Authors: Christine Fonseca
Lacrimosa (24 page)
Aydan
Nesy disappears as I fall. Safe.
But for how long? I have no idea what Azza plans for her, but I can guess. And I can’t let him succeed.
The Beast growls, reminding me of my loyalty and gnawing away at my insides. He demands attention. I want to ignore him, overrule that aspect of me.
Impossible. He’s too entrenched in my soul.
Azza’s claws dig into my arm, pulling me to my feet. The sounds of war—metal on metal layered over the screams of the injured—pound in my ears. Instinct forces me to reengage, raise my sword. My arm trembles as the muscle tears from the strain. It’s too much and my arm falls, unable to hold the weight of my weapon.
Angels and demons attack with one purpose. My death.
Should I acquiesce? It would be so easy now.
Azza answers for me, pushing me through the throng, perhaps to my end. Dark and murky shadows block the sun, throwing the courtyard into darkness. In the center of the eclipse, a portal. Azza pushes me through it and I fade into nothing.
Moments pass. Maybe longer. The swirling darkness erases all meaning of time. Something cold and hard shoves me forward. My knees grate across smooth wood as I slam into a floor.
I remember Azza and Nesy in vivid detail. The way he drove his knife into her. The silver color of her blood.
Vengeance clouds my judgment. I jump to my feet, my weapon in hand. The pain shoots up my arm as I engage my master.
Too long I’ve waited to exact my revenge.
Too long I’ve dreamed of his death.
He will pay for every ounce of agony and torment I posses, for every lost moment with Nesy. I point the sword at his cold heart.
“Put that away,” Azza snarls.
“You attacked Nesy.”
“And yet she lives. Do you want to make sure she stays that way? Or would you prefer I kill you first and have some fun with her before she dies?” Azza’s fingers tap the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrow, pinning me. “Decide.”
My heart clenches. I can’t defeat him. Not until I receive the marks.
And it will be too late then—for either of us.
Rage stiffens my body and I withdraw.
For now.
“I thought you’d see it my way.”
For the first time, I notice my familiar surroundings. The strange way the light plays off the stained glass windows. The echo of Azza’s footsteps on the floor. The musty scent of the air.
He’s brought me to the club.
Azza walks to the bar and digs his hands into the counter. “It is time for you to take your oath. Tonight.”
My rage boils over. “No,” I bark. “No more. I won’t follow you.”
Azza turns. “Did I say you had a choice?”
The weight of his stare crushes the air from the room.
“We have waited four hundred years for this. Four hundred years to find a Seer worthy of you. You will not waste this chance because of your misguided feeling for that Sentinal.”
“And if I refuse?”
Azza is at my side in seconds. His foul stench curdles my stomach. “You will take your vows or I will feed you to the dark creatures myself.”
His threat feeds my rage. And my fear. All I can think about is Nesy. What will he do to her if I refuse, if I end this now?
“If you die, Aydan, Nesy dies. If you try to join her, she dies. If she kills you, she dies. If—”
“You’ll kill her if I don’t do what you want. I get it.” My mind whirls, trying to figure a way out.
“Good. You are taking your oath tonight. You’ll drink the soul of the Seer, taste her blood, bear the marks. Under the sculpture of Mikayel, we will mock him and show all of Celestium who really holds the power.” Azza’s voice echoes through the empty club.
Torment circles around me, ignored. I’ve no time to wallow. No time to feel. “When I do this, will you guarantee Nesy’s safety? Promise me you won’t hurt her? Corrupt her?”
“You are in no position to bargain with me, boy. But, to show you how reasonable I can be, I will guarantee that I will not kill her.”
“That isn’t the same.” What’s he planning?
“That
is
my only offer. Take your oath as you have vowed to do, and I will not kill your lover.”
I have to move, figure out the meaning behind his words. It’s a trap, I know it is. But I have no choice.
Azza flashes pictures through my thoughts.
Nesy dying at Azza’s hands
—
I’ll kill you first.
Dark creatures ending my life
—
not before I hurt you, Azza. Remember that.
The Beast again reminds me of my oath, the bind that locks me to my master, whether I want it or not.
Refuse the Beast, refuse Azza, and Nesy dies a certain death.
Finish this, take my oath and bear the marks, and maybe there will be a way to keep her safe. One chance at ending this.
Maybe.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.” The words stick in my throat as I choke on every syllable. The Beast awakens, as it will for an eternity.
An ominous glint flecks in Azza’s eyes. “I knew you would,” he hisses. “To start, you must feed. You are far too weak to go into battle. The Sentinals have alerted Mikayel by now. He will come and make his stand. He was never one to resist a fight.
“So I will brand you. And tempt him.” A smile curls his lips.
Chills ripple across my skin as I taste my acrid rage.
Mikayel
will
come. He’ll end this. End me.
Perfect.
“Tonight we will crush the Sentinals once and for all.” Azza grows manic with every word.
“You promised Nesy wouldn’t be hurt.”
“I promised
I
would not hurt her.”
His threat lingers in the air. “I will not let anyone hurt her. Not now. Not ever.”
“And you cannot break your vows,” Azza snaps. “But to ensure your loyalty, and guarantee your power, you will seal our deal with a blood oath.”
“What? I’ve never had to—”
“You’ve never crossed me before. We have no trust between us. Not since you’ve decided that your love for a Sentinal means more than your vow to me. You will take a blood oath and bind yourself to your word or there is no deal and I will end Nesy’s existence now.”
Every muscle contracts with rage. My ragged breath feels like sandpaper against my throat. “Who?”
“You must make amends for the one you refused.”
“Lori,” I whisper.
“Yes. The Seer.” A sadistic smile forms on Azza’s face, moving from his lips to his eyes. “First you will taste her blood. Then you will drink her soul.”
Chapter 33 - Liar
Aydan
I loved watching Elle and Lorelei together. It was the only time I saw Elle smile other than with me. They ran through the fields playing games or collecting flowers for their hair. More than once, I caught Lorelei hiding in the tall grass of the meadows while Elle and I kissed.
I knew Elle would never really leave her sister for me. No matter what she said she wanted so many years ago. Their bond was just too strong.
And now, I’m going to rip them apart. Permanently.
Nesy will never forgive this. Never understand why it has to be this way.
Maybe that’s a good thing in the end.
Maybe her anger with me will keep her safe and enable her to do what she must.
I watch the auburn-haired girl sip her coffee, so alone and unaware. Where are the Guardians now? Why do they leave her unguarded?
Why do they make it so easy?
“Prove your words to me,” Azza snarls, his feral gaze glued to Lori. “Bleed her.”
I’m not ready for this.
“Here? No.” I look around the crowded streets and turn to Azza. “I'll do what you demand, but not in the middle of the day. And definitely not in the middle of Chelsea.”
“Fine. Then we'll take her back to the club.”
“She won't go with us, not without a fight. And that would attract a lot of unwanted attention.”
Azza faces me, his expression wild. “She hates me, not you. Not after your last visit with her. Not after you showed
compassion
. After you confessed your love for her sister.” He spit the words at me, each one a dagger piercing my heart.
Lori's words that night replay in my mind. She knew my heart, saw the soul that still lives inside—the part worthy of Nesy.
“Of course,” Azza says, interrupting my thoughts. “I could just take care of everything myself. Lori. You. Nesy.” Azza’s sadistic tone fuels my rage. “But then, our deal would be meaningless. As would my promises.”
I release a frustrated sigh. “I get it. You don’t have to threaten me. I know what you expect.”
“And?”
“And I am prepared to do what you ask. I assume you’ll hold up your end of our deal.”
Satisfaction washes over Azza’s features. “Of course,” he says, the glacier tones chilling my dead soul.
Lori sits at a small table in the back of the corner coffee shop. I straddle a chair across from her, taking her by surprise. Her eyes widen and dart around the shop.
“Azza isn’t here. It’s only me.” The lie rolls easily off of my tongue, as they always do.
“What do you want?” Panic fills her voice. I want to tell her everything is okay. Comfort her.
But that’s one lie I won’t say.
“Where’s Nesy?” she asks. “Is she okay?”
Patrons walk around us, their chatter muting my thoughts. I focus on my story, choking on the details.
Fast. I have to say this fast. Get it over with before I can really grasp what I’m doing. Before I change my mind. “She’s at the club. There was an accident. She asked me to find you.” The words spill out, reeling her further into my web.
Every word poisons my soul, sealing my fate.
“The club? She wouldn’t go there.” Her lip quivers. I taste her fear. “Unless...Azza. She went after Azza.”
“Yes. She was trying to protect you. Keep him from hurting you again.” My stomach churns. The Beast grows. “Things went wrong. I managed to get her away from him. But—”
Lori hangs onto every syllable, barely breathing.
“Lori, she needs to see you. She…she may not survive.” The words shred my throat. Tears fill my eyes. Real tears.
Torment over the betrayal I commit.
Rage for the murder I will perpetrate.
Misery for the one whose heart I just crushed.
A muffled scream draws my attention. No one seems to hear it but me. I look over Lori’s shoulder, watching as Azza plunges a sword into a lone Guardian. A gasp escapes and my anguish grows, buffeting against my soul. Azza retreats into the shadows while the angel remains, bleeding on the hard asphalt.
Too much.
My body stiffens. I should run to the dying angel. Summon Raphael. Turn myself in.
I can’t.
Those actions guarantee Nesy’s death.
So, I focus back on Lori. “Will you come?” I ask, touching her arm. “Please? Before it’s too late?” My face screams everything I can’t say, urging her to comply.
“Of course, I’ll come. She’s my sister. I’d do anything for her.”
“Thank you. Nesy said you are the only one who could help her now.” I stare deeply in Lori’s eyes and let her feel every ounce of my agony.
Her expression softens. “You must feel awful, caught in the middle of something so big. Unable to admit your true feelings for her.” She takes my hand in hers. “I was wrong about you, Aydan. You haven’t turned into a monster. Not really. I think you’re more like the angel I met in Germany.”
Her words kill me, stripping me from my hopes and confirming my fears.