Origin (Eternal Sacrifice Saga Book 2) (11 page)

“No, I didn’t think I needed it.”

“You always need it.” He grumbled, pulling his dagger from a holster I didn’t know he was wearing.

A blow to my back knocked me on my ass, and a demon or Fallen pounced on Cade.

I went to get up, but was promptly denied.

A petite, tone chick wearing tight as hell jeans and a leather jacket hovered over me, her dagger thrusting toward my neck.

I crawled back toward the building, fingers pressing into the two inches of snow below them, distancing myself as much as I could until I backed into the bricks, and my head lightly bounced off the mortar.

The brunette grinned but didn’t move further, just stood over me, dagger to my throat. “I don’t want to hurt you Zoe, but I will. Stay still.”

She was strong. Beautiful. Petite, but obviously deadly. Dark hair pulled back into a pony. Piercing blue eyes. A strange aura hovered over her, not like a normal demon’s or a Fallen, just a hint of color.

Grunts from down the way got my attention.

I tried to call out for Cade, but my throat tightened.

“Shh.”

Fallen.

“Cade?”
I called to him in my head.

“Hush, girl.” She growled. “Not a word, even in your head, or I’ll slit your damn throat.”

My voice silenced, even the internal dialogue.

Yep, definitely Fallen.

A few feet away, groans echoed between the buildings, coming from Cade and whomever he was fighting.

The Fallen girl tightened her invisible grip on my throat, and her dagger dug into my skin.

My ass was freezing, stuck in the snow, and I could feel my nose turning every shade of red.

The icy steel of her dagger cut into me, and a knot built into my chest.

I had no idea how these daggers affected me now that I was Eternal, but with memories of Lilith and Azriel rushing through my brain, I didn’t care to find out.

A second later, Cade and whatever demon he was fighting came barreling around the corner, practically slipping in the snow beneath their feet.

I craned my neck.

Brennan?

Cade hovered over my former friend, Eternal dagger in hand. He glanced over, temporarily distracted, allowing Brennan to jump to his feet and knocking Cade off his.

Voices bounced from down the alley, and Julian and Micah showed up.

Two more demons came through another portal of grey smoke.

I sat back, watching a scene from West Side Story reenact in front of me.

I was frozen, both literally and figuratively, my entire body forced still. I couldn’t speak or move, and I started to panic.

Micah beat down a demon then it disappeared into a portal.

“Micah, get Zoe.” Julian called as he fought off his demon.

Micah rushed over, thrusting his dagger toward the Fallen standing over me.

His movements distracted her, and she spun around on her toes, releasing her invisible grip of my…everything.

I pulled up to my feet, rubbing my cold fingers together, and assessed the situation.

I had no weapon, and I’d not been trained, so my only recourse was to watch and learn.

Note to self: Don’t forget your dagger.

“Chayah, are you okay?” Cade yelled as Brennan pounced to his feet, speaking an incantation to create a portal.

“Brenan,” I called out.

The demon stared, eyes completely red.

Aura now black.

Dead.

“See ya around, Chayah.” He gave a smile and disappeared into his portal.

Cade reached me, scanning up and down.

“I’m fine.” I gestured to Micah. “Help him.”

Cade rushed over to Micah, who was battling the Fallen girl.

As I watched the two in their sparring match, the Fallen girl’s light grew around her. It changed from a lifeless shadow, growing gradually beyond her body, drifting up. Toward Micah.

His light began to change from its pure white to a similar shadowed hue— like the Fallen.

“What the hell?” I bit my lip.

I’d never seen an aura look that way. Not a Fallen or an Eternal.

The two stood face to face, stopping Micah in his tracks. He tilted his head, staring curiously.

“Not gonna happen, dude.” The Fallen grunted, straightening her stance, waving her hands in the air to create a portal. A bridge wind poofed up in front of her then, and she jumped into the wind and disappeared into the frigid Chicago air.

“Did she hurt you?” Cade asked, now standing beside me.

I shook my head, no words.

“Chayah. Are you all right?”

I was—but I wasn’t. I shook it off as Micah walked over.

“Did you see that?” Micah grinned wide.

“See what?” Cade narrowed his eyes.

“Her aura. It was—different. Not like the demon auras I’ve seen before.”

I swallowed hard, realizing what he thankfully didn’t. I just kept my mouth shut.

Cade narrowed his eyes. “She’s Fallen. They often have color, retaining some angelic light.”

“Fallen, huh? Well damn. She was hot, too.” Micah stared off toward the now closed portal of what was once the Fallen girl’s shadow.

He was attracted to her
.

Crap.

“Chayah, you look like you just seen a ghost.” Micah tilted his head, smirking.

Maybe I had.

I put on my best poker face. “I’m good. Where’s Julian?”

“He jumped a bridge after the Fallen. He shouldn’t have, though. If Brennan is the cross breed, Julian should not have followed them alone,” Cade said. “It’s too dangerous. That’s why we have partners. Gemini.”

I blew out a breath, trying to shake off the attack the best I could. I just wanted to get out of the cold since I could no longer feel my fingers or toes.

“It’s all right, love.” Cade pulled me into his arms. “We’ll be off on our holiday soon, and all of this will be behind us.”

“Yeah, well we need out of this weather. My appendages are about to break off.”

“Yes, sorry.” Cade wrapped his arms around me, preparing to create a bridge wind of our own. “Micah, let’s go.”

“I need to be trained, Cade. That girl froze me like a popsicle, and it wasn’t because I was sitting in the snow. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and I had no idea how to fight her off. How could she do that to me?”

“She’s Fallen, they retain gifts. Immobilization must be one of hers.”

“I don’t like this damsel in distress feeling. We were caught off guard. You said border breaches were happening more frequently. They’re trying to keep us distracted.”

“I agree. Micah, take Zoe’s hand.”

Cade put his hands together, eyes closed, and said the magic words.

A wind for a bridge picked up, forcing snow through the alley, taking us back to Cade’s apartment.

I shook off the snow and stripped off my soaked clothes, trying to get the heat back into my icy limbs.

Raz sat on Cade’s couch, leaning onto his knees, hands on his chin.

Julian sat in a chair beside them. He’d beat us back from the dark realm, so something was going on.

“What do you know?” Cade asked, removing his coat, wet shirt and boots.

“Micah, would you join Julian in the kitchen?” Raz asked. “I must speak with Cade and Chayah in private.”

Julian stood and nodded toward the other room.

Micah sighed, shuffling down the hall behind Julian.

“Tell us.” Cade narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his broad, bare chest, which was distracting, to say the least. “What have you learned?”

“This is becoming more complicated.” Raz glanced toward me and Cade, pressing his lips closed. “Chayah, what’s your take on this situation?”

“Which part?”

“I don’t even know where to begin.” Raz stood. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he began pacing the wooden floors. “Let’s start with Dr. Lucci.”

“What about her?”

“Have you ever gotten any strange feelings from her?”

I shrugged. “Well now that I think about it, tonight, she did have an aura. I’d never noticed one before. Could it just be I’m Eternal now?”

Raz shook his head. “She’s either not human, or she’s been spelled or cloaked somehow. I can’t tell, but I need to do some research.”

“What do you mean, she’s not human? I’ve known Lucci for almost four years.” Zoe’s voice became heated. “Don’t you think somebody’s spidey senses would’ve been triggered before now if she wasn’t human?”

“Your memories are still hushed. There are many things you won’t recognize without training.”

“Speaking of. After the snowstorm in the alley, I need to be trained. I don’t feel safe not knowing how to defend myself or protect Cade should we be separated.”

Cade got a smile on his face.

“We can hold a brief training for you and the Newborns for a few days before you leave on holiday,” Raz said. I think it’d be good to do some training with Phoebe as well. She also needs to know how to use her ring.”

I sat on the couch, rubbing my toes, trying to get the feeling back in them.

The idea of anyone hurting Cade, Phoebe, or any of those I loved twisted my stomach into knots.

“Phoebe’s no fighter, it’s true.” Raz started. “But her ring has many protective elements, as does yours. We just need to train her on its use.”

“I don’t feel comfortable with her and Remie going away without protection. I know Remie’s strong, but he’s new. He isn’t trained either. Can we send along some help to keep watch over them?”

Raz grinned and let out a laugh. “I think we can work something out.” He sighed, and the smile wiped from his face. “As for training, we begin in the morning. I’ll alert the Firstborns. Now tell me what you saw tonight.”

I blew out a harsh breath, puffing out my cheeks.

Cade narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge my response.

“What didn’t I see?” I grunted. “That chick, the Fallen who held the dagger to my throat. Her aura. It was weird, not like normal auras of Fallen. It had a hint of color. And it—grew.”

Raz narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? Not…”

“I didn’t see your color change.” Cade pressed his lips together and scrunched up his nose, seemingly unconvinced.

“Maybe I just imagined it all.” I shook my head. “Guess I’m slipping in my old age.”

“Not necessarily. It’s something to consider.” Raz reassured me. “Did she mention anything that could help us identify her or her motives?”

“No, she said she didn’t want to hurt me, not sure it means anything though. Lilith always said it, too.” I sighed. “But when their eyes met, Micah and that girl’s, they both stopped, like they were trying to figure each other out. Something was going on between them. And Micah. He wasn’t sure what he saw, but he knew it was something.”

Raz pursed his lips. “Perhaps I can do some digging on this Fallen. I’ll send Firstborns on a mission soon. See what we can learn.”

“Good. So what the hell was Brennan doing there? What happened to him?”

“He’s become demon.”

“Duh.” I held back an eye roll. “Why didn’t anybody tell me?”

“We were a bit preoccupied with you in Chicago,” Cade said. “A minion demon was the least of our concerns.”

“Isn’t it your job to protect humans? I mean, he’s—well, he was human.” I leaned back into the couch. “He was my friend.” I covered my face with my fingers as my temples began throb.

“It’s worse. He’s not just a demon, Chayah. He’s the cross breed.”

“Wait, the what? What’s a cross breed?”

“I’m sorry, we haven’t told you. Whispers of a prophecy have begun to surface. A human bred with a Fallen and demon. The child is grown now and has been challenging us.”

“Wait. Stop.” I turned to Cade, eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Raz said it’s possible. And they think the cross breed could be Brennan.”

I stared along the wall then closed my eyes, squeezing them tight for a second, drowning out the throb.

“Yeah, just—” I paused. “No, that can’t be right. Not Brennan. I mean, I saw—oh crap. His eyes.”

My heart sunk. I’d known it all along, but I’d ignored the signs.

“Yes, he was transitioning when we last met him. He’s full Demon now.”

“Julian and Nate have trailed him, and he has powers no demon should have this soon following a transition,” Cade said.

“When was the last time you had a vision?” Raz asked.

“It’s coming,” I mumbled. My temples pulsed stronger, a precursor to my visions.

“You’re blocking them out.” Raz scowled.

I glanced up. “How?”

“You’re blocking out many things.” Cade pressed his lips tight, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why are you mad at me?” I stood.

“I’m not angry, I’m concerned. I’ve barely been able to read your emotions, much less your thoughts. You’re pushing me away.”

“What does that mean?”

“We share our emotions. But since the Convergence, I’ve hardly been able to hear your voice when you purposefully attempt to communicate. I’m unsure as to why, but it’s dangerous. You must learn to communicate with me, both like this, and internally. It’s a way our bond as Gemini is forged and remains strong. If we cannot share in our concerns or feelings, it’s impossible to work effectively together.”

“I’m not trying to shut you out.”

I worked hard to hold back tears. I was sick of crying. Angry or crying. My emotions were like a damn roller coaster.

What is wrong with me?

“She needs training. That is her best defense, brother.”

“We need privacy.” Cade let out a grunt as he pulled me into his chest. “Time to forge our bond. We will never be strong enough to defeat the darkness if we cannot spend time together.” His chest rattled beneath my cheek. “That’s what’s standing in our way, and perhaps even between Chayah and her memories.”

I glanced up, a red twinge of color lit up beneath the gruff on Cade’s high cheekbones, and he was gritting his teeth.

I laid my hands against his cheeks. “Let’s go, then.”

He eyed me curiously.

“Let’s go. On our honeymoon.”

Raz stood and stepped over. “Wait, what about training?”

“Cade can train me. While we’re gone.” With my gaze locked onto Cade’s beautiful cerulean eyes, I ran my hands through his dark chocolate hair, sweeping it off his forehead. “Teach me.”