Free Exalted by Ella James

exact
reason: so you will accept your fate.”
    They landed on hard, cracked dirt. Dark gray clouds covered
the entire sky. As far as Cayne could see in any direction, there was only dry,
dead earth. “I’ll never hurt Julia. Your plan won't work if it depends on
that.”
    The Adversary shifted, out of the devil form he’d adopted
to mock Cayne’s 'terrestrial superstitions', into one that looked like an older
version of Cayne.
    “You will fulfill our end of the bargain. You will submit
to Methuselah’s design, and you will be my ambassador. I had hoped you would be
a willing vessel. If not, I can take the same route as Methuselah. I can carve
you out until all that remains is my will.”
    “So you say,” Cayne sneered. “I hope you’ve got eternity.”
    The Adversary smiled serenely. “I do. Time means nothing
here. I could work on you for eons and return you to Earth the minute after you
left it.”
    Cayne was careful to keep his mind blank. He had learned
how to keep his thoughts from The Adversary. He avoided dwelling on his
feelings or his plans for escape, incomplete though they were. Still, the
Adversary sensed his despair.
    “There is nothing you can do to stop this.”
    “What if we went to Earth together and destroyed
Methuselah. You could take his place.”
    “As leader of the Chosen!” The Adversary laughed.
    “As the top dog on Earth.”
    The Adversary smiled widely. “You must feel strongly for
your girl if you’re willing to unleash The Adversary on your world.” He
grinned. “I want nothing more than to encourage such a pure act of selfishness,
but as long as The Alpha’s barrier exists, I’m no match for Methuselah on
Earth. I can get there, as I did when I sired you, but I cannot stay long. For
that to happen, the net would have to be let down. And for the net to come
down, you must kill Julia. It is Methuselah's plan, and he is the strongest
force on Earth.”
    “Come on,” Cayne cajoled. “You’re The Adversary.”
    “And vain, yes, but it’s simply a matter of—let’s say
metaphysics. I have to exert too much energy holding physical form to stand
against him, so long as the net is in place. Its intent is to keep us from
advancing toward Heaven. Coming from Hell to Earth is as hard for me as from
Earth to Heaven would be for Methuselah.” The Adversary shrugged.
    “I could lead your army—”
    “They wouldn’t follow you,” The Adversary said, his
conspiratorial smile vanishing. “Your part in this is set. Your lover will
serve as Methuselah’s vessel, and you will be the conduit for my power.
Together, you will bring down the barrier.”
    Cayne
clenched his hands into fists and stared at his sire. “I’ll kill you,” he
snarled.
    The
Adversary laughed. “The hard way then. I was hoping you’d make me break you. It
takes longer, of course, but it’s far more fun.” He took a step closer and
raised his hand. “Methuselah was actually being gentle with your little whore.”
    Cayne
saw red in an instant. He leaped at The Adversary, but fell to the ground
screaming as pain erupted across his entire body. A white fire hotter than any
he’d felt yet covered every inch of him, burning his clothes, seeping into his
pores, filling his head, his mouth, his lungs. Brilliant light, searing light,
and so much pressure ...
    Cayne
moaned, writhing as almost every part of him was scorched, but somehow still
intact. He couldn’t even anticipate the relief of death.
    Which
was good—because as agony seared the thoughts out of his mind, an epiphany
filled it: This was a link, he realized. Just like the one Methuselah had made
with Julia when he leashed her. And if he had a link to The Adversary's power,
that meant maybe he could use it.

 

Chapter Twelve

 
    “Heck yeah.” Meredith laughed, throwing her dirt-smeared
arms around Carlin’s narrow shoulders.
    “We did it,” Carlin gasped, swinging her slender hips like
a hula doll.
    “Now let’s get the hell out of