Exalted (21 page)

Julia
nodded. “I so want things to be normal. Or our version of normal. So we can be
happy, you know? Or if not happy, at least have a shot at a regular life. What
do you think The Adversary will do? Why hasn't The Alpha shown up to
like...stop him, or put the net back up? What are Demons like? I don't know
what to expect, and I don't like that.”

“Demons
are like Edan,” he said. “Well, mostly. They adopt some of The Adversary's
traits and lose some of their autonomy. In return they get...abilities. For a
little while. Then they become The Adversary's minions.”

“How
come you're not like that?” Julia asked hesitantly. “You don't seem to share his
traits.”

Cayne
froze, and for a long moment, he just sat there, still as a stone. Finally,
just when Julia was really starting to regret bringing the subject up, he
spoke, in a too-neutral voice. “I like chaos. I like fighting. I just try not
to.” He smiled at her, but it was a sad smile that hurt her heart. “I did have
a human mother.”

Julia
was chewing the last bite of her quiche when Cayne stood up. “I'd like to go
ahead. Fly over the place.”

“And
I...what? Wait for you here?”

He
nodded once, and Julia folded the fur back over herself. “I guess. But only if
you promise to come back. Don't get too close to that rock. I really don't like
this plan. It makes me nervous.”

He nodded
again, kissed her lips. As she watched him soar away on gorgeous charcoal wings,
she tried to pretend she wasn't scared.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

After
a long time spent picking at sparkly nail polish and wondering just how she
would get down from her lofty perch if Cayne never returned, she heard a sound
like a kite catching in the breeze, the clouds in front of the cave's mouth
whirled, and Cayne touched down.

As
soon as his wings disappeared, Julia noticed the frown on his face, and her
stomach dipped. From her spot hunkered near the back of the small cave, she
scanned his aura, relieved to find it pretty much as it had been when he left.
Still nervous, she jumped up and dashed to him.

He
caught her and spun her around, but as he lowered her to the ground and held
onto one of her hands, he still looked too serious.

“What's
wrong?”

He
shook his head; his cheeks were red with windburn. “Occupied. Looks like your
old friend Jacquie and a small group of her Swosen, plus a few Authorities.”

“You're
kidding. Wow.”

“Yep.”

Julia
nodded, trying not to feel too nervous. The whole One business was obviously
over; plus, she'd kicked Jacquie's ass before she'd inherited a good chunk of
Celestial power.

“Jacquie
or not, we need to go down there,” Julia said. “She might have info we don't
have. Maybe they've already talked to The Alpha. It's possible if they have
Authorities with them.”

Cayne's
brows arched. “You do remember they tried to kill you?”

“Yeah,
but that was before I became…you know.” She was going to say Super Julia, but
levity was not her friend.

He
pressed his lips into a disapproving line, and his brows got that infuriating
crease that always meant he was going to be stubborn. He released her hand and
folded his arms, and Julia knew she was in for an uphill battle. “I think I
should try to talk to them alone.”

“Pssh.
You do remember your daddy’s the devil?”

“They
don’t know that.”

“Cayne,
c'mon. There's no way the Authorities would help you get in touch with The
Alpha. They tried to kick your butt at the resort, remember?” He opened his
mouth, but she held up her hand. “I'm going. I think our odds are better with
me there.”

Cayne
pulled her into his arms and tightened his grasp on her. A glance at his aura
showed her how torn he felt about it. How responsible he felt for her safety.
She pressed her face against his chest, loving him for it.

After
a few seconds holding her, Cayne flicked her nose. “I'm strong enough now to
protect you, if you behave.”

“Ditto.”
She snuggled into his arms, the wings returned with a whoosh of frigid air, and
within seconds, Cayne was pushing off the cave's floor, soaring into the fluffy
clouds. He tipped his left wing down as they passed over the little ice
cream-breakfast parlor, and Julia shut her eyes as he circled the snow-covered
peaks that stood between them and the one where Jacquie and her crew waited.

Shifting
in such a tight circle turned them both sideways, and made Julia dizzy, which
made her feel panicked. What if they couldn't get to the peak? What if the
Authorities didn't want to help them get in touch with The Alpha?

“We're
coming in behind them,” Cayne said, yelling into her ear.

The
wispy clouds that ringed the peak cleared just a little, and Julia's stomach
clenched as she saw Jacquie and her clan, a bunch of dark ants on a massive
sheet of white. She was trying to count them, and she'd gotten to sixteen when
Cayne shifted her onto his back. She locked her arms around his neck and her
legs around his waist, and she tried to ignore the tickling strokes of his
wings, flapping on either side of her ribcage.

This
was it, she thought as he angled his torso downward. The ground rose up, the
ants becoming larger and larger, until finally they were people-sized. The
ground was wobbling. It stayed unsteady even as they came closer, because Cayne
wasn't touching down completely.

Julia
held her breath as the whole group turned to face them. She gritted her teeth,
anticipating blue fire and Authority arrows.

Neither
came, but two of the larger figures in the crowd jumped into the air; huge
wings—one pair black, the other brown—sprang from their backs. The Authorities
soared into the sky, crisscrossing above them.

Cayne's
wings were still out, and Julia sensed his gaze had followed the Authorities
into the sky. She could feel his muscles coil. What were they doing up
there—blocking her and Cayne's escape?

Jacquie
separated from the crowd, and Julia stopped breathing when she saw the woman's
face. It was shiny and pinkish, most of the lower half covered with fresh scar
tissue. Scar tissue Julia had given her.

Her
long leather jacket swished around her boots as she took confident step after
confident step. Maybe she thought the two Authorities behind her offered some
protection.

“Julia,”
she called over the falling snow. “Cayne.”

A
few more crunches of boots in snow, and Julia could see the stretching quality
to her scarred, pink skin. She could even smell her perfume—lavender.

"Put
me down," Julia said softly to Cayne, and she was glad he did. She stood
beside him, arms crossed, and Jacquie held out her hand. Julia didn't take it.

“You
see now the reason for my actions.”

“You
mean I see now why you tried to kill me?” Jacquie's eyes widened, but Julia
rolled hers. She felt her mouth twist into a sneer when she said, “You know
what...not so much. Nope. Not at all.” Her eyes rested on the Authority behind
Jacquie's left shoulder. With his soft blond hair and radiant light green eyes,
he was still as beautiful as they ever were, but not at all terrifying. She'd
see much worse.

“I'll
never 'see' why you tried to kill me.”

Jacquie's
eyes blazed, and Julia thought she had the look of a furious school-teacher
who'd lost control of her student. Which made Julia think the bitch had a lot
of nerve.

Jacquie
took a deep breath. “The Adversary has control of the net now—”

"I'm
not going to feel bad for being alive, so stop wasting our time. And I already
know about The Adversary."

Jacquie's
face hardened. "Why are you here?"

Julia
glared back. "Why are
you
here?"

The
older woman waved behind her, at the Authorities. “The Authorities cannot
return to the Alpha's realm through normal means." Jacquie glared at Julia
as she said that. “Thank The Alpha, the few portals like this do still appear
to be functioning. That means The Adversary doesn't have complete control over
the net.”
 

“What
does The Alpha have to say about all this?” Cayne's low voice rumbled by
Julia's ear.

"We
don't know," Jacquie said. "There are four gateways, and demons are
guarding each one of them."

Chapter Thirty

Liar
.

She
knew Jacquie to be a liar, and this time, she hoped the woman was lying. She
was so busy thinking about that, that she didn't notice Cayne had pulled her
into his arms until they were already lifting off the ground.

“Cayne!”

“I
thought we should see for ourselves,” he shouted.

It
only took a moment to soar over the rock. Only a moment until the clouds
shifted out of the way, and the wind changed the direction of the falling snow.
Only a moment until they saw.

Julia
wasn't sure at first that they were Demons—from the little she could see, the
group of them looked like a male model troupe; none had their wings out—but
then she felt Cayne's shoulders tense. His disappointment was in the sharp
twist of his body as he angled them the other way, flying against the biting
snowflakes. Julia turned her head, looking back and down, trying to get a head count,
but all she could think was
that's a lot
.

Their
auras were funky, like Edan's, and as a few of them turned to face she and
Cayne, she saw a few pairs of crimson wings pop out. She noted, as they
completed a circle of the rock, that they seemed to surround it.
 

“Go
back down!” Julia shouted when she realized Cayne was ascending, headed over
the top of a mountain she recognized, back to the cave.

“Back
down!” she yelled, and he frowned down at her.

“I
want to talk to Jacquie!”

His
brows squeezed together and his lips twisted, but after a moment, he turned
back. Snowflakes slapped Julia's cheeks, and every breath was a thick puff of
white fog. Her throat stung, and her lungs felt torn inside. She wondered how
cold it was. Then they were coming down fast, same spot as before.

This
time, they landed a little farther from the herd, and Cayne said, “If I feel
like it's needed, we're flying, so keep your hold on me.”

Julia
nodded. “Yes sir.”

Unlike
before, Jacquie approached by herself. Her nose and cheeks were fiery red now,
but the tight, pink skin looked the same as before. She shielded her face from
the frigid wind and came close enough to Cayne so she could touch him. In a
surprisingly gentlemanly move, Cayne shifted so his huge wings blocked most of
the wind.

Jacquie
nodded her thanks. “So you saw them?” she asked, sounding resigned.

“How
long have they been there?” Julia asked.

“We're
not sure. They were here when we arrived. Since the net is now covering Heaven,
placed deliberately over the main gates, the only chance the Authorities have
of returning home is via these specific entryways. And all are guarded. The
Adversary was prepared.”

Julia
felt Cayne tense, and she could tell what he was thinking by his aura. If only
he hadn't been fooled. But he had been. There was nothing they could do about
it now.

“I
want to talk to the Authorities,” Cayne said, surprising Julia and Jacquie.

“We
need a plan,” Julia put in. She didn't know if that was the reason Cayne had
wanted to talk to the Authorities, but it was what she wanted. Cayne nodded.

Before
Jacquie could turn around, two Authorities were coming toward her, one with
ebony skin, and another with blond hair and green eyes.

The
dark-skinned angel extended his hand toward Cayne. Cayne shook it, and Julia
did the same.

“Noelle.
I've spent most of my life on Earth. Guardian,” he said, and Julia gaped.

Did
he mean guardian angel?

He
smiled tightly, and she nearly imploded.

“The
Adversary is in Las Vegas,” the green-eyed one said.

“Las
Vegas?” Julia asked, sure she'd misheard.

He
nodded. “Leaving a trail of havoc.”

“What
kind of havoc?”

“The
Adversary and his minions are not in true form. They have elected not to be. In
fact, they cannot even be seen by human eyes while they are in transit. But
when they arrived at the Wynn in Las Vegas, the casino soon burned to the
ground. They have now taken up residence at another location: the MGM Mirage.
Murders, sexual assaults, and crime have all increased dramatically among the
native population. The closer one is to The Adversary, the greater the chaos,
but his malice is far-reaching. Several countries with historical conflicts are
moving toward war.”

“I
could tell they were headed west,” Cayne muttered.

Noelle
regarded him sharply. “How?”

“Do
you know about everything that happened in Alexandria?”
 

Jacquie
nodded. “We do. Lille—” she pointed behind her, to her crowd of supporters— “he
can See.”

“I
can feel The Adversary," Cayne said. "Something of the link he
created is still there. I can sense where he's moving relative to my location.”

“That's
really going to hamper the element of surprise,” Julia muttered. She frowned,
irritated he hadn't told her before.

“I
don't think it works the other way," Cayne said. "He put his essence
is in me. It never went the other way."

“I
hope that's true.”

“Lille
tells me you're planning to go up against him,” Jacquie said. Her eyes held
Julia's, and Julia nodded. “I am.” Couldn't hurt to state the obvious.

“He
also said you retained some of Methuselah's power." Julia nodded, thinking
kiss it
. Jacquie said, “That's lucky.”

Julia
wanted to slap the woman. “I wouldn't call it luck, but yes.” And again, she
found herself bluffing. “We're planning to take him down. Any ex-Chosen
interested, or any Authorities for that matter... We can have a messenger keep
in touch.”