by Joy Nash
“Food,” she breathed. “Thank you. I didn’t even realize how famished I was until right this second.”
“It’s to be expected,” he said. “Roasted lamb,” he added as she rolled greasy paper off pita wrapping savory slices of the meat. “Eat quickly. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before the third wave.”
Hunger warred with apprehension. “But—”
“Questions later. Right now, eat.”
She nodded and tore into the food with a need that bordered on irrational. The lamb was barely cooked, dripping red juices. The first bite sent a shudder of delight through her body.
The last rays of the sun disappeared from the window as she ate. The instant she finished, Cade’s thumb hooked toward the door. Then he paused.
“Where’s the relic?”
“In my pocket. But don’t think you’re going to take it.”
He snorted. “Not to worry. I don’t have a death wish.”
So. She’d been right.
He grasped her elbow. “Come on.”
“Wait!” She resisted. “You said you’d answer some questions.”
“Later.”
“No. Now.”
She thought he’d refuse her demand, but after a brief hesitation he sighed and released her. “All right. But make it quick.”
She rubbed her arm, her gaze momentarily trapped by the shifting colors on her skin. “What is this?” she asked, lifting her arm.
“The beginning of the end,” he said. “Of your transition, I mean. The third wave of your crisis isn’t far off.”
“How long?”
“Hard to say, exactly. It varies. Between twenty-four and thirty hours, I’d guess.”
“What happens then? You keep talking about a transition, but you’ve given me hardly any details. What am I transitioning to?”
His eyes shifted to one side. “Your full powers as a Watcher adept.”
The fierce anticipation curling in her belly startled her. Her palms grew damp and she rubbed them on her shorts. “You’ve said as much. But what does that mean? What powers am I going to have once this is over?”
“I don’t know what all your talents will be,” Cade admitted. “Magic varies from clan to clan, from Watcher to Watcher. Though, there are traits and powers we all have in common. From birth we’re all tall and left-handed. After transition, you’ll gain strength and speed, and the ability to see in the dark. And you’ll experience your . . .” Frowning, he fell silent.
A ripple of fear passed through her. “My what?”
“In each adept, one or more of the five human senses is enhanced. For example, I have a heightened sense of smell.”
She sensed that wasn’t what he’d been about to say but decided to let it pass. “I . . . see trails of light around people’s heads and shoulders,” she offered. “And once, in the pit, everything looked . . . like more than it was.” She gave a short laugh. “If that makes any sense.”
“It does. Your sight is enhanced.”
She looked up. “I thought it was the tumor.”
“The tumor is gone,” he repeated.
She absorbed his certainty and realized she actually believed him. She wasn’t going to die. She was going to live. As a being she didn’t begin to understand.
“What other powers do Watchers have?”
“Power unique to each original Watcher is channeled to his descendants through shared ancestral memory. My clan is adept with the magic once practiced by Samyaza. Druid magic. Enchantments and illusions, mostly. We draw power from earth elements, from soil, roots, natural stones . . .”
Maddie stared at her hands. “A few minutes ago,” she remarked slowly, “my palm caught fire. It . . . didn’t hurt.”
Cade didn’t seem surprised. “Clan Azazel is adept with fire elements. They’re masters of alchemy.”
Her brows rose. “Alchemy? You mean like turning lead into gold?”
Cade’s lips compressed. “For a start.”
The waters of the Mediterranean shone darkly; the sparkling lights of the coastal towns were strung along the shore like diamonds in a necklace. The beauty was lost on Cade. The quicker he left the land of his cursed ancestors behind, the happier he would be. He and Maddie stood atop the rise of desert just beyond town. Their jeep, run dry of petrol, sat abandoned on the road at the base of the hill.
Maddie’s second wave had forced him to delay longer than he would have liked. Thankfully, her sexual hunger was sated at the moment. But with each passing moment, the opalescent glow of her skin grew brighter. She balanced on the cusp of her transition. The pheromones pouring off her skin escalated Cade’s arousal.
He wondered how much time they had. Not long, he was sure. The safest place for Maddie’s transition was London, with Artur or Brax standing guard. He’d even sent a text to Brax telling him to expect their arrival. But the thought of involving Artur or his brother in Maddie’s transition sickened Cade. He didn’t want either of them anywhere near her when the crisis broke.
His mind flashed forward, anticipating that moment. His body hardened against a backdrop of apprehension. Could he bring Maddie safely through? Yes. He couldn’t afford to doubt his abilities now. He couldn’t bear to think that he might fail, might have to watch her die. Or worse, might have to kill her.
Beside him, Maddie rubbed her bare arms against the chill of the desert night. “What are we doing here?”
His mind ran along the link stretching from his essence to hers. Since completing the sex act, their bond had strengthened. His sense of her emotions was strong. He could even hear into some of her thoughts, though the darkest corners of her mind were still closed to him. She was tethered to his will.
At some level, she knew it. Of course, she didn’t yet know how strong those chains were. Soon he would show her.
“Are we . . . meeting someone out here? Another member of your clan?”
“No.”
She slipped her hand into the pocket of her shorts. He knew she touched the Watcher amulet.
Her bond with the talisman was an unexpected complication. Cade was more than wary of the danger the piece represented. At the moment, its magic seemed dormant. But he couldn’t count on it remaining so. Not with Ben-Meir’s fate waving like a warning flag. Given Maddie’s obsession with the piece, Cade was sure the amulet had been created by one of her ancestors. Perhaps even by Azazel himself. If so, the secret to its magic was buried in Maddie’s ancestral memories.
The presence of the relic was sure to complicate Maddie’s transition, too. It was vital that Cade establish absolute control of both Maddie and her magic. No matter how repulsive slave-making was to Cade, he recognized that his dominance of Maddie was required to give Clan Samyaza control of her magic. Cade didn’t want to contemplate a scenario where Maddie came into her power freely. She might very well choose to stand with her kin. With Vaclav Dusek and his sons. Cade couldn’t imagine a worse disaster. Free and aligned with Dusek, Maddie would be the final nail in Clan Samyaza’s coffin.
Atop the hill, illumed by the night sky, he turned to face her. The colors on her skin were kaleidoscopic. Her eyes had begun to change as well, taking on a soft reddish tint. He was very glad she hadn’t seen that in the cracked hotel mirror.
Though, really, what would it have mattered? It was time. Time for her to know what she was. Truly.
Apprehension festered in his gut like rotted meat. How would she react? She picked up on his unease; her mind released tendrils of curling fear. The acrid odor pinched Cade’s nostrils. He could delay no longer.
“Maddie.”
Though her eyes reflected fear, she met his gaze calmly. Something in the vicinity of his heart lurched.
“I’ll take care of you, Maddie.” His voice was low and fervent. “I give you my promise. I’ll see you through this. I’m here to protect you, not to hurt you. Never that. Whatever happens, whatever you see, think, feel, no matter how frightened you are, just trust me. Will you?”
She stared at him a long while. He held his breath.
At last she nodded. “Yes.”
She could not disguise her terror. His attempt at reassurance had only frightened her further. Why had he even attempted consolation? He knew it was impossible.
It was time. Capturing Maddie’s glowing red eyes with his, he made sure she watched as he willed his human facade to fade away.
His own eyes heated and became demonic red like hers. Maddie’s breath hissed out. Horror distorted her features, and her jaw worked reflexively. Her hand crept to her throat as darkness poured from Cade’s being to sparkle on the surface of his skin, opalescent light, shifting charcoal with hints of pearl and indigo.
Maddie swallowed, wet her dry lips with her tongue. She looked down at her hands, her forearms. Then back at Cade. “Your skin . . . it’s like mine.”
“That’s because we’re the same, Maddie.”
“My eyes. Are they—?”
“Yes. They’re red like mine.”
Choking revulsion rushed from her mind to his. Her scent turned turbulent, a churning river of mud and fear and denial.
“No,” she whispered, staring at her hands. “No. Not this. This can’t be happen—”
“There’s more,” he told her.
I’m sorry, he wanted to add. I’m sorry I’m the one who must show you.
The sound of ripping fabric told him he’d forgotten to strip off his shirt. Shredded cotton fell away as the muscles in his back contracted. The odor of hot sulfur tinged the air. Pain knifed through him. He gritted his teeth and braced for what came next. His demon essence, rising to the surface. Skin darkening, glowing. Dark wings, unfurling. A rush of blistering wind.
Maddie began to scream.
Chapter Fourteen
“Fire, Lilith, is creation’s purifier. As is pain. Feel the fire, Daughter. Feel the pain. Pass through it to power. Open your heart and you will be rewarded. The pain will vanish into your magic.”
Lilith closed her eyes and did her best to obey. It was hard. So very hard. When she’d first touched the fire, aided by her father’s power, the sensation had been exhilarating. Now it was nothing but agony. That sensation, he had told her, was a sign of her lack of faith.
Aware of her father’s harsh gaze upon her, she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She tasted blood on her tongue. Tears gathered in her eyes. Azazel’s voice turned harsh.
“Life begins in pain and ends in pain. How will you master the secrets of life, Lilith, if you cannot master pain?”
The fire seared her skin. Tears leaked through her eyes; her breath came in spurts. But she did not flinch. No sound passed her lips. She was determined to prove her worth. She would show her father how much she loved him. She would learn what he wanted so much to teach her.
The agony multiplied. Tenfold. A hundredfold. Into infinity. Panic scraped sharp claws inside her chest. Her flesh would be charred; it would peel from her bones and crumble into ash. She would be crippled. Useless. Pitied. Lost in shame forever. A scream tore from her throat at last.
Her father’s frown silenced her. She was better than this. True, she was a daughter of the earth, but she was also a daughter of Heaven. Heaven’s magic lived inside her, was a part of her very being! That stunning knowledge vibrated in her bones, in her flesh, in her consciousness, and it demolished at last the barrier of her mind. The pain vanished.
Her eyes flew open. She looked down at her hands. Blue flame leaped from her palm, snapped the length of her fingers. Yet there was no heat. No pain. Her skin remained unmarred.
She met her father’s gaze. She saw his pride, his immense satisfaction.
“You have gone beyond, Lilith. To a place few have the courage to enter.”
He smiled and lifted the fire from her hands. Joy welled in her breast. She’d pleased him! For her, there could be no greater pleasure.
Azazel placed the fire in the forge and leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead. “Well done, Daughter.”
The glittering monster, standing where Cade had been moments before, rose. Its charcoal wings swept forward. In another second it would catch Maddie, utterly and completely, in its embrace.
The screams piercing her ears were her own. She stumbled backward and fell, arms flailing. The impact with the sharp stony ground drove daggers of pain into her hands and buttocks, and she scrambled to her knees. She had to run. Had to escape. Somehow, her limbs wouldn’t move.
“Maddie.”
Cade’s voice came from the monster’s mouth. He sounded so normal. So human. And yet red eyes shone from a face of sparkling darkness. His torso and arms were shining, too. His fingernails had curved into claws. And his wings . . . She shuddered. They were dark and charcoal-feathered. The gleaming edges looked razor-sharp.
Dear God. Everything he’d told her was true. He was an archdemon. A Nephilim. And so was she. She screamed and screamed and screamed.
She couldn’t move. Couldn’t run. His presence was in her mind, overriding the commands her brain sent to her limbs. With dawning horror, she realized the bond enabled him to control her.
He stalked toward her slowly. Inexorably. All she could do was stare at the ground in front of her feet and tremble.
His wings settled around her, sheltering, imprisoning, but not touching. “Maddie,” he said. “Look at me.”
“No,” she croaked. “No. I can’t.” Shudders racked her body. “Oh, God. I can’t.”
“I told you what I was. What you are.”
“I . . . I didn’t believe you. Not really. Or, maybe I did but I didn’t really know—” Another tremor rippled through her. “Oh, God. Am I . . . am I going to look like you? Like this?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Maddie had thought she knew what fear was. She’d thought she was as scared as a person could be when her doctors told her, without a shred of doubt among them, that she was dying. She’d thought she’d known what despair was. She’d been wrong. What she’d felt then was only a shadow of the terror that consumed her now. She was a monster. A cursed atrocity. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Maybe . . . maybe I should just give up. Just die.”
“You don’t believe that.” Cade’s voice was too close to her ear. It almost sounded like it was inside her head. His breath rasped. “You’re a fighter, Maddie. Brave.”
“Brave enough to kill myself.”
She’d been living under the specter of death for more than a year. Living with dread. Denying and preparing for the end. Fighting to make every second count. But for what? Death would come in the end. She was as ready as she would ever be. And accustomed to the idea by now. Surely it wouldn’t be so difficult to take the plunge.
“But you won’t,” he said. “You’ll do as I say. You’ve only just begun the third wave. There’s much more to come. You won’t run from it, Maddie. You will face it. With me.”
Her panic was all consuming. “No. Go away. Please. Leave me alone. Maybe . . . Maybe I’d rather die than become what you are.” But her voice lacked conviction. She wanted to live. At any price.
And Cade surely knew it. His arm snaked around her waist. “You’d rather fight. And you will.”
She opened her eyes to find her face just inches from his chest. The shifting colors on his skin—dark shadows of crimson, indigo, jade, and amber—filled her with violent terror. Something inside her snapped. Fight? Yes, she’d fight! But, not the way he envisioned. Instead she assaulted him, clawing, punching, slapping. She tried to wrench her body out of his grasp.
He lifted her easily, imprisoning her against his torso as she kicked and scratched. She sank her teeth into his arm and was rewarded with his grunting curse. His stiff arousal prodded her stomach. His palm found her ass and squeezed. A wave of hot lust careened through her body. The will to resist drained from her mind and her limbs. As quickly as the battle lust came over her, it evaporated. She sagged against his unyielding hardness. She was sick of this roller coaster of emot
ion. She wanted nothing more than to steady herself in the safety of his strength. Even if his strength was that of a monster.
“Make no mistake, Maddie. You are mine.”
The whispered words sounded inside her head as well as in her ear. She experienced a shudder of understanding. It was true. She was his. Utterly, completely.
He held her body. He spoke in her mind. He’d all but claimed control of her life essence. She suspected that last would come, very soon. There would be no escape. No death. No end to the nightmare. She was Nephilim. And if she wanted to survive her transition, she was going to have to do it with Cade as her anchor.
His arm shifted. His muscles banded like iron around her torso. “I’m sorry,” he said again.
Dark-feathered limbs filled her vision. The desert dropped away with dizzying speed, and the steady beat of his wings matched the rush of her heart. They were airborne, gliding toward the black expanse of sea. Emotions churned, and Maddie struggled to put a name to them. Fear? Despair? Terror? Anticipation? Wonder? Awe?
All of these.
The sparkling lights on the shores of the Mediterranean merged with the night sky. Cade set a course over open water. As she felt his whisper in her mind, Maddie closed her eyes and let him take her.
A jagged line appeared on the horizon: rocky cliffs, rising from the sea, far away but sharp to Cade’s enhanced vision.
The Mediterranean crossing had been uneventful. The weather had been calm, and Maddie remained quiet in his arms. The unfolding of his wings and the long flight had exacerbated the wound he’d taken during the massacre. His shoulder hadn’t fully healed, he realized. The pain was worsening, throbbing with each sweep of his wing. But it didn’t slow his progress. He made sure of that. He scanned the dark sea below. He’d passed a spattering of Greek islands and the larger bulk of Sicily advanced. He was close enough to see breakers pounding against the shore. Another few hours would see him across Europe and into England. With luck, they would make London in time.