Reapers of the Dark (Cora Roberts #4)

Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The secrets we keep make us vulnerable.

C haos reigned supreme in Summer Grove House. Everyone was too busy shouting at me to allow me to have a turn to talk or even make sense of their words. I let them rage, worry, curse, and eventually simmer down into the realization that this was the best course of action. Sometimes, the loudest voice was the silent one. They did my work for me by discarding every alternative plan.

“I don’t like it,” Dave grumbled. “Getting in bed with a god of death seems like a fast track to disaster.”

“Nobody is getting in bed with Cora but me,” Hudson growled.

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a metaphor. Stop being so alpha for a moment so we can work through the plan.”

Honestly, this was growth for me. Only months ago, I would have taken my ass over to Ireland without any discussion. Letting people in was difficult, but I understood the need for it. I was one woman, and this problem was too big for me alone.

Hudson dragged in a slow breath and got control of his animal before he hulked out and dragged me to his secret hideout to wait out the apocalypse. Tempting. So very freaking tempting.

“Tell me again what he said,” Lucifer said.

Now they were listening? Fine. “Cillian said they won’t support us because Eloise hasn’t yet shown her involvement or hand. When she does, and if we need an army, they will be there.”

“In the meantime, a god wants a cozy chat with my mate?” Hudson asked as he folded his arms.

“Cillian implied Donn may be open to intervening before the situation escalates. I think we would be foolish not to hear him out.”

Rebecca, who had been quiet as she watched everyone fight among themselves, leaned forward and stared at me. “Doesn’t it seem rather convenient that he chooses now to offer help?”

“It’s a trap,” Sebastian said with a nod.

I rolled my eyes. “What would he get out of trapping me? He’s supporting a woman in taking control of the world—one he isn’t even interested in.”

Lucifer cocked an eyebrow. “Exactly. Meaning he has manipulated the situation into something you can’t resist.”

I pressed my lips together and massaged my temple. “Give me a better option.”

“Easy,” Hudson snapped. “Don’t go.”

I gave him a withering look. “Did you fall in love with a woman who chooses the straightforward path? A mate who puts herself above others?”

His shoulders drop and he lets loose a sigh. “No.”

“Then it’s decided. Uncle, may we bother you for an express lift to Ireland?”

Lucifer lost his perpetually amused smirk in favor of his King of Hell, scary as shit persona. “I don’t like this.”

“You don’t have to like it.”

“I will take you.”

“What’s your price?” I asked. There was always a price with the Devil.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Obviously. You’re our transportation.”

“No, I will join your visit with Donn. I don’t trust him.”

Great. The Devil had issues with the god of death. What could possibly go wrong?

Darkness encroached on the sky, a steady brewing storm that matched the mood of the land. Hudson, Lucifer, and I stood outside the House of Donn, waiting for Cillian to greet us.

I shivered as the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees in a single breath and clenched my fists to stop the tremors from catching fire and igniting the need to run. We should run far and fast away from here. There was a pregnant pause in the air that made every conviction I had to see this through turn to dust. Who the hell did I think I was meeting gods like they were my equals? I was an elemental half angel who gave terrible sex advice to supernaturals and turned down the beds of straggling supernaturals in a small town.

“Game face on, Cora,” Lucifer muttered. “The trick to besting a god is self belief. Turn back now if you can’t at least pretend.”

“Fake it ’til you make it?” I said with a chuckle.

“Exactly.”

“You got this, mate,” Hudson reassured.

I squared my shoulders. Don’t forget a vulture raised you and you learned how to navigate a pit of vipers before you could form words.

“Don’t forget me, Cora,” Indigo reminded me as she leaked a little power, which flared through my veins. That’s right.

“Also, you can’t wear that outfit and not embody badass,” Hudson said with an appreciative gaze down my body.

That was Lucifer’s doing. Soft, supple leather that fit like a glove encased my body, from my pants to the matching jacket. All I needed was a sword, and I could be a character from any fantasy TV series. Those always ended with the bad guys getting their karma and the good guys winning. Maybe their outfit choice swayed the outcome. It couldn’t hurt, and certainly seemed more fitting when I was about to face a Celtic god.

The door swung open, and Cillian blinked at our trio. He’d agreed to Hudson accompanying me—in fact, he said Donn expected no less—but it wasn’t a comfort. I didn’t enjoy putting The Principal in the path of an unstable god who danced with death.

“The Devil wanted to say hi,” I replied.

Cillian frowned. “Of course.”

Cillian’s blasé attitude toward Lucifer’s presence gave me pause. Was it simply down to it not being a big deal, because all we were doing was having tea and cake and a harmless conversation with a god? Or was it because Donn didn’t consider the Devil a threat? Would it be too much to hope for the first option? Probably.

Cillian stepped back, and we crossed over the threshold. At least they were forgoing the dramatic theater production today. He led us down the same hallway to the homely living room, which was empty of both mages and gods. My tea and cake scenario was looking less likely by the second.

“If you’ll just stand over there,” Cillian instructed, pointing at a large rune circle. Oh, sure. Let me go willingly into your mysterious magic circle. I folded my arms and leveled him with the one good thing my grandmother had taught me—the Roberts’ hardass stare.

Cillian sighed. “Did you think you were going to sit around the fire and have tea and biscuits, Cora? He’s a god.”

Cake, not biscuits. Also, I happen to know the God enjoys a yummy biscuit.

“Where then?” I asked.

“Bull Rock.”

I raised a brow. “Your big bad god lives on a rock?” Each to their own, I guess.

Cillian nodded. “That’s where I’m sending you, yes.”

Lucifer approached the runes and scanned them. “He’s telling the truth.”

“Any advice?” Hudson asked Cillian.

Cillian’s jaw ticced. “He’s from a different era, so remember that when you bring your new-world views. He doesn’t consider mankind’s squabbles to be of interest.”

“But he used my grandmother to get a foothold into this world,” I pointed out.

“I didn’t say he wouldn’t use every trick in the book to get what he wants; just that your views might struggle to find common ground.”

“I’m not sure anyone has common views with a certified god.”

Hudson grabbed my elbow as I made to step toward the circle. Tick, tock, Principal. I want this over with so we can get back to our lives. Hopefully save the world and pick out a wedding dress.

“What does he want?” Hudson asked Cillian.

“How would I know?”

“You said he will use every trick in the book to get what he wants. You know something.”

“I know lots of things, Principal, but not his will. Only he can impart that knowledge.”

I read between the lines. “He can’t tell us,” I murmured. “He knows, but Donn’s spelled him to secrecy.”

Hudson snarled. “Nope, we aren’t doing this.”

Lucifer snorted, grabbed my other arm, and yanked us both inside the circle. The runes flared to life, blinding us with their light before depositing us on the top of a tiny island. The wind tugged tendrils of my hair loose from my braid. I tasted the salt in the air as lightning struck the sea in the distance. Waves battered against the rocky shoreline, and the magic in my veins hummed in both anticipation and recognition. There was a force here, a lurking darkness waiting to unfurl its power into the world. When it did, it would destroy everything we knew and rule over us. Donn.

To my left perched the only building on the island, and my feet moved toward it without permission from my mind. The heavy drugging power was a seductive force. Hudson grabbed my hand and spun me to face him. He stole my breath with a kiss, branding me with a reminder of everything we had. I fell headfirst into that passion, and the heavy weight of the magic in the air snapped, freeing its control of my mind. I hadn’t even realized it had crept in within moments of our arrival. My mate gave me everything I needed to steady myself in the newly formed bond that tied us together.

He pulled away and ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek. “When we get home, I have something I need to tell you.” My breath caught in my throat as my heart stuttered in my chest. Those words never meant anything good.

Lucifer caught my gaze, the message in his eyes clear. Yes, I’m aware I can’t just tell him about your super secret club. But we either bring him into the fold, or they lose me. I refused to keep secrets anymore.

“Okay,” I whispered. “After we persuade a god to intervene and stop the destruction Eloise is enforcing, we’ll talk.”

Hudson’s brows lowered. He wasn’t stupid. He could feel I was holding out on him. That was the thing with mate bonds; they knew everything you weren’t saying. Dave got away with it, because as far as I was aware, he and my aunt weren’t mated. And even then, I thought the bond between us only existed because of Indigo. It really was her that was bonded to Hudson, not me. That was a sobering thought.

Lucifer moved toward the dilapidated brick building, and we hurried to catch up with him. He cocked his head, staring at the warped wooden door hanging off its hinges.

“I don’t sense any wards.”

I shook my head. “Me neither.”

Hudson pushed past us and flung it open, stepping inside first, his head swinging back and forth as he checked it out. I rolled my eyes and followed him inside, Lucifer bringing up the rear. Inside was a derelict wasteland. Ceramic and glass shards littered the broken floorboards of the small open room. To the right, a once grand sweeping curved staircase led to the upper floor, many of the stair treads missing or rotted, making it unusable.

“Now what?” I muttered. This was like one of those escape rooms. Find the random clue to get you to the next stage of your destiny—normally a pizza and beer.

I spun in a circle, hoping for a signal. Maybe Cillian sent us to the wrong rock? Just then, the air stilled, and goosebumps danced over my flesh as my blood chilled. Something was coming.

The air sucked out of my chest, and I plunged into the earth, darkness filling my vision. I clutched my throat, panic clawing at my mind as I tried to force air into my lungs. Breathe. Come on, Cora. Breathe.

My knees slammed into the ground, and I slumped onto my hands as I dragged in a breath. One, two, three. I tilted my head to the right, finding Hudson in the same position, struggling with his own mortality. Lucifer stood to my left, his features twisted with rage—the kind of look that gave him the power to command the worst of humanity.

I swallowed and pushed up to my feet, refusing to meet this god on my knees. That seemed like a bad introduction. Hudson also rose, and together, we glanced up. Once again, my breath hitched.

We stood in a circular room, the floor made of slick black obsidian. Surrounding us was the ocean, and panic sliced down my spine at the realization we were under water. Long ropes of kelp danced in the currents, while a school of fish spun in a lazy funnel, ignoring the sharks swimming below them.

Water pulsed against an unseen barrier surrounding the outer walls, rippling now and again, indicating it wasn’t a glass wall holding it at bay, but power. I didn’t doubt the deity we were here to meet couldn’t just snap his fingers and drown us if he willed it.

The violent waves above cast intricate dappling around the room, illuminating the single physical wall. A rocky platform jutted out of the base, and on top of it sat a massive black throne. A pair of black leather boots rested on the platform, but the rest of the figure was encased in shadows.

I glanced at Lucifer and Hudson, who were cataloging everything in the room that could be used as a weapon. This was part of the plan. Mine was to engage the god.

I took a few steps forward and raised my head. “I am Cora Roberts. I’ve come at your request.”

An arm swathed in black leather rose and curled its fingers in invitation.

You can do this. Breathe in. Out. One, two, three steps closer. Hudson and Lucifer flanked me, mirroring my movements. Show your face, Donn. I tilted my chin in the air, silently communicating that his silence didn’t intimidate me.

Fake it until you make it.

A low throaty chuckle rumbled in the room, making the atoms in my body fizz. Our God held his power in check, while this one wanted it to be felt everywhere.

He leaned forward, and the shadows unwrapped his features an inch at a time, like they were being bent to his will. I expected everything from a traditional old wise guy to a skull-like male. He was neither of those things. He was stunning. His sharp features were born of dreams and nightmares. His inky hair waved in an unseen breeze, the lone tendril resting on his wrinkle-free forehead shifting as his full mouth curved into a smile. Silver eyes, the color of liquid mercury, completed the otherworldly appearance. He was flawless, disarming, devastating.

He tilted his head as his gaze scanned my body. He waved a hand, and my badass leathers replaced themselves with a flowing floor-length silver Greek goddess gown, while swirling silver bands wrapped around my upper arms.

“What the fuck?” Hudson growled.

“Better. Females don’t wear warrior clothing,” Donn said, his voice deep and commanding.

“They do now. Put them back,” I demanded. If I gave an inch now, I had no chance. “Females aren’t the weaker sex. They never were, and the world knows it now.”

“Indeed. Women have always been merciless. You don’t need clothing to communicate that, Cora. I already know you are a worthy adversary.” I had no comeback for that. “You brought friends,” Donn said, peering behind me.

“I’m not a friend. I’m her mate,” Hudson snapped back.

Donn gave him a look of faint amusement, like he found that super funny. I didn’t like that one bit.

“And I am Lucifer, son of the God, ruler of damned souls.”

Donn flicked a glance at him, and his eyes shone with a little more interest at my uncle. “We have the daughter of death, the god of death, and the lord of the damned,” Donn said with a cutting look at Hudson. “You are the odd one out.”

Hudson growled low, and Keverin rippled to the surface. Donn tilted his head. “Interesting. Not a simple shapeshifter, are you?” Hudson bared his teeth. Oh no.

“You made a deal with my grandmother.” We needed to move this along. Costume changes and trying to intimidate my mate were getting us nowhere.

He inclined his head. “I did. My foothold into this world needed to be solidified by someone with power.”

As we suspected. But asking him to explain himself wouldn’t go well. I had to tread carefully to avoid us all meeting a watery grave.

Lucifer folded his arms. “There are a thousand better beings to make deals with. Why her?”

Donn’s silver eyes lasered my soul. “She is a bridge to the true purpose of my return.”

“Not in this lifetime,” Hudson stated, picking up on Donn’s clear message.

“She used that power to build an epidemic of remnants, who have revealed themselves to the humans, and she is poised to become the leader of the new world.”

He flicked his hand like he was swatting a fly. “Eloise is a speck, and your world is but a bolt in a much larger universe.”

Right. Well, before we sat down for snacks and settled in for an ancient alien binge fest, I needed him to recall his power so Eloise could die.

“Have you got your foothold?” I asked carefully.

He raised his arms and smiled. “What do you think?”

Yup, his power could be felt everywhere. “That’s fantastic for you. Welcome back. Now, could you please take back your power from Eloise?”

“I am not interested in your petty squabbles.”

Humanity’s fate was hardly a petty squabble. “I am not asking for your interest, merely to return her back to the elemental she was born.”

If he did that, we could kill her, and I think our remnant problem would resolve itself. It would go down in the history books as a mass hysteria event, and everyone would go back to believing the unbelievable was explainable. It was the simplest solution.

Donn narrowed his gaze. “I’m blood bound. It would take considerable effort to break that.”

Considerable effort, but not impossible. This was good. Of course, just like Lucifer, Donn wanted his pound of flesh.

“What do you want?”

He leaned back in his huge throne as he seemed to contemplate his answer. It was a ruse. He called me here because he already knew I would give anything to stop her. This war couldn’t happen; the loss of life was inconceivable.

A small vial of blood appeared in his hand. Hudson and Lucifer cursed as I froze, every molecule in my body humming in warning. “Why do you have that?” I asked. “I won’t be bloodbound to you. I can’t, as I’m mated.”

I had checked this carefully. Nothing in this life could override the bond between mates.

Donn swirled the blood around and sighed. “This was the answer to a very important question.”

“Which was?” It was not a closely guarded secret these days that Abaddon was my father. He didn’t need my DNA for that.

“Your heritage.”

“Easy. Elemental and archangel. Now you can give me my blood back, withdraw your power from my grandmother, and we can be on our way, leaving you in peace to do whatever it is you do with all your unbotheredness and whatnot.”

Bah, faking it was easy. Fingers crossed for the making it part.

Donn’s silver eyes swirled as they assessed me. “You truly have no idea who you are.”

“I know exactly who I am.”

Donn’s inky eyebrow lifted on his pale face. “Mate.” He pointed the vial of my blood at Hudson. “Angel.” He smirked at Lucifer, then raised his arms. I felt his intention and yanked on my power as the force holding the ocean back disappeared. My hands flung out, and I forced the water to hold its position. “Elemental.”

“You’ve made your point,” I ground out, sweat beading on my brow at the effort it took to hold back such a monumental force.

“Stop this,” Lucifer snapped.

Donn ignored him as I gritted my teeth, refusing to let him win. “And yet, you still don’t know who you are.”

Pissed and murderous, that was what I was. “If you mean my angelic half, then her name is Indigo.” Who was mysteriously fucking quiet. Great time for her to take a vacation. Donn’s power flooded the room, and the pressure of the water eased. My shoulders sagged, and black spots danced in my vision.

Donn’s eyes flicked to Hudson. “You know, don’t you?”

He knew what? I glanced at Hudson, who gave a sharp nod. I squinted at my mate as Indigo allowed her power free to support me not blacking out on the floor. “What do you know?” He wouldn’t look at me. Oh my God . Weren’t we done with a lifetime of secrets and revelations yet?

Swirling shadows unfurled from behind Donn, whipping toward me before wrapping themselves around my arms and dragging me toward him. A scream caught in my throat as my heart thundered. Why weren’t Hudson and Lucifer trying to stop him? I forced a glance over my shoulder, finding both men frozen in place. Frozen, or unwilling? Bile raced up my throat as my gut twisted.

Donn chuckled. “They’re not abandoning you, sweet Cora. I’m holding them there.”

Relief rushed through me, making my head spin. Donn’s shadows dissipated, leaving me at the foot of the raised throne. I swallowed down the knot in my throat and tipped my head back, meeting his gaze. Close up, he was ethereal. Terrifying, but also wondrous. My heart skipped a beat at being in close quarters to such a being.

Get a grip, Cora. I pushed down my anxiety and narrowed my eyes at the vial of blood. He followed my gaze and crushed the glass in his hand, my blood evaporating into a shimmering mist.

“I have no need of your blood now that you are here.”

“What do you want?” I growled.

Those pools of mercury swirled with knowledge I couldn’t hope to understand in this lifetime. His lips twitched. “Where is this being you call Indigo?”

Hudson released another string of curses. “This is not the time,” he shouted.

Donn’s eyes flicked over my shoulder. “Oh, Principal, it’s the perfect time to explain how you’ve been lying to your mate.”

Hudson knew about the Serpents of the Dawn? How?

“Cora, this is what I was going to tell you.”

I glanced over my shoulder with a frown. What he was going to tell me? Oh, that was right. Couldn’t this wait until after the god of death wasn’t around?

Donn’s shadows reappeared, unraveling my braid and teasing it apart so it cascaded down my back. He was rearranging my hair now. Wonderful. He stepped down from the platform and skimmed his fingers over my bare shoulder, the pure energy within them heating my flesh. “You’re digging around for an alter ego that doesn’t exist, Cora,” Donn said.

My brows crumpled. “That’s not right. She’s always been there.”

“You cut yourself off from half of your bloodline, and in doing so, created a monster in your mind, because you couldn’t accept yourself.”

I shook my head. “No,” I whispered. “She craves souls and death.”

Donn’s expression softened. “You aren’t two beings, Cora. You chained a vital part of yourself, and your psyche did what it needed to for survival.”

That made… complete sense. “Indigo?” I asked, only to be met with silence. Tears pricked my eyes as pain lanced through my chest while my world fell apart. It was simple to pretend that the worst parts of me weren’t under my control. It was something I’d rejected for so long.

“Of course, your mate quickly figured this out,” Donn said, glancing over my shoulder at Hudson.

My head shook back and forth. That couldn’t be right. He wouldn’t keep something like that from me. Hudson could be counted on to tell me the truth, no matter how painful it would be to hear.

I spun on my heel to face him. His gaze was hard. No. “Tell me it’s not true,” I begged him. He squeezed his eyes closed and fisted his hands. Oh my God.

His throat bobbed as he stared at me, his eyes beseeching me to understand. “I was going to tell you, but it needed to be done delicately. You literally created another personality to survive, Cora. Just throwing it out there would have caused more damage.”

“How long?” I whispered, fisting my trembling hands at my sides.

“About a week after you first turned into her.”

That was months ago. “But… but you can hear her thoughts, separate from mine.” It didn’t make sense. If we were one and the same, he would have been able to hear all of my thoughts.

Hudson’s gaze bored into mine. “You keep your thoughts protected behind a massive mental wall. But your angel side, Indigo, is outside of those restraints. You don’t accept her as part of yourself and therefore, she isn’t afforded the same barriers. I can hear her, because she is free.”

The room spun as I stared at him, my blood turning to ice. I flinched when warm fingers gripped my shoulder and a sharp fingernail dug into the top of my spine.

“Don’t touch her,” Hudson roared, as I arched against Donn.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “You are magnificent, Cora, inside and out. He hid it from you because he can’t accept you. You crave death and power.”

“But we are mated. Th-the b-b-bond…”

Hudson hung his head. That was not a lie. I felt it inside my chest. Even now, his heart beat against mine.

Donn chuckled. “Oh, the bond is very real. But his beast won’t tolerate a half mating, so to make that a reality, he had to make deals.”

“What kind of deals?”

Lucifer tilted his head back, his shoulders dropping. Oh, Hudson, what have you done?

“He did what he had to, to become the male you needed, the male you deserved. But he could never measure up to the storm in your soul. So while they schemed to strengthen him, they also spun a delicate web of control over you to contain your true power. They made you weaker.”

I took a step back. That wasn’t true. Mates wouldn’t do that—it went against the bond.

Hudson roared. “That is twisting the truth.”

Twisting, but not lies. My hand hovered over my mouth. “Did you do something to me?” I asked.

Lucifer sucked in a breath. “I did.” Trust the Devil and get burned. Why did it hurt so much? “It was to give you time to accept everything that you are. Your mind broke, niece. You don’t remember it. Think back to after The Hound tortured you. When they found you, they put your body back together, but your psyche was splintered. When you accepted your other half, you shook the world. You think the remnants are because of your grandmother? Think carefully. Donn has been here longer than they have. I spun a tale of lies to protect you, and your mate helped me do it.”

My hands shook as I reached for those memories. “You put a psychic straightjacket on me? Made me weak and vulnerable?”

Hudson pointed at Donn. “You have no right. She is mine to protect.”

“You made decisions about me,” I shouted back. My heart felt like it was breaking.

The nail in my back dragged down my spine, splitting my flesh apart. “Time to shed that deception and embrace the storm, Cora.”

My wings unfurled and expanded, three times as large as before, the tips grazing the ocean.

“I love you,” Hudson shouted. “Everything I did, we did, is because we love you.”

“No, everything you did was to keep me weaker, to make you feel in control. You made me lesser so the mating bond would snap into place.”

He roared, and the water rippled in warning. “The mating bond needed to happen so I could help temper your power.”

“Control,” I snarled. “Temper makes it sound like you did it for me.”

Lucifer sliced his hand through the air. “Enough. This is an argument to be had at home.”

I snorted. “Home? Are the rest of them aware of your deception?” Silence. Oh, everyone was aware. The crack in my heart fractured.

“We are bonded,” Hudson said, gathering his control. “Nothing can change that.”

Donn stood at my back, a silent sentinel. No, Hudson was wrong. One thing could change it.

Death.