Authors: Trina M Lee
I stepped lightly on the stairs as I made my way up to the main floor. Many of the candles had long since burnt out. I blew out the ones that remained lit as I followed them back to the front entry. My purse sat right where I’d left it, with Kale’s gift inside. My curiosity climbed.
I sat in a chair near the front window, my purse in hand. The blinds were drawn, but the brilliant glow of the sun beyond cast shards of light upon me. Taking the carefully wrapped box out, I turned it over a few times. Maybe it was nothing of extreme value. Perhaps I was over thinking this.
With a deep exhalation of breath, I tore off the paper and opened the box. A small note fell out into my lap, but before I could read it, my gaze landed on the silver cross pendant displayed on a bed of cotton. It was breathtaking.
It was old, possibly Elizabethan old. It had a slightly medieval look to it. There was a small black diamond in the center. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It had to be the oldest, most valuable item I’d ever held.
I picked up the note, finding it scrawled in Kale’s careful handwriting. It said only:
It used to be my mother’s. Now it should be yours. Happy birthday.
Stunned didn’t even begin to cover it. Tears pricked the back of my eyes. A swell of emotion quickly overwhelmed me, and I choked back a sob. Kale had just given me his heart in more ways than one. I hadn’t asked for it, but here it was, lying in a box on my lap.
He had asked nothing in return, knowing that I couldn’t give him what he so freely gave to me. Staring into the box, running my fingers over the sleek silver cross, I knew with my whole being that I couldn’t love him. And yet, I knew that I did. So why did it feel so bad?
Chapter Twenty-Three
I couldn’t lie to myself. I was totally freaked out. As I got out of the car and stared across the street at the old church, an uneasy feeling gripped me. A shiver slithered down my spine. I didn’t like this one bit.
Shya had asked me to come. He was elusive but indicated he had something he wanted me to see. I shielded hard, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. Some things inside that church had never been human. I could feel them.
I glanced at Kale, seeking some kind of reassurance. His presence was a great relief. I wasn’t sure I’d have had the courage to walk in there alone.
In the car on the way over, I’d tried to thank him for his gift. I wanted to say so much more, but none of it was right for the situation. He’d waved me off, effectively keeping the conversation from taking a personal turn. That was likely for the best.
“Remember, we’re just here to observe.” Kale fell into step beside me as we crossed the street. “No matter what you see here, don’t get involved and don’t draw attention to yourself. Trust me. The less anyone knows about you, the better. Oh, and shield tighter than that. I can feel your apprehension.”
“Why did I agree to this again?” I muttered beneath my breath.
“Because you have power that puts you in a class all your own. It’s a good thing. It gives you leverage. Just use it carefully.”
I fell silent, slipping into stealth mode. The wolf inside was on full alert as I paid keen attention to my finely tuned senses. The scent of car exhaust lingered on the air. I saw no obvious sign that the church was occupied. As we drew closer, the atmosphere grew stifling with a strange energy I couldn’t identify.
I toyed with the idea of turning back before it was too late. Once I stepped foot through that door, I wouldn’t be able to change my mind. I couldn’t shake the feeling that what I was about to encounter inside was going to strip away the last of my remaining illusions regarding the world I lived in.
Kale was calm, his walk confident. This wasn’t new to him. He cast one last look my way before reaching for the handle of one of the large, double wooden doors. A brief shadow of uncertainty flickered in his eyes, and then it was gone. I got the distinct feeling that he would have preferred me not to be there. It did nothing to ease my concern.
The inside of the church was smaller than it looked from the outside, almost cozy. It was dark, the only light provided by the glow of the moon beyond the stained glass windows and one lonely light over the altar.
I followed Kale’s lead, slipping into the darkness at the back of the church near the door. He was deathly still. I stood close, leaning into him more than I meant to. I might have been a bad-ass with the vampires and werewolves, but when my gaze took in those at the front near the altar, I was scared.
Shya loomed over a human man who knelt before him. Dressed in a simple dark suit, Shya didn’t so much as glance our way though I knew without a doubt that he was keenly aware of our arrival. He was intent on the man at his feet. What really stole my breath were the massive black wings extended behind him. I had to tear my gaze away.
Even from where I stood I could see that the man on the floor was trembling. He was also clearly a man of the cloth, a man of God. The stench of fear emanated from him, strong and inviting. I took shallow breaths, refusing to react to the taunting scent.
Aside from Shya, one other demon was present. He had no visible wings, but the dark power rolling off him gave his nature away. He stood off to the side, hands clasped, just watching the scene before him. Another human man stood next to him, his face revealing no emotion or thought. He had a poker face like nothing I’d ever seen. He was also dressed like a man of the cloth. The way he watched the man on the floor whimper without reaction made me go cold inside. What the hell was going on here?
“We don’t have to kill you, Jon. In fact, I’d honestly prefer not to.” Shya’s smooth, low voice was sinister. The air seemed to grow cold as he spoke. “But, I need to know where you found out about my little arrangement with your friend Evan here, because I think we have a traitor. And, I’m sure you understand that’s something I just can’t allow. Don’t you, Jon?”
Nodding his head, Jon stared at Shya’s feet, as if he couldn’t bring himself to look the demon in the face. I had no idea what was going on, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be in his place.
“I can’t,” Jon stammered, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I can’t. They’ll kill me.”
Shya stared at him, red eyes glinting with malice. “So will I. Make your choice.”
This was hard to watch. My palms were sweaty, and I fought the urge to fidget nervously. Kale stood stiffly next to me, watching with disinterest. I couldn’t help but wonder how many times he’d witnessed something like this.
I watched with uncertainty. Jon’s lips moved but no sound came out, a silent prayer. Then he looked up at Shya with venom in his eyes and spat, “Do what you will, demon. I don’t serve you.”
It was so quiet I could have heard a pin drop. I was tense, my focus on staying calm, hoping my shaky breaths didn’t sound as loud to everyone else as they did to me.
In a sudden swell of dark fury, Shya freely exuded the power of his anger. Despite how hard I was working to shield myself, the demon’s energy cut through me. I choked on a gasp as I tried not to react. It was unlike anything I’d ever been slapped with by a vampire. This hurt. Bad.
I was aware of how small of a wave I’d been hit with, and that nobody else seemed affected by it but me. If I hadn’t been afraid of Shya already, I would have been then.
Kale barely moved from his rigid stance, but with the slightest of movement, he slowly slipped his fingers between mine. I stiffened at first. Then almost instantly, the searing sensation left by Shya’s power dissipated as Kale added his strength to mine. It felt nice, strong, but it was missing that sense of true unity that I shared only with Arys, that sense of being one.
For a long, strained moment, Shya stared down the man who dared to defy him. It lasted only seconds though. Shya gave the barest nod, and an unseen figure stepped out from the darkness beyond the altar light. It startled me. I hadn’t seen nor sensed him. The dim glow of the light fell upon him, and I was stunned.
The angel moved swiftly, an upraised sword clutched in both hands, a blur of motion. The immense silvery grey wings cloaking his tall, darkly clad frame distinguished him from the demons. The faintest iridescent shimmer was visible in his wings as he brought the sword down with enough force to make the blade sing as it cut through the air. It sliced clean through Jon’s neck, taking his head off before I could look away.
This had to be a dream, a really ugly dream. The angel glanced at the remains with cold indifference etched in his fine features.
Shya turned away, directing an order to the other demon present. “Get this cleaned up.”
It all happened too fast to process. Before I could take it all in, Shya was heading our way, his face grim. Kale dropped my hand, and I faced Shya with a confidence I didn’t entirely feel.
“As you can see, there is a lot more to this than rogue creatures running amok.” With a dismissive wave of his hand, Shya gestured to the headless body near the altar. “Normally, I wouldn’t bother to deal with something so trivial myself; I would have one of my people do it. However, this time it was personal.”
The scent of blood and death grew heavy on the air. As horrified as I was by the entire situation, I couldn’t stop the bloodlust from rising. Though I was looking only at Shya, I could feel the watchful gaze of the angel upon me. It set loose a handful of butterflies in my stomach.
I forced myself to maintain steady eye contact with Shya. Looking into his intense red eyes was difficult. “Can I ask what this was all about?”
“Of course. You’re an important part of the team. You have every right to a few questions.” His interest was solely on me. Not once did he look at Kale or anyone else present. The undivided attention was unnerving. “Let me tell you one thing, Alexa. The most valuable power someone can possess is the right information. Jon had it. And, since he wouldn’t share that information, he had to be taken out of the equation.”
I wanted to ask how taking a man’s life could be so simple, just part of an equation that I didn’t fully understand. Instead I said, “But why? What could he have known that was worth his life?”
Shya eyed me appraisingly. He nodded slowly, as if in approval of my desire for an explanation. “I understand that in some ways you’re very much still human. You need to be able to justify death. Well, tell me, would you be able to justify it if you knew that the information he harbored could expose you? That it could land you in a lab where you’d be picked apart by human scientists in a vain attempt to find out what makes you what you are?”
My mouth went dry, and the blood drained from my face. What Shya described had always been one of my greatest fears. He had put me in a tough place. I didn’t believe that my life was more valuable than anyone else’s, but I did believe that mass public exposure of the supernatural was in nobody’s best interest.
“Point taken.” I nodded, having nothing else to offer. I was in no position to either condone or condemn what Shya had just done. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if it had been me. I hoped to never be the one who had to make that call.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Alexa. I want you for the vampires and werewolves. For now anyway.”
That pretty little head comment would have earned anyone else a bitch slap or at least a seriously tongue lashing. I took it from Shya simply because I had to. He towered over me with those scarlet eyes and wings that went from shoulder to ankle, and I was overwhelmed.
“I’m not making any deals with you.” My voice wavered, but I meant it.
A grin lit up Shya’s face in a way that should have made him appear friendly but really just made him predatory. “I like you. You’re young yet, but you know what’s best for all of us. Kale assures me that I can trust you. Prove him right, and I’ll be happy not to have to kill the both of you.”
The way Shya spoke was so casual, like he was discussing the weather rather than threatening to kill us. All I could do was play along with a smile and a nod.
“So,” Shya clapped his hands together and smiled. It shone in his eyes, and he was suddenly a whole different persona than seconds ago. “State your terms. I assume you have some. You have genuine potential, and I will do anything to make you happy to work with me.”
My lips curved into a smile, but it didn’t feel natural. “Let’s start there. I work with you, not for you. I won’t be forced to do anything I don’t believe in.”
“Certainly.”
“I do things my way. And, my personal life stays personal. I won’t have my actions watched or judged.” I didn’t mean to sound bitchy, but I felt the need to show a little backbone. Something told me that with Shya, if I gave him an inch he’d take more than a mile. He’d likely take me to hell and back if he could.