by Amy Sumida
“What's wrong?” I asked him.
“Well, the world is safe again.” Gage shrugged. “As safe as we can make it. But you aren't and that bothers me.”
I cocked my head at him, confused. Then I realized what he was referring to.
“The assassins,” I whispered and exhaled roughly. “I completely forgot about them.”
“Assassins?” Aaro, Slate's brother, asked. “What assassins?”
“Triton assassins,” I looked at my uncle as I answered Aaro. “Someone has been hiring them to kill me.”
“What?” Triton gaped at me. “Hiring your kin to kill you?”
“Talk about adding insult to injury,” Aaro muttered.
“Distant kin,” I clarified. “I didn't even recognize the first one, but the last was Christophe. He's like a tenth cousin twice removed or some crap like that, right?”
“Christophe?” Triton's expression hardened. “That fucking useless moron. I haven't seen him in years. He's been living on the surface, couldn't handle the boredom of court life, or so he said.”
“I figured.” I nodded. “But as I mentioned; he was the second Triton to come gunning for me. Well, for someone who looked like me.”
“What's this now?” Triton scowled.
“I'm lost,” Binx, Slate's youngest brother, muttered.
“No surprise there,” Aaro said dryly, his gray eyes shining with mischief.
“Fuck you, dick,” Binx rumbled, hunching his enormous shoulders as if considering a brief stint as a battering ram.
“Shut up, both of you,” Slate said casually, and his brothers quieted. To Triton, he said, “Lucifer created doppelgangers of Elaria and assassins have been killing them. We believe the kills are cases of mistaken identity and Elaria is the true target.”
“Is there any way you could find out who hired them?” I asked Triton. “It would be nice to know who my enemy is. Then maybe I could settle this.”
Triton frowned thoughtfully. “I'll do some digging. Father will be keen on moving us back home and setting things to rights. Which means a lot of work and little time for investigation. But you're family and he's in your debt; all of us are. So, I'll insist that we make this a priority. Hopefully, we'll find your enemy within a few days.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“If there are still Triton assassins out there who have accepted a contract on you, I'll kill them myself,” Triton vowed viciously.
My men grinned in approval.
Chapter Forty
“We need to talk,” I said as I left the ballroom with my men later that night.
“Nothing good ever follows those words,” Gage grumbled.
“What is it, little bird?” Torin asked.
“Not here.” I led them into one of the sittings rooms then locked the door behind us.
“Well?” Slate asked. “Don't keep us in suspense.”
I've got this, RS said. It's the least I can do.
I sighed in relief. Thank you.
You're getting badass, RS spoke to all of us. That's good, right?
“Where are you going with this, RS?” Darc asked warily.
You, in particular, tall, darc, and watery, are getting very powerful, she said. But all of you are getting stronger because of me. I connect you. I bind you in love and magic. Shouldn't I be protected?
“I thought you were going to explain it to them, not try to sway them?” I snarled.
I don't want them biting my head off before I can defend myself, RS grumbled.
All of us, including Kyanite, said, “You have no head!”
You don't have to be so literal, RS huffed. You know what I meant. Give me a chance to explain my actions before I confess.
“Confess what?” Declan snapped.
“She's been manipulating my... physical responses,” I gave up and told them myself. “I've been attracted to other men. Not just attracted; deeply attracted. I'm so sorry.”
“It sounds as if it isn't your fault, my fire,” Darc said gently.
It's not mine either, RS whined. I'm just trying to protect us. Sometimes, I act on instinct, and instinct told me to start looking for a new man.
They all went still.
“That's what she's been trying to tell you,” I explained. “RS has grown stronger because we have grown stronger. Every time we unite, she takes a little power from all of us; a sort of magical payment.”
“We're already paying her,” Banning said. “Our love for you is her payment.”
It's not payment, RS protested. El isn't explaining it correctly. When we connect, all of us connect; myself included. Our magic merges and that is an intimate act. You can't merge with someone that deeply and not be affected. We strengthen each other.
“Temporarily,” Banning said. “We get stronger when you unite us then we go back to being ourselves.”
Yes, but when someone in our group grows in power and I merge with them, it also increases my power, she explained. And not temporarily.
“So it's an endless circle,” Torin whispered fatally. “We sustain the RS, she unites us, uniting strengthens her, then we must draw more men into our family to feed her. Then they, in turn, will doubtless strengthen us and so forth.”
Huh, I didn't think about it like that, RS noted.
“This has to stop,” Slate declared. “Right now.”
Power is a good thing, RS protested.
Not when it's unrestrained, ever-growing, Kyanite growled. Do you want them to be gods again? Because I don't.
Yeah, okay, fair enough, she mumbled.
“Kyanite agrees with us,” I explained to the men who weren't connected to my stone.
“How do we stop this, RS?” Gage asked.
I honestly don't know.
“Fuck,” Slate growled.
“For now, we don't unite or magic unless absolutely necessary,” I gave them Kyanite's plan to hold us over. “Now that we're all aware of this, I'm sure that we can come up with something together. We just need some time to think it over.”
The men exchanged uneasy looks but then sighed and nodded.
“We'll think of something,” Darc spoke for them all. “Don't worry, my fire.”
I smiled brightly but inside, I quaked with fear. Torin's observation had stunned me more than I'd let on. And Slate was right; we couldn't let this continue. Sweet stones, where would it end? But I, like RS, couldn't see a way to stop it.
Chapter Forty-One
My men and I spent that night in the Zone. The next morning, we left but only to bring Shining Ones and Blooders back with us. And they weren't the only ones who came to help. The armies who weren't able to make it to the final battle showed up to help repair the damage Gargo had inflicted. With magic, skill, and plain hard work, the Zone quickly began to heal. The Gargoyles repaired broken masonry while the rest of us cleared the debris and fixed what we could with magic and good, old fashioned physical labor. By midday, my work clothes were damp with sweat, but I was feeling damn good about it.
I dumped another broken chair in the area designated for furniture repairs then swiped at my forehead and stared across the street at the apartment building Slate and his team had just finished reconstructing. It looked brand new but out of place with all the detritus around it.
Can't you just sing something? RS huffed in my mind as I headed back into the building I was helping to clear.
“There are some things that even a song can't fix,” I said aloud as I navigated through the murky dark.
“So very true.”
I squinted into the shadows. “Who's there?”
“I'm not the one you should be worried about, Spellsinger,” the voice, male but a little on the higher end of the scale, taunted me. “It's the one I'm taking you to who will chill your blood.”
Run! Kyanite shouted in my mind.
I didn't stop to think, just trusted my jewel and ran. Something swept past my back, catching my hair and pulling out several strands. I didn't stop, ev
en after I made it outside. I leapt over piles of stone and dodged around wheelbarrows. Beneathers paused what they were doing to stare at me in shock.
“Take cover!” I shouted. I had no idea what was coming for me, but if Kyanite wanted me to run, it wasn't good; not for anyone.
Beneathers ran for the ruins of buildings and ducked behind boulders as I sprinted up the street.
The guys are on their way, RS assured me.
I've got the perfect song, my love.
The tremulous piano of “Landmines” by BELLSAINT lifted around and again, I trusted Kyanite and started to sing, calling to my magic as I sped up the obstacle course of a street. Beneathers darted out of my way, the warning cry spreading fast, and a path cleared for me. I heard a roar from somewhere nearby but couldn't place the type of beast. It didn't matter, whatever it was, it needed to stay off this road because it was about to become a war zone.
I think this whole damn place has already been a war zone, RS grumbled. Oh! Heads up!
A spear shot past, nicking my upper arm, but I sang on and didn't look back. I didn't have to. I knew that weapon; it told me exactly who was chasing me. But even seeing the proof of that Triton spear, I couldn't understand it at first. I was in the Zone; I was supposed to be safe there. At least now that the Gargo pit had been filled. Then I remembered. With all of the beneathers pouring in to help repair the Zone, the Gargoyles had decided to leave the gates open. The only guard duty was being done at the arena.
That fish-fucking cretin had just walked right in. See? I knew that insult would come in handy.
I focused on the song, seeing Kyanite's plan. He wanted me to lay a trap for my pursuer as I ran; sprinkling words behind me like seeds that would sprout a deadly harvest. They'd lay in wait for my target to tread upon them, and when he did, he'd reap what I had sown.
The song had begun softly; a lament for an impetuous heart. A story about a woman who falls for men with silver tongues and fey promises. In her broken soul, she feels as if those cruel men are all she deserves. If she believes in them, it's her fault so she suffers the consequences. She embraces love even though she knows it will destroy her; a grenade clasped to her chest adoringly. She just closes her eyes and waits for the end.
But I didn't need the heartache or the bleak resignation of the song. I took the words for what they were and that dangerous chorus turned a broken road into a minefield. My voice rose with my magic and the suddenly resounding music, waltzing into undulating, dramatic peaks. It swam out of my throat with deadly intent, sharks heading for blood, and hit my target. Not the Triton assassin but the ground beneath him. My assailant had no idea that he was in danger, every step bringing him closer to an explosive end.
Make a stand, my love. Your trap is laid, Kyanite said smugly.
I came to a stop and pivoted on my heels to face the assassin. He was a good twenty feet behind me but closing the distance fast. Beneathers streamed out of their hidy-holes to help me now that they could see the threat was only one man, and angels began to descend and line the road. I waved them all back as I continued to sing. I noticed Raphael among the Host, his arms crossed and a smile spreading across his face as he settled in to watch. My assassination attempt had just become entertainment; a break in the monotony of hard labor. I would have laughed if I hadn't been busy singing.
A dark streak darted through the crowd, and I worried that whoever it was would run into the road despite my warnings. I gestured wildly, and Raphael caught the blur and pulled it back from danger. It turned out to be a man; a king, actually. Verin. I met his wild stare and saw something shocking within it; fear. Verin kept staring at me, his chest heaving, as Raphael spoke rapidly to him. He blinked then gave the angel a crisp nod. With a smug twist of his lips, Verin settled into a spread-legged stance, crossed his arms, and proceeded to watch... me.
“Elaria!” Slate's roar came from behind me, along with the pound of footsteps.
I'll let them know you're handling it and have them tell the crowd to keep off the road, RS said. Just keep singing.
I did. Even when I felt the presence of my lovers beside me, I kept singing, focusing only on the running triton. I absently heard Slate shouting at everyone to keep back, but other than that, I heard only music and the echo of my voice.
The triton didn't pause when he saw my backup or the beneathers lining the road, only reached for another weapon. I suppose he didn't need to fight all of us, only kill me and escape. He lifted a Beneather gun and aimed it at me as he leapt over debris, his movements becoming beautiful with the soundtrack I provided. Perfect for my lyrics, in fact. The triton danced across the deadly earth just as the chorus described, boots displacing dust in graceful arcs.
The crack of a gun rent the music. A plate of bulletproof glass appeared in front of me, catching the bullet and holding it aloft, directly before my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Declan's hand lifted, keeping his manifestation solid. I sang on, concentrating on the ground beneath the assassin's feet, as he kept firing at my barricade in the same spot to weaken it. A collection of bullets formed before my eyes. Declan twitched his finger and the glass expelled them and healed itself.
The triton was lucky, I'll give him that. He made it a good fifteen feet—nearly to me—before the inevitable happened.
The explosion didn't rock the Zone as I'd expected. It didn't even crack any surviving windows. The blast was concentrated upward, damaging only its target. That being said, the triton became another sort of bomb, exploding outward in a spray of blood, bones, and other bits I'd rather not mention. As I let my music drift away, the sound of disgruntled beneathers took its place.
“Damn it all, Elaria!” Raphael shouted. “Did you have to blow him up?”
Chapter Forty-Two
The bulletproof glass had protected my men and me from the blast of exploding assassin. Blood and gore dripped down it slowly, making me grimace.
“Everyone step back,” Declan instructed.
We all backed away from the barrier, and Declan let go of his magic. The carnage splashed to the road in chunky bits and revealed a group of blood-splattered beneathers; mostly Angels. My ex was nearly covered in Triton goop. I choked back a laugh as he stalked toward me furiously.
“Did you forget that you wanted to capture an assassin alive?” Raphael ground out.
My face fell.
Oh, dear. I may have forgotten that in my haste to defend you, Kyanite murmured in my mind.
Damn it! Now, we've lost another chance at discovering who's been trying to kill her! RS shouted.
I didn't hear you warning me to stop, Kyanite shot back.
I didn't know what you were planning.
The song was called Landmines! What result did you expect?
Enough! I snapped in my head. Out loud, I said, “We didn't know it was an assassin at first. By the time we did, we were a little too distracted to change the song.”
Raphael grunted in irritation as he swiped entrails off his shirt. “This was vintage Megadeath.”
“Then why did you wear it to perform physical labor?” I countered.
“Because I thought it would get sweaty, not bloody.”
Verin made one of his growling grunts as a piece of assassin slid off his chin. He flicked his eyes downward to watch it fall then lifted that sharp stare to me. His glare was even more intimidating when seen amid all that blood. Terrifying even. The angels looked awkward covered in all that gunk, but Verin had the appearance of a conqueror fresh off a battlefield. And an expression that suggested he was about to start another war. I shrugged at him. It's not as if I'd asked him to come and watch the wet works.
“There are showers in that building over there.” Slate pointed to a building with a gym on its bottom floor. “Please help yourselves.”
Verin made a soft, dismissive grunt and headed toward the gym.
“Meet us at the palace when you're clean, Raphael,” Lucifer ordered as he stepped around my men, clean as the day h
e'd created his body, not even a sweat stain on him. “We need to discuss this.”
Raphael inclined his head respectfully to Lucifer then headed into the gym with the other bloodied beneathers. I blinked at that. Raph had been a rebel when I'd met him; a fallen angel in many ways. After Lucifer had been freed of his devil, Raphael became Luke's right-hand man, but he did it with a measure of casualness that held tightly to his rebellious nature. It wasn't until recently that I'd seen him give Lucifer such deference. It made me wonder what had been done to earn it.