Page 38 of Absolved In Death

Quelier used the same magic he had in Pit 13 to multiply himself into a whole unit. Some of Red’s soldiers were so shocked by his entrance that we were able to pick them off. Others retreated, running and fading away like cowards. Slowly but surely, we turned the tide of the battle, until we were able to open the training facility doors.

Judas, Mal, and a small unit of Costa coven soldiers were inside, fighting a group of vampires who wore bright red uniforms. Red had converted a few of the aristocratic covens to his side, and the sight of Judas fighting his own kind was almost like watching a ballet. Vampires were quick, agile creatures, their movements swift and graceful. Their superior strength made them lethal.

Judas leapt into the air, landing on another vampire’s back in one fluid motion. Within a few seconds, Judas had tackled him to the ground and ripped his head clean off his body. The corpse disintegrated into dust.

Two of Red’s vampires stood beneath me, eyeing me up. I flew around them, trying to think of ideas to take them out.

Your fire will weaken them, but it may not kill them outright,Mal warned me.These are old vampires,with crazy power signatures. You need to find ways to decapitate them.

Ares nudged the ridge near my wings, leaning forward and pouring a bright white flame onto them. Their movements slowed, making it easier to see them. Mal levitated two of them in the air.

Kill shot!Ares bellowed as I banked left, swooping down so he could pluck one right out of the air. I heard a crack, then saw a headless corpse fall. It turned into black dust when it hit the floor. He threw the head to Lucifer, who rolled his eyes before throwing it at Oisín for his art bag. We turned around, going in for the second vampire. She screamed as she thrashed in the air, desperately trying to escape.

Her power signature doesn’t feel like Judas’,I linked Mal and Ares.Fire may work on her.

I torched the bitch with a bright blue flame and Ares added his white flame to the mix. Her skin ripped and bubbled before our eyes, melting off like candle wax. Her entire body crumbled into dust mid-air.

A shriek ripped through the room, and I almost fell out of the sky. The fighting came to a screeching halt as two vampires in bright red uniforms dragged Angela into the facility. She kicked, screamed, and cursed herself hoarse, but they held on tight. I landed, morphing back into my human form as soon as Ares dismounted. The short one on the left pulled Angie to him and put a knife to her throat.

My magic crackled under my skin, begging me to unleash it as it built to a harmful level. I wanted to rip these two morons to shreds and feed their parts to my dino-pets, but I had to play this cool if I wanted her to live.

“Let her go,” I ordered as I formed a dagger from pure, unfiltered magic. It pulsated with my own rage.

“Stand down, or I’ll slit her throat wide open,” the taller one shouted.

Diana, keep them distracted and their eyes on you. Judas, do you have a clear shot to rush him?Ares directed through the mindlink. I made sure to keep my eyes on Angie and her captors, to not give us away.

Yes, but I wish I were closer. I’m going to rip these pieces of shit to shreds and leave them out for the sun to finish off.His voice was anxious and clipped through the link. I had never heard Judas so off kilter.

“We will not stand down. You’re going to let her go and leave this compound, or I’ll destroy you. There are no other options,” I lied. Whether they let go of my aunt or not, they would cease to exist today.

The rest of my men, Bain, Quelier, and Apollo faded in, magically sealing the door behind them. Their uniforms were soaked in blood, and they all looked downright murderous. The vampires’ faces dropped, their premature smirks of victory wiped clean off their faces.

“Five vampires versus the most powerful paranormal beings this millennia,” Desmond taunted them. “Don’t be foolish…let her go and we’ll let you live.”

“Yeah, until you torture us to death!” The short one squealed. “I’ve heard stories about Red’s hitmen…the thing you’ve done…”

“Then you know that you made a huge fucking mistake touching a member of the Morningstar family. Let her go, or I swear you’ll be in pain long after you die,” Bain snarled.

Angie didn’t cry, or tremble in fear. She stood tall with a stone cold, fierce expression on her face. The face of a warrior who wasn’t afraid of death.

But I was…

I was scared shitless of losing the woman who had been like a sister to me my entire life. Who taught me how to ride abike, gave me her old books to read, and mourned my mother’s death with me. She believed in me and supported my dreams of becoming a lawyer. Angie kept me together during the worst time of my life, inspiring me to be my best self despite it all.

The vampires holding her hostage locked eyes with each other in a silent conversation.

“See you in Hell, bitch,” the one holding the knife said as he slit her throat.

12

JUDAS

For a split second, the entire room froze with an eerie, suffocating stillness. Angela Rossi was dying before I had a chance to fix us and apologize to her.

I hadn’t been myself last night. The constant push and pull between us had finally taken its toll on me, and I…I didn’t mean to say those things to her…

I threw her leg over my shoulder, bearing my weight on my forearms. Her soft, supple body felt so fucking good beneath me, especially when I was folding her in half and teasing her. She dug her nails into my biceps, bucking her hips in anticipation.

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