Chapter 14
Anew wave of nausea fills my core, and I lean against the door frame as her eyes widen.
“What the fuck happened to you?” She steps backward.
I attempt to speak, but my throat is too dry and raw. I use the furniture around me to help me walk away from the door, leaving it open for her to either enter or regret knocking. I make my way to my bed and sit down.
To my surprise, she walks across the threshold and watches me. The room around me spins, and I look at her. Bronwyn’s bruising from our assessment has healed, and her normal stunning face stares back at me like I’m a stranger.
I attempt to speak again, but she raises her hand to stop me.
“I’m not here to talk to you.” She crosses her arms. “But I’ll ask this once. Are you alright?”
I take a second to think and nod my head. Her brows rise, and she grimaces. She knows I’m lying, which may not have been the best response, seeing as she thinks I’m a miserable liar.
“Sure,” she responds.
“Bronwyn,” I finally manage to get out. “I’m just having a hard time.”
“I see that,” she scolds. “You could have said that instead of fucking lying just a second ago. You think you are protecting the people around you, but you aren’t. Stop being dishonest.”
“I’m sorr—” I attempt to say, and she cuts me off.
“I told you, I’m not here to talk to you, Mara.”
I nod and close my mouth. She isn’t someone you push, and I learned that the hard way—one too many times. If I want to salvage this relationship, I need to keep my mouth shut.
She crosses the room toward me, and for a second, I think she’ll punch me.
I deserve it.
I flinch, and she gives me an odd stare. She extends her hand in my direction and unfurls her palm. My necklace sits in her hand, and I stare at it, unable to speak. The single black diamond sparkles in the sun, and I notice the gold chain—still broken from when she pulled it from my throat.
“I found this after you beat the shit out of me.” She pushes her hand forward again. “I know it’s… special to you.”
I stare at her and the beautiful piece of jewelry. Tears fill my eyes once more, and I gently raise my hand to take the necklace from her.
“It’s broken, but it would be easy to fix the chain,” she says.
“Thank you.” I let out a sob. “Bronwyn, I—”
She cuts me off again. “I told you I don’t want to hear it.”
“Alright,” I whisper.
“You should really eat something.” She turns on her heels, not looking back as she crosses the threshold in a crimson flash.
I can’t say that’s exactly what I needed right now, but for the first time in a while, I feel something blossom within my soul: hope.
I move the nearly weightless jewelry in my hand.
The diamond is perfect, whereas the chain is broken near the clasp.
I make a mental note to take it down to the jeweler the first moment I have to myself.
I watch her hesitate to leave, and she turns once more. “There are flowers out here, by the way.”
“Oh.” I stand on weak legs. “I threw them out yesterday. It’s a mess. I’ll clean it up.”
She makes a confused face. “These are in a vase. They smell disgusting.”
My stance wavers as I move toward the door, and the smell hits me.
Rancid flowers sit tucked around my door in the hallway.
I clench my fists together and let annoyance take over my exhaustion.
The wilting petals hang heavy on the stems, and decay fills the space.
Like before, a single note is tucked between plastic prongs.
I lean down to grab the note, and a stronger wave of dizziness hits me.
My legs buckle, and I fall onto the hard hallway floor.
“Damn, Mara.” I hear Bronwyn’s voice before my vision goes black. “Hey. Can you hear me?”
My vision blurs, and I look around. I’m back in my room, the flowers nowhere to be seen. Instead, the note sits unopened on my bedside table, and Bronwyn sits at the far desk alongside Shaw and Talon. The smell of rotten flowers is gone, replaced by the delicious aroma of a greasy burger.
A fucking smashburger.
I float in and out of consciousness, but I can hear them speaking every so often.
“She just passed out,” Bronwyn explains.
“Why were you even here?” Shaw says harshly.
Bronwyn hesitates. “I had her necklace. I was returning it.”
“And why did you stay?” Talon asks.
I open my eyes and watch them converse quietly. Talon and Shaw stand closest to me, while she remains with her back to the door, seconds away from bolting. Bronwyn rolls her eyes and stands.
“Because, unlike her, I’m not a horrible person.” She points at me as she says it.
Her harsh gaze meets mine without realizing I’m awake, and she makes a pained expression. She crosses her arms and walks toward the door, shutting it hard behind her.
One step forward, two hundred steps back.
I sit up, and my head throbs worse than before. It’s been days since I’ve eaten, and even as an angel, that’s too long to satisfy our human side.
Talon walks toward my bed and sits down. “I forgot how entertaining it was to have you around, Mara.”
Shaw laughs but never takes his eyes off me.
“But can you chill out?” Talon continues. “I literally can’t get a thing done, and I don’t want Lowell to think I’m slacking.”
I sit with my back against the large wooden headboard and rub my temples. Shaw moves to join us near the bed, holding a greasy brown sack. He extends the bag forward, and the aroma of the burger and its amazing, buttered bun fills my nose, sending a wave of pleasure and a hint of nausea through me.
“You okay?” Talon asks.
“Nope,” I respond.
“Was Crew thrilled about his bar tab?” Talon smiles.
“Definitely.”
“Got you this.” Shaw changes the subject. “I told Sasha you were under the weather, so she made it exceptionally greasy for you.”
I glance between the two of them, wishing Bronwyn had stayed.
Although I’m not in the right condition to have the conversation we need to have, I would have felt a little better with her here.
I unwrap the paper sack and let the scent fill the room.
A near moan escapes my mouth as I unwrap the still-hot burger from the drenched paper holding it together.
“I don’t know how you two love those.” Talon grimaces. “It’s not appetizing to have your food soaked with grease.”
Shaw snaps his head to Talon. “Talk like that again, and I’ll dump your ass.”
Talon laughs and playfully slaps Shaw while I take a bite of the thing I’ve dreamed of for nearly a year. The spices and various ingredients blend to create the perfect bite of a burger. My eyes roll back in delight, and I move in for another bite.
“My turn.” Shaw leans in, taking a massive bite of my burger before turning and planting a sloppy kiss on Talon’s mouth.
I huff a laugh as Talon does all he can to wipe the wet kiss away, acting as if he’s been tainted by something repulsive.
I finish the burger faster than one ever should and look into the bag to find a sack of fries waiting for me next. Shaw and Talon continue to argue over what’s healthy to eat while I devour everything in sight. I feel myself slowly coming back to life and can’t help but let my mind slip.
Before everything was messed up, we always spent our days together, then split up at night to complete any tasks assigned to us.
We were so close, and one thing that strikes me—which I never questioned before—is that we never spoke about our assignments.
We never talked about what Lowell had us doing individually.
Even though they mostly knew what I did, I never knew what they did.
“My first assignment back is tonight.” I interrupt their conversation and motion to the folder sitting on my desk.
“You ready?” Shaw asks.
I wipe my mouth and hands on the towels tucked into the bag. “I think so, but it will be interesting.”
Talon angles his head. “Well, you aren’t out of practice from the skills I saw yesterday.”
I raise my brows. “Crew Bannermin has to work with me, and I told him if he showed up, I would shoot him.”
They both laugh wildly.
“And if he actually shows up?” Shaw asks.
I shrug. “I’m going to shoot him, obviously.”
“That’s a fight I would pay to see,” Talon says. “Crew Bannermin is a bad motherfucker.”
“Don’t make me laugh,” I snap. “He’s never had to work for anything. He’s been handed everything by his father.”
“We know you hate him,” Shaw says. “Why? Outside of the fact that he’s a cocky demon with zero regard for anyone but himself.”
“Isn’t that reason enough?” I ask.
“I was shocked when he showed up after you fell at the bar,” Talon responds. “He appeared out of nowhere.”
“Why did you let him help me?”
Talon’s eyes widen, and I lean closer, narrowing mine.
“Why?”
“Because I was hammered. You were face down,” Talon says. “And… I couldn’t stop laughing.”
My jaw slackens. “Crew was right. You are an asshole.”
Talon laughs again, and they continue to talk about the demon.
I never told them I saw Crew the night I found my father murdered in the streets of Halcyon City.
Rumors have circulated for years that the demons of the Jade Order hunt humans for sport, and I fear my dad was involved in their reckless activities for entertainment.
I always promised myself I would uncover what he knew and make his death hurt twice as bad.
“I’m done talking about him,” I reply. “You two can continue this chat elsewhere.”
They exchange glances and stand together.
“Be careful tonight, Mara.” Shaw kisses the top of my head. “Let us know if you need help cleaning up a dead body once you shoot Bannermin.”
I fake a smile as they slip across the room, shutting the door with a quiet click. For a moment, the solitude of my room feels good. So much has been going on, and I swear I haven’t had a fucking moment of peace since I’ve returned. But what’s new?
I continue to sit, allowing my feet to dangle off the wide four-poster bed. Exhaustion continues to beat down on my body, but I stand, walking to my desk.
My mind quickly goes back to the note on my table, and I lean over to grab the small envelope, having done this twice already. I unfold the paper and read the small greeting card with the words: Careful of the Grim.
I stare at the note, letting it sink into my soul. No matter what happens, the reminders are like an ever-present itch I can’t scratch. Instead of tossing it in the trash, I move to my desk and place it on the hard wooden top.
A thought flickers in my mind, and I decide the first thing I’ll do tomorrow is investigate this exhausting stunt.
Someone is taunting me, and I want to know who.
The libraries in the Lyre Order hold signed documents from every angel that lives here, so I can match someone’s handwriting to this note.
I flip open the file that Lowell handed me for tonight's assignment. Various letters and documents clutter the folder along with a single photo of the person I need to ensure leaves this earth tonight.
Lewis Vanderwith.
A prominent public figure in Halcyon City—the owner and founder of the top engineering firm, Vanderwith Consultants—who is known for his lavish parties, strong jawline, and insatiable ability to make everyone around him feel inferior.
I’m surprised it’s taken this long for his name to come before me, considering he was exiled from the Kaa Order nearly three decades ago, leaving him a Void.
I read through the notes, learning everything I need to know about this man. He pretends to be in his mid-forties, single, and has burned every bridge he’s ever built, having embezzled millions of dollars during his years of blending in.
Should be easy.
Lewis spends most Saturday nights drinking until he no longer remembers his name in a bar atop one of the tallest buildings in the city—The Tower.
He then stumbles into a blacked-out car that is always waiting for him and is escorted home, which is heavily monitored by security systems and bodyguards.
Okay, a little more difficult.
I’ll have a few chances to take my shot without drawing too much attention. One thing about my line of work is staying discreet, and publicly killing someone as prominent as Lewis wouldn’t go over well, even for us.
Riggs would have a field day if he knew I was back in the field this early after leaving his hellhole, and killing this man without anyone noticing would be impossible. I laugh to myself, because this is another fucked up way that Lowell can silently torture me with a smile on his face.
I memorize a few key pieces about him and check the clock—5 P.M.
I let today slip away from me, but I suppose that’s what happens when you excel at creating chaos.
I walk to the bathroom, brush through my hair, and reapply what makeup I can to look presentable.
I braid my long white hair and throw it behind me.
After changing into a fresh set of clothes perfect for tonight’s occasion—black spandex pants and a matching shirt—I buckle my belt around my waist, slipping a small gun into the holster, and lace up my boots.
I move into the hallway, needing to get to the bottom floor of the Order to access the armory and collect the items I will need for tonight’s assignment.
I glance toward the stairwell, allowing the thought of the last time I was there to creep into the back of my mind—the darkness, the looming floors above and below—and a chill runs up my spine.
I turn left out of my door and walk toward the elevators, the quicker and less creepy option for descending deep below the populated areas of the Order.
My footsteps echo in every direction, and I keep my senses alert.
I used to feel secure in this home, but now even the walls seem to whisper things about me as I pass by.
I stop in front of the elevator and wait for the wide metal doors to open. Each beep of the metal box creeping closer sets an unease in my core. I press the button again, thinking that will hurry it up, and as the elevator doors open, I rush inside, placing my back against the cold wall.
I lean forward, pressing the ‘B,’ and exhale sharply as the elevator responds. I rest my head back, allowing my heart to slow, before a hand stops the doors from moving. I jolt straight up and watch the doors reopen, letting someone step inside.
A man I’ve seen before steps forward with a wide grin painted on his face, and I narrow my gaze, trying to remember who he is, when it hits me. Cris, the newest angel assassin to the Order.
The man who called me Hollow Huntress, and the man I held at gunpoint.
“Stalking me?” I say.
“Yes.”