Where There's Smoke (29 page)

Ryder was in the middle of raising his beer to his lips, but stopped and carefully set the bottle on the table between them. “Walk away.” His words were tight, as though he barely held his emotions in check. “Right now. This girl is lost to you. You can do nothing to save her soul.”

“It’s killing me,” Chance admitted, but couldn’t agree with Ryder about giving up. He only needed a plan. Right?

“No, it’s not killing you because this is as far as it goes. You know better than to mess with Vetis. He’s been around as long as we have.”

“Could you walk away?” He met Ryder’s gaze. “Could you commit Destiny to an eternity of torture? You know that’s what will happen. Whether she meets her quota or not, she’s doomed.”

Ryder jumped to his feet. For a moment, he just stood there as if he didn’t know what to say or do next. He finally shoved one hand deep into his front pocket, grabbed his beer with the other, and marched to the edge of the patio.

“You’re my family,” he finally said after a moment of silence, his voice cracking. “At least, the closest thing I’ve ever had to one. Our mothers knew each other. They were practically sisters. We grew up together.” He faced Chance, his forehead creased with frustration. “Have you forgotten all that? How we played as children. How we both discovered we were nephilim at almost the same time. The powers that we started to acquire.”

“How we were shunned by the village.” Chance leaned back in his chair, feeling suddenly very tired. “We scared them. People who knew us all their lives. They blamed us for everything that went wrong. I think we even frightened our mothers.”

Chance grabbed his beer and took a long drink. Damn, that had always bothered him. His own mother afraid of her child.

“Our mothers wept when they sent us away,” Ryder reminded him. “They weren’t afraid of us, but
for
us. They heard the grumbling amongst the village elders, too. We used our powers unwisely, showing off.”

“We were barely twelve when they forced us to leave.” And he and Ryder were terrified out of their minds. They were still kids.

“You know that it wasn’t just about the villagers. Our mothers were trying to protect us from the demons who freely roamed the earth in those times. If one discovered us, our whole village would’ve been destroyed.” He frowned. “We survived because our mothers sent us away. There were many nephilim who didn’t.”

And they never saw their mothers again. They were too afraid to return. The pain still lingered.

“I love Dillon and Hunter like brothers,” Ryder continued. “But you and I both know the bond doesn’t run as deep as it does between us. You would risk everything we have between us to save her?”

Chance saw the pain in Ryder’s eyes. “You know how much you mean to me. We’ve been there for each other. But I love her too, and right now I need you to understand.”

Ryder’s shoulders sagged. “Vetis would like nothing more than to steal the soul of a nephilim. No demon has ever been able to do that. It would give him great power.”

Chance shoved out of the chair. “Don’t you think I’ve thought about all of this?” His frustration and anger rose to the surface. “After all is said and done, I might lose my soul and still not save her. I know that!”

He strode to the edge of the patio and stared up at the moon rising in the sky, knowing it might be his last one because he could do no less than face Vetis.

“I’ll go with you,” Ryder said.

“You can’t. I have to do this alone. I won’t risk anyone else. This is between me and the demon.”

“You could try to convince her one more time.”

“She won’t listen. Destiny feels as though I betrayed her by not telling her the truth. She believed the demon’s lies. Her mind is made up.”

“She needs to take a soul back with her. Have you thought about that? Someone else might be at risk.”

“There’s no one. She doesn’t have enough time. At least, I doubt one that the council of demons would approve.” A sudden thought made his blood run cold. “Except for LeAnn.”

Ryder’s forehead wrinkled. “LeAnn?”

“A young girl that has apparently befriended Destiny. Destiny was supposed to hear her sing tonight.”

“Isn’t socializing against the rules if you’re not trying to steal their soul? The demons are sticklers about that sort of thing. They think the wannabe demons will change their minds.”

But Chance was afraid that was exactly what Destiny would do if she was desperate, and now that she didn’t have his soul, she would be frantic. Vetis would have already told her she would have to face the tribunal. Destiny would think she was giving LeAnn everything she ever dreamed about when in fact she was committing her to an eternity of suffering.

“I have to go,” Chance said.

Ryder clamped a hand on his arm. “Don’t.”

“I have no choice.”

Ryder’s expression was grim when he released Chance and nodded. Maybe Ryder figured he would do the exact same thing if their positions were reversed.

“Be careful.”

For a moment they were kids again and the years, the centuries, fell away. Chance had left the cave where they found shelter that first night they were on their own, and went to look for food. It was in the early days, before they grew into their full powers. To save time, Ryder left in the opposite direction, both warning the other to be careful.

Chance ran into a young demon, but one with more experience than Chance. A demon who almost destroyed him. Through the years, they fought battles, neither winning, neither losing, but always too close to call a victory for either one. And each time, Chance had been amazed how the demon’s powers grew stronger. Strong enough that he was wary about meeting him again. The demon was Vetis.

Chance knew without a doubt the demon was even more powerful, stronger, over the years since the last time they met. He wouldn’t be so easy to escape this time, and Chance wasn’t looking forward to facing him again.

“I’ll be careful,” he told Ryder and closed his eyes. The wind whipped past, then swirled around him before dying down to a soft breeze.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in Destiny’s living room. He listened, but heard no sound alerting him to the fact that she was there.

Blood rushed through his veins causing a roaring inside his ears. Did she leave? Take LeAnn with her? His world tilted and he had to put a hand on the back of the sofa to steady himself.

As he regained his equilibrium, he caught a distinctive odor. His nose wrinkled in distaste. He quickly glanced around the room. “Show yourself, demon!”

“It’s been a long time.”

The voice came from behind him, but Chance didn’t need to see the face to recognize who spoke. He turned, his gaze moving over the demon.

The man before him was handsome with dark hair, dark complexion, and wore a stylish black suit. A mortal would have envied his good looks, but Chance saw the fiery sparks in his eyes that bespoke the demon’s true self.

“Hello, Vetis,” Chance said. “You’re looking different. Whose body did you steal?”

Fire flashed in the demon’s eyes, then quickly vanished as he shrugged. “Someone who no longer needs it.” He suddenly whirled in a circle and transformed into the demon he was.

Chance took an involuntary step back and the demon laughed. Chance forgot how Vetis really looked. The demon preferred a handsome body over the cloven-hoofed, misshapen form.

“Yes, I admit I’m quite scary to look upon, the better to frighten small children and the unwary, my dear.” He cackled at his reference to
The
Big
Bad
Wolf
. “But alas, so much harder to seduce the souls I need when I look like this.” He waved a clawed hand in front of himself, moving with a disjointed gait around the room.

“I’ve seen you in many disguises.”

“That you have. We go a long way back, you and I.”

“Are we going to talk about old times?” Chance cocked an eyebrow.

“Why rehash the past? Still, we would have made a great team. Think about how good we could have been together.” He cocked his head to the side and studied Chance. “We still could.”

Chance always knew Vetis wanted him to join forces. “I don’t destroy lives.”

“Why? Out of some sense of loyalty? Your father left you to fend for yourself. I almost defeated you when you were young. Did he rush to save his son? No. The angels don’t care about any of the nephilim.”

Vetis swung his arm wide. Three women appeared, dancing in front of Chance wearing transparent scarves that hid nothing of their lush bodies. They swayed in front of him, beckoning him to come closer. When one reached toward him, Chance grabbed her wrist and shook his head. The woman pouted her perfectly painted red lips.

Vetis clapped and they quickly turned toward him, their master. They laughed as they danced past Chance and moved on either side of Vetis. Two of the girls kissed. The third one dropped down in front of Vetis, rubbing her face and hands up and down his legs, opening her mouth, silently begging for more, not caring that she seduced a monster.

“They’re very beautiful.” Vetis patted the girl on the head. “You could have one, or all if you prefer. These lovelies are like nothing you’ve ever been with before.”

“Your tricks won’t work on me,” Chance told him.

Vetis hissed, waving his arms. The women’s screams echoed through the room as the demon sent them back to the fiery depths of Hell. “You would condemn them?” he accused.

Chance shook his head. “No,
you
would. I had nothing to do with it.”

Vetis suddenly smiled as he transformed back into his human body. “But there is one you might give your soul for.” His words were silky smooth.

Chance moved to the sofa and sat down. He only hoped he looked as casual as he pretended to feel. Vetis would destroy Destiny just to make Chance suffer. “You win some back,” Chance shrugged. “And some you don’t,” he told the demon. “You know that as well as I.”

“But you fucked this one.” His eyes narrowed. “You’ve never fucked them in the past. Maybe you care more than you’re willing to admit.”

“You mean there are rules to the games we play?” He shook his head. “No, I fucked her because I wanted to. Sure, I would have liked to save her soul, but it doesn’t look as if that will happen.” He studied the demon. “Are you ready to take my castoffs?”

Vetis hissed. “She was mine first. I bought her soul.”

Chance sat forward. “No, you stole it. You lied to Destiny. What did you expect her to do when those men would have beaten her to death?”

“True, but I’ve never claimed to be anything but what I am.” He laughed. “You tried to seduce her soul away.” He raised his eyebrows. “That doesn’t say a whole lot for how good a lover you are, now does it? But I think you lie. You care more about her than you’re willing to admit.”

“Let this one go.” Chance slowly came to his feet. They were playing games again. They both wanted Destiny. They both knew it.

“I think not, old friend. She still amuses me.”

“And if she doesn’t get her quota?”

“She’ll no longer be of any use to me. I’ll cast her into the fires of Hell without a second thought.”

Chance charged, but Vetis disappeared in the blink of an eye, laughter trailing after him. Damn him! Chance wanted to wrap his hands around the demon’s throat and squeeze the immortality out of him.

“Her time is running out. What will you do?” Vetis’s words were soft, quickly fading. “Who will you save, nephilim? Her or yourself?”

“Damn you, Vetis!”

“You forget. I already am.” And then he was gone.

Chance paced the tiny living room. He had to think. Come up with a plan to set Destiny free. He raked his fingers through his hair as sweat formed on his brow.

What would he do if it came down to it? Would he give his soul to set Destiny free? Vetis would make the trade.

His gut clenched at the thought of burning in Hell for all eternity. Vetis would take great pleasure in watching him suffer. For some reason, the demon hated him with an intensity that surprised Chance.

And if he didn’t make the exchange?

No, the alternative was unacceptable. Destiny would be consumed with pain forever. Ah no, he couldn’t let that happen. He would do whatever it took to save her.

Chance closed his eyes, but before he could travel he was surrounded by bright chains that quickly looped around him, weaving over and under like golden snakes.

“No!” His voice boomed throughout the apartment. “Release me!”

Three shapes began to take form in front of him, undistinguishable at first, but he knew them. Ryder, Dillon, and Hunter emerged from the mists.

“Let me go to her,” Chance begged as his frustration threatened to choke him.

Sadly, Ryder shook his head. “You know we can’t do that. We agreed a long time ago not to let an assignment destroy one of us. That’s exactly where you are headed.”

“I have to save her. Don’t you see?”

Dillon’s mouth was set in a grim line. “If you save her, Vetis will take you instead. It’s the only way he’ll let her go. We can’t let that happen.”