Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel (33 page)

Elle took several breaths trying to calm herself. “This isn’t a war, Chaos. This is madness! Aldon is insane. He wants me because I won’t die, caring his science project.”

Chaos walked toward her and Elle pressed herself against the cold brick wall. “That’s where you are wrong Elle, and why you are so unique. Aldon needs you to give souls to his Freaks, and immortality to his off-spring. It can only be you. He will pay any price to get his hands on you. Sacrifice anything.”

Elle swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “What kind of monster is he?”

Chaos shrugged. “He has become what he must, to survive. Do you want to see those you have come to care for, die? You will, of course, survive, Elle. But, what of these Trackers? The Daughters? The Reapers? All their lives…Forfeit. Do you want all their blood on your hands?”

She rushed at him pushing at Chaos, her anger getting the better of her. “What happened to you?” He stumbled back a step. “What happened to the brother I knew? The brother that made me laugh? That played the harp? That joked with me?”

Chaos grabbed her with a power she had never seen him use before. He flung her across the room. Elle slammed into the opposite wall, stars exploded behind her eyes as her face made contact with the cold cement, as she slumped to the floor.

“He died, hundreds of thousands of years ago. Crumpled in a cold cell forgotten by the light and by anyone who cared for him,” Chaos snarled, his voice grew louder as he moved across the room toward her again. “Choose, Elle. This stupid little rag-tag team, who is going to die one by one? Or the power of Aldon and the Tribunal?”

Elle tried to push to her feet but the lights were blinking in and out. “I’m sorry we forgot about you Chaos.”

He laughed at her. “Keep your pity for someone who needs it sister. I no longer do.”

She tried to move away from his voice but he was faster than she was, and he grabbed her by her hair. Elle screamed as he pulled her into a standing position. “Time to leave sister, Aldon won’t desecrate these grounds but I have no compunction about doing just that.”

Elle grabbed at the hand holding her hair. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Okay you can walk out on your own two feet or I kill you and carry you out dead.” He pulled out a knife and pressed it to her chest. “Aldon doesn’t care how he gets you, in fact he has to repay you for how you left him the last time you separated. So you might as well show up dead. I don’t really care.”

Elle swallowed, this was bad. And where the hell was Victor? She thought about screaming, but Chaos only shook his head. “Dead is dead, Elle. But recovering from a slit throat is probably a real bitch.”

“How did you get past the Daughter’s wards?” Elle asked instead of thinking about recovering from a slit throat.

“I’m your brother, the sisters aren’t warding against me.” He shrugged. “Now let’s get moving.”

Elle didn’t see a way out of it but what would Victor do when he came back to the room and saw she was gone? Would he think she had run off again? How was she going to get out of this one?

She was about to all out panic, when the door flew open and Helena came rushing in. Elle sighed. “Thank the gods. Helena, kill him.” Elle tried to pull away from Chaos, but he held her firmly.

“You were supposed to meet me ten minutes ago!” Helena snapped. “What the hell? That damn Reaper will be here any minute.”

Elle was so shocked she almost crumpled to the floor. “Helena?” Her world was suddenly turning upside down.

Chaos lifted one shoulder. “She wanted to chitchat.”

Helena grabbed Elle and pulled her through the door. “We don’t have time for chitchat.” Elle was so numb she just stumbled along with Helena as she pushed and shoved Elle down the hallway.

“Why?” Elle asked finally finding her voice.

“Because it’s about damn time we get our seat on the Tribunal,” Helena said shoving Elle through a side door. “And Aldon has promised to put me on the Tribunal with him, for helping out. I’m done playing hide and seek with the world. It’s about damn time I get to have a seat and a say.” Her words were like venom.

This was about power? Helena wanted power? “What the fuck?” Elle practically shouted. Helena backhanded her knocking her to the ground. But Elle was past angry, this was the final betrayal. When Chaos reached for her, Elle slapped his hands away. She would rather be dead then go with these two. They were supposed to be her family! And they would rather have power, and a seat on the Tribunal then their sister.

“And then you had to come here? Get involved with these stupid ass Daughters of Eve.” Helena swore. “I thought using your Blood, for the emergency number was stupid. But you have to go and bring the Daughters of Eve into the mix?”

Elle’s mind was reeling. “You bitch.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” Helena rolled her eyes. “You have been a weight around my neck for the longest time. But finally, finally.” Helena called out to the heavens, “you are going to be useful. If I could just get you to Aldon.” She said the last to Chaos. “Dead or alive I don’t give a shit. Right Chaos? No more, poor pitiful cursed little Elle?”

Chaos only laughed at what Helena had to say.

Elle glared at the two, “You realize the both of you are going to burn in Hell right?” Elle asked.

Helena laughed, and shook her head. “Oh no little cursed sister. You are the one who is going to wish she were in Hell after what Aldon has planned for you. He isn’t right in the head. All the time spent hiding you is finally going to pay off.”

Elle felt bile rise in her throat at the mere thought of what the sick bastard had planned. No. She would rather be dead than go to the alter of Aldon. Elle wrenched her arm free of her sister in a wild attempt at freedom. If she was going to go down she decided she was going to go down fighting.

Helena swore and went to grab at her, Elle kicked Helena’s knee in. Helena hit the dirt like a dropped sack of potatoes screaming in pain. Chaos swore and told Helena to shut up as he slashed at Elle.

Pain seared across Elle’s arm as his sharp knife sliced into her. But it wasn’t a mortal wound, and she grabbed a hand full of dirt and flung it into Chaos face. The demi-god back peddled. It was enough for Elle, she let out a blood curdling scream.

****

Victor heard the scream as he was finishing up the last of the preparations. Thank the gods everyone was still up. Nobody even stopped to think they just all grabbed a weapon and started to run.

Victor had never been so terrified in all his life, the scream had come from the guest quarters. The only people in the guest quarters were Helena and Elle.

“I’ll take the back,” Garrett said running around the back of the building. Victor headed toward the room he was sharing with Elle. She had gone to bed half an hour ago.

Hunter grabbed him before he turned down the hall. “She won’t be there,” he said pulling him toward the back of the barracks. Victor felt lightheaded with fear and followed his brother.

Hunter pushed through a side door just as a man plunged a knife into Elle’s chest silencing her screams.

Victor let out a horrible bellow as he attacked the man. He pulled him off Elle and pummeled him until he was a bloody mess. He was holding some type of stone around his throat and chanting but his words were choppy around his broken and bloody teeth.

Hunter pulled him free. “See to Elle.”

Victor rolled off of him and over to Elle. He pulled the dagger from her chest. Blood gushed from the wound. “Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered.

“Don’t talk.” Victor kissed her as he wrapped her in his arms.

Elle shook her head. “Fiona,” she gasped trying to get the words out. Victor shook his head he didn’t want her to speak she smiled and when she opened her mouth again blood trickled out. “Tea, in my bag. Healing tea.” The words were choppy but he understood and nodded. The tea that helped her heal.

“Quiet now.” Victor kissed her and she smiled.

“Knew you would come.”

He was choking on tears. “You promised not to leave me,” he whispered into her ear.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered and then she gasped once, then again. And then her breathing stopped altogether. He had seen her die before but each time it hurt, each time if felt like she took a piece of him with her. Each time he didn’t know if this would be the time she wouldn’t come back. Would this be the time the Angels would come to claim her perfect soul.

Victor bellowed, crushing her to his chest. He bellowed to the heavens because he hadn’t been in time to save her the pain. And she died again.

When he was done he looked down into her lifeless body and prayed to the Gods for her to come back.

And he was left waiting, blocking out the sounds around him. He held his breath and waited.

“Breathe dammit,” he whispered.

After another minute. “Breathe dammit.” He said a little louder.

“Elle, breathe.” He gently laid her out. “Breathe.”

He felt rather then saw people surround him and knew his brothers were there. And still she didn’t move.

“BREATHE, DAMMIT!” Victor slammed a fist into her chest.

“Victor.” One of his brothers put a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.

“Elle” he felt utterly defeated. “Please”

She sucked in a breath, her entire body sucking in the breath bowing her body, she pulled the oxygen into every inch of her body. “I need a blanket,” Victor said over his shoulder.

He didn’t leave her until she had had her first dose of the tea. But once she was sleeping again he went in search of Hunter. He didn’t have to search far.

“Where are they?”

Hunter nodded toward the door he was standing in front of. “They are mine,” was all Hunter said before he stepped aside, his hand shot out to stop Victor. “I kept them here for her. She needs the closure. But their treachery goes much deeper than Elle and this incident. It is not a stain, but part of their souls.”

Victor nodded and walked into the room. Everything had been removed, Helena and Chaos sat in the center of the room. Chained together with chains brought from the Infernos. They’d never break free of those chains. They would suffer for eternity, but he wanted to look at them first. And their sentence would mean they would suffer internally for what they had done. Not only for what they had done to Elle but for their tainted souls.

Helena’s glamor was gone but she wasn’t beautiful any longer in fact the beauty was no longer there either. It was like it was overlaid with something black and horrifying, Victor looked at the blond woman and watched as her beauty was marred by something ugly.

Chaos still clutched at whatever hung around his neck, chanting.

Helena laughed. “He thinks his master will still save him.”

“Your master can’t save you, Chaos,” Victor said reaching over Helena he took the necklace from Chaos who screeched and tried to grab it back from Victor.

“Give it back.” Chaos clamored for it.

“Do you have any idea what has happened to you?” Victor asked the demi-god.

Chaos glared at him. “My master will come for me he always comes for me,” he said raising his chin he glared at Victor.

Victor shook his head. “Your master can’t touch you where you are going. Those chains you wear, they are bound for one place, and one place only.”

Helena blanched but Chaos smiled. “My master will not allow me to be sent to the Infernos.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Chaos. It’s no longer up to your master.” She tried to shake free, but the chains only tightened. “What do you want? Money, drugs? Power? I’ll tell you were Aldon is, I’ll bring him here for you to kill.”

“I know where Aldon is. And anything you touch Helena is tainted. So I want nothing you have.” Victor said crossing his arms over his chest. “What I want to know is why you sold your own sister out.”

Chaos snorted. “Who hasn’t she sold out? Do you see any other demi-gods around?”

Helena jerked on the chains. “Shut up,” she snarled.

“Is that so, Helena? Is that what happened to all the demi-gods?” Victor asked.

Chaos raised one eyebrow. “Not all of them, some of them have hidden really, really well.” He laughed, but the sound was maniacal and slightly crazed.

“Shut up,” Helena snarled again.

“Or what?” Chaos asked. “What can they possible do, Helena? From where I’m sitting, we are totally screwed.”

“When they take these chains off I am going to strangle you.” Helena swore.

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Chaos said. “According to the other one, when they take these chains off, the last thing we will care about is hurting each other.” It was the first bit of truth Chaos had uttered.

“All your plans have sucked. If you had just listened to me in the first place, none of this would have happened.” Chaos muttered.

“Shut up, Chaos!” Helena jerked, trying to get toward Chaos. The chains tightened making her cringe in pain. Chaos only laughed harder.

Victor snapped his fingers getting their attention. “Let’s get back to the matter at hand, why screw over Elle? She wanted nothing but your approval, and love.”