42. Ashe

I should have known that Dani summoning me through a backdoor would bring Public Affairs sniffing around, but with a backlog of cases it normally took a few days before they acted on any leads. I guess the First Precinct has been emphasizing efficiency of late.

I might have been impressed at their response time if I was not already caught up in a battle with two of their agents. And if my body was not still trying to heal itself from Catalina's so-called surgery, or from the silver that had poisoned my blood and nearly ended me, then this would not be such a struggle.

“It was a mistake to let you become a Reaper,” one of the witches snaps as he struggles to free his arm from my chain. “The Tribunal should've ended your life centuries ago!”

I grit my teeth as I shake off his attempt at a binding spell, two curved blades emerging from the back of my wrists. “They had their chance.”

The second witch snorts as he tugs on the chain wrapped around his arm. “Maybe back then, cambion, but you've outlived your usefulness. You just don't know it yet!”

He could only be referring to one thing: the Genesis Project.

I narrow my eyes, a primal growl rattling in my throat at his blatant threat. “I must've missed the memo, then.”

Before either of them can react, I yank my arms back. I can feel the incision in my chest tear open as the force catapults them across the floor like ragdolls, but I clench my jaw against the pain and propel myself off the staircase. My blade skewers the first through the chest as we collide halfway, killing him instantly as his back crashes against the wall. The second had managed to conjure an invisible barrier last minute that deflected my other dagger; the impact from slamming him into the wall still knocked the wind from his lungs and possibly broke a few ribs, if his ragged gasp was any indication.

The lifeless body of his comrade slumps to the ground as I recall the chain, and I'm prepared to slit the last witch's throat when a searing pain rips through my body. Wincing, I glance down at the palm pressed against my wound. A faint purple glow emanates from the witch's fingertips, the intensity pulsating with each twitch of his hand as he twists the psychic knife deeper, ripping through flesh and sinew as it inches its way to my heart. Fucking witches!

“You're on borrowed time, Reaper,” he wheezes, a thin trail of blood dribbling down his chin as he levels his gaze with the fire raging in my own.

I press the edge of my dagger to his throat. “So are you.”

“T-they'll come for you now. The Tribunal will have your head for this!”

“Then let them come.” Manipulating and hunting demons, experimenting with their own Reapers, forcing me to kill anyone who questioned their laws—after dealing with it for four hundred years, I was sick of it all. I was tired of being the monster they made me into. “I'm done playing their games.”

His eyes flick over my shoulder and his brow furrows. “I get why you'd want to hide a demon, but why risk your own necks to protect a human?”

“Because her life is worth more to me than yours.” I drag the blade across his neck without a second thought, watching as the light slowly drains from his eyes before letting his body crumple to the floor. Blood pools around my bare feet and I take a step back, shards of glass crunching under my heels as the Reaper's mark retreats back inside my skin.

“Took you long enough,” Catalina remarks, drawing my attention. She sidesteps a pile of ashes that I can only assume are all that remains of the last two agents from Public Affairs—Nadia's doing, no doubt.

“I'm still recovering, Cat.” I spare a glance at the blood soaking through my shirt and grimace. Perhaps I should have fed on at least one of those witches before I killed them. With the fire in my veins cooling, it will take hours for my body to stitch itself back together. “Was that all of them?”

“For now.” Catalina picks at her teeth with a pinky nail. “But at least the deed is done.”

“And I fear that our troubles are only just beginning,” Nadia says, wiping the lenses of her glasses on the hem of her blouse as her electric gaze flicks between the two of us. “We killed Tribunal agents, Catalina. They will come after us in retaliation.”

“As far as they know, these men were attacked by Enlightened enthusiasts during a routine investigation. We can't afford to make enemies of the High Court just yet, old friend.” The vampire turns her attention to me once more. “Clean up this mess quickly and then meet us at Brookshire Executive Center. My business in this precinct is done, but the sooner we leave the less suspicion we'll draw.”

My eyes follow Nadia as she silently makes her way upstairs, brushing past Dani as the barista descends to the carnage below, and I clench my jaw. Dammit, I wish she did not have to keep seeing me in this light. How was she supposed to see me as anything other than a monster if I keep killing people in front of her?

“I can't go back, Cat,” I blurt out, surprising myself. She arches an eyebrow, daring me to continue, and with a sigh I lean against the wall. “I can't keep doing this.”

“We do not have time for you to have another one of your little existential crises. You know the protocol. Public Affairs will send in backup if they don't hear back from Jackson within the hour and that includes sending in their Reapers to investigate. The sooner we rid this place of our existence, the better it will be for everyone here.”

“I won't keep playing the part of the Tribunal's weapon.”

“You will go back and you will continue your work as a Reaper. None of what happened here changes that.”

“This changes everything—”

“It changes nothing! You are a cambion, Ashe. The only way you survive in this world is by keeping your head down and staying in their good graces. Nadia and I have risked much to keep you safe! Do not throw away our sacrifices because you've suddenly developed a conscience for the things you've done while in their service. This is survival. We do things we don't like to protect the ones we hold dear.” Her slitted glare shifts to the human standing at my side. “Think of what that means to you now and tell me I'm wrong.”

Dani slips her hand into mine, offering a comforting squeeze, and my heart palpitates. Even after everything she has seen me do as a Reaper, even after her own life has been threatened, how could she stand here at my side so unafraid?

“You don't have to go back,” she whispers. “You are not the monster they want you to be.”

As much as I want to believe her with every fiber of my soul, I hate to admit that Catalina's right. If I try to leave again, the Tribunal will hunt me down just to tie up a loose end. They could not afford a cambion off their leash and out of their control, let alone one with their own weapon etched into her skin. That would not only put Dani in danger, but Catalina and Nadia and anyone else I've ever had contact with outside the Liquidation Department.

I was fucking trapped.

“Fine,” I say after a while, peeling my hand from Dani's grasp. “Take Dani with you. I'll get rid of the bodies and meet you at the airport in two hours.”

“I'd rather not go with the bitch who tried to shoot me.”

“I need to do this alone, Dani.” I was not going to let her stay behind, not when more witches could turn up at any given moment. She was in far too deep already.

The front door swings open in a hurry, catching us all by surprise, and I throw a protective arm in front of Dani as I prepare for another fight. That can't be their backup already!

“What the hell are you doing here?” Catalina growls, glowering at Marco as he stumbles into the entryway, and I release the breath that I was holding in a sigh of relief. “You're supposed to be on your way back to the Second Precinct, you idiot.”

“Goddamn witch snapped herself out of your charm halfway to the airport,” the bear mumbles as he runs a hand through his disheveled mane. “Waited until we parked before she blasted me with her magic and took off on foot.”

I can make out the faint smear of blood staining his forehead and my stomach knots. Rose.

“And you just let her go?”

“It's a miracle she didn't outright kill me, Catalina. By the time I came to, she was gone.”

My fists clench at my side. “So she escaped?”

“I didn't sign up to be a goddamn prison warden. She blindsided me, Ashe. What was I supposed to do?”

Dani steps forward before I can retort. “Is she okay?”

Marco frowns as he glances at the barista. “I didn't hurt her, if that's what you're asking.” His eyes sweep across the room and his frown depends. “What the hell happened here?”

“We had some uninvited guests.” Catalina pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales. “And more will show up soon if we don't leave now.” With a wave of her hand, she gestures to the staircase. “Since you're here, make yourself useful and go help Nadia pack. We're cutting our vacation short so I suggest you make sure not to leave anything incriminating behind. Ashe will take care of the rest.”

“I'm done being your lackey,” he growls, crossing his arms. “Pack up your own shit. I'll be in the car.”

As Nadia descends the stairs with our luggage in tow, I could not agree more.

“It is getting late,” the demon says as she adjusts the glasses on her nose, once again concealing the orbs of crackling lightning behind unassuming brown irises. “We should depart soon.”

“About how long does it take for emergency services to reach this neighborhood?”

Nadia tilts her head in thought. “Approximately ten minutes after a call is placed and a unit dispatched.”

“Good.” Catalina hums as she turns back to me. “Make sure it burns quickly, then. Public Affairs has their own resources at the local fire department so anything supernatural found during the investigation will be swept under the radar, but we don't need them putting out the fire before most of our evidence is destroyed.”

“Wait, you're going to set your own house on fire?”

Nadia flicks her gaze to Dani. “It is the only way to be sure.”

“But this is your home! What about all your things?” She glances at the suit of armor lying in pieces on the floor. “Your memories?”

“I am a demon, child. I hold no sentiment for material possessions.” Nadia's eyes find mine and her lips twitch ever so slightly. If I did not know any better, I would assume that she felt remorse for what needed to be done. “And they were not my memories.”

My chest tightens at her words. How did it all come to this? Why did everything in my life have to always end in fire and bloodshed?

“It's only stuff,” I say with a shrug, as if I were trying to convince myself. “It doesn't mean anything.”

Dani places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Ashe, we need to talk—”

“Come along, sweetling,” Catalina purrs from behind us. “Time is of the essence. Let's not waste it with idle chatter.”

I meet Dani's gaze and offer her a reassuring nod. “You'll be fine. I'll see you in a few hours, I promise.”

She looks about ready to argue. But, at Catalina's behest, the barista shakes her head and turns to follow the rest of them out the door. “Be careful,” she says over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine one last time. “Please.”

The soft click! of the front door closing resonates in the empty foyer like a gunshot. I turn around, glass crunching in the silence as I take in the mess around me. Three bodies, pieces of broken furniture, and the remnants of windows and shattered cabinets were strewn about the floor as blood seeped across the tile and painted the cracked walls in crimson splotches. The coppery stench of death hangs heavy in the air, an odor I was all too familiar with. It stains my clothes and slicks my skin.

Blood and fire. Everything I touch is tainted by blood and fire.

I stare at the chain link tattoo swirling over my arms, the silver ink glistening beneath a sheen of red. The Reaper's mark, the Tribunal's prized tool used to incite fear and inflict death. A weapon fit for a monster. I could not escape my sins even if I tried. I could never outrun the demon that lurks just beneath the surface, waiting to take over and devour whatever good is left in me.

'You are not the monster they want you to be.' But could she be so sure?

Gritting my teeth, I bite back that gnawing thought and get to work. This mess was not going to clean itself, and I did not want to waste any more time. I made a promise to Dani and I had every intention of keeping it.

I grab a few canisters of gasoline from Nadia's garage and slosh the fuel over every surface. I soak the townhouse from top to bottom before leading a trail of the flammable liquid into the heart of the kitchen. Nadia always preferred to cook on a gas stove; I used to joke that one day she would catch her house on fire if she was not careful. How ironic that my jest was about to come to fruition now.

Tossing the last empty can aside, I pull a box of matches from one of her kitchen drawers and light an ornate wax candle. Placing it on the edge of the counter, I reach behind the stove and yank the gas line free. Public Affairs usually handled these kinds of cover-ups, but I did not think that it would take long before the flame from the candle ignites the natural gas leaking into the air. It should at least buy me enough time to grab one last thing before the whole house was set ablaze. I was burned alive once before and I had no desire to suffer through that agony again.

I barely make it down the hall at the other end when the explosion rocks the home, rattling the walls and throwing me off-balance. Shit, that was fast!

With no time to spare, I quickly grab Nadia's painting from earlier and head back to the front. The fire was already spreading, following the watery trail that I had left behind as it traveled rapidly through the house, devouring anything it touched. I could only hope that it would do enough damage in the ten minutes Nadia said we had before help arrived to douse the inferno.

Something shimmers in the firelight and I watch with a heavy heart as the flames engulf Jeanne's suit of armor, lapping over the metal plate with a familiar hunger as they climb the walls and consume everything that stood in their destructive path, before making my way to the garage. Catalina was right, time was of the essence.

I click open the garage door and grab the last set of keys hanging on the wall. A small smirk dances on my lips as I toss the painting into the passenger seat of the sleek midnight black Jaguar E-Type and climb inside. Nadia did enjoy her classics, and as I turn over the ignition and rev the engine I was thankful that they left the faster of the two behind.

The serrated edge of a psychic knife presses against my neck before I can blink. What the—!

“Move one fucking muscle and I slice your throat wide open,” Rose hisses from the back seat and my blood spikes.

I did not have time for this bullshit!

“You know that won't kill me—” I grit my teeth as her blade bites deeper, sending a shiver rippling through my body and burning my skin.

Unlike the physical pain inflicted by normal blades, the condensed energy of a psychic knife afflicted the nervous system. It took practitioners of mind magic years of practice before they were able to mold such weapons with their talent and, despite the knife itself being only an illusion, the real damage stemmed from their minds as they tricked the body into attacking itself. With enough training a witch could become the masters of mind over matter, and I hated them all the more for it.

“No, it won't. But I bet it'll fucking hurt.”

“Thought you didn't practice mind magic.”

“So I borrowed a little juice from one of those Tribunal lackeys you killed.” She shrugs. “He wasn't using it anymore and it seemed like a waste of good energy.”

“Adding leeching to your list of offenses now, are we?” Another perversion of blood magic. Great, more dark arts.

“Oh, sweetie, it's a very long list. Leeching is the least of your worries.”

Jesus, she was relentless.

I flick my gaze to the rearview mirror. Even as the amethyst light from her stolen magic illuminates the small cabin, I can still sense the rage reflected in her eyes and swallow back the temptation to feed on it. “How'd you make it back?”

“Paul Bunyan didn't think to check the trunk before hightailing it back here. I was hoping to rescue Dani from your vamp whore but then those goons in suits showed up and, well, you did what you do best.” She tightens her grip as she leans forward. “I don't know how you managed to escape, but you won't get away twice.”

“You turn me over again and they'll kill Dani to get the ring. You know that!” The Reaper's mark crawls along my skin, itching to be set free, but I hold it back. No matter how badly I wanted to unleash my anger on her right now, Dani would not want this. “She's your friend, Rose. You don't want her to get hurt any more than I do.”

She takes a moment to consider my words; as the seconds tick by, my grip on the steering wheel tightens until my knuckles turn white from the suspense. What the hell was there to think about? She knows that I'm right!

“Fine,” Rose mutters at last, holding out her free hand. “Give me your phone. And no sudden moves or you'll be breathing through a hole in your neck for the next few hours.”

“Why do you need my phone?” But I oblige, anyway.

“You're going to miss your flight.” She takes the tiny brick from my hand with a disbelieving snort. “You carry a flip phone?”

“It's cost effective, given my line of work.”

“It's a relic. It belongs in a museum.” She taps a few buttons on the keypad and then tosses it down on the seat next to her. “Okay, it's a four-hour drive back to Trinity Valley. You have that long to convince me. And Dani better be in one piece when we get there or I swear I'll kill you, myself.”