by G. K. DeRosa
I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it.”
“There’s one more thing,” said Declan.
I held my breath. I wasn’t sure Parker could take any more surprises. He’d been handling this shockingly well.
“I’m also a vampire, and I survive off angel blood.”
Parker blanched, and for a second, I was worried he’d have a heart attack. He wasn’t a young man. A crazy chuckle tumbled out of his lips, and he leaned back on his chair a fit of laughter rolling through him. “You have got to be kidding me. A nephilim-vampire that drinks angel blood? Linc is gonna love this.”
My beat-up heart lifted. “So you think Linc will work with us?”
He shrugged. “My brother’s as crazy as a rabid raccoon, and an angel-blood-drinking-vampire-nephilim just might be something he could get behind.”
I allowed a small smile to cross my lips. Now we just had to find the legendary shield of light. How hard could that be?
Declan and Trinity poured over the Book of Salvation along with the pages of notes Sammarah had left behind. They’d been at it for hours, but nothing unlocked the incomprehensible riddle. Even Parker had given it a shot.
I set down Duke’s water bowl and gave him a pat. I needed a break. I was going cross-eyed from staring at pages and pages of meaningless text. I’d warned Declan it was no use, but he convinced me I just needed to tap into my special powers.
I had no special powers.
I wasn’t like Trinity or Sammarah. I wasn’t even sure I believed in this stuff.
Parker shuffled over to stand next to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up about this, kid. You’ll figure it out.”
I glanced up and the clarity in his blue eyes was startling. I’d never noticed how much pain lined those irises before. He stood taller, his chest out. He looked ten years younger.
“Thanks,” I muttered. “You seem better.”
“This is the best I’ve felt in months. Declan needs to bottle that stuff up and sell it.”
I gave him a half-hearted laugh. “Right? That’s what I’ve been saying.” Maybe that was what I needed—a shot of Declan’s healing mojo. I sighed dramatically. “None of this is going to work if we can’t find the shield. I know you think Linc and the Rural Renegades are strong, but you haven’t seen what I have.”
“Then we’ll just have to find it, won’t we?”
The way his eyes crinkled at the side reminded me of my dad. A sharp pang lanced through my chest. I barely had time to think about my parents anymore. I was constantly running for my life, which provided the perfect distraction. One day, I’d have to face it—let all the pain in. That day wasn’t today though.
“Come on, let’s give it another go.” Parker placed his hand on my back and led me back to the table.
I sat between Declan and Trinity and heaved open the massive Book of Salvation. Flipping to the page with the enlarged crest of the divina sanguine, I stared at the figures—the heart, book, sword and shield.
Come on, think, Liv!
I was the heart—or at least it was the symbol of the divine bloodline. We had the book; I clasped it firmly in my hands. The sword. It was the second to last missing piece. My eyes focused on the illegible squiggles underneath the sword—the ancient text that Azazel had translated. I ran my finger over the markings, and a golden glow lit up the characters.
What in the hel—heavens?
The shimmering letters moved and within seconds, the foreign words transformed into a language I recognized.
He who quests for the divine,
Must be more than pure of heart and of sacred bloodline.
To unearth the blade of honor,
Follow the conduit of the wicked upon her.
Traverse the path of the Holy See,
To discover whom the righteous is to be.
Seek high and seek low,
And thou shall uncover that which all desire to know.
I scanned the divination again, and my pulse skyrocketed. Azazel’s translation had missed one word. And that word made all the difference.
“Declan!” I jumped up, my heart bouncing around in my chest. “Look.”
His eyes widened when they landed on the glowing text.
“It’s not ‘the path the holy see’. It’s ‘the path of the Holy See!” All those years of Catholic school had finally paid off.
Declan’s brows furrowed. “But the seat of the Holy See—the Pope—is in Rome.”
I slumped back down on the chair, deflated. “And your mom said it was here in New York City. That doesn’t make sense.”
Trinity and Parker watched the exchange, neither saying a word. Apparently, Declan and I were the only religious scholars.
“Wait.” Declan’s dark eyes lit up. “The Holy See and the Apostolic See are terms that can be used interchangeably. The Apostolic See can refer to the see of any bishop as the bishops are successors of the first Apostle, Saint Peter. And the seat of the bishop in New York City is…”
Our eyes locked. “The sword is under St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” we shouted in unison.
I jumped on Declan, wrapping my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. “Oh my God, we did it. We figured it out!”
He spun me around in a circle while I squealed like a little schoolgirl. He finally released me, but the adrenaline still pumped through my veins.
“It makes perfect sense,” said Declan, turning to Trinity and Parker. “There are tons of tunnels under the city, plus the catacombs below the church.”
“And the wicked—that could refer to the vampire king just a couple blocks away headquartered at Vamp Central, correct?”
He nodded, the sparkle vanishing from his eyes. “You realize that makes you the ‘her’ they’re referring to, right?”
The wicked upon her. “They’re coming after me, aren’t they?”
Declan’s maroon irises lit up, the crimson glow both scary and striking at the same time. “I won’t let them anywhere near you, Liv. I swear it on my mother’s soul.”
Chapter 27
“You’re sure you’re up for this?” My heart clenched as I leaned into the car window. The set of Parker’s stubbly jaw told me the answer, but I couldn’t help the unease that bubbled up in my chest.
“I’ll be fine. Someone’s gotta get word to Linc, and this is the fastest way.” He shot me a reassuring smile.
After two days of Declan’s angel healing, the change in Parker had been miraculous. Not only had Declan succeeded in mending his leg, he’d also converted him into his biggest supporter. Parker was sure he could get Linc to overlook Declan’s “angelness” as he called it.
Declan appeared beside me and patted Parker on the shoulder. “Remember, it has to be a straight shot. Don’t stop on the way because it’ll only drain the solar battery. I hit it with enough angel light for the four-hour drive, but it’s going to be cutting it close.”
Parker nodded and gave him a salute. “Got it, boss.”
We’d lucked out finding another solar-powered vehicle in Parker’s neighborhood. Then again, it was a pretty fancy community. We might have found a few more if we’d kept looking.
Sammarah’s car was neatly tucked away in Parker’s garage. Declan had gone out at first light to retrieve it from the woods. The plan was to give Parker a day’s head start so he could alert Linc and mobilize his troops.
Once we retrieved the sword, we’d meet up in D.C. to plot our next move. My heart thrummed with excitement. I couldn’t believe we were really doing this.
“Okay, wish me luck.” Parker’s voice drew me from my inner ramblings.
I leaned into the car and gave him another hug. “Please be careful.” My voice tightened around the words.
“Don’t worry about me, kid. I’m a tough old bastard to kill.”
I smiled, but my chest was heavy. If anything happened to him, I’d never forgive myself.
The car pulled away, and Declan wrapped his arm a
round my shoulders. I sagged into him unwillingly as my eyes trailed the silver vehicle until it disappeared around the corner.
“He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
At first light, we hit the road. Nervous energy buzzed through my veins as dilapidated farmhouses and scorched earth zipped by. The only good thing about the apocalypse was no speed limit on the highway. Declan made it back to the outskirts of Manhattan in record time.
Lucky for me because I didn’t think I could sit still for a moment longer.
We turned off the highway into a tunnel and emerged in a quaint little suburban town. Or what used to be a quaint little town. The welcome sign was split in half and I could just make out the name—Tuckahoe. I rolled my window down, and an eerie silence filled the air.
I turned to Declan as the hair on the back of my neck rose. “You sure we should leave Duke here?”
He nodded. “This is close to Manhattan but far enough that Zeke’s men wouldn’t patrol the area. The subway tunnels start the next town over. We’ll take those directly into the city.”
“Okay.”
Trinity poked her head forward and leaned between the front seats. “This place gives me the creeps.”
Declan circled the neighborhood in search of an adequate house. I hated leaving Duke alone, but dragging him with us to St. Patrick’s Cathedral wasn’t exactly feasible. As it was, Declan would have to carry both Trinity and me if we had any hope of reaching downtown before nightfall. Plus we needed to hide the Book of Salvation somewhere safe. If we were caught, we couldn’t risk it falling into Zeke’s hands.
We turned a corner and a sprawling field extended before us. A barbed-wire chain link fence encircled dozens of motor homes littered over the yellowing grass. I strained my eyes to focus on the dark mounds strewn across the expansive space.
“What is that?”
Declan slowed the car as we got closer, his brows pulling together. He sucked in a sharp breath, and jerked the steering wheel to the right. The car spun around nearly tipping over at the hairpin turn.
“What the heck, Declan?” I shrieked as I grabbed the handle above the door to keep from rolling into his lap.
He smashed his foot into the accelerator and took off in the opposite direction. I glanced back at the field through the rearview mirror to figure out what had Declan so spooked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Trinity’s eyes glaze over. Her hands gripped the front seats as a tremor rolled through her body. Her face paled, and her expression morphed into pure terror.
“Trinity! Are you okay?” I shook her shoulders, but she was gone, her mind lost to a vision.
Her mouth twisted and her eyes widened, then tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Declan, we have to do something.”
He wouldn’t even look at me. He just kept driving as the eerie meadow grew smaller in the rearview mirror.
“Trinity?” I shook her again, and a sob burst from her clenched lips. Her eyes finally cleared, revealing dark pools of chocolate brown. “Are you okay?”
She released her hold on the seats and leaned back, resting on Duke’s furry body. “Oh God, it was awful.”
Declan finally pulled the car over, stopping at an abandoned playground.
“What did you see?” I asked her.
“That place…” She shuddered and goose bumps sprouted across her flesh. She snagged her lower lip between her teeth unable to finish.
“It was a blood slave camp,” hissed Declan.
The lumps on the ground—they were human bodies… I gasped. “There were hundreds of them.”
“I saw them, Liv.” Trinity’s voice wavered. “What those monsters did to those poor people… The humans living at Grand Central have it good compared to what happened here.”
A grisly image of the emaciated bodies I’d seen at the hotel flashed through my mind. The stench still swirled in my nostrils. I couldn’t imagine anything worse.
I grabbed Declan’s arm and squeezed. “We have to go back and help them.”
He shook his head, grimacing. “It’s too late. There’s no one left.”
Trinity nodded in confirmation. “They’re all dead. The entire town was wiped out.”
Anger unfurled in my core. I smacked my hands against the dashboard and grunted. “How are we ever going to beat them?”
Declan gripped my chin, forcing me to face him. “We’re close now, Liv. We can do this.”
“But we’ve already lost so many. Even if we find the sword, we still need to find the shield. And that’s assuming we don’t get killed by Zeke or Nathanael or any of their countless soldiers.”
Trinity sat forward, leaning in between the seats. “You will succeed, Liv. I’ve seen it. Have faith.”
Chapter 28
Declan hauled me up through the narrow grate and thick, sooty darkness enveloped us. Moist, stale air filled the claustrophobic space, and my chest tightened. His angel light flickered to life in his palm, and he lifted his hand in a circle to illuminate the passageway.
Mud brown earth boxed us in from all directions. The ceiling couldn’t have been more than seven feet high as Declan’s tall form nearly reached it.
I gulped. This must be what it felt like to be buried alive. The earthy scent of decay and worms made my nose twitch. I pulled my flashlight out of my back pocket, thankful it had survived all this time.
“This way.” Declan pointed his glowing palm further down the dark passage and took off.
Trinity craned her neck back. “It’s better than the subway tunnels, right? At least there aren’t any rats.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” I hugged my arms tighter around myself and picked up the pace.
According to Declan’s research, there was a crypt below the main altar of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He believed that was where we’d find the sword of honor. I prayed he was right.
Declan’s frustrated grunt up ahead tore me from my thoughts.
“What’s the matter?” Trinity and I caught up to him simultaneously.
“Dead end.” He pounded his fist into the rock wall.
“We could try the opposite direction,” said Trinity as she circled back.
“No. Wait a second.” I couldn’t help but notice the parallels between this and our last underground search—when we’d found the Book of Salvation. Moving closer to the wall, I ran my hand over the rough surface. “Declan, shine your light over here.”
I scanned the impenetrable rock as Declan slowly moved his hand from top to bottom. About half way down, a flicker of light caught my eye. “Stop.” I took a big breath and blew. A cloud of dust rose and the dirt scattered, revealing the familiar divina sanguine crest.
“That’s it!” Declan shouted, his dark eyes widening.
I brushed my palm over the etching, and the emblem surged to life. A bright blue glow emanated from the rock, clearly outlining the symbol. The four parts were as clear as if they’d been inked in permanent marker—the heart, book, sword and shield.
My breath caught in my throat. I did it.
“Now what?” asked Trinity.
“I don’t know.” I stepped back, scrutinizing the marking. “Last time, it just opened when Sammarah touched it.”
Declan placed his hand on my shoulder. “Try again.”
I took a breath to rein in the nervous energy pulsating through my veins. Slowly, I ran my hand over the symbol. The air hummed, sparks of electricity igniting between my palm and the wall.
I felt it in my legs first—a faint tremor. Then the entire passageway quaked, bits of rock and debris raining down on top of us. Crap! How could I have forgotten this part?
A two hundred pound weight landed on top of me, shoving me down to the ground. My chest hit the floor, and all the air was siphoned out of my lungs. I gasped, trying to suck in some oxygen but got a mouthful of dirt instead. I coughed and spluttered until the heavy mass pinning me down finally fell away.
“Are you okay?” Declan
rolled off me, his eyes blazing crimson.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I pushed myself up and whipped my head around. “Where’s Trinity?”
The solid wall in front of us was gone. Nothing but a pile of rubble left in its place. A huge boulder sank to the bottom of my stomach. “Trinity!”
Declan lit up the passageway with his angel light, but she was gone.
I searched the massive mountain of rocks as invisible bands tightened around my heart. “There!” A red sneaker caught my eye under the debris.
Declan darted to my side and began tossing the huge rocks out of the way like they were nothing more than tennis balls.
“Hurry, Declan.” If anything happened to Trinity, her blood would be on my hands.
After a few moments, her legs appeared, then her torso and finally her head. Her eyes were closed and a layer of dirt coated her thin frame. A welt the size of a golf ball protruded from her forehead. I sank down beside her and squeezed her hand. “Trinity! Trinity, can you hear me?”
Declan knelt beside me and lowered his ear to her chest. “She’s still breathing.” He placed his hands over her head, and brilliant white light filled the dark passageway.
“Please, let her be all right. Oh please, let her be all right,” I muttered over and over.
After a few very long moments, her lids fluttered. Slowly, she opened her eyes, scanning our surroundings. “What happened?” she croaked, lifting her hand to her forehead. “I feel like I was hit by a truck.”
“You kind of were.” I bent over and pulled her into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
“So I guess we’re in, huh?” Her dark eyes circled to the gaping hole in the wall.
In all the commotion, I hadn’t even checked to see what was on the other side. A whole lot of dark was the answer. Declan helped her up to her feet and led the way over the remaining mound of rocks.
“Be careful,” he said over his shoulder. “The tremor could’ve destabilized the earth. Keep an eye out.”