“Can’t sleep either?” Alex’s voice was a soft murmur in the darkness of the room behind me. I turned away from the shadowy window and slid my arms around his waist.
“Do vampires sleep?” I asked, looking up at him.
He smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “Yes, we do. We don’t need as much as humans though, and it tends to be more if we’re healing or if we haven’t fed in a while. Since you… um… we… I started taking some of your blood, it’s funny, I haven’t needed anywhere near as much rest as I used to. You’re like an energy drink.”
“Have I given you wings?” I teased, grinning.
He trailed his finger softly down the side of my face. “No, but when we’re together, I feel like I’m flying.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
“Wow… I guess even vampires can be cheesy.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, that sounded better in my head. But you do make me feel so much less alone, and only one other person has ever made me feel that way.” We both fell quiet, thinking of Amadi.
“Does he know? About you and me?” I asked hesitantly.
“That I feel this way about you? Yes, he knows.”
“Alex, if we get him back, and if you two, if he wants you to… I’ll understand. I don’t want to get between you.”
Alex leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “I love Amadi, Faith. I’ve loved him for so long, it’s like he’s part of me. And for some insane reason, he feels the same. But since you came along, it’s like you took what we had together and breathed new life into it. I watch him with you, and my heart explodes. I love you, and I love him, and I love that you love each other.”
My eyes flew up to his, and he smiled.
“I guess you hadn’t told him yet, but he told me. He fell for you so hard, and I loved watching it. You’re the light to our darkness.”
“And you?” I queried, running my thumb across his lips. “Did you fall for me?”
Alex nodded. “I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep my distance. I struggled for so long, and your scent, your taste drove me insane. I couldn’t bear the idea that I might…”
“Kill me?” I smiled. “I trust you, Alex.”
He nodded. “I know you do, but at the time, I didn’t trust myself. It was Amadi who convinced me we’d be okay. He could see how I felt about you. He could see I was falling in love with you.”
He bent down and kissed me. It wasn’t the passionate release of emotion that I always felt with Alex, this was gentle and loving. Romantic.
“I love you, Alex. Amadi too. We have to find him.”
Alex’s arms tightened around me, and I heard his heart beating against my ear. “We will find him, and we’re going to bring him home, Faith. I know it.”
“But what if his soul…”
“Then we’ll love whatever is left. If it’s still him, then we’ll still love him no matter what. He loved me when I was a monster, and I won’t abandon him if he becomes one.”
We stood that way for a long time, his arms wrapped around me as I stared out into the shadowy garden, watching the black trees sway against the starry sky. I could have told him what was going on, what I’d found out about my mother and father, but I couldn’t bring myself to bring it out in the open yet. Deliah had told me it might be best to keep it to myself until we could return to Sheol and approach Mahazael. There was every chance we were wrong, but the thought kept returning to me, as well as the memory of one green eye burning into my own. My thoughts raced, and I was glad Alex didn’t possess any mind reading abilities like some fictional vampires. The possibilities raced though my mind. If Mahazael was my father, the fact was that he would still be alive. I might have a father who was still alive. Maybe we could even have some kind of relationship. How do you form a relationship with a demon though? I couldn’t really see Mahazael and I sitting at one of the coffee shops in Pandaemonium bonding over a latte. I guessed we’d see.
My main worry right now was Euriel. Would he go to Michael about Deliah? Would he confess what we’d done and not be allowed to return? As much as it would mean Deliah and I would be safer from the Heavenly Council if Euriel was shunted away somewhere before he fell completely, the thought of never seeing him again, of never feeling that intense stare on my back, his soft touch on my face, filled me with sadness.
I snuggled back against Alex, taking comfort from the cold hardness of his body, and he rested his chin on the top of my head. “We’ll make it through.” I felt him smile. “We’ve just got to have faith.”
I smiled at the bad joke. “You’ve got me.”
“Yeah, I’ve got you.”
*
We arrived in Nashville a day later, touching down just as dawn began to lighten the sky. After dropping Alex off at the airport hotel to hide from the daylight, the rest of us made our way straight to the hospital where Dr. Caleb Parks worked. Curled up on the back seat of the hire car next to Sam, I opened the window and leaned out, looking up at the huge building. At the top was a large white cross that stood out against a blue background.
“Now what?” I asked, as Cas pulled the car into a parking space.
“Now, we go visit the good doctor,” Cas answered.
“All of us?” Sam questioned. “Might be a bit daunting with the three of us.”
Cas raised his eyebrows as he turned to look back at us. “You think that the first wolf shifter, a man described as an animalistic monster, who has been alive since the beginning of humankind, is going to be intimidated by the three of us knocking at his office door?”
I smothered a giggle, and Sam shot me a mock glare. “Well, yes, you might have a point there, Cassiel. However, I was going to add, would it not be a good idea for me to stay down here and keep watch? Have a wander about maybe to see if there’s any sign of Shemyaza or Berith or even Rose? They might come to scope him out too.”
Cas nodded, his smile fading. “Yes, that is a good point. Have a… er, sniff about and see if you can find anything. Faith, you okay to come with me?”
I nodded and untangled myself from Sam’s arm and the seatbelt. Clambering out, I grabbed my denim cord jacket from the seat and tugged it on—not for the first time, I cursed Euriel for the loss of my leather one. I was curious to meet Cain. After all, if he was the only surviving son of Adam and Eve…
“Do all humans come from Cain then?” I queried as we headed up the hill towards the main door of the hospital.
Cas shook his head. “No, that’s a complete fallacy. Yes, Adam and Eve were the first humans, but God created many, many more after them. They were just his favourites because they were first. I mean, Cain will have a bloodline, though it may well have died out, except, of course, Lizpha’s progeny. But I don’t suppose Cain counts them as his descendants. Yes, they’ll share his blood, but they weren’t of Lizpha’s body. I don’t know what happened to his other children.” He pushed open the main door and held it open for me.
The woman at the front desk was pleasant and helpful, and she gave us directions for the long, confusing way towards the pathology labs. The place was light and airy, and had that smell of bleach that I hated because I knew what it was covering up. I wondered briefly if that was what was making me feel… twitchy. I rolled my shoulders a couple of times, feeling a strange sensation down my spine. It felt as though my wings were trying to come out, like they’d been confined too long. It had been a while, and I was due another flying lesson with Cas, so that might be it. I was getting better too, and my confidence was now allowing me to go up to fall-and-splat heights. If Euriel wasn’t coming back, there might be more opportunities for flying. I sighed at the thought of him, then I put the thought out of my head as Cas pushed open the double doors at the end of the long corridor.
We wandered down the new hallway, peering at the doors and reading names. Eventually, Cas stopped. “Here. Dr. Caleb Parks.” He glanced at me then turned and knocked loudly on the door.
“Enter!” The voice was low and deep. Cas opened the door and walked inside with me following closely behind.
“May I help you?” Dr. Parks spun around on his office chair and gazed up at the two of us. My mouth dropped open. He wore dark grey trousers, a white shirt, and a pale grey tie, but beyond that, he looked nothing like any doctor I’d ever seen. His head was shaved, and tattoos covered every inch of skin I could see, but that wasn’t the most alarming thing. His hair and beard were missing, but I knew him. I’d seen him before, in my dreams, weeks before while I was recovering from the battle at the cathedral. For so many nights, I’d watched him bring his knife down into his brother’s chest before collapsing to his knees in horror and remorse.
I must have made a sound, because his eyes travelled to mine and he jerked up out of his seat. “I know you,” he said.
Cas glanced at me, then back at Dr. Parks. “We’re from the Concordia. We need to speak to you urgently. You’re in danger.” Dr. Park’s eyes moved slowly back to Cas, and he turned to pick up a white lab coat draped over the back of his chair.
“I’m sorry, but I have never heard of the Concordia, and I’m afraid you’ve come at a bad time. I have somewhere to be.” He pulled his coat over his broad shoulders and went to move past us.
Cas put a hand on his chest. “I’m sorry, Dr. Parks, but this is important.”
Dr. Parks looked down at Cas’s hand, then up into his face. “I suggest you move your hand. Like I said, I have no time for whatever it is you’re selling. I have somewhere to be.” His voice was flat and cold. He circled Cas’s wrist with his hand and pulled it away from him.
As he opened the door, Cas tried once more. “They are coming for you, Cain. They know who you are, and they know where you are.”
Dr. Parks stopped in the doorway, but he didn’t turn back. “My name is Dr. Caleb Parks. I have no idea who you are referring to. Now please leave this hospital before I have security escort you out.” He moved out of the office and down the corridor. We followed, but he let himself into one of the labs with his security card, and we were left standing outside the door.
“Well, great. Now what do we do?” I had a burning urge to hit something.
“How did he know you?” Cas asked.
I shrugged. “I recognised him. I had dreams about him, dreams where I watched him kill Abel, only I didn’t realise who they were until now. But how he knows me, I have no idea. Maybe he dreamed about me too?”
Cas rolled his eyes. “Great, another hapless male to add to your growing harem. Isn’t five enough for you?”
“Five?” I looked up at him in surprise.
“Oh, come on, everyone can see Euriel has it bad for you, and it’s hardly like you haven’t taken the odd peek either.” He grinned at me, and a little of the tension inside me eased.
“I thought you’d be furious. You know, with it being him and all.”
Cas took my hand, and we began to walk back down the corridor. “Well, I’m not jumping for joy exactly, but if it’s what you want…”
“I don’t know what I want. And I don’t think it matters. He’s so… whatever he feels for me, it’s not enough to…”
Cas pulled me to a stop and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me to face him. “Listen to me, Faith. Euriel is under a lot of pressure. He has thousands of years of brainwashing, expectations, and moral burdens all weighing him down, and to him, he’s now done the unthinkable and fallen in love.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s fallen in love,” I muttered, not meeting his gaze. “I think it’s more lust than love. Serious repression there.”
“I’m not going to ask, though I’m dying to.” Cas grinned. “But seriously, Faith. He’s being torn apart inside, and it’s not your fault. As much as I hate to say it, it’s not his either. It’s their system, their culture. I think if you care about him, you need to prepare yourself for the chance that he might not be strong enough to overcome it. But you’re wrong. I think he’s in love with you. If it was just lust, he would be able to walk away.”
“He has. After we… talked the other night, he brought me home and then he just… left. I’m not sure if he’s coming back. I’m not sure if I want him to.” I sniffed and bit down on my lip, not wanting my already raging emotions to spill out.
Cas wrapped his arms around me. “I think he’ll be back. And whatever happens, you still have all of us—Alex, Sam, and me, and Amadi when we get him back. I can’t speak for the others, but I love you so much, and I’m never letting you go again.”
I hugged him too, wondering what all the love declarations were for. First Alex, now Cas. My men were getting soppy on me. Then it occurred to me that if Shemyaza showed up while we were with Cain, we could be in for another battle. No wonder Cas had been adamant about bringing his guns with him—the paperwork had taken ages at the airport. The thought that they were pretty much saying their goodbyes pissed me off to no end, and I pulled out of Cas’s arms.
“Come on.” I grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the door. “If Cain wants to play silly buggers, then we’ll just wait outside for him.”
“Wait outside?”
“Yep, he can’t stay here the whole time. He has to go home eventually. We’ll just grab him when he leaves.”
Cas shrugged and followed me out into the daylight.
*
“Anything?” Alex’s voice came through the speakerphone.
“Only doughnuts,” I answered, my mouth full.
“Doughnuts?” Alex asked, sounding confused.
“We’re on a stakeout, apparently, so Sam insisted he be allowed to go for doughnuts. Like in the films.” Cas took a bite of his own, and I grinned.
I could practically hear Alex rolling his eyes over the phone. “We’re on the lookout for an ancient evil who is unimaginably strong and powerful, a demon lord, and a watcher, and you three are sitting in the car eating doughnuts?”
“Oh yeah, and what have you been doing all day?” Sam countered, leaning over to grab another custard one.
“Well, I’ve been…” He sighed. “Sitting in a hotel room, eating packets of peanuts.”
“See?” Sam said with his mouth full. “You’re just jealous because we have doughnuts.”
“You got me. Save me some, I’ll be there in a bit. Actually, scratch that, one of you can bring me some. Preferably Faith. I’d like some sweetness with my sugar rush.”
“Bring you some? Where are you?” Cas queried, frowning.
“I’m around the back of the hospital. Been here since it clouded over this afternoon. I’d have thought out of the three of you, someone might have suggested watching the back door. You reckon Cain thought you just gave up and was going to waltz right out of the front door after your visit?”
Cain looked back at Sam and me, and we all exchanged guilty glances. “I’ll bring you some doughnuts,” I muttered, closing the box and tucking the edges in. “Where are you?”
“If you head round the back of the hospital, there’s a thick line of trees about a hundred yards wide. I’m in there. Found a good spot in case the sun came back out. I’ll keep an eye out for you. Actually, guys, maybe you should all come now. I think I see Cain.”
“Big fucker with bald head and tats?” Cas asked, starting the car.
“That’s the—”
The phone went dead, and Cas stared at it for a moment before reaching out and ending the call. He called back, but it went straight to Alex’s answerphone.
“Idiot dropped the phone,” he muttered, pulling out of the parking space. I looked at Sam.
“You don’t think…”
“What’s wrong, baby girl?”
“It just occurred to me that it might not have been a great idea for Alex to keep an eye out for Cain on his own. Him being a famous vampire hunter and all that.”
Sam’s mouth fell open, and he met Cas’s eyes in the rear-view mirror.
“Hold on,” Cas said, and the car shot forward as he hit the accelerator. Cas tore through the car park, spinning around as he took the turn too fast. We screeched around the side of the building just as the streetlights came on.
“Cas!” I screamed. Too late. We hit the dark shape at full speed, and I was thrown forward into the front seat as glass shattered around us.
