Dangerous Dalliances (Maxwell Investigations) (18 page)

“What
have you done?” Pan screamed.

Alex
watched as
Morrigan’s
body fell to the ground. His
lips pressed together when he saw Madison appear in front of him. “Mom,” he
said tightening his grip on his gun.

Madison
growled as she stepped closer. “This was supposed to be my kill,” she told him.
When Alex puffed his chest out, she grinned. “Not bad, Jailbait,” she whispered
touching his broken arm. She looked at Victor as she quickly pushed her magic
into Alex’s wound. Her eyes turned to Pan. “It’s all for nothing now,” she said
with a shake of her head.

Pan
struggled against Victor. “I’ll kill you boy,” he growled. “I swear to you, I
will kill you.”

Victor
rolled his eyes before slicing his throat. As the old Necromancer fell to his
knees, Victor quickly stepped back and removed his head. The vampire looked at
the demon posing as his daughter. “Will you release her now? Vengeance has been
had. Both
Morrigan
and Pan are dead and there is no
need for you to be here.”

Madison’s
crimson eyes glowed as she laughed. “That’s cute. You think I can release her
like she’s some tiger in the wild.” A flux of power brushed over her making her
move away from Alex. “Unfortunately, Madison and I are a matched set now. Too
much time has passed and we’ve been getting along like real BFFs. So I’m
keeping her.” She turned just in time to block the blade coming at her.
 
Her eyes narrowed as she looked into Dylan’s
angered eyes. “You must really want me to kill you,” she growled before kicking
her away. As Dylan moved back, Madison noted that her sister carried a scythe
with ease.

“You
mean throwing me off of a building wasn’t trying to kill me?” Dylan asked outraged.

“Oh
please
,” Madison drawled. Her ruby scythe appeared in her hands when she
saw Crispin and
Nico
run down the streets towards
them. “Besides the fact that I knew the Gargoyle would catch you, you would
have only broken an ankle.
And possibly a nail.”
She
rushed forward and attacked Dylan. “But you just don’t seem to know when to
stay the fuck out of my way!”

Dylan
pushed her back and tripped her. Madison rolled to her
knees,
she swung her weapon and growled as Madison’s own blade blocked her. “You want
me to just stand by and watch as you try to kill us all?” she asked in outrage.
“I’m supposed to just stand by and smile while you almost kill Dad? Say
it’s
okay when you traumatize the boys after you nearly kill
Troy? It doesn’t work that way Madison!”

Madison’s
eyes glowed as she jumped to her feet. “How is it supposed to work, Dylan?” she
challenged. When they locked blades again, Madison quickly turned hers making
Dylan spin around. “I’m supposed to play nice with everyone but they all treat
me like I’m the town pariah? I have to become the fragile princess kept happy
in the tower while everyone else around me lives? I refuse to be a damn trophy.
I would rather be a nightmare.”

Dylan
dodged and parried Madison’s precise swings. She quickly wrapped her arms
around Madison’s body and pulled her close. “Grow up, Madison,” she spat. She
fell back when Madison slammed her forehead into her chin. “We didn’t treat you
like a trophy or a nightmare. You closed yourself off from us. You turned your
back on us when all we’ve done was
try
to help you.”
She blocked another blow and tripped Madison. “And all you’ve done was
punish
us for something that we didn’t even do to you.”

Madison
kicked Dylan’s knee out from under her. As Dylan fell forward, Madison banished
her scythe. She quickly moved and pinned her sister under her. Without a
thought, Madison wrapped her hands around Dylan’s throat and leaned forward as
she cut off her air supply. “And none of you have been punished enough,” her
demonic voice growled. She started to blink rapidly as Dylan struck at her
wrists.

Something
in Dylan’s heart died at the words that escaped Madison’s mouth. Her eyes
glowed vibrantly as she threw Madison off of her and into a car. “Fine,” she
said as she stood. Dylan picked up her scythe and transmuted it into a pair of
swords. When Madison started to move, Dylan waved a hand. Chains wrapped around
Madison’s chest and arms, pinning her into place. “You’re Maleficent,” she said
darkly. Her eyes were filled with rage as she glared into tear filled cinnamon
colored eyes. “Then I guess that makes me the Queen of Hearts,” she said before
rushing at Madison. “And I want your fucking head!”

Madison
looked into her sister’s eyes and smiled as tears fell down her face. “I love
you,
Dyl
,” she said whispered.

The
momentum from Dylan’s arm didn’t stop. Madison tilted her chin back as she felt
the bite of steel at the side of her throat. Her entire body warmed as
everything around them went white.

Sloane
fell to his knees as he finally called his magic back. He, Eric and Tina spent
the better part of the morning at the construction site across town molding and
working on a way to close the Gate. He sat up and wiped away the sweat forming
on his brow. A sigh escaped him as he stood and brushed his hand along the side
of the large horn he constructed. “Aside from the building, this is the largest
thing I’ve ever had to craft,” he told them.

Eric
smiled as he thought of the apartment building his husband owned. His smile
then faded when he remembered the danger his sisters and brothers were in.
“Okay, so there’s a song of suffering that the first horns blew. This should
amplify the song of creation Lily found in her research.”

Tina
nodded as she looked around the area they were in. It was a typical quarry, but
now there was a metal horn standing five stories high. “Do it,” she said as the
ground rumbled beneath her feet again. “We’re going to have a hard enough time
trying to suppress all of this.”

Eric
kissed Sloane and smiled at him. “Here’s my shot at being on
American Idol
,”
he joked.

Sloane
laughed as he stepped back with Tina. “That’s so lame,” he chuckled. “You’d do
better on
The Voice
.” His attention turned to his mother-in-law when
Eric cleared his throat and started to sing the melody he memorized.

For
a long moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly another Gate opened in a flash
of white. Tina instantly summoned various guardians from her gems, as well as
weapons. Her eyes remained focused on the four figures that appeared before them.

Sloane
lowered his arm from his eyes and gasped when he looked at the new arrivals.
“Oh fuck, we had it wrong,” he said in a breath.

“What?”
Tina asked in a whisper.

Wide
eyes remained focused on the four men in front of him. Each stood with
feathered wings of various colors. “The girls weren’t the four horsemen,”
Sloane said as one focused his attention on him. “I think they are.”

“You
would be correct,” the one with blood red wings said. As he stepped forward,
the guardians Tina summoned each fell to their knees in a respectful bow. “What
you have sealed away or summoned, you would think of as our children.”

Tina
felt her anger rise the closer he came to her. “Two of those girls are mine. I
gave birth to them. And I know I was never with anyone that looks like you.”

The
man with red wings frowned as he looked at Tina. “War, she doesn’t know any
better. Stand down,” the man with dove grey wings ordered.

War
looked at Tina and flexed his wings. He tried not to smirk when Tina started to
blink and loosen the grip on her weapons. “I said what you would
think
of as our children. When each of these four
were
born,
part of our essence, for lack of a better term, was born with them.”

“Seals
were made to either enhance their natures when the time came for it. But it
appears that at least one became a little overzealous,” the one with the grey
wings commented. He then turned dark eyes to the one still staring at Sloane.
“Death tends to have that little flaw.”

Tina
looked at War and Death for a long moment before noticing the only one with
white wings. He stood completely transfixed on Eric. “Back off of my son,” she
ordered.

Famine
turned away from the object of his fascination and smiled. “Sorry, habit.”

Conquest
shook his head slowly as he sighed. “Brothers, we have to seal the Gates to
Abaddon,” he said moving away from Tina.

For
the first time since his arrival, Death looked away from Sloane. “They will do
well during the judgment,” he said before vanishing.

Tina’s
heart sank. “What is he talking about?” she asked Conquest. When he stayed
silent, she came forward and grabbed his arm. “They’re my daughters, and my son
is love with another. Please, tell me.”

Conquest
looked into her eyes for a long moment. “You will come with us,” he declared.
When Eric and Sloane started to protest, they all vanished in a flash of white
light.

* *
* * *

Siobhan
groaned as she opened her eyes. She wasn’t lying on the forest ground like she hoped.
A vast landscape stretched out in front of her. Lavender eyes scanned the area
and saw another blonde woman standing a few feet away. A sinking feeling
settled in her stomach as the stranger turned, and was nearly mirror image of
her. “What the hell is this?” she asked backing away.

“This
is the part of me that lives in you,” Conquest said as he appeared between the
two women.

For
a moment, Siobhan was struck speechless. The being in front of her was
beautiful. His body looked as if a Grecian artist had crafted it. Dirty blonde
hair fell around his shoulders in waves. Eyes the color of the darkest night
looked her over, assessing her the same way she did him. A heavy blush crossed
Siobhan’s face as what he said started to sink in. “A part of you lives inside
of me?” she asked. When he nodded at her, she folded her arms over her chest.
“That’s rather rude. You could at least buy me dinner first.”

Conquest
laughed at her. She was terrified. Her hands had been shaking and she had no
idea how to react to him. But she still found the courage to talk back to him.
With a wave of his hand, the doppelganger vanished. As she blinked at him, he
watched her with careful eyes. “Why did you accept the demon?” he asked.

She
wanted to lie. There were things in her past she wanted to stay buried. As her
lips parted, she knew she would only tell the angel in front of her the truth.
“Because I wanted revenge,” she said lowly. When his eyebrow arched, she
continued. “My father raped my mother and got her pregnant with me. After years
of being apart, he came for her again. Only this time he killed her.” Conquest
continued to frown at her, she shook her head. “We may not have had the best
relationship, but she was my mother. I couldn’t let it go. I needed to see him
dead.”

Conquest
nodded as he thought about what she said. Siobhan never wanted crowns, power or
glory. She had been ready to saddle herself with an entire kingdom that would
kill her in her sleep, simply to avenge her mother. “If it is decreed that you
must carry the demon inside of you, what would you do?”

Siobhan
looked at him for a moment. This was another test. “I’ll deal with it,” she
said slowly. Just as she was about to move around him, he stepped in her way
again. “What do you want me to say? Dealing with the hand that was dealt to me
is something that I learned over the years. I can’t tell you that I can control
it, but I can also tell you I don’t want to unleash it.”

His
stare held her captive. “You don’t want to unleash it,” he echoed. “What will
you do the next time someone slights you?”

“I
have my own powers. The only thing that thing inside of me did was whisper in
my ear. It wanted revenge. To conquer and rule and to stand against any that
would try to stop me.” Siobhan moved away from Conquest and tried to breathe.
After a moment, her shoulders fell. She turned to him and held her chin high.
“I’ll accept any punishment you feel is appropriate. But if you’re asking if I
want that piece of you back, I’ll be honest and say no.”

Conquest
looked at her for a long moment. “Accepted,” he said simply. When Siobhan
opened her mouth to question him, he touched her face. “Now, we will hear the
others,” he said quietly.

* *
* * *

Dylan
fell forward as she appeared in the vacant white space. She looked around
wildly as she balled her empty hands into fists. Adrenalin pumped through her
system when she laid eyes on a monster of a man. She stayed silent as he
approached her. His pale brown eyes stayed focused on her as he held up the
diamond box that contained her seal.

“I
don’t know if I should be impressed by your ingenuity and your strength, or if
I should be dumbfounded by your anger,” War said softly. He watched the way she
pressed her lips together and nodded. “You’re gathering information to fight
your way out,” he said with a sigh. “Very well, I’ll give you want you want.
This is your judgment. I am War, the second Horseman.”

“I
thought I was the second Horseman,” Dylan said.

War
shook his head. “You have a piece of me in you. At any given time you can tap
into my power and use it as your own. It can come in handy if you know how to
control it.”

Dylan’s
hands shook as she forced them open. “I lost control,” she admitted with a
frown. She then looked at the box War held. “But the seal shouldn’t have any
effect on me.”

“The
seals are like a key,” War explained. “You already have the power inside of
you, and any of you could have reached it at any given time. The seals would
have been like a shortcut.”

Dylan
ran a hand through her hair as she took a slow breath. “What happens now?” When
he looked at her, she clarified what she meant. “Do you strip me of your power?
I’ve already proven I can’t control it. Am I sentenced to death because I tried
to stop Madison?”

War
looked at her with curious honey colored eyes. “Do you want to be executed?”

“No,”
she said quickly. “I like my life. I love my life actually.”

“Including
the part where you had to fight your sister?”

“Of course not.”
Dylan’s eyes
started to harden as she looked at War. “I love my sister, but that
thing
was
not
Madison.”

A
sad smile crossed his face. “That was the part of your sister that had always
been kept behind the smiles and sarcasm. Just like this is
the
you
under the calm intelligence.”

A
mirror appeared in front of Dylan’s face. She stood horrified as she watched
her final bout with Madison. A gasp escaped her when she saw Madison look at
her with normal eyes. “She was back,” she whispered. Tears filled her eyes as
her sword met Madison’s neck. “I killed her for no reason?”

War
looked at her. “You let your temper and your fears get the better of you.” He
saw the destroyed look in her eyes and pulled his shoulders back. “You dropped
the ball, Dylan, and your punishment has been decided.”

Dylan
barely registered his words. She fell to her knees as Siobhan and another man
appeared next in the room with them. “I killed her,” she breathed.

Siobhan
knelt next to Dylan. “I don’t think she’s dead,” she said softly. When Dylan
looked at her, she offered her a small smile. “Have confidence. Your sister is
very hard to kill.”

* *
* * *

Lily
appeared in the empty white room and glared at the angelic looking man in front
of her. “What have you done with Barry and the others?” she asked sharply.

Famine
smiled at her. “They’re safe.
Or as safe as they could be
with the Gates to Abaddon still open.”

“You
haven’t closed them?” she asked. When he shook his head, she barely held back a
growl. “Of all the irresponsible...” she trailed off as she started to pace.
“Why are you waiting?” she demanded.

“You
know who I am?” he asked in turn.

She
stopped moving and rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing you’re the Nephilim Famine.
You and your brothers are the last beings that have Angelic and Demonic blood
and can travel from Realm to Realm. When any of the Gates open, you four show
up and pass judgment.” She noted his stunned expression and shrugged. “I like
to read,” she said plainly.

“It’s
because you crave knowledge,” Famine said at last. When she showed no reaction,
he started to circle her. “I’ve been watching you. Lilavanti, the good little
Succubus. You never feed enough. You try to hide behind bulky clothes and
glasses that you’ll never need. Do you really think you can be content living
the way you were?”

“No,”
she answered honestly. She saw the way his eyes gleamed and smiled sweetly.
“But I could be happy with Barry.”

Famine’s
good mood changed. “It won’t last,” he argued. “I’ve seen so many young couples
pledge their love and promise forever. Then somewhere down the line, be it
years, or months, even weeks, it always turns to dust. Your mage will be no
different.” He saw the way she pulled her shoulders back. “Deny it all you
want, you know I’m right.”

Lily
felt his words like a blow to the heart, but she wouldn’t show Famine how his
words hurt. “You don’t know that for sure,” she argued.

“Please,”
Famine cut in, “if I’m so wrong, explain how Maury
Povich
,
Bill Cunningham and Jeremy Kyle still have paychecks.”

A
frown crossed her face at the mention of the daytime talk show hosts. She shook
her head, knowing that he was only trying to distract her from her point. “I’m
not a fool. All of this could be over in an instant. A few years from now,
Barry could find someone he would rather be with, or I could. But what you are
missing is that he loves me right now.
Wings, tail, big
clothes and all.
I will not walk away from him willingly.” Her cold jade
eyes locked with Famine’s crystal clear ones. “I will fight you with everything
that I am if you’ve allowed him to be harmed.”