Violet Eden Chapters 04 - Endless

there was nothing but a deluded insanity about Olivier now.
    Exiles still held onto their origins even after they had abandoned their rightful place. The war between light and dark was eternal, despite the current truce. If not for the Scripture’s promise of Grigori destruction, there would be no way the two sides would tolerate each other.
    Phoenix’s grip tightened again around Olivier’s neck. Distracted by this task, his defences slipped away and some of his emotion leaked into me.
    I slapped a hand over my mouth, falling back into Spence with the intensity of Phoenix’s… hatred. It seeped into me like poison – so strong my eyes watered and my lungs constricted.
    It was hatred for Olivier. For himself. For what they were doing. And impossible control. It was taking everything he had not to kill Olivier right there.
    I trembled, experiencing just a taste of what Phoenix carried with him. Spence steadied me.
    Oh, Phoenix. What have you done?
    Sill holding Olivier, he looked down the platform, as if he could see me. I inhaled sharply and watched his eyes close. An outpour of sorrow flooded through me, as if somehow he was answering my unspoken question. And in that moment, I wanted to cry for him.
    Oh, God help us.
    Olivier laughed. ‘You really thought Lilith was going to be grateful to you, didn’t you? You were a fool not to realise she’d be so disgusted to find you had the Grigori list all this time and hadn’t even used it!’
    ‘Be verycareful – I can rip out your heart with barely a thought,’ responded Phoenix.
    ‘Yes, but everyone would know it was you and after having Gressil killed, killing me …’ He shook his head, smiling maniacally. ‘She’ll kill you. I’m too useful to her and you know it.’
    Phoenix tightened his hold again but then, as if realising there was nothing more he could do released Olivier, pushing him to the ground.
    ‘Once this is done, I am going to pull every organ from your body before I start on your eyes and heart, just so you can watch.’
    Something flashed in Olivier’s eyes and for the first time he backed away from Phoenix and stayed on the ground.
    ‘I have work to do,’ Olivier growled.
    Phoenix turned to the child, his face emotionless, but I felt the trickle of concern he’d been working so hard to hide as he lifted the limp body from the ground. ‘I’ll take this one back to the estate. Lilith wants you to collect another one tonight. She’s moved up the schedule.’ He handed Olivier a piece of paper, glancing in my direction before continuing. ‘The building is on East 79th, between Lexington and Park. I suggest you don’t delay.’
    ‘What?’ Olivier scoffed. ‘You’re not waiting for me?’
    Phoenix smirked. ‘I’m sure you can manage to get back to the highlands on your own.’ With that he walked towards our end of the platform, his back to Olivier and, before he took off with the wind, he nodded right at me.
    Is Phoenix giving us information? Can we trust it?
    Olivier went off in the other direction and Spence and I didn’t wait around either. As soon as the coast was clear we ran back the way we’d come, racing along the tunnel and up the ladder leading back out into the park at City Hall. As soon as we were above ground I called Lincoln.
    ‘Where are you?’ was his answer.
    I kept pace with Spence.
    ‘City Hall.’
    ‘I’m on the way,’ he said, I could hear him running too.
    ‘No! Wait! Where are you?’
    ‘Southeast corner of Central Park.’
    Shit. I didn’t know this city well enough.
    I shoved the phone towards Spence. ‘Talk to Lincoln. He’s at the southeast corner of Central Park.’
    Spence grabbed the phone. ‘You’re closest,’ he told Lincoln and then told him the address of where Olivier was headed before tossing the phone back to me.
    ‘He said he’ll go there with Griffin and that we should go back to the Academy and wait for them,’ Spence explained.
    But Olivier is going after another child.
    We couldn’t take any chances. I’d already stood by and watched one little boy be taken.
    ‘Not going to happen. We’ll meet them there just in case,’ I said, throwing my arm out to hail a taxi. I shoved the phone in my pocket. ‘What the hell, right? It’s not like we can get in any more trouble tonight.’
    ‘So true,’ Spence said, clapping a hand on my back as I jumped in the car. ‘It’s an outlook I often take in life.’

    When the taxi pulled upwe saw Lincoln and Griffin