Coming Darkness

Two-4

The most astonishing part of this scene, though, was not the oddity of the men, which was par for the course around here, but that the tattooed man had the Asshole pinned under his boot. Crying.

She didn't know what to do. A small voice somewhere in the back of her mind told her to run before any of them noticed her.

Too late. The tattooed man stopped what he was doing and looked at her. The other one, following his gaze, turned to look at her as well. Both gazes fixed her to the spot, and she trembled.

“His wife?” Tattooed man asked, taking a step toward her. “Where is his wife?”

“Don't you tell this bloodsucking son-of-a-b***h, you fat f*****g cow. Don't you say a f*****g word.” The Asshole raised himself onto his knees and shouted at her.

Even on his knees and blubbering, he insults me. She felt a tickle of satisfaction when the tattooed man cuffed him on the side of his head.

“That's no way to speak to a lady,” he told the Asshole, who started another bout of crying.

“Please, you can't take my wife. Let me—let me call Lord Te. I'm sure we can work something out.” He was alternately trying to grab the man's pant leg and shying away from touching him. Roberta watched, fascinated, as he did this a few times while making his pleas.

She pitied him, which surprised her, since the only thing she had felt for him since the day they'd met was intense hatred. The tattooed man drew a metal band attached to a length of chain out of his coat pocket and, grabbing the Asshole by the hair, fastened the metal band—a collar?—around his neck.

That's it. I'm asleep at my desk. There is no way something this crazy could be real.

“You were asked a question.” The man out of a fairy tale addressed her, immediately dispelling her illusion. “You would do well to answer it.”

He came toward her. Finally able to move, she threw the tray at him and turned to run. Vaguely she thought it odd that she didn't hear the tray hit him or crash to the floor. That thought drowned in the realization that she wasn't moving.

“Turn around.”

Her body was not her own, as it obeyed without her consent. Absently, she noted the tray positioned neatly on the floor by the door, as if she'd carefully placed it there. The man was moving toward her now. Too late she realized she shouldn't look into his eyes. Her will to do anything but what he wanted dissolved the instant she did. Something about him squashed any sense of self-preservation. He burned through her, and she would gladly smolder to a cinder and not lift a finger to save herself.

“Knock it off, Uriel.” She heard an exasperated voice say. Uriel? What a beautiful name. The tattooed man brushed past the one named Uriel to come toward her, leading the Asshole by the leash.

“Do you want the information or not?” Uriel replied, never breaking eye contact with her.

The conversation flowed around her as she floated on white puffy clouds of adoration.

“Not if you make a drooling i***t out of her, I don't.”

Uriel's hair is so red. It can only be what true red looks like.

“Do you actually care?”

This was the red that nature and man alike strove to capture. Vibrant fire! The truth of it will always elude them, but I see it. I know. She did and was warmed from the inside by the knowledge, knowing it was special and only for her.

“Yes, I do actually, and you should too.”

* * *

Kai looked at the blank look on the woman's face and shook his head, disgusted. He'd warmed to Uriel but now felt a rush of disappointment as he was reminded how ruthless the angels were in the pursuit of their goals, innocents be damned. It galled him that they were so unnecessarily cruel.

The woman smiled in delight when Uriel raised his hand toward her. “Take my hand, child,” he said. The oozing sweetness of his voice was nauseating. He watched as the woman took Uriel's hand. “Now, this one's wife is hiding from me. Do you know where she is?”

“Most likely she's in their house on the grounds,” the woman replied, breathless.

“Good girl,” praised Uriel. “Picture it in your mind… that's it.”

They were all instantly transported to the foyer of the main house. Gregory moaned. The woman swooned and would have fallen if Kai hadn't caught her. He gently lowered her limp body to the ground, throwing a murderous glare at Uriel in the process. Once he'd released the woman, Kai turned to Gregory.

“Now, call your wife. If you try to warn her, I swear to you I will request that you be given to me, and your fate will be ten times worse than the worst Lord Te could ever do. Do you understand?”

Gregory nodded shakily. True, Kai could search the house for her, but that was tedious. He'd spent more time on this job than he'd planned and was eager to be done and gone.

“Catherine,” Gregory began, the sound little more than a croak. Kai hardened his gaze.

“Do you want me to rip your heart out? I will, and Lord Te will heal you and bring you back to life so I can do it again,” he hissed. Gregory paled; his eyes rolled back in his head. Kai slapped him again. “Don't you dare. Call her again.”

Gregory took a deep breath, “Catherine, come here, darling. I've something to show you.” He called up the wide staircase that curved up the right side of the foyer.

The woman came screaming out of a door on the lower floor, firing a cross bolt into Kai. The bolt hit with a thump and, taking him off guard, knocked him back a step. She reloaded and leveled the crossbow at Uriel.

She didn't get a chance to fire. Kai leapt at the stunned woman, grabbing her by the throat with one hand and wrenching the crossbow away with the other. He threw it against the nearest wall, smashing it to pieces. Slowly and with deliberation, he drew the wooden bolt out of his chest and waved the b****y instrument in front of her eyes.

“The only thing you've done with this,” he waggled the bolt between thumb and forefinger, “is make me angry.”

Her eyes widened as he squeezed, closing off her air.

“No, please, please don't kill her,” Gregory begged.

Kai eased his grip when Gregory spoke and turned to look him. Uriel stood on the leash near its attachment to the collar, causing Gregory to lie prone at his feet. Gradually, he slid his foot closer to the man's throat. Gregory, lost to his shuddering, lay defeated on the floor.

Kai's disappointment at himself for letting his guard down with Uriel made him testy. He smiled into the panicked eyes of the woman in his grip and relished the feel of slowly squeezing the life from her. When she was dead, he opened his hand, letting her drop. Gregory let out a soft mewl at the sound of her body hitting the floor.

* * *

Gregory's secretary opened her eyes and looked around, obviously disoriented. Disorientation grew into panic. Kai watched her eyes skim over everyone, frantic, until they finally settled upon Uriel. She scuttled over and stopped just short of touching before kneeling at his feet.

Lucifer had told him about the angel's power to enthrall. He'd used it himself for a time. Its intent was to gain a human's attention, to impart to them the importance of the experience so that they would remember and obey. Used properly, sparingly, it was extremely effective.

Used improperly, as Lucifer and other Fallen had done, it enslaved. The intense feeling of well-being the enthrallment produced was addictive. Once it was cut off, the subjects became intensely depressed and unable to function. Lucifer had told him that the adoration was fun, but in time the enthralled grew unable to think for themselves. Unwilling to leave his presence to do even the most basic tasks of living, they had to be ordered to eat, bathe, etc. When he left, they would pine away, waiting for him to return, eventually dying when he didn't.

This woman had been in Uriel's presence and, most importantly, had felt his power while under his t****l. It worried Kai that the exposure was enough to damage her. It was his fault. Usually he took more care. He hadn't known about the Ronin, the specifics of the warding, or the possibility of involving innocents. He was better than this, yet tonight he'd proved himself unfocused and sloppy. He had to make this right.

Still looking at the woman, he addressed Uriel, “What can be done about her?”

“Why are you so concerned?”

“I'm concerned because she did nothing to deserve this.” It was like talking to a child.

Kai walked over to the woman and knelt beside her. She shrank away from him, scooting toward Uriel even as he moved out of reach. Kai stopped her, gently taking hold of her arm. She let him but kept her face turned toward the archangel. He carefully but firmly took hold of her chin, turning her face toward him. Her face moved, but her eyes strained to keep the subject of her adoration in sight.

“Look at me,” he commanded.

Brown eyes fluttered in his direction but immediately snapped back to Uriel.

Kai dropped his head and took a calming breath. “Uriel, a little help please?”

“What would you like me to do?”

“You really don't understand, do you?” Kai looked up to the blank face of his companion, shook his head, and dismissed a reply with a wave of his hand. “Never mind. Can you put her to sleep?”

Uriel hesitated. A small crease appeared on his brow, giving Kai the impression that he was about to ask why. The moment passed, however, and he did as he was asked. Kai picked up Gregory's leash and stood. He was hungry, tired, and looked forward to getting home.

“Take us to the City, please, Uriel.”

Uriel inclined his head in acknowledgement, and they disappeared.