The Fire of Hestia Read online

  A smile came to my lips as I saw the mistake in the system. It wasn’t the kind of vault that took keys to open it. It took a code which meant it was computerized. That made it vulnerable.

  I stepped forward and tapped the screen of my phone, beaming as the virus passed wirelessly into the computer. It would only take a few seconds for the virus to do its thing, so I glanced around to see what else was there.

  It was a boring area. All that was there was a single desk with a chair. Oh, crap.

  As soon as the thought passed through my mind, Luken turned to the door. His eyes were wild as he sprang toward it. Unfortunately, he was too late.

  He door swung open, revealing a man holding a bottle of pop. He stopped when he saw us, his face frozen for half a second before he dropped his pop and reached for a gun strapped to his waist.

  Luken stopped, a look of concentration coming to his face . . . and all of a sudden, the guard moaned. He reached for his head, crying out in what looked like agony. The guy’s knees gave out and he fell to the floor, still clutching his head.

  Luken calmly closed the door and leaned back against it. “Hurry,” he said to me, not even looking at the man who had curled himself into a ball on the floor.

  I blinked, then blinked again, trying to understand what had happened. No. I could figure it out later. Right then, I needed to get the door open and deal with the contracts.

  Like a wall had gone up in my mind, I turned to the vault door and tapped my fingers on the screen. It was still locked, yet only partially. I set my algorithm to crack the code and after only a few seconds, the door clicked.

  I didn’t look at Luken as I turned the wheel to open the door. Whatever he had done to the guard had probably saved our lives. I still found it difficult to justify causing the kind of pain the man was obviously in. I wanted out of there, away from Luken, away from the PSA entirely.

  I had expected to find a wall of lock boxes inside the vault. What I found instead was a simple shelf holding what looked like mythological objects, and a filing cabinet next to it. Okay, that was a little anticlimactic.

  Without questioning it, I walked to the cabinet and pulled the top drawer open. My heart began to pound. There were so many of them. How many people had those evil worms bound?

  I lifted the first drawer out and dumped the contracts on the floor, then did the next, and the next. The pile was enormous. I felt something wet roll down my cheek, realizing only then that I was crying. It was all so horrible.

  When all the papers were on the ground, I took the bag we had emptied the ash into and carefully began to sprinkle it over the papers. I made sure every paper had at least a spec of ash on them before emptying a bottle of lighter fluid mixed with holy water over it. When it was finished, I took out the lighter and lit them on fire.

  I stood and stared at the flames before the smoke began to choke me. My face was wet with tears as I walked out of the vault, leaving the door open so the flames would go on.

  My mouth fell open when I stepped out of the vault, to find Luken standing there with Erramun. I hadn’t expected to see the angel, yet there he was.

  Both of them gave me the kinds of smiles that made me certain everything would be okay. We had done it. We had freed everyone the PSA had been holding against their will.

  TWENTY-TWO

  My heart raced as we stepped into the hallway and heard the pounding. It was coming from a door not far from us and by the sounds of it, people wanted out.

  I ran toward the door. Before I got there, a beep sounded and it was opened. I would guess Quinn had done it the moment she was released from her contract. I mentally high fived her and got out of the way of the people who were rushing away.

  A shriek of glee escaped me as Erkens and Ian exited the door. They were there. They were safe. They were free.

  Erkens smiled from ear to ear when he saw me, walking over to give me a huge bear hug. “Madison, remind me to give you a raise,” he said and he smiled so wide, every one of his teeth showed.

  I giggled, throwing my arms around Ian next. He lifted me up and twirled me around, his amazing eyes drinking me in. “You did it,” he said and crushed his mouth to mine.

  He was still holding me up, so it wasn’t easy to respond to his kiss. I could hardly move my head, although neither of us cared. He was all there was. With him there, I felt whole and I could tell he felt the same way about me. I could just feel it in the way he kissed me.

  Erkens cleared his throat loudly. “Could you two please break it up. This fight isn’t over. We’re only out of a room. We still need to get home,” he grumped, his tone making it clear he was trying to suppress his smile.

  Ian set me down without letting go of me. He slid his hand down my arm and linked his fingers with mine. “To be continued as soon as possible,” he said with a smile that made his tired eyes look alive and well again.

  I rubbed my hand over my chin. “To be continued as soon as you shave. Your scruff is a little painful,” I teased, not wanting him to shave at all.

  Ian looked amazing, the almost-beard giving him a rugged look that suited him perfectly.

  Ian rubbed his hand over his unshaved cheek, shaking his head. “Not a chance, beautiful. You go and get yourself a new look, I’m getting one too.”

  We smiled at each other, our fingers still linked as we moved toward the steps. There was so much we needed to talk about, so many problems we had to face. Right then, it was okay because my family was back together.

  Ian’s eyes flicked toward Luken, his fingers tightening around mine. “Who are you?” he asked in a tone that said clearly he thought Luken was still on the PSA’s side.

  He glanced at Ian, not speaking as a man jogged toward us.

  I almost panicked until I recognized Patrick. Seeing him with Erkens next to me made it clear how similar those two . . . those three looked to each other.

  Erkens looked like he wasn’t sure if he was going to pass out or not. As Patrick stopped in front of us, the emotional toll apparently hit him hard. “Your mother and sister have been grieving you for eight years, boy. And here you are, whole and healthy. How . . . how is this possible?” he asked in a quivery voice.

  Patrick made a motion to Luken. “I did die, Dad. But my wife and son brought me back,” he said, guiding Luken forward. “Dad, I’d like you to meet my son, Luken.”

  Erkens’ mouth worked silently for a few seconds, then slowly, he held his hand out between them. “It’s . . . good to meet you,” he said, looking ready to cry.

  Luken took his hand in the same limp way he’d taken mine, shoving his hands into his pockets as fast as he could.

  Erkens glanced at Patrick again. “You said wife too? When did you get married?” he questioned, his voice sharper than it was before.

  Ian and I stepped away, allowing them their time to get to know each other again. It would take time. It was clearly not the first time the two had seen each other, yet it was their first chance to really talk.

  Ian glanced at me as we turned a corner into a more secluded section of hallway. “Mads, we need to find Spencer. He’s--”

  “He’s fine,” I told him, filling him in on the things that had happened in the last few hours since we’d seen each other.

  Ian blew out a long breath. “Thank God,” he whispered, turning his eyes back to look at me. “And . . . what’s happening out there?” he asked, his voice slightly shaky.

  I turned my eyes down. “It’s bad, Ian. They’re telling people to stay inside, calling it a terrorist attack.”

  He swallowed hard, stopping me and tipping my chin back so our eyes met. “You are an amazing woman, Maddie. You have saved a lot of lives. Bhesaj is the monster here, not you.”

  “Oh, how sweet,” someone said and they stepped closer to us.

  I turned to look and my body tensed. Adrian Ezra walked toward us, her eyes having no white at all. They were pure black. Adrian was possessed by a demon.

  Ian released my hand,
trying to push me behind him. “Get out of here, Maddie. Run,” he said, his body tensed for whatever her attack would be.

  No way would I run, though. What I did was step back, then to the side, my hand around a packet of salt from my belt. “Funny, you’re possessed by a demon and I can’t tell the difference,” I said in as calm a voice as I could muster.

  Ian let out a tiny groan that ended on an even smaller laugh, obviously agreeing with me.

  She turned her eyes on me and smiled. “Madison Meyer. My, my. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Or the apples don’t,” she mocked, looking at Adrian’s fingernails in a careless way. “I wanted to recruit you at first. It’s difficult to recruit those who don’t love anyone, though. Not really capable of love, are you, Madison? I mean, your mommy really did a number on you, didn’t she?”

  Ian flung his arm out like he thought he would have to hold me back. I hadn’t moved, though. My eyes were fixed on the figure behind Adrian.

  Erramun had looked like a normal man not so long before. Right then, he looked like the warrior angel he was. His wings were furled and he wore armor made of what looked like diamond. Looking at him was both terrifying and comforting all at the same time.

  Adrian whirled around, her eyes going wide as she saw my guardian angel. “Erramun,” she hissed, her neck corded as she flexed her fingers.

  “Lanac, you are finished. You will go back to hell and never return to the human world again,” Erramun stated, pulling out a sword that looked like it too was made of diamonds.

  The gleaming blade shone in the fluorescent lighting around us. It made it stand out even more. It also gleamed in another way like there was magic inside it. It was a dumbfounding sight.

  Lanac smirked, not appearing to care that he stood in front of an armed angel. “You are so short-sighted. Even YOU must see the benefit of the work that was done here.”

  “And I see the evil, Lanac. You have forced people to work for you by imprisoning their loved ones, threatening others. And the experiments you’ve done have ruined lives.”

  Lanac threw back Adrian’s head and laughed. “Not all the evil in the world is my doing, Erramun. I played my role. Others played theirs. Now, I have a little present for you,” and Adrian’s arms rose into the air, expelling the demon from inside her.

  It was only obvious that the demon was gone from her when Adrian fell to the ground, her open eyes showing normal pupils. I didn’t know where the demon had gone. Terror engulfed me. Ian, Erkens, and I couldn’t be possessed but we weren’t the only people in the building. There were dozens of people it could choose.

  TWENTY-THREE

  It turned out, the demon didn’t choose a person. A woman stepped out of one of the rooms, her ethereal glow and extended wings making it clear just what she was. Her curly hair and long, slim nose made it clear to me who she was. Azrial.

  None of it made sense. The angel’s eyes were pure black. Had Lanac possessed an archangel? Was it even possible? What was she doing there?

  And answers started floating their way through my mind. Luken wasn’t the one who had been the signetory. He was a hostage. Azrial had been forced to sign the contract. She must have found out what had happened to Patrick eight years before and had come to save him.

  I didn’t know how she had been bound. However they had done it, it was evil. There was no doubt in my mind. The look on Erramun’s face told me that without hesitation.

  “Lanac, what have you done?” he whispered, actual fear clouding his eyes.

  Lanac snickered. “What I’ve done? Is it so hard to tell?” he held Azrial’s arms out to her sides. “I’ve possessed an angel, a very powerful angel. I broke her,” the demon said through the angel’s mouth, making ice work its way up my spine.

  I glanced toward the hallway where Erkens, Patrick, and Luken stood, sure that none of them would be in a reasonable frame of mine when they saw Azrial. I wasn’t sure how powerful Luken was. I had a feeling he was no lightweight in the power department.

  The thing was, the PSA had found a way to bind an archangel. If their technology could do that, it could definitely bind a demon. If I could find how Azrial had been locked down, I could help Erramun in a very real way.

  There were other things that could be done. Most of them were fairly useless to me. I had read a few exorcism rituals in my research of paranormal activities. I was pretty sure my indefinite faith would make it simply words rather than something to cast a demon out of a body.

  I edged my way toward the door Azrial had come out of, grabbing Ian’s hand as I moved. His eyes were narrowed although he did move with me. He trusted me. It was an amazing thing.

  After everything, he still trusted that I would make the right decision. I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go. Instead, I slunk toward the door with my boyfriend’s hand in mine.

  A roar of rage came from Erramun’s mouth and all of a sudden, those two beings were at war. The body of the archangel who had somehow been possessed by the demon was far superior to my guardian angel. Wings. Swords. Powers I couldn’t comprehend. They filled the hallway.

  Good versus evil. Angel versus demon. It should have been horrifying. It wasn’t. It was mesmerizing.

  A fight between two beings who had been around since the beginning of time was an elegant, beautiful thing. Both of them moved with a deadly grace that was a marvel to see.

  My breath whooshed out in horror when Lanac caught Erramun on the wrist with a dagger I hadn’t even seen. Erramun stumbled, his sword falling, and all of a sudden, the outcome was in jeopardy. Erramun was bleeding, his movements less nimble.

  I stopped, my hand moving to the bit of ash that was left. The fire of Hestia was pure. She was the sister of Hades. Hades was apparently some kind of buddy of Lucifer. It made sense that the purity of Hestia’s fire would stop a demon in its tracks.

  Before I could talk myself out of it, I released Ian’s hand and unzipped the compartment in my belt that held the bag of ash. There wasn’t much left but it was something.

  Erramun’s eyes met mine as Lanac held his sword to his throat. He didn’t move, yet something in his eyes told me he knew what I was planning. I didn’t see any warning in those eyes, so I squirted the last of the lighter fluid at the demon, tossed the ash, and lit a match.

  The demon turned as soon as the lighter fluid hit him, so some of the ash landed on his face. He glowered at me, taking a step closer. “Madison,” he said like my name was the most disgusting thing that had ever passed his lips. “It’s no wonder your mother hates you,” he said in a conversational way, a cold smile coming to his face. “Do you know that she is the one who gave Dr. Renat information about you. I didn’t need to persuade the woman at all. If not for her advice on isolating you, I think you would have found us far sooner. You certainly would have found our mole in the FBI.”

  My heart clenched and my fingers shook, making me drop the match. There was a spy in the office? How had I missed it?

  The demon stepped closer. “You see, you were the weapon she used to hurt your father with. The things she did to you were the ways she struck out at him. She expected you to tell him but you never did. You suffered in silence, which only made her want to break you more.”

  My fingers shook again. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to hurt me, to distract me. The demon was clever. He knew how to cause pain as well as Mom did.

  I had lived my entire life being berated by my mother. I knew how she felt about me. It could only hurt me if I let it. And I was done letting it hurt me.

  “Yes,” I said with a nod. “My mom was abusive. No. I never told anyone.” I straightened my shoulders and lit a match. “It’s time for you to burn,” I told him, tossing it at the thing.

  A scream pierced the air, though the only thing that burned was the demon. The angel was protected simply because of her purity. Hestia’s fire purged the demon from the archangel’s body.
/>   A shout sounded from behind me and all of a sudden, Patrick and Luken were there. They enveloped Azrial in the kind of hug that made me want to cry. It was beautiful, their family was whole for the first time in eight years.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Aetos' mouth fell open in surprise when he, Gabe, Spencer, and Janus stepped through the portal into the PSA. He had expected to find the place quiet. What he found was a large group of people embracing their loved ones.

  Madison had done it. She had freed the captives and apparently broken the contracts. He had never imagined it would be possible without someone like Spencer.

  Gabe grinned as he looked around. “That girl is my hero,” he said, nudging Spencer with his elbow. “Come on. Let’s go find Madison, then you can buy me a pizza. I’m starving.”

  “Buy your own pizza,” Spencer answered, motioning over his shoulder. “I’d guess there’s going to be a Chinese food feast ready in a little bit. Did you see the group up there?”

  Aetos grimaced. “The PSA had been holding the daughter of one of the building’s owners to keep them from reporting any of the things they saw. It is amazing how long they kept this going.”

  Spencer scowled, though walked toward a flight of steps without comment. It was clear a lot had happened to him in the three weeks he had been missing. The fact he had managed to get away at all was a miracle in itself.

  He looked around as they walked, seeing that the place looked as though it had started out as the research facility it was supposed to be. Whatever had corrupted the mission, if Madison had dealt with it, Aetos hoped the PSA would continue on. He knew about the medical advancements that had taken place because of them.

  Janus let out a low, rumbling bark that sounded like a warning. He had been able to shift back into his Rottweiler form, so the warning somehow seemed even clearer.

  And as they stepped out of the stairway, Aetos saw a sight he had never expected to see. Two angels, a nephilim, a fairy, and a lot of humans. He stared, his eyes bugging as he saw what looked like a clear box containing a demon.