Beauty Awakened

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE LIGHTS IN NICOLA’S OFFICE flicked off—yet no one stood at the switch.

Laila stopped dancing. “Power go out?” she asked, her voice louder than it should have been as she listened to her iPod.

“No. My computer’s running.”

The lights flipped back on.

“A momentary short in the wires, maybe?”

“You’re probably right.” Laila started dancing again.

Nicola returned to the work piled up in front of her. Jamila and Sirena had only done half of what they’d promised, and nothing that had come in since. So utterly useless, she thought.

An instant message popped up on her screen.

Dex Turner:

What happened Sat? Who was that guy?

Her palms grew damp as she typed:

I’m sorry! Koldo is a guy I met a few weeks ago. We had never dated, but we had—never mind. It’s complicated, and I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true nonetheless. I’m sorry, though. I really am. But now I’m together with him. For sure.

Even though he’d acted like a jerk today, snipping and snapping at her before marching off without any explanation.

The lights flicked back off. On. Off.

Sighing, she propped her elbows on her desk and rested her head in her upraised hands.

On. Off. On. Off.

“Seriously, this is annoying,” Laila said with a tremble to her voice. “And okay, fine, a little scary.”

Nicola never moved, but her phone was suddenly thrown across the room. The device slammed into the wall and shattered, little pieces raining to the floor. Laila yelped and darted in her direction.

Demons, Nicola realized. Dread slithered through her.

“Get underneath the desk,” she commanded. “And stay calm.”

Her sister obeyed, gasping out, “What about you?”

The sound of hissing and giggling filled her ears. Dark shadows crept along the walls. Definitely demons. Her heart skipped a beat, the first sign of oncoming fear, but she resisted.

I’m not helpless. I’m protected.

That’s right. She was. She leaped up. In the corner, a shadow thickened, solidified into a hazy blob and scurried across the desk, reaching out to brush her hair. A light breeze dusted her skin, the scent of rotten eggs clinging to her nose.

On went the lights.

Off.

On—and as brightness flooded the room once again, five demons came into view, and they resembled the snakes from the park. Their scales were the same shade as blood, and their temples were flared. They had glowing green eyes, and jaws open wide, revealing fangs sharper than any knife, with a yellowed substance drip, drip, dripping onto the floor and burning, causing the carpet to sizzle and steam to rise.

Forked tongues slithered out, waving in her direction.

I’m not helpless. I’m really not. I’m protected. I really am.

“I’ll enjoy having you for breakfassst,” one taunted.

“Your sssister will be desssert,” another added.

More giggles.

She opened her mouth to shout for the Most High, but the door burst open, silencing her. Sirena raced inside, pale hair flying behind her. She brandished a long, thin sword, and the snakes jolted backward, cursing at her.

“Get out of here, fiends! Now,” she shouted. Metal whistled through air, and the creatures darted left and right, desperate to get out of her way.

One of the creatures disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Another soon followed.

There was a wild light in Sirena’s blue eyes, one that said she was just crazy enough to fight the demons with her bare hands if necessary. Those remaining must have sensed her determination, because they tossed one last hiss in Nicola’s direction and vanished.

Panting, Sirena dropped the sword on the floor. “You’re safe.”

Laila peeked out from underneath the desk as Nicola raced over to her. “Are you all right, Sirena?”

“I’m fine.” The girl brushed her fall of pale hair over one shoulder. “Promise.”

“How did you do that?” Inside, Nicola’s instincts were churning. Something wasn’t right. “How did you know we needed help?”

She flashed a quick smile. “I’m like Koldo. He asked me to look after you.”

Koldo! He hadn’t abandoned her, after all.

“I’m just glad I got here in time,” Sirena added a little tightly. “Those things are dangerous. They’re the foul offspring of serp demons and Nefas.”

Nicola placed her hand on her stomach to ward off the oncoming ache. “Thank you. Thank you for helping us.”

Laila stood, swaying. Her skin had taken on a sickly cast, and her eyes had glassed over. “Are you okay, Co Co?”

“I am. You?”

“F-fine.”

“If you both want to stay that way, we have to get out of here,” Sirena announced. “Koldo wants you with him. Come on. I’ll take you to him.”

“I DON’T LIKE THIS,” Koldo said. It was too easy. The Nefas had never been this obvious with their tracks.

He and Axel had gone from point A to B to C and now D, without ever having to search for a clue. The breadcrumbs had just been here and there, obvious to any Sent One. A trail from the flashes. A glaze of venom on a door. A spiked footprint. A hint of sulfur-scented smoke. A scattering of serp demon scales.

“Want to get a mani-pedi and discuss our options?” Axel asked.

“No.” They were aware of the fact that this could be a trap, and so they could turn the plan against the Nefas.

Koldo darted through the back alley, Axel a few paces behind him, each hidden in the spirit realm, their swords of fire at the ready. But the further he followed the newest trail, the clearer Koldo remembered the times he’d helped his father provide false tracks for others, even though they’d known the searcher would suspect it was a trap. Nox had never cared about that—had only wanted the males distracted.

Distracted, so that Nox could steal something of value without any opposition.

Koldo stopped, and Axel slammed into his back. “This isn’t a trap, it’s a distraction. He just wants us away from Estellä.”

Teeth grinding, Koldo released the sword of fire and flashed to the building, into Nicola’s office. He found the phone shattered on the floor. He found a discarded weapon—one he recognized. Long, thin, the metal stretching from a hilt that appeared to be the wide jaw of a snake.

His father’s.

The first spark of rage hit him. Nicola’s perfume created a soft sweetness in the air, but that sweetness couldn’t cover the taint of sulfur. Serp demons had been here. And Nicola was...was...

No! He punched the wall. She was alive, he told himself. He wouldn’t believe anything else. His father wouldn’t kill his only ace.

But still the rage magnified, such dark, dark rage. His teeth elongated; his nails sharpened.

Control. He needed answers. What had happened here? Where was Jamila? How had the demons gotten Nicola out of the building?

They would have had to trick her or take her by force. With the destruction in this office, he had to go with force. So...why hadn’t she asked the Most High for help? Why hadn’t she peered at her tattoos?

Or had she?

Had she acted too late?

Had both force and trickery been used?

This time, the rage grew like a tree, sprouting branches, budding leaves, until he couldn’t see past the thickness of the foliage. Koldo swiped the papers and files from the desk and onto the floor. The computer was next, the screen cracking. He picked up the desk and slammed it down, the wood splitting. He ripped the chair into pieces. Punched another hole in the wall. Then another and another.

Stop. You have to stop. This isn’t you. Not anymore.

He paused, panting, sweating—wasting time, he realized.

He breathed in and out, forcing himself to become the calm, rational man his woman needed. Nicola couldn’t have been gone long—Koldo had seen her an hour ago. But then, he knew how much damage could be done in that amount of time.

Steady.

Axel landed beside him, took one look around the room and understood what had happened without having to be told. “Our new plan?”

The human authorities might decide to delve into Nicola’s disappearance, and he didn’t need their interference—they would only slow him down. “Clean this.”

“Uh, that would be a no. I have people for that.”

“Call them.”

“Already done. They’ll be here in five.”

Koldo nodded stiffly, the only kind of thanks he could manage.

“So what do you want to do?” Axel asked.

He scrubbed a hand down his face. Where would Nox have taken her? His father was a braggart, a showman and big on vengeance. Every misdeed was punished. Koldo’s most recent crime was the killing of the messenger in the park—

Yes. The park. The scene of the crime.

“The park,” he said, and flashed to the very spot where he’d decapitated his father’s man. Too late, Koldo realized he should have demanded Axel stay behind. The warrior could find out about Koldo’s past, his lineage, and tell the others in their army.

No. It didn’t matter. Koldo wanted Nicola safe, whatever the cost.

He cataloged the area—and when his gaze landed on a male who should have been dead, his breath caught in his chest.

Nox. His father. Alive, all this time. There was no question about that now.

Koldo stumbled backward with the force of his shock. Yes, he’d suspected. But seeing the evidence was a blow he’d been unprepared to take. This should have been impossible.

Nox stood in the center of a dirt pile, where a tree had once been, buffing his nails, allowing Koldo to study him. The male responsible for so many years of torment. Nox was everything Koldo remembered. Tall and strong, with dark, evil eyes.

He was tattooed from the neck down, with gruesome images that told stories of pain and suffering. They were marks of victory. Some for those against enemies. Some for his female conquests. Some for acts of revenge. Blood appeared to drip. Heads seemed to roll. He also had several piercings in his eyebrows, two in his lip, one in his chin.

Koldo stepped from the spirit realm to face his worst nightmare and save the sweetest woman he’d known. “Where is she?”

His father looked him over, triumph twisting his features and revealing the ugliness of his core. “Aren’t you a pretty thing?” His voice was deep. Husky.

Hated.

The only reason Nox had never forcibly shaved Koldo’s head, pierced Koldo’s face or tattooed Koldo’s body was because the traits were considered admirable among the Nefas and Koldo hadn’t yet earned the right.

“You should be dead,” Koldo said.

A smug smirk, one of thousands Koldo had received over the years. “Oh, you mean that pathetic attempt you made to kill me all those years ago? I saw you coming and flashed away. Your rain of fire failed to singe a single part of me.”

He raised his chin. “Your people can’t say the same. You abandoned them, choosing to save yourself rather than to stay and issue a warning.”

In a snap, the smugness gave way to fury. “You are responsible for their deaths, not me. You’re the reason I’ve had to spend all this time rebuilding. Planning. Waiting. I knew I couldn’t hurt a man who had nothing to lose.”

Having Nox’s intentions stated so plainly—to hurt Nicola in an effort to hurt Koldo—doused his rage with fear. Nox never made an empty threat. He only made promises.

“Where are the girls?” Koldo demanded.

“We’ll get to that,” Nox replied smoothly.

A whoosh of air, and then Axel was beside him, wings tucked into his back.

Nox grinned slowly. “You made a friend. How nice. But all that means is that more blood will spill today.”

Humans walked past, spotted them and picked up the pace.

“Aw. The ugly Nefas thinks he’s going to win.” Axel placed a hand over his heart. “It’d be cute if it wasn’t so stupid. I bet you’re a crier, aren’t you? Yeah, you’ll cry when you’re spanked. I can tell.”

“The girls,” Koldo insisted.

“Here.”

The new speaker had him turning to the left. He watched as Sirena stepped from a puff of black smoke, dragging Nicola and Laila behind her.

The girls were bound, pale and shaking. Sirena gave a vicious tug of her wrists, yanking at their ties, and they tripped forward, falling to the ground. Nicola had a split lip and a bruised jaw, but Laila was otherwise unharmed. There was a clear strip of tape covering both their mouths, and tears had stained red tracks down Laila’s cheeks. Nicola radiated anger and determination.

She would fight. Till her dying breath, she would fight.

Koldo’s rage returned full force, guilt fast on its heels. He should have protected her. But he hadn’t. He had failed. And he would punish himself for it, he vowed. No one would have to do it for him. He would make sure he suffered for this.

“How?” he demanded.

Sirena preened, fluffing her hair. “Like you, I can flash. I’m surprised you didn’t realize. But I do appreciate the suggested stay at Chez Caveman.”

She could flash. She wasn’t bald, but she could produce black smoke when she flashed. She was definitely Nefas, though she must be of mixed race, like him. Her other half wasn’t Sent One, that was for sure. She had no wings, hidden or otherwise. No sword of fire.

“Look at that,” his father said. “My only children are getting along so well. How delightful.”

Axel, who had moved, but had remained at Koldo’s side, stiffened.

But then, so did Koldo. Nox’s only...children? Koldo’s study of Sirena intensified. She was short. He was tall. She was blonde, her eyes blue. He was dark-headed, his eyes amber. But...their features were somewhat similar, he realized. They had the same strong cheekbones, the same proud nose and stubborn chin.

He...he had a sister.

“I’ll give you one chance,” Nox said. As he spoke, five serp demons rose from the dirt and slithered to his sides. “Just one to make things right between us. Bind yourself to Sirena and continue my bloodline, or die here with your woman—after I play with her a little.”

A trick, surely. “You expect me to wed a blood relation?”

“Expect? No.” Nox laughed with evil intent, the sound chilling. “Demand? Yes.”

Koldo popped his jaw, not allowing himself to so much as glance at Nicola and catch her reaction to this.

“Sirena’s a tasty little treat,” his father added, reaching out to pat her bottom. “You’ll quite enjoy her. I did.”

Disgusting male. And I sprang from his loins. “Are you agreeable to this?” he barked at Sirena.

“I am,” she said, and bent over Nicola. She placed a kiss against the tape covering her mouth as the girl tried to turn her head away. Sirena’s intentions were clear: she wanted Nicola’s soul. All the while her gaze remained on Koldo. “You’ve been promised to me since my birth, and I will have you. One way or another. What happens to the human depends on you.”

Four other Nefas strolled over to their group, one eating from a bag of popcorn, another biting into a caramel apple and another drinking a cup of coffee. But he could see the guns and knives stashed at their wrists, waist and ankles. They were warriors.

Worse, there were two demons with them. Lefty and Righty. Lefty’s arm had been reattached, though it hung limply at his side, but Righty’s horn was still missing. Both males were grinning.

I’ll flash to the girls and throw them at you, he projected into Axel’s mind. Catch them and fly them to safety. I’ll stay behind to fight.

He expected resistance. After all, a Sent One had just found out that Koldo was half-Nefas, the vilest race to walk the earth.

Instead, Axel said, Dude, you better keep yourself alive. There’s no way I can deal with those two ladies for long...without throwing a shagging party.

“What’s it to be?” Nox demanded.

The serps slithered to the girls, mouths hovering near their ears, ready to breathe their toxin all over them. The girls would experience intense waves of fear, and that fear would open their minds to harsher attack. Were they strong enough to resist? To overcome?

Sirena gave Nicola’s taped mouth another kiss, and grinned.

“I’ll have her,” he said—though he failed to specify which one. And the word have had many different meanings, didn’t it?

Nicola flinched. Laila sobbed into the ground.

Sirena straightened.

Nox nodded with satisfaction, but said, “I don’t actually believe you. But that’s okay. You won’t leave this spot until it’s done. Then, you’ll have to be punished for killing my people.”

“No. That’s not how this will go down.” He flashed to the girls, dislodging Sirena as he covered both humans with his own body. The serps immediately bounded into action, exhaling their toxin before sinking fangs into his arms.

A burning in his veins, a release of the venom.

The moment the creatures pulled back, intending to make another play, he tossed both females at Axel, as planned. The angel’s wings whipped out, and he darted into the air, leaving Koldo alone with a horde of enraged Nefas.