Unreap My Heart (The Reaper Series) (25 page)

If anyone thought Zakariel’s wings were beautiful, they paled in comparison to his mother’s. She’d been prized for the purity of her wings, so white they looked almost translucent. Rainbows formed when light reflected on the feathers. Staring at Zakariel now brought back all the painful memories that came with remembering his mother.

Balthazar bit his tongue until he tasted his own blood to clear his head of the ghosts that accompanied an encounter with Zakariel.

Granmare Baba said the auction was important to the Redeemer. He suspected the boy in the cage—the one Arianne called Ben—had something to do with Zakariel visiting the Voyeur’s mansion. The Heavenly Host wouldn’t be caught dead in such a place if it weren’t a matter of absolute importance. He was too honorable to find pleasure in what Solara had to offer within her walls. Balthazar dropped his gaze to the tips of Zakariel’s wings. One side of his lips twitched up. The controller of Haven didn’t even let the tips touch the wooden floor. It took great muscle strength to keep wingtips aloft like that. Zakariel’s angel posse couldn’t even manage it for long, which was why they didn’t have the whitest of wings. Even dirt tainted angel feathers.

Zakariel had all his attention on the cage. A plan quickly formed in Balthazar’s head. The Heavenly Host must not have known he’d attend the Underball too. Again the feeling of being manipulated by some unknown force irked Balthazar. Oh, he’d get to the bottom of all this shit after he’d delivered the Redeemer. D looked less and less innocent in all this than he did when Balthazar first found him with Brianne’s Bitterness sticking out of his chest.

“You have to save him,” Arianne begged from his side.

He’d forgotten all about her for a second. He glanced down at her then flicked his gaze to her hands gripping the sleeve of his coat. She didn’t let go immediately. When he didn’t move, just kept looking at the contact between them, she uncurled her fingers one at a time. Once she let go of him, he returned his gaze to her face. He didn’t see the defeat he’d expected. The girl had backbone. She stared on with all the courage and determination she possessed. Balthazar had a feeling that if he didn’t do something to save the boy, she’d go rogue and save him herself. That would ruin everything.

He closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, he said, “Are you willing to do whatever it takes to save your friend?”

She worried her lower lip before she nodded.

“You have to be a hundred percent committed,” he insisted. “No backing out.”

She nodded again.

“Say it.”

“I’m sure.”

He nodded at her once then returned his attention to the stage, giving Zakariel one last glance. The Heavenly Host hadn’t shifted his stance, waiting along with the rest of everyone in the room for the bidding to start.

The lizard banged his gavel three times.

Zakariel said in a deep, rumbling voice, “One of my feathers.”

Whispers rippled all over the room. The feather of a Heavenly Host, especially one from someone like Zakariel, held powers untold. It could be used in many different ways. Balthazar raised his eyebrows. The bidding got stiff pretty fast. What value did the boy possess? Last he’d checked human souls didn’t fetch the prize of a Heavenly Host’s feather. Balthazar ran through the inventory of items he had with him. He’d have to pull out all the stops.

The lizard acknowledged the bid and scanned the crowed.

“The trident of Poseidon,” a Demon King from one corner of the room said.

The whispers grew louder now. Balthazar thought the trident of Poseidon had been lost when the god perished in one of the wars. He couldn’t remember which. The Greek gods always fought about something. Not many of them were left now.

As expected, the bidders upped the ante. He wiped the grin off his face, not wanting to look too eager.

“The Book of Arcana,” he said.

A collective gasp came from the crowd. Every head, including Zakariel’s, turned toward Balthazar. He inched Arianne behind him so no one saw her. The Heavenly Host’s silver eyes widened before they narrowed. Balthazar tipped his head at Zakariel in greeting, adding a lopsided smirk for good measure.

Zakariel faced the lizard. “The Sword of Michael.”

Balthazar almost dropped his jaw. Created by his mother, the Sword of Michael was one of the most powerful artifacts in Heaven’s arsenal. It had enough power to level worlds if wielded properly.

The lizard looked at the Demon King for a counter bid. The Demon King fluttered his wings, giving the cage one greedy look before shaking its head. The lizard turned his gaze to Balthazar. In his periphery, he saw Solara eyeing him closely. He ignored the question in the Voyeur’s gaze.

He showed fang when he said, “The Sword of Lucifer.”

The crowd went from whispers to all out talking now. Zakariel’s eyes widened in complete and utter shock. Balthazar stood in self-satisfied silence. If they talked about swords, Lucie’s trumped Mike’s any day. The sword of Heaven’s greatest betrayer? Hell yeah! Being God’s favorite Heavenly Host once had its perks—the reason why after the Great Heavenly War, God refused to have a favorite ever again.

“You don’t have Lucifer’s sword,” Zakariel accused when he finally recovered from his shock.

Balthazar raised a finger before reaching into the depths of his coat. He pulled out a mighty sword in a weathered scabbard. The shining gem at the pommel shone brighter than the light of three chandeliers. Many of the creatures in the room hissed and cowered away. For the third time that night, Zakariel stood in stunned silence. Balthazar returned the sword into his coat before its power killed some of the lesser attendees of the Underball. Such was Lucifer’s Sword—merely showing it was enough to do great damage. A part of him understood where his mother’s insanity came from. If she was powerful enough to forge Lucifer’s sword, there had to have been darkness already in her before she even met his father.

Once the heavenly light of the sword disappeared, Zakariel blinked several times and returned his gaze to the platform. He said to the lizard, “One night with Jezebel.”

Wow! Balthazar’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Jezebel—the renowned prostitute turned Heavenly Host. At one time, she’d held the distinction of being Lucifer’s consort. One night with her changed your life forever. Or so they said. That definitely trumped swords, especially in the Voyeur’s mansion. Zakariel played dirty. Unfortunately for him, Balthazar invented playing dirty.

Balthazar stepped aside to reveal Arianne to the rest of the room. She had her head bowed and her bound wrists lowered. And in that skimpy bikini? She made the pretty little picture.

“One night with my human slave, Arianne. She is still attached.”

The crowd roared.

Arianne’s head snapped up. She glared at him with the purest hate he’d ever seen. The boy in the cage whipped his head toward them. Recognition sparked in his eyes. He pushed off the cage’s floor and slammed against the bars, rattling them.

“Arianne!” he screamed. “What are you doing here? What does he mean
slave?”

Before Arianne could respond, Balthazar blocked the boy’s view of her with his body. A corner of his lips quirked up when he moved his gaze from the fire in Arianne’s eyes to the defeat in Zakariel’s. He’d won. A night with an attached human soul equaled the ultimate prize. Granmare Baba’s meddling when she’d connected them finally made sense. An attached human soul carried some weight, but one kept as a slave tasted even better, bringing with it certain expectations in the bedroom.

Zakariel bowed his head at Balthazar then at the lizard, conceding. The lizard—after shaking its head to clear the shock from its face—banged his gavel three times and declared Balthazar the winner. The red curtains closed. The lizard announced that Balthazar’s item would be kept for him until the time he wished to claim it.

Solara appeared beside Balthazar in a heartbeat. She bent down and sniffed Arianne from the base of her neck to the top of her head. Arianne tried to flinch away, but Balthazar pulled on the leash, keeping her in place against her will. For some reason, the betrayal in her eyes punched him in the gut. He ignored the discomfort and focused on the Voyeur. They were still in grave danger for what he’d done.

“You dare hide an attached human soul from me?” she said then hissed. “How is this possible?”

“You should ask Granmare Baba.”

Her glare turned venomous, eyes of hot gold. “That bitch!”

“I think you mean witch.” Granmare Baba sauntered toward them, her lush curves encased in the tightest leather. She stopped right in front of Balthazar and pointed at him. “I didn’t think you had the stones to bid her.”

Balthazar laughed. “Why does everyone continue to underestimate me?” He saw Arianne about to say something. He touched his thumb to his middle finger and her jaw shut. Her eyes bulged. He felt her panic through her thoughts.

The Voyeur turned her poisonous glare from Balthazar to Granmare Baba. “How dare you meddle?”

Granmare Baba covered her laugh with delicate fingers. “I do always love ruining your day, dear sister.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Ladies.” Balthazar raised both his hands, ready to separate them if needed. “Please. Although a catfight between the two of you would be so entertaining, let’s not make a scene. There’s still more than half the auction to get through.” He looked at Granmare Baba. “Be sure I will not forget what you have done for me.”

Granmare Baba tilted her head toward him in silent acceptance.

Then to Solara, he said, “I’ll take those five minutes with Zakariel now. We have much to discuss, the Heavenly Host and I. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken.”

Solara pieced together her composure and flicked her gaze at Arianne. “My lesser demons will take her to your suite and prepare her for service tonight.”

Balthazar froze for a millisecond. Not long enough for both women to notice. Yes, he’d bargained Arianne away. She did say she’d do anything to save her friend. Now she had to pay up.

“Very well,” Balthazar said.

Two demons approached them and Balthazar handed the leash to one. Balthazar did not meet Arianne’s gaze when they led her away. He’d had enough of her drama for one night. He had other things to focus on if they wanted to make it to the Redeemer in time. The boy’s soul gave him leverage against Zakariel. If the Heavenly Host bargained away Michael’s Sword and a night with Jezebel, then the boy’s soul played an important role in all this.

“I think I will claim my price and take my leave,” Granmare Baba said. She turned on her stilettos and left.

“I’m not done with you, hag,” Solara called to her.

Granmare Baba gave her the finger without looking back.

Balthazar shook his head. The sisters always had to one up each other. Granmare Baba won this round. Solara—competitive to the bone—wouldn’t take that lying down. She’d get her sister back, and Balthazar didn’t want to be in the room when that happened. Someone usually died when the sisters clashed.

“So, those five minutes?” Balthazar said to get Solara’s attention back.

She waved a finger in his face. “Don’t think I’ll forget your deception, Enforcer.”

He winced. She knew how much he hated that particular moniker. “Like I haven’t done worse.”

“That remains to be seen.” She let out a deep breath before turning her back to him. “Come with me, please.”

Balthazar looked toward where Zakariel once stood. He wasn’t surprised that the Heavenly Host had left. He likely waited for him in Solara’s office, ready to bargain for the boy’s soul. Balthazar licked his lips. Oh, he was ready. He was born ready.

Chapter 28

DBEYR

A
RIANNE
W
ALKED
B
EHIND
the two lesser demons in a daze. They were the same ones who’d dressed her. No point in asking them for help. Something told her the two were loyal to the Voyeur. And where would she escape to even if she managed to convince them to let her go? She didn’t know where to find the Nixies short of returning to the Ghoul Woods. Plus, she still had to find the Redeemer. Balthazar said that angel with the really white wings would know.

The thought of Balthazar twisted Arianne’s insides. One second they were making out, the next he used her to bid for Ben in the Underball auction. She felt all kinds of betrayed. Seeing the way Ben reacted made everything worse. He’d screamed her name over and over. Even through the uproar of the crowd in the ballroom, she’d heard him. She shook her head at him and mouthed an apology, then refused to look his way again. Thankfully the red curtains closed, blocking his reaction.

For one night with Arianne, Balthazar had saved Ben. It shouldn’t feel as scary as it did. Cold sweat dotted her brow. Her palms were slick. She tangled her fingers together to keep them from shaking too badly. The air in the mansion nipped at her exposed skin now when before she’d hardly felt the cold.

What did one night with her mean? Just what exactly did Balthazar sell her for?

With every step she climbed to the third floor, Arianne’s hope for Balthazar fell away. She’d agreed to do whatever it took to save Ben, but she never expected to be sold like some object. She bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. She had to coat the bitterness of betrayal on her tongue somehow. She should have known when Balthazar said the word “anything” he really did mean anything. He had no morals. No matter what they’d been through, or whatever they’d shared during this insane quest for the Redeemer, he still didn’t think twice about bartering her away.