The Death Skull: Relic Defender, Book 2 (37 page)

From her core, something moved. Shifted and lifted until it pulsed in her chest. A warm light that filled her with comfort. Her own soul. The one she’d never believed she had. Like the humans and angels, her soul slid from her body, slowly, painfully, until she wanted to wail from the agony of loss.

Her head snapped back and she screamed.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mari’s scream ripped through Jackson, shredding his self-control. Desperate to get to her, and despite the agony of his bruised muscles and torn skin, he fought the creatures that held him.

As he struggled, he was semi-aware that, at his side, Kanek did the same. The boy had taken to forming and throwing the same green fire he’d used before.

Finally, there was a gap in the creatures’ ranks and Jackson shoved through, stomping on feet and kicking the slimy bastards to the side. What he saw nearly made him freeze, except he kept moving toward Mari.

The fallen angel stood before the skull, her head thrown back, her auburn hair cascading like a fiery waterfall down her spine as she arched backward. Her arms were straight at her sides, her fingers splayed wide, her body as rigid as any tree. She was bathed in an orange light that appeared to come from the skull.

To the skull’s right slumped Kat, her left hand on top of the crystal crown. He could see her lips moving but couldn’t hear what she said.

Not far from her, the succubus Jahi hovered and stared at him with anticipation shining in her eyes. She licked her lips and he couldn’t halt the shudder that ripped through him. He was going to have to do something or he’d end up being the succubus’s playtoy—something he knew he wouldn’t survive.

Mari screamed again and this time, Jackson saw a thin silver thread coming from her chest and streaming toward the skull to be swallowed within its gaping mouth.

Holy shit, her soul.
That fucking thing was sucking out her soul.

His heart leapt to his throat, making it difficult to breathe even as he panted and struggled with the creatures that seemed to be coming from the walls in a never-ending stream. He had to get to Mari. There was no way he was going to lose his dark angel to a piece of rock—mystical powers or otherwise.

A burst of gray from his side blinded him for a second. When his gaze cleared, he almost stopped in shock. Nearby, Ash stood slashing at the creatures, his black sword awash in a silver light cutting a wide swath through pale flesh. His double set of black wings arched behind him, their edges also acting as swords when he flung them around. This time Jackson felt his mouth drop open. Christ, he’d thought they were fucking feathers, not lethal weapons.

Ash took his gaze off the creatures for a moment to look at Jackson. “I got these. Go help Kat and Mari.”

The dark eyes of Lucifer’s Slayer held something Jackson had only seen one other time. Fear. This time, was it for Mari or Kat?

Wonder if Ash’s boss knew of Ash’s feelings for Kat, or if he knew that his employee had sided with the Light against his own son.
It was a dangerous game the demon played.

Nodding, he ducked under the wicked slash of a creature that had been missed by Ash’s sword, spun and did a roundhouse kick, knocking it directly into the path of Ash’s whirling deadly wings.

When Mari screamed a third time, his blood turned to ice at the note of desperation. He pushed himself forward. Not far from Mari stood that bastard demon son of Lucifer. The smug asshole hovered near Mari and Kat, his lean face even more stark with thin skin stretched tight.
Things
moved under that skin as if something fought to break free.

Dodging another creature, Jackson rolled, snatched up Mari’s sword and lunged at Beliel. The demon hissed, baring jagged teeth as he moved away from Jackson’s attack.

“It’s too late, human. The bitch will die and the skull’s powers will be mine.”

A quick glance at Mari caused Jackson’s stomach to roll. The warm peach of her skin had fled, bleached by pain or the loss of her soul. Her eyes were wide, the beautiful violet and even the stunning red gone and turned dark with horror only she could see or feel.

Rage rushed through him, tightening muscles and making his heart thump so hard he figured it would burst through his chest any moment.

“I don’t think so, demon. As long as there is breath in my body, it’s not too late.”

He swung Mari’s sword again, this time scoring a deep slash in the demon’s arm. Beliel let out a cry and clasped the wound as a black liquid poured down and pooled on the sandy floor.

Good. The bastard can be hurt.
That meant he could be defeated. Throwing himself to the right, Jackson swept the weapon at Beliel again, coming in under his arms and this time cutting his legs.

Without breaking stride, he jabbed at Beliel. A cool hand came down on his arm. Jackson’s cock hardened immediately—painfully. The sword dropped from nerveless fingers. A slender female figure, blonde hair cascading down her back, moved in front of him. The succubus leaned forward, her barely contained breasts dangling before him like plump ripe peaches.

“Come now, human. It’s time to play,” purred Jahi.

He fell to his knees and she went with him, pressing her skinsuit-covered form against his, sending pulses of lust throughout his body.

She wrapped herself around him. Soft lips crushed his, tasting of honey and spices. His dick was so hard it strained against the front of his jeans. He gritted his teeth as he tried to keep himself from reaching for the succubus.

Her ability scratched at his will, chipping away at it until he was a thin thread from snapping. Inside his mind, he raged as his body betrayed him.

The images slowed until Mari found herself standing in the middle of a circle of columns. Etched in the columns were Mayan symbols of
b’alam
, the jaguar, and
sotz′
, the bat. The b’alam was a symbol of power and rule, as well as leadership and confidence. The sotz′ represented a duality of good and evil. This information was not in the documents she’d read so how she knew this, she didn’t know—she just did.

The pain she’d experienced faded, leaving behind the sensation of floating. And peace. She looked down at her feet, sure she was floating on air versus standing on solid ground.

A glowing column of pure light formed in front of her, coalescing into a tall male figure. He looked down at her, eyes the palest blue, almost like ice but with a warmness inside that filled her body with joy. She knew him but couldn’t think of who he was. Her mouth moved as she tried to form words.

Then it came to her. “Prince Michael?”

The being smiled at her, his smile benevolent but edged with a darkness that made her uneasy, even as she knew it wasn’t directed at her.

“Marisol Asheni, you’ve done well. But your job is not done. It is not time for you to rest.” Archangel Michael, the Prince of Light, turned and gestured toward another figure, this one lying not far from her, a puddle of limp legs and arms. “She needs your help.”

Mari looked at the woman, whose skin was gray and lifeless. “She looks like she’s beyond my help.”

He nodded. “She is close but there is still time. You can help her, but you might have to fight. Fight for yourself. Fight for her.” He paused and looked beyond her. “Fight for him.”

She turned to see whom he looked at, and hovering before her was a man—human—with a glowing creature at his side. The creature didn’t glow like Michael, but was oily dark and seething with untamed energies. It curled around the human like a giant worm, sucking the life force from him. Even as she watched, the human’s life dimmed.

The human. Something inside her grew taut and warm. Unexpected but welcome. Like the others, he was familiar to her even if she didn’t immediately know him. And he was in danger. Even with her limited knowledge of what was going on, she knew he was dying.

“If you do not go back, he will die. He cannot stand against Beliel or Jahi alone. He needs you.” Michael smiled at her. “As you need him.”

She looked back at the human again, drawn to him. After a few moments, she faced the Archangel. “What do I do?”

“Take the female,” he said and gestured to the fallen woman. “Take her and go back. Destroy the skull. It is the only way.”

“How do I destroy something that can’t be destroyed?”

He smiled. “You will find a way.”

A cryptic response. She remembered him now. “One of these days, I’d really like it if you could just give me a straight answer.”

A chuckle came from him, rich and full of life. And love. “One day I may.”

With that, she felt a wrench within her and her world shifted. The edges of the clearing blurred. Without a comment, she crossed to the woman and knelt. Wide eyes met hers.

“Come on, Kat, we’ve got a job to do.”

As she spoke, she grabbed Kat by her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. Even though she didn’t know how, she and Kat moved, the clearing disappearing behind them. From a distance, as if she traveled down a long tunnel, the sounds of fighting bounced around her, the snick of metal against flesh and the grunts of pain echoed around her.

A roaring sound filled her ears until it was all she heard. Instinctually, she thrust Kat toward a split in the tunnel before Mari followed. The deeper she went, the more the lightness and peace fled, replaced by the entrapment of a mortal body and darkness of loss and pain.

The roaring sound increased, pounding through her head like the beat of a drum until, suddenly, she was jerked into her body, the eyes of the skull glaring at her.

Hell’s blood.

Inside himself, Jackson howled with pain and anger as Jahi continued to draw from him. Within him, something shifted, tugged loose and winded to the surface. He stared into the demon’s eyes as she devoured his soul.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a blur of motion. At the same time, Jahi’s claw came slashing down toward his neck. He closed his eyes. This time he knew he was about to meet his maker.

A
sizzle
and
pop
tore his eyes open to see fire spitting between him and Jahi. The flame seared the succubus but merely caressed Jackson with fingers of warmth and tenderness. The succubus screeched and threw herself away from him. The skinsuit the creature was wearing erupted into tongues of orange and red, licking at the skin underneath.

From the ground, Jackson rolled his head and looked in the direction from where the flames had come. His heart stopped.

Glorious flaming wings of darkest red, brightest orange and most vibrant yellow stretched behind the curvy female figure he ached to hold again. Mari’s rich red hair streamed behind her and over her shoulders, snapping and writhing as if the strands were actual flames From her outstretched fingers, heated liquid—like lava—poured to the ground, puddling around her, making her look like she was standing in the middle of a lake of fire.

He could only stare at her. Rage had turned the violet of her eyes into a burning-red glow that spilled from her face, creating a halo around her head.

Above and around him, the creatures shifted their attention from the burning succubus to Mari. Under their growls, he heard fear. Their need to flee was so strong he felt it in the air, thrusting against him. A stream of liquid heat spat at one, knocking it away from Jackson and engulfing it in fire. If he could have moved, he would have clapped his hands over his ears in order to mute the cutting scream.

Chittering with what sounded like panic, the other creatures skittered backward, crab-like, over the sand. It didn’t save them and soon others burned.

Holy hell. As he staggered to his feet, Jackson tore his gaze away from the smoldering remains and glanced at Mari.

“Get back, Jackson. This is between me and Jahi.”

Christ, was there anything left of the succubus? Without a look, he stumbled away, his body weak from the loss of life force. He glanced around. What the hell was going on? As he scanned the room, his gaze caught and held on the skull. Under the sun’s light streaming into the cavern, the translucent crystal gleamed with the pure clarity of a diamond.

“Your prize. Freedom.”
Words not his own reverberated in his mind.

Jackson stared at the skull.
Yessss.
Right there, in front of him, was the source of his mother’s salvation. He could sell it to the highest bidder and make a shitload of money. His mother’s house would be saved, and he’d have enough to make sure she was well taken care of in the retirement home until her death. She’d never have to worry about anything ever again.

His fingertips dug into his palms as he clenched his fists. On trembling legs, he took a step.

“Take it,”
the voice wrapped itself around his mind.
“Take it now. Before the angels take it from you. Remember your promise to your father.”

Even as he struggled against the memory, he found himself standing at his father’s bedside, leaning over the man who’d once been larger than life, with bravado and spirit bigger than Texas, who was now an emaciated, smaller version. His father had gone from being a great man to a useless drunk who made his points with his fists. It was all Jackson could do to stand near the old man.