The Devil's Soldier (14 page)

21

Eve reappeared into the candlelit cabin. Boaz was lying on the floor, trapped in the circle, his body stiff and rigid and his face scrunched in pain. She couldn't believe she had let him control her so easily! But even worse was how she had almost given up. Thank goodness for Lucien and his strength. The moment he had touched her hand in the forest, she had felt the light between them ignite. It was more than enough to snuff out the darkness Boaz had left inside her.

"Don't do this, Eve," Boaz said through his clenched jaw. "Innocent blood will be on your hands."

Eve glanced out the window, searching for Lucien and Henry. They needed to say the words that would place Boaz into an eternal slumber as soon as possible. She wasn't sure how long her protective circle would hold.

Boaz grunted and rolled into a tight ball. Already the spell was wearing off. "You are just delaying the inevitable."

"There is no inevitable for me and you," she said.

Lucien flung open the door breathing hard. "Ready?"

Eve peered out the window. Henry's dark form was not far away. "Let's begin."

Lucien came to stand on the opposite side of the circle as her. Their eyes met briefly, and then in unison they spoke:

"The world is gray, the night is black,

We hold a demon in our trap.

Close his eyes and make him sleep,

An eternal night he must keep.

For there he will lie and never die,

A corpse buried in his lies."

They chanted the words over and over and, with each verse, the pressure in the room grew. Sweat ran into Eve's eyes, and her legs grew weak. The spell was more taxing than she anticipated. And by the looks of Lucien, he too was struggling. His face was pale, and like her, he was sweating profusely.

But the spell was working!

Boaz writhed on the floor. His hands covered his ears as if he was trying to block out a terrible sound, and he was screaming loudly, making it hard for Eve to hear her own voice. She spoke louder, and Lucien matched her volume.

The crack of thunder shook the room and lightning streaked across the ceiling, nearly missing the top of Lucien's head. A strong gust of wind came with it, extinguishing the candles and the fire in the fireplace. The room was plunged into darkness so
suddenly
that both Eve and Lucien stopped talking. Boaz, too, was strangely quiet.

"Is it over?" Eve whispered.

The fireplace lit up. Shadows danced upon Lucien's face as he stood in front of the flames. He held no matches. He must have used magic to start the fire. Lucien turned around and
looked
down at the floor. Eve followed his gaze.

Boaz's body was straight as a board, his eyes closed tight. His expression was so relaxed, and his body so still, that he looked more like a wax statue than an actual living being.

"It worked," Lucien said.

The cabin door opened. Henry crossed the threshold and glanced at each of them. His eyes burned bright, and his brow glistened with sweat.

"That was some powerful magic, Eve," he said. His gaze dropped to Boaz. "I truly didn't think it would work until I felt our combined power. I have never experienced anything like that."

Eve stormed over to him and slapped him hard. "Where the hell where you in the forest? Lucien almost died! Either you're on our side, or you're not!"

Her heart had nearly stopped when she had seen Boaz—his arm poised over Lucien with what she knew was a death blow. If she hadn't arrived when she did…

"I was there." Henry walked to Boaz and knelt on one knee. He reached one finger and placed it on Boaz's forehead. "There's still so much power," he whispered.

"Hey!" Eve said again. Lucien reached for her, but she knocked his hand away. "Why didn't you help Lucien?"

Henry straightened. "I was aware of everything. I knew you were coming."

"Maybe if you would've had more faith in my magic, you would not have cared so much about keeping your identity secret! Do you see what I've done here?" She motioned toward Boaz. "I did this. Boaz will not hurt anyone ever again! And you said it wasn't possible."

"Careful, Eve," Lucien said, his voice low.

Eve turned to him. "What? We did something good here!"

"You said 'I'."

She turned away from him and walked to the window, wrapping her arms around her chest. She had said "I". That's something her parents would've done—claimed all the credit for themselves.

Eve repressed a shiver. There was still a seed of darkness lurking within her. Had Boaz planted it, or had it always been there just waiting to be cared for? She bit the inside of her cheek and drew in a shaky breath. Why couldn't she be stronger?

Lucien came up behind her and slid his arms around her, warming her entirety.

"I hate him so much," Eve whispered, her whole body tight. A lone tear trailed down her cheek.

Lucien breathed in deep, his chest rising and falling against her back for a long moment, then said, "The monster doesn't deserve to sleep. Let's just finish this once and for all."

He let go of her, leaving her cold, and walked to the kitchen. He slid a long sword from off of the counter and turned around, his sight set on Boaz.

"Lucien, no—" Henry yelled, but Lucien was already leaping into the air, the sword raised high above his head.

Eve watched expectantly, a small hope lit inside her.

Kill him! Kill him!

Lucien came down hard and sliced through the air. Inches before the blade reached Boaz's neck, an explosive energy shot through the room, shattering everything in its path.

Eve flew back and slammed into the wall. Glass and splintered
wood
from one of the posts spattered against her, tearing open her skin. It took several seconds for the ringing in her ears to stop and for the pain of the blow to pass before she was able to look up. A bomb might as well have gone off in the room. A nearby sofa was in pieces, parts of the ceiling were gone, and rock from the fireplace lay all across the floor.

Henry was on all fours, slowly shaking his head. Blood dripped from a wound on his shoulder.

Eve pulled herself to a standing position. "Lucien?"

She carefully stepped over the debris to make her way to the center of the room where a portion of the roof had collapsed. Light from the full moon spilled in, lighting the room. Lucien must be trapped beneath.

"Help me, Henry!" Eve cried.

She glanced briefly at Boaz, who was still lying peacefully on the floor without a single wound. She took hold of a wooden slat on the floor; a broken shingle sliced into her hand, and she cried out.

"Move," Henry said from across the room, his focus on the broken chunk of ceiling. He lifted his arm just as she stepped back. The debris vibrated. Henry jerked his hand to the side. Wood and roofing shingles followed suit and flew across the room. Beneath all the wreckage was Lucien, his left leg bent at an odd angle.

"Lucien!" Eve hurried over and knelt at his side. Blood poured from a deep gash above his eye, but what really concerned her was a thin strip of metal protruding from his chest. She didn't dare turn him over to see if it went all the way through.

Lucien opened his eyes and moaned. "What happened?"

"You aren't listening to me," Henry said and walked over to them. "Neither of you. Boaz can't be killed!"

Henry reached down and wrapped his hands around the metal strip. "Hold on. This is going to hurt."

"Wait!" Eve said, but before she could stop him, Henry yanked the metal from Lucien's chest. Lucien growled and pressed at the wound to try and stop the blood spurting from his body.

"Heal him," Henry said.  "We need to get rid of Boaz's body as quickly as possible."

She pressed her shaky hand on top of Lucien's. "It's okay. Just relax."

He nodded, his face pale.

Eve closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but her mind was too full of messy emotions, and a burning, all-consuming rage.
Boaz
. She attempted to shove it aside, but the darkness wouldn't be ignored.
I have to kill him!

"Eve," Lucien whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him.

"I love you," Lucien said. He slid his hand away from his bleeding wound and wrapped it around hers. His grip was incredibly weak.

"I love you, too."

She closed her eyes again, this time focusing on her love for Lucien. A warming sensation washed over her, pushing away the last of her anger and fear. Heat ignited her hands and, in a matter of seconds, the wound on Lucien's chest closed over.

"I'm going to go call Charlie and have him ready the boat," Henry said. "Meet us at the docks."

Eve opened her eyes. Henry had Boaz in his arms.

"We'll join you soon," she said, her voice tired.

He nodded

Henry exited the cabin, but after a few seconds the sound of his footsteps disappeared altogether. It didn't surprise her that he was powerful enough to teleport another being. One day she might be able to do the same.

"I'm sorry for exploding the place," Lucien said as he sat up, grimacing. "Are you okay?"

"I would have tried the same the thing." She reached up and pressed her palm to his cheek. "It's over. We did it."

"I hope you're right." Lucien placed his hand on the floor and pushed up. He winced and almost fell back to the floor, but Eve caught him.

"We've been through so much," Eve said. "I could've lost you tonight."

"But you didn't." He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

She rested her head against his shoulder. "Let's clean up Boaz's mess and then go somewhere. Somewhere far away."

"I'd like that."

She looked up at him and searched his eyes. "Our life together begins right now."

As she walked out of the cabin, her arm linked through Lucien's, she glanced back at the destruction. Her plan had worked. Boaz could no longer hurt them. She should be ecstatic, completely happy, but there was a quivering in her stomach that made her want to run as far away as possible.

22

"Whose boat is this?" Lucien asked.

He helped Eve make the leap from the dock to the stern of the boat, then removed his jacket. It was nearly four in the morning. The night had turned hot and suffocating. Moonlight shimmered across the lake's glassy surface, reflecting the surrounding mountains. According to Charlie, this was the largest and deepest lake in all of New York.

"I rented it for the week," Charlie answered. He untied the rope from the dock and jumped aboard. "It's pretty nice. It even has a big cabin down below with a kitchen and bathroom. If you want, in a few days we could come back and go water skiing or something." Charlie scrunched his nose. "That seems way too normal for us, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't know what to do with normal," Lucien said and walked by him. He came up behind Eve. She was staring down at the enclosed metal coffin that held Boaz, her hands limp at her side.

"What do you think, Eve?" he asked. "Do you want to go water skiing?"

She turned around and for just a fraction of a second he caught her expression—a mixture of fear and doubt. She quickly replaced it with a smile. "Sounds nice, actually."

"Don't plan any trips just yet," a voice said from the cabin. Liane stepped onto the deck wearing a light windbreaker, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"What is she doing here?" Lucien asked.

Charlie stuck his head out from within the boat's cabin. "I didn't see any harm in bringing her along. Besides, we were having dinner together when Henry called. I couldn't just leave her alone."

"I'm glad you're here," Eve said and gave her a hug. "After everything Boaz has done to you, you deserve to be here and see this bastard drown."

Liane released Eve and smiled. "It's about time he suffers. Was it hard to capture him?"

Eve's eyes flashed to Lucien's. "It wasn't easy."

"Where's Henry?" Charlie asked. "I thought he was going to be here."

"He left after we put Boaz in there," Lucien said. "He was meeting with Alana to discuss what to do next."

"Who is this Henry I keep hearing so much about?" Liane asked.

Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but Lucien interrupted. "Just an employee of the Deific."

He felt Eve's eyes turn on him, but he didn't look her direction. He still didn't trust Liane. Besides, there was no reason for her to know Henry's true identity.

"Time to go," Charlie said. He ducked back into the cabin. A moment later, the boat lurched forward. Eve grabbed onto his arm to steady herself.

"Hunwald," Eve said, startling him.

"What?" Lucien asked.

Her eyes were big, eyebrows arched high as if she had just remembered something. "Where was he? That wolf and Boaz are inseparable. Why wasn't he there to protect Boaz?"

Lucien hadn't thought of this either, not with everything that had just happened.

"Maybe he was scared off?" he offered. He didn't know Hunwald, but from what Eve had told him, Boaz and the wolf had an unbreakable bond. It worried him that Hunwald hadn't been seen, now that she mentioned it.

"Possibly," Eve said, and she grew quiet. 

No one said much as they traveled over the smooth waters. Eve was pressed to his chest, her hair blowing wildly around her. Liane had gone
inside
the cabin with Charlie. Every once and awhile, Lucien would glance through the window to them. Liane would be hovering near Charlie, smiling and occasionally touching his arm. Charlie seemed to enjoy the attention. Lucien tensed when Liane laughed at something Charlie was saying.

Eve peered up at him. "What's wrong?"

He quickly relaxed and smiled. "Everything's perfect."

She narrowed her eyes but didn't press the issue.

Several minutes later, Charlie turned off the boat's engine. Water sloshed up against the sides as they rocked back and forth.

"It doesn't get much deeper than this," Charlie said. He walked to the edge of the boat and peered over the ledge. Liane came up beside him, her face pale.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked her.

"I'm anxious to get this over with," she said.

Eve stepped away, cooling Lucien's body. "Me, too. Finally we can move on with our lives."

Liane took her hand, and they turned to face Boaz's coffin. In the moon's silver light, they almost looked like twins.

"Ashes to ashes," Lucien said. He took hold of one side of the heavy coffin and tipped it upright. With one good shove, he pushed the metal box over the boat's edge, spraying water upwards.

Eve hurried to the side. Lucien watched with her as the coffin slowly disappeared into the murky blackness. Liane had dropped to her knees and was crying quietly, her hands shaking near her face. The tears seemed genuine. Maybe he was wrong about her, and Boaz really had held her captive all this time. Charlie knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

It was several minutes before anyone spoke, even though Lucien wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. An unexplainable urgency was tugging on his senses. But he shouldn't be feeling this apprehension, not with Boaz slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

Charlie straightened, taking Liane with him, and said, "I think we need a celebration."

"Completely," Liane said, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Sleep first," Eve said. "I think I could sleep for a week!"

"I'll join you," Lucien said, tugging her to his side.

"I'd love nothing more." Eve kissed him briefly on the mouth. The movement was so carefree, Lucien wondered if that's how a normal relationship was supposed to feel like.

"As much as I'd love for you two to spend a week in bed together," Charlie said sarcastically, "there isn't enough time for a honeymoon. We can take one day for a much needed rest, but then we need to tear down whatever network Boaz has created. I'd hate to have one of his minions rise to power in his place."

"How about if we meet for dinner tonight?" Liane asked. "A simple celebration with us and whoever else helped bring Boaz down. Invite Henry, too."

"A great idea," Charlie said.  "But won't you be tired of seeing me two nights in a row?"

Lucien cringed and turned away.

While the two continued to flirt with each other, Eve whispered, "I think they're cute together."

He glanced over his shoulder at Charlie, who was smiling big at something Liane was saying. He did look happy.

Charlie glanced at each of them, still smiling. "Let's go home."

As the boat's engine came back to life and cut through the still water, Lucien couldn't help himself. He looked back just once, afraid he might see Boaz rising from the water, but there was nothing but darkness.

***

Lucien walked behind Eve into her apartment and closed the door. Her smell was everywhere in the room. It was the best scent in the world.

Eve dropped onto the sofa. "I can't believe we did it."

Lucien said nothing, but joined her on the couch. "How do you feel?"

She tightened her lips as if trying to find the right words. "Tired."

"Come here," he said and pulled her over to him. She snuggled against his chest. "Get some sleep."

"Just for a few minutes. I don't want anything to take me away from you, including sleep."

He smoothed back her hair. "I'll be here when you wake."

She lowered her head and within minutes her breathing became slow and steady. Her whole body relaxed into him, and he held onto her protectively. He still didn't feel Eve was safe, even with Boaz buried at the bottom of a lake.

For several hours, he held onto her, wondering about their future. He loved Eve more than life itself, but felt it was a slippery love, one that could be easily taken from him. He wanted it to be eternal—their souls still bound to one another even after their bodies were gone. Was that possible for someone like him? A vampire? He doubted there was any God in the universe that would grant him an eternal marriage, if it were possible.

But if it were… he would propose to Eve in a heartbeat. She stirred in his arms and opened her eyes. His image reflected in their green surface.

"You are so beautiful," she said and smiled.

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to say to you?"

Eve twisted out of his grip and sat up, her legs straddling him on the sofa. "How about if neither of says anything?"

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, gently at first, her mouth moving slowly. Lucien followed her pace, enjoying the taste of her on his lips. He sunk further into the couch and slid his hands up to her waist; they disappeared beneath the back of her shirt. Eve's kiss deepened, and she lowered her body, pressing her hips into his. Pleasurable heat raced through his body, and he moaned. In one swift motion, he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

He almost asked her then—to marry him—but the moment didn't seem right. There was still so much unfinished business with Boaz. Maybe, after things were resolved, he would propose to her on a mountaintop somewhere at sunset. This image brought a smile to his face. He lowered Eve to the bed.

"What are you grinning at?" Eve asked.

"Our future," he said and pressed his mouth to hers. Eternity was theirs and nothing was going to get in the way.