Page 12 of Soulmarked (Hellbound and Hollow #1)

11

HOME SWEET HELL

I slouched in the passenger seat of Cade's sleek government-issue car, boots propped on the dashboard just to see him wince. My side still ached where the fetches had caught me.

“Dude, seriously? Feet off.” Cade's face did that pinched thing it always does when he's trying to maintain his federal composure.

I smirked but complied, adjusting my leather jacket instead. “Turn left at the next crossroads. And try not to hit any of the things you can't see.”

“You know what would be helpful? Actual directions instead of cryptic warnings.” Cade's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as we passed a spectral figure that only I could see.

“Where's the fun in that?” But I straightened up as we approached the first barrier. “Slow down here.”

The air shimmered like heat waves, though the night was cold enough to see our breath. Ancient wards created patterns that I'd seen in my nightmares since childhood. I felt them recognize me, the prodigal son, returning to the fold with his shiny new partner.

“You feel that?” I asked, genuinely curious about how much Mr. Federal Agent could perceive.

“Like static electricity,” Cade muttered, rolling those broad shoulders beneath his too-proper jacket. “And something pushing against my skin.”

Interesting. Most civilians wouldn't notice anything until we were deep in Hallow's territory.

The asphalt rippled under our tires like a living thing, and Cade's eyes widened. “Jesus?—”

“Not quite.” I couldn't help the cocky grin. “Though I hear he visited once. Didn't stay long.”

“Do you ever give a straight answer?”

“Do you ever loosen that tie?”

We passed another barrier, this one strong enough to make the piece of shit of a car's, sorry, the government sedan's, electronics flicker. Cade handled it with the same precision he applied to disassembling his gun or analyzing a crime scene.

“You're taking this well,” I observed.

“Not my first rodeo with weird.” He glanced at me. “Though usually I'm not being led into the heart of it by an irritating Irishman.”

“Careful now,” I drawled, letting my accent thicken. “You'll hurt my feelings.”

“You'd have to have feelings first.”

I laughed despite myself. This was why Cade was dangerous, he made me forget to keep my walls up. Made me want things I couldn't afford to want.

The trees pressed closer, branches reaching over the road like grasping fingers. Somewhere in the darkness, something howled. Not a wolf, not quite.

“Hallow's trained hunters here for centuries,” I found myself saying. “Everything you see, everything you don't, it's all designed to keep normal people out and train the ones who make it in.”

“And which were you?”

The question hit closer to home than he probably intended. “Neither. I was something else entirely.”

Cade absorbed that, handling another reality shift in the road with impressive skill. “That why you left?”

“Partly.” I watched shadows move between the trees, remembering endless training sessions, learning to kill before I learned to drive. “Hallow has... methods. Ways of doing things. Not everyone agrees with them.”

“Including you?”

I turned to study him properly. In the dashboard's soft light, his profile was all sharp angles and quiet determination. The kind of face that could make a man forget his carefully constructed rules.

“You're asking a lot of questions for someone who never answers any himself.”

“Maybe I'm just trying to figure out if I'm making a mistake.”

“Oh, you definitely are.” I smiled, but there was no humor in it.

We were getting close now. I could feel the old magic getting stronger, pressing against my skin like a forgotten embrace. Part of me wanted to turn back, to keep Cade away from this world of blood and shadows and ancient obligations.

But he'd chosen this path the moment he called me. And whatever was hunting in our city, whatever game Phoenix was playing, we needed Hallow's resources to stop it.

Even if bringing him here felt like feeding him to wolves.

“Almost there,” I said as we approached the final barrier. This one would hurt. “Try not to crash when it hits.”

The wave of power slammed into us like a physical force. Cade cursed but kept the car steady, even as reality seemed to bend around us. When it passed, the world ahead had changed. Where there had been only forest, now a sprawling compound emerged from the darkness.

“What the—” Cade's hands tightened on the wheel.

“Relax,” I drawled, already shifting my position. Casual to anyone watching, but placing myself between Cade and where I knew Kieran would appear. “Just the welcoming committee.”

Right on cue, a figure materialized from the shadows. Kieran hadn't changed, still wore those ridiculous leather pants, still moved like every step was a threat assessment. His eyes, silver in the darkness, fixed on Cade with predatory interest.

“Sean Cullen,” he said, Irish accent thicker than mine. “Bringing strays home now, are we?”

I kept my posture loose, ready. “Kieran. Still dramatic as ever, I see.”

Cade, to his credit, didn't flinch. He met Kieran's gaze steadily, and I felt a flash of pride I had no right to. Most people couldn't handle a Hallow gatekeeper's full attention without breaking.

“Agent Cross, CITD,” Cade introduced himself, his tone professional but with that edge of defiance I'd come to expect.

Kieran's smile showed too many teeth. “A fed? Really, Sean?”

“He's with me.” I let just enough warning color my voice. Kieran might be Hallow's attack dog, but he knew better than to challenge me directly.

“Is he now?” Kieran circled the car, and I tracked his movement, muscles coiled beneath my casual stance. “And does he know what that means here?”

Cade stepped out of the car. The movement was smooth, controlled, not aggressive, but not submissive either. Perfect balance.

“Why don't you tell me?” Cade's voice carried just the right mix of respect and challenge.

I bit back a smile as Kieran's eyebrows rose. Cade had an instinct for these power plays that couldn't be taught.

“Well,” Kieran chuckled, “at least he's got spine.” He waved a hand, and the car's engine rumbled back to life. “Welcome to Hallow, Agent Cross. Try not to die.”

As we drove through the gates, I caught Cade's sidelong glance. “Friend of yours?”

“Kieran? He's a right bastard, but he's good at his job.” I settled back in my seat, still monitoring our surroundings. “Which is keeping things like me in line.”

“Things like you?”

I smiled without humor. “You'll see.”

The town proper emerged from the darkness like a memory made real. Ancient buildings mixed with modern security, magic and technology interweaving in harmony.

“Stay close,” I murmured as we parked. “And try not to stare at anything that stares back.”

We walked the cobblestone streets, my feet remembering paths I'd run countless times as a child. Every corner held a memory: here's where I learned to throw knives, there's where I killed my first vampire, that's where Eli and I used to sneak cigarettes between training sessions.

The magic felt different around Cade. Usually, Hallow's wards pressed against outsiders like a physical weight, trying to drive them out. But with him, they seemed almost... curious. Like they recognized something in him they couldn't quite place.

Watchers followed our progress from windows and rooftops. I cataloged each presence automatically, three senior hunters, a handful of trainees, at least one of the things we kept around for practice. All assessing, measuring, judging.

“They're not subtle, are they?” Cade muttered.

“They don't need to be.” I guided him around a corner, noting how he automatically matched my pace. “This is their territory. We're just visiting.”

“And how many visitors make it out?”

Clever boy. “Enough to keep it interesting.”

The Council chambers loomed ahead, a Victorian mansion that hadn't changed since I was a child. As we climbed the steps, I wanted to warn him, to explain just how dangerous this meeting could be. But that would only make things worse.

Rowan waited in the grand hall, exactly as I remembered her. Time didn't touch the Council's leader. Her ageless face turned toward us, power rolling off her in waves that made my teeth ache.

“Sean,” she said, voice like honey over broken glass. “The prodigal returns.”

“Rowan.” I inclined my head slightly. “Meet Agent Cross.”

Her eyes fixed on Cade, and I fought the urge to step between them. This was his test, his moment to prove he belonged here.

“A federal agent,” she mused, “in the heart of Hallow. How... unprecedented.”

Cade met her gaze without flinching. “Desperate times.”

“Are they?” She glided closer, and I tensed despite myself. “And what makes you think we care about your desperation?”

“Because whatever's hunting in New York isn't staying hidden anymore.” Cade's voice was steady, certain. “And when the public starts noticing, your comfortable anonymity disappears.”

I kept my face neutral, but pride bloomed in my chest. Perfect answer, acknowledging their authority while making it clear he understood the bigger picture.

Rowan's lips curved slightly. “You bring interesting pets, Sean.”

“He's not a pet.” The words came out sharper than intended.

“No?” Her smile widened. “Then what is he?”

I felt Cade shift beside me, ready to respond, but Rowan raised a hand.

“The Council will see you now.” She turned, robes swirling. “Try to be more entertaining than the last outsiders we judged.”

As we followed her deeper into the mansion, I caught Cade's eye. He nodded slightly. This wasn't just a meeting. It was a trial.

“Before we begin,” Cade said, his voice echoing in the marble hallway, “I need to ask about someone who claims to be a hunter. Calls himself The Guardian.”

Every muscle in my body tensed. That name hit like a punch to the gut, dragging up memories I'd rather forget. The Guardian, Hallow's dirty little secret, the cautionary tale they told recruits about what happened when you broke the code.

Rowan stopped mid-stride, her perfectly composed mask cracking just slightly. “Where did you hear that name?”

“Recent victim mentioned paying him for protection.” Cade's eyes flickered to me, noting my reaction. “Didn't work out well for them.”

I couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped. “No, it wouldn't have. The Guardian's a fraud. A disgrace.” I spat the words like poison. “He takes money from desperate people, promises them safety from things they don't understand, then disappears when the real monsters show up.”

“You know him.” It wasn't a question.

“Knew,” I corrected, watching Rowan's face carefully. “Damian O'Brien. Used to be one of our best before he decided selling fake protection was more profitable than actually hunting.”

Rowan's expression darkened. “That name is not spoken here.”

“Why?” Cade pressed, either brave or stupid. Maybe both. “Because he betrayed your code, or because he knows something Hallow wants to keep buried?”

Smart. Too smart for his own good.

“Careful, Agent Cross.” Rowan's voice carried ice. “Curiosity has a price here.”

“People are dying,” Cade countered. “Whatever game O'Brien's playing, it's connected to something bigger. Something that has Phoenix Pharmaceuticals hiring vampires and marking victims with ancient sigils.”

That got Rowan's attention. Her eyes narrowed, power crackling in the air around us. “Show me.”

Cade pulled out his field notebook, flipping to the detailed pencil rubbings he'd made at the Sullivan crime scene. Even in graphite, the symbols seemed to pulse with malevolent intent, old magic, the kind Hallow usually kept under lock and key.

“My phone wouldn't work at the scene,” Cade explained as he spread the rubbings across the table. “Had to do it the old way. These were hidden under the desk, carved into the wood.”

“Jaysus,” I muttered, piecing it together.

Rowan studied the carefully traced symbols, her ageless face unreadable. “Perhaps it's time for a history lesson.” She gestured toward heavy wooden doors at the end of the hall. “The true history of Hallow.”

The Council chamber beyond was exactly as I remembered, stone walls covered in ancient weapons and older warnings, the air thick with centuries of power. As we entered, I fought the urge to cross myself. Some habits die hard, even for lapsed Catholics.

The room wasn't empty. Along the crescent-shaped table sat the five remaining members of Hallow's High Council, their faces etched with the gravity of their purpose. Elder Tomas, his weathered hands folded before him; Lady Verity with her blind eyes that somehow missed nothing; Colonel Harker, still in military posture despite being decades retired; Dr. Li, whose medical expertise had saved countless hunters; and the newest member, Isaiah Reed, dark-skinned and sharp-eyed, the only one under fifty.

They watched our entrance in calculating silence, weighing and measuring Cade with gazes that had assessed threats for longer than he'd been alive.

“Hallow wasn't created to hunt monsters,” I explained, watching Cade take in the room's oppressive atmosphere and its imposing occupants. “It was created to prevent war.”

“What kind of war?” Cade asked, his voice steady despite the scrutiny.

“The kind that would end your world.” I moved to one of the tapestries depicting scenes from that first conflict. “Thousands of years ago, something tried to break through from... elsewhere. Something old. Hungry. It nearly succeeded.”

“We lost half our number in that first battle,” Elder Tomas added, his Irish accent thicker than mine. “Before we even called ourselves Hallow.”

Cade absorbed this, his mind working faster than most. I could almost see him connecting dots, fitting this new information into patterns he'd already discovered.

“The wards around the city,” he said slowly. “They're not just for protection. They're containing something.”

“Perceptive,” Lady Verity murmured, her blind eyes somehow finding Cade's face. “Most don't grasp that so quickly.”

Pride mixed with concern in my chest. He was good at this, too good. But some truths were dangerous to know.

“Smart boy,” Rowan purred, but her eyes were sharp. “Perhaps too smart.”

Isaiah Reed leaned forward, his voice carrying the baggage of his former life as a prosecutor. “The question becomes whether that intelligence serves Hallow's purpose or works against it.”

“The barriers between worlds are thin in places,” I continued, choosing my words carefully. “New York sits on a convergence of ley lines, making it... vulnerable. Hallow was founded to guard those weak points, to prevent anything from crossing over.”

“And now someone's trying to open them again,” Cade concluded. “Using these marks, these sacrifices...”

“The Guardian's victims,” I added grimly. “He's not just marking them for death. He's marking them for something worse.”

Colonel Harker's fist came down on the table. “This is precisely why outsiders should remain outside. Knowledge without the proper context is dangerous.”

Dr. Li raised a calming hand. “Yet here he stands, having discovered more in weeks than many find in years. Perhaps we should consider that the old ways of secrecy are no longer serving us.”

Rowan moved to the center of the room, silencing the brewing debate with her presence alone. “The question, Agent Cross, is why you're really here. Are you seeking answers, or absolution?”

“Neither,” Cade replied, meeting her gaze steadily. “I'm here because whatever's happening in my city is bigger than jurisdictional disputes or ancient grudges. And if working with Hallow means stopping it, then that's what I'll do.”

I watched him carefully, noting the steel in his spine, the quiet determination that made him both fascinating and dangerous. He wasn't afraid, not of Rowan's power, not of Hallow's secrets, not even of the truth unfolding before him.

“Tell me exactly what The Guardian promised your victim,” I said, leaning against an ancient weapons rack with practiced casualness. Inside, every instinct was on high alert.

Cade pulled out Sullivan's journal, and I watched the other Hallows shift uncomfortably as he read. “Protection from 'the hungry ones.' Said he could ward off whatever was hunting them. Charged them fifty grand for the privilege.”

“Fifty grand?” I whistled low. “O'Brien's prices have gone up.”

“That's not the interesting part.” Cade opened the journal to a marked page. “Sullivan wrote that The Guardian seemed scared. Said something was 'changing the game.' And look at this.” He showed us a crude drawing of a symbol. “The same mark we found at Phoenix's research sites.”

Rowan's face went still in that way that meant serious trouble. The other Council members exchanged glances heavy with meaning. I'd seen that look before, right before Dublin went to hell.

“O'Brien's a con man,” I said carefully, “but he's not stupid. If something scared him enough to get sloppy...”

“Phoenix Pharmaceuticals,” one of the Council members muttered. “Always pushing boundaries they shouldn't.”

“They're buying up properties along ley lines,” Cade continued. “And now they're connected to murders bearing marks that look suspicious.”

I straightened, pieces clicking together. “O'Brien wouldn't know those symbols unless...”

“Unless someone taught him,” Rowan finished. Her power crackled through the room like static. “Someone with access to the old texts.”

Well, shite. This just got considerably more complicated.

“So either O'Brien's working with Phoenix,” I mused, watching Cade's quick mind work through implications, “or he's running from them. Either way...”

“We need to find him,” Cade finished.

“We?” I asked, letting my accent thicken. “Getting awful cozy with pronouns there, fed.”

“You know his patterns and his location. I bring manpower” Cade met my gaze steadily. “Seems like a natural partnership.”

“Partnership comes with conditions.”

“Of course it does.” His slight eye roll shouldn't have been as endearing as it was.

“You follow my lead when it comes to Hallow business.” I straightened up. “I know you can handle yourself but O'Brien's our problem to deal with.”

Something flickered in his eyes at the mention of his past, but he didn't flinch. “I don't take orders well.”

“Really? Never would have guessed.”

Rowan watched our exchange with shrewd assessment. “If you pursue this, you do so independently. Hallow cannot be officially involved.”

“When have I ever needed official sanction?” I asked.

Her smile was cold. “That's precisely what concerns me.” She turned to Cade. “And you, Agent Cross? Are you prepared to face what O'Brien might reveal? Some secrets are kept for good reason.”

“With respect,” Cade replied, “I've been keeping secrets since I was eight. I can handle a few more.”

“Well then,” I said, forcing lightness into my tone, “fancy a road trip to Millbrook? I'll even let you drive.”

“How generous.”

“I'm known for my giving nature.”

But as we headed out, plans were already forming in my mind. Ways to handle O'Brien without exposing Cade to unnecessary risk. Exit strategies if things went south. Because something told me this wasn't just about a rogue Hallow member or corporate conspiracies.

This was bigger. And whatever game Phoenix was playing with ancient symbols and hungry creatures, something told me we were about to step right into the middle of it.

At least the company would be interesting.

Assuming O'Brien didn't get us both killed first.