I stared at him as he tightened the tourniquet around my thigh. “Tell me if I have this right. Sourial has recently become interested in poisons, and he was the only person who knew we were coming here. I gave him a detailed description of where we would be, and he was the only person who knew it."
Samael’s eyes narrowed . “He would never help the Free Men. The Free Men killed his nephilim children.”
My chest unclenched. “Right.”
But doubt still coiled through me. Because sometimes, you found out the people you loved had been lying about everything.
I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to push the point. Samael knew him a lot better than I did.
He went quiet, and a muscle clenched in his jaw. Still kneeling, he used the rest of his ripped shirt to wipe the blood from his hands.
Then he stood and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He stared down at it, and swirls of gold swept over his cheekbones. They looked darker in this light, more like copper. The fire flickered, and his eyes darkened. “I pulled this off one of the archers I killed, but I didn’t get a chance to read it until now.”
“What does it say, Samael?"
“It’s how they knew we were coming. Lilith and Samael are heading for an underground tunnel by the river—the Hunted Friar's Passage. The entrance is by the old gibbet, covered in vines. They may come out in an alley near your location. Be ready.” His eyes were pools of shadow as he met my gaze. “It’s in Sourial’s distinct handwriting, and signed with his name.”
Nausea rose in my gut, and I leaned back in the chair. I tapped my fingernails on the table. “And you’re still sure he wouldn’t work with the Free Men?”
Samael shook his head, frowning. “I don’t understand it.”
“Did you ever meet his children? The ones who died?”
“No.” He cut me a sharp look. “But he wouldn’t lie to me.” He crumpled the paper and threw it in the fire. “Anything is possible, isn’t it? We need to return to the Iron Fortress right now. We need the antidote, and we need to find Sourial if we can. We need to find out what really happened.”
I nodded at the window across from us. “Let’s take a different route home, shall we? We can sneak out there, and I’ll get us to the river without the Hunted Friar’s Passage.”
I crossed to the window, my shoulder muscles burning like fire as I opened it. We slipped out into the icy winter air, taking care to keep to the shadows, in case anyone else was waiting to attack. I led Samael through a narrow alley, until we made our way to the river walk. Without a shirt on, he must have been freezing, but he didn't show it.
“Well someone with inside knowledge screwed us over, didn’t they?”
He didn’t answer, but I could feel his icy fury making the air even colder, and my breath clouded around my head.
If there was one thing Samael hated more than anything, it was betrayal. And maybe it wasn’t Sourial—but someone had betrayed him.
Lila
As if the day weren’t already terrible enough, we returned to find Harlow waiting in the stairwell, with a crown of flowers in her blonde curls.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What happened to you? Are you all right?” I didn’t fail to notice the way her gaze roamed over Samael’s bare chest.
She frowned at me. “I thought you were taking her to her new home. I was trying out my bridal crowns.”
Trust no one. Least of all, this absolute twat. “We were attacked by bandits,” I said. “You know the Highwayman of Devilcross Lane?”
She went pale. “Not him. Is he still around?”
“It was an ambush,” I added. Luckily, I was good at lying. And luckily also, Harlow was an idiot. “The Devilcross Highwayman has a whole team of archers. We got caught in the crossfire.”
“I’ve heard of his archers.” Harlow shivered visibly. “It seems Samael wasn’t taking you to a very nice part of town, but I suppose someone like you can look after yourself.” She raked her gaze down my blood-and-mud-spattered body, and shivered again, the delicate lace of her gown shuddering.
They just let her roam around here freely, apparently. I’d been locked in rooms, under guards. For all we knew, she could be the bloody Baron.
I narrowed my eyes at her as Lilith’s rage started to ice my veins. “Samael, don’t you think your little mortal needs a minder or some chains to keep her out of trouble? I thought you liked your women bound.” My voice had a ragged edge—not my own. It was Lilith’s voice, dripping with venom. And as soon as the words were out of my mouth I regretted them. I could hear the jealousy in them.
Harlow gasped. “Why would I be in chains? I’ve never broken a single law in my life.”
I felt Samael’s eyes drilling a hole into me.
I shrugged, mastering some control over Lilith. “There are security issues,” I said hastily. “The highwayman could be anywhere. And If Samael is a target, you could be as well.”
“She’s right,” Samael said. “For your own safety, you should be in your room, guarded, for now. I will speak to our seneschal.”
She blinked at him, blushing. “So protective. I’ll get back to my room right away then.” She frowned at me. “But isn’t the demon a danger to me? No offense.”
“As I said, you’ll be safest in your room.” Samael started to climb the stairs.
Harlow turned, rushing up the stairs next to him. “I am looking forward to planning our wedding, and to helping you rule over Albia.” When she turned to look at me over her shoulder, I could have sworn she wore a triumphant little smirk that set my teeth on edge.
And yet, I could no longer be sure what was real and what was Lilith’s insane rage. Was Harlow trying to make me lose my mind? Or was it the bitter, revenge-obsessed demon living in my skull? Hard to say.
At the top of the stairs, Emma rounded the corner onto the landing, carrying a lantern that gave a gold cast to the stone hall.
Samael’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Seneschal, please escort Harlow to her room. And see that it is guarded. There are unsavory elements in this city who could wish her harm.”
Emma nodded, then her eyes rapidly shifted between Samael, me and Harlow, like she was trying to figure out exactly how awkward this was. Let’s see … Samael, shirtless. The former fiancée, bleeding all over the stairs. The new bride, trying out flowers for her wedding day.
Yep, pretty awkward.
“Are you both okay?” she asked.
“Yes. Before you go, Emma?” asked Samael. “Have you seen Sourial recently?”
“Oswald said he left. Probably for Castle Hades.”
Harlow’s features brightened. “The other angel? I saw him leave. He ran right down the stairs like the devil was chasing him. Maybe he heard about the Devilcross Highwayman attacking? Maybe he went to help.”
Emma’s forehead crinkled. “Sorry. Devilcross Highwayman?” she asked dubiously.
Unfortunately, Emma was not as stupid as Harlow.
“Never mind that.” Samael locked his gaze on Emma. “I’m heading up to my library with Lila. Emma … be careful who you trust.”
She shrugged. “I will always trust you. Beyond that, no one.”
“And I you.”
Harlow smiled. “And me, of course.”
“Let’s go Harlow,” said Emma. “There could be highwaymen around.” She looped her arm through Harlow’s, and they turned into the hallway.
We turned off in the other direction, and I limped over the stone floor—still bleeding.
Samael stopped at a door, then looked down at my thigh. “Let’s get your injuries taken care of,” he murmured. “We’ll see what we can find about an antidote. And as soon as we are able to fly again, we need to leave.”
He opened the door, revealing a narrow library with oak walls. Tall windows on the far side overlooked the barren, icy garden, and I found myself crossing to them with a racing pulse. The Iron Fortress had always seemed haunted, frozen. And now I knew what actually haunted th
e place—the ghost that rattled the brambles and thorns, the spirit in the forbidding moat, the sense of dread that pervaded every inch of stone.
It was me—I haunted this place.
Ice chilled my bones as I looked out the window. I peered down at the moat, and my mind flickered with an image of Lilith’s past. In one of her worst moments, she’d watched the Raven King sicken and die, his throat turning a ghastly shade of purple. A terrible disease that killed mortals, that sickened entire towns.
That was when it had started: her emotions turning off, one tiny bit at a time. If she hadn’t turned off her feelings, she would have raised him again from the dead. The numbness had started like a frost over a field, just little webs of ice—until years later, when the real winter set in. By then, she couldn’t feel a thing.
I turned back to the room, grateful for the fire that started to warm me. Samael was scanning the shelves. After a few moments, he pulled down an enormous, faded volume. As he flipped it open, the firelight danced over his body.
I dropped into a soft chair upholstered with velvet, giving in to the urge to stare at his perfect bare chest.
He glanced at me over the book. “Don’t get too comfortable. You need to clean your wounds. I can read this to you in the bath?”
I winced at the ache in my thigh as I quickly stood again. “You’re planning on reading to me when I’m in the bath?”
As I moved closer to him, his dark, smoldering gaze sent a shiver of heat through my body. “I did say I’d keep an eye on you, didn’t I?”
Whoa … Was he flirting? While his betrothed was in the building?
I crossed to the door, trying to send frost over my heart—just like Lilith would do. “I believe you lost the right to see me naked when you got yourself a new bride.” As I stepped into the hall, I frowned at him. “And maybe you should put a shirt on.”
Just as we were nearing Samael’s door, the sound of footfalls echoed from down the hall.
“Count!” Oswald rushed toward us with a sealed envelope in his hand. “I found this addressed to you, left outside your office. It looked important.”
My heart started to pound faster. Would this give us some answers?
I watched as Samael opened the envelope. A muscle tightened in his jaw. His expression darkened, and swirls moved over his cheekbones like liquid gold.
I had a feeling this would not be good news.
When he looked up and met Oswald’s gaze, his eyes looked like pure ice. “Thank you, Oswald.” He turned and opened his door, and I followed him into his room.
As soon as the door was shut, he handed me a folded piece of paper on which three little sentences had been written:
Take care, but I fear Lilith will be the death of us all. She is more dangerous than the Free Men. You know this as well as I do.
—Sourial
I stared at the words, my hands shaking now.
The soothsayer’s predictions, Samael’s nightmares, the unquiet soul of Lilith who was desperate for revenge against mortals… As much as I hated to admit it, maybe this letter had a point. Maybe I was the most dangerous thing around.
I was an utter and complete liability for all of Dovren. I was dangerous to the entire city, and ruining Samael’s life.
And the best way to fix all these problems right now? It was to end Lilith’s life for good.
It was just a shame that I had to go with her.
Samael
I couldn’t let myself think about who had betrayed me. If I let myself dwell on it, I would descend completely. I’d become a violent, predatory demon with no hope of return.
The good—or reasonably good—Samael would be gone forever. In my place? A complete monster.
And I had to keep my head clear, because Lila needed me to think straight. With poison coursing through her, she needed my help right now.
So I sat on my bed, and opened the book on my lap. Mentally, I tried to block out the feel of the toxins in my own system, but it was hard to ignore the sense of corrosion in my shoulder blade, right where the base of my wing was.
My gaze flicked up. Through the doorway to the bathroom, I saw steam billowing from the water, and I caught a flash of Lila’s bare leg and hip as she stepped into the tub, her beautiful golden skin.
And now I had a new set of distractions.
My mind was on the memory of her naked body shuddering against me, and how she’d looked on her bed, tied up and aroused.
Heavens help me.
Gritting my teeth, I pulled my gaze from the doorway and stared at the page, willing my eyes to focus on the words.
Maybe the letter had a point—she was dangerous as hell. Like a willow tree, she’d spread her roots in my mind, taking up all the space until there was nothing left but her.
A few minutes ago, I’d requested that a servant bring her fresh clothes. But I didn’t want her in fresh clothes. I wanted her lying on my bed, naked, until the end of time.
Oh, good. Already my demon side was rising—one that wanted to rush in there, slide into the hot bath with her, and lick her body.
I felt something sharp in my mouth, and I licked my teeth, pricking my tongue. My incisors had grown, like an animal’s made for tearing at flesh. Fangs.
It was happening already.
When I looked up, catching my reflection in the mirror, my blood ran cold. Black eyes and horns glared back at me for a moment, until the image shimmered away again.
As if waking from a dream, I glanced around the room.
This was where it had happened—where I ripped out Lilith’s heart and threw her through the window. Back then, I didn’t know that demons could feel at all. I didn’t know that she had a soul.
Guilt twisted in my chest as I thought of her floating in the icy moat, dying alone. Whatever else happened, I couldn’t let her become my enemy again. Once was bad enough. I couldn’t take the guilt of killing her twice.
If keeping her safe meant I was boring, then I’d be boring. Fuck it.
Focus, Samael.
Right. The antidote. I was reading about the antidote.
I stared at the words in the book, and I felt the sharp fangs retreating.
Poisons—Introduction.
Naturally occurring … Naturally occurring … Naturally occurring …
I read the same phrase three times, and my eyes went unfocused again. The letters seemed to blur. My heart was beating faster. Was this the effect of the poison? Or was my rising demon form unable to read?
My gaze slid to the bathroom doorway again, and this time I glimpsed a bare shoulder, her arms wrapped around the back of the tub. Was she doing this on purpose? She was, wasn’t she? She could have shut the door, but she was furious with me for the Harlow situation. Understandably. She was definitely torturing me on purpose. And unfortunately, she was bloody good at it.
If I went in there, I could see her entirely—the curve of her hips, her waist, her perfect breasts, her naked thighs …
My heart slammed against my ribs. At that moment, all my thoughts narrowed to one single idea, that I had to be close to her. Tucking the book under my arm, I crossed into the bathroom. With a supreme force of will, I managed to stop myself from looking at her.
She splashed water on me, and it sprinkled over my chest. “What are you doing in here? And you still didn’t put a shirt on.”
I turned from her, and slid down to the floor with my back to her, sitting against the tub. I opened the book in my lap, and the steam from her bath curled around me like a caress. “I want to be close to you, and only you.”
“Oh.” I was expecting her to yell at me some more, or call me boring again, or an arsehole. Instead, she fell quiet, and that unnerved me more. Suddenly, it seemed like some of her spark was gone.
“Lila, what’s wrong?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Do you think that the letter is right? I’m the reason you have to marry someone you don’t even like. Lilith is twisted and obsessed with revenge. She’s a
tinderbox next to a flame. She has the power to kill a whole city at once if her temper snaps. And let’s be honest—her temper will probably snap. She will probably try to kill scores of mortals. I am really the crux of all your problems.”
At her words, my heart felt like it was shattering into pieces. “No. I don’t think the letter is right. Because I have my own dark side, just as much as you do. Long ago, I was created as an instrument of divine justice. Before I fell, the violence and destruction I wreaked served a purpose, divinely inspired. But after I fell, it became harder to know what was right and what was wrong. That is part of what it means to fall. You no longer understand your purpose. Sometimes, my dreams gave me hints of the truth.” I turned a little toward her, and draped an arm over the bath, dipping a finger into the hot water by her knees. “My dreams told me that I needed you, and they were right.”
“And now they tell you to stay away from me.”
“They tell me that if I do not become King of the Fallen, I will become a demon. The reaper that you’ve seen—the one who delights in violence—is just a transition. And if I transition completely … I could be worse than the Free Men. That’s part of why I have to marry the mortal. It isn’t your fault I was made this way.”
“What makes you so sure you’d be a bad demon?”
“As a demon I would be the epitome of evil—the angel of death corrupted. Violence runs in my blood, an unlimited capacity for destruction. Only a sense of purpose, of justice restrains it. I ripped Lilith’s heart out without a flicker of guilt. And what if we became enemies again? What if I did it to you?”
Silence hung in the air, and steam curled around me. Her leg brushed against my fingertips, and a shiver of pleasure rippled through me.
“So you think your purpose is to marry someone you kind of hate,” she said. “That’s the divine plan.”
It was taking every ounce of restraint I had not to turn around and climb in the tub with her. “God does not speak to me. I know I was created for death, but not by whom. If God exists, he abandoned me long ago. But my dreams give me a sense of purpose now. And they tell me that around Lilith, it will be harder to control my dark impulses. And that is why I ripped her heart out.” My voice came out like a low growl.
Possessed (Hades Castle Trilogy Book 3) Page 6