Redemption (19 page)

Sixteen

A
fire begins in Roseline’s mind, scorching and all consuming.
 
She retracts her teeth from Enael’s artery, letting him drop limply to the ground.
 
His skull connects with the packed dirt with a low thud.
 
His head rolls to the side as his eyes fall closed, sinking into unconsciousness.

Doubling over, she presses her palms to the sides of her head, screaming.
 
The blood fuses with her veins, sealing in the damning poison.
 
Roseline teeters on the edge of euphoria and agony as she sinks to the ground.
 
She doesn’t hear her name being called until Malachi is right beside her.
 
Her cry cuts off when he grabs her hands, forcing them to her sides in a vise-like grip.
 
“What have you done?”

“Had to…get away.”
 
She falls limp against his side, moaning as heat spirals through her body.
 
She can already feel everything shifting, the lengthening of her muscles and strengthening of her bones.
 
She is changing.
 
“Too late.”

“No!”
 
Malachi shouts, holding her with one arm as he bites into his sleeve and tears the fabric free.
 
He presses his arm to her lips but she turns away.

“Full.”

“Drink!”
 
He shoves his wrist at her again, but her eyes roll up into the back of her head.
 
Darkness swirls around her, mingled with pain and fire.
 

“Wake up, Roseline!”

A rough crack to her temple breaks through the haze.
 
She rears up at him with her teeth bared.
 
He grabs the back of her head and impales her teeth onto his wrist.
 

Cleansing blood gushes down her throat.
 
She sucks greedily as the pain begins to fade.
 
Malachi gasps as she wrenches his arm around, spilling both of them to the floor.
 
Roseline writhes on top of him, straddling his waist as she digs deeper into his flesh, nearly tearing through his arm.
 

“Roseline, stop!
 
There isn’t much time.”

A low growl rises from her chest, fire blazing in her eyes.
 
She won’t let go.
 
Not now that the pain is receding and Lucien’s blood has begun to be caged within her cells, sealing out his damning poison.
 

Roseline watches as Malachi’s expression shifts toward the boy but she doesn’t relent.
 
In the span of a heartbeat, Malachi draws a long, silver blade from a sheath at his hip and buries it into Enael’s chest.
 
Roseline cries out, releasing her hold on Malachi’s arm as she stares at the blood pouring from Enael’s chest.

The dagger stands upright, protruding from his chest.
 
The sound of his blood leaking from his heart chills her as she flings herself away from Malachi, clawing at Enael with shaky hands.
 
“What have you done?
 
He was only a boy.”

“What I must,” Malachi says, wiping the blade on his pants before tucking it away.
 
He rises, ripping at his shredded sleeve and tying it as a tourniquet around his wrist.
 
He uses his teeth to tighten it.
 
“Trust me, this was far faster than what I was sent to do to him.”

Roseline lashes out at him with the intent of swiping her nails across his face.
 
Instead, she tumbles to the ground, coughing and wheezing as Malachi props her against the wall. “What is wrong with you?
 
Do you have a death wish or something?”

“Maybe.”
 
She grunts, cradling her stomach.
 
It roils with the addition of his blood.
   
“How could you kill him?
 
He was my only hope of finding Gabriel.”

She stares at the lifeless boy, shocked that after all he has been through this would be his end.
 
Enael’s mouth gapes open and yet somehow manages to look peaceful. She is grateful that he was unconscious when Malachi attacked.
 
At least he didn’t feel fear.

Apart from when I attacked him,
she thinks.
 
Quickly, she pushes that thought from her mind.
 
She didn’t kill him.
 
She rubs her hands against her filthy clothes, trying to clean his blood from her hands.

“We have to go.”
 
Malachi grabs her arm to pull her to her feet.

“No!”
 
She yanks out of his grasp.
 
The blood rushing through her veins has made her strong and defiant.
 
“I’m not going anywhere with you.
 
Enael was right.
 
You’re the monster.
 
You only do what’s best for yourself.”

His jaw flinches as he grabs her arm, unwilling to let her go this time.
 
“If you stay, you will be the monster.
 
Is that what you want?
 
To become like Lucien?
 
Trust me when I say, it’s not a pretty sight.”

“What do you mean?”
 
Her voice wavers far more than she would like.
 

Malachi looks away.
 
“I think he is evolving into something else, something more.
 
I don’t know what happened to him, but I think whatever is in your blood is affecting him.”

Roseline stares down at the young monk, wishing that she’d been able to save him, to repay him for the kindness he showed Gabriel.
 

“What about the other monk?
 
Did he say anything useful?”

“No.
 
He never spoke.”
 
Malachi’s expression pinches with regret.
 
“If I had thought there was any chance he could help you…”

“Save it.
 
I don’t want excuses or false regrets.
 
You did what you did, end of story, now let’s get out of here.”
 
She slowly rises to her feet.
 
“Do you think we can make it?”

“Doubtful,” a voice calls from behind them.

Together, they whirl around to find a red-haired woman slinking in the doorway to the pit.
 
Roseline’s brow furrows as she tries to remember where she has seen this girl before.
 

“Ainsley,” Malachi growls, pulling Roseline up beside him.
 
His grip is firm, leaving little doubt to the danger he perceives.
 
“You should have stayed away.
 
You know this won’t end well for you.”

“No,” Ainsley shakes her head.
 
Her hair shifts in waves of fire about her beautiful face.
 
Her cheekbones are high and her eyes wide and expressive, filled with hatred.
 
“You are the one who’s going to pay.
 
You betrayed me, Malachi.”

“Lover’s tiff?” Roseline asks.

Malachi grinds his teeth and nods, not breaking eye contact with Ainsley.
 
“If you walk away now, I will let you live.
 
If not…” he lets his threat trail off.

“You won’t hurt me, Malachi.
 
We are bonded.”
 
Ainsley steps forward out of the shadows, and Roseline catches the glint of steel as she raises a sword. Its blade is curved and newly sharpened.
 
Ainsley drops low into a crouch.
 
“You belong to me.”

Roseline opens her mouth to speak but finds herself flying through the air.
 
The sound of snarling echoes around her as she slams into the wall and crumples to the floor.
 
The impact hurts far more than it should have after a healing.

She rolls to her side, clutching her chest.
 
Her fingers press deep into her side and she gasps.
 
She actually broke a rib from that push.
 
Although she feels strong, evidently she is still fragile.

Rising gingerly to her feet, she watches the death match before her.
 
Malachi moves with smooth, fluid motions while Ainsley is more abrupt.

Lunge.
 
Parry.
 
Repeat.

The clash of steel against rock sends sparks raining onto the floor.
 
Ainsley grunts and slashes at Malachi’s stomach.
 
Her arc is good but her footing is off.
 
Malachi spins and shoves her face first into the wall.
 
Roseline smiles at the sound of crunching bone.

Curling his fingers into Ainsley’s hair, Malachi yanks her head back.
 
Her shattered nose gushes blood into her open mouth.
 
Her lips curl into a snarl as she spits out several broken teeth.

Malachi snatches the sword from her hand and presses it against her throat.
 
Ainsley laughs.
 
“You don’t have it in you.”

Roseline pushes off from the wall.
 
“Just get it over with or I will.
 
We don’t have time for this.”

Ainsley locks her vicious glare on Roseline, spitting droplets of blood in her direction.
 
“This is all your fault.
 
He loved me.”

Malachi growls and whips her around.
 
Reaching to the back of his head he yanks out a few strands of hair and lassos them around her neck.
 
Her gargled protests rise as she claws at her throat, clearly terrified.
 

The angel hair digs deep into Ainsley’s flesh.
 
A line of blood seeps from the wound as Malachi grunts, his biceps flexing as he pulls tighter.
 
Roseline can feel her stomach churning, overloaded with far too much blood, but she refuses to turn away when Ainsley’s gurgling cries cut off.
 
His hair slices cleanly through her spinal cord and she falls limp in his arms.

Malachi breathes heavily as he shoves the body away and approaches Roseline.
 
Blood stains his hands and clothes.
 
Roseline draws her gaze away from Malachi’s fallen lover.
 

“How do you feel?”

He shrugs, stepping a wide path around her.
 
“I feel nothing.
 
She would have run straight to Lucien if I hadn’t taken care of her.
 
It’s better this way.”

Roseline nods in agreement.
 
“You cared for her?”

Malachi looks up to meet her gaze.
 
“She was a bit of fun.
 
Nothing more.”

Although he hides his emotions well, she can tell he’s lying. At one time he did care for Ainsley, much like she cared for Fane.
 
She shivers at the thought of ever being put into a position where she must make such a choice.

Roseline walks past the fallen immortal without giving her another glance.
 
Ainsley was a traitor, loyal to a man who has caused only pain and fear in Roseline’s life.
 
Good riddance.

“This way.”
 
She follows Malachi’s lead as they step through the reinforced cage doors.
 
The hallway is empty, as are the three corridors beyond that.
 
The maze of tunnels seems to stretch on endlessly as they weave around corners, ever alert for what might be lurking on the other side.

The fact that they have seen neither immortal guard or Eltat is a concern.
 
Where have they all gone?
 
Has their escape been noticed?
 
Are they are walking into a trap?

Although her sense of direction is greatly hampered underground, Roseline gets the distinct feeling that they are moving away from the main part of the house.
 
“Where are you taking me?”