Chapter 43
Rachel
“ C erberus?!” I screamed as I looked around the cave for a weapon. “What the fuck?” My eyes darted over broken, jagged rocks. The creature stepped further into the cave; a sulfurous scent moving around us. My eyes burned, and I felt my magic roil in response to this evil entity. Even the beast within my head roared in rage and fear .
“Liam, take these goddamn chains off of me, so that I can fight!” Valentina shouted at him. The young witch looked sick with horror as he took a step back.
The coward was useless.
We would have to rely on Andrei’s Fire magic and my Water element to hold off the Cerberus. Ezrylos was watching the beast emerge from the ruined wall, his sword still only dimly lit with power. It looked like he had no intention of helping us.
It was like he’d sent them to kill us.
Andrei unleashed a wave of searing heat at the beast, melting the rocks beneath its massive paws. The Cerberus leaped high, evading the magic, and launched itself at Andrei. It crashed into his body, sending them both flying across the cave. Jackson ran after them, his fangs and sharpened nails flashing as he tried to get to his friend.
Fuck. We’ll have to work together to get out of this alive. Then I’m going to fucking kill Andrei and that goddamn witch.
Summoning my mists, I manipulated its shape into something manageable and as sharp as ice. I sprinted to where Andrei grappled with the dog monster and jumped onto its back, driving two water knives into its flesh.
Okay, this is getting easier.
As it shrieked, I tried to crawl up, aiming to grab one of its heads. The other two were preoccupied with trying to turn Andrei into a chew toy.
I didn’t see its serpent-like tail whip around behind me. Its heavy force slammed into my body and knocked me to the ground, cracking two ribs. A burning, ripping pain tore through me as the beast’s razor-sharp claws sliced into my left arm. I looked up to see a huge dog head come barreling down to take a bite out of me.
“Fuck!” I screamed, kicking my left leg to fend off the teeth. A ball of molten lava smashed into the Cerberus, knocking it back and setting its black fur aflame. Ezrylos growled as the beast rose and lunged for him instead.
Okay, maybe I’m wrong about those creatures working with him.
The sword flared to life, and the creature howled in rage, claws swiping at the angel. Looks like he’ll have no choice but to help now.
“There’s another one!” Jackson shouted as he rolled to his feet, a gash across his brow. My head whipped to the hole, seeing another equally fucking ugly monster emerge, its fur just as black and odious as its twin.
Valentina desperately tried to pull off the chains around her wrists, her fingers tearing against the binding magic. Her face was pure panic as her eyes found mine. Her intention flooded my senses. She was terrified for me. Her desire to protect me, her daughter, drove her to madness, and my heart cracked again.
“Rachel!” a familiar voice shouted into the cave, and I spun around. Jase stood at the edge of the pentagram circle, blue flames rising from his outstretched palms. Thank God.
Right then, the second beast charged for him, and he sent the fire crashing into its body. He sprinted toward me, wrapping me in his embrace. His scent washed over me like a warm pool, making me suddenly feel renewed.
“Where are Lucy and Tony?” I asked frantically as we pulled away from each other.
“Lucy’s with Tony outside of the cave. She’ll protect him,” Jase said, pushing a tangled lock out of my eyes. His gaze grew cold as he looked at his older brother, who watched us.
“Protect her at all costs. Understand?” Jase growled with every word, the demand in his voice making my knees weak. Andrei blinked in surprise but nodded. Jackson was with Ezrylos, fighting against the burnt Cerberus. Liam was still standing on that platform like a useless idiot, and Valentina began clawing at her chains.
The brothers launched into a combined attack that had waves of amber and cerulean dancing. I summoned more purple mists but didn’t hold back my vampire power this time. I threw the leash off my beast and let her roam wild in my bones, my very blood. My eyes shifted to blue-black, and the intense power melded with the violet of my water magic. My heart pounded with the exhilaration of my combined energies, and my wounds healed instantly.
I had control over this. I was in control.
I lifted my right hand overhead and concentrated on the weapon I desired—the power of the dhampir and the witch. A halberd formed in my palm, and my fangs slid free behind my lips. A surge of energy filled the space, and the second Cerberus cocked all three heads in my direction, ignoring Andrei and Jase.
“Come here, doggie,” I crooned, ice in my throat. “Mommy’s got a stick for you.”
The middle head bared its dripping fangs at me, knocking the men over with that giant tail. Its head weaved like a cobra before charging at me.
Let the water of life and the power of death pierce the monster. I chanted this mantra silently as I lowered the weapon, sliding my left hand up the shimmering staff and gripping the end with the other. As the beast closed in, I shifted my weight and swung the halberd, letting the blade slice across its flesh. I kept the momentum and moved the weapon in a figure-eight pattern at lightning speed. Black blood splattered on the ground as I forced the Cerberus into retreat, deflecting the claws aimed at my throat.
The three heads shrieked, making my ears ring, and it reared on its hind legs as I forced it back against the cave wall. Seeing the opportunity, I imbued more power into the spike, transforming it into a spear. Then, using every ounce of my vampire strength, I drove the weapon deep into the beast’s chest, cracking bone and sending more reeking blood spraying into the air. I gagged against the intense sulfur and rot that poured from the thrashing body. Then I yanked the spike free and let the twitching dog collapse, its three heads staring blankly at me.
Disgusting.
I glanced over my shoulder, and Jase had the other monster trapped in a ring of blue fire, while Andrei slowly turned the stone beneath its claws into molten lava. Jackson was sitting against the wall, his hand pressed to his side as a slow crimson bloom spread under his hand. I couldn’t see Ezrylos in my peripheral, but eyed Liam collapsing on his ass, watching everything while tugging on a black necklace around his throat.
I took one step toward him and my mother—one step.
And everything went to Hell.
Liam suddenly bolted to his feet, a deranged, wicked smile on his face. His left hand was still on his necklace, and he raised the other in my direction.
“No!” Valentina screamed. Jase’s head whipped to me as Liam’s crimson magic speared right for me. I dissolved the halberd and replaced it with a wall of violet-blue ice. His magic crashed into mine, and the wall fractured.
“Shit!” I shouted, pushing more magic into the wall, but the cracks kept spreading. Jase screamed my name with so much fear in his voice. My vampire strength held, but my magic was starting to sputter. I didn’t know if I’d be fast enough to evade the energy if my ice wall fell.
It trapped me.
My wall shattered into shards of purple snowfall as my eyes locked onto Jase’s. A fire ignited deep within me—not just the will to fight for myself but for him—the one the stars had chosen as my mate. I didn’t know what that truly meant or how I felt about it, but at that moment, I wanted to fight for him. For us.
Suddenly, a massive figure blocked my sight, and a hand shoved me several feet back, my back and head smacking the ground so hard that white spots covered my vision. When I recovered, I looked up. Liam’s magic had pierced Ezrylos’s chest, and the sword fell from his hand. As the angel dropped to his knees, Liam moved in front of him, grabbed the weapon, and drove the blade through Ezrylos’s back.
Everyone, including the surviving Cerberus, stopped. My hands flew to my mouth. Oh my God.
The angel groaned. His right hand stretched to those white wings—to the long-dead mate he loved so much. “Zahar.”
The angel’s skin turned gray, and his body fell into dust. His golden wings, now dulled, landed on the ground. Liam cocked his head to the right, a sinister smile tugging at his mouth as he looked down at what he’d done. The shining sword also lost its color, turning steel gray, and the runes vanished.
Liam spun on his heel and returned to my mother, who seemed rooted to the ground. As he walked, he let out a sharp whistle. The creature trapped in fire bounded over the flames and trotted toward Liam. The one I thought I killed also rose and ran to its master. “Come, Jinx,” he called to it.
“What the fuck?” I whispered, too confused to say more.
“Come here, boy,” Liam called again. “I could have let this go on longer, but I couldn’t risk you hurting Jinx and Saber. My pets. I already lost Nyxen. To gain your trust in that museum, I had to make that sacrifice, killing one of them.”
What is happening? Andrei came to my left side. Jackson, now healed, slowly walked to my right, fangs bared. “Why? Why did you kill the angel? You weren’t supposed to do that … dick.”
Andrei hissed and started to move toward Liam, but the witch held up a hand, his hazel eyes flickering to black. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Dimitriou.”
Jase’s hand slid over my wrist, gently pulling me back behind him. Liam’s eyes flashed to us, and my spine locked up in pure terror. Ice coated my veins, and my gut burned with fear. Horrific intentions poured from Liam’s body.
He wasn’t a witch.
Something was always off about him since the boat; I just didn’t know what.
“Are … are you a demon?” I asked.
The Cerberus called Jinx moved in front of Liam, caging him in a protective stance. Liam let out a low, indulgent laugh, his fingers drifting back to that damn necklace. “Demon? No, I’m not a lowly servant. I find that offensive, Rachel.”
Valentina let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. Liam moved to her and yanked on the chains, knocking her down to her knees.
“This was all too easy. Andrei’s fascinating obsession with you made him the perfect tool to get here. Plus I needed a Fire witch to turn that key. We hit a few snags along the way, but the results are the same. My father always hated me, and now I get to gloat over the fact I’ve killed his favorite son, saving you all the doom and gloom of his presence here on Earth and this pesky war. Father loved Ezrylos the most, always thinking of me as the weakest of his children. Guess I proved him wrong.”
Brother? Is Liam an angel?
“So, what?” I snapped. “All this was because you have fucking daddy issues?”
“Rachel!” Valentina warned, her voice strangled by the collar. “Don’t provoke him. Get out of here!”
I shook my head. “Not until this whiny bitch releases you from those chains.”
Liam laughed again before yanking hard on the necklace, snapping the black chain free. He tossed the broken pieces aside, and dread replaced the terror in my body. Liam’s face began to shift and melt, like wax too close to a flame, and he changed before our eyes.
His brown hair darkened, growing in waves to just below the ear before turning black as midnight and absorbing all light. The smooth lines of his face sharpened, and his jaw hardened into something predatory. His cheekbones rose as he smiled, carved as if from stone. His softly tanned skin gleamed unnaturally, flawless, and unearthly.
He was hauntingly beautiful … like a god.
When he stepped closer into the light, his warm hazel eyes chillingly transformed into a burning green, shimmering like gemstones. I felt the weight of an ancient, incomprehensible power as he loomed over us.
As the cave grew silent, Liam’s eyes rested on my mother.
“A demon is a servant. But an angel of darkness demands submission.” His gaze pierced mine, locking me in place.
“No fucking way.…” My voice faltered as the man who had once been Liam yanked Valentina against his broad chest, pulling her into his arms. Jase’s hand gripped mine fiercely, anchoring me against the mind-numbing horror before us. In my peripheral, I watched Andrei’s eyes grow wide, and his hands curled into tight fists.
“I could never hurt her,” he said, his thumb brushing gently across Valentina’s cheek. “But that angel was the only one standing in my way, and he needed to die.” His smile broadened with pride. “We haven’t officially met, Rachel.” I felt the burn of his stony gaze when he redirected his attention to me. “… I’m Lucifer. The Morning Star.”