Hades Sent : Book One of the Sent Series, page 18
I’m so wrapped up inside my own mind that I don’t see her coming until she’s already in front of me. Mother places a small pistol in my hand. She looks me right in the eyes, her voice finding its way through the wall I’ve so desperately tried to build.
“Aim it right at their head. Pull the trigger. You do this and guns will no longer be an obstacle. You kill them and you might live to see another day with your thoughts mostly intact.”
Her voice makes my brain switch into overdrive. She’s ordering me to kill them. She wants me to hurt them, which is one of the worst things an angel can do. Hurting them means shame among my people. Killing the humans mean an automatic damnation. There will be no going home … no wings. And certainly, no freedom and no escape. Not to mention the fact that I will be a killer of innocents and that will forever be what I’m known for.
“I will do anything. Anything else for you! But I will not be a killer,” my voice shakes from mentally fighting her demands. “Spare them and punish me.”
Jade throws her hand over my mouth to silence me. Her breath crawls over my neck, to finally rest above my ear. My body shakes as I try to fight back a scream. Just her touch can send me over. Visions of her nails cutting my skin circulate in my mind. I shudder from those thoughts and make myself remember that part is over and in my past.
“My dear, punishment is what you deserve. Killing them would serve as a terrific reminder. You will learn to never feel for anyone. What is important is our cause. We will take down the human race one governor, one leader, and one president at a time. They will do whatever we want because they will have no choice but to do what we tell them. That’s the beauty of mind control.”
Jade makes a noise that I mistake for a scream. She’s laughing at me, the humans, and anyone and everyone she deems beneath her. It’s a cold, disheartening noise that sends shivers down my spine and makes men everywhere duck for cover.
“I won’t say it again.” Jade takes my face in her hands. Her eyes find mine and circle their way into my soul. “Kill them now or I will kill you. If you don’t kill them, I will make the spy deliver your father to Earth. He will be hunted down like an animal and I will wait until all his angel presence is gone before I torture him. You can help me. It can totally be a bonding experience.
“You choose.” Jade smiles at me before forcing the gun back into my hand. Her eyes find mine again and this time I know I’m gone before she says her last words to me. Her desire hits me straight in the heart, forcing me to believe I want the same as her.
“End them. They are not innocent. Humans are never innocent,” Jade whispers, cold and final.
She lets me go and walks toward the men to make sure she’s in place for the show.
The words sink in, forming the brutal realization of what must be done. The bad in me is overrunning the good. My blood flows wild and strong with the desire to please her. The angel part is losing focus … again. Back and forth my mind goes, fighting against itself and what I have been ordered to do.
Killing those men means my father will live. Hurting them means maybe the hurt can stop for me. But they are innocent. No one deserves to die. No one should be killed because of what they are.
Kill. Kill. Never feel. Innocent. Let them live. Jade commands blood. Kill. Kill them all …
My hands shake as the gun is pointed at Dylan. Even through my mother’s commands, I make myself look at him. He’s crying to the point of hysteria, and I’m not too far behind him. The sweat from my hands makes the gun hard to hold. Dylan and I stare at each other, both feeling hopeless and tortured. I can’t do it. I can’t. I won’t be the one she wants. She will just have to find someone else.
Working through her demands is brutal. But I am determined. Blood rushes to my head when I close my eyes. Hoping … trying … finding … the one thing that she can’t touch inside me. And when I find it, she’s there waiting to shove me back out.
A scream fills the room. It takes me a minute to realize the sound is coming from me. My knees feel on the verge of collapsing. My head is exploding in pain. Can’t fight her. Not strong enough to take control.
I feel Jade on me again. She takes my hand in hers, lifts the gun, and pulls the trigger in one swift motion. A body falls. And when the gun goes off a second time, I’m too gone to fully hear it. My knees give out as the second body hits the ground. Darkness closes in on me.
Panic. Can’t breathe … vision fades … everything is blurry. Losing who I am … I’m fading … fading … gone.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Greve
Waking up naked and alone is a confusing process. It is especially confusing because Ireland isn’t here next to me, like I thought she would be. My muscles strain as I raise myself up and away from the hearth. Somehow, I am here when the last thing I remember is being in that tub. I tried so hard to get that poison out of her. It had to be done, but I wasn’t strong enough to see the process all the way through.
Once the water hit my system and stayed around, I was out for the count. It pisses me off that my body couldn’t handle it. Ironic to think that as a demon, I can read minds and control people. My body can run faster than any human. But I can’t handle a little water invading my system.
Which brings the topic back around to the fact that somehow I am not dead and I was brought back to the fire to heal. No doubt Ireland got me out. No one else around here cares enough about me to do that.
The problem is that Ireland is no longer here, which means she was taken by force. She wouldn’t go off alone. Not after returning to her former self, which would have happened after the poison left her. Too much has happened in so little time. Her mind is in a delicate state and any major issue can send her to the point of no return.
“Damn it! Fuck!” I force myself up and get dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Jade is after Ireland full force and there’s only one thing I can do to save her. She’s got to go back home and the quicker the better. Jade took her again. I can feel it in the pit of my stomach.
She’s not going to break Ireland like she’s done with all the rest. Hundreds of hybrids have come through me. They trained with me and I taught them all I know. It was always for my father or to keep my mother or myself alive. Never did I care about them until Ireland’s sister came along. She started something inside me that I lost along the way. Slowly, the shell around me started to break when she was around. I found that I could smile and laugh again. I had gained a friend. But that all faded after her death.
The shell grew back ten times stronger than before. Never again, I told myself. I won’t allow the hurt and pain of being close to someone just so my father can kill them. And I was doing fine until Ireland.
Ireland cracked the shell completely in two and as a result, I’ve never felt more alive. In my heart, she’s healed me. Now, it’s time for me to try to heal her in return.
With shaky hands, I take the box out from where I hid it and cradle it. It’s time to see what this box can do. The only thing left to do is open it. Whenever happens, I trust it will be for the best. “Now or never,” I mutter.
My fingers pry the lid open and immediately the room explodes in color. A projected light zooms in close to show a blonde haired, blue eyed girl smiling at me. Her face seems familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve seen her before. I can only assume this is someone in heaven who’s been waiting for this exact moment.
My eyes narrow in on her because she’s not Faith. The girl becomes unreadable as soon as she realizes Ireland is not with me. “Hello. Does Ireland need assistance?” she says as her voice projects through the light to me.
“You’re not who I was expecting. What’s your name?”
The girl tosses her hair back from her face. “I should ask you the same thing.”
“I need to talk to Faith on behalf of Ireland. Is she around?”
“Faith should be back soon. She’s a little tied up at the moment. I was told to be here just in case Ireland sent word she was ready to give up and accept defeat,” the girl answers dryly.
Defeat? “Excuse me?”
The girl takes a step back from the light. “Oh dear. Not defeat. That came out all wrong. I’m so sorry.” She pokes out her lip.
“Look, Can you help Ireland or not? If Faith is not around, I need someone to come get her within the next couple of hours. It needs to be someone capable and only within your group of friends. There is someone there who wants Ireland to die. Keep her hidden if you must.”
“We’ve been waiting for her call. It’s all organized. We do have one problem, though. It would appear that her tracker system was destroyed within her first day or so of arrival on Earth. We will have trouble finding her. If I can get your location, we will be able to find her easily.”
“That’s because I destroyed it. We didn’t want you all to get in the way of Ireland’s mission. Funny how things change, huh? I admit I have a bit of a problem, too. Ireland is currently not in my possession. She will be and then I can relay the place back to you.”
The girl beams at this news. “Well great! We will be looking for you to reappear soon. Don’t worry. Ireland is in great hands with me.”
“She better be,” I respond in all seriousness. “I’m only doing this because I’ve spoken with Faith. She has assured me that Ireland will be taken care of properly. Before I go, I want your name as a token of trust.”
I really want her name so that if she ever appears on Earth, I can track her. If she does anything to hurt Ireland, I’m going to take note and take care of her if she comes down here for anything.
“You first,” she says, almost bored.
“Greve. Now you.”
“Everyone calls me Gabriella. Last names don’t really matter up here. We are all angels here.” Her smile seems a little too tight across her face.
“Thank you, Gabriella. I never forget a face as long as I have a name. Talk to you soon.”
“We’ll be ready,” Gabriella answers before the light shuts off.
~~*~~
I expected to feel better after the video feed disconnected. That isn’t the case. There’s a strong nagging feeling in my gut I can’t quite get rid of. The best thing to do is talk to Ireland about this Gabriella before anything else happens. She will know her for sure.
With the so-called backup plan out of the way, it’s time to put all my energy into finding Ireland. Finding her should be easy. It’s what happens afterward that has me worried.
I pull her name out of a long list of people I’ve come in contact with and match it with her face. Thoughts appear, suddenly, like a generated map inside my head. I can’t explain the sensation. When I was old enough, Edgeman took me aside and activated that part of my brain. Most hybrids think of it as one or two things: cool genetics or flawed DNA. Most of the time, I call this locator part of my brain a curse. But not right now. Today, this generated common locator is the best gift my father ever gave me.
Ireland’s signal comes in from a few blocks away at what appears to be one of the clubs I took her to before. Let’s hope it’s as easy to get her back as it is to locate her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Greve
The sound of cries and screams permeate the air as I approach the front door of the club. Ireland’s screams are not in the mix of sounds coming from inside. Bracing myself, I slowly slide the door open and creep in.
Immediately, the scent of blood fills my nose. There’s blood everywhere. Spatters appear on the floor, the bar, and the walls. Bodies lie on top of each other in a big pile in the center of the room. Some have bullet holes in their heads and others have various cuts and lesions. Saying that this is a murder scene would not give it a good enough description.
My body hums as a result of all the lives lost. My eyes start to turn red. It’s a sickening feeling. Part of me wants to go through the bodies to see if any souls are left and the other part wants to see if there’s any way I can save them.
Movement catches my eye toward the back of the wall and then not long after, I hear a scream. Her scream shatters me. It’s enough to make me break away from the bodies.
Jade smiles as I run to see how badly Ireland is hurt. “Your father and I knew you would come for her. Unfortunately, it’s too late. She’s too far gone to do anything with, so I will terminate her and move on to the next kid. I believe she has a half-brother the spy can send down for me.”
“What did you do to her, Jade? What did you make her do to all those people?”
Jade hovers over me, blocking out everything but her face. “Ireland did all that of her own accord. I merely helped her realize what type of experiences she’s been holding out on. Whether you like it or not, the moment you stepped in here, you wanted what was left of them. Ireland took most, I admit, but I’m sure I can find some other human for you to feast on.”
“No,” I respond even though the desire to have a taste of someone’s soul lingers. “I’m not that person anymore. Ireland is definitely not, so whatever monster you are trying to create, you need to go looking for someone else.”
Jade backs away from me. “I can see the desire in your eyes. How I wish you were my child. Even on your best behavior, you are still more demon than Ireland ever will be. Take one look at her. Such a disgrace.”
Jade moves to show me what’s left of Ireland. My breath catches at the sight of her. Her body rocks back and forth against the far wall of the club. Her hair is matted with blood, her eyes bloodshot with desire. Ireland sees me and starts rocking harder against the wall, muttering incoherent sentences. Her fingers tear at her nails, which have grown several inches over the past couple of hours.
Nausea forms in my stomach and fear forms in my heart. What the hell happened to her?
“What’s wrong with her?” I dare not get to close to her for fear of setting her off.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jade laughs at Ireland who’s still rocking back and forth against the wall. “Her mind is beyond repair.”
I force myself to swallow the sickening feeling inside me. “No. I can help her. Let me help her.”
“Not without a price. I have no use for her. She’s too strong willed to stop fighting and I’ve grown bored with her. What I need is a strong hybrid that will bend when given an order. That will succumb to being who they are. Forcing and beating it out of someone doesn’t always work. Sometimes, the results are this.” Jade points to Ireland in disgust.
“Like it or not, the world will bow down to us demons, eventually. We’ve been shunned for too long and have had our minds set to take over the weak humans for some time. Why would demons bow down to something as fragile as humans when we can take over and do what we want? We can eat as many of them as we like. We can control their nasty breeding and only leave enough to use for our survival. Humans will live, breathe, and die at our command and control and they won’t really even realize what’s happening.”
Jade walks over to Ireland and pats her on the head. Ireland flitches at her mother’s touch. “Imagine more of her at the hands of us. Everything can and will be ours. It’s just a matter of whose side you are on.”
“I take no sides. I’m caught in the middle. Having a human mother and a demon father will do that to you.”
“So it would seem. Looks like you’ve got nothing to offer me, then. Go on and let me finish her off, or would you like to watch me again?”
“No watching. What’s your price for Ireland’s life?”
Jade narrows her eyes at me. “You.”
My heart starts to drum loudly in my chest. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Give yourself up to me and I will let Ireland go. I need a strong, faithful hybrid that’s already been through the tests and been proven to be successful.”
“That’s not possible.” My eyes grow wide. “Edgeman has full control of me.”
“Edgeman is a dying demon. He caused bodily harm to poor Ireland here. That is not allowed in our world. We do not harm each other’s spawn. Doing that calls for severe punishment. That’s why he hasn’t been back around. Your father is awaiting his fate among our kind. It’s very possible he will be jailed for years. You might even be dead by the time he’s released if he lives through the punishment.”
“So … what you are saying …” I sputter, “is that basically I’m free from him? He won’t be around to order me to do anything?”
“What I’m saying is that you renounce your father’s protection and then claim your loyalty to me. It can be done. It’s not known among your kind because ultimately what benefit would it serve?”
“But it can be very beneficial to some,” I mutter through clinched teeth.
Jade laughs at me. “Not for you. Honestly, I’m giving you a chance to make things right. You care for Ireland? You think you can save her and ease some of that human guilt? Fine. But first you will renounce him for me.”
“My freedom in place of hers? That’s basically what you are offering.”
“Don’t make it sound like it’s a death sentence. This is the girl you swore to protect, right? You’ve failed before and you know you can’t mentally afford to do it again. Isn’t Ireland worth more to you than that?”
“She is worth ten times the value you could ever place on her, Jade. If I agree, it will be understood that I’ve done it for her. Not me or you. Her. Ireland is the reason, got it? And if I do decide to, I want your word that I can deliver her safely home without any intervention.”
“Fine,” Jade agrees. “I’m sick of looking at her. If you become mine, I can find you whenever I need you. No more running away, Greve. You’ve reached a dead-end.”
“So does this mean if Ireland ever comes back to Earth and is back to normal, that you won’t bother her? You said my life for hers after all.”
“I didn’t say that. She’s still mine. What we are doing is exchanging your life to save hers now.”
Ireland starts to scream as if she knows what Jade is hiding. Her body rocks harder and harder against the wall. Her bones sound like they are being crushed with every movement. Over and over she screams and cries out. With each piercing sound, my heart starts to overrule my head. Each second she’s here, the more likely she will not come back to herself. I can’t let that happen. Surely, I will find a way out of this once she’s safe. I’m stronger than being someone’s call boy. They will see. All of them will see how much a hybrid can really endure.
