Edge of the Darkness (Hell on Earth Book 4)

by Brenda K. Davies

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Bale

  Initially, the plan was to leave the hotel the next day, but once the snow started falling, it didn’t stop for three days. The wind howling down the mountains created drifts that rose above my head in some areas and above Zorn’s in others.

  Wrath, Zorn, and I went on daily rides together. We would head out from the hotel and circle it to make sure nothing was creeping closer to us. Raphael and Caim regularly patrolled the area, but from above, it was difficult to see through the driving snow. It wasn’t any easier from the ground, but we kept up a steady round of rotating patrols every hour.

  I found I didn’t mind the cold or snow as much when I was enveloped in Wrath’s arms while he sat behind me on Zorn’s back. It was much easier to stay warm with his body heating mine.

  The others still watched his every move, and because of that, he preferred to be out in the snow. I didn’t expect everyone to embrace him, but an uneasy truce had formed between him and the others.

  I didn’t know what would happen with us or if he planned to stay or return to his old life. We didn’t discuss our future. We were both avoiding that conversation, but while we remained trapped in the hotel, there was no reason to talk about it.

  I didn’t think he’d changed his mind about wanting to kill Kobal, and I would still die for my king. Where that would leave us in the end, I didn’t know. And for now, I was content to remain oblivious. We may not have many happy days ahead of us; I was going to enjoy every one of the ones we did have.

  When he stopped Zorn near a copse of evergreens, I blinked away the snow falling to coat my lashes and cheeks. The wind had died down last night, and the frantic pace of the snow had eased to lazy spirals dancing on the air.

  “What is it?” I asked him.

  He slid off Zorn’s back and lifted his hand to me. “I saw something.”

  I took his hand and slid from Zorn’s back as I surveyed the woods, but I didn’t see anything out there. Still, I reached over my back to the hilt of my sword strapped there as we walked toward the trees and slipped underneath their heavy, snow-laden limbs. Beneath the thick boughs, the snow was less dense and only came to my ankles.

  “What did you see?” I asked.

  He bent to whisper in my ear. “An image of you naked.”

  His words barely registered before he grasped my waist and turned me to face one of the trunks. Before I knew it, he was unbuttoning my pants and kneeling to taste me before taking me from behind. I forgot all about the cold as our bodies created an inferno that lit me from the inside out.

  When we finished, his fangs remained embedded in my shoulder as he held me against him. Then his fangs retracted, and his lips left a tender caress along my throat.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered in my ear.

  I knew how he felt as my body already begged for more. However, the cold started to return, and I pulled my pants up. When I turned to face him, his eyes were that spectacular blue color again.

  I’d seen that blue often over the past few days, but it never failed to amaze me. It didn’t appear just when we were having sex; I’d also looked up from talking with Fiora to find him watching me with a small smile on his face and those blue eyes.

  Sometimes, even when we were in public, he would kiss me, and when he pulled away, his eyes would be blue again before shifting back to black. I’d started to challenge myself to find new ways to make them turn blue and tried to see if I could get them to stay that way longer, and they were.

  I questioned if they would one day stay blue, but I doubted it. No matter how happy he was, he was still Wrath, and the burden of his angry, malicious power would always reside within him.

  Besides, it was impossible to be happy all the time, even if I had to restrain myself from skipping around the hotel while singing every day. If anyone else did such a thing, I’d probably stab them to shut them up, but I’d never been this happy before.

  I was back with my friends, my sister was alive—something I never believed possible—and I had my Chosen, a man who I was growing to care for more and more each day. However, the rational part of me kept whispering this could all end so badly.

  However, for now, I planned to savor our time together. This was the happiest time of my life, and I wasn’t ready for it to end. A part of me dreaded the day the snow stopped because the battles with the craetons, and possibly Wrath, would resume.

  “Pride and Death are hunting me, you know,” he said as we rode back to the hotel.

  I roused myself from my happy stupor as, for the first time in days, reality intruded on my joy. “They’re hunting all of us.”

  “If they learn I’m here, it will be me they come for the most. They know I killed War.”

  “How could they possibly know that?”

  “Few others could have done it, and I’ve vanished off their radar, something I’ve never done before. Once they see you, they’ll know you’re my Chosen. I’ve made that clear.”

  That he had, multiple times a day.

  “There’s no love between us, but there is the principle of it,” he said. “If Pride had done this, I would hunt him down and kill him too.”

  “And they’ll learn you’re with us if they haven’t already. The demons who broke free in Eldorata aren’t going to forget the angels and demons with them.”

  I leaned back against him and stared ahead as thoughts of the battle soon to come replaced my happy musings. One way or another, the fight with the horsemen was going to come to an end. I just didn’t know how many of us would remain standing when it did.

  Wrath wrapped his arms around my waist. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you either,” I vowed.

  Bale

  Corson opened a map and laid it out on the table. He’d retrieved it from the small gift store on the first floor. Most of the items inside the store were raided years ago, but a few maps and some human trinkets remained. Hawk and Wren leaned closer to examine it.

  “We’re here,” Wren said and pointed at a spot in the middle of the mountains. “This is the closest lake to us.”

  She pointed to a patch of blue on the map.

  “Eldorata is probably there,” I said.

  It felt as if we’d been walking forever through the snow as we made our way here, but the lake wasn’t that far away.

  “How far is that?” Lix asked.

  Hawk turned the map and stuck his fingers on something at the bottom before bringing them up and comparing them to the map. “About five miles,” he said.

  “Are we going to Eldorata?” Aisling asked.

  “No, there’s nothing there anymore,” Corson said.

  Days ago, Raphael and Caim reported that once the gold coating crumbled from everything, the demons and hounds climbed out. Though, some of them killed each other first.

  “Are we going to find the hounds before we leave?” Wren inquired.

  “We’re going to try,” Corson said. “Now that it’s stopped snowing, we’ll take a day to search for the hounds and any demons who might be on our side. We need more fighters.”

  “How will we know if they’re on our side or not?” Amalia asked.

  “If they try to kill us or not,” Shax said.

  “Wonderful,” Wren muttered.

  “We know to avoid the lower-level demons. They’ll never fight on our side,” Lix said.

  “You’re better off leaving the hounds and demons behind and moving on from here,” Wrath stated.

  “Maybe you would be willing to leave them behind,” Corson replied, “but we don’t abandon our allies.”

  Wrath’s eyes narrowed on Corson as he folded his arms over his chest. I stiffened when the hostility in the room ratcheted up. Wrath was keeping his power suppressed, it wouldn’t do him any good to unleash it here, but I could still feel his rising anger crackling against my skin.

  “You don’t know how many of them are y
our allies,” Wrath said. “You’re risking your life and” —his eyes darted to me before returning to Corson— “others for two hounds and some possibilities.”

  From the shadows of the restaurant, a couple of hounds rose. They padded around the table to sit near Corson. As if they understood the conversation—and they probably did—their amber eyes shone in the dim candlelight as they focused on Wrath. One of them settled beside me, and I instinctively rested my hand on top of its black head. Wrath studied the hounds before looking to me.

  “I have no idea how long those two hounds were trapped in Eldorata, but they’ll still fight for us, and they belong with their pack,” I said. “We can’t leave them behind.”

  Wrath’s jaw clenched, and a muscle jumped in his cheek before he sighed and lowered his arms. I knew he didn’t understand, but he rested his fingers on the table while he studied the map.

  “Okay, so we’ll search for them, but be prepared for it to be pointless. There is a lot of wilderness around here, and they’re probably gone,” Wrath said.

  Corson’s eyes flicked to me, and a small smile played across his lips before he shifted his attention to the map and spoke again. “That’s why we’re only going to spend one day searching. Raphael and Caim have spotted some demons from above, but the trees are pretty thick and the snow has obscured everyone’s vision. There may be no one left around here, or there could be dozens of demons who would fight with us.”

  “If Pride and War survived the calamuts, then they’re probably still in the area. There’s a chance they’ve seen the angels, and now that the snow has stopped, they’ll be looking to kill,” Wrath said.

  “Which is why we need more fighters,” I said.

  I also wanted a bigger army to help keep him protected from the two assholes who would seek revenge against him. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he inspected the map. I suspected his irritation had nothing to do with the plan and everything to do with my involvement in it. He was my Chosen, but I was a fighter, and I wouldn’t stop fighting until we knew peace… if that day ever came.

  Wrath may not like it, but he had to accept it, just as I had to accept that there may come a time when our differences divided us. He was here, he would help against the horsemen, but he was only doing it for me and because he was also a target for Pride and Death.

  “When do you plan to do this?” Wrath asked.

  “We should move out of this area as soon as possible,” Corson said. “We’ll look for the hounds and any other palitons in the area tomorrow and leave the following day.”

  “And if Pride and Death find us first?”

  “We’ll kill them.” Corson’s eyes held a challenge as he stared at Wrath while he said this.

  Wrath smiled at him. “It won’t be that easy.”

  Chapter Forty

  Wrath

  I sat in the corner booth with my arm draped over the back of it and my hand resting on Bale’s shoulder as she watched Caim and her sister with a tilt of her head. The angel and demon were at the bar; Caim’s hand rested on top of it while Fiora sat on a stool. Caim said something and dropped his head closer to Fiora as she smiled and rested her hand on his arm.

  “Are they flirting?” Bale asked incredulously.

  “They are,” I said.

  The look on her face made it clear she didn’t approve.

  “I thought you liked Caim,” I said.

  “I do, but not with my sister.”

  “I’m sure she can take care of herself.”

  “Fiora was always more…” Her words trailed off as her fingers drummed on the table. “Sensitive than the rest of us. She was never much of a fighter.”

  “From what I understand about Caim, he’s a little more sensitive than all the other angels too.”

  After dealing with the other fallen angels, I never would have considered it was possible to like one of them, but I liked him. They were all arrogant pricks. But he wasn’t so arrogant, and though he was a little bit odd, he was fun, and I enjoyed watching him aggravate Corson and Raphael. Other than Bale, he was also the only one who didn’t stare warily at me whenever I walked by.

  “He’ll be a lot more sensitive if he does anything to hurt her. I’ll skin him alive and cut off his dick,” Bale vowed.

  I winced and shifted uncomfortably.

  “I’ve never seen her take an interest in anyone before,” Bale murmured. “I mean, of course, there were demons in her past, but I’ve never seen her flirt.”

  “A lot can change when you’re imprisoned for a long time.”

  She rested her hand on my thigh and squeezed it. I didn’t think she realized she was seeking to comfort me, but she’d grown more comfortable with touching me around others. It wasn’t a constant thing, but occasionally her hand would brush my arm or rest on the small of my back, and once she’d clasped my hand and drew it into her lap while we sat at the table with the others.

  I didn’t know what to make of the small ways she sought to connect with me, but I liked them. I also found myself doing the same to her; I often rested my hand on the small of her back or played with the ends of her hair, and I kissed her when I knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere.

  I couldn’t stop myself from touching her when she was close, and when I couldn’t touch her, my gaze always wandered to her. I loved the way she tilted her head when something perplexed her or the way her brow furrowed when she was deep in thought. I found myself studying her intently so I could learn every nuance of her face and emotions. She fascinated me, and every day I discovered some new wonder about her that I’d missed before.

  Fiora said something to Caim before rising and heading for the double doors leading to the main entrance.

  Bale squeezed my thigh again. “I’ll be back.”

  She slid out of the booth and followed her sister from the room.

  Bale

  “Fiora,” I said when my sister stepped into the main lobby.

  She stopped in front of the double glass doors and turned to me. The warm smile that lit her face instantly brought an answering one to my lips. Over the years, I’d forgotten how Fiora could light up a room. She was as demon as me, but she’d always been so joyful, and she made everyone around her happier because of it. All I wanted was the very best for her.

  She’d been having a difficult time adjusting to life here. It wasn’t Earth and our new way of life that was challenging for her, but the memories of her time trapped inside her golden cage. Our first few nights here, she had nightmares that caused her to wake screaming.

  Those screams woke everyone nearby, and I often found myself sprinting for her room only to find her sitting on her bed, screaming over and over again. When I embraced her, she broke free of whatever grip her nightmare still held over her, and clinging to me, she sobbed. However, she hadn’t woken screaming like that recently.

  Her smile faltered as I strode toward her. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  I stopped in front of her and studied the green eyes so similar in color to mine. “Yes, it’s fine,” I assured her, and she relaxed a little. “I wanted to talk about Caim.”

  Her shoulders went back. “What about him?”

  I wasn’t quite sure what to say. Who was I to say anything to anyone about who they took to bed? And I’d never before questioned a demon’s sexual choices. That wasn’t something any of us did, but this was Fiora, and she’d suffered enough.

  I couldn’t stand the idea of her suffering. Yes, she’d taken demons to her bed before, but I’d never seen her flirt with one of them or touch them in the way she touched Caim’s arm.

  “The two of you are very friendly,” I said.

  Her shoulders relaxed a little. “We are. He’s nice, and he’s funny. Those are two things I never thought I’d say about a fallen, but he’s not like the others, or at least he’s not like how I remember the others.”

  “No, he’s not like the other angels. He is actually… decent.”

  That was something I never b
elieved I’d admit about an angel. However, with Caim, it was true. I liked him, but I’d still tear out his heart and shove it down his throat if he hurt my sister.

  “He is,” she said. “He also keeps the nightmares away.”

  My eyebrows shot up. So the nightmares hadn’t stopped, and whatever this was between them was far more than a flirtation. How did I miss that?

  Because you’ve been busy with Wrath.

  I buried my guilt over this; she hadn’t needed me as much recently, and now I knew why.

  “And I haven’t said anything to you about Wrath,” she said with a pointed look.

  “Wrath is my Chosen.”

  Fiora didn’t say anything, but her gaze went past me to the restaurant beyond, and I knew she was looking at Caim. Panic clawed at my insides. Caim was a fallen, but more than that, he was an angel. Unlike demons, they didn’t have a Chosen. If Caim was Fiora’s Chosen, he could walk away from her without any consequences, but it would destroy her.

  River marked Kobal as hers; I reminded myself. The queen had enough demon traits in her from when Lucifer sheared his wings to mark the king, but Caim was different than the other fallen angels.

  He cut off his wings, but they grew back beautiful and with feathers, unlike the others who regrew bat-like, leathery wings. Throughout his transformation from angel to fallen, Caim retained more of his humanity and angel traits than the others. He remained more angel than demon; that was why he switched sides and helped us against Lucifer.

  I would bet that, unlike River, Caim wouldn’t feel the call of the Chosen, and it scared me.

  “Fiora, do you think Caim is your Chosen?” I asked.

  Her gaze returned to me, and I saw the apprehension in her eyes. Before she replied, the double doors of the front entrance thrust open, and a blast of cold wind billowed into the hotel. I stepped back from the freezing air as snow swirled inside and settled around Raphael.