by Mary Ting
Dried blood coated my hairline. My clothes were a disaster, caked with grime and adorned with rusty crimson splotches. I looked like I’d gone to hell and back.
Slowly, very slowly, I dragged my feet across the hardwood floor to the bathroom. Anchoring my hands on the beige granite sink, I examined my face.
“Oh, God. I look pathetic,” I murmured as I turned on the faucet and washed my face.
Afterward, I patted myself with a towel from the hanger and placed it back. To my horror, blood stained the turquoise towel. I debated whether to throw it away. I would bother with it later. I just wanted to get back in bed.
I should have left when I’d first considered it. Then Paymon and Balen wouldn’t have gotten hurt. My ridiculous obsession with the globe had almost gotten us all killed.
Something was shifting in our supernatural community. I felt it in my marrow. Something that would change our peace and comfort. It had begun when the witches arrived. I had no doubt they were behind the bombing.
My stiff muscles eased and my steps quickened. I limped back and grabbed the doorknob when I gasped and bent over like I had the wind knocked out of me. Frozen in place, I waited for the lurch in my stomach to disappear. It left as quickly as it came.
What the hell?
The metallic scent of blood lingered in the hall. I’d only taken ten steps when that yanking feeling came back. Not only was the feeling stronger, but I heard voices.
Carefully, I made my way to the foyer—or what was left of it.
Instead of showing myself, I pressed my back to a haggard-looking portion of wall.
Suddenly, acid filled my stomach and I wanted to vomit. Had I gotten up from bed too soon? Had Malum failed to tell me I was dying?
Again, some kind of invisible force pulled me, as if I had stepped into quicksand. My body weighed a ton as I dragged my feet, every step an effort. I wanted to run to Malum and tell him something was wrong, but then I heard his voice. And I heard the other voice from my dream.
Blood drained from me.
Chapter 27
The Damage
Keira
“Whaaaat happened?” I said.
“Perhaps the demons forgot to pay their mortgage.” Daniel shrugged.
Malum’s beautiful home had been damaged. The front of the mansion was ripped apart, as if a boulder crashed through it. No doors. No windows.
The ground looked like several huge meteors had landed and then disintegrated into black ashes.
I tiptoed around the burnt wood beams and the plaster dust, avoiding the massive holes, and then bumped into a hard body. Uriel had halted in front of me.
Malum stood several feet from us with eyes wide.
Whatever had happened here, some time had passed. Malum appeared spotless in his usual tailored suit, looking debonair and polished. Perhaps he hadn’t been here at all when the bomb exploded.
“How are you here and—” Malum never finished his question. His gaze bounced from Uriel to all of us, and then finally me.
Uriel unfurled his wings halfway and raised his chin. “What happened?”
“Vampires attacked and there were suicide bombers. The vampires were newborns— they’re creating an army. They’re going against the Trinity Order.”
I was surprised he answered, much less gave away that much information.
“Any causalities?” Uriel asked.
“Many.”
“Why are the vampires attacking now?” Jonah smeared some ashes with his shoe and lightly kicked them over the edge of the crater.
“They’re not here for the demons.” Samyaza sniffed the air as if he could smell their intentions. “They were here for the witches. I suspect the witches planned this attack to cause a rift between you and the vampires. I know how Kenan—the head of the vampire clan—deals, and this isn’t his style. He has worked too hard to maintain peace and order.”
“That’s a bit harsh, blaming the witches, Sammie.” Awan came out of the shadows with two other sisters in tow. Then she focused on Uriel. “Well, looks like you made it through just fine, and your team … Oh, where are Keira’s friends? Didn’t make it out?”
Number two rule in Nephilim Unification: Stay calm. Don’t let your opponent get the best of you. Well, I tossed that out the window and pounced.
I didn’t even come close to wrapping my fingers around Awan’s neck. I froze-literally. She impaled me in place and held me there with magic, still yards away.
“Nah–ah-ah.” The witch clucked at Daniel, pointing at him. “Put your weapon down. And don’t worry. I won’t harm her. She means too much to Uriel now. Now that they’ve bonded. Isn’t that right, Uriel?”
A soft growl released from Uriel. “Let her go, Awan. I have the book.”
His tone was so calm. How did he keep his composure?
“Oh, I know you do, or you wouldn’t be here.” Awan placed her face close to mine. “Tell me, little one. Was finding out who your parents are everything you had hoped for?”
Bitch. You’ll get what you deserve one day.
“Leave her alone,” Daniel hissed.
Awan glared at Daniel and then turned back to me. “Daniel cares for you more than he should, doesn’t he? But …” She twisted toward Jonah. “It seems someone else does too but doesn’t know it. Love is so complicated in the human world. I don’t understand why humans bother with it when they could have a plethora of partners. I suggest you don’t pick just one. Pick many.”
I ignored her stupid comment. I didn’t need her to humiliate Daniel in front of everyone. And what the hell did she know about Jonah’s feelings?
Liar. That’s what she was.
“What’s your point, witch? Let me go.” My words gritted through my teeth. “We got your damn book.”
Awan waved her hand. The magick dropped. I stumbled and would have fallen into the ditch had Jonah not gripped my wrist to keep me steady.
“Now, where were we before Keira tried to attack me? Oh, yes. Uriel, come with me. We need to talk in private.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Uriel expanded his wings to their full length and height.
Awan laughed. “Put those silly feathers away. You look ridiculous.”
Uriel’s fists rounded, his biceps flexing. “Samyaza and Jonah will join me. We talk out in front.”
I scowled at Uriel. “Daniel and I are part of this. We’re coming too.”
Uriel looked at me in surprise, but said nothing. But Awan’s nostrils flared and her amber eyes darkened.
“You don’t get to make demands,” she barked. “Remember, I have your brothers locked up, Uriel.”
The petite Asian witch gripped Awan’s arm and spoke in her ear. Awan’s chest rose and fell, then she yanked her arm back.
“I sent—” Awan stopped abruptly when her attention went to a woman standing to the left of her.
She didn’t look well, dressed in sooty, bloodied clothes. Sweat beaded her forehead, and she panted.
Where had she come from?
Malum’s eyes widened. “Liana. You should be in bed. What are you doing here?”
“You.” Liana pointed at Uriel, her arm trembling. “How?” Then she gawked at me and gasped sharply.
It was then I knew who she was.
Before I could say anything, a blinding light shot from Liana’s body to me, wrapping around me like a blanket. As if that sparkling glow was a rope, it pulled me toward her.
“No!”
Uriel’s voice sounded weak to my ears, but no doubt boomed to the others. Then the connection snapped. I was in the exact same position and Liana was still gaping at me from Awan’s side.
I shivered, chills racking my body like I had jumped into a freezing lake. What just happened between us, or rather what had she done to me?
But then Liana collapsed.
“What did you do?” Malum charged at me.
I saw him coming and meant to dodge him, but my reflexes were out of sync. In the blink of an e
ye, Uriel stood in front of me, shielding me. Uriel’s punch to Malum’s face knocked him to the second story.
Samyaza hurried to Liana and checked her pulse. “She’s alive, but her body is so cold. What do we do?”
Malum leaped over the banister and landed next to Samyaza. “I’ll take her.” He cradled her in his arms and carried her away, calling over his shoulder. “Awan, I need your help. Come with me. If you don’t help me, I swear Lotus will not give you a seat in Trinity Order, I can promise you that.”
Awan cursed under her breath and looked at us. “You all need to come with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Chapter 28
The Connection
Keira
As everyone trailed behind Awan and her sisters, Uriel lagged to match his steps with mine.
“What happened?” Uriel tucked his wings close.
“I don’t know.” I rubbed at my chest. The tightness had not eased when Liana released whatever she threw at me. “Did you feel something?”
Uriel kept quiet. I took it as a yes.
I glanced at the oil paintings of landscapes in the hallway and then back to him. “I can’t believe she’s been here all this time.” I leaned in closer. “We need to take her with us.”
“Don’t say anything more. Leave it to me,” he whispered so only I could hear.
“Samyaza must have felt something, too,” I added.
Uriel placed his finger on his closed lips as we rounded the corridors and into a bedroom.
Malum whirled to me as soon as he had Liana carefully placed on the bed. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” I stood my ground, but Uriel shoved him back.
“Back off. What’s your problem?” Uriel growled. “Can’t you tell the light came from Liana and not Keira?”
Malum stumbled backward. “Why Keira? Not anyone else? And why now?”
Samyaza went to the other side of the bed as Awan and her two sisters held their hands over Liana’s head, chanting in a witch tongue I couldn’t understand.
“If we had an answer, we would tell you,” Samyaza barked. “Now, you need to answer some questions. Is this the first time she’s done this?”
Malum rubbed at his temple and stopped pacing. “Yes. That I know of.” His eyes darkened and he stopped in front of Uriel. “Why did she point at you and say it’s you? Do you know each other? Did you do something to her?”
I was certain Uriel would deny it, but he didn’t answer.
“Her soul … there are two.” Awan gasped, her hand now over Liana’s chest.
Malum scrubbed his face. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
“Keep your voice down, Malum. Remember, I’m doing you a favor.” Awan narrowed her eyes in concentration. “One soul from her present life and another from her past. If we don’t help her, she will die.”
“How can a person have two souls? It’s not …” Recognition showed on Jonah’s face and he slowly turned to look at me, then to Uriel and Samyaza.
Daniel caught on and carefully, one step at a time, moved toward me.
Malum whirled to Awan, his face inches from hers. “Do something. You can’t let her die. What do you need? How can I help you?”
I had never known a demon to be paternal, or ever witnessed one that actually loved another being beside itself. Something tugged at my heart. If Malum could love his daughter, then perhaps an archangel could too.
No. I had to stop thinking ludicrous thoughts.
Awan shoved Malum’s face back. I thought he would go ballistic, but instead, he rolled back his shoulders and waited.
“You need to be out of my face. My sisters and I are going to try something.” Awan placed both hands on either side of her head.
“Are you sure? It could be dangerous,” Corian said.
“I agree with Corian. What if we end up killing her? I will not take that responsibility.” Giselle dropped her arms to her side.
Awan bristled and cleared her throat. “Well then, seems like I need my book. Uriel, hand it over now before Malum turns into a beast.”
“What are you planning to do?” Uriel’s jaw clenched.
“What does it matter to you? Give me my book.” Awan stretched her arm. “Don’t forget our bargain.”
I stepped in front of Uriel. “Wait. I need a favor. My friend Suri, she …” Getting the words out that I had failed was harder than I’d expected. “She’s in Hell and she’s stuck there. I need you to help me get her out. Uriel can’t go back, and I have no idea—”
“It’s not that he can’t go back, child. He can, but each time he does, he gets weaker. So it’s not wise for him to do so, or he won’t be able to leave. And you don’t want that for your daddy, do you?”
My blood blazed through my veins. I hated her mocking tone, and I was furious Uriel hadn’t told me the truth. But I understood why he felt hesitant to go back.
“But … perhaps I can help you,” Awan continued, matching my daggered eyes at her. “I just need the book.”
I pivoted and faced Uriel. “Please give her the damn book so you can free your brothers and I can get my friend back. Then you can go back home. It’s what you wanted in the first place. We’ll all get what we want.” I moved back to Daniel.
I failed to mention getting my mother back. I didn’t know if he cared about her. A long time had passed. His feelings for her must have changed. Regardless, once his brothers were free, he would leave.
Daniel wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed.
Uriel released a deep sigh and handed Awan the Book of Enchantresses he had safely tucked inside his wings. I didn’t know how he was able to store his sword and the book in them. I surely couldn’t. I guessed being an archangel had its advantages.
Awan’s eyes grew big with delight and her sisters gawked just the same. Awan traced the gold swirls and the words on the book and then tried to open it. Her fingers slipped off. She tried again.
“What did you do?” Awan scowled at Uriel.
“I didn’t do anything. You’re the witch that knows all the spells.”
She flipped the book over, and then back to the front, and after the last attempt, tossed it to Corian. “See if you can get it open.”
Uriel hiked an eyebrow. “You think TO would make it easy for you to open it? They didn’t want it to be in the wrong hands. Even I could not open it. I gave you what you wanted. Now, release my brothers.”
The two oil paintings hung on the wall swung sideways. The books on the shelf pulled out and then went back into their slots.
“Stop,” Uriel ordered.
Awan rolled her eyes. “Why should I do anything you say, Uriel?”
“A deal is a deal, witch,” he growled.
“That book”—she pointed at the Book of Enchantresses—“belongs to me. It’s mine. It should have never been taken from me. How would you like it if I took your wings? This might seem like just a book to you, but it’s part of me; it’s who I am. I will release them when I’m ready.”
Uriel clenched his fists, his jaw set tightly. For a moment, I thought he was going to release his power on Awan. Thank goodness for the interruption.
“Perhaps I can help you with that,” said a soft but confident voice from the doorway.
This woman wore a casual, long black dress. Her braided hair cascaded to one side of her pretty face. Her gait was graceful, like royalty. Something about her made me want to bow.
“Lotus.” Malum rushed to her and escorted her to Liana.
“I came as soon as I got the call from Dom. Where is he?”
“We caught one escaping. Dom’s on him as we speak. He’s going to follow him to his master.”
Lotus. Malum’s younger sister.
Lotus looked over her shoulder at us. Her eyes rounded. I didn’t know if she knew who we were. She nodded a greeting and turned away.
“What happened?” Lotus rested a palm on Liana’s sweaty forehead. “She has a fev
er. This isn’t good.”
Understatement. Supernatural beings only got fevers when they were on the verge of death or had been poisoned.
“According to Awan, Liana has two souls.” Malum’s attitude and tone softened toward the witch. His sister seemed to have a calming effect on him. “Do you know anything about having two souls?”
Lotus swallowed and nodded. “You’re not going to like what I have to say. A body is meant to have one. There are rare occasions when it holds two, like Liana, apparently. Usually, the being lives without knowing it possesses two souls, and all is fine unless the second soul wakes up. Something must have triggered the second soul. Do you know what happened?”
Malum scrubbed a hand down his face. “I think I do.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped. He focused on his feet. “When I retrieved her, I made her pluck her own feather, and I stored it in a magical globe Father had given me. It was spelled to make her forget her past family. I found that globe at the site of the explosion.”
Lotus’s eyes gleamed in understanding. “Her feather called to her. She must have somehow connected her past and present. But she wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Awan wrapped her fingers around the wooden bedpost and pursed her lips. “I know how she did it. I spoke with Balen, but he’s resting now, so please don’t ask him questions while he recovers. He told me Liana asked for his help. Balen, being a kind, gentle soul, said yes. He had no idea she would ask him to connect her to the feather. Balen didn’t think there was any harm, so he performed a simple revealing spell. Then the east wing exploded. Lotus, I want to clarify that Balen didn’t cause the explosion, the vampires did.”
Liar. I could tell by the way her sisters stiffened and inclined their heads. And my angelic instincts told me she was holding information back.
“Yes. I know,” Lotus said. “I’m glad Balen was with Paymon and Liana, or they might not have survived the attack. I saw Paymon before I came in here, so I got the scoop from him as well. He speaks highly of Balen and assured me Balen is not to blame.”