by Vicki Leigh
“What are you talking about?”
Kayla finally looked at me. She bit her lip. “Columbus sort of tore down the walls on my powers, so…” She held out a hand. “Let me show you what you missed.”
eart racing, I slipped my fingers between Kayla’s. She closed her eyes.
I startled when the world around me changed, like I’d been sucked into a kaleidoscope. Next thing I knew, I was back in the factory. I saw the room through Kayla’s eyes, felt her emotions, and heard her every thought. It was like what Tabbi had been able to do as Kayla’s Weaver through their supernatural bond. Except, this time, Kayla plunked me in her head by herself.
Rage and power filled every molecule of her being. In a daze, Kayla turned her eyes from her father’s dead body, supercharged with elation. God, this is amazing, she thought. Why did Nolan warn me about this? I can do anything, be anyone, destroy the people who’ve hurt me.
Kayla… My voice filled her head. My last words played back in her mind. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for saving me.
An image of the bullet entering my stomach flashed through her thoughts. Daniel…
As Samantha screamed, “Kayla, help!” cold slammed into her like a boat hitting an iceberg. She snapped her head toward where I lay on the ground, unmoving, a large pool of dark red blood beneath my stomach.
“Daniel!” Kayla screamed, racing toward me and away from Alex and the fire that still glowed red. “No, no, no.” She fell to her knees next to me. Her hands shaking, she slipped them beneath the tourniquet Samantha had tried to use to save my life, and pressed her palms against the hole in my spine.
Kayla pulled on every ounce of energy she could muster. Nothing happened. No yellow glow beneath her palm, no tingling in her arms. She closed her eyes and spoke the spell aloud. Sweat trickled down her neck. Still, my wounds didn’t close. Why isn’t it working? I don’t… she thought. A whimper escaped her.
“Why isn’t it working?” she yelled, her shout broken by a cry.
Seth touched her shoulder, and her eyes popped open.
“He’s gone, Kayla.” His voice wavered when he spoke.
Samantha’s fingertips were against my neck, and tears streamed from her brown eyes. Every muscle in Kayla’s body constricted. Her gaze flickered from Samantha to me to Ivan and Lian and back again.
Pulling my face into her lap, Kayla screamed. The building shook. Her shoulders curled over her chest as her fingers dug into my scalp. “I’m so sorry, Daniel. I’m so sorry.”
“My Lucifer. If I’d known it’d take you that long to kill him, I would’ve picked a different vessel.”
Kayla’s sobs stopped instantly, an icy chill vibrating from the top of her head to her toes. Not possible… That voice was Richard’s.
Vinny swore. Ivan shuffled Lian behind him, and Seth yanked Samantha to her feet.
“Stand up, kid. Let me see you,” Richard’s voice said to Kayla. “I mean, I do have all of this to thank you for.”
Trembling, Kayla rose to her feet and turned around. Richard’s body stood next to the fire, smoothing his hair back with blood and brushing off his clothes. His eyes were solid black, the color of shiny coal, except for the very center—which glowed red.
“My, my. Aren’t you beautiful? Kayla, right?” He strode toward her, a smug look on his face and his gait strong and arrogant. “I mean, from down there, I could see why Daniel would want to get in bed with you. But up close… Boy, what I wouldn’t do to you.”
“Leave her alone, you smug son of a bitch,” Samantha yelled.
The villain laughed. “What, are you feeling left out? Please, come here. A girl like you should know what it feels like to lie with the devil, too.”
Samantha tried to charge him, but Seth held her back.
“Who are you?” Kayla asked, gripping her trousers’ legs.
He stopped, putting a hand to his chest and making a wounded noise. “I can’t believe you don’t recognize me. Got to tell you, that stings a little.”
“Answer her question, mudak,” Ivan said, snarling.
He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, your little band of misfits doesn’t scare me. But, fine, whatever. A formal introduction, it is. Apollyon, Prince of Hell, at your service.” He bowed.
Dizziness hit Kayla like a tornado.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” Alex begged, slithering across the floor. “I did everything Richard asked.”
Apollyon smiled at him. “You don’t need to fear me, kid. I will be a much nicer master. Besides, I need you. Our work isn’t done, yet. With that Adelynn chick gone, you need to ‘fulfill her destiny’ or something.”
“What if we take him with us?” Ivan said. “You can’t force him to do anything, then.”
Apollyon rolled his eyes. “Really?” From the ground, a Catcher blade magically lifted into his hand. When he stabbed himself in the stomach, Alex screamed and fell to his knees, gripping his abdomen.
“See,” Apollyon continued, “my blood is in his blood, and he swore an oath to always serve me. Therefore, until I release him, Alex is mine. Comprende?”
Kayla’s legs buckled. She was full of Apollyon’s blood, too. Had she not also felt the pain simply because she hadn’t made an oath? Seth rushed to her as she melted to the floor.
The front door to the warehouse blew off its hinges. From outside, Bartholomew strode into the room, a bright, bluish-white aura around him.
“How dare you show your face here! Step away from them. Now!” Bartholomew yelled at Apollyon, his voice as loud as an earthquake.
Kayla slid back on her bum, her heartbeat thrashing in her ears.
Apollyon spun around. “Hey, look who showed up. How’s it hanging, angel boy?”
“Get out of here, Apollyon,” Bartholomew replied.
“Or, what? You’re going to ‘smite me?’ Please. Without permission from Geppetto, you can’t hurt a fly.” He pretended to work a puppet.
“Losing my wings is worth stopping you.”
Apollyon rolled his eyes. “All right, fine. I’ll leave the monkeys alone. For now.” Looking over his shoulder, he winked at Kayla. “Later, doll.” He snapped his fingers, and the fire rose to the ceiling. Apollyon turned to black smoke. Into the flames he flew, and with a loud boom, he was gone, Alex along with him.
Bartholomew sighed then stepped farther inside. “You’re all safe now.”
The strength Kayla had maintained against Apollyon broke. She dropped her face into her hands. “Oh, God, what have I done?”
Bartholomew touched her shoulder. “It’s all right, child. I heard the chatter moments ago. Had I known Richard had made a deal with Apollyon, I would’ve gotten here sooner.”
“So… you’re an angel?” Ivan started.
“Holy shit,” Seth agreed.
“Can you help him?” Kayla asked, looking up at Bartholomew, her chest crushed beneath a skyscraper’s weight. “Can you bring Daniel back?”
Bartholomew looked down, and the tough expression on his face disappeared. His eyebrows furrowed, and his thin lips fell into a deep frown. A long, silent pause stalled Kayla’s heartbeat. Her chin wavered as Bartholomew’s gaze darted from my body to the floor.
“I’m sorry, Kayla,” he said finally, his voice low and quiet. “Apollyon was right. My powers… they’re limited.” He spoke as if he struggled to find the words. “I can only use them for jobs sanctioned by my superiors. If I bring Daniel back…”
A tear ran down Kayla’s cheek. “Please. I know you cared for him, too.” Her voice cracked.
Bartholomew closed his eyes. Through Kayla, I could feel the war going on inside him. More and more lines covered his face until his hands balled into fists. “I will make the Angels understand.”
He squeezed Kayla’s shoulder before crouching next to my body. Two fingers pressed against my forehead. Bartholomew said a few words in a language I’d never heard, and from the wounds on my back and stomach, blue light glowed.
> Kayla pulled her hand from mine, severing our connection. “I made it worse, Daniel. I let Apollyon out. Terrible things will happen, and it’s all my fault. And you died. You actually died. I didn’t, I couldn’t—”
I cupped her cheek, catching a tear with my thumb. “I’m here, love. We’re all right. And none of us could’ve known Apollyon would be waiting on the other side for Richard to die. Hell, I tried to kill him, too, remember? Do not carry this burden.”
“If I’d just listened to you, then maybe—”
“What? We all would’ve died, Richard would still be wreaking havoc, and Apollyon would’ve found another way. This is not your fault. This is Richard’s for making the damn deal in the first place. Promise me you’ll continue to hate him and Apollyon, not yourself.”
Kayla nodded, her eyebrows furrowing.
I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her forehead. “Does Bartholomew know where he is?”
Kayla shook her head.
“Well, we caught Richard, and we’ll find Apollyon. The thing about demons is they leave a trail everywhere they go. It won’t be long, and we’ll end this, once and for all.”
We sat for minutes in silence, arms around each other. Kayla squeezed me, her cheek on my bare chest. I lifted her chin and kissed her, but before I could let my thoughts get carried away, I gently pulled back.
“I take it Bartholomew was pardoned?” I asked. Somehow, Bartholomew’s true nature didn’t surprise me. He had made every one of us Protectors, after all.
“I don’t know. He was gone for a few hours maybe, and then he was back, like nothing happened.” Biting her lip, a smile built on her face. “There is something else, but you kind of need to see it.”
She crawled off the bed. Raising an eyebrow, I followed her, still wearing the same trousers I’d fought in.
We stepped outside the small hut. I shielded my eyes as hot sun touched my skin. As far as I could see in either direction, crystal blue water rolled onto shiny, white sand, and the long beach faded into a forest covering of beautiful, tall, green trees. Seth and Ivan tossed an American football as waves lapped their ankles, a yard in front of us. Everyone else swam in the ocean, their laughter filling the humid air.
Kayla took my hand and led me through soft grass to the sandy beach, waving at someone in the water. A tall guy with dark hair waved back. Not possible. He dunked Samantha under the water before swimming to shore.
“I sort of asked Bartholomew for another favor, since technically Nolan did sacrifice himself for me,” Kayla said. “Bartholomew couldn’t restore his powers, but really, I don’t think Nolan cares. He gets to be a Dreamcatcher now, which, to him, was ‘badass.’”
I grinned. We had a new Protector, a fierce one whom I was going to have a hell of a time training. I couldn’t help but bounce a little while I walked.
“Jeez, Daniel, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Nolan said, cracking a lopsided smile when he reached us. “Oh, wait. I guess I am one.”
I chuckled and pulled my friend in for a hug. “Welcome back, mate.”
He smacked my back, then stepped away.
Kayla’s grin was the brightest I’d seen in a long time.
“So, I hear we have a little demon problem,” Nolan said. “You ready for this?”
I slipped my hand into Kayla’s. Apollyon might be the toughest enemy we’d ever faced, but I’d watched Kayla explode Adelynn and rip her father apart. She had Apollyon’s blood in her veins. If she was confident she could control her magic when the time came, Apollyon was in for one hell of a fight. Because warriors who had loved ones to save were the most powerful of all.
I smirked. “Let’s send that son of a bitch back to Hell.”
To my agent, Sarah: This has been one heck of a year, but I am so glad to have had you in my corner, both as my agent and my friend. Thank you so much for believing in me and this story.
To my editor, Jessa: Thanks for yelling at me for making the same mistakes over and over and pushing me to add more emotion to this book. I’m so grateful to have an editor who understands my story and my characters and isn’t afraid to push me to do better with every word.
To my amazing cover artist, Dean: Bloody hell, you are talented. The first time I saw this cover, my mouth legitimately dropped open. Brilliant work, mate!
To my team at CQ: Thank you for believing in this series enough to continue Daniel and Kayla’s story and for all you’ve done to make my dream of being a published author come true!
To my marvelous critique partners—Ava, Laura, Vikki, and Jessica: You four have become so much more to me than CPs, and I don’t think I could go through life with you, let alone piece together a story people might actually want to read. I love each of you more than you know.
To my forensics professor at The University of Akron: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a couple questions about firearms. I’m thankful to have had a professor who cares about me and not just the grades I get in his classes.
To my wonderful “foreign language team”—Laura, Valia, SK, Monica, and Enrica: Thank you all for taking the time out to make sure I had my translations correct. You guys rock!
And to my friends and family: It’s because of your love and enthusiasm that I write, even on the tough days. I am so thankful for each and every one of you.
Vicki Leigh grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio where she learned to read by the age of four and considered being sent to her room for punishment as an opportunity to dive into another book.
By the sixth grade, Vicki penned her first, full-length screenplay. If she couldn’t be a writer, Vicki would be a Hunter (think Dean and Sam Winchester) or a Jedi.
Her favorite place on earth is Hogwarts (she refuses to believe it doesn’t exist), and her favorite dreams include solving cases alongside Sherlock Holmes.
She is a former acquisitions editor for Curiosity Quills Press and a current criminology student—with the goal to one day take down her own bad guys.
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