Women of the Otherworld 09.5 - Angelic by Kelley Armstrong Read Free Book Online Page B

sword meant an angel, which meant his attacker was one of us. A traitor. And what surprised me most about that was my own reaction—I wasn’t shocked. I’d already considered the possibility when Dantalian hadn’t seemed too worried about his djinn being hauled before the Fates. He knew that would never happen. I should have guessed that for an operation this important, he’d need an angel in his pocket.
     
    What surprised me was my gut reaction. Grief, and outrage. A little voice reminded me that I’d planned my own treachery, but even in my betrayal, I’d only used a demon to finish an assignment. Not finishing it had never occurred to me.
     
    “I think I know…” Marius swallowed. “Katsuo. He didn’t come when you called for help, but he must have heard the summons and knew you had the djinn. He knew where we were.” A sharp shake of his head. “No, I’m sure I’m wrong. Katsuo would never…”
     
    He trailed off uncertainly.
     
    “Either way, we need to get those djinn back,” I said.
     
    “If… if it was Katsuo, I might know where he’d take them.”
     
    “Lead on.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Waves battered the rocks, drenching me with each crash. I squinted, but even my Aspicio powers didn’t help me see through my hair, whipping in front of my eyes. I licked my lips, tasting salt. The ocean. A ghost world version, if I could feel and taste the water.
     
    I tied my hair in a plait, hands moving automatically, gaze still traveling around me, Aspicio powers kicking in, letting me see through the mist. I stood ankle deep in water on a rock that jutted from the stormy sea. It was a small outcropping, barely big enough to pitch a tent on. Beyond that, there was no land as far as my bionic eyesight could see.
     
    “—down—cave—”
     
    Behind me, Marius shouted to be heard over the crashing waves and howling wind. I turned to see him hunched against the water’s blast, one hand shielding his eyes from the wind, the other pointing down to a narrow hole in the rock, descending into darkness.
     
    “Katsuo—we found—assignment last year—said—perfect place—”
     
    I didn’t catch the rest, but could fill it in. That cave on this forsaken outcropping was the perfect place to stash a prisoner—or three.
     
    “I’ll go down,” he yelled. Then he grimaced in what would probably be a wry smile if not for the icy rain pelting his broad face. “—your job—you want to do—I’ll stand watch.”
     
    “No, you need the collar,” I shouted back, moving closer so he could hear me. “You go on down and get them. I’ll stand guard out here.”
     
    He sluiced water off his face as he shook his head. “No, it’s your job. You should—”
     
    He jerked back, my sword point at his throat.
     
    “Eve?” His eyes widened. “You?”
     
    “No, not me and not Katsuo, but you know that. I’d ask you why, but the truth is, Marius, that I don’t give a shit why you did it. There is no excuse.”
     
    “You think I’m the one who—?”
     
    “Am I wrong? Great. Go on down there and prove it.”
     
    He didn’t move.
     
    “So where does that lead?” I asked, nodding at the hole. “A cave? A portal? A hole to the center of the—”
     
    He kicked my shins. I staggered back, but recovered in time to leap out of the way. He lunged for me. I danced around him, blade flashing. He ducked and charged. I sidestepped. My foot slipped on the rock. He dove at me, knocking me toward the hole. I tried to stop, but couldn’t get any traction. My sneakers hit open air. I dropped my sword, rushing through the incantation to unconjure it as I grabbed the hem of Marius’s toga. I fell into the hole… and he came with me.
     
    We seemed to fall forever, grunting and kicking and punching, into a darkness even my Aspicio vision couldn’t pierce.
     
    I landed flat on my back with a bone-jarring crack that left me dazed.
     
    I listened, but of course heard nothing. Ghosts—even