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CHAPTER FOUR

SAM

The Unseelie were weird as fuck.

So far, in my short few months in the world of non-humans, I’d been pretty shocked at how easily we blended into the human world. As someone who spent their entire life thinking they were just a regular human being, who didn’t know there was a real world out there with beings that were other , it was wild how assimilated they were. I could have been surrounded by witches, shifters, vampires, or Seelie fae for two decades and never would have known it. They knew how to blend. It was a fact I was happy to realize after discovering I wasn’t a human, because it meant I could live a normal life with the humans being ignorant. Blissfully ignorant. Even though I was a vampire now and had fangs, and an occasional need to drink blood—which I was a little nervous about since I hadn’t actually done it yet—I felt like I could walk through Disney World and no one would know I was different. At night, obviously.

But the Unseelie . . . they were just wrong.

Different.

Alien.

Being near them was deeply unsettling. This was the first night they were just here . In all my experience with them leading up to this moment, they’d been fighting or sneaking around. However, right now, the Unseelie Knights all just stood on Avolire’s snowy front lawn with their helmets off as they stared at the sky. Or the ground. Some of them just stared at the ground like something was going to happen. They were so entirely not human. It was hard to look at them, yet I couldn’t peel my eyes away. They didn’t blink, swallow, twitch, or fidget. Hell, they didn’t even seem to breathe. It was so strange. A cold chill slid down my spine. I shivered and spun away from where I hid to watch them—and crashed into something cold and hard.

I looked up and cursed.

One of them stood right in front of me, staring down at me with black eyes and an ice-cold expression. He didn’t move, just stood two inches in front of me like a marble statue and about as warm as one too. My body locked in place, afraid to move or breathe. There was no knowing what these guys would do to me. Lilith’s granddaughter or not, he looked like he wanted to eat me. Those black eyes were nearly solid. I tried to find the difference in the pupil from the iris, but it was like sinking into a pool of darkness. There was something intoxicating about him though, especially this close. His skin was perfect porcelain, not a pore or blemish in sight. The color was almost like a pearl that would reflect other colors around him. It made me want to grab him and move him around just to see his skin shimmer. His black hair fell straight down around his shoulders, and part of me wondered if it was as silky as it looked. But I needed to remember this wasn’t a vampire or anything earthly. This was something other.

Something alien.

Something intoxicating.

I found myself unable to move or breathe normally. All I could do was stare. And then it hit me. This is the one that attacked Frankie and that gray dragon. This is the one who attacked Tegan . But he was also the one who caught me as I plummeted toward the ground when Frankie’s attempts to kidnap me failed. I wanted to thank him, yet I was positive the granddaughter of Lilith didn’t thank people for being nice.

Villainy was just not natural for me.

He watched me for a long moment, then reached up and took a strand of my blonde hair between his thin fingers. He twirled a strand around his fingers and then dragged me flush against his body. I crashed into the silver armor strapped to his chest. My eyes barely reached his collarbones. He lifted his hand with a full fistful of my hair and held it up to his nose.

And smelled it.

My pulse quickened. I had no idea what this was about, so I just stayed still and silent.

Then he dropped my hair like it burned him and growled, his upper lip snarling up.

I swallowed roughly and pushed my shoulders back. “Excuse me,” I managed to say with some sharpness in my tone.

Then I all but ran down the hall and didn’t stop until I shut my bedroom door behind me. I knew something was wrong before I even turned around. The room was too dark, the air too cold and electric. I wasn’t alone. I took a deep breath and then spun—and choked on a gasp.

Asmodeus stood in the middle of my room . . . with Reuelle clutched to his side.

Reuelle looked the same as the last time I saw her—three days ago when I summoned her by accident when trying for a proper Heavenly angel. Her wings were black, but the long hair was navy-blue. She had golden topaz eyes and matching little horns of the same color, but they seemed to be made of the crystal itself. In the center of her forehead was a metallic gold symbol that seemed to be stuck to her skin or was part of her body. Those topaz eyes sparkled as they stared at me. The small smile on her face made me think maybe I wasn’t in trouble, yet the way she slowly, dramatically tapped her fingers on Asmodeus’s chest with those gold-pointed cages made me think I was about to die—and she was going to like watching.

And then I looked up and met the blazing, furious glare of Asmodeus. My stomach dropped out of my ass. Those green eyes glowed brighter than neon signs in Vegas, shining rays of green out like spotlights. Or maybe the light show came from the glowing orbs around his neck that were the same color as his eyes. He crossed those thick arms over his chest. Reuelle leaned her face against his shoulder and moved her tapping fingers to his forearms.

My heart pounded against my ribs and my palms instantly grew sweaty. I licked my lips and gave a small bow of my head. “ Angels , what may I do for you?”

His nostrils flared and I heard the sound of his knuckles cracking.

My lungs burned, which meant I’d stopped breathing. Those black horns on his head shimmered. I took a step back just as black smoke swirled in front of me.

Everest. Relief washed through me at the sight of Everest standing between me and trouble . . . until I saw his face. I opened my mouth, but he held his pale hand up. His whole eye flashed red for a split second before returning to his normal white and blue.

He turned his back to me and faced the fallen angels. “Explain yourselves.”

Asmodeus snarled. “Keep your betrothed out of my stuff.” His voice was deep and gravelly.

Everest scoffed. “Spare me. You left that journal out where you knew she would find it. You got what you wanted. You’re no better than Azazel. Where is he by the way?”

Asmodeus stomped forward until he was inches from Everest, then growled, “ Don’t threaten me, child .”

But Everest had courage of steel. He was the only person who would’ve dared to lean into Asmodeus and growl back, “ Take your games to someone who can’t see through them. You got what’s yours, now leave mine alone."

Reuelle’s smile turned devious as she sashayed up to Asmodeus. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and nibbled on his shoulder. “I know what I want . . .” Then she dropped her arms and sauntered toward me.

I froze.

She let out a deep chuckle and tapped that gold metal cage on her fingertip against my chin. “This one already did us a favor. We can give her a pass. Come, love.”

Asmodeus rumbled and then stomped after her, leaving me alone with Everest. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off by grabbing my arm and dragging me into his shadows. When the darkness gave way to light again, we were in Everest’s room, though it looked a little more bare than the last time I’d seen it. Odd.

“Everest—”

“ What were you thinking? ” He spun on me, his fingers digging into my arm. “Explain this to me, Sam. I thought I made myself clear the first time you summoned angels.”

I opened my mouth, then shut it. It took me another breath to get my voice calm so I didn’t reveal just how afraid I’d just been. “You weren’t here, okay? You left to go watch Frankie and I made a mistake. I was trying to hide from Astaroth and Mammon and accidentally wound up in Asmodeus’s room. Then I spotted a spell book, and inside it said to summon an angel and I thought . . . I thought . . .”

“ You thought what, Sam?” Everest said through clenched teeth. He ducked his head to meet my eyes. “You thought you, Lilith’s granddaughter, could summon an angel from Heaven all by yourself?”

“We summoned fallen angels?—”

“ Not alone! ” He backed away and pushed his hands into his white hair. “It took three Coven members to summon Asmodeus, then he used Leviathan to summon Azazel. And if you recall, it took five of you to summon Astaroth, Soneillon, and by side effect, Mammon. You can’t just summon a Heavenly angel, Sam.”

“Why not?” I asked before I could stop myself. “They’re also angels.”

“They fell for a reason. The power required and the process is entirely different.” Everest took a deep breath, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “You cannot summon an angel from Heaven?—”

“Me in general or anyone?—”

“Anyone.” He put his hands on his hips and stared at me. “Only blood from Heaven can tap into the power from Heaven required to call upon another. Please hear my words, Sam. Do not ever try again. In fact, don’t summon anything unless you are forced to and your life depends on it.”

“I just wanted to help. I wanted to get them help?—”

“I know,” he said with a sigh that sounded exhausted. “But you cannot fall for their tricks. You don’t know what you’re doing out there.”

I held my chin high. “I know revealing your soulmate mark wasn’t smart. You’re welcome for concealing it, by the way.”

His face paled. He balled his hands into fists at his side. “That’s different”

I rolled my eyes and banged on my chest. “I am man. Hear me roar. How dare another man be near my woman?—”

“ Fuck, Sam. That’s not?—”

“Yes, it was.” I pointed at him. “I saw the mark on Cooper Bishop. I heard Sweyn’s reaction to the mark. You lost your ever-loving shit thinking your soulmate thought Cooper was her mate. You couldn’t handle it and endangered her in the process.”

“You’re right.” He hung his head and shook it. “That was my mistake, triggered by emotions, and I appreciate you covering me and protecting her. Thank you.”

I blinked and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“But you will not survive this if you don’t make smarter decisions.”

“What if I don’t want to survive?” I cleared my throat. There, I said it. I voiced it.

He scrubbed his face with his hands, then stepped closer to me. His voice lowered, “Then you better make sure one of Heaven’s warriors uses angelic magic to kill you so Mother cannot torture you for eternity in her realm. If you want out, truly out, then run headfast into Heavenly power. That and only that will give you peace.”

My jaw dropped. But then I shook myself and licked my lips. “I’m trying here, dammit.”

“ We’re almost out of here, Sam ,” he whispered. Then, to my surprise, he reached up and squeezed my shoulder affectionately. “Just lie low and follow my lead. Try to stay out of the way and out of their beds. If you fly under the radar, I will get you out of here.”

“I promise I’m trying.”

He watched me carefully for a moment. “Even if I get out of here before you, if I can’t take you with me when I go, I will come back for you. No one on Heaven’s side is going to abandon you here. Do you understand?”

Tears pooled in my eyes. I nodded.

“I understand you have no choice when Sweyn demands things, but don’t do anything on your own. No more summoning, okay?”

I nodded again. “No more summoning.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Have you fed?”

My eyes widened. “No. I . . . I was wondering about that.”

“You won’t need to as often as the others, because of Lilith, but I would not go more than two weeks between feedings because you’ll need to be at your strongest at all times. Drinking vampire blood will sustain you, but drinking blood from humans makes you stronger.”

My eyes widened. “Hence the pets.”

He nodded. “You are also a witch, so if you can feed from a witch, that would be beneficial for you. If you feed from a human here, Sweyn will expect you to kill them. Prepare yourself for the inevitable task. But to avoid it, feed from vampires.”

“Like who? Does it have to be a male?”

“No, gender is irrelevant when it comes to blood.” He pulled off his white blazer and tossed it onto the bed, then he started rolling up his shirt sleeve. “Braison, Malik, Shi-shi, and Katelin are all safe to feed from. Your best options are me or Saber, if possible. Come sit.”

I sat in the chair next to him without hesitation. “Wait, you said two weeks. I’ve been here longer than that?—”

“And I’ve been feeding you through glasses of wine.” He tucked his sleeve above his elbow.

“Wait, we’re doing this now ?” My face flushed. “I can wait. I feel okay.”

He arched one eyebrow at me. Without breaking eye contact, he lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit himself. Red blood rushed to the surface. “Are you sure?”

My fangs dropped down and stabbed my bottom lip. They tingled like little vibrations ran through them. My stomach cramped instantly, and my mouth went bone-dry. The muscles in my legs pulsed. I gripped the seat of the chair. My breaths were tighter and harsher, like I had to struggle more to get oxygen all of a sudden. “What . . . what happened?”

He sat on the edge of the table in front of me and rested his hand on his leg. “It’s been too long. The smell of blood caused a visceral reaction. Another two days and it wouldn’t have taken blood to trigger you. A strong pulse or strong perfume would’ve been primal for you.”

My eyes widened.

“Drink, Sam.”

I didn’t think twice. My body had started screaming the moment he punctured his vein. My mind was a tornado of thoughts, but the moment his blood hit my tongue, all of that noise just vanished. It was like someone hit the mute button. I sighed against his wrist and let my eyes fall closed as the tension in my body eased more and more with every swallow. His blood tasted like an expensive merlot.

He let out a deep sigh just as the bedroom door opened. When it clicked shut softly, I opened my eyes and peeked up just as Saber and Malik strolled inside. They glanced down to my mouth on Everest’s wrist, but it seemed more of an observation than anything else.

Everest threw his other hand out and flexed his fingers. Thick, dark smoke billowed from the ground until it made a large circle as tall as him. That girl with the side braid stepped out and stretched her arms. The faded gray Roman numeral XV on her arm told me who she was, even though I’d heard her name whispered from Tennessee’s mouth. This was Libby Tarbell, the former Devil Card before Deacon. Everest arched one eyebrow.

Libby’s silver eyes flashed as she nodded. “It’s done.”

There was a gasp from behind Malik, then Braison sped around him, his red and green eyes wide and his face pale. “Libby. It is you. God, I was afraid to believe my own eyes or Tenn.”

Libby glanced over, then did a double take. Her face fell. “brAISON.”

She squealed and raced for him. He met her halfway, stumbling toward her. They tackled each other in a violent hug. Braison let out a little strangled cry that was muffled by his face buried in her shoulder. His hands gripped her body tightly as they rocked back and forth.

Braison pulled back, his hands on her shoulders, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I can’t believe you’re alive. We . . . losing you was . . . really hard. God, Tenn was a mess after.”

“Yeah, I know. I didn’t know that was how I was coming back. Probably not the smoothest re-entry for my family, eh? Prince of Darkness?” Libby glanced over her shoulder with a twinkle in her silver eyes. She winked, then turned back to Braison and shoved his upper lip up. “Look at those fangs, B.”

Braison blushed.

Libby nodded. “Vampire is a good look for you. Hella hot, my friend.”

"How are you alive, Libby?” He looked to Everest. “How?”

Everest cleared his throat. “For your safety, it’s best you not know the how for now.”

“For now we need to focus on getting the hell out of here.” Libby turned to face us, pushing her side braid over her shoulder. “I want to see my family and find out everything I’ve missed.”

Saber let out a haggard sigh and sat on the edge of Everest’s bed. But she didn’t speak.

Malik couldn’t stand still. He kept rubbing his hands together and shifting his weight around. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he said softly.

“That’s enough.” Everest tapped my shoulder, forcing me to lift my mouth off his wrist so he could seal the wound shut. “You okay now?”

My cheeks lit on fire, so I had to be blushing. I licked my lips and wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand. “Yes, sorry, I got caught up in watching them.”

He nodded and gave me a small smile. Then he turned to the others without getting up. “I don’t disagree with you, Malik, yet I fear it is going to get much, much worse before we make our escape.”

Saber stared at the wall with a stone-cold expression on her face. “What do you need from us?”

Everest scratched his jaw. “Normally I make these plans myself, but we’re beyond that stage so I am entrusting you all in our planning. The Unseelies are here, and earlier than I had hoped, so we need a plan for how to handle this from the inside and then we need about five back-up plans for when things go wrong.”

A soft knock on the door echoed around the somewhat empty room.

Everest flicked his hand and the door opened to reveal that purple-haired vampire named Katelin. Wait, Everest said she was one I could trust. Remember her face.

Katelin stepped inside and grimaced. “Sorry, Sweyn sent me to retrieve you. She requests your company immediately.”

“Thanks.” Everest stood and marched to the door. “Let’s go, everyone.”

Katelin fell in line behind him with Saber, Libby, and the boys on her heels. I stumbled ahead after them. My emotions were a tangled, jumbled mess. Part of me was desperately awaiting the night I could escape this hellhole. The other part of me felt obligated to stick around to help The Coven in the future.

I was a little lost in my own thoughts as we walked, so it wasn’t until Everest stepped up beside me with his hand on the small of my back that I noticed where we were. He guided me to Sweyn’s throne, then slid his hand over to my hip.

“Sweyn.”

She smiled and those solid red eyes were nightmare fuel in this expression. I peeled my eyes off of her for a break and instead my gaze landed on rows and rows of Unseelie Knights. They just stood there in lines with their silver armor, helmets with fake hair attached, and that alien behavior.

Sweyn licked her lips and crossed one leg over the other, no doubt to try and seduce Everest. “Sorry to bother you after such an exhausting night, but I’d like you to meet my elder brother, the Prince.”

A man stepped up beside her throne and crossed toned arms over his black leathery armor type thing. Those solid black eyes landed on me in an instant. I recognized him immediately. He was the one I crashed into out front. The one who smelled my hair and growled about it. If it wasn’t for Everest’s hand on my waist, I wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to take a few steps back.

Especially as he just stared at me.

Sweyn purred like a spoiled house cat. “Don’t be rude. Tell them your name, Brother.”

“I think not.” His voice was smooth like whiskey on ice, like danger.