“You’ve been arrested before? But you’re a P.I. Or, well, you were before you traded all that in for an illustrious career with me.”
Dane chuckled when the proverbial lightbulb went on over my head and it became clear I’d caught on to the fact that he meant he’d been arrested a long time ago. It was easy to forget how many lifetimes Dane had walked the Earth, how many times he’d reinvented his identity while fulfilling his role as Sin Eater. Dane McDonough, private eye, was just one of many personas he’d adopted over three centuries. One day I’d convince him to tell me about the rest.
“You really think the Principles will let us get arraigned and sent to intake?” Before Dane had a chance to answer, I caught sight of a familiar face. “Tobias, oh thank God.”
“Indeed.” Looking dapper in his three-piece suit, Tobias nodded a greeting to Dane as he made his way over to me. “How are you, Jax?” Head cocked to one side, Tobias looked at me. I mean really looked at me, no doubt searching for signs of the Elioud.
“I’m fine.” Loosening my grip on the bars, I took a deep breath and tried to relax as he narrowed his gaze. “I’m fine, I promise.” At least for the time being.
Satisfied with my answer or whatever he saw when he looked at me, Tobias rested a hand on mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The angel leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper.
“The church is not pressing charges for vandalism or destruction of property. There is no evidence of arson. The Fire Marshall has already determined the cause of the fire was electrical. You are very lucky neither of you was seriously injured. I’ll have you two out shortly.”
“That was quick.” My shoulders dropped as my body noticeably relaxed. “Thanks.”
With a wink, Tobias turned and made his way out to speak to one of the officers, stopping to talk with Dane.
True to his word, Tobias had us out of jail and into a car waiting for us in front of the station in under an hour.
“The church agreed not to press charges if you remove the graffiti.” Tobias slid behind the wheel, fastening his seatbelt while Dane and I climbed into the back seat together.
“You told them no, right?” I looked at Dane, shaking my head in disbelief. “You told them that it was angelic script and it was for their protection, right, Tobias?”
The angel remained quiet as he clicked on the turn signal and pulled out of the parking lot to take us back to the apartment, confirming my suspicions. Tobias and the Principles had agreed to remove the markings and leave the portal open on the other side.
“Why didn’t you just tell them what it is, what it’s for?” Leaning forward, I gripped the back of the headrest, putting my face close to his. “They’re already people of faith. They’d believe you.”
“We’ve talked about the whole ‘seeing is believing’ approach before. It’s not the same as faith. One of the reasons we enlisted you is because you already know, remember? The Principles will send someone else to close the portal.” Tobias spared me a glance in the rearview before shifting his focus back to the road.
“There’s another like me? Where?” Dane rested a hand on my shoulder to keep me from crawling into the front seat and having a go at Tobias. “Don’t you think that’s something I should know? I mean, we could have been working together. Helping each other.”
Throwing myself back in the seat with a huff, I stared out the window, watching the people on their stoops as we drove past, then something occurred to me.
“They’re not here to help me. They’re here to replace me.”
“Tobias?” Dane leaned forward when the angel didn’t answer, elbows resting on knees, hands clenched.
“Yes. And no.” Tobias’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, the leather creaking beneath his hands. The five-passenger sedan suddenly felt too small for the three of us. “The Principles have brought another member into the team, though you’ll never be teammates in the sense that you’ll be working together.”
Fucking Principles, always holding all the cards.
“And what exactly will this person be doing?” Arms folded across my chest, I kept staring out the window, wondering if I wouldn’t have been better off on my own. So far, this holy warrior gig hadn’t gotten me any closer to salvation, just two steps closer to my damnation.
“They will be tasked with closing the portals.” Tobias met my glare in the review mirror as he slowed the car to park alongside the curb. He was out of the car before I could even process what he’d said.
Dane grabbed our bags and got out of the car, coming around to my side to open the door for me. I sat there, sort of shell-shocked, wondering what exactly this meant for me. For the agreement I’d made with Thomas and the Principles when I’d first signed up for this. Can they break the agreement? Can they back out?
They’ll betray you, the Elioud whispered in my mind. Her voice slid against the inside of my skull like silk on skin, answering the questions as if I’d asked her directly. They already have.
This is your fault. They know about you. That’s what Tobias was looking for back at the police station. Signs of you. Pressing my hands against my temples, I tried to ignore the voice and the pressure that formed behind my eyes when I acknowledged her.
“Jax?” Dane was standing in the street, holding the car door open for me. Slinging both our bags over his shoulder, he held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go inside, hear what he has to say. I’m just as pissed as you, but there’s no point staying out here.”
The problem was, I already knew what he had to say, and I didn’t want to hear it. The Principles knew about her, the Elioud, and they were trying to figure out how to keep her contained.
See, you know I’m right. You know the angel is false, making promises he doesn’t intend to keep. You know it, and yet you still follow. You’re a sheep when you could be a wolf.
Struggling to ignore the voice in my head, I trudged along behind Dane to our apartment, with heavy feet and heart.
Dane tossed our bags by the front door and made a beeline to the fridge, grabbing two ciders. Using the ring he wore on the middle finger of his right hand, signifying his status as a Sin Eater, he hooked the bottle caps on the platinum band and popped them off. He set one on the island countertop for me before taking a long pull of his own. Leaning back against the sink, he looked expectantly at Tobias and waited for the angel to explain what the hell was going on.
Sidling up to the counter, I grabbed my cider. Eyebrows raised expectantly, I peered over the bottle at Tobias.
“As I said, this person has been tasked with closing the portals.”
“And this person, are they like me?” Setting the half empty bottle down, I folded my arms and leaned on the counter.
“No.” The angel scuffed the sole of his foot on the kitchen floor and nervously cleared his throat. “No, no, they’re not like you at all. The exact opposite, in fact.”
“Well, that’s disappointing. I thought we were going to be besties, what with our matching tattoos and all.” Yanking up my sleeve, I exposed the cross I’d had tattooed on my forearm, symbolizing my commitment and enlistment as a new crusader. “So what are you trying to tell me, Tobias? That I was just filling in until the real chosen one was found?”
“Jax, please.” Tobias regained his mental footing, his confidence returning as he tried to explain. “You’re charged with finding the spear. There will be plenty of demons to slay along the way to discovering it, I assure you.”
“Angel.” Dane turned Tobias’s title into a warning, his voice practically a growl.
“There was something different about this portal, wasn’t there, Jax?” Tobias shifted his gaze between Dane and I. “You felt it. The portal stirred something in it, in you.”
“Nothing more than the time I used my blood to close a portal.” I pushed the empty glass bottle away and slammed my hand down on the countertop. “It was under two feet of water, Tobias. I was there too long. Next time I’ll be faster.”
“You’
re lying to yourself. And to me.” Tobias pressed on, willing me to admit what he already knew. “The portals are having an undesirable effect on you, on the Elioud.”
“An undesirable effect? What the hell does that mean?” Dane moved to sit on the stool beside me at the counter. “Jax?”
“Undesirable effect.” I laughed. “That’s an understatement, wouldn’t you say? The last seven years have been having an undesirable effect, Tobias.” Swiveling on the stool, I turned to face Dane. “She got stronger near the portal.” Placing a heavy emphasis on the word she, I glared at Tobias out of my peripheral vision. Something about the way he referred to the Elioud as an it rubbed me the wrong way. “The longer we were there with the portal open, the stronger she got. She watched you, watched the demons overpower you, cause you pain. I watched you.”
Dane pulled back the hand he’d rested on my forearm moments before in an act of comfort as he processed what I’d said. There were less than a few feet between us. It might as well have been a mile. Thumbs on his temples, hands steepled against his forehead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“What’s next, Tobias?”
With an inward sigh of relief, every muscle in my body relaxed when Dane spoke. He wasn’t walking away. Not yet, anyway.
“The portals are someone else’s responsibility. Apart from that, nothing has changed. Find the spear. Banish or kill any demons who cross your path.”
“And the Elioud?” Eyes glued to the countertop, I traced patterns on the granite with my index finger, avoiding Tobias’s eyes.
“We starve her. The portals give her strength. We’ll deny her that. You’re stronger than you’re willing to give yourself credit for, Jax.” Tobias bent down, tilting his head to the side to meet my eyes. “Try to remember that.” He stood, bringing his attention back to Dane. “The museum was a dead end. A coincidence and nothing more. Go back to the Romani.”
“Maloney? Fuck him. He set her up.” Dane’s fist pounded the counter, the salt and pepper shakers rattling from the impact. “He deserves to die for what he did to her.”
“Have a little faith, Sin Eater. A fate worse than death will befall him for his role in all this. Go back to the King house, speak with the Romani.” Tobias walked toward the door, opting for a more human exit. “I’ll be in touch.”
Scooting my stool back from the counter, I got up to see Tobias out. Something akin to sadness filled his eyes as he looked at me one last time before walking out the door. It wasn’t the first time he’d looked at me that way, and I doubted it would be the last.
“So?” Dane hadn’t moved. Still perched on the other stool at the counter, he looked to me for answers.
Answers I didn’t have.
“I don’t know.” It was the truth, but that didn’t make admitting it any easier. Standing in the hallway, I didn’t close the distance between us, and averted my eyes. I couldn’t look at him when I talked about her. I was losing myself, down to a cellular level. Everything he knew or loved about me would be gone. Everything I’d come to love about myself, gone.
“Yes you do.” He spoke in soft, patient tones, waiting for me to come to whatever conclusion he already had.
“No I don’t. She’s gaining in strength, in power. I can already feel myself slipping away.” Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced back the tears threatening to fall.
“Then I’ll just have to hold on tighter.”
The stool creaked as he got up and made his way over to me, steps heavy from the boots he still wore. Backing me up against the wall, he buried his hands in my hair and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss intensified. Hands, his and mine, slid beneath clothes as we both searched fervently for more bare skin. Dane grabbed my hips, fingers kneading the flesh as his desire rose. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he hiked me further up the wall and pressed against my core.
“Too many clothes. Bedroom.” Whispering my instructions, I playfully nipped at his ear.
Without a word, his hands slid from my hips to my ass, taking my weight as he backed us away from the wall. Kicking my boots off as he carried me to the bedroom, I buried my face in his neck, laying kisses from behind his ear to the hollow at his collarbone. When his shins hit the edge of the bed, he lowered us, one hand on the small of my back, the other extended to support his weight when we reached the mattress. Dane yanked his shirt over his head while I fumbled with his belt buckle. His boots hit the floor as I wiggled out of my shirt. Clothes flew around the room as we rushed to expose as much of each other as we could, to feel skin on skin.
Everything about him was beautiful, breathtaking, and I never tired of looking at him. Eyes that reflected all the knowledge he’d gained throughout his lifetimes, the chiseled features of his face and hard planes of his body. I cursed my fate almost daily, but Dane was something to be thankful for. Someday I would tell him that.
Eyes closed, my head fell back against the pillow as Dane ravished my body with his hands, his lips, his tongue. Sparks of pleasure arced through my body each time he discovered a new spot to kiss. His hand splayed across my ribs, his thumb just barely brushing at the underside of my breast. Arching my back, I wrapped my legs around his waist again and pressed myself against him. Yes, God, yes. This is what I need.
And it was what she wanted. Pleasure, desire. Just with someone else. Distorting the images of Dane in my mind, she created a mental picture of her and Apollyon. Of me and Apollyon. Every movement of Dane’s body, every touch he laid on my body, was mirrored in my head by Apollyon. As the pleasure rose, so did my inability to stop it from happening. While Dane whispered sweet nothings in my ear, Apollyon made promises to make me feel this way every day for the rest of my life. If I would only come to him, my body would be the temple at which he worshiped daily.
Trapped between the pleasure I wanted to feel with Dane and the fear of how much she wanted to feel with Apollyon, the tears I’d held back earlier slipped out. Dane’s lips followed the salty trail from the corner of my eye to my temple, before kissing the spot between my furrowed brows.
“Open your eyes.” He pressed the barest of kisses against each of my eyelids. “Open your eyes and look at me. See in my eyes what I see in you when we make love.”
Afraid to see what he saw, but too afraid to keep my eyes closed and succumb to the Elioud and Apollyon, I looked at Dane; held his gaze and let him take me to a level of ecstasy I’d never experienced before.
“I wish it was like this all the time.” Curled up together under the blankets, I snuggled closer to him.
“When we finish this, it will be. We will finish it, Jax.” He wrapped his arm around my middle, pulling me even closer. “When you feel yourself slipping away,” he laid a kiss on my shoulder, “I’ll help you remember. We’ll figure out how to stop her, and by doing so, stop Apollyon.”
He sounded so sure of himself, of me, that I almost believed him. Except dealing with the Devil was never easy. Not to mention the Principles. Dealing with them hadn’t been a cakewalk either. And now there was a new player, some new hunter. The opposite of me, pure and perfect. Despite what Tobias said, I had a bad feeling she’d been brought in to hunt down more than just portals. She was there to hunt me.
Chapter Twelve
Same shit, different day. That was about as high as my expectations were for our second visit to Maloney’s.
Side by side, Dane and I made our way up the walkway and climbed the front steps of the Romani’s house. The house that had once belonged to Lala Rose, a descendent of the clan charged with keeping the spear. As her son, Maloney would have been charged with the same duties as his mother and their family before them, but he’d shirked those responsibilities and turned his back on his family when he’d let his thirst for blood and vengeance rule him.
Rather than ring the bell, I pounded my fist on the door. Maloney took his sweet time.
“When the only person you’re expecting is the Devil, you’re not in a big hurry to answer the door.” Maloney swung the
door open wide, gesturing for us to come inside.
“You don’t say.” Knocking my shoulder into him on the way by, I led the way to the parlor, taking the same spot on the couch I’d occupied during our first visit.
Objecting to Dane’s company after his own betrayal would have been pointless. Maloney pressed himself flat against the wall as the Sin Eater passed, afraid he might take a shot at him on the way by as well. Filling the spot on the couch next to me, Dane forced Maloney to take the wingback chair.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” The Romani crossed his legs, leaning back in the chair, and tried to look casual. The small bead of sweat on his brow gave him away. He was scared. He had every reason to be.
“You lied to me, Romani. Again.” Making a tsk sound, I wagged my finger to indicate that he’d been a bad boy. “I’m going to give you once last chance to redeem yourself.”
“You don’t have the authority to offer such terms.” At the soft click of the safety being switched off a gun, his eyes flicked to Dane, zeroing in on the gun in his lap.
“True, but wouldn’t it be nice to go with a clear conscience? You know what they say – the truth will set you free. Try it, I hear it’s liberating.” Impressed by how calm I was, I folded my hands and rested them in my lap before waiting a beat to ask the million dollar question. “Where’s the spear?”
“You think she told me?” He spat on the floor, cursing her name. “She never told me anything.”
“Now, that’s the first thing you’ve said that I actually believe.” I stood, making my way over to the old photos on the mantel. “She must have been so proud.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice as I picked up a square, framed black-and-white photo of Lala and her son.
“Her and that stupid spear. It was all she talked about, what an honor it was for our family to be chosen. To be the keepers of the spear. One warrior from each generation chosen.” Maloney rose from his seat, but thought better of it when Dane raised the gun and pulled the hammer back.
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