From the way the creature grinned at Casey, it was clear that his message carried a weight I did not understand. But my brother did. Seconds later, he was on high alert.
“Where is he?” Casey asked. “Where is the Dragon?”
The gargoyle laughed, a raucous, shrill sound that nearly forced me to clamp my hands over my ears.
“In a hurry to meet your end, immortal warrior?”
Casey reloaded his gun and cocked it. “Where. Is. The. Dragon?” he asked again, his words barely more than a clipped growl.
“Here,” a voice boomed from behind us. I turned my head to find a monstrosity of a man lurking in the doorway. I had not heard him approach—not an inkling of his presence at all—and judging by the surprise on Kierson’s face, neither had he. But Casey’s countenance held nothing more than smug satisfaction. The similarities between him and Oz in that moment were undeniable.
The Dragon’s expression mirrored Casey’s. He took a step out of the darkness toward us into the crack of blue-white light that stretched across the room. Casey tossed his shotgun aside and reached into his coat to withdraw a blade.
“I feel like maybe you didn’t fully understand my message the last time I saw you.” He gestured with his knife to the silver-white scar that transected the Dragon’s throat. “I thought I made it pretty clear that you needed to fuck off and never come back.”
The Dragon cocked his head. “Is that what you really wanted?”
“If removing your firebox wasn’t clear enough, then you’re dumber than I thought.”
“But you never really loved me for my brains, did you, Casey?”
I could see Casey tense at his reply. Kierson too. Flanked by my silent brothers, both at a loss for words, I stepped closer to the emboldened Dragon. I did not appreciate the threat in his tone, the way in which he’d carefully thrown out that comment. He had done it to shock them both. It was his turn to be surprised.
“I do not see much to love.” With my hands on my hips, I cocked my head to mirror his behavior. The gesture seemed to enrage him, a flash of bright orange lighting his eyes before it faded away, leaving a less-than-human golden hazel hue in its wake.
“Playing for the other team now, Casey?” the Dragon taunted. “I must say, I hadn’t expected that, but she is rather stunning, if not a little melancholy. You do enjoy all things dark, though, so that would stand to reason—”
“Shut. Up,” Casey said from behind me.
“I am not for Casey to play with at all. I am his sister. And I, like my brother, do not suffer those that offend or threaten the few I care for. So you see, Dragon, you and I now have a problem. One that cannot be put to rest peacefully.”
The burning fire within him once again showed in his eyes, but this time, the inferno remained. I could feel his desire to let loose the flame and incinerate me to a pile of ash. It was as if my body were preparing to accept it. Accept and use it against him. I smiled wickedly at the thought. “Tell me why you have returned here—why now—and I may permit you to live.”
“And if I don’t?”
I thought of Oz in that moment, his grace under such scrutiny, and channeled his haughty indifference. With a subtle shrug, I let my lack of reply say all that I had intended it to.
The Dragon’s swirling eyes of fire fell upon Casey. “Your sister is fucking insane.”
“She is, but no more insane than you for coming back here. Now answer the question.” The Dragon hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth between Casey and me. “We both know there’s no point in your pretending that you can take the three of us. Hell, I’m not sure you could take Khara on your own after what I did to you, but if you’re feeling lucky—or suicidal—you could try.”
It was then that I heard the clicking of nails on wood echo throughout the building. I looked over my shoulder to find an army of gargoyles descending upon us. The Dragon had done exactly what he had intended—lured us into a false sense of security and allowed his backup to arrive. It told me two things about him as a warrior. First, he had indeed been wounded badly enough by Casey that he was unable to take us on himself. Second, he was as cunning as my dark brother.
What a perfect pairing they must have been.
“I have no intention of taking you on alone, Casey. But I have every intention of sitting back and watching you pay for what you did.”
“You will not get the chance,” I said, my tone laced with warning. “I will scorch your eyes from their sockets before an ounce of his blood is shed.”
The Dragon stared at me as he rolled his shoulders, preparing for battle. The distinct sound of leather straining with the movement was undeniable. His skin began to darken, thickening with every second. His change was imminent, and I wondered just how difficult a foe he would be to slay. I had never seen a dragon before—and I had certainly never killed one.
“Kierson,” Casey said, the clipped nature of the word telling my brother and me everything we needed to know. We were greatly outnumbered, and I wondered if Casey had doubts about how lasting the damage he had done to the Dragon’s firebox really was.
“You take him,” Kierson replied. “Khara and I will deal with them.”
As if his spoken plan had been a signal, the gargoyles descended upon us with that frightening speed I had forgotten they possessed. Teeth tore through the flesh of my arm, waking me from my stupor. Without thought, I pulled my blade free of its sheath and drove it into the gargoyle’s eye, piercing its brain. It fell to the floor at my feet but was soon replaced by another. And another. And another. The wall of the Dragon’s minions seemed endless. And then there was the Dragon himself to contend with. The flap of leathery wings snapped through the room, creating a blast of wind that tossed my hair into my face.
“Casey!” I shouted over the cacophony around us.
“Keep killing!” he replied, his back now pressed to mine. “He’s bluffing. He can’t firebreathe anymore.”
“And if you are wrong?”
He hesitated for a moment too long. I could hear the beast’s deep inhale above us, sucking up so much air that it was impossible to breathe for a second. I reached behind me and pressed my hand against Casey’s side. With a mighty shove, I knocked him off balance and out of the way, trading places with him.
Just in time for a blaze of fire to strike me.
The flames licked at my skin, searing my exposed flesh as it burned through my leathers. The pain was indescribable, driving me to my knees. Death seemed a welcome alternative to it.
My brothers’ screams seemed distant as my mind turned inward, focusing only on the agony I felt. I could see nothing beyond the veil of orange enveloping me, but I knew the Dragon still hovered above, looming over his would-be kill. I had no doubt that he was admiring his work and the fear in Casey’s voice as he repeatedly called out to me, trying to reach me through the wall of fire consuming my flesh.
Then the pain abated. Slowly but steadily, the pounding fury coursing through my veins faded to little more than background noise—a dull reminder of what had just happened to me. My legs worked against their broken skin and tattered clothing, tearing them both in an effort to stand. As I uncurled my fiery body, I watched as the flames waned, then flickered. With a great inhale, they extinguished entirely.
Standing there before an array of stunned expressions, I looked up at the Dragon, whose eyes held none of their previous fire, and smiled.
“Your firebox is now mine to command, Dragon.”
I let those ominous words sink into the scaled beast’s mind.
“Khara?” Kierson said from behind me, concern plaguing his tone.
“Fear not, Kierson. All is well…at least for me.” With that, I turned to face the wall of gargoyles my brothers had been fighting. “If I were you,” I said, addressing the leathery horde, “I would run.”
Their eyes flashed to the Dragon, then back to me, uncertainty tainting the air around us, the stench of fear now as thick as that of burnt flesh. �
�Whose wrath do you fear more?” I asked, stepping between my brothers to approach them. Casey’s hand fell upon my arm. The sound of his sizzling skin preceded its removal, followed by a slew of curse words. “I will count to five,” I continued, my low, threatening tone enough to give even my brothers pause. “One…” The gargoyles in the back took a step in retreat. “Two…” Their new leader looked over his shoulder and snarled at the others. “Three….” I took a deep inhale just as the Dragon had done before he attempted to incinerate me. “Four…” The count was barely a whisper—a small escape of breath. Whether the gargoyles’ survival instincts were too strong to stay, or their loyalty to the Dragon was more easily severed than Casey had implied, they all scattered through the vast room, scurrying through every possible means of exit. Only one still stood before me, defiance raging in his black eyes.
He would die with that expression intact.
On the count of five, I unleashed unholy hellfire upon him, accomplishing what the Dragon had failed to do only moments earlier. As a continual stream of scorching orange flames shot from my mouth, I watched the silhouette of the gargoyle slowly disappear. By the time I was finished, there was nothing left but ash on the charred wooden floor.
“Holy shit,” Kierson said on an exhale. I turned to find him staring at me, jaw slack, eyes wide.
“Looks like your minions and your abilities have turned on you,” Casey said to the Dragon, who had resumed his human form.
“Not fully,” I added, stepping toward Casey’s former love, “but I would not suggest using that particular method of attack on my brothers or me again. I think you’ll find that I can fight fire with fire, quite literally.”
“What are you?” the Dragon asked, his words distant and detached. His expression held notes of both awe and disgust.
“I am the one you will explain yourself to. You will tell me why you’ve returned to Detroit and everything you know about those hunting my father to my satisfaction. Only then will I decide your fate. Prove yourself an asset, and I will spare you. Prove yourself difficult, and I will make you beg for the arms of the Underworld to embrace you.” I took a step closer to him while he stood stoically, too stunned to move. “But I should warn you—I am the Underworld. There is no escaping me. Do not endeavor to deceive me, Dragon. I think you will find that to be unwise.” I looked over my shoulder at my brothers. Kierson’s expression was still full of disbelief, but Casey’s was full of pride. “If you would like the honor of taking him,” I said to my dark brother. His malice-filled smile spread wide across his face.
“My pleasure, sis.” He walked over to the Dragon and grabbed him by the arm, the tip of a blade pressed to his back. “Move!”
The Dragon obeyed, and I followed them with Kierson at my side.
“I can’t believe you did that…that you survived that. You’re not even burned anymore…”
“I am in as much disbelief as you,” I said, a small smile gracing my face. “These powers of mine are…surprising.”
“Yeah. You could say that.”
“I hope to have the opportunity to use these new tricks again soon, Kierson. Persephone seems an excellent target to practice them on.”
I turned away from him and increased my speed. The mere thought of my father’s bride made my blood begin to boil. The feeling coursed through me until I could finally put a name to it: Rage—unadulterated rage—overtook my body. The only comfort it gave was the knowledge that I could unleash it on the traitor to the Underworld. I would see that she paid for her betrayal. And unlike the Dragon, the offer of mercy would not be issued to her. An eternity would not be long enough to make her pay for what she did.
But it would suffice.
5
Casey threw the Dragon down on the couch in the living room and began his interrogation before the others even had a chance to ask questions. Kierson and I soon found ourselves fielding those while Casey did what Casey did so well: butcher and bloody his victims until they told him all they knew.
“So the Dragon is back,” Pierson said with a frown, looking at the scorched remains of my clothing.
“Yeah, and he wasn’t happy to see us,” Kierson added. He recounted the details of our evening at the Masonic Temple to Drew and his twin. By the time he finished, there was a look of shock on both their faces. Pierson, because he only then realized that Casey had once loved the fiery creature. Drew, because he was once again overwhelmed by the things he could not remember. The past he could not recall.
I placed my hand on his shoulder to draw his attention. When he met my gaze, I did my best to smile at him the way he once had at me.
“I often feel as you do now, Brother—confused and lost.”
“Yeah,” he said softly, watching as Casey punched the Dragon yet again, “I don’t think I like it much.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “It gets easier—eventually.”
He forced a smile in return. “I’ll take your word for it, Sister.”
A noise so loud it shook the room rang out, and I turned to see the Dragon sliding down the wall, which seemed to disintegrate as he did. Only a gaping hole was left by the time his body hit the floor.
“Say that one more time and I will gut you where you lay,” Casey snarled, storming toward the Dragon. Kierson jumped in front of him to thwart his approach and was met with a blade to his throat.
“You can’t kill him for no reason, Casey,” he said as the dagger pressed against his skin.
“He attacked us,” Casey said, his nearly black eyes bottomless pits of anger and despair and wrath. “That’s reason enough.”
“Drew?” the Dragon called, his battered face turning to our once-fallen leader. “Drew, you can’t let him do this!”
“Oh, he can, and he will,” Casey said, shoving Kierson away. With a leap over the sofa, he was upon the Dragon. He drew back his arm, blade clutched tightly in his hand, prepared to end his former lover; one of what I could only assume were very few beings ever to command the affection of my dark brother. The brother whose pain was deep and haunting.
“Stop!” Drew shouted. Casey’s body was yanked back, his arm frozen in mid-strike. “Nobody is killing anyone until I understand what’s going on here.”
“Me as well,” Hades said from the top of the stairs. He made his way down to the crowded living room. He took one look at me and my fire-ravaged clothes, then the bleeding Dragon, and his expression darkened. “What is that thing doing here?”
“That is what I am trying to determine,” Drew replied.
“Determine what?” a voice called from the foyer as the front door closed. Seconds later, Oz appeared at my side. He took one look at the scene frozen before him and smiled. “Well, this should make for a great story…” Then his eyes found me and my burnt, disheveled appearance, and every ounce of amusement slipped away from his expression, leaving rage in its wake.
“Drew.” Casey bit out his name like it pained him. Given how hard he fought against his brother’s control, it may very well have. “I need you all to go and let me finish this.”
“Why?” Drew demanded. “Why must you kill him?”
“Don’t say it’s because of what happened at the temple,” Kierson added, “because that’s some bullshit. You two had a beef long before that—you made that very clear the night the Stealers came for Khara in the Heidelberg Project.” Casey looked over his shoulder and glared at Kierson. “It’s also very clear that something else is going on between you two…”
“Shut up, Kierson—”
“You don’t have to be angry about it—”
“SHUT UP!”
Oz leaned down to speak in my ear. “It seems I may have missed something in my absence,” he whispered. “Care to fill me in?”
I shot him a wary glance, then went to Casey’s side. With his arm still held in place by Drew’s command, I peeled the dagger from his hand. Angry eyes met mine, and for the briefest moment, all I found in their depths was pain. Pain and sadness.
“I do not know what drove you two apart,” I said softly, “but I do know that you have honor, Casey. More than you would like to admit. Do not let your feelings cloud your morality. That is a dark well to pull yourself from.”
“He needs to die,” he said, those words only for me, though the others easily heard them.
“Why?” I asked, stepping closer. Those dark eyes slammed shut as he tried to steady the rapid rise and fall of his chest. When they opened, they were dull and empty and belied the storm of emotions writhing just beneath his skin. It was then that I realized that Casey’s persona was a shell—a shell of the being he truly was—and nobody, not even his brothers, knew it. They were blissfully unaware of his depth, and their ignorance of who he was was killing him in a way that only I could understand. I knew all too well how your emotions could be turned against you and used as a weapon. So I had evolved into a being with very few, if any.
But that had changed once I met my brothers.
“Drew,” I called, never taking my eyes off my hurting brother, “let him loose. All is well now. I will see to that.”
Without question, Drew did as I asked and released Casey from his unseen bond. My freed brother and I just stood there for a moment, a silent conversation playing out between us as the others looked on, oblivious to the understanding he and I shared.
“This is not over,” he said, daring a glance down at the Dragon.
Sadness eclipsed the Dragon’s expression. “I know…”
I turned to the bleeding being leaning against the wall. “Who hunts my father?”
He shook his head. “I do not know the specifics, just that the gargoyles have heard much talk about him—none of it is good.”
“If you can be of no help to us, then you may go.” After the shock left his expression, he was on his feet, wiping the blood from his face. “But you would be wise to remember that the PC protects one another just as it does the balance between the worlds. Challenge one of us, you challenge us all.” He looked back to stare at me as he walked away. “And I think you now know what I am capable of. Say anything about what happened this evening or my father and you will bear the full brunt of my power without question.”
Unspoken (Unborn Book 3) Page 3