Greed (Sins of the Fallen Book 2) Read online

  Sins of the Fallen Series

  GREED

  Karina Espinosa

  Copyright

  GREED

  © 2014, Karina Espinosa

  ASIN: B00MADJQH8

  Book Cover

  © Laura Hidalgo

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

  To my mother.

  After all we have been through this past year and a half, you have stuck by my side, through the ugly and the pretty. If it weren’t for you and your compassion and understanding, this book would not have not been completed.

  Thank you.

  Love always,

  Your favorite daughter.

  1

  The smoke was heavy as the screen of dark clouds surrounded me. I felt an itch in my throat crawl up and I wanted to cough, but I knew better than to inhale anymore of the smolder. With squinted eyes, I crept through the area and watched my footing. The smell of something burning made me scrunch up my nose.

  Maximillion

  A feminine voice called my name and I whirled around to see who it was.

  Maximillion

  Again, I heard my name but it was coming from different directions.

  Save me.

  My shoulders tensed and there could only be one person who needed me. My mom.

  “Mom? Mom! Where are you?” I yelled into the smoke, uncovering my mouth.

  You were supposed to protect me.

  I gave up trying to find her and ran in the direction I last heard her from. I covered my mouth again and sprinted down the darkness with no known path. But I didn’t care. I needed to find her. Protect her from what was coming. I can do that now.

  “I can save you, Mom. Please just tell me where you are?!” I could hear the hysteria in my own voice. The shrill in my pleas.

  Her voice was cold and detached.

  I’m nowhere and everywhere, Maximillion. Because of you!

  The pure venom she spewed, jarred me to a stop. What? I kept going in the same direction, but I’d slowed down to a jog. The hatred I felt from her didn’t feel right. The smoke screen was dissipating. I could see her tall willowy figure up ahead and I began to race toward her again.

  I died because you didn’t love me enough! You should have saved me! She shrieked and it was like waves of sound travelled towards me and through me. Bringing me to a halt in mid run, it was like everything went in slow motion. I saw the ripple of sound as it approached me and my eyes widen. Once it made contact with me, it threw me back—sending me flying in the air until my back slammed on the ground.

  Who else will die because you can’t protect them? Her voice echoed and I blinked a few times trying to get my bearings together. My vision was going in and out until I saw someone was hovering over me.

  “Max?” My vision cleared and the rays of sun seeped into the room from the window. Jones looked down on me with concern. “Max? Are you okay?”

  I sat up on the hard mattress and nodded in response as I picked up the t-shirt I had discarded in the middle of the night. It had been four weeks since we’d left home—since my mother was killed. And it had been four weeks that I’ve had the same recurring dream. And it wasn’t getting easier. Every night I heard her voice and the pressure in my chest got heavier. It wouldn’t be so bad if I was actually dreaming. But these nightly visits from my mom were nightmares and terrors; they were getting worse. I hadn’t been able to talk to Jones about them, but I’m sure he’s aware. There have been times when I wake up screaming, drenched in sweat—ultimately waking him up as well. Since it was only the two of us, he has been carrying the brunt of it all and I wished I could apologize or something…but I couldn’t. It was like every time I tried to, I choked up. My throat closed and the words died in my mouth. Which wasn’t fair to Jones. He hadn’t killed my mom.

  Everything for me changed the night Jones and I went to Anthony’s party. He was one of our classmates who had a party every weekend, where we had been regulars—it was a time when Jones was my best friends, or at least pretending to be. But that night I was kidnapped by a succubus, who wanted me because I’m Wrath—one of the seven Nephilim. A half angel and half human. She almost succeeded if it wasn’t for Angela who rescued me.

  Angela had been the girl I was head over heels for since I was thirteen. She was this amazing girl who could kick anyone’s ass. Decked out in leather and boots and a tough girl attitude—in my eyes she was perfection. But just like Jones, she was pretending. In reality they’re both my Guardian Angels here to protect me from the demons that now know who I am. And now I know who I really am.

  By this point I’ve been able to repair my friendship with my best friend—at least somewhat—but Angela is the reason why my mother was killed. Abbadon—Angela’s father—murdered her in cold blood. She knew he would and she let it happen. For that, I’ll never forgive her. And if I ever see her again, she won’t live long enough to even apologize. Her time will come, I’m sure of it. She’s off with my father somewhere—running from the same demons Jones and I are running from. For some reason she had my father convinced of her innocence because seconds after my mother was killed, he didn’t run to me—he ran to her. He went to her for support and he consoled her. My father barely looked me in the eyes before he told Jones and I to go on the run. I haven’t spoken to him since that night. He talks regularly with Jones, but he never asks to speak to me. It doesn’t matter either way. Because if I ever saw them again…he’ll come to hate me when I light that bitch, Angela on fire.

  “Look Max, I know times are rough right now, but I really need you to work with me here. You’re like a mute. I barely get a nod sometimes. You have to start talking to me, man. You can’t shut yourself off from the world,” Jones said as he leaned against the door frame to the bathroom. We were in a rinky-dink motel in Kansas City.

  “Whatever,” I mumbled.

  After we left Florida, we had to lose all trace of us and our whereabouts. Our first stop was North Carolina, which we stayed for a couple of days, going from city to city, changing vehicles and staying in motels under fake names. It had been a whirlwind and I was looking forward to the day we could finally stop running. We’ve had a few scares but nothing too bad. It seemed like a BOLO went out within the supernatural world and every fallen angel and demon was on the lookout for us. There hasn’t been a time where I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder or when I’m not able to have a full night’s sleep. When a place got too sketchy and people lingered around us, we picked up at all hours of the day and went to our next destination; sticking to small, deserted towns. We had done that in every state we had stopped in: New Jersey, Vermont, Ohio, Tennessee, Iowa and Kansas. We travelled all over the east coast and we were now in the mid-west where it was even more secluded.

  “Hello? Earth to Max?!” I looked up to see Jones in my face. “Dude, what the hell! Where were you?”

  “Nowhere,” I grumbled as I pushed him aside and got up from the bed. The motel we were in was cramped and the smell of mold made me want to gag. We hadn’t been able to stay anywhere nice to conserve our money stash. Which was a lot but it had been a month now and we still hadn’t gotten the “okay” from my dad to go home or settle down anywhere. So until then, we had to assume that we’d be running forever.

  “Did you hear what I said? You need—”
/>   “I heard you damnit! Just shut up already,” I said as I dragged myself to the hole of a bathroom and banged the door shut. I wasn’t in the mood—never am—to deal with all his concerns. When we had stopped in Iowa, I got this ringing in my ear that had only gotten worse. Every morning, the ringing got louder and every mild shout was sensitive to my ears. And if I got into an argument with Jones early in the morning, I was almost positive a migraine would follow.

  I looked at myself in the mirror to see the shell of a person I had become: my complexion was paler than usual and my eyes were vacant with dark shadows surrounding them. I splashed water on my face and gripped either sides of the sink. Heavy breaths escaped me as I tried to get myself together. Every morning when I saw my reflection, and I didn’t even know who stood in front of me; that wasn’t even the worse part. What was worse was the secret of lies I had been carrying for over a week since I mailed that letter to Melanie. The letter I sent to the girl who’d been my girlfriend at the time. And I broke up with her in a stupid letter. But I had no other choice, I couldn’t tell her why I left but I needed her to keep some things safe for me. Which makes no sense since I broke up with her, but I’m hoping against all odds that she’ll still help me out. Especially after I read through the Origin of the Nephilims and learned some not so stellar things about my future…and my death.

  A tap on the door pulled me from my thoughts. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get on you so early in the morning.” He paused for a moment and I thought he’d left. “Just get showered. I want to make it to New Mexico by tonight.” Of course. We were already leaving.

  The highway was deserted and the car ride for the past eleven hours was silent. We passed vast pastures with grass so green and cows scattered everywhere—it was a welcomed change.

  It was a bright sunny day for January and I would have thought it would be colder. We had stolen a black Honda Civic in the last small town we’d stopped in just two hours ago. It was an older edition and the car would jerk every time Jones accelerated. I closed my eyes for a nap and tried to block out my surroundings. This was something I’d learned to do since the night that everything fell apart. I’ve been able to control my abilities almost perfectly. I didn’t realize it until way after but that night when I fought Abbadon, for the first time ever my fire actually hurt me. I was so angry and scared, that I felt the burn of my flames. After the initial feeling went away, everything around me became clear, it was like I finally accepted the fire as a part of me—and we became one. I haven’t mentioned it to Jones yet, but I knew that was what happened. I couldn’t explain how I knew, I just did. So every once in a while when I was at an all-time low, I closed myself off, shut down my senses and got lost in my thoughts. And I tortured myself by replaying the night over and over again. Looking for something I could have done differently.

  I slammed the kitchen door open and froze in my tracks as I took in my surroundings: Angela was slightly in front of me to my right, looking defeated for the first time since I’ve known her. She had some cuts and bruises on her face and arms, and her clothes were tattered but no major injuries. Her shoulders were slumped forward and arms slacked by her sides. But what kept me rooted in my place were the tears falling down her cheeks and her green eyes that were utterly vulnerable. I followed her defeated gaze and couldn’t contain the mild gasp that escaped me.

  There stood a man whose face was completely familiar, but yet he was a total stranger. A pair of menacing green eyes flickered to me as he held my mother up by her hair.

  “Ah well what a lovely surprise. Angela dear, why don’t you introduce me to your friend?” I took a quick glance her way but she was frozen against her will.

  “Who are you?” I asked, fearing the answer to my question. He narrowed his eyes to slits and his features darkened. I should have cowered away but my urge to save my mom gave me an extra boost of confidence.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know, Maximillion.” He taunted me with a smirk on his face.

  “Max!” Jones yelled as he shook me back to the present. I blinked a few times and nodded at him. “You need to stop checking out like that. You’re starting to freak me out.”

  I hadn’t known what to say to him. I had to replay that evening until I figured out where things went wrong. What I could have done to change it.

  “Dude stop!” Jones swerved the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks. “No more nods or half smiles, I need words. You need to start talking to me. This crap is unhealthy, Max!” He paused and ran his hands over his almost shaved head. “I get it, man. Trust me when I tell you I get it. I’m feeling it too, but you can’t become an island. You can’t freeze me out. It’s been a month and you need to face this head on. No more of this nonsense, I’m done accepting it!” He banged his hands on the steering wheel a couple times with such force, that the small car shot up a few feet. I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a moment as the smacks of his hands echoed in my ears so loudly, I thought my ear drums would burst. The sound mellowed to a soft thump like I was hearing my own heartbeat and I was able to open my eyes again.

  I watched him for a few moments and saw just how stressed he was. I knew, but I never really wanted to acknowledge it. If I did, then it’d make it real. And that would force me to face reality. Jones hazel eyes were sad. Dark circles surrounded them and wrinkles creased his forehead. Like me, he wasn’t the same either. Just better at hiding it.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll try harder,” I said and looked away, outside the window to the dust of sand that was clearing around the car. I hadn’t noticed we’d made it to New Mexico.

  “Your damn right you will,” he clipped out. And all I could do was nod in understanding.

  2

  We stopped in the town of Clayton, New Mexico. And I couldn’t be happier with the weather change. The northeast was freezing and for a Floridian like me, it was torture. Jones pulled into an empty gas station and parked by a pump.

  “You know I’m not trying to be a dick, right?” Jones said as he stared at the empty gas station ahead.

  “Yeah,” I said gruffly.

  He sucked his teeth. “Don’t start this again, Maximillion. You need to start talking to me, letting me in on what’s going on in that head of yours.” He paused for a moment then turned to look at me. “You’re Wrath. A myth that isn’t supposed to be real. After Noah’s Ark, we weren’t supposed to have Nephilims roaming the Earth—but we do. Unfortunately you got the short end of the stick and it’s only going to get harder from here on out. Instead of wallowing, you should be working with me to find out why Abbadon wants you. You understand?”

  “Yeah,” I said with a half-hearted smile. He nodded and got out the car.

  I opened the passenger door and nearly fell out. The buzzing of mosquitos and gnats was literally right in my ear. Crouched down on my hands and knees, I yelled into the night air for some relief.

  “What the hell? What’s wrong, Max?!” Jones was next to me in an instant, but I couldn’t even respond to tell him what was wrong. My ear drums were about to shatter. With my eyes smashed shut, I could feel my tears roll down my face and I begged for this to be over.

  Please, please, make them stop, God please!

  The buzz was excruciating as the sound vibrated in my ears. “Max hold on,” I heard Jones from a distance but it didn’t matter. If they hadn’t already, I’m sure blood would be trickling down the side of my face soon enough. This was too much for one person to bear. I couldn’t. My cries and screams were drowned out by the buzzing and I gave up on begging for mercy. This was probably happening because I deserved it. I had let so many people down. I’ve made my bed…

  My shoulders were lifted into the air and I could only assume it was Jones picking me up. With his arms around my shoulders and under my knees, I was limp in his arms. A few seconds later, I was deposited on something leathery. I still hadn’t opened my eyes. The pungent smell of shoe polish was all around me.

  “Max?” His v
oice was clearer but my ears were popping and trying to get adjusted to the solitude of the enclosed car. I let out ragged breaths and tried to slow my heart rate. What the hell was that? I peeked over to Jones who was facing me from the front seat. With a roll of paper towels he ripped a couple out and handed them to me. I must have appeared confused because he pointed to his own ears and that’s when I knew. My hand flew to my ears and the dampness made a cold chill run down my body. My fingers were soaked with the ruby red of my blood.

  “What happened?” Jones asked.

  No more lying. I couldn’t keep this in any longer. To some extent, he’s right. It’s not fair that I had been keeping him in the dark for so long as if I was the only one grieving or hurting. We were stuck together; we might as well help each other. That’s what brothers do. But I couldn’t tell him everything, at least not yet. It was still too soon after my mother’s death to bring up the Origin of the Nephilim, but everything else was fair game. Especially with the hearing problem, I wouldn’t be able to deal if it became unbearable like this every day…I needed his help.

  “My hearing has gotten extremely sensitive. They’re times when I hear things so clearly, I get a migraine. It’s not just one singular sound…I hear everything,” I said, my voice hoarse from unshed tears.

  “When did this start?”

  “Originally, our last night back home. When I lit up in flames…it was different. For the first time, the fire hurt me from the inside out. Once I was covered from head to toe, it was like I was seeing and hearing everything for the first time. But it was manageable until we reached Iowa. That’s when the ringing in my ears started,” I said.

  “And you bleed from your ears?”

  “No. This is the first time that ever happened. It’s never been more than a mild irritation with maybe a headache.” There was a pregnant pause. “Jones, am I getting sick?”