A Touch Menacing (56 page)

The body followed, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Az landed in a crouch next to it, his wings spread wide for balance. He held his knife from Luke. Its blade dripped with blood.

“So I guess you chose a side after all,” Kristen said as Eden dove forward with a shout.

Az took Eden in his arms, one hand cupping the back of her head. They swayed, together, Eden’s fingers clutching and opening against his shoulder.

“Jarrod.” Sullivan’s whisper was almost lost. “Where’s Jarrod?”

Kristen helped her up. Before the girl could walk into the open, Az caught her T-shirt, one arm still gripping Eden fiercely. “He’s okay,” he said. “I’m staying with you guys. Luke and Jarrod are up top.” He looked down at Eden. “Ready to get out of here?” he said with a grin.

She nodded. Kristen bent and slipped the sheathed blade from her boot. “Luke took my spare,” she told Az.

“I’ve got one,” he said, handing over the extra knife Luke had given him. Kristen gave to it Rachel. From another part of the house, they heard fighting and the sound of breaking drywall. Az let Eden go.

“Quickly,” Az said. “Jarrod and Luke are distracting anyone they can while I grab you guys.” He backed himself and Eden into the center of the room.

“No. I’m first,” Sullivan said. The intensity in her voice kept anyone from arguing. Eden stepped away, and Sullivan moved into Az’s arms. His wings swooped out, swirling dust through the air. He bent his knees, then leaped, pumping his wings once. He set Sullivan onto solid ground as Kristen heard something crash. “Hurry. Go help Jarrod,” Az said, handing her his knife. Sullivan took it and spun on her heel, tearing through the doorway and out onto the balcony.

Kristen glanced over at Eden and laced her fingers together to make a stirrup. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Eden said, slipping her foot in. She bounced once before she pushed off. “Az!”

He rotated midair and gripped her forearm.

“Next,” Kristen said, waving anyone over. “Hurry.” From where she was, she couldn’t see anything more than Az’s nervous glances at the room behind him.

“Watch your back,” he told Eden. “I gave Sullivan my blade.”

“My backpack!” Kristen yelled up. “It should be right near there. In the hall.”

The racket was getting louder. A howl of enraged agony drowned out the screams.
Luke.
Wrath burst through Kristen, hardening her insides into pure fury.

She forgot about Rachel and Gabriel, stretched her own hand out. “I’m next! Get me up there! Now!”

In a moment she’d be running to Luke’s side.
Where I belong.

But Az pumped his wings and shot out of the room. “Wait!” she yelled.

The room above her seemed empty. “Eden?”

Kristen took a tentative step back, raising her blade. Rachel had her weapon ready to go. Gabriel stood by her side. He motioned for Kristen to come closer, protect Rachel. “Stay here,” Gabe told them before he disappeared.

He’d barely gone before a loud pop came from behind her.

“Kristen!” Rachel yelled. “Look out!”

She spiraled around, but only managed to give the angel a glancing blow. The momentum kept her swinging, and she sliced again. This time his blood gushed out and across the floor. She crept backward, the flood of gore chasing her as he slumped to the ground.

Three Bound appeared, coming toward her, two on one side, one on the other. A sputter, and there was another one behind her. She jerked, pointing her weapon at each of them in turn as if the threat would be enough to hold them off. Panic shook her hands.

“I need some help down here!” she called over her shoulder just as she felt someone press against her back.

“I’m still here,” Rachel said.

They circled, back to back. A quick movement caught her eye just in time. She ducked a fist, but the motion split her from Rachel.

“Stay back,” Rachel commanded, but the angel only laughed at her. He disappeared for a moment and then came into form again behind her. Kristen buried her blade between his shoulders, the cartilage of his spine crunching as she drove the knife deep. His scream was deafening. Rachel slit open his throat, ending the cry.

Kristen swiped at a splotch of blood on her arm. “Well, that was—”

“Behind—” was all Rachel had time to yell before arms wrapped around Kristen.

Flailing, she kicked her heels into the angel’s thighs, but his grip only tightened, constricting. Rachel was already barely fighting off another. The angel holding Kristen threw her against the wall.

She slammed hard and dropped to the floor. The angel was on her immediately, flipping her over. He raised his fist above her chest.

Thwack.
The angel’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He stared down at the hilt of the knife now buried in his chest. His arm went limp as he crumpled forward. Someone grabbed her under the shoulders and dragged her roughly out. “How’s revenge going?” Luke growled in her ear.

She collapsed against him, relief spilling through her. Squeezing his arm, she said, “I owe you one.”

“Kristen,” he chided. “Have you learned nothing about using those words?”

As she turned enough to see him, the smile forming on her lips stalled.

Luke was carnage. His cheek was split wide, ear to chin. Sweat soaked his curls, bits of gore and dirt stuck to his face. His irises swirled, black, hungry and mad with violent frenzy. She recoiled. He kissed her knuckles. “You wanted me at your side when you got your revenge. Do you still?” he said as he reached to rip his blade free of the Bound’s chest.

Strangely, she didn’t need to consider it. “Absolutely,” she said.

“Good answer,” he said, lacing his fingers with hers. “Because things are about to get messy.”

CHAPTER 32

E
den kicked hard, but one of the Bound had her by the ankle and was dragging her down the hall. Skin scraped off her back where her shirt had pulled up. Splinters gouged into the heels of her hands as she tried to gain some hold on the uneven floorboards. She grabbed for one of the ornate metal spindles lining the walkway that surrounded the empty center of the building. Nine floors down, she saw Jarrod and Sullivan cross the open space in a mad dash before they ducked out of sight under the first tier.

The Bound let her ankle go, and she scrambled to wrap her arms around the spindles. A hand clamped down on her neck and pulled her up.

“Please, no!” she screamed as he pushed her against the railing. The open space seemed to spin as it yawned before her. She’d taken enough Touch from Rachel to survive a few injuries, but a fall like that would end her.

“Climb over or be thrown,” the Bound said, his voice oddly calm.

Her lip quivered as she searched for Az and found him across the way, two floors down. Michael swung on him, Az’s knife coming up just in time to block the blow.

“He’s not likely to help you,” the Bound said as he read her thoughts. “Now move.” Shaking, Eden lifted first one leg over and then the other, keeping a death grip on the railing. A dozen scenarios burst through her mind of swinging wildly onto the balcony of the floor below her and to safety. Movie stunts.

The Bound exerted just enough backward force on her that her foot slipped. She scrambled, her heels hanging over into nothing. He gripped her upper arm.

“Please,” she begged. “Cured. We can be cured.”

“Gabriel!” the angel bellowed.

Eden hadn’t seen Gabe, but a moment later he appeared next to the angel that had her, his hands held out in front of him. “Let her climb back over, Raphael,” he said.

Raphael turned to him. “We burdened you with opportunities to kill this Sider. You used a promise against us, turned the words into protection for this girl.”

“Exactly!” Gabe said. “She’s just a girl. If you’d listen—”

“No. Long past is the time for excuses. Take my place and let her fall. Look away if you must. The drop will be enough to end her.” Raphael adjusted his grip, and Eden let out a choked cry. “If she dies by my hand, your promise is broken and—”

Gabe sucker punched him. “Not happening!”

Raphael managed to stay standing for a moment before his eyes rolled slowly back. His hold on Eden weakened. Her toes slipped as the angel let go and went to his knees.

“Help me!” she screamed. The barest tips of her fingers curled for purchase on the railing as Gabe dove for her.

“I’ve got you!” he yelled, grabbing her forearm. She swung wildly as he clasped her arm. “Give me your other hand!”

His grip slipped to her wrist. Eden flailed to reach him, afraid to look down. “Don’t let me go!”

She was level with the floor as he fought to hoist her up. She saw Raphael on his knees, shaking off the punch. He took in the scene, joy flooding his face.

“She’ll die at your hands yet, Gabriel.” He leaped for Gabe’s legs and knocked him aside.

He lost his hold. “No!” Gabe screamed.

Eden fell.

Her ankle hit the next floor down, sending her into a somersault. Just before she smashed into the ground, a blur of white slammed her.
Wings
.

Az.

She groaned in pain. Everything hurt, but he’d taken the brunt of the landing. “Are you okay?” she asked, shuddering. Her ankle throbbed, but shock and adrenaline numbed the worst of it. Under her, she felt his heart beating wildly.

“I caught you,” he choked out.

She got a hand beneath her. Pressing her palm into a puddle on the floor, she tried to push herself off him. The puddle spread slowly out from underneath Az, dark red. Eden scrambled up. “Oh God, you’re hurt!”

She looked down and saw the wound on his chest where Michael had sliced him. It swelled from ribbon to rift with each rib it carved across. On either side of him, his wings shivered and twitched. The feathers smeared delicate threads of crimson.
He’s hurt,
her brain screamed.
Bad. Deep.

Eden rocked her head back and screamed, “Gabe!”

“It’s bad,” Az gasped. “Michael. You were falling

and . . .” She heard the rattle of each erratic pull for air.

Eden brushed back his curls. “Don’t try to talk,” she said. “I’ve got this.”

She tore the sleeve of her shirt and pressed it against the wound. There was a pop beside her.

Gabe dropped to his knees, horror on his face as he took in Az. “Oh no,” he whispered.

“Fix him,” she said. “Quick. I think they’re coming. None of us have a weapon.” The words tumbled over themselves, struggled out nightmare slow.

A wet cough broke up Az’s words. “Eden. Where’s Eden?”

“She’s still here,” Gabe told him. “I’m going to try to help you, okay?”

“Don’t kill her, Gabe.” Az moaned in pain, and Gabriel’s face fell. “Don’t kill her, please.”

Eden could hear the tears in Gabe’s voice. “I’ll get her out of here. You just hang on.”

This isn’t real. This isn’t happening.

She heard a rhythmic scraping noise—his foot, kicking out and back in a spasm.
We’re losing him.
She pushed down harder on the already soaked bandage. “He’s bleeding too much! We have to stop it!” Her fingers were slick. His eyes drifted closed. “Az?”

He opened them again and smiled up at her weakly. “They’ll make you mortal again. You’ll have a shiny new path and—” He cut off as the last of the blue in his eyes tarnished to a washed-out green. “I love you, Eden.”

“I love you, too,” she said, clutching his hand in hers, using it to add pressure to the wound. “You stay with us. I think it’s slowing a bit.” In her relief, she glanced up at Gabriel, saw the tears spilling down his cheeks. “No, it’s going to be okay. He’s gonna be fine.” The bleeding had slowed to a trickle. “See? It’s stopping.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said quietly. “It’s stopping now.”

“We’ll get you out of here, Az, okay?”

“Eden.” She hated the way he said her name, the way it shivered out of him broken, split and separate.

“No!” She gave up on the useless bandage and gripped Az’s hand tighter. He opened his lips as if he were going to say something more, and then he stilled. “Az, please,” she whispered. “Please don’t.”

He stared up, eyes wide, unfocused. And then Eden felt herself, too, go still.
He’s gone. He’s dead.
She looked up at Gabe.

Two tears raced down to his jaw. With every blink his irises flashed redder, bloodshot and glowing.

They took him from me. From us.

Her chest ached. Her head throbbed with tears she wouldn’t let herself cry. “If I had been a regular girl with a normal path, I wouldn’t have been able to be with him. And Jarrod wouldn’t have met Sullivan and . . . Gabe, we’re all going to be mortal again and he wouldn’t have been able to be on my path.” She swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t have left him. I wouldn’t have!” she sobbed, falling against his shoulder.

“But,” Gabriel said carefully, his voice breaking, “now you will. Because we’re going to save the Siders.”

She stood and took the first few steps backward, her eyes locked on Az, every fiber of her body screaming against leaving him.

I love you,
she thought. And then she turned. “Come on. We’re ending this.”