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

As she pulled her hand back, the mark Raxael had left on my chest shimmered faintly before fading away once more.

Ayla jumped to her feet, shaking her hand as though she’d been stung. “What the hell?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Raxael stopped us on our way out of town. He was going to kill Jacob if I didn’t agree to help him.”

“Help him do what?” Orion asked.

“Find Maki. And you.”

His face turned a few shades paler, but he said nothing.

“And, what, he marked you somehow?” Ayla asked.

“Yeah. So I can call him to me once I find Maki and Orion.” When neither of them spoke, I sat up on the couch. “Not that I intend to do that.”

“Lie back down and get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow.” Orion started toward the door.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” I said. “You know I wouldn’t betray you, right?”

“I know.” He rubbed his eyes. “We’re just in a really bad spot here. I need time to think.”

He stepped out into the hallway, and though I tried to stay awake until he returned, sleep claimed me first.

***

The next morning, I woke in a panic, gasping for breath. I couldn’t recall what I’d been dreaming about, but sweat drenched my brow. Traveling all over the country on hunts, I was used to waking up in unfamiliar places, but it took me much longer than usual to remember where I was this time. Even when I did, I couldn’t shake the sense of dread that followed me into consciousness.

I got up from Ayla’s couch and shuffled down the hallway. I found her bathroom and took a shower to wash away the previous night’s filth. The heat soothed my skin and calmed my mind. Blood and dirt swirled down the drain, and when I stepped out, I looked human again.

After the shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and poked around the small apartment to search for her. There were two bedrooms, both with unmade beds, though she and Orion were nowhere to be found.

I didn’t feel like running out to my car for a change of clothes, so I stole an outfit from Ayla’s dresser, along with one of her leather jackets. She only had about a million of them in her closet, so I doubted one would be missed. As I dressed, I ran a finger over the pink skin where the infernal wound had been.

All my life, I’d known that magic couldn’t heal infernal wounds. They pounded it into our heads at the academy as a fundamental fact. I supposed it was just one more thing in my world that had been turned upside down in only a few short weeks.

I could almost understand why destructive magic like lightning and fire was forbidden, but this healing magic would have changed so much for us in the field and at home. I shook my head to banish those thoughts. Haygrove wasn’t home anymore, and I needed to stop thinking of it that way.

Once I was satisfied that I was fit to go out in public, I picked up my duffel bag and went downstairs to the bookshop. The shelves were filled with rows and rows of used books, and the air carried the scent of old pages and fresh coffee.

I found Ayla sitting with Orion in the cafe attached to the shop. She took one glance at me and jumped to her feet.

“I’ll go get you a coffee.”

“I didn’t think I looked that bad,” I mumbled.

“No comment.” Orion took a long sip from his mug.

The bell on the door chimed, and a group of teens walked in. While Ayla greeted her customers, I took her seat across the table from Orion.

“So, what do we do now?” I asked, lowering my voice. “How do we stop Raxael?”

“We should rest and recover for a few days. There’s no reason to rush things. We have the enchantment, and we’re safe for right now. The Council doesn’t know where we are.”

“Jacob isn’t safe,” I said.

“Let’s take a breath and figure things out.”

“And what about us—are you sure we’re safe here?” My fingers drifted up to my collarbone. “We don’t know what this thing Raxael put on me does.”

Orion leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. “I was thinking about that mark, actually. We might be able to use it to our advantage.”

“How do you figure?” As he opened his mouth to respond, my phone rang. I pulled it free from my pocket and checked the screen. “It’s Jacob.”

“Riley, don’t—”

I ignored him and swiped the green icon to answer the call. “Are you okay? I’ve been so worried,” I said, skipping a greeting.

My heart caught in my throat as I realized the voice on the other end wasn’t my partner’s.

“Hello, Miss Collins. You should be worried.”

I agreed to do as Raxael asked so he would spare Jacob’s life. Instead, the demon lord put him right back in his father’s hands.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Fears about whether Jacob was hurt—or whether he was even alive—flooded my mind, and I couldn’t bring myself to respond. How far would Marcus go to punish his son?

“Where is he?” I asked once I found my voice.

Beside me, Orion set down his coffee and leaned forward on the table.

“Don’t worry,” Marcus continued, his voice smooth and calm. “My son is perfectly fine. He’s sitting right here with me, actually.”

Across the room, Ayla told her customers to have a nice day. Once they were settled at a table and occupied by their cell phones, she started toward us. I covered my phone and mouthed, Marcus.

She nodded and pointed her thumb at the empty bookshop next door, where we could have more privacy.

“Are you still there?” Marcus asked. He sounded almost amused by my silence, and I could just imagine the smarmy look on his face.

We followed Ayla out of the cafe, and I put the phone on speaker for them to listen. “What do