Chapter Twenty-seven 19 страница

“That would be a natural assumption, given that we’re the enemy. ”

Why did he have to be so logical about it? She’d railed about how The Aegis couldn’t possibly be involved, and shame on Eidolon for thinking so. “Yeah, well, I thought the demons were full of shit. But I’m not so sure anymore. And I think our cell is involved. ”

“We’re not. ”

“You might not be, but what if others were? ” She shook her head, because suddenly things were becoming clearer. “See, up until right now, I thought The Aegis wanted me dead for another reason, but even then, it didn’t make sense, because I think you wouldn’t have been so hasty. ”

Ky leaned forward on the chair and braced his forearms on his spread thighs. “You’re talking in circles. Spit it out. ”

She eyed the door, her heart pounding. “I’m a demon, ” she blurted.

Silence stretched, growing more pronounced as tension rose like an ocean swell in the space between them. Kynan’s gaze grew sharper, more focused, as though his thoughts had been distilled into a single plan, and his broad shoulders began to rise and fall more rapidly. She recognized the battle mode and braced herself.

“Is this a joke? ” he asked in a low, controlled drawl that was more terrifying than if he’d yelled. She hadn’t realized until this very moment how intimidating he could be.

Because until this moment, she hadn’t been on the receiving end of his dangerous side.

“I wish it were. ”

His right hand clenched and unclenched, drifted toward his abdomen, where, no doubt, his weapons were stashed beneath his jacket.

“I didn’t know until a few days ago, ” she said, eyeing his face and his hand alternately. He was one of the few Guardians who carried a gun, and if he decided to pull it, she had no defense. “But Jagger knew. The demon doctor he tortured told him. I thought that was why The Aegis wanted me dead. ”

“We wouldn’t have taken the word of the demon. ” He made a sound of disgust, as if the very idea made him ill. “There would have been an investigation. ”

“I know. That’s why the attempts on my life didn’t make sense. Why would Jagger have trusted Cole and Bleak with the information, but not you? Why them, specifically? It’s got to be because they’re already involved in something. ”

“The demon-snatching thing. ”

“Yes. ”

Kynan spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m not sure what I think about all this, but I need you to tell me about you. Everything. Now. ”

The military-crisp command tone ruffled every one of her feathers, but now wasn’t the time to rebel. She needed Kynan to believe her. He listened, his hand still too close to his weapons harness for comfort, as she shared all she’d learned about herself, from conception to Gem to her most recent breath. By the time she’d finished, the Aegis Regent looked worn out. Before he could speak, there was a knock at the door, and Gem entered.

“Your boys are done with their patch jobs. ”

Kynan shifted his gaze to Gem, his eyes devoid of the friendly, warm light that had been there before. “You’re sisters, ” he muttered, as though he couldn’t believe it. “Jesus Christ. You’re one of them. All this time, you’ve been treating me and my people. And you knew. ”

Gem’s expression fell, and in that moment, Tayla realized that her sister was in love with him.

And now he hated them both. Didn’t matter to him that she’d rather die than become a vicious beast. She carried the blood of one in her veins.

“I think I’m done here. ” He came to his feet in a graceful, fluid move that reminded her of how he fought, and how the more relaxed he seemed to be, the more dangerous he was.

“What are you going to do? ” Tayla moved aside as he strode toward the door.

Pausing at the threshold, he nailed her with a look as savage as she’d ever seen from him. “I don’t know, Tayla. You’ve got my cell number, so call and leave a message with a way I can contact you. But stay away from headquarters, you got it? You are no longer welcome there. ”

That hurt, more than she thought it would. “I’m the same person I was before, Ky. ”

“Yeah? ” Ky eyed her arm, where Eidolon’s markings throbbed beneath the surface. “That’s new. Demon? ”

“It’s not permanent. None of it is. ”

“You can’t change your DNA. ”

God, she was sick of hearing about D-N-fucking-A. Then again, she was just plain sick. She’d been tired for days, lightheaded all morning. On the way to the hospital, she’d lost the use of her right arm, but hadn’t told Gem. Her demon side was kicking her human side’s butt.

She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself. “I’m still human, ” she said, probably more to herself than to Ky, but he shook his head.

“You can’t be. Not if you have an ounce of demon blood in you. ” Ky clenched his fists again, his body so tense he looked as if he could crack right down the middle. “Stay away from HQ. I mean it. Come near, and there will be a price on your head. ” Slowly, he swung around to Gem, his expression a mix of sorrow and disgust. “And you. Stay away from me and my crew. If I catch you so much as breathing on them. . . ”

Shaking his head as if he couldn’t bear one more second in the same airspace with them, he swept out of the room, taking the crushing tension with him.

Remorse darkened Gem’s eyes. “That really didn’t go well, did it? ”

“It could have gone worse. ”

Gem absently rubbed her sternum, as though her heart hurt. Tayla knew the feeling. “How hard did you press him? ”

Tayla flexed and rolled her shoulders, but nothing eased the stiffness in them. “I didn’t. I’m 99 percent sure he doesn’t know anything. ”

“And if he does? ” Gem demanded. “What about my parents? ”

“We’ll get them back. ”

Gem tapped her tongue piercing against her teeth for a moment. “Did you tell him about the zoo? ”

“Hell, no. If he’s working with the Ghouls, I didn’t want to tip him off that we know about the meeting place. And if he isn’t, I didn’t want to tell him too soon. As freaked as he is, I can see him rushing over there and ruining everything. I figure I’ll call him just before we go, give him a chance to show up and see for himself what’s going on. ”

Gem swore. “I hate this. I hate sitting around and doing nothing while my parents could be suffering. ”

“I know, ” Tayla said, reaching for Gem’s hand. “But it’ll be over soon. Just a few more hours. We have to see what Kynan does now. He’ll either uncover a lot of deception within the cell, or, if he’s in on everything that’s happened, he’ll send out a squad to kill me. Either way, the shit is about to hit the fan. ”

Twenty-three

Eidolon felt like shit. Utter, stinking, shit. The kind produced by bone devils after gorging on a live meal.

He’d come to Shade’s place, the Jackson Heights apartment where his brother stayed when he was working or when he needed a normal place to bring his human sex partners. To his relief, Shade had been gone all night, which was fine because Eidolon had been too juiced to sleep, and even if he hadn’t been, he was terrified to close his eyes for fear that when he woke up, he’d have completed the s’genesis. Not that it couldn’t happen while he was wide awake, but he’d rather not waste a single moment of being who he was.

The downside was that he’d spent the entire night thinking about Tayla and the part she’d played in Roag’s death.

“Hey, man. ”

He looked up at Shade from where he sat on the balcony, looking out at the garden park below. His brother wore his usual black leather pants and jacket, and not surprisingly, he smelled of sex. “Hey. ”

“Figured you’d be at the hospital with Tay. Isn’t she supposed to be talking to her Aegis boss? ” Shade came outside, closing the sliding door behind him. “Aw, E, you look like hell. What’s up? ”

How to answer that. Shade hated Tayla enough without knowing what she’d done.

“E? ” Shade hooked a chair with his foot and planted his ass in it across from Eidolon. “You’re making me nervous. ”

“Tayla was there, ” he finally said. “She was there when Roag died. ”

Shade sucked air between clenched teeth and looked at Eidolon for a moment. “I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. We knew The Aegis was responsible. ” Shade stood. “So, you gonna sulk all day? Or do you want to catch a movie or something before the field trip to the zoo tonight? ”

Eidolon jerked in surprise. “Did you hear what I said? ”

“Your slayer might have whacked Roag. Bummer. But I’m seriously craving greasy popcorn. ”

Eidolon burst out of his chair and right up into Shade’s face. “What the fuck is your problem? ”

“My problem? ” Shade jabbed a finger at his own broad chest. “You’re the dumbass who has never seen Roag for what he was. Me and Wraith? We’re going to thank Tayla next time we see her. ”

Snarling, Eidolon seized Shade by the throat. “He was our brother. ”

“He was a monster. ” Shade bared his teeth.

“Shut up! ” Eidolon flung Shade against the balcony railing. Shade fumbled for the rail, and for a split second, it looked as if he would go over and plummet the fifteen stories to the ground. Eidolon grabbed his brother’s shirt, yanked him so hard they both stumbled backward. The scare broke his anger, but it sent Shade’s into orbit.

“You blind, self-righteous fuck! ” He shoved Eidolon into the glass door. “Do you intentionally block out how he was off screwing some whore in an alley while we were putting Wraith back together that night in Chicago? Do you not remember how he went completely batnuts after The Change, how he was raping and killing? ” Shade closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and when he opened his eyes again, his expression was softer, and so was his voice. “You know it was only a matter of time before a demon took him out. The Aegis just got to him first. ”

Eidolon swallowed. Looked down at the concrete deck. Rubbed the back of his neck but couldn’t stall any longer. Shade had him by the balls with that truth of his. “Holy hell, ” he breathed.

“Man, I know you two were close, maybe because Wraith and I left you out, what with the weird mind connection. I don’t know. ” Shade clapped a big hand down on Eidolon’s shoulder and shook his head ruefully. “I’m sorry about Roag. Sorry for you. But I was never able to grieve his loss. ”

Eidolon frowned. He and Roag had been close, but not in the way Wraith and Shade were. Even now, as he looked at his brother who, with his long hair, looked more like Wraith than Eidolon, he could feel the wall between them. A wall that had never existed between Wraith and Shade. Those two were open about everything—the phrase “too much information, ” wasn’t in their vocabulary. But Eidolon’s more reserved nature had paired well with Roag’s secretive disposition. Secretive and. . . cruel. Eidolon swayed, thankful for Shade’s bracing hold. Gods, but he’d overlooked so much. . .

“Where have you been? ” Shade snarled to Roag, as Eidolon lowered Wraith’s shattered body from the ceiling, the chains that held him clanging.

Roag sauntered across the abandoned brewery, kicking through the piles of vampire dust, looking calmly at the two left alive, cuffed to each other in a puddle of their own blood. “You two handled things well enough. ” He jerked his chin at Wraith. “Looks like you found our long-lost little brother. Not much left. Leave him. We’ll go find the whore I just balled. ”

Shade and Eidolon had known Roag for ten years before they’d found Wraith, twenty-two years old and nearly dead, but never had they seen the ice-cold side of him until that day. It had only grown worse after that, Roag’s strange jealousy of Wraith causing a rift between all of them. Eidolon had played peacemaker for decades, until Roag went through his s’genesis ten years ago.

Roag had not come out of The Change well. He’d gone mad, had been unable to control his powers and urges. Shade was right; if Roag hadn’t died when he did, he’d either have been killed by other demons, or the Seminus Council would have eventually brought him to heel, and as the next-eldest sibling, Eidolon would have been required to carry out the punishment.

“Shit. ” Eidolon sank into a chair and buried his face in his hands. “I need to talk to Tayla. ”

“Has she agreed to bond with you? ”

Eidolon looked up. “She doesn’t want me. ”

Shade crossed his arms over his chest and braced one hip on the patio railing. “She’s a fool. ”

“I can’t blame her. She thinks I want her because she’s my last resort. ”

“Is she right? ”

He swore, frustration and conflicting emotions churning in his mind. “I don’t know. ”

“What is it about her that has you all wound up? ”

A dull ache pounded in his chest. “She’s brave. Strong. What she’s lived through. ” He shook his head, amazed at her resiliency. “She does everything with so much passion, something I’ve never had. For anything—until her. ” He rubbed his breastbone as though he could relieve the empty sensation inside. “Fuck me, I love her. ”

“Well, I’d say you have your answer. She’s not a last resort. ”

“She’ll never believe that, and I don’t have time to prove it. ” He locked gazes with his brother. “I can feel The Change, Shade. I’m not going to make it through another night. ”

A pained light came into Shade’s eyes. “Maybe—”

“Don’t. I’ve already had a taste of how it’s going to be, and who I am now is not who I’ll be afterward. But I need some favors. ”

“Anything. ” Shade’s voice trembled.

“I want Tayla cared for. She’s to have full access to my bank accounts, and I want her set up in an apartment of her own. ”

“Done. What else? ”

“I need you to give her a once-over as soon as possible. ”

Shade’s brow furrowed. “For what? Oh. Oh, man, you think you knocked her up? ”

“You’ve been taking tact lessons from Wraith again, haven’t you? ” Eidolon muttered. “I doubt she carries my offspring, but if she does, she’ll need to understand that going through with the integration is the only thing that will save them both. ”

Shade shook his head. “I can’t do the procedure without you. ”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I believe you can. You’ll need Gem, though. Using your gift and her blood, you’ve got a shot. If you don’t do it, she’ll die anyway. One more thing. ” He took a deep breath and spat it out. “If I turn out like Roag—”

“You won’t, ” Shade croaked. “You won’t. ”

“Put me down. ”

“E. . . ”

“Promise me, Shade. I don’t want to live like that. You have to promise me. ”

Swallowing over and over, Shade nodded. Then he turned on his heel and headed inside. Eidolon followed. “What are you doing? ”

Shade drew to a halt in the middle of his living room, head bowed. Something plopped to the floor at his feet. A tear. “I’m calling Wraith, ” he said, his voice shot to hell. “We’re all gonna do the brother thing today, ’kay? ”

“Yeah, ” Eidolon said, his own voice cracking. “Sounds good. ”

Kynan was still reeling from his meeting with Tayla five hours earlier. He couldn’t decide which was worse: people he trusted being demons, or people in his cell lying to him. Adding to his frustration was the fact that Jagger and four other Guardians were nowhere to be found, and when he asked Lori if she’d seen anything strange going on within the cell, she’d said no and then promptly seduced him. Which wasn’t unusual or a problem—he was a guy, after all—but afterward she’d been anxious to go out hunting, when usually, daytime sex sent her into a fit of domesticity. Guardians joked that they could tell how frisky she and Ky and been by how many batches of cookies she baked in a week.

Half an hour before sunset, just as he was preparing to dial Lori for a status check, the phone rang.

“Ky. ”

“It’s Tay. ”

“What do you want? ”

Her soft sigh crackled over the bad cell connection. “I guess you haven’t learned anything. ” When he didn’t answer, because he wasn’t about to tell her that his spidey-sense was tingling, she sighed again. “We think the captured demons are being held at the old zoo. If any Guardians are involved, that’s where they’re going. Tonight. ”

Something tightened in his gut, because as much as he wanted to get to the bottom of this, if only to prove that his people weren’t involved, he was terrified that Tayla might be right.

Or it could be a trap. He couldn’t trust anything she said. Not anymore.

“Kynan? Did you hear me? ”

“Loud and clear. ”

“Okay, then. Um, see you around. ”

He hung up. Checked his watch. Tonight. It was already tonight. Quickly, he dressed to kill; leather pants, T-shirt, weapons harness, leather jacket, and finally, every fucking weapon he could load on his body. If this was a trap, he wasn’t going down easy. He was, however, going alone. If Tayla was right, he couldn’t trust any Guardians to go with him. If this was a trap, he couldn’t risk getting any of them killed.

One way or another, the truth was coming out tonight.

Twenty-four

At dusk, the abandoned zoo took on a strange life. . . one where shadows lurked in the corners of Tayla’s vision, disappearing when she’d turn her head, and where crickets chirped only in the distance, probably afraid to reveal their location because something might eat them.

Tay, Eidolon, Shade, and Wraith had come over the wall at the rear of the zoo, the plan being to locate Gem’s parents and any other imprisoned demons before Gem entered through the front. With any luck, they could free the demons and Gem would never have to set foot inside the zoo, but if she did, Luc was with her. Tay had never seen anyone as eager to fight as the huge paramedic, and even though he couldn’t take beast form without the full moon, Wraith had assured Tayla that he could hold his own. Wraith had been the one to tell her, because Eidolon wouldn’t so much as look at her. She didn’t blame him.

When she’d first seen him at the back wall, she’d wanted to throw herself at him, to apologize for her role in Roag’s death, but he’d kept his gaze averted, his fists balled at his sides. He definitely hadn’t invited conversation, and with his brothers standing there, talk would have been awkward, anyway.

As they cleared the back half of the zoo where they’d come in from over the wall, Wraith moved off on his own toward the big-cat habitats, moving silently, all coiled danger on the prowl. A moment later, Shade peeled away, slipping into the darkness and disappearing right in front of her. Eidolon hadn’t been kidding when he’d said Shade could turn to shadow in the presence of shadow.

“I’m heading to the bear pens, ” Eidolon said, his voice low, scratchy, as if he’d been up all night the night before. “Be careful. ”

“You, too. ” As per plan, she’d sweep the bird-of-prey habitat and then head to the place where Gem was supposed to meet her handlers. Tay would hide and wait to see what—or who—showed up. “Hellboy? ” She grabbed his forearm, feeling his muscles tense beneath her fingers. “Look, I know I have no right to ask this of you, but will you please not kill any humans? ”

“After what they tried to do to you, you still defend them? ”

“I want them to face Aegis justice for what they’ve done. ”

“What they’ve done is what The Aegis has taught them to do, Tayla. Do you really think they’ll be punished? ”

“If they’ve been operating against the Regents’ orders, then yes, they will. ”

Eidolon stared over her shoulder, his gaze turned inward where she couldn’t follow. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. ”

And then he was gone, and she was alone.

For the first time in her life, she didn’t like the feeling.

The bird-of-prey cages were a bust. No demons fitting Gem’s description were being held there. Some sort of winged demon occupied a cage, but having no idea if the thing was dangerous or not, Tay left it imprisoned.

Disappointed, she used abandoned buildings and trees as cover as she worked her way to the old koala habitat. Quick and sure, she slipped through underbrush and overgrown hedges, easing up to the viewing area, a pavilion built against a glass-enclosed habitat. The rustle of movement and soft crunch of footsteps on pine needles alerted her to the presence of others even before she elbowed aside some prickly branches.

What she saw nearly paralyzed her.

In the center of the pavilion, Gem knelt, head down, while Lori tied her hands behind her back. Where was Luc?

“When can I see my parents? ” Gem asked.

“I didn’t say you could speak. ” Jagger slapped her hard enough to make her nose bleed, and it took every ounce of self-restraint Tayla possessed to keep from bursting out of the bushes and tearing him apart.

Hatred and defiance blazed in Gem’s eyes, but when she slid a covert glance directly into the brush where Tayla crouched, one corner of her mouth turned up in satisfaction. Emotion nearly sapped Tay’s strength at the realization that struck her. Gem wasn’t afraid, wasn’t even worried. No, she knew that as grim as her situation appeared to be, nothing bad would happen to her. She had backup. She had Tay and Eidolon and his brothers. She had family.

Yeah, they were all one big, happy demon family. And Tayla needed to put a crush on the sap factor, because the mission hadn’t ended yet. It was time to put on the game face and worry about touchy-feely moments later.

Lori finished securing Gem’s wrists. Jagger checked the knot, and then, in a move that shocked Tayla to the core, he grabbed Lori by the hair and brought her face to his. “I wish we could kill her. ”

“We have orders. ”

“Yes, ” he murmured, and ran one finger over her lips. “But someday, I want to make love to you in the blood of our kill. ”

Dear God. They were lovers. Twisted, evil lovers. Though Tayla had to admit that Lori didn’t appear to be thrilled at the idea of rolling around naked in demon blood. In fact, when he kissed her, practically crawling down her throat, she struggled against his hold.

“What. The. Fuck. ”

Oh, shit. Kynan stood at the far side of the koala viewing area, his expression a mixture of shock, devastation, and rage. Lori gasped and jumped away from Jagger as if her husband hadn’t already seen her kissing another man.

“Kynan—” she said, but he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on Jagger, and there was murder in his eyes. The men stood deadly still, and then, like two rival lions, they met in a furious explosion of blood and limbs.

“Dammit. ” Tay burst from the foliage and darted toward Gem. Sobbing, Lori backed away from the battle, her hand over her mouth as if she wanted to scream. But she didn’t. She turned on her heel and bolted.

Tayla grabbed Gem and dragged her out of the way of the two men, who didn’t care what got in the way. Ky and Jagger, both expert fighters, were normally graceful, purposeful, beautiful to watch in combat. But not tonight. Tonight was about pain—who could dish out the most and draw the most blood. There was nothing graceful or beautiful about it. This was raw, brutal, a fight to the death.

“Sister? ”

Tayla tore her rubbernecking gaze away from the battle. “Sister? ” It was the first time she’d been addressed that way. Sister. It felt strange. But good.

“Yes, sister, ” Gem said. “But yo, I’m the tied-up twin. ”

“Right. ” Tay whipped out her stang and sliced through the ropes binding her sister’s wrists. “Where’s Luc? ”

“I made him stay at the front when my parents hadn’t made it through the gate by the time I was supposed to meet my contacts here. ”

“Find them, ” Tayla said. “I’m going after Lori. ”

“But Ky—”

“He can handle himself. Go! ”

After casting Kynan a worried glance, Gem took off, and Tayla sprinted in the direction Lori had gone.

Aside from being extremely annoyed, Gem’s parents were no worse for wear when Eidolon released them from the polar-bear enclosure. He sent them on the run with instructions to find Luc out front, and then he released a corpse-eating demon and dispatched a mamu, a demon that ate humans and that didn’t need to be on the loose in New York City.

As he slipped away from the bear exhibit, he heard a sound. Thumps. Spinning, he came face to face with three Aegi who had leaped from a rock wall to the ground. He recognized one from Tayla’s apartment. . . the one he hadn’t killed, and dammit, he should have, because the slayer recognized him, too.

“He’s a demon, ” Bleak said, and the three immediately spread out, circling. “He killed Cole. ”

The dark-haired one with glasses looked Eidolon up and down, measuring him, and then, in a coordinated move, launched a morning star as Bleak swung a machete.

Eidolon blocked the machete, but the star caught him in the chest. Something blunt mashed a kidney. Hot streaks of agony rose up from his wounds. He grunted, managed to wrestle the machete away from Bleak. The next few moments were a blur of fists, steel, and feet.

When they came apart, Eidolon was still trapped, his left leg wasn’t working right, and blood ran freely into one eye. The slayers were panting, bleeding, but he’d held back, Tayla’s plea to spare them ringing in his head. On the other hand, they outnumbered and outweaponed him. If he didn’t kill them, they were going to turn him into mulch.

The right side of his face pulsed. An injury. . .

He froze. Not an injury, not with the way his face burned as though it had been branded. Not with the way his vision had gone sharp and red, as if he could see the aggression around him as well as smell it.

The Change.

Time was up. Game over.

The urge to shift into something huge and scary made him moan with anticipation. He wanted to tear the slayers apart, feel their bones break between his jaws. And then he’d hunt down their females and—

No. Gods, no. Cold sweat broke out all over his body. He would not turn out like Roag. He would not force his brothers to kill him, or worse, force Tayla to do the deed.

Tayla.

Pain ripped through his chest, pain that had nothing to do with what the slayers had done to him. He hadn’t had nearly enough time with her, hadn’t opened his heart soon enough. And now he’d never know the feel of her tender touch again. The next time she saw him, he’d be the beast she had believed him to be from the beginning.

A bolt of hell no shot through him like summer lightning. Roag should have been put down at the time of his transition. Eidolon would be.

He tore the morning star from where it had lodged in his right pec, and smiled. “Well, Aegi, seems like it’s your lucky day. ”

Gem raced out the zoo’s front entrance, nearly knocking over Shade, who was rushing inside.

“Your parents are fine. I found them wandering around, looking for Luc. ” He cocked a thumb over his shoulder. “They’re over there. Worried as hell about you. ”

“Thank you. ” She grasped his forearm before he could take off. “Make sure Tayla is okay. Please? ”

“It’s what Eidolon wants, ” was all he said. Like a phantom, he stepped into a shadow and disappeared.

“Gem! ” Her father’s voice, as full of emotion as she’d ever heard it, called out to her. Within seconds, both parents had engulfed her in a hug, something as rare as the Amazonian orchids her mother collected.

She hugged them back. “I’m so glad you’re okay. ”

“What’s going on in there? ” her mom asked, as they broke apart. “Can we go home now? ”

Gem dragged in a breath. “I want you to go home. I have to stay. I have to make sure Tayla is okay. ”

“Tayla? ” her parents said in unison.

“I’ll explain later. But you have to trust me. ” She glanced at Luc. “Can you make sure they get home safely? ”

“Do I look like a taxi driver? ” He growled low in his throat, obviously disappointed that he couldn’t kick some ass inside the zoo. “Yeah. Whatever. ”

“Gem, no. You’re a doctor. And part human. You shouldn’t—”

“Mom. ” She reached out, cupped her mom’s cheek in a loving gesture she’d never made before. “I’m also a Soulshredder. I know you’ve tried to pretend I’m a Sensor, but it’s time to face reality. I was built to take care of myself. And I need to do this. ”