Secret Worlds (334 page)

“We aren’t going to do anything. You are going to stay here and I’m going to take care of those bastards,” I said and I recognized the shadow that traveled over her features before they hardened into that stubborn aggravation I was used to. I shook my head before she opened her mouth to argue. “No. You’re carrying my child. You aren’t going out there until I know it is safe.”

Naomi’s lips thinned and she turned her back on me, crossing her arms and surveying the hall. She glanced over her shoulder, sending a glare at me before she marched away. Halfway down the hall sat a fire alarm box and when she reached for it, I almost laughed. Leave it to my wife to find a valid way out that wouldn’t leave us alone in the parking lot with the enemy.

She pulled down and as the alarms broke out, wailing throughout the building, she passed in front of me and pushed open the door leading to a set of stairs on the opposite side of the floor. We joined a group of people clearing the building in an orderly fashion.

We exited at the far side of the parking lot and I didn’t want to leave Naomi alone in the crowd. At least one of the demons knew what she looked like and if I left her alone, I’m sure that’s when all hell would break loose.

“Follow me,” I whispered and started to navigate the parking lot, which was easier than I anticipated, especially with all eyes on the building, including the demon bitch that sat in the passenger seat.

Valerie sat still, her gaze locked in front of her, unfocused, even as we passed her line of sight. Her waxy skin glistened with sweat and I wondered what the hell held her in place. When we were a car away, I pulled Naomi lower.

“Stay here.”

She glanced at the truck and then back to me, her eyes pleading in that way that made me hesitate, but I put my hand up and turned, focusing on the truck. From our vantage point, we couldn’t see the building and I had no idea who else was working with the demon bitch of a nurse holding Valerie hostage.

I did a quick scan and then stepped to the side of the truck, yanking the passenger door open. The bitch’s head snapped in my direction, but I reacted faster than she did. My fist connected, breaking her nose before she had a chance to remove the knife buried in Valerie’s side.

The anger that flared pulled a growl from my lips and I yanked psycho nurse from the car, twisting her neck as I turned. The sickening crunch of bone bounced off the car and I dropped the limp body, turning toward Naomi.

“Hurry,” I said and as soon as she was in the car, I closed the door and ran to the driver’s side. Without thinking, I slid Valerie to the middle of the bench seat and turned the key hanging from the ignition.

The truck revved to life and I hit the gas, tearing through the parking lot as fast as I dared. The hospital emergency room wasn’t far and I chanced a glance at Valerie. The girl still stared out the window almost like she was already...

I shook the thought out of my head. “Check her pulse,” I ordered.

Naomi’s shaking fingers reached into my peripheral vision, landing on Valerie’s throat as I took the turn into the emergency room entrance.

“Does she have a pulse?” I barked and glanced around Valerie, meeting Naomi’s frightened stare.

“I, I don’t know,” she said. I slammed the brakes, stopping the vehicle within a hair of the ambulance sitting in front of me and jumped out.

“You can’t park here,” a heavy-set officer said as he stepped out of the sliding doors.

“My friend was stabbed,” was all I said, yanking the passenger door open. Naomi hopped out and moved aside, so I could reach in for Valerie. I didn’t hesitate; I scooped her up so the hilt of the blade faced the hospital. My heart dropped when she didn’t react with even a grunt from the change in position. I marched past the cop without another look. Each step brought back a random memory of Valerie. Years of memories, of watching her grow, flooded my senses and I carried her right past the desk and into one of the exam rooms. I didn’t have to speak, the blade and blood dripping a path from the car was all the hospital needed.

The emergency room staff descended like a pack of wild eagles, pushing us aside while they assessed the damage. Naomi pulled me back against the wall as they barked commands that didn’t register. The sound of a heartbeat pulled me out of my stress-filled trance, yanking a breath of relief from my chest. The nursing staff herded us from the room, despite my protests.

“They are bringing her to surgery,” someone said and I glanced down at the owner of the voice. A petite nurse stood with her hand on my chest. The name tattooed on her shirt read Sara H, - RN.

“Is she going to make it?” I asked, my voice weak and unsteady and I cleared my throat, glancing at Naomi, who stood next to me with the same shell-shocked stare I imagined I wore.

“Are you family?”

“She’s my cousin,” Naomi said, gaining Nurse Harding’s attention. “Is she going to be okay?”

“We have the best doctors working on her right now,” she answered and I closed my eyes, finding the wall with my hand. “The waiting room is that way. I will come find you when I get word as to her condition. Okay?”

I nodded and threw my arm around Naomi, turning in the direction the nurse had pointed.

The officer waited by the door, swinging a set of keys from his finger. When I approached, the keys stilled and he crossed to me.

“What happened, son?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Valerie came into Dr. Wolk’s office with us and she was in the waiting room last I knew. The fire alarm was pulled and we went out to the truck and found her like that.” I pointed a shaking finger toward the exam rooms.

“The police are processing your vehicle.”

I glanced around him at the cop cars and crime scene tape and nodded. “I hope they find the son of a bitch...” I muttered and glanced back at the cop.

“Did you touch the knife?”

“No. I don’t think either of us did.” I glanced at Naomi.

“I didn’t touch it. The only thing I did was feel for a pulse when you asked me to.”

The cop seemed satisfied for the time being and pointed us to the waiting room. Another staff member approached and handed us a clipboard to fill out with Valerie’s information. I stared at the blanks and then at Naomi. I had the name, address and date of birth down, but not much else and I sighed, dropping my head into my hands.

“Michael,” I whispered, calling on the power of heaven to perform yet another miracle.

The one good thing about adrenaline is while it’s running through your blood stream; you’re pretty much numb to emotions beyond the need to take action. When the battle ends and the adrenaline dries up, the wave crashes, and right now I was drowning in the thought of losing Valerie.

Naomi was doing her best to hold it together, but she barely contained her tears and the lack of response from our angelic relative was starting to bite at my already raw nerves. I reached out, lacing my fingers through Naomi’s, gave her my best reassuring smile, and brought the back of her hand to my lips.

Strength in the face of tragedy was not my most reliable trait, but I needed to put on the brave face for her. She sniffled and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and gave a squeeze, knowing damn well it wasn’t enough to erase the soul-consuming fear.

I had no idea who the other demon was, but I’d bet my fortune that they knew the outcome of Naomi’s tests, which meant Lucifer would soon know we had a trinity on the way.

Movement in the entry to the waiting room caught my eye and I moved my gaze from Naomi to the man standing in the doorway. I lowered Naomi’s hand and straightened. Her gasp followed as her eyes landed on the same view.

“Michael?” I asked. I wasn’t sure, not with the haggard being leaning on the doorframe. His slight nod kicked me into action and I dropped Naomi’s grip, crossing the room and offering him a hand. He glanced at the offer and irritation raked over his face but he took a hold of my arm and allowed me to lead him to the empty seat next to mine.

The young vibrant angel I had known for all my days had finally aged... a lot. His once ebony hair was almost pure white and lines carved deep shadows in his face. Even his hands were wrinkled and gnarled. It took me a few minutes to find my voice.

“Can you... help?” I asked.

He gave my leg a pat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and his chin dropped. “As you can see, I haven’t had the chance to rejuvenate yet.”

“What happened?” I couldn’t help it, even though on some level I already knew.

He turned his gaze to mine. “I spent most of my energy on you, leaving just enough to make sure Naomi didn’t bleed out.” His gaze moved to Naomi and he offered the slightest of smiles.

He had performed a miracle. I should have roasted in the sun, or at least dropped dead from the amount of blood loss and crushed bone, but I hadn’t because Michael swept in at the last minute and saved both of us. I just didn’t realize what it had cost him.

I licked my lips and stared at the tile patterns traversing the floor.

“Will you ever...”

“Recuperate?” Michael finished my sentence and shrugged in a way that left my blood cold. “I honestly don’t know.”

“Valerie...” I started and fidgeted, picking at the hangnail on my thumb before I cleared my throat. “Valerie was stabbed.”

“I know.”

“By a demon,” I added.

“I gathered it was something along those lines, especially since she asked for your protection,” he said. “She wanted to make sure you two survived, even if she didn’t.”

“She...” Naomi started.

Michael put his hand up, stopping her from asking the question that swarmed my mind as well. “I don’t have any more insight than that.”

An angel without insight. Now I’ve heard it all, but I wasn’t in the position to make a snide comment. Instead, I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

Naomi’s grip tightened on mine and I turned, something outside the window held her gaze. When I followed her gaze to the glass, my already chilled blood froze and my chest constricted like someone tied a complex and very tight knot with my lungs.

Outside, the crazy nurse I killed stood next to Valerie’s truck, staring at us through the window with a narrowed glare. She cracked her neck and smiled, and then her lips moved reciting the unmistakable name that would bring the devil to our door.

Lucifer.

The freeze in my blood turned to the burn of adrenaline and I grabbed Michael’s arm with my free hand, moving us with a speed I didn’t think I still possessed. It wasn’t vampire speed, but it was damn fast, especially while dragging an old man and my stunned wife.

I turned toward the belly of the hospital, looking for a way to escape our intertwined fates. My heart hammered in my temple, creating a beat my feet followed. The clap of thunder announced his arrival, but I didn’t even chance a look, instead, I found a staircase leading to the floor below.

It wasn’t until I stood in the sparsely populated cafeteria that I stopped. Both Michael and Naomi huffed, their faces as red from exertion as I imagined mine and I let them rest at the table near the door. Michael collapsed in the chair next to me and Naomi took the one farthest away from the door.

Her head dropped to the table and the rise and fall of her back was enough for me to grab the nearest garbage can and slide it under her. She spit a couple of times and then nodded and I moved the can back to the wall by the door. As I approached the table, the air in the cafeteria shifted and I stopped with my gaze locked on Naomi’s.

I didn’t need to turn to know Lucifer stood behind me, but I wondered if he was in the same condition as his brother. Michael stood and for a brief instance, I saw the fire flare in him, but it flickered and he grabbed the edge of the table to steady his feeble form.

I inhaled, and spun, facing the monster that was hell bent on destroying me. Lucifer stood before me in human form, but unlike Michael, he was still young. A bandage covered his neck and Eve’s burning form had left quite a bit of damage on the right side of the devil’s face.

His gaze narrowed as he studied me and then it transitioned to Michael.

“You fool. You gave him your grace?”

My skin flushed hot with those words. Michael’s grace? Holy shit. The old angel stepped to my side but I couldn’t look at him. I was still processing Lucifer’s words.

“Now all he needs is yours,” Michael snarled and Lucifer’s clawed hand shot out, puncturing Michael’s chest.

“He may have your grace, but I am claiming your soul.”

Michael somehow produced a smile. “My soul belongs to God,” he uttered.

Lucifer yanked, ripping the heart from Michael’s body. A scream pierced the room and the shuffle of panicked footsteps filled the cafeteria. Michael collapsed on the floor and Lucifer stared at the heart, mesmerized as the muscle’s contractions slowed until it was still.

I stared as well, unable to move, to allow my brain to grasp the death of my uncle or the words he uttered. It wasn’t until Lucifer brought the heart to his lips, that my paralysis broke and I stepped backwards, running into the table.

The beast ripped the heart in half, his eyes closing as he savored the taste and I shivered with revulsion. My gaze darted around the now empty room and back to Lucifer. He swallowed the rest of Michael’s heart and slowly licked his fingers.

“There’s nothing quite like angel blood, even without the grace,” he whispered. The burns on his face transformed before my eyes, healing and reforming to what he had been before the flaming vampire attacked him.

With blood dripping from his lips, he turned toward the cafeteria entry where an officer stood with his gun drawn. The smile that formed set me in motion. Instead of attacking, I turned, grabbed Naomi, and fled.

Naomi tripped on a chair and went down hard on her knees and I stopped to help her up. The boom of a gunshot cut off the crazy cackling laugh behind me. I pulled Naomi off the floor and kept going without looking back.

My throat pounded and burned at the same time and I stopped in the stairwell, leaning over with my hands on my thighs. A high-pitched whine filled my ears and I grabbed for the iron railing, steadying myself while I caught my breath.