Soul Bound (33 page)

“Guess I got my brains from you,
Mom.
”

It was the first time he’d called her that. Too bad the word dripped with sarcasm. Regan let the insult slide. “If you go after Athanatos, I promise you I’m going straight to Cal. Once he hears you’ve gone all vigilante on us, he’s going to track you down, lock you up and throw away the key.”

He angled an assessing stare her way. “You’d do that? Turn your own son in?”

Regan matched his unflinching gaze with one of her own. “If it keeps you alive, you bet.”

“So what do you suggest I do?” His stance mirrored the frustration saturating his voice. “Wait for Athanatos and his goons to come knocking on my door again?”

“No, I’ve got a far better idea. Let’s pool our resources, work together. Thanks to Lia, we’ve got Kyros exactly where we want him. With your particular talents, we can extract the Kleptopsychs’ exact location from him. No need to go hunting around in the dark.”

He hesitated. She was finally starting to get through to him. “Work with us, Jace. Just this once.”

His shoulders tensed, his stance grew rigid, and yet indecision contorted his features. He was at least considering her proposal, which was more than she’d expected.

“We’ll take Lia to the complex,” she persisted. “She’ll be safe there. Then we’ll plan our next move. Together.”

A hesitation followed by a belligerent sigh. “And Cal won’t expect me to sign my departed soul over to him?”

“Right now I’m pretty sure he’ll take whatever he can get.”

He shot a fleeting glance toward the stairs, which led to Lia’s room, then reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Have it your way. All I care about is seeing Athanatos go down. I won’t allow the bastard to put her through that again.”

Regan understood. That was why she’d used his desire to keep Lia safe as a bargaining chip. “You’re making the right decision.”

“I sure hope so.” He withdrew the daggers from his belt, handed them to her in a gesture of surrender. “I’ll get Lia. The sooner we’re out of here, the better.” And with that, he rocketed up the stairs.

Pitching the blades back in her bag, Regan inhaled deep and hard. One crisis had been averted, but another still loomed ahead. One that would make what they’d experienced today look like a walk in the park. She only hoped her hotheaded son was ready for it.

Jace hadn’t planned on coming back to the Watchers’ complex. Ever. But here he was, following Regan down a stark, winding hallway, Lia’s delicate hand firmly gripped in his. Touching her gave him strength, infused him with courage and reminded him that he’d make a deal with the devil himself to keep her safe. No one would come after her again. Not as long as he lived and breathed.

“Cal’s private quarters are just around the corner,” Regan tossed over her shoulder.

She stopped at a tall metal door, knocked twice and waited. The door swung open, though no one stood behind it. Inside, Cal sat at a heavyset desk, pensively rotating the thick silver band on his finger.

Standing next to him was Marcus, who looked more than a little surprised to see them. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “If it isn’t the chosen one, finally deciding to grace us with his presence.”

“Cool it, Marcus,” Regan warned. “Jace is here to help.”

Cal stood and circled the desk. “There is no question his special skill set would prove infinitely useful right now.”

Jace took a step forward. “That’s the only reason I’m here,” he clarified, just in case Cal entertained any notions of Jace joining his freaky army.

“Where’s Kyros?” Regan asked.

“Secured in one of the interrogation rooms,” Marcus replied. “Drake is guarding the door.”

Cal focused his penetrating mercury gaze on Regan. “Before we go any further, I think you better explain exactly what happened today.”

Jace and Lia stood by silently as Regan recounted the events of the day to Cal. While she spoke, Cal’s face remained perfectly impassive, but Jace could see the wheels spinning inside his head.

“And why were you there,” he accused when Regan lapsed into silence, “without my knowledge?”

His mother adopted a defensive posture. Her back went ramrod straight, her shoulders grew taut and her mouth became a thin, firm line. “I was only trying to help. Jace doesn’t trust you or Marcus. That much is evident. I thought I might have better luck.”

Jace was starting to grow antsy. “Instead of standing here grilling her, why don’t you take me to Kyros? Do you want me to mess with the bastard’s head or not?”

Cal didn’t bother to answer his question. For what seemed like an eternity, he studied him and Lia with an incisive stare. Then he walked up to them and spread out his palms, as if trying to touch their life-forces. Jace felt he was being sliced open, examined from the inside out.

“Something’s changed,” he declared. “Your connection has been cemented. You’re feeding off each other’s energy.” He shook his flaxen head. “Light and darkness working in perfect harmony. Remarkable.”

“Is that why I was able to do what I did to Kyros?” Lia’s eyes were wide, curious and a little frightened.

Cal nodded. “Partly. Your soul is exceptionally strong, forged by an archangel. In its divided form, that soul seemed quite ordinary, but now that both halves have been reunited within you, its true power is beginning to manifest itself. The more these two halves fuse, the more their properties change. Alcohol and chlorine are perfectly harmless on their own, but mix them together—” he slapped his palms for added emphasis, “—and you produce an explosion.”

“So you’re saying I’m some kind of bomb?” She wrapped her arms around her body, leaned against Jace.

Jace pulled her closer in an attempt to chase away the sudden weakness he sensed in her. “You’re not a bomb.” He aimed a pointed glare at Cal. “You’re just more powerful than your average human.”

She released a self-deprecating snort. “I think that’s an understatement. I nearly blew that guy apart.”

“He had it coming.” Jace refused to let her believe she’d done anything wrong. She’d saved him, saved them all. As far as he was concerned, she deserved a goddamn medal.

Cal continued watching Lia with that x-ray vision of his, looking puzzled. Then his features smoothed out, and he turned abruptly to Marcus. “Escort Jace to Kyros’s cell, see what information he can extract from the firstborn.” His gaze narrowed on Regan. “Assemble the team. Have them ready to move at a moment’s notice.”

Regan nodded and instantly vanished.

“As for you—” the Watchers’ leader directed a sympathetic smile Lia’s way, gesturing to a plush leather chair at the far corner of the room, “—settle in and get comfortable. It’s going to be a long day.”

Years ago, Cascade Head had been used by the government as a secret military base. Strategically positioned high in the mountains, the buildings that now made up the Watchers’ complex were nearly impossible to discern, hidden behind a thick fence of trees. Add to that the shields Cal had erected around the place thanks to his cloaking abilities, and the facility was virtually invisible to anyone but the Watchers. Within this complex, numerous secret rooms existed, windowless, underground cells that had been used for purposes that were best left unspoken.

Marcus escorted Jace to one of these rooms, where Kyros was being held, fastened to a cement beam with the blood-smeared copper wire. If his bonds did what they were supposed to, the firstborn would be powerless by now, totally at their mercy.

He saluted the guard, Drake, then unlocked the door with a large steel key. This door could not be opened by sheer will. Cal had made sure of it. Unless Kyros possessed Regan’s rare ability to bend space, not to mention an unlikely immunity to both angel’s blood and copper, he could not escape.

The creature raised a pair of pale, icy eyes their way when they entered. Although he’d recovered his senses, he had yet to recover his strength, courtesy of his bloody bonds. The room was draped in shadows, with only an old, rusty lamp to punch holes in the darkness.

Marcus stepped into the meager beam of light it produced. “Good. You’re awake. Now we can get down to business.”

Jace ventured farther into the prison cell, his expression unreadable. Interest flashed in Kyros’s gaze the second he caught sight of Cutler. “Are you one of them now? Has Cal succeeded in adding yet another limp cock to his impressive collection?”

Anger contorted Jace’s features. He balled his hands into fists, prepared to strike.

“Won’t do you any good,” Marcus told him. “No amount of battering will damage the maggot. Not unless your fist is covered in angel’s blood.” He grabbed the dagger secured to his belt, yanked it free from its scabbard and handed it to Jace. “This, on the other hand, can inflict a world of pain.”

Kyros smiled. “Is that the best you can do? You used to be far more ruthless, Marcus. Becoming a Watcher has softened you.”

In Kyros’s eyes, Marcus saw the reflection of his ugliest memories, and it elicited a slow churn in his gut. Mostly he was numb inside, but when he thought of his past, the part of him that had once been human came alive.

Cutler was sharper than he looked. His glance traveled from Kyros to Marcus. “You two know each other?”

“Our paths have crossed once or twice.”

“A notable understatement,” Kyros taunted. “Come now, Marcus, you know as well as I do we were great friends once, some would even say family.”

Doubt and mistrust drenched Cutler’s face.

“Don’t listen to him,” Marcus said. “He’s just trying to derail you from your purpose. Emotional manipulation is what he does best.”

Kyros had a way of tapping into a Hybrid’s lost soul. He sought out the connection, found the weak spots and poked at them until the pain became debilitating. He couldn’t use his special skills right now—he was too weak—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t resort to psychological warfare.

“Go ahead,” Marcus urged Jace. “Show us what you’re made of.”

Jace stepped closer, leaned over Kyros and stared the creature straight in the eyes. “Where is it? The entrance to your snake hole? Your nest?”

Kyros grunted but held his ground. “I won’t tell you.”

Concentration pinched Cutler’s features. “Tell me.”

“No.” The word ended in a scream.

Jace brought the tip of the dagger to the firstborn’s throat, his face a mask of fury. “Tell me,” he ordered. “Now.”

Kyros finally cracked. “An abandoned hotel near Oceanside.”

“Get the name,” Marcus said.

Jace’s probing gaze never wavered from Kyros. “What’s the place called?”

“Beach Palace,” Kyros spat through clenched teeth. “The entrance is in the basement, beneath a trapdoor.”

Cutler stumbled back, sweat coating his face, his skin pale and drawn. Marcus knew how much energy was required to take on a firstborn. That Cutler had succeeded was a testament to his power. The guy had so much potential. If only he’d stop fighting them and agree to join them.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed Jace by the arm. “We’ve got to go prep.”

“Prep? For what?”

Marcus aimed a pointed stare his way. “For war.”

Chapter Thirty

Standing in the armory, his feet ensconced in a heavy pair of combat boots, an empty scabbard attached to his waist, Jace leaned against the wall for support. He was still reeling from his mental duel with Kyros, and his energy levels were not yet fully restored.

“Are you up to this?” Marcus asked, handing him a wicked-looking sword while a handful of Watchers bustled around them.

Jace battled against weakness, forced himself to stand straight and strong. “Yeah.” He’d do anything it took to keep Lia safe, even fight alongside the very army he’d sworn to avoid.

Cal entered the armory, with Regan and Lia at his heels, also decked for battle. Jace’s nerves hardened to stone, and he plowed across the room toward them. He directed a scalding glare Cal’s way. “If you’re thinking of dragging Lia into a battlefield, you can forget about it.”

Cal challenged him with a stare of his own. “She’s part of this. We need her.”

Jace invaded Cal’s personal space, not giving a damn who the bastard was. “She’s human.”

Lia touched his arm. “Jace—”

He shook her hand away, too angry for even her touch to soothe him. “Might as well just hand her over to Athanatos.”

“She can help us defeat him,” Cal insisted, unfazed.

“She’s a woman, not a weapon.”

“Jace,” Lia yelled, forcing him to look at her. “He gave me a choice. I agreed to come.”

“Are you out of your ever-loving mind? You saw what went down at the house. Multiply it by a hundred and you’ll get an inkling of what we’re up against.”

“If you recall,” Regan pitched in, “she’s the one who blasted Kyros clear across the room.”

“I can’t stay behind.” Lia’s tone was resolute. “I won’t.”

They were all ganging up on him, and it was seriously pissing him off. He turned to Lia, grabbed her by the arms and stared into her bright, familiar face. Looking at her, he could see the missing part of himself, and it was finally home. “I can’t lose you.” The words lodged in his throat, thick and bittersweet.

Her crystal blue gaze engulfed him. “We have to do this together. You know that.”

He
did
know. He just didn’t want to admit it.

“You’ll keep me safe.” Her voice carried no hint of doubt.

“You trust me that much?”

She smiled, and something inside him shattered. “Yeah. I do.”

His instincts told him this was a lousy idea. Lia wasn’t a warrior. She’d admitted as much herself. But she also wasn’t a person who let fear rule her. She faced it head-on. When lightning frightened her, she searched to find the beauty in it. When death and illness troubled her, she became a doctor. When a man died in her arms and gave her his soul for safekeeping, she embraced it, embraced him, despite the inherent danger it brought her.

Her gaze met and held his, full of hope and determination. She wanted to be part of this, to fight for her freedom.

Damn it, he couldn’t stand in her way, couldn’t lock her in a box to keep her safe, as much as he wanted to. With his heart firmly lodged in his throat, he gave her a stiff nod.