Azrael's Light [Demon Runners of Unearth] (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

“She won’t see me coming, and there’s no time to waste. And the ninth circle is no place for a damn family reunion. I promise to come back and let you know she’s safe.”

“Azrael, she’s so much more than everyone believes and is not above using that to her advantage. It would also benefit you to have someone watching your back. Do you think she’s really there? Why?”

“I have no idea and honestly don’t care why. I want this finished. Now.”

So he could go back to his vacation. If he even bothered to stop by to update her like he promised, it would likely be the last time she ever saw him. He infuriated her more often than not. Why would the thought of his absence upset her so?

“I’m going. You can’t stop me. If you would stop and think, you’d realize it’s the best option.”

“Do you have any idea how cold and wretchedly nasty the ninth circle is? It’s no picnic, I promise you. Someone like you has no business being there.” His voice had softened on the last sentence. What did he mean by the words “someone like you”?

“Someone like me? You don’t know me. I’ve been there before. And yes, I agree, it was certainly no picnic, but I assure you I made it out fine. I’m here to tell the tale.” Anger and indignation made her feel ten feet tall and ready to take him down. Grim Reaper her ass. Being powerful didn’t mean he couldn’t be a dumbass, too.

With the air of a male suffering the frustration of a burdensome little woman, he barked out something resembling the word “fine.” Anger stared down at her through his eyes. With a deep breath, she reminded herself that it truly didn’t matter if he was mad at her. He could continue being mad at her forever. Alia was the only one who mattered. She had no choice but to squash her regret into a ball and swallow it whole.

Seething with anger, he growled one last sentence. “If you’re going, we’ll have to use a gate in water. We’ll use the lake outside town.”

She’d taken the “someone like you” comment as if it were a slap to the face. Insulting her had been the farthest thing from his thoughts. It went against every fiber of his being to take someone as untainted and lovely as her into the ninth circle. It was one of the vilest, most dangerous places in all of Unearth. A goddess had no business ever being there, let alone an almost mortal. Yet she said she’d been there before. What the hell was she? No matter what she was or wasn’t, she couldn’t have the kind of strength or powers it would take to make it through the lake whole.

Fuckup had become his middle name. The Fates touted him as the best Runner any of the gods had put into service. But he couldn’t find one little runaway. Despite all his knowledge and contacts, they’d had to rely on a tip from humans.

He’d failed Andras, who had been well on his way to becoming a Soul Runner. If he couldn’t protect a powerful immortal with strengths that matched his, how could he protect a helpless…whatever she was?

He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He just couldn’t. Wasn’t he responsible for enough already? Yes, damn it, he cared about her, maybe even a great deal, but two problems negated his feelings. One, he had little time before he’d be going back into service. Then every waking moment of his time would belong to the Fates, so he had nothing of himself to offer her. No more than a slave with a fancy title, they owned him. The other issue? She still claimed to be Lilith’s sister, and her story didn’t make sense. How could she be sister to Lilith but then have no power? No Light? He didn’t like secrets, and they sure as hell didn’t inspire trust.

So yeah, it was best he’d pissed her off. It would only be that much easier to part ways when this was over. It was a damn fine thing she’d chased the chill from his soul. The thaw was more than likely only temporary, but he’d take it while it lasted. It may be the only comfort he’d experience for the next thousand years, if not ever.

The dawn’s violet light mirrored itself on the lake’s still surface. Her face was still and thoughtful until she turned her focus from the moon’s reflection to him. Something about her sucked the hardness from him. She’d turned him into a damn sap, and that was the last thing they needed if they were going through with this.

“Azrael?”

“Lose the boots, Diane. If you insist on going, we’ll have to swim to the gate at the lake’s bottom. Time’s wasting. We’ll have to be lightning fast once we go through. I don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve been there, but the beasts have only grown in size and number.” His every cell tightened with the fear and impatience battling within. How would he keep them off her? If he could go alone, he’d realm hop without using a gate and bypass the water all together. The jump would take him less than the blink of an eye.

She looked up at him as if he were dimwitted. “Can’t we just hop? I thought Runners didn’t have to use gates.”

“We don’t. I can be anywhere, anytime, but you should know as well as I do that very few others can do the same. Are you telling me you can gate jump? What the fuck is going on here? I’m tired of the fucking secrets. I must be out of my mind to deal with this bullshit.” He’d been ready to travel to the farthest, deepest, nastiest place in Hell with someone he clearly didn’t know and obviously couldn’t trust? What kind of power did she have over him?

The scheming blood of Lilith had finally shown itself. He’d known it would only be a matter of time. He should consider himself lucky it appeared now and not when surrounded with all manner of nastiness in Unearth.

“Azrael, please listen. I know I probably don’t make sense to you, but it’s complicated. I—” When an eerie sense of forbidding hit him like a sledgehammer, he cut her off with the slash of his hand. Something watched them. He ignored the hurt expression on her face and concentrated on their surroundings. The water’s surface shimmered, silver and calm. The trees stood guard, tall and motionless. The air smelled of crisp water and damp earth, laced with a trace of the nearby city’s stench. Everything appeared to be exactly as it should every other dawn.

Yet both the upper layer of the lake and the trees were empty of life. The birds, fish, and even the insects had left them alone to face whatever lurked in the forest’s shadows. He couldn’t say he blamed them.

He turned to Diane, hoping against hope she could read his mind, and readied to make the leap to Hell. Her face was calm and alert, waiting for his cue. What the fuck? She looked up as if she trusted him and waited, ready to follow him to the ends of Unearth. Why did his heart clench at the sight?

His body froze as time slowed. A blinding fireball of red light appeared behind the trees, making them appear as an army of black skeletons. Sickly familiarity trapped him. Their bones shattered and erupted in a maelstrom as the light screamed toward them. He could do nothing but brace himself for the impact. Diane disappeared from his side and appeared just in front of him. A freight train knocked her into his chest and knocked him to his knees.

* * * *

The blast struck her solidly in her chest as an enraged roar rent the air behind her with earthshaking violence. Where centuries before a cold pain crippled her, she was now drowning in the flames of a thousand suns. The scorching pain paralyzed her, stealing her breath and preventing its return.

As every cell in her body burned with agony, a deathly silence followed the roar’s echoes. Hard arms pressed her up against a solid chest, and a fiery darkness descended.

“Lilith! Lilith, you conniving, scheming whore! Where are you?” Even with her senses virtually paralyzed by the blast, there was no mistaking Azrael’s terrible rage as he carried her through her sister’s home. She felt the tremors of fury rippling through his muscles as he held her close to his heart. The softness of his hair caressing her face anchored her to consciousness. His heavy boots pounded the black marble floors as he barged through to the highest level of Lucifer’s keep.

It was the last place she’d ever wanted to see again. Yet courtesy of her twin, she was right back where she started.

The motion came to an abrupt stop, but he continued to rage at Lilith. “Explain the meaning of this. Now! Who is this? Tell me why she has no powers, no Kor, yet she isn’t dead after absorbing a full-strength bolt of battleflare? Answer me!”

She dimly heard her sister’s broken sob, and a cool touch rested on her face. “She’s my sister. What happened to her? What did you do to her, you fool?”

“I did nothing but catch her before she hit the ground. Aren’t you listening? She jumped in front of a blast meant for me. If she’s human, why didn’t she die?”

“She’s not human, you idiot. She’s a goddess just as I am. She is the white light of the moon that counterbalances my dark half. Centuries ago she bade me to bind her powers so she could live on Earth as a human. I haven’t seen her since then. The blast must have damaged the binding I placed on her magic. Her powers have been partially released. She must be in agony.”

“Heal her now. You must know the way.”

“Yes, I can do it, but she won’t be happy with either of us. I’ll have to unbind her powers. It’s the safest way to heal the damage.”

“I don’t see any wounds, but she’s clearly in pain. What’s happening to her?”

“The injuries will all be internal, I’m sure. Her powers are fighting against the binding to get out and counteract the foreign magic from the battleflare. The struggle doubles her pain.” A cool hand touched her forehead but did nothing to ease the fiery torture raging deep inside her. “She has always been the good and honorable one. At times I have envied her that. I hope she’s not mad at me when she’s unbound and well again.”

“Fuck you, Lilith. Can you be any more selfish? Quit worrying about yourself for one damn day. She was trying to protect your daughter. I would think bringing Alia home will be more important to her than anything else right now.”

“Have you seen my daughter? Or heard any news?”

“Nothing. Now, heal your sister. She’s in horrible pain, and time’s wasting. We need to find Alia before this shit pile gets any deeper. Luc won’t give two shits about Earth or Unearth. He’ll fry each and every one of us where we stand if we don’t have this cleared up soon.”

Why didn’t Azrael tell Lilith where they’d been headed? Well, he didn’t trust her, so it should come as no surprise that he trusted her sister even less. With her last reserves of energy fading, she gave up the fight to stay conscious. She burrowed into the safety of Azrael’s strength and let go. As their voices dimmed, her last thought was that she couldn’t blame him at this point. There was too much at stake.

* * * *

The taste of something sickly sweet poured down her throat, forcing her return to consciousness. She remembered the revolting taste of the gods’ nectar all too well. It was a thick, oily elixir few knew where to find. Possessing an unrivaled healing strength, the few immortals who had it guarded it ruthlessly.

Long, masculine fingers held her chin in a grip that left no room for argument. She kept her eyes shut tight and ignored everything but the feel of a single finger sweeping feather-soft touches down her jawline. The soothing touch kept the gag reflex at bay.

Beginning at her lips and following the nectar’s path, the invisible flames licking at her skin changed to sharp prickles of ice, freezing her lips, her throat, and her insides. Even her toes and the roots of her hair made the jump from blistering hot to painfully frozen.

“She’s hurting again, but in a short while after her magic finishes restoring itself and healing her injuries, she’ll be fine. She’ll be the strongest she’s been in centuries.” The grasp on her jaw relaxed, no longer forcing her to drink the vile liquid. Now it merely lingered, supporting her neck. The soft caresses continued.

“Don’t forget pissed.” The weak words barely made it past her lips, but she knew her sister heard. It was petty, but she refused to open her eyes and face Lilith. She wanted to soak up as much of the surrounding warmth and darkness as possible before she was forced to face the real world. She needed just a few moments to be selfish and hide from the chaos surrounding her. Again.

“I had no choice. You know that.” Wonder of wonders, her spoiled, selfish sister actually sounded a tad regretful.

Azrael’s voice, tensed with stress, overrode Lilith’s apologies. “I forced her to do this. You were hurting, and we’re short on time.” The weight of his silence told her he had more to say, but he remained silent.

A loud thunderclap shook the palace, and the distant sound of the slaves’ hooves could be heard scrambling in the farthest reaches of the palace. Lilith’s face went from pale to bone white. “Luc’s home and doesn’t sound happy. Take Diane into the doorway at the end of the right-hand hallway. It’s the way to her old rooms. She’ll be cold. Keep her warm and hidden while I distract him.”

She heard the familiar sound of her bedroom door shut quietly, and a moment later the world tilted as she was placed on the soft silks and furs of her old bed. Bereft of Azrael’s warmth, she shivered uncontrollably. The chill snaked its way into her bone marrow, setting in for a permanent stay. Each tremble sent shockwaves of agony crashing through her, which in turn increased the shaking. Each breath was misery as her muscles pulled tighter. It became an increasing cycle of torment feeding on itself and dragging her to the depths of despair.

A muttered curse filled the silence, and she willed her heavy lids to open. Azrael stormed through the cavernous room, his hair trailing like smoke in his wake. Stopping in front of the monstrous fireplace, he started the flame with no more than a menacing look, as if he dared it to defy him and lie dormant.