Mimicking Dane’s posture, I raised my hands to shoulder height and showed Ariel my palms. We wanted the same things, were actually on the same side for once, but I refused to die at her hand. I was going out on my terms. The only thing standing between me and a
solution was one crazy-ass holy warrior and a gun. I’d faced worse odds.
When Dane made no effort to move, Ariel stepped in. The gun gripped firmly in her right hand, she started to pat Dane down with her left. A devious smile split her face when her fingers grazed the sheath strapped to his side. With a snap, she unfastened the clasp. Hand wrapped around the pommel, she slid the blade halfway free of the leather case hooked to his belt.
It was now-or-never time.
It all happened so fast, in the blink of an eye. Lunging forward, I charged toward Dane and Ariel. She popped off two shots, hitting me once in the shoulder. It hurt like a son of a bitch, pain searing my left shoulder, numbness following the trail of blood working its way down my arm. With a silent prayer that the healing process would kick in faster than usual and I’d regain use of my arm before I reached the Lion of God, I ignored the pain and crashed into Dane. The Sin Eater toppled back, knocking into Ariel and sending her gun flying.
In a tirade of profanity and flailing arms and legs, the three of us grappled for the dagger. We rolled across the floor in a heap, with me on the bottom. My back smacked the rock wall. With the added weight of two people pressed against me, I struggled to pull air back into my lungs. Dane let a couple of punches fly, connecting with Ariel’s ribs and easing some of the added weight off my chest in the process. Gulping down air, I reached around his waist and yanked the dagger free.
Clouds parted, choirs of angels sang as rays of warmth were cast down on my face…
I wish it had happened that way, but the truth is far less glamorous. There was no chorus of “Joy to the World”, no heavenly exaltations. Apart from the pending apocalypse a few hundred feet away, my death was relatively ordinary. I’d seen and stopped my share of bar fights. Any one of them could have ended exactly the same way. A fight breaks out, everyone goes for the weapon, one person ends up dead.
The how didn’t matter much to me. I’d planned to use the dagger to take my life; was seconds away from accomplishing that goal when it happened. A hand clamped down on mine, pulling my arm and the blade away. That was Dane; still holding out hope that was another way. We both knew the truth. As long as I lived, someone or something would try to use me to free the rest of the Fallen.
Another hand clamped down on ours, this one belonging to Ariel. With all her remaining strength, she pushed down on Dane’s hand, trying to inch the blade closer to my chest. Dane rolled to the left, trying to put Ariel on the bottom. The Lion of God dug the toe of her shoe in and rolled back the opposite way. With more of her weight pressing down on us, the tip of the dagger inched closer. The taste of victory on her tongue, Ariel gave one last push off the floor, rocking us just enough that the blade plunged through my chest.
It hurt like hell. Every nerve ending in my body worked overtime to send the information to the pain receptors in my brain. Inch by inch, the blade slid into my body, scraping past the ribs, deeper into my chest cavity, through the lung until it finally pierced my heart.
Mission accomplished, Ariel climbed off Dane, leaving him bent over my body. Scooping up her gun, she shoved it back into her holster, dusted off her clothes and headed back the way she’d come. Without a word, the Lion of God slipped through the portal she’d followed Dane through, and I assumed back into retirement.
With trembling hands, Dane reached for the blade buried to the hilt in my chest.
“Don’t.” Wrapping my hands around his, I stopped him from removing the blade.
“We need to get it out, apply pressure, stop the bleeding.” Dane rambled off a laundry list of triage-related things we needed to do.
None of them would help.
For the first time since teaming up with Thomas – longer, actually, if I’m honest – I wasn’t healing. Funny, I’d never given my lack of major colds or serious injury over the course of my life much thought. Lying on the cold, rough ground while I bled to death, it was all I could think about. I’d always been different, always been this. I just didn’t know what this was.
Dane tried to convince me that I’d be okay, that somehow I was going to make it out of this alive. We both knew it was a lie. He looked around, desperately calling for Tobias as the blood continued to pump out of the wound in my chest.
“Dane.” His name fell from my lips on a whisper, barely audible over the sounds of the fight coming to a close just outside the tunnel and Dane’s shouts for help. Tapping my fingers on his hands, I tore his attention away from the help that wasn’t coming and back to me. “I never deserved you.”
“I think most people would argue that we deserved each other.” Dane cupped my face in his hands, blood still tacky and warm against my cheeks almost ruining the moment.
Almost.
Dane and I hadn’t met under ideal circumstances. First-hand knowledge of angels and demons or not, most people would have run the opposite direction when they’d discovered who and what I was, but the Sin Eater had decided to stick around. I wouldn’t have made it this far without his help, and there wasn’t anyone else I wanted with me at the end.
The fact that there wasn’t anyone else was completely irrelevant. It was always Dane.
“Shut up and kiss me.”
His mouth pressed against mine, the warmth of his soft lips keeping the cold at bay for a few moments. Tears – I’m not sure if they were his or mine – tracked through the dirt and blood on my cheeks. Opening my eyes, I hoped to catch one last glimpse of him, burn it into my last memories before death claimed me, but blackness eclipsed my vision. His voice, the sound of my name, was the last thing I heard as I slipped into oblivion.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bright light seared my eyes, the pain burning through my retinas into my brain. Blinking, my eyes watered as I tried to adjust from pitch blackness to the cold white light beaming down on my face. Something thick and gooey coated my eyelids, my lashes sticking together. So far the afterlife was a lot different than I’d imagined. Moving to wipe away whatever the substance was covering my eyes, I heard the clank of metal against metal as my hand stopped short. The metal cuff dug into my wrist as I struggled.
Someone stirred, the sound of a chair scooting against the floor coming from my left.
“Here, let me help you.”
Recognizing the voice, I tried to relax, to trust that he wasn’t going to hurt me. It wasn’t working. Flinching when he pressed the soft tissue against my eyes, I tried to push away.
“God damn it.” The cuff rattled against the bed rail as I tried again to slip my hand through.
“As much as I love blasphemy, I don’t think it will help your case.”
Apollyon.
The easy laugh gave him away; that and the razor-sharp wit. Small, important details like the beep of a machine, the cool temperature and harsh lighting in the room came into focus the more awake and alert I became.
So did the realization that I’d failed and somehow wound up in a hospital room of Apollyon’s making.
Fuck my life.
“Jacqueline.” A tsk, followed by that laugh. His laugh, the real one few others ever heard. “So dramatic. Relax. I’m not responsible for putting you here.”
Apparently I’d said that out loud. My tongue felt thick, almost too big for my mouth, and it felt like my insides had been swabbed with cotton, sucking away all the moisture. Anticipating my discomfort, Apollyon picked a Styrofoam cup off the tray next to me and scooped out a few ice chips.
“I recall working a lot harder to make that sound come out of you before. If I’d known all it took was some crushed ice…” He trailed off, leaving the memory of our tryst hanging in the air.
“It didn’t work. Are the Fallen… Did they…” Still groggy from whatever was b
eing pumped through my IV, I cleared my throat and struggled to pull my thoughts together.
“The Fallen are contained. Clever girl, using my own techniques against me. I had no idea I was such an influence on you.” He waved me off, interrupting me before I had a chance to say anything. “I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude. Yes, yes. I know. It’s for the best and all that trite and equally annoying bullshit. Don’t waste your breath saying it.”
“So I did it? I mean, I killed myself and stopped the Fallen.” My chest rose and fell on a huge sigh.
“Let’s not make a Herculean tale out of this. There were a lot of other people involved, not just you. And while we’re being honest, technically Ariel killed you.”
“Apollyon…” I pressed my pointer finger on the up arrow button on the little control panel attached to the bed rail, raising the bed to bring me to a seated position. Alarms on the monitors went off as my heart rate increased.
“Relax, Jacqueline. I can see the nurse peering over her clipboard and atrocious glasses through a crack in the doorway. I think her bun’s too tight. Trust me, you don’t want her to come in here. She has a terrible bedside manner.” Apollyon crossed his legs, his right foot resting on his left knee.
“It can’t be any worse than yours.” Closing my eyes against the headache forming from the lights and the conversation, I readjusted the pillow behind my head.
“You wound me. I thought I was doing quite nicely, attending to your every need.”
I cracked open an eye, somehow managing to glare at him through half-lidded eyes. He’d ditched the suit for a pair of jeans. The white button-up he wore looked casual, untucked with the sleeves uncuffed and rolled up to his elbows. His black work boots, perfectly worn, completed the look. Effortlessly handsome and ever the distraction.
He did it on purpose.
“Turn it down, Apollyon. I’m too tired for all the dazzle and charm.” My eyes closed again. Mostly because of the lights, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say some of it was because I couldn’t look at him when he answered my next question. “So if the Fallen are no longer a problem, that means I died, right?”
“In a manner of speaking.” The Devil cleared his throat, a touch of nerves audible in his voice. “Part of you died.”
“Part of me died.” Swallowing down my fears with massive gulps, I pressed him for more. “Would you care to elaborate?”
The door to my room opened and clicked shut in one quick movement. With the hand not cuffed to my hospital bed, I cupped my hand into a visor to block some of the fluorescents and turned my head to see who’d come in.
“Here, this will help.” Tobias flipped the switch by the door, dimming the overhead lights in the room.
“Ah, Tobias, you’re just in time.” Apollyon unfolded his legs and vacated the seat next to the bed in a hurry. “She’s awake. And has questions best left to you to answer.”
That smirk. I’d seen a similar one back in Mt. Royal when Beelzebub had said something similar to Tobias. Seemed he was always the bearer of bad news. I almost felt sorry for the angel. Almost.
“Thank you, brother.” Tobias skipped the formality of titles. An insult the Devil seemed all too willing to overlook in exchange for not having to be the one to answer my questions.
“I died. He said so.” The handcuffs jangled as I jabbed a thumb in Apollyon’s direction. “So what am I doing here? In a hospital, handcuffed to a bed?” I rattled my wrist for good measure.
“Yes, well, about that. It’s protocol.” The angel took the empty seat, scooting it further back from the bedside before filling it.
“Protocol?” There was no point in hiding my skepticism.
“Yes, for the treatment of the damned.” Tobias looked everywhere but directly at me.
“The damned?” Parroting everything he said was an annoying way to prod him for more information. I was getting on my own nerves, but I couldn’t help it.
“That’s your current classification, yes.” Tobias scooted the chair back even further, as if I could somehow reach him even with the handcuffs on. “You chose as we’d hoped, as I knew you would, but something unexpected happened.”
Refusing to echo his words again, I bit my tongue and refrained from turning the word “unexpected” into a question.
“The spear destroyed any trace of the Elioud DNA in your makeup. Small traces of angel are present, but you are for the most part human.” Tobias stood, smoothing his perfectly tailored navy dress slacks before walking over to the tray and pouring a cup of water.
Assuming the water was for me, the person lying in a hospital bed, I extended my free hand as far as the IV would allow and reached for the cup. Lost in his thoughts and completely oblivious to me, Tobias took a long drink of water before topping off the cup and sitting back down. As nonchalantly as I could, I turned the move into a stretch.
Apollyon saw what happened and wasn’t fooled. Without my having to ask for it, the Devil brought me a cup of water. Turned out his bedside manner wasn’t that bad after all.
“So I’m what? Just your run-of-the-mill human? Is this my second lease on life or something?” I took another drink of water. The cool liquid felt good sliding down my dry throat, but my stomach had another opinion. I blamed the pain meds or whatever it was they were pumping through the IV.
Tobias hesitated, fidgeting a little as he tried to figure out exactly what to say. Breaking down the angel’s body language wasn’t that difficult. We’d worked together long enough for me to figure him out. There was more to the story. If there was one thing I’d learned working with angels and demons, it was that there’s always more. And it’s usually something they don’t want you to know.
“You’ve never been run of the mill, Jax.” Tobias tossed his empty cup into the trash can.
“Ha! I knew it. I knew there was something else.” The handcuff rattled again, rubbing the tender skin around my wrist in my excitement. “Is this really necessary?” I glanced down at my hand and the standard police-issue handcuff.
“It’s protocol.” Tobias and I said the words in unison. I may have been mocking him a little.
“Where was I?” With a pointed stare, the angel attempted to shut me up.
I reverted to sign language and stuck up my middle finger.
“I’m so glad you took this opportunity to really grow and mature as a person.” Tobias ignored the Devil’s amused chuckle and pressed on. “We believe the angel DNA was always there, dormant and overlooked due to your dominant Elioud nature. It’s barely a trace by On High’s standards, but enough to extend your lifespan and improve your healing abilities.”
“I’m guessing from the whole handcuffed-to-a-bed thing and being classified as one of the damned that I’m not getting reenlisted as a holy warrior? I mean, I’m just spit-balling here, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.”
“No, Jax, you are not returning to your former position. This is the closest to Heaven you’ll ever get.” The angel at least had the decency to look disappointed.
“This is the best part.” Apollyon smiled, elbows propped on his knees, hands steepled in front of his face.
“Do you mind?” Tobias looked over his shoulder at the Devil, daring him to interrupt again.
“By all means, continue.” The Devil adjusted his position, arms resting over the back of the chair, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles.
“Yes, please continue.” Encouraging the angel through gritted teeth, I did my best to ignore the Devil’s shit-eating grin.
“After thoroughly reviewing your case…”
Tobias caught me mouthing the words, “Case, I have a case,” to Apollyon.
“Why don’t you just tell her?” The angel looked over his shoulder at the Devil. When he made no attempt to explain, Tobias continued. “You’ve had a case since the moment you signed the contract with him. We tend to notice that type of activity. On High receives a copy of the documents and keeps them on record.”
“It would seem, despite your heroic efforts and On High’s gratitude, that your contract with Apollyon is binding.”
Tobias spoke so fast, with no break between the words, that it took a second to process what he’d said.
“Let me see if I understand what you just said. I save the day. Mostly. And I sort of die. As a token of your appreciation, you handcuff me to a hospital bed and honor my contract with the Devil? Does that about sum it up? How about we just high five and call it a day?” I raised my hand, the one still chained to the bed, for emphasis.
“It is legally binding and iron clad. Believe me, I tried to argue against it.” The angel wrung his hands.
And there it was. The reason for the Devil’s cordiality. I was the consolation prize.
“I asked for your freedom, that you be shown mercy and released to Purgatory at the very least.”
“Nurse!”
I’d spent more than enough time in Purgatory. The fact that Tobias saw a permanent vacation there as mercy proved the angel had not. My chest hurt, my head was following suit, and I really just wanted to be left alone. After some pain meds.
“I think that’s our cue to exit.” Apollyon clasped a hand on Tobias’s shoulder, with an ear-to-ear grin still on his face. “I’ll see you at the office, dear.”
A nurse, an angel from the looks of her, entered the room just as the Devil and Tobias popped out. Something in the way she looked at me said she was all too aware of my situation. She’d probably read the case file. Her expression softened as she reached across the bed and clicked a little red button that controlled the drip of my IV. She clicked it again, increasing the flow, and I slipped blissfully into oblivion without any thought of my conversation with the Devil and the angel.
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