Finale

CHAPTER 39

I GAVE MYSELF UP TO SLEEP. DREAMS WERE THE only place I could reach Patch. Holding on to a phantom memory of him was better than living without him. Curled up in his bed, surrounded by a smell that was distinctly his, I summoned his memory to haunt me.

I never should have trusted Pepper to get the feathers. I should have known he’d screw up. I should not have underestimated Dante. I knew Patch would dismiss my guilt at once, but I felt responsible for what had happened to him. If only I’d arrived at his studio ten minutes earlier. If only I’d stopped Marcie from lighting the match . . .

“Wake up, Nora.”

Vee leaned over me, her voice hurried and charged. “You have to get ready for the duel. Scott told me everything. One of Lisa Martin’s messengers came by while you were asleep. The duel is at sunrise in the cemetery. You have to go kick Dante’s butt to Jupiter. He took Patch away from you, and now he’s out for your blood. I’ll tell you what I think about that. Hell, no. Not if we have anything to say about it.”

Duel? The idea seemed almost laughable. Dante didn’t need to clash swords with me to steal my title; he had more than enough ammunition to blow apart my credibility and reputation. Every last fallen angel had been chained in hell. The Nephilim had won the war. Dante and Marcie would take credit, explaining how they’d bullied an archangel into giving them the feathers, and how they relished every moment of watching them burn.

The thought of Patch imprisoned in hell slashed a fresh wave of pain through me. I didn’t know how I would hold my emotions in check as the Nephilim cheered wildly over their triumph. They would never know that up until the last moment, Dante had been helping fallen angels. Nephilim would sweep him into power. I didn’t yet know what it meant for me. If the army was abolished, would it matter that I lost control of leading it? In retrospect, my oath had been too vague. I hadn’t planned for this.

But I had to assume Dante had plans for me. Like me, he knew the moment I failed to lead the army, my life was over. But in the name of covering his bases, he’d likely arrest me for the Black Hand’s murder. Before the day was out, I’d either be executed for treason, or at best, imprisoned.

I was betting executed.

“It’s almost sunrise. Get up,” Vee said. “You aren’t letting Dante get away with this.”

I hugged Patch’s pillow to me, breathing in the lingering smell of him before it was gone forever. I memorized the contours of his bed and nestled into the imprint of his body. I shut my eyes and imagined he was there. Beside me. Touching me. I imagined his black eyes softening as he caressed my cheek, his hands warm and sturdy and real.

“Nora,” Vee warned怅o.

I ignored her, choosing to stay with Patch. The mattress dipped as he scooted closer. He smiled and slid his hands beneath me, rolling me on top of him. You’re cold, Angel. Let me warm you.

I thought I’d lost you, Patch.

I’m right here. I promised we’d be together, didn’t I?

But your feather—

Shh, he soothed. His finger sealed my lips. I want to be with you, Angel. Stay here with me. Forget about Dante and the duel. I won’t let him hurt you. I’ll keep you safe.

Tears burned at the backs of my eyes. Take me away. Like you promised. Take me far away, just the two of us.

“Patch would hate to see you like this,” Vee chided, clearly trying to appeal to my conscience.

I pulled the covers up to form a secret canopy above Patch and me, and giggled in his ear. She doesn’t know you’re here.

Our secret trick, he agreed.

I won’t leave you, Patch.

I won’t let you. In one swift movement, he reversed our positions, pinning me to the mattress. He bent over me. Try and escape now.

I frowned at the glimpse of icy blue that seemed to lurk under the surface of his eyes. I blinked to clear my vision, but when my eyes came into focus, I was very aware of the sizzling blue that ringed his irises.

Swallowing, I said, I need to get a drink of water.

I’ll get it for you, Patch insisted. Don’t move. Stay in the bed.

I’ll only be a second, I argued, trying to wiggle out from beneath him.

Patch seized my wrists. You said you wouldn’t leave.

I’m only getting a drink, I demurred.

I won’t let you leave, Nora. The words resonated like a growl. His features contorted, twisting and morphing, until I saw flashes of another man. Dante’s olive skin, cleft chin, and those hooded eyes that at one time I’d actually believed were handsome appeared before me. I rolled away, but not fast enough. Dante’s fingers dug painfully into my shoulders, shoving me back under him. His breath felt hot on my cheek.

It’s over. Give up. I’ve won.

“Get away from me,” I hissed.

His touch dissolved, his face hovering briefly over mine like a blue haze before it disappeared.

Ice-cold water struck my face, and I bolted upright with a gasp. The dream shattered; Vee stood an arm’s reach away, holding an empty pitcher.

“Time to go,” she said, clutching the pitcher as if preparing to use it as a weapon of defense if she had to.

“I don’t want to,” I croaked, too miserable to get angry over the water. My throat tightened, t tighteand I feared I was going to cry. I only wanted one thing, and he was gone. Patch wasn’t coming back. Nothing I did could change that. The things I’d thought were worth fighting for, the things that burned and raged inside me, even beating Dante and destroying devilcraft, had lost their fire without him.

“And Patch?” Vee demanded. “You’ve given up on yourself, but have you given up on him, too?”

“Patch is gone.” I pressed my fingers into my eyes until I’d ground out the urge to cry.

“Gone, not dead.”

“I can’t do this without Patch,” I said, my breath catching.

“Then find a way to get him back.”

“He’s in hell,” I snapped.

“Better that than in the grave.”

I drew my knees up and bowed my head against them. “I killed Hank Millar, Vee. Patch and I did it together. Dante knows, and he’s going to arrest me at the duel. He’s going to execute me for treason.” My mind conjured up a very real portrait. Dante would make my humiliation as public as possible. As his guards dragged me from the duel, I’d be spit on and called a myriad of vile names. As for the execution, how he would go about ending my life—

He would use his sword. The one Blakely had enhanced with devilcraft to kill me.

“That’s why I can’t go to the duel,” I finished.

Vee’s silence stretched out. “It’s Dante’s word against yours,” she said at last.

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“You’re still leader of the Nephilim. You’ve got some street cred. If he tries to arrest you, challenge him.” Conviction flashed in her eyes. “Fight him to the end. You can make it easy for him, or you can dig in your heels and make him work for it.”

I sniffled, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. “I’m scared, Vee. So very scared.”

“I know, babe. But I also know that if anyone can do this, it’s you. I don’t tell you this often, and maybe I’ve never told you, but when I grow up, I want to be just like you. Now for the last time, get out of bed before I drench you again. You’re going to the cemetery. And you’re going to give Dante the fight of his life.”

The worst of my burns had healed, but I felt drained and weakened nonetheless. I hadn’t been a Nephil long enough to know the mechanics behind my rapid healing, but I imagined I’d unwittingly expended a lot of energy in the process. I hadn’t checked the mirror before leaving Patch’s place, but I had a pretty good idea of how miserable and downtrodden I looked. One glance at me, and Dante would call his own victory.

As Vee and I pulled into the gravel parking lot overlooking the cemetery, I reviewed my plan. After Dante announced he’d banished fallen angels to hell and won the war, he would most likely accuse me of murdering Hank and proclaim himself as my replacement. At that point, I would not step aside and relinquish my title. Vee was right; I wou right; ld fight. Against all odds, I would fight. Dante would lead the Nephilim over my dead body—literally.

Vee’s hand closed over mine. “Go secure your title. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

I swallowed back a disbelieving laugh. Later? I didn’t care what happened after this. I felt a cold detachment toward my future. I didn’t want to think about an hour from now. I didn’t want to think about tomorrow. With each passing moment, my life veered further away from the path Patch and I had walked together. I didn’t want to press forward. I wanted to go back. Where I could be with Patch again.

“Scott and I will be down there, in the crowd,” Vee stated firmly. “Just . . . be careful, Nora.”

Tears welled in my eyes. Those were Patch’s words. I needed him here now, assuring me I could do this.

The sky was still dark, the moon washing white light over the ghostly landscape. A heavy frost made the grass crunch beneath my feet as I walked slowly downhill to the cemetery, giving Vee a head start. The grave markers seemed to float on the mist, white stone crosses and slender obelisks. An angel with chipped wings stretched two broken arms toward me. A ragged sob clamped in my throat. I shut my eyes, conjuring up Patch’s strong, handsome features. It hurt to picture him, knowing I’d never see him again. Don’t you dare cry now, I berated myself. I looked away, afraid I wouldn’t get through this if I allowed any emotion other than icy determination into my heart.

Hundreds of Nephilim gathered in the cemetery below. The sheer size of their numbers caused my stride to catch. Since Nephilim stopped aging the day they swore fealty, most were young, within ten years of me, but I saw a handful of elderly men and women grouped among them. Their faces were bright with expectation. Children dodged in circles around their parents’ legs, playing tag, before they were wrestled by the shoulders and pinned still. Children. As if this morning’s event were family entertainment: a circus or a ball game.

As I drew closer, I noticed that twelve Nephilim wore ankle-length black robes, hoods drawn up. They had to be the same powerful Nephilim I’d met the morning following Hank’s death. As leader of the Nephilim, I should have known what the robes signified. Lisa Martin and her cohorts should have told me. But they had never welcomed me into their circle. They’d never wanted me in the first place. I was sure the robes signified position and power, but I’d had to figure it out on my own.

One of the Nephilim pushed her hood back. Lisa Martin herself. Her expression was solemn, her eyes tense with anticipation. She handed me a black robe, as though it were more a matter of obligation than a sign of acceptance. The robe was heavier than I expected, made of thick velvet that felt slippery in my hands. “Have you seen Dante?” she asked me in an undertone.

I slipped the robe over my shoulders but didn’t answer.

My eyes fell on Scott and Vee, and my chest loosened. I drew my first deep breath since leaving Patch’s townhouse. Then I saw that they were holding hands, and a strange loneliness washed over me. My own empty hand tingled in the breeze. I worked my fist to keep it from shaking. Patch wasn’t coming. Never again would he thread his fingers through mine, and a soft moan escaped my throat at the realization.

Sunrise.

A band of gold illuminated the gray horizon. Within minutes, rays of light would filter through the trees and burn off the fog. Dante would come, and the Nephilim would learn of their victory. The fear of swearing fealty and the dread of Cheshvan would become stories written in history. They would rejoice, cheering wildly and hailing Dante as their savior. They would carry him on their shoulders and chant his name. And then, when he had their unanimous approval, he would call me up out of the crowd. . . .

Lisa walked to the center of the gathering. She amplified her voice to say, “I’m sure Dante will arrive shortly. He knows the duel is strictly set for sunrise. It isn’t like him to be late, but in any case, we may have to delay a few—”

Her remark was cut short by a rumbling that seemed to ripple across the ground. It vibrated through the soles of my feet, growing stronger. An instant uneasiness clamped like a fist in my stomach. Someone was coming. And not just someone, but several someones.

“Fallen angels,” a Nephil whispered, fear threading her voice.

She was right. Their perceptible power, even from a distance, made every nerve ending in my body tingle. My hairs stood on end, stiff with aversion. I guessed their numbers to be hundreds. But how? Marcie had burned their feathers—I’d watched her.

“How did they find us?” another Nephil asked, dread rattling her familiar voice. I glanced sideways sharply, seeing Susanna Millar’s mouth pucker with bewilderment beneath the folds of her hood.

“So they’ve come at last,” Lisa hissed, a bright thirst for blood gleaming in her eyes. “Quick! Hide your children and gather your weapons. We will go against them, with or without Dante. The final battle ends here.”

Her command spread through the crowd, followed by calls for order. Nephilim staggered and jostled into hurried, disorganized ranks. Some had knives, but those who didn’t picked up rocks, broken bottles, and any other debris they could find to arm themselves. I ran to Vee and Scott. Without wasting breath, I directed my first words at Scott.

“Get Vee out of here. Go somewhere safe. I’ll find you both when this is over.”

“You’re insane if you think we’re leaving without you,” Vee stated firmly. “Tell her, Scott. Pick her up and carry her out of here if you have to.”

“How are fallen angels here?” Scott asked me, searching my face for an explanation. We’d watched the feathers burn together.

“I don’t know. But I plan on finding out.”

“You think Patch is out there. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” Vee said, looking in the direction of the distant rumble that made the ground beneath us quake.

I met her eyes. “Scott and I watched the feathers burn. Either we were tricked, or someone has opened the gates of hell. Instinct tells me the latter is a better bet. If fallen angels are escaping hell, I have to make sure Patch gets out. And then I have to shut the gates before it’s too late. If I don’t end this now, there isn’t going to be another chance. It’s the last day fallen angay falleels can possess Nephilim bodies, but I no longer think that means anything to fallen angels.” I thought of devilcraft. Of its power. “I believe they have the means to enslave us indefinitely—that is, if they don’t kill us first.”

Vee nodded slowly, digesting the full weight of my words. “Then we’ll help you. We’re in this together. This is as much Scott’s and my fight as it is yours.”

“Vee —” I began warningly.

“If this really is the fight of my life, you know I’m gonna be there. Whether you say so or not. I didn’t pass up those last few doughnuts to get here on time, just to turn around and leave,” Vee told me, but there was something almost tender in the way she said it. She meant every word. We were in this together.

I was too choked up to speak. “All right,” I said at last. “Let’s go slam shut the gates of hell once and for all.”