Isle Of Midnight: Hearts Of Glass (Isle Of Midnight Series, Book 2): Isle Of Midnight, #2

I sit and listen to the screams, relishing each one with every fiber of my being. I can hear the pain in them, but more than that, I can hear the absolute terror in them. It sends a shiver of delight running through me, and I take a moment to really appreciate the feeling. It is one of the few things I haven’t grown tired of over the years. That and, of course, total chaos.

As the Queen of Oryx, the underworld, I could go anywhere I choose. I could have a mansion in Beverly Hills, a cabana on a beach in Brazil, or a luxury apartment in Dubai. But in none of those places would I get to hear this torture on a constant loop, which is why I choose to remain here, in a small but adequate section of Oryx that I claimed as my own centuries ago.

I am pulled away from appreciating the delight of the torture my demons are unleashing on those souls who still need to be broken by a knock on the door. But not before I am once again reminded of the fun of human naivety. They seem to think that the people they consider bad—murderers, rapists, tax collectors—come here to what they call Hell, while the good go to what they call Heaven. If only they knew.

It used to work that way. Aurus would filter out the good souls and send me what was left. But those who were left weren’t a punishment for me. They were my people. Now there is no more Aurus, and I have free rein to do as I like. Those bad souls, they become my family, while the righteous are systematically tortured by demons until they break.

Come in, I call out in response to the knocking, which is still ringing out.

Kaiden, my second-in-command, bursts in, a look of panic on his face. I ignore the panic and the fact he’s bursting to tell me something as I continue to muse over my thoughts. A particularly loud scream cuts the air, and I smile as another wave of ecstasy floods my system.

Do you ever feel like everything is right in the world, Kaiden? That finally things are working out just as they’re supposed to? I ask.

Kaiden frowns, thrown by my question.

I…ummm…yeah, I guess. But this isn’t one of those times, Iris. Aurus has escaped his prison. I don’t know how, but I promise you I’m working on finding out, and when I find out who is responsible, I’ll personally make them regret it, he says.

That’s big talk, Kaiden, from someone who has allowed my prisoner to escape, I say, enjoying his discomfort.

I am not responsible for this, he insists.

Really? Are you not my second-in-command?

He nods warily.

Then are you not responsible for the actions of every demon except for me? I goad him.

Yes, but…

Then are you saying this is my fault? I purr.

He is thrown by the fact I’m not dismembering him. He sees the glint in my eye as he tries to formulate a response that will save his skin. I roll my eyes.

Do keep up, Kaiden. It was me. I let Aurus go, I tell him.

You did? But…but why? I thought you wanted him contained until the game was over, Kaiden says.

I did, but then I reconsidered. Did you really think Aurus could escape without me allowing it, Kaiden? Do you really think he could outwit me? I shout.

Kaiden shakes his head, thrown by my apparent change of mood, but he finds his confidence now that I am reacting with anger. Exactly the way he expected me to react.

Of course not, he says. And we’ll make him pay. We’ll make him pay good because he hasn’t just escaped. He’s gone to Jazz and told her everything. He’s broken the rules of the game.

I smile again.

I think you’ll find we broke the rules of the game first when we threw Aurus in the pit.

Kaiden is thrown again, and I resist the urge to strike him dead there and then. Considering he’s my second-in-command and has been for over a century, he really doesn’t know me at all. I reach into my desk drawer and pull out a wickedly sharp blade, which I use to file my nails as I consider switching Kaiden out for someone with a bit more intellect. But he has loyalty going for him. He’s never tried to overthrow me or even question my orders, and I like that in a subordinate.

He is still floundering, searching for the right answer, when I finish my thumb nail. I tire of toying with him and explain.

Kaiden, dear, you’ve known me for a long time. What’s the one thing I like more than causing someone pain?

The chaos that comes from someone else causing people pain, he replies without hesitation.

Maybe he does know me a little bit.

Exactly. I knew if I let Aurus go, he would run straight to Jazz and try to warn her against trusting me. And what do you think happens now?

A sly smile spreads over Kaiden’s face.

She doesn’t know who to trust. She wastes her time worrying about whose side she is on instead of worrying about completing the quest, he says.

Right again. It makes the game a whole lot more fun, don’t you think? I have never doubted that Jazz will embrace her dark side, but this will push her there a whole lot quicker. And not only does Aurus get a front-row seat, but he gets the pleasure of knowing she’s spiraling because of him.

It’s already working. Jazz killed Flick after finding the emerald. And Cole has vowed to get revenge on Jazz, Kaiden says.

That’s news. I always knew Jazz would embrace the darkness, but Cole, I wasn’t so sure about. Even when Kaiden killed his brother, he didn’t fully commit to going off the rails. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he vowed to get revenge. He had no idea Kaiden was behind it then or that the so-called gang members were actually demons, so he did vow to murder a human. But it wasn’t exactly in cold blood. And no matter the scenarios I created for him, he always made the moral choice. Well, it seems that’s not the case anymore.

I smile again, a cold smile that would stop a human in their tracks but which excites Kaiden.

So now they’re both embracing the darkness. It’s just a matter of seeing which of them is the most ruthless and who has the strongest desire to win at any cost.

I put the nail file away, making sure Kaiden sees the sharp points I’ve filed my nails to. I beckon to him, and he comes closer. I stand up and pull his shirt off. I lean into him and kiss him gently on the lips.

You have brought me good news, Kaiden, and that deserves a reward, I say.

I hop onto the desk and pull my tight black pencil skirt up over my hips, revealing my lack of underwear. I pull Kaiden against me, kissing him again, a full, passionate kiss this time. The screams of torment ring in from outside of my office, spurring me on, and I dig my sharpened nails into Kaiden’s back, tearing them down, pulling open the flesh there. I feel the heat of his blood coating my hands, and I don’t want to wait any longer. His hiss of pain only makes me want this more.

Kaiden might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he’s fit, and he knows his way around my body. I pull back from the kiss and push him to his knees. I bring his head to my thighs and push his face into my warmth. As he begins to work on me, I let out a loud laugh, throwing my head back.

By the end of this quest, I’ll know if Jazz is truly the daughter I hope she is. And if she isn’t, then I’ll mold Cole into the son I deserve.

Then Kaiden’s tongue hits the spot, and my screams join those of the damned. One way or another, this quest is going to give me everything I have ever wanted.

NATE SPEAKS

I walk into the lounge and sit down. Freya, Blaze, Fletcher, and Harmony look at me as I sit before them, and I’m reminded again how small our team feels. We didn’t just lose Flick; we lost Cole or Marlon or whoever the hell he really is too. And we also lost Jazz.

Jazz is technically still here, but I feel like she’s lost to us. At least for now. But I’ll find a way to get her back if it’s the last thing I do.

Right now, her mood swings between anger at the game, self-hatred for what she did to Flick, and the utter confusion of not knowing who to trust anymore. She isn’t in this meeting though, and I am not impressed.

So, I say, looking each member of the team in the eye one at a time,you’re all ready to turn your backs on Jazz, huh?

It’s not like that, Nate, Harmony says quietly, refusing to meet my eye.

So what’s it like? Please, someone, explain it to me if I’ve got it all wrong, but I thought we were a team, and teams stick together through the bad times as well as the good.

It’s hard, Nate. Come on, man; you have to see that. Flick was our friend. And now she’s gone. And whether she was in control of herself or not, Jazz killed her. Surely you get why we’re having a hard time being cool with that, Fletcher says.

I miss Flick as much as everyone else, I say.

It’s true. Maybe I even miss her more than the others do. Flick was my best friend here. I mean sure, I mess around with Fletcher and anyone on the outside would peg us as bros or whatever, but Flick was one of the few people I ever really opened up to.

She’s the person I want to talk this out with. She’s the person who would know how to reach the real Jazz and pull her back from the edge. And it hurts more than I want to admit that she’s gone.

And I get why you’re upset, but turning your backs on Jazz isn’t the way to deal with this. It just means we lose someone else. Can any of you honestly say you’ve never done anything that you regret? Anything bad? And that you wouldn’t want us to stand by you?

Well yeah, we’ve probably all done bad shit but there’s a line, and that crosses it, Fletcher says.

I can hear real venom in his voice as he practically spits the words out, and his reaction worries me. I hoped the team would see this the same way as I do because Jazz will need all of us on board if she’s ever going to truly forgive herself. Fletcher’s anger could be the thing that really pushes her over the edge, but I hold onto that information for now. I don’t want to put it all on him.

Freya gives him a warning glare. She speaks up before I can respond, which is probably a good thing. I’m doing my best to keep my cool, to speak logically, but I’m so close to losing it with them all right now.

Look, Nate; I get it, okay. I really do. I know it wasn’t Jazz who killed Flick. Not the real Jazz. I get that it was the darkness from the emerald that made her do it, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with it.

She holds up a hand to ward off my protests.

It’s not that I can’t forgive her, because I can, because I know it wasn’t really her. My point is, how do we know she won’t do it again? How do we know that the darkness left her when you took the emerald back?

You saw the same thing I did, Freya. You saw her crumble when I took the emerald. You saw her fall to the floor, broken. And you’ve seen how upset she is. This is the real Jazz. She’s herself again, I reason.

Freya reaches out and picks up a bottle of beer as she eyes me. She takes a sip and immediately spits it back out. Blaze gives her a funny look, and she shrugs.

What? It’s warm and kind of flat, she says.

Fletcher rolls his eyes and takes the bottle from her. He takes a drink and swallows.

God, Freya, you’re such a pansy. It’s fine, he says.

She glares daggers at him.

Well, maybe if you have the tastes of a Neanderthal it’s fine, she snaps.

Since when did you become a liquor snob? I’ve seen you downing pints of moonshine like a sailor on vacation, Harmony interjects.

Freya shifts uncomfortably. Can we just focus on what we’re going to do about Jazz? she says.

She turns back to me. You know as well as I do that every time one of those objects is used, the user’s soul darkens a little. Eventually, there’s going to be no coming back from that.

Maybe, or maybe not. Remember that information came from Iris, who we can no longer trust. And Jazz didn’t use the emerald, so even if that’s true, it hasn’t darkened her soul. It influenced her while she held it, but that was it.

Nate is right, Blaze puts in. She didn’t use the emerald. So this thing, this force, whatever it is, it doesn’t have a hold on her.

You hope, Fletcher says.

Yes, I hope, Blaze says. Why? Don’t you?

Well sure, but I’m not quite ready to stake my life on hope, Fletcher answers.

Actually, that’s exactly what you’re ready to do, I say.

Fletcher raises an eyebrow in my direction.

Think about it. We don’t know if it’s Iris or Aurus that’s on our side. But we do know that one of them is good, and one of them isn’t, right? And whichever one that is hardly matters. We were chosen for this mission because we’re good. And it’s our duty to cling to hope and act on it. It’s our duty to stand by Jazz and make sure that whatever happens, she doesn’t succumb to the dark side.

Actually, it’s our duty to save humanity, Harmony counters.

Yes, I say. And Jazz is our leader one way or the other, so we have to support her. We have to make sure she stays on the right path so that together, we can end this game that the gods are playing and save humanity. That’s our destiny. And you all know it as well as I do.

I look around at each of them again, holding their gazes.

Now whether you feel like you can trust Jazz or not isn’t something I can influence. Personally, I’d trust her with my life, but—

You would? Even after what I did? Jazz asks from behind me.

I didn’t hear her come in, and judging by the way the others shift awkwardly, neither did they. I wonder how long she’s been standing there, but to ask her will make it look like I’ve been condemning her too.

I would, I confirm.

You’d trust me with your life, but apparently none of you trust me enough to inform me of your meetings, she says.

It’s not a meeting, Jazz. We’re just chatting, Harmony says.

She has the decency to look a little ashamed of herself.

Bullshit, Jazz says.

She walks over and sits down at the end of the couch.

Yeah. It is bullshit. All of this is bullshit, Jazz. Surely you of all people see that? And the reason you weren’t informed of this meeting is that you weren’t invited. We’re still trying to work out whether or not you’re going to come and slit our throats in our sleep, Fletcher says.

Fletcher, that’s enough, I snap.

It’s okay, Jazz says to me.

She turns to Fletcher and the others. I get why you all feel that way. I do. I want you all to know that I am truly sorry for what happened to Flick, and if I could go back and change what happened, I would. But I can’t. And neither can any of you. We need to stop thinking about the past, and start focusing on the future.

She pauses and stands up. Her tone was practically robotic as she spoke, but now, it comes alive with a ferocious passion.

And the future is finding Cole and taking him the fuck down.

I can see the team bristling at Jazz’s passionate words. Even I have to admit this is cold. She spoke about Flick without the slightest trace of emotion, but at the mention of Cole, I can feel the fury coming off her in waves. She wears a cold, ruthless expression and I know she’s gearing up for the fight of her life.

Beneath her grim exterior, I can see a glimpse of the real Jazz. The way she was before that damn emerald tainted her. Passionate, fearless, and ready to save the world.

Jazz, Cole isn’t the enemy here, Freya says.

You sure about that? Jazz snaps. Because he’s hardly a friend. Do I need to remind you of his parting words as he left us? Or what Aurus told us about him making a deal with a demon to come and go from the island as he pleases?

He made the threat in anger after what you did, that’s all, Blaze reminds her.

I shoot him a pointed look.

Maybe. But he hasn’t been back, has he? And whoever’s side Cole is on, he definitely made a deal with someone or something to get off the island, didn’t he? You know what I’m starting to think? I’m starting to think Aurus lied to us that both Cole and I are blank slates or whatever. I’m really starting to think Cole is the evil one and that it wasn’t touching the emerald that infused me with that dark rage. It was his presence. I think he wanted me to freak out and turn you all against me, she reasons.

But why would Aurus lie about that? If he is who he says he is, then he’s on our side, so he wouldn’t lie to us about the dark powers. And if he is really the evil god, then why wouldn’t he be happily celebrating Cole’s darkness? It just doesn’t make sense, Harmony argues.

Like any of this makes sense, I add.

It would really help if we just knew the truth about who is on our side, Freya says.

Jazz, the emerald is well known to cause dark urges, as, I suspect, all the objects will. There’s no way Cole influenced you to do what you did. Even if he is evil, he doesn’t have that kind of power, Blaze says.

Or maybe he does. Maybe leaving the island isn’t the only deal he made with a demon, Jazz says. But enough about that. It doesn’t matter who is telling the truth or which god is on our side. The fact is, whatever the truth may be, Iris and Aurus aren’t playing by the rules anymore and neither are we.

What are you saying, Jazz? Fletcher asks.

I’m saying that I am the leader of this team and we’re going after Cole. That is the most important thing right now, Jazz says.

No, it isn’t, Harmony says. How can you say that, Jazz? Putting Flick to rest is the most important thing to do right now.

Jazz shakes her head sadly. No, it isn’t. When this is over, we’ll give Flick the send-off she deserves, but first, we have to end Cole.

No, Fletcher says.

No? Jazz cocks an eyebrow.

No, Fletcher states again. You might be the leader of the team, but at the end of the day, you’re not the boss of me when we’re not on a mission. When the next object is revealed, I’ll be right there by your side, Jazz. That’s my destiny, and you can count me in one hundred percent. But killing Cole isn’t a part of that. I won’t follow you off on some vigilante quest that will make me turn into a murderer.

Fletcher’s right, Freya says.

Jazz is the leader. It’s our duty to do as she says, I say.

Fletcher snorts.

When did you get so pussy-whipped? It wasn’t that long ago you wouldn’t even set up camp when she wanted to, and now, you want us to become murderers to satisfy some twisted fantasy she’s made up in her head to justify killing Flick?

Jazz winces a little when he says Flick’s name, and I know she isn’t lost to us. We have to support her. Now more than ever.

I’m not going. And that’s final, Fletcher says.

I’m with Fletcher on this one, Freya says.

Me too, Blaze says.

Jazz doesn’t wait for an answer from Harmony or me.

Then I’ll do it alone, she says.

She turns and storms away.

If you turn your backs on her, then you turn your backs on me too, I tell them.

I rush outside after giving the team my ultimatum. I don’t know if it was a good idea or not, but it’s exactly how I feel. I won’t turn my back on Jazz, no matter what, because as much as I have tried my best to stay away from her for her own good, the truth is that I am in love with her.

I know I’ll have to keep her at arm’s length—the last thing she needs right now is my drama—but that doesn’t mean I won’t go to the ends of the earth for her.

If only it were as simple as going to the ends of the earth now, but it isn’t. I can’t see anything to point me in the direction she has gone. How can I help her if I can’t even find her?

I need to stop wandering around and choose a direction and head in it. I take a deep breath and clear my mind of my turmoil of thoughts and try to imagine I wanted to find Cole, someone I know could leave the island because of a deal with a demon. Where would I