Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (25 page)

“Down by the pier.” Griffin was already running toward the

door. “I’ll get the car,” he called over his shoulder.

“Wait!” I yelled back. “Phoenix, can you take us both?”

He nodded. “But I want assurance of safety first.”

“What?” I spat out, giving him my own version of a scary look.

The thought of Lincoln in danger was too much.

“From him.” He jerked his head toward Griffin. “If I help you, I want his word I’ll be left to exist as I am in this realm.”

I wanted to throw something at him but my cell phone was

already gone. Pleading did not cover the look I shot Griffin.

I just wanted to go. “
Griffin!
” I yelled. “Just tell him what he needs to hear!”

“For
now
,” Griffin said. “For now, I’ll give you my word. But it will not hold if you become a threat.”

Phoenix nodded. “I accept.” He held out both arms. “Take

my hands.”

I slapped my hand into his instantly. Griffin was a little more hesitant.

“For Christ’s sake, Griffin, take his hand!”

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Griffin took his hand, mumbling something about never damn

well singing “Kumbaya” with exiles.

We moved like still wind.

————

We arrived at a huge, old wooden building on the pier. It looked normal enough from the outside— definitely no signs:
Danger:
demented exiled angels inside!

Once we entered, however, it was clear that the ordinary facade had been a mask. The interior was decadent. Priceless antiques

blended with stunning pieces of modern art. If I wasn’t in complete freak- out mode, I would have enjoyed taking my time.

We ran through the open lobby area, Griffin and Phoenix

impossibly fast compared to me. We stopped at the top of a set of stairs. Griffin and Phoenix both stood completely still, as if they were focusing on some point I couldn’t see.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Looking for them,” Griffin murmured, concentrating. I

turned my attention to Phoenix and caught a small but definite

widening of his eyes. Something he’d sensed had caught him

by surprise.

Though I had no idea what I was doing, I decided to see if

I could sense Lincoln. The second I concentrated on him— his

piercing eyes, the scent that was only his— I felt a pull. I fought a spell of dizziness, but I knew exactly where he was. I had no comprehension how. But I knew.

“Downstairs,” Griffin said before I could. We moved quietly. I

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couldn’t even hear Phoenix, who trailed behind me. At the bottom of the stairs, Griffin stopped again.

“In the room to the right,” I whispered.

He looked at me, judging. “How do you know?”

I was in no mood to hand out explanations. I had no idea how

I knew anyway. The same way I had no idea how I knew Lincoln

was in trouble— the really bad kind. I pushed past Griffin without thinking and pulled open the door.

The room beyond it was bare. Unlike the foyer, there was nothing lavish here. In fact, there was nothing at all. Cement walls and floor and a candelabra in the corner with two candles flickering. There was a woodsmoke scent in the air that reminded me of cigars. On top of that…flowers. I squinted into the dark room, looking for what I could sense. We were not alone. My body seized with the

cool heat racing through my blood, so much energy humming

through me, I felt it would lift me off the ground.

“Griffin. How nice of you to visit.” The voice pulsed through the room. I shivered and my body tensed as if something venomous

were trying to seep into it. I couldn’t tell which direction the sound was coming from until a figure started to materialize.

“Who is your friend, Griffin? She is…” He revealed himself

slowly. He was less than ten feet from where I was standing, which was just plain creepy. I wanted to back up, but instinct told me to hold my ground. It wasn’t easy.

He brushed his hands over the lapel of his well- tailored suit, making a fuss of adjusting and straightening. If he hadn’t been so 209

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damn scary, I would have said he looked decidedly campy. However, rippling just beneath the surface of his vain exterior emanated a very distinct brand of evil.

He purposely let his eyes travel down my body. As he did, I felt a sensation like hundreds of spiders crawling over me, scurrying to every corner. I had to fight the crushing desire to run flat- out, or at least drop and roll.

He’s doing it on purpose, Vi. Don’t let him psych you out!

I might have been new to this game, but I
was
in high school.

He was just another bully. Who the hell was this guy, anyway?

“What do we have here?” he said in a voice that sounded too

young to match the wickedness reflected in his black eyes, which looked like they were rimmed in eyeliner.

“There is no need for the others to hide, Onyx, either behind the light or in the shadows. We know you’re working together.” Griffin spoke with such an even tone, it made him sound immediately

more formidable. Yet again, my opinion of him grew.

Three figures appeared from the corner of the room where

the candles flickered. It looked like they had just emerged from the pulsing light. Another two came into view from the opposite corner. I blinked a few times. I could have sworn they had walked out from the dark shadows of the wall. Oh. My. God…Or not.

“I can sense our people, Onyx. Reveal them!” Griffin demanded,

unfazed by the additional exiles who had simply appeared.

“Oh, I’m sorry. How rude of me.” Onyx skimmed his hand

parallel to the ground, and it was as though a cloud of gloom lifted.

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Lincoln and Magda lay on the floor. I could see the blood pooling around Lincoln. It was seeping outward, still fresh. My heart leapt into my throat. Magda moved a little. She was alive, but definitely not in a good way. She couldn’t even lift her head to look at us.

“Lincoln!” I screamed. He didn’t move.

Onyx stood over them, amused. “I must admit, you have arrived

sooner than we had planned.” He looked down at Lincoln regret-

fully. “It will be a shame not to have the extra time.”

One of the exiles who had emerged from behind the candelabra

moved over to stand beside Onyx while the others remained in

opposite corners of the room, keeping watch.

Onyx motioned toward Lincoln. “Strong, this one, but

distracted.” He smiled at me. “I wonder…Are you the distraction?” I blanched as his words sunk in. Had this been my fault?

Onyx raised a brow. “What is your name?”

“Violet,” I said quickly. “Is he alive?” I knew I wouldn’t be able to say much more without betraying how scared I was, but I had to know.

“Not for long.” He tilted his head at me. “Violet? Ah…The

Seventh Ray. How fascinating. You appear like a Grigori, and

yet…you are something…new.” He extended a hand to me. “Come,”

he said quietly.

“No,” I said, but my body took a step toward him into a virtual thicket of floral aroma. I couldn’t stop myself. In that moment, I knew I would be utterly compelled to do anything he asked of me.

I closed my eyes and tried to gather whatever internal resistance I could, sick of other people trying to control me.

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When I opened my eyes, he was right in front of me, barely

anything between us. All I could hear was the flapping of wings. I didn’t know if I had gone to him or him to me. I suppose it didn’t matter. What did matter was that I was now within his striking zone.

He towered over me, and while he was instantly intimidating,

he also struck me as oddly…elegant. He had short, styled black

hair that had seen more than its fair share of hair wax. He was suave- looking, in a proud- to- be- evil kind of way, with high cheekbones and delicate features that made him look young, no more

than twenty. As I choked on mouthfuls of invisible apple, he

appeared to be merely entertaining himself, studying me like a

bizarre science project.

“Get away from me,” I said.

He laughed a high- pitched cackle. It caught me by surprise; it was not the deep laugh I’d expected him to have. “You have clout, girl, I’ll give you that. But you’re unfinished. Look at me.” His last words resonated through my mind. My eyes flicked up toward him

without my permission. “You are still in molding,” he said rumina-tively. “Your clay is still wet.”

I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. I was no

expert in psychobabble. I wanted so badly to look at Lincoln but I forced myself not to. It wouldn’t help.

Where
the
hell
is
Phoenix?

Onyx continued to stare, looking into me like he was searching

my mind for my innermost thoughts. It was an uncomfortably

invasive feeling. I saw his eyes flash.

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“You deny your destiny. Oh…” He clapped his hands together

playfully.

“What?” I said, sounding every bit the defiant teenager I wished more and more I could be and yet seemed further and further

away from.

Instead of answering me, his attention was caught by something

over my shoulder. His demeanor quickly changed. He straightened and cleared his throat, drifting slightly away from me.

“Hmm…I will never tire of the drama that surrounds humanity.”

He spoke lightly but couldn’t completely hide his surprise. He’d been caught off guard.

I snuck a quick look behind me to see that Phoenix had finally

joined us. He was standing straight and silent. He was relaxed and looking straight at Onyx as if he were nothing more than a try- hard bully. I envied him his control.

“Onyx,” Phoenix addressed him.

“Phoenix, she is yours?” Onyx glanced at me.

The way they were standing had me positioned as some kind of

monkey in the middle. I didn’t know why Phoenix had waited until now to come into the room. I also didn’t know why he wouldn’t

just come and stand beside me.

“I lay claim for now,” Phoenix said. I could hear a familiar smirk in his voice. I told myself that now wasn’t the time to argue over his possessiveness.

“Interesting…” Onyx said wistfully. “I don’t suppose you’d care to enlighten me?”

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“Not really. But it does appear that exiles aren’t the only ones evolving,” Phoenix said.

“She does exude something…extra,” Onyx said, contemplating

me briefly. “But you’re still interrupting my soiree.” He feigned a look of hurt.

Phoenix didn’t respond, and I was too afraid to turn my back

on Onyx again to look at him. Amid the silence, I could sense a surge of power in the room. I almost retched with the overpowering taste of apple, and I struggled to maintain any sight through the bombardment of morning and evening streaming through my

vision. I blinked maniacally, straining to focus; it felt like I’d just walked inside after staring directly at the sun.

“Fine, fine.” Onyx waved a hand through the air and the inten-

sity of power subsided. Whatever had been going on between them clearly didn’t require words. “I will release them to you…if you stay for a story.” Onyx smiled wickedly.

The exile standing beside him grunted. “That was not our agree-

ment, Onyx. We will not release them.”

He looked no older than me, eighteen at the most. He was

dressed like any other guy I went to school with: jeans and a blue T- shirt. He looked too normal to be an angel…exile, whatever.

“Malachi, I have delivered everything I promised, have I not?”

Onyx queried.

“You have, but letting them go is out of the question.”

“We will have other opportunities.” Onyx waved his hand

dismissively.

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“Do not confuse me with your followers, Onyx. Should it

come to a fight, it would not be a certain outcome.” Malachi’s

tone intensified with each word. It was obvious he was an exile of light and their precarious relationship a product of this new truce.

It was also easy to see why exiles of light and dark had never made a truce before.

Onyx sighed theatrically. “That is true. But then again, I should enjoy the kill a great deal more than you.”

Malachi moved so fast I barely noticed the time lapse between

him talking with Onyx and me being hoisted midair with his hand wrapped around my neck. His fingers dug into my skin. I couldn’t even draw enough breath to scream.

“You said it yourself. She’s powerful and not even finished.”

His grip tightened. Energy buzzed between us as Malachi steadily increased the pressure, working to finish my life. His eyes penetrated mine with resolve. Growing weaker by the second and

pathetically gasping for air that would not come, there was little I could do. I swung my legs out to kick him and struck him in the ribs twice. He barely flinched.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Griffin moving in. I pushed

forward into Malachi’s hold— which hurt like hell— braced my

hands on his face, and jammed my thumbs into his eyes as hard

and fast as I could. It had been one of the first moves Lincoln had taught me. It was enough to distract him, and Griffin moved with lightning speed, grabbing hold of Malachi’s free arm and