Shades of Darkness (Redemption Series) (31 page)

Emptiness and loss engulfed Haden, leaving him furiously indignant. “You think I wish to hurt that child?” he growled.

“Why else would you be here, stalking the sighted in transcended form?”

“I wasn’t—”

“It matters not. Your hands have known immeasurable death and destruction. You are forbidden to touch such purity.”

“Get the hell away from me!” Haden spat. “Why don’t you return to the self-righteous pedestal you flew down from?”

“I possess no authority which has not been given to me. Your judgment comes not from me. If redemption is what you seek, then it is forgiveness you must ask for.”

“Some of us are beyond redemption,” Haden muttered.

“No one is beyond redemption,” the angel replied, turning to walk up the hill toward his ward.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Three years ago

It was by chance that he saw her for the first time. Had he known then that she would soon possess the key to his revenge, he would have probably paid closer attention. As it was, Haden sat in a dark corner of The Wrath, drowning his misery in a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. After all these years, he would have expected the pain to lessen, but more than a century later, his heart still ached for Anya like it was yesterday.

He watched the female with bored interest, even as every eye turned to the demon walking in with the stunning woman on his arm. Her long black hair was the sort any male would hunger to dive his hands into, and her tall, slender frame was generously curved in all the right places. Only a fool would bring her into a place like this… Unless he was trying to get them both killed...

It wasn’t until her vibrant green eyes momentarily locked on his that he took further notice.
Holy hell…
The female was sighted! She looked around the room with a measure of fear and trepidation—smart girl. She should run like hell. Clearly, she has no idea where she is.

Curious now, he watched the female, his somewhat alcohol-dulled instincts coming online and honing in on her. In the last hundred years, he could count on one hand the number of sighted females he’d encountered. Just to spite Gahn, he’d let them live—every fucking one of them, and this female would be no exception.

He watched the demon walk away and head toward the bar.
Stupid fool…
He considered approaching her, giving her a little piece of advice to get the hell out of here while she still could, when the front door flew open and electricity crackled the air. Haden looked up to see the angel walk in with authority and arrogance one didn’t often find in a place like this. His dark violet eyes scanned the bar. He was looking for someone.

Sucks to be the poor bastard on his shit list.

Like a guided missile locking on its target, the angel’s searching gaze locked on the female. Holy shit! He was here for her? Now, this was gonna get interesting.

The angel approached the frightened young woman. When he spoke to her, she seemed to visibly relax, the hard lines of her beautiful face softened. Haden was shocked when he actually saw a small smile grace those full, lush lips and he couldn’t help but wonder what the angel had said to garner such a reward. The angel glanced toward the bar and his expression hardened. The demon must be coming back.

His reluctance to leave her was palpable. She said something to him, and he walked away, stopping near the entrance. The demon approached the young woman a moment later, scowling like someone just pissed in his lemonade. With a cocky glance in the angel’s direction, the bastard caught the woman around the waist and captured her lips in a bold, open-mouthed kiss. Every eye in the bar was on them.

Electricity soared through the air, and Haden couldn’t resist the wicked grin that crossed his face as he waited in anticipation for the inevitable throw-down between Heaven and Hell. He glanced toward the entrance where the angel was standing. His eyes glowed brilliant amethyst. Perhaps he would kill the demon right here and now—he could only hope…

That demon has no idea what he’s messing with. The young woman appeared to be surprised and not very pleased by his forward kiss. Wedging her hand between them, she pushed him back. Little did she know, she probably just saved that demon’s life. Pity… He’d bet his life that angel was two seconds from flying across the room and slitting the demon’s throat.

He knew that look all too well—the malevolent glare, muscles tense—strung tight and ready to strike. Since losing Anya, he’d made it his personal mission to hunt down and kill the demons responsible for her death. And just to fuck with Gahn, he’d started taking out his army too, one by one. A century later, he’d counted quite the
coup d'état
on those bastards and he had no intention of stopping anytime soon. Unfortunately, no matter how much blood he drown his sorrows in, nothing ever assuaged the guilt of his mate’s death.

The female looked spittin’ kitten mad when the demon reluctantly released her. From across the room, Haden heard him growl, “Damn, you taste good.”

No doubt she did, but A: telling the indignant female such was just asking to get kneed in the balls. B: The warrior now had murder in his amethyst glare. And C: That cocky bastard just turned the crank of every dick in this joint and then stroked it by declaring how sweet she tasted. No doubt about it, that stupid son of a bitch was trying to get her killed.

The demon took her hand and pulled her over to the pool table. Haden watched as they shot a round, noticing the demon’s attention fixed on the stranger at the door. He touched the female possessively, intimately, tauntingly... Haden wondered if it was possible the demon didn’t realize what the stranger was, or perhaps he was just that suicidal. The demon finished his beer, said something to the woman, and left her again to go back to the bar.

You reckless bastard…

Haden wasn’t surprised when a few seconds later, another demon, heavy on the tats and metal, approached her. She tensed. He could scent her fear from across the room. It was like nose candy to these fallen bastards. Anxiously, she glanced over at the bar, probably looking for the asshole that left her unattended.

Haden watched as the demon’s hand shot out, grabbing the woman’s wrist. Well, that didn’t take long. It surprised him when the momentary thought of aiding the female flashed through his mind. He wasn’t a hero, not by any accord, but he was always itching for a good, bloody fight, and would jump at the opportunity to bust some heads together.

As quickly as the thought came, it was gone, along with the chance to step in. The air crackled with energy as the stranger by the door headed for the female. At the same time, her demon “date” was returning with another beer—his eyes flashing black with fury when he spotted the tattooed demon manhandling her. The angel stopped, hanging back to watch the exchange between the two males. By the amethyst sheen in his livid gaze, it was obvious he had every intention of intervening if this played out poorly.

The demon growled something to the one holding her wrist and grabbed his forearm. Haden heard the crack from across the bar and “tats” immediately released the woman, howling a foul curse and cradling his arm. Haden chuckled. Hell, this was better than Spike TV. Without missing a beat, the demon took the woman’s arm and guided her toward the exit. He smiled that arrogant alpha male, king shit grin and whispered something to her, ignoring the fact that the now very pale young woman looked as if she were about to pass out from fright.

As they walked out, he let go of the female long enough to slam his shoulder into the angel’s chest.
Well, that was a mistake…
The angel bent to the force of the blow, but his footing remained firm.  Without missing a beat, he countered with blinding speed and slammed his palm into the demon’s shoulder, propelling him several feet toward the door. Unfortunately, the female stood between the demon and the exit. Haden felt himself tense, instinctively preparing for the blow that would take her down. Surprisingly, the demon recovered just before taking her out.

With a ferocious growl, he spun around to T off with the angel. Haden was certain he was about to witness the demon’s death, when amazingly, that small, beautiful woman charged toward them and put herself in between the two preternatural forces. Good versus evil…with the sacrificial lamb in between.

Damn, he’d misjudged the female. She was either the most courageous, or the dumbest woman on the face of the planet. But, holy hell, she was hot—and mad as a hornet. Perhaps this little lamb was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Watching her, the unwelcomed stirring of desire tightened between his legs, his pulse quickened. This woman…intrigued him.

She snapped something to the angel, and whatever she’d said had been powerful enough to diffuse the fight. Abruptly, she turned her back to him and left with the demon. The angel was furious. Rage resonated from every fiber of his being. He couldn’t believe it when the demon glanced over his shoulder and gave the angel a triumphant “fuck you” mocking grin.

Sucks to be you, dude.
Haden shook his head, wondering if that demon realized he’d just signed his own death warrant.

***

Two years and six months later…

The second time he saw her, fate saw fit to align their paths once again. She was sitting alone at a wrought iron table outside Karen’s Bagels, drinking a latte and reading a book. At first, he almost didn’t recognize her—but those eyes… He’d never been able to forget those verdant eyes. But there was something different about her—an air of brokenness... Sadness haunted this female, stirring a kinship of grief deep inside him he didn’t understand, nor was the sentiment especially welcomed.

Her long black hair was pulled into an untidy twist, exposing the slender curve of her neck. She wore a dark blue tie-dyed spandex tank top and navy yoga pants. Not even the slightest hint of blush graced her cheeks, and although it was obvious she paid little attention to her appearance, her beauty was still breathtaking. Her gym ID was clipped to the outside of her purse, and the damp tendrils at the base of her neck hinted she’d just come from a workout.

As Haden walked past her, the sun reflected off the heart-shaped stone hanging from her neck. He halted mid-step, momentarily frozen as he realized what he was seeing. This was it! What he’d been searching for all these years! The key to his revenge!

The female bristled, glancing up, and cast him an impatient glower. “Can I help you?” she asked briskly. There was a weathered hardness about her he hadn’t detected the first time he’s seen her, and Haden found himself wondering who had hurt this female so badly. He tamped down the brief and unexpected impulse to find the bastard and dish out an equal amount of pain.

Cocking his head, he studied her a moment longer.
What happened to you?
The thought didn’t pass his lips as he met and held her bold, back-the-hell-off glare. Haden didn’t cow to anyone and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start with this female. “No,” Haden replied smoothly. “For a moment, I thought you looked like someone I knew.”

“Well, you don’t know me,” she replied tartly, turning her attention back to her book. The blatant dismissal struck a nerve. He wasn’t used to being rejected by the opposite sex—another unwelcomed experience, courtesy of this female.

He gave a negligent shrug, and held up his hands defensively. The last thing he needed was to frighten the woman and draw the attention of her guardian. Haden wasn’t an idiot, he knew how that shit worked. He also knew why she wore that stone. It was a warning to otherworlders to stay the hell away from her.

So, he’d lie low a while and fly under the radar. He’d have to bide his time if he hoped to have any chance of getting his hands on that rock. If he’d learned anything over the centuries, it was patience.

“I apologize for disturbing you,” he told her, ripe with insincerity. At her refusal to acknowledge him, he bit back the growl unfurling in his throat, turned, and walked away. This is far from over, sweetheart…

***

This was it. Haden couldn’t put it off any longer. After all these years, he had no choice but to return to the Dark Court. Pushing through the chamber doors, the darkness surrounding him equaled his heart. As Haden prepared to face his “father,” he felt no trepidation. In order to fear, one must first have something to lose. He approached the throne, saying nothing as he stopped, carefully schooling his features to hide his contempt.

“So…the Prodigal Son returns,” Gahn greeted. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t kill the fatted calf.”

The sickening sweet cadence in Gahn’s voice didn’t fool him for a second—the bastard was furious. If the demon was smart, he’d kill Haden right now, because if he survived this day, it would mark the beginning of the end of Gahn’s.

“I’m here to help you find the girl.” Waiting… Of course, the bait was too tempting to resist.

“Now, what girl is that of which you speak?”

“The girl you’ve been trying to kill for the last twenty-one years, and have failed at—miserably—I might add. Do you really want to play this game with me?”

“Yes, well…our hunter has been a little MIA for the last century—”

“I can’t imagine why.”

Shooting Haden a loathing glare, Gahn ignored the bantering comment. “We’ve had to improvise. Tell me, what hole have you crawled out of? You must know we’ve been searching for you. No one abandons the prestigious court of the Morning Star and lives to tell about it.”