White Hot Kiss

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Alphas really were like the boogeyman to anything with a trace of demonic blood in its body. Even the Wardens weren’t entirely comfortable around them. I kept an eye on the clock, knowing they’d come before nightfall. I should’ve already left the house, but I really had no place to go and...and I wanted to see them again.

I puttered around the kitchen while Jasmine tried to get a snack in the twins before she settled them down for the night. Izzy and Drake were at the table, in full gargoyle mode. Their little black horns bobbed up and down as they giggled.

Jasmine stood between them, suddenly stiffening.

Her reaction caused a nervous flutter in my chest. I set my glass of juice down. “Are they here?”

“Not yet.” She smoothed her hands over the front of her cap-sleeved blouse. “But the men are preparing for their arrival.”

It was weird how they all were connected. Seconds later, I heard them moving around upstairs. I hadn’t seen Zayne all day. It was official. He was avoiding me. I needed to see him, because after staring at the ceiling all night, I knew I should apologize. I was putting too much on him, expecting things I shouldn’t be. He did care, but the warping was on my side, because what I felt for him was more than I should.

“Where are you going to go?” Jasmine asked, quickly cleaning away the boxes of apple juice and animal crackers.

I tucked my hair back. “I don’t know. I’m hoping I can find Zayne before they get here. If not, I guess I’ll hang out in the tree house.” Like a loser...

A tight look pinched her features. “How will you know when they’re gone?”

“I don’t know. If I can’t get ahold of Zayne, I guess someone will call me.” At least that was what I hoped. “How long do you—”

A loud rumble cut off my words. Glasses shook in the cabinet. Stainless-steel pots clanged off one another. I backed away from the counter, clasping my hands together. In an instant, all the air sucked straight out of the house. Static permeated the room. I didn’t dare move. Even the twins seemed to sense their arrival, staring wide-eyed at their mother.

Alphas sure loved their fancy entrances.

A burst of energy raised the tiny hairs on my body. The rumbling stopped and the air smelled of something musky and sweet. It wouldn’t smell like that to everyone. Heaven smelled however you wanted—like what you desired. Roses? Pancakes with maple syrup? Burnt rubber. Whatever. The last time they’d been here, it had smelled like winter mint to me.

Jasmine glanced at me, but I was already moving around the counter. Instinct told me they were in the library. I crept down the hall, stopping several feet away. Soft, luminous light seeped underneath the door, slipping across the maple floors, climbing the buttercream walls. The light pulsated, becoming more of a living entity as tendrils crossed the ceiling, dripping bits of bright light into shiny puddles on the throw rug.

It was the light people saw moments before they died. And it was beautiful. Heavenly. For some, there was nothing to fear in death. Not when this waited for them.

This was as far as I could go. They already knew I was here, somewhere in the house, but I couldn’t pull myself away. My throat started to burn, and my skin tingled. It was sheer torture to be near something so pure and not want to...well, devour its essence.

I knew I needed to leave, but I reached out, running the tips of my fingers through the light. Gasping, I jerked my hand back. It was hot—burning. My fingertips were pink and they throbbed. Thin wisps of smoke drifted from my hand.

Stepping back, I held my injured hand to my chest and, well, my chest ached for a whole different reason. I stared at the light as it continued to spread throughout the house, basking everything in its warmth.

I couldn’t go into the light. Not now and probably, not ever.

Harsh tears stung my eyes. I turned away then, grabbing my book bag from the now-empty kitchen, and left the house before the Alphas grew tired of my presence and took the choice of leaving from me.

Sitting on the stupid observation deck, I stared down at the screen on my cell phone and let out a juicy curse that would’ve burned the ears right off the Alphas. Dusk had fallen and tiny stars were starting to peek through.

Zayne hadn’t answered the first two times I’d called a half an hour ago.

Glancing down at my hand, I frowned at the bright pink skin on my fingers. Only I’d be dumb enough to try to touch heavenly light.

I reached around my neck and tugged on the chain so that the odd stone dangled just below my fingers. Smoothing my thumb over the jewel, I wasn’t able to stop the shudder of repulsion. I wanted to rip the ring off the chain and toss it into the bushes. I almost did, but when my fingers curled around it, I...I just couldn’t do it. Even if my mother was the Lilith, even if she hadn’t wanted me, I couldn’t throw the only thing I had of hers away.

Pushing my backpack aside, I wiggled through the opening and climbed down the boards nailed into the trunk of the tree.

After calling Stacey and getting no answer, I got a quick text back from her saying she was at the movies. Envious, I kicked a thick root breaking through the ground and I did it again—called Zayne.

The phone continued to ring several times and Zayne still didn’t answer. I cut the call off when his voice mail picked up. My heart rate kicked up, like it did every time he didn’t answer. Maybe it was a bit psycho stalker-ish, but even as mad as he was at me, he had to know that I was basically camped out in the damn tree house until someone remembered to call me.

Five minutes went by and I tried him again, hating myself for it. Because seriously, I was slipping into that desperate land again, the one inhabited by girls who made fools out of themselves over boys—boys who didn’t want them or couldn’t have them. My stomach was flopping all over the place, like it had last night, right before I said all those stupid, stupid things.

After the second ring, the call went straight to his voice mail.

What the...?

My stomach stilled—I stilled.

Everything around me seemed to go quiet as I listened to the automatic voice mail picking up. Numb, I pressed the end-call button and slowly lowered my hand. He’d sent me to voice mail. He’d actually sent my call to voice mail.

Who knows how long I stood there. It probably would’ve been much longer if I hadn’t heard the twig snap behind me.

Whipping around, I felt my heart drop to my sneakers. Petr stood in front of me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. The air had turned chilly, but he wore only a thin shirt. I couldn’t make out the design in the encroaching darkness.

Petr laughed—snickered really. “This is really too easy.”

“What is?” I took a step back, but kept my eyes trained on his.

A razor-sharp smile cut into his lips. “You’re out here? Hanging out in a tree house? How incredibly lame is that?”

Unease quickly flipped to annoyance. “What are you doing here?”

Petr looked around pointedly. “What does it look like? Bearing witness to your pathetic existence one last time.”

A ball of ice formed in my chest. “You were told to leave me alone.”

“Yeah, see, that’s the funny thing. I was told a lot of things.” He walked around me slowly, head down, much like the predator a Warden was. “How does it feel to be left outside like a mangy dog? Unwanted? Even Zayne seems to have grown tired of you.”

His words cut deep, because in a way, they were kind of true, except I was more like an unwanted mule than a mangy dog. But I refused to show any hurt. “How does it feel to be a perverted excuse for a male?”

Petr’s eyes narrowed into thin slits as he made another wide circle. “You know what’s so funny about all of this?”

“No. But I guess you’re going to tell me?”

He smirked. “You don’t even know why the Alphas are here. You don’t even know the real reason why the demons are sniffing after you.”

I curled my hand around the cell, feeling my pulse spike. “And you’re going to tell me?”

He shot forward so fast, I didn’t even see him move. Wrapping a long finger around the chain of my necklace, he tugged on it hard enough for it to bite into my skin. His gaze dropped to where the ring dangled. “You don’t even know what this is.”

Pulling the necklace out of his grip, I stepped back. Something in his words struck a deep nerve. Did he know about Lilith? It really didn’t matter. Alphas in the house be damned, I started around him.

He grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I looked down at his hand, stomping down the sudden rush of dread. Showing fear was never a good idea. “Let go of me.”

Petr sneered, and warnings fired off left and right. Too far away from the mansion to be heard if I screamed, I also knew that anyone who’d come to my aid was otherwise occupied.

I squared my shoulders. “Do you remember what happened last time?”

Unconsciously, his hand went to the faint scar along his jaw. Zayne had given him that.

“I’m going to do worse to you than break your jaw if you don’t let go of me.”

Petr’s cold laugh came like a punch in the stomach, and a sinking, drowning feeling threatened to swallow me. “This should’ve been done a long time ago, but I’m glad it wasn’t. I’m going to have fun fixing it.”

In a cold moment of striking clarity, I realized that Petr wasn’t here to just talk crap to me. He was here to kill me. With that knowledge, I inhaled sharply, but panic punched the air out of my lungs. “You won’t get away with this.”

“Ah, I think I’ll be fine.”

Instinct kicked in. Lurching to the side, I surprised him and his grip loosened. Somehow I remembered that I held my phone in my hand. I tapped on the screen blindly, praying that it dialed someone—anyone. Before he could recover, I brought my knee up and slammed it into his stomach.

Breaking loose, I whirled around, but he got a handful of my hair, yanking my head back. Petr went for the phone, twisting my wrist until I lost my grip on it. He threw it into the nearby bushes.

Terror rushed through me, as did pure rage. I swung at him, digging my nails into his cheek. Petr yelped and let go. I kicked out, clipping his leg.

Petr shot around me, slamming his fist into me and knocking me to the ground. The fresh burst of pain stunned me, but I crawled forward. He caught my shoulder, flipping me onto my back.

To the left of us, the bushes suddenly rattled wildly, drawing Petr’s attention. He reared up, just as I twisted and something—something shiny-black with big fangs—shot from the foliage. Bambi? I didn’t even question why the snake was here, but I prayed she ate Petr.

Bambi darted across the clearing, mouth open and fangs gleaming. Growling deep in his throat, Petr whipped around, catching the snake just below its head. She hissed and snapped out, but with a ripe curse, he threw the snake against a nearby tree. Bambi hit the trunk with a nasty, sickening thud and fell to the ground in a messy, unmoving lump.

Real terror spread its way through me like a virus. I swung, aiming for any part of him I could make contact with.

“You stupid little demon bitch,” Petr spat, catching my arm. “A familiar—you have a familiar hanging around you? Even Abbot will thank me for this.”

A scream caught in my throat as I kneed him in the stomach. Petr grunted and then his fist snaked out, crashing into my face. The ringing in my ears blocked out all sound. I sucked in air and blood, thrashing under his weight. I was reduced to struggling like a wild animal.

“Stop. Just stop,” Petr said, pushing my head back. “This will go so much easier if you just don’t fight.”

A different kind of instinct struggled to rise inside me—not Warden, but a part of me that was more powerful than the will to survive. Petr thought he had me defenseless under him? Let him believe that. All I needed was for him to lower his head just another inch or two. The demon inside me roared its approval.

“That’s it.” The scratches on his cheek stretched, seeping blood. “This has to be done. The entire world will be better off if you’re dead.”

Confusion and the spicy cologne he wore suffocated me. My skin felt like it was stretched to the limit. The demon inside me clawed to get out.

“You’re going to beg.” His gaze flicked up, pale eyes heated. “They all do. Beg right before we send them back to Hell.” His hand moved lower, bruising. “No pride. And that’s the way it should be. Look at you now.”

Tears of frustration and fear ran down my cheeks, mixing with dirt and blood, but they had no effect on Petr. I couldn’t do this—couldn’t just lie here and wait. I reared up, clutching the short hairs on the back of his head and forcing his mouth toward mine.

Petr crammed his hand over my mouth, forcing my head back down. “Oh, no, you aren’t going to do that.”

Full-blown panic set it. His hand crushed my split lip, and I couldn’t breathe. I beat my fists against his arms, his chest. The thin material of my camisole ripped, and then his fingers were wrapping around my throat. I felt every pebble digging into my back, and out of the mass of jumbled thoughts, I remembered what Roth had said. People with the purest souls are capable of the greatest evils. No one is perfect, no matter what they are or what side they fight for.

Truer words had never been spoken.

Desperation clouded my senses. I dug my nails into his hand, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t breathe. My limbs felt heavy as I choked on my own tears. His fingers bruised as he tried to pry my legs apart, but I squeezed them tighter and tighter. I stared up at the darkening sky, the moon a pale, distant shadow.

Defiance burst through me. I craned my neck, his hands slipped and I bit down as hard as I could. His skin popped between my teeth and warm blood gushed. Petr jerked back, howling. The blow he landed cracked my head on the hard ground. Starbursts clouded my vision.

Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.

I pried my eyes open and they stung unnaturally. Something inside of me snapped. Maybe it was the demon finally. It didn’t matter what it was. I reared off the ground, clenching the sides of his face. My movement stunned him, giving me enough time to latch my mouth on to his. I inhaled deeply, feeling the first wisp of his soul.

I breathed in again, and he went wild, beating my arms, my chest. I held on, dragging his soul bit by bit inside me as he moaned. He didn’t taste like I thought a pure soul would. It felt thick, heavy with blood and hatred.

Petr was shifting, his fingers clawing at my neck, wrapping around the silver chain. The last of his soul struggled against me, but I coaxed it out and into me. Petr jerked away, and the moment his mouth left mine, a ragged sob escaped me.

Back bowed and arms thrown out to the side, Petr’s skin turned sallow. Veins bulged along his throat and then darkened, like ink had been injected into his blood. Darkened vessels traveled up his cheeks and down the bare skin of his arm. He shuddered once, and then he rose onto the tips of his toes as if he was nothing more than a puppet.

Feeling too warm and more than a little off balance, I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate even though dull instincts were flaring to life. Get away. Get away. Whatever was happening with Petr wasn’t normal, but the soul—ah—tasting a soul was like taking a hit of the purest drug out there. Warmth buzzed through my veins, dulling the numerous aches and erasing the fear. I’d tasted a soul before, but never taken one completely.

Humans would waste away within minutes of losing their souls, turning into wraiths. Apparently Wardens did something completely different.

I willed my muscles to work, managing to sit up. Light-headed, I struggled to focus through the rushing tide of heat. Muscles relaxed and loosened. The world above spun, but Petr...

His body contorted and he threw his head back, mouth gaping open in a silent howl. Fangs punched out between his pale gray lips. Clothing stretched and tore. Petr was shifting. Maybe I hadn’t taken his soul. Maybe I was hallucinating.

Bones popped and skin ripped. Petr’s wings unfurled from his back, spanning six feet on either side of him. His body jerked into the final stages of transformation. He stilled for a moment and then his chin snapped down.

Petr’s eyes were bloodred.

And that...well, that wasn’t right.

My palms slid across the soil and I ended up flat on my back. A tiny giggle escaped my slack lips. Blood pounding, I tried to sit up again. Deep down I knew I should’ve been afraid, but nothing could hurt me now. I could kiss the sky if I wanted to.

The ground trembled as Petr stepped forward, a low growl rumbling up through him. He extended a heavily muscled arm, and his hands formed deadly claws. Lips pulled back in a snarl, he dropped into a crouch.

Something bigger and faster pulled away from the shadows, heading straight for us. In my mixed-up head, I wondered if it was another Warden coming to help Petr finish what he’d started.

Petr straightened, whipping toward the fast-approaching shadow, but he was too late.

The blur solidified in an instant. The facial features were familiar but sharper, as if the skin had thinned over bone. Pupils stretched vertically and irises glowed yellow.

Petr’s body spasmed and he let out a hoarse cry. Hot, wet warmth sprayed into the air, dotting my jeans and my stomach. A metallic scent flooded the air.

“That’s for being a bastard,” Roth said, and then he yanked his arm back. A long spiny structure dangled from his hand—a spine. “And that is for throwing Bambi.”