Secret Worlds (182 page)

Just when I thought I’d collapse, he wrapped his arms around the back of my legs and picked me up, raising me to his height. I ended up suspended in the air with Michael’s lips trailing a line of heat down to the spot where my cleavage began. I honestly didn’t give a shit about the consequences, especially not when I felt one of his thumbs caressing the delicate curve between my inner thigh and hipbone. My thighs acted on their own, encircling his waist, driving a muted hiss of pleasure from the both of us. The towel did him no justice. He was definitely the Commander for a reason.

All at once, there was a loud knock at the door.

Shit.

Michael moved first because I was too, ahem, distracted. He lifted his face enough to look me in the eye. I had to remind myself we had company because his gaze still held enough lust to eradicate all of my will power.

“I should probably answer that, hm?”

My voice was practically breathless. “Probably.”

He seemed to think about it for a moment before sighing and lowering me to the floor. Finally embarrassed, I pulled the dress back up and fastened it, trying not to think about the fact that Michael watched me with a sort of defeated expression. I opened my mouth to speak, but he leaned down and kissed me, quick, firm, and luscious, before answering the door.

Gabriel stood there in all his cock-blocking blond glory with a dead serious look on his angelic face.

“Trouble. Follow me.”

Michael barely had enough time to throw on his clothes. All I could do was toss off my heels and replace them with Reeboks before we followed Gabriel out the door. I didn’t know if he had deduced what we’d been doing in our hotel room, but either way it didn’t seem to matter. His brow was set firm in a frown—a look of determination I had only seen once, on a rooftop while he fought the demon Belial. Gabriel was always smiling, always serene, always kind. Seeing him like this scared me.

“What’s going on?” Michael demanded, trying to catch up with his brother’s quick pace through the lobby of the hotel. When we got outside, Gabriel stood still on the sidewalk and pointed to his left.

“Look.”

I stared about, watching pedestrians walking up and down the streets. “Look at what? What are you—”

Then I saw them. People were walking in the same direction Gabriel was pointing, but that wasn’t the strangest part. Some of them wandered into the streets and cars passed right through them. My jaw dropped.

There were at least fifty ghosts walking down the street.

“God…what’s going on?” I whispered, eyes searching through the dead masses for a head count. I had been right. So far, I counted fifty-two ghosts.

“Something is calling to these spirits. I believe it is the sliver of the True Cross.” Gabriel said.

Michael’s jaw clenched. “I know for a fact none of the angels acquired it. Which means—”

“—one of the demons got their hands on it. We must move quickly. Follow them.”

We jogged through the crowds, trying to catch up to see just where the ghosts were heading. Each one I passed had a blank, almost dreamy expression, as if their minds were far away.

“I don’t get it,” I said as I followed the angels. “Why would the True Cross Sliver attract so many spirits?”

“The True Cross is a bridge between the living and the dead.” Gabriel said. “Christ gave up human life and died on that sacred wood so it is symbolic of humanity in both aspects. The dead are drawn to it because it is where he conquered death itself.”

We rounded another corner. The ghosts had led us into the park. We followed the gravel path through the woods to the lake where an entire horde of ghosts gathered. There had to be over a hundred here already.

I squinted as we came down the hill. A man in a tuxedo stood by the edge of the lake with his back to us. I brushed through the crowd of ghosts, ignoring the cold sensations their forms rippled across my skin. With a start, I realized I knew him.

“Terrell?”

He turned. “Jordan? I was wondering where you were. You weren’t at the hotel and you didn’t pick up your phone, so I came here looking for you.”

“Jordan!” Michael called.

I waved a hand at him to dismiss the worried tone in his voice. “Don’t worry, I know him.”

I turned back to Terrell. “Look, I need you to get out of here. It’s not safe.”

“Get away from him,” Michael ordered, his hands balling into fists.

I glared at him. “Michael, this isn’t the time for that. We’ve got bigger problems right now and I don’t need you getting overprotective—”

“Jordan,
listen to me
. That is not your ex-boyfriend.”

I stared at him. “What are you talking about? I’ve been seeing him all week.”

Terrell wrapped one arm around my shoulders, cradling me against the front of his body, and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“And thus, I clothe my naked villainy with old odd ends stolen forth from holy writ, and seem a saint when most I play the Devil.”

I recognized that quote. Shakespeare. “Terrell, what’s going on?”

He kissed the shell of my ear and spoke again. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you…my pet.”

A cold shock went through me. No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

“I want you to know that this façade was not the reunion I had planned for us, but it was suitable for my needs. If I had things my way, I would have taken my time in seducing you and getting you to trust me, but these aren’t reasonable times and the Master grows impatient.”

Terrell’s normally warm voice had become bone-chillingly cold. It held a disgusting element of arrogance to it that he never had before. His words seeped into my skin like poison, filling my veins with a sickening feeling. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.

I shook my head, too numb to turn around and see his face, the face I had kissed a thousand times, the face that promised me the world, the face that wanted two kids and a dog and a white picket fence. “Can’t be you. Two souls can’t share a body. It’s not you.”

“You’re quite right, Jordan. That is exactly why I killed him and took his body.”

Just as he spoke, the tip of a blade pressed into my spine, right at the small of my back. The air left my lungs. I just stood there. My lips barely moved enough to form the words.

“You killed him.”

The archdemon sighed in a melodramatic way. “He was necessary. I wouldn’t have been able to manipulate you otherwise. It was tedious, but I spent our time apart studying his every move, his thoughts, his gestures, until I could copy them exactly. If it’s any consolation, he died an honorable death. He would have made you proud, sweet Jordan.”

Numb. All numb. Head spinning. Stomach churning. Eyes dim. Dead. My ex-boyfriend was dead because of me. I killed him. I killed Terrell. Blood was on my hands once again. So much blood.

“Jordan…” Michael took a step forward.

Belial jabbed the knife into my back, making me flinch and the angel freeze in place. “One more step and I’ll split her in half. We only need her blood, not her life. Why else would we send the hellhound?”

Gabriel’s blue eyes narrowed. “We?”

Belial chuckled. “Yes, we. You know I am nothing without my right hand man. Well, woman. Mulciber?”

The other demon approached from the edge of the woods to our left, walking calmly towards our little Mexican standoff as if it were nothing more than a picnic. Her new body came in the form of a Vietnamese woman with long, dark hair and brown eyes set in a round face. I was still too numb to care about her sudden appearance.

“My, my. We have quite the reunion going on tonight, do we not?”

“You have exactly five seconds to let go of her before I tear out your spine, demon,” Michael growled, green eyes narrowed to slits. Gabriel whispered his name, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

“Such brave words, angel. We both know there is no way you can extract the girl without hurting her. Therefore, I can do anything I want while you just stand there like whipped puppies.” She stroked her long fingers up and down my left arm. Goosebumps rose as her red fingernails began digging in, creating painful welts.

“What do you want, beast?” Gabriel spat, taking a step forward as well.

Mulciber’s pale face broke into a triumphant grin. “Oh, I
have
what I want.”

She reached into the pocket of her black Armani pants suit and withdrew a tinted glass vial. Through the light from an overhead lamp, I could see a tiny piece of wood no bigger than a needle inside it.

“Tonight is the fall of man and angel. Tonight, we will conquer life and death in one fell swoop. Tonight, we wage war against the Heavens and spit in the face of God. Tonight is all about revenge—sweet, glorious revenge. Starting with you, Seer.”

She grabbed my chin, making me look at her face, nearly inhuman with rage. “You took my favorite body from me. By your hand, your arm, you took away my victory. And so I will take away yours.”

Before anyone could move, she grabbed my left arm and shoved her palm against my elbow, shattering it. I screamed, convulsing in Belial’s arms. He held me upright as my body lurched forward, weakened by the pain that shot through my upper torso. Bile rose in the back of my throat. Too much. I would pass out from shock soon.

With a wordless roar, Michael lunged at Mulciber, his fist cocked to pummel the daylights out of her. She tossed the vial to Belial, who let go of me enough to catch it.

“Do it!”

Michael tackled her off her feet, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her to the ground. Gabriel leapt for me, but Belial raised the blade to my neck, stopping him.

“Move another inch and I’ll flay her jugular,” Belial sneered, popping the vial open with his thumb. Gabriel met my eyes and a look passed through them that I somehow understood. He was going to try something. I needed to be ready. I pushed past the aching feeling of loss in my chest and blocked out the pain of my ruined arm, waiting for him to make a move.

Belial used the tip of the knife to slice a neat line across his cheekbone. He held the vial up to it so the blood would run inside. The sliver burned a bright white color, nearly blinding both me and Gabriel. Belial used the distraction to slash one side of my neck. Blood poured forth and he held it to the vial as well to let it flood over the sliver. He lowered the knife a fraction from below my throat, giving us an opening.

I elbowed Belial as hard as I could in the sternum and dropped to the ground, giving Gabriel the chance to kick him in the chest. Belial flew backwards, head over feet, and landed near the shoreline of the lake. The vial went flying into the midst of the ghosts behind us, spewing light as if it were a supernatural sparkler. As Gabriel helped me stand, I felt some horrible power building only feet away where the vial landed. What had they done?

The ghosts turned to face the vial and a huge pillar of light exploded upward, creating a maelstrom in their midst. Wind tore around them into a funnel and sucked their bodies into it one by one until they all disappeared. Then it expanded. The people who had been in the park scattered at the sight of the twister. Gabriel wrapped his arms around me, protecting me from the debris that slapped against us. It surrounded the area in a huge tornado as if acting as a barrier to the outside. I had seen tornadoes before but this was nothing like them. It didn’t move on towards another side of the park. It stayed where it was, trapping us inside the dangerous torrent.

I peeked through a gap in Gabriel’s arms to see a man standing where the spirits had once been. He was naked and easily over eight feet tall. His skin was deathly pale and his hair was black and slicked back from his face, the cheekbones sharp, nose narrow, brows thick. I couldn’t see his eyes because they were closed, but I knew he wasn’t human. Gabriel unwrapped his arms from around me, his face slack with shock.

“What…what is that thing?” I whispered.

Its eyes opened and they were opaque with no irises, no sclera, nothing but twin orbs of black. Seconds later, wings stretched from its back but something was horribly wrong. The archangels’ wings were white with sheens of gold, or silver, or bronze over them, but this creature’s were blood red and singed at the ends.

“It can’t be. This shouldn’t be possible,” Gabriel murmured, the blood draining from his face, leaving him damn near as pale as the thing in front of us.

Behind me, Belial chuckled. I whirled around, drawing my energy around me in case he decided to attack, but he wore a joyous expression, his hands spread wide.

“Thank you, Jordan. You have handed us the victory once again.”

“What are you talking about, demon?” I snarled.

“We have tried for centuries to beat the angels at your own game and every time, we have been unsuccessful. Arrogant though we demons are, we have come to one final conclusion. There is no equal for God’s angels. And so, we decided to create one.”

As if on cue, the false angel landed beside Belial, training its empty eyes on the two of us. Fear curled up through my stomach, washing away the agony from my broken arm. I had faced death before—twice, in fact—and yet it paled in comparison to the stare of this abomination.

Gabriel pushed me behind him, murmuring under his breath. “You need to get out of here.”

“I’d love to, Gabe, but I don’t think Naked McEvilGuy is going to let me make a run for it,” I replied through a grimace.

He seemed to realize the truth in my statement, but he didn’t like it. Neither did I.

“Very well. Draw up your shields. Things are about to get…messy.”

“Messy?”

Before he could answer, the false angel lunged for me, one huge hand outstretched. Gabriel shoved me out of the way and its fist punched a gigantic crater in the ground, scattering gravel, dirt, and dust into the air. I scrambled backwards with my good arm, swallowing hard, but there wasn’t enough time to react because Gabriel shouted: “Michael! Now!”

The archangel appeared behind me and raised his hand to the sky. “Celeste!”

Thunder roared and clouds materialized above us. The sky seemed to explode with activity. I shielded my eyes, just barely able to see a gigantic lightning strike hit the false angel. The sound of the electricity connecting with its flesh made my ears pop and the hairs on my arms stand to attention. When the bolt disappeared, there was only a huge plume of smoke coming out of another even larger crater.