The Redemption Series

by Melynda Price

  “That bloody bastard,” Niall growled, his amethyst glare focused on the dress draping from the window. “’Tis war he incites.”

  “Then it’s a war I shall give him,” Liam snarled, unsheathing his sword and thrusting it high into the air.

  The legion of Rogue warriors at his back barked a cheer of agreement, as the cacophonous rasp of metal pulling free of baldrics raked the air. Liam watched the bailey as it quickly began to flood with Dark Court soldiers, rallying to defend their lord. Let them come. Soon, rivers of his wrath would flow through Sheol.

  “Gahn!” Liam bellowed. Extending his midnight wings that now marked him rogue, he leapt from his destrier and stormed the gate. “Come out and face me, you coward!”

  “Well, he certainly sounds pissed,” Haden commented dryly as he stepped off the dais and walked over to the window. The dusky sky lighted the bailey just enough to make out Liam standing at the gate. Soldiers flooded the courtyard, rushing around in a mass of chaos. They’d erroneously believed themselves safe from the angel’s fury, but there he was, in all his heavenly glory—wings and all. Except…he no longer wore the pearlescent feathers of the just. No, this warrior was sporting the Rogue’s raven look, and at his back stood a legion of such angels, ready to storm the gates of Hell. Well, this certainly didn’t bode well for Gahn. Damn Liam and his shitty timing. It was too soon. He should have known the angel would make haste to retrieve his mate.

  “Gahn!” The bellow reverberated through the chamber again, followed by the sharp clash of steel. Sparks arched off the gate as Liam slammed his sword against the lock.

  Haden turned his head to glance at his father and felt a measure of satisfaction at finding genuine fear on the demon’s face. “He mocks you as he stands out there ranting at our gates. What do you suppose is the purpose when he could just as easily employ his wings and fly over the walls?”

  He knew the answer, but asked it to give the bastard something to think about. Liam wanted to make sure he knew who was coming for him. And he wanted to make sure Olivia knew it too, though he couldn’t know she wouldn’t hear him. The crash of steel sounded again and Haden winced, fighting back a grin. “I think he wants to speak with you,” he blandly offered, glancing at the demon who’d yet to leave his chair. That arrogant bravado all but fell from his ghostly face. “Perhaps you should go see what he wants.”

  “Perhaps I’ll send you in my stead,” Gahn grumbled, grabbing his challis and guzzling the tainted wine.

  Haden raised his hands in defense and chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. You started this mess. I warned you this would happen if you didn’t return her. If I go out there, it will be to negotiate Olivia’s release and head off this attack. Like I said, you don’t need that baby.”

  Gahn slammed his fist onto the table and toppled Haden’s challis. Blood-laced wine ran in rivulets onto the floor. “Dammit, Haden, you’re wrong! That child is the key to unlocking the gates of Heaven! I don’t need you to breed me an army. Though that might have been a helpful offer, say…two centuries ago! I already have the army I need, harbored in the Abyss. Once the gates are opened and Hades releases the inhabitants, we’ll rise up and seize the throne. And Heaven will once again belong to us!”

  And there it was. Slipped out in a fit of fear-riddled fury was the plan Haden had been waiting for. His blood turned to ice in his veins at the thought of the ramifications of what Gahn revealed. He knew Heaven would never fall, but Earth…it could easily be destroyed in this bid for power. Haden was tempted to point out that Heaven had never really belonged to them in the first place. They’d been allowed to live there, and if they hadn’t fucked it up, they’d still be in Paradise. But it was a moot point now, so no sense rubbing salt into that open wound, especially when he was having a hell of a time forcing back the waves of nausea rolling through him.

  So that was how Max had gotten free… Fucking Hades.... He should have known. The simplicity of the plan was what made it so damn perfect. That bastard would use Christ’s sacrifice against Heaven. Olivia’s child would possess enough humanity to fall under the blood covering, just as he had, allowing the Nephilim admittance to Heaven. And once the gates were opened…

  Haden fought to reign in his thundering pulse as the reality set in of just how fucked they all truly were. Were Haden the male he once was, the solution to this problem would be simple enough—sneak into the dungeon and kill Olivia. Without the Nephilim, there could be no siege. Problem solved. Then again, were he the male he’d once been, he would have thought this a brave plan and probably would have abducted the female himself.

  But he wasn’t that male—not any longer, and he could no more easily cut Olivia’s throat than he could’ve Anya’s. He had to get to her. He was running out of time. His only option was to sneak Olivia out of here and get her to Liam so he could safen her away to Landaketa, someplace beyond the Dark Court’s reach. Then, he would face Gahn and finally claim the vengeance long denied him.

  Footsteps echoed in the stairwell, much more thundered overhead, racing around at what sounded like orders shouted and curses muttered. Her pulse leapt with hope. Had Liam come for her? She could only pray he was the cause for the racket clamoring around her. At this point, she was beyond hoping Haden would rescue her. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been down here in this dark, oppressing cell. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours.

  Thankfully, Haden had left the torch in the sconce across from her cell. Its flickering light illuminated the hall, but failed to reach her. Darkness surrounded Olivia, and her lack of sight heightened her other senses. The dank stale air carried a sharp sulfuric bite, the chill seeped deep into her bones, robbing her of any warmth gained from the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. And her keen hearing made every step in the stairwell a booming echo.

  When the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs, they stopped. Olivia bit her bottom lip to keep from calling out to Haden. What if it wasn’t him? He knew where she was, she reassured herself, and if it were anyone else but him, she’d rather stay hidden. In that moment of breathless silence, she thanked Haden for his foresight in locking her away and out of the reach of whoever might be down here with her.

  She held her breath, straining to hear if the footsteps were bringing him closer. The crunch of sand against stone grew louder. Please let it be Haden, she prayed.

  “So he really did it. He actually locked your ass down here.”

  It wasn’t Haden.

  Olivia’s heart dropped to her feet, and then promptly leapt into her throat when that all too familiar voice registered within her. Tightening her grip on the blanket, she scuttled deeper into the shadows of the cell as Max arrogantly stepped into the torchlight.

  “I was wondering when I’d finally get you alone. We have unfinished business, you and I. And now that your betrothed has turned the Dark Court into utter chaos, I find there will be no better opportunity to end this. Gahn may want you alive while I, on the other hand, just want you dead.”

  As Max stepped toward the cell, Olivia had never been more thankful for those bars. He stopped at the door and grasped the steel separating them.

  “Why would you go through the trouble to bring me here if you were just going to kill me?”

  “My defense exactly. By delivering you to him, I’ve proven my fealty beyond a shadow of doubt. With any luck Gahn will believe Haden killed you in a moment of passion—or fit of jealousy—either one works, really. I expected him to leave you in his bedchamber.”

  Max smiled. It was truly a sin; one so evil should possess such masculine beauty. At one time that white-toothed, wicked grin had sent butterflies lighting in her stomach, back when she was too stupid to realize that feeling was her survival instincts warning her to run.

  “Do you have any idea how much that fool loves you? Idiot. No doubt you will be the death of him, not that I care to see him go. I just find it infuriating to stand by and witness the power you wield with your p
athetic, helpless guise. Do you have any idea how many lives have been lost because of you? Even now, he barters with Gahn for your release by offering himself for stud if Gahn will just let you go. A truly compelling argument it was made all the more poignant by the legion of warriors pounding at our gates.”

  So Liam was here! He’d come for her, just as Haden vowed he would. The hope of her impending rescue and the security of her iron cage made Olivia brave—foolishly so. Pinning Max with a hateful glare, she rose to her feet and threw off the blanket as she marched toward the bars, careful to remain out of his reach.

  Max smiled triumphantly, seeming to take great pleasure in her ire.

  “I can’t believe I ever loved you!”

  “I can’t believe how many times I actually let you live for the chance to tap that ass.” He shrugged. “Guess we both have regrets, huh. You must have one amazing cunny to bespell an angel, and tame a rogue Nephilim. Quite an accomplishment you’ve made. You should be proud.”

  Max’s eyes darkened with lust as they raked over her head to toe, making her thankful for the baggy attire and her gothic cage. “I wonder…would a taste of your sweet flesh cull me into submission as it has two of the most fearsome males within the realms of Heaven and Hell?”

  His tongue swept over his lip as if in remembrance of the heated kisses they’d once shared—long before she realized her demonic boyfriend was trying to kill her. The thought of his touch sent a surge of bile rising up her throat and she spat in disgust, “Let me appease your curiosity by assuring you it wouldn’t. The difference between you and those two warriors out there is that they possess the ability to love. You, Max are nothing but pure evil. Not even your beauty can disguise a soul so black. Nothing, or no one, will ever be able to save you. You are truly hopelessly damned, and I can’t wait for the day you’re burning in Hell.”

  An explosion erupted outside, sending a vibration rocketing through the ground. Rock overhead cracked, sending sand and chunks of debris raining down on them as the foundation shook. Despite her fear that the Dark Court castle would soon begin crumbling in on her, she returned his arrogant grin and sneered, “Sounds like I won’t have to wait very long. Liam is coming for you, Max. I suggest you flee while you still can.”

  Her bark of laughter was cut short when Max suddenly turned ethereal and passed through the bars like a fine mist. Before she could dodge his grasp, he grabbed her by the throat, his top lip curling back in a malevolent sneer. “What’s the matter, Liv? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  His grip on her throat tightened, just enough to keep her from screaming for help. Not that Haden or Liam would have heard her anyway. The riotous clashing of steel overhead, the roars of battle raging outside, and the cries of the suffering and dying would drown out any plea she might hope to squeak out—and Max knew it.

  Combined with the explosive earthshaking tremors coming more frequently, the sounds of war were near deafening, and Olivia knew, at that moment, Max intended to use the distraction to exact his revenge upon her.

  “A perk of being dead,” he growled. The stale, smoky scent of his breath blasted into her face as he turned corporeal again. “Clearly, Haden failed to take my new wraith-like abilities into consideration when he locked you in here. He’s probably going to regret that.”

  Dipping his face closer, he inhaled sharply and chuckled. “Does Liam know you’re fucking the Neph?”

  He loosened his grip just enough to allow her a gasp of air and she wheezed, “I’m not—” The denial rushed out, but was cut off with another squeeze before she could finish.

  He shrugged, reaching up with his other hand to pet the back of her hair. “No matter…I’ll be sure to let him know. If Haden survives the melee, he’ll be marked for death soon enough. That warrior of yours sure has a nasty temper. I can’t imagine he’ll allow a slight like that to go unchallenged.”

  Olivia began to struggle, trying to pull out of Max’s grip. The tension on her hair grew painfully tight and he jerked her head back, cracking her neck. A strangled cry caught in her throat.

  “I find it poetically ironic that as powerful and notorious as that Nephilim is, he will have failed not just once, but twice, to keep his ladylove alive. Perhaps I’ll stick around to see the look on his face once he comes down here and realizes his error. Anya’s death didn’t break him—came damn close, though. But you, my sweet…I venture to guess will fairly well devastate him. And I will finally assume my rightful place at Gahn’s side. But first, I do believe I shall discover for myself what is so damn irresistible about you.”

  Tightening his hold on her hair, Max dragged her into the shadows. When he released his grip on her throat to reach underneath Haden’s over-sized t-shirt and grab her breast, Olivia took a deep gasp of air and screamed. The shrill cry resonated off the walls, blasting back at them in a bloodcurdling wail she prayed would be heard over the thunderous battle waging around them.

  With a snarled curse, Max swept her legs out from under her, knocking her to the ground. The blanket Haden had given her did little to cushion her fall. As her back hit the ground, what blessed air she’d drawn into her lungs whooshed out and she was left gasping and struggling to breathe again. Grabbing her face in a punishing grip, Max forced her to look at him. “The more you fight me, the more I’ll enjoy it,” he growled, crushing his mouth to hers.

  Olivia wondered how much he’d enjoy getting puked on, because if his tongue didn’t vacate her mouth in the next few seconds, it was gonna happen. How could she ever have let this monster touch her? Olivia knew she stood no chance of successfully fighting Max off. He was infinitely stronger than her, but there was no way in hell she’d just lie here and let him have his way before he killed her. Perhaps he did enjoy the fight, but she couldn’t deny the instinct to resist him. With any luck, Haden or Liam would find her before it was too late.

  With that hope in mind, she screamed again, long and shrill, until her piercing cry ended abruptly as Max’s hand cracked her across the face. Pain exploded in the left side of her cheek. Her ears rang from the blow and stars dotted her vision. Another smack like that, and she wouldn’t be conscious to fight. Then again, there might be blessed mercy in that black bliss. Perhaps she should seek it out, even if it did make her a coward. Who in their right mind would want to endure this?

  Olivia struggled against Max’s crushing weight as he grabbed each of her wrists and forced her arms over her head. He secured them with a tight grip and began tugging down the waistband of Haden’s oversized sweats. The dungeon’s chill bit her bare skin, ratcheting her panic. God, she didn’t want this to be her last memory before death claimed her.

  “Who knows,” he growled against her ear, wedging her legs farther apart with his knee. “You might even like it.”

  Flailing beneath him, Olivia managed to dislodge his weight just enough to draw in a lungful of air and screamed for Haden. As expected, the blow sent her mind spinning, darkness crowded in on her and she grasped at the edges, pulling it over her like a cloak. As she surrendered to the blissful numbness, a ferocious roar shattered her sanctuary, ripping her back into consciousness.

  The muffled pounding of footsteps and the explosive crash of her cell door broke through the ringing in her ears. She was too disoriented to track what was happening, too dizzy to open her eyes. Then suddenly, the oppressive weight on her partially lifted as a ferocious war cry she felt all the way to her bones, filled the air.

  What happened in a second felt like slow motion. But truly she didn’t even have time to close her eyes again before it was over. Forcing her lids open, Olivia saw Max’s head whip back and a sleek blade slip beneath his throat. She gasped a mixture of startled terror and heartrending relief ripping a broken sob from her throat. Like the angel of death, Haden stood over Max, his hand fisted in the demon’s hair and he cranked his head back to expose the vulnerable arch of his trachea. In the time it took for her gaze to flicker to her savior, whose murderous fury blazed in his v
erdant eyes without so much as a flicker of remorse, Haden slashed the scimitar deep into Max’s flesh, severing the ghostly demon’s head.

  Olivia screamed as his headless body dropped back down on her. In Haden’s fist, lifted high like some triumphant battle-hungry Highland warrior, was Max’s head. The hot, sticky spray of demon blood splattered her neck and chest. She retched as she rolled to the side, struggling to shove the dead weight off her.

  A sickening thud sounded off to her left a moment before the suffocating dead weight was ripped off her. Haden yanked Olivia to her feet and into his arms, crushing her against his chest. His heart slammed against her cheek, his chest heaving with panicked breaths. Numb, she reached down and pulled the sweats up over her hips, thankful for the extra length of his t-shirt.

  Haden must have realized what she was doing because he swore a violent, ear-burning oath, and took a step back. “Are you all right? Did that bastard…?”

  Olivia was glad when his voice cracked and he couldn’t finish his question. She didn’t think she could stand to hear him say the words. She was also grateful for his hands coming to rest on her shoulders, because she wasn’t sure how much longer her legs were going to support her. She could feel his eyes roving over her face, assessing the damage Max had done. When he lifted his hand and gently touched her cheek, she noted the slight tremor, making his naturally fluid movement stilted.

  “I’m fine,” she forced the lie from her lips. Who was she kidding? She was anything but fine right now. “And no…he didn’t…not yet.”

  An exhaled sigh that sounded very much like relief rushed from his lungs and he pulled her back into his arms. “I’m so sorry this happened,” he whispered against the top of her head.

  Olivia hugged him back. She was grateful for the comfort, but what she really wanted right now, more than anything was to see Liam. She needed to feel the immeasurable strength of his arms wrapped around her. She needed to hear the whispered promises that she was going to be all right and he would never let anyone or anything touch her ever again. She needed him to come and take her away from this horrid place. “Haden, is Liam here?”