LUXURE

The relief I feel crossing state lines is immense. The more distance I put between New York and us, the more relaxed I become. Getting out of the city was stressful. Not only was I watching the gridlock of cars, but I was also observing every single pedestrian looking for any signs of the supernatural—anyone who could harm Sirena.

We barely spoke on the way out of Manhattan. She was just as vigilant as me. Searching every pair of eyes for a glow or a spark that wasn’t human, but by the time we leave New Jersey, she’s sound asleep, her head resting against the window as the sunlight streams in, bouncing off every fiery strand of her flowing hair. She looks angelic, and I find myself glancing over at her more often than I should. She slept through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and as we cross into Indiana, she stirs just long enough to curl her legs up and ruffle her nose in a cute little gesture before settling back down to sleep. The jump to Uitare has exhausted her human body.

How could I have been so careless? I put not only myself, but more importantly, Sirena, in danger not to mention Selma. I could have gotten us all killed in an instant. I hadn’t even thought about Selma until now. She’ll be going out of her mind with worry. This is how I repay her after a thousand years? I should have listened to her in the beginning. I should have stayed away from San Francisco after my first slip up. I should have stayed away from her. Everything that I’ve done up until this point has been unforgivable. Every interaction with Sirena was a risk—for her and me. I put her in jeopardy because I just couldn’t stay away. I have to know who she is. What she means to me, and why we’re connected this way?

The way her skin lit up when I was inside her was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen—her eyes shining up at me, and every contour of her body molding to mine. I’ve had more sex than any human could ever imagine throughout the centuries—it was my job, the entire reason for my existence—but this… with her… different. Real. Meaningful. I didn’t want it to end. I felt a level of satisfaction that is beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. Euphoric. I felt a strength in my own body that I’ve only ever felt when The Brotherhood were united in battle. My tattoos are back to black, no trace of the piercing light from earlier, but still, a powerful force coursing through each line like an enhanced form of adrenaline.

We haven’t spoken about what happened between us since we got in the SUV first thing this morning, and in the past eight hours, she’s been asleep. I’m still lost for words—anything that could make me worthy of her, of what we shared. I try to distract myself by listening to the radio and checking the GPS for a diner close by to stop and get something to eat. I want to stretch my legs, and I need to make sure that Sirena stays strong. She has to eat and drink regularly—something I’ve never had to worry about.

“Penny for your thoughts.” She startles me.

“Welcome back, angel.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“Close to eight hours.”

She looks embarrassed. “I’m sorry. Worst road trip buddy ever!”

“I’m not the ‘I spy’ type. Eight hours is a blink of an eye to me. You needed the rest. Humans aren’t made for plane jumping.”

“Okay. Plane jumping? I have a million questions about what happened this morning.”

“I knew you would. I’ve been thinking about how to explain it all, but I’m still not sure. Nothing like this has happened to me before.”

“What? Plane jumping?”

“No. I perfected that thousands of years ago.”

“Then what?”

Here goes nothing. “There are five known planes of existence. Earth is one of them.”

“Holy crap. I can guess two others. After everything I found out yesterday, I’m assuming Heaven and Hell are in there?”

“Heaven, yes. What you would consider Hell is called the Underworld.” She’s amazing. Soaking it all in and keeping track of every word I say.

“So what are the other two? Some sort of purgatory?”

“Nothing as despicable as that. There are two planes that act as pathways to the Heavens and the Underworld. The place we jumped to this morning is called Uitare, the pathway to the Underworld. The other pathway is called Nebeský. I’ve never made the jump there. I’d be hunted down in two seconds flat by the Čuvari.”

“So it’s the place between Heaven and Earth?”

“Yes.”

“And the Čuvari?”

“They are the guardians of the Nebeský plane.”

“Okay. Got it.” She smiles the sweetest smile as if I haven’t just spewed out this crazy world-changing information.

“You’re amazing. You know that, right?”

“I’ve been told. But why this time?” It’s nice to hear her laugh after the past twenty-four hours.

“Because you take everything in stride. It’s unbelievable. Angels, demons, you, me—all of it. You just smile and take it in, documenting it as if it’s no big deal.”

“Trust me. I’m not as calm as I seem. This morning was…”

“Weird? Bad?”

“Luxure Zonder, demon and epitome of lust incarnate. Are you nervous?”

“No.” I know I sound like a petulant child, but I’m not used to questioning my skills when it comes to sex.

“I was going to say, this morning was… amazing. Yes, I freaked out when you jumped me to another plane of existence, and I couldn’t breathe, but, it was worthy of breathtaking.”

“I put you in danger.”

“You didn’t mean to, and we’re fine so stop stressing about it. Let’s focus on the positive. That was seriously the best sex I’ve ever had!” She’s adorable and sexy and enchanting when she’s playful.

“Yeah, it was pretty good, I guess.”

She punches my arm having zero effect on me, but I like messing with her. “Pretty good? I made your tattoos glow!”

“I’m kidding. I was there. I know what you did. And I know what I did to your body. They need to invent a new word for you. Sexy just doesn’t cut it.” I love the red of her cheeks. To see such a beautiful, confident, and self-assured woman blush at my words is unexpectedly satisfying.

“Let’s change the subject. Why couldn’t I breathe in… Uitare? Is that right?”

“Yes. You are more than likely the first human ever to set foot in Uitare. It’s most certainly not conducive to your kind. The atmosphere is completely different from Earth. It’s not conducive to anyone but the Masuulka.”

“Then how can you live there?”

“The Brotherhood has the power of mind control. It’s how we infiltrate the human psyche and tear it down piece by piece. Most demons would not survive Uitare because of the silence and inability to communicate rather than a need for breath. Demons are not made to be solitary beings.”

“That tells me you’re a solitary soul at heart. You don’t survive for a thousand years in silence if you can’t bear to be alone.”

“I had Selma.” I see a hint of jealousy flash across her features at the mention of my best friend’s name.

“Okay then. You’re fine, but I’ll die.”

“Don’t ever say that. I won’t take you back there. I won’t risk your safety.”

“But, what if you can’t control it the next time we…”

“So there’s going to be a next time? Even after that? Pretty sure of yourself, angel.”

She gives me a sly grin. She knows what she does to me, and she’s not ashamed to point it out. “You know as well as I do we won’t be able to stop ourselves. We could waste time talking it out and saying it’s safer for us both if we don’t, let’s just be friends and allies and get through this, but we’d be lying. You know it, and I know it.”

I’m almost at a loss for words. Her calm proclamation of fact a stark juxtaposition to the unavoidable burning desire we feel when we’re together. “Okay.”

“Really? That’s all you’ve got? Okay?” That makes me laugh.

“You said it. I agree. If it meant the end of the world as we know it, I’d still want to fuck you again, and again, and again. There is no danger I wouldn’t face and overcome to experience the feel of being inside you—the way our bodies connect, our souls. But the way you said it was fine.”

I revel in the look of shock and awe in her eyes at my words. “Okay.”

“That all you got, angel?” She laughs as I mock her. The truth is we don’t need to say it. We feel it. We both know our journey together has only just begun, and whatever happens, we will face it together united against any enemy who comes our way.

We sit in companionable silence for a while taking in the landscape as it speeds by our window putting more and more distance between us and the Vollstrecker who are more than likely looking for us in New York by now. They will have taken down every last one of the Guardians in San Francisco and will be on the lookout for me. My one hope is that they still don’t know of Sirena’s existence. The Guardians wouldn’t sell her out.

“I meant to ask this at the time, but things have been a little crazy…”

“A bit of an understatement,” I jibe.

“But I want to ask now. Why did you need me to describe your looks in so much detail? You were surprised by my answers. I could see it in your eyes.”

This girl has an unquenchable thirst for the truth. “I have appeared to you in at least four forms.”

“Forms?”

“Yes. I can make humans see me as I want them to—tall, short, fat, thin, male, female—whatever I need to get close to them and…” As I say the words, I feel a small pang of… shame. Exposing the depths of my depravity to an angel such as her makes me view who I am, and the things I’ve done, in a different light.

“Fuck them? Corrupt them?”

“Yes.” I can’t even look at her. My eyes focused on the road ahead.

“Don’t be ashamed of who you are, Luxure.”

“How can you say that? I’m a walking, talking cardinal sin. I exist only to ruin good people.”

She reaches for my thigh resting her hand with an assuring squeeze. “You fulfill your purpose. You are a necessary part of the balance. You didn’t choose it. It chose you.”

“I’m still a demon. No matter how you dress it up.”

“Lux… I see the good in you. You’re putting your life on the line to keep me safe. I see you.”

“Exactly. You see me. You’ve never once seen the façade I wanted you to. You see what no human being has ever seen, and I don’t know why.”

“So the way you look to me is what you look like?”

“Yes.”

“And everyone else that we come into contact with… they see you differently?”

“Humans, yes. Your dad could see me. Most supernatural beings can see each other as they truly are. There are some exceptions, but that’s a long story for another time.” I pull over into the parking lot of a roadside diner. “Let’s get you something to eat. You need to keep your strength up.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t need to eat or drink or sleep or even breathe. I do all of that out of habit, to fit in with those around me.”

“Wow!” She forages in her purse for some makeup, I think. Pulling down the visor to see herself in the mirror, she examines her face, her eyes. “God, I look hideous.”

“You look amazing. Now let’s go. I don’t want to stay anywhere too long. We need to keep moving.”

I jump out of the truck and walk round to open her door. “Such a gentleman.” Her words have a mocking tone, but something in her eyes tells me she believes it. She sees the good in me. I didn’t think there was any to be found. I still don’t. As we make our way over to the door of the diner, she slips her hand into mine resting her head against my shoulder, and it seems like the most natural thing in the world.

We order some food and find a secluded booth in the back corner. The waitress is quick to bring us drinks, and I’m amused by the way Sirena studies her reaction to me. The young woman barely glances at me as she pours our coffee and heads off to check on our food. She quizzes me the entire time. What do I look like to everyone else in the room? What color are my eyes? Can different people see me as different things? She wants to know everything about me, and nothing I tell her seems to deter her or make her think less of me.

We eat our food in companionable silence before she starts in on me again. So many questions about herself and me. Unfortunately, I know very little of what she is. I will need to try to get word to Selma and see what she can find out, or have Sirena contact her dad when it’s safe.

“So you’ve never heard of someone like me before? Half-human and half-angel.”

“Well, I think we all suspected that fallen angels could procreate with humans, but no, I’ve never actually come into contact with someone like you before. I’ll speak to Cole and Kade. They might be able to…” My words fall away as my instincts kick into hyper drive.

“Lux? What’s…?” I reach my arm out and silence her with my hand over her mouth.

I whisper across the table. “Something is here. Stay quiet and don’t leave my side.” I stand and move to her side closing her in and shielding her from view. Her body tenses against me, an almost imperceptible shiver running the length of her body.

I slowly scan the room looking for the being who emanates such vitriol.

There’s three of them.

Vollstrecker.

How the fuck did they find us here?

“Sirena, slowly get under the table. Don’t draw attention to yourself. If you get the chance, take the keys and get out of here.” I hate that I can feel her fear begin to grow. She’s a strong woman, but she also understands the danger we face. Her body shakes as she slips from my grasp. I’m torn. I don’t want to let her go, but I know I need to get these demons as far away from her as possible. I stand from the table making my way toward the other end of the diner. I can hear Sirena’s heartbeat thundering in her chest, and I see the moment they pick up on it. Their eyes turn as one in my direction completely black and hungry for a fight. When their gaze finds me, I watch the surprise on first one and then the others’ faces. They weren’t expecting to see me. They’re not here for me, and I’ve just alerted them to our presence.

They are the worst kind of Vollstrecker. I can sense it from here—blood lust evident in their expressions. They don’t care who I am or the heartbeat I’m protecting. They want a fight, and they fight to kill. I’m outnumbered, but I’m a different breed than these idiots. I size them up one at a time, the humans in the room oblivious to what’s about to happen. These demons are the lowest of the low in the pecking order of the Underworld—smaller than most Vollstrecker. I would guess they are outcasts banded together for self-preservation rather than friendship. You can tell when you’re up against a team—beings who have each other’s back no matter what—willing to die together. It creates a strength that can be felt by any aggressor—an edge that makes others think twice before starting a fight they can’t win. I don’t feel any of that from these goons. They’re only out for number one and would throw each other under the bus for survival in a heartbeat. I can smell it on them. Brutality is their forte. They will kill everyone in this diner if they have to—including each other— but I don’t give a shit about anyone else in here—only Sirena.

They make their way toward me, with muscles flexing, and their hands curling into fists. I crouch to the ground using all of my strength to launch myself at them. As I bound through the air, I hear the gasps of every patron in the diner. Their disbelief and fear are fueling my strength even more. I slam into my enemies taking them down in one move. They bear their teeth as I pin them to the ground trying to bite at my flesh and release a nasty type of venom. It won’t work on me, but one bite to Sirena, and she’ll be paralyzed in seconds. I punch each of them in the face taking every kick and blow they can muster from the floor.

One of them manages to break free and heads straight for the secluded booth in the corner—to the racing heartbeat I can hear above everything around me. I whisper, knowing that she will be able to hear me. “Run, angel. Now. Run and don’t look back.”

Her reply is a strangled plea. “Don’t make me leave you. Please.”

“Now, Sirena.” The finite tone of my voice is enough to get her moving, but she’s barely out of the booth when he grabs her. I see fucking red. I elbow one of the parasites hanging onto me before spinning around and kicking the other over the counter. I leave them behind without a second thought and leap over the tables that are in my way stopping me from getting to her. He has her on the ground, his teeth ready to bite into her shoulder when I make contact. I rip him off of her throwing him through the glass window and out into the parking lot. I watch as he slams into an old blue pick-up truck smashing the windshield. Everyone around us is screaming as the other two get to their feet. When that wretch knocked Sirena down, she must have hit her head and passed out. I lift her into my arms and lay her flat on the table.

I need to get rid of these demons. Now.

I grab a knife from the table in front of me waiting… waiting… until I can feel them right behind me. At the very last second, I duck their attempts to take me down dropping to my knees and spinning to face them. In one swift move, I push up with everything I have and thrust the knife deep into one’s stomach. I pull it out, dripping with thick, black blood before discarding it on the floor and grabbing the other one’s head in both hands. I twist him and kick the back of his legs forcing him to kneel and beg for his pathetic excuse of an existence. “Please. I won’t tell anyone where you are. I can help…” I rip his head from his shoulders before he can finish his sentence. Any Vollstrecker who knows where I am and has set eyes on Sirena, can’t be allowed to live, no matter how low down the food chain they are. I let out a roar as I throw his severed head across the room.

I turn my attention to his ‘friend’ who now has an elderly woman in a chokehold. “Don’t come any closer, or I’ll snap her neck.”

His stupidity is laughable. “Do you think I give a shit about anyone in this place? Kill the lot of them, but in the end, you won’t be walking out of here alive.” The old woman screams, and I hear Sirena begin to stir in the background. She’d never forgive me for letting an innocent woman die. Maybe she won’t forgive me for murdering this son of a bitch, but he can’t be allowed to live. I quickly grab a fork from a nearby plate and hurl it through the air before he registers my movements spearing him in the arm. It is just enough of a discomfort for him to let go of the old woman and give me the opportunity to push her out of the way, sweeping his legs out from under him. I pin his chest with my knee. “Any last words?” I’m enjoying this now. No one fucks with me and gets away with it. I’d forgotten how much I love the adrenaline of battle.

“Fuck you, Luxure.” He knows who I am? He sees the flash of surprise in my expression. “Yeah. I know who you are. They’re coming for you. They’ll gut you like a pig… and that pretty little human you seem so interested in.”

I apply more pressure pushing his rib cage to the brink of snapping under my weight. “What do they know about her?”

“I ain’t telling you shit.” He spits in my face, and my rage can no longer be contained. I grab both of his arms and rip them from his body listening with satisfaction as he screams in agony.

“Tell. Me. Now!”

He can barely speak through the pain, but his instinct to survive pushes the words from his lips in a gurgle of blood. “They don’t know about her.” I sigh in relief. “Please. Don’t kill me. Plea…” He gave me what I wanted. He doesn’t need to suffer any longer. I snap his neck. This won’t kill him, but it will give me enough time to get Sirena to the car and come back to finish the job.

I stand, drenched in black, venomous Vollstrecker blood, the humans around me screaming in fear—hysterical in their disbelief of what they’ve witnessed here today. I don’t care about them. All I care about is making sure my girl is all right. I turn to see her staring at the body beneath me. Her eyes filled with tears. “Sirena…” She flinches at the sound of my voice. Fear, loathing, or both. It’s then that my eyes catch a glimpse of broken glass glistening in the late afternoon sun. The broken windshield. The now empty windshield. The third Vollstrecker is gone. I don’t have time to make this better right now. Her safety is everything. I push my foot down on the demon’s throat beneath me, lean down, and tear his head from his body. I can’t bring myself to turn to see Sirena’s reaction.

“Everyone listen up. You’re not going to remember what happened here today. You’re going to leave this diner and go about the rest of your day as normal. You will remember enjoying your food, the same as any other day. Now go.” They filter out of the swinging doors like sheep blindly doing as they’re told. The horror they witnessed just moments ago already forgotten.

Without a word, I rush past Sirena and out to the parking lot to see if I can track the third demon. There is no trace of him. He must have jumped as soon as he was able to move. Shit. He could already be back in the Underworld telling anyone who wants to know where I am and who I’m with. How could I have let him get away? I hurry back inside and grab hold of Sirena’s hand. She hasn’t moved a muscle staring at the armless and headless corpse of a demon. “We need to go. Now!”

She tries to put up some resistance, but deep down she knows it’s futile. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice is cold. Void of all emotion. And yet I can sense the war that is being waged inside of her. It calls to me. I feel her pain and her conflict. She doesn’t understand why she’s not disgusted by me. She should be. But she’s not. I don’t have time for an asinine fight, so I simply pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. I need to get her as far away from here as possible and fast. I swipe a lighter from behind the counter, and as I stride out of this once ordinary little roadside diner, I flick it open and throw it back toward the kitchen. I can’t leave any trace of the Vollstrecker.

I bundle Sirena into the SUV and peel out of the parking lot just as the place goes up in flames. We watch as the windows shatter and the fire licks up the white and yellow walls engulfing everything in its path. She doesn’t speak, she doesn’t scream, she doesn’t move. I listen uneasily to the slow and steady beat of her heart in an almost catatonic state. I’d rather she was freaking out or hitting me—anything but this.

I rummage in the glovebox for the phone Kade gave me before we left. It has all of my brothers’ phone numbers in it for emergencies, but I know I can’t call most of them. They still don’t know I’m alive. I speed dial Cole.

“Lux?”

“Yeah, it’s me. We have a problem.” I explain everything that just happened, the one that got away, all of it.

“Fucking hell, Lux. You’ve only been gone eight hours.”

“Fuck that. I need to jump her the hell out of here so they can’t track us from the diner, but if I do that I’m putting a target on our backs. One of them knows. They fucking know.”

“I’ll track him down and deal with it before he tells anyone.” I describe him and his injuries, knowing that it will take at least a few hours for him to recover no matter where he jumped. Most likely, he went back to the Underworld with his tail between his legs begging for a deal to spare his sorry ass. “First, I’m coming to get Sirena.”

‘What the fuck? Over my dead body.”

“Think for a moment, brother. They are looking for you, waiting for you to jump. I can take her somewhere safe. You can cover your tracks quicker without her and meet us later.”

“Not happening.”

“You’re really going to put her at risk? Why? Don’t you trust me to keep her safe?”

“I don’t trust anyone with her.”

I slam on the brakes. There’s someone standing in the road ahead of us. Sirena remains silent staring into the abyss, her body limp as the seatbelt restrains her. I only take my eyes off of the road for one second to check on her, but when I look back, the road is clear.

In an instant, I feel his presence. He’s in the backseat of the car. “You bastard.”

“I’m doing this for you.” He puts his hand on Sirena’s shoulder and in an instant, they’re gone.

He took her, and if I follow them, I’m signing her death warrant. Motherfucking bastard! I punch a hole through the center of the steering wheel in a fit of rage. Every fiber of my being fighting not to sense her, not to draw attention to her, but without it, I have no idea where he’s taken her.

I get out of the car, adrenaline coursing through my body. Blind fury. I lift the car and flip it off the road.

“Colère!”