by Misty Evans
In one swift motion, I rose to my feet, hauling Parker with me.
I intended to use her as a shield in case War threw his knife at me. Which was what I’d hoped he’d do. Throw the knife, hit Parker and allow me to remove it from her body. At which point I’d use it on Death first, then War and Pestilence.
But when I came up with Parker in front of me, War didn’t seem all that surprised. Like a Greek god of old, he simply looked annoyed, rising to his full height and giving me an I’m going to enjoy hurting you look.
We’ll see about that.
Parker’s haze broke enough for her to realize she was no longer on top of Rad. She stumbled in front of me, my hand still holding onto her hair like the reins on a horse. “Put down the knife and let’s talk,” I said to War, even though I knew he had no intention of letting go of his toy.
That made us even. I had no intention of talking.
He chuckled, and the low, gravelly sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Raising the knife and pointing it at me, he said something that sounded like Latin but with his odd accent I couldn’t be sure. “Hasta la victoria siempre.”
Until the eternal victory.
Huh. War was quoting the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Never imagined heaven’s soldiers being Communist. Maybe War gave Che his start?
War circled me, that wicked knife doing an elegant dance in the air as he drew closer. Death groaned again, but he’d lost a lot of blood…blood that pooled around him and Maria. Pestilence finally realized all was not right in his animal world and morphed into his human form as Ranulf and stayed there. Arman collapsed at his feet and Rad lay motionless in front of the fireplace.
I backed toward Rad, keeping Parker in front of me. “Yeah, well, better dead than Red.”
It was the only solid anti-Communist come back I could think of.
“Cole?” I said into my comm link. “Could use a little help here.”
“Already here,” he said, emerging from the shadows of the kitchen.
War and Pest did a double take. I just chuckled. “Damn, you’re good.”
“I keep sayin’.”
Bri, Dru and a dozen or so Chicago vampires stood behind him. How had they arrived so fast? No time to speculate. “War, here, is pushing Communist propaganda. What do you say we show him how Capitalists fight?”
War looked confused. Pest backed up so he stood behind the table.
Then War gave another deep chuckle. “Shut up and fight, demon.”
Dividing his attention between me and Cole’s small army, the Horseman brandished his knife and snarled. Definitely had to get that blade away from him. It might not be Michael’s sword or even forged in angel fire, but from the way he was doting on it, it packed some righteous power. Power, I bet, that could kill him and his buddies, no matter what Kirill believed.
“Hey, War.”
He looked at me. I waved Parker’s dagger. The second his gaze focused on the blade, I tossed it in the air. His attention followed and that was all the distraction I needed to pick up Parker and throw her.
Though not big in her own right, she was a large projectile. War ducked and Bri took a running slide, hitting the floor and knocking her booted feet into his ankles. Parker, screaming all the way, would have missed him if she hadn’t flailed her arms and managed to grab his hair.
War’s legs went out from under him from Bri’s kamikaze move. At the same time, his head snapped back as Parker grabbed hold. The three of them landed in a messy pile, but War didn’t lose his knife.
“Kali?” Rad’s voice came from the fireplace, sounding baffled. “What’s going on?”
I hauled him to his feet. “We’re fighting for our lives. Now man up and …oh, my god.”
Speaking of manning up—my gaze fell on his very large, very engorged manhood. Heat flushed my body. My demon licked her lips. Could I pick a worse time to be in heat?
Shaking it off, I forced my attention back to his face, cleared my throat. “Get ready to fight, Beaumont, or I’ll kill you myself here and now.”
“Kali!” He lifted a hand like he was going to grab me. “You need to—”
“Not fucking now!”
“Behind you,” Cole bellowed, and I realized a second too late Rad was trying to warn me.
Death grabbed me by the neck with both hands. His fingers encircled my throat, crushing my windpipe. He lifted me from the floor and kept me at arm’s length, shaking me in front of the others. “Put down your weapons or she dies.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“You can’t kill her,” Dru volunteered. “She’s one of the original sins.”
War tossed Parker off and jumped up, stomping on Brianna as he did so. She was a tough bitch, though, and sprang up just as fast, going for the knife in his hand.
Dark spots danced in front of my eyes. I wanted to tell Dru to shut up…challenging Death to see if he could in fact kill me was a bit too brazen for my liking. Since I couldn’t form words, I did the next best thing.
Maria had risen to her knees, propping her upper body on the couch cushion. Using her to gain my footing, I ran up her back, kicked off from her shoulders and flipped my feet ass-over-tea kettle, using Death’s strong-arm stance as a lever.
My neck didn’t fare well, but the heels on my boots scored as they came over my head and I twisted out of his grasp. One spike landed in Death’s eye, the other in his cheek. He howled and jerked backwards, releasing me.
I dropped like a rock, my boot heels making a satisfying suction sound as they popped out of Death’s cranium. Flipping the rest of the way over, I somersaulted and landed on my feet like an Olympic pro.
War, enraged, charged me with his knife. I fumbled for the dagger lying on the floor as I ducked behind the couch. Strong legs appeared in my peripheral vision and I looked up to see Rad as he hurled the pointed end of one of his People’s Choice Awards at War’s chest.
Pestilence jumped into the foray, and the vampires descended on him, taking him to the floor. Blood and hair flew in all directions as he tried shifting back to wolf. War staggered when the glass point embedded itself in his heart and Cole jumped on his back, taking him down as well. Death—recovered but with one eye damaged and bleeding profusely—let out a war cry and attacked me once more. As his compact body took me down, Rad raised another award over his head and brought the pointed end down on Death’s back, driving it through to his heart.
The next few minutes were a confusing, blood-thirsty battle between good and evil. Maria, Parker and Arman woke up fully from Death’s magic fog. Maria and Parker attacked me while Death nearly bled out again. He didn’t die, however, and kept rising to come after me.
Rad—who’d found his pants and put them on—fought by my side, shirtless with his bare feet poking out from under his frayed jeans, sliding through the blood and debris. He kept Maria and Parker away from me as best he could while I worked on Death.
The vampires and Pestilence continued their fight. Arman went down early. Dead or just hurt, I couldn’t tell.
Cole, Brianna and Dru advanced on War, retreated when he overcame them, advanced again. War would hurt Brianna, Dru would jump in with his sword and try to disarm him and Cole would manage to get in a punch or two. Then War would injure Cole, and Brianna would jump in.
Back and forth our dances went. No one winning, no one losing.
In the bowels of the house, I heard the security alarm go off. A little late for that, but I hoped it signaled the arrival of more troops.
I wanted to unleash my demon, but Damon’s voice was as clear in my head as if he were standing beside me. Evil may win battles, but it cannot win this war. Good before evil, Kali. Save the world. Save yourself.
It scared me, that voice. Save the world. No pressure there, right?
Worse…save yourself.
The past days and months went by in a flash. All the failures. I was no leader, too reckless and selfish to make the decisions that had to be made.
What if I don’t want to save myself? I argued with Damon’s imaginary voice. Not sure I’m worth saving.
A loud explosion rocked the church. Debris fell from the ceilings, beams crashed around us, and we paused in our various fights to take cover as the front of the church exploded, leaving a gaping hole.
I blinked in surprise at the woman standing there. My voice croaked since part of my windpipe was still injured. “Amy?”
Lucifer’s witch lead dozens of men and women into the disaster area I’d once called a living room. Maddy followed on her heels, a wide grin on her face until she saw the shambles of the place.
“What are you doing here?” I searched the crowd for Lucifer. I saw Father Reese, Nicola and…wait. Was that Detective Moreno? Even Reese’s Merc demon was present. No devil though. He would never let the witch out of his sight. “Where’s Lucifer?”
She smiled and waved as if she’d crashed a tea party instead of a fight. “He’ll be here soon.” From under a blazing red trench coat, she pulled a sword that sang brightly when released from its scabbard. It also glowed. “Meanwhile, thought you might need this.”
She threw it. The sword sailed through the air, the handle, decorated with a pair of elegant, swirling gold wings, arched perfectly toward me. I reached out and it landed in my hand, the second my skin touched the hilt, a charge of electricity shocked me from head to foot.
My skin burned. The sensation reminded me of being tased. I cried out, body vibrating with the intensity of the charge, but I clenched my teeth and tightened my grip.
Turning, I swung the blade at Death’s neck.
Chapter Forty-nine
War moved at the same time, throwing his knife.
The two blades connected, a golden light bursting forth from the sword. The impact was so intense, the reverberation stung my palm and sent me sideways, making me stagger and nearly fall.
In the next second, I registered two things: Rad’s hands steadying me, and a sharp, deep pain in the side of my neck. War’s knife had bounced off the sword and embedded itself a few centimeters from the base of my throat.
There was a bunch of screaming, yelling and commotion, but everything sounded distant and muffled in my ears as I slumped into Rad’s arms. All I heard distinctly was the beat of my heart and the sound of Damon’s voice. If you won’t fight for yourself, fight for me.
Dots swam in my vision and my knees turned to water. Rad dragged me toward the couch, and Death laughed, the sound echoing off what was left of the high rafters of my living room.
Fight for me.
The scent of wood smoke filled my nose. My eyes fluttered closed even though I tried to keep them open. Damon?
“Kali.”
His voice seemed so real. Not in my head. I forced my eyelids open.
My vision was blurry, but I saw his face in front of me. Am I hallucinating?
Hot blood poured down my neck. All around me, supernaturals and humans shouted my name like a battle cry. The clashing of metal resumed.
All I heard was Damon’s voice saying, “I’m here.”
It took me a moment to realize he really was there, not just a figment of my imagination. My heart did a hop and a skip and I reached out to touch him.
You’re back. I couldn’t speak, except mentally. I couldn’t even sigh. But my fingers trailed over his aristocratic jaw and high cheekbones. I felt lightheaded. I can’t do this, Damon. I can’t be you.
Of course you can’t. Be what you are, Kali. A vengeance demon.
What about the other things?
Those… components… of your being don’t matter at the moment.
Components. Even in the middle of a fight, Damon couldn’t bring himself to use a common word like things. I would have laughed if I’d had the strength.
I wasn’t even sure what the other things were anymore. Everything was fuzzy. Rad had removed the knife and was pressing a cloth against my throat. Fighting continued around us, the clash of magics and weapons pounding against my senses. Amy’s crew seemed to be holding their own against the Horsemen, but the sword was still in my hand.
Rad was talking to me. Maddy was talking to me. I couldn’t focus on anything but Damon.
I stared into his eyes—so dark, so unfathomable. His magic reached for mine, soothing me and encouraging my neck to heal. Damon’s magic, Rad’s hands, Dru’s blood …everything inside me suddenly flooded with heat. A rush of adrenaline.
My neck stopped bleeding. My vision cleared.
Even better than Rad’s healing rune.
Sword in hand, I sat up. A new rush of warmth suffused my head. Not Damon’s voice, but my own. You didn’t come to help me. You came because of Amy.
He spoke out loud. “I came because of you.”
I didn’t believe him and was about to tell him so, when without warning, Death appeared and grabbed him from behind. He flew across the room, taking Damon with him.
I shot off the couch, following them, sword ready raised. Death had wrapped a meaty arm around Damon’s neck and continued hauling him backwards, using him as a shield.
Copycat.
The soldiers with Amy parted. The fighting around us stopped. An eerie silence descended as Death glared at me from the corner of the room. “Try it, demon. Take your best shot.”
From the side, Pestilence, in Ranulf’s wolf form, launched himself at me. I reacted on instinct, my reflexes working as one with the sword as I turned my body to face him and sliced the glowing blade through the air.
It cleaved him in half at the breastbone. The sword made another swift cut and the Horseman’s head hit the floor at the same time the rest of his body did.
He might not stay dead, but by golly, he was in pieces for now.
War came next with a war cry. Without any command, the sword lifted, and no thanks to me, buried itself in his stomach. There was a popping sound and the sword released a small burst of light.
War dropped to his knees. I withdrew the sword and beheaded him where he knelt at my feet.
I faced Death, a strange ringing noise in my ears. He still held Damon in front of him, but now he also held Parker’s dagger at Damon’s neck. Damon didn’t struggle, only held my gaze with his sure, unwavering dark eyes. Cut off his head.
I shook my head. I’ll cut off yours as well.
All eyes were on me. Death snickered, seeing my hesitation.
Be what you are, Kali. I promise, all will be well.
The demon inside me smiled. Vengeance is mine. The sword warmed in my hand.
No. I’d just gotten Damon back. I will not sacrifice you.
The sword vibrated. Around my waist, Volante did too. If I could use her to injure Death without injuring Damon…
“Cut off his head!” Damon demanded of me. His magic crackled in the air. “Now!”
Against my will, my hand rose with the sword. I will not, I mentally yelled. At Damon or the sword, I wasn’t sure.
Seeing the sword, Death reared back, digging the dagger deeper into the skin under Damon’s chin. Blood poured from the wound. “Swing that sword and your lover dies.”
At the word lover, all eyes turned to me.
Including Rad’s.
A biting wind swept through the open front of the building, whipping past me and the others and throwing snow and ice into our eyes. The flaps of my cape lifted, debris from overhead rained down. The fire in the fireplace roared to three times its original size, flames licking up the sides and catching the furniture on fire. Every light fixture, glass window and mirror in the place exploded.
Rad lunged. The sword flew from my hand. The two connected in the air, and with a graceful spin and arch of his back, my real lover brought the blade down and across.
Damon’s and Death’s heads rolled.
Chapter Fifty
I’m not a screamer.
Seeing Damon’s dismembered body, however, turned me into one.
My screams shook what was left of the walls. I rushed Rad, grabbed him and threw him across the room. He hit the kitchen wall so hard, he went through it.
Dru was by my side in an instant but I shoved him away as well. Not as hard, but hard enough to get my point across. He slammed into the stairs.
I fell on my knees beside Damon’s headless body and wept.
Minutes went by. Hours. Around me, bodies moved, voices spoke in low tones, a collective relief fell. The Horsemen did not rise again.
Those that had known Damon gathered around us. Salmad cradled his head and brought it back to his body. After Cole and Dru dragged me away, the body was then covered.
Cole and Dru sat me on what was left of the couch, blabbering nonsense at me while Maddy tried to get me to drink some tea. I stared into the now dead fireplace and focused on breathing slow and even. My demon paced just under my skin, furious at Rad, mad at the whole fucking world and ready to take it out on everyone.
Amy came over and shooed Dru out of the way so she could sit next to me. Her sister and her best friend, Keisha, the voodoo priestess who worked at Amy’s shop and slept with Gabriel, crowded around. They kept one eye on Amy and another on the dead Horsemen.
Amy was once again in possession of the sword and she laid the scabbard across both our laps. The blade had been wiped clean before reinserted but I could smell the faint scent of Damon’s skin. My eyes burned with more tears.
The humans who’d fought with us were all dead. Father Reese, Detective Moreno, Nicola. Their bodies were carried out. Reese’s Merc demon gave me a stiff nod and took his leave.
Maria and Parker were subdued. They disappeared under guard by a battalion of vampire soldiers and Shayne.
Amy put an arm around me as if we were friends. I stiffened at the contact. “I’m so sorry. I know the two of you were close.”
Close? Close?
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I concentrated on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Using one hand, I dashed at the waterworks. I looked up at Dru. “Where is he?”