A Prophecy of Chaos and Blood (Echoes of Darkness #2)

Chapter 1

Iris

Black cherries, rum, and fresh cloves—the heavenly scent envelops me like a cocoon. I don’t want to leave this safe space, but a sharp throb in the back of my head makes me wince, and a pained moan tumbles out from deep within my chest before the Herculean effort to open my eyes is successful.

Warm orange light paints the walls of Kaiden’s bedroom as I find myself in his bed again.

Only this time, I don’t feel healed. No.

I’m on fire. On top of that, each jagged breath stabs me in the lungs.

When I look down, I notice I’m dressed in an oversized tee, the lower half of my body covered by a black, silky sheet.

Sam is sleeping peacefully next to me. Resembling a crimson river, her hair is fanned out over the pillow while drool trickles down from her parted lips.

She is wearing the same red dress from the club, holding my hand in slumber.

Her grip is bruising—as if she’s afraid I might disappear into thin air.

Untangling my fingers from hers, I try to push up, but the room starts twirling while an icepick pierces my brain.

At the third attempt, I manage to shift upward a bit.

A groan slips out. Sam jackknifes into a sitting position, blinking slowly, a disoriented look on her face.

Her drowsy gaze jumps to me before she lets out a shrill cry that makes my teeth grind.

“Iris!” She throws her arms around my neck in a vise-like grip so fast I almost get whiplash. She starts sobbing, hiccups coming between each word. “You’re a-awake! Th-a-ank the Goddess! And your eyes are back to n-normal.”

“I can’t breathe,” I say. The words come out hoarse since my tongue weighs about a hundred pounds, and my throat is as dry as sandpaper.

“I thought you were dead when we found you.”

“Sam—”

“I was worried sick.”

“You’re crushing my windpipe,” I get out louder this time.

“I’m so happy you’re not dead!”

“Sam!”

“What?” she asks through sniffles as she pulls back.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t die before because you almost choked me to death right now,” I chuckle out, but the sound turns into a strangled whimper at the sharp stab of pain in my left side.

She wipes at her mascara-smeared cheeks and scowls at me.

“Don’t be a bitch; I thought I was going to lose my best friend.

You don’t know what that did to me.” A look of utter sorrow passes over her features.

“I’m so sorry for leaving you alone. I shouldn’t have… I’m so stupid. This is all my fault—”

I cut her off. “It’s not your fault.”

“But—”

“But nothing. There’s no way you could have known that motherfucker was going to drug and assault me in the back alley.” I place my hand over hers on the bed and squeeze. “What did you mean by my eyes are back to normal?”

“Before you passed out, you looked at me, and your irises were a deep shade of violet, and the sclera was completely black. It was super freaky.”

“Oh…”

“Do you remember what happened? Who did this to you? We found you beaten to a pulp next to a weird, decomposed body.”

I white-knuckle the sheet. “I killed him,” I whisper, my gaze burning a hole in the floor. The reality of what I’ve done comes crashing in at full speed.

I killed Erik.

Akin to lightning strikes, flashes of the attack invade my brain.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Sam lifting my chin snaps me out of it. Wrath-filled emeralds spark with determination and a promise of vengeance. “Iris, look at me! You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

“I…um…fuck—” Inhaling a few calming breaths, I drop my trembling fingers in my lap. “It was Erik. Grayson’s grandson.”

A muscle jumps in her taut jaw. “That fucking scumbag! His dead stare always creeped me out.”

“Erik found me in the club and threatened to tell everyone in the Order that I was a demon-loving whore when I refused to kiss him.” The tears blurring my vision spill over.

“He had photos of me and Kaiden on his phone. He said Grayson put him up to it and he’s been following me for a long time.

That he knew it wouldn’t be long before I showed my true nature and betrayed the Order.

” I sniffle. “I think he’s been in my apartment, too.

Someone stole some of my underwear, and things were slightly out of place.

I chalked it up to me being tired and forgetful with all the crazy shit that’s been happening since the umbra attack… but maybe it was him all along.”

I shake my head. “Anyway, I think the motherfucker roofied me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to overpower me.

I was tipsy, clearly not that drunk. He must have slipped the drugs into my water when I got distracted by a ghost. Yeah, I saw another ghost to add to my crazy, and I know: stupid fucking decision to leave my glass unattended.

I started feeling weird, and I desperately needed some fresh air, but I couldn’t walk properly.

It’s all hazy; I kept blacking out. This guy took me outside and…

and then Erik was there.” Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I mumble, “He tried to, um…he tried to…rape me.”

Sam resembles a tornado as she pushes off the bed to pace the length of the room in long strides. The undercurrent of Sam’s magic electrifies the air before leafy vines spread up the walls. In two minutes flat, Kaiden’s bedroom becomes a jungle.

“That sorry waste of oxygen! Motherfucking dickbag piece of shit!” she yells before she stomps back to the bed and plops down unceremoniously, the vines retreating until there’s nothing left. “Sorry. You can continue now.”

A soft smile tugs at the corners of my lips. “Feeling better?”

Her nostrils flare. “No. I wish I could strangle him right now. I would throw such vile hexes at him, Iris. He’s lucky you killed him before I got my hands on that human version of period cramps.”

I pull her into the tightest hug my battered body allows me. “I love you so fucking much, you know that?”

“I love you too, ho-bag. But I think I’ve aged at least thirty years these past months because of you. You owe me a lifetime of paying for my drinks when we go out.”

“Deal.” My smile dies when I remember Erik’s words, and my eyebrows knit in a frown. “Do you remember those women found dead with ‘demon whore’ carved into their bodies?”

Sam inches backward, then gives me a confused look. “Huh? What women?”

“They found the last one in a back alley of a club in the Raven district the night before my birthday. You know, when the umbra came through the portal and attacked me in the forest. You were sipping wine on my bed when they announced it on the news.”

“Oh yeah, I remember now. What about it?”

“Erik kept spewing some weird shit about how he needs to cleanse the demon from my body like he did to the other demon whores. His word choice was so specific. Because of the drugs, I couldn’t grasp its significance at first. Then realization dawned…

Sam, I think he killed those women. And I was supposed to be his next victim.

Although, I also think he was the one behind the text Grayson sent me that night—the text that sent me into the trap.

I mean, it would have been really easy for him to get ahold of Grayson’s phone since he’s his grandson.

But it doesn’t make sense why. Why send me into a trap if he planned on killing me all along? ”

A knock comes from the open door. Fire and brimstone meet my gaze, and my pulse scatters.

From under Kaiden’s death grip on the doorframe, thick smoke wafts and the smell of burning wood fills the room.

He surely heard our conversation because he looks downright murderous, the tendons in his hand threatening to snap from the pressure.

Sucking in a sharp inhale, he approaches the bed with measured steps. I don’t miss the fury seeping out of his pores, akin to noxious fumes, or the charred imprint he left behind.

“How are you feeling?” Kaiden bends over me and gently traces my cheek with his knuckles before tucking a stray hair behind my ear. As always, his touch leaves a delicious wake of shivers behind.

Sam slaps her forehead. “Shit, I forgot to ask you that,” she says guiltily from beside me.

“Like I got hit by a truck.” I try to smile, but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace.

Kaiden’s fingers curl into tight fists. “I’m going to run you a bath,” he says in a raspy voice as he straightens and strides into the en suite bathroom, shoulders stiff.

“Sheesh. He’s intense,” Sam quips, throwing a side-eye my way.

“Yeah…”

“You should have seen him when we found you. He was feral. I had to fight him off you just so I could check if you still had a pulse. He also accidentally set the club on fire and somehow started an earthquake.”

I gulp hard. I’m not ready to think about why he would be so affected by me getting hurt.

“Mmhm. I tried my best to heal you, but there was only so much I could do. Kaiden said his warlock friend, who healed you the last two times, had gone after that guy…what the fuck is his name?” She snaps her fingers a few times.

“Adramelech! Lucifer’s chancellor. He brought in his best doctor for you, though.

You have a concussion and a few broken ribs.

But, Iris, it’s insane how fast you’re healing.

I mean, I’m not complaining, but it’s weird because it surpasses your hellseeker abilities.

At this rate, you should look good as new in a week. ”

“Well, that’s not the only thing that’s weird.

I rotted Erik with my bare hands. How in the world was I able to do that?

This…dark power electrified every cell in my body, and then it seemed to spill from me—like wisps of shadow.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful this happened because otherwise…

otherwise he would…he would have…” I gulp, unable to voice the words for a second time.

“And as if this isn’t crazy enough, I’m still seeing ghosts on top of everything. What is happening to me?” I whisper.