Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2) (43 page)

“Fuck you, you jealous, soul-less, pathetic bitch!” Lilith snarled the words through gritted teeth as the anger blazed suddenly bright. It was almost too intense to contain, like she would just erupt in an explosion of fiery hatred leaving only ash behind.

A melodic tinkling laugh lit the air like acid rain as Peisinoe grinned at Lilith. “Now there’s the feisty bitch! It’s no fun if you just roll over and play dead.” Her grin stretched impossibly wide, her blue eyes practically radiating. They stayed locked firmly on Lilith as she leaned in to whisper in Chance’s ear again.

For a moment, Lilith watched Chance, hoping against hope that somehow he’d snap out of it. His hand was moving, rising up. Lilith swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing what was coming. She threw her shoulder against Timothy’s arms, trying to break his bear hug grip but she might as well have been strapped to a table again. There was no escape.

She felt soft fingertips trace along the collar of the T-shirt and then brush against her pale skin. Her body craved his touch, melted beneath the warmth of her fingers, but her brain screamed in protest. She couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stand to look at the vacant eyes in his handsome face or the adoring smile that curved his lips when Peisinoe touched him. That was no more Chance than the corpse in Gloria’s kitchen was Alvarez. She forced her eyes away, staring at a crack in a tile on the floor.

His fingertips danced along the delicate features of her neck sending flutters of heat down her body but she stayed focused on that lone cracked tile. If she was going to die, she wouldn’t give that bitch an ounce of satisfaction. Lilith went completely slack, forcing Timothy to hold her up. A hand caressed over her throat, the fingers slipping around it smoothly. Tim was leaning forward now as Lilith refused to support any of her own weight. The fingers at her throat slowly tightened and then just rested there.

“Do you want to kill her, my pet?” Peisinoe’s voice slithered from between her lips and the hatred broiling in Lilith’s stomach seemed to seep into her bones.

“Yes, of course, my love.” It was the deep tones that comprised Chance’s voice, but it wasn’t him. The warm flecks of Cajun were gone, there was no real feeling behind his words. It was Peisinoe’s voice emerging from his lips, or at least that’s what Lilith repeating silently to herself.

“Why?” It was a question Lilith hadn’t expected Peisinoe to ask.

“Because she’s weak.” Lilith’s eyes flashed to the angry look on Chance’s face. Why would she have him say that? She’d expected some automatic response like ‘because it would please you’ or ‘so we can be together’, but this?

“Go on.” Now that Lilith was watching the show, Peisinoe rested her cheek against his arm, her nails slowly trailing up and down his bare chest. As always, her eyes were firmly fixed on Lilith.

“She runs. She forces others to fight for her, to die for her.” His fingers began to tighten around her throat as the muscles around his eyes twitched angrily. “She risks the lives of people she loves to save a monster.” Lilith could only stare at him in shock. Did he really feel that way somewhere deep down or had she underestimated Peisinoe’s intelligence?

The siren’s delicate fingers caressed over the stubble on his cheek as her eyes shifted from Lilith to Chance. She drew his face toward her and his eyes lit up, a lazy smile replacing the scowl on his face. For a moment, Lilith couldn’t breathe and it had nothing to do with the hand around her throat. Peisinoe nudged her pouty lips against his and Lilith’s stomach lurched. “Squeeze.” She whispered the word against his lips just before his free arm pulled her in for a deeper kiss.

Lilith forced her eyes closed as she choked on tears, one or two escaping to roll down her cheeks. Her face burned hot and the pure loathing she felt consumed every inch of her, blocking everything else out, even the growing pressure around her throat.

With a sudden burst of anger Lilith coiled her legs beneath her and jumped up as hard as she could, her head cracking against Tim’s face. She heard a crunch, most likely his nose, and felt his arms go a little slack. She kicked her legs out at Chance, catching him in the knee cap. He howled in pain as his fingers fell away from her throat. Then Lilith dropped all her weight, catching Tim by surprise and slid right out of his arms to the floor.

She scrambled past Chance, who was still gripping his knee cap, and leapt at Peisinoe, aiming right for her throat. An arm slammed Lilith down to the tile floor with bone-crunching force, stopping her short of her goal. The siren just stood there, grinning like a fat cat as her lips parted. Lilith pressed her face against the cold tile waiting for the inevitable shriek that would scatter every shred of hope she had like ash in the wind.

A harsh gagging sound rang in Lilith’s ears and her head jerked up sharply. Peisinoe’s bright blue eyes were wide with shock, her blush pink nails clawing at something around her throat. The firm hand on Lilith’s back started to relax and she took full advantage, shoving her hands against the floor. Her bare feet slid on the tile before catching and then Lilith shot forward.

“You okay?” In that moment, Nicci’s Italian-New Yorker accent was the most beautiful thing Lilith had ever heard. The belt around Peisinoe’s neck jerked backward, forcing her to bend down as she chocked and coughed, fighting for any wisp of air she could manage. Lilith skirted around the siren to see Nicci with her foot shoved against the demon’s back, her fists wrapped around the belt, pulling it tight.

Without a second’s hesitation, Lilith snatched the gun in Nicci’s belt clip and jumped to her feet. The siren’s wide, panicked eyes fixated on the gun as Lilith grabbed a handful of her blonde tresses. A hatred even more intense than she’d felt for Farren burned through every pore in her skin as she stared down into Peisinoe’s terrified face. Lilith shoved the barrel against her temple and felt every tremor that rippled through her body.

“You wanted the feisty bitch…” She spat the venomous words at her through clenched teeth. Peisinoe tried to speak, her mouth moving uselessly as only gargled noises emerged. Lilith’s finger twitched against the trigger as her arm began to shake. Every ounce of her wanted to pull that trigger, erase every power, every threat with one little bullet. So why wouldn’t her finger move?

Chance’s voice kept echoing in her head. ‘It wouldn’t be self-defense, it would be murder.’ Was she willing to cross that line? Would she ever come back from it? Lilith’s arm stiffened, her hand tensing around the grip as the dark hatred coiled around her. This was self-defense. If she didn’t kill Peisinoe now, the siren would use Chance to kill her. Maybe not now, but one day. No way would she just slink back to the shadows never to return.

A small smile crept across Peisinoe’s lips and it was growing larger by the second. Suddenly, something hardened inside Lilith. Her finger slammed against the trigger, blood splattered against the bright white tile as the loud bang seemed to echo through the entire building. The siren’s body went limp, her head flopping to one side, blood pouring down her blonde curls. It was over, but it didn’t feel over. Lilith stared down at the 9mm in her blood-splattered hand and just tried to breathe.

Nicci shoved the body away from her like a dirty sack of garbage and rushed over to Lilith. “It’s over. The guards are all taken care of. Your friend is just down the hall. He’s in rough shape but I think he’ll make it.”

When Lilith didn’t respond, she decided to change tactics. “She gave you no choice.” Very gently, Nicci reached for the gun and slowly pulled it out of Lilith’s hand. “Chance left his mic on. I heard everything.” When Lilith’s eyes rose to Nicci’s face, she saw tears in her muddy brown eyes. 

Chance…Lilith swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and slowly turned. She was petrified of what she’d see and even more afraid of what she’d feel. Would he judge her? Would she judge him? Her mind went racing in a million directions and then her eyes fell on Chance, kneeling on the floor.

“Lily…” His voice was just the ghost of a whisper as he stared down at his own hands. “I…I couldn’t…” He choked on the tears in his throat as his shoulders sunk in defeat. His warm hazel eyes slowly rose to meet hers and then immediately fell back to the floor.

Lilith rushed over to him, skidding to the ground and wrapping her arms around him without even a flicker of fear. Her hands softly gripped his face and forced him to look at her. “I know.” Her eyes searched his frantically. Some part of her was scared of seeing that vacant look, but her doubts were quelled the moment she saw the torment in his eyes.

She could sit there and tell him how it wasn’t his fault, how Peisinoe was controlling him, but he knew that better than anyone. Instead she pulled him closer, her lips crashing against his in a hungry kiss that burned away every doubt. Finally, Lilith broke the kiss, panting for breath as she leaned her forehead against his.

“I love you, Chance, for who you are in here.” Her finger tapped softly against his chest. “She could never touch that, only imprison it.” His warm arms circled around her as a soft sigh escaped his lips. She could feel a tiny bit weight slipping off his shoulders as her warmth started to thaw the icy fear in his gut. It would take time, but they just might make it out the other side of this mess. Assuming the council didn’t execute them all.

“Um, can we please get the hell out of crazy town before something else knocks me out?” Lilith peeked over Chance’s shoulder to see Timothy mopping the blood from his broken nose.

“Sorry about your nose, Tim.”

Timothy’s broad face frowned in genuine confusion. “What…” He stopped, his jaw clenching in sudden frustration. “You know what? I don’t want to know. I just want to get the hell out of here.” Apparently Peisinoe hadn’t cared if Timothy remembered anything. He was just a convenient tool.

Lilith reluctantly pulled away, got to her feet and held a hand out to Chance. His hazel eyes stared at her hand and like it was a lifeline from the mire of guilt and failure back into the light. In a way, maybe he was right. After the nightmare in New Haven, she couldn’t even be near him much less touch him. Now that nightmare had vividly, violently come to life and she was right there, offering to pull him up. She couldn’t really explain why this was so different, but somehow her mind and her heart both knew that the man that had his hand around her throat wasn’t Chance no matter how much he looked like him.

When Lilith didn’t pull her hand back, a soft smile pulled at the corner of his lips and gripped her hand. He didn’t need the help, but it was the thought that counted. Lilith raised up on her tip toes and nudged his lips in a quick kiss as her fingers interlaced with his. “Let’s go home.” He flashed a lopsided smile as he dragged his fingers through his chestnut hair. The combination was classic Chance and she was so relieved to see it that her eyes misted with tears.

“We really should go.” It was evident in Nicci’s tone that she was trying hard to be patient.

Chance wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Nicci lead the way back down the hall, Timothy trailing behind them. When they rounded the second corner, they saw Cohen on the floor, leaning against the wall. The slices on his face were now puckering red scars, but the deeper cuts to his torso still weren’t completely closed. He’d definitely fought his way back from death’s door, but he still needed medical attention.

Tim and Nicci rushed over and helped Cohen to his feet, supporting his weight between them. His sky grey eyes immediately scanned the group until he saw Lilith. He released a sigh of relief and mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ before Nicci and Tim turned toward the closest exit.

As they walked the now silent halls, Lilith glanced at the dead guards on the ground, counting at least six. They passed by the morgue torture chamber which was dark now, all the candles had finally sputtered out. Lilith couldn’t help giving the door a wide berth, half expecting something to leap out of the dark and grab her. Or maybe she was just scared that this was all a dream and that if she looked inside she’d see herself still strapped to the table.

Chance tightened his arm around her, sensing the cold seeping into her bones. For a moment, she closed her eyes as they continued to walk, breathing in his warm earthy scent, drinking in the warmth of his arm. This was definitely real.

Nicci shoved a door open to half a dozen flashing lights that temporarily blinded them. Lilith held up her arm, blocking some of the light as EMT’s rushed over to them. Suddenly, she was tugged away from Chance and she started to struggle. “We just need to check you out.” Lilith blinked in the blinding red, white and blue flashes to see a young EMT as he threw a blanket around her shoulders.

“I’m fine. I don’t need…” Her voice faltered as they passed the alley which was engulfed in flames. The black skeleton of a car sat at the epicenter of the fire and the first think Lilith thought of was the explosion that rocked the building. Something dark on the ground caught her eye. She started to wander closer, but the EMT gripped her shoulders firmly and tried to steer her back toward the ambulance.

Lilith whipped around angrily. “I said I’m fine, now fuck off!” She had zero patience left and the last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded. She shook off his grip while the man stood there shell-shocked and stormed toward the alley.

The bright orange light from the fire flickered off a mound of black that Lilith’s sensitive eyes couldn’t seem to make sense of. She bent down, grabbing what felt like a shoulder and turned the thing over. Isadora’s lifeless face stared wide-eyed up at the sky, smeared with blood. There were several bullet holes in her chest and one in the center of her forehead. Lilith followed the line of her outstretched arm to see her little fern lying on the ground near the flames. The bottom of it was still a vibrant green, but the brown top was burning away.