Lucca (36 page)

Juliet took the dagger driving it into the
stage, piercing the wood. The dagger vibrated with a hum of power
until a burst of light expanded from the hilt. Juliet yanked the
dagger out, moving to the North to repeat the ritual, then to the
South, East, and West, commanding all the elements to do her
bidding. When she was finished, her gaze found Lucca’s. He never
thought she looked more beautiful with her sunlit strands standing
on end, the electricity in the air buzzing like an impending
lightning storm.

The ground rumbled and the clouds formed
above at a frightening speed. Juliet glanced up in horror. The sky
split open with a roar of displeasure. Juliet dove for safety as
lightning struck the stage.

Lucca sprinted forward, intent on reaching
Juliet and making sure she was okay. The sounds of the brethren
withdrawing their weapons hit his ears next before a keening sound
splintered the night.

Lucca reached Juliet as she stood to brush
off the dirt from her jeans. “I’m all right,” Juliet assured
him.

Smoke swirled on the stage, taking shape
within the witch’s trap. The crouched figure rose to his full
height. Silver blue eyes beneath a crop of black hair stared at
them in unspoken hostility.

“Raziel?” Juliet spoke as she took a step
forward, but Lucca held her back.

Why had the spell conjured up Raziel.
Something was wrong.

“What have you done?” Raziel’s eyes blazed
with anger and betrayal. He took a step toward her and came up
against the invisible bars holding him within the trap.

“I…” she stuttered in response, not having
an answer. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

A heaviness settled on them, the ground
shifting again as another surge of power, rippled through the
earth. A thick ozone layer penetrated the air along with something
putrid, rotten garbage and the sickening smell of roses like the
popular scent elderly women doused themselves with. Two dark winged
figures emerged from the smoke, apparitions materializing in
corporeal form. Lower level demons flanked them, demons who hadn’t
seen the light of day in centuries, if ever. Skin so black they
appeared as shadows with red pinpoint lights for eyes.

Lucca stiffened as the winged figures came
closer and their features became discernable. “Father?” His voice
was a raw mixture of confusion and apprehension. What the effin’
hell was going on?

Raziel spoke, his voice full of venom.
“Kasadya, I thought not to see you ever again.”

Kasadya’s thin lips slid into a smile, but
the laughter in no way reached his ink colored eyes. “So good of
you to join us, Raziel.” His eyes focused on Lucca next. “You’ve
been so much help, son of Arizul.”

Zaiden’s gaze riveted to Lucca. “You son of
a bitch, you betrayed us!” Zaiden’s wings spread, his intent
obvious, but Eli held him back, demanding him to stand down.

Lucca ignored the dagger-like looks from
Zaiden. Trying to deny his involvement with Kasadya would be
useless anyway. Zaiden had already made up his mind that he
betrayed them. How long would it be before the others took his
side, too? He leveled his gaze on Kasadya. “I don’t know what game
you’re playing, but I most certainly did not help you.”

“Oh, but you did.” Kasadya’s voice hissed,
echoing around them as if he whispered the words in their ears.
“Come on boy, don’t be modest. Without you and Lana, we would have
never captured Raziel so I could eliminate him. I can’t have the
master of time portals alive when I want to control them.”

“Lana would never help you,” Ryden defended
her cousin, but Lucca saw she didn’t have a defense for him.

Lucca frowned. The little things that
bothered him before seemed to make sense now. At Lana’s shop, the
Hashasheens showed up like they were customers. They hadn’t been
there for Ryden. They were there to see Lana.

The Brethren moved their positions, keeping
Lucca in their line of vision as well as the other demons.
Well,
that didn’t take long,
Lucca thought bitterly.

A noise caught his attention as the doors to
the amphitheater opened. Out of the shadows, Lana strode in, her
long blonde hair flying behind her, her blue eyes standing out
bright against the paleness of her skin. She wore a red sequin top
and black pants as if she was going dancing later tonight. Nothing
made sense about her being here until she threw Owen in front of
her. The kid stumbled, but somehow managed to stay on his feet.
Juliet gasped and made an attempt to go to him, but Lucca held her
back.

“Don’t,” he warned. He wondered what
happened to the Guard of Judgment who was in charge of keeping Owen
safe. Had Lana killed him before she kidnapped Owen? She had fooled
them into believing she was on their side and now she had the
advantage.

“Lana?” Ryden looked at her cousin in
disbelief. “What are you doing?”

Lana shifted her gaze to Ryden. “I did this
for you, to save you from
them
.” She said 'them' like the
word burned her tongue.

“No,” Ryden shook her head. “Stop this,
please,” but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

“No,” Lana spoke with finality. “Look at
them. Open your eyes and see.” She pointed to the brethren as if
Ryden had yet to notice the group of winged warriors. “Eli
corrupted you into thinking this was normal. He’ll take you away
from your family and friends. You told me yourself that he changed
you.”

“He changed my life for the better. I love
him.”

Eli had moved beside Ryden now, his weapon
poised to protect her.

Lucca didn’t quite grasp how siding with a
Satan had been a good deal, but it was obvious Lana felt her
sacrifice was worth it. She believed she was saving Ryden from a
horrible fate. Humans weren’t always rational in their thinking. As
if Lucca’s father read his mind, Arizul looked at him with a
triumphant smile. Lucca turned away.

Ryden stared at her cousin for a long
moment, before her expression turned hard, her eyes glossed with
tears she would never shed as she pulled her shoulders back,
standing a little taller. “I see perfectly for the first time.
You’re the one who is misguided. You’ve made a pact with evil for
nothing. I’ll never leave Eli.”

Lana’s nostrils flared as she stared at her
cousin in disbelief. “You would choose him over your family?”

“Every time,” Ryden ground out.

Blaize took a step toward Lana, but she
waved her hand at him. “Don’t come any closer, Darklin.”

“And I thought we had something special,
Lana” Blaize’s sarcasm dripped from his words. His dark wings
fluttered behind him.

Lana smirked at him, her gaze sliding over
him with indifference. “You were a means to an end.” Lana’s harsh
laugh only deepened Blaize’s frown. “Remember when I asked to see
your wings?” She let the implication sink in. When it did Blaize
blanched and Lana’s lips curved. “The summoning spell didn’t have
preference on a species of demon’s blood. Yours worked just
fine.”

“Normally, I don’t mind being used.”
Blaize’s eyes turned more red than violet as he slid his gaze over
Lana, suggesting they had been intimate. “But honey, I draw the
line when you use me to take down my friends.”

Lucca glanced at Blaize, wondering why blood
was exchanged, but he didn’t think it a good time to ask.

Lana shrugged as if she didn’t care what
Blaize thought, but Lucca noticed the shadow pass over her features
before she could mask it. He recognized the shield. He used it
often enough himself. Lana might want to pretend her time with
Blaize meant nothing, but her fleeting look of dismay told a
different story.

While confessions proved to be the theme of
the evening, Lucca had edged his way closer to Juliet and closer to
the stage. They were seriously out powered here. They needed a
Seraphim on their side of the fight. It looked like Raziel was
it.

Lana addressed Kasadya then. “You promised
if I captured Raziel and brought you the boy, you would spare
Ryden.”

Kasadya nodded. “So I did, but dear witch, I
have no say over free will.”

Her smile faltered. “What do you mean?”

“If Ryden will not turn away from her
Nephilim lover, I cannot guarantee her safety once the fighting
begins.” His massive shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Truly, I am
sorry.”

Lana’s gaze riveted to Ryden in a silent
plea. She must have read the answer in her cousin’s stance.
“Noooo!” Lana wailed. She turned her attention toward Kasadya,
pointing a finger at him. Ancient words flew from her mouth. Power
surged around them, the wind coming to her aid as she controlled
the element to her will.

Kasadya’s eyes blazed to red fire. “You dare
defy me, witch, and with my own spells?” With a flick of his wrist,
a force surged from his fingertips, blasting into Lana. She was
lifted off her feet and was flung like a ragdoll against the back
wall of the Amphitheatre. She hit with a sickening crack before her
limp body slid to the ground in a heap of black clothing. Her
blonde hair hid her face, fanning over her features as if to shield
them. She lay still, unmoving, either unconscious or dead, but no
one moved to find out which.

In the corner of his eye, Lucca saw Owen
burst into action. He ran blindly, fear making his judgment rash.
Lucca charged forward trying to reach the boy before Arizul did,
but his father was closer. Arizul’s hand snaked out, grabbing Owen
by the shirt and yanking him off his feet. Owen screamed,
struggling to be free, but Arizul was stronger. He backhanded Owen
so hard, the boy’s head snapped back. “Silence.”

Juliet cried out, but Lucca’s warning glance
kept her rooted. She returned to her task of releasing Raziel. If
she failed, they didn’t stand a chance.

Owen whimpered, but stood still.

Lucca’s hands clenched at his side. He’d
kill his father for touching Owen. “Let him go,” Lucca demanded,
meeting Arizul’s gaze.

“Oh no, my son,” Arizul chuckled. “We need
the boy.” He walked toward Kasadya, dragging Owen behind him.

Kasadya turned his cold eyes on Lucca and
his lips slid into a smile of triumph. The Satan’s plans unfolded
like a bad horror flick and all of them were players in this
demonic enterprise.

“What do you say for yourself, Lucca?”
Zaiden asked. The deep, rough edge of his stance was the warning
before the deadly storm.

Lucca weighed his options. Talking his way
out of this didn’t appear to be one of them. Lana’s betrayal and
Kasadya’s arrival and assumptions made it seem as if he planned
this whole event. Lucca shook his head. “Does it matter, Zaiden?
You’ve already made up your mind.”

Kasadya’s low rumbled laughter seemed to
come from the ground, giving a good imitation of awakening a giant.
“Lucca, you’re being modest. Kasadya leveled his gaze at Eli then.
“How’s Ryden’s arm? Hmm? Lucca does know how to party.”

Eli’s eyes turned a murderous blaze of
golden brown.

Lucca swallowed hard, but remained silent.
Surely, Eli realized Kasadya was goading him. His insinuations were
underhanded jibes to make him doubt Lucca’s honesty.

Kasadya concentrated on Lucca again. “You
can give me the
Book of Magic
now.”

Lucca felt the vise tightening on his
neck.

“You did tell your brethren you have the
book, didn’t you?” His father chose to add to the conversation, his
voice sickly sweet and sounding innocent as he revealed the last
piece of evidence to convict him.

Blaize swore under his breath, furthering
his guilt in the Watchers’ eyes.

Juliet stared at him, her gaze meeting his.
“Lucca?” The hurt was evident in her voice, but still held out that
maybe he had a good explanation.

He had plenty, but no one would listen. “I
don’t have it. The poet does.”

Blaize shot him a glance, but remained
silent.

“The poet?” Kasadya snapped. “Where is
he?”

Lucca needed to draw Kasadya away from the
group and he couldn’t think of a better way than to antagonize the
Satan to make a move on him. He lifted his shoulders in an arrogant
shrug of superiority and gave a good imitation of locking his mouth
with a key. His taunting seemed to be the right button to push.

Anger splintered and flashed like a warning
beacon in Kasadya’s eyes, the red growing brighter like a fire
being stoked to a full blaze. He barked orders to Arizul. “Give me
the boy.”

“No!” Lucca and Juliet screamed at the same
time, but it was too late. Kasadya moved swiftly, grabbing Owen,
pulling him against him in a chokehold. Owen grabbed at Kasadya’s
arm, trying to pull his arm away.

“Stop it, you’re killing him,” Juliet
screamed at him.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him. Yet. I need
his pure blood for the freeing ritual.” Owen finally went limp and
Kasadya let go of him. The boy slipped to the ground, but the rise
and fall of Owen’s chest proved the child was only unconscious, not
dead.

Kasadya turned and barked orders at his
minions. “Kill everyone standing.” He looked at Arizul then. “Get
your son.”

The mass of dark demons came at them like
swarming shadows ready to consume, sucking out the light around
them like devouring beasts of doom. Eli and Zaiden were already in
a lethal fight, back to back as the circled horde of demons closed
in on them. Lucca remembered when he fought with Zaiden in the same
manner. It was a lifetime ago. Zaiden and he may not have been the
best of friends in the way humans defined it, but they understood
each other. They knew each other’s moods and their weaknesses. They
knew how to take down an enemy better than any of the other
Watchers, but this fight had pin-wheeled out of control. Zaiden
didn’t trust him.

He glanced toward Gideon. His arrows were
finding their mark. Ryden was doing her fair share of killing too,
with her spear gun, but how long before they were overrun?