Darkness Arisen (15 page)

Alice stared at her in disbelief as the woman's words registered. "An angel's kiss will save your life? So you're a—"

"Yes," Chloe said, cutting her off before she could say it aloud. "Please."

Alice closed her eyes, agony welling through her. It was just like before, just like when her mother had died: a soul so precious, and yet Alice still couldn't save her. Chloe was so rare, a gift to the very earth. How had she ended up here? How had she found herself at the end of Ian's mace?

"Please," whispered Chloe, her voice growing fainter.

Dammit. She couldn't let Chloe die. Her death would reverberate across the earth. She had to live. This time, please, this time, it had to be different.
Please let me save her
. Fear beating at her, she grabbed the girl's wrist and lifted her hand so her palm was facing up. Alice bent her head, and she felt Chloe suck in her breath in anticipation. One kiss. That was all she needed to do. One kiss.

When her lips were an inch from Chloe's hand, Alice's body froze. Her muscles locked up, completely immobilizing her. She couldn't move. She screamed inside, willing her body to close that last inch so she could press her lips to Chloe's palm, but her muscles were rigid, her body beyond her command. Pain screamed through her cells, and still she fought it, struggling to move that extra inch.

"Oh, come on!" Esmeralda grabbed Chloe's wrist and lifted her hand to Alice's face. A split second before it made contact with Alice's lips, a violent invisible force repelled Alice backward, slamming her against the coral reef. Pain shot through her head, and she knew she'd cut it open.

The leaders refused to give up, hoisting Chloe in their arms and dragging her toward Alice. As they neared, more pain seared through Alice's body, and she screamed in agony. But she couldn't move. She could do nothing but wait as they approached. A third attempt to save Chloe's life would have severe repercussions for Alice. It would be enough to kill her again.

She begged them to stop, even as Chloe looked at her beseechingly. "Why won't you help me?" she asked. "Why?"

"I can't," Alice said. "I can't save any life. Not anyone's."

"You're an angel of life!"

"I know that!" Alice braced herself as the empresses thrust Chloe at her. She tried to grab her, but her arms were locked down, her muscles rigid. A split second before Chloe reached Alice, a rush of water threw the injured Mageaan aside and slammed her into the coral. The young woman bounced off it and landed on the coral shelf. Immobile. Inches from death.

"You bitch!" Esmeralda lunged at Alice, her eyes blazing with loathing and hate so vile that Alice knew death was her only goal.

Alice struggled to get off the coral, but she was still immobilized, locked down until Chloe was dead, banned from trying to save her again. "I have the pearl!" Alice shouted in a last attempt to draw her attention, but Esmeralda didn't even slow. She simply tore a piece of coral off the reef and sliced it at Alice—

There was a loud crack and Ian's mace appeared in Alice's hand, the cold steel fitting her palm as if it had been made for her. Her hand moving as if it had a will of its own, Alice thrust the mace into Esmeralda's chest just as the Mageaan swung the sharp edge of the coral at Alice's head. Esmeralda screamed, lost her balance, and her piece of coral thudded harmlessly against the coral beside Alice's head.

Horrified, Alice stared in shock as the woman fell, her face contorted in the depths of agony as death took her, the mace in her heart an instant death blow.

Dear God, she'd killed her. How was that possible? What had happened? Shock taking over, Alice looked up and saw the battle had stopped.

The Mageaan were gaping at their fallen leader, their bodies morphing back into white mist one by one. In the midst of them stood Ian. His body was covered in wounds, his chest was heaving, and he was holding a mace in one hand.

His other hand was empty...because she had his second weapon.

Stunned, Alice held up the mace. "How?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"She was going to kill you." His voice was soft, and yet ruthlessly triumphant as he strode across the coral shelf toward her. "You called my weapon. Only a
sheva
can do that. It's one of the stages of the bond."

"I killed her. I killed a living creature." Alice's legs began to give away, and she slithered to her knees just as Ian caught her.

He grabbed her around the waist, holding her up as he gently took the mace from her hand. "It was self-defense," he said. "It's okay."

"No, no, it's not." Stunned, Alice looked across the coral to where Jada was sitting on the ground, holding Chloe in her arms, rocking her gently. "Esmeralda is dead, isn't she? And Chloe?" Two women dead because of her. Dead. Just like before.

"Chloe isn't dead yet." Jada's eyes were haunted. "But soon. Esmeralda is gone."

"Oh, God." Alice's whole body began to shake, and her skin felt hot and clammy, despite the cold ocean. "I can't do this." She stumbled away from Ian, fighting against the assault of memories.

Hey.
Ian moved up beside her, setting his hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as electricity jumped between them at the contact.
It's okay, Alice. Even angels have a right to save their own lives.

His voice was certain and non-judgmental, and Alice fought to hold onto his strength as she struggled to regroup. She had to be strong right now. They were still in a dangerous situation, and she couldn't fall apart.
You mean that? Because even if you don't, tell me you do.

Ian brushed his lips over her forehead, an intimate gesture so tender that it said more than words would ever have communicated. He truly believed in the beauty of her soul, despite what she had just done. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his, a perfect unspoken moment of connection.
Thank you,
she whispered.

I mean it, and I'm not just saying that.
He turned his head enough to brush a light kiss over her cheekbone, another kiss of tenderness, but this time, with the slightest hint of possessiveness that made awareness simmer inside her. Ian said nothing as he ran his fingers down her forearm, his touch probing lightly where his brand was supposed to appear.

Quickly, she opened her eyes and looked at her arm.

There were still no marks there. Nothing to connect them despite the fact that she'd just called his weapon. Ian swore softly and laid his palm over her arm, covering the expanse of skin.
You calling my weapon is one of the bonding stages,
he said
. Only a
sheva
can do it. That's the second stage that we've completed. There's no way my brand shouldn't be starting to form on your arm. It's impossible.

And yet, it was what had happened.

An aching sense of loneliness filled Alice, and she was hit with a sudden, burning desire to have his brand on her. To belong somewhere. To be connected with a living being the way she seemed to be able to connect with him. The absence of his mark was a brutal stab of isolation and loss, a taunting denial of all she wanted to be.

She had nothing. She was nothing. She was an angel of life who could not save any living creature, even her own mother. Even Chloe.

Ian ran his hand up her arm, encircling the back of her neck. His eyes were glittering with something dangerous and possessive.
I need to mark you. I don't handle it well when my mark doesn't show up on you when it should. That's twice now. And still you resist me.
His voice was tense, and she felt the supreme effort he was exercising to battle the effects of the curse. His fingers were digging into her neck, drawing her closer.

Excitement leapt through her, a desperate need to cleanse herself of who she was. She wanted to hide from her life, and lose herself in what he awakened within her. To feel Ian's desire for her and pretend that it made sense, pretend she deserved it.

His fingers dug into her hair, and his mouth hovered inches from hers. His body was shaking with the effort of controlling himself, and she felt the waves of despair rolling through him as a result of the fact his brand still hadn't appeared on her arm. The curse was strong and gaining strength. He swore under his breath, squeezing her neck even harder, promising so much unrestrained passion.
Not here
.
Not now. But it has to be soon.

Not now? Why not now? She wanted to protest, to shout at him not to withhold the gift he offered, and then she suddenly remembered where they were: on a coral reef in the depths of the ocean surrounded by dead bodies and murderous Mageaan. Not the kind of thing a girl was supposed to forget.
What are you doing to me?
Horrified by the fact she'd been so consumed by her emotions and lust that she'd forgotten where she was, she jerked out of his grasp and spun around.

To her shock, every Mageaan within sight was bent low, their heads bowed toward her. She stiffened, dark foreboding settling deep inside her. "This isn't good."

Ian studied the genuflecting masses.
They're saluting you as their new leader. You killed their current one.

A ripple of unease went through her. Only fallen angels could be Mageaan. Had she crossed that line when she murdered? She quickly looked at her palms. In the center of one hand was a small, gray dot. The first step. The precursor to losing all that she was. Horrified, she closed her palm, jerking her chin up as she looked toward Jada. "I'm not their leader," she said sharply.

Jada was still sitting down with Chloe in her lap. She looked weary and exhausted. "You are bound to us now. You cannot leave the water. Ever."

Alice shook her head. "Oh, no, no. That's not possible. I have to leave. I have to find my sister. I won't stay—"

"You don't have a choice. You can't leave. It's impossible." Jada looked at Ian. Gone was the hostility from before, replaced by resigned understanding and bitter camaraderie. "And you, as her mate, are equally condemned. Both of your futures are dead now." She rose to her feet, still cradling the unconscious Chloe. "Welcome to hell."

Chapter Eight

Ian didn't trust the beauty of the palace they'd entered. Not for a minute.

He strode restlessly behind Alice as they followed the leader of the Mageaan down a long corridor beneath the coral. The entrance had been deep beneath the vibrant reef, and the moment they'd stepped past the threshold into the undersea palace, they'd walked into fresh air. The ocean seemed to be held at the entrance by an invisible shield easily passable with one simple step. The moment they'd crossed into air, Jada's tail had disappeared. In its place were two very human legs, long, elegant, and lean, a reminder of what she had been before being cast aside in the sea.

Along the walls were troughs of salt water, housing assorted bioluminescent fish that were casting a purple and green glow into the tunnel. Was that their only source of light, down here so deep beneath the surface of the ocean? It was ingenious, actually, given that it wasn't as if there could be electricity or solar power illuminating the coral reef castle.

The walls were coated with vibrant plants of the most magnificent colors, and the floors were polished stone. Marble? Coral? Oyster shell? It was beautiful and magical, and he didn't trust it for a moment.

He'd seen ethereal mist turn into women and then demon specters. He could taste the haunting poison in the air. He'd been stabbed in the kidney by a fallen angel. And he'd watched his brand fail to appear on his
sheva
after two bonding stages.

Yeah, he wasn't trusting that anything was actually how it appeared to be. Beauty? Not worth the risk to notice. With each step he took deeper into the lair, his instincts grew more wary. He felt like the walls were closing in on him, stripping him of his freedom to walk away, closing off exits. Deep beneath the ocean, what options would they have if they needed to bail in a hurry? The only exit he'd seen was the one they'd left far behind. It wasn't simply the walls that were trapping them. It was also the millions of gallons of salt water stretching for miles around them.

He moved closer to Alice and put his hand on her back, keeping her close. But the moment he touched her, all thoughts of escape were subjugated by his need for her. The feel of her body beneath his hand made a dark hunger rumble through him. Desire. And even carnal lust. He had to get her alone. He had to rebuild their connection. He had to find out what was going on with the mark. How was she blocking the bond? It was getting worse and worse to be around her, harder and harder to deal with the distance. Her distress after killing that woman had nearly sent him over the edge when he'd been unable to help her deal with it the way he'd wanted.

He had to get her alone, and fast.

The fact that they were not making progress toward Cardiff was upping the stakes. Time was running out for them, and he had to find a way to get them out of there and back on track. Could Jada help? The deal needed to be closed quickly.

Yet even as he walked, pain shot through him with each step, and he could feel the internal bleeding seeping into his abdomen. He'd been able to slow down the damage from the knife in his back, but to truly mend it, he needed to go into the Calydon healing sleep for a few hours. Though many blades had cut him, that first one that had gone all the way through his kidney was the biggest issue.

Even big, badass immortal warriors needed internal organs in order to get through the day.

"We shall meet in here," Jada said as two huge French doors swung open, revealing a massive ballroom swathed in bright light.

Ian stopped the moment he saw the massive glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their white bulbs shining like a New Year's Eve gala. There were no fish illuminating those suckers. It appeared to be electricity, pure and simple...but a thousand leagues under the sea? That wasn't possible. "You have electricity down here?" he asked the question anyway, probing for answers.

Jada didn't look back as she walked across the shell floor and set Chloe down on a red silk couch in the center of the room. "No," she said as she pulled a beautiful woven quilt over the girl. "This retains life," she said. "It will give her more time." She bent down and brushed her lips over Chloe's forehead. "Be strong, sweet girl. I will find a way to save you."