"I..." I lowered my gun. "Get out of my way."

"Malachi."

After stepping around him, I strolled towards the stairs. He followed. At the foot of the steps, I turned around and his eyes widened. "I'll go up, then. But you and the rest of the soldiers better be here if there are any problems. Understand?"*102.

He tilted his head. "Raphael was right about you," he snickered. "You're a psi vamp, aren't you?"

I nodded, tapping the gun in my hand.

"We need someone like you on this team, once you learn to wield your abilities."

His comment made me pause. I thought I was making progress, but knew I still didn't have full control.

"Go on then, I'll be up there soon," he said.

I turned back to the empty staircase, a narrower entrance than the previous, and started up. Curiosity bound me to the task at hand. But I really wanted to feed again now that the energy was dying in the silence.

It was a revelation. Something about feeding on the thought of sheer violence from before energised me more than it ever had with s.e.x. I felt more alive, not confused, fl.u.s.tered and tired. This was the type of energy I truly craved. Maybe it didn't matter which form of energy I fed from?

Coming out of the stairwell, I noticed the chirp of a lone cricket. The breeze whipped past, but there was nothing to make the place appear like there had once been people there.

All the office doors were open, the windows shattered, and the place was empty.

Tile under my feet gave way in a few spots, sliding around, making it a puzzle to step with caution. Each time I laid a foot down, the ceramic tile would clank together. I needed to watch my step.

Soon, the same footsteps I'd heard before started creeping up again. I'd take a step, and another would step farther away. Was this some kind of game?

I readied my gun, finger loose on the trigger. The heaviness of the box of sh.e.l.ls readied me even more. If there were more out there, could I really shoot them?

Rounding a corner, I stepped onto s.h.a.ggy, stained carpet. The footsteps from a distance stopped.

d.a.m.n, stupid tricks.

"Where are you?" I whispered. Suddenly, I'd got into the whole act of hunting rogues.

A breeze brushed against my exposed neck. The heated flush returned to my cheeks.

Clank.

I turned quickly to my right. Inside an office, the desk lay on the floor. The chair behind it stood upright on wobbly posts.*103.

I eased my way inside, following the sound of the footsteps and the strange clanking.

An old office scanner sat in the corner of the room. White papers lay on the floor, lacking black ink.

Gun pointed, I hollered. "Come out."

Wires hung from the ceiling, sparking, stripped from the panels. Window gla.s.s lay scattered in heaps on the floor. I could only hope the perpetrator would appear soon-the room was spooky enough as it was.

The hum from the machine slowed, died, and the last paper fluttered to the floor. As the quiet set in, I turned to leave, marking this room as the creepiest in the building.

A crunch of gla.s.s, loud and close, sounded out. I turned back to face the room. A shadowed figure stood in front of the dimly lit window.

Immediately, I aimed at the being standing in front of me. "Reveal yourself." Ready to shoot to kill, for a moment, I didn't care for a name.

"Malachi?" came the familiar voice. The figure held out his hands. "Don't shoot."

"Dante?" I dropped my aim and focused in. "What are you...?"

As I stepped closer, his face came into view within the cloudy haze of my spiritual l.u.s.t.

Dark scars covered him, striping his face, neck and ears, and stretched down to his shoulders. His sleeveless shirt hung torn at the edges, revealing more whippings on his chest.

That once beautiful black hair was now clumped and stained in dried blood.

"What happened to you?" I breathed.

Dante stepped to the side, his body trembling. "I-" But he fell to his knees on the floor.

"I never thought I'd see you again."

Letting the gun fall from my hand, I dashed to cradle him in my arms. As I brushed the matted hair from his eyes, I noticed the dullness of his teal eyes. His body was weak in my embrace. "What did they do?"

"After you left, I-I've never had such a beating in my life."

"Jesus. Dante..."

He grabbed hold of my arms. "Don't tell me you're working for him now?"

"No. Just-"

"You need to leave here. Raphael doesn't care about you. He just wants your energy."

"What?"*104.

"I-If he steals your energy, he'll pool it with his own and set out to take over the Order, putting the Elders in their grave. That is his purpose."

I shook my head, unwilling to believe. I still needed Raphael to teach me to control myself before returning to Dante.

"Malachi, listen. He saw to your death eight years ago because you harbour the strength to overpower the Order. Now that he knows you're still alive, and has seen your strength, he wants it for himself."

"No," I whispered, shakily.

"He has you spellbound. Doesn't he?" Dante's eyes widened.

I tore away from him, seeking out my gun. "No. I just... What about you? He said you were lovers. Should I believe that?"

Dante huffed and picked himself up off the floor. His body swayed, still weakened from his punishment, but he steadied himself. "We were. But I couldn't continue on his path.

He'd sought out a method to destroy everything that we, the Order and Carmella, had worked so hard for. I couldn't possibly be a part of his wrath."

A rustling from downstairs caught my attention. The troop's voices echoed as they stomped up the stairs.

"Carmella asked me to protect you. She knew of your abilities and of Raphael's crooked deeds. Please, Malachi. If those men see me, they'll shoot on sight," Dante said.

I closed my fingers around the trigger and straightened my spine. "You're the rogue they're after."

Dante held his hands above his head and nodded. "There's nothing in this building.

They cleared it months ago."

"So this was just a ruse... a test."

"Now you see how wicked they can be. Come with me. We'll escape togeth-"

"No." My finger shook on the trigger. Somehow, I'd been pointing the gun in Dante's direction. "You go. I have something to take care of first."

Voices grew closer, yelling my name.

"Go!" I aimed, ready to fire at Dante.

He eased his arms to his sides, backing away towards the open window.

"Malachi?" The troop leader said from the door. I turned to see him staring up at the window, but his gun was at his side. More men followed behind him. They entered the room,*105.

inspecting everything, including the broken copy machine. "What's going on? Did you find anything?"

I flicked my eyes towards the window. Dante must have jumped. I sighed a quiet breath of relief.

"No. There's nothing here." I shook my head, relaxing my arm and the gun down to my side.

The leader pressed the b.u.t.ton on his earpiece. "Xavier. The building is clean... Yes, sir."

He narrowed his eyes on me for a moment, before looking around the room at the rest of his men. "Good job, troops. We are to meet Xavier outside." Then he turned back towards me.

"And good job, Malachi." He pulled the shotgun from my hands.

The rest of the soldiers followed close behind as the leader and I walked outside towards the convoy.

In the shadows ahead, I spotted the trucks parked on the road where we'd left them.

Xavier was awaiting our return with a gun in his hand pointed at a figure standing frozen next to him.

A gentle breeze whirled past, blowing Dante's matted hair away from his bruised neck.

His arms were behind his head, his legs trembling violently.

I dashed to them. "What the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"Stop," Xavier ordered. "Don't even think about it or I'll blow his brains out." There was no hesitation. With his trigger finger ready, he was more than willing to put a bullet in Dante.

I stilled, feeling the tip of a barrel press into my spine. d.a.m.n it all.

"Congratulations, men. We've caught our rogue," Xavier said with a smile on his face.

"Very good work, Malachi. You shooed him right into my hands."

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He has no part of this-"

"Ah, but he escaped Aurora's watchful eye and therefore he is a rogue. And he deserves punishment for going against orders."

I narrowed my eyes on the gun and on Dante's frightened face. He'd already been through enough. I'd been through enough. I couldn't allow it to continue.*106.

Feeling my energy rise with my absolute hatred, I dashed to knock the gun from Xavier's hand. I must have caught him off guard, catching the gun and pointing it straight at Xavier instead. Turning to see the troop leader step away with wide eyes, I grabbed his gun, forcing it from his hand, then pointed it in his direction. "Dante. Go. Now," I commanded.

"Malachi?" Dante stilled a moment. He hesitated, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Left alone to deal with Xavier, I found I had run out of ideas. I needed to pull the trigger, but something stopped me. An uncertain barrier between me and the rest of the troops.

"Very well." Xavier put his hands down and a crooked smile spread on his lips. "You got us. Now what are you going to do?"

I didn't have a plan. I swallowed hard, my trigger finger shaking, ready to pull.

"That's what I thought." Xavier nodded. He punched me in the chin-both guns fell from my hands at the swift pain. "You're good. But not the best. I think you've forgotten that I have strength on my side."

My face hurt as I dropped to the ground. My arms tingled and I was finally out of my daze. Xavier leaned over and picked me up by my arms to hold me tight against him.

"Gentlemen, let's meet back at the house," Xavier commanded and the troops scattered towards the trucks. He scented my hair, his wafting breath tickling my neck. "Raphael will be pleased to hear of your defiance."

Slowly, he escorted me to the truck and opened the door. I tried to brace myself against the side of the truck, but I couldn't hold my own against his strong hand forcing me inside. I crawled to the pa.s.senger's side and tried to push the door open, but the lock clicked.

"You're not going anywhere." He laughed.

A mental haze came over me again. I couldn't see my escape, just the heavy cloud scattering my brain. Even the roar of the motor seemed like a dream. We were on the road, yellow lines on the concrete glowing in the headlights as we pa.s.sed.

"W-What are you doing to me?" I breathed.

He trailed his hand up my arm to rest on my shoulder. "Seducing you to stay put. I can't possibly let you get away."

"S-stop it." I blinked, trying to get my vision back, but failing.*107.

"Malachi, you are so full of energy after your mission. Raphael will need to perform the final task to control it."

"He's not...he's not helping me control it. He's taking it from me." I focused in on the grey door handle next to me. "This entire plan of his...he wants control of the Order."

Just as I thought I had got control of the spell Xavier put on me, he tightened his grip on my shoulder, digging his claws into my skin. "Where did you hear that?"