Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Sorcha took a step back and ran into the edge of her desk. Which was good as she needed that extra stability. “Why is your name written inside the blood splatter of our victim?”
“Wish I knew.”
Her mind reeled. “How did the student know your name?”
“There’s no way she could. That’s not for public consumption. Only a tiny number of creatures know my real name. And I’m thinking whoever did that wanted to get my explicit attention.”
“Why?”
“No idea.” He stood up and moved closer to the screen. “It’s in English and with your alphabet. Whoever did it wanted humans to be able to read it, too.”
“Your alphabet?”
He nodded. “We have a different script in Hell that we use. Same for witches and other groups.”
“So it’s not like Greek or Cuneiform?”
“Why would we use those?”
“To be aggravating?”
He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.
“While there is some truth to that, we just created our own way back when.” Using his finger, he drew an odd assortment of symbols on the screen.
The first looked like an eye. The next appeared as an unfinished star followed by a misshaped E, a weird W then an actual star.
Something she couldn’t make out and a final five-pointed star… those must be the As in his name.
“That’s pretty.”
“It’s how a human might write my name if they knew our letters.” He then combined them into a peculiar shape. “This is how my name would be written by someone from Hell who actually uses our script.”
Yeah, that was very different. These weren’t runes or alchemy symbols. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. “So it isn’t a message to you.”
“I still think it is. Whoever or whatever is doing this is trying to set me up. Makes me wonder if it’s the same shit who had me tossed out of Hell.”
“Why would they do that?”
“That’s the question, detective. Why would they?”
By the ferocity of his expression, she would imagine what he intended to do to whoever had done this. Gone was any of the playful Luke she’d seen.
This was the demonic partner who wanted blood.
“Can I ask you something if you promise not to get angry?”
He frowned before he answered. “Sure.”
“What does Xynzara mean?”
“Blade of Rebellion. My mother gave it to me because she intended for me to be my father’s heir.”
That was a disturbing thought. “As in take over Hell?”
“As I said, everything can be killed. But I have never coveted my father’s throne.
Which is why he agreed to name me his heir once I was grown.
He knew I’d never lead an attack against him.
” He gestured toward the closet. “I can barely ride herd on my tiny troop of demons. Last thing I want is the headache my father deals with constantly. He can keep that forever, and I’ve always made sure to watch his back because I don’t want to inherit any part of that drama. ”
“So why ban you from Hell?”
He gave her a peeved stare. “Yeah. See the problem?”
Yes, she did. “So you think someone is trying to overthrow Lucifer?”
“I don’t know. I have a lot of enemies and siblings who would do this to me just for shits and giggles. Again, the old, Fuck you, Ken. My fear is that you’re right and someone is coming for his throne. But why frame me here where I really pose no threat?”
She wished she had an answer.
Luke’s phone rang out with Hell’s Bells. Without commenting on his ringtone, he answered it and put it on speaker. “Teivel.”
“Why did you kill me?”
The color faded from his face as Sorcha’s breath caught in her throat. What?
Luke’s eyes darkened dangerously. “Who is this?”
“You know who I am. Why did you kill me?”
“I haven’t killed anyone and I don’t appreciate your bullshit.”
The voice began sobbing. “I did what you wanted. Why did you laugh while you hurt me?”
“Fuck you!” He hung up, then turned to face Sorcha. His eyes were no longer amber. They were a fiery red unlike anything she’d ever seen before. These didn’t glow. They swirled.
“Helly!” he growled in a guttural tone.
She appeared instantly and drew up short as she caught sight of his state. “Yes, dominus?”
“Find out where the last call on my phone came from.”
Nodding, she turned into a dark mist and covered his phone.
That was one way to do a trace. Personally, she preferred the more conventional means.
“Shouldn’t we tell the captain or Bernadette about this?”
“Tell them what? I’m being harassed?”
“Stalked and set up. They need to know.”
“What can they do?”
He was right. This wasn’t human. What could a mere mortal do to help with someone far beyond the normal realm?
“I do have one question and please don’t take this the wrong way. I’m just trying to fact find. Have you killed anyone recently?”
The look he gave her was blistering. “No.”
“Okay. Don’t get angry. I’m only curious why they’re saying you did.”
“I really don’t know.” The sincerity in his tone and on his face told her that he was innocent.
“Just breathe, Luke. We’ll get through this. We’ll find out who’s after you and stop it.”
Luke adored the conviction he saw in her eyes and heard in her voice. But she was human.
What could she do?
Bleed?
His anger rose high and it took everything he had to keep it under control. Nothing would please him more than to explode everything around him. To throw a fit the size of a tsunami. But it would solve nothing.
Worse? It would terrify Sorcha.
She reached out and placed her hand on his.
And for the first time in his life, he calmed down.
Shaddix passed a droll stare at her imp, a gift from her father on the day she’d been born. “Careful, Enos. Else I’ll yank out the stubs where your wings used to be.”
Enos mumbled something incomprehensible.
“What was that?”
Her imp shook its head. “Nothing, domina. Just my stomach rumbling.”
Right… Shaddix narrowed her gaze on the beast. “Control your body.”
“Yes, domina.”
Sneering at it, she craved real company. Pets held no interest for her right now. Not when she was now her father’s favorite. Her newfound power was addictive.
How could Luke have ever complained about it?
He’d never deserved his position. Never appreciated it.
But I do…
She left her room and headed for the fiery pit where her father oversaw his dominion.
At a full seven feet in height, Samael was a creature of extreme and utter beauty.
His once solid gold wings were now tipped with black, and he had them folded against his lean, well-muscled body.
Long blond hair framed a face that had been chiseled to perfection.
Ironically, he was an exact copy of Luke, except for his hair color and much paler skin.
And icy blue eyes.
But the shape of their lips, eyes, chin and nose were identical in every way. Even the way they carried themselves.
Shaddix had always hated that arrogance. It’d bothered her when her father did it. When Luke had come along…
He was such an undeserving bastard.
Literally.
She was a pure-blooded angel. Why her father had ever favored such a mutant creature, she’d never understand.
Samael stood beside a pale, sinister man. She would say human, but he wasn’t completely human. He reeked of blood and bile.
Vampire. She’d know that unique stench anywhere.
Her father looked over to her and smiled. “Ah, my daughter. Shaddix, come here and meet Antoine Dufresne.”
Moving closer, she inclined her head to the stranger. Until she knew if he was an equal or higher, she had no intention of speaking to him.
The vampire scowled at her father. “I thought your son was your second?”
Samael’s eyes turned to a furious red as his wings fanned out.
Dufresne realized too late that he’d stepped on the wrong topic. “Forgive me, my lord. I must have been misinformed.”
Samael’s wings tucked down against his back again, but his eyes remained vibrant red. “Shaddix will be dealing with the subject at hand.”
“And that is?” she asked.
“The Order of Blackthorn is looking for a daughter of theirs who has escaped the fold.”
Shaddix frowned at her father. “Why would that concern us?”
Dufresne returned her frown. “As your main ally, we were hoping to borrow a hellhound to track her down.”
“Why not use one of your werewolves or other shapeshifters?” Surely, they’d be just as good, and a lot easier to stomach. Hellhounds came with a nasty arrogance that made it hard for her to tolerate them.
Her father looked less than pleased with her question. “Obviously, they don’t want the woman to know they’re coming after her. She’ll be looking for their kind. She won’t think to be wary of a hellhound.”
Shaddix always hated when her father took that tone that implied she was stupid. She despised it twice as much when he did it in front of others.
Never once had he ever embarrassed Luke. That little prick got a pass on everything.
Her anger was such that she was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of her nostrils. But she knew better than to let it show. That would only incur more wrath from her father.
Lucifer couldn’t handle anyone challenging him.
Well, it was more like he wouldn’t tolerate it and the last thing she wanted was for him to start in on her.
“I shall take care of Mr. Dufresne, Father. You can rely on me.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.” He vanished instantly.
Dufresne arched a brow at her. “What happened to Luke?”
“What do you know of my brother?”
“It’s rare for your father to grant an audience. So I’ve always done business with Luke.”
Because her father had no respect for vampires or much of anyone. “Luke no longer holds his confidence.” Thanks to her father’s paranoia. She still couldn’t believe he’d kicked Luke out of Hell.
“What does that mean?”
“Sadly, my brother isn’t welcome here anymore.”
The disbelief in the vampire’s eyes would have been comical had the subject not been so serious. “I take it you’re replacing him.”
Shaddix nodded. “I am.”
He inclined his head to her. “My condolences on the loss of your brother.”
“Thank you. I do miss him.” Not really, but no one else needed to know that.
“Have you any idea where he’s gone?”
That made the hair on the back of her neck rise. “Why do you ask?”
“Curiosity.”
“That tends to get people into trouble. Especially vampires…and cats.”
A strange glint appeared in his eyes. “I’ll take care.”
“You should and don’t worry. I have no idea where my brother has gone. Once he was cast out, he vanished.”
Dufresne wasn’t sure what game the fallen angel in front of him was playing. She was hiding something. He just didn’t know what.
Not that it mattered. He had much more pressing issues at present. “Could you please summon a hellhound for me?”
“Of course.” She snapped her fingers.
A tall, beautiful dark-skinned woman with amber eyes appeared in the room, beside the angel.
Her eyes flared with anger as she saw Shaddix. “What’s the meaning of this?” she growled.
“My father wishes for us to help the vampire. Given that it’s a direct order, I thought you’d be the one best suited to carry it out.”
The hellhound’s nostrils flared. How the angel could appear so nonchalant against that level of fury, he had no idea. Even at his distance, he was scared. “You don’t command me.”
Antoine had never met the hound before this, but she was terrifying. The angel was either incredibly brave or more likely stupid.
Shaddix shrugged. “Help or don’t. I really couldn’t care less. But if you choose not to, I will make sure my father knows you refused his orders.” Then, she vanished as quickly as Lucifer had done.
Alone with the hellhound, Antoine wasn’t sure what to do. The last thing he wanted was to incur her wrath.
She turned toward him with a menacing glower that almost succeeded in loosening his bowels.
“Hi,” he said, trying to befriend her.
Sadly, that didn’t appease her at all. “Who are you, vampire?”
“Antoine Dufresne.”
That took a degree of anger from her amber eyes. “I’ve heard of you. You’re a friend of my son’s.”
“Your son?”
“Luke.”
Antoine wasn’t sure how to take that. In all the centuries he’d known Luke, they’d never spoken of mothers. For some reason, he’d assumed Luke’s was either dead or another angel.
But a hellhound…
Interesting.
“Luke’s why I came here. I was hoping to speak with him.”
“Why?” She wasn’t very chatty, which only added to the sinister quality of the beast.
“I have a missing daughter. I would like to say she was kidnapped, but more likely I think she’s fallen in love with a human, and I need to get her back before anyone finds out.”
That seemed to confuse the hellhound. “Why would you not want her happy?” Such a simple question. If only it were that easy.
“Vampires and humans don’t mix. I mean, it’s fine to feed on them, but not to live with one. She’s broken one of our most sacred rules.”
The hellhound nodded. “Understood. It’s fine to feed on humans, but never to keep one.”
There was a lot more to it than that. It wasn’t just that Amandine had broken their rules. Being with any human put all of them at risk. As a rule, the human race was never to know they existed.
Ever.
And it wasn’t bad enough that she’d flaunted a rule that had kept them safe for centuries. Oh no. His daughter had taken up with the son of the Phoenix Society leader—the very group they had made their truce with.
For hundreds of years, their groups had been at war. It’d been bloody and costly on both sides.
Until the vampires had made a truce with the Phoenix leader that strictly forbade vampires from breeding with humans and letting the mundane humans know they existed.
In return, the Phoenixes kept humans from hunting vampires, including their own members. More than that, they helped conceal his species and should a group of humans find them, the Phoenixes took care of it so that the vampires could live in peace.
For over two hundred years, his people had known a tranquility they’d never dreamed of.
Even after that bastard Stoker had shined a light on them, they had still managed to stay hidden.
Granted the truce kept them from breeding their own children, but it’d been worth it for the peace of mind that came with living without being hunted by roving mobs of imbeciles.
Of having their homes burned during the daylight when they were most vulnerable.
And idiots staking them because they stupidly believed it would kill them.
No vampire wanted this truce to end.
If any member of his Order learned of this, they’d demand he kill his own daughter for her violation. The same daughter he’d become a vampire eight hundred years ago to save.
She was his life. He refused to be her death.
“Please help me find my daughter.”
The hellhound inclined her head to him. “I understand the need to protect a child. I’ll make sure you find her.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you have any idea where to start?”
He nodded. “They’re both students at Savannah College of Art and Design.”