by Rene Lyons
Bryce backed away, positioning himself behind his desk. Though he knew it wouldn’t protect him from Colin, he felt better with the massive piece of furniture between them. “You don’t have to clean up anything.”
“No?” Colin peered around the room. “I didn’t know you had Hakion’s Stone hidden away in here.”
Bryce did his best to ignore his brother’s sarcasm, though he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to smack Colin on the mouth—as he’d once done when they were younger. Of course, Colin, being the bigger of them even while they were kids, beat the hell out of him for it. Bryce had gone to bed bloody and aching, but it had been worth it.
“You know I don’t. But I told you, I’ll find a way.”
Colin stormed over to the desk and slammed his fist down on it. “You’d better. If they get to us before we get to those stones, I’ll kill you before the Seraphim get the chance.”
That threat finally lit the fire under Bryce’s ass. It brought his temper to the forefront. “Fuck you, Colin. Last I looked, I was the older brother. This was my plan. The only reason I let you in on it…”
“You let me in on it because you knew you couldn’t do it on your own. You’ve always lacked what I have in spades.”
“And what’s that?”
Colin’s gaze raked over him, his mouth twisting in a mockery of a smile. “Balls. I’ve never been afraid to spill blood for what I want.”
Bryce knew Colin was going to kill Sabrina. Instead of just using blood to perform the ritual to break the stones, he knew his brother intended to drain her dry. It was a shame, really, since Bryce actually had feelings for her. Not love, exactly, since his desire for power overshadowed all else. But he did care for her—in his own way. He would have liked for her to live long enough to see him reap the rewards of setting free the children of Balian. Colin promised they’d be made into living Gods and Bryce had no reason to disbelieve his brother. It was why he’d chosen to pick up where their father left off.
Robert had gotten closer to the stones than any human ever had. He’d found out Daniel’s secret and went after the human he’d impregnated. Thinking to take the baby before it was born and use its blood to open Hell, Robert had made one fatal mistake. He’d underestimated Daniel’s love for his unborn child.
The Seraphim had scarified his own life to save his child’s. Having tracked down the one weapon that could kill an angel, Robert had used the dagger to slice Daniel’s throat. Daniel had bled to death at his lover’s feet. Kael had killed Robert moments later, setting the events into motion that led to this very moment.
How ironic that they’d come full circle. Only this time, it would be Bryce and Colin who brought an end to the Seraphim and unleashed a power that not even Heaven could stop.
Chapter Eleven
As much as Sabrina was glad to be back home, she was scared to death to be alone. Back in her own environment and away from the security at Halifax made her feel naked, vulnerable. The feeling didn’t sit well with her at all.
She thought it strange that, after only two weeks, she’d gotten used to being with Seth. Sabrina had been alone more or less her entire life, so to find herself missing Seth and the others—needing them to feel complete—amazed her.
Sabrina walked around her house, inspecting every nook and cranny for signs that someone had been there. From what she could tell, no one had come into her home to snoop around. And if they had, they’d left no evidence behind.
There were eleven messages on her answering machine, which she found odd. She couldn’t recall a single time she’d gotten that many calls in a month. She simply didn’t have the sort of friends who called her on a regular basis, and if they did and hadn’t found her at home, they didn’t seem to care. Sabrina knew she was partly to blame for that. Afraid of getting close to people, she held herself at bay. How could people form a genuine relationship with her if she never allowed them in? Eventually, her friends gave up trying and treated her as nothing more than an acquaintance.
Pressing play, there was one call from her dentist’s office informing her she’d missed her biyearly cleaning. Three calls were from friends. The rest, not surprisingly, were from Bryce. Perfect. Given the note of desperation in his tone in the last of the messages, Sabrina knew he’d play right into Seth’s plan.
Or at least she hoped he would. She’d underestimated him once and had gotten slapped to the floor for it. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Added to the mix was Bryce’s brother, who Kael had seen arriving at Bryce’s house the night before. Two against one weren’t odds Sabrina was comfortable with. Nevertheless, she’d do what was needed of her. She reminded herself the blood of a Seraphim flowed through her veins. It would give her strength should she find her own faltering.
Picking up the phone, she called Bryce to get things rolling. He answered on the second ring. “Where the hell are you, Colin?”
“It’s not Colin, Bryce.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for all of a second. “Sabrina?”
“I’ve made a mistake in going to Halifax and I need your help.” Having practiced the script she needed to keep to, Sabrina was impressed by her flawless delivery of her lie.
“Mistake? I don’t understand.”
Sabrina took a breath, remembering what she had to say. “Seth isn’t what I believed him to be.”
“And just what did you believe he was?”
“A connection to my father.” She gave her answer without a hint of hesitation. “I thought Seth could help me understand what he was, but I was wrong. I’m so sorry, Bryce. I should have trusted you.”
Those words were bitter on her tongue, and yet, so far, her performance was perfect. Given the sort of man Bryce was, playing to his ego was exactly what she needed to do in order to get him where she wanted him. Now, all she had to do was work around his brother, whom she had no idea about. Though Kael had been keeping an eye on Bryce and knew his brother had arrived a couple of days ago, they hadn’t had the time to ascertain what manner of man he was and how she could play him. She had to use her instincts to get around him and pray for the best.
“I warned you, didn’t I?”
Sabrina smiled at how easily Seth’s plan was working. Even as she agreed with Bryce, what she really wanted to do was tell him to fuck off and hang up on him. “He’s a monster. They all are, and they’ll stop at nothing to protect those stones.”
Bryce snorted. “Why the change, Sabrina? Tell me why I should trust you.”
“Because I was wrong. You were only trying to protect me and I should have listened to you.” Sabrina suspected sand would be easier to swallow than that load of bullshit.
“So, what happened between you and Setheus?”
Only that I love him and I’m willing to sacrifice my life to protect him and humanity from you and your brother. Of course, that was something Sabrina kept to herself. “He caught me snooping around the estate and threw me out.”
“You’re lying. He would never throw you out.”
The accusation came over the phone like a slap. “I swear to God, Bryce, he did.”
“The way he fought for you that night, I thought…”
“Thought what?” Sabrina knew exactly what he thought and he was right. Seth had fought for her as if he loved her. He came dangerously close to damning himself just to make Bryce pay for hurting her.
“Never mind,” he muttered.
“Can we meet tonight? I have something to show you.”
His hesitation didn’t last long. “Of course. What is it?”
She swallowed down the lingering fear that nagged at her before saying the one thing that was going to set Seth’s plan into motion. “I know where the stones are. All three of them.”
After his sharp intake of breath, it sounded like Bryce fumbled around for a second, maybe even dropping the phone. “They’re all together? Impossible.”
“Kael and Bath-Kol are at Halifax. They brought the stones wit
h them.”
“This is incredible, Sabrina.”
Yes, it was, and anyone else would have realized it was unbelievable as well. “My father was a record keeper. I took the scroll that tells of the location of the stones.”
“Come to the museum at eight.”
As much as Sabrina didn’t relish the idea of being alone with Bryce and his brother, she knew she had no choice. After she’d agreed to be a part of this plan, she knew she had to take it all the way—even if it meant giving her life so that Seth and the others could trap the brothers into making a move on the stones.
“I’ll be there.”
Sabrina hung up the phone, took two steps, and sank to her knees. Waves of fear rolled over her at the thought of what was to come. She hoped to God she hadn’t just set in motion events that would end with her death. She wasn’t ready to die, even though she now knew for a fact that Heaven existed and God would welcome her home.
Fear a vise around her heart, Sabrina prayed. At first she had nothing to say to a God she’d spent most of her life not believing in. Slowly, words began to pour from her. Words that came from a place deep within her that needed to be said to God and her father. Before ending her prayer, she begged for guidance and for her father to watch over her tonight. Strange, but she felt he already was.
———
Sabrina rethought the idea of being watched over and protected after she pulled up to the museum. Never had she felt as alone as she did then, sitting in her car, staring at the museum. Two cars were there. The dark blue Camry was Bryce’s. She didn’t recognize the other and assumed it belonged to Colin.
A shadowy movement passing through the trees across the road told her she wasn’t as alone as she believed. Under the light of the full moon Sabrina caught a fleeting glimpse of Seth. He disappeared into the forest, though she knew he didn’t go far. She felt him all around her, as if a piece of him was with her.
Sabrina peered into the tress and, though she couldn’t see them, she sensed Kael and Bath were already here as well. They were her family and she knew they wouldn’t leave her to face this alone. They’d all stay as close to her as they could without Bryce or Colin realizing they were there.
As she grabbed the doctored scroll from the passenger seat, Sabrina thought of her father. She hoped he was with her, wished it with everything she was. After getting out of the car, she strode toward the museum with false confidence.
Light coming from the window of Bryce’s office caught her attention just before she pushed open the heavy door. A sick knot of dread twisted inside of her as she walked in. The main part of the museum was dark. Thankfully she knew her way around or else she would have crashed into the clutter of display cases. Maneuvering around the chaos, she made her way to the stairs leading to the office.
Angry voices coming from the office nearly had Sabrina’s steps faltering. She knocked once on the door before it was yanked open by a tall and good-looking man. The scar that cut down his mouth was unnerving because it gave him a permanent sneer. Though he bore only a slight resemblance to Bryce, it was obvious this was Colin.
One look at Colin told her he was a lethal son of a bitch. He had a rigid stance and a devious glint in his turbulent blue eyes. His muscular body was encased in black pants and a coal-gray shirt. His physique was as far from Bryce’s as it could get. It was obvious Colin kept himself in top condition.
Sabrina slapped a smile on her face and extended her hand to the man. “You must be Colin.”
He didn’t shake her hand. Instead, he snatched the scroll from her and unrolled it. As much as Sabrina wanted to tear into him for his rudeness, she bit her tongue.
A frown marred his brow as he scanned the scroll. “Where does it say where the stones are?”
“Jesus Christ, Colin, at least let her walk in first.” Bryce came toward her, smiling. His gaze traveled over her. “You look good, Sabrina.”
He looked like shit. His hair was a mess and his clothes were sloppy. Dark circles shadowed under his eyes. It was obvious he’d gotten little sleep over the past weeks. She hoped to God nightmares haunted him and that’s what was keeping him up at night.
“So do you.” The lie slipped easily off her tongue.
“Are you two finished? Can we get down to business?” Colin snapped.
Sabrina noticed Bryce flinch. She’d believed him to be beyond intimidation. She was wrong. It was obvious his brother terrified him. She also noticed something else. Colin wasn’t as ignorant as his older brother.
Sabrina motioned to the scroll. “Bryce never mentioned you could read Aramaic.”
There was such ice in his glare Sabrina fought back the urge to shiver as a blast of cold shot up her spine. “I can read enough to know if you’re lying to me.”
She could read Aramaic too. It was one of those things Sabrina found came with being a nephilim. He moved away from her, as if being near her repulsed him. That was fine by Sabrina. He gave her the creeps.
“So, what does it say?” Bryce asked.
Colin ignored the question. He also ignored her, talking about her as if she wasn’t standing right there. “I don’t trust her.”
Bryce shrugged. “You don’t trust anyone.”
Colin’s sneer as his gaze raked over her reminded Sabrina of how Bryce looked the night she’d come here after meeting with Seth. “She’s one of them.”
Bryce came to stand beside her, and for once she didn’t want to shove him away. As horrible as it was, she had every intention of using him as a human shield if Colin made good on the threat burning in his eyes as he glared at her. She felt he owed her that sacrifice, whether he did it willingly or not, for being such an asshole the entire time she worked for him. Not to mention the slap he’d given her. But that was something she knew Seth was going to settle up with him about.
Sabrina wanted to feel some small bit of remorse for Bryce, but she couldn’t. She knew what he and Colin were planning to do with the stones and that had to be prevented at all costs.
Bryce curled his hand around hers. His palm was clammy and all Sabrina wanted to do was yank her hand back. Remembering the role she was playing, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He smiled at her and she knew he was buying into her bullshit. Colin, however, was another matter entirely. All she had to do was get him in the car and get him to the church and the Seraphim would take over.
“I’ve known Sabrina long enough to know she must have been confused and needed to connect with them.” Sabrina nodded. At least that much was true. “But she’s learned the Seraphim can’t be trusted. Isn’t that right?”
“No, they aren’t to be trusted at all.”
That was true as well. Only it didn’t apply to her, but to Bryce and Colin. The Seraphim would do whatever was necessary to protect mankind. Unfortunately, the Mathers brothers had pushed the Seraphim’s hand and would suffer the wrath of Heaven for believing they could unleash Hell.
“You’re going to tell us exactly what happened between you and Setheus.” By Colin’s tone, Sabrina assumed she was either going to tell him willingly or he was going to force the practiced tale out of her.
Remembering her script, Sabrina stared steadily at Colin. “There’s not much to explain. I found the scroll in Seth’s room. Since my father had written it, I didn’t think Seth would mind me reading it. I was wrong. He threatened to kill me if I went anywhere near the scroll again. Kael and Bath-Kol made no secret that they would see to the deed if Seth wouldn’t.” She forced a shiver and slipped her hand from Bryce’s. She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped away so she could put some distance between herself and Colin. “I was scared to death. As soon as I was able, I took the scroll and left.”
Colin grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a firm shake. “Why don’t I believe the Seraphim would just let you leave?”
“They didn’t have a choice. They sleep during the day, and since they hadn’t expected me to leave, they didn’t think to alert the guard if I did.�
�
Bryce came to her defense. He pulled his brother away from her. “Back off, Colin. She’s been through enough. We finally know where the stones are, so let’s go get this done.”
Sabrina found the irony of what Bryce said hilarious. He was the reason she was going through most of this.
Colin gave her a hard glare. “Yes, let’s go get it done.”
His look told her he didn’t believe a word she said, but as long as he was going along with things, she’d worry about his distrust later. Right now, she had to get them to where the Seraphim would be waiting.
As they walked to the car, Sabrina knew she might be heading to her death. How strange that a calm acceptance had come over her. The night seemed to talk to her, sounds she’d never paid attention to suddenly too loud to ignore. The gentle summer wind blowing through the leaves of the trees, the chirp of crickets hidden in the overgrown grass, and the scurrying of animals in the thick woods surrounding the area, they all echoed in her mind like a crack of thunder.
She actually felt the world around her. An incredible charge of life passed through her, filling her with energy and heat. As Sabrina settled into the backseat, the sensation of strong and protective arms encircling her took away her fear of what this night would bring.
She wasn’t alone. Her father was with her.
Chapter Twelve
Sabrina was grateful the ride to the abandoned church went by fast. Neither Colin nor Bryce tried to carry on a conversation with her, which suited her just fine. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to either of them.
Instead, they sat in the front seat as silent as a grave, leaving her alone in the backseat. It left her time to think about what was to come and her role in stopping the brothers from unmaking the world.
She’d picked the place for this whole thing to go down. St. Mary’s church had been abandoned for nearly a century, and given what Seth said about ground becoming unconsecrated after the church abandoned it, it seemed a believable place for the Seraphim to have hidden the stones. Given how easily Bryce believed her story and how Colin didn’t question the location, it had been a good choice.