‹ Prequel: Entanglement
Status: Active!
Engulfed
13.
Azlynn stood before Firn and his enforcers, her hands clasped behind her back. This was probably the most awkward thing she had ever had to do, but they needed to get Charlotte out of the wolf pack’s clutches. Azlynn had briefly considered using compulsion on the wolves to simply make them release Charlotte, but she would need to expend an incredible amount of power to make it last. Compulsion typically wore off after some time, and then they just would have made permanent enemies out of the pack when they realized they had been tricked. Lasting compulsion used considerably more energy, especially when being used on more than one person. So this was the course of action Azlynn had opted for.
“There has been an unfortunate mistake here, Alpha Firn,” Azlynn said. “Charlotte cannot be mated to Jae.”
“Like Hell she can’t,” Jae growled, but Firn silenced him with a look.
“And why is that, exactly?” Firn asked, skepticism flickering in his eyes.
“Because she’s already marked,” Azlynn said. “Once a woman has been marked by someone, pack law dictates that no other can force her into mating.”
“I’m well aware of the pack law,” Firn said tersely. “But I was unaware that Miss Lawson was marked. Of course if I had known I would not have granted Jae’s petition to take her as his mate.” The doubt became more obvious in his narrowed eyes. “Whom, may I ask, is the one who has claimed Miss Lawson?”
“She doesn’t belong to that tiger,” Jae spat. “His scent isn’t evident on her.”
“She’s mine,” Azlynn replied, keeping her face and tone serene, even though Dante and the others were fighting snickers behind her, and Charlotte was staring at her with huge adoring eyes. Shock kept Firn and even Jae silent for several moments.
“Charlotte possess my mark,” Azlynn continued. “She, er, belongs to me. So you see, Alpha, she cannot possibly take Jae as a mate. He would never be able to mark her as his own, and besides it would be a violation of the laws set in place by your own ancestors.”
She heard the sound of a pen clicking behind her. “Dear Penthouse,” Dante said quietly. She heard Rico and Drew snigger, and she sent a mental image of their balls hanging from a Christmas tree into their heads. The laughter immediately stopped.
“Is this true?” Jae demanded of Charlotte. She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. I definitely have Azlynn’s mark.”
“Prove it,” Jae growled. “I want to see the mark. I want to see it respond to Azlynn.”
Azlynn had expected something like this, and was glad that she’d tested her theory earlier. The mark did indeed heat and shift when Azlynn was near Charlotte. She turned with supreme confidence and stepped closer to Charlotte. Charlotte pulled down the collar of her sweater to reveal the dark spiral over her heart. Azlynn reached out and traced a finger over the pattern. The mark began shifting, winding over itself restlessly. Charlotte sighed contentedly.
“Proof enough for you?” Azlynn threw Jae a triumphant look. His face was stormy, but Azlynn knew there was nothing he could do. Firn would not let him mate a woman who was already claimed, even if the mark was unusual and the circumstances even more so.
“Well I suppose my hands are tied on this.” Firn said, looking perplexed.
“My companions and I need to be leaving promptly,” Azlynn said. “If we’re going to track down Charlotte’s sister and put a stop to her killing, we need to leave immediately. Charlotte will be coming with us, isn’t that right, Alpha?” Azlynn knew the Alpha didn’t like her, and figured it would be wiser of her not to continue challenging him but she wanted him to know she wasn’t someone who could be pushed around.
“Yes, of course,” Firn said slowly. “We have no cause to keep Charlotte here and I’m sure she’ll be an asset to you in your search. Good luck to you all.”
Azlynn nodded once, then turned to the others, gesturing for them to get moving. They had already packed up their things and loaded them into the cars.
“Who am I riding with?” Charlotte asked, sneaking a hopeful look in Azlynn’s direction.
“You and Will need to catch up,” Azlynn said warily. Charlotte looked disappointed, but she nodded and followed Will and Drew towards their black SUV. Azlynn chewed her lip worriedly. She needed to figure out how to get rid of the demon mark; the longer Charlotte had it the stronger the thrall over her would become. But there was an even bigger problem nagging at her mind. After she had blacked out, the battle had continued to wage inside her body. It was like the two halves of her soul were trying to destroy each other. She had finally been able to force her own consciousness back to the surface, stalling the inner war and waking up. But all her senses had been going in overdrive and, most disturbing of all, she had no recollection of who or where she was. It had taken several heart-pounding moments for her memory to return. Azlynn was desperate to find a way to balance the two pieces of her soul, before one day she woke up and her memories didn’t return.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Dante’s voice cut through her silent panic and brought her back into the real world. She took a shaky breath and forced a smile. “They’re not even worth a penny,” she said. “I’m just wondering where Ted and Amanda are.”
“Any idea where this Mezzosphere thing could be?”
Azlynn didn’t reply. With all the time she spent in the angel’s library, she had of course some across some information about the Mezzosphere. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any clues as to where it was. But she was sure there had been section that talked about how to find it...
“We need to go to Cairo,” Azlynn said suddenly. Dante threw her a stunned look.
“What?”
“Cairo,” Azlynn repeated. “I know of someone there who can help us.”
“You know someone in Egypt?” Azlynn pulled Dante’s cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Drew’s number.
“Put me on speaker,” she ordered when he answered. “We need to go to Cairo,” she repeated. She was met with the same thick silence.
“Why, exactly, do we need to go to Cairo?” Will asked.
“There’s a library there,” Azlynn explained. “And the librarian will be able to help us get started with this whole Mezzosphere business.”
“You don’t think Ted has already paid him a visit?” Drew asked.
“Ted may know a lot, but he doesn’t know everything. Make sure you hold on, and if any of your windows are down, you’ll want to roll them up.”
“What? Azlynn, what are you-” The question was cut off as Azlynn teleported both vehicles off the road. Azlynn was in no mood for a list of questions, nor was she inclined to wait for trivial things like plane tickets. The SUV and the Charger were now driving down a sandy street on the outskirts of Cairo. Dante swore, and stomped on his brakes, and ahead of them Azlynn could see the SUV’s brake lights come on as well.
“Dammit, woman! Can’t you warn a guy when you’re going to do that?” Dante grumbled. “My car! It’s covered in dust!”
“I’ll clean it for you later,” Azlynn said, already climbing out of the car.
“God it’s hot here!” Drew said, as he climbed down out of the SUV. They all looked ridiculous in their heavy parks and wool sweaters. Naturally, the heat didn’t bother Azlynn but she could see the others were sweltering. Even Dante looked a little uncomfortable in his multiple layers.
“Sorry,” Azlynn said as they all shed coats until they were in just jeans, boots, and t-shirts. Azlynn shrugged out of her own leather jacket, leaving just her faded jeans, high-heeled black boots, and the black halter top that was tied around her lower back and around her neck with thin straps. Dante smirked and arched an eyebrow at her. Azlynn rolled her eyes. She knew the shirt was a little on the slutty side, but the halter tops were convenient for when she needed to unfurl her wings. She gestured to the others and set off down the road.
“Uh, the cars?” Dante said questioningly. Azlynn waved her hand and both cars shimmered out of sight.
“Relax, they’re safe,” she said, in response to Dante’s horrified look. “I sent them back to my place in LA.” She hurried off down the road without a backward glance, and the others had no choice but to follow her. Azlynn moved briskly through the streets, dodging traffic. After nearly half an hour of prowling the streets, she found what she was looking for. It was a nondescript building, wedged between two other, larger buildings. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d probably walk right past it without even noticing it was there. This was a favorite illusion among the angels to hide their resources on Earth. Azlynn spoke in Seraphim, and the door swung open. She strode inside, the others following her reluctantly. Azlynn led them down a narrow hallway, and then into a dimly lit lobby.
“Ileus,” Azlynn called, her voice echoing against the ancient walls. A door banged open at the back of the room, and a middle-aged man with a mop of orange curls and thick glasses marched into the room, a scowl on his face. His expression cleared when he saw Azlynn standing there though.
“Ah, Azlynn! My dear, how have you been?” He clasped her hand and kissed it gallantly. Azlynn smiled. Ileus only looked to be around thirty-five or so, but he had actually been born in the early 1800’s, and he took manners very seriously.
“Who are your companions?” Ileus asked, peering over his glasses.
“This is Will Lawson, his sister Charlotte; Agent Rico Cortese, Sergeant Andrew Miller, and this is Dante DeMarco.”
“Delightful to meet you,” Ileus said, shaking hands with the men and kissing Charlotte’s hand as well.
“So, then, what can I do for you?” Ileus asked when introductions were complete. Azlynn opened her mouth to answer, but whirled around, blades drawn, when she heard the front door bang open. She tensed, poising herself to fight whatever intruder there was. She didn’t sense another angel. The sound of panting reached her ears, and suddenly a stocky, dark-haired man emerged from the shadows, stopping short when he saw them.
“Henry!” Charlotte exclaimed. Now Azlynn recognized him.
“Don’t sneak up on us like that,” Azlynn snapped, returning her daggers to their sheaths. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“What are you doing here?” Charlotte asked.
“I left the pack,” Henry explained, wiping sweat from his brow and grimacing. He had to be dying in this heat.
“You what?” Charlotte stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
“I was tired of Jae always pushing me around. I decided to go rogue and follow you guys. I thought maybe you’d let me help you out. With the whole Amanda thing and such. I took one of the Jeeps and was driving behind you, but then all of a sudden I ended up here. I tell you, I almost shit myself. I got out of the car and went looking for you guys, and finally saw you way up ahead of me. I didn’t think it would be wise to shift into wolf form right in front of everyone, so I just chased after you. When you came in here, I thought I’d lost you. I kept walking up and down the block trying to figure out where you had gone, and then I kept thinking I saw a door so I finally tried it and ended up in here. Where is here, anyway?”
“This is one of the ancient libraries of the Seraphim,” Ileus answered proudly. He looked Henry up and down for a moment. “Do try not to touch anything, will you?”
“Ileus, I need to find some information,” Azlynn said, growing impatient. “I need anything you have on the Mezzosphere.”
Ileus’ eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his unruly curls. “The Mezzosphere! Well, now, that’s something I don’t get a request for every day. Come, come.” He hurried back toward the door he had entered from, and the others followed him. They slipped inside an elevator, Ileus pushed a few buttons, and suddenly they were whooshing downward. There was a collective gasp from everyone assembled aside from Azlynn and Ileus as the elevator doors opened. This part of the library was nothing like the musty façade of the front lobby. It was vast, several miles long, and several miles deep. It was brightly lit, and the only way to peruse the shelves was to ride on small platforms that moved all along the thousands of bookcases.
“Ted never said anything about a place like this,” Charlotte breathed, her eyes wide.
“Ted doesn’t know too much about angels and Heaven in general,” Azlynn said. “If he did, he wouldn’t be having such a difficult time finding a way to breach the gates leading inside.”
“Indeed,” Ileus agreed. “Although it is a bit unsettling that he has knowledge of the Mezzosphere at all. Right this way, please.” One of the floating platforms drifted by and Ileus hopped on. The rest of them crowded onto it with him.
“Hold tight now.” Ileus twiddled with some knobs at the head of the platform, and suddenly they were hurtling among the shelves at breakneck speed. Charlotte squeaked and grabbed onto Henry’s arm as Drew, Will, Rico, and Dante flung their arms out to grip the railings, swearing. Azlynn laughed.
“I suppose I should have warned you he might do that.”
“Crazy nerd,” Dante muttered.
“Come on, sonny! Where’s your sense of adventure?” Ileus let out a whoop as he steered the platform as though he were a fighter pilot in the midst of an aerial attack. The platform came to an abrupt and jarring halt several minutes later, and Ileus scanned the spines of the books in front of him.
“Ah, yes. Here we are. I feel this tome ought to give you the best information.” He hefted a book off the shelf that probably weighed almost as much as Azlynn herself did. The platform descended, and they climbed off with a great deal of shuffling and grumbling as everyone trod on someone else’s toes. Ileus led them to a marble table, and set the massive book on top of it. Azlynn flipped it open and began rifling through the pages.
“Ileus, I need you to look for something else for me too,” she said without looking up. “See if we have any information on how to remove a demon’s familiar mark.” She sensed his surprise, but he didn’t ask questions. She heard the platform take to the air and she kept scanning the pages of the ancient book. It was essentially an entire comprehensive history of Heaven, starting since before it was known as Heaven. She was barely aware of Ileus depositing several more books on the table as the pored over every word. Several hours passed, but Azlynn was too engrossed in her reading to pay attention to the time.
“Here!” Azlynn shouted, causing everyone to jump as her voice shattered the sleepy silence that filled the library. “It says that when the three races of man, demon, and angel came into being, the Almighty decided He needed to destroy the Mezzosphere because the three different races fought amongst each other, and the Almighty feared that their war would completely annihilate the paradise they had been created from. He sent a huge storm to destroy what was left of the sphere, but kept the heart of it inside the First Tree. Demons, angels, and humans each had their own distinct realms now; the angels chose to stay with the Almighty in His realm. But not even his most trusted angels were given the location of the tree, the heart of the Mezzosphere, and the key to re-opening the gate that led easily from one world to another.”
“Did he at least leave a hint?” Dante asked peevishly.
“It says here that the tree moves along the tides of time, and appears every three thousandth year if the moon blocks out the sun. But it never appears in the same place more than once, and always only for three days.”
“Wait, so you’re saying this tree only appears every three thousand years, but only if there’s a solar eclipse, and it always appears somewhere different, and it will only be there for three days?” Drew said incredulously. “How are we supposed to find it then? We have no idea if it’s even going to appear anytime soon.”
“Ted must have reason to believe that it will appear soon,” Azlynn said. “Or he wouldn’t waste his time searching for it.”
“There is supposed to be a solar eclipse in two weeks,” Ileus supplied. “I couldn’t tell you if it’s going to signal the arrival of this tree, but it’s worth looking into, if Tedantrios is.”
“But where do we even look?” Dante groaned. “Fuck what the song says, the world is not exactly small.”
“I’ll think on it,” Azlynn said wearily. “In the meantime, we need to go through these other books to figure out how to remove Charlotte’s demon mark.” She returned to the books, reading until her vision blurred.
“There’s not a whole lot of certainty in these,” she admitted finally. “We don’t know how everything in the demon world works, but the general consensus seems to be that the demon has to take the mark from their familiar in the same way that they gave them the mark.”
“Didn’t Leviathan give Charlotte that mark by kissing her chest?” Dante asked doubtfully. Azlynn cringed. “Yeah. He did.”
Silence.
“So, you have to kiss the mark, then?” Dante pressed.
“Yes,” Azlynn snapped. Dante produced a pen from his pocket again, clicked it, and said, “Dear Penthouse.”
Azlynn kicked his ankle under the table. “Well, I don’t have any better ideas,” Azlynn muttered. “Um, come here, please, Charlotte.” Charlotte practically ran to her side.
“Yes?” she asked Azlynn breathlessly.
“Can you, um, show me your demon mark, please?”
“Of course.” Charlotte yanked the collar of her shirt down. Azlynn found it immensely unnerving that Charlotte complied with her demands so easily. She shot the men a warning look, since all of them except for Will were watching with eager eyes and held breath. Azlynn steeled herself, then pulled Charlotte closer and pressed her lips against the demon mark. The mark came to life under her touch, heating up and swirling wildly. Charlotte made a moaning noise in her throat, and Azlynn fought the urge to yank away from her. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do to get rid of the stupid mark, so she went purely on instinct. She inhaled deeply, pulling the power from the mark into herself, trying to draw Leviathan’s essence out of Charlotte’s body. It worked, but in very slow increments. Charlotte was still making noises that were making Azlynn decidedly uncomfortable, so in desperation she extended her fangs, pricking the skin gently. Floodgate. Azlynn sucked in deeply, draining the power quickly. She could see the mark fading. A few more deep inhalations of Charlotte’s blood, and the mark was gone entirely. Azlynn hurriedly pushed away from Charlotte, wishing she had something to wash the taste of blood out of her mouth. They all watched Charlotte for several heartbeats. She swayed on her feet a little, and her brown eyes were glassy and unfocused. Then, “Oh my God!” Charlotte’s cheeks went scarlet and she buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God!”
Azlynn breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked.
“There has been an unfortunate mistake here, Alpha Firn,” Azlynn said. “Charlotte cannot be mated to Jae.”
“Like Hell she can’t,” Jae growled, but Firn silenced him with a look.
“And why is that, exactly?” Firn asked, skepticism flickering in his eyes.
“Because she’s already marked,” Azlynn said. “Once a woman has been marked by someone, pack law dictates that no other can force her into mating.”
“I’m well aware of the pack law,” Firn said tersely. “But I was unaware that Miss Lawson was marked. Of course if I had known I would not have granted Jae’s petition to take her as his mate.” The doubt became more obvious in his narrowed eyes. “Whom, may I ask, is the one who has claimed Miss Lawson?”
“She doesn’t belong to that tiger,” Jae spat. “His scent isn’t evident on her.”
“She’s mine,” Azlynn replied, keeping her face and tone serene, even though Dante and the others were fighting snickers behind her, and Charlotte was staring at her with huge adoring eyes. Shock kept Firn and even Jae silent for several moments.
“Charlotte possess my mark,” Azlynn continued. “She, er, belongs to me. So you see, Alpha, she cannot possibly take Jae as a mate. He would never be able to mark her as his own, and besides it would be a violation of the laws set in place by your own ancestors.”
She heard the sound of a pen clicking behind her. “Dear Penthouse,” Dante said quietly. She heard Rico and Drew snigger, and she sent a mental image of their balls hanging from a Christmas tree into their heads. The laughter immediately stopped.
“Is this true?” Jae demanded of Charlotte. She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. I definitely have Azlynn’s mark.”
“Prove it,” Jae growled. “I want to see the mark. I want to see it respond to Azlynn.”
Azlynn had expected something like this, and was glad that she’d tested her theory earlier. The mark did indeed heat and shift when Azlynn was near Charlotte. She turned with supreme confidence and stepped closer to Charlotte. Charlotte pulled down the collar of her sweater to reveal the dark spiral over her heart. Azlynn reached out and traced a finger over the pattern. The mark began shifting, winding over itself restlessly. Charlotte sighed contentedly.
“Proof enough for you?” Azlynn threw Jae a triumphant look. His face was stormy, but Azlynn knew there was nothing he could do. Firn would not let him mate a woman who was already claimed, even if the mark was unusual and the circumstances even more so.
“Well I suppose my hands are tied on this.” Firn said, looking perplexed.
“My companions and I need to be leaving promptly,” Azlynn said. “If we’re going to track down Charlotte’s sister and put a stop to her killing, we need to leave immediately. Charlotte will be coming with us, isn’t that right, Alpha?” Azlynn knew the Alpha didn’t like her, and figured it would be wiser of her not to continue challenging him but she wanted him to know she wasn’t someone who could be pushed around.
“Yes, of course,” Firn said slowly. “We have no cause to keep Charlotte here and I’m sure she’ll be an asset to you in your search. Good luck to you all.”
Azlynn nodded once, then turned to the others, gesturing for them to get moving. They had already packed up their things and loaded them into the cars.
“Who am I riding with?” Charlotte asked, sneaking a hopeful look in Azlynn’s direction.
“You and Will need to catch up,” Azlynn said warily. Charlotte looked disappointed, but she nodded and followed Will and Drew towards their black SUV. Azlynn chewed her lip worriedly. She needed to figure out how to get rid of the demon mark; the longer Charlotte had it the stronger the thrall over her would become. But there was an even bigger problem nagging at her mind. After she had blacked out, the battle had continued to wage inside her body. It was like the two halves of her soul were trying to destroy each other. She had finally been able to force her own consciousness back to the surface, stalling the inner war and waking up. But all her senses had been going in overdrive and, most disturbing of all, she had no recollection of who or where she was. It had taken several heart-pounding moments for her memory to return. Azlynn was desperate to find a way to balance the two pieces of her soul, before one day she woke up and her memories didn’t return.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Dante’s voice cut through her silent panic and brought her back into the real world. She took a shaky breath and forced a smile. “They’re not even worth a penny,” she said. “I’m just wondering where Ted and Amanda are.”
“Any idea where this Mezzosphere thing could be?”
Azlynn didn’t reply. With all the time she spent in the angel’s library, she had of course some across some information about the Mezzosphere. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any clues as to where it was. But she was sure there had been section that talked about how to find it...
“We need to go to Cairo,” Azlynn said suddenly. Dante threw her a stunned look.
“What?”
“Cairo,” Azlynn repeated. “I know of someone there who can help us.”
“You know someone in Egypt?” Azlynn pulled Dante’s cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Drew’s number.
“Put me on speaker,” she ordered when he answered. “We need to go to Cairo,” she repeated. She was met with the same thick silence.
“Why, exactly, do we need to go to Cairo?” Will asked.
“There’s a library there,” Azlynn explained. “And the librarian will be able to help us get started with this whole Mezzosphere business.”
“You don’t think Ted has already paid him a visit?” Drew asked.
“Ted may know a lot, but he doesn’t know everything. Make sure you hold on, and if any of your windows are down, you’ll want to roll them up.”
“What? Azlynn, what are you-” The question was cut off as Azlynn teleported both vehicles off the road. Azlynn was in no mood for a list of questions, nor was she inclined to wait for trivial things like plane tickets. The SUV and the Charger were now driving down a sandy street on the outskirts of Cairo. Dante swore, and stomped on his brakes, and ahead of them Azlynn could see the SUV’s brake lights come on as well.
“Dammit, woman! Can’t you warn a guy when you’re going to do that?” Dante grumbled. “My car! It’s covered in dust!”
“I’ll clean it for you later,” Azlynn said, already climbing out of the car.
“God it’s hot here!” Drew said, as he climbed down out of the SUV. They all looked ridiculous in their heavy parks and wool sweaters. Naturally, the heat didn’t bother Azlynn but she could see the others were sweltering. Even Dante looked a little uncomfortable in his multiple layers.
“Sorry,” Azlynn said as they all shed coats until they were in just jeans, boots, and t-shirts. Azlynn shrugged out of her own leather jacket, leaving just her faded jeans, high-heeled black boots, and the black halter top that was tied around her lower back and around her neck with thin straps. Dante smirked and arched an eyebrow at her. Azlynn rolled her eyes. She knew the shirt was a little on the slutty side, but the halter tops were convenient for when she needed to unfurl her wings. She gestured to the others and set off down the road.
“Uh, the cars?” Dante said questioningly. Azlynn waved her hand and both cars shimmered out of sight.
“Relax, they’re safe,” she said, in response to Dante’s horrified look. “I sent them back to my place in LA.” She hurried off down the road without a backward glance, and the others had no choice but to follow her. Azlynn moved briskly through the streets, dodging traffic. After nearly half an hour of prowling the streets, she found what she was looking for. It was a nondescript building, wedged between two other, larger buildings. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d probably walk right past it without even noticing it was there. This was a favorite illusion among the angels to hide their resources on Earth. Azlynn spoke in Seraphim, and the door swung open. She strode inside, the others following her reluctantly. Azlynn led them down a narrow hallway, and then into a dimly lit lobby.
“Ileus,” Azlynn called, her voice echoing against the ancient walls. A door banged open at the back of the room, and a middle-aged man with a mop of orange curls and thick glasses marched into the room, a scowl on his face. His expression cleared when he saw Azlynn standing there though.
“Ah, Azlynn! My dear, how have you been?” He clasped her hand and kissed it gallantly. Azlynn smiled. Ileus only looked to be around thirty-five or so, but he had actually been born in the early 1800’s, and he took manners very seriously.
“Who are your companions?” Ileus asked, peering over his glasses.
“This is Will Lawson, his sister Charlotte; Agent Rico Cortese, Sergeant Andrew Miller, and this is Dante DeMarco.”
“Delightful to meet you,” Ileus said, shaking hands with the men and kissing Charlotte’s hand as well.
“So, then, what can I do for you?” Ileus asked when introductions were complete. Azlynn opened her mouth to answer, but whirled around, blades drawn, when she heard the front door bang open. She tensed, poising herself to fight whatever intruder there was. She didn’t sense another angel. The sound of panting reached her ears, and suddenly a stocky, dark-haired man emerged from the shadows, stopping short when he saw them.
“Henry!” Charlotte exclaimed. Now Azlynn recognized him.
“Don’t sneak up on us like that,” Azlynn snapped, returning her daggers to their sheaths. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“What are you doing here?” Charlotte asked.
“I left the pack,” Henry explained, wiping sweat from his brow and grimacing. He had to be dying in this heat.
“You what?” Charlotte stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
“I was tired of Jae always pushing me around. I decided to go rogue and follow you guys. I thought maybe you’d let me help you out. With the whole Amanda thing and such. I took one of the Jeeps and was driving behind you, but then all of a sudden I ended up here. I tell you, I almost shit myself. I got out of the car and went looking for you guys, and finally saw you way up ahead of me. I didn’t think it would be wise to shift into wolf form right in front of everyone, so I just chased after you. When you came in here, I thought I’d lost you. I kept walking up and down the block trying to figure out where you had gone, and then I kept thinking I saw a door so I finally tried it and ended up in here. Where is here, anyway?”
“This is one of the ancient libraries of the Seraphim,” Ileus answered proudly. He looked Henry up and down for a moment. “Do try not to touch anything, will you?”
“Ileus, I need to find some information,” Azlynn said, growing impatient. “I need anything you have on the Mezzosphere.”
Ileus’ eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his unruly curls. “The Mezzosphere! Well, now, that’s something I don’t get a request for every day. Come, come.” He hurried back toward the door he had entered from, and the others followed him. They slipped inside an elevator, Ileus pushed a few buttons, and suddenly they were whooshing downward. There was a collective gasp from everyone assembled aside from Azlynn and Ileus as the elevator doors opened. This part of the library was nothing like the musty façade of the front lobby. It was vast, several miles long, and several miles deep. It was brightly lit, and the only way to peruse the shelves was to ride on small platforms that moved all along the thousands of bookcases.
“Ted never said anything about a place like this,” Charlotte breathed, her eyes wide.
“Ted doesn’t know too much about angels and Heaven in general,” Azlynn said. “If he did, he wouldn’t be having such a difficult time finding a way to breach the gates leading inside.”
“Indeed,” Ileus agreed. “Although it is a bit unsettling that he has knowledge of the Mezzosphere at all. Right this way, please.” One of the floating platforms drifted by and Ileus hopped on. The rest of them crowded onto it with him.
“Hold tight now.” Ileus twiddled with some knobs at the head of the platform, and suddenly they were hurtling among the shelves at breakneck speed. Charlotte squeaked and grabbed onto Henry’s arm as Drew, Will, Rico, and Dante flung their arms out to grip the railings, swearing. Azlynn laughed.
“I suppose I should have warned you he might do that.”
“Crazy nerd,” Dante muttered.
“Come on, sonny! Where’s your sense of adventure?” Ileus let out a whoop as he steered the platform as though he were a fighter pilot in the midst of an aerial attack. The platform came to an abrupt and jarring halt several minutes later, and Ileus scanned the spines of the books in front of him.
“Ah, yes. Here we are. I feel this tome ought to give you the best information.” He hefted a book off the shelf that probably weighed almost as much as Azlynn herself did. The platform descended, and they climbed off with a great deal of shuffling and grumbling as everyone trod on someone else’s toes. Ileus led them to a marble table, and set the massive book on top of it. Azlynn flipped it open and began rifling through the pages.
“Ileus, I need you to look for something else for me too,” she said without looking up. “See if we have any information on how to remove a demon’s familiar mark.” She sensed his surprise, but he didn’t ask questions. She heard the platform take to the air and she kept scanning the pages of the ancient book. It was essentially an entire comprehensive history of Heaven, starting since before it was known as Heaven. She was barely aware of Ileus depositing several more books on the table as the pored over every word. Several hours passed, but Azlynn was too engrossed in her reading to pay attention to the time.
“Here!” Azlynn shouted, causing everyone to jump as her voice shattered the sleepy silence that filled the library. “It says that when the three races of man, demon, and angel came into being, the Almighty decided He needed to destroy the Mezzosphere because the three different races fought amongst each other, and the Almighty feared that their war would completely annihilate the paradise they had been created from. He sent a huge storm to destroy what was left of the sphere, but kept the heart of it inside the First Tree. Demons, angels, and humans each had their own distinct realms now; the angels chose to stay with the Almighty in His realm. But not even his most trusted angels were given the location of the tree, the heart of the Mezzosphere, and the key to re-opening the gate that led easily from one world to another.”
“Did he at least leave a hint?” Dante asked peevishly.
“It says here that the tree moves along the tides of time, and appears every three thousandth year if the moon blocks out the sun. But it never appears in the same place more than once, and always only for three days.”
“Wait, so you’re saying this tree only appears every three thousand years, but only if there’s a solar eclipse, and it always appears somewhere different, and it will only be there for three days?” Drew said incredulously. “How are we supposed to find it then? We have no idea if it’s even going to appear anytime soon.”
“Ted must have reason to believe that it will appear soon,” Azlynn said. “Or he wouldn’t waste his time searching for it.”
“There is supposed to be a solar eclipse in two weeks,” Ileus supplied. “I couldn’t tell you if it’s going to signal the arrival of this tree, but it’s worth looking into, if Tedantrios is.”
“But where do we even look?” Dante groaned. “Fuck what the song says, the world is not exactly small.”
“I’ll think on it,” Azlynn said wearily. “In the meantime, we need to go through these other books to figure out how to remove Charlotte’s demon mark.” She returned to the books, reading until her vision blurred.
“There’s not a whole lot of certainty in these,” she admitted finally. “We don’t know how everything in the demon world works, but the general consensus seems to be that the demon has to take the mark from their familiar in the same way that they gave them the mark.”
“Didn’t Leviathan give Charlotte that mark by kissing her chest?” Dante asked doubtfully. Azlynn cringed. “Yeah. He did.”
Silence.
“So, you have to kiss the mark, then?” Dante pressed.
“Yes,” Azlynn snapped. Dante produced a pen from his pocket again, clicked it, and said, “Dear Penthouse.”
Azlynn kicked his ankle under the table. “Well, I don’t have any better ideas,” Azlynn muttered. “Um, come here, please, Charlotte.” Charlotte practically ran to her side.
“Yes?” she asked Azlynn breathlessly.
“Can you, um, show me your demon mark, please?”
“Of course.” Charlotte yanked the collar of her shirt down. Azlynn found it immensely unnerving that Charlotte complied with her demands so easily. She shot the men a warning look, since all of them except for Will were watching with eager eyes and held breath. Azlynn steeled herself, then pulled Charlotte closer and pressed her lips against the demon mark. The mark came to life under her touch, heating up and swirling wildly. Charlotte made a moaning noise in her throat, and Azlynn fought the urge to yank away from her. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do to get rid of the stupid mark, so she went purely on instinct. She inhaled deeply, pulling the power from the mark into herself, trying to draw Leviathan’s essence out of Charlotte’s body. It worked, but in very slow increments. Charlotte was still making noises that were making Azlynn decidedly uncomfortable, so in desperation she extended her fangs, pricking the skin gently. Floodgate. Azlynn sucked in deeply, draining the power quickly. She could see the mark fading. A few more deep inhalations of Charlotte’s blood, and the mark was gone entirely. Azlynn hurriedly pushed away from Charlotte, wishing she had something to wash the taste of blood out of her mouth. They all watched Charlotte for several heartbeats. She swayed on her feet a little, and her brown eyes were glassy and unfocused. Then, “Oh my God!” Charlotte’s cheeks went scarlet and she buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God!”
Azlynn breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked.