Bittersweet Darkness (26 page)

They stepped out onto the open rooftop. It was still long before dawn, but the sky in London was never truly dark. A blast of light shot toward them, Christian moved as though in slow motion, the great blade flashing in the bright light. The blast hit the steel and bounced off, showering sparks and lighting up the rooftop.

Someone touched her arm lightly and she jumped. She peered sideways, not wanting to take her eyes off Christian and his big sword. Ryan tapped her again and nodded toward the left and up in the sky.

Holy shit. A real, honest to God, goddamn angel. More than one.

Of all the things she had seen and heard that night, this one was too much. At least seven feet tall and glowing and with white wings that beat languidly and obviously held them up in the air so they floated high above the rooftop.

White wings—she could make out the individual feathers. A group of three and as she watched they spread out. Each raised an arm and simultaneously white fire streaked through the sky, heading for their group. Someone grabbed her and hurled her to the ground. An arm wrapped over her head, protecting her as the explosions hit the ground all around them. She peered out through the small gap. Christian moved with inhuman speed, deflecting the blasts, but then, he wasn’t human.

“Are you going?” he snarled over his shoulder.

At first, she thought he was talking to her, and then she realized it was Ash who was on top of her sheltering her with his body. She peered around. Tara stood at Christian’s back. Graham cowered behind a low wall. Ryan had ducked back inside the still-open door.

Ash rose to his feet, dragging her up and covering her with his huge body. All around stars exploded in the sky like fireworks. Not stars though, but more of the same.

More angels.

The blasts had stopped. One of the first three angels flew toward them and alighted in front of their small group.

“Hand over the abomination.” The voice was like music.

“Piss off,” Ash replied.

“Hand her over, and we will let you all pass.”

“Well, it’s as well we don’t want to pass.” Ash whirled around and waved his right hand in the air. He spoke words in a language Faith didn’t recognize in a harsh, guttural voice. It was as though he tore a hole in the fabric of the universe. A great gaping maw of darkness.

Christian moved to stand in front of them. “She’s not here,” he said. “The one you want. She’s gone.”

More men spilled out of the stair well and took up position around their small group. They all bore swords, though none as big as Christian’s. The blasts came again and they were whirling, deflecting the rays of light.

“Tara,” Ash called.

Tara hesitated and Christian glanced back over his shoulder. “Go.”

She nodded and stepped closer to Ash. He was still holding on to Faith, now he dropped her arm and gave her a rueful smile.

And he changed.

As she stared, he metamorphosed into something else. Right in front of her eyes. He grew until he stood over seven feet tall. Faith took an instinctive step back, her mind refusing to process what was happening. Then he sprouted wings. Not nice fluffy, white ones though. Oh no. Because that would have meant he was an angel. And one thing she was sure of—had known right from the start—Ash was no angel. The wings were black as midnight. He spread them slowly until they wiped out the light, shrouding them in darkness. Faith took another step back, then another. She looked up and up into his eyes and they glowed with an inhuman darkness. His face was the same but subtly changed. The cheekbones sharper, his lower lip fuller.

He held out a hand to her. “Faith, come.” When she didn’t move, his dark eyes narrowed. “If you stay here, you could die. Trust me, Faith. I’ll keep you safe.”

The wings flapped and cool air brushed her face. She glanced around. Time seemed to have slowed, the flashes of white lightning still rained down on them, and Christian and his men still fought on, but it was as though they were cocooned in a bubble.

Trust him?

Could she?

Tonight, her whole world had changed. In fact, her whole life had been shown up to be a lie. She’d thought she worked for the good guys; instead, she’d been working for the very organization responsible for her mother’s murder.

She glanced outside to where the angels were shooting at them. They hadn’t paused to determine if there were innocent people in the building. They wanted something, no someone—the abomination? And they hadn’t cared who they hurt in the process.

So much for the good guys.

What did that leave her with?

The bad guys.

But her faith in her own ability to trust had been washed away.

“Come with me, Faith. Let me show you who I am.”

He spoke in a low, seductive voice.

“Ash, you have to leave,” Christian yelled from the side. “Tara go—jump, you’ll be fine.”

The bubble burst, and the crashes and clashes thundered in her ears. Tara dashed for the black hole, a bolt of light nearly catching her. She hovered on the edge and then she jumped.

“You need to take my hand, Faith.” When she still hesitated, he curved his lips into a sweet smile. “Please.”

And in that moment, she trusted him. Whatever he was, he’d protect her, look out for her, hold her in the darkness. However dark it should become. And in his arms, maybe she could be strong enough to face whatever came next.

She stepped forward and slid her hand into his, saw the triumph flash across his face. He pulled her against him and into his arms. “Hold on,” he murmured.

And they were flying.

She kept her eyes wide open as they rose into the air. Then they dove toward the black hole, and it swallowed them down.

A small scream escaped her throat as the blackness closed around her. She clutched tight onto Ash’s shoulders felt his strong arms tighten, and they were going down.

She tried not to think about where they were heading. It could have taken seconds or minutes or a lifetime. She lost track, lulled by the soft
whoosh
of beating wings in her ear. Finally, light showed below them and they landed gently. For a second longer he held her and he lowered her to the ground.

She steadied herself on shaky legs, before glancing at Ash—still seven foot tall—no change there.

“I have to go back for the others,” he said.

She nodded. And he flapped his wings, lifted into the air, and vanished in seconds.

Faith stared up after him until a small noise off to the right made her turn around. Tara perched on a low wall. She gave Faith a weak smile.

They were in a courtyard surrounded by tall stone walls and behind her loomed what appeared to be a huge fortress built into a black mountain. Torches flickered in sconces around the courtyard casting an orange light, and above her head, the sky had the purple glow of twilight.

One thing was sure; she was no longer in London.

“Welcome to my father’s home,” Tara said.

Faith swallowed. “Oh shit. I’m in hell.”

Chapter Twenty-one

Ash’s mind was not functioning correctly. He was acting on autopilot. Had been since the moment danger had struck and he’d leaped straight for Faith. Every cell in his body screaming to protect her.

For a second, he’d forgotten his daughter even existed.

He still couldn’t believe it.

He’d searched around for Tara, found her with Christian, and realized that it was the vampire’s job to protect her now. He would keep Tara safe if anyone could.

Ash had known he was coming to care for Faith, had tried not to think about it too much because the whole idea terrified him. He’d once sworn he would never love anyone again. That had changed when he’d discovered Tara still lived.

But not Faith.

She was human. He would lose her—that was inevitable.

And the main reason he’d gone into the relationship was that he’d thought he could never care for her. She was the total opposite of Lily. Maybe that was why she’d sneaked up on him.

From the expression on her face when he’d sprouted the wings, their relationship was probably over before it began.

Total abject horror.

Well, she was going to have deal. Because she owed him, and he always believed in collecting his debts. He remembered the taste of her on his tongue. The feel of her shaking with need in his arms. Her cries of pleasure.

Yeah, she owed him.

And in the end, she had trusted him.

He came out of the portal to find things pretty much the same. The sky filled with a whole host of the bastards. In his mind, angels were pretty much on a par with the fae in terms of how they viewed the other races. Elitist bastards the lot of them. Thought they were better than everyone else.

He lunged to avoid a blast and swore softly.

Christian had ten other vamps with him now. Presumably, all that had been in the building when the attack happened. They were holding them off, but being pushed steadily back.

Christian glanced briefly his way. “Tara?”

“Safe.”

Christian nodded a small smile flashing across his face. He appeared to be enjoying himself. Probably the relief of getting Tara back and knowing she was safe. Or maybe just enjoying a good fight—vampires were hard to kill, especially ones as old and strong as Christian.

Unfortunately, on this world demons were easier to dispose of, especially by avenging angels who wielded the white fire.

How had they known Roz had been here?

It didn’t matter. Something had led them to the Order. Of course, the angels knew of the Order’s existence and had been involved in setting up the original Accords. But otherwise, they stayed out of the way and kept themselves to themselves. One of the advantages to them being elitist he supposed.

He couldn’t see Ryan or Graham. He needed to get them to safety. One direct hit and they’d be ashes. Then he would come back, join in the fight. Kick a little angel butt.

And after that…he’d introduce himself to Faith.

“Ryan!”

The detective’s head peered around the door to the stairwell.

“Yeah?”

He didn’t seem inclined to leave his safety.

“We’re leaving. Get over here now. And where’s Graham?”

“Here as well.”

He ducked another blast, heard it sizzle across the tip of his wing.

“Now!”

Ryan raced toward him, Graham close behind. Ash held his arms out. “Take hold and don’t let go. Graham gripped his lower arm immediately. Ryan hesitated, but shrugged and grasped hold of his right wrist.

Two more blasts headed his way and he dived for the portal. Christ, they were holding on tight, he thought his bones might snap. He landed hard, but Ryan and Graham were still attached.

“You can let go now,” he suggested.

“Shit,” Ryan muttered. “Double shit. Where the fuck are we?”

Ash bit back a grin. “Where do you think?”

“Believe me, I’m trying not to.”

Faith stood beside Tara. She appeared a little shell-shocked but otherwise okay. Ash nodded. “I have to go back. You’ll be okay. My…housekeeper should be here. She’ll show you where to go.” He looked around. Where was his housekeeper? “Shera,” he yelled. “Get out here and bring my sword!”

Tara rose to her feet and came over. “You can’t go back,” she said. “You don’t have any protection. They’ll kill you. I’d give you my talisman, but they took it from me.”

“I’ll be all right. I’ve fought these bastards before.”

“Talisman? Protection?” Faith hurried over. She reached into her pocket and pulled out pulled out the talisman. “Is this it?”

Ash leaned down and kissed her on the lips. He didn’t know where she’d found it, and he didn’t care. He took the chain from her outstretched hand and slipped it over his neck. “Thank you.” Leaning in, he kissed her again, longer this time, pushing his tongue slowly inside her mouth. She didn’t try to stop him, in fact her lips parted sweetly. Triumph rose inside him, and he was losing himself in the taste of her when someone coughed behind him. Shera. He pulled away.

He stared down into Faith’s eyes. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back soon.”

He had to go. Since when had staying with a woman won out over a big bust up with a bunch of asshole angels?

He was in trouble.

Backing away, he turned to Shera, and she held out his sword. “Look after them,” he said, taking the weapon. “
She
goes in my room.” He nodded toward Faith, then launched himself into the air.

He shot out of the portal and straight into the fray. The vampires were pushed back against the far wall now, Christian out in front. He flashed Ash a grim smile, then whirled to deflect a blast.

“Hey,” Ash shouted to for the nearest angel, then swooped down. The angel turned and raised his hand, but before he could release the white fire, Ash slammed into him hurtling them both to the rooftop in a flurry of wings. He shook free, raised his sword, and sliced the angel through the middle so he vanished in a flutter of white feathers.

That wouldn’t finish him for good; he would materialize back where he came from. But it would get rid of him for the moment and it would hurt like hell.

With a beat of his wings, he pushed himself into the air and dove for the next one, a wild exhilaration filling him.

A good fight and the prospect of a hopefully not so good woman. He’d show Faith how to release her darker side and love it.

…

Faith peered around at her little group of refugees. “I don’t know about you lot, but I’m ready to wake up now. More than ready.”

Ryan scrubbed at his already messy hair as he looked around him. “Count me in. Maybe we could pinch each other.”

Faith ground her teeth together. “‘Trust me,’ he said. So I did, and look where that got me. Hell.”

“Actually,” Tara said. “They like to refer to it as the Abyss, and apparently, it’s not so bad.”

“Humph. A rose by any other name and all that crap. And I’ll take your word for the not so bad bit. Do you come here often?”

Tara grinned. “No, I’ve never been. Ash invited me, but…”

“Yeah, I heard you don’t get on.”

So Ash was seven feet tall, had black wings, and lived in hell. Put all that together and that probably made him a…