Death Wish (19 page)

“He offered me everything. Protection, power, sex, an endless supply of victims. He would have given me anything I’d asked for. But, what he wanted most was my vow that you and I would stay out of his way. Since I don’t know what our true purpose is, I refused.”

“Why the hell would you not tell me this?” I hissed. “If I’d known, I would never have agreed to work with him.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you.” Arys pulled me to a stop when we reached the perimeter of the church’s property. He spoke fast and low. “It doesn’t all have to be blood and death. You have power that puts you in a position to do a lot of good and to get as much from your arrangement with Shya as he gets from you. Hidden opportunities, Alexa. Seek them.”

We stepped onto the church grounds, and immediately I felt the unrest in the earth. It had been a long time since anyone had attended services in this building.

A cacophony of noise drew us past the church. Chants, shouts and words spoken in other tongues created an eerie mess of sound. The glow of firelight cut through the darkness ahead. Arys released my hand seconds before we stepped into the light. I was not prepared for what I saw.

A tall iron fence surrounded a graveyard filled with old, worn headstones. A few large trees dispersed throughout gave it a splash of color amid the grey stones. At the farthest end of the graveyard, a bonfire burned. Several people formed a wide circle around it, many of them clad in dark robes.

Other small groups of people moved in the darkness, away from the firelight. It took me a moment to realize that most of them were engaged in various sexual acts. My attention was drawn to Shya where he stood just outside the circle. His wings were flared out behind him like massive black shadows. The firelight glinted off his skin, casting him in an orange glow. He was focused on something taking place near the fire, something everyone was watching.

The scent of blood and sex mingled into a tantalizing aroma. I’d never been so grateful to sate the bloodlust, especially when I saw what was going on inside the circle.

A young woman lay bound and naked on the grass. A blindfold covered her eyes. The demon thrusting into her from behind wore an expression of sordid ecstasy. His eyes were pure black, deep dark pools. The woman writhed and cried out in pleasure.

My mouth went dry, and I forced back a wave of nausea. What in the hell was going on here? I looked to Arys for some kind of unspoken support. The intrigue on his handsome face turned my stomach.

Shya turned slightly and met my gaze. His grim smile chilled me. He motioned for me to join him, and I refused by remaining rooted to where I stood.

Tearing my gaze from the disturbing scene by the fire, I scanned the others in the vicinity. I didn’t see Kale anywhere. To reach out for his energy I’d have to drop my shields. I wasn’t sure I was ready to do that yet.

Several of those present were demons, half a dozen maybe. Everyone else was human, a fact that disappointed and frightened me. I could almost hear all the flippant comments Jez and Arys often made about humans being just as evil as the rest of us if not more so. I knew it was true. A monster is a monster, regardless of the face it wears or the name given to it. We were all monsters in our own way. It was tragic really.

I stood there, a murderer with hungers and intents as ill as any, and I judged those around me. It wasn’t that I thought I was better than them; I just couldn’t bring myself to accept that I was one of them.

The force of the energy swirling and pulsing around us pressed against my shields, and I had to focus hard to keep them in place. I didn’t think Arys was shielding at all. From the strange interest on his face and the huge pupils he was rocking, I’d have to say no.

The chant I’d been hearing grew in volume as the excitement of those around the fire rose. It gave me a bad feeling. It sounded like Latin. Coming to this party of the damned didn’t seem like a great idea.
Dammit Kale, where are you?

I watched with increasing unease as the fornicating couple quickened their pace. If this was what Shya liked to do in his free time that was fine, but I didn’t want any part of it. As I watched, the sick feeling that this wasn’t going to end well filled me.

Shouts, moans and cries filled the graveyard. I stood frozen, holding my breath. The demon having illicit sex with the human woman held my attention. Something about him triggered my wolf’s wariness.

His movements were smooth, carefully calculated. He drove the woman into a frenzy until she was begging him for more. It was impossible to look away. Something big was coming, something other than the obvious.

Then I saw it: the flash of firelight on a blade. I didn’t see him draw it, but the demon suddenly held a large knife in one hand. A surge of excited energy slapped against my shields and created a heavy pressure in my mind. The crowd was waiting for this moment.

The demon grabbed a handful of the woman’s hair and violently jerked her head back. He slid that knife across her throat like it was butter. Blood poured forth, spattering the ground. The woman made a strangled sound and fell face down in the grass.

I was awestruck with horror when the demon soaked his hands in her blood before smearing it on his face and body. Horror turned to absolute disgust. The demon slammed the knife into the woman’s chest and then reached in to tear her heart out.

He raised the bloody mass to his lips, and I looked away. I didn’t want these images to live inside me forever. I would never be able to un-see this night. I hated Shya so much in that moment.

A shriek drew me back to the commotion near the fire. Several of the robed gatherers were dipping their fingers in blood and decorating their faces in wicked war paint. Their chant grew louder until I was fighting the urge to cover my ears.

From the fire, balls of flame shot into the sky. The chanters fell all over one another in a frenzy of sex. The demon walked around the fire like a self-appointed crimson god, drinking in the essence of sex, bloodshed and sacrifice.

Shya stepped away from the insanity and fixed his attention on us. I glanced nervously at Arys, wishing I could grab onto him for support but knowing Shya would see it for what it was: weakness.

Arys appeared completely unaffected by what we’d just seen. No emotion showed on his face. Sure, he’d had centuries to perfect his poker face, but it struck me as cold. Did he like what he just saw? Or, was he simply unfazed by it?

Shya stopped several yards away and leaned casually against a headstone. He beckoned to me with little more than a crooked finger.

“I knew you wouldn’t come alone.” Shya greeted us with a slight nod. Decked out in Armani or something like it, he gave us both a slow, appraising once over, scowling upon noticing the cross I wore. He held Arys’s gaze longer than necessary. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Knight. I trust you’re just here to observe.”

With eyes narrowed, Arys pinned the demon with a scathing look. “I guess that remains to be seen.”

I broke in before Shya could give voice to the spark of venom in his scarlet snake eyes. “I’ve seen more than enough stomach turning debauchery for one night, Shya. Can we skip ahead to the part where you make my life hell? It is coming, isn’t it?”

I smiled so tight it hurt, not entirely feeling it but refusing to show any true emotion. Shya mirrored my smile with one of his own. There was nothing friendly about it.

“We’re team players here, Alexa. You’ve always been a good member of the team, so I’ll give you the opportunity to explain to me why I shouldn’t destroy Kale.” Shya held my gaze, watching closely for my reaction. “I have little use for those willing to double cross me. But, you would never do that. Would you, Alexa?”

A dizzying wave of shock and fear slapped me. I was momentarily speechless. “Not intentionally.”

“Of course not.” Shya’s tone oozed with condescension. “And, I’m sure I would be correct in assuming that Kale’s actions were entirely his own. You were in no way involved.”

Now I was confused. What had Kale done? “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” I wanted to ask where Kale was but feared the answer.

Those red eyes bore into me as Shya tried to decide if I was lying. I could feel Arys’s watchful gaze. He had to be curious now, thinking I’d gotten myself into trouble again. This time I was in the dark. I didn’t know what was going on, but someone had better start talking.

“Alright. Then I suppose I should enlighten you.” Shya made a small hand gesture, and the back door of the church swung open.

It was dark inside, revealing nothing. A moment later Falon appeared in the doorway. Son of a bitch. Did he follow Shya everywhere like a lost puppy or what?

Falon shoved two bound and battered forms ahead of him where they fell down the church steps onto the grass. The glow of the firelight landed upon them, and I saw that Kale and the dreamwalker, though alive, had certainly been subjected to abuse.

I lunged forward, intent on getting to Kale. Arys stopped me with a hand on my wrist in a vice-like grip. I tried to shake him off, but he held tight. I couldn’t read his expression, though, the moment our skin touched, the power sizzled between us with a cool sense of displeasure.

Shya placed himself between his two beaten captives and me. I couldn’t take my eyes off Kale. His face was a bloody mess. Bruises colored his skin in an assortment of black and purple shades. The way he leaned awkwardly indicated broken bones, most likely ribs. I knew without a doubt Falon had been the torture-happy fiend behind the physical abuse. I wanted to kill him.

“So it appears,” Shya began with a devilish expression. “That Kale somehow got it into his head that he needed to save this young man from me. I can’t imagine where he may have gotten that from. Can you?”

No. Please no.
I concentrated on taking deep breaths. I felt lightheaded, like I may pass out.

“Please, Shya don’t-,”

“That’s enough!” He cut me off with an unseen force that shattered my shields. “It is not your place to decide who needs to be saved. I’ve always admired you for being a fighter, Alexa, but you will not interfere with my decisions. Since that wasn’t already clear to you, I see I must make myself understood.”

Panic crawled up my throat, choking off my reply. I watched with growing distress as Shya approached the dreamwalker. The kid looked up at him with little fear. He was already beyond it, ready to accept what came next. The need to do something filled me, but I had no power here. Not over Shya or Falon. I was useless.

Shya ran a hand lightly over the boy’s hair. There was no reaction. The dreamwalker stared off toward the fire, as if he saw nothing of his reality. His short life had already been filled with the torment of his power. Wasn’t that enough?

I sensed Shya’s next move seconds before it occurred. I jerked away from Arys and almost fell in my haste. My shout of protest was cut short when Shya grabbed the boy’s head in both hands and with immense strength, tore it from his body.

Blood and gore spattered Kale and the surrounding grass. Shya stepped back to survey his work before looking my way. An anguished growl built in my throat, spilling out uncontrollably.

“You didn’t have to kill him!”

A flap of big black wings sent a ripple of energy over me that was like poison. Brief but potent, it burned me metaphysically, leaving me shaken and gasping for air.

“Yes, I did.” Shya’s eyes flashed with malice. “The boy was already a mental shell. This interference merely crushed what was left of him, rendering him useless.”

There was no reasoning with a demon. The argument died on my lips. There was nothing I could say. The dreamwalker was dead because I had shown concern for him.

The party taking place around the fire was in full swing. Nobody had noticed what just happened, or if they had, they simply didn’t care. How could it be that I was involved in a world so dark? So evil? I had never longed to be sitting at home with a family, a television set and two point five kids until that moment. Oh, to be normal and ignorant.

Ignoring the dreamwalker’s body, Shya walked a slow circle around Kale. My guts tightened, and I thought I might be sick.

“Now comes the fun part.” The demon stopped behind Kale, close enough to touch, but his deadly gaze was upon me. “You get to decide Kale’s fate, Alexa. On my terms, of course.” He paused, letting the horror wash over my face before he continued.

“You can watch while I kill him. Or, if you prefer, you can spare his life. On one condition.” Like a reality TV show host, Shya paused for dramatic emphasis. “You take his place.”

“What?” I said in the same moment both Arys and Kale shouted, “No!”

Our reactions must have been what he wanted because Shya chuckled. “Much like the wolf I handed over to you, I will do the same with Kale. He becomes your responsibility. In exchange for sparing his pitiful existence, you will accept his debt owed to me as your own.”

Stunned was just scratching the surface of what I felt. This was beyond cruel. Shya was working an angle. Always a goddamn angle!

“There must be another way.” I chose my words carefully, hoping I wouldn’t make matters worse than they already were. “You know I can’t pay any debt. I know you’re pissed, Shya, but that’s not fair.”

“Not fair?” Falon spoke up like the obnoxious interloper that he was. “You very well could have traded places with
her
tonight.” He indicated the desecrated corpse of the naked woman near the fire. Then he smiled.