Guardian Demon (GUARDIAN SERIES) (38 page)

Khavi’s brown eyes lit with sharp humor. “Right.”

The impulse to tell her to fuck off was strong, but Taylor was curious. No one else’s threads had looked like Michael’s, but, as one of the grigori, Khavi had been created the same way. On a deep breath, she reached for her Gift—found it easily.

“Your threads are black, just as Michael’s are. But his seem tight all around him. Yours are like everyone else’s—kind of loose and floating.” Frowning, she glanced around the room to make sure. Michael’s threads were the only ones that were constricted. “Why are his different?”

Khavi didn’t answer that, which meant that she either didn’t know or was ignoring the question. “Will you touch your threads? It has been a very long time since I’ve heard Gabriel sing Heaven’s song.”

“You can’t just use your own Gift and see me touching them in the future?”

“No. I have seen you touch them, but I cannot hear the song.” A wistful expression softened her face. “Though perhaps for the best. If I could, I might do nothing but that.”

Damn it. Taylor glanced down at her own threads. God, she was such a softie. This woman had stabbed a spear through her chest, and now Taylor was feeling up her own soul to give her a little taste of Heaven. A cluster of bright strands extended from her stomach. Taylor grabbed hold, then closed her eyes against the rush of tears as the warmth and joy filled her to bursting, sweet and lovely, and she didn’t ever want to let go. A hush fell around her, not just Khavi but the others, too, stopping in the middle of laying their plans to chop demons apart to listen and feel.

Then she released them, and Khavi gave a shuddering sigh. “Thank you, Andromeda Taylor.”

It had been good for her, too. For everyone. She wouldn’t ruin that now. “I’m not going to touch the red threads.”

“You don’t need to.” In the space of a blink, Khavi’s eyes darkened to the same obsidian as Michael’s. “I listened to Hell’s song for two thousand years. I know it well. And I know it is not as it should be.”

“Pain and despair?” That was pretty much what Taylor expected Hell should feel like.

“It was not always. When I was young, the realm sang of remorse and acceptance—and the song was as beautiful in its way as Heaven’s.” Jaw clenching, she shook her head. “But that is what Lucifer has done to her.”

To
her
? That was how Michael spoke of Caelum, too. “To the realm?”

“Yes. And that is why I will not rest until he loses the throne.”

Taylor could think of other reasons to destroy Lucifer. Because the alternatives weren’t much better. “And replace him with Belial or Anaria?”

“No.”

“Then who?” Someone had to sit on the throne, enforcing the Rules and releasing souls from the Pit.

Khavi smiled. Her teeth glittered like knives. “I do not give spoilers.”

*   *   *

Khavi was a liar, too. She’d given Taylor spoilers before. Revealing that one just didn’t suit her purpose. But it would have suited everyone’s purpose for her to tell them what to expect when the Guardians stormed Lucifer’s tower, so Khavi probably wasn’t lying about not being able to see that.

Taylor joined the others in the conference room, where Michael had gathered the equivalent of a Guardian SWAT team. This time, she couldn’t sit. Tension held her too tight, pulling at her neck and shoulders. She stood with her back stiff against the wall and her arms folded under her breasts.

Charlie apparently couldn’t sit, either. Her face pale, she stood close to Drifter. The tall Guardian held her against him, his arm around her shoulders and his left wing folded protectively around her side. A steel vest armored the vampire’s chest, back, and neck.

Michael quickly outlined their objective: take down the shielding spell, then touch the spider threads so that he could anchor to the chamber on Earth. “After we enter the chamber, any one of us can touch the web. Ethan, Charlie, and I will be the first through, and so I expect to reach the strands first as well.”

Standing beside Taylor, Khavi added, “Unless Lucifer has left guards inside the chamber.”

“If that is so, I’ll slay them. The priority then is that someone behind me touch the threads before the last of us enter the chamber and raise the shielding spell again.” Michael looked to Irena. “You will be the first in after me. If there are guards, I know you’ll want to fight. Focus on the web instead. Rosalia, you’re in after her. This is your priority as well.”

Irena and Rosalia exchanged a glance, as if confirming their combined goal. “We will do that,” Irena said.

“Then Alice and Alejandro, into the chamber as quickly as you can. You must remain at the entrance, prepared to raise the shielding spell, even if Khavi and Jacob are trapped outside.” Jaw tight, he swept his gaze over the gathered Guardians. “We’ll have only seconds to enter the chamber and activate the shield before Lucifer arrives. Jacob, Khavi—you will be the last to enter, and if you are caught outside, teleport yourself and any others away. Don’t attempt to stand your ground.”

Jake nodded. “Got it. Don’t engage the big guy. But do we even know for sure that this chamber is in his tower?”

“We don’t,” Michael said, and Taylor felt the press of his mind against her shields. She opened them a crack, and her vision filled with an image of a dark chamber, of demons strung on glowing wires. “The marble is the same, and Khavi’s intelligence suggests that Lucifer has been in his tower, but it could be another location.”

“But you can’t jump
into
the chamber because of the shield?” Taylor frowned. “How will you know where to go, then?”

“I anchor to the chamber, then attempt to teleport a meter behind the spot where I landed. Then attempt again, a meter farther back. Eventually I’ll anchor to a location outside the chamber wall and complete the jump.”

Much like teleporting in the caverns when they’d gone after Irena, Taylor realized. Trying again and again until he found an open space to jump into—and since the door hadn’t been to the front or sides of him in the image, it must have been behind him.

“Teleporting
back
?” Lilith shook her head. “I can’t see what you’ve shown them, but going back means that you’re assuming the door is in one of the walls.”

“Where else would it be?” Taylor asked.

“The floor, the ceiling. You’re thinking like a human,” Lilith said. “All of our buildings are laid out horizontally, with only stairs or elevators connecting each level. But demons have wings. They don’t need to walk across a floor to go from room to room—and in many parts of the tower, being forced to walk rather than fly is a humiliating form of punishment. Only humans need to use
stairs
.”

Her sneer emphasized just how pathetic relying on a few steps would be. Knowing demons, it made sense to Taylor. It still took a few seconds to adjust to the concept.

“So their hallways are vertical?”

“They can be either vertical or horizontal, and usually large enough to fly in. Some chambers are accessed from below, others from above. Some are accessed from the corridors, some through other chambers—and the direction doesn’t matter. A demon can as easily fly through a door in the ceiling as you and I can walk through a door here.” She looked to Michael again. “If you’re certain the entrance was at your back, you’ll probably teleport into either another chamber or one of the corridors.”

“I’m certain,” he said. “The spider strands had been strung from the ceiling. And when Lucifer took a step, I didn’t feel a door in the vibrations through the floor.”

“So we might pop into a chamber full of demons—or a corridor full of demons,” Jake said. “Because Lucifer saw you there. He’d be an idiot not to guard it now.”

“Perhaps.” Khavi shrugged. “Lucifer’s arrogance often outweighs his caution. He has already shielded the chamber. To guard the entrance would be to admit the Guardians were a threat.”

“But he might force demons to guard it as punishment,” Lilith said. “Chosen as defense against Guardians—that would be humiliating for them. And it would serve his purpose without admitting to any real danger.”

“So we won’t know if we’re heading into a chamber or a corridor, and whether demons will be waiting for us.” Jake gave a short laugh, rubbed his hand over his hair. “Any chance we can pop in and scope it out first?”

“No.” Michael’s response left no room for argument. “We have but seconds. We cannot risk alerting Lucifer before our attack.”

“Okay.” On a long breath, Jake nodded. “How do we do this, then?”

“I go first.” Michael called the spear into his right hand. “If Lucifer is already there, I will immediately return and we abort the mission.”

Unease slithered through Taylor’s stomach. So powerful, just his presence would force
Michael
to cut and run. She saw the same realization on the other Guardians’ faces—and their determination.

“And if he’s not?” Irena asked.

“If demons guard the entrance, I’ll clear a path for the rest of you. Teleport one second after I leave, and have your wings at ready. Jacob, you will anchor ten feet above me, and bring Alejandro, Ethan, and Charlie. Ethan, open your Gift here. Be prepared to use it the instant you arrive. You’ll both be disoriented, but you won’t have time to recover.”

“We’ll push through it,” Drifter said, and Charlie nodded. “But with my brain exploding, I won’t be of any other use.”

“I will be your sword and your shield.” Michael looked to the others. “Without Charlie and Ethan, we have no hope of breaking through the shield, so their protection is our priority. If we are in a chamber, Alejandro and Jacob will remain in the air to stop any demons in flight. If we are in the corridor, they will defend us from any demons above.”

“And I bring in Alice, Rosalia, and Irena below?” Khavi asked.

“Behind me.” With a sweep of his hand, he traced a semicircle. “In a chamber, Charlie, Ethan, and I should be at the door with the wall in front of us. You will guard our backs. If we are in a vertical corridor, Irena and Rosalia will remain at our back, and you and Alice will move to defend us from below. In a horizontal corridor, you will split to my left and right. If Lucifer arrives before we open the shield, Jacob will escape with Alejandro and Rosalia. Khavi will take Irena and Alice. I will bring Charlie and Ethan.”

He paused, glanced at each of them. Waiting for questions, Taylor realized. None came. Instead they were forming wings, bringing out weapons, moving to their assigned teleporters. Her gut curled up into a sick knot. They were about to go.

Nodding, Michael called in a sword to his left hand. “If Lucifer is already there, it’s possible that I won’t escape him. If you find that he has me, you must abandon me—and do
not
attempt to return and rescue me later. My life is not worth the risk. You must promise me this.”

Not one Guardian did. In the silence, Michael’s gaze caught Taylor’s.

His voice rough, he said again, “
You
must promise me this.”

She shot him a grin and her middle finger. “You don’t want unskilled little me playing bait in the middle of his tower? There’s a simple solution: Don’t let Lucifer get you.”

“That solution never occurred to me.” Still holding her gaze, a faint smile touched his mouth. His black wings opened. “I go on three.”

Counting, he watched her. On one, Drifter’s power pressed against her shields, followed by a vampire’s ecstasy when Charlie’s fangs slid into his wrist. On two, fear stabbed through Taylor’s chest, but she made herself hold it in, wishing all the while that she’d kissed Michael first.

Then he was gone. A second later, the others vanished—leaving the room empty except for Ash, Nicholas, Hugh, Lilith, and a softly whining Sir Pup.

“Next time,” Lilith told the hellhound, rubbing his ears. “You need wings for this one.”

And they’d be back within a few seconds, anyway. Michael had stressed how little time they had to carry out the mission. Taylor counted to five.

But they still hadn’t returned when she got to ten.

*   *   *

On three, Michael teleported into a vertical passageway of black marble. Only a few other passageways branched off, and only a few other chambers opened to the corridor. Not one of the primary arteries through the tower, but a smaller vein—a cylindrical corridor only a mile in length, and the chamber’s entrance halfway to the top.

The crimson glow of demon eyes filled the passageway. One hundred and twenty-five surrounded him, guarding the entrance in a cube formation. Five by five by five. Too many for the narrow diameter of the corridor. They barely had room to hover, wings flapping, and none to maneuver. Six demons were in immediate reach of Michael’s spear, sword, and feet—to his left and right, behind and front, above and below.

No Lucifer. Yet. Best to do this quickly.

The demon closest to the chamber entrance first. Michael thrust the spear backward. The spearhead parted scales and ribs and heart like water. His blade razed the neck of the demon directly in front of him. His left foot smashed through the head below. Shards of skull and the demon’s horns became shrapnel, shredding the leathery wings of the guard ahead. Michael swung the spear forward, cleaving through the heart of the demon on his right even as his sword slashed through the demon’s wing at his left. He stabbed the spear straight up as the demon above glanced down, and teleported before the shower of blood rained upon him.

Only a half second had passed. His heart had begun a beat when he’d jumped into the corridor and that beat had not yet completed. A half second to clear out more.

He jumped in above the cube formation. Twenty-five demons hovered beneath him in an even arrangement, only now reacting to those he’d killed below. Twenty-five heads turned to look down.

In a quick downward jab, Michael stabbed the spear through the skull of the first. He teleported, stabbed the second. Teleported. The third. Leaving them alive, because finishing them off would have slowed him down. Only speed mattered now—and Michael didn’t need to kill them. Without the brains to fly, they’d drop a half mile to the floor.

Lucifer’s arrogance, their weakness. Wings were a tool and a weapon, not a mark of superiority. And he couldn’t have incapacitated so many so quickly if demons hadn’t believed a few bits of flesh made them better than men, and if they hadn’t taken their stand in a vulnerable position.