Curling his lip in contempt, he turned at the end of the street heading toward a derelict building. Opening the dented metal door, which was painted with profanities and splashed with something that looked suspiciously like human stomach fluids, he stepped into the darkness beyond and forced himself to breathe slowly through his mouth to avoid an even worse stench.

  He stalked through the empty building, climbing floor by floor, his bad mood deteriorating with each step. It was disgusting, not just the building, not just the alley, not even the city, but the world of humans full stop. They were disgusting. This world had originally been a paradise, then the humans had been created, a mistake… a costly one. They proliferated like maggots devouring everything they touched. This world was soiled, contaminated, fit for nothing but a purge.

  It made his skin crawl. Why Ash had chosen to remain on earth rather than return to the otherworld had eluded him. There was nowhere to breathe here without inadvertently inhaling their stench. He couldn’t wait for the day it would be over and they could return to heaven, where they belonged, and that day was coming.

  He approached a heavy door and pushed it open, his nerves grating against the screech of protest from the rusted hinges. Striding inside, he headed across the wide space to the dim light in the far corner. His gaze focused on the tall dark figure staring out of the grubby window down at the street below.

  “Ash?” he called out and was met with silence.

  He stopped a few paces and waited patiently. He could already gage Ash’s mood from the rigid set of his shoulders and the stiffness in his wings.

  “They’re so self-destructive,” Ash muttered, as he watched a skinny, twitchy looking human approach a larger one, items changed hands quickly and then the skinny man scuttled away like a cockroach when exposed to light.

  “I still don’t see why we couldn’t just remain in the otherworld, at least it smells better than this hovel.” Cyrus grimaced.

  Ash turned slowly, staring at him with dark eyes. “Did you find the seer?” he asked, ignoring Cyrus’s question.

  “Yes.” He looked disgustedly at a drip of fetid water, which had landed on his shoulder from the damp roof above. “But I couldn’t get past the guardian’s warding, even with the power of the sphere. She’s more powerful than you thought, but then Infernum has always been the strongest of the five lost books.”

  “Caelum is far more powerful, and once I become its guardian, I will deal with the witch whore. The filthy power of the hell dimensions is nothing to the light of heaven.”

  “As you say,” Cyrus replied carefully, detecting the strange glint in Ash’s eye that had been there more and more of late. He was unable to put a name to it or rather, was reluctant to put a name to it. It could be greatness or madness, it was a fine line.

  “Has the seer left the protective wards at all?” Ash growled.

  “Rarely.” Cyrus shook his head. “And when he does, he’s usually with the guardian or the other witch… Black.”

  “Elias Black,” Ash snarled, his long fingers curving in wickedly until they resembled talons. “I would dearly love to gut him and slowly pull out his entrails. I owe him that for attempting to keep the prophecy from me the night I ended my sister.”

  “Uh, about that,” Cyrus replied carefully. “I have news… about your sister.”

  Ash looked at him sharply. “She’s dead,” he stated flatly.

  Cyrus shook his head. “She lives.”

  “It’s not possible,” Ash sneered. “I severed her aorta. I watched her bleed to death, there was no way for her to survive that. Even an angel cannot be brought back once they are beyond the veil of death.”

  “I don’t know how,” Cyrus answered. “But it was her. She’s there… with the guardian and that sentinel she’s so fond of. Thomas’s brat, and it appears she’s pregnant with his child I have no doubt.”

  “Abomination!” Ash roared and he lunged forward grasping Cyrus by the throat and slamming him into the concrete column behind him. “You lie!”

  “When have I ever lied to you?” Cyrus choked out, as he calmly stared at Ash, his eyes flashing with defiance. “Careful, Ash, you need me. I am the only ally you have left. No one has proved their loyalty as I have.”

  He watched as the brief flare of madness in Ash’s black eyes banked and he loosened his fingers.

  “If I find you are lying to me,” he grated out from between clenched teeth.

  “I have never lied to you.” Cyrus reached up, and keeping his eyes locked on him, he unpeeled Ash’s fingers from his throat. “By whatever design, your sister lives and is with child, but more than that, she is under the protection of the guardian herself. She will not be such an easy target again.”

  “She is not Caelum’s guardian,” Ash snarled viciously, tiny flecks of spittle bathing Cyrus’ face. “I am.”

  “Of course, you are,” Cyrus said soothingly, as he dropped Ash’s hand. “Of course, you are, my captain, my king. You were always meant to rule, it is in your veins… your destiny. Azariel, Thomas, Scarlett… they will all fall once you have the book in your possession.”

  “I cannot find it without the seer.” Ash turned away sharply and paced the floor in agitation. “I cannot translate the prophecy I took from Samuel and Black even with the help of the sphere.”

  He stopped his pacing in front of a cluttered desk, staring down at a dark blue stone nestled on a cradle carved of human bone. There was a deep groove split into the crystalline structure as if a shard had been gouged from it at some time in its long past, but at its core, it pulsed with tiny bursts of lightning, swirling with smoke and stars, as if it contained within it entire galaxies.

  His hand hovered over the stone as if in a caress, his eyes fathomless, but he didn’t touch it. Instead he turned back to Cyrus.

  “We need the seer. Without him we cannot translate the prophecy.”

  Cyrus shook his head. “He’s married to the guardian, believe me, we won’t be able to get close. You can underestimate her all you want but there’s a reason Thomas and Azariel have not tried an all-out attack. Do you really think they don’t know Samuel and Scarlett are seeking refuge there?”

  “That is not my concern.” Ash glared. “I will deal with Azariel and Thomas when the time comes.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Cyrus replied. “But I’m beginning to think it was your sister we needed all along.”

  Ash bared his teeth and growled.

  “Here me out.” Cyrus held his hands up placatingly, wondering how it had come to this. Ash had never been this sheer bloody minded, this reckless. He was cold and meticulous. He never did anything without thinking it through, this person in front of him was not the Ash he’d known for centuries. Not the Ash he’d sworn his allegiance to. Not the Ash he’d betrayed his own people for.

  “Speak.”

  “You killed Scarlett,” Cyrus stated flatly. “She was dead, we both know it, but she was somehow brought back and now she’s in the house of the guardian and the seer, under their protection. She was the only one who was with your mother during those lost years on earth when she supposedly hid Caelum. Whether you like it or not, your sister is the key to finding the book.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Ash stared at him fiercely.

  “That we let her find the book,” Cyrus said carefully. “We have searched all this time and yet we are no closer to finding it, even with the power of the sphere, just as you said. I say we let Scarlett find it and when the moment is right you take it from her. You’ve already killed her once, and now she’s pregnant, she’ll be distracted trying to protect her unborn child.”

  Ash stared at Cyrus consideringly. His black eyes losing the murderous glint as a clearer more thoughtful gleam took over. He stepped back slowly, tilting his head as he studied Cyrus.

  “You are absolutely certain it was her?” He reaches up and rubs one long thin finger along his jaw.

  “There was no doubt.” Cyrus nods. “I saw her in the woods with the guardian. I was close enough to hear them.”

  “If you were close enough to hear them,” Ash replied coldly. “You were close enough to kill them.”

  “Kill them?” Cyrus stated flatly. “I am under no illusions as to my skills. I’ve kept no account of the blood I’ve spilled for you, Asher.” His eyes flashed dangerously. “I’ve proved my loyalty to you time and time again. You know I would lay down my life for you without hesitation. But even I am not foolish enough to go up against a guardian, especially not on the grounds where she is her strongest. Her home and her lake are built upon dozens of entrances to the hell dimensions. She draws her power directly from them. No one but another guardian or a god can challenge her.”

  “This home of hers.” Ash’s eyes narrowed. “It is constructed upon the entrances to the hell dimensions you say?”

  “Yes.” Cyrus nodded. “The whole town reeks of it.”

  “Interesting,” Ash murmured, as he turned away from Cyrus, crossing the space to the desk and staring down at the sphere perched sedately on its bed of bone.

  “What?” Cyrus replied warily. “What are you thinking?”

  “If there was some way…” Ash picked up the jewel feeling its weight and power pulse in the palm of his hand.

  “Some way to what?”

  “Open the gateways.” Ash turned back to Cyrus.

  “To Hell?” Cyrus replied thoughtfully. “The creatures would spill through.”

  “Exactly.” Ash’s mouth curved slowly. “That many demonic creatures would tear through the town and lay waste to it.”

  “Chaos.” Cyrus smiled.

  “The kind of chaos that would pique both Azariel’s and Thomas’s attention.”

  “A three-way fight,” Cyrus replied in understanding. “They would seize the moment to attack the guardian while she is distracted trying to return the creatures to Hell and close the gateways.”

  Ash nodded. “And while they’re all busy tearing each other to pieces, we take my sister somewhere nice and quiet for a family reunion.” His eyes glitter maliciously. “I’m simply dying to hear how she cheated death and came to be in the confidence of the guardian of the filthy hell dimensions. If you needed any further prove she is unfit to be the guardian of caelum that would be it. Heaven and Hell don’t mix.”

  “There’s something else you should know.” Cyrus hesitated.

  “What is it?”

  “When I got close enough to hear your sister and the guardian, I overheard them talking about Purgatorio.”

  “That disgusting rag?” Ash’s lip curled in distain. “It’s no better than Infernum.”

  “Maybe not,” Cyrus agreed, but I heard them talking about using pieces of it to pull your mother from Purgatory.”

  “What?” Ash snapped sharply.

  “They…” He hesitated again seeing the flat blackness behind Ash’s eyes. “They believe your mother to be damaged, from Thomas’s torture and from her long confinement in Purgatory, but they were talking about raising her to find the location of Caelum.”

  The long minutes stretched out between them like an eternity, and for the first time since he’d set foot inside the building, Cyrus felt a trickle of fear roll lazily down his spine. Wondering if he’d pushed Ash too far in his unstable state, his heart began to pound, and his stomach clenched.

  Finally, Ash turned away from him and stared down at the sphere wrapped firmly in his palm.

  “Return,” Ash ground out in a deadly tone. “I want you to watch them. You don’t eat, sleep, or leave the vicinity. I want to know everything they do, who they see, who they talk to and what they do.”

  “And you?” Cyrus asked carefully.

  “I…” Ash raised his fist, watching as the blue jewel in his hand burned brighter with an incandescent light. “I am going to find a way to open the hell gates.” He looked back up at Cyrus, his eyes burning with hate. “The town of Mercy will fall like a house of cards and with it… their precious guardian Olivia West.”

  7

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Olivia stepped out onto the porch.

  “It’s fine, honestly.” Louisa laughs, shoving her out the door. “Go have your little Scooby gang meeting at The Boatman, we’ll be just fine. Tommy’s queuing up the new Disney movie and we’ve got snacks. The twins will be fine. You know how much they love their playdates with Jace.”

  “I know.” Olivia frowned. “It’s not like you haven’t looked after them a million times.”

  “Then what is it?” Louisa asked curiously.

  “I’m not sure.” Olivia shook her head. “I’m feeling… prickly.”

  “Olive.” Louisa smiled affectionately. “That’s been your default mood setting since we were kids.”

  “I know.” The corner of Olivia’s mouth twitched. “I feel like something’s changed.”

  “Like what?” Louisa asked in concern.

  “I’m not sure yet.” Olivia shook her head again. “It’s like something’s coming and it’s making me feel… twitchy.”

  “Never a dull day in Mercy,” Louisa huffed in amusement.

  “You’re not kidding.” She leaned in and hugged her friend. “Call if you need us.”

  “It’ll be fine. Go save the world again, or whatever it is you guys are doing this week.” Louisa laughed. “I’m going to watch Encanto with the kids.”

  “Have fun.” Olivia laughed and shook her head.

  Scarlett watched as she headed down the steps toward them. She could feel the warmth of Sam pressing against her side and the familiar scent of him as he stroked the small of her back comfortingly. That was one thing she’d noticed about him since he’d returned with his memories fully intact. He didn’t stop touching her, he didn’t even seem to be aware of it. It was almost like he was trying to reassure himself she was real. He seemed to love nothing better than when they laid in bed together. He’d curl himself around her, stroking her belly and watching in fascination as their daughter shifted beneath her skin.

  It was moments like that when she could almost believe the rest of the world didn’t exist and it was just the two of them, no secrets, no lies, no past mistakes weighing them down. Just them and the little family they’d created.

  Theo hovered nearby waiting for Olivia to reach him, and Scarlett had to admit, she was getting concerned about him. There was no doubting what he’d suffered at the hands of the Veritas, or more specifically Faraday, but since Theo had returned home, he didn’t seem to be recovering well. If anything, he looked worse. He was getting thinner, his skin pale, the shadows under his eyes deepening.

  Scarlett’s gaze met Olivia’s as she took her husband’s offered hand, and Scarlett could see her own concern mirrored in Olivia’s.

  Scarlett…

  Scarlett turned her head sharply toward the lake. Toward the voice she’d heard in her disturbed dreams several times now. Her heart was pounding with fear… with adrenalin? She wasn’t quite sure.

  “What is it?” Sam asked worriedly, feeling the tension in her body.

  “I don’t know.” She breathed heavily.

  There was a strange scent in the air, barely distinguishable, just a hint gone almost as quickly as it appeared, but the air felt charged, the energy rippling along her skin. She glanced over to Olivia to find her staring at the lake in concentration.

  “You feel it too, don’t you?” Scarlett asked as she stared at her friend.

  Olivia turned to look at Scarlett for a second, she didn’t say anything, and instead turned her attention back to the lake. The strange rippling across the water she’d been seeing all week from her bedroom window was back, only this time much closer to shore, the little crests of water reflecting back the blazing pink and purple of the sunset.

  “I need to check on Lulu,” Olivia murmured with a frown.

  They followed her down to the lake edge, only to find several thick blue gray tentacles protruding from the water and resting on the sand. Olivia hurried her steps, her expression changing from curiosity to concern. The rest of them stopped a few feet away while Olivia stepped carefully over the beached appendages and knelt in between them.

  Reaching out, she carefully touched one of them and felt it twitch beneath her hand, a look of intense concentration in her eyes.

  “Shush, sweetheart, it’s alright I’m here now,” Olivia crooned to the giant mythological sea monster.

  “Just when I think things can’t get any weirder,” Sam muttered.

  Suddenly the Hydra shifted, and the water gushed up like a wave breaking. An enormous head appeared followed by a second, then a third, until all eight were stretched up into the newly fallen night sky. Olivia stood from her crouched position, head tilted back as she looked up calmly.

  One of the heads, a terrifying dragon shaped face with slits for nostrils and rows upon rows of sharp sharklike teeth, slowly lowered until it was the same height as Olivia. Its horrifying head bumped her gently, nuzzling into her like a waterlogged kitten.

  “I was wrong.” Sam’s brows nearly lifted into his hairline. “Now it’s weirder.”

  “Hey,” Olivia soothed, as she reached out and stroked the Hydra’s head while its other heads lowered and watched her. “It’s okay, girl.”

  The creature let out a loud rumbling groan, followed by a strange bark like call. It was like something out of Jurassic Park.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Theo frowned.

  “She’s not sick,” Olivia replied thoughtfully as she studied her. “She’s restless… agitated.” Olivia’s gaze slid past the creature to the lake. “Something about the lake is unsettling her.”

  They watched as Olivia once again kneeled down on the sand but this time she dipped her hand into the water itself, frowning.

  “What the hell?” she muttered in confusion.

  “What it is?” Theo asked in concern.

  “The temperature of the lake is rising.” She pulled her hand back and stood. “The water is never that warm even at the height of summer, let alone heading into the fall.”

  “What could possibly cause a body of water that large to change that much.” Scarlett frowned, staring out at the huge expanse of water. “It shouldn’t be possible.”

 

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