The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) (119 page)

Jordan’s eyes went saucer and he raised the gun again. Before he could pull the trigger, Killian compelled his attention and he froze.

Killian’s hand gracefully manipulated the bullet between his fingers. Back and forth, back and forth; over and under each of his fingers...The yellow eyes tracked the motion, hypnotized. In a blur of motion, he jammed the bullet into Jordan’s heart. Jordan’s mouth flew open, hands clutched at his bony chest.

“You can’t do that! You can’t kill me! I’m protected!” He continued to protest but he was done. His lungs rattled as he struggled to breathe. Blood dripped down the front of his robe. His voice grew weaker as he babbled, “Your God is weak. I’m the one...the one true ruler. You can’t kill me.”

“You rule no one. Not now, not ever. You’re a puppet, Jordan. Always have been. Now your master’s left you to die. You’re of no use to him. Will you call him to save you?” Killian’s voice was harsh above the pouring rain. He stared into the ruined eyes of the fallen angel, daring him to call his master. Would he come?

In the heartbeat after he said the words, Killian felt a rare flash of pity. Jordan’s fate was sealed. No one could change it. It was too late. Destiny had given him a fork in the road; a test; a choice. Darkness tempted him on one side; light wooed him on the other. He’d considered the paths and made his choice. He’d chosen poorly. And now it came to this--a dishonorable death in the pouring rain. Such a waste.

A soft chuckle drifted through Killian’s mind, the sound sending chills up his neck.

A pity you won’t join me, priest. I have a place for you.

Killian jerked his head up and glared into the darkness.
Not now, not ever!

The chuckle came again and faded away. Killian shook himself and turned back to the scene in front of him.

Jordan was on his knees bleeding nicely when Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel materialized.

Uriel shouted, “No! Do not kill him! Our duty is to take him to Michael. He must face his judgment.” His mouth twisted into a sneer as he studied the destroyed face of the angel. There was no compassion in his eyes when he said, “The Stone Garden is too good for him. He’ll be bound in Hell for eternity. I’ll personally see that his stay is as uncomfortable as possible.”

Killian stepped away from Jordan and bowed respectfully towards Uriel. “As you wish. He’s about to run out of body though. You might want to hurry.”

Raphael started to speak when a crack of thunder cut him off. The landscape went techno as the storm picked up force. Thunder boomed and lightning arced in monstrous spears from the low clouds to the ground. Ozone filled the air around them and the fine hair on their arms stood up.

“Duck!” Killian yelled just as a bolt speared the ground between them. Sean and Alexandyr were thrown to the grass. Killian stumbled backwards and threw his palms out in front of him.

“
Sgaine dios a liane
!”

The massive bolt instantly reversed direction away from the archangels and jumped into his palms. He drew it inside until it settled into his
saol
and became a part of him.

He closed his eyes against the brightness and when he opened them his heart nearly stopped.

They had company.

Sean lurched to his feet, swearing a constant stream of Gaelic. Shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears, he stumbled around like a drunk until he got a good view of the new guy.

Is this him? The guy Mica saw with Aisling?
He sent his thoughts screaming into Killian’s head.

Dark haired, dark skinned, the demon stood directly behind Jordan with one elegant hand resting on his shoulder. Menace swirled around him like a physical force. The ancient evil sent another chill running over Killian’s neck. This was no ordinary demon. Jordan seemed to know him and smiled faintly with relief.

His voice was deep and heavily accented when he spoke. Staring directly at Raphael, he said, “You’re not taking him to Michael. His soul is spoken for.”

The three archangels unsheathed their swords at once, the metallic clang drowned out by the crash of thunder above them. “How will you stop us?” Raphael demanded.

Instead of answering, the demon jammed an athame straight into Jordan’s neck. The frail body arched off the ground in protest, spasming violently as it struggled to survive. Eyes wide with terror, he gaped at the demon as the wind stripped away the last of his flesh. Sinking downward, he collapsed into a pile of cloth and bones. All that remained was an oily swirl of mist that curled from the devastated body to disappear into the air. He was gone.

Dead and gone.

Killian’s skin crawled at the sight. Odds were pretty damn good he’d been spending the next 30 seconds with Satan before spending eternity burning in the pit. Hell of a way to spend it. Poor dumb bastard. That’s what you get when you sell your soul.

Satan always collects.

As Jordan’s bones settled into the mud, the demon looked up to find himself surrounded by Primani and their makers. Swords were drawn and blades gleamed in the darkness. He grinned coldly and shifted to his demon form. His human body stretched to his natural height and width. Monstrously huge and thick with muscle, he towered above them. His obsidian face was pure evil, carved from stone and set with fire. A red flame smoldered deep inside the black holes of his eyes. After studying each of them intently, he dismissed their power with a snarl of disgust. Slowly and proudly, he unfurled his great black wings. They stretched at least 20 feet across. He lifted them in a graceful, powerful arc that sent Alexandyr stumbling back to his knees as he caught the full force of the downdraft.

Unfazed, Raphael raised his sword and demanded, “How is this possible?”

The demon didn’t bother to answer him aloud. Instead, his growling voice rumbled through their minds, echoing, burrowing deep inside.

You failed. You thought to banish me? I am Irku, the destroyer of angels--brother of Lilith and Satan. I cannot be bound by your powers. You cannot compel
me
to do your bidding. But I can compel you--
any
of you. Any time I choose.

As he spoke the words, he let his smoldering gaze rest on each of them in turn. His will called to them, challenged each to resist. Killian felt the full weight of his will when he pinned his stare on him. Irku’s voice washed over him like an avalanche, demanding he heel, give up, and put down his weapons.

This
was Irku? Oh, hell no.

He met the demon’s arrogant stare with his own, holding the other’s eyes until they squinted with interest.

Now that I’ve got your attention, asshole.

“You come after my family again and I’ll send your ass to the deepest piece of rock I can find.”

Irku lifted his eyebrows and growled, “Your pitiful family means nothing to me. I know not of what you speak.”

WTF?

Killian regrouped and snarled, “Heed my warning, Irku. Leave them alone or I
will
take you out.”

Irku appeared amused for a second before locking his eyes on Sean. Sucking in a strangled breath, Sean crumpled to his knees.

“Pathetic.”

With
Sgaine Dutre
in his fist, Killian sprang at Irku’s throat.

Irku warned, “Not today, priest!” Without another word, he vanished.

“Sonofabitch!” Alexandyr shouted at the sky. Pivoting on his heel, he asked Killian, “Are you out of your mind?”

Seconds too late, Dec and Rivin materialized in a crouch, ready to jump into the fight. On one side of the clearing, the three archangels stood deep in conversation. Gabriel gestured sharply with his sword hand, his face furious. Uriel seemed to be scolding Raphael who crossed his arms and glared at him. On the other side, Killian supported Sean by the arm while Alexandyr ranted. Other than them, the place was empty.

Rivin swore, “Aw, bloody hell. We missed it!” and slammed the shotgun to the ground.

Killian glanced up just as Dec loped over to check on them. “Don’t worry about me; it’s just a scratch.”

That left Sean. The big soldier swayed on his feet, but stayed up. Dec sprinted over and said, “What happened to you?”

Sean cleared his throat and spit out blood. “Irku happened to me. He’s got a long memory.” Glancing at Raphael, he added, “I think he’s going to be trouble.”

“You have no idea,” Raphael frowned.

Dimitri’s voice rang out in Killian’s head.
We’ve got a problem here.

“HOW DO YOU STAND IT?” Dani grumbled as she swiped at the condensation on the window pane. It was raining again, but she wasn’t talking about the weather.

It’d been hours since they left. All of them were gone. It was time to wrap up Jordan’s nasty little plot once and for all. I hoped Killian’s plan worked. Checking the time on my phone, I leaned back and tried to get comfortable. Nearly impossible these days...Dani grumbled again.

Taking pity on her, I said, “Everything will be okay. This is what they do. Dec’ll be back; all of them will.”

She rolled her eyes at my ‘Dec’ reference. “Don’t start with me again. Dec’s just a friend.”

“For now. You could do much worse, you know. He’s the sweetest soul you’ll ever meet. And he’s got beautiful abs. I mean really, you could bounce a quarter off them.”

Those stormy eyes rolled around some more and she snorted at me. “I think I have a job to do here. I can’t spend my time chasing after him. Besides, I’m not up to dealing with men--of any kind. I’m still wonky in here.” She gestured to her heart with one pearly rose fingernail. Her silver pinky ring winked in the light.

I gave her an exaggerated sigh and rolled my own baby blues. “Dude, you’ll have plenty of time to do your own thing. Immortality lasts a looonnnngggg time. I think you’ll be able to squeeze in some hot sex every century or so. You don’t think they do without, do you? It’s not like Killian got special permission to get me pregnant.”

That surprised her and threw her off her game. She gaped at me and then burst out laughing. “Oh, God! Leave it to you to find the loophole!”

Domino lifted one ear and thumped her tail once.

“I feel no guilt whatsoever. They came that way! None of this would’ve happened if Sean hadn’t been so dark and mysterious. If he knew anything about human women, he’d have known that was like waving a red flag. No one can resist the mystery! If he acted needy and clingy, I would’ve run screaming in the other direction! So totally changing the subject from sex since I’m not having any...Why don’t you tell me what happened with Raphael?” I was dying to know if she got the same treatment that Dec had. Did Raphael give her the same choice?

Dragging her gaze from the window, she smiled wistfully and rubbed Domino’s ears between two fingers. Her lyrical voice was soft but not sad. “I wish I could tell you what happened. But the truth is I don’t remember a lot. The first thing I remember clearly was waking up in a room with Raphael sitting next to my bed. I was so confused.”

“Didn’t he tell you what happened?”

Her braid swung when she shook her head. She wore it in one heavy braid today. “Not at first. I asked him if I was dead. He asked me if I wanted to be.”

“I was so surprised I had an option. I couldn’t remember anything about the demons, but I sensed I had passed into another plane, another realm. I’d assumed I was dead. I just didn’t know if I was in Heaven or Hell.”

“You don’t remember being with James, or the demons holding you?”

“No, nothing. Sean came to check on me and filled me in, told me how he’d found me in that cell. But that was after I woke up. I’d been asleep for a while. He was surprised I didn’t remember, so he called Raphael to come in.” She scrunched up her face and asked, “Why does he call him Afriel?”

Laughing at Sean’s death wish, I said, “He likes to annoy people.”

Her mouth turned up at one corner. “Really? Well, he’s certainly elevated it to an art form. Anyhow, Raphael came in and explained everything. After Dimitri brought me to the safe house, he called Raphael for help. I was...I was...” Her voice cracked and she sniffed hard.

Trying to smile through tears, she finally managed to say, “I was dead, but I didn’t know it yet. They brought me to Heaven before my soul could leave my body. I didn’t see a bright light or anything. By the time I woke up, I’d been cleaned up inside and out and had my memory wiped.”

Ouch. Waking up dead sucked.

“I’m so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to go through that. Friggin’ James! If it makes you feel any better, he’s dead.” Probably I didn’t need to fill her in on his secret life as a serial killer, or his plan to use her as his personal baby factory. Ignorance really was bliss sometimes.

Getting up from the window seat, she glided over and perched on the other end of the couch. “Yeah, I’m sorry too. I had plans for my life. I was in the middle of college when idiot-man came along. Damn it. I was actually learning something for a change! I was having a good time. I should’ve known James was too good to be true. What was I thinking?” Her pretty face lit with the attempt at humor. It was good to see her try. Nothing kept her down for long.

“James used his powers to control you. You didn’t have a chance. We couldn’t figure out what was going on until it was too late. By the time we knew he had fallen, you were gone. We looked and looked...” It was my turn to sniff and wipe at useless regret. The past was gone and tears wouldn’t change it.

Reaching out with her bare toes, she prodded my leg and made me smile again. “I saw Aric in Heaven. He came to me in a dream. It was beautiful...so bright and pretty. He told me he still loved me. It was so good to see him. The next day I asked Raphael if I could stay with him, but he told me I had other things to do with my life. Or afterlife, really.”

“Didn’t he give you a choice?”

“Yeah, he did. I was upset about losing my memory, but he said I was too ‘gentle a soul’ to carry around such darkness for eternity. He has such a way with words...He apologized for everything that happened to me and said I deserved to have a clean start.” She paused, pensive and quiet. “He offered me a chance to make a difference, to be a part of something that would impact millions. I could flit about in Heaven for eternity, or I could resume some semblance of a human life in my old body. He said you would need my help with the triplets. That sold me, even though I was already hooked on the idea. I get to hang out with you guys and help you train the boys. No one has to know I’m not alive, so I can see my mother. God, she’s going to freak out.”

“You just couldn’t pass up the chance to play with magic, could you? I’m not sure you’re dying to be a nanny for three boys. I think you’re in this for the bennies! Which reminds me, did you get your wings yet?”

Grinning hugely, she said, “Not quite. Guess I have to get through this probation first. He said they’d appear when I was ready.”

Reaching out to squeeze her fingers, I said, “I’m so glad you’re back. I can finally share my life with you again. It’s been hard keeping this a secret. I wanted to tell you a hundred times. You’re gonna flip out when you hear about the cool supernatural stuff that goes on. Your mom, by the way, knows about us.”

It was time.

Rain fell in sheets and lightning struck the tree behind the house. The acrid smell of ozone drifted inside the open windows.

Yes, it was definitely time.

“I’ll watch over you.” Dani’s eyes were as serious as a blood oath.

“Who will watch over you, pretty girl?”

Domino was curled between us on the couch with her head resting on her paws. At the sound of my voice, she cocked an ear and huffed through her nose.

You can’t be serious?

Ready now, I closed my eyes with complete faith that Dani and Domino would protect my body while my mind was miles away. I’d finally mastered long-distance remote viewing this year. It came in handy for killing off demons without risking my body. Now though, I just wanted to make sure my family was safe. I told myself I wouldn’t interfere, wouldn’t use my active powers...I’m just watching...

Brilliant flashes of a firefight blinded me as soon as I got a lock on the location. Like looking down from a helicopter, I had a panoramic view of the institute’s grounds wedged in the small valley. Using remote viewing got me the onsite view, but I needed my built-in NVGs to see in the dark. While I could clearly see the heat signatures of the bodies moving around, I couldn’t see their features. I could only tell the Primani from the demons. They were different colors. Primani were golden. Demons were more orange and humans tended to be greenish.

Where are you guys?

Ah, ha. There you are.

Targeting their wristbands, I quickly spotted Sean and Dec. Next was Killian. He was the easiest to find because my eyes always immediately snapped to him where ever he was. The runes got the credit for that. Settling into a more comfortable position, I took a deep breath and nudged one of the babies off of my liver. Okay, little dudes, you really need to chill out for a bit. Mama’s busy keeping your daddy alive. So now that I’ve found them, let’s see what they’re up to.

Sean and Dec were together on the eastern side of the building. I tightened my focus to see their faces--stone cold--They were hunting. An explosion erupted above them and they threw themselves forward, rolling to a crouch with their guns out. Two quick bursts and the human lookouts were toast. One body tumbled from its perch and landed next to Dec’s boots. He made a face and walked around it.

The layout lent itself to a grid sweep so I methodically scanned the buildings one at a time. Just looking...just keeping an eye open for anything weird. Something niggled in my head. This was a major, major operation and neither side wanted to lose this. The demons had some tricks up their sleeves. No way they would just roll over and hand the lab to the Primani.

Something was up.

But what?

The rain was really coming down now. Lightning flashed in long bursts of white light making it hard to keep my eyes on the action. I blinked my eyes and lost track of Dec. Scanning for him, I spotted Dimitri fighting a demon on the third level of the center building. He danced lightly on the balls of his feet as he slashed at a tall demon in front of him. The demon wasn’t an amateur and fought back ferociously. Back and forth they lunged and parried, neither making contact at first. Suddenly Dimitri snatched his arm back just as the athame drew blood across his forearm. Lunging to press his advantage, the demon sliced a gash across the Primani’s shoulder. With a shout, he fell backwards with the demon diving forward on his chest.

They struggled to kill each other, rolling on the floor and latching onto the wrist of the other to hold back the knives. The blood streaming down his arm made Dimitri slippery. The demon grabbed him, lost his grip, and then swung his athame in wide arc.

Killian! Dimitri’s in trouble. Third floor, center building. Hurry!

A split second later, Alexandyr appeared behind them. The demon was too intent on his kill to realize he’d been skewered from behind. Alexandyr yanked the blade out without a second glance at the pile of ash left smoldering on top of his twin. Holding out a hand, he helped his brother to his feet.

Oh, thank God. I exhaled and steadied the vision again. I kept scanning through mostly empty spaces and was about to skip over a section when something caught my eye.

Hello? What’s this? Peering closer, I struggled to understand what I was seeing. Okay. Well that’s different.

Wanting a wider view, I pulled back to sky level. It seemed like all the demons had been smoked out. No more heat signatures. Hmm. That’s odd. Some Primani still circled the building to make sure no one came back. My rough count showed about 25 warriors.

Right about now, teams would be heading inside to blow up the lab. All equipment and samples had to be completely destroyed. Now that the site was cleared, Killian would send in the teams. Sean and Dec would be part of that group. They were both experts in demolition.

I flicked my eyes back to the box I’d seen. It sat under a stairwell that ran up the west side of the center building. Something was bugging me about it. I was about to call Killian when his sharp words startled me.

Mica! I need you to check something.

Let me guess. Fifth floor. Strange package?

Do you see any others?

One sec.

Once I knew what I was looking for, I could scan the entire complex in just a few seconds; it was kind of like speed reading.

There’s only the one. Wanna bet it’s a bomb?

His tone was furious.
That’s no ordinary bomb.

Oh, my God! You have to get rid of it!

Ya think?

The sound of his teeth grinding together came through loud and clear.

I zeroed in on him. He stood gesturing to Raphael and two others. Huge, winged, armed with swords--they must be other archangels. I’d never seen Raphael’s wings before. Dark like his hair, they were beautiful: glossy and strong. A gust of wind jerked them from his shoulders, lifting them up and away from his back. With a grimace, he pulled them tightly in place even as I caught his eye. What were they all doing there?

I was about to call Killian again when the sound of yelling nearly dragged me out of my trance. Domino’s low warning growl turned to a snarl. She moved away from me while her snarling got louder. Dani’s voice rang out next to me.

“Don’t touch her!”

Someone laughed and said, “Or what?”

The fragrance of jasmine drifted in the air. Tingles of recognition jumped down my neck.

That voice!