Drowning In The Dark: #4 The Veil Series (15 page)

“Do you love him?”

Dammit, why did everyone keep asking me that? Why did they all assume they had a right to know what I hadn’t yet figured out? “I hate him.” I used my stock reply. It came out flat. Not a lie, but close.

Stefan tapped his fingers against the back of the couch. “You know, Muse, you can love and hate someone equally.” His gaze slid back to me, and with it, the chilling touch of power tightened the air, leaving me in no doubt who those words were directed at. I almost blurted,
you love me?
before doubt stopped me. He might not be referring to me. Why should this be about me? What if that’s why he was at Jenna’s place? And even if he did love me, he’d just admitted he hated me too. Hate was a horrible emotion, no less dark than the thing I’d had rotting at my core. Give it room to move, let it fester too long, and hate could smother the brightest spark of love. My hatred of Akil sure had. But if I dug beneath the words, the truth lay bare. A demon doesn’t hate, nor does it love. The current Akil seemed to be something of an anomaly. Did that mean Stefan was looking back at me right now? In control? Seeing me through human eyes and hurting? If I went to him, would he close his arms around me or drive an ice dagger through my heart? He never did get to finish the sentence in the car about his reason for being there, for helping me.

“Where’s Jenna?” Ryder blurted.

I’d been so lost in Stefan’s cool, hard gaze, I hadn’t heard Ryder return. “Huh?”

“You left her alone?” He dropped his bag of weapons and dashed for Jenna’s bedroom door.

I jumped to my feet. “She just went to change.”

Ryder froze in the doorway. Stefan was on his feet in a blur, his power surging around him, instantly prodding mine awake. Beneath all of the swirling elements, the cruel skin-crawling, ethereal touch of my brother oozed from the doorway and permeated the air.

Ryder raised his hands and stumbled back into the living room. A resonating growl rumbled from Stefan. Ice dusted my lips and nipped at my skin. My fire butted up against the protective barrier the symbols provided. Remembering Akil’s earlier actions, I calculated it’d take me a few seconds to reach the nearest picture and tear it down, freeing my power.

“Sister, do not move.” Val’s obscenely seductive voice rooted me to the spot. He came through the doorway, Jenna clutched against his human form, dagger pressed against her throat. “Wrath, subdue your element, or I bleed this whore.”

Stefan’s fingers flexed. From my position, I couldn’t see his face, only his back, but the swell of glacial forces pushed against my human skin. He wasn’t restrained by the symbols as I was, but he wouldn’t risk Jenna’s life.

Behind me, near the door, Ryder’s bag of weapons waited. If I could summon my power and throw it all at my brother, it would take precious seconds, and we shared the same element. With the symbols intact, Val was as elementally nullified as I was. The last thing I wanted was to give him power. Sure, I could drain him, but he’d slit Jenna’s throat the second I smashed the picture. So the bag it was then. But how to get near to it without Val seeing…

Val’s pale lips pressed into a thin line while his mercury eyes assessed Ryder, Stefan, and me, showing no hint of his conclusion. Wrapped in demon-skin leathers, he dripped menace. His lips were cruel, his gaze scathing. A rapier was sheathed at his waist, and I could bet he’d have further weapons strapped to his body. Jenna didn’t make a sound. From her dull-eyed expression, she wasn’t even aware of us. Her mind had checked out, which was probably for the best.

“I do not care for you,” Val pointedly told Ryder. “But my human female does. She weeps with pleasure, cries your name, mortal-man, while I poison her mind with lust. She spills her secrets in the throes of ecstasy. She betrayed your scheming as I knew she would.”

“I’m gonna kill you slowly,” Ryder spat.

Val ignored the threat and swiveled his gaze to Stefan. “What a glorious thing you are, half-blood Prince of Wrath. Such a shame you never live up to expectations.”

I sincerely hoped Val was guessing and hadn’t already seen Stefan’s fate as he had mine. What was it he’d said? He saw the future in flesh. That must mean he had to touch someone to read them, the way I had to touch metal to see the past. I couldn’t imagine he’d ever come into contact with Stefan. If they ever got that close, one of them would have surely died. “Why are you doing this, Val?” I’d inched back a little, but not nearly enough. “You despise people. You hate this world.”

“I have no desire to be here. But this night has long been approaching and my time with it. This night I walk in my father’s shadow. A’morrow, I stand beside him as prince, and he wishes for you, sister-mine, to stand beside us.”

Well, wasn’t that just the picture perfect family? I grinned. “You’d rather kill me than see me as equal.”

Val displayed impossibly perfect teeth in a leering smile. “You forget. I already know the outcome.”

“You see, I’ve never really been a great believer in fate or destiny. Let me tell you something about humans,
brother-mine
. We change, we grow, we learn from our mistakes. Demons don’t. A demon’s future might be static, but a human future is fluid. We’re too fickle for fate.” It sounded like a good theory. It was all the hope I had left. Ryder’s hand slipped inside his jacket while Val’s slate-gray eyes narrowed to slits.

“You forget one important thing,
sister
. You are not human.”

When Ryder pulled the gun, I expected him to shoot at Val, but he didn’t. He shot at the picture on the wall with three staccato blasts. Fire lunged through me like the wild, hungry thing it was. I yanked it back and instead, hooked my ethereal reach into the glowing beacon of heat my brother commanded. His head snapped around. A snarl bubbled from his lips, and his eyes blazed with the sheer indignation that I would dare attempt to do such a thing to him, right before Stefan blasted him with a jagged wave of ice. It arched up, around Jenna, and slammed into Val, piercing his body in countless places while at the same time slamming him backward. Jenna dropped like a stone. Val let lose a bellow, and I lunged for the weapons. I might have made it, had he not tugged his power back. Searing heat whipped from my body as though he’d wrenched out my muscles in one grab. I dropped to my knees. This would take more than a few party tricks.

“Muse…” Stefan shimmered, still pouring ice into the barrier clamped around Val, but it was melting as fast as he could shore it up.

Rousing my demon, I stayed down, bowed my head, and gently called my brother’s fire to me. He raged. I could feel the pressure of his anger almost as hot as his element, but it wouldn’t do him any good. I knelt, as though in prayer, and drank him down.

Moments later, the sharp retort of a rifle shot shattered my concentration. Almost immediately, the pulsing energy my brother commanded snuffed out. He let out an inhuman howl that would surely have the neighbors petrified, and then his malignant presence simply vanished.

I lifted my head and saw Ryder by his bag of weapons, rifle at his side, face stern. He saw me and winked. “Bagged ourselves an immortal. We’re so epic.”

I shrugged off my demon and turned. Stefan supported a limp-but-conscious Jenna, and behind him, out cold on the floor, sporting a tidy bullet-hole in his forehead, sprawled my very human-looking brother. “He’s not dead?”

“No.” Ryder tossed me some nylon rope. “Tie him up with those until we can find some anti-elemental cuffs to slap on him.”

I looked at the white rope and at my brother. “We need more rope. Chains too. And a bunker. Do you have a bazooka in that bag?”

“It’s on my Christmas list.”

I rolled my brother onto his front, cringing. Best not think about how he could be faking. “Should I poke him in the eye?”

Behind me, I heard Ryder chuckle. “The combination of the etched round and P-C-Thirty-Four will keep him out for a while.”

I carefully unhooked Val’s weapons and gave him a quick frisk, revealing half a dozen vicious blades. He didn’t have any power. That was real enough. Fingers trembling, I yanked his arms behind his back and wove the rope around his wrists, making sure to double knot them. Then I did the same again, for luck. Rolling him onto his side, I hooked a finger under his waterfall of white hair and drew it back from his face. Unconscious, the nasty sneer on his lips had softened. Sharp cheekbones didn’t seem so prominent. If it wasn’t for the demon-skin leathers and impractical hair length, he might almost look normal.

“How is she?” Ryder asked Stefan as he emerged from the bedroom.

“Jenna’ll be okay. She just needs to rest for a bit.”

I glanced up and saw Ryder offer up a fist. Stefan bumped his fist against Ryder’s, and his lips hooked into a crooked smile. He watched Ryder disappear into Jenna’s room, his expression warm with fondness. I bowed my head, hiding my smile, and pretended to be busy tying up Val.

“We should mark Jenna,” Stefan said.

I stood over my brother and brushed my hands together then gave him a kick. That was better.
Just takin’ out the trash.
“Mark her?” I turned to find Stefan inside my personal comfort zone.

“Yeah, like your friend the vet, although maybe not as abundant as his markings. It’ll stop Val ever getting to her again, at least elementally, and give her time to heal.”

It was a good idea. “What are we going to do with him?”

“Interrogate him.” Stefan must have seen me blanch. “You don’t have to watch.”

“Screw that. I’ve been terrified of Val my whole life. I want to be the one asking the questions. I wanna see him squirm…” My words trailed off as I realized Stefan was studying me, not with confusion, but admiration. “We make a good team.” I tucked my thumbs into my pockets. “The three of us.” For a moment, his eyes lit up, and a genuine smile warmed his face, but as soon as hope flared, it fled, and his expression hardened. He turned away, and the cold rushed in. With a sigh, I said, “Let’s tie this bastard to a chair and get on with it. We only have a few hours left until dark.”

V
al’s eyes
weren’t simply gray. Up close, they were a symphony of silver, platinum, and slate, flecked with the occasional filing of crimson. Simply put, his eyes were mesmerizing. Despite being tied to a chair, he still threw off an aura of arrogance. I’d thought he’d wake hissing and spitting like a wet cat, but he’d slid his gaze around Jenna’s living room and accepted the situation with too much composure for my liking.

“How does it feel to be trapped in a human body?” I stood within reach, arms crossed, and looked down my nose at him. Stefan hung back, near the edges of the room where we’d shoved all the furniture, his icy touch like a hand on my shoulder. He wouldn’t leave me alone with Val, citing my tendency to lash out when angry. Ryder was with Jenna, using a permanent marker to color her skin with symbols. It was a temporary fix, but would suffice for now. He’d be back any minute, and then both he and Stefan would interrogate Val.

“You know the answer, sweet sister-mine. You’ve been trapped in human flesh all your finite life.”

“Didn’t see this coming, did you, you arrogant bastard?”

“This will accomplish nothing. The princes will not wait for my return. The half bloods will arrive no matter what you do with me. I’ll escape. My future is not confined in this room.”

“So we should kill you now then?”

“Kill me?” He recoiled, offended. “I have not lived for millennia to be bested by a half-blood whore and her puppet prince.”

“I killed Levi.”

Val’s lips twitched. “No, for that you had help from a remarkable half-blood youngling, who has since died.”

“She lives.”

A sneer tugged his upper lip back, and those eyes darkened. “Impossible. Your mortal man killed her. I witnessed it.”

Interesting that he hadn’t seen Dawn in his future. “A ruse, so the likes of you stopped hunting her.” His steady gaze jumped and reassessed the room around us. “That’s right, asshole. We have an immortal killer on our side, not to mention the Prince of Wrath, the Prince of Greed—who commands all the demons in Boston—and lil’ ol’ me.”

Ryder emerged from the bedroom. “Don’t forget the mortal man. I have guns, lots of them, a truck load of the drug polluting your veins, and some very nasty anti-elemental rounds that’ll make short work of your air-brushed skin. Plus, I’m part of a small army of mortals that would like nothing more than to shove your pretty head onto a stake.”

Finally, Val looked up at me with disdain. “Your words are worthless. I need only one half-blood to level this city. I have five.”

“Without your direction, I’ll bet they’re lost. I’ve seen the Institute half bloods. They’re nothing like Stefan or me. Machines.”

“Mine are not nearly as docile. They will come for me.”

I smiled. “Soon, I hope.” If we could force them to act before the princes were ready, then perhaps we had an advantage. “Did I also mention the King of Hell is here?”

“The king is dead,” he snarled.

“Yeah, that’s not exactly true.”

His throat worked as he swallowed. “Lies. The king died centuries ago. Our queen killed him.”

“You know that thing about Akil the princes fear? A big secret, maybe a back-up plan?” I watched Val’s face betray shock, fear, then anger. Satisfaction warmed me. “Maybe you’d like to reconsider taking this world? Seems like a lot of effort for something you don’t even want, Val.”

He tugged uselessly on the restraints around his wrists and whipped his head up, snarling at me. “This is not how it happens. I witnessed our victory in your flesh.”

“Is that what you told Asmodeus? Our father? Is that why the princes persist? Because you’re so damn certain you’re right, that it’s a foregone conclusion? You saw the Mother of Destruction lay waste to this world for you?” I crouched down so I could meet him at eye level. “Hate to disappoint the family, brother-mine, but that ain’t gonna happen.”

He drilled his gaze into me, as though scoring my soul. “I should have killed you before you drew your first breath, cut your throat the way I did your mother’s. I would have, had I not seen greatness in you. Had I kept what I saw to myself, I’d have killed you long ago. All these years, I have despised sharing father’s blood with you. He had the Prince of Greed watch over you after I sold you to the vilest elementals I could find. I had hoped your succession of owners would destroy you, but fate twisted you, shaped you, into the thing you are today. You will be destruction, sister. That is your destiny.” He jerked back and glared at Stefan. “And you, pretender-prince, will help her attain her true potential.” He smiled, and I didn’t like the look of it. “So tragic. Enjoy your final hours, Winter King.”

Stefan was a blur. He shoved me aside, clutched Val by his leathers and practically lifted him off the floor, chair and all. “Tell me everything.” Val laughed, prompting Stefan’s power to flood into the room.

“Let me touch your flesh, and I will tell you how you will die. I see you only through the eyes of others, but I have witnessed enough.”

“Do I kill anyone?” Stefan’s voice fractured. Val’s gaze flicked to me. “Tell me!”

“Stefan…” I moved into his field of vision. “You don’t want to know. It will drive you insane trying to second-guess yourself. Please…”

He turned his frosty glare on me and then dropped Val. I expected him to pull back, but instead he gripped my brother around the throat and leaned into him. “Tell me.”

Val’s eyes widened. He threw his head back and jerked in the chair. Oh, shit. My brother was witnessing Stefan’s future.

“Stefan, goddamnit… Don’t. Please.”

He skewered me with his gaze. “I have to know.”

“No, you don’t. You can’t trust what he says, and I meant what I said. We’re human too. We control our own fates. Please, this is a mistake.”

“I need to know if I kill you, Muse,” he hissed.

Ryder shot Val in the chest. Stefan stumbled back and turned his demon-stare on Ryder, and before I could think about my actions, I was between the two of them yet again. At least this time, Stefan didn’t stab me.

“Fuck, Muse, would you stop leaping in front of me?” Ryder growled, stepping around me.

Stefan stole a few backward steps and bumped against the wall, where he steadied himself. He looked like he’d be okay for a few minutes, and his power was receding. I turned my attention to Val slumped in the chair, bleeding through his leathers. He’d live. Unfortunately. How much of Stefan’s future would he have seen? I faced Stefan and met his dejected gaze. I knew why he’d returned: to get the answer to that question. Would he kill me? He dropped his head back and cast his gaze upward, muttering something about fate under his breath.

Ryder tucked his gun back in his pants. “Right, listen up. Gag Valenti. We need to get him somewhere secure. The gun range at my place will do. Fewer residents, just in case the half bloods show up and get frisky. Muse, find out about the King of Hell. If what you said is true, we need him now, and find out what Akil’s up to while you’re at it.”

“I’ll call him.”

“No, go see him. I don’t trust that slippery bastard. He needs someone watching him to make sure he’s not playing both sides.”

“I’m going with her.” Stefan’s tone left no room for disagreement.

Ryder nodded. “We have two hours until dark. If the half bloods come for Val, what the fuck are we going to do?”

“Get P-C-Thirty-Four in them, and they’re as good as human. They won’t have been on this side of the veil before. They’ll be disoriented. If anything comes through your door, shoot first, ask questions later.”

Ryder nodded and drew in a breath. “Muse, we could really use Dawn.”

“Only Adam knows where they’re keeping her.”

“I’ll see what Coleman knows. Maybe they have a fix on Adam’s location. You go to Akil. Call me every thirty minutes. We bring the fight to the demons at dusk.”