Chapter Three #2
the hands of one of my Primori, a king who got off on raping and murdering his
own subjects, a Council member broke with protocol by telling me that the king
wasn’t Primori because he was a great ruler who would make a difference in the
world. In fact, his name has been, deservedly, lost to history. He was Primori
because he was destined to kill the girl. If he hadn’t, she would have given
birth to someone who would have changed the course of history and made Caligula
seem tame and sweet.” She inhaled a ragged breath. “It’s still hard to think
about, but you have to trust that the system works, and remember that ninety percent of the people you
protect are good. We just tend to obsess over the bad ones.”
He did trust the system. But when he’d flashed into that
parking lot and saw that his Primori was about to abduct a woman, Hawkyn had
instinctively tried to prevent it. Now he was left with one burning question:
Was Ms. Mercer fated to die at Drayger’s hands...or had Hawkyn’s presence
prevented the escape she’d been meant to make?
Hell, maybe Drayger’s fate had been to die from the
blast that Hawkyn had taken instead. If so, Hawk’s interference had changed
history. And, if so, he was in a lot of trouble. He could kiss
membership in the Memitim Council goodbye... And that was assuming he was even
allowed to Ascend and become a true angel in the first place.
“Thanks, Idess,” he mumbled.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” She narrowed her eyes,
going all big sister on him. “And don’t do anything stupid.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Except that was a lie. He had to find Aurora before Drayger
killed her, and he could only pray that he’d taken her to one of the places
Hawk knew about. The guy seemed to have an unusual number of dungeons, and
according to Drayger’s previous Memitim guardian, he moved his victims around,
rarely keeping them in one place for more than a couple of days. If he held
true to his pattern, Aurora would be kept alive for two weeks in three
different locations.
Hawk just had to hope Drayger didn’t deviate from his usual
routine as he’d done a couple of times in the past.
Cursing softly, Hawkyn stepped out into the underground
parking lot, which wasn’t protected by Underworld General’s ward preventing
entry and exit via any means but the ER doors and the Harrowgate. Once outside,
he squared his shoulders and released his wings, shadowy appendages that made
him unique amongst his wingless siblings and which allowed him to cloak himself
in a bubble of invisibility.
His brothers and sisters could also make themselves
invisible, but they didn’t look as cool doing it.
Wings fully extended and invisibility cloak engaged, he
brushed his fingers over Drayger’s mark on his wrist and was instantly
transported to his Primori’s location, an office building in downtown Portland.
Drayger was at Interim, a computer software company where he
worked as a database developer. It was both good news and bad that he was here.
It meant he wasn’t harming anyone, but it also meant that Aurora would be
harder to find.
The human looked so non-threatening sitting at his desk in
khakis and a green company polo, his I <3 Computers
mug filled with steaming coffee, knickknacks and a photo of his mom nearby. All
an attempt to appear normal. Psychopaths were often surprisingly adept at
fitting in. Drayger was a chameleon, and he was good at it.
But Hawkyn had seen the real Drayger. He’d seen what was
under the face Drayger wore in public and when he was playing with his victims.
The true man beneath the mask still appeared human, but the humanity was gone.
His eyes were cold and dead, his posture erect with the kind of deranged
confidence that only those who didn’t fear pain or death possessed. Dark energy
surrounded him, the seductive kind that drew other evil beings.
And he could turn it on and off in a heartbeat.
Hawkyn despised the bastard, was sickened that someone like
him rated angelic protection. But Hawk would be first in line to kill the
fucker once the protection was no longer needed. Angels were forbidden to kill
humans no matter how evil they were, but every once in a
while permission to do so was granted, and Hawkyn intended to secure
authorization to rid the planet of one Jason Drayger no matter the cost.
Satisfied that Drayger was occupied, Hawk flashed to the first of several hideouts, an old cellar at an
abandoned country farmhouse. It was empty of everything but a filthy mattress,
bloodstains, and nasty tools he used for his gruesome hobby.
Same results in Drayger’s residence, the shed on the
property Drayger cared for while his brother, Ben, was overseas doing contract
work for an oil company, and the cave hidden deep in the Mt. Hood National
Forest.
The weird thing about the cave was the lack of obvious
torture tools and a mattress. Only a hammer, a rusty hand saw, a hatchet, and a
few ropes lay in neat coils on the cave floor, nothing that would be suspicious
for anyone stumbling upon the place.
Well, shit. Those spots were the only ones Hawkyn knew
about.
Where was she? What had Drayger done to her already? And
what was Hawkyn going to do once he found her?
Maybe there was a way to find out if his Primori’s fate was
still on track...which would mean that Hawkyn hadn’t screwed up. But it would
also mean that Aurora Mercer was exactly where she was supposed to be.
And while that would be good news for Hawkyn’s future, it
would be very, very bad for hers.