Apocalyptic Read online

  Confused, I struggled to get up, no longer fighting Falon, just wanting to get on my feet. The angel let me up but kept a hand on my arm.

  Recognition riveted my focus on that amulet. I knew it well.

  Because we had Shya trapped inside it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  A wicked grin stretched Lizzy’s face wide, into something creepy and clownish. She dangled the amulet from a silver chain. Wire twisted around the stone in an elaborate design, tying it to the chain. It swung ominously from two fingers tipped with chipped black nail polish.

  “I can’t imagine you’d want anything to happen to this little beauty.” Lizzy eyed the swinging amulet, her lips curled in satisfaction. “Tell me, Gabe, what’s it worth to you?”

  My heart lodged in my throat. Questions bombarded me one after the other. Where the hell had Gabriel gotten that stone in the first place? It was supposed to be in Salem’s possession.

  Confusion furrowed Falon’s brow. So I wasn’t the only one wondering what the hell was going on.

  “Whatever it is you want, I’ll do it. Ok? You win. Please. Just give me that stone.” Even calm and quiet Gabriel couldn’t keep the panic from flitting across his face as he watched Lizzy swing the chunk of black obsidian.

  It was a delicate stone, fragile really. Although any gemstone would break under the right amount of pressure.

  Staring at the black stone, it was hard to imagine my mind trapped in there with Shya. But it had been. I would never forget those visits.

  A chill came over me. If she freed Shya… If he got out… I’d be standing right in from of him. Delivered on a fucking platter, so to speak. I’d never stand a chance. Not with the meager light I had left. He would destroy me.

  I jerked forward, fear driving me to do anything to stop her. Falon held me back, having to wrap both arms around me to keep me in place. I couldn’t let her free that demon. I just couldn’t.

  But I wasn’t the only one with a reason to fear Shya’s return. Gabriel too would be on the demon’s chopping block. And unlike Falon, who would face his own vengeance, Gabriel and I would die a final death.

  “If you want me to leave with you, I will.” Hands held out in surrender, Gabriel took a careful step toward her. “If you want to kill me, I’ll stand here and let you do it. All I ask is that you give me that amulet.”

  Lizzy swung the amulet faster, her gaze never leaving Gabriel. “I don’t want either of those things anymore. What I want is to make you suffer. Like you made me suffer. You manipulative asshole.”

  As the stone moved faster, edging closer to the tips of her fingers, I struggled to break away from Falon. “We can’t let her free him,” I hissed.

  “We won’t.” Falon jerked me hard against him, his voice a snarl in my ear. “Rushing her like a rabid animal isn’t going to keep that stone intact.”

  I should’ve been glad that someone was being rational. However, I saw my fate dangling on the end of a pissed off witch’s fingers, and I panicked. If that demon escaped, we were all screwed.

  “Lizzy, please just—”

  She never let him finish. Lizzy twirled the chain faster and faster, the speed making it creep to the very tips of her fingers. Then she let it fly off, directing it up, toward the ceiling. It whipped upward, spinning wildly.

  In the same moment the chain left her fingertips, Gabriel attacked. He didn’t hold back. One word of the demon’s immortal language accompanied the black fire that streamed from Gabriel’s palms. It swarmed Lizzy, engulfing her in seconds.

  Before I could shout at him to stop because I needed her alive.

  At the same time, that all seemed so trivial. It didn’t matter now. Not if that stone hit the floor and shattered. Time seemed to slow right down and somehow speed up.

  I watched as the black fire overtook the vampiress. She fell back shrieking as it forced its way inside her. Burning her from the inside and out, most assuredly demon magic at its best. Or worst, depending on which side you viewed it from.

  Lizzy never stood a chance. In mere seconds the fire had consumed her. Her scream cut off, and her body burst into too many pieces to count. Chunks of gore and blood flew in all directions, turning to dust and ash as it hit the floor.

  The black obsidian amulet also made its way downward. Landing right in Falon’s waiting palm. That silly poofing trick was pretty damn handy after all.

  Overwhelmed and still trying to make sense of what just happened, I reached out blindly to grasp at a barstool near the dance floor. Jez gripped my shoulder, asking if I was alright. I had no words.

  Falon recovered first. Not nearly as shocked as the rest of us, he rounded on Gabriel, shaking the stone clutched tight in his fist. “Start explaining and make it good. You’re about ten seconds away from joining your girlfriend in ashes on the floor.”

  That got me moving. I joined Falon, getting between him and Gabriel. A hand on Falon’s chest, I forced him back a few steps. He didn’t acknowledge me but let me move him. His suspicious silver gaze stayed locked on Gabriel.

  Yeah, it was suspicious as fuck that Gabriel had Shya’s stone. Had he had it all this time? I’d sure like to know.

  I motioned for him to start speaking. “Let’s hear it, Gabriel. How the hell do you have Shya’s stone? It’s supposed to be with Salem.”

  Gabriel’s hands clenched and unclenched. He seemed shaken by what had just transpired too. “The one Salem has is a fake.” He paused, either to let us absorb this or decide what he wanted to share. “I switched the stones the night we trapped Shya. You never had the real stone, Alexa. The amulet you passed along to Willow’s friend was a fake all along.”

  Searching his eyes for signs of a lie, I found only truth. “What? Why would you do that?”

  “Because he’s still Shya’s underling,” Falon accused, wings flaring with menace. “He’s probably been waiting for the right time to let him out.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Gabriel retorted, exuding anger. “I saw that Salem would come for it. I planned ahead. Asshole.”

  I’d touched Gabriel several times here and there. Even a few good grabs by the throat tossed in. He could have had that vision at any time. I wanted to believe him, but I feared Falon was right.

  “But the stone you gave me that night, it felt like Shya. His energy. Like he was in there.” I just couldn’t accept that Gabriel would turn on us now. Or that he’d been playing us all this time.

  Gabriel shrugged, offering me nothing but his explanation. Take it or leave it. “I imbued the stone with a trace of his energy, swiped from his feather. It was easy enough. It felt safer not to tell anyone.”

  “But you didn’t see your girl stealing it?” Falon scoffed. “How convenient for you.”

  “I don’t see everything for fuck’s sakes!” Gabriel shouted. The air around him thrashed with the heat of his rage.

  I held up both hands, silencing each of them. “That’s enough. Falon, back the hell off right now. I’ll deal with Gabriel. Give me the amulet.”

  Extending a palm toward the pissed off angel, I waited. He could refuse. He could disappear with it and release Shya himself. Part of me worried he would. Deep down, I didn’t know if I could really trust Falon.

  He saw it in my eyes. The doubt. Huffing in disbelief, he laughed without humor. “You still don’t trust me?” Grabbing my hand, he slapped the amulet into my palm, looping the chain around my wrist for good measure. “I’ve fucked you until your soul bled, until mine did, and you still think I’d sell you out to Shya? Fuck you, Alexa.” Falon stalked away, wings disappearing as he slammed through the doors and into the night.

  Ok, I’d deserved that. He was right. We’d never have been able to bear our souls to one another, purging the constant flow of pain and suffering, if there hadn’t been some trust involved. No matter how twisted or dysfunctional it might be. I’d seen him on his knees, emotionally spent, begging me for release. Still I believed him capable of terrible things.

  But
weren’t we all?

  “I’m gonna go make sure Smudge is handling the hostages ok.” Jez excused herself, following Falon. At some point during the brief but intense altercation, the hostages had fled. Smudge would likely have Nova or another immortal alter their memories of tonight.

  Gabriel and I were left alone. In my hand the amulet grew warm. It hummed with Shya’s all too familiar essence. Heavy in my mind when I focused on it, my stomach turned.

  Unable to continue touching the stone, I let it hang from the chain looped around my wrist. “Everything you just said, is it complete truth?”

  “I swear it is.” Looking frazzled, Gabriel shoved a hand into his long hair, raking it back away from his face. “If nobody knew about the fake but me, then nobody could blab. Letting Salem get his hands on the real one wasn’t an option. I hope you can understand.”

  Salem’s demand for the Shya stone had never felt right to me. The angel had pretty much forced me into it. Having Shya back in my possession gave me back a sense of security Salem had taken away.

  “I do. I can’t say I’d have done it differently in your position, but this is your only chance to tell me if there’s anything you’re leaving out.” I held his gaze, demanding truth. “Lies are a deal breaker.”

  “I didn’t lie about anything, Alexa. I just kept the truth to myself, to keep it safe.” He flung a hand toward Lizzy’s scattered remains. “I’m sorry I couldn’t spare her. I just reacted. She was going to set him free.”

  Disappointed put it lightly. I nodded. “I know. It’s just as well. If death wants me, it’s not going to accept anything less.”

  Gabriel watched the stone swing. “If death wants an exchange, offer me.”

  He was dead serious. That made me uneasy. Someone with a lot to live for didn’t so willingly offer themselves up as an exchange for death.

  “Not a chance,” I said, refusing to even consider it. “I’m done with sacrificing others to save myself. Never again. And you shouldn’t be so quick to volunteer.”

  He huffed a short, bitter laugh. “Nobody would miss me.”

  “Don’t say that. You have a lot to offer. Stay the hell away from demons and you might be surprised just how much.” It hurt my heart that Gabriel felt that he didn’t belong anywhere with anyone.

  Before I could pep talk him further, my phone rang with an unwelcome interruption. Because any interruption at this point meant bad news.

  Shaz’s voice came frantic in my ear. “Arys is on the move, Lex. He got the jump on us. He’s gone.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  ARYS

  Did they really think they could contain me? All three of them knew me better than that. Well, they should have. Overpowering Jenner had been child’s play. Too easy. Not even a challenge. He was just so hungry for it. Because of her.

  He’d tried to resist at first. I’d gone to places he could barely fathom, and he gave himself over to the want. Once he opened the door, I’d put him on his knees with an arm twisted behind his back. Remembering how he’d screwed my wolf, I flirted with the idea of ripping his damn arm right off and beating him with it.

  Shaz’s appearance brought a quick end to that plan.

  With the ice-cold hand of darkness filling me to the brim, I flung a hand toward each of them. They went down. One shot and I left them both in an unconscious heap on Alexa’s basement floor.

  Where was my wolf anyway?

  Not in the house. Her absence was everywhere, hanging like a noose over my head. Being away from her was the worst hell I’d ever known. And I’d known my share of hell.

  It ached like a wound that devoured my soul. Her soul. Our soul. Dear God, this was fucked. We couldn’t go on this way anymore. The constant torment, the sick yearning that grew until I screamed in vain attempts to purge her from me.

  She could never be purged. We were the same.

  And yet not. Just enough to pit us against each other. Self-annihilation. Or perhaps release. Finally.

  Didn’t she deserve that much? I could give her nothing that she deserved. But I could give her an end to this madness.

  Of course, I might as well have some fun with it.

  Swiping Shaz’s keys from the kitchen table, I’d helped myself to his Jeep. Now with the taste of blood in my mouth, I stood outside the last place Alexa would ever want me to be.

  FPA headquarters. The city’s old, forgotten hospital. With Juliet O’Brien inside.

  Because where else would she be but playing good cop? Pretending to fight the good fight. She was going to fight alright. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I’d come to finish what I started with the younger O’Brien sister. I’d come because a human kill wasn’t enough to sate me. Not anymore. But most of all, I’d come to draw Alexa out.

  She thought she could run from me? From herself? She thought wrong.

  The entity trapped on the property took notice of my arrival. It welcomed me, inviting me in, promising me that what I most desired dwelled inside. Without hesitation I strode onto the grounds. Right away the wickedness there celebrated my impulse.

  Alexa would shit a brick if she could see me.

  The place was emptier than usual. I could feel it right away. Letting myself in was as easy as walking through the main door. A wave of my hand over the security card slider and the locks disengaged.

  Once inside I paused in front of the first camera I spied. Giving it a sly grin, I slipped by. Hunting a wolf.

  The first agent I came across leveled his crossbow pistol at me and fired without hesitation. Smart man. Not skillful enough though. I backhanded the bolt aside and grabbed him by the throat. Seconds later his blood hit my tongue, hot and tangy with fear.

  I let him drop and turned to the rubble-strewn stairs. Where would the little wolf be? Downstairs in the unsavory lab on the prison lockup level? Or upstairs in the offices, trying to justify her reason for even being here?

  Looks like I was going up.

  Debris littered the ramshackle deathtrap of a stairwell. Broken glass, chunks of drywall, plumbing pipes, random shit that had no business being there. The FPA had moved into the abandoned hospital because of its condemned status. In order to keep people from creeping around, they’d left it just as they’d found it.

  Nobody dared to accost me in the dangerous and dark stairwell. Once I emerged on the top floor, I was surrounded by agents. Too bad for them, their manpower had decreased in recent months. Agents had been dying faster than they could replace them. I suspected at this point not many were willing to take a job in our city.

  Baby O’Brien stood behind the half a dozen agents who held their weapons trained on me. Waiting for her command. That was her first mistake. Waiting.

  Because I didn’t.

  A flick of each wrist ripped the guns from every agent’s hands. A snap of my fingers and all six of them flew backward to slam against walls, doors, and one another. I moved among them, a pure physical force, breaking necks and tearing out carotids.

  Until nobody stood between Juliet and me.

  “What in God’s name are you doing here, Arys?” Gun pointed at my head, Juliet stood her ground. But she couldn’t hide the tremble of her hand or the uptick in her pulse. “Where’s Alexa? Does she know where you are?”

  Licking a smear of blood from the edge of my mouth, I blatantly ogled her cleavage. To be fair, since when does any federal dress code include a top with a plunging neckline and a push up bra? Alexa would kill me if she knew what I was thinking about her sister. Which was pretty much my goal here.

  “She will. Any minute now.” I surveyed the bodies splayed about the hall. “Is that it? I knew you were hurting for people but damn. All alone now, are we?”

  In my ear came a murmur. The entity asked me to remember what she tasted like, and I did. Juliet O’Brien had tasted like forbidden fruit, sweet as sin. That hit of wolf I craved with a hint of something soft and feminine that reminded me of Alexa.

  “Don’t think I
won’t do it,” she hissed, finger on the trigger. “I don’t have a single reason not to.”

  “Sure you do,” I countered, unafraid. She’d never make the shot if she took it. Not before I was on her. “You have Alexa. If you blow my head off, she’ll level this place.”

  Juliet pursed her lips and shrugged. “Guess we’ll see. If it’s me or you, I’m choosing me.”

  Arms hanging harmlessly at my sides, I walked toward her. Slow enough for me to enjoy the build-up but fast enough for her panic to grow in leaps. It permeated the air. Fear. Woman. Wolf. So fucking close she was to being all that I wanted.

  Just one problem. She wasn’t Alexa. Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy this.

  “I wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.” The remnants of a small bite on her wrist caught my attention. Briggs. That hypocritical bastard. No different than the rest of us now.

  “Why are you doing this?” Juliet demanded. She managed to hold her ground until I got just a little too close for her. Then she started backing up, matching my speed.

  I didn’t answer right away. My gaze traveled from her full, pillowy lips down to the curve of her collarbone. Her pulse taunted me along with the whispering voice in my ear.

  “I have to. For her. For myself.” Watching her squirm was starting to make me hard. I couldn’t wait for her to bleed. Patience though. It wasn’t time yet.

  Her brown eyes widened. She risked a glance behind her, assessing how far we were from the office housing the control room. How long it would take her to reach it? Didn’t matter. She couldn’t outrun me.

  “You’ve completely lost it, haven’t you? Where’s Alexa? Did you do something to her?” Despite her fear the littlest O’Brien seethed at the thought of me harming her sister. Yet she still hadn’t fired off a shot.

  “I’ve done many things to her, sweetheart. And I’m not finished.”

  The darkness in my laughter made her jump. That’s when her finger twitched.

  I had plenty of time to dodge the bolt that whipped past my head with several inches to spare. Before she could fire off another, I rushed her. Knocking the gun from Juliet’s hand, I reached for her.