Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione [124]
Limos waited until the two demons were out of earshot to talk. “I got a text from Kynan. No details, but he’s on his way now. And Than might have a lead on where Pestilence is gathering his people. If we can find him, we might find the hellhound.”
Cara struggled to sit up. “We have to help him.”
“The good news,” Ares said, as if any of this was good, “is that the boost Shade gave you will affect Hal, too. You bought him some time.”
Near the triage desk, the Harrowgate flashed, and Kynan stepped out. In one hand he had a pink, frilly bag covered in teddy bears, and in his other hand was a leather-wrapped parcel. He strode over to Ares and planted the package in Ares’s hand. “The dagger.”
Ares exhaled in a relieved rush, but he couldn’t let himself get excited. They still had to find Pestilence, and they only had six hours to do it. “Thanks.”
Kynan cleared his throat. “How’s Cara doing?”
Dying. “We’re taking care of her.” The generic answer was all Ares could muster.
As Kynan shifted his weight, the rattle of a baby toy was very out of place. New life meeting impending death. “We’ve intercepted disturbing underworld chatter. The demons searching for Cara are talking about Satan’s bride. Is she part of some prophecy we don’t know about?”
Cara grabbed Ares’s arm. “Is this true? Is there something you haven’t told me?”
There was a lot Ares hadn’t told her, but this wasn’t one of those things. “You aren’t Satan’s bride.”
“How do you know?” Kynan asked.
“Because I am.” Limos adjusted the orange flower in her hair. “I mean, not right this second. We haven’t gotten all tux and gowns and reserved a church or anything.”
Kynan made the bag rattle again. It was the sound of family, and Ares’s mouth went desert sand. “How?”
“It’s none of your concern,” she said lightly, which was deceptive, because the lighter Li got, the deadlier she could be. “I’m doing my best to prevent it, and that’s all you need to know.”
Kynan inclined his head. “Fair enough.” He glanced at Cara and then back to Ares and lowered his voice. “I really need to speak with you privately.”
The urgency in the human’s eyes told Ares to listen. They stepped out of the room, Than and Li on his heels. All around them, doctors and nurses were scrambling to handle an influx of some kind of emergency coming through the sliding ambulance bay doors. And standing about forty feet away, her dark gaze focused on Ares, was Harvester. Bruises and burns marred her features—clearly, the battle with Reaver had been a fierce one. She remained focused but silent, apparently content to fulfill her role as Watcher. Since Reaver couldn’t enter the demon hospital, anything she learned here would have to be shared with him before she could make use of it.
“Make it quick,” Ares said.
“There was a scroll with the dagger.” Kynan held out a rolled parchment, which Li grabbed. “The dagger was stolen from the Templars—”
“By who?” Than interrupted, and Li fumbled the scroll.
“That’s unclear. But when The Aegis recovered it, they enhanced it. It’ll still kill a Horseman, but it can also neutralize your agimortus.”
Dread made Ares’s heart pound against his rib cage. “What do you mean, neutralize?”
“I mean that if you plunge the dagger into your bearer’s heart, you’ll neutralize it,” Kynan said. “You’ll kill the host, but your Seal won’t break.”
Ares lost his ability to breathe. He now had a way to save the world—temporarily at least—but it wasn’t acceptable. At all.
“Heads up, Aegi,” Than said. “Pestilence put a price on dead Guardians. Watch your necks.”
“Your brother is such an asshole.” Kynan shifted his gaze to Ares. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t let us down.” Kynan strode away, leaving Ares with a churning stomach as he looked over to Harvester, but the fallen angel was gone.
Numbly, he walked back into the room. His hand shook around the dagger, and he hated himself for it. Damn, the thing weighed more than he remembered. Kynan might as well have handed him an anvil. Limos and Thanatos closed in, staring at it as if it were a viper.