Redemption (A NOVEL OF THE SEVEN SIGNS) (44 page)

He knew that look. He’d worn it himself enough times. “Rose, look at me.”

She turned away, fumbling with her hair.

He flitted up, and swiftly made himself decent. His skin still smelled of her, rich and feminine. A trickle of her blood still painted his breastplate. He hadn’t had the patience to get naked. He’d needed to have her. Needed to take what he wanted at last. He wasn’t sorry, except for the not-naked part. To feel her rough dark hair sliding over his chest, her mouth on his skin…

He tugged her elbow, forcing her to face him. His deep
purple glow flowed over her, a dark caress. He could already taste her kiss, her sighs, her luscious mouth…

“Look at me,” he repeated softly. “It’s done. I can’t go back. I don’t
want
to go back.”

“Yes, you do!” Tears fired her eyes. “It’s all you care about. Don’t let me ruin that! I’m not worth it.”

“You
are
worth it.” He grabbed her hand, kissed it. It felt cold under his lips. She was shaking. “I drank a demon’s blood, Rose. Begged him to curse me, and got off on it when it happened. It felt fucking fantastic. That’s a wicked, evil, perverted thing to do and they’ll never, ever forgive me so long as eternity lasts.”

Rose trembled. “Let me go, Japheth. Please…”

He pulled her closer, tilted her chin up with his thumb. “I don’t care what they think anymore. I care what you think. I’ve cared about nothing else since the moment we met.”

“Stop it.”

“No. I won’t.” Violet rage spilled over him, howling against everything that had ever kept them apart. But it wasn’t frigid anger. It was hot, burning, scarlet and gold with hellfire.

Evil delight licked in his blood. He didn’t hesitate. He just let the truth spill out, wild and unfettered and so damn beautiful he wanted to die.
The truth will make you free
…

“I crave you, Rose Harley. I think about you every moment of every day—”

“Japheth—”

“Shh.” He touched his finger to her lips. “I’m not finished. Your every word mesmerizes me. I get dizzy just thinking about your eyes. I walk around drenched in your scent and the memory of your touch, and I’ve nearly gotten myself killed a dozen times because I’m too busy thinking about how I can persuade you to touch me again. And now that I’ve loved you—”

His throat parched, a driving thirst that nearly undid him. He wanted to tilt her head back, bare that delicate throat… “Now that I’ve been inside you, and taken you inside me? You are fucking
insane
if you think I’ll let you just walk away.”

*   *   *

Rose stared, and her heart ripped raw.

So beautiful, this hell-cursed angel. His wings glowed violet, his hair rippling azure and scarlet like sunset sky. Indigo lightning crackled between his fingers, and he stared at her with fiery eyes, bleeding out with rage and desire…

“No,” she stammered. “This isn’t happening. You can’t just…”

“I can. I will. Be with me, Rose, and let’s watch the world burn.”

“Stop it!” Her voice split raw. “Stop pretending you don’t believe.”

“Why?” He stroked her cheek, warm. “They don’t believe in me. I should’ve realized that a long time ago.”

“But…you said we could all be forgiven. It has to be true! Or…” Her voice choked.
Or Bridie’s in hell forever. And I left her there.

“I lied.” Japheth’s gaze burned black. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. But I couldn’t see the truth. It’s all just a game. There is no forgiveness, Rose. Damnation is forever.” He leaned closer, his gaze drifting down to her mouth. “So let’s be damned together, if that’s what they want.”

She flailed, fighting him off. “Stop it. I won’t listen…”

He dropped to one knee, and captured one of her hands. His eyes blazed so bright, so candid. She couldn’t look away. “I’ve never been in love, Rose. I thought, once…but that was just…” His face colored. “Well, it doesn’t matter. But I think…” He swallowed. “I think I’m—”

“Don’t you dare!” She hit him. “Don’t you
dare
put this onto me, you bastard. You think you’re in love with me? After one fuck? That is so damn pathetic, I don’t have the words.”

The flame in his eyes drained silver. He touched his bleeding mouth, and in an ugly sparkle of bitter-stinking ash, it healed over. “Is that what you call everything we’ve been through together?”

Guilt tore her to shreds. The sight of his hellmagic made her cringe. He’d been so pure. Now, she’d spoiled him.
“Barely,” she spat. “Over kind of quickly, wasn’t it? I hope for your sake you’re just out of practice.”

“Rose—”

“Shut up. Just shut up.” She choked on acid sobs.
You betrayed me, angel!
she wanted to howl.
You said we could be forgiven and I believed you. And now we’re both damned forever
…

Her heart screamed, and shrank away. She couldn’t look at him anymore. Not at the cursed monster she’d made of him. It was too much for her broken soul to bear.

“You think you love me?” she demanded, shaking. “You’re so goddamn stupid it’s funny. I win, don’t you see? Fluvium and me? This was all part of our plan.”

“That’s not true.” But his knuckles whitened.

“You think? We wanted your soul, and you gave it to us. Hell, you
begged
us to take it. Watching you drink that blood? Better than sex. Certainly a whole lot better than fucking
you
.”

He didn’t speak. Just stared, his beautiful mouth trembling.

Her courage wilted. She wanted to hold him, kiss him, say she was sorry. Lie down with him and make breathless, tearful love until the world died.

But it was too late. “Hope you had fun, angel,” she jeered. “Time to go back to my master. I’ll see you in hell.”

And she whirled, tears spraying hot, and fled.

CHAPTER 40

Japheth howled, and flashed out.

Hellfire darkness drowned him. He hadn’t flashed, of course, no, this was hellmagic, he’d dissolved to stinking black ash, swirling on the breeze in a caustic cloud, and he flexed and snapped back into corporeal form in mid-air.

High over Babylon, stars glaring impossibly bright. City lights spun and whirled, insane. He thrashed his wings, spilling angry purple fire, and he flung himself skywards and screamed.

It’s not true. She didn’t. She just
…

Just what?

If it isn’t true, why did she say it, Jae? She’s a vampire. Why would she come to your bed and then
…

Stars wheeled in his eyes, and he laughed, black and bitter like corpseflesh.

He was so fucking stupid.

To think she’d love him. To think that being with Rose would make this horrid, wicked, glorious damnation worthwhile.

He’d shown her his heart. And she’d seen him for what he really was, and given him what he deserved.

“You let me do this!” Hot wind ripped the shrieking words from his lips. Something wet hit him in the face. His own tears, hot and bloody. “I begged you for help and you gave me nothing. You
made
me what I am!”

But only ugly laughter resounded in his heart.

You don’t get to blame heaven for your weakness.

Leaden truth dragged him under, and he choked, drowning. He’d done this. He’d drunk that demon’s soul-burning blood to save a woman. And she’d turned on him.

Michael would laugh his shiny blue ass off.

His boots thudded into hot gravel. Dust stung his nose, clumped in his sweaty hair. He opened his eyes. A crater, gray and desolate. Charcoal coated the ruined skeletons of buildings. A broken subway entrance teemed with a pile of rats. Overhead, a helicopter thumped, searchlights slicing left and right. Harlem, aprés firebomb. Charming.

A stray dog cowered against a broken brick wall. Its starving ribs poked out like fingers. It limped on the stump of one chewed-off foreleg, and snarled at him, white foam dripping. Japheth hissed back, and the dog burst into flame.

That was new.

He laughed, hollow, and the ground cracked and trembled beneath him. He knelt, rubbed his hands in the dirt. The dog—or some other animal—had left its droppings there. The grit stung his palms, invigorating. He dug it under his nails. Wiped it in his hair. It felt real. Earthly.

Not some sugar-coated illusion, forever out of his reach.

A corpse sprawled in the crater beside him, half-decomposed. From its grinning teeth hung shreds of dried flesh. He stared, ugly fascination warming his blood. He wanted to lie down beside it. Embrace it. Kiss its cracked cheek, feel the cold caress of its dead bones…

His phone shrilled.

He dug it out, stared dully at the screen. Dashiel was calling. That was nice. He swiped Reject, and the ringtone echoed to silence.

A rabid chuckle infected the emptiness. “Good move. Wouldn’t wanna talk to him either, if I were you.”

Japheth whirled on all fours, snarling.

Zuul sat on the broken brick wall, swinging his skinny legs. He whistled, appreciative. “Well, look at you, Blondie. Love the new color! Maybe I get what Michael sees in you, after all. Will you be my girlfriend?”

He’d cleaned himself up since Bethesda, put on fresh leather armor, washed the blood from his long crimson hair. Pity. Japheth would have enjoyed licking it from his twitching corpse.

He growled, vicious at the interruption. “Let me be, demon. I’ll go to hell my own way.”

Zuul jumped down, dusting his long hands clean. His pointy nose twitched, amused. “All of us do, my friend. Ha ha! You mean you only just figured that out?”

“Is there a point, or are you just here to piss me off?”

A sly shrug. “Well, I
had
planned to wind you up about your vampire slut, see? Until you tried to tear my head off with your bare hands, and I could stab you through the heart?” Zuul conjured a long curved sword in a rain of silver-black ash, and demonstrated on empty air, finishing with a giggling dance step. “But I believe I’ve changed my mind! See, I’m moving up in the world, angel…” He scratched his head, frowning. “Or demon. Or whatever the hell you are. Ha ha! Anyway…where was I? Oh, yeah. Azaroth has promised me some sweet fucking rewards, Blondie, and I was wondering…” Zuul giggled, covering his mouth like a schoolgirl. “I was wondering if, y’know, like, you wanted to be in on it?”

“Not a chance.” Japheth flared his wings, violet sparks threatening.

But inside, his heart twisted.
Why the hell not, Jae? What else is there to do?

“If you say so, hero.” Zuul grinned knowingly. “But I’m gonna be the new demon prince, after all! I’ll need a sidekick once I get my hands on vial five. You’d make a good sidekick, Blondie. You could call me ‘kemosabe.’”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Japheth crossed his arms, reason battling dark treachery in his heart. “Vial five’s no damn good without vial four. You want to fight Michael for it? Good luck with that.”

“Ah, yes.” Zuul shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking
idly at the dust. “Michael. I guess his little ruse finally paid off, eh?”

“What?” Japheth scowled, and the air shimmered with ash. The little bastard was up to something. He shouldn’t take the bait. But…

“After he waited fourteen hundred years? Bleeding Christ, I wish I was that patient…” Zuul frowned. “Actually, no. I’d have just sliced your arrogant head off right there. But Michael always did things the elegant way—eh!”

Japheth slammed him back into the charred bricks. He conjured his dagger, a spray of purple sparks, and jammed the edge up under the demon’s chin. “You weren’t there,” he growled. “What do you know about it?”

Don’t ask, Jae. Don’t. Demons lie
…

But Zuul’s skin didn’t burn him. It just…simmered, warm and fleshy and desperately familiar.

Zuul grinned, crafty. “More than you, it seems. I know your archangel pretty well, Blondie. You learn a lot about a guy when you’re wired to his dungeon wall with half your skin flayed off. Did you never think to ask why he Tainted you?”

“I know why!” Japheth dug the blade deeper. Blood steamed out, a thin scarlet line. But his heart skittered, dancing like a dervish to avoid the issue.
Don’t ask, Jae. Don’t
…“Look at me!” he snarled. “Look into my heart, demon, if you’re so clever. Michael did. And he saw
this
!”