Page 91 of Soulmarked

“Can you remember his face?” Sean stopped pacing, his full attention on me now. The intensity in his gaze reminded me of a predator tracking prey, but there was something else there too, concern that he'd never openly admit. “Anything about this dream guy?”

I closed my eyes, forcing myself back into that nightmare, ignoring the chill that crawled up my spine. “Tall, maybe six-two. Lean but strong build. Dark hair, perfectly styled, like a Ken doll come to life. High cheekbones, straight nose, the kind of face that belongs on billboards.” My throat tightened as I reached the part that still made my blood run cold. “But his eyes, electric blue. Unnaturally bright, almost glowing. And cold, completely devoid of humanity despite his perfect smile.”

“Sounds like a real charmer,” Sean muttered, glancing at Skye. “You catch all that? Run facial recognition against Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, prioritize the head honcho and his inner circle.”

“Already on it,” Skye's fingers flew across three keyboards simultaneously, screens reflecting in their glasses. “Cross-referencing with corporate databases and... holy shit.”

Sterling raised an eyebrow at their efficiency. “Your hacker friend works quickly.”

“Skye's saved our asses more times than I can count,” Sean replied without apology, checking the silver blade at his hip with practiced casualness. “Unlike some people's government resources.”

“And a damn good one,” Juno confirmed, sliding off the crate with predatory grace. “Custom-made, you might say. The kind of vessel that can channel serious power without burning up like a cheap fuse.”

Sterling's expression darkened. “Which means whatever they're trying to open in the park...”

“They're actually gonna pull it off,” I finished grimly. “Because they've got someone who can handle that kind of power without disintegrating.”

Sean caught my eye across the room, and something unspoken passed between us, understanding, maybe, or recognition of how screwed we really were.

“Sean,” Skye's voice carried a note of urgency I'd rarely heard from them. “You need to see this. Now.”

We gathered around their workstation as images appeared on multiple screens. A beautiful man with perfect features and those unmistakable blue eyes. He looked like he belonged on GQ covers, and according to the headlines flashing across one monitor, he frequently was.

“Alexander Caine,” Skye announced, pulling up corporate filings and news clippings. “Not just connected to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, he owns the whole damn show. CEO and majority shareholder who keeps his name off most of the public-facing materials.”

“The hell?” Sean leaned closer to the screens, scanning the information with narrowed eyes. “Tech billionaire,philanthropist, America's most eligible bachelor three years running...”

“Here's where it gets weird,” Skye continued, opening records that looked like they'd been buried beneath layers of digital security. “Caine basically didn't exist until fifteen years ago. He appeared out of nowhere with revolutionary tech patents and billions in mysterious assets. No birth record, no childhood photos, nothing before his mid-twenties when he suddenly emerged fully-formed as a corporate titan.”

“Like someone created the perfect cover identity,” I murmured, the mark on my chest burning colder.

“Or something slipped into our world and built itself a human life,” Juno added, studying the images with predatory focus.

Sean straightened, running a hand through his hair. “So we're dealing with a Prince of Hell wearing a billionaire CEO like a prom tuxedo? Fantastic. Any other good news you want to share? World ending tomorrow? Sharknado becoming real?”

“A perfect vessel,” Juno said, ignoring Sean's sarcasm. “Possibly created specifically for this purpose.”

“Or something that's been hiding in plain sight for years,” Sterling added grimly. “Playing the long game.”

I stared at Caine's image, trying to reconcile the charming public figure with the predator from my dreams. The same face that smiled from charity galas and tech conferences had watched me with ancient hunger, had spoken of unmaking reality like it was discussing the weather.

“He's been planning this for over a decade,” I said, the weight of it settling in my gut like lead.

Sean's hand found my shoulder, gripping it briefly, the closest he'd come to offering comfort. “Longer,” he said, voice low and certain. “Much longer.”

“So what's the plan?” I asked, looking up at him. “How do we kill a Prince of Hell who's wearing one of the most powerful men in the country?”

Sean's smile was sharp enough to cut glass. “Same way we deal with anything that bleeds, Caddy.” He patted the silver blade at his hip. “We find what hurts it and use a hell of a lot more of that.”

“Don't call me Caddy,” I replied automatically, but there was no heat in it.

“You two finished with your moment?” Juno interrupted, fangs glinting in the harsh light. “Because if we're going after Asmodeus, we need more than silver blades and witty comebacks.”

“What we need,” Sterling said, opening a metal case that hummed with power even from across the room, “is something that can kill what's inside him without destroying the world in the process.”

Heaven's Lash lay coiled within, pulsing with its own light. Looking at it, feeling the mark on my chest respond with cold recognition, I knew our odds were slim. But slim odds had been my entire life since that snowy night so many years ago.

“Well,” Sean said, checking his weapons one last time, “let's go crash a billionaire's apocalypse party.”

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