by J. Lynn
“Why are they coming after me?”
She passed him a dubious look over her shoulder. “You seriously have to ask that—really?” She rounded another level with Michael on her heels. She let go of his hand, grabbing the railing. “You’re an adult Nephilim who has no knowledge of what he is. They will either use you or kill you.”
He shifted and was at her side. “It can’t be true.”
Irritated by him and the fact she was running up the stairs, which had to be her own personal Hell, she fought the urge to backhand some sense into him. They rounded the last landing, and she reached for the door.
Sickness crept over her. The tremor that ran through her was different than the tingling the minions gave off. She faltered at the door to the rooftop. “Michael?”
“Yes?” He was right beside her, eyes narrowing as he studied her face. “What is it?”
She backed away from the door. Where in the hell is Luke? She needed to get Michael out of here. Now. There was no more time. On the other side of the door was death, and below them were William and his crew.
They had been trapped, and she had run right into it.
She cursed under her breath, looking around wildly. The only way out of this was going through William and his minions.
“What is it, Lily?” Michael asked as he kept his gun cocked and ready. He took a step closer to her. “Lily?”
She turned to him with wide eyes. “If I tell you to run, Michael, you run. Don’t ask why, and…please listen to me.”
“Bullshit.” The tips of his cheekbones flushed. “I’m not leaving you.”
She grabbed his free hand once again, dragging him back down the steps, hearing the sounds of a scuffle and William cursing. Then the unmistakable fleshy smack of a body hitting the ground and then another.
“Lily, you up?” Luke called out from four floors below.
Relieved, she opened her mouth to respond but was cut off. Turning, she felt her heart drop as the door above them swung open. At once, she twisted and leaped in front of Michael, forcing him behind her. “Michael, please listen to me.”
A cold laugh echoed around them, etching its way down her spine. She shuddered once. The smell of sulfur filled the cramped stairwell. Her step faltered a bit as she clenched the railing tightly.
She paled as he came into view, her heart sinking. Rage and fear swirled inside her, making her dizzy. His name came to her lips, blistering them. “Baal…”
Chapter Nine
There was a wild, instinctive part of Michael that realized whatever was coming down the stairs was far worse than what waited below.
Lily whirled around in front of him, her face washed of color and eyes wide. “Run!”
He wasn’t used to taking orders from just anyone, but the fear in Lily’s voice propelled him forward. He’d only known her for twenty-four hours, and during that time he’d seen her do things without so much as a grimace that would have made a seasoned officer cringe in horror. Now, she was scared—visibly so. Although he knew this, curiosity was far stronger than any ounce of common sense. As Lily dragged him down the stairs, he hesitated.
And looked over his shoulder.
A man dressed all in black stood above them. It wasn’t the impeccable line of his designer suit or the trendy cut of his black hair that gave Michael pause. The man called Baal was absolutely stunning. Inherently, he knew this thing was an angel. No mere mortal could have such a perfect visage or eyes such a brilliant, unnatural blue.
His sudden lack of movement must’ve thrown Lily off-balance because he felt her stumble over the next step. Whipping around, he saw her arms flail as she tried to catch herself. “Shit!” He reached for her, but it was too late.
Her fall was thankfully short-lived, but her temple cracked off the handrail. She slid down the cement wall, seemingly stunned.
“Lily!” he roared. He felt the stare on his back like hot coals. “Shit—Lily!”
Climbing to her feet, she swayed a little. “I’m…fine.”
Baal laughed. “The great Lily taken down a step or two? I think I may have seen this before.”
Michael wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her steady. “Come on.”
She pressed the palm of her hand against her temple, wincing. “Go, Michael. What are you doing? Go now!”
“My little Lily pad,” Baal murmured, slowly advancing down the stairs. His smile never reached his eyes. “How is that leg of yours?”
She lifted her head. “Doing just great.”
“Really?” he asked. Baal slid one hand idly down the railing. The yellow paint cracked and bubbled under his touch. Tendrils of smoke wafted into the air. “I do believe I left my mark behind.”
She swallowed as she lowered her hand and turned to Michael. “Don’t let him touch you, whatever you do.”
Holy shit. He couldn’t stop staring at the paint.
Baal simpered. “Don’t go and ruin all my surprises.” His gaze slowly drifted over them.
Lily backed up, and Michael edged along with her. Her arm quivered against him, and he thought it was fear, but the firm set of her lips told him different. A heat wave of rage radiated from the tiny thing.
“You do realize if you run I will catch you,” Baal sneered. “We did have so much fun before. I so loved hearing your screams.”
Footsteps pounded up the stairwell. Luke’s head came into view. “Sorry, I got hung up on… Oh shit.”
Baal spared Luke a glance, his full lips twisting. “I bore of this already.”
Suddenly, Lily shifted and pushed Michael toward Luke. A silent message passed between the two, and Luke grabbed his arm.
“Damn it all to Hell, Lily!” yelled Luke over his shoulder as he dragged Michael down. “Fall back! Fall back!”
“What the fuck?” Michael tried to pull from Luke’s grasp. He wanted to get Lily between them. It wasn’t right she was bringing up the rear with that…that thing behind them. “Get Lily out of here! Don’t worry about me!”
She pushed on his back. “You’re an idiot!”
Michael continued to protest, but the smell of sulfur increased, and his eyes burned. Gagging, he felt her push on his back harder. He stumbled but regained his footing. Then, over the pounding of his heart, he heard her gasp.
And then, she started screaming. The kind of screams he’d heard on calls involving shootings and stabbings. Whirling around, his heart stopped.
Lily was on her knees. The fallen angel—Baal—had her by the forearm. Sadistic pleasure washed over Baal’s face. Burned flesh overcame the smell of sulfur.
Swearing vehemently, Luke pushed him out of the way. “Lily!”
“On your knees?” said Baal with a chuckle. “Once again, I find this all so terribly familiar. And a bit cliché.”
He saw Lily lean forward and place one hand on the floor just before a flash of light went up through the stairwell, blinding him. A second later, the light cleared. The impact had sent Baal several feet up the stairs, and Lily had her forehead pressed to the floor, her arm cradled to her chest.
He started forward but came up short. Someone had already reached her side. It wasn’t Luke.
It was a man with shoulder-length blond hair, tall as a mountain and built like a brick house. His features rivaled those of Baal in terms of the inhuman level of beauty, but they were obscured as he swooped down and picked up her crumpled form with surprising gentleness. He placed Lily on her feet and gave her a slight push. “Go. I will give you enough time to escape. Go.” Then the stranger turned to Baal with a sardonic grin. “Old friend, we meet again.”
Baal stumbled to his feet, his hands curling into fists. “This is getting repetitive, Julian. Have you forgotten what you are? Who you serve?”
The man laughed as he shot up the stairs, grasping Baal around the throat. “I serve no one.”
The entire building shook as the two creatures slammed each other into the wall of the stairwell. Plaster and dust rained so heavily that
it looked like snow.
Luke grabbed Lily’s uninjured arm. “Let’s get the hell out of here before they bring the building down on us.”
Her head bobbed weakly, and she looked over her shoulder once more before Luke pulled her the rest of the way. Michael hated that as injured as she was, they were herding him to safety.
Once outside, they slowed as people began spilling out of the apartment building, concerned and curious. Police sirens could be heard in the distance.
A little boy latched onto his mom’s hand and kept pointing upward. “Ma, look up. Ma!”
Michael followed the boy’s chubby finger, spotting the Fallen called Julian and Baal on the rooftop before they disappeared back into the night sky. Damn, that would be hard to cover up.
They pushed through the throng of people. He kept a wary eye on Lily. She hadn’t spoken since Baal had touched her. A fine sheen of sweat covered her drawn face, and her lips were pressed together tightly.
Luke guided them to where Remy waited across the street in a Cayenne. Michael climbed in the front seat without arguing, turning to where Luke had forced Lily into the backseat.
“Let me see your arm,” Luke demanded.
She pulled away from him. “It’s not…not that bad.”
“Bullshit.” He reached out, prying her arm from her body. He stared down at the blistered skin shaped like a handprint. Luke exhaled slowly. “Get us back to the Sanctuary. Now, Remy.”
“What happened in there?” Remy asked as he pulled away before the squad of police cars and fire trucks arrived. “What the hell, guys?”
Michael ignored him. “Are you okay?”
“Does it look like she’s okay?” demanded Luke, eyes burning.
“The next time I tell you to run”—a shudder racked her body—“please listen to me.”
Michael stared at her face contorted with pain. His gaze dropped to her arm, and he swallowed thickly. Her skin literally bubbled. “I’m sorry. I was…” He was what? Transfixed? He’d never seen an angel before, but that wasn’t a good excuse.
She shifted in the seat, her brow creasing. “Just listen to us. Okay? When we tell you to run, we aren’t kidding around. There’s a very good reason for it.” She paused, prying one eye open. “What happened to William and his goons?”
Luke pulled his stare from her. “I killed him and the deadheads.”
Her other eye snapped open. “Really?” she asked in a tiny voice. “No shit?”
He nodded.
Lily giggled halfheartedly. “Ah damn, that’s good news. Wish I could’ve…seen the jerk’s face when you pinned him. Good job, Luke.”
Remy rolled his eyes. “Is anyone going to tell me what happened?”
“We will,” Luke spoke up. “Just get us to the Sanctuary first.”
Lily turned her face to Luke, who leaned over and whispered something Michael couldn’t hear. She pulled away from the seat, scowling as Luke slid an arm around her back, carefully pulling her to him. He held her arm immobile, and eventually her eyes closed.
Part of him wanted to climb back in the seat and apologize again. It had been his fault she’d gotten hurt. If he hadn’t stopped, they would’ve made it outside.
He faced forward, staring blindly at the crowded streets. She could’ve died in there, and for what? He rested the side of his head against the window, closing his eyes. Shit. He couldn’t deny that those things had been after him. They’d even been willing to kill Lily to get to him. Acid burned through his stomach.
He was definitely one of them…or something.
As soon as they arrived at the Sanctuary, Lily was handed off to an extraordinarily tall man that Luke had called Nathaniel. He had met them in a large and surprisingly normal reception area. Michael sensed this Nathaniel seemed to be the leader around here. With one glimpse at her arm, he had sworn furiously and then disappeared with her down a corridor. He had wanted to follow them, but Luke steered him in the opposite direction.
Seated at a desk in the middle of the large oval room was a pretty blonde. She smiled as they made their way past her. Scrawled in large letters across the back wall and in what suspiciously looked like pure gold was the word Sanctuary.
Luke leaned over, tweaking the sleeve of the receptionist’s blouse. “Working late, Sandy?”
She smiled. “It’s always a late night around here.”
They left her behind as they went through a set of double doors. Just inside, two armed guards were posted. All of this was new to him. When he left the night before, they had done so through an intricate tunnel system under the Sanctuary.
“Damn, you guys have more security than Fort Knox,” he muttered.
Remy snorted. “There’s a reason for that.”
The guards tipped their heads at the men. The one on the left with a name tag that read Number 1 stepped forward, entering a code into the small computer interface. The steel doors shuddered before swinging open. They stepped into a room that held two elevators. He looked at Luke, who grinned.
“Want to get something to eat?” Luke offered.
He glanced back, but the doors had closed. “Sure.”
Luke herded them into the elevator that Michael quickly realized led to the floors aboveground. They stopped on the second floor. Remy rubbed his stomach. “I hope the cafeteria is still open.”
“There’s a cafeteria in here?” Michael asked.
Remy nodded as he followed behind Luke. “The second floor has a fully operational kitchen and cafeteria.” He gestured at a set of glass doors. “There’s the gym, and if you go back down to the main level, you’ll find a pool and a daycare center for the employees who have children. Upstairs is the security firm.”
Michael’s brows furrowed. “There really is a security firm?”
Luke chuckled as he nudged open the cafeteria doors. “Yes. Several of the floors are a dedicated call center. Above that are the cubicle farms that house analysts, and then our executive offices take up the top two floors. All human-operated and supervised by Nephilim.”
“Do they know what you are?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrowed on Luke. “You can trust them with that?”
Remy glanced over his shoulder. “Yes. If they told anyone about us, no one would believe them anyway.”
“And we’d kill them,” Luke added nonchalantly.
He stumbled. “Are you serious?”
“No.” Remy shot Luke a dirty look. “We wouldn’t. We can’t kill humans who aren’t possessed—no matter what. The act alone would turn us minionic.”
Good to know.
Luke stared down at several slices of pizza that had been warming in a tin container under a heat lamp. “And he means no matter what. We can’t even kill them if they’re trying to kill us.” He picked up three slices and dropped them onto his plate. “Sucks ass if you ask me, but no one ever does.”
Michael mulled that over as he picked up a white plate and dropped two slices on it. He wasn’t letting himself think too much. He felt frayed at the edges.
“Is Lily going to be okay?” he asked.
Remy grabbed three sodas out of the cooler and brought them over to the table Luke had sat at. “I’d think so, but then again I have no clue what happened.”
Luke swallowed a huge bite of pizza. “She’ll be okay. Nathaniel will get her fixed up. We have some of the best doctors here. Those who are suited for the type of injuries we show up with.”
He sat across from them. “What was that back there?”
Remy popped open his soda. “Yes. Do tell.”
“Baal,” said Luke with a mouth full of pizza.
Remy gave a low whistle. “Oh man.”
“He talked as if he knew Lily,” Michael said.
Luke stiffened. “When Lily was fresh, she made the mistake of going after Baal when she spotted him with a police commissioner he was corrupting. No—don’t ask who. I’m not telling.” He pushed away his plate, the last slice of pizza unto
uched. “You never take on a Fallen alone, and especially not Baal.”
He really wanted to know who the commissioner was, but the closed expression on Luke’s face said he wouldn’t get an answer from him. “Why would she do that?”
Remy shrugged. “Because she’s Lily, and believe it or not, what you see today is a toned-down version of what she used to be.” He shook his head, sending dreads into his oval-shaped face. “She was really young when she went after Baal. At seventeen, our Nephilim are ready to fight. She learned the hard way.”
“Seventeen?” He couldn’t believe it. “You guys let kids go out and fight?”
“Our seventeen-year-old Nephilim can kick your ass clear across town.” Luke fiddled with his soda. “Age has nothing to do with fighting the Fallen. She knew better, but…shit, she’s Lily.”
“How old is she now?”
Remy’s lips curved. “Lily’s twenty-six. She accepted the Contract at twenty-two.”
Shit, that girl barely looked twenty-two. “Contract?” When neither man answered, he sighed. What knowledge they had shared about Lily’s previous run-in with Baal was vague, and he was sure they were leaving out details for her sake. “The burn on her arm was from him touching her?”
“Eat something, and I’ll tell you everything.” When Michael complied, Luke leaned back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest. “Baal is one of the most evil bastards you will ever meet. He’s been on Earth since the days of Adam and Eve. His touch, if he wills it, can burn anything.”
Remy gestured at him with his pizza slice. “Rumor has it that when other angels began to fall, Baal burned and ripped the wings from their backs.”
Michael had trouble swallowing the food. “What was he doing there?”
“Apparently he was bored,” stated Luke. “Or he was coming after you. It’s very odd. The Fallen don’t make a habit of getting their hands dirty.”
He, too, pushed away his plate. He had no real appetite. Not after everything that had happened. “Was the other one a…good angel?”
Remy slowly turned to Luke, his expression expectant. “And who would that be?”