Prologue
Friday, October 13, 2017
“Son of a bitch!”
“Holy shit!”
“Tell me he’s still alive, bro!”
Kaj Courtenay had to wonder about the last one. If sheer, endless agony meant he was alive, then yeppers. He was most definitely in the land of the living.
Had to be, right? Otherwise he wouldn’t be listening to Obsidian’s fool brothers ramble incessantly about whether or not Kaj had succumbed to the lead shower he’d found himself in the middle of.
Not just one bullet. Oh, no. He’d never get that lucky. If memory served—and that was a bit iffy right now—there were at minimum three pieces of lead stuck somewhere in his torso. Likely in his lung since breathing was a bit more difficult than usual.
Oh, look at him playing the eternal optimist. Must still be kicking.
Fuck that. He was on fucking fire, every goddamn inch of him.
The blaze of agony had started somewhere in his chest and was now catching up with the rest of him. Good news… he could no longer feel his feet, so there was some relief there.
“Find Acadia!” Obsidian shouted, though who he was talking to, Kaj had no idea. “Right now!”
Breathe. Just breathe. In … out … in—
“I’m here, Obsidian.”
Holy shit, now that was the voice of an angel. Too bad he couldn’t open his eyes to see her.
“How may I assist?”
Perhaps a bit more effort was required, because, Heaven help him, he wanted to see her.
Try, try, try again.
Nope. Eyes won’t work. What now?
Oh, right.
Thanks be to the Almighty, his sense of smell wasn’t broken, so Kaj turned his face in the direction of the soft scent of … well, he didn’t know what it smelled like, but it was the best thing his sinuses had ever pulled through them.
“I’ve got to get the bullets out,” Obsidian grumbled, that deep, rumbling voice close. “He’ll need blood.”
Yes. Bullets out, blood in. Good plan, big guy.
“It would be my pleasure,” the female intoned.
Heaven. He was pretty sure her voice was the sound made by all those harps in Heaven.
That lovely cadence drifted amongst the clouds currently filling Kaj’s mind.
Not clouds, more like fog, growing thicker with every passing second. Perhaps he was hovering between Earth and Heaven, stuck in a state of limbo. Obsidian was down on the mainland while that female was drifting high in the clouds. If Kaj was dangling somewhere in between, he was ready to follow her, wherever she was. Please and thank you.
“Where do you need me?” the angelic voice asked.
“Right there’s fine,” Obsidian responded.
Kaj could imagine a halo ringing her head, casting a beautiful glow over her as she floated effortlessly on white, billowy— The image he was trying to conjure in his mind was obliterated by a blinding pain spearing his chest.
“Hey, Kaj. I can’t promise this won’t hurt,” Obsidian stated.
More than this? Yeah. Doubtful. A grumble was all he could manage, the words in his head not being relayed to his mouth.
“Don’t touch him until I’m finished.” Obsidian’s tone held an air of concern.
Who? Who was the big bastard talking to? The angel? No, Kaj wanted her to touch him. Right now would be fine. She could carry him right off into the afterlife.
Surely this was the end for him. At least he’d gone out on a high note. Those demons might’ve nailed him where it counted, but he’d eliminated at least two dozen before he’d given up the ghost. Proved himself to the male he’d come to consider a friend. A fucking angel, of all things. Never in his life had he thought he’d be cozied up to the feathered type, but hey, Kaj was open-minded like that.
As the fire blazed through him, he briefly wondered whether someone would tell his father he was gone. Would Kardobahn mourn him? Yes, he decided. Perhaps they hadn’t always been close, but Kaj had a good relationship with his father and the new female Kardobahn had mated a few years back. There was no lingering animosity between them. Probably helped that, aside from being his oldest son, Kaj was Kardobahn’s adighrielin, the advisor to the vampire Alpha. To add another title to the list: leader of the Zenith. It had taken centuries, but Kaj had finally proven his worth to his father. Surely that would mean something.
“Kaj, brother, I need you to take a deep breath.”
The cold that raced over his skin said a deep breath likely wouldn’t do any good. He was fading quickly, and truth was, he was ready. Not because he wanted to vacate his current life. No, he was content with how things were. Not necessarily happy, no. But he had no complaints. It had been a good life and he’d accomplished much in his five hundred plus years on Earth. Kaj was ready for the—
Mother.
Fucker.
The pain that lanced him took hold of his internal organs and … twisted, yanked, pulled—Holy. Fuck.—then jerked for good measure.
Good news was, his breath was sawing in and out of his lungs. Probably meant he was still kicking. Maybe.
Then there was another wrenching tug and the breathing thing…? Not all that important.
Ohfuckohfuckohfuckoh … fucking … hell!
He was aware of a piercing sound splitting the air around him. It coincided with the way his body splintered. Fire blazed through him as he was pulled in all directions, his insides churning, blistering as that inferno consumed him from head to toe. It went on for an eternity, then another until Kaj was convinced he had died, but rather than go up, he’d been shot down to Hell, left to rot in the bowels of that fiery shithole.
“Breathe, Kaj.”
The shrill noise halted, and he realized—sadly, mind you—he’d been screaming like a little bitch.
Lovely.
A soft hand swept over his forehead, once, twice.
The agony still ripped through him, but it was somehow bearable with her touch.
“He needs to feed,” a male voice noted.
Obsidian. Still there. True friend he was. Minus the whole ripping-his-insides-to-shreds thing.
“I’ll take care of him,” the female replied, that lyrical voice Kaj’s lifeline.
“When you need to feed,” Obsidian stated, his voice directed elsewhere, “I want you to come find me.” A strong hand pressed gently against Kaj’s shoulder. “And you, my friend, will be good as new in no time. The bullets are removed, all four of them. Now you need to recuperate.”
Kaj gave a whole-hearted effort at opening his eyes. Not because he cared to see Obsidian leaning over him. No, he was interested in the female. The sweet, angelic female…
Before he could catch a glimpse of her, the darkness pulled him under.
Damn good thing vampires healed quickly.
That was Kaj’s first thought when he came to in a dimly lit bedroom that was decorated in crimson and overlaid with swirly, silver doodads, an odd combination to the eye. Kinda made him nauseous.
At least the bed he lay on was soft, the comforter warm. The air smelled of cherry blossoms and the lightest hint of sandalwood, the combination going right to his head. A fire crackled in the hearth, warming the room and adding a weird ambience.
His attention was drawn to the door. It opened on a whisper, closed the same. His ears registered bare feet padding over hardwood, then drifting as they moved onto what he assumed was a rug.