The Everlast Series Boxed Set

by Juliana Haygert

  Victor stood from the couch. “Yes, now. Let’s gear up and meet back here in fifteen minutes.”

  Everyone scrambled out of the living room and went to their rooms to get ready. Alone in my bedroom, I shrugged out of my workout clothes, which had become like my daily uniform, and started putting on my gear—beige suede pants with patches of intricate leather on the sides, a fitted white thermal tee, a leather vest with the same intricate pattern, a belt to hold our weapons, and beige combat boots.

  I was pulling the tee over my head when a soft knock resounded on my door. Before I could answer, it opened and Micah peered inside.

  “Oh,” he said as his eyes fixed on my exposed midriff.

  I quickly yanked the tee down. “What is it?” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest as if I could erase what he had seen.

  Clearing his throat, Micah stepped in my room. “I was coming to see if you needed any help.”

  “With what?”

  He shrugged and gazed at me. Heavy tension hung around us as we stared to each other, both with our defenses on high alert.

  After what seemed an eternity, Micah grabbed the beige leather vest from my bed and approached me. I made to take it from him, but he kept it out of my reach.

  “Just let me do this,” he said, his voice devoid of any sarcasm or teasing. It was tiring really, never knowing which Micah I would get. In the end, the almost begging shine in his black eyes won me over and I nodded.

  Like I was a five-year-old child, Micah helped me put my arms through the sleeves of the vest, tugged it tightly around me, and pulled the zipper up. When he was done, he didn’t retreat his hand from the zipper, but he lifted his gaze to meet mine again. He was so close that I was able to hear the sharp, muted breath he took.

  Then he grabbed the belt from my bed and placed it around me. “Now you’re all set.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you doing?”

  He stepped back but straightened his back and stuffed his chest, as if protecting himself from what was to come. “Helping you.”

  “You know that’s not what I meant. I’m not a child. I can dress myself.” I raised my chin high in defiance. “What are you doing?”

  He lifted one shoulder. “I don’t …” He pressed his lips in a tight line. “I—”

  “Let’s go, people,” Victor called from the living room.

  “We should go,” Micah said, hurrying out of my bedroom as if it were on fire.

  Sighing, I knelt down and put on my boots, before taking the sword and the dagger from my bed and sheathing them on my belt.

  I didn’t even want to think about what had just happened and what it meant and why Micah could possibly be acting this strange, because if I did, I wouldn’t focus on the task and would be screwed.

  Like an army battalion, we marched from the building to the other side of the wards where the gods offered their hands to Keisha, Alice, and me so we could teleport with them. I started reaching for Ceris’s hand, which was closest to me, when Micah’s heavy hand closed around my shoulder.

  “I’ve got you,” he whispered.

  Before I could protest, the earth was yanked out from under my feet and the world revolved around me. After three quick stops, we were all standing in a dark alley.

  As soon as I confirmed we were in the right place, I jerked away from Micah’s touch and wrinkled my nose. The place reeked of rotting food, waste, and other putrid odors.

  Ceris peeked around the corner of the alley. “I can sense her,” she said, looking side to side. “It’s clear.”

  In groups of twos or threes, we exited the alley and walked along the unpaved streets of the small town. The buildings weren’t tall and they looked uncared for. Broken windows, peeling paint, and dying gardens. There were a few houses here and there, and they all looked abandoned. To be honest, the entire place looked deserted.

  As the last group, Micah, Keisha, and I were on high alert, looking over our shoulders and even at the buildings and houses, cautious of prying eyes and surprise attacks.

  “Can you feel her?” I asked Micah.

  He shifted his eyes from a dead garden to me. “Yes. She’s close.”

  I nodded, looking down at my feet.

  Ceris stopped in front of what looked like an abandoned pub. With a brief glance at us, she pushed the heavy doors open and walked in. Victor went in with her while we waited outside.

  Micah nudged me with his elbow. “Come on.” He pointed his chin to the corner of the building and disappeared into another alley.

  Curious, I took two steps forward and looked at the alley. It was narrow and had a single door at the end. Micah turned the knob on it and entered the building. Cursing my damned curiosity, I followed him.

  We walked down a short corridor lined with doors—a closet, an employee area, a kitchen, and restrooms, and found the door leading to the heart of the pub. Slowly, Micah reached for my hand and together we crossed the door.

  The pub transformed into a ballroom. It was wide with a tall ceiling, and I was sure it didn’t fit inside the building we had just entered.

  “What the …?” I muttered.

  But that wasn’t all. The ballroom was full of beautiful people in elegant gowns and tuxedos, everyone laughing and dancing and drinking champagne. A band—with singers, dancers, and guitar and piano players—played from a stage along the back wall.

  In the middle of the ballroom, a woman danced with her arms up high and her hips moving all around. She threw her head back and let out a loud laugh, one that seemed to be contagious, as everyone else in the ballroom laughed even more. She lowered one of her arms and a flute of champagne appeared in her hand.

  Ronen.

  The goddess of entertainment was as beautiful as the other goddesses with her strawberry blond haircut in an asymmetric bob—at her chin on one side and at her shoulders on the other. Her body was as perfect as the other goddesses too. However, Ronen seemed to have more curves—bigger breasts and wider hips.

  The group around her seemed enthralled by her. In fact, everyone in here did, as if this was her party and everyone had to please her.

  She saw Victor and Ceris among the guests and smiled at them.

  “Brother! Sister! It’s so good to see you!” Her voice slurred like she was completely drunk.

  “I don’t know why but I didn’t think gods could get drunk,” I whispered.

  “Only if we drink an entire liquor store,” Micah returned.

  “Oh.”

  Ceris leaned down closer to Ronen and said something we couldn’t hear over the loud music, small chattering, and clank of glasses. But from the wrinkle on Ceris’s usually immaculate forehead, I guessed her words weren’t too nice.

  Ronen let out a loud laugh and swatted Ceris’s hand away.

  Beside me, Micah stiffened. With his hand still on mine, he pulled me closer.

  “What is it?”

  “Demons,” he hissed, looking to the pub’s windows and doors.

  Then Ronen’s smile faded and it all went away. The fancy ballroom, the elegant guests, the champagne, the band. It all just disappeared, leaving in its wake a pub that looked as broken and neglected as the outside. Broken tables, broken chairs, broken bar, dim lights, and a lot of missing bulbs. And only Ronen and us on the inside.

  It was all an illusion. Magic.

  “Demons are here,” Ronen whispered, her eyes wide.

  Ceris and Victor exchanged a look with Micah. He nodded. And the next thing I knew, the world revolved. I blinked and found myself standing in what looked like the National Park in D.C., although this park was black, dead, with fallen buildings and monuments and debris. Lots and lots of debris.

  “What the hell?” I snapped, turning to Micah, but then I saw everyone else standing behind him. Ceris, Victor, Maho, Sol, Keisha, Alice, and even a drunken Ronen. She looked around and started laughing again.

  “We decided it was best to teleport out of there once we sensed the demons clo
sing in on us,” Victor said, letting go of Ronen’s arm.

  She swayed and laughed some more. “Where did the party go?” She looked around. “Man, this place doesn’t look like fun.”

  Well, so far Ronen was living up to the whole patron-of-entertainment thing.

  “Ronen, focus!” Ceris exclaimed, her tone sharp, her eyes even sharper.

  “Why, sister?” Ronen shouted, followed by another loud laugh. “The world is going up in flames and I want to have fun while I can.”

  “That’s the thing,” Victor said. “We want to prevent the world from going up in flames.”

  The amusement on Ronen’s face faded. “Prevent it? I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

  “Ronen, listen to us,” Micah spoke up. “United, we can fight Imha and Omi. We can win.”

  She actually stopped and looked at him. At everyone. “That’s quite a team you’ve got. I’m afraid it’s not enough.”

  Ceris nodded. “We have more allies on our side and we’ll get even more. It will be enough.”

  “Just … come with us and hear us out,” Victor said, extending his hand to her.

  Ronen stared at his hand, studying it as if it could bite her if she gave in to it. “I’m not sure.”

  Ceris put her hands on her waist. “Do you have anything else to do? Just listen to what we have to say. If you think it’s not worth it, we’ll let you go and you can conjure fake parties until Imha comes and kills you herself.”

  Ronen winced. But it seemed Ceris’s hurtful logic got through the goddess’s barriers.

  She rested her hand on Victor’s. “Okay.”

  They all disappeared, and then Micah turned to me, his hand awaiting mine. “Let’s go, darling.”

  With a sigh, I grabbed his hand and let him teleport us out of there.

  14

  Nadine

  The days were passing, and not much was happening.

  After we had come back from Russia with Ronen, it took her a while to realize staying with us and fighting was the best option. She seemed ready to bolt at any moment. And God knows what would happen then. Imha might capture her and squeeze the location of our hideout from her. However, Micah thought it was just nerves mixed with withdraw from her parties and booze.

  After a long meeting with Victor, Ceris, Maho, Sol, Ronen, Izaera, Zelen, Keisha, and Alice—anyone seen Micah? Nope—I retreated to my room just as the pain became unbearable. I couldn’t keep from shaking. I didn’t want them to see me in pain again.

  I fought through the pain as it increased and increased. An hour—or two?—later, I was biting my pillow to hide my screams. My body shook and my mind felt like mush.

  This was the second time in three days.

  I was dying. That must be it. I couldn’t think of any other explanation.

  After another hour, the pain lessened enough for me to take a long breath without crying out.

  A knock came from my closed door. “Nadine?” It was Alice.

  “Yes?” I said, my voice raw.

  “Lady Ceris said the scouts are coming, and she thought you would like to talk to them.”

  Groaning, I sat up. “I’ll be right there.”

  I stood from my bed, made sure I didn’t look like I was in any pain, and headed for the living room. I gritted my teeth with every step, but it was better than feeling like my body was exploding in a million pieces.

  Careful with my movements, I sat in an armchair. Around me, I saw Alice, Keisha, Ceris, and Victor. “Where are the others?” And by that I meant, where was Micah? Izaera and Zelen never stayed long, and I didn’t care that much about Maho, Sol, and Ronen—as long as they were behaving and helping us.

  “They left right after the meeting,” Victor said.

  “Still looking for allies?” I asked.

  “What else?” replied Ceris, her voice cold. Ugh. Someone was in a bad mood.

  To answer her question, I could think of other things to do, like plan a war with the resources we had instead of looking for allies for months. I agreed we needed numbers, but we didn’t have forever to put together an army.

  “They are here,” Ceris said, opening the door.

  Two of our scouts walked into the apartment.

  “Any news?” Victor asked after the scouts took their usual stoic position in the middle of the living room.

  “It seems Imha and Omi have been holed up in a current villa in England,” the blond scout said. “But the demons are still destroying everything in their path.”

  “Is there a pattern to their destruction?” Ceris asked.

  The blond scout shook his head. “No, my lady.”

  “I did have some progress with the Death Lords, though,” the tall scout said.

  Ceris brows shot up. “What did you say, Rihan?”

  “I trailed the Death Lords for two days, and then they disappeared near one of the underworld’s main entrances.”

  “Wait.” Victor raised a finger, as if asking for a minute. “You were following the Death Lords?”

  “Y-yes,” Rihan replied, and for the first time, I saw his usual soldier-like expression falter. “Just as Lord Mitrus asked me.”

  Ceris and Victor exchanged a long, meaningful look. Uh-oh.

  “Rihan, I need you to stop trailing the Death Lords,” Victor said. “You and the others are to focus on Imha and Omi only.”

  Rihan bowed his head. “Yes, my lord.”

  “Thank you for the update,” Victor said, his voice strained. “If anything changes, please let us know.”

  “You can go now,” Ceris said, waving her hand to the front door.

  After bowing, the scouts hurried out the door. Ceris paced the living room, as if counting her steps. After an entire minute, she exploded.

  “I can’t believe it!” she yelled and the walls shook. “I’m gonna kill him.”

  Victor sighed. “Let’s not be too hasty. Mitrus might have a good reason for changing our orders.”

  “He better,” Ceris hissed.

  Afraid to disrupt Ceris’s latest breakdown, Alice, Keisha, and I went to the gym and left Victor alone to deal with his soulmate.

  Alice closed the door. “What was all that about?”

  I shrugged. I didn’t know, but something told me the reason Micah changed the scouts’ orders wasn’t good enough. If I was right, he was in big trouble with Ceris and Victor.

  15

  Micah

  I stepped into the apartment and my personal reception was waiting for me. I was getting used to it. This time, though, Ceris’s and Levi’s expressions were harder, madder.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “You tell us,” Ceris said. Her face was mad, her body language was tense, but her voice was calm. Too calm. A bad sign.

  “Tell you what?”

  “Where were you, Mitrus?” Levi asked.

  I clenched my jaw. What now? They would control my every move? I wouldn’t tell them where I had been. Being in the underworld with Morgan was my one solace, my one place of peace, where I could relax and be myself and not worrying about disappointing anyone. They wouldn’t take that away from me.

  “It’s none of your business,” I snapped.

  “I think it is,” Ceris said, her tone cracking a little. “We just talked to our scouts, and they told us you changed our last directive before they left. Why?”

  By the Everlast.

  I ran a hand through my hair and glanced around. The gym door was closed, and I could hear grunts and clanks of wooden swords. Nadine was busy with the others. “I … I can’t shake the feeling that I can get my hands on the Cup of Life, but I need to find out where the Death Lords are hiding first.”

  She dropped her arms and shook her head. “That again? I thought you were done with that.”

  I gritted my teeth. “I would like to think I am, but the truth is I’ll never be. Until the day we finish the Soul Oath and Nadine d—” I pressed my lips together, hating to utter this word out loud. “And Na
dine dies, I won’t be done with it. I spend all my time thinking about how I can save her, how I can make sure she won’t die.”

  Ceris narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re admitting you’re not helping us with this war?”

  Levi rested a hand on her arm. “Ceris, calm down. Think about all you went through to get us—me—back. All you did. He’s in love with her; he can’t help it.”

  Ceris huffed and crossed her arms. “That isn’t the same. You’re my soulmate, Levi. Nadine is a mortal, and even if she doesn’t die with the Soul Oath, she’ll die someday. Have you ever thought of that, Mitrus?”

  “That’s why I need to find the Death Lords and the Cup of Life.” I sighed, exhausted with arguing all the time. “I swear I thought I was done with it. I hadn’t thought about going after the Death Lords since I came back.” That was a half-lie since Rok had been out all the time, trying to find the Death Lords for me. But my raven was never able to track them for long. “Then I saw the scouts here, and they have been good at tracking Imha and Omi and their demons. I thought … I thought they could find the Death Lords. I didn’t dare to hope, though. If Rihan came back telling me he had found them, then I would act. Then I would have talked to you both before acting.”

  Ceris and Levi exchanged a long glance, and I wished I could read their minds.

  “Rihan didn’t find them,” Ceris said, looking at me with her icy blue eyes. “He said their trail was short and cold. He searched for two days and found nothing.”

  It was a like a dam had burst in my chest. I felt the hope rushing out like unconstrained water, leaving me dry.

  “I’m sorry,” Levi said.

  I gulped, swallowing the hurt and the pain. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  16

  Nadine

  Finally, a week after we found Ronen, I found Lua. Her symbol had stayed in the same spot for over an hour. Ceris wanted to wait and see if she stayed there, while Sol, eager to find his soulmate, wanted to go right away in case she decided to move again.