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E ly strode through the marble halls of Outcast Tower, the government headquarters in Angor. He’d been trying to meet with Harmony, but either she was busy or he was on the job. Finally his boots pounded the tile leading to her office.

He shoved into a busy, noisy room. Scourges sat in front of computers, likely monitoring the various Ordeals around Angor. A few looked a little too excited by the violence they were seeing.

In the front of the room, at a table on a raised dais, sat his target. Multiple computer screens surrounded Harmony, but instead of watching anything, she leaned back in a desk chair, ankle boots cocked onto the table, filing her nails. She didn’t look busy, but maybe she was a multitasker.

When she spied Ely, she tossed the file onto the table, perched upright, and fluffed her long, honey-blonde hair. She batted the thick lashes framing sultry green eyes. “Ely, baby. You need me?”

He grinned. Harmony had that effect on him. Hell . She had that effect on everyone. It could be the snug, black leather jumpsuit that showed all her attributes, especially since the zipper was lowered to display the swells of her breasts. Mouth-watering view.

Once, when he asked her why she’d stayed on in Angor, she’d said it wasn’t as dull as the dimension of eternal sunshine and backstabbing Immortals. Ely suspected that was a half-truth. She was still doing penance. Guilt was a powerful motivator. Look at Dom.

“I need a minute of your time. If you’re not too busy,” he said.

“I’m not at the moment. Just kicking back after riding herd on asshole Scourges so they don’t do anything stupid. Since they’re Scourges, eventually, they do. Of course, shit could change in a moment. Drop anchor, Ely.” She pointed to a chair. “How’s the winged-assassin biz?”

“That’s why I’m here. I need your take on Scourges. How do they get assigned to the Ordeals?”

“I assume you mean the formal Ordeals that we run. Not the informal ones they heap on each other in their off-hours for shits and giggles.”

“Yep.”

“I have watchers and schedulers here. Watchers keep an eye on the Ordeals as they’re running. That’s the first three rows.” She pointed. “The last three rows are my schedulers. Using a list of all Scourges, divided according to their malady, they assign them to their punishments. I monitor the assignments and add newbies or delete the reformed ones from the master list. I have one worker who assigns pit bosses to run the Ordeals. He also monitors the trustees who manage businesses and so on.”

“So how does a Scourge get excused from an Ordeal?”

“Two ways. The OC gives me a jingle, and I pass the good news on to the Scourge’s scheduler. Or using my own judgment, I take a penitent out of the Ordeals when they are reformed or promoted to trustee.”

“This guy wasn’t reformed. How about a trustee or a pit boss? Can they excuse Scourges?”

“Nope.”

Ely puzzled the situation. The OneCreator had said he hadn’t excused Praevus from the Ordeals. “What if the OC didn’t, but the Scourge was excused anyway?”

Harmony arched a honey-colored brow. “Who are we talkin’ about?”

“Praevus. And he’s on the run.”

“Hmm.” She consulted a computer, tapping on a few keys. Disbelieving eyes shot up to fix on Ely. “His name’s not on the master list, but it should be.”

“Could his usual scheduler excuse him?”

“No, and if the Scourge figured out a way, it’d be a violation. Let’s have a chat with him.”

She grabbed Ely’s arm and dragged him to the fifth row. At the end was a Mind Rat tapping furiously on a keyboard.

“Rat, can you tell me why Praevus would be excused from the Ordeals?”

The male paused and glanced up. “No.”

Ely rested a palm on a dagger. “Elaborate.”

Returning to his computer, the Mind Rat entered Praevus’s name almost as if his life depended on it. It did. At first, he looked confused. Then he raised his white eyes. “He’s not on the assignment list.”

“I know,” said Harmony, her hand jerking to her hip, her elbow bent.

The Rat typed some more. “He’s been deleted.”

“Who deleted his name?” she asked.

The Mind Rat cleared his throat, “You did.”

Harmony raced to her computer setup, her fingers flying across the keyboard. “Sure enough. In his records, it looks as though I removed him from the scheduling master list, citing him as a reformed Scourge.” She tapped her head. “But I have a terrific memory and can tell you that the OC never cleared Praevus. And I sure as shit didn’t. I don’t do rebellious crap anymore. What the fuck’s going on? My system’s been hacked.”

She jacked to her feet, yelling at her Scourge workers, “I want the Mind Rat Praevus found and reassigned to his Ordeals. I want to know who erased him from the scheduling list.” They stared over the top of their computers, looking panicked, as if they were about to lose their trustee status. “Now!” she shouted.

The workers’ gazes shot to their screens, their fingers busy on keyboards.

Ely believed Harmony was innocent. He asked the next question. “Do you have any missing trustees?”

Her eyes widened. “How’d you know?”

“Who’s missing?”

“Serita. I put another trustee in her place when she didn’t show for work. I’ve had my henchmen looking for her. So far, nothing.” She gasped. “Damn. She’s Praevus’s boss.”

****

W ith a wing still arched over her head to shield her from the rain, Dom listened to Maddy’s rant about her shitty luck. But his mind was in free-fall.

Maddy was stalling, as if leaving this spot near the gateway admitted defeat. He wanted to comfort her but couldn’t. So he resisted stroking her burned arm. Instead, he drew parallels between what was happening to her now and his past. The comparison was inevitable. He hadn’t protected himself as well as he’d thought. After centuries of distancing himself from others, his life was collapsing around him because of a human female he’d allowed to touch his heart.

Angling his head, Dom studied Maddy. Even drenched, she was beautiful, but it was her spirit that had lured him. He couldn’t deny an attraction, not even with the boulder in his gut warning him to remain detached. She was becoming a Scourge, his nightmare relived.

In silence, Dom flew them home. Afterward, he left Maddy to soak in the tub while he waited in the salon for the Feard assassins to arrive, a drink in his hand, his legs stretched out as he slumped into a pillow and stared into the fire.

He was the meanest mutherfucking assassin, safe in his dark cloud, eschewing new friendships with Immortals. Then he allowed a human into his heart, and she was becoming the thing he dreaded most—a Scourge he may have to extinct.

Again. But he wouldn’t allow history to repeat itself.

Interrupting Dom’s dark thoughts, Remi flew in first, pausing to study Madeline when she stumbled into the salon in a thick, long cotton dressing gown. No shoes.

Others arrived in a flurry of activity—taking spots on pillows, pouring drinks, chatting. Ely flew in last, explaining he’d been busy meeting with Harmony.

Maddy collapsed onto a pillow beside Dom, but he was careful not to touch her. Though she needed comforting, he was unable or unwilling to offer it. And he suspected the others noticed. “Today, I tried to return Maddy to her home on Earth. We ran into problems.”

Before Dom could quiet his guests and explain, Indigo’s gryphon screeched, drawing everyone’s attention to the grassy area on the side of his home. A howl from Freki met Oskar’s cry. After each beast had expressed dismay over sharing the yard, they settled down to outstare each other.

Indigo jumped up, charging to the edge of the salon, screaming, “If I have to come out there, somebody’s gonna suffer.” When she returned, she sank into her cushion. “Ya gotta be tough with a gryphon. They can be hardheaded.”

Ely drew everyone back to the conversation. “Continue.”

Dom avoided Maddy’s loving glances and shook off her hand when she tried to stroke his arm. “I couldn’t get her through the gateway out of Angor.”

His visitors caught his aloofness because their questioning eyes flitted from one to the other.

“That’s big, right?” said Indigo, leaning against Ohngel, her palm idly resting on his thigh.

“She’s becoming a Scourge,” Dom blurted.

In slow-mo, Ohngel twisted toward Maddy, his eyes narrow slits. “Symptoms?”

“I have these baby fangs.” She opened her mouth, swiping her tongue lightly across her sharp canines. Pointing over her shoulder, she added, “Wings are growing, and I almost combusted when Dom tried to take me out of Angor.”

Indigo raised her hand. “Are we thinking Alarik’s guy Rath missed something? I can call him back.”

Ohngel, still staring, said, “This is not Praevus’s doing. He made her a Sycophant. He can’t make a Scourge.”

Ely nodded. “A Scourge is an Immortal who is infected with a malady. We don’t know why some are prone to it while others are not. Apparently, some claim they have urges, but when they fight them, the disease goes away. We do know it’s not infectious. I think the important question is, how can a human become a Scourge?”

Remi shifted on his cushion. “You’re right. Becoming a Scourge is a molecular change laid into our DNA. Immortal DNA. Even the OC claims ignorance on the subject. The burden of eternity or Chaos’s fault are the only guesses.” He glanced at Ely.

The oldest of the Feard, nodded.

Dom said, “All we have are questions. Who traveled to Earth and brought Maddy here through the gateway? How did Praevus get her? Who set him up in a swanky place and excused him from the Ordeals? Was there a female working with him? Who killed Ike? Who attacked Remi and why? Finally, who set Farce on us?”

“Farce?” asked Ohngel.

Dom explained, “Yeah. On the way to the gateway, six Scourges led by Farce attacked. They wanted Maddy. It was a paid gig.”

“Not that rehashing old shit isn’t entertaining, but Harmony answered a few questions,” said Ely. “The trustee Serita’s missing. And surprise, she’s Praevus’s boss. Anybody know her?”

“I do,” said Remi. “I had a capture order and dropped her in Angor. A Soul Sucker. Let’s assume Serita’s the mysterious female Maddy remembers, and she passed Maddy to Praevus. That answers one small question.”

Ohngel stretched his legs out and leaned back on an elbow. “Ely, how about Harmony? She can get through the gateway. Do you suspect she gave Maddy to Serita?”

“No, but she bears watching in case I’m wrong.”

Dom tossed back his drink, pushed off the pillow on the floor, and poured another. He remained at the bar, distancing himself from Maddy. “Interesting, but it doesn’t explain why Maddy’s a Scourge. Or how. Ohngel, did you arrange a meet with Michael yet?”

“He keeps avoiding me. Says soon. He’s busy.”

“Who isn’t? We need to see the OC again even though he laid the problem in our laps,” added Dom.

Madeline’s hands twisted in her lap. “I’m going with you to meet the OneCreator.”

“No,” blurted Dom. “You can’t. He’s in Vast. Besides, it’s too dangerous. He’s difficult, temperamental.”

Ohngel interrupted. “I just pathed him. He’s in Angor to visit Harmony and take care of biz.”

Dom growled. Great . Maddy could go along. More together time when he needed distance.

Maddy met his glare with no fear. “There. It’s settled. I’m going. I’m through allowing shit to happen to me. I want answers. I trust you to get them, but I’ll be tagging along. This is my life. Ouch.”

“What?” snapped Dom.

She cast a sorrowful expression at him. “Nothing. These damn fangs. I bit my lip. Let’s go.”

“Got Oskar, and I’m ready to ride,” said Indigo, unfolding from the floor pillow. “You really need better seating in here, Dom.”

He ignored Indigo. Though he reached out his arms and Madeline jumped onboard, he found no joy in carrying her. When they soared out of the salon, he reminded himself that she was just another Scourge.

Beyond the lake near Fear Mines, Outcast Tower came into view. It was gray, a mosaic of rocks, the colors varying from light to dark like the clouds above. High walls and round turrets stretched for the sky. The windows, small slits, didn’t let in much light. The overall effect was sinister. The Tower even had a drawbridge of ancient wood. Since Immortals had wings, he wasn’t sure who used it. Maybe merchants carted supplies in and out rather than flying air express.

From the air, they drifted into a central, open courtyard, alive with throngs of Scourges, hawking goods, chatting, hurrying to and fro, and begging. Some were clothed in rags. Some in finer clothing. Even among the punished in Angor there was a stratified society. The ragged poor who had newly arrived or who refused to earn a living. The middle class who got with the Ordeals, did their time, and kept their heads down. The upper class, the trustees who were about to be fully reformed.

Dom and his cohorts footed it from the large, crowded courtyard to the wide marble steps, weathered by time. They climbed to the palace’s interior.

The inside did not live up to the woeful out-of-doors. The halls were striking, lit by overhead lights. Probably because of Harmony’s touch, the walls were painted vibrant colors. The floor was made of dark, shiny stone slabs, here and there enlivened with rugs. Paintings showed eclectic tastes. Vases and figurines sat in cubby holes designed for them.

With Madeline stumbling as she tried to keep up, Dom stormed across the floors dragging her along, the thud of his boots echoing through the halls. The closer he got to the OC, the darker his mood. Slamming inside the meeting room, he snapped out his wings so fast she jumped forward to avoid them.

Dom had held himself in check as long as possible. Finally face-to-face with the OC, he shouted, “What the fuck did you do to Madeline?”