Chapter 14

Istared at the man I loved more than any other, the man I'd wondered for the last year if he'd left me for dead on purpose. The sound of the helicopters behind us, the danger ahead, and yet I knew we needed to have this settled. "You didn't even check my heartbeat. I was strapped to a table, gagged and barely stitched up from giving birth, and you didn't even check. You walked the fuck away."

His jaw ticked. "You think I just gave up on you?"

"I think that you need to explain what the fuck happened," I said. "How did they fool you?" The anger was still there. I could tell myself over and over that he'd done what he'd done to keep Bear and our daughter safe.

"They were threatening our daughter," he said, his voice low. "I knew that if you were alive, you'd find a way back to us." His eyes darkened, but he never looked away from me. "I looked for you, I pulled every string I had, and you were just gone. As if you'd never existed. I started looking for Easter then, hoping she could help me. But she was gone. It was as if you'd both been erased." He drew in a deep breath. "After that I took the babes, and I ran for safety. Once it became clear we were being snatched up, I knew that there were very few safe places. We were headed to Moscow when I got tagged. I got Bear and Angel on the plane and that . . . that's all I remember."

Moscow. I almost didn't want to know. "With the Russian mob."

He bobbed his head. "That was the plan. They knew we were coming. I had someone waiting for us on the other side."

"And the blonde?" Dinah asked. "What the fuck is it with her?"

It still amazed me that Dinah had such good sight for a gun.

Killian sighed. "She was the bait. I fell for it."

Dinah let out a crowing laugh. "You mean you got caught with your pants down? What did I tell you? Men suck."

My heart did a very hard turn in my chest, as if it could get away from this truth. But Killian was already shaking his head.

"She said she had info about Phoenix," he spoke to Dinah. "I sent the kids ahead. Got them on the plane and I was to meet the blonde at the terminal." He frowned. "They hit the terminal with angel dust."

My body chilled all over. "Then she's a plant?"

"I figured Mario knew," he said.

Easter spun and was running back toward the slowly rising helicopters. She motioned at one of them, I don't know what she said, but she pulled Diego from her back and then she was shooting. A body fell from the helicopter and smacked face-first on the tarmac.

Easter turned away, making a wind-it-up motion with her hands.

"There," she said as she rejoined us. "That will give them a better chance."

Killian stared hard at me. "Anything else?"

I didn't care if he was pissed. He'd have questioned me if the roles had been reversed. As it was, I was going to have to answer for making him consent to having a demon inside of him.

Our group left the airstrip, and I took the lead as I searched for a vehicle that would fit all of us.

Killian kept up to me easily, quiet for a minute. "Lass, what did you do to me? I feel like . . . like I was never sick."

I glanced over at him, tried not to feel stupidly relieved that he was not only alive, but upright and walking with me, and still calling me lass. "I burned the sickness out of you."

I could still feel the sensation of something in him fighting me. Fighting the fire that I shoved into his veins. Fighting to keep its hold on him. I'd love to say it was Ipos, but it didn't feel demonic.

"Burned what though? They hit me with that angel dust shit," he growled. "Everyone else fell asleep, but I got sick." He frowned and rubbed at his head. "I almost managed to get out of the terminal."

I thought about Cowboy. He'd gotten sick too when he'd touched the building covered in angel dust.

Directly behind me Eligor gasped. I turned and motioned for him to catch up to me which he did in a hurry.

"Want to explain why that discussion made you suck wind?" Though I could guess. It didn't take a genius to figure he knew the reason why Killian and Cowboy were affected so differently than the other abnormals.

"It means he's part demon, and he likely had a handler in his head already, you burned the handler out of him," Eligor said, his voice harder than I'd ever heard it. "The angel dust kills anyone who has more than a quarter demon in them. It's why this body was dying. Why I could save him. Because like you, I could take the angel dust away."

Killian stiffened, probably noticeable only to me, but I just shrugged. "Explains why you're such a monster in the sack." And I slapped his ass for good measure. Dinah crowed and I turned my back on Eligor.

There was a shuffle, a feeling of movement, and I spun in a crouch as Eligor jumped not at me, but at Killian.

But if he thought Killian would go down easy after all he'd been through, well . . . that was for him to find out. Especially after the incident earlier. It seemed that Ipos wasn't all that fond of Eligor either.

I stood and stepped back to give them room.

Killian caught Eligor's outstretched hands just at the wrist and yanked him down so Eligor's face connected with Killian's knee as he snapped it upward. Blood flew and Eligor dropped to the ground, not even catching himself. He might be in a young strong body, but he was no fighter. Cowboy—if he'd been in charge—probably would have lasted longer. Killian stepped back. "You want to try again, lad?"

"Yikes," Pete said and gave a low whistle. "Don't be taking him on, kid. He didn't survive this long by being easy to take down."

"Not the kid," I said. "Eligor took his body and hijacked it."

I frowned, thinking. Maybe I could burn Eligor out? The way I'd burned out the handler in Killian?

"What the fuck?" Pete stumbled away, as if getting body snatched was contagious.

I crouched next to Eligor's head. "You going to behave? Or am I going to burn you the fuck out of the kid's body right now?"

He lifted his head and looked at me. "You shouldn't be with a demon."

I reached out and grabbed his face, dragging him closer to me. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm a demon too?"

I don't think I could have shocked Eligor more if I'd reached down and grabbed him by the balls.

He blinked up at me. "I've seen your blood reports, there is no demon blood in you."

I laughed; I couldn't help it. "Maybe it's a choice, Eligor." His face went slack, and I stood up. "Choose. You're either with us, and I trust you, or I kill you now right here."

His lip trembled. "How do you know you can trust me?"

Without any effort I reached through that bond that tied us together and dug my way into his head. I flipped through his thoughts and quickly realized the problem. Fuck. Like . . . the last thing I needed was a lovestruck fallen who had no idea that he was in love with me.

"You can come."

Killian raised his brows at me but didn't question me as I strode away from Eligor. His eye color changed to a steady angel blue. "He's weak-willed at best."

"I'm aware." I frowned. "But we might need him."

"Not with me here, in your boy-o." He winked and I wanted to grab him and choke the life out of him.

Maybe he saw the intent in my face because he faded, and Killian's green eyes were back. "That demon . . . he can take over?"

"Looks like it," I said.

Easter moved up to my other side. "Good idea on the fallen coming along?"

"It's fine," I said under my breath. "He . . . he's broken. There's no other word for it."

She grunted. "Ain't we all, baby."

I snorted and we picked up the pace. Carlos hung back a little, staying close to Eligor. Pete ranged off to one side just ahead of us, like he was scenting the air. Ruby mimicked him on the other side, giving him a look now and again.

Thirty minutes of walking and we'd reached a mall parking lot. The bright blue and white sign spluttered and danced in the early morning shadows.

"Let's find something." I made a motion with my hand. "Eligor, you go with Carlos. Pete, with Easter."

We split up into pairs, and Ruby tucked herself up to my empty side. I let my hand touch Killian's here and there. A subtle touch. We didn't have time for the theatrics of clinging to one another, of drinking each other down, of make-up sex. But I was here. He was here. That was good enough.

"I am sorry, lass," he said softly. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have—"

"You saved her," I said, winding my pinky finger with his. "You did the right thing."

"Doesn't mean she can't still be pissed," Dinah mumbled. Killian reached across and put his hand on her.

"I know her, Dinah. I knew that if she were alive, she'd hunt me down maybe just to kill me." He flashed me a grin that sent a flutter to my heart. Irish fucker knew me far too well. "We good?"

I tightened my hold on his finger, just a pulse, and then slid away from him. "Yeah. We're good."

Back to business.

We needed a ride.

A white van on my left sat under a light that had been broken out, leaving it in a patch of shadows. I tried the handle. Open.

"I got it," I called out. I slid into the driver's seat and Killian pushed me across.

"I think I can jump start it." He chuckled and snapped his fingers. Electricity crackled across his hand, and he directed it into the engine via the ignition.

I slid into the passenger seat and Ruby leapt across to settle at my feet. I took note that Easter placed herself behind Killian. Good choice. Eligor tucked in behind me. Pete and Carlos climbed into the far back.

"Smells like puke," Pete grumbled. "This is a fucking mom wagon. If we have to make a run for it, we're going to get mowed down."

"It'll be less conspicuous than something bigger and nicer," I said. "If we get an opportunity, we'll pick up different wheels along the way."

Killian pulled out of the parking lot. "Where are we headed, beautiful?"

I blinked, forgetting what it was like to have a pet name, or to not want to kill the person who used one. "North Dakota. There's a Tracker that set up shop there a few years ago. She could give us the right direction to the facility. If I can convince her."

Easter groaned. "God. She's grumpy as fuck though, I met her once. You think she'll help?"

My turn to grimace. "She's our best shot. Once we know which facility we're hitting . . ." I slowly turned and looked at Eligor. "Unless you know?"

He blinked up at me, his nose still dribbling a bit of blood, his eyes blackening up already. "Know what?"

"Which facility they have my mother's body in?" I said.

He cleared his throat. "I thought your mother was dead? That's what was in your head."

"Technically, yes," I said. "Her body was kept alive. Gardreel needs the spell from her or the Magelore he has bound up. So where is the ascendant that he has already?" I wondered at that. Magelores were all about survival. Given the right parameters, Pete would toss us to the wolves if it meant he knew he'd make it out of a situation alive.

That being said, he'd proven himself.

"I don't know," Eligor said. "I was kept at the Clearview facility. And as soon as I knew you were coming in, you were my only priority, as Easter was Susan's."

Easter stiffened. "I'd kill her again if I could."

Eligor looked over at her and in my head, I was thinking ‘don't say it, don't you fucking say it.'

"She was only trying to do right by you, she didn't know," he said softly. "Gardreel had us all believing we were helping you . . . not that it matters now."

"That's what abusers say," I said. "I didn't know. I was trying to help you, not hurt you. It's fucking bullshit to keep the truth from yourself. Just so you can sleep at night."

He blanched and swallowed hard.

"The Magelore was in the more eastern facility," Eligor said. "I only know that because she was snagged after she'd been hurt badly. Because of her injuries she was easy to capture. But she's also proven more stubborn than anyone. It's like she sees right through us. She knows that when we offer her freedom, that it's not true."

Oh fuck.

"She." I said the single word, hoping I was wrong. "And she was hurt badly?"

"Brink of death," Eligor said. "Gardreel himself found her; he'd been tracking you."

Killian began to laugh. "It's not funny, lass, I know but . . . it is rather amusing. It has to be her."

Fuck me. If that was the only other person with the spell Gardreel wanted, we were well and truly screwed up shit creek with no paddles.