27.

I thrashed and squealed against my shackles, frustration and terror chewing at my nerves. Indigo wriggled and screamed on his back in a cloud of electric-burnt steam. She'd kill him. After all that, he'd die anyway and I'd be left to bear it. thrashed and squealed against my shackles, frustration and terror chewing at my nerves. Indigo wriggled and screamed on his back in a cloud of electric-burnt steam. She'd kill him. After all that, he'd die anyway and I'd be left to bear it.

Delilah laughed, malice crackling icicles from her hair, and thrust the mirror closer to his face. "Suck it up, metals.h.i.t."

His forearms bunched in agony, claws raking the air, and in a smoky flash his bangle vanished.

b.u.mps broke out on my skin, and ozone ripped my nose raw. My wings jerked. The bangle snapped into view on his right arm, and in a hail of blue sparks, current erupted.

My hair sprang taut in crackling static. The air sizzled, electrified. My clothes plastered themselves to my skin, and my wrists slammed tight into my back, steel cuffs straining toward him in irresistible magnetic field.

The mirror wailed in iron flux and jerked forward, too, but Delilah held on. She screeched demon laughter, her teeth bristling like needles. "You can do better than that."

Indigo's-no, Ebony's-Ebony's muscles cramped tight with current. His arms convulsed and bulged. His sharp iron-boned wings jerked, sizzling blue current dragging them irresistibly taut, and in a crack of electric thunder the red rubber rope around his chest snapped.

Delilah wailed, and my skin shivered. Ebony's laugh razored. He tore his tied hands and ankles apart with a whip of ultraflex limbs and slashing metal teeth. Mercury blood splatted.

He leapt and hovered, flaring his wings and curling his copper claws like a fierce metal angel. His black hair sprang jagged in sparking green current. Violet neon rage glowed in his eyes, and in a flash of razor-sharp silver, he dived for Delilah.

She stumbled back, brandishing the blinding mirror before her, but her long gown tangled in her heels. They crashed to the ground together in a flail of thrashing limbs, and Ebony sank cruel teeth into her wrist and ripped the shining mirror from her hands.

She howled and struggled, the mirror's beam slashing the night air like a crazy searchlight. Demon blood splashed scarlet, and Delilah kicked and clawed with purple talons, a monster's yellow h.e.l.lscales breaking out on her skin. Her needle teeth flashed, green ichor spilling onto Ebony's skin in hissing acid burn.

My heart choked, and I thrashed in fury against my chains. Surely she'd kill him. But he just pinned her under his body with a powerful thrust of wings, jammed her throat into the ground with slashing claws, and shone the screaming mirror directly into her eyes.

The howl that erupted from her mouth chilled my blood to ice. The gla.s.s door shattered, ripped apart by shuddering frequencies. Shining shards showered, melting on Delilah's smoking scales.

Ebony's claws slashed at her face, demon blood flowing, but as fast as he tore the wounds open, the faster they healed over. h.e.l.lflame roiled crimson in her hair, lashing out at his hands with electric fury.

But her eyes burned golden, light streaming in from the mirror like an evil white river, and little by little her struggles weakened. Her hands fought his, the mirror's light flashing over her face, into her eyes and out. And Ebony fought her down and held her there and laughed as she struggled. Sweat dripped copper on his burnt blue skin, and voltage ripped his silver wings blue. His glinting fangs dripped b.l.o.o.d.y rage. "Teach you to hurt my girl."

My heart swelled, burning, and tears scorched my eyes and seared down the side of my nose. He'd kill again for me, and it was all my fault. This would never end. I didn't care if the h.e.l.lb.i.t.c.h deserved it. I hated it.

Fevered fingers snaked around my ankle.

My pulse exploded back into life. Some h.e.l.lworm come to munch me up. I scrabbled back, blinded by the terrible sight before me, but the grip wouldn't ease.

Something clicked before my eyes like teeth, and terror bit my nerves raw and yanked me lucid.

Blaze snapped his fingers again and hushed me with a match-scented claw on my lips. "Shh. Show me your hands."

Disbelief mushed my brain. "You're . . . You're still alive?" And he b.l.o.o.d.y was, bless him. Unhurt. The h.e.l.lish burns were gone, his hair intact, his pretty crimson wings gleaming softly in the night-light. My tears flowed harder. He'd come back for me. Somehow. "How'd ya get in here? What happened? Your burns . . . ?"

Secrets flickered his gaze away. "Told ya. I'm cool. Show me your hands."

Behind him, Delilah and Ebony rolled, still fighting, tumbling blue and brown limbs and silvery wings and streaking purple hair. Taking no notice of us. My stomach coiled tight. Eb was strong, even for a fairy. They'd kill each other before this was over.

Urgency rippled my blood, erasing any questions until later. I twisted and shuffled my b.u.t.t aside so Blaze could reach. "Quick. Get these f.u.c.king things off."

Az murmured beside me, her blue eyes pooling wide. "Blaze?"

"Yeah, Az. It's me. Hang on." He jammed one claw into a link of my chain. Heat sizzled, and the metal shone red. I yanked. The cuffs split, and I pulled free in a wash of cool relief. I rubbed my still-cuffed wrists, broken chain dangling.

Blaze winked, devilish, and crawled over to Az. I jabbed him with my foot and hissed a whisper. "Hey! How did you find us here?"

He yanked Az's cuffs apart and jerked his pointy chin toward the screeching demon. "You care? Let's get outta here."

Az tugged her dress straight, sullen. "Why'd you do her first? Huh?"

I ignored her and grabbed Blaze's arm as he started to dart into the shadows toward the gla.s.s door. I pointed at Ebony, who still clawed at Delilah's lizard-skinned throat from beneath, her whip-scaly thighs gripping him bare through her ripped dress. "We can't leave him!"

Blaze shook me off, urgent like fever. "Now, Ice!"

A crash cut off my retort. A blur of inked muscle, torn leather, swishing brown hair, a graceful body streaking through the broken window to land on the tiles.

Akash, fresh and unhurt, his curving brown muscles gleaming in a fighting crouch. Dark flame licked over his fingers, fairyfire dancing between his hands like a toy. His sapphire eyes fixed on Delilah, blazing bright, and his voice sang with a banshee's seductive song as he pointed a flame-dripping finger at her. "Demon weakling," he crooned. "Die."

And he launched himself at her, horizontal in a spear of blazing fairyfire.

Flesh and bone slammed together. Skin split. Blood splashed, red and silver. Yowls mingled. Delilah tumbled screeching away from Ebony, and she and Akash thudded against the balcony. Her skull smacked hard into the iron railing. She spluttered, golden venom splashing from needle teeth, more yellow-green scales sprouting on her neck. Akash sank cruel fingers into her throat and rammed her head into the steel, again and again.

Ebony scrabbled free, the squealing mirror spilling blinding light from his hand. He flexed crumpled foil wings and held the mirror up in two triumphant hands. White-hot light poured out like a beacon, splitting the night air like a scream, and clawed straight into Delilah's eyes.

She roared like a wounded dragon and tried to squeeze her eyes shut, but Akash gripped her scaly cheekbones and forced her scorched lids open. "Die, demon. Go back to h.e.l.l."

I shook Blaze off and scrambled up to Ebony. I'd forgotten how big he was. My head barely reached his shoulder. I scrabbled for his rust-flecked arm. "Come on. Leave her."

"No." His voice grated, metal on metal. Sweat and blood slicked his dark blue skin. "She dies."

"But we're free! Let's go!" I tugged his arm again, and the mirror's light scorched a smoking path down Delilah's body, away from her eyes.

He shook me off, determined. "It's for you, Ice. She'll never let you be."

"You can't kill her for me!" My voice rose, hysterical. This was all wrong. "I won't let you. Put it down, Eb, or I'll stop you."

He snarled, full of pain and helplessness. "You can't stop me, Ice. No one can."

His rage stabbed my heart, and my courage flowered, not dark and mirrortwisted but true. Death was all Ebony had. All he knew how to give. And he'd never change that without me. Without me, he'd never find anything worth living for, and he'd never stop.

Ebony's dark fingers shook around the rusted iron, but he held the mirror tight and wouldn't look at me. "Leave me. Get out of here."

"No," I said steadily. "I won't let you do it." And I leapt as far as I could into the air and thrust my face into the mirror's burning light.

My lashes singed afire. My eyeb.a.l.l.s screamed, the worst pain I'd ever felt, like a great grasping hand ripping through my skull and down my spine and deep into my guts. I couldn't see anything, only blinding white. The force dragged my hair back, stretched my wings taut like drumskins, pulled my skin tight over my bones until it ripped. Air rushed from my lungs, and my throat vibrated. I was screaming, but I couldn't hear anything but my own melting flesh and the mirror, that evil black beast tearing ravenous teeth into my soul.

And then, whiteness tore from my eyes, the mirror tumbling free like a bright arc of flame on my scorched retinas. He'd let the mirror go.

His strong metal hands enfolded my ribs, dragged me down, implored me. Dimly I heard yelling, voices, a scream not mine, and I flexed my aching wings, stretched out my roasted hands, and grabbed.

I didn't need to see to catch it this time. This thing had murmured sweet anarchy in my heart for what seemed like so long, I could feel it. I just knew.

My claws ripped on sharp metal edges, and my wailing heart rejoiced. I clutched the mirror blindly, cruel metal slashing my skin, and rammed my little fist into the gla.s.s.

My knuckles ripped and broke with a sick crunch. My fist lacerated on razor petals. The mirrorbeast gasped and roared, thrashing its scaly tail in my heart, and I thudded in a rush to the ground.

Silence.

Slowly, I peeled my raw-sc.r.a.ped eyes. My vision flooded white, then blue, then shimmered slowly into focus. My body ached. Ashes fouled my mouth. The room swam in giddy circles, and I looked down into mirrorswitched colors. Blue blood streamed orange over my slashed hand. My yellow skin glared purple in spiking light. The rusty sphere tumbled away, but I dragged myself after it on my belly, and when I fumbled it up, a mess of shattered gla.s.s and dust fell out. Shiny, twinkling, like a pile of pretty diamonds.

A ghostly black bubble twisted up like smoke from the pile of shards. It writhed through the splinters, scattering them, searching for a fragment large enough, any piece it could slither inside and hide. But the gla.s.s crumbled like fairy glitter, and with a squeal and a final thrash, the bubble popped, h.e.l.lblack remnants wisping away.

The squidgy, dead. Good riddance.

The scaly beast inside me whiplashed one final time, and fled.

And then strong rust-brown arms scooped me up in the warm, familiar scent of iron. Fresh breeze ruffled my hair, drying the sweat on my skin. Stars tumbled overhead like jewels, and in the heady sensation of falling, I fainted.

28.

Delilah chokes, her own sour blood clogging her throat. She heard the smash of gla.s.s. The mirror's gone, and fury chills her heart that she let it go so easily. She struggles to get up, to chase those fairy maggots down, but the stinking angel-thing rams her skull into the floor, sunbright blue eyes glowing with triumph.

Bone splits, and semi-heals with a screech of protest. She's slowing down. He's strong. Too strong. Fear tumbles through her body like a h.e.l.lstorm. She wasn't ready for this. She didn't know.

Again he slams her to the floor, scales cracking, her needle teeth slashing her tongue to shreds. Pain, real pain, the kind that can't wash away. He's killing her.

She struggles, summoning the last of her compulsion in a shaky black mist that stings her eyes. But he's too strong. It doesn't affect him. He just breathes it in with a pleasured sigh. Wet dark hair plasters in ringlets to his pretty snarling face, and he leaps astride her, holding her down with wrists and thighs. "Give me that mist. I want it." And he jams her wrists into crumbling black tiles and crushes his mouth over hers.

Suction, hot and unbearable, stretching her tongue and tearing her throat raw. Her vision fills with starry clouds. He tastes rotten, of flesh gone sour. His body presses down on hers, impossibly heavy, his arousal threatening, and the black muck of her essence drags agonizingly up her throat like thick acid. She screams into his mouth, eternal terror consuming her. Death. Torment. h.e.l.l. Forever. It isn't supposed to end like this.

And then his body rips away, and she's free. Somewhere, gla.s.s smashes.

She scrabbles like an upturned bug, instinctively fighting what's no longer there. Agony still cramps her guts. Her heart lurches, and she scrambles blindly to her feet. Her legs won't hold her, and she fumbles at the railing to stand up, her vision slowly clearing.

The second window's a shattered hole, ragged gla.s.s dangling. The angel-thing flops wetly on the carpet in a pile of broken gla.s.s. A smoking black creature with wiry limbs and streaming blue hair swoops down in crackling blue flame and hurls the angel-thing through the air.

It slams into the wall. Plaster cracks, and the body slumps to the floor, its neck c.o.c.ked at a crazy angle. Blood slides down the wall from its shattered skull, but still it grins, chokes, tries to laugh. Blood drips from its hair, down its face. It twitches, trying to move, to heal itself, but its neck is broken. It can't raise energy. It can't do anything.

A triumphant cackle freshens in Delilah's torn throat, and she stumbles forward, black hatred festering in her heart.

Kane crouches over the dying angel on bony black legs, smoke hissing from creaking joints. h.e.l.lstink curdles the air, and his voice sc.r.a.pes like metal spikes, black needle teeth spitting obsidian shards. "I warned you, Akash. This is my city."

Akash blinks up at him, sky-blue eyes still shining. Scarlet bubbles inflate and burst on his lips.

Delilah wobbles up, forcing scales back under her brown human-form skin. Her torn dress tangles around her feet, and she rips the skirt away with an angry kick. "Let me kill him. Send the f.u.c.ker to h.e.l.l where he belongs."

But Kane thrusts out a lean charcoal-crusted arm and holds her back.

He's strong. Stronger than she thought. She fights, her fingers itching to rip the Akash-thing's skin off, but Kane forces her back. She hisses, sparks showering. "Let me go."

Kane grins, and ash rains from the air. "No, little girl. I've a better idea." He squats like a black h.e.l.lbird, coa.r.s.e blue locks tangling around his elbows, and his yellow gaze burns a smoking hole in Akash's b.l.o.o.d.y cheek. "Go home, Akash from the sky. Tell them what you found here. Tell them that if they come back, I won't be so patient."

Akash's eyes bloom with terror. He chokes and splutters. "Nononot-"

Kane slams his charred palm into Akash's face.

Smoke hisses, the fleshstink delightful. Akash jerks, and his body falls limp, the outline of multijointed black fingers burnt through to his skull.

Kane lights to his feet and changes. Burnt limbs shorten and fill out. Blue hair shrinks to golden blond. Yellow eyes harden to black, and he adjusts his ash-strewn suit and turns his remorseless gaze onto her.

Delilah swallows, cold. She's not ready. Foolish to imagine challenging him yet. She slides damp palms over her hips, nerves tweaking bright. He's better-looking close up. She likes those gentle lips, the soft cheekbones, the guileless look in his eyes. Maybe she can offer herself, placate his temper. Let him think she's apologizing for breaking those stupid court rules.

She licks her lips and edges forward, twirling a curl around one bleeding fingertip. "Thank you. I'm grateful."

"I don't want grat.i.tude from you." He doesn't move away.

Delilah gives a sultry smile, enjoying his dark stormy scent. Her body warms, and she presses close, sliding her fingertips along his suit's rough silk. "Then what do you want?"

She presses her lips to his. He tastes ashen, alkaline, like home. She murmurs and slides closer, and after a moment he responds, a hard, dominant kiss that sucks her breath away and twinges desire deep into her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. It's a rare man who outpowers her, and it feels good. l.u.s.t and relief fire her blood, and she slides her hand into his lap, ready to do what she must to appease him. Not that it'll be a trial. His body feels taut and lithe, the swelling hardness under her palm delicious. She strokes him, eagerness blotting out her fear.

But Kane steps back a few inches, a polite but definite rejection. "Don't do that."

Unease and confusion blunt her desire. f.u.c.k. Now he'll punish her. It's his right. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean . . ."

But Kane just gives a tiny smile, ash drifting gently from his hair like snowflakes, and flips a glossy card from his pocket. "Next time, call me before you drop by."

Bewildered, she takes it. He walks smoothly away, and the door clicks shut.

Rage crusts her hair with ice. How dare he dismiss her like that? He doesn't care enough about her to punish her, or to accept her peace offering. She's not a threat. She's not even an annoyance to him.

Not f.u.c.king yet, she's not. Just you wait, you arrogant motherf.u.c.ker Just you wait, you arrogant motherf.u.c.ker.

The card ignites in her hand, crimson edges on black, and she tosses the burning ash aside and hobbles angrily to the counter for her phone. She claws dirty purple locks from her face and dials, the screen throwing a green glow onto her face. "Joey. Yeah, hi. Look, we need to talk."

29.