Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

22

Holy canola oil, Zayne brought her to see the Crown Prince of Hell?

What in the holy Hell?

My fingers itched to feel the weight of my blades, but worse yet, I could feel the grace stirring alive in the center of my stomach. I beat it down, but it was still there, demanding to be let loose.

“You’re an actual prince?” I asked.

He inclined his head. “I’m the Crown Prince of Hell.”

My lips parted as I turned to Zayne. “When you dropped the bomb that we were going to see demons, you failed to mention one of them was the Crown Prince.”

“Sorry, I’d hoped Roth would keep that little fact to himself,” Zayne growled. “But he’s...unique like that.”

“That I am,” Roth replied.

“Uniquely annoying,” Zayne added, and when my gaze shot back to Roth, he pouted. “He is the Crown Prince, but he isn’t...all that bad.”

Roth sucked in a breath as he placed his hand over his heart. “Stony, did you just compliment me?”

Zayne ignored him. “He’s not a bad guy,” he repeated.

“Another compliment? Oh, wow, I’m going to blush,” Roth said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m very, very displeased that you brought that into my home.”

Zayne was suddenly in front of me, blocking me completely. “I came to you for help, Roth.”

“You brought that into my house with Layla here?” Roth repeated. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Okay,” Cayman said from somewhere behind them. “I am so curious as to what is going on here.”

Zayne ignored Cayman as I peeked out from behind him. “I know what she is—she knows what she is, but she is no threat to you. We’re here because we need your help.”

“Okay, I’m not waiting any longer, because I swear I hear Zayne’s voice and that—” the female who was probably in the kitchen announced. Roth shouted something before blinking out of existence in front of us. I gasped as he reappeared on other side of the couch just as Zayne stiffened beside me so much that I thought he’d shifted.

I looked up at him. It was like a veil had slipped over his face. If I thought he’d looked devoid of emotion before, I’d been wrong. He looked like a statue now. My gaze followed his to a girl who now stood close to the end of the couch.

The moment I saw her, I couldn’t look away. She was...beautiful in an unreal, ethereal sort of way, and if I hadn’t known what I was and what she was, I would’ve thought she was the Trueborn. With her long, white-blond hair and big, pale blue eyes, she looked like she had more angel blood in her than I did, but I knew what she was.

She was half demon, half Warden, and she had no angelic blood in her.

“Zayne,” she spoke, a smile racing across her face. “I am... I am so happy to see you. It’s been way too long.”

“Yeah. It has been.” His voice was gruff, strangely so. “Trinity? This is Layla. We, uh, grew up together.”

“Her name is Trinity?” Roth sounded like he’d choked, and I ignored that as I focused on someone who was just as rare as I was.

Layla was still staring at Zayne, and I had a feeling she hadn’t even looked at me yet. She reminded me of one of those porcelain dolls, the kind that was beautiful but also slightly creepy and possibly haunted. My gaze shifted to Roth.

What else was creepy was the way Roth was staring at me from where he stood beside Layla. He was looking at me like...like I looked at a plate of cheese fries.

I was really starting to feel superuncomfortable.

Layla finally dragged her gaze from Zayne and looked at me. Her smile faltered and her blue eyes grew wide. “Holy shit,” she whispered.

I froze. “Uh...”

“What do you see?” Roth asked, placing a hand on Layla’s arm.

Wait a second. I could maybe believe that the Crown Prince of Hell could sense what I was, but a half Warden, half demon? That didn’t make any sense to me.

“I don’t know,” Layla said, stepping around Roth, but he didn’t let her get very far, holding on to her arm. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

My brows inched up my forehead.

“I really wish someone would fill me in.” Cayman sighed. “I’m feeling left out over here.”

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked Zayne.

“That’s an incredibly good question I’ve been asking,” Roth remarked, still holding on to Layla, and...and now she was looking at me like I was cheese fries with buttermilk ranch dressing.

“They shouldn’t know what I am,” I continued. “But those two are staring at me in a way that makes me very uncomfortable.”

“They shouldn’t be able to, but Roth is...just so special,” Zayne said. “Apparently.”

“Are you flirting with me, Stony?” Roth asked.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing, Roth.” Zayne turned to me, his gaze searching mine as he spoke, voice low. “I don’t think Layla knows what you are, but...” He glanced over at her. “She’s seeing your soul.”

“What?”My voice turned shrill as I looked back at them. Layla was now straining against Roth’s arm. “Are you really sure they’re good guys?”

Zayne shot Roth a look of warning as he said, “They are. You can trust me. And you can trust them.”

“I don’t know about that.” I stared at them. “They’re looking at me like they want to eat me.”

“Hopefully they’ll stop doing that,” Zayne advised. “Like right now.”

“I see that look,” Cayman commented. “I see it now. Layla, you might want to, you know, pull it back.”

“What?” Layla blinked and looked around the room, her cheeks flushing as she realized how far she’d stretched Roth’s arm. “Oh, wow. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Roth pulled her into his arms, holding her close—the way I’d seen Ty hold Jada. I didn’t understand that, the way he was embracing her. I didn’t understand any of this. “I had the same reaction.”

Layla placed her hands on Roth’s arm. She kept looking around me, seeing...my soul?

“What do you see, Layla?” Zayne asked.

“I see...” She rubbed one hand over Roth’s arm. “I see pure white...and pure black.”

Zayne looked at me, and I had no idea what that meant, but he looked surprised.

“The best of both worlds,” Layla murmured, and I shivered. “What is she?” she repeated, asking in a way that reminded me of a child asking for a snack.

“She’s a Trueborn,” Roth answered, and I felt my stomach pitch. He really did know what I was. “More commonly known as a nephilim.”

Layla’s mouth dropped open.

“Holy shitballs.” Cayman jumped up and vaulted over the couch—actually vaulted to the other side.

I felt rather proud of that reaction, considering the other two looked like they wanted to get really, really close and personal.

Zayne smirked. “Wow, Cayman, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move that fast.”

“What the Hell, Zayne? I told her to sit next to me. Actually sit next to me. That’s messed up,” Cayman said, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen a Trueborn. Jesus.” He backed up, eyes wide. “I am not about this kind of life.”

“I’m...I’m not going to hurt you guys,” I said, feeling sort of like a badass and sort of like a freak. “I mean, I don’t want to.” I looked at Zayne, unsettled by all of this. “Right?”

One side of his lips kicked up. “Right.”

“But you can,” Roth said, resting his chin atop Layla’s head. “There are only two things in this world that even I don’t want to come face-to-face with. Neither of them are a Warden.”

Zayne sighed.

“And one of them is a Trueborn,” Roth said.

I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What’s the second thing?”

Roth’s smile was like smoke as he stared back at me, causing me to shiver.

“She has no reason to hurt you all,” Zayne said. “So, let’s not give her one, because if you know anything about a Trueborn, you know I’m not going to be able to stop her if you tick her off.”

Roth’s lips thinned. “And yet again, you’d bring her here, putting Layla at risk—”

“We came here for your help—”

“I like when you need me, Stony.” Roth grinned.

“God, I hate you,” Zayne grumbled.

“Hey! That’s the first time you used my name.”

Zayne rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we’re here because I trust that you guys can look past the fact that she’s part angel, especially if she’s looking past the fact that you all are demons.” Zayne’s voice hardened. “So, can we please get back on track?”

No one spoke, so I raised my hand. “I have a question.”

“What?” Zayne let out another sigh that reminded me so much of Misha that it caused my chest to hurt.

I looked over at Layla. “How do you see souls?”

She glanced at Roth before she spoke. “Do you know what I am?”

“Half Warden and half demon?”

“Okay. Do you know who my mother was—and I use the word mother lightly?”

“Lilith?” I said, remembering what Misha had told me. I could feel Zayne’s surprised jerk, but I ignored it. “Your mother is Lilith?”

“Yes, and my mother’s gifts manifested differently in me because of my Warden blood,” she explained, still rubbing Roth’s arms with her two small hands. “I can see souls. They’re like auras to me. White souls are the purest—Wardens and angels and humans without sin have pure souls.” She paused, her gaze flickering around me. “You have a pure soul and...”

“And what?” I squinted, wishing I could see what she saw.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen a soul so dark,” she said, and I blinked. “I mean, like demons don’t have a soul, so there’s nothing there.”

Roth pouted behind her.

“And really bad, really evil humans have very dark souls, but pure black? Pure black and pure white?” A look of wonder crossed her face. “I guess it’s because of what you are and that’s why I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“But why would it also be black?” I asked. “I mean, if the darker the soul means the more evil the person is...”

“I can answer that for you,” Roth offered helpfully. “Probably paying for the sins of your father. Don’t really think angels are supposed to be hooking up with humans.”

“Nah,” Cayman murmured.

“They did for a long time,” I pointed out. “There used to be thousands of my kind.”

“And that was how many hundreds of years ago? Things have changed since then. Procreation between angels and humans has been forbidden,” Roth replied.

“How do you know that?” Zayne asked.

“I’m a demon. I’m the Crown Prince. I know what is forbidden and what’s not.” His smile was smug. “Which makes me wonder why an angel would break that cardinal rule, create you and let you live.”

I lifted a brow at the whole let you live part.

“And it also begs the question of who your father is,” Roth said.

“Do you have other abilities like your mother?” I asked Layla, ignoring Roth’s question. “Like, can you take souls?”

“I can, but I don’t do it,” she said, meeting my gaze and obviously seeing the doubt there. “I mean, I try not to. There’ve been a few missteps in the past...” Her gaze flicked to Zayne, and I knew it in my bones. Misha had been right about Zayne missing a part of his soul. And I knew it had been Layla who had taken it. “But I do everything in my power not to do it.”

“And she’s almost always successful.” Roth dropped a kiss on top of Layla’s head. “And even when she’s not,” Roth continued, “she’s still perfect.”

A soft smile pulled at Layla’s lips as she tipped her head back. The kiss Roth dropped was light and quick, but still floored me. I was thrown by the affection, at the obvious love between them. I was so confused.

I’d never been taught that demons could...love. Yes, they could experience lust, but love? Every lesson I’d had implied that they were incapable of such a human emotion.

Angels, pure-blooded ones, couldn’t love like humans. Hell, in the very beginning, Wardens couldn’t even experience it. They’d learned to love through interaction with humans. Over hundreds of years, it became a learned behavior. Had it been the same for demons?

I glanced at Zayne and he was quiet and tense, watching them through thick, lowered lashes.

A long moment passed and the demon prince led Layla over to the couch and pulled her down so she was sitting beside him. “Sit, Trinity. Apparently we all need to chat.”

I didn’t want to sit.

Zayne nudged me gently. “Go ahead.”

Resisting the urge to protest, I shuffled over to the couch and sat while Cayman stopped looking like he was trying to disappear into the wall. Instead, he appeared curious again.

Roth leaned forward, his gaze flicking from me to Zayne. “So, Trinity who may or may not be holy, how did you meet Stony over there? I am dying to hear the story.”

“Me, too,” murmured Layla.

I glanced at Zayne. His chin had dipped and he looked like he was a second from ripping the bookcase off the wall and launching it at Roth’s head.

“How we met isn’t really important at the moment,” Zayne said, his voice tight with impatience.

“Actually, I think it is important. I want to know how you two met,” Layla chimed in, her gaze shifting to mine.

I took a shallow breath. “He...he came to the community where I live.”

“You live in a community—a Warden community?” Surprise colored her tone.

“At the regional seat,” I said, not elaborating further, but Layla seemed to know what that meant.

Her eyes got even bigger. “And how long have you lived there?”

“Since I was young—seven or eight,” I admitted, unsure of what I could share that wouldn’t be betraying the clan that had protected me. “I was...hidden there. Very few knew what I am.”

“Interesting,” Roth murmured in a way that told me he thought the exact opposite. “But I’m more interested to learn why Zayne needs our help?”

“The community was attacked last night and someone...close to Trinity was taken by a demon I recognized. An Upper Level that I’ve seen in DC,” Zayne explained. “We need to find him, and it’s very possible that the demon came back here.”

Roth leaned back, resting an ankle in his knee. “And this someone who is close to Trinity is a Warden?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Why do you think this someone is still alive?” Roth asked, tugging on Layla’s hair. “With the exception of pretty half Wardens, demons don’t usually keep captives alive.”

“I know he’s alive,” I said. “He’s my bonded Protector. I’d know if he were dead, and he’s not.”

“Bonded protector?” Layla mumbled to herself.

“So, that is true?” Roth wiggled his foot. “Trueborns were bonded to Wardens?”

I nodded.

“And if he’s still alive, then there’s probably a reason,” Cayman spoke up, coming to stand behind Roth and Layla. “And it’s not a good reason. They’ll be—”

“Using him to either get information on the community or to draw me out, if they know what he is and what I am,” I interrupted. “I know, but we don’t know if this demon knows what I am.”

“I think we can safely assume he does, if he went into a community of Wardens and only took your Protector,” Cayman said.

Roth raised his hand. “Since we’re doing the hand-raising thing...” He winked at me. “I have a question. How did a demon get into this community and manage to escape with its life and a Warden—a bonded Protector?”

Good question, and Zayne took over, explaining what happened, including the earlier Raver attack, the humans with the creepy masks and the Nightcrawlers. The only thing left out was Clay’s attack on me.

While he talked, still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, I realized that while he was in the room, he didn’t want to be part of this group.

“If humans were working with this demon, there’s a good possibility they’re possessed,” Layla said, glancing at Zayne. “We’ve seen that happen. You get a demon talented in possession, and they can create a nice little army.”

I hadn’t considered that and now I felt silly for not thinking of it.

“What else do you know?” Roth asked.

“Trinity was also attacked while I was at the community,” Zayne answered.

Well, there went not sharing that.

Roth’s gaze sharped. “Pray tell, that also may be useful information.”

“A Warden attacked you?” Layla blinked rapidly.

I nodded.

“And what happened to this Warden?”

“He’s dead,” I said, suppressing the shudder. “I killed him.”

“Good girl.” Roth smiled his approval.

A shiver danced over my skin as I stared at him. Boy, wasn’t that smile unnerving?

“The earlier attack has to be related, because the Warden who went after Trinity was wearing the same kind of mask the humans wore during the invasion,” Zayne was saying. There was a pause. “There is one other thing.”

“What’s that?” Layla asked.

Zayne looked at me, and it took me a moment to figure out what he was referencing. Tension crept into my muscles. “It’s not related to that,” I told him. “Not at all.”

“What isn’t?” Layla asked.

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. Never in my life had I expected to explain what had happened to my mother to demons, but here I was. “My mother was killed about a year ago by a Warden we trusted.”

“Oh my God.” Layla pressed her hand to the center of the black shirt she wore. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, clasping my hands over my knees.

“And why are you sure that’s not related?” Zayne asked quietly.

“Because the Warden who killed my mother tried to kill me, because he...he believed I was an abomination,” I said, staring down at my fingers. “That I was threat against Wardens, more so than any demon. He caught us off guard, and my mom—she was really brave. She got between us and that... Yeah, that was it.”

“Jesus,” Zayne said.

“Yeah, so it doesn’t have to do with that.” Drawing in a shallow breath, I lifted my gaze to the demons across from me. “Misha is more than my Protector. He’s like my brother. We were raised together, and even though we annoy the living crap out of one another, I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him.”

A sad smile tugged at Layla’s lips as she glanced from me to Zayne. “I know how that feels.”

Didn’t take a genius to figure out she was talking about Zayne, and these two had obviously had a major falling-out. Was it over her taking a part of his soul? That would do it. Or was it more? I looked at Roth. Did it have to do with him?

“I see,” Roth said, and I had no idea what he saw. He looked over his shoulder at Cayman. “Do you happen to know who this demon is?”

“Bael,” Zayne answered.

“Hell,” Roth muttered as Layla seemed to pale. “He’s back in town?”

“Well, I’m thinking so. He was running around the city for a while, and it was definitely him who took Misha.”

“You know Bael?” I asked.

“Why, yes. All of us demons are friends on Facebook,” Roth replied, and my eyes narrowed. He grinned. “I know him, and I don’t like him.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Cayman added. “Bael has always been jealous of Roth.”

“Because I have better hair,” Roth explained.

I started to frown.

“Actually, because Roth’s always been the Boss’s favorite,” Cayman clarified, and I had a sinking suspicion the Boss was Lucifer, and I really had no idea what to say about that. “Well, was the Boss’s favorite. Not so much anymore.”

Roth nodded slowly. “That’s true, but if you’re right, and Bael has your Protector, that’s bad news.”

“I figured that out already,” I said.

The demon prince tipped forward. “No, I don’t think you do, Trinity. Bael is just not some Upper Level demon with a mean jealousy streak. He only comes out to play when the payoff is big. He wouldn’t just take a Warden for shits and giggles. He took your Warden, and if there was any doubt in your mind that he doesn’t know what you are, what your Warden is, erase that now. He took him to get to you, which means you should cut your losses and get as far away from here as possible.”

I sucked in a shrill breath. “Cut my losses? I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

Roth tilted his head. “What do you think will happen if Bael gets his hands on you?”

“I know exactly what will happen,” I snapped. “I will kill him.”

His jaw hardened as he continued to stare at me and then he rocked back. He looked over his shoulder. “See what you can find out about Bael.”

“Of course.” Cayman turned back to Zayne and me. “Always good seeing you.” Then he looked at me. “You scare me.”

And then Cayman blinked out of existence.

Roth said, “Give him a couple days—”

“A couple days?” My breath caught as I scooted forward. “Misha may not have a couple days.”

“He may not,” Roth said. “But let’s try to stay positive here. We have to be smart about this. Demons like Bael aren’t stupid. We start carpet-bombing every dark corner in this city, and anyone who knows anything will become scarce.”

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head as I struggled with the rising frustration.

“We’ll find out where your Protector is,” Roth said. “I’m like the A-Team.”

“Yeah, if A stood for asshole,” Zayne commented, and my eyes popped open wide.

“That was actually pretty funny.” Roth laughed as he rose and walked over to where the cookie dough was sitting. He handed it to Layla and then moved to stand in front of the fort.

One big question remained. “Why are you willing to help me?”

“Because I always wanted a Trueborn to owe me a favor.” Roth smiled.

I shuddered, thinking maybe I didn’t need to know why.

“And because Zayne brought you here,” Layla added. “That tells me you’re important to him.”

I opened my mouth, but I had no idea what to say about that. Peeking at Zayne, I couldn’t make out his expression.

“He’s helping me, because I promised to help them,” I said, watching Zayne. Still no reaction.

“Help them with what?” Layla asked, breaking off a piece of dough.

“You know there’s something in this city killing Wardens and Upper Level demons,” Zayne answered after a moment. “Whatever it is, it’s powerful, but I doubt it’s as powerful as a Trueborn.”

A weird sense of disappointment swept over me. I was the one who’d suggested that Zayne was only helping me because of the deal we’d made, but...I wanted him to deny that and say it was because we were friends.

But I wasn’t sure we were friends.

“Can we talk?” Layla asked, looking at Zayne. “Just for a moment?”

“Now’s not a good time,” he replied quickly. “We have to get going.”

“It’ll just take a couple minutes,” she said. “That’s all.”

“I don’t really have time.”

Layla leaned forward and opened her mouth, closed it and then tried again. “I haven’t seen you in months, Zayne. Months. I’ve called and I’ve texted, and you haven’t responded to me, and then you show up here, unannounced, with this.”

With this?The corners of my lips started to turn down. The way she said that made me feel like I was an STD—the kind you couldn’t get rid of.

“Layla,” Roth started.

“No.” She pointed the roll of cookie dough at Roth.

He lifted his hands in a quick surrender.

Layla shot to her feet and then swung toward Zayne. “I saw Dez a couple of weeks ago. Did you know that?”

Zayne didn’t reply, but even I could see the muscle ticking along his jaw like a time bomb.

“And do you know what Dez told me?” Layla ranted, her cheeks flushing pink. “You’ve moved out. On your own! No clan member does that and survives—” She cut herself off, drawing in a deep breath, groaning with exasperation. “Why did you move out?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“None of my business? You show up after months of silence with a nephilim, after I learned you moved out, and then tell me this is none of my business? Who are you?”

“Obviously not who you thought I was,” Zayne snapped back. “Does that answer your question?”

Layla stiffened, lowering the tube of cookie dough. A mixture of hurt and anger flashed across her face and then she swung toward me with that roll of cookie dough, and I could tell that whatever was about to come out of her mouth wasn’t going to be nice.

I was so done being quiet. “Okay. I don’t know what is going on here, and frankly, I couldn’t care less. Honestly. My best friend has been taken by a demon, and he’s possibly being tortured while we’re sitting here yelling at one another over unreturned phone calls!”

Layla snapped her mouth shut.

On a roll now, I wasn’t stopping. “And on top of all that, I was raised to believe that demons were evil, no gray area, and here I am with the Crown Prince of Hell who builds pillow forts like that’s normal—”

“It’s normal for me,” Roth murmured. “I like pillow forts.”

I ignored that. “And I’m sitting in front of a half Warden, half demon who has eaten, like, twenty pounds of cookie dough in ten seconds flat! I get that you guys have issues, but they cannot be more important than what could be happening to Misha. I need to find him before he is killed.”

“And what if you don’t get to him in time?” Roth asked, and the room fell silent.

“If he’s dead?” My heart cracked and I couldn’t bear to think of that. “Then I’ll deal.”

“There are worse things than being dead, Trinity.”

A shiver danced over my skin as I met his amber-colored gaze. “I’ll have to take your word on that.”

“You should.” Roth crossed his arms. “I think it’s time for you two to leave. We’ll be in touch.” He glared at Zayne. “And next time we call, try answering the phone.”