Redemption (Book 4, The Redemption Series) (14 page)

The ground beneath our feet lurches with a great force, almost knocking me off my feet again. The protective force field of the dome surrounding Alto blinks with a flash of light just before completely disappearing. The gale force winds at this elevation tear at my thin dress, and I hear the gossamer material begin to rip as it’s sheered by the wind. Malcolm grabs my arm again, and I yank it out of his grasp for a second time.

“I’m not running away!” I yell at them.

“We can’t do anything!” Malcolm protests.

“You can’t. But I can!”

I fly straight up into the air and hover above the city. If the situation wasn’t so tragic, I might think what is happening is pretty from this vantage point. Some of the buildings within the city itself are crumbling against the might of the wind. They were never built to withstand so much pressure being applied against them. Now that the force field is no longer present, the water that made up the pseudo-ocean around the city is spilling over the sides, forming what appears to be one massive waterfall in the sky. As I float above what is quickly turning into the ruins of Alto, I begin to wonder if I should just let nature take its course.

Were the people of Alto really worth saving? Wouldn’t it be a more fitting justice to allow them to fall out of the sky and reap their just reward for living in decadence all these years? Yet, what about those below them? Did the people in the down-world city of Rio de Janeiro deserve such a horrible demise? Perhaps they would find more peace in death than in the lives they were being forced to live. Such a catastrophic event was meant to happen in history from time to time. It weeded out the weak and forced the strong to survive.

A part of me simply wanted to sit back and watch the devastation that was about to take place. Another part of me wanted to do everything within my power to aid the people below me. I could hear their screams of terror as death approached. Their fear was intoxicating and made me feel drunk with power as I held their fates in the palms of my hands. I could save them, or I could simply do nothing and watch them all die.

I turn my gaze away from the city of Alto and notice a chain of mountains dotting a large bay of water in the down-world. It looks like as good a place as any to land a cloud city.

I stretch out my arms on either side of me and send out thick streams of blue fire from each palm. The fire acts like ropes, securely tethering the city to me. The strength of my telekinetic power has increased to a point where I feel as if I could change the course of the Earth’s rotation if I wanted to. But right now, I’m only interested in holding Alto up, like a child would a ball in the palm of their hands. I decrease the cloud city’s descent just enough to better control it’s trajectory to the rocky terrain underneath it. I begin to fly through the air dragging Alto along with me. Once I’m over the mountain range within the bay, I loosen my grasp on Alto and allow it to come to a gentle rest as it’s cradled within the bowl shaped formation the mountains make.

Almost immediately, I hear cheers come from the citizens of Alto as their lives are saved.

Their jubilation brings me no joy. I simply wonder how people can be happy living such useless lives. Perhaps I should have simply followed the rules of survival of the fittest and only allowed those strong enough to live through such a disaster continue to exist.

I phase back down to the beach area and find Malcolm there waiting for me. The look of relief on his face turns my stomach.

“Are you all right?” he asks, holding his arms out for me to walk into.

I stare at him for a moment, simply wondering why he feels the need to ask me such an absurd question.

“Of course I’m all right,” I say. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Malcolm lowers his arms as he keeps his eyes locked with mine.

“Anna, what’s wrong?”

“I’m wondering if I should have just let these people die,” I tell him, feeling no guilt over having such a thought. “Odds are not many of them would have lived. Do you think that would have been a bad thing to happen?”

“Of course it would have been bad,” Malcolm says, looking even more worried about me after my question. “How do you think the death of thousands would have made you feel, knowing you could have prevented it?”

“I don’t think I would have felt anything,” I tell him truthfully. “Why should I have? I don’t know these people. I don’t owe them anything.”

“And yet you saved them,” Malcolm reminds me. “Anna, you’re a good person. Nothing can change that.”

“I wish you would stop doing that,” I say, feeling my anger take control of my words. “I’m not some saint to be worshiped. I’m not the savior of this world!”

“No, you’re not,” Malcolm agrees. “But you are one of its protectors, and I think you just proved that.” Malcolm holds out one of his hands to me. “Anna, use the bracelet and touch me. Let me help you through this.”

“Why do you think I need help?” I ask, feeling myself getting angrier by the second.

“Because your whole body is on fire,” he says, looking me up and down. “Baal’s seal has done something to you.”

I look down at myself and notice that the blue flames, which have only covered my hands up until this point, are engulfing me completely now.

“Please, Anna,” Malcolm begs, taking a step closer to me. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” I tell him angrily. “What I need is for you to stop treating me like some helpless child!”

“Anna, don’t pull away from me,” Malcolm begs. “I need you. Lucas and Millie need you. They’re lives are still in danger. We need to find Baal and Mammon and make them tell us where they are.”

With the mention of Baal and Mammon’s betrayal, I feel my temper burn a hole through my heart.

“I’m going to kill those two with my bare hands when we find them,” I promise Malcolm. “They’ll wish they never existed after what I have planned for them!”

“You can’t kill them until after we find Lucas and Millie,” Malcolm says fiercely.

“Do you really believe they’re even still alive?” I yell, disgusted with how naïve Malcolm is being. “They’re dead, Malcolm! If they weren’t before this happened, they certainly are now! And I intend to make sure Baal and Mammon pay for their deaths with their own lives!”

Malcolm runs straight at me with a growl and grabs the tops of my arms. He phases us to the living room of the old cottage by the sea and slams me hard up against one of the dilapidated walls, causing dust to plume all around us.

“You are not going anywhere until you use that bracelet on me!” he orders, roughly pushing me up against the wall as if to punctuate his words.

“You’re not strong enough to make me do anything, Malcolm,” I say in a quiet voice that holds more authority to it than his yelling.

Malcolm pulls me up against him and kisses me with a fierce and desperate need. I feel his hands tighten on my arms as his tongue attempts to coax mine into a familiar dance.

I raise my hands and push my palms against Malcolm’s chest with extreme force. I watch as he flies across the room. His back slams up against the opposite wall so hard his body passes straight through it easily to the other side. I look at him beyond the freshly made hole in the wall and see that he landed kneeling on one knee with his hands stretched out in front of him to help prop him up. Malcolm quickly stands to his feet and strips his jacket off as he walks back to me.

“I am
not
losing you to the seals,” he thunders, a look of grim determination on his face.

When he reaches me, he grabs me by the belt of my baldric and roughly pulls me back up against him. His mouth covers mine once again, preventing me from making any verbal protest. I feel his hands quickly work to release the clasp of the baldric at my waist. Once he has it undone, he slips the straps from my shoulders, and I hear the metallic clatter of my sword as it falls to the floor behind me.

His hands quickly find the back of my dress, and I feel him begin to pull the magnetic closure apart. I push him away from me again with added force this time. Malcolm’s bulky frame makes another hole in the wall on the far side of the room. I feel the foundation of the house shake from the force of the impact.

By this time, I’m gasping for air because Malcolm’s kisses aren’t leaving me enough time to even breathe.

Malcolm lands just as he did before, on hands and knee. I watch as he quickly stands back up as if practically tearing a house down with his body doesn’t faze him at all. He pulls the front of his shirt open and quickly strips it from his muscular torso as he walks back over to me. The determination on his face is even more intense this time as he pushes my shoulders up against the wall behind me and leans his half-naked body into me. His mouth devours mine making it hard for me to think coherently much less remember what we’re fighting about.

Malcolm’s hands slide behind me again, and I feel him pull the back of my dress apart. I don’t stop him this time, and I feel the dress fall from my body to the floor. I run my hands over the hard muscles of Malcolm’s chest and push at him again but not as hard this time. Malcolm stands stock still before me, and I notice his breathing is as labored as my own. I look pointedly down at his pants and lift a questioning eyebrow at him.

Malcolm grins and doesn’t have to be told what I want him to do next.

He unbuttons his waistband and slides the zipper of his pants down, letting them drop to the floor. He steps out of the legs and begins to walk back to me, but I hold one hand out palm forward to stop him.

“You forgot something,” I say, looking pointedly at the tight black briefs he’s wearing that are doing a very poor job of covering his arousal from our foreplay.

Malcolm crosses his arms in front of him with his legs spread apart as he looks straight at me.

“If you want them off so badly,” he tells me, “why don’t you take them off yourself?”

  I’ve never been one to turn away from a challenge. I walk over to Malcolm and kneel down in front of him. In one swift motion, I yank his briefs down with one hand and take hold of his erection with the other. I hear Malcolm’s rapid intake of breath as my fingers begin to manipulate the tip of him. When I look up into his face, I see that he’s watching me with hooded eyes. His lips are parted and his breathing is noticeably more labored.

“How strong do your legs feel?” I ask him.

It’s the exact same question he asked me the last time we were in this house.

“Very strong. What do you have in mind?” he replies, repeating the answer I gave him back then.

“Just try to remain standing,” I say, letting him know that two can play at the little game of pleasure he performed on me that day.

Malcolm proves to be less able to stand and take my manipulation of his body than I was. After only a few short minutes of pleasuring him, he lifts me into his arms in one quick movement. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he holds my bottom in the palms of his hands. He enters me in one swift motion, causing me to cry out from the intense pleasure.

“Anna,” he groans, lightly biting the side of my neck, “use the bracelet. I want you to feel what I’m feeling. Please, my love. Use it.”

As Malcolm begins to move inside me, I lose all the reasons why I was resisting his pleas for me to use the bracelet on him in the first place.

I ask the bracelet to tell me what he’s feeling.

I tighten my hold around his neck because the emotions I’m feeling from Malcolm, mixed with my own in that moment, are so intense I begin to cry.

His desire for me is undeniable. It’s not only because of the physical proof of his want inside me, but also because I can feel the overwhelming energy of his love flow from his heart into mine. In the past, sex was just a way to help him pass the time while he waited for Caylin’s descendant to be born. But making love with me has been an experience beyond just physical gratification. When our bodies are connected the way they are now, he feels love, desire, hope, and peace. His love for me runs so deep he can’t imagine living without me. His desire for me isn’t only for my body but also for my ability to remain strong against adversity. He has hope that our future will be filled with children and laughter, and the fact that someone like me can love a man with such a sordid past like his brings him peace.

Malcolm groans against my neck, and I know he’s about to reach the height of our lovemaking. When I feel him lose control both physically and emotionally, I cry out his name as he propels me over the edge of reason to find my own ecstasy.

Chapter 13

I hold onto Malcolm afterwards because I can’t seem to make myself let him go. My body is trembling uncontrollably, and my heart feels like there’s a war raging inside about to tear it to pieces. Malcolm’s love for me has tempered my fury for the moment, but I still feel like I’m on the verge of losing control of who I am.

The way I spoke to Malcolm earlier shames me to the core. How could I have said those horrible things to him and actually meant them? I feel like there are two versions of me now. It's as if the part of my soul filled with all of my hatred and contempt is chasing after the part that holds my love and compassion. In Alto, my darker side caught up to my lighter side, almost destroying it. But Malcolm’s love and refusal to let me go tipped the balance back. I know the race for my soul isn’t over yet. I can’t shake the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before the darkness inside me proves victorious. Maybe Helena is right. Perhaps we are more alike than I want to admit.

“Anna,” Malcolm says as he slowly trails kisses down my right shoulder. “Are you with me again?”

I loosen my hold around Malcolm’s neck enough to lean back and look him in the eyes.

All I want to do is permanently wipe away the worry I see on his face. I lean in and kiss him on the lips gently, lovingly.

“I’m better,” I say to him, not completely sure I’m telling him the truth, but I know it’s what he wants to hear from me.

My words don’t erase the concern from Malcolm’s eyes, but he nods as if he accepts what I’ve said, at least for now.

I feel an intense stinging sensation in the middle of my back and immediately lower my legs from around Malcolm’s waist. I bring my arms down from around his neck and press them against the ache I feel.

I turn so my back is facing Malcolm.

“Do you see Baal’s seal?” I ask him, assuming its presence is causing the pain.

Malcolm traces the circular pattern of the seal on my back with the tips of his fingers, easing the ache it’s generating.

“Yes,” he says, not sounding at all happy about the fact, “it’s there.”

I turn back around to face Malcolm.

“What does his seal mean?”

Malcolm looks me in the eyes and says, “Torment.”

It seems like a fitting term to describe the way I feel, tormented in both body and soul.

“Well, at least I know Baal actually gave me his seal, unlike what happened with Belphagor. What I don’t understand is why he thought I would be weakened so much by it that Mammon would be able to kill me without a fight.”

“What do you mean?” Malcolm asks.

“Right before Baal set off the explosives to damage Alto’s propulsion systems, he said whatever they did should have worked. That I should have been knocked out by it.”

“What was different this time?” Malcolm asks. “Could you feel what they did?”

“All I know is that the pain was the worst that I’ve felt so far. Do you think it’s because it’s the fourth seal I’ve absorbed? Will the pain just get increasingly worse every time?”

Malcolm shakes his head. “I don’t know, my love. That could be the reason, but I can’t say for sure. All I am certain of is that you’re far more powerful now than you were before. I don’t think you could have saved the city this morning before Baal gave you his seal.”

“No,” I say, “I know I couldn’t have. I just don’t understand why they would betray a deal they set up themselves. It doesn’t make much sense. They have to know I'll be out for their blood now.”

“They obviously thought it would be safer for them if you were dead,” Malcolm says. “You’re becoming extremely formidable. I would say you’re probably the most powerful person on the planet right now, Anna. There’s no telling what you’re capable of.”

“And that scares me,” I admit, feeling almost frightened of myself. “I don’t know what I’m able to do now either, Malcolm.”

“I think you can accomplish a lot of good,” Malcolm says, placing his hands on my shoulders.

“Right now, I just want to find Millie and Lucas.”

“I don’t think they’ll hurt them,” Malcolm reassures me. “Their lives are the only things keeping you from ripping Baal and Mammon apart right now.”

I wrap my arms around Malcolm’s waist and rest my head against his bare chest. The steady beating of his heart and his warmth bring me some much-needed peace.

“Is it wrong of me to not want to leave just yet?” I ask, closing my eyes as if such an action could stop time and allow us just one moment of calm.

“No, it isn’t wrong,” Malcolm reassures me, hugging me close. “If I had my way, I would keep you here naked all the time to act as my own personal sex slave.”

I laugh and look up at Malcolm.

“Oh really? Didn’t you just admit that I’m the most powerful person on the planet right now? I think it’s you who would be the sex slave, not me.”

“Oh, all right,” Malcolm sighs heavily, as if he’s begrudgingly accepting his fate, “if I must. I’m willing to sacrifice my body to the cause of keeping you happy and satisfied.”

I lean up and kiss Malcolm, luxuriating in the sweet taste of his mouth and the soft, yet firm play of his tongue against mine. I know we have to leave soon, but I need this moment to help keep me sane through what has to be done next. I seriously doubt finding Millie and Lucas will be easy. The odds of Baal and Mammon just handing them back over to us are practically non-existent. But Malcolm is right about one thing. They have to know the lives of my loved ones are the only reasons I won’t completely obliterate them from reality the next time I see them.

While we’re putting our clothes back on, I begin to think about the man I saw at the wedding. For some reason, I can’t seem to get the picture of his face out of my head.

“Malcolm,” I say, letting the magnetic closure on the back of my dress pull itself together, “there was a man at the wedding staring at me.”

Malcolm chuckles softly. “There were a lot of men staring at you today, my love. Which one in particular caught your eye and should I feel jealous?”

“Absolutely not,” I assure him. “He was handsome, but that wasn’t what drew my attention to him. I’ve seen him before. He was at the wedding celebration Lorcan had in Stratus. That night I noticed him in the crowd right before Lorcan and I fought. He was staring at me then, and he was staring at me again today while Brutus and Kyna were exchanging their vows.”

“Maybe he’s a friend of Kyna’s,” Malcolm suggests, zipping up his pants. He turns around to walk into the other room where his shirt and jacket are still lying on the floor. I almost wish he wouldn’t put them back on because the sight of him only partially unclothed is far more pleasurable to me.

“If he was her friend, why would he leave while everyone stood to applaud them after the ceremony? Seems like he would have stuck around to wish her well.”

Malcolm walks back into the room with his shirt on but left completely open. I assume the reason is because it’s missing a lot buttons from the way he ripped it off himself earlier. He has his jacket slung over his shoulder, holding it loosely by an index finger.

“I don’t have an explanation for his early departure,” Malcolm answers. “Why are you letting him bother you so much?”

“I’m not sure,” I reply. “But there’s something about him that seems familiar. I just don’t know why. I thought I would mention him to you in case I see him again. If I do, I’ll try to point him out. Maybe you’ll recognize him.”

“If he ends up being a stalker,” Malcolm says, wrapping his free arm around my waist and pulling me against him possessively. “Do I have your permission to rearrange his face?”

“But it’s such a pretty face,” I tease, earning an almost jealous look from Malcolm.

“Then I take that as a yes,” Malcolm says, kissing me as if his lips are burning a brand on them, claiming me as his forever.

When Malcolm lifts his head, he smiles down at me.

“Just so you know, I do have a green-eyed monster lurking inside me,” he says. “And it’s quite violent and protective.”

“No need to be jealous,” I tell him, “because I’m all yours.”

“Good,” Malcolm replies, his smile broadening. “I’m glad we can agree on that.”

Malcolm phases us to our bedroom back home. I quickly change out of my dress and into my white leather outfit and strap my sword back on. I silently thank Linn for cleaning my outfit for me the day before. She was such a great help and never asked to be thanked for all she has done for us since Millie and Lucas’ abduction. I’m not sure what I would have done without her help and friendship.

Malcolm changes into a simple white t-shirt and jeans. Both fit him rather snugly, accentuating the best aspects of his body. After he slips on some plain black loafers, we make our way downstairs to find the others. We need to know if the search for Lucas has produced any leads. I know it’s wishful thinking on my part to hope to find Lucas waiting for us in the sitting room, but I send up a silent prayer anyway asking for such a miracle.

As we approach the entrance to the sitting room, I hear Lucifer say, “Nothing good can come of this. I say we open it ourselves and see what’s inside before she even gets here.”

After Malcolm and I enter the room, all eyes turn to us, and no one has time to say another word.

Lucifer is standing in front of Christopher with Jered, Daniel, and Desmond around them. They all have worried expressions on their faces and I soon discover why.

I stop dead in my tracks when I see what Christopher is holding in his hands.

It’s a medium sized white box tied with a red, silky ribbon.

My heart begins to pound inside my chest, and I can hear my own breathing become ragged as my lungs burn for oxygen.

Lucifer steps in front of the box Christopher is holding to block my view of it.

“Anna,” he says, “just walk away and let us handle this.”

“I may not agree with him often,” Jered says, coming to stand next to Lucifer presenting a united front, “but he’s right. Malcolm, take Anna somewhere else for a while and let us deal with what’s inside the box.”

“No,” I say in a low, controlled voice. I can feel my hands begin to tremble at my sides as I stare at Lucifer and Jered. “I am not leaving until I know what’s in there.”

“Anna,” Jered says, taking a step forward, “you remember what happened the last time you opened a box like this.”

Of course I remembered. I found Vala’s severed head in the box Christopher brought me from Levi. Jered was with me when I opened it. It was a moment I would never forget.

“Who is the box from Christopher?” I ask but already know who the gift is from. I just want him to confirm it.

Christopher meets my gaze and hesitates before answering, “Levi. He had it prepared for me to bring to you when I returned to him a few minutes ago. He told me not to bother coming back to Cirrus. Apparently, the information I overheard about Lucas’ whereabouts was fake. It was a test to see if I would report it to Lucifer and prove that I was still loyal to him.”

My heart feels like it might collapse in on itself with this news, even before I’ve opened the box. Lucifer's words as I entered the room were right. Nothing good can be inside what Christopher is holding. Considering the gift giver, all I expect to find is pain.

“Anna,” Malcolm says, taking hold of my hand closest to him. “Let’s go. Lucifer and the others can handle this.”

I snatch my hand out of Malcolm’s, feeling on the verge of shouting words I might regret later. But I hold my tongue and walk over to Lucifer and Jered.

“
Move
,” I order them.

Both men hesitate but they each step aside, leaving Christopher standing before me with the box still grasped between his hands.

I lift a trembling hand to the ribbon and pull one end of it. The red silk falls from the box and onto the floor at my feet. With both of my hands, I grasp the lid and lift it off. Inside the box, I find a piece of black velvet covering something round. A white piece of paper folded on top of it has my name written in Levi’s hand. I open the letter to read what’s printed on the inside.

I hope you appreciate my gift to you, my little dove. I went to a lot of trouble to find it. If you want to thank me in person, you can find me where we first met.

Levi                                                                                                                                                    
 
                                                                                                                                  

  I let the letter fall from my now numb fingers onto the floor. I force myself to look back inside the box. My heart is beating so fast now all I can hear is the rush of my own blood pumping. I reach a hand back into the box and grab a corner of the fabric. Before I lose my nerve, I yank the velvet off Levi’s gift to me.

I hear myself scream hysterically but know the sound is simply trapped inside my mind. In reality, my body is completely frozen into place. I can’t move a single muscle. I can’t draw air into my lungs to even take a breath. All I can do is stare at Millie’s head lying inside the box. Her open eyes are vacant of life and slack with death. The scorched marks around the ragged edges of her neck tell me exactly what Levi used to separate her head from her body.