Passion Unleashed

  She had a little secret. She’d been protected by a divine charm for eighteen years, since the day it was bestowed upon her at the age of seven, and no harm could come to her.

  Not so long as she remained a virgin.

  Marcus lunged for her throat. Serena angled away, and for no apparent reason, the vampire lost his balance, slipped off the seat, and landed in a heap on the floor. The groupies hovering nearby either backed away or rushed in to help him up, but he came to his feet in an explosion of anger.

  His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched, but he hadn’t avoided being slain by Aegis Guardians for centuries by causing scenes. Wisely, he did nothing more threatening than curse at her, and then he whirled away in dramatic vampire fashion, the crowd swallowing him and his Renfields as they followed on his heels.

  Before Marcus figured out she’d lifted his bracelet, she needed to haul ass—

  Something flashed in front of her. No… inside her. A crisp pop burst in her ears, echoing from somewhere in her head. A wash of nausea made her break out in a cold sweat. Instinctively, she reached for her pendant, let the cool, smooth orb comfort her.

  Except, the comfort was short-lived. The pendant glowed. A warning. Her cloak… compromised. She was exposed.

  Jerking to her feet, she stumbled toward the exit on wobbly legs. She needed to get home. Back to Val’s mansion.

  Because for the first time in eighteen years of living a carefree, sheltered life, Serena was afraid.

  Byzamoth fell back in his seat, panting, body shuddering. Orgasmic waves of power pumped through him, the name he’d just learned breaking softly from his lips.

  Serena Kelley.

  He hadn’t known the identity of the human he’d been seeking, but everything about her was now as clear as a witch’s crystal ball.

  Too quickly, the power fizzled, leaving him weak, but no less ecstatic. His palm burned, but it was a lovely pain, easily endured. He opened his fist, where the cause of the discomfort, a golf-ball-sized orb known as Eth’s Eye, glowed red. Red instead of gold, because it had been used for evil rather than good.

  Exhausted, he let his head fall against the seat rest and gazed up at the ceiling of the Israeli house he’d commandeered this morning. The family who’d inhabited it lay at various angles around him, dead eyes staring blindly. The youngest female virgin had volunteered herself as the blood sacrifice Byzamoth had needed to activate the evil capabilities of Eth’s Eye.

  “Volunteered” was probably too strong a word, but in any case, Byzamoth had gotten what he wanted. He’d found the most important human in the universe, the one who would be instrumental in kicking off the most significant event in demon history.

  “It’s started,” he said to the demon standing in the living room entrance.

  Lore entered, a massive male covered from neck to toe, including his hands, in black leather that matched his short hair. He was one of the most efficient killers Byzamoth had come across, a male whose touch killed everything his bare hand came into contact with.

  Byzamoth might be immortal, but even he gave Lore a wide berth.

  “I don’t give a shit about your war. I want my money.”

  “Why the rush?”

  “My partner failed to kill the Vampire demon. I need to finish the job.”

  Byzamoth waved his hand. “You’ll get your payment, but it won’t matter. Soon, money will be worthless. Pain will be the new currency.”

  “Yeah, well, right now cash buys beer, so hand it over.”

  Byzamoth smiled. Even now, the underworld would begin to stir with the sense that something was coming, even if that something was still a mystery to them. Few would understand the significance of what Byzamoth had just done, which was to lift the divine cloak of invisibility that had shielded Serena from demon eyes for so long.

  For years she had walked the Earth disguised as a normal human, and few, if any, were the wiser. Until now.

  Fortunately for her, she was still charmed and still the keeper of the necklace, Heofon, and no one could take either away from her—not against her will.

  No one but a select few individuals. Like Byzamoth.

  He had every intention of taking them against her will.

  And when he was done with her, he’d be in possession of the most powerful weapon imaginable, and demons would finally rule the world.

  Doctor Gemella Endri sat in UG’s conference room with her sister and Eidolon’s mate, Tayla, at her right side and Shade at her left. Eidolon and doctors Shakvhan and Reaver sat across from them. Tension thickened the air, growing more oppressive as the night went on with no new, feasible ideas for how to save Wraith

  Who had been sedated after Shade and E told him he was dying. Wraith had taken the news surprisingly well, but neither Shade nor Eidolon had trusted him to not immediately take off after the second assassin. They wanted him here, where they could monitor his health, though they had to know that their little brother wouldn’t be held immobile for long. That demon couldn’t sit still, and doing nothing wasn’t in his DNA.

  Making matters even worse, the hospital had been plagued by odd equipment and structural failures. All of the windows lining the inside of the administrative area had cracked, the lights in the cafeteria flickered constantly, and the third-wing lava bath had leaked, destroying the sulphur-steam room next to it. Eidolon had been kept too busy with the problems to concentrate on medicine, because every time he fixed one thing, something else would go wrong.

  “I had a consult with an Orphmage this morning,” Gem said, “but he was no help.”

  She hadn’t expected the powerful Cruentus mage to be of assistance, but it had been worth a shot. Cruenti had a bloodthirsty love of killing that didn’t stop even at their own species, so she’d thought that maybe a Cruentus mage capable of the vilest of death magic would know something about how to interrupt mordlair toxin.

  He’d been more interested in how to get some for himself.

  “I could try again—” She broke off with a gasp.

  A sinister wash of energy rolled over her, followed by several smaller concussions, as if a stone had been dropped into tainted water. She was about to ask if anyone else felt it, but from their expressions, she definitely was not the only one at the table to experience the… whatever it was. Even after the tiny waves stopped, the uneasy feeling remained, a sense that something evil had ripped into the very fabric of life.

  Something bad, something very, very bad had been set into motion.

  “What the hell was that?” E rasped, seeming more affected than Gem, but then, he was full-blooded demon, and she was half human, less sensitive to the tides of evil.

  Gem shook her head, which did nothing to get rid of the impending feeling of doom.

  “Reaver?” Tayla leaped to her feet. “Shit!”

  All heads turned to the fallen angel, who sat in his high-backed leather seat… convulsing. Instantly, the doctors and Shade, a paramedic, had him on the floor and were assessing his condition, but this wasn’t a medical issue, and both Gem and Tayla knew it.

  “Leave him alone.” Tayla’s voice shook as badly as Gem’s hands.

  Thanks to their half-Soulshredder parentage, the sisters could see that Reaver had split wide open along the seam of an invisible scar that ran from his throat to his groin.

  Soulshredders possessed the ability to see scars, both physical and emotional, that no one else could. Their species used their ability to expose old wounds, exploit them, make them worse. Gem had spent twenty-six years battling her nature, sometimes unsuccessfully. But her nature also gave her a lot of advantages when it came to her job.

  Gem moved in, crouched next to Reaver as he seized, sapphire eyes rolled back in his head. The other docs were still crowded close, and as Tayla joined Gem, she shoved them all aside. Dimly, Gem heard E ask what the hell was going on, but her full attention was on Reaver.

  He grabbed Gem’s wrist with one hand, squeezing so hard she had to clench her teeth to
keep from crying out. “Someone found… her.”

  She placed her hand on his chest next to the emotional scar that had come apart as if he’d been unzipped. As a Soulshredder, she could use her power to mend scars as well as make them worse, though her mixed blood diluted her ability, and something this big was way too much for her to handle. Still, she had to try.

  “Who, Reaver? What are you talking about?”

  He didn’t seem to hear, was muttering, mostly incoherently. “Serena… Sentinel… exposed… fuck.”

  Gem was confused as hell, but Tayla leaned in, placing her hand next to Gem’s. “Reaver? What about Serena? Do you mean she’s charmed?”

  Reaver didn’t answer, but his convulsions eased into mildly spastic twitches. Something ugly reared up inside Gem, made her want to keep the scar open, to probe harder and deeper. The impulse to dig and cause pain terrified her, and she jerked her hand away, only to have Tayla grab it and put it back.

  “This is important,” Tay growled, her own Soulshredder instinct surfacing. “We need to learn more.”

  Gem took a deep, ragged breath and demoned up. Ruthlessly, she dug her fingers into his scar and tugged, as Tayla did the same. Reaver screamed, but Gem ignored the sound, got into his face.

  “Who is Serena?”

  “Kelley…” Reaver groaned, muttering in a language Gem didn’t know.

  “She’s a Marked Sentinel?” Tayla asked, and Reaver froze. Then, suddenly, in a blinding flash of light, he flew across the room as if he’d been knocked senseless by a Gargantua demon and landed in a crumpled heap against the wall.

  “Shit.” Eidolon hit the intercom on the wall and called for a stretcher, and in moments, nurses and another doctor had arrived to wheel Reaver into the emergency department. Doctor Shakvhan went with him, leaving Gem with Tayla, E, and Shade.

  Shade was pacing the length of the room, fists clenching reflexively. “Someone want to explain what the hell just happened? Anyone else feel that weird vibe right before Reaver turned into Seizure Boy?”

  “I did. Freaked me out. I can still feel it.” Tayla rubbed her arms, as if she were suddenly cold, and Eidolon tucked her protectively against his chest.

  Pain and a sense of longing bubbled up through an old wound. Gem was happy her sister had found love, but she couldn’t snip the thread of jealousy that had woven its way into her heart after Kynan had left her ten months ago—just when they’d finally found their way to each other.

  “Me too.” Gem cleared her throat of the bitterness that lingered in her voice. It wasn’t Tayla’s fault Gem had lost the love of her life. “Something is stirring in the underworld.”

  “I don’t like it,” Eidolon murmured. “This could be bad.”

  “Or,” Shade said, crossing his arms over his broad chest, “it could be nothing.”

  “Right,” Eidolon said wryly. “Because Reaver often collapses into seizures and speaks in tongues.”

  Tayla broke away from Eidolon. “Reaver said something I think could be important. For Wraith.”

  E and Shade went taut, and Gem tugged on one of her black-and-pink braids. “The Marked Sentinel thing?” When Tayla didn’t answer, Gem put a hand on her sister’s arm. “Tay?”

  Tayla nodded. “There are stories—rumors, really—in the Aegis… about humans charmed by angels. No one knows why, or if it’s even true, but the stories say that these humans are invincible. Immortal.”

  “How does that help Wraith?” Shade asked.

  Tayla hesitated until Shade cleared his throat. She shot him an annoyed glare before speaking. “According to legend, Marked Sentinels can give up their charm to someone else.” She shuffled her feet, clearly uncomfortable sharing intimate Aegis secrets even with her own brother-in-law. “If we can find this Serena Kelley, Wraith might have a shot at survival. All he has to do is take her virginity.”

  Three

  It took less than a day for Gem and Tayla to track down Serena Kelley, but their discovery came at a high cost. They’d had to consult a Darquethoth shaman, who had, after casting a seek spell, taken a strong interest in the human. Too strong. Eidolon had a feeling that the shaman would gladly reveal the charmed human’s location to the highest bidder.

  Wraith needed to get to Serena immediately, because not only was his life at stake, but so was the entire hospital’s future.

  But before Eidolon unloaded all the details on his brother, he was going to have a little chat with Reaver, who had recovered from his ordeal and was about to be released.

  E entered Reaver’s hospital room, where the dripping wet angel had just stepped out of the shower.

  “We need to talk about Serena Kelley.”

  Eidolon swore Reaver’s hands shook before he clenched them into fists at his sides. “Who?”

  “The charmed human you told us about yesterday. We think she may be the cure for Wraith—”

  In the span of a heartbeat, Reaver’s fist was wrapped in Eidolon’s scrub shirt and he’d been yanked into the fallen angel’s face. “Keep Wraith away from her.” Reaver’s voice was a low, dangerous growl, but the writing on the walls—a ward against violence—hadn’t begun to pulse, so he didn’t intend harm.

  Shade entered the room, black brows raised at Reaver’s nudity. “Am I interrupting a private moment?”

  Eidolon met Reaver’s heated gaze with a glacial one of his own. “I suggest you release me,” he said coolly. “Now.”

  Reaver uttered a curse and stepped off. “Eidolon, you can’t let this happen.”

  “Wraith will die.”

  “I’m sorry for that,” Reaver said, pulling on a pair of scrub pants, “but he got himself into this mess. Serena is innocent.”

  “He’s not going to hurt her. He’s going to have sex with her. And you know he can’t rape her if she’s protected by the charm, so she’ll be going into it willingly.” Eidolon was bluffing, performing a little exploratory surgery with the fallen angel. What information Tayla had gotten from The Aegis about charmed humans was mostly speculation, but so far, it seemed as though her information was dead on.

  Reaver jammed both hands through his golden hair, kept them there as though he was trying to hold his head on. “Why her? Why not one of the other half-dozen charmed humans?”

  “There are only six of them?” When Reaver didn’t answer, Eidolon shrugged. “You gave us her name. Gem and Tay consulted a shaman who performed a locator spell. She lit up like a cheap beer sign.”

  “Dammit,” Reaver breathed. “The cloak that keeps all charmed humans invisible to demon eyes has been broken. It’s what caused my… condition. Someone must intend to use her for great evil.” Before Eidolon could ask more, Reaver shook his head. “You’ve got to forget about Serena. Wraith can’t touch her.”

  The persistent headache E had been suffering for days kicked up a notch on the pain scale. “That’s not your call.”

  “Don’t do it. I mean it, E. She needs the charm.”

  “Why?”

  “Because,” Reaver said, his voice as cold as a grave, “the charm is all that’s keeping her alive. If she loses it, she’ll die.”

  Reaver watched the expression on Eidolon’s face fall. Shade just looked pissed. As usual

  “What the hell do you mean, she’ll die?” Shade demanded. “Does that happen to all charmed humans who give up their charm?”

  Reaver didn’t want to answer any of their questions, didn’t want to talk about something so sacred, and he really wanted to kick his own ass for spilling his guts about Marked Sentinels at all. The existence of charmed humans had been a carefully guarded secret for thousands of years, and if it got out… Reaver’s stomach turned over violently.

  “Answer the question.” E was all cool Justice Dealer calm, which was deceptive; the guy could go from sub-zero to scorch in a heartbeat. He’d been raised by the Judicia, demons who meted out justice, and his icy, detached disposition only made him that much more lethal, because he was rarely swayed by emotion.

/>   “Serena is a unique case.” Reaver’s voice was guttural, the instinct to protect the charmed human something he couldn’t suppress even though he was no longer worthy of doing so. Technically, no angel could interfere in a Sentinel’s life—not directly. That job fell to their human Aegis Guardian.

  He rubbed his temples, considering how much to reveal. He couldn’t do anything about whoever broke her cloak, but if he wanted to save her from Wraith, Reaver would do well to appeal to his brothers’ medical sides, the parts of them that saved lives.

  “Serena’s mother, Patrice, was the keeper of the charm until Serena was seven, and Patrice gave it up to her.”

  Shade interrupted. “Wait. Patrice had to have been a virgin, right? So Serena was adopted?”

  “Patrice was a virgin,” Reaver said, “but she was Serena’s biological mother. She was impregnated through in vitro fertilization.”

  Eidolon propped his hip on the sink and watched Reaver with the intensity of a hawk. “How do you know this?”

  “When there are only a handful of charmed humans in the world, you know everything about them,” he said, though it wasn’t entirely true.

  “And why was she gifted?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Reaver was telling the demons far too much as it was. Eidolon and Shade were about as decent as demons could be, but if Reaver had any hope of getting back into Heaven, he didn’t want to blow it by handing over vital information to demons. Consorting with demons, working in a demon hospital… he was walking a fine line as it was.

  “What matters is that shortly after Serena was born, a Mara demon somehow learned the truth about Patrice. He bit Patrice’s parents… and Serena.”

  Being bitten by a Mara was bad news. Each one carried a unique disease within its body, to be spread through a bite, and only that demon possessed the antidote to its individual disease.

  “He wanted the charm in exchange for the cure. Patrice had a terrible choice to make, and she chose to kill the demon. As a result, her parents suffered for months before they died. Serena spent years in and out of hospitals, and doctors could do nothing. Just before her seventh birthday, her time ran out.” Reaver’s voice was scraped raw after being dragged down memory lane. “When it became clear Serena was going to die and no cure could be found, Patrice passed her charm to Serena in order to keep her alive—”