Shadow Kissed 03 - Shadowman

kill you?” she asked.
    She seemed so blithe as she talked about her death. As soon as the angels knew she had returned to Earth, they would renew their attack on the gate. But in his mortal state, he could no longer protect her.
    â€œBecause while magery draws from Shadow, mages are not bound to Twilight, and can therefore wreak just as much, or more, havoc on Earth as the devil. Long ago there was a great war between Heaven and Shadow. Mages, being mortal, were crushed first, and then the fae eventually bowed to the dominion of The Order.”
    She shrugged, scrunched her face. “What makes you think that’s still the case? I mean, you yourself said it was a very long time ago.”
    â€œI built a gate to Hell. They wish to destroy it and me.” Ballard would strike him down right now if he could. And Layla next.
    Her expression smoothed. “Good point. No angels, then.”
    â€œEventually they will come for me, but I want to spend as much time with you as possible.” They were both mortal, yet in the schema of this callous universe, it was still impossible for them to be together.
    â€œAside from the gate business, we’ve got all the time in the world.” She sent a quick self-satisfied smile his way. “Got that out of Moira, too. Just about spun that frickin’ thread myself.”
    Very few mortals cheated Death. Fewer still, Fate. Shadowman was astonished, and yet, he believed. To alter a fate was impossible, but if anyone could, it was Layla. Hadn’t she promised, upon her first death, that she would be back? Well, here she was beside him, radiant as ever. Dare he hope they could survive it all?
    â€œTell me everything,” he said.
    They merged onto a main thoroughfare, traffic moving at a ferocious speed. She told him about the ghost clinging to life, the flight through Twilight, Zoe’s mastery of the scythe, which made him again bereft at its loss. And then her capture by Moira, the sisters of Fate entrapping her in his winter.
    â€œYour mind stayed sharp?” That was the first wonder of her escape.
    â€œOh, no, I was plenty crazy toward the end. But at the same time, everything made a weird kind of sense as well. It was like a nightmare or a dream where all the surface stuff stops mattering and what’s important confronts you head-on, albeit in a twisted way.” Her gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, connected with something, then regarded the road again.
    â€œYes,” Shadowman said, “Shadow is exactly like that.”
    â€œAnyway, I think I’ve got the hang of it now, though I wouldn’t want to vacation there or anything. It did help me deal with Rose Petty and her mind games. Now I know anything is possible.”
    So it would seem.
    â€œYou said the devil would be tracking us.” Maybe that’s who she was looking for in the mirror. “Didn’t Adam slay her?”
    â€œShe got away. Talk about a beast. Adam’s trying to track her. The Order, too. We’re going to stay in the Segue bunker for the time being. Hide out. Eventually, they’ll bring her down.”
    Layla leaned forward, squinting upward to peer at the sky. Then braked hard when she came too close to the vehicle in front.
    â€œIt’s pointless to track her,” Shadowman said. He knew what had to be done. The devil wouldn’t stop until Layla was dead, the gate secure.
    He’d have to finish Rose himself. Even though he was mortal there was a way, though less expedient than his strength and power as fae Death. Mortals had been making deals with devils since the beginning of time. He’d simply do the same.
    An adjacent car, boxy like the Hummer, nearly veered into Layla’s space, and she jerked into another line of traffic, cursing, “Asshole!” All her previous levity was gone. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her back straight and tense. “Hey, can you call Adam on that mobile?”
    The car lurched forward as they were bumped from behind.
    â€œWhat was that?” Shadowman asked. He grabbed the slender piece of technology from the slot in the dash but had no idea how to use it. Again, he was useless in this world.
    â€œWe’re being followed, but I don’t know who it could be. Only you, me, and Rose know about the warehouse.” A drip of sweat rolled down her temple. She puffed her hair out of her eyes.
    Cold stole over Shadowman, and he shivered for the first