Marked For Death: A Dark Urban Fantasy Novel Becca Blake (fiction novels to read .txt) 📖

The disks on the ceiling glowed with red light that came from the carved symbols, and the blood on the pedestal took on a similar glow.

I looked down and realized that the blood in my veins glowed the same bright red beneath my skin, burning me from within. My scream caught in my chest as I pressed on with the foreign speech and continued the alchemist’s chant. I wanted to run, to leave the alchemy lab behind, but some invisible force locked my legs in place. I couldn’t move, couldn’t stop chanting, no matter how much I wanted to.

Between the panels above us, a cloud the deep color of blood formed. Within it was an unfathomable world, filled with blood and fire and screaming.

Beside me, Ed appeared unaffected by the horror above, his expression almost serene. He picked up the sword and closed my fingers around the hilt. He guided my arm upward until the blade was fully immersed in the cloud.

Until even my hand crossed the threshold into the cloud and the heat of flames licked my skin.

He let go.

Burning vibrations rushed up my arm and traveled through my entire body with a fiery sensation that tore me apart from within. The pain would kill me.

Just when I was certain I could take no more, it was all over. The scream I had been holding in clawed its way out of my throat. I fell to the floor, gasping for air. The burning sensation stopped as soon as the portal disappeared, but the searing memory of it tingled in my veins.

Ed turned on the lights and knelt beside me. “Are you alright?”

“What in the hell was that?” I asked.

“Apt word choice,” he said with a soft chuckle. “There’s no way to prepare someone for the intensity of the infernal plane, so I’ve found it’s best not to bother trying.”

He held out his hands for the sword again, and I passed it over. Turning it over as he had before the ritual began, he examined it. He hummed his approval and handed it back to me.

“Good, good. Passing through the infernal plane will allow the blade to strike demonic forces, of course. I added a pinch of magic for you so civilians won’t notice a big sword when you’re walking down the street—better to avoid attention, yes? And the blood magic binds this weapon to you—only to you. You did well, Ms. Collins. Consider me impressed. Most can hardly function after seeing the infernal plane for the first time.”

I took the sword back from him. It looked just as it had before, but it felt different somehow. It belonged with my arm.

“Well, um. Thanks for your time,” I said weakly. It seemed such an inadequate thing to say to someone who had just shown me hell as a personal favor.

“Don’t mention it.” He gave me a dismissive wave. “No, seriously. Don’t tell anyone. I don’t have time to do a blood ritual for everyone who walks in my office—I’ve got too long of a to-do list already. I’ll never have time to myself again if I start blood binding every weapon that comes through my office. Tell your father we are even.”

***

I kicked off my boots and rested my new sword against the wall in the entryway. After the day I’d had, I couldn’t wait to throw myself on the couch and find something to spend the night binge watching. I turned into the living room and realized with a heavy sigh that I’d forgotten about Jacob Thorne, who I found sprawled out watching some obnoxious conspiracy theory documentary.

“There’s space on the recliner over there,” he said, not even bothering to turn in my direction.

“I really don’t want to watch this crap,” I said. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him, so I moved on to the kitchen.

Orion sat at the kitchen table, a book in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. “Figured I’d come over and see how the two of you were doing.”

“I picked up my sword from the alchemy lab today.” I tossed bread and lunch meat onto the counter. Bologna sandwiches—my favorite gourmet meal.

“Oh, yeah? So what did you think of our resident alchemist?”

“He was… interesting.”

Orion chuckled. “Well, you don’t gaze into the infernal plane everyday like he does and come out of it mentally unscathed.”

“He did some sort of weird blood magic with me. Kinda freaky.”

At that, Orion dog-eared a page and set the book down on the table. “Ed did a binding ritual for you?”

I nodded.

“He must have really liked you.”

“He said it was a favor to Dad. That reminds me—have you heard from him since he left town?”

“Nothing yet. It’s not like Owen to not check in like this.” He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. “I’m sure he’s fine, though.”

If that reassurance was for my benefit, it didn’t do much to convince me. Dad never went more than a couple days without checking in when he was out on a hunt, and Orion and I did the same. It was one of the unspoken rules of our family.

I threw the bologna back in the fridge and slammed the door shut. Before I could join Orion at the table with my sandwich, someone pounded on the front door.

“Sit. Enjoy your lunch.” Orion disappeared down the hallway.

Without bothering to set my plate down, I followed him to the entryway. Something about the urgency of the knocking didn’t feel right.

Orion opened the door to find Marcus Thorne standing on my porch.

“Commander Orion. I wasn’t expecting to find you here tonight.”

“Your son’s inside. I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?”

“I heard about his head injury from the staff at the clinic. I hope he’s recovering well. But no, that’s not why I’m here.” Marcus folded his hands together in front of his stomach and looked over Orion’s shoulder at me. “Ms. Collins, there’s something important we need to