The further into the Ministry they ventured, the sicker Serenity felt. The halls were lined with doors, leading to god-knew what and Serenity stopped thinking about the torture which may be happening behind the closed doors, after the tenth.
Noah was by her side, still holding her hand, Thorne was behind them, a hulk of a guard who seemed to radiate a calm she did not feel. this place was disgustingly... fridgid. There was a air to it which had her skin prickling with fear.
The guard which had seen to them at the door, led them through the Ministry’s main rooms and deeper down into the catacombs. The limestone walls were grey with slimy green mold growning on them. A scent of water hung in the air, wet and sour and the underlying scent of copper made Serenity's stomach churn.
It was the scent of blood...“Charming place. Wonder where the skeletons are kept?”” She muttered under her breath, earning a chuckle from Noah. Serenity
Claudette was a stunning, waif-like creature with pale skin and dark hair. Her eyes were moss, bordering on lime green and she dressed like Morticia Adams in a skin hugging black dress with long flowing sleeves.Her presence was undeniable. An impression of pure power, in a small vessel.Noah stopped just shy of the woman and her gaze slipped to him, mischief playing in her green orbs. “When I next saw you, I was hoping for something with a little less clothing, Noah.”Serenity’s face heated and she looked away as Noah replied, “You know that time has long gone, Claudette. It’s never going to happen.”Serenity looked back to the pair, as Noah stepped back from the with and turned his head, looking back to her. “This is Serenity.”Claudette’s now cold gaze shifted from Noah, to her and Serenity all but wilted under her gaze, wanting to hide under Thorne’s funnel coat. The woman loo
“I’m not so sure about this…” Serenity’s arms itched in the linen gown she’d been dressed in. Thorne and Noah flanked her, still in their own clothing, looking comfortable, while she itched like crazy. “Why don’t you two have shitty gowns to wear?”Neither of them spoke, and Serenity huffed.“This is bullshit.”The three of them followed Claudette and the guard which had guided them earlier, back up the steps of the catacombs, through the Ministry and to a large hall. Stepping inside, she felt the pair of demons bristle at the sheer number of people in the hall.“Claudette…” Noah warned, and the woman smiled, showing brilliant white teeth.“Come Noah, surely you would remember the need of witnesses? Six-hundred and sixty-six, if I’m not mistaken?”Serenity looked around the hall.Six-hundred and sixty-six hunters… “Noah
“Branded? Hey, hang on a damned second.” Serenity planted her hands on her hips and Claudette turned as the hall fell deathly silent. “No-one said anything about branding or giving blood. This is sounding like more trickery and bullshit and we had enough of that with Owen.”“Owen wasn’t even a witch. He was a useless angel familiar with a good acting routine. He asked for your blood, so the Legion could have something of yours to scry with and find you easier,” Claudette offered, her tone becoming cold. “This is not like Owen at all. If you want to be tethered to the Horde, you will have to be tethered to them. If you are hurt, they will know your pain. If you die, they will die.”Serenity wanted out. She didn’t like the idea of possibly causing the death of two people she’d come to care for, because she didn’t know what she was doing, and might be killed herself.“Th
Serenity could still hear sizzling flesh and the cry of pain when Noah had been branded. It had been worse for Thorne. He didn’t have the chance to call out. His grunt had hurt more than anything and she had almost turned the brand on Claudette, just to have her know what they were going through. But she knew the six-hundred and sixty-six Hunters behind her would have had something to say about her attacking their leader.With bile rising in her throat, Serenity turned to Claudette and glared at her. “There, it’s done.”She dropped the brand to the ground, the clang of metal loud in the room as she watched Noah climbing back to his feet, after sinking to his knees with pain.The brand was red raw, bleeding and she turned away, looking at Thorne. He’d already gone through so much pain, but she’d just added more. “Are you okay?”His face had paled, but he nodded. “Fine.”She tur
“Take it slow, the first time back can be a killer.” The waterskin lifted to Noah’s lips, and he sipped at the cool fluid. Coughing, he laid back against the cot and looked at the man standing above him. “How long?”“Two years.”The man grimaced. “Ouch. You’ve done well to get this far, without being killed. But it was touch and go there for a few minutes. I had to get you off the battlefield before you woke up. It wouldn’t have gone down too well with the soldiers.”He turned and went to the table to the side, picking up a small plate and bought it back to him. “We’ll be safe here for a while.”Noah sat up and took the plate, suddenly ravenous and downed the cooked hare in a matter of minutes.“At least your appetite is okay. You’ll need your strength.”“For what?” Noah a
Serenity gasped awake, her heart hammering, a sheen of sweat coating her and she reached for the bottle of water, downing half of it in one breath. “Holy shit…”The memories had been so intense. So real and so very painful.She could still feel the pain Thorne had been in when Archon had tortured him. Or the emotional pain Noah was in, when he had literally been begging for permission to go and get his friend.The door opened and she looked up at the demons standing in the doorway. Thorne’s hands raised. “Are you okay?”“I-I’m not sure…” she managed and took another drink from the water bottle. “I-I didn’t think they’d be so raw and intense.”Noah came to her side, sitting on the end of the bed and she pulled her knees to her chest. “And that’s only a little bit of our memories. For the little bit of blood, you consumed. Imagine more. We&rsquo
“For fuck’s sake…” Noah pushed open the stall of the toilet and looked down at the woman. The syringe hung out of her arm, her veins blackened, lifelessness to her eyes and he turned, going to the next stall. “Of all the fucking places to give birth…”He kicked open another stall and spotted the woman, her eyes blood-shot, the man crouched between her legs, as the baby let out its first bawling cry.Never in his centuries of being a demon, had Noah heard anything so raw. The power of that baby girl’s cry seeped into his bones and he slowed, crouching down next to her father. “You can’t look after her. You know that.”The man, his eyes bloodshot with whatever he’d just shot up, nodded, and held her out to him. “Take her. We don’t want her.”Noah slipped off his jacket and held it out, as her father deposited t
None of them had spoken for almost three hours.Noah had finally come back, after running off, his tail between his legs and he still hadn’t looked at Serenity. They were sitting on the sofas, quietly sipping at coffee. The headache which had woken her, still pounded behind her right eye, causing Serenity to feel sick.“Do we have some Advil or something?” She finally asked, rubbing her temple.Thorne climbed to his feet, going to the kitchen, and returned with pills, depositing them into her hand. She swallowed them and sat back again, her gaze finally moving to Noah.The blonde still had his head bowed, the now cold cup of coffee in between his hands.“Are we going to talk about it?”Noah’s eyes closed and he licked his lips, sending a spike of desire and a flash of memory through Serenity. He finally lifted his head and looked at her. “I don’t particularly want to.”“Tough,” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I want answe
It would have been better if they were yelling at her.Serenity sat between Thorne and Noah as the darker-haired demon drove the car all the way back to their factory. She didn’t want to ask where they’d found the vehicle, or if it were stolen… she didn’t think it would be wise to antagonize them.After over an hour of driving, Serenity’s skin was starting to itch and she turned her head to Thorne, looking up at him. His brow was furrowed, his gaze on the road and she knew he was pissed. Gulping, she turned her head and looked at Noah.The blonde was looking out the windscreen, his jaw clenching and unclenching and the look on his face told her he was in just as good of a mood as Thorne.Licking her lips, she turned back to the windscreen and lowered her gaze to her lap.How could she have thought she would get away with this? Travelling to another city to talk to a Skin Writer and not have them find her?&ldqu
“No… It’s not.” Serenity put the glass down and leaned forward, wringing her hands. “I have done as much research as I can. But I can’t find the answers I need.”“And what are they, pray tell.”Serenity licked her lips and glanced at the door, to the pair of demons and her brow furrowed. She didn’t like the whipped look they had to them.“One of the tomes talks about the ultimate sacrifice.”“Ah yes… What a load of bullshit that is. There is no ultimate sacrifice.” Daisy waved her hand and Serenity blinked. “Demons are loyal, yes but they are also cowards. They will always save their own skin, over that of someone else.”Serenity’s mind instantly went to what Noah had done.How he’d left Thorne to the angel’s wrath.“But if they are the guardian of a Skin Writer, then yes, they may save her… if they ch
Having put Noah’s phone back exactly where she’d found it, it had been a waiting game with the pair of demons.They’d both come in to check on her. She’d pretended to be asleep. They’d fallen for it and had both finally gone to bed themselves. Waiting the hour, to make sure they were both asleep… that had been the longest hour of her life.Serenity didn’t want to be sneaking out, running off to another city without them, but she couldn’t go with them. Not when her questions involved them.She’d managed to slip out of the factory and ran down the alleys until she’d gotten to a road and flagged down a taxi. After a few questions from the driver, he’d been happy to take her to the bus stop and leave her there.Now, she sat in the back of the bus, on the way to another city and to answers which could only be given by another of her kind.The man who opened the door of the
“We can’t keep going like this, Thorne.” Noah’s muffled voice floated to her, and Serenity’s eyes fluttered open. “I know. But come on, you’ve seen the way she looks at us. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”Serenity lifted herself and looked around. She was still on the sofa, but a bottle of water had been placed on the coffee table. The condensation making a large puddle under it, she picked it up and gulped down half the bottle, straining her hearing.“I don’t care. She’s not a child anymore. We’re bound to her, and she’s bound to us. What the Horde wants and what the Horde gets, is two different things.”She put the bottle back down on the table and stood, creeping closer to the railing, but not close enough for the pair of demons to see her. She stared down at them, as they seemed to argue, Thorne’s hands waving wildly as Noah paced back and forth in front of hi
Serenity was curled up against Noah, almost asleep, when Thorne came back. His presence was a shift in the air, and she lifted her head, staring at him groggily. Thorne’s gaze shifted from Noah to her and back and it narrowed at the pair of them.She sat up, as Noah stood and walked over to him. “Well?”“Malveran will see us in three days. No sooner. He has to find a suitable location.”“That’s good.” Serenity said, stretching. She’d snuggled up to Noah, as he’d been scrolling through the webpage used by the Horde. He’d read some of the reports to her, but after a little while, she’d drifted off. Now, under the gaze of Thorne, she wished she’d just headed back to bed instead. “So, what do we do for three days?”“Train.” Noah said, turning back to her. “We can’t be caught out again.”“But I thought you said Malveran&
Noah growled and leaped over the coffee table, pouncing on her. His strength and momentum tipped back the sofa and she squealed as he landed on her, a blade coming to her throat. “I’d be careful, Serenity. I know of three other Skin Writers in the world. I could gut you right now and the world would keep ticking over.”She stared up at the flaming orbs of Noah before her gaze shifted to the side. Thorne was standing over them, an amused glint in his eyes. “You’ve pissed him off.”“I don’t care if I pissed him off, Thorne.” She snapped, turning her attention back to Noah. She planted her hands on his chest, ignoring the hard planes of flesh under his white shirt. He was just as good looking at the darker haired man who watched the exchange. She pushed against him, but Noah didn’t move. “You honestly think you’re going to find someone like me?”“There are plenty like you,
“That was foolish.”Serenity’s groggy gaze shifted to Thorne, leaning against the doorframe. She blinked; her mind still clouded with pain. Her whole body hurt, as if she’d gone ten rounds with a boxer… and lost. It even hurt to breathe.Noah’s figure came to the side of her bed, sitting on the small chair and he leaned forward. “Thorne’s right. You could have died.”She looked over to Noah, her head thudding in pain, and rolled her eyes as best she could. She looked back to Thorne and as she opened her mouth to speak, her lips sung with pain, “You’re welcome.”Thorne’s eyes rolled as his hands lifted again, moving fluidly. “Thank you.”She smiled in return, hissing in pain as her lips cracked again, sending blood flooding into her mouth. Noah leaned over, gently lifting her to a seated position and placed a cup of water in her hands. She si
There was no way they could outrun them. Serenity stared at the mass of angels which had appeared behind Archon and her heart sank to her feet.“Fucking hell…” Noah’s grip around her shoulders tightened and she blinked.“Come on now, I’d rather have her unhurt. But if we must kill her, then oh well.” Archon shrugged. “Collateral damage at its finest.”Serenity couldn’t believe the angel would kill her, before letting them walk away. But then again, it made perfect sense. They were just as blood thirsty as Noah had suggested and it made her sick to think she had their DNA in her veins.Her gaze lifted to Archon’s and she stared.The grin faded from the angel’s face, and he scowled at her.“Hmm… quick learner, aren’t we?” His hands clenched by his sides and a few angels came to his side. They seemed like run of the mill humans, but Serenity could
“I don’t like this.” Serenity wrapped her hand around the hilt of the wand in her pocket and stepped closer to Noah. She could feel Thorne’s presence behind her, a mountain of muscle protecting her. So why did she feel like they were walking into a trap?“It’s not the ideal place,” Noah admitted, slowing his pace as they eyed off the building. “But Deri’amas isn’t exactly the kind of guy to fit in in a city.”“What do you m—” Serenity’s eyes widened as her gaze settled on the huge figure which stepped out from the side of the building. “Oh…”Covered from head to toe in leather and chains, the man who stepped into open was monstrous. His skin was a dark tan, covered in a shine she couldn’t quite pick. “Is that her?”His voice boomed across the open space, seething and off.Serenity stopped, and Thorne’s hand c