by Kyra Quinn
I nod, my stomach twisting into knots. Aside from dying, Lilith’s scheme isn’t so different from some of my hunts with Jade. All I need to do is play dead and wait for an opportune moment to steal the blade Zeke keeps strapped to his hip. One clean stab through the heart or neck is all it will take to finish him.
“The spell only works once,” Death reminds me. “If you die again, you’ll stay dead.”
“Worth it. As long as I take Zeke out with me.”
The space around me ripples with his displeasure. “Should you fail today, the Legion will lose the war. The Dark Hunt will exterminate every Paranormal and mortal they can’t enslave to their cause. Michael isn’t interested in saving this world, Nadia. He means to conquer it and rule over it as their god.”
It’s still hard to accept how wrong I was about Michael and Zeke. The Dark Hunt brought purpose to my life in my darkest hour of need. I learned more in two years with their team than I did in thirteen years of school. Zeke taught me how to fire a gun, how to drive, and how to protect myself from monsters. Michael showed me how to care for my weapons between hunts and keep my body in peak physical condition. I didn’t always agree with their decisions, but I loved and respected them both despite our differences.
But genocide isn’t something we can agree to disagree on.
“It’s time,” Death says. “Close your eyes. Listen for your opening and strike fast. Let’s hope we don’t speak again for a long time.”
My eyes snap shut as if enchanted by his voice. Before I can say anything else, the weightlessness becomes hot, hard asphalt beneath me. Tiny sharp rocks dig into my back and shoulder. Shouts echo behind me, but they sound as if they’re coming from somewhere far away. It’s hard to focus on anything but the throbbing pain shooting through my skull.
“The deal was you’d return Nadia to the Dark Hunt,” Zeke taunts. “We never specified wanting her alive.”
Kane scoffs. “You’re so predictable. Even she knew you’d kill her. You have more blood on your hands than I do at this point.”
“What, the blood of monsters and abominations? Doesn’t count. There’s no place for their kind in the kingdom of Heaven, and there’s no place for them on Earth anymore. Let Hell deal with them.”
If my death bothered Kane, he doesn’t show it. As usual, his curt tone is all business. “We held up our end of the bargain. Where’s the blade?”
I hold my breath and force myself to focus on the footsteps moving towards where I lay. Zeke.
Lilith’s spell won’t bring me back again. I must wait for the perfect moment to strike. With any luck, his pissing contest with Kane should distract him enough for me to grab the blade from his hip.
But the closer the footsteps come, the more my brain latches onto every possible reason my plan could fail. What if Zeke hears my pounding heart or notices the rise and fall of my chest as I breathe? Worse, what if I miss and the injury I inflict isn’t fatal?
“The Cursed Blade is useless against angels,” Zeke says. “I hope you didn’t think this piece of garbage could save you.”
“Shut the fuck up and give me what I came here for.”
The footsteps stop inches from my head. I hold my breath and crack an eye open, praying Zeke won’t notice. His attention, thankfully, remains glued to Kane.
“Here. Marax is in the back of the van, but you must carry him. He’s passed out cold.”
“Great,” Kane mutters. “
Zeke is still too far away. I could try to leap up and dive for the blade, but he’s faster than me. And the only one armed. He’ll shoot me again before I ever come close to the pointed steel.
Jade’s voice pops into my head, followed by a memory of her scolding me on one of our early hunts. “If you can’t overpower the enemy, you need to outsmart them.”
But that’s no simple task against the person—no, angel—who taught me damn near everything I know. I can’t rely on any of the moves or skills he’s shown me. If I don’t want to die twice at his hand, there’s only one option.
Eyes glued to Zeke, my fingers creep towards the first reasonably large rock within reach. I wait until he and Kane move for the van before tossing the rock as far as I can in the opposite direction. The stone skips against the asphalt. I squeeze my eyes shut just as both men whirl around to investigate.
“Is there someone else with you?” Zeke demands.
“Don’t be stupid.” Kane scoffs. “It was probably a damn bird or something.”
As expected, Zeke ignores Kane. I hold my breath and listen as his footsteps inch closer, waiting until they stop inches away from my outstretched arm.
“This wasn’t—”
I don’t give him time to finish. Pushing up from the ground, I dive for his waist. My hand closes around the hilt of his blade as he stumbles back. The blade slides from the sheath as he trips. Without a second thought, I spring forward and bury the pointed tip in the center of his chest.
A grunt escapes his open mouth. Blood leaks from the corners down his paling face. His icy blue eyes stare up at me with obvious horror and confusion. His shaky hands move to pull the blade from his chest, but I stop him with a shake of my head. We both know it’s too late.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I hate myself the second the words leave my lips. He doesn’t deserve pity. He murdered my mother, not to mention the bullet he put in my brain. I did what I had to do to survive. If anyone should respect that, it’s Zeke.
Kane stands a few feet away. His jaw hangs open, his crimson eyes wide and unblinking.
My heart flutters. I hold my arms out to my sides and offer a weak smile. “One down, one to go?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Kane
What. The. Fuck?
I stand frozen, staring at Nadia as she climbs to her feet. The spot where the bullet struck between her eyes disappears. Blood soaks her clothes and hair, though it’s hard to tell who it belongs to. She offers me a nervous smile and wipes her hands on her thighs.
“I can’t believe that worked,” she says, exhaling a shaky breath.
A million questions race through my head. The only one I voice is, “What the fuck just happened?”
She blinks. “I killed Zeke. Well, after he killed me, but whatever. He’s dead.”
“He shot you. In the head.”
“Yep. Still hurts a little, too.”
“Don’t fuck with me,” I snap. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Her expression darkens. “Aside from killing one of your greatest enemies? Enlighten me.”
I don’t know if I want to hug her or shake her. “You’re missing the point. Intentionally. You fucking died, Nadia. I watched you collapse on the asphalt and bleed out.” Her eyes were glued to mine when the life faded from them. Those cold steely eyes will haunt my thoughts for years.
“I know.” She drops her head towards her chest. “If it’s any consolation, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you the truth. But we couldn’t take any chances in case it threw off the plan.”
“We?” My blood boils. Who the hell is she scheming with behind my back? Arachne isn’t stupid, but she’s not on this level of evil genius.
Her eyes shift to Zeke’s lifeless body. “Can we talk about this later? We need to clean this up before anyone notices us or the cops roll by on patrol.”
Part of me wants to demand answers now. But Nadia has a point. Our situation is already complicated enough. Witnesses will create extra bodies on our hands to dispose of.
“Should I grab the dagger thing?” she asks, gesturing to Zeke’s hand still curled around the handle of the curved blade.
I shake my head. “Occult objects and mortals spell tragedy. I’ll grab it.”
She presses her lips together and nods. “I’ll try to wake Marax up. This’ll go a lot smoother if he can walk himself to the car.”
She sprints off towards the van, her movements smooth and unencumbered. Not at all like a girl who rose from the dead minutes before.
What in the actual fuck?
But I can’t worry about that now. Or how Lilith will react when she learns Zeke is dead. I crouch next to Zeke’s lifeless body and pry his stiff fingers from the handle before wiping his blood off on a clean spot on his shirt. The dagger is heavier than I expected, and rust stains the double-edged blade. Energy vibrates from the rune carved into the handle.
“Kane!” Nadia calls from the back of the white van. “You won’t like this.”
Fuck. I jerk to my feet with the dagger in hand. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“We probably should have expected it at this point.” She slams the door. “Now what?”
I nudge Zeke’s body with the tip of my shoe. “Now, we hide fuckface here and bail. You can explain your zombie trick and help me figure out what to tell Lilith on the trip home.”
“Can’t we just call it a miracle and leave it alone?”
“Shut up and help me move him into the van.”
I lift my foot, but a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye stops me. I shake off my surprise and channel enough infernal power to fly across the parking lot to the van, stopping next to the passenger’s door. A figure covered on black crouches next to the vehicle, her eyes wet and wide. I take a step back and rub a hand over my face. Fuck me.
“Hi, Kane,” Hollie squeaks. “It’s been a while.”
Nadia appears beside me before I answer. “Sage,” she whispers. “Why are you here?”
The traitorous bitch pushes to her feet, forcing a weak smile. “Let’s pretend I wasn’t, yeah? I think that’s best for everyone involved.”
I reach out to grab her, but she’s too quick. She pushes past us and races across the parking lot without so much as a glance behind her. I move to chase her. Nadia grabs my arm, tugging me back.
“Stop,” she says. “Let her go.”
“But—”
“Let her tell Michael what I did.” She lifts her chin, locking eyes with me defiantly. “Now are you going to help me move him or not?”
With anyone else, I’d snap my fingers and make the mess disappear. But I want the Dark Hunt to find Zeke’s body next to his last victim. Or the last victim who stayed dead, anyway.
We’re both covered in blood by the time we finish stashing Zeke’s body in the back of the stuffy van. We climb into my car and peel out of the parking lot and back onto the main road. I wait until we reach the highway to hit Nadia with more questions.
“So, you mind explaining what the fuck happened back there? Even if you had a decent mastery of necromancy, it’s impossible to bring yourself back.”
She shrugs. “And yet, here we are. But you’re right. I had help.”
My grip on the steering wheel tightens. “From who? We’ve had you locked away in a damn room.”
“Why does it matter so much? Are you upset I didn’t die?”
“What?” I nearly drive into the other lane. “Woman, are you insane? I didn’t want you to die. But you did, and I had to watch it happen. It’s a lot to process, even for me. I’m only asking so many questions because I’m trying to make sense of it all.”
She nods slowly. “That’s fair, I guess. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want apologies. I want answers.”
“Right.” She shifts in her seat and combs a hand through her knotted waves. “Do you remember when Lilith came to speak with me alone?”
I clench my jaw and nod.
“Well, turns out she wanted Zeke dead more than me. She offered me a deal.”
I nearly swerve into the oncoming traffic in the other lane. “You did what?”
“It’s fine!” she insists. “I’m still alive, aren’t I? We all expected Zeke to kill me, but we couldn’t predict when or where he’d do it. Lilith put a temporary resurrection spell on me.”
I shake my head. Each of her words make perfect sense alone, but strung together into sentences they twist and contort into something I can’t follow. “Lilith is powerful, but not powerful enough to bring back the dead.”
“Not alone, no.” Her voice softens. “But Death is a different story.”
Confusion turns to frustration. Nothing she’s saying clarifies anything that happened today. I slam my fist against the side of the steering wheel. “Damn it, Nadia, can you cut the shit and just tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m trying!” Her voice breaks. She sucks in a shaky breath and wipes her palms over her face. “Death himself wanted to reap Zeke’s soul. We struck a deal. He’d give Lilith what she needed to perform the resurrection spell, but only if I promised to do something for him after I killed Zeke.”
“Which is?”
She swallows. “Doesn’t matter. The point is, the three of us came to an agreement. Lilith performed the spell and, well, you know the rest.”
I’m tempted to pull the car over just to shake her. “Doesn’t matter? Nadia, you made a deal with Lilith and Death in exchange for access to this world’s most forbidden magic. Of course it fucking matters.”
“The spell worked. Zeke is dead, and we have the Cursed Blade. Everything is fine.”
But it isn’t. Fuck. I should’ve pulled my head out of my ass and helped Nadia myself. She should’ve never needed to make unsavory trades with Lilith or anyone else. If I’d had her back, she never would have needed to die to kill Zeke. We could have done it together.
Regret won’t change the outcome, though. I let Nadia down. She begged me to help her, and I turned her away. I let her die, and she doesn’t even seem upset about it.
“What did you promise them?” I ask, lowering my voice. “What did this cost you?”
She leans her head against the window, refusing to meet my gaze. “Nothing I couldn’t afford to part with. Look, it’s over now. Zeke’s dead, and the deal is done. Can’t I just enjoy a little time with you? We can deal with everything else later.”
When she puts it like that, it’s impossible to say no. I steal a glance at her, propped against the window with the sunlight shining through her tangled mess of hair like a halo. Even with dried blood flaking from her pale mortal skin, she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. And apparently nowhere near as fragile as I once thought.
“What happens to angels when they die?” she asks, still not moving her head from the glass. “Do they return to Heaven?”
Unlikely. If God banished Ezekiel and Michael from the gardens of paradise, their deaths probably won’t move him much. But the only angel in Hell is Lucifer.
“No clue, honestly. Maybe they just cease to exist.”
Her frown deepens. “And demons? Do they go back to Hell?”
“No. But that doesn’t mean I know what happens to them. Death isn’t as cut and dry for Paranormals. Heaven and Hell collect mortal souls. It’s anyone’s guess what happens to those who don’t have souls.”
“Do I?”
“Have a soul?”
She nods.
“Most witches do, yeah. That’s what they promise to Hell in exchange for their magic. Since your father is mortal, your soul is likely less tainted than most.”
“And if he wasn’t?”
“Sorry?”
“Mortal. If my father wasn’t mortal, what would that mean for my soul?”
I furrow my brows. “Why? Reverend Gray is painfully human.”
“He also isn’t my father.”
I blink, but it doesn’t surprise me as much as it should. It’s far easier to imagine Alana cheating on the pious pastor with someone than screwing him even once to create Nadia. She doesn’t look a damn thing like him, but I’d dismissed it as her mother’s dominant genetics. Now all the pieces fit.
But it doesn’t explain what put that idea in Nadia’s head. “Did your mother return to you in a dream?”
“No. My father stopped by to introduce himself yesterday while I was speaking to Lilith.”
Stiffness spreads through my body. “No—”
“Yeah. Talk about Daddy issues.” She gives a
tiny, hollow laugh. “I’d love to give you all the answers, but I don’t have them. We didn’t spend a lot of time catching up. So you tell me, Kane. Do I have a soul?”
I want to tell her what she wants to hear. Reassure her there’s no one alive with a more beautiful, pure soul. But Nadia’s never been the girl who needs the comfort of a lie to push her through the rough times. She’s tough enough to face the truth, even when it stings.
The promise bubbles from my lips before I can stop it. “I don’t know. But if you don’t, when your time in this world is up, I’ll follow you into the next one. You won’t have to face the unknown alone ever again.”
Fuck. My body goes rigid, bracing for a verbal lashing. I keep my eyes glued on the road ahead, unable to face her reaction. Her inevitable rejection. We both know I don’t deserve a place in her life. Not after everything I’ve put her through. She can’t like me much better than Zeke. He killed her, but I delivered her to him like a lamb brought to the butcher.
“What are you saying?” she whispers beside me.
I swipe a sweaty hand over my face. “I-I don’t know, honestly. Nothing. Everything. I just—I need to tell you how fucking sorry I am. Not just for this, but all of it. I’ve done some unforgivable things over the years, Nadia. No matter how hard I scrub, the bloodstains on my hands will never disappear. The darkness in me will always exist, hungry and destructive and eager to block out any insignificant speck of light that might threaten to brighten things up. But you... well, you’re the sun.”
Her fingers lace through mine over the gearshift. She squeezes my hand until I turn enough to look at her. “Please promise me this isn’t just another trick, because if you’re lying right now it will smash my heart to bits.”
“I’ve lied to you in the past, but not about this. And if you can forgive me for all the colossal ways I’ve let you down, I’ll never let another lie cross my lips towards you.”
She lifts my hand to her mouth and presses her lips to my skin. Warm, wet tears fall from her cheeks. “Maybe I died after all.”
My stomach hardens. “Why do you say that?”