Redemption (A NOVEL OF THE SEVEN SIGNS) (48 page)

CHAPTER 44

Rose stumbled into the space where the demon had stood. Her mind splintered, bleeding confusion. Her knife clanged on the catwalk and bounced away.

And Fluvium coiled himself into a tight black rope of hellslime, and dived down her throat.

Her guts cramped, and she dry heaved. Her eyes watered, her face burning. Nothing came up.

Horror throttled her blind. Frantic, she scrabbled at his thrashing black tail. He wiggled and squirmed, like a snake caught halfway down her throat. He gnashed at her insides with his razor teeth, dragging himself down, deeper…

She pulled, straining, stretching the demon’s vile body like chewing gum, but she couldn’t yank him out.

And with a final thrash of supple black-slimed muscle, Fluvium snaked from her grip and coiled himself deep inside her body.

Rose gurgled. Choked. Gasped. Her lungs wouldn’t fill. Savage teeth munched in her guts. Her soft flesh tore, and she felt the awful thing
swallow
, and stinking blackness howled and dragged her gibbering soul under.

She fought, terror swamping her wits. No escape, down and
darker into a hot blood-stinking prison with no light. The snake squeezed, constricting, coiling around her, forcing her smaller, and smaller, until the trap slammed shut.

Without her, her body moved. Laughed. Howled at the shuddering black sky.

And all Rose could do was watch, and scream.

*   *   *

A spearing cloud of ash and fiery black sparks, Japheth zoomed in on Fluvium’s foul scent.

Stormy sky, ozone’s dizzy tang, the crash of forked lightning. He dived, and coalesced. His feathers hit storm-boiled air, and he glided. Below, the lights of midtown Babylon glittered like a million tiny campfires, the crisscrossing streets flowing with flaming rivers of light. Human auras pulsed like neon. But the city stank of blood and fear. Even from two thousand feet, he could hear ragged screams.

Fluvium’s vampire apocalypse.

Above him, invisible beyond rolling storm clouds, the demon moon burned full and heavy, thirsty for death. He could feel it, a rich lick of pleasure and pain in his blood, dragging him in like an ugly undertow.

Japheth exulted, the storm rushing over him, sparkling with life and power. The Demon King’s plan was done. The precious vial was tucked safely away, from Azaroth or Michael or anyone else who plotted to claim it.

The End of Days was over.

But fear and thirst still ruled Babylon tonight. And Japheth meant to save it, if he could.

The demon moon wasn’t yet visible. The city wasn’t yet bathed in its hungry light. If he could get rid of Fluvium before the storm clouds parted…

He wheeled on the crackling wind, climbing, hunting for the demon’s sour aura. Stormwind sprang alive in his feathers, licking them with static that tingled his bones. His stomach growled, ravenous. The curse still whispered inside, tempting, leading him on…but now he was its master.

He licked sharp teeth, and smiled. Now, he used his hunger for blood to trace the demon’s power.

And his hunger would be Fluvium’s undoing. He’d already feasted on the demon’s dark life force once. This time, he’d finish the job.

The thought made him shudder. But he was a soldier. He did what was necessary. Even if it meant his own destruction.

So he’d drain the demon dry. The demon moon would fail. And then, he’d hand the precious vial back to Gabriel, and he’d never see Rose Harley again.

Longing slashed at his heart, and he fought it off grimly. She’d betrayed him. Exposed his weaknesses. He’d forgotten what was important. He’d failed, screwed up, hesitated. Let Fluvium curse the city. All because he couldn’t control his emotions around her.

Wanting her was stupid, selfish, a multitude of ugly sins. Better to forget she’d ever existed.

So why couldn’t he carve her from his heart?

He gritted his teeth, spearing over the flashing chaos of Times Square. It was true. He longed for her dark blossom fragrance, her silken hair on his skin, her lithe body in his arms. He wanted to hold her, laugh with her, take her away from her nightmare…

But Japheth had no future. Not in the Tainted Host. Not anywhere. Michael had shown his true colors. Redemption was a vanished dream.

Only the demon mattered now.

Fluvium’s fire-gore scent stung his nose. Yeah. He flew higher, faster, skyscrapers streaming by. Bats squeaked, flapping from his path…and
clang!
he landed on a narrow metal catwalk that rattled and shook with thunder.

Wind blew his hair wild. Above, the skyscraper’s spire knifed skywards, shining in vast spotlights, current crackling blue and scarlet along its length. Storm clouds rumbled, shadows moving like hissing creatures along the rippled steel floor. Heat haze shimmered, pregnant with latent power. Ozone and demonstink sliced the air sharp.

Lightning forked, and struck the spire with an unearthly crack. Metal melted. Fire erupted. Voltage jolted his body, and his feathers crackled on end. The power was invigorating,
sparkling through every cell. He felt invincible. Godlike. Unstoppable, answerable to nothing and no one.

Crazy laughter split his lungs. He knew now what the demon craved. To be his own master. An end to accountability. No rules, no penance, no forgiveness. A place where he was beholden to no one.

Ultimate power.

“Fluvium!” he screamed. Lightning crackled through his feathers, arcing to the floor. “Show yourself!”

Clanging footsteps. A flash of curly hair, dark seductive eyes.

For an instant, Japheth’s heart stopped.

Rose sauntered along the catwalk, swaying her hips. Her bare feet crackled sparks on the metal. She wore a long red tailcoat that flapped in the breeze. Her hair blew around her face, wild and beautiful, and her sultry dark eyes blazed with power and desire and everything he’d ever longed for.

She halted before him, just inches away. “Hello, angel,” she purred.

CHAPTER 45

Her beauty dizzied him. Thunder roared in his ears, pounding his senses blind, leaving only hunger.

He buried his hands in her glorious hair, and swept her cherry-sweet mouth to his.

Hot, alive, so delicious he groaned. Her tongue fought his, bruising. Her teeth grazed his lips, and blood sparkled in his throat like coppery sunshine.

She arched against him, sliding hot hands over his ass, sweet breasts swelling against his silver. “Mmm. You make me hot.”

Desire swallowed him like scarlet fog. He was meant to be…doing something…? But her mouth demanded his attention, her body insisting he caress her. He crushed her tighter, wrapped her in burning wings. She murmured into their kiss, a feminine moan of need.

Damn, she felt amazing. Fighting this was useless. His cock ached for her. He wanted her naked. He slid hungry hands under her t-shirt, hunting for fragrant skin, her luscious ripe breasts. So soft.

He fell to his knees, pulling her with him. Her wicked smile inflamed him. He tasted her throat, tongued her pulse,
grazed her with his teeth and drank up her shiver. He inhaled the scent of her breasts, bared them inside her coat, tasted them. Her nipples were so sweet and hard. He sucked one, and she moaned in delight. Her flavor drowned his reason, obliterating everything except the taste and smell and feel of her. “Rose…”

She climbed onto his lap, and straddled him, pushing him down so his feathers zinged on the charged catwalk. “Let’s fuck. Right here.”

Sooner rather than later, or he’d finish it in his trousers. He yanked her down onto his chest, another bruising kiss that tore his breath ragged. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”

She laughed, sultry, and tore at the buckles on his armor. He helped her, fumbling, shucking the breastplate off. It clanged away, and she ripped his bloodied shirt open, raked her nails over his bare chest. The sting felt so good he couldn’t breathe.

Lightning flashed, illuminating her silhouette. Flame crackled over her long red coat. Her hair glimmered. Her body glowed. She was a dark goddess, her eyes aflame with excitement. She threw back her head, stretching her long pale throat, and laughed.

Sick, gloating, hungry laughter.

Reality rocked him like thunder.

This wasn’t Rose.

His muscles shocked rigid, painful…but the thing held him down, impossibly, devilishly strong. Her long fangs drooled, filling her smile with evil delight.

“You stupid fuck,” Fluvium hissed through Rose’s lips. “Did you actually think she’d want you now?”

Japheth fought broken wits. Desperately, he grasped for ash, flame, a spell, anything…but his fingers met empty air. No weapon. No armor. No defense.

And Fluvium arched Rose’s beautiful half-naked body, and dived for Japheth’s throat.

*   *   *

Deep in steaming darkness, Rose fought and screamed.

She could feel Japheth’s kiss, his urgent caress, the hardness
of his muscles beneath her. It stole her breath, made her naked breasts ache, rippled sweet desire through her body…

But it wasn’t her body anymore. It moved without her, spoke without her. Stretched, yearned, exulted with the demon’s evil lust.

Fluvium was going to kill her angel.

Chew his throat out, feast on his flesh, bathe in the fountaining blood.

She yelled, and hammered on her black prison walls. The demon just squeezed her tighter and smaller, and struck with
her
teeth for Japheth’s throat.

Her
sharp fangs grazed the angel’s skin. Blood spurted, and Fluvium grunted with rich lust. Rose felt it, God, how she felt it, the pleasure gripping her like evil iron bands, squeezing tighter and tighter until she gasped and writhed, overcome. It felt so good. She wanted more…

No.

In the dark, Rose wailed and thrashed.
Not like this. He’s mine, demon. Not yours. Mine. And I’ll save him, if it’s the last sorry thing I accomplish on this earth.

Fresh power flooded her like sunshine, distant light in the hollow darkness. And she gathered her every muscle, and flexed with all her demon-spelled strength.

*   *   *

Mindless, numb with shock, Japheth fought the demon who’d stolen his lover’s body.