“Sure.” My skin tingles all over, like something inside me is desperate to escape. It’s probably just my desire to get out of these tight clothes, but Amber’s stare unnerves me, despite her shy personality. After a full two minutes, I start to fidget again. “Um, Amber? What are you doing?”
The witch flinches, like she forgot I was even here. “Sorry. I was trying to get a read on your aura, and it’s…weird.” Twirling a lock of blond hair around her finger, she chews on her bottom lip, then swallows hard enough I can hear it. “You’re not human, Zoe. I don’t know what you are. But you are definitely not human. And…” Amber huffs out what might be a laugh. “You knew.”
“Suspected,” I correct. “And I don’t know what I am either. You really have no idea?”
I would do almost anything for answers, and I think Sin has them, but every time we start talking about it, we end up fucking each other blind. So not helpful.
“No. It’s like…you’re human on the outside, but not the inside.” She shrugs. “It’s hard to explain. Like, there’s this other-ness deep in your soul, but your body…that’s human.”
I’m about to press her for more answers when my phone rings. The tight leather skirt has a hidden pocket at the small of my back, and I tap the single earbud in my left ear. “Sin? If you’re not back here in—“
“It’s Dion.” Her voice, usually so bubbly and effusive, holds an edge of strain, and I can hear people talking around her. “I just left my place, and I think the bitch who took Jacinda is following me. I’m scared, Zoe. What do I do?”
“Tell me where you are.” I nod at Amber and run—with very small steps thanks to this damn tight skirt—to my desk. “I hear people. You’re not alone, right?”
“I’m on Market Street. Ten blocks from Loup Noir. But, Zoe…shit. I don’t want to lead her there. And she’s getting closer.”
“Do not, under any circumstances, talk to her. Do you understand? Don’t let her say a word to you. Put in your earbuds, blast the music, stay where there are lots of people. I’ll meet you outside Macy’s in…um…ten minutes.”
“Just…hurry. Please.”
The Bureau has a pool of cars parked under the building, and I snatch up the keys for a Thunderbird and text Sin from the elevator.
Dion’s in trouble. I’m going to pick her up on Market Street, then bring her to the Bureau. Get your ass back here ASAP.
Ten minutes later, my phone buzzes as I double-park around the corner from Macy’s. Sin’s name flashes across the screen, but I shove the phone into my pocket. I don’t have time for this now. He’s just going to yell at me, and in five minutes, I’ll have Dion and we’ll be on our way back to the Bureau.
My feet are already starting to ache as I turn onto Market Street, but Dion’s mane of jet black hair is just barely visible over the rest of the crowd and so I push through the discomfort. She’s facing away from me, pretending to window shop at the department store. Thank God.
“Dion!” I say as I reach for her arm.
“Do not say another word,” an accented, alluring voice says in my ear. “Your voice belongs to me now.”
Panic wraps icy fingers around my heart, and I try to scream, but nothing comes out.
“Give me your phone and your keys,” the woman says, and my entire being aches to please her. I can’t give her my phone. I need it. And my keys. Dion is only a foot away from me, and her eyes…they’re so serene, almost like she’s floating on air. Her lips are parted slightly, and she watches the woman behind me. Regina.
The keys slip from my hand, but I don’t make a move to pull my phone from my pocket. Fight. Find your voice and scream your damn head off.
A tiny, weak sound tickles my throat, and for a second, I think maybe I can fight her. Until Regina turns me around, takes my chin in her long, bony fingers, and pins her cold stare on me. “You will do as I ask, or I will kill the panther by flaying her skin from her body one inch at a time. Give. Me. Your. Phone.”
Each word is like a sledgehammer to whatever fight I have left. I’m so tired. And if I give in…everything will be okay. I know it will. Because the old woman is smiling now. Her orange eyes…how did I think they were cold? They’re full of tenderness. Understanding. She knows what’s best. She’ll take care of me.
I slip my phone into her palm, then take out my earbud and drop it on the ground. As Regina slams her foot down on it, something deep inside me knows I’ve made a terrible mistake. Until she speaks again. “Come now, ladies. Your new master awaits.”
With an arm around each of our waists, Regina leads me and Dion to the Thunderbird, tells us to get into the back seat and sit still, and slides behind the wheel.
Fight, Zoe. She’s dangerous. She’s going to kill you. And Sin.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I try desperately to scream, to move even a single finger. I’m close. So close. The thought of losing Sin—of him caught in Thorn's clutches again—is almost enough to let me break free. But then the Fae bitch turns around with a tiny, odd-looking gun in her hand. “Time to say goodnight.”
The dart pierces my neck, and the world turns cold and dark. A tear tumbles down my cheek, and my eyes flutter closed.
As I slip away, I’m so confused, because my inner voice—the one that just a second ago told me I failed—utters one, final thought.
No. You succeeded.
Twenty-Seven
Sin
Zoe is not answering me. Shoving the Bureau doors so hard the walls shake, I call out for her, but I can tell she is gone. As is most everyone else. On their assigned stakeouts across the city.
I should have been here. Should not have driven so far. Why did I not start with a phone call? Sariel, the only watcher I know in the earthen realm, would not answer my questions. He was downright angry at being disturbed, and we battled—physically—for an hour before I bested him and demanded he tell me why the Almighty would torture me like this.
“We cannot claim to know the Almighty’s will, demon spawn. If this Zoe truly is your Genevieve reborn, there is a reason she is here. You will have to see it through.”
I shove him up against the wall of his shed, lifting him off his feet. “How do I break through the wall built around her memories? At least tell me that!”
The watcher shakes his head. “You cannot. She must do that all on her own.”
Stomping through the bullpen, I catch sight of one of the witches. Ashley? Aisha? Amber. “Were you here? When Zoe left?” I snap.
“Yes.” Amber rushes over to me, her eyes wide. “She got a call and said something about Macy’s on Market Street. Is she in trouble?”
“Thorn has her. I am certain of it.” Saying the words aloud is too much, and I brace my hand on Zoe’s desk, my world collapsing as I speak.
“What can I do?” the witch asks. “I don’t know what she is, Agent Sin, but she’s strong. I read her aura before she left, and…she’s…something I’ve never seen before.”
I blow out a deep breath, searching for strength. “Zoe is descended from the seraphim. But she can be killed. She has died before. I will not let it happen again.” Admitting the truth frees something inside me, and I strip off my leather jacket and my shirt, yank open my desk drawer, and pull out a pocket knife.
“What are you doing, Agent Sin?” The witch takes two steps back, wary, and I offer her a cold grin.
“I’m going to find my partner,” I say as I cut two holes in the back of my shirt, another two in the leather jacket, and get dressed once more. “And stop hiding who I truly am.”
The witch follows me as I sprint for the parking lot. Now is not the time to bother with human transportation. As soon as I am free of the building, I let out a roar. My wings burst forth, and then there’s only air beneath my feet. I bank to the left, seeing Amber’s jaw drop open, and take off towards Market Street.
I am strong enough to glamour everyone within two blocks when I land—thanks to what Zoe and I shared this morning—and I hide my wings
until I blend into the crowd. Zoe’s scent lingers, so very faint now, but still trackable. It’s strongest in front of one of the shop windows, and as I approach, something crunches under my shoe.
Fuck. Zoe’s earbud. On the corner, I find her broken cell phone. And on the next block, another concentration of her scent—along with the panther shifter. They used Dion to trap her, and now Thorn has two victims. From Zoe’s research, his final two victims in this city. In a day, perhaps two, he’ll brand them, and not long after, he’ll sell their pain and terror for the first time. Let them be ravaged, tortured, tormented by the worst of the otherworld. And he’ll drive them slowly insane. Zoe fought before. Can she do it again?
Even if her mind does not break, Thorn will still destroy her body. He will let her be violated, let others break her bones, trap her deep in nightmares she will be unable to escape from. And so much more. All to feed off of her misery.
“Zoe,” I whisper as I stare up at the sky, the city lights obscuring the stars. “I will find you. I swear.”
Clenching my hands into fists, I call upon all of my strength to hide myself from the world around me and take to the air, returning to the cliff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Gabriel! Get your celestial ass down here! Right the fuck now!” The wind howls around me, angry and vicious, and I turn in a slow circle. “Gabriel. I swear if you do not show yourself to me, I will fly up there and pull the feathers from your wings one at a time while you scream for mercy!”
The air stills, and Gabriel’s arrival sends me stumbling, but I am ready for him, rolling and beating my wings until I am hovering five feet above him. The energy pulsing from my body lights the darkness, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would toss him over the edge and let his body break against the rocks below. Angels can die in the mortal realm, and though they heal—very quickly—they can still feel pain.
“You have the gall to summon me like this, Sinclair? I could end you in a heartbeat,” Gabriel sneers.
“He has her, you piece of shit.” The angel’s attitude enrages me, and I swoop down and plant my feet in the center of his chest, sending him flying back and skidding on the dirt path for a highly satisfying distance. “You sent a celestial being to the earthen realm with no memory of who she is or knowledge of what she can do. One Thorn has met before. And then you put her right in his path! Tell me why I should not end you right now. You are not immortal on earth, Gabriel. And I am stronger than you by half.”
“What are you talking about?” He pushes up on an elbow, raising his other hand in surrender. “Who does Thorn have and what kind of celestial being is she?”
“You truly do not know?”
Gabriel is many things. Arrogant, unfeeling, and the least responsible angel I have ever met. But he does not lie.
“No. Of course not. Can I get up now, demon?”
I lower myself until my feet touch the ground, then nod, but I cannot bring myself to offer him a hand.
“I am only half demon. See the wings, asshole?”
“Fine. Halfling,” he mutters as he gets to his feet. “Are you going to answer my question?”
“He has Zoe. She is part seraphim. And Gabriel? She is the reason I was able to fight Thorn and Regina centuries ago. Her death gave me the strength to break free from his control and drag the two of them to Hell. I was in love with her. And that incubus bastard killed her right in front of me. If he finds out who she is now? If he already knows? He will not kill her again. He will keep her alive so he can torture her for all eternity.”
The archangel’s blue eyes widen, and he takes a step back. “Well, fuck.”
Twenty-Eight
Zoe
Cold. Damp. Dark. My nose wrinkles, but I don’t try to move beyond that. I’m not sure I can. My arms and legs are bent, and I’m folded almost in half. My entire body aches, like I’ve been in this position for a long time.
The rough stone under my cheek confirms that I’m on my side. My left shoulder throbs. Along with my hip. I can’t feel my fingers or my lips.
Images ping around my brain, but they don’t coalesce into anything I can understand. A crowd of people. Stormy blue eyes. Black wings. The fires of Hell.
Sin. Oh, shit. Sin. My partner. My lover. My angel.
“You are safest here. Promise me you will stay.”
I broke that promise. Broke it for a friend. My first friend. My only friend. Dion. Where is she? Her eyes…they were so calm. Serene. Regina forced her to help trap me. And then the Fae took us both.
A tear escapes my shuttered lids and trails across the bridge of my nose. Regina’s voice…she spoke to me and stole me away without batting an eye. I couldn’t fight her. I wanted to. I tried. But I couldn’t.
“The easiest way to get to me would be to go after you.”
Do they know? That I’m with Sin? Am I with Sin?
The lump in my throat answers the question. Yes. I am absolutely with Sin. I care for him. So much. I think…I think I might even love him. Whatever I am, this other-ness inside me knows he’s mine as much as it knows I’m his.
Footsteps echo on stone, and I try to prepare myself for what’s coming. Pain. Regina stealing my free will. Thorn invading my mind and searching out my greatest fears.
Don’t think. Anything. Picture a void. Your mind is nothing but a void.
Behind my lids, I conjure a black hole in space, twisting, consuming all light, all life, everything. Nothing but an endless dark cloud swirling without emotion. Without fear.
A woman screams from far away. Not Dion, but someone else. I can feel the woman’s desperation. How close she is to breaking completely. The sound echoes around corners and curves, and she begs for her life to end. “Please. Let me die.”
Her plea stirs something buried deep inside me. A long-ago memory. Another woman, another scream, another time. Trapped in a prison deep underground in the cisterns of Florence, knowing I was sent there to die, to take Thorn with me, but failing. All because of a man whose blue eyes held pain and sorrow and need I couldn’t ignore.
If I could move, if I could make any noise at all, I’d let out a wail so loud, so mournful, no one in a hundred miles would be able to ignore it. I remember now. I know why my shoulder and hip ache. Why I smell rust and damp stone. I’m lying on iron bars. Locked in a cage so small, even if Regina’s drugs wear off, I won’t be able to do more than raise my head.
I can feel the metal clamped around my wrists. The chains binding my ankles. And the weight of millennia of knowledge. Of brief moments of bliss. And endless centuries of pain.
We need you, daughter of seraphim. You failed once. You have another chance. Stop the incubus who calls himself Thorn and his companion and we will release you from your torment.
Tears cascade down my cheeks as everything comes flooding back to me. “How dare you ask me this! The only being I have ever truly loved was consigned to Hell with Thorn and Regina, and you—who claim to be right and just and kind—decided that a fitting punishment for my failure was binding me in the celestial realm, body, mind, and soul, without a single memory of him to comfort me!”
Seraphiel looms over me, glowing with light and power. He does not speak in words, but directly to my mind.
We do not ask, daughter of seraphim. The demon bastard has been returned to the mortal realm to serve the remainder of his sentence. You will do this. We will allow you to see him again, but you will not know him, nor will he know you. Be grateful for this boon. But make no mistake. Your fate does not lie with him. You were made a thousand years ago to put an end to this evil. Created for this one purpose. Until you succeed, you are bound by this duty.
Every cell in my body mourns for what I can never have. I look human. I feel human. But I’m not. I was created to destroy Thorn, and that’s all the seraphim will allow me to do. To be.
Sin…I’m so very sorry. I should have fought harder to remember.
The cage door rattles, and a fist wraps around a ch
unk of my hair. The rough stone leaves deep cuts in my thighs and arms, and I’d cry out if I could.
“Welcome to your worst nightmare.” The raspy voice sends a wave of fear to drown me, and still trapped by Regina’s tranquilizer, I can barely force my eyes open to slits. Thorn's pale face swims in and out of focus a few feet away. “Sinclair cares for you. During the long years he toiled for me, through all of my forays into his thoughts and fears, he managed to hide his angelic parentage. But for you…he exposed it without a second thought.”
My tongue is thick and unwieldy, but I slur, “He…just wanted…to get me…into bed.”
Thorn's laugh sends me back centuries to the caverns under Florence. To the endless days when he toyed with my body and forced his way into my thoughts to find my deepest fears and prey on them.
He doesn’t waste a single second. His influence slithers up my spine like a thick fog, blinding my eyes, filling my ears, probing, invading, and searching for ways to break me.
Black void. Nothing but a void.
“A strong one, I see. You are not a shifter. Nor a witch. But you are definitely not human. I wonder. What secrets do you hide? And what will it take for me to discover them?”
The man holding me—one of his human victims—throws me against a wall, and my very human, very fragile body is consumed with pain. I’m descended from angels, yes. Created by them. But they gave me a human body. Human thoughts. Human emotions. All so I would fall into Thorn's trap.
I know who I am now.
My bones will shatter. My skin will tear. Thorn will destroy every human part of me. I can only hope that in the centuries since I was last his prisoner, my mind, the part of me designed to kill him, has strengthened. I just have to remember how I’m supposed to end him.
He stalks towards me, and I manage to curl myself into a ball. My ankles and wrists are still bound, so even if the drugs wear off, I won’t be able to fight him. But I have to try. Otherwise, I’ll fail once more, and Sin…he’ll die along with me.
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