Redemption (A NOVEL OF THE SEVEN SIGNS) (15 page)

But gentle warmth flowed, enhancing his magical angelsight. The building sprang alive with faint scarlet glimmers in three dimensions. Demon sigils, glowing like ethereal neon serpents.

Japheth allowed a tiny smile. Low-level protective wards, designed to erupt on contact with his kind. Melting skin, liquefying organs, a little blood-rich agony. Nothing immediately lethal. They writhed in the sultry night like trapped salamanders, slavering for prey.

He realized he still held Rose’s arm. Her lithe body, inches away. Her scent licked over him, caressing his most sensitive places…

He let go, flushing. Damn her. Give him some nice excruciating demonspells, ones that hurt like they should. More tolerable than
her
. “Ground floor, ten o’clock.” He pointed over her shoulder, careful not to touch. “See those demon wards?”

“Of course I see them. I’m a vampire, remember?” Her voice husked, breathless.

Fear? Or something else? Japheth risked a glance. Her dark eyes shone. Her thigh muscles quivered, ready for action. Her fingers hovered over her knife, ready to spring it and attack, and she whetted glinting fangs with the tip of her tongue.

A magnificent warrior. Did she feel it, like he did? Battle’s rich rush, senses screaming, fight’s golden ecstasy in her veins, only not glory but something else, something evil, the relentless hot poison of hell’s power?

What would that feel like?

Sweating, he dragged his gaze away. “The wards are our protection,” he said tightly. “We block the exits, go in underneath and trap this Caliban in his own dungeon. Simple enough?”

She looked at him like he’d grown an extra nose. “Sorry to burst your bubble, moron, but demon wards won’t protect us from vampires.”

“They will if they’re on fire.”

She stared. “You crazy angel. I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified. You want to immolate the wards?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Under the noses of five floors full of starving vampires with supernatural hearing? Who’ll swoop down and slaughter you before you get ten yards?”

“Something like that.” He grinned, satisfied. “Unlike yours, sweet Rose, my faith didn’t fall out when I hit the dirt. I still have a few of heaven’s tricks stuffed up my armor.”

She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, I’ve signed up with Captain frickin’ America.”

“Thought I was the Virgin frickin’ Mary.”

“My mistake.” She wiped damp hands on her jeans. “Okay. At least let me explain the layout, so we don’t get lost. If I remember right, there’s no lobby. You walk in, there’s a corridor, and then it branches out left and right into the ground floor apartments. No lights, either. Caliban had them all put out. And the elevator’s broken, so we’ll have to use the back stairs—”

“Whatever,” Japheth interrupted coldly. He knew just how to breach this hell-cursed den. “Just stick close to me, and try not to scream, okay?” And he grabbed her around her slim waist—so deliciously warm, this cursed female—and flashed.

*   *   *

Rose screamed, but the sound tore from her lungs. The ground lurched away. No gravity. No support. Only Japheth, strong and warm at her back, stopping her from falling. Darkness swallowed her. She strained her vampire sight. Nothing.

Tiles slapped her boot heels. She stumbled in hot blackness. The stench of rotting meat assaulted her. Screeches, flesh ripping, blood squelching… Demon wards sprang alight, glowing scarlet serpents that struck at her flesh. Their poisoned bites stung like acid. The angelic mark on her forehead hissed indignantly, and caught alight.

She yelled, flailing, but found only emptiness. Japheth was gone. He’d left her. Sent her to some black empty hell to fester alone, forever in torment…

Blue light erupted.

Heavenlight, searing bright like the sun. She yelped, shielding her vampire eyes. A dirty corridor leapt into view, broken walls, cracked tile floor…and Japheth, golden wings aflare, bathed in furious blue fire.

The demon wards screamed and recoiled, snapping their fiery jaws. Japheth ripped his flaming sword from the ether, and slammed it two-handed into the writhing red demon sigil at his feet.

Unholy screams split the night, and the world burst into flame.

Heavenspells seared, ozone and acid. Flames leapt from ward to ward, exploding them in turn and setting the walls alight. Rose yelled, and dove for the floor, cradling her head, waiting for the agony.

Strong wings enfolded her. Feathers, cool and soothing, the rich scent of male skin. She struggled, raking her hair in panic. Surely, the flames swallowed her. Her flesh was burning. She was just in shock, the trauma too great to feel it. Any moment, agony would erupt, abject and dreadful but just a shadow of the torment awaiting her in hell…

But Japheth trapped her against his chest, silver armor warm and steadfast. His crisp golden hair caressed her cheek. His touch calmed her, eased her back into reason and reality. “Peace, Rose Harley,” he murmured. “You’re okay.”

Shh, Bridie. Auntie Rosie’s here. Go back to sleep
…She coughed, her lungs stinging from the smoke. But not scorching. The cruel angelic flames didn’t touch her. Those screams didn’t belong to her. She wasn’t burning.

Relief washed her dizzy. She sucked in great gulps of air, heart thumping hard. She wasn’t burning. Not dying. Not headed for hell…

But in the gibbering darkness, vampires wailed and died. She could smell them, roasting flesh, singed hair, the sour stink of terror. Paint peeled and crackled, nails popping from the warped boards. Screams pierced the firelit dark. Already, the flames roared higher, to the upper floors. The people up there could still use the fire escape, make it to the street before the building went up. But those down here were trapped. He’d burned them all.

Except her.

And damn it if she didn’t feel safe in his embrace. Safe, while he mercilessly slaughtered her kind. What kind of monster did that make her?

A pathetic girly one, that’s what.
Jesus. What am I, a damsel in distress?

She punched his metal-clad chest. Her knuckles split. She didn’t care. “Get off me, you freak!”

He released her. Blue flame licked his hair, shedding brutal shadows on his face. His sword glittered eagerly, his eyes neon-green. “You’re welcome,” he called over roaring flames. “I said I’d protect you. Think I’d let you burn?”

She raked sweaty hair back. “Is this your idea of sneaking in here?”

A cold stare. “I don’t sneak.”

“You know what? There’s totally something wrong with you—”

A vampire shot shrieking from a burning doorway. His long hair was alight, his skin seared to raw flesh by holy fire.

Japheth grabbed him and crushed his throat. He tossed the limp body aside, impatient. “I said, I fight my enemies face-to-face. You wanna stab them in the back like a coward? Go right ahead.”

Rose stared, aghast. Such a callous, efficient killer. She jabbed her finger at the dead vampire. “Is
that
your idea of honor, angel?”

“It’s my idea of doing my job,” he retorted. “Don’t see you rushing to save them. You can moralize with me, Rose Harley, or you can stay alive.” He pushed past her, heading for the stairs.

The air thinned as he moved away, taking his protective spell with him. Rose sweated. The holy heat already singed her hair. Japheth’s wards extended only so far. It was follow him, or be immolated.

She whipped out her knife, and dashed after him.

The stairs creaked, down into dusty darkness. Around a corner, away from flickering flamelight. Already, the burning crackle receded.

Bloodscent reeked upwards, a sticky cloud, and Rose’s
stomach growled with fresh hunger. Faintness dizzied her, and she grabbed the banister to stay upright.
Please, not now
…But Fluvium’s evil laugh echoed like a nightmare in the dark crevices of her mind, and with it chimed famine. So long since she’d eaten. So many hours since she’d fed this demon thirst…

Ahead, Japheth lighted onto the basement floor. A corridor stretched ahead, lit eerily by his shimmering blue aura. Bloodstained plaster walls, dust, broken glass. No one else in sight.

Rose licked dry lips, and followed. In her vampire sight, the basement glowed in scarlet outlines. A maze of corridors and doorways, licked bright with fear. Moans echoed from hidden rooms. Demon wards spat angry red sparks. Her insides shuddered, sick. It was like an alien world, uncanny and bizarre.

She blinked, confused. She should feel at home here. But now, under Japheth’s spell, she saw through different eyes. The mark on her forehead stung, traumatized, shivering like a fevered child with
wrongness
.

Was this how Japheth felt, in the face of demon magic? Stinging, hot, outraged? Violated? No wonder he wanted to burn it all.

Her wits muddled, hunger and bewilderment a hot mess in her head. Where was she going, again? She’d been here before, right? Caliban’s place. Easy peasy. Caliban was a sick mo-fo, but he liked her. All she had to do was…

A deep, black chuckle savaged the night.

Rose gasped, reeling, her mind flooded with images of blood. Japheth flung up a protective ward, electric sparks flashing from his fingers. “Stay close.”

Rose shuddered. “What the hell is—ugh!”

Air rushed, a ghostly intake of breath that flung her hair in her face, and all the demon wards snuffed out.

CHAPTER 12

Darkness smothered him, hot and excruciating like hell.

For a moment, Japheth couldn’t breathe. His sword slipped from his grasp and vanished. He couldn’t see. Couldn’t raise a shimmer. His glorylight had died. Surely, heaven had deserted him.

His heart convulsed. Drowning. Dark places. Crushing black air, walls shuddering and closing in…

Somewhere, Rose cursed, and sharp metal hissed. She was slashing at the darkness. Fighting. Not afraid of this black and bloodstained place. He forced a prayer to cold lips.
Heaven, give me light. Please. Just let me see while I die
…

A tiny breeze of solace fluttered his hair. His feathers sprung taut, showering faint blue glitter.

Thank you.
He gasped a grateful breath, his pulse calming. Narrow corridor, uneven tiled floor, walls broken and peeling. Somewhere, a human screamed. Metallic bloodstink clogged his nose. And Rose, knife in hand, balanced on tiptoes.

Her gaze darted, hunting. “Shit,” she whispered. “Next time, bring a flashlight.”

“Noted.” Japheth exhaled, gritty, his nerves on edge. His pretty bloodsucker was brave. Determined. A fighter.

But he had a job to do. Heaven’s favor to repay. Best he get on with it. Or next time, there might only be silence.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s wrong with you? You’re sweating rivers.”

“I don’t like small, dark places,” he said shortly.

“Great. Is your claustrophobia going to be a problem?” She mocked him with his own words.

“I manage.” He flashed his sword, radiant blue. The light pierced the corridor cleanly. No scarlet demonspells fought back, and he resisted a curse. No more wards to burn. They’d just have to fight their way through.

The wall exploded, and vampires fell on him.

Limbs thrashing, tangled hair, evil glinting fangs. Their eyes shone, luminous with night vision. They clawed ragged nails at his face. Growls, snarls, burning vampire spit flecking his cheek.

Rose yelped, fighting, her blade flashing silver. No time to grab her, get her behind him. He tumbled, kicking, slashing one wing viciously. Breaking bones, splashing blood, the slice of steel. Bodies thumped. Heads rolled. Death’s dark caress, swift and inevitable.

Japheth’s consciousness receded, a distant shadow. He exulted, nerves sparkling, muscles alive with holy energy. His mind became a computer, his body a machine, fueled on sweat and bloodlust and sweet glittering glory.

*   *   *

Rose backed against the wall, breathing hard. Jesus Christ. They’d burst from the wall in a hail of bloody splinters—
through
the damn wall, seriously?—and now she was pinned down.

The first one came at her, bitten fingers clawing for her eyes. His face gleamed, a sick yellow sheen of hunger. Not Chosen. Just infected human prey.