Retribution (Redemption Series) (8 page)

Never let it be said I don't catch on
quickly. Despite the pain, I threw my power out with his, letting them mix as
they collided with Sophia's. It took Luther and me everything we had to remain
on our feet as the power exploded. Luther released my hand, and I leaned over,
my breathing heavy as I rested my palms on my thighs.

"Damn it that hurt!" I
complained. "Where the hell did you come from?"

The last time I had seen Luther, he had
been standing with the rest of us on the High Place of Sacrifice in Petra. Now
that Lucifer wasn't attacking us, I assumed he wouldn't be involved anymore.
There was a price on his head. There was a price on the heads of all the sons
and daughters of Lilith and Cain. He should be hiding.

 
Luther grinned wickedly before turning his
gaze to Sophia.

"You Angels have an impossible
flair for the dramatic," he said.

Sophia's hands
fisted,
her jaw tightening as Luther nodded at my father. I watched the exchange
incredulously. Had
Bezaliel
known Luther was coming?

"Damn, but you're a nuisance,"
Lucas roared, although, for once, even the fallen Angel appeared somewhat
relieved.

Sophia stepped forward.

"You Demons have the uncanny
ability of appearing at inopportune moments," she accused.

Luther winked at her.

"
Chaming
,
Winged One. Did you
win my brother with that line?
Amazing his previous choice in
women.
I dare say his tastes have improved."

He grinned, running a tongue over his
sudden fangs. Sophia scowled.

Luther held his hands up, a scorch mark
visible on the palm he'd used to grip my hand. It was already healing, but it
was hideous. The smell of burning flesh permeated the small room.

"It appears we are at a stalemate.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Luther said, his eyes on my father.

There was hidden meaning beneath those
words, and I watched as
Bezaliel
stepped forward, his
expression a mix between amusement and condescension.

"She's my daughter after all."

Luther bowed his head. It is the only
time I had ever seen him show respect.

"And it's a wise father she
has."

Bezaliel
smiled grimly.
"No, I have failed her in many ways." His gaze met mine. "You
love your Demon enough to die?"

I nodded dumbly. If he was trying to
help me, why had he let Sophia attack me without intervening?

"Because I needed to know where
your loyalties lay,"
Bezaliel
said,
his tone serious.

I rolled my eyes.

"Let me guess, you can read my
thoughts?" I asked.

My father chuckled, and a memory swept
over me. It was my
dream,
it was reality, a large man
with his hands over my eyes telling me to look for the light.

"I can do a lot of things,"
Bezaliel
said, his eyes shining. I just bet he could.

Sophia was outraged. Her face twisted,
and I took a step back. For an Angel, she looked suddenly monstrous.

"You would help her knowing she
intends to release the Demon?"

I felt hope rise in my chest. Sophia had
insinuated there was no way to release a Demon trapped by the Seal. Her current
words contradicted that.

"Screw your morals for once, Angel.
Try being romantic," Luther said with a devious half smile.

Sophia grunted.

"This is not a joking matter,
Demon."

"Never a
joke, Sophia.
There is a Civil War brewing in Hell. There is chaos. Lucifer is angry. There
is the possibility of war on Earth.
Marcas
was
Lucifer's choice for a second. If he were to fight on Heaven's side, we already
have an advantage,"
Bezaliel
said firmly.

If Sophia was ancient, my father was
beyond that. She respected him, but not enough to side with an Exile and a
hybrid Demon.

"You would risk releasing a Demon
Lucifer could use to his own advantage in hopes that he would join our side.
You're an Exile. Your loyalties are already questionable. I certainly don't
trust his."

"I do," I whispered.

Sophia's glare moved my way.

"Do you? You two are no longer
bound. Do you believe he loves you enough to stay with you now there's no
reason to stay?
You
?
A
Naphil
,
and a very young
Naphil
at that?"

Doubt flared, causing a sick feeling
deep within my stomach. It was hard not to question myself. I thought back on
the basement. The night Damon had sent me
there,
I had
thought I'd heard
Marcas
' voice in my head. He'd told
me he loved me, but had it been real? The voice had been distant, almost
indistinguishable.

I looked at Sophia, the doubt hidden, my
thoughts barred.
Marcas
had sacrificed himself for
me. That went beyond any magical bond. If he had only been in it for the bond,
he never would have sought to unbind us.

"I trust him," I said easily
before turning to my father. "Tell me how to release him."

My eyes were locked on
Bezaliel's
but it was Luther who answered.

"You have to trap yourself in the
ring."

"What?"
Conor
roared.

Monroe and Amber gasped. No one else
seemed surprised in the least. I didn't understand.

"Trap myself?
How?"

Monroe moved away from the wall.

"Tell me you're not considering
it," she said. I avoided her gaze.

"How?"
I asked again.

Conor
moved up next
to me.

"The Seal will only trap a Demon.
Will it even accept an Angel?" he asked

Bezaliel's
gaze didn't
move from mine.

"It will if the Angel has Demon
blood in her system."

It suddenly made sense why Luther was
present.

"Oh, my
God!"
Monroe breathed.

Conor
didn't say a
word, but I could feel his disapproval in the way he leaned away from me. I
glanced at him.

"If you were me, and this mystery
girl you left behind was
Marcas
, tell me you wouldn't
make the same decision," I whispered.

Conor
didn't answer
me, but his jaw tightened and his eyes lowered, and I knew he'd make the same
exact decision. My hand found his.

"There's no guarantee you'll be
able to escape the ring," Lucas interrupted, and my gaze moved to the
fallen Angel standing stoically next to my father.

"But there's a chance?" I
asked.

 
If there was even a small chance, I was
willing to do it. Lucas nodded.

"So what?
I drink
Luther's blood then give the Seal to one of you?" I asked.

Sophia stepped between
Bezaliel
and me, giving me her back as she faced my father.

"I won't allow this."

Bezaliel's
gaze was cold.

"You could not fight me without
brutal injuries that will put you out of commission for a very long time. You
would be no help to anyone."

I watched as her elegant shoulders
slumped. I had fought her briefly. Her powers had been incredible. It made me
wonder at
Bezaliel's
.

"And you'd let your own daughter do
this?"

Bezaliel
frowned.

"You think you know what is best,
Sophia. I have been an Exile for a long time. I have been watching, documenting
the unrest between Heaven and Hell. I know the players well, and
Marcas
has been primed since birth. I knew him only as a
major player in Hell. Lucifer has been keenly watching him since his
conception.
 
His connection to Dayton and
Damon surprised me. But
Marcas
has also been a
champion for Heaven when he never had a reason to be. Forget not, I have seen
your own indiscretions, Young One."

Sophia blanched.

"He belongs to Hell."

"And you belong to Heaven,"
Bezaliel
countered.

He didn't have to say anything more.
Whatever he meant to convey to Sophia, he did it with his eyes. She stepped
back.

"I will hold the Seal."

I shook my head.

"You will not," I said
pointedly. I looked at my father. "What do I do?"

Bezaliel's
face
softened,
and he moved toward me. His hand lifted, his large
palm cradling my face. He closed his eyes briefly, and I had the sudden urge to
both pull away and to fall into his touch. This was my father. The man I had
always known as Daniel. He had protected me, raised me . . . left me. And I
still loved him. My life was so NOT typical.

Bezaliel's
eyes opened.

"You will drink blood from Luther.
The ring will accept you then, but it must be quick. It will not be long before
the ring realizes its error, and Luther's blood will be purged. Your time in
the Seal will then be numbered. I can make it hold you only so long once it
realizes you are not a Demon."

I nodded. Simple enough, right?

"And I get
Marcas
out how?"

Bezaliel
shook his head.

"I am honestly not sure. This has
never been tried before. There is no way to know what you will be faced with
inside the Seal. This will be up to you. I cannot tell you how to release
him."

There went simple. I glanced at the
group.

"I won't let Sophia keep the
Seal," I said stubbornly.

I looked briefly at Monroe and knew
instantly she wasn't powerful enough yet. As for
Bezaliel
,
I still didn't trust my own father enough. I trusted him to protect whoever had
the Seal as long as I was inside, but I didn't trust him to keep it. I didn't
want to place myself in his hands.
Literally.

My decision made, I slipped the Seal off
hurriedly before I had time to change my mind. I spun, placing the ring quickly
on
Conor's
large hand. The shock on his face was
apparent. I wrapped the hand with the Seal tightly within my own, my eyes on
his.

"Don't let them have it," I
begged.

His other hand came up to cover mine.

"God, Red. You're really going to
do this."

I just stared at him, and he sighed
before bowing his head.

"You know I'll protect it with my
life."

I smiled.

"Of that I have no doubt."

I released him and turned to Luther.

"I'm not biting you so you better
unleash one of those wicked claws of yours and open up a wound," I
ordered.

The Demon grinned.

"Well, this is new.
An Angel that wants to drink my blood for once."

He
laughed,
his
joking manner strangely relieving. I could see Monroe's face over his shoulder,
and I nodded at her. She nodded back sadly, her eyes moving to Luther. There
was something conflicted in her gaze.

Luther's hand transformed, claws growing
from the tips of his fingers. I moved toward him, and he looked at me, his eyes
on mine. I avoided
Bezaliel
, Sophia, and Lucas.

"Why are you doing this?" I
whispered to Luther.

His bright eyes hardened.

"He's my brother, and we both deserve
retribution. You just get him out alive." Luther lifted his arm, running a
nail across his wrist quickly. "I don't have as much control as my
brother. Understand? Make this fast."

I understood his warning. I would be
vulnerable, and Luther craved blood. I took a deep breath and grabbed his
wrist, bringing it to my mouth and swallowing the thick, beaded blood quickly
before I had time to question myself. The pain was immediate, and I
stumbled
backward straight into
Conor's
arms as I gagged.

I grabbed my stomach, the fire in my
belly so intense I had to fight the convulsions I knew were coming. Demon blood
was painful as hell!

"Do it," I commanded
Conor
.

He nodded and held up the Seal. It was
glowing, all four jewels blindingly bright as
Conor
ordered it to trap me. There was fresh Demon blood in my system and on my lips.
The ring complied.