Forgiven (2 page)

Why him?
Even now he could see her huddled on the couch, weeping, as he’d shouted that very question at her. After all Beck had done for her, she’d taken up with that
thing
.

When he’d spat insults at Paul’s daughter, she’d responded in kind. Fearing how bad it might get between them, Beck had bolted from the house. When he’d returned a short time later, he’d found his front door wide open and the Vatican’s team on the prowl.

More rapid-fire conversation bounced around him now: Beck didn’t need to speak the language to hear the frustration. Since Riley wasn’t lying in the dirt beside him, this raid made the hunters look bad. They would need a scapegoat and Beck would do just fine. A new voice cut in – it was the hunters’ captain. Apparently he’d finally decided to join the party.

Without warning, Beck was hauled roughly to his knees. Once he was up, he tried to wipe his mouth on his arm: it proved impossible with the flex-cuffs in place. The demon hunter with the rifle circled round to the side now, the weapon pointed at Beck’s chest.

The captain of this unit squatted in front of him, his dark eyes flinty. Elias Salvatore was thirty-two, a decade older than Beck. He had a Mediterranean complexion, black hair and a goatee, coupled with an athletic build. His navy turtleneck sported epaulettes and the Demon Hunters’ emblem – St George slaying the dragon. Crisply pleated trousers tucked neatly into polished combat boots.

‘Mr Beck,’ he said evenly.

‘Captain Salvatore. What the hell is goin’ on?’

‘We were informed that Riley Blackthorne was here.’

Who told ya that?

‘She was here a while ago. Must have left.’

The man’s eyes narrowed further. ‘Where is she?’

‘No idea.’ It was a safe bet one of the neighbours had heard them shouting at each other, so he went with the truth in case the hunters bothered to check. ‘We had words.’

‘About what?’

‘That’s none of yer business,’ Beck said. A second later he was face down in the dirt, a heavy boot pressing on his back.

The captain issued a crisp command and Beck was hauled up again. He gave a look over his shoulder and found the boot belonged to Lieutenant Amundson, the captain’s second-in-command. He was a tall man, Nordic, and not known for his manners.

Beck spat dirt. ‘Get these damned cuffs off me.’

Salvatore gave a gesture. There was the snick of a knife then the cuffs fell away. Amundson had made sure to cut Beck’s palm in the process.

Beck wiped his hands on his jeans, then inspected the wound.

The captain delivered a penetrating look over the prisoner’s shoulder then gestured for the lieutenant to move away. ‘I apologize.’

Beck clamped down on his fury. Throwing punches wasn’t a smart move right now.

Did the hunters know about Riley and the Fallen?
They have to. Why else would they be lookin’ for her?
Still, he didn’t dare make assumptions.

‘What’s this all about?’ Beck asked.

The captain rose. ‘Let’s go inside.’

Beck stood, dusted off his jeans and retrieved his trapping bag where it lay near the driveway. He felt the bottom of the canvas and was relieved to find it wasn’t wet, which meant none of the glass spheres inside had shattered when he’d been tackled by the hunters. He’d need those special magical globes to trap Hellspawn.

After ensuring they were alone, Salvatore closed the front door behind them. Beck had expected the place to have been turned inside out, but that wasn’t the case. The only damage appeared to be a glass that had been knocked off the counter. He ignored the mess on the floor and dropped on to the couch in the same place that Riley had occupied when she’d delivered her devastating news.

Where are ya, girl?
If she ran to her apartment, they’d find her there. If she was smart, she’d go to Angus Stewart, one of the two master trappers in the city. Stewart would watch over her.

The captain sat in a chair opposite him. He moved as if he hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days. ‘We must find Riley Blackthorne as quickly as possible.’

‘Why?’

‘There’s a fallen angel in Atlanta. His name is Ori. We believe he has targeted Paul Blackthorne’s daughter.’

Beck made sure he appeared shocked. It wasn’t hard. He still couldn’t believe that Riley had been with one of Lucifer’s allies.

‘Why would one of those want her?’

Salvatore shook his head. ‘He is known for his seductions.’

Beck’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t reply.

‘There is a strange pattern of events in this city, and that usually means there’s an epicentre, a focus to that activity.’

‘If yer sayin’ that Riley’s the reason for all this—’

‘What other conclusion can we draw?’ Salvatore retorted. ‘Every demonic event in this city has centred on her: a Grade Five demon tried to kill her. The same fiend pressed its attack during the trappers’ meeting at the Tabernacle and that ambush alone cost you a third of your Demon Trappers Guild.’

‘I know the numbers, hunter,’ Beck replied sullenly.

‘If she is the nexus of this activity, we have to locate her and find a way to break that connection with Hell before more people die.’

Beck didn’t want to think about what ‘break that connection’ meant. ‘Why a commando raid on my house? Ya could have knocked on the door like anyone else.’

‘You weren’t home,’ the captain observed. ‘Do you usually leave your house unlocked?’

Beck hesitated. ‘No. Why?’

‘Both the front and back doors weren’t bolted and your alarm wasn’t engaged. The back door was partially ajar, indicating a hasty departure, perhaps?’ The captain leaned forward, elbows on knees. ‘Did you call Riley and warn her that we were coming?’

By now they’d have gone through his phone and know he’d called Riley after they’d quarrelled, so he opted for the truth. ‘I didn’t know ya were comin’ here.’

‘Yet you spoke to her.’

‘Yeah. We argued about this Ori guy. He’d told her he was a freelance demon hunter and I told her to stay away from him. She wasn’t listenin’ so we had words. I called her to . . .’ Why had he called her? Certainly not apologize, that was for sure.

‘Where is she now?’

Beck shook his head. ‘I don’t know. Now I’m done talkin’ to ya unless the Guild’s lawyer is watchin’ over me.’

The captain sighed. ‘Look, I respect your loyalty to the girl’s father. Paul Blackthorne trained you, brought you up through the Guild. You were there when he died at the hands of the same demon that tried to kill his daughter. I know what you’re feeling, but we need your help.’

‘Bite me.’

Salvatore scowled. ‘So be it.’ He triggered a radio on his shoulder and Italian filled the air. He’d barely finished giving the order when two hunters were through the front door.

The captain rose, his face set. ‘Denver Beck, as representative of the Holy See, I arrest you for obstructing justice, additional charges to be filed at a later time. You are duly warned that if you are found to be aiding Hell in any manner, the ultimate penalty is death.’

‘Go figure,’ Beck muttered.

Riley stood alone in a field of crisp, freshly fallen snow. There was nothing around her, no buildings, no people. High above a blood-red moon held court in the sky, thousands of stars paying homage.

A breeze tugged at her hair and it smelt of deepest midnight. She felt Ori’s presence even before his arms slid round her waist, drawing her back against him. She knew it was a dream, but she didn’t want to wake. Here it would be perfect. There would be no Heaven or Hell, no one to tell her what she was doing was wrong. It would just be Ori and her forever.

Turning in his arms, Riley gazed up at his black hair and those bottomless eyes. Eyes that had seen the beginning of the cosmos.

‘I am sorry,’ Ori murmured, his voice just as she remembered it. ‘I hurt you and that is not what I wanted.’

‘It didn’t have to be that way,’ she said.
It could have been so different.

‘Let me make it right between us. Let me show you what your future can hold.’

He gestured and a scene appeared in the air in front of them. It was Riley, older now. She had a grace and strength that she never thought possible. She was teaching two apprentices how to trap demons and they were riveted on her words. This Riley was strong and confident, no hint of the troubled girl that lay within.

‘You’ll be a renowned master trapper, like your father,’ Ori explained. ‘The trappers will be in awe of your skills. All the while, my protection will keep you safe from harm.’

She could trap and be successful and everyone would think she was the best there was.
Just like my dad . . .

His kiss reignited her desire for him. Her need for love, for someone to care for her. She melted against his body, savouring the touch and scent of him.

‘I am yours,’ the angel said. ‘Give me your soul and we can be together forever, Riley Anora Blackthorne.’

‘Do you love me?’ she asked. That was what she wanted, what she craved. To be loved by someone as magnificent as an angel.

Ori did not reply, his face tormented. As if he wanted to lie, but could not. He tried to smile, but failed. ‘Come with me,’ he said, offering a hand. ‘We will have eternity together. Is that not enough?’

Riley hesitated, her heart pounding hard.
If he doesn’t love me . . .
Was she so desperate that she’d settle for an empty life? Caught in her doubts, she looked away and found that the field wasn’t empty any longer. Her family’s mausoleum now stood a short distance away, cloaked in snow and moonlight. Solid red stones, stained-glass windows, all testimony to the Blackthorne legacy. The lion-winged gargoyles on the roof glared down at her, brilliant yellow flames pouring from their mouths, as if she was a threat to the dead within.

The double brass doors swung open and, instead of the stone interior lit by dancing candlelight, there was semi-darkness. Figures moved around inside, all talons and teeth and glittering ruby eyes. The emissaries of Hell awaiting her decision.

It was so tempting. She’d spend forever with her father. The demons couldn’t hurt her and –

A voice cried out her name. She searched across the field and found Beck running towards her at top speed. He cried out again, his voice ragged as if he’d been shouting for hours and she’d not heard him.

‘Do not listen to the trapper,’ Ori warned. ‘He is jealous of us. Of what we have.’

She hesitated, confused.

‘Riley!’ Ori called, more forceful now. ‘Pledge me your soul. I promise you will never suffer another moment of your life.’

‘What will we have?’ she demanded. ‘Some promises? None of which you will keep.’ She shook her head. ‘You never loved me. You only loved my soul and what it will buy you in Hell.’

‘You are wrong,’ the angel retorted. ‘This was always about you.’

‘Lies!’ she shouted.

A searing cramp dug deep into her belly and she doubled over in agony. Riley forced herself to straighten up, holding her stomach. The area around her had become a minefield of skulls, each inhabited by a demon. They taunted her, threatened her, spoke of the endless tortures that awaited her soul in Hell.

Ori was no longer near her but at the edge of the skull field now, pacing in agitation. ‘You have to give your soul. It is the only way, Riley! Please, I beg of you!’

The snow around her turned crimson and began to boil.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I have lost too much already.’

As the skulls massed for an assault, Beck charged into the minefield, bent on her rescue. He only made it a few steps before he cried out her name once more, then died in tormented agony as the demons tore him apart.

‘NO!!!!’

Riley lurched upright in the bed, sweat pouring off her in streams. Her chest felt heavy and each breath only brought in a tiny stream of air. She bent over, clutching her stomach. Swallowing repeatedly to keep from vomiting, she struggled to regain her senses and break free of the nightmare.

With a groan, she wiped sweat off her brow. A vicious headache pounded in the very centre of her forehead. The room around her was quiet. There were no demons, no angel, no dying Beck. As the nightmare receded, the horror of it still clung to her.