at the hands that held h im, screaming her name.
For a brief moment, their eyes met and some of the panic faded from her face. “I love you.” She mouthed the words.
“For eternity,” he whispered.
Then the flames licked at her bare legs, and she screamed in agony.
He lost sight of he r as they closed in around him. The acrid scent of smoke, burning pitch, and roasting flesh clogged his nostrils. He fell to his knees and gagged as Eleni’s shrill screams filled his mind.
Finally, she fell silent.
Cade’s heart shattered. He threw back his head and howled.
Long minutes, he knelt there, unsure whether he could even move. His mind reeled in disbelief. She couldn’t be gone, but there was a huge gaping hole inside him, where she had been for so long.
He pushed down the pain and allowed ice-cold fury to envelop his heart as he struggled to his feet. They had gathered his six brothers together, their faces reflecting his own despair.
“For violating the laws of Heaven, you are banished.”
Gabriel waved his hand and a portal opened, a break in realit y. Cade sensed the shadows reaching up to him, and he embraced them.
He stood immobile, barely feeling the pain as they ripped his wings from his back, and then he was plummeting through darkness. He fell for an age, until finally, he crashed to the ground.
His mind was numb as he stumbled to his knees. He’d wanted Eleni to live forever, be at his side for eternity. Instead, he had brought about her death, and he would be alone until the end of time. A scream welled up inside him. He knelt in Hell, bu t it was nothing compared to the darkness in his soul.
An icy wind blew across his skin, and he looked up from his torment. In the half-light, a woman stood before him. “I’m Lilith, Queen of the Damned. Welcome to the Abyss.”
Chapter One
Present day
“T ell me why I’m here again?” Cade had to shout over the whir of the helicopter blades.
“Here” was about twenty miles south of Kabul, the environment an inhospitable mix of low rocky outcrops and scrubby bushes beneath a washed out blue sky and a pale yellow sun.
“Press conference,” Finn replied. “You’re talking; I’m your bodyguard.”
Cade examined him—Finn certainly looked the part in his camouflage gear and more weaponry than could ever be needed. But then Finn did love his toys. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Maybe not.” Finn grinned. “Okay, definitely not, but it wouldn’t look right for the big boss not to have a bodyguard around here. You might not have noticed, but we’re in the middle of a war zone.”
The helicopter was slowing now. Below them, Cade could ma ke out the vague outline of manmade structures, the same pale ochre as the landscape, so the buildings merged with the rocky terrain. They circled the compound once, hovering above the small crowd of people in the wide open central area, before coming to l and on an open rooftop off to the side.
A faint hum of excitement vibrated deep in his gut. He’d been missing this. As CEO of Stormlord Securities, he spent way too long in the office. What he needed was something to take his mind off the fact that time wa s running out for all of them.
Cade slipped on his dark glasses and jumped down.
The sun prickled his skin, but he ignored the sensation; sunlight no longer had the power to harm him—he’d grown beyond that. Thick red dust permeated the air, and he grimaced as he ducked under the still-turning blades and ran for the edge of the roof, Finn at his back.
Despite the sun, the day was bitterly cold, but Cade hardly noticed as he smoothed his suit and breathed in the icy air. The cool breeze hinted at snow and som ething else—a lingering scent almost forgotten, but still familiar.
He came to an abrupt standstill.
The hum of excitement grew to a buzz that spread through his being, filling him with a wild sense of anticipation. His whole mind focused on the elusive sc ent that teased
For a brief moment, their eyes met and some of the panic faded from her face. “I love you.” She mouthed the words.
“For eternity,” he whispered.
Then the flames licked at her bare legs, and she screamed in agony.
He lost sight of he r as they closed in around him. The acrid scent of smoke, burning pitch, and roasting flesh clogged his nostrils. He fell to his knees and gagged as Eleni’s shrill screams filled his mind.
Finally, she fell silent.
Cade’s heart shattered. He threw back his head and howled.
Long minutes, he knelt there, unsure whether he could even move. His mind reeled in disbelief. She couldn’t be gone, but there was a huge gaping hole inside him, where she had been for so long.
He pushed down the pain and allowed ice-cold fury to envelop his heart as he struggled to his feet. They had gathered his six brothers together, their faces reflecting his own despair.
“For violating the laws of Heaven, you are banished.”
Gabriel waved his hand and a portal opened, a break in realit y. Cade sensed the shadows reaching up to him, and he embraced them.
He stood immobile, barely feeling the pain as they ripped his wings from his back, and then he was plummeting through darkness. He fell for an age, until finally, he crashed to the ground.
His mind was numb as he stumbled to his knees. He’d wanted Eleni to live forever, be at his side for eternity. Instead, he had brought about her death, and he would be alone until the end of time. A scream welled up inside him. He knelt in Hell, bu t it was nothing compared to the darkness in his soul.
An icy wind blew across his skin, and he looked up from his torment. In the half-light, a woman stood before him. “I’m Lilith, Queen of the Damned. Welcome to the Abyss.”
Chapter One
Present day
“T ell me why I’m here again?” Cade had to shout over the whir of the helicopter blades.
“Here” was about twenty miles south of Kabul, the environment an inhospitable mix of low rocky outcrops and scrubby bushes beneath a washed out blue sky and a pale yellow sun.
“Press conference,” Finn replied. “You’re talking; I’m your bodyguard.”
Cade examined him—Finn certainly looked the part in his camouflage gear and more weaponry than could ever be needed. But then Finn did love his toys. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Maybe not.” Finn grinned. “Okay, definitely not, but it wouldn’t look right for the big boss not to have a bodyguard around here. You might not have noticed, but we’re in the middle of a war zone.”
The helicopter was slowing now. Below them, Cade could ma ke out the vague outline of manmade structures, the same pale ochre as the landscape, so the buildings merged with the rocky terrain. They circled the compound once, hovering above the small crowd of people in the wide open central area, before coming to l and on an open rooftop off to the side.
A faint hum of excitement vibrated deep in his gut. He’d been missing this. As CEO of Stormlord Securities, he spent way too long in the office. What he needed was something to take his mind off the fact that time wa s running out for all of them.
Cade slipped on his dark glasses and jumped down.
The sun prickled his skin, but he ignored the sensation; sunlight no longer had the power to harm him—he’d grown beyond that. Thick red dust permeated the air, and he grimaced as he ducked under the still-turning blades and ran for the edge of the roof, Finn at his back.
Despite the sun, the day was bitterly cold, but Cade hardly noticed as he smoothed his suit and breathed in the icy air. The cool breeze hinted at snow and som ething else—a lingering scent almost forgotten, but still familiar.
He came to an abrupt standstill.
The hum of excitement grew to a buzz that spread through his being, filling him with a wild sense of anticipation. His whole mind focused on the elusive sc ent that teased
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