“Go fuck yourself, Malin.” In a last, desperate effort to be free, I thrust Amaya into the middle of the obelisk creature. He exploded. The force of it ripped Amaya from my grip and flung me forward. I hit the ground hard and pain bloomed, but I ignored it and rolled forward and up, and ran, with every ounce of strength I had left, straight at Malin.
She pressed her other hand against the column and pushed it. It began to rock, gently at first, then with greater speed.
“No!” She wasn’t going to win. No way in hell was I going to let her win.
I launched myself into the air and desperately arrowed forward. Not at Malin, but at the miniature itself. I grabbed it from its precarious perch, twisted around in the air, and flung it to the side.
Amaya, shield and protect, no matter what happens!
I couldn’t see whether she obeyed. I hoped she did. Hoped I hadn’t completed what Malin had started. I hit the ground, heard the groan as the column reached full tipping point, and looked up to see it hurtling toward me.
I imagined myself out of the way, but there was no sense of movement and nothing but the column filling my vision. I rolled. It was all I could do.
The column crashed to the ground inches from where I lay, and the impact shuddered through every part of my being. Malin screamed, and once again I looked up. This time, it was she who was coming at me, a bloody sword held high above her head and vengeance oozing from every pore.
I had nothing left.
Nothing but one desperate hope.
Priests of Aedh, if you’re out there, if you’re watching and listening, you need to get your asses in here and give me a little help.
The bloody sword came at me. I flung my hands up,
imagined a shield, and prayed like hell. Metal hit metal and again the sound rang out like a clarion bell.
She raised the sword and hit the shield again. This time, it cracked. As she raised her sword for a final blow, I twisted and kicked, with all my might, at Malin’s gossamer legs. I didn’t have much strength left, but it was enough to unbalance her. What would have been the death blow skittered off the shield and hit the darkness just to my right.
I scrambled up, clenched my fists, and hit her full in the face. It might not have been a strong blow, let alone a killing one, but damn, it felt good.
She raised a hand as she staggered away, and suddenly there were vines twining up my legs and pinning my arms to my body.
“Now,” she said, as she stalked toward me, her face twisted and ugly with malice. “We end this—”
Enough.
The voice was male, and it came from everywhere and yet nowhere. It echoed through the shadows and reverberated through my mind. It held no threat, yet I sensed it could kill without a moment’s hesitation or thought.
And it was a voice I had heard before. It was the remnant I’d spoken to the last time I’d been here in the temple.
“You have no power over me,” Malin snarled. “Begone—”
Her eyes went wide and she froze. The vines that bound me withered away, but without their support I ended up on my ass.
You have caused enough damage to this place, Malin. For that alone, we could end you.
His tone was calm, collected, but filled with a sense of regret.
We had hoped, until the very end, that you would come to your senses, that the last of the Aedh priests could not possibly want the destruction of all that we hold sacred.
Malin made a muffled retort. Energy radiated off her, but whatever she was trying to do, it had little effect.
But in attempting to destroy the archive of both the temple and the portals, you have shown a malignancy that cannot be tolerated.
There was a soft sound, like a sigh of wind.
It is with great regret that we are therefore forced to end you.
And just like that, she was gone.
I blinked. “So she’s dead?”
No, because with death comes eventual rebirth. She is scattered, never to re-form, never to know the kiss of the stars or the bliss of being in the presence of the fates.
Wow. Although it wasn’t like the bitch didn’t deserve it. “And the others?”
Even now the reapers finish the last of them.
He paused.
Your reaper heads this way, but he has no need to fear. We owe you and him a great debt.
“I was just trying to save my world.”
Yet the fate of your world still hangs in the balance.
“Yeah, I know.” I sighed and rose. “Is it safe to recall my sword?”
Yes.
I held out my hand and Amaya thudded back into it. I sheathed her, then said, “What happens now?”
And now we will ask something else of you.
I blinked again. “What?”
That you take a message to she who bears the Aedh’s child.
I frowned. He could only be talking about one Aedh—Lucian, whom I’d once thought of as a friend, and who turned out to be one of the major players in the whole key-theft saga. He was also the man who’d kidnapped and impregnated my best friend—and had tried to do the same to me. Thankfully, I was already carrying Azriel’s child by that time. “What has Ilianna to do with any of this?”
The child she carries is the future of this place. Her daughter must undergo priest training. The fate of those she holds dear will depend on it. And when she dies, she will come here and guard this place.
“One person cannot possibly—”
She will not be alone. We will train the reapers as well.
You will?
a familiar voice said, as the warmth of his particles wrapped around mine and gave me strength.
Yes. For too long we have watched while you fought. It is time we helped.
It would be greatly appreciated,
Azriel said, his voice formal.
We cannot, however, intervene in the search for the remaining key. That task still falls to you.
“What if hell
doesn’t
hold the sorceress? What if she appears in the temple grounds again, or attempts to open the final gate?” I asked.
If we sense her, we will stop her. But if she uses Aedh magic to conceal herself, as she did previously, we may not know of her until it is too late.
“And you can’t undo what she’s done and close the two gates that are already opened?”
No. For that, we would need the blood of their creator.
I closed my eyes and cursed. Maybe it
hadn’t
been such a great idea to kill my fucking father.
What he tried to do to Mirri he would have done to all of those you cared for,
Azriel said.
To protect them, you had no choice but to kill him.
Yeah, but now we’re stuck with no way to close the gates and one gate standing between us and hell.
One portal is enough,
the voice said.
And more can be built once we again have fully trained priests in the temples.
It was a hope. Not much of a hope given all the shit that was still out there, ready to fling itself our way, but at least it was something.
Thank you,
the voice intoned again.
And with that, he left.
I blew out a mental breath, then turned and wrapped myself around Azriel.
And now, James, you may take me home.
I would love to,
he said.
But that, unfortunately, is not something I can do. You must return to your flesh by yourself. I cannot help you with that.
Then I’ll see you at Riley’s.
You will.
The energy of his being briefly ran through mine, a sensation that was the reaper equivalent of a hug, and one that left me feeling both safe and loved. Then he left.
I closed my eyes and did the same.
Chapter 3
The minute I opened my eyes, the pain hit. I gasped, bent over double, and wrapped my arms around my body. Every muscle I possessed seemed to be on fire. God, it even hurt to breathe . . .
Arms scooped me up and held me close to a chest that was warm and muscular and smelled of blood and sweat.
Azriel.
As I wrapped my arms around his neck, his heat and strength infused me. Although it didn’t chase away all the hurt, it went damnably close.
“Fucking hell,” Riley said, her voice a mix of concern and anger. “You both look like
shit
. What happened?”
“We don’t just look like it,” I muttered without opening my eyes. Doing so would have been too much of an effort. “We feel like it, too.”
“Speak for yourself,” Azriel said, amusement touching his rich tones.
“What do you need?” Quinn said, ever the practical one. “And is there any immediate danger to either of you, or to us?”
“No,” Azriel said. “But Risa is in need of a shower, clothes, and food.”
“Risa knows where the shower is, and I’ll grab some clothes. Quinn can cook something up for Risa and me
to eat,” Riley said. “But when all that is done, I want a full and concise summary of what the fuck just happened.”
“Agreed,” Azriel said.
His energy burned around me briefly, and I opened my eyes to discover we were in Riley’s huge bathroom.
“Christ,” I muttered, wobbling a little as he placed me back on my feet. “Despite your energy boost, I’m as weak as a damn kitten.”
“That is natural after everything we just went through.”
He was still gripping my arm, which was just as well. My legs were jelly and I had a bad feeling I’d topple if he let go.
“Then how come you’re standing there, as rocklike as ever?”
He half smiled. “Because whatever else you can and will be, you are still flesh. And flesh does not recover as quickly as energy.”
“I thought that would have changed when you shared your life force.”
“It did, in that you will now recover faster and I will recover a little slower, but it has not altered the basic fact that you are still flesh rather than Mijai.”
I grunted. “So is it really over? Malin and the Raziq really
are
no more?”
His gaze met mine, and his blue eyes—one as dark as the storm-held seas, the other sapphire bright—showed an odd mix of sadness and satisfaction. “Yes. As the remnant said, they are little more than particles adrift in the endless night of space.”
I raised a hand and thumbed away the bead of blood tracking down the side of his face. “And you regret that?”
“I regret that it came to that, yes. Killing is not something any Mijai rejoices in, despite the fact that it is the reason we exist.” He hesitated and grimaced. “Although I cannot deny there is a degree of pleasure in the
knowledge she and her kin can never harm you—or anyone else—ever again.”
“And thank the fates for that.” I swept a hand through my sweat-matted hair. “Now if we could only get them to deal with the bitch who stole the keys and
then
Hunter, I’d be one happy woman.”
“The fates have never been
that
generous, as you yourself have often noted.”
“Yeah, but I keep hoping for a miracle.”
“I believe we just got one.” He paused, and his gaze swept me almost critically. “But before we worry about the keys or Hunter, you need to shower.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I stink, reaper?”
“Certainly not.” It was solemnly said, but the twinkle in his eyes and the smile that teased the corners of his lips somewhat spoiled the effect. “Although I cannot deny the air around you is somewhat odorous at the current time.”
I lightly whacked his arm. “You don’t exactly smell like a rose yourself, reaper.”
The lurking amusement grew stronger. “Why would I, when a rose is a plant and I am energy?”
I snorted softly, then stood on my tiptoes and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. It was tempting to do more, but that could come a little later—when we were both smelling better. “You, reaper, are an idiot.”
“
That
is a claim that could be laid at the feet of both of you,” Riley commented, as she came into the room with an armful of clothes and towels. “You have three people who are not only well trained and fight ready, but willing to help you in your quest, and you keep damn well refusing their help.”
“For good reason—”
“Good reason, my
ass
.” She dumped the pile of clothes on the ornate chair sitting in the corner of the bathroom, then thrust a hand on her hip and added, her
voice full of censure, “It has to stop, Ris. I promised your mom I’d look after you if anything ever happened to her, and I intend to keep that promise, one way or another.”
I held up my hands. “I know, and I’m sorry I’m making things difficult for you. But I have my reasons—”
“Hunter, I’m gathering,” she cut in grimly.
My stomach dropped. How the hell did she find out about Hunter? I doubted Rhoan would have said anything, and she couldn’t have plucked it from his thoughts. He might be her twin, but he was also a telepathic dead zone. It’s one of the things that made him such a good guardian—vampires could neither read his mind nor influence his actions in any way.
So who would have spilled the beans? Not Quinn, surely. He undoubtedly knew far more about what was going on thanks to his position in the vampire high council, even if he hadn’t yet said all that much to me. But would he have said anything to Riley? I very much doubted it, given that he also had to know just what Hunter was capable of.
“What makes you think—”
“Don’t play possum with me, Ris. Not now.”
I didn’t reply. There was obviously no point in attempting to lie about Hunter’s involvement in my life, but, by the same token, I wasn’t about to say or do anything to confirm it. Not until I knew exactly how much she
did
know.
“You can’t keep secrets from a strong telepath for very long,” she continued. “So get your ass into the shower, then come out and tell me everything.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was meekly said, and she smiled grimly. “I know
that
tone, but enough is enough, Ris. I’ve been patient, I’ve stood back, but you obviously can’t—”