“Close your eyes, Cull. It will be better that way.” Dominick made a quick motion with his hands and a blazing red fire spread in a quick surge in front of him, spreading in a thick arc. The light of heaven, a summoning gift taught to their people long ago. A light in the darkness cast from their very own hands…
Wait.The word died in his throat.
Because this was part of the job, wasn’t it? They all knew if something went wrong, if it was the only way, then a life here and there would be forfeit. It was fair. There were no exceptions. Not even if you were the adopted son of a veryimportant man.
It’s for the best.He thought as he squeezed his eyes closed. He didn’t look up at Walker above him, didn’t want to see the realization. The horror and sadness in his gaze.
Had he already known how this would go?
Cullen didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to know what Dom and Walker had talked about behind his back, didn’t want to know if he’d been a sacrifice instead of bait. So he only kept his eyes closed and waited, flinching as the heat in the alley grew intense and dangerous, a sweat breaking out on his skin as he started to burn…
Leviathan swore under his breath and Cullen felt his presence shift–he gasped, his eyes flying open as arms wound tight around him, pushing him backwards. Light flared in the alley–and they vanished into a pool of shadows. Cullen opened his mouth, trying to draw in a breath, but failing quickly. And then they were on a rooftop, the small explosion a few streets down from them, just barely visible over the rooftops. Leviathan was still holding him, one hand on his hip while the other came up to caress his face in a gentle swoop.
“It seems we must say goodbye again, Cullen.” His thumb traced over his swollen lip. “But I will be back for you, pet. In a few days.” He shook his head. “Do not try to run from me.” He pressed another hard kiss to Cullen’s mouth, startling him, and then vanished in a pool of shadows, leaving Cullen standing alone on the cold, icy rooftop.
2
Cullen stared blankly at the roof below him, his body trembling and his mind racing with the realization that he wasn't dead.
Not dead. Not kidnapped. Leviathan gone again, of fucking course, but he was still alive and relatively unharmed. Just as he caught his breath again, his spinning head clearing with a few harsh exhales, familiar calloused hands curled around his arms, helping him up.
When had he fallen to his knees?
“Cull?” It was Walker’s voice, anxious and full of guilt. “Are you okay?”
He blinked slowly, his eyes rising to his face. He took in Walker’s ever-caring eyes and the hesitation in his gaze, and pulled away from him, straightening and brushing dirt from his clothes. “I'm fine.”
“Are you sure–”
“Where did he go?” It was Dom's deep, demanding voice that cut through the abnormally quiet night. Cullen turnedto him with a frown, taking in the dark clothes and the short gray hair and the pissy expression, like he was irritated that Cullen had let the bastard get away. Cullen simply glared at him, his heart racing with indignation.
“I don't know.” He snapped. “He did that shadow travel shit again.” And, despite their heavenly powers–taught to them by some ancient line of demon slayers several hundred years ago–despite the light that they could wield and shape like weapons, they could not make their own portals, couldn't follow him into that darkness. The men who had tried had never come back.
“Why didn't you grab him?” The voice belonged to a woman this time. He hadn't noticed their classmates surrounding them. But now he felt a bit as if he and Walker stood at the center of a firing squad.
“How do you expect me to grab him, Kyla?” He demanded, rounding on the woman who had spoken. A shorter girl with long blond hair and green eyes. She’d gotten on his nerves the moment she’d shown up at the Academy, her selfishness and snide comments grating on his nerves until he could hardly stand to be around her. “He’s basically made of fucking shadows!”
“He was touching you just fine.” Came an amused voice that dripped with condescension. Ryan, Kyla’s identical twin brother, pulled back the hood of his dark cloak to smirk at him.
Heat flashed across his face. “That’s–”
“Enough.” It was Dominick, with that deep, commanding tone again. “Cullen, did he say anything?”
The blush grew hotter. “He said a lot of things.”
“Such as?”
A muscle twinged in his jaw. “The usual creepy shit. Hewants me to go with him. He wants me to…” He trailed off, his gaze on Walker’s chest; he couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. “He said he would come back for me.”
“Well, we already knew that.” Someone scoffed from behind him. He didn’t turn to look at them this time. None of these people–his sort-of-adopted siblings’ opinions mattered. He wished Dom would be a little more judicious about who he let live at the Academy. But, as he had told Cullen many times over the years, humanity could hardly be picky about who they let in when all that mattered was fighting back against those damned demons. “What’s the point of this if we don’t kill him or get any useful information about this oh-so-powerful demon?”
Cullen deflated a bit. Whatwasthe point, really? They kept going in circles with this shit and it was getting more dangerous…for him, especially. Not that anyone else seemed to care too much about that part.
“What took you guys so long anyway?” He snapped, taking a moment to meet each of them in the eye. Shameful scowls bloomed on several of their faces. “We weren’t that far away.”
“Like you said,” scoffed a different man beneath the dark cowl of his hood. “He’s made of smoke and shadows; how are we supposed to keep up with him?”
“We couldn’t find you at first, Cull.” Walker murmured, reaching for his hand. “We were looking everywhere.”
