Dedication
For Leah Clifford,
who gives me courage to go to war
Contents
Dedication
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Part Two
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
Back Ads
About the Author
Other Books by Courtney Allison Moulton
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
PART ONE
Hell’s Nightmare
1
THE DEMONIC HAD TRIED TO BREAK ME OVER AND over again, but even with my dress drenched in Will’s blood, I stayed standing. This night had begun so beautifully and so full of happiness, and it had ended in terror and blood. But this wasn’t over yet. Will wasn’t dead. The demonic had done this to him, and now only a demonic reaper could save him.
The tip of my sword pointed at Cadan’s chest, but he looked more concerned for me than afraid for his life. The others—Ava, Marcus, and Sabina—couldn’t help me, but I knew Will’s brother could. He was the only person I knew who had met a Grigori, the angels bound to Earth instead of Hell, and the Grigori knew everything about angelic magic and medicine. Will was dying from a reaper’s venom, and only the Grigori would know how to heal him. I needed Will by my side to win this war. I couldn’t defeat Sammael and Lilith and their demonic legions without him.
Cadan’s opalescent gaze was fiery and hard on mine. “Ellie, you can put your sword down. Tell me what happened.”
“I wouldn’t ask this of you if I knew of another way,” I told him. “You’re the only person who can help me.” I held at swordpoint someone who loved me and asked him to save the life of the one I loved. It was so screwed up.
“I told you I’d do anything for you,” he said, but I caught the hesitation in his voice. “I keep my promises.”
“I don’t care what I have to do or how dangerous it is.” I sniffed, my hand and sword shaking. “I just have to save him.”
“Ellie.” He slowly moved toward me, his hand out. His jaw clenched in pain as the angelfire licked up his arm to his rolled-up sleeve. He took my wrist and pushed my arm away before the burn did any permanent damage to his skin. His body was close to me, so close that I wanted to fall into him and be wrapped in his arms, to just be held and cry myself to exhaustion. Will always did that for me. That was no one’s job but his.
With a sob, I let my sword vanish, and Cadan exhaled with relief and pulled me into him, his eyes roving over my bloody and tattered dress. His hands fell on my waist and his thumb pressed hard against my skin, testing me, I assumed, for injury. When I didn’t flinch from pain, he sighed again.
“This is all Will’s blood?” he asked.
I nodded and wiped at the tears on my face. “Merodach brought another reaper with him—Rikken. Will killed him, but not before he was bitten. It’s some kind of venom. I don’t know.”
“I knew Rikken,” Cadan said. “A bottom-feeder Bastian scooped up when he discovered what Rikken could do. Bastian collected the unusual ones and ensured they remained loyal for when he would need their abilities.”
“The Grigori know everything, right?” I asked shakily. “About angelic medicine and magic? They would know how to save him. They have to!”
“It’s likely,” Cadan said. “But the Grigori I know is dangerous. Taking you to Antares could do more harm than good. I have a friend who can give us a better lead.”
“Antares? The Watcher of the West? She’s the Grigori you know?”
He nodded tiredly. “She’s one of the four elemental Cardinal lords. She’s also the Grigori that I—and Will—descend from. Bastian’s line.”
“But Bastian was demonic,” I said, confused. “Only the angelic reapers are descended from the Fallen Grigori angels. The demonic reapers are descended from Sammael and Lilith. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Bastian’s father was angelic.”
“You’re joking,” I said. “There’s no way that Bastian is half-angelic.”
“My grandfather was a direct offspring of Antares. This is a very, very well-guarded secret. Antares’s blood in our veins makes us more powerful, but our blood isn’t as pure as a reaper who’s closer to the source like Merodach and Kelaeno. They came directly from Lilith’s womb.”
“Will killed Kelaeno,” I said, defiant of his claim. “And my angelfire scarred Merodach.” Those two had monstrous strength, but Will and I had both proved they weren’t invincible.
Cadan gave me the smallest of smiles. “You are an archangel and Will is a bit of a freak. You’re lucky to have him as your Guardian.”
Tears burned my eyes. “But I won’t if he dies.” I needed Will. I loved him and I couldn’t do this without him.
“Ellie, please sit down for just a minute. I’ll get you something to drink.”
He directed me to the sofa and crossed the living room into the kitchen. Alone, I couldn’t help but look around. His apartment was spacious and decorated with a lot of glass and modern artwork. Across the living room was a wall of windows, stretching from floor to ceiling and overlooking a large balcony. Beyond, the city blazed. I was suddenly aware that I was alone in a demonic reaper’s home. It was so normal here, and that observation surprised me. Had I expected demonic reapers to live in caves or in a hollow tree somewhere? Sometimes they were so…human.
Cadan returned with a glass of water. I accepted it, but I could only take one sip before I started to feel ill.
“I’ll take you to the place my friend frequents,” he said. “He knows a Grigori named virgil, so we’ll look into this lead before we jump to a more dangerous one.”
“Then let’s go.” I shot to my feet. “We’re running out of time.”
He licked his lips and his gaze passed around the room nervously. “Wait. First, you have to understand that where we’re going will be crawling with demonic vir. They’ll be everywhere. We can get in and out, nice and clean, if we’re careful. We can’t let anyone know who you are.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Anything. Let’s just go.”
“Do you really understand what I’m saying?” he asked. “Not even you could take on a hundred vir at once.”
I stared at him, my glare fierce. “I understand, but we’ve got to hurry.”
“Do you have a change of clothes?”
“What?”
“You need to wear something other than that dress,” he said very seriously.
“I don’t care what I look like!”
“Where we’re going, you don’t want to be drenched with the blood of an angelic reaper. That might draw some unwanted attention.”
My heart kicked in my chest. Looking down at my dress was a cruel reminder of the horrifying events of the night that had begun so wonderfully. “This is all I have,” I said in a small voice.
“Then we
have to get you a change of clothes from your house. Come on.”
“Okay,” I agreed, and followed him without another argument.
Cadan and I drove back to my grandmother’s house, where Cadan followed me up the porch steps and Nana burst through the front door, her hand over her mouth.
“It can’t be,” she breathed, her eyes wide and staring at Cadan and then at my blood-soaked dress. “Ellie!”
“Don’t freak out,” I said carefully. “He’s my friend.”
“What happened?” she gasped, pulling me close and examining me for injury. “I thought I sensed demonic energy—”
“He didn’t do this.” I pulled away and walked by her into the house. “This is Cadan. He’s here to help me.”
“Why?” she cried, staggering against the wall. “What are you doing with a demonic reaper? What’s going on?”
“Will is hurt,” I said, surprised at the coldness in my voice. I was so emotionally exhausted that now I felt barely anything at all. “We’re going to find someone who can save him.”
I touched the railing of the stairs and turned back to Cadan. “I’m going to change and be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
Then I left the demonic reaper with my grandmother and went into my bedroom. I rummaged through the dresser and pulled out jeans and a T-shirt. The once-beautiful dress was now a pile of bloodied rags at my feet. I resisted the urge to pick it up, smooth out the fabric, and lay it across my bed. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to save Will.
I rushed back downstairs to find that Cadan and my grandmother hadn’t moved. She relaxed when she saw me, and Cadan’s expression was pleasant, but he seemed a little uncomfortable.
“Cadan was just telling me that he is Will’s brother,” Nana offered politely.
“Half brother,” he corrected.
I brushed past him. “Let’s go.”
Cadan said nothing and followed me.
“I’ll be back,” I told my grandmother. “But I don’t know when. Don’t worry about me. I have to do this.”
I looked back at her once to see her nod and smile faintly.
Then we left.
Cadan drove us deep into the city. Detroit was alive as it always was at night, and even inside the car, I could hear cheerful, laughing voices and jazz music pouring from unseen speakers above the sidewalks. Cadan pulled into a parking garage and found an empty spot on the second level. I didn’t wait for him and dragged myself out of his car. I stomped toward the stairwell and he caught up to me within a few strides. The heavy steel door slammed shut behind us and echoed off the white, scuffed-up walls. He grabbed my arm and I stared into his face.
“I need your head in the game,” he said in a low voice.
“Let go of me,” I ordered icily and yanked my arm back.
“Do you remember what I said?”
“Yes,” I hissed.
His jaw set. “Keep your eyes down and that snark on a leash. Just go with what I say, okay? And suppress your power to a level dimmer than sleep. Do not attract attention or you will get yourself killed. Even if you don’t care about yourself, at least stop and remember we’re here to save your Guardian’s life.”
I narrowed my gaze and turned away from him. He was right. I needed to cool off so we could do this successfully. I dimmed my energy as low as I could make it, hoping I could walk among the reapers undetected—as long as none of them recognized my face. The likelihood of that had to be slim. Not many demonic reapers had seen my face and lived another day.
We walked two blocks, venturing farther and farther away from the busy bars and restaurants, onto darker and quieter streets. We passed by a small empty lot with a perimeter of a rusting chain-link fence, and the supernatural pressure hit me. Demonic power oozed from the dark building like fog, tickling across my skin like spider legs, with claws that tore at my lips, trying to shove itself down my throat. I coughed from discomfort and Cadan glanced at me.
“Are you okay?” he asked under his breath.
“Peachy.”
“Keep close,” he said. “It only gets more dangerous from here.”
I patted his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”
He flashed a little smile. “Remember what I said.”
The demonic energy crackling in the air grew stronger and stronger as we turned down an alley and headed toward a metal door beneath a sickly pale fluorescent light fixture. Standing in front of the door was a brawny demonic reaper who seemed completely human on the outside—no horns, wings, or protruding fangs—but his energy crackled the air around me and gave him away.
The bouncer put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me before I could walk by. He was sure to have sensed that I was human and I hoped that was all he sensed. I shook him off, aching to throw him off, but I bit my lip to quell my temper. Before I could say anything, Cadan stepped forward.
“She’s with me,” he said.
“Date?” the bouncer asked quizzically, his roving eyes gauging my body.
Cadan took my hand and winked at him. “Dinner.”
I squeezed his in return—but not for comfort. I dug my nails into his skin, a warning. His entire arm strained and quivered beneath my strength, and he yanked me closer to him. A warning for me. I took a deep breath and remembered that any display of power, even one so small as what I’d just done, would risk exposing what I truly was to the demonic reapers and get us both killed.
He started to lead me by, but the bouncer pressed a palm to Cadan’s chest, stopping him.
“I know your face,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “You’re Cadan. Bastian’s son.”
Cadan flashed a charming smile filled with bright white teeth. “Guilty.”
“Rumor has it you killed Bastian.”
His smile darkened. “Not just a rumor.”
“Rumor also has it you’re not to be trusted.”
“Also not just a rumor.”
“Makes me think I shouldn’t let you in here.”
“I’d like to see you try and stop me,” Cadan said coolly. “Rumor has it, I killed Bastian.”
I squeezed Cadan’s hand again, this time gently and for comfort. I wasn’t about to let this confrontation turn into a testosterone circus in which I’d have to save his ass.
“Step aside,” Cadan ordered.
The bouncer obeyed, at last taking Cadan seriously. Cadan pushed forward, dragging me along behind him, and I glanced back at the bouncer, whose eyes were glued to mine. They flashed red like flames for an instant and went out.
Inside the club, a dusky cobalt light filtered through billowing clouds of cigarette smoke. The walls were draped in black-blue curtains of satin and the sleek, dark tile floor vibrated with the steady, slow, heavy beat of music that was more electronic noise than anything. This place was unlike any club I’d ever imagined. No one was dancing to the music, but reapers—all demonic vir from what I could sense, some gathered in small groups talking, sitting at high tables and in booths, some moving past—glanced at Cadan and me curiously. A female stared into my face and slowed, narrowing her gaze as she approached, but Cadan tugged me close to him and flashed his opal eyes at the other vir as if to establish that I was his, making me extremely uncomfortable. She kept moving. I didn’t think she recognized me, but she certainly smelled that I was human, which was very likely to be a rare occurrence here. And she wasn’t the only one watching me.
2
CADAN’S LIPS BRUSHED MY EARS. “STAY CLOSE AND don’t make eye contact,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear him. “The demonic are competitive, and that one was about to try and take you from me. You’d have to blow your cover to protect yourself.”
I took a deep breath. “Where is this friend of yours?”
“Over there.”
A few tables from where we stood sat a demonic reaper with scruffy, reddish hair that stuck up in thick tufts. His tangerine-orange eyes widened and brightened and then turned into a scowl when he spotted Cadan
.
“I thought you said he was a friend?” I asked him, annoyed.
Cadan took my hand and led me directly to the table. “Most of my friends hate me.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
The other vir shot to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over as he scrambled up. “The hell are you doing here?” he spit, and his energy prickled defensively.
“Relax, Ronan,” Cadan said firmly. “I’m just here to talk.”
He gave me a scathing yet hungry look. “With a little meat-bag pet?”
I didn’t turn my eyes away from him or show any fear.
“Sit down, Ronan,” Cadan ordered. “Otherwise I’ll sit you down myself. I need a favor.”
Ronan obeyed, but he wasn’t pleased about it. “Why would I do any favor for you?”
“Not even for an old friend?”
“You’re not my friend!” Ronan snarled, eyes a blaze of vibrant orange. “You took Emelia from me!”
I rolled my eyes at Cadan. “You stole his girlfriend?”
“It’s your fault she’s dead!” Ronan shouted, hands tightening into fists on the table.
“You killed his girlfriend?”
“Ellie,” Cadan responded sharply without looking at me.
Ronan ignored me. “I told you I’d rip your face off if I ever saw it again. You and that bitch, Ivar. I’ll kill you both.”
“Ivar’s dead,” Cadan replied, his gaze faltering for a heartbeat, his jaw tightening. “I killed her myself.”
Ronan stared at him, astonished, and then huffed with indifference. “Well, it’s too late. Emelia’s dead and I blame you.”
Had Ivar killed this demonic vir, Emelia, for the very reason she’d tried to kill me that night she caught me leaving the library—because of Cadan’s fondness?
“I don’t have time for—”
Ronan laughed bitterly, cutting Cadan off. “You. It’s always about you. What you want, what you don’t have, what you’re willing to take. What you don’t give two shits about once you have it.”
“I couldn’t have done anything to protect her,” Cadan said, his voice flat. “If I could, I would have.”
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