Chapter 3
Iran my hand over my shaved head, massaged the scar on my neck and gazed at Nina’s sleeping form. The Sinners hadn’t been a family, they’d been a purpose, a job, something to balance the scales after losing control of the berserker part of myself. I thought it was all I was fit for; I was a murderer, so might as well kill and make a difference in the world.
I hadn’t even noticed that being a Sinner didn’t fit anymore until now. But if I stopped and thought about it, the entire organization had been growing distasteful for much longer than just the past year and half.
I have to get her out of here, but I won’t get far without help and resources. I have a bug out bag here in the room…one stashed in a motel about an hour away…another at a bus stop in the opposite direction.
I let out a long breath and tried to make myself focus. This was basic, getting out of tight situations, disappearing. I’d done it so often it was second nature. The difference this time was that I had to do it with someone I cared about. And I had the organization that usually had my back hunting me.
No, not just me. They’re going to be pointed at her too.
“Fuck,” I murmured, running a hand down my face.
I noticed it was shaking and ground out another swear word.
It was all starting to hit me now. I’d just put a target on both mine and Nina’s back. The people coming for us would never stop until we were dead.
So I guess I’ll just have to kill them first if it comes to it.
And it would. But this time, I’d keep her safe.
This time, no one was going to hurt her, or take her away from me.
“No one is going to touch you, ever again,” I whispered. “Even if I have to kill every Sinner on the planet.”
I used to think that the whole world deserved to be kept safe by me ripping up my soul.
Now, I knew that Nina was the only person who I would wreck myself for.
I heard Angelica come in, smelled her perfume, and also the faint hint of brimstone, which told me that she and Trey Park had been in the same room when I’d called. I didn’t know what the relationship between the two of them was, but I did know that Trey was not happy about me being around Angelica. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my past record of losing control, or because she and I had known each other so long and were obviously close.
When I turned around, I was relieved that the Dragon had not accompanied her.
Angelica swore when she saw my face, and I followed her into the hallway.
“So,” she said slowly, “they asked you to kill her.”
I wasn’t surprised she’d figured it out. Angelica was one of the smartest women I knew, she’d had to be to survive everything the Archive had put her and her family through.
“I won’t,” I said with a growl. “And they know it now.”
“Damn it, that complicates things more than a little.”
“We need to leave. I need some resources, new ID for her, for me as well, mine are all compromised now.”
“You can’t move her just yet.”
“Why?” I asked with narrowed eyes.
“What was done to her…Darius, the power inside of Nina is too much for her to carry for very long. It will consume her. It’s already starting to bind to her innate abilities. If we can’t get it out of her soon, there will be nothing left of her.”
I looked back at Nina, the two sided mirror providing me with a clear view. She looked like the woman I’d known, though I knew she was hurting inside. I could see it in her eyes, they were duller than they’d been before, and if I found the people responsible…
“What’s inside of her?” I asked after a minute.
“I just got the report before you called, and I had to read it twice.”
I just frowned at her waiting.
“The Morrigan,” Angelica said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Excuse me?”
“Not the whole goddess, but a part of Her. We’re assuming that, because Nina’s family may have connections to the Tuatha De Danann, it’s the reason why the fragment of the Morrigan didn’t kill her immediately.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because every other person they tried this on died in the first test. We’ve been combing through all the records we found at the facility. They killed seven women before Nina.”
I swallowed, hands curling into tight fists.
And people say I’m a monster.
“How do we get it out of her?”
“If we had the right artifact, we could do it tomorrow. But we don’t. Artifacts around death gods and goddesses were prime targets during World War II, and also during several genocides in recent decades. We’ve been recovering them, but the Tuatha artifacts we have aren’t strong enough to absorb the power inside of Nina.”
“She can’t stay here, Angelica,” I said, my voice biting. “They might already be assembling a team. We have one day, if we’re lucky.”
“I know that, but you’ve caught me a bit flat footed. I thought they’d give us more time.”
My eyebrows raised.
“You knew they’d do this?”
“Come on, Darius, who do you think you’re dealing with? Of course I did. But I’d assumed they’d want to wait until we knew more. The fact that they didn’t tells me they have operatives either here or in the Protectors, or both. And that they might know something we don’t.”
“Such as?”
“The true extent of her power. Which means—”
“They were there,” I glanced back at Nina, fury boiling inside of me. “The Sinners had someone at the lab.”
“That’s my thought. But why is the bigger question. If they had an insider, why didn’t that person take down the lab? We’re missing something, and I don’t like it.”
“I don’t care about that,” I said, ignoring the heated glare Angelica leveled at me. “Nina is my only concern, so what’s the next move?”
I could see by the look on her face that Angelica knew what I wasn’t saying. That I couldn’t care less about finding a mole or uncovering the intricate web of lies and espionage that the Archive might be at the center of. If it came to choosing between protecting Nina and discovering an important secret, I’d choose Nina every time.
She didn’t seem happy, but to my relief, Angelica didn’t deny me help either.
“I need her to keep practicing her powers. She’s already at her baseline before her abduction. I need her to start seeing what the new boundaries are, to learn how to control the Morrigan too.”
“If we’re getting it out of her, why does she need to touch it at all?”
“Because it’s incorporating itself with her power. It’s only a matter of time before she won’t be able to discern her power from the Morrigan’s. But…well, I have a plan and to make it work, I need her to look like she knows how to control her new abilities.”
I opened my mouth to ask and she raised a hand to cut me off.
“I’m still firming it up, so give me some time.”
“We don’t have time,” I growled.
“Darius, you are going to have to trust me.”
My frown deepened and I crossed my arms.
“I thought you said I couldn’t trust you once the Archive got involved.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line and she let out a hard breath.
“Things have changed. I need to do this. For David.”
“Angelica—”
She waved me off, tears shining in her eyes that she resolutely refused to shed.
David had been her husband and one of the best Archive agents. He’d accidentally come in contact with an angelic artifact that transferred its power to him. At first it was alright; he was able to use that power for good. But his body and mind couldn’t handle the strain. He went insane and died slowly over the course of years. It had been terrible to watch, and even more terrible for Angelica, and her children, who had inherited their father’s celestial gene. Unlike him, they were handling it much better. But losing David had obviously haunted Angelica. This was her way of seeking absolution, something I knew about intimately.
It made her a strong ally, and also a potential weak point.
But right now, I need all the allies I can get.
“I’m doing this also because I don’t trust the council,” she said, straightening her shoulders. “They’re split on what to do with Nina and I refuse to allow them to make a decision like that for someone again. We’re curing her, and then…well, then we’ll see. But this first. Diffuse the danger and then perhaps the Sinners will leave her alone and so will the council.”
I nodded. It was a good plan.
Though nothing will save me from the Sinners, but that’s a problem for later.
“If we’re off the Archive council’s radar for the most part, and off the Sinners’ entirely,” Angelica continued, “then chances are the Protectors won’t know where we are either. It’s a risk, but worth taking. I’ve got a lead on an artifact but I’ve still got to put some things in place for us to get it. I’ll brief you tomorrow. We’ll have to leave in secret, but I have a plan for that. Have her packed and ready to go.”
“Copy that.”
“I’m also bringing Trey into this.”
“Really?”
She let out a frustrated sigh.
“Mainly because he’s threatened to follow us anyway. And besides, having a Dragon on our side won’t be entirely terrible.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Try to get some sleep,” she said, patting me on the shoulder.
At that moment, Nina stirred and whimpered. I darted to the door but before I went in, I turned back to Angelica.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice rough. “I…I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
She gave me a sad smile.
“You protected my children, you were there every time I needed you, even at great cost to yourself. You owe me nothing, Darius. I’ll see you tomorrow.”