With a flounce, Lilith tossed her head and stepped into the circle. She disappeared. Tatiana looked at him. “Maybe we could just erase the portal and be done with her that way?”
Mal raised one brow. “She can travel in and out of the ancients’ realm without effort. What would keep her from leaving the Garden that way?” Again, he pointed to the portal. “Hurry up, before she kills something on the other side.”
Sighing, Tatiana followed after her. As soon as she disappeared, he stepped through.
And found them waiting for him in the middle of a desert. At night.
“There’s nothing here,” Lilith grumped. She stuck her hands on her hips as she turned to look at him. “What kind of—” Her mouth rounded into a circle. “Look!” She pointed and he and Tatiana turned.
A set of gates to rival any he’d ever seen rose up from the sand and vanished into the evening sky. Walls made of trees joined the sides and rounded out of sight. The air in front of the ornately filigreed gates shimmered like a heat mirage and a soldier appeared. Not a soldier exactly. He’d never seen a soldier with wings.
The creature came toward them. Lilith hissed. The creature opened his mouth and roared at her, blowing them all back a few steps. Then he pointed a wicked, flaming sword at her. It spun on its hilt, the flames flowing out like hungry tongues. “Demon spawn,” he said. “Do not urge me to battle.”
Mal yanked Lilith behind him. “Quiet, you.” He bent his head slightly, trying to show respect. “We only wish entrance to the Garden. Will you let us in?”
The creature stared at Mal, losing some of the animosity he’d directed at Lilith. “Your blood decides that, not me.” Behind him the gates began to open. He gestured to Tatiana and Lilith with the sword. “You may pass. You will not be permitted to remove anything from the Garden and you bear the consequences of anything you eat.”
Tatiana grabbed Lilith’s hand and dragged her forward. Mal hesitated. The creature hadn’t indicated he could go through.
The soldier watched Tatiana and Lilith slip through the gates, then turned to Mal and lowered his sword. “You are not the first to enter these gates.” His voice was soft. “Do you understand?”
Mal nodded, happiness replacing the frustration in his belly. “The comarré,” he whispered.
The creature gave a single, short nod and held his hand out toward the gates.
Mal raced forward, catching up with Lilith and Tatiana, hopefully before they realized he’d lagged behind.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Tatiana turned in a slow circle, a look of wonderment shining on her face.
“Glorious.” But Mal’s attention was on Lilith, who’d already strayed from the mossy path underfoot and was reaching for something in a tree. “Lilith,” he called. She ignored him. “Lilith.” She didn’t even glance in his direction. He strode over to where she was.
And realized she was pulling a bright blue snake out of the tree. “Son of a priest, leave that alone.”
She whipped around to face him, her hands still locked on the serpent, her eyes going full red. “You said I could have a pet.”
“And you can, but we’ve only just entered. Don’t you want to see what else there is?”
As his logic sank in, the whites returned to her eyes. She let go of the snake. “I guess.”
He made himself smile at her. “That’s a good girl. Come on, now, let’s see the rest of this place.”
He put his hand on her shoulder and herded her back to the path and Tatiana, who was still ogling the landscape. He pointed, showing Lilith a large purple lizard hugging a tree branch farther up the path. She raced off to look at it up close, giving him a moment to pull Tatiana back to reality. “Could you join me here? How far until we get to the tree?”
“What? Oh.” She sighed and took the map out. “We follow this path for a while, then leave it after we come to a large spring.”
“Then let’s go before someone gets distracted again and we have to drag her by her hair.”
Tatiana nodded and with her help, they soon made it to the spring. He’d only had to forcibly herd Lilith three more times.
They turned off the path, Lilith straggling behind to pull the heads off flowers and throw them into the water. “Lilith, look.” Tatiana pointed into the clearing ahead where a tree sat dead center.
Even without the map and the foreknowledge that it was the Tree of Life, Mal would have known it was something special. It was too perfect, too cleanly shaped to be something ordinary. The fruit hanging off it gleamed like black glass, looking more deadly than life-giving, but then, that was why they were here. Why he was here. To finally rid himself of the woman who’d wanted nothing but the worst for him for many, many years.
He surreptitiously scoped the area for Chrysabelle. It was impossible to pick out her scent with the garden’s heavy perfume, but he knew she was here, just not where. Behind one of the monolithic rock formations or clusters of trees skirting the clearing? Ivy and flowering vines curled up the trunks, joining some and distorting others to the point where it was difficult to see the separation between the trees. She could be anywhere. His gaze landed on the tree again and as he stared at it, he realized there was a faint glow emanating from it.
Chrysabelle was in the branches. He hoped Tatiana just chalked it up to being part of the tree’s supernatural specialness. Or maybe she’d be too distracted to even notice.
Fortunately, that distraction chose that moment to run past them. Lilith went straight to the tree’s lower branches and the fruit hanging there. “What are these? I want one.”
Mal leaned over to Tatiana. “Take yours now. Hurry.” Then he approached Lilith to divert her for a moment. “They’re some kind of fruit, but they don’t look ripe.”
Her bottom lip poked out right on cue. “But I want one.”
At the sound of crunching, he and Lilith turned. Tatiana stood just a few feet away, one of the black apples cradled in her metal hand, the snowy white flesh revealed by the bite she’d taken.
“Delicious,” she purred, eyes closed. Juice dripped down her chin.
“I want one,” Lilith screeched, reaching toward the nearest fruit.
Tatiana’s eyes opened, fear silvering them until they glowed. “Lilith, I don’t think you should have one of these.”
But Lilith shoved Mal out of the way so hard he hit the ground with an audible thud. She snatched one of the apples and shoved it into her mouth, chewing like a greedy little pig.
Tatiana made a show of trying to pry it away from her, but Lilith met her with a foot to the stomach and pushed her down, too. “My apple,” she cried, bits of white flesh flying out of her mouth.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but only a choking sound came out. Then she fell to the ground.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Doc wrapped Fi in a hug like she hadn’t had in a long time. She leaned in and held on, the tension of the last few days gone from his body. He was her big kitty cat again, relaxed and happy. A deep purr rumbled out of him. She squeezed him once more before tipping her head back. “I still can’t believe Remo would kill his own sister just to tip the scales toward him becoming pride leader. What are you going to tell Rodrigo?”
Doc kissed her forehead before pulling her down onto the couch with him. He laid back, his long, hard body suddenly the most comfortable thing Fi had been in contact with lately. “The truth. I owe him that much.”
She put her hands on his chest and pushed up. “You sure that’s the best thing to do?”
He nodded. “Yes. Lies only complicate things. Rodrigo’s a good man. He understood about Heaven. He won’t be happy about what Remo’s done. In fact, if he’s mad about anything it will probably be that we can’t hand Remo over to him now that the police have him in custody. Issues like this need to be taken care of internally.”
“It is pride business.”
“I know. But turning Remo over to the cops was the only way to get Barasa and Omur release
d. Remo knew what he was doing when he insisted on bringing the police in.” Doc rolled his head from side to side. “He’s a slick one. He knew taking it public would keep him out of his father’s hands if things went south.”
“Which they totally did.” Fi lay back down, tucking her head under Doc’s chin. She loved the way the heat of his body seeped into hers. “You’re out a council member again.”
Doc cursed softly. “Remo screwed us more ways than I can count. Replacing him isn’t going to be easy. He might not have been well known, but he had the weight of the São Paulo alliance behind him. And despite Barasa and Omur being cleared, they’ll never be clean enough for those in the pride who still resent me for taking out Sinjin.” His hands fisted and his body suddenly became almost too hot to touch.
Fi jerked back. “You’re not about to go nova on me, are you? Your skin is like fire.”
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “No. I’m good.” He blew out the breath slowly. “Flames just get harder to control when I get riled, you know?” He gave her a pitiful smile. “Sorry, baby.”
She leaned against the couch but kept one hand planted on his forearm. “Does a council member have to be a pride member? Or even varcolai? Can it just be anyone the pride leader appoints?”
“Remo was proof they don’t have to be an existing pride member. They become an honorary member through the appointment. I don’t know about someone who’s not varcolai.” He squinted at her, his skin cooling beneath her fingers. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
She smiled. “What’s it worth to you?”
He laughed.
She tapped a finger against her temple. “This is pure gold, kitty cat. I’m going to need a lot of high-quality persuasion to spill it.”
His eyes went green-gold, the pupils thinning down to slits. She shivered with anticipation as he pulled her down to him. “Good thing I’m all about high quality.” He nipped at her chin, scraping his teeth down her neck and causing her to moan. “You should probably tell me your idea now, though.”
“Why?” she breathed. She wasn’t sure which one of them was on fire now.
His deep laugh reverberated against her throat. “Because when I’m done persuading you, you probably won’t be able to talk.”
“Oh. Oh! Ohhh…”
The juice coated Tatiana’s tongue with the flavors of warm honey, cinnamon, and smoke. After she’d swallowed the first bite, a gentle hum had vibrated through her body. Almost like a tiny electric shock, but completely pleasant.
It felt very much like power to her, the kind of power Lilith didn’t need. But maybe she’d been wrong. She pushed to her elbows on the ground beside Mal. “Is she dead?”
“I don’t know.” He flipped to his feet and stood over Lilith’s body. “She looks dead, but she hasn’t gone to ash.”
Panic swept through Tatiana. She stared at the apple’s small white core. “What if it kills me too?” She tossed the fruit and dug in her pocket for the little metal tin of white powder. Frantically she opened it and dumped it into her mouth. She coughed, spewing dust as she rolled to her side. It tasted like sugar. She clutched at her throat. “I think I’m dying.” She clawed hysterically at the ground. “Water. I need water.”
Mal shook his head. “You’re not dying.” He sighed, disappointment crystalline in his eyes. “Unfortunately.”
Tatiana went still. She wasn’t dying. “Now is not the time for snide remarks, Malkolm.”
A gasp stole their attention. Mal turned, moving out of the way enough for Tatiana to see Lilith quivering on the ground.
“She’s having a seizure.” New fear chilled Tatiana. Death could still be coming for her.
Lilith’s body shook so badly her features blurred. She bent and bowed up off the ground, limbs flailing.
Mal swore softly. “She’s shrinking.”
She was. Right before Tatiana’s eyes, Lilith was growing smaller and smaller. Tatiana grabbed her own arms and legs and palpitated them, but they seemed to be the right size. She tried to listen to her body, to feel for anything that might be changing internally, but there was nothing. In fact, she’d never felt so good.
She glanced back at Lilith. She was no more than the size of a toddler now, and the tremors seemed to be subsiding. Tatiana got to her feet. “What’s happened to her?”
“I have no idea,” Mal answered. He looked at her. “How do you feel?”
“Good. Really good.”
He squinted at her and was about to say something when a piercing wail erupted behind him. Again they turned. Lilith was sitting up, sobbing, swamped in clothes that were now vastly too large for her. Tears trailed down her pink cheeks. She blinked, her brown eyes big and wet, and reached toward Mal like she wanted him to pick her up.
“Holy hell,” Tatiana muttered. “She’s a child again.”
“More than that,” Mal said, his nostrils flaring. “She’s… human.”
Creek stood in front of the machine shop, unlocking the big sliding door, when the familiar sound of leathery wings beating the night air reached his ears. He pushed the door back and left it open after he went inside.
A moment later, Annika joined him. She closed the door as her wings disappeared into her jacket. She walked past him and sat. “Octavian’s dead.”
Hello to you too. Creek took the other chair. “How?”
“He and the mayor showed up at Tatiana’s house in Corvinestri.”
“The mayor?” Creek hadn’t expected that. “No wonder I couldn’t get in to see her. Or find Octavian.”
“None of us could,” she said. “As to how he died, Lilith figured out who he was and killed him before Tatiana could even react, apparently.” She picked at one of the holes in the fabric on the chair’s arm. “It’s all for the better. We would have had to kill him anyway.”
Creek nodded slowly. The meting out of KM justice wasn’t something he always agreed with, but in this case, he would have been totally on board.
Sighing, she leaned forward, her arms on her knees. “There’s more. Our contact overheard a conversation between Malkolm and Chrysabelle.”
“Chrysabelle’s in Corvinestri?”
“Was. We believe she’s already returned home to complete the rest of her and Malkolm’s mission.”
Now he really felt lost. “They had a mission?”
“Self-imposed. They’re luring Lilith and Tatiana to the Garden of Eden and putting an end to both of them there.”
“The Garden of Eden? That’s a real place?”
“Very. And almost impossible to get to unless you know how to open a portal. Even then, humans can’t get in.”
“But Chrysabelle’s human.”
“Mostly. And now that we believe she’s carrying Malkolm’s child, we—”
“What? Chrysabelle’s pregnant?”
“Didn’t you know?” She raised one brow. “We thought you were privy to everything that went on in the comarré’s life.”
He got up and went to the kitchen for a beer. It was better than letting Annika watch the anger on his face. “You know I’m not. Being the KM’s messenger boy has destroyed my relationship with her.”
“You sound upset.”
Brilliant deduction. “I am.” He left it at that. Any more and he’d only succeed in putting himself in a worse mood. But pregnant? How was that even possible? If the KM thought he was doing anything to help them put their hands on Chrysabelle’s child, they were dead wrong. He changed the subject. “I hope they get rid of Tatiana once and for all.”
She nodded. “Me too. But Lilith’s the real issue. If they can’t make this happen, the KM’s main focus will shift to her. After what our contact shared, we now know that she’s the greatest threat to mankind that’s ever existed.”
“Why can’t your contact there do something to stop Lilith?”
Annika stood, wing tips emerging from her jacket. “Because our contact activated an emergency message alert. O
ur receiving it means she was unable to stop the system from sending it, which most likely means she’s dead.” She walked toward the door.
She? But he knew better than to ask. If Annika wanted him to know more, she would have already given him the info. “Before you go…”
She stopped at the door. “Yes?”
It was now or never. “Does anyone ever leave the Kubai Mata?”
“Besides dying?”
Obviously. “Yes.”
“You can buy your way out or fight your way out.” She stared at him. “Thinking about retirement?”
He nodded. “You might say that. We both know I don’t have the funds. Whom would I have to fight?”
She snorted softly, then pushed the door open. “Me.”
Not the answer he wanted to hear. “And if I win, what happens to my family and my record?”
The amusement left her face. “The money goes away, Creek. The mortgage on the house becomes your mother’s and grandmother’s responsibility. Una’s scholarship won’t be pulled, but it won’t be renewed next semester, either. As for your record, it stands the way it is. You’ve been cleared of the charge. The KM won’t put you back in prison unless you give them a reason to.”
The next question stuck in his throat. “Would I have to… kill you to win?”
She went quiet a moment, like she couldn’t believe he was contemplating this. “No. You’d just have to best me.” Her fingers strayed to the temple of her shades. “You should know that there’s no cure for being turned to stone by a basilisk.”
He nodded. “Good to know.” Horrible to know. It pretty much meant the brawl would be over almost immediately unless he could fight her without looking at her, which didn’t seem possible.
She tipped her head at him, then stepped through the door and flew into the night. He leaned back in the chair and rocked his head back to stare at the ceiling. The chains he’d strung Octavian up with still hung from the ceiling. At least that was one issue he’d no longer have to deal with. Dominic would want to know.
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