spirit walker. But it is also the very same soul that once belonged to my beloved, Lovaria Cappelletti. The daughter of my father’s enemy. They are one and the same. I discovered Lovaria’s soul inside Sophia and set out to bring her to Hell for myself. In time, thanks to Lord Brutus, I learned that Sophia was experiencing an Awakening. And so, I resurfaced with the purpose of securing her in our kingdom and turning her dark during her process. As you all know, she has agreed to deliver her light to The Order. But she belongs to me. She will be my wife.” Dante’s voice is firm and unyielding. He will not give her up.

  Rama looks down at me from behind his Roman mask, his eyes wide with concern. Degan wraps an arm around me and murmurs, “Shit just got real.”

  Lord Malachi rests back in his throne. He taps his fingers against the armrest, while his dark eyes shift beneath his mask. Sophia’s value just increased, only because she is even more precious to Dante than he’d imagined. Recalling Dante’s behavior over the centuries, things are starting to make sense: the countless lost souls that should have been Taken by Dante but were lost because he’d wanted only the one. The girl, whom he finally has and will do anything to keep. The fact that she will be a spirit walker must have terrified Dante. He recalled Dante’s surprise in the Death Bunker when Lord Brutus revealed that she was experiencing an Awakening. So Dante had not been pretending; his shock had been genuine. He hadn’t known until that moment that his beloved would have a price on her head. All sentiment aside, Lord Malachi recalls the countless times he tried to trust Dante, only to be betrayed. The reasons hardly matter now.

  The sooner Dante is gone, the better.

  “Do we have a bargain?” Lord Giano asks eagerly.

  “You have only given us the name,” Lord Malachi states. “I want her, the demon herself. Where is she?”

  Seeing that Lord Malachi is seriously considering trading him for a common demon, Dante jumps in. “What possible difference should it make? We have Sophia’s soul inside Lovaria. She will be a spirit walker as soon as I can turn her. You will have her Chelsea Light. We are wasting time. Marry us, and then I will turn her!”

  Lord Malachi ignores Dante and shouts at Lord Brutus, “You have been betrayed, old man! Lord Giano has given up your secrets! Now bring forth your spy!”

  Lord Brutus is boiling with hatred. Glaring at Lord Giano, he yells into the crowd, “Diavolessa! Come forward!”

  The cavern echoes to a rustling sound as everyone shuffles around, looking for the infamous demon spy. Heads crane in their elaborate masks and eventually track a red velvet top hat moving straight up a narrow path. The multitude of the damned close in behind her and push forward, eager to see what happens next.

  The demon spy thrusts herself directly between Vaughn and Isatou, knocking them apart and bumping the witch with her elbow. Vaughn grabs Isatou before she falls. The demon spy breaks through the masses and reveals herself as a lion tamer in red velvet tails that match her top hat, a white shirt, black bow tie, tiny black shorts, and black stilettos. Her face is covered with a leopard-print eye mask. She snaps the whip in her hand and smiles over her shoulder at Vaughn.

  I feel a sense of déjà vu sweep over me. “Teriza?” I murmur doubtfully. How can it be Teriza? I was so sure the demon spy was hiding inside Jordan. I try to make sense of it but Lord Malachi is barking out his demands to Diavolessa. He wants her to speak up and confirm what Lord Brutus has stated about Dante. She laughs carelessly as though she is holding all the cards, as though she is untouchable.

 
“Yes, it’s all true,” she says, sounding bored. She toys with the whip, absently flicking it on the stone floor like a snake. “After I delivered Dante to Hell, I refused to return for his sweetie pie. Well, he flew into a rage but there was nothing he could do about it. After he’d been around long enough and gained some authority, he had me dumped into the Nether Region.” She gives Dante a sarcastic look. “He thought he was punishing me for betraying him. Anyway, that’s where Lord Brutus found me and—”

  “What the fuck is this?” Vaughn bursts out, startling everyone. Something in her confession sets him off and he rips away his mask and hat. He marches forward, only to be stopped by Lord Giano’s guards, who quickly draw their swords. “Take off your mask!” Vaughn demands, knocking the swords away and focusing on the demon spy. Diavolessa lowers her chin, giving him a heated look.

  Dante holds Vaughn at bay. He can’t understand the reaction. The demon spy is clearly Diavolessa, of that Dante has no doubt. No longer hiding herself beneath layers of human tissue or going dormant to stay undetected, she has fully risen and he picked up her scent the moment she strolled by. Whatever body she inhabits is completely inconsequential. Teriza must be willing to allow it. He tells Vaughn to stand down before he makes things worse.

  Vaughn isn’t listening. He is glaring at the demon spy. “I said, take off the fucking mask!” he shouts.

  This time Diavolessa grins a slow, Cheshire cat kind of smile. She drops the whip and tosses her hat aside. Then she removes the eye mask, shaking out her long dark hair. I gasp out loud and Rama clamps a hand over my mouth.

  Bailey.

  Chapter 25

  Awakening to All Things Unseen

  A wave of nausea rolls up my stomach and I clutch Rama’s hand, still covering my mouth. I need something solid to hang on to. Several heads swiveled around when I gasped and some are still staring: a death mask with a hooked nose, a half-moon mask with glittering sparkles, a soldier in a red uniform and full black mask with a blunt nose. They all seem curious as to why I was so surprised. Rama tells me to get control of myself and I squeeze my eyes shut, nodding. I just need a moment to absorb what’s happening. Bailey had the spy living inside her. All this time and I never…My eyes snap open because she is talking to Vaughn, who is obviously just as shocked as I am.

  “Hey, baby, long time no see,” she says in Bailey’s sultry, sex-kitten voice. Vaughn steps closer, looking her up and down as though he can’t believe his eyes.

  “Damn, girl. You know how to keep a secret.” He shakes his head. He’s not sure whether to be happy or pissed.

  Lord Malachi climbs to his feet, demanding to know what’s going on. “Lord Brutus, is this the spy or not?” he yells.

  “It is,” the old man snaps. “Diavolessa, you will address The Order.”

  Reluctantly, she pulls her attention from Vaughn but not before winking at him. She faces the dais and then shifts her weight from one hip to the other. Vaughn grins, obviously enjoying the view from behind. “Yes, my lord,” she continues. “As I was saying, when Lord Brutus rescued me from the Nether Region, I was instructed to stalk Dante each time he resurfaced. I discovered his activities regarding his secret love, and reported back to Lord Brutus. By this time, he had been elevated to the High Throne.” She gave them a sinful smile and added the first of many secrets she’d kept for the old man. “It’s my understanding that he had help from Lord Giano and others in the third kingdom to gain his seat on the High Throne. Votes bought and bargained for.”

  Lord Brutus hisses a nasty sound through his yellow teeth. “She lies!”

  “Go on,” Lord Malachi says. He is perched on the edge of his seat. The other members lean forward, eager to hear her account of what Lord Brutus has been hiding all these years.

  “Once Lord Brutus had acquired his goal—the High Throne—he no longer felt the need to aid Lord Giano in abducting his son, which was the initial plan. But then something changed. Lord Giano wanted another favor instead; he asked Lord Brutus to instruct me to kill a young girl named Sophia St. James. I inhabited this pathetic excuse for a human, Sophia’s boyfriend, Steve Whatshisface. Unfortunately, I was unable to fulfill my mission and kill her. She had a strange vibe when provoked, some warrior instincts that caught me off guard. So I told Lord Brutus that this Sophia chick was in the early stages of an Awakening.”

  I feel the blood drain from my face at the mention of Steve. This nightmare goes all the way back to him? To Los Angeles? Steve was just some innocent guy who let a demon have her way with him. No wonder his moods became so erratic; he had this she-demon inside him. Mom said Steve had planned to kill me the night Dad ran him over with the car. But it wasn’t really Steve; it was Diavolessa working for Lord Brutus by way of Lord Giano.

  “Yes, I remember,” Lord Malachi says, bringing me back to the conversation. “That’s how you found the spirit walker, old man. You were already tracking Dante. It was no mere coincidence that you sent a spy to Haven Hurst. Remember, there is no such thing as a coincidence.” He throws his head back and laughs. He is enjoying the turn of events. For so long, it was Lord Brutus chastising and punishing him for being duped by Dante. It felt good to return the favor by publicly humiliating the old man.

  Once he settles down, Lord Malachi continues. “So we have Lord Brutus working with a noble from the third kingdom, and cheating his way onto the High Throne. Now we discover that he knew about the Awakening long before he told The Order.” He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “I wonder if Lord Giano knows that Lord Brutus also tried to destroy Dante the moment he brought Sophia to Hell. Right outside our very gate.” His eyes flash with delight. Lord Giano is clearly startled by Lord Brutus’s betrayal.

  “Continue, my dear,” Lord Malachi says, grinning. Diavolessa returns the smile. She explains how Lord Brutus sent her to Haven Hurst with the purpose of keeping an eye on Sophia while he worked on a plan to bring her to Hell with her soul intact. It had been his intention to turn Sophia dark during her Awakening and keep her Chelsea Light for himself. In the meantime, Diavolessa was to inhabit Sophia’s friends and earn her trust.

  “It was nauseating work, let me tell ya,” Diavolessa says, shifting her weight again and propping a hand on her hip. “It’s so hard to fit in with these fucking humans these days. Especially the younger ones. I was body hopping from one idiot to another, trying to stay close to Sophia. When I finally found a body cool enough to hang around in, all I did was crave sugar. Like a fucking addict. And that wasn’t the worst part; it was trying to fit in. You all can’t imagine ’cause you don’t resurface, but trust me, it was like learning a whole new language. I was cramming words together and adding whatever kind of fucking foreign language I could think of. Hell, half the time I didn’t know what the fuck I was saying. Most of the time it was boring as shit, too. I couldn’t wait to get out of that dumpy little town.”

  “Most of the time?” Vaughn asks quietly. He crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head thoughtfully.

  “Not all the time, baby,” she says over her shoulder, her cheeks blushing at the sound of his voice. Vaughn chuckles, enjoying her response.

  “You kept watch over Sophia as instructed by Lord Brutus,” Lord Malachi confirms. “And when Dante and his fellow Demon Knights failed to Take Sophia’s soul the first time, how did Lord Brutus react?”

  “He told me to amp up the pressure. Find any way I could to get Sophia to reveal her Awakening to me. When she did, I was supposed to push things along. Encourage her to do whatever it took to complete it. Lord Brutus told me to be ready ’cause he was sending Dante back up to the surface.”

  Lord Malachi sits at attention. “What do you mean he was sending Dante back up? Dante and Vaughn were locked in the Death Bunker, sentenced to die in the Nether Region. Under the orders of Lord Brutus.” He looks down the line of members who share his confusion.

  Diavolessa shrugs like she doesn’t know she’s about to reveal another secret. She explains that Lord Br
utus instructed an underling named Santiago to help the Demon Knights escape. Once Dante learned of Sophia’s Awakening, Lord Brutus was sure he would do everything in his power to bring her to Hell. Releasing Dante was the only chance Lord Brutus had of getting Sophia into Hell. The moment she reached the gates, Lord Brutus wanted Dante out of the way. Unfortunately, the planned attack by the guards failed. Lord Brutus wanted to try again but Lord Giano had sent guards to protect his son.

  “So all this time, you knew,” Lord Malachi charges Lord Brutus. “When you sent the royal guards scouring the fifth kingdom, and then the third, looking for Dante, you knew he was on his way to the surface. You instructed the witch to give more length to the tattoo tethers. You wanted the Demon Knights to escape, but under your control. They would be returned here when you saw fit. You activated the tethers to bring them down with Sophia.” Lord Malachi is torn between hatred and envy.

  Dante glares at Lord Brutus. He is sickened to know that he played into the old man’s hands. But in the end, he doesn’t care how Sophia came to Hell, just that she is here now. She is Lovaria again and that’s all that matters.

  Diavolessa turns to Dante; she has something more she wants to reveal but there isn’t time before Lord Giano speaks up.

  “So you have your demon spy,” he calls to The Order while motioning for his guards to surround Dante. “And now I will have my son.”

  “You can’t possibly trade a prince of the Royal Court for a common demon spy!” Dante argues to The Order, his voice heavy with contempt. “You will set a precedence for future bargains and make your own lives worthless! What will stop any of you from being traded away? Take a moment to think about what you are really doing!” He is furious but trying his best to contain his rage. He needs to unleash his demon, to persuade just one member to argue on his behalf.