Requiem

I reached for my gun, but a warm hand encircled my wrist. “She’s a brave little pistol, isn’t she?”

If it weren’t for the voice, I would have expected to turn and see Jared standing behind me. The same warm skin, the smell , the blonde hair—but his eyes were a lighter blue than Claire’s—almost white. He was so tal I had to take a step back just to get a good look at him.

“Isaac?” I whispered.

He smiled, and then smirked at Donovan. “I’m famous.”

“And dead if we don’t get the hel outta here. They wouldn’t leave her alone.”

“Of course not,” Isaac said calmly. “But we’l play.”

Isaac and Donovan led us down the al ey to a waiting car. Isaac wasn’t nearly as gentle as the other celestial beings I’d met. It shouldn’t have surprised me; a Hybrid that protected a man who worked for demons had to have been so far detached from his origins and core beliefs. I didn’t dare attempt to let my mind linger on what he was capable of.

After tying both of our hands behind our backs, Donovan hit Ryan on the head with the butt of his gun, and after a short crack, Ryan fel limp. Isaac slipped a black cover over his head, and then tossed him into the back seat of the car. Ryan’s head fel against the door on the other side.

“Don’t!” I said, recoiling.

Isaac smiled, and then shoved the same black covering over my head, tenderly helping me to a spot next to Ryan.

“I don’t tolerate violence against women,” Isaac said.

A part of me was relieved, but knowing they meant to kil me, I obsessed about the meaning behind Isaac’s words for the entire trip to our destination.

Stil blinded by the fabric over my face, I was pul ed out of the car, and then escorted up a short flight of stairs. We paused for a moment, but quickly continued after the sound of a creaking door.

“More stairs,” Isaac said, patiently waiting for me to find my footing. Our footsteps echoed against a hardwood floor, and then I was seated.

The fabric was lifted from my face. Instinctively I gathered my surroundings. The room was large, and as my eyes scanned over the axes and swords that hung on the wal s, absolute horror struck me.

“This is Shax’s building,” I gasped.

“Yes,” Isaac said. “The last place you’l ever see.”

I swal owed, hard. Isaac’s voice was so pleasant; almost maniacal. His soft tone, coupled with the absence of al humanity in his eyes, was beyond frightening.

“Nina?”

I rotated my neck to its limit to see Ryan sitting in a chair directly behind me, his back to mine. “Are you okay, buddy?” I said.

Blood saturated his hair line just above the temple. “Besides my head throbbing so hard my eyebal feels like it’s going to pop out? Peachy.”

He squinted, obviously in pain.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I growled at Donovan.

“That’s the beauty of it,” Donovan smiled.

“Where’s Shax?” I asked.

“Whoa, there, Cupcake. Don’t be in such a hurry to die,” Donovan said, scribbling something on a notepad sitting on the desk. “He’l be here soon enough.”

Isaac stood before me, and then crouched just a few inches from my face. “I knew Jared as a child. Did he tel you that? I remember the way he spoke of you. Now that I see you,” he said, gently touching my cheek, “I can’t fathom what he sees in you that is so special. You are such a plain little thing.”

“Ow!” I yelped, looking down.

Isaac dug his thumbnail into my wrist, and blood oozed from the half-moon-shaped gouge.

“Leave her alone!” Ryan said, jerking in his seat.

Isaac licked the crimson liquid from my arm. “I thought maybe it was something I couldn’t see. Merovingian, and nothing to set you apart from the rest of them. Very disappointing.”

I lowered my chin and glared up at him. “Like you must be to your father. With al of your amazing talents and abilities, and you’re a sel out—a sycophant for the other side.”

Isaac reared his hand and let it fly, back-handing me so hard I fel over onto my side, crashing to the floor in the chair I was tied to.

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Ryan screamed, wildly struggling to get free.

“So much for not tolerating violence,” I groaned.

“That was just a warning,” Isaac said, setting me upright. “I have less tolerance for disrespect.” He slowly leaned in, kissing my forehead.

“Let’s go,” Donovan snapped. “They’l be here soon.”

Isaac nodded, and then they were gone.

“You okay?” Ryan said, scooting his chair until I was in his line of sight.

“I’m not going to lie. That hurt.”

Ryan leaned in, inspecting the bump quickly rising above my eyebrow. “Jared’s going to be pissed.”

“I’m sure he already is.”

“They should be here by now. Something’s wrong. Jared said if they weren’t here within a few minutes, that I should get you out of here.”

I looked around. “We can’t leave. There’s a safe behind that desk, in the wal . The book is in there.”

“How do you know?”

Ryan’s wrists and feet were tied to his chair like mine, and he pul ed and twisted his arms, ineffectively attempting to escape.

“Jack told me. We have to get into that safe.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Did Jack tel you how to do that if you’re tied to a chair? Because I got nothing.”

I sighed. “Didn’t the Special Forces teach you anything?”

Ryan smiled. “Yeah: Keep a knife with you at al times.” He wiggled his right leg. “In my boot.”

The chairs complained against the wood as we positioned ourselves so that I could reach the knife. After several minutes of grunting and groaning, I final y felt the handle.

“I think,” I grunted again, straining against the tight restraints, “I think I’ve got it!” I said, grasping the hard plastic between my fingers.

“Don’t drop…it,” Ryan said too late, watching the knife fal from my fingers to the ground.

“Crap,” I huffed, blowing my bangs from my face.

“Okay,” Ryan said, taking a deep breath. He jerked to the side until his chair tipped over, and then maneuvered his body until his hand was within inches of the knife. “Nothing’s ever easy when I’m around you, Grey.”

“Shut up,” I said, unamused.

“What the hel is going on in here?” Claire said. She stood in front of the half-open window sil , arms crossed, her hot pink duffel bag over her shoulder.

A wide grin erupted across Ryan’s face. “Better late than never, Gorgeous.”

“Shut up,” Claire said.

“Wow, I’m getting it from every angle,” Ryan said, letting his entire body relax and fal against the floor in protest.

“Where’s Jared?” I asked.

“Behind me. We don’t have much time,” Claire explained, tearing the cloth around my wrists and feet with a flick of her finger.

“I’m on the floor, bleeding, and you save her first? I’m hurt,” Ryan said to Claire.

Claire freed him, and then lifted Ryan to his feet. She pushed back his head to inspect his wound, overly rough. “You’l live.”

Ryan winced. “Thanks, Honey, I love you, too.”

I walked over to the window, searching through the dark for Jared. “I thought you said he was behind you.”

Claire chomped on the large wad of gum in her mouth. “He had to calm down. When he sees that knot on your head and that hand print on your cheek, he’s going to freak out al over again. Back up.”